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At 100 PM CDT (1800 UTC), the center of Tropical Depression Two was located near latitude 27.8 North, longitude 85.0 West. The depression is moving toward the north-northwest near 1 mph (2 km/h) and a continued slow northwestward or north-northwestward motion is expected during the next day or two, followed by a turn toward the west. On the forecast track, the depression will move near or along the northern Gulf coast during the next several days.

Maximum sustained winds remain near 30 mph (45 km/h) with higher gusts. Gradual strengthening is forecast, and the depression is expected to become a tropical storm tonight or on Monday.

The minimum central pressure based on surface observations is 1011 mb (29.86 inches).

Watches and Warnings

CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:

None.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for, * Ochlockonee River to the FL/AL border

A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, in this case in the next 36 to 48 hours.

Additional watches will likely be required over the next day or two.

For storm information specific to your area, including possible inland watches and warnings, please monitor products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office.

Land Hazards

Key messages for Tropical Depression Two can be found in the Tropical Cyclone Discussion under AWIPS header MIATCDAT2 and WMO header WTNT42 KNHC.

WIND: Tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area by late Monday.

STORM SURGE: The combination of storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the immediate coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide,

Indian Pass to Chassahowitzka, FL, 1 to 3 ft

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances. For information specific to your area, please see products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office.

For a complete depiction of areas at risk of storm surge inundation, please see the National Weather Service Peak Storm Surge Graphic, available at hurricanes.gov/graphics_at2.shtml?peakSurge.

RAINFALL: The tropical depression is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches with locally higher totals around 8 inches through Thursday along the eastern and central Gulf Coast from western Florida to southern portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. This rainfall may produce areas of flash flooding, especially in urban areas.

For a complete depiction of forecast rainfall associated with Tropical Depression Two, please see the National Weather Service Storm Total Rainfall Graphic available at hurricanes.gov/graphics_at2.shtml?rainqpf and the Flash Flood Risk graphic at hurricanes.gov/graphics_at2.shtml?ero.

Four players had a share of the lead at some point Sunday. Cameron Young was atop the leaderboard for two hours without hitting a shot because he finished his astonishing 6-under 64 when the leaders were on the front nine.

Fox never lost hope, even after a pair of bogeys on the back, and the 39-year-old son of an All Blacks rugby player delivered the goods when it counted. He birdied the 16th to tie Young for the lead, and then made birdie on the toughest hole to become the third Kiwi to win a major.

Fox closed with a 2-under 68 and thrust both of those powerful arms into the air. He was on the phone with his family moments later and heard saying, “You asked me to bring a trophy home, and I am, aren’t I?”

His name will go on the base of that shiny claret jug, joining Bob Charles of New Zealand from 1963.

His sterling moment brought more disappointment for Young. The American also finished one shot behind in the British Open at St. Andrews four years ago, and he had a Sunday lead on the front nine at the Masters until Rory McIlroy overtook him.

“I gave it everything I had all the way through,” Young said when he finished. He was on the range when he heard the cheer for Fox. Young declined interviews when it was over.

Sam Burns, the 54-hole leader who was never planning to be at the Open until his wife gave birth to their daughter earlier than expected, lost a two-shot lead and didn't make birdie over the last 12 holes to finish two shots behind.

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler somehow managed to stick around until the end, getting two bad bounces that cost him momentum, then getting one big break for a most improbable birdie but failing to birdie the 18th. He closed with a 67 and shared fourth with hometown star Tommy Fleetwood, who fell back early but thrilled the thousands packed along the dunes with a birdie-birdie finish for a 68.

Missing from all drama, remarkably, was Bryson DeChambeau. He lost a golf ball and made triple bogey on the 11th hole and didn't make a birdie until he was well out of contention. That two-shot penalty he received Friday for improving the path of his swing wasn't an issue at the end. DeChambeau shot a 72 and tied for 14th.

Fox won for the 10th time worldwide, his biggest title before Sunday coming at the BMW PGA Championship in 2023. He is the oldest first-time major champion since Henrik Stenson was 40 at Royal Troon 10 years ago.

Fox finished at 10-under 270, got his hands on the jug and heard those magic words when he was introduced as the “Champion Golfer of the Year.”

“I’m not quite sure how I hit that putt on 18. Look, it is a dream come true,” Fox said. “Looking at that trophy now, it’s the first time I’ve seen it up close. So it’s pretty amazing.”

Young was flawless until the final hole, his tee shot finding a pot bunker. He tried to open the face of a 6-iron but caught it thin and it smacked into the vetted wall and into the rough. He hit the next shot into a greenside bunker and nearly holed it for par. The bogey put him at 9-under 271.

Burns was losing ground quickly on the front nine with three straight bogeys, none more damaging than a pitch to the reachable par-4 fifth hole that went over the back of the green.

Si Woo Kim emerged as the leader going to the back nine until he made bogeys on the 11th and 12th holes, and fell out of contention for good with a pair of late bogeys that added to a 40 on the back nine for 72.

And then there was Young, at the top of the leaderboard, the wind gaining strength and the challenge to match him looking tougher by the hole.

Fox fell two shots behind Young’s score when he missed a 6-foot par putt on the 11th.

He hit his approach to 12 feet on the 13th for birdie, then hit a superb pitch to 3 feet for birdie on the par-5 14th to tie Young.

But his hopes took a nasty turn on the par-5 15th when his tee shot caromed off the side of a bunker and settled next to the lip, leaving him no stance and no shot. He smartly played away from the back pin to the fairway, chipped from 45 yards away to 6 feet and made bogey.

It was as big as any shot he hit until the last.

He rallied with another clutch shot to 10 feet for birdie on the 16th to again tie with Young, and right when it looked as though the Open was headed for its first playoff in 11 years, Fox came up with a winner.

Fleetwood found the raucous ovation to be a consolation. He grew up in Southport and long dreamed of winning an Open at Royal Birkdale. He holed a 65-foot putt on the first hole that brought the loudest cheer of the day. And he was one shot behind as he played the ninth.

But he dropped three straight shots and the hope was gone. Even so, the ovation on the 18th hole was one he won't forget.

“This disappointment that I didn’t win today or I couldn’t get it done when I was in a really good position, of course there’s only one person that gets to win it, and my dream of winning The Open will carry on and I’ll continue to chase it,” Fleetwood said.

“But stuff like that, walking down 18 and the atmosphere out there, that was beyond stuff that I’ve dreamt of. That was just stuff that I never imagined.”

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This version corrects to four players having a share of the lead Sunday instead of five.

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

“It turned out we were a soccer country, and I think it’s going to remain,” Trump said Friday at a FIFA reception at Trump Tower in New York City. “This has really brought the world together.”

The president arrived at the World Cup final on Sunday after the presidential helicopter, Marine, One, flew over New York New Jersey stadium. Trump was invited to the game and given 10 tickets by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

For the White House, Sunday’s match is the culmination of well over a year of navigating a litany of logistical challenges alongside co-hosts Canada and Mexico for what would be the biggest World Cup in history. It had to balance the Trump administration’s hard-line migration policies that barred fans from some World Cup qualifier countries from entry into the United States.

The White House faced warnings from human rights groups, and the tournament confronted backlash over high ticket prices. For months, Trump flirted with the idea of moving games out of cities that did not cooperate with federal immigration authorities, and in the weeks before the tournament’s start, local authorities sparred with FIFA over high transit costs, heightening tensions even more.

As the first games were preparing to begin, the administration continued to find itself under global scrutiny for its visa decisions, such as denying entry to a referee from Somalia who had won accolades for his officiating. The pressure increased after Trump launched a war with Iran, leaving the administration to grapple with an Iranian team whose fans and some supporting personnel were barred from the U.S, and that ultimately was based across the border in Tijuana.

But the broader story of the World Cup eventually shifted. Social media was flooded with tales of soccer fans from around the world enjoying the treats and traditions of the U.S., from beer to ranch dressing. Some fears about the Trump administration that circulated beforehand, such as the threat of immigration enforcement raids near the games, never materialized.

“One of the things that we talked about beforehand was, if we’re talking about what happened on the pitch, then we’ve done our job,” Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, said in an interview with The Associated Press. “But I think it’s even better than that. We’re not just talking about only the incredible, athletic feats on the pitch, but we’re talking about all these incredible, incredible cultural moments.”

Still, Trump did create controversy with a phone call he made to FIFA chief Gianni Infantino earlier this month in which he asked for a review of a controversial referee call in Team USA’s match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The referee gave a red card to U.S. star forward Folarin Balogun, meaning he wouldn’t be able to play in the subsequent match against Belgium.

Trump says he simply asked Infantino, who has cozied up to the U.S. president and faced backlash for doing so, to review the call. FIFA then reversed the call, and Trump told Infantino at the FIFA reception on Friday that “you made another great decision, if you think about it," because it allowed the U.S. to keep a key player on the field even though the team lost the match to Belgium 4-1.

Giuliani said the administration had a “duty” to ask questions and raise concerns about the officiating process, which drew scrutiny because of the use of video review and slow-motion replay to issue the red card. He noted that the Trump administration invested billions in federal funding to ensure that the World Cup was “not just a safe and secure event, not just where we welcomed the world, but an event that was filled with integrity.”

The Trump administration was under considerable pressure to pull off a successful World Cup tournament because the U.S. will soon host the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

The U.S. is also largely expected to be awarded the 2031 Women’s World Cup, although Giuliani said in the AP interview that part of getting those hosting duties will be “ensuring that, in fact, women and only women will play in that 2031 Women’s World Cup” — an allusion to the Trump administration’s fierce opposition to transgender women participating in women’s sports.

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., a self-professed World Cup superfan whose home state is hosting Sunday’s final, noted that logistics for the tournament have gone mostly smoothly, aside from the occasional hiccups on some issues such as transit to the games.

But “overall, just the joy that people have, the excitement that they have, has dramatically outweighed” any downsides, Kim said, who has been eagerly watching the games with his two young sons over the last several weeks.

The U.S. also faced broader tensions with its World Cup co-hosts of Canada and Mexico. Trump announced stiff tariffs on both countries in his return to the White House, and he has chosen not to renew a trade pact among the three countries, setting up a new period of negotiations.

On Friday, Trump threatened to tariff Canada over its wildfires, which have hurt air quality in parts of the U.S., including northern New Jersey where the World Cup final is being held. He joked on Friday that FIFA should choose the U.S. for the World Cup soon again, and “this time, we’ll leave Mexico and Canada out.”

Still, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney plan to attend the final at Trump’s request, in a sign that soccer can overcome some geopolitical tensions.

“I received an invitation from President Trump to attend the World Cup final on Sunday, and I decided to go because it’s a direct invitation from the President of the United States,” Sheinbaum said. “Prime Minister Carney will also be there.”

Trump, as is generally customary for heads of state hosting the tournament, will present the trophy to the eventual winner. But he hasn't tipped his hand publicly about whether he has a preferred team.

Spain is a known irritant to Trump, with its reticence to meet NATO defense spending goals and its refusal to let the U.S. launch strikes against Iran from its bases. Meanwhile, Argentine President Javier Milei is a favorite of the Trump administration, with the U.S. president going as far as to threaten to cut aid to the country if Milei’s coalition didn’t prevail in legislative elections.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez plans to attend the game, although Milei — citing superstition — will stay at home.

___ See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

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Kim reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti in Washington contributed to this report.

Concan Fire & EMS and partner agencies were searching for individuals who went tubing and did not return, the agency said in a Facebook post.

Officials are urging the public to stay off the river, warning that conditions remain extremely dangerous.

On Saturday, officials said the river was flowing at around 1,900 cubic feet per second, making it unsafe for any recreational activity.

“The river is NOT ready for tubing at this time,” Concan Fire & EMS said. “The current remains extremely fast and dangerous.”

Officials asked residents and visitors to avoid the river and refrain from creating additional emergencies while operations are underway.

Read also:

• Crystal City mom recalls helicopter crew rescuing her family from floodwaters

The MV Barima was sailing from the capital, Georgetown, along the North Atlantic coast to Port Kaituma, said Guyanese Prime Minister Mark Phillips, who is leading the government’s response.

Phillips said the group that had been rescued included 41 men, 11 women and 15 children. He did not say whether authorities feared the missing passengers were dead or not. Helicopters, planes and fishing vessels are scanning a 1,000-square-mile area in search efforts.

The MV Barima departed shortly after 3 p.m. on Saturday and ran into trouble shortly before midnight, officials said. A distress call was received at 11:01 p.m. (0301 GMT), which prompted a search and rescue operation involving state and private boats, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill said on Facebook.

Authorities said the vessel, which makes weekly trips to the largely Indigenous communities near Venezuela, capsized near the Pomeroon River.

Edghill said the vessel was fitted with 250 life jackets, two rigid life rafts and six inflatable life rafts. He denied claims that it could have capsized because it was overloaded with passengers or cargo.

"It had to do with the tide,” the minister said, referencing statements from rescued passengers.

The World Cup final is finally here.

Kickoff is at 3 p.m. EDT at MetLife Stadium. Argentina is seeking its fourth title, Spain its second — and could become the first nation to simultaneously hold the World Cup crowns in both men's and women's soccer.

Argentina made three changes from its starting 11 for the semifinal win over England: Midfielders Rodrigo De Paul and Nico Gonzalez, along with defender Gonzalo Montiel were in, while midfielders Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina, along with forward Giuliano Simeone, were dropped.

Spain kept its starting 11 from the semifinal win over France untouched.

It's the 104th match of the biggest World Cup ever, a 48-team event that played out over the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Because there were more matches than any previous World Cup, it was no surprise that there were more goals than all other editions — 307 and counting entering Sunday.

If Argentina and Spain combine for at least two goals in the final, this World Cup will also have the highest average number of goals per game since the 1956 event saw 3.6 per contest. (If the teams score fewer than two Sunday, it'll still be the highest average per game since 1970's World Cup saw 2.97 goals per game.)

The spectacle will not be limited to simply soccer.

Post Malone headlined the closing ceremony, which started about 90 minutes before the final was set to begin and just a few minutes after Messi and Argentina arrived at the stadium. The halftime show — a first for FIFA — has Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira and BTS as fellow headliners, along with Burna Boy, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, the PS 22 Chorus featuring Coldplay, and even characters from Sesame Street and the Muppets.

President Donald Trump is expected to attend as well, with plans calling for him to be part of the trophy presentation at the conclusion of the match.

“I won't pick sides,” Trump told Fox Sports in an interview released Sunday afternoon before the final. “I just think it's very hard to bet against Messi. He's great.”

Argentina is wearing its light blue and white vertically striped jerseys for the match, while Spain is wearing predominantly red with navy sleeves. The officiating crew is from Slovenia — Slavko Vinčić is the referee, with Tomaž Klančnik and Andraž Kovačič his assistant referees.

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Follow along for key moments, analysis and highlights.

No changes to Spain lineup

Spain made no changes to its starting lineup for the final, sticking with the squad that beat France in the semifinals. That includes 19-year-old Lamine Yamal.

Unai Simón is in goal behind defenders Pedro Porro, Aymeric Laporte, Pau Cubarsí and Marc Cucurella. In midfield are Fabián Ruiz, Álex Baena and Rodri. At forward are Yamal, Mikel Oyarzabal and Dani Olmo.

As the ball bounces: The final match could be a kick in the grass

The field for the final at the stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey is grass with synthetic fibers stitched in to reduce the risk of divots and tears. It has drawn mixed reviews from players through the first seven tournament games played there.

Stadium staff has had nearly two weeks to get it in the best condition possible for Sunday’s final. Neither Spain nor Argentina have played on it yet.

Teams in previous matches have said the field plays fast, but also called it hard and rigid and could be good for teams, like Spain, who like to possess the ball.

Some liked it better when it got wet. The area around the stadium was notably pelted by rain storms on Saturday.

Argentina’s lineup features three changes for final

Argentina’s lineup for the final features Emiliano Martínez in goal behind defenders Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez and Nicolás Tagliafico; midfielders Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister and Nico González; and forwards Lionel Messi and Julián Álvarez.

The changes from the semifinal win over England are Montiel for Nahuel Molina on the back line and De Paul for Giuliano Simeone and Gonzales for Leandro Paredes in midfield.

Trump says it’s ‘hard to bet against Messi’

In an interview with Fox, President Donald Trump was asked to predict a winner between Spain and Argentina. He hedged on that, but seemed enamored with Argentina star Lionel Messi.

“I would say it’s hard to bet against Messi,” Trump said, noting Messi’s assist on Argentina’s winning goal in the semifinal against England.

“The pass was exactly perfect,” Trump said. “I won’t pick sides … It’s just hard to bet against Messi.”

Spain embraces its ‘And why not?’ motto

Entering the World Cup final against Argentina, Spain’s soccer federation has released motivational videos on social media promoting the motto “¿Y por qué no?” -- “And why not?”

The phrase refers to the answer given by defender Aymeric Laporte after a reporter asked him during the 2022 World Cup whether Spain could win the tournament.

The federation released a video with players who helped Spain win the World Cup in 2010 all saying the phrase repeatedly. Another video mentions the motto while showing people wearing Spain’s jersey around New York to the beat of the song “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys.

New Jersey governor has no plans to meet with Trump

Democratic New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said she does not expect to meet with President Donald Trump during the World Cup final. But she stressed that officials have a “really great” plan to get the Republican president in and out of MetLife Stadium with as little disruption to fans as possible.

“It’s like the wedding is here after you’ve had family in town for a week,” she said about the anticipation for the game. “We’re excited, but also looking forward to some peace when they leave.”

Sherrill said she’s rooting for Argentina and even she tried her hand at Spanish, saying it’s better than it was a few months ago but that it needed more work.

“Or something like that,” the governor said in English after tripping through her Spanish.

Former Spain player Capdevila allowed into US to watch the final

Former Spain defender Joan Capdevila has made it to the United States to watch the World Cup final after being denied authorization to travel a decade after playing in an exhibition game in Iran.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in an email to The Associated Press that it received a request to allow Capdevila into the country. It said it reviewed the request and Capdevila arrived in the U.S. on Sunday.

Capdevila had addressed President Donald Trump in a social media post, saying his application for visa-free entry was denied. He also sent a message to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and tagged the Spanish government’s ministry of sport in his post.

In 2010, Capdevila helped Spain win its only World Cup title, starting in the final against the Netherlands. He was also part of the team that won the 2008 European Championship.

Hundreds gather at Buenos Aires fan fest

As rain fell in Buenos Aires at midday, hundreds of Argentines gathered ahead of the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain.

At the FIFA Fan Festival in Plaza Francisco Seeber, songs by Argentine pop groups Bandana and Miranda! played over loudspeakers. Fans waved Argentine flags, painted their faces in the nation’s blue and white colors, and lined up early to secure a spot in front of the giant screen that will broadcast the match.

“People are happy. It’s raining, but people are here together; with friends, with strangers, with foreigners,” said Franco Pavalo, 21.

Shin Truong, 20, said the final carries greater significance because it’s expected to be the last World Cup appearance for 39-year-old Lionel Messi.

“He’s mythical,” Truong said. “We couldn’t ask for anything more from him.”

Fans in Spain gather around big screens and inside Madrid arena

Big screens have been set up across Spanish cities for the World Cup final, with 20,000 people expected at the one installed at Plaza Colon in Madrid. About 15,000 fans were expected at the Madrid Rio location.

Similar viewing areas were set up in Barcelona and other cities. Fans in Madrid will also be able to watch the match at the Movistar Arena, where some 15,000 people were expected. Tickets were sold out in advance.

Excitement builds in Buenos Aires

Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, was at a near standstill Sunday morning.

Streets were adorned with blue-and-white flags. Cars were honking, announcing the arrival of the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain. Businesses were closed, as were museums, theaters and cinemas. Bars opened early.

It’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere, but fans gathered in the chilly wind and rain in parks and plazas around the city. Street vendors blew plastic horns and hawked jerseys and umbrellas with the name of superstar Lionel Messi.

Americans are still tuning into the World Cup despite the US team’s elimination

Even after the Americans were eliminated in the round of 16 against Belgium, viewership has remained strong in the U.S.

The match between England and Mexico was the most-watched World Cup game not involving the U.S. broadcast in English in the country’s history, according to Fox. The network said an average of more than 21.7 million tuned in to watch England’s 3-2 victory in Mexico City on July 5.

The 2022 World Cup final — which was in Qatar — was viewed by a then-record 16.7 million.

Storms reduce choking hazards for players and fans

Meteorologists say the thunderstorms that passed through the New Jersey area should clear out the smoke from Canadian wildfires that left a haze over the Northeast U.S. for several days.

While experts say there could be some lingering smoke to make things a bit hazy Sunday, it will likely be faint and not cause the poor air quality warnings issued in recent days.

Temperatures are forecast to be around 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius), with light breezes and low humidity for the start of the final.

The World Cup final will be played on turf with mixed reviews. Rain might help

Players and coaches have fielded a lot of questions about the pitch in East Rutherford, New Jersey, before and after World Cup games there. Opinions have varied.

Brazil’s Vinicius Junior was not a fan. France coach Didier Deschamps called it special — and not in a good way. Norway’s Ståle Solbakken was asked several times about the surface before coaching his first game on it and came away more pleased about it than he expected.

While entirely different than the turf surface at the stadium that has been maligned by NFL players, the grass field with synthetic fibers stitched in to reduce the risk of divots and tears has drawn mixed reviews through the first seven games of the tournament there. After a nearly two-week break for staff to get it in the best condition possible, the most important game takes place there Sunday when Argentina and Spain meet in the final.

Neither team has played at the Meadowlands stadium yet, adding another element of uncertainty to the matchup.

▶ Read more

Lionel Messi once held baby Lamine Yamal in his arms. Now they will battle for the World Cup title

Almost two decades ago, photographer Joan Monfort didn’t think much of his photo shoot of a teenage Lionel Messi bathing a cute baby boy in a plastic bathtub. Not until the remarkable twist of fate became clear years later, when that infant blossomed into Lamine Yamal.

Now those images of the long-haired Messi, his hands covered in soap suds as if anointing Yamal as soccer’s Next Big Thing, have become the most talked about — and gawked about — in the runup to Sunday’s World Cup final, when Messi’s Argentina will play Yamal’s Spain for the biggest trophy in the sport.

“I have never been a believer or thought that anything was destined to occur, but I am beginning to have my doubts. This is beyond all reasonable explanations,” Monfort told The Associated Press from his home in Barcelona on Friday.

Monfort, who works as a freelance photojournalist for the AP, took the photos in 2007 as part of a charity calendar produced by local newspaper Sport and UNICEF.

▶ Read more

Biggest World Cup also means biggest pot of prize money

The tournament grew from 32 teams to 48 for the 2026 World Cup and the prize money hit record amounts as well.

FIFA says the winner of the Argentina-Spain final will receive $51 million. That’s up from the $42 million paid to Argentina for winning the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

The runner-up will get $34 million.

The total prize pool for the tournament staged in the United States, Mexico and Canada is $871 million, up from $440 million in 2022.

All 48 teams were guaranteed at least $12.5 million.

Messi and Argentina will face Yamal and Spain for the title

The best offense. The best defense.

The World Cup final will be a clash of styles. Lionel Messi — the most prolific goal scorer in the tournament’s history — and defending champion Argentina will take on Spain’s defensive juggernaut on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Spain beat France in one semifinal on Tuesday; Argentina, the comeback king of this tournament, rallied to beat England 2-1 in the other semifinal on Wednesday.

Argentina is seeking its fourth title and is looking to become the first back-to-back World Cup champion since Brazil pulled off the feat in 1958 and 1962. Spain is looking for its second title, after winning in 2010.

Something will have to give on Sunday, when the biggest World Cup ever — a 48-team, 104-match extravaganza spread out over the U.S., Canada and Mexico — comes to an end.

It’s not Finalissima. It’s going to be better.

The two-way superstar received a lubricant injection in the knee just before the All-Star break last week and had been expected to pitch Wednesday in Philadelphia against the Phillies.

Ohtani, however, still didn’t feel 100% while playing catch this weekend, so he and the Dodgers decided not to even test the knee with a bullpen session.

The four-time MVP hasn't pitched since July 3, when he threw a season-high 110 pitches over six innings in a no-decision against San Diego. Now, it's unclear when he'll return to the mound.

“I would say that it’s going to be some time,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday before his team's doubleheader against the New York Yankees. “It's not going to be a day-to-day thing.”

Roberts reiterated that Ohtani feels no pain in the knee when hitting. The slugger was in the starting lineup for Sunday's opener, batting leadoff as the designated hitter, and Roberts said he'd wait to see about playing Ohtani in the nightcap, too.

Ohtani laced an RBI double off All-Star Cam Schlittler and scored from second base on Freddie Freeman's two-out single to give Los Angeles a 2-0 lead in the third inning.

“We just want to continue to give it the best chance to kind of get in a good spot,” Roberts said. “As he said, as we feel, it’s the pitching and the torque on landing on that leg. That kind of gets it upset. So I think that hitting doesn’t do that. So I think that for us, we’re trying to give it as much time as possible.”

The two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers began the day with the best record in the majors at 62-36 and a 12-game lead in the NL West. Roberts indicated that's playing into the team's approach with Ohtani, who skipped the All-Star Game last Tuesday in Philadelphia to treat and rest his balky knee.

The right-hander has been dealing with the ailment for more than a month. He had an outing cut short against Pittsburgh on June 11 because of inflammation in the knee.

“I think for us, it’s more like we’ve done many times over, erring on the side of caution,” the manager explained. ”A lot of it is where we’re at and how we put ourselves in a good spot in the sense of, could he probably do it? Sure. But right now the benefits don’t seem to outweigh the cost of this time in the season. So I think that we still have plenty of time to kind of get him in a good spot.”

Roberts said he's sure Ohtani will return to the mound this year.

"If it’s two weeks or three weeks then that’s kind of why we’re trying to do this, so we don’t have to worry about it throughout the end of the season,” Roberts said.

Emmet Sheehan had been expected to start during the Yankees series, but his next outing was pushed back to Monday night in Philadelphia.

Los Angeles is off Thursday this week and Monday next week, providing some short-term flexibility in the rotation while left-hander Blake Snell works his way back from an injury.

Snell, sidelined since his season debut on May 9 because of loose bodies in his left elbow, made a rehab start Saturday for Triple-A Oklahoma City and threw 32 pitches in 1 1/3 innings. He’s expected to pitch again Friday and will need to get up to about five innings and 75 pitches in the minors before returning to the big league rotation, Roberts said.

“I think that once we moved Emmet, the rotation can keep going forward without Shohei for the time being. I can’t speak for how long that’s going to be,” Roberts said.

“He was on the schedule when we broke for the All-Star break and then it was more of the training staff talking to him about, `Hey, coming out of the break, how does Wednesday look? How do you feel? If you don’t feel 100%, we have the opportunity to kick the can,'" Roberts added. "I think it’s more driven by the organization saying, hey, if you’re not 100% right, we don’t have to do this.”

Ohtani began the day batting .289 with 22 homers, 58 RBIs and a .942 OPS. He is 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings over 14 starts on the mound and has won his past six decisions.

“When he does swing the bat, it’s the back knee versus the land knee where you’re kind of driving off of it to create torque when you pitch,” Roberts said. "And so there’s no feeling of any sensation or any reason why we feel he's got to stop hitting.”

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AP freelance writer Larry Fleisher contributed to this report.

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

Antonelli saw off a challenge from Charles Leclerc to get back to winning ways at the Belgian Grand Prix after reliability issues had allowed Russell to whittle down his lead in recent weeks. Russell was left fuming in a gravel trap at his Mercedes car's shortcomings.

Antonelli started on pole but lost the lead to Leclerc when a virtual safety car slowdown allowed the Ferrari driver to save time during his pit stop.

Antonelli sped back past Leclerc with 10 laps remaining and cruised from there to his sixth win of the season — and his F1 career — and first since last month's Monaco Grand Prix. It gives him a 45-point overall lead after recent reliability problems and keeps the 19-year-old firmly on target to become F1's youngest-ever champion.

“The momentum has always been there despite what happened in the previous races, and that’s why you just need to take one weekend at a time, because you never know what can happen,” Antonelli said. “With these new cars, new regs, there’s so much going on and so much unpredictable.”

With six wins, Antonelli is now joint-second all time among Italian F1 drivers, behind only Alberto Ascari, a 13-time Grand Prix winner and two-time champion in the early 1950s. In a marker-pen message on a champagne bottle, Antonelli dedicated the win to his father, former sportscar racer Marco Antonelli, whose birthday was on Saturday.

Leclerc strong again

Leclerc was second after avoiding a penalty for a collision which damaged Oscar Piastri's McLaren, and Max Verstappen was third after briefly taking, then losing, the lead from Antonelli on a hectic opening lap.

The Italian stretched his standings lead after Russell was left stuck in the gravel on the first lap after he was pushed into a spin by Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.

Antonelli went into the race with a 25-point lead over Russell after recent reliability issues for the Italian had cut his advantage. That has now nearly doubled. Antonelli will leave Belgium with a 45-point gap over Hamilton, who moved up to second, and is 50 ahead of Russell.

In a sign of tension at Mercedes after a heavy blow to his title chances, Russell seemed to blame his car, rather than Hamilton, for the incident. Russell said the incident wouldn't have happened if his car hadn't lost speed on the straight into the corner, dropping him behind Hamilton. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff suggested it was a software problem affecting multiple cars with Mercedes engines.

Hamilton not at fault after crew member struck

Hamilton was fourth for Ferrari after an eventful race including a five-second penalty for colliding with Russell, verbal spats with Ferrari over strategy and car setups over the radio, and knocking over a Ferrari mechanic as his car started to leave the pits.

Hamilton immediately asked after the team member’s health and was told he was OK. A post-race inquiry by the stewards found Hamilton was “in no respect at fault” and fined Ferrari 30,000 euros ($34,300), with 10,000 euros of that suspended for a year.

Oscar Piastri was fifth for McLaren and Isack Hadjar was a strong sixth for Red Bull despite starting at the back of the field because of a penalty.

Lando Norris started 13th for McLaren thanks to a grid penalty but sliced through the field and even briefly led the race when others pitted. A pit stop delay dropped him back but he still finished seventh.

Gabriel Bortoleto placed eighth for Audi, Arvid Lindblad ninth for Racing Bulls and Alpine's Franco Colapinto took the final point in 10th.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Nolan flexed his singular box-office might with a global debut unlike any other. Few filmmakers alive could pull off a starry, big-budget adaptation of Homer’s epic poem. But in a Hollywood where intellectual property rights rule most hits, Nolan turned one of the world’s oldest works of literature into an unlikely summer blockbuster.

The Universal production was no small gamble on Nolan, coming off the 2023 best picture-winning “Oppenheimer.” With a production budget of $250 million, it’s among the most expensive R-rated movies ever made. Universal is spending some $125 million to market it.

But no behind-the-camera name turns out audiences more than Nolan's. So great was the hype on “The Odyssey” that IMAX put tickets on sale for some 70 mm showtimes a full year in advance. To satisfy the extraordinary demand for Nolan's preferred format, IMAX 70 mm, some theaters added midnight and 3 a.m. screenings — and sold them out.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see the palpable excitement in theaters this weekend,” said Jim Orr, head of domestic distribution for Universal. “Nolan has crafted an epic adventure. It’s on a scale that audiences have responded to extraordinarily well.”

IMAX drives ticket sales

Billed as Nolan’s first feature shot entirely with IMAX cameras, the format drove a huge slice of ticket sales. That included $29.6 million domestically on IMAX and $51.8 million globally, leading to the company's best weekend ever. IMAX is dedicating its screens entirely to “The Odyssey” for three weeks. Though only 41 IMAX screens can screen “The Odyssey” in 70 mm, they accounted for $6.3 million in ticket sales.

“The IMAX of it all helped turn it from not only a blockbuster, but a global cultural event,” said Rich Gelfond, chief executive of IMAX. “We have tickets on sale for week five in some theaters and some of them have already sold out.”

Since the pandemic, Nolan has been at the forefront of reviving cinemas. His “Tenet” was one of the first big releases to wade back into theaters in 2020. Three years later, “Oppenheimer” and Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” combined to create arguably the movies’ signature moment of the decade. “Oppenheimer” ultimately grossed $975 million worldwide.

“The Odyssey” arrived in theaters during Hollywood’s best summer since 2019. Ticket sales are running 10.4% ahead of last year, according to Rentrak. The industry is expecting the first $10 billion year at the domestic box office since the pandemic.

Universal sees ‘The Odyssey’ playing into the fall

The only question for “The Odyssey” will be how front-loaded it is, given that many moviegoers have had this weekend circled for months. The film faced no new-release competition over the weekend, and it won’t next weekend, either.

Gelfond said that presales for the movie's second weekend would rank among their 10 best presales, proof that many moviegoers are waiting to see the film in their preferred format. IMAX 70mm screenings, he said, are largely sold out for the next month, except for some front row seats.

“Christopher Nolan and Tom Cruise may be the two most high-profile ambassadors for the big-screen experience,” said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Rentrak. “Nolan is a director who’s a star as much as any movie star in front of the camera.”

The audience for “The Odyssey” was notably male, accounting for 59% of tickets sold. But Orr said moviegoers were otherwise “ridiculously broad,” playing across demographics and geography.

“It’s delivering for a 17-year-old dude and it’s delivering for a female that’s 55 and up,” said Orr. “It points to what I’m convinced will be a very long, very successful run throughout not only the rest of the summer but into the fall, too.”

The next movie to pose any competition, ironically, also stars Tom Holland and Zendaya: Sony’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” on July 31.

Casting controversy has no apparent effect

“The Odyssey” stars Matt Damon as Odysseus and features Holland as his son, Telemachus; Anne Hathaway as Penelope; Zendaya as Athena; Robert Pattinson as the suitor Antinous and Charlize Theron as the sea nymph Calypso.

Nolan’s casting of “The Odyssey,” including Lupita Nyong’o as Helen and Elliot Page as a soldier, was controversial to some conservative commentators. Elon Musk called Nolan a “coward” over Nyong’o’s casting.

But that criticism had little to no effect on “The Odyssey” becoming one of the big-screen cultural events of the year. Reviews (95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) are among the best of Nolan’s career. Audiences gave it an “A” CinemaScore.

PG-rated films followed in the wake of “The Odyssey.” The Walt Disney Co.’s “Moana” landed in a distant second place with $19 million in its third weekend. Following its disappointing $43 million launch, the live-action remake slid 56% on its second weekend. In two weeks it collected $178 million worldwide, a poor result for a film that cost $250 million to make.

“Moana” was trailed by Universal's “Minions & Monsters” and Disney's “Toy Story 5,” both of which grossed about $15 million.

Top 10 movies by domestic box office

With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak:

1. “The Odyssey,” $124.5 million.

2. “Moana,” $19 million.

3. “Minions & Monsters,” $14.8 million.

4. “Toy Story 5,” $14.8 million.

5. “Evil Dead Burn,” $5 million.

6. “The Invite,” $3.9 million.

7. “Young Washington,” $3.7 million.

8. “Obsession,” $2.5 million.

9. “Supergirl,” $1.5 million.

10. “Disclosure Day,” $1.5 million.

Step by step, the U.S. and Iran have returned closer to all-out war as last month's interim deal meant to permanently end the fighting has crumbled and shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has largely stalled. Both sides have targeted civilian infrastructure relied on by millions of people.

The U.S. military said the latest strikes targeted Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard to retaliate for Friday's killing of troops in Jordan. The campaign, now in its second week, has seen the U.S. target bridges, water desalination plants and electrical facilities in Iran. Tehran has hit U.S.-allied countries throughout the Middle East.

Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain again activated air defenses for incoming Iranian drones and missiles. Israel warned that missiles launched toward neighboring Jordan could cause fire to spill over into Israeli territory for the first time in weeks.

Iran says a nuclear site under construction was hit

The U.S. military’s Central Command said it hit “Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities and missile and drone storage sites.” It said the attack was designed to degrade Iran's ability to control the strait and “swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces,” a power base in Iran's theocracy that controls its ballistic missile arsenal.

Footage released by the U.S. military appeared to show strikes carried out by fighter jets and by Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from the sea. One target site appeared to be in a valley of a mountainous region. The Guard often has missile bases and other military equipment tucked into mountain ranges.

Iran’s atomic energy agency said U.S. strikes targeted the construction site of a planned nuclear power plant in the southwest, state television reported.

Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC of the Darkhovin nuclear plant site showed earth clearing but little construction as of July 9. Iran did not previously announce it as being targeted.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said the site, in the “very early stages of construction,” contained no nuclear material when the U.N. watchdog last visited.

Jordan and nearly every Gulf Arab state have been targeted

Jordan's military said it shot down several Iranian missiles. The country hosts major U.S. bases and relies on U.S. air-defense systems. The missiles did not cause casualties or damage, according to Jordan's military.

Jordan later summoned Iran's chargé d’affaires to protest, state-run television reported.

Israel's military said Iranian missiles launched toward the Jordanian port city of Aqaba just across the border could spill over, warning Israelis to expect the first air-raid sirens in weeks.

Eilat, the Israeli city that neighbors Aqaba, cited security officials as saying two interceptors were launched from its outskirts to prevent the fall of debris.

During the latest fighting, Iran has focused attacks on U.S.-allied Arab states rather than Israel, which launched the war with the U.S. on Feb. 28. “We are prepared to immediately resume combat,” the Israeli military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, said.

Kuwait said one of its power and water desalination plants was attacked for the second time in two days, causing fires. Its Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said the power grid remains stable. In Kuwait, about 90% of drinking water comes from desalination.

The secretary-general of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, has accused Iran of war crimes for strikes on infrastructure and civilian facilities.

International humanitarian law generally protects civilian infrastructure such as bridges and power plants from attack, but such sites can lose protections if used for military purposes. In such cases, attacks must be proportionate and minimize civilian harm.

The Strait of Hormuz remains key to the conflict

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to target Iran’s power stations and bridges to try to compel Tehran to loosen its hold on the Strait of Hormuz, which saw one-fifth of global oil supplies transit before the war. Recent attacks suggest the U.S. military is carrying out that plan.

The U.S. in the past week reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports to halt its shipments of crude oil. The military on Saturday said it had redirected five ships and disabled one since then.

A maritime organization overseen by the U.S. Navy said Sunday that the threat to mariners is severe after previous Iranian attacks, “with deliberate hostile action considered highly likely.” It said traffic remained low, with eight transits on Saturday and three on Friday. The daily average before the war was almost 140.

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, in a statement Saturday, warned of “unforgettable lessons” if the U.S. keeps attacking the Islamic Republic. An Iranian negotiator said Tehran was suspending its commitments to the interim deal and accused the U.S. of violating it.

The halfway point has passed in the 60 days the deal set out to negotiate the permanent end of the war and other issues, including Iran's nuclear program.

Since the war began, 16 U.S. service members have been killed and over 430 wounded. Iranian authorities on Sunday said at least 50 people have been killed and 517 wounded in the latest U.S. strikes. Iran has provided no overall information on its materiel losses.

Far from the region, the war's effects on the prices of fuel and other goods have hit some of the world's most vulnerable areas hard.

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Metz reported from Ramallah, West Bank. Associated Press writer Toqa Ezzidin in Cairo contributed.

Vingegaard fell about 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) from the end of the 184-kilometer (114-mile) trek, which ended with a big climb. His Visma–Lease a Bike team said in a statement posted on X that he sustained a fractured collarbone, which will require surgery in the coming days, and multiple abrasions.

“I’m really sad to see Jonas crash out. Without him the Tour will not be the same,” Pogacar said. “We go back a long way.”

Belgian rider Evenepoel withstood two attacks from Del Toro in the last 800 meters and then beat Pogacar in a dash to the line for his first stage win of this year's race and third overall on the Tour. Del Toro finished a few seconds behind them in third.

“It’s amazing, I’m literally trembling from emotions,” Evenepoel said. “You have to understand, I’m racing with the best rider ever and he’s been doing a hell of a climb. For me it’s a big step forward that I can follow this pace.”

Vinegaard's retirement means that Evenepoel climbed to second overall, five minutes behind four-time Tour champion Pogacar, with the 22-year-old Mexican Del Toro 5:58 back from Pogacar in third place.

Barring mishap, a fifth Tour crown looks inevitable for Pogacar, who has won four stages so far in this year's race.

Only Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Indurain and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault have won the overall Tour five times.

Vingegaard crashes before final climb

Sunday's trek featured one Category 1 (the second-hardest category) up Col de la Croisette and concluded with a HC climb (the hardest category) up Plateau de Solaison in the French Alps — an 11-kilometer slog with a punishing 9% gradient.

It was a special stage for the 19-year-old rising French star Paul Seixas, whose grandparents' house was about 15 kilometers from the finish. Seixas credits his grandfather, José Manuel Seixas, for introducing him to cycling when he was a youngster. Seixas finished fourth and is fourth in the standings, 6:23 behind Pogacar.

A lead group of nine riders, including Olympic mountain bike champion Tom Pidcock and American Quinn Simmons, headed up the sharp 4.7 kilometers of Col de la Croisette, with Simmons moving ahead.

Shortly after Vingegaard's crash, which saw the Danish rider tumble close to a roadside kerb after losing control of his front wheel, riders reached the Solaison ascent.

Pogacar caught Simmons with just under 5 kilometers remaining, with Del Toro and Evenepoel the only ones able to stick with him.

“I just kept my momentum and tried to go as hard as possible to the finish line,” said Evenepoel, who said his win will silence detractors who said he could not climb well. “On hard mountains like this, it’s really hard to beat guys like Tadej.”

Monday is the second rest day of the race, which concludes on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on July 26.

Tuesday's 16th stage is an individual time trial and offers Evenepoel, the reigning time trial Olympic and world champion, a good chance for another stage win.

“We have a good rest day and then a beautiful day on Tuesday where I will try to go again for a stage win," Evenepoel said. "It’s amazing that I find my best legs for this Tour.”

He won the Tour time trial last year with a stunning ride.

Doping checks

Pogacar and Vingegaard were woken up in the early hours of Sunday morning by officials carrying out unannounced anti-doping tests.

Pogacar said his test was carried out at 5 a.m. and that Vingegaard’s was at 2 a.m.

The Slovenian star suggested fatigue may have led to his rival crashing.

“Me, I had a control (test) at 5 in the morning (and) Jonas did a control at 2 in the morning,” Pogacar said in a post-race interview on French television. “So you never know, maybe this was also the consequences of one bad sleep.”

Cycling’s governing body, the UCI, entrusts testing to the Swiss-based International Testing Agency.

Trust needed rebuilding

Cycling’s reputation was heavily damaged when American Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour titles (1999-2005) after confessing in 2013 to having used performance-enhancing drugs during his career.

Two years later, a 227-page report detailed cycling’s historic culture of drug use and investigated alleged mismanagement by the UCI.

The year-long probe was ordered by the governing body’s new leadership in a bid to rebuild trust in cycling as a clean sport. ___

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

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake struck on Saturday at 9:24 p.m., with its epicenter located 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) west-southwest of the city of Sicaya in Huancayo province. It was 10 kilometers (6.21 miles) deep.

Peru’s National Civil Defense Institute said in a statement the total number of missing is still unknown. Several buildings collapsed or suffered structural damage, including the local church and convent.

Luis Vásquez, head of the local civil defense office, told journalists that the use of rustic adobe materials in construction in that Andean area “has contributed to the greater impact and damage."

Earthquakes are frequent in Peru, which is located in the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire.”

Images broadcast by local media captured the anguish of victims’ relatives in one of the hardest-hit areas, the agricultural region of Chongo Bajo, where residents huddled under blankets outside severely damaged homes. Animals were also seen under the rubble.

“My home has been destroyed,” Hermenegilda Guamalato told a local radio as she sought a place to stay with her three children in the neighboring province of Huayucachi.

In 2007, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck the province of Pisco in the Ica region, killing nearly 600 people.

In the 22 previous World Cup men's finals (which would include the 1950 match between Uruguay and Brazil that technically wasn’t a final, but decided who won the World Cup), the winning team has averaged 2.6 goals in the title matchup. The losing team has averaged 1.1 goals.

The two most recent World Cup finals have been offensive slugfests, with a combined 12 goals. France beat Croatia 4-2 in 2018, while Argentina and France tied 3-3 in 2022 (before Argentina prevailed in a penalty shootout).

Teams scoring at least two goals have won the World Cup title 17 times; there have been eight instances of a team scoring at least two goals in the final and still falling short.

There have been three 1-0 wins: West Germany over Argentina in 1990, Spain over Netherlands in 2010 and Germany over Argentina in 2014. And there was one 0-0 tie in a final; Brazil wound up winning over Italy in a penalty shootout the 1994 final, which had been the only one played on U.S. soil before now.

Scaloni looking to join elite club

If Argentina wins Sunday, Lionel Scaloni — who led the team’s push to the 2022 title — would be just the second person to coach two World Cup championship clubs.

Italy went back-to-back as World Cup champions in 1934 and 1938, with both those clubs coached by Vittorio Pozzo.

Nobody else has two titles as a coach. There are three men — Brazil’s Mário Zagallo, West Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer and France’s Didier Deschamps — to have won World Cups as both a player and a coach.

Messi matters

When he takes the field Sunday, Argentina star Lionel Messi will be the oldest field player to appear in a World Cup final.

Messi is 39. Sweden’s Gunnar Gren was 37 when he played against Brazil in the 1958 final.

The only player older than Messi to play in a final was Italy goalkeeper Dino Zoff — who was 40 when his club beat West Germany for the 1982 crown. But among field players, Messi will stand alone as the oldest after Sunday.

Messi is also in position to join Brazil’s Cafu as the only person to play in three World Cup men’s finals. And since Cafu was a reserve in one of his appearances, Messi would be the first to start the title game on three occasions.

For Spain, youth may be served. Experience may, too.

Youth may be served by Spain in this World Cup final. And if La Roja prevails, experience would also have paid off.

It’s an interesting mix.

Spain is slated to have two teenagers — Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí, a pair of 19-year-olds — play Sunday against Argentina in the World Cup final, and no team has ever had more than one teen in the lineup and won the title.

So, that's the power of youth.

Here’s the flip side of that: If Spain wins, coach Luis de la Fuente — who is 65 — would become the oldest World Cup-winning sideline boss, passing Vicente del Bosque, who was 59 when Spain won its first title in 2010.

For the record, teenagers enter Sunday unbeaten in World Cup finals, according to FIFA, which says only three have ever played in soccer’s biggest game. Pelé was 17 when he helped Brazil win the final over Sweden in 1958, Giuseppe Bergomi was 18 when Italy beat West Germany in 1982, and Kylian Mbappé was 19 when France beat Croatia in 2018.

Spain seeking record streak

Spain is 28-0-9 in its last 37 matches, which has tied Italy for the longest unbeaten run by a European men’s national team.

Italy also went 28-0-9 from October 2018 through September 2021 — before losing to Spain 2-1 on Oct. 6, 2021 in Milan.

Argentina has a streak worth noting as well. It has won seven consecutive World Cup matches, tied with Italy for the second-longest such run in men's tournament history. Only Brazil, which won 11 straight spanning 2002 and 2006, has a longer World Cup winning streak.

Argentina-Spain history

The game is just the second head-to-head meeting in a World Cup between Argentina and Spain. Argentina won 2-1 in the 1966 group stage.

Across all competitions and friendlies, the sides have played 14 times. Each has won six times and they tied twice.

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Moscow has in recent weeks stepped up its use of ballistic missiles as it seeks to choke off Ukrainian strikes on oil facilities deep inside Russia that have caused critical fuel shortages affecting both the military and the civilian population.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said he is prepared to grant Ukraine licenses to produce Patriots, the most effective means of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles, potentially bolstering Kyiv’s defenses. However, the details and timeline remain unclear, and full production could take years.

The latest attack on Kyiv began at around 1:30 a.m. and continued for several hours, with explosions echoing across the city.

Russia launched 41 missiles and 125 drones across Ukraine overnight, according to the Ukrainian air force. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said most of the missiles had targeted the capital.

Later Sunday, a Russian attack on a postal facility near Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv killed three people and wounded at least 20, according to the regional administration.

Russian guided bombs also hit the cities of Kherson and Sumy, local authorities and Ukraine’s emergency service reported, with each of the strikes leaving at least one person dead.

Ballistic missile strikes are becoming more frequent

The strikes on Kyiv sparked fires in five districts, damaging residential buildings, office and industrial sites, a dormitory and vehicles, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.

Viktoria Shejko, 32, was taking shelter in the corridor of her apartment block with her seven children and husband when they heard the loud explosions.

“When the alarm started, we checked that there were ballistics, then went into the corridor. Then it started exploding one missile after another,” she said.

The strain of constant bombardment is “very difficult psychologically,” she said. “It used to be once a week or even more rarely, but now if not every day, then every other day.”

Rescuers pulled four people from a burning home in the Sviatoshynskyi district, while in the Shevchenkivskyi district, they rushed to save residents from a three-story building on fire. One person was found dead. Firefighters also responded to blazes in the Solomyanskyi, Desnianskyi and Dnipro districts.

Russia's Defense Ministry claimed the attack on Kyiv targeted sites linked to the Ukrainian military — including plants producing Flamingo drones and parts for Neptune guided missiles, as well as a postal terminal used for storing dual-use goods and assembling drones, robotic systems and electronic warfare equipment.

Oil tankers hit at key terminal off Russia's coast

Separately, a strike on two oil tankers at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) ‌terminal off Russia’s Black Sea halted oil loadings at the site, the CPC said Sunday.

The attack on the ASIA and NISSOS tankers in the port of Novorossiysk sparked a fire aboard the ASIA, which was extinguished. The company did not say who was responsible for the attack. It added there were no casualties or oil spills, and the tankers — sailing under the flags of Liberia and the Marshall respectively — remained afloat.

Both Russia and Ukraine have sharply ramped up strikes on ships in the Black and Azov seas over the past week. Ukraine's strikes on oil tankers there are part of its efforts to cut fuel supplies to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014. Kyiv also says it targets Russia's so-called shadow fleet, which ships oil in violation of international sanctions over the Kremlin's invasion of its neighbor.

Kyiv has for months been targeting Russia's oil industry, which it says both directly fuels Moscow's war effort and funds it through export revenues, triggering acute fuel shortages in a country that is one of the world's top oil producers.

The CPC is a 940-mile (1,510-kilometer) oil pipeline ​connecting Kazakhstan’s Caspian Sea oil ​deposits ⁠with Novorossiysk, where the oil is loaded and shipped by tanker to world markets. The pipeline accounts for about 80% of oil-rich Kazakhstan's crude exports, with the Russian government and Russian state oil firms holding a combined 31% stake in the enterprise.

Russia's energy sector under attack

Zelenskyy announced on Sunday that Ukrainian units struck more energy infrastructure in Russian territory.

He said units of Ukraine’s Security Service agency struck three oil depots in the Stavropol region, while a separate unit of the army hit another fuel-related facility in the same region. Three Russian tankers were also struck in the Black Sea, he said.

Stavropol Gov. Vladimir Vladimirov earlier referenced Ukrainian drone attacks igniting fires at “industrial facilities” in two locations within the region. He did not specify what the facilities were, but said nobody was hurt.

Russian news outlet Astra on Sunday reported that three oil depots may be burning in Stavropol, based on its analysis of photos and videos sent in by locals after the attack.

Russian air defense systems shot down 140 Ukrainian drones over eight Russian regions, annexed Crimea, and the Black and Azov seas overnight into Sunday, Russia's Defense Ministry reported. It did not say how many were launched or reached their targets.

In Russia's Kursk region near the Ukrainian border, Ukrainian drones struck four apartment buildings, setting off a fire and injuring one person, according to local Gov. Alexander Khinshtein.

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

The Alien Terrorist Removal Court was established in 1996 but had never received a petition until this past Wednesday, when the Justice Department filed an application seeking the removal of an individual whose name is withheld from the single-page document posted on the court’s website.

The chief judge of the five-member court, Joan Ericksen, said in a written response to the petition that a hearing was held on Thursday during which the court had “questions about the nexus that the government alleges between the actions of the respondent and the specific sections and subsections it invokes with respect to those actions.

“The answers persuaded the Court that the Government could benefit from the opportunity for more thoughtful consideration,” wrote Ericksen, a federal judge in Minnesota.

She directed the Justice Department to provide more information by Wednesday.

The court's authorities emerged from the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, which permits the attorney general to file under seal applications for the deportation of a suspected “alien terrorist.” If an application is granted, the court must hold a public hearing at which the government has the burden to prove that the individual satisfies that definition. Applications must be approved by the attorney general or deputy attorney general.

Federal law says that an individual could qualify as an “alien terrorist” by, among other factors, having “engaged in a terrorist activity,” endorsing or espousing terrorist activities and by belonging to a political or social group that encourages terrorist activity.

The court has been dormant since its creation, having received — until last week — no applications and conducting no hearings, according to a summary posted on the Federal Judicial Center website. It is comprised of five judges selected by Chief Justice John Roberts.

The Trump administration has moved aggressively over the last year to carry out deportations, including invoking a 1798 wartime law, the Alien Enemies Act, to remove Venezuelan migrants who officials accuse of being part of a terrorist gang. During a hearing in that case last year, the Washington judge presiding over it, James Boasberg, indicated that the Alien Terrorist Removal Court would be the natural forum to consider a request for deportation on national security grounds.

“In fact, Congress has an answer for us, doesn’t it? Because they created the Alien Terrorist Removal Court,” he said. “So if there's a national security concern with having these hearings...you can always go to the ATRC, which would be a first, but that’s what it’s there for, right?”

The petition was first reported by Court Watch, an independent news site.

Russell was trying to retake fourth place from Lewis Hamilton around the outside when the Ferrari driver clipped his rear wheel and sent him spinning into the gravel trap, putting him out of the race on the first lap.

In an expletive-filled message to Mercedes over the radio, Russell directed the blame at the car, not Hamilton, saying it was “unacceptable” he'd had a dramatic loss of speed on the previous straight, dropping him from third to fifth behind Hamilton.

“It was a new problem but it wasn’t only on George’s side. Instead, it affected all the Mercedes engines, some more, some less, and Kimi (Antonelli) too," Wolff told Sky Sport Germany, suggesting a software problem was to blame.

"We have an engine that’s incredibly strong, a car that is fast but simply not stable enough and we need to get on top of that because we’re losing valuable points in the constructors’ championship.”

Wolff added: “We just need to try to make the best possible equipment available for him. That’s not just a fast car and a good engine but something that holds up and gives him confidence in the car again.”

Antonelli went on to win the race, doubling his advantage over Russell to 50 points. Russell is now third in the standings, five points behind Hamilton, who got a five-second penalty for causing their collision.

“Car crossed over right in front of me,” Hamilton said, adding he'd lacked front-end grip to avoid the collision because he was following another car closely.

Russell has been struggling to match Antonelli's pace in recent races and, even before Sunday's race, had suggested an issue with the Mercedes car may be holding him back after he lost out in straight-line speed to Antonelli in qualifying.

Russell told Sky Sports he had “no words at the moment” after the incident, when asked about the impact on the title race.

“The incident shouldn’t have happened if I had the speed down the straight,” he said.

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

The survey of 1,022 Jewish adults — including people who identify as Jewish by religion and religiously unaffiliated people who identify as Jewish through culture, ethnicity or family background — offers a rare detailed accounting of a key demographic that sits at the very center of some of the nation’s most divisive political debates.

Here are five takeaways from the AP-NORC survey:

Jewish adults have complicated views about Israel and the war in Gaza

Among Jews with a religious affiliation, views on Israel’s recent military actions are far from uniform or uncritical.

About 7 in 10 Jewish adults overall identify as Jewish when asked about their religious affiliation. The rest, about 3 in 10 Jewish adults, say they are atheists, agnostics, or have no particular religious affiliation, but still identify as Jewish in other ways.

While about 8 in 10 of those with a religious affiliation say Israel’s immediate military response to Hamas’ attack on October 7 was “justified,” only about half say Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza are justified. Among Jewish adults without a religious affiliation, only about half saw Israel's immediate response as justifiable. Now, only about 2 in 10 say the ongoing military operations are acceptable.

About one-quarter of Jewish adults with a religious association believe Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, an accusation that’s been leveled by some major human rights organizations and a team of independent experts commissioned by the United Nations. That accusation has been vehemently denied by Israel and the U.S. government. Roughly 4 in 10 Jewish adults without a religious affiliation say Israel has committed genocide.

Many Jewish adults feel unsafe in the United States

About 6 in 10 Jewish adults say prejudice against Jewish people is an “extremely” or “very” serious problem in the United States today.

About one-third of Jewish adults in the survey say they feel “very” or “somewhat” safe as a Jewish person in the U.S. today, while about one-third feel “very” or “somewhat” unsafe. The remaining roughly 3 in 10 say they feel neither safe nor unsafe.

A significant share of Jewish adults, about 3 in 10, say they or someone in their household has experienced physical assault, verbal abuse, online harassment or damaged property because of their Jewish background over the last year, according to the survey.

The survey points to how Jewish adults’ attitudes toward their own personal safety have changed over a relatively short period as more Americans became critical of the United States’ close alliance with Israel and the war in Gaza. The poll found that Jewish adults who feel a close emotional tie to Israel are particularly likely to feel unsafe in the country today.

Most American Jews don’t feel politicians are supporting Jewish people

Few Jewish adults believe that President Donald Trump — or the Democratic or Republican parties — are doing a good job supporting Jewish people in the U.S.

Only about 2 in 10 Jewish adults say Trump supports Jewish people in this country “extremely” or “very” well. That’s similar to the slight share who find the Republican Party and the Democratic Party highly supportive, but Jewish adults are more likely to say the Democratic Party is at least “somewhat” supportive.

Americans overall are more likely than Jewish adults to see Trump as “extremely” or “very” supportive of Jewish people in the United States. About 3 in 10 U.S. adults say Trump is highly supportive of Jewish people, compared to about 2 in 10 Jewish adults.

The poll also found most Jewish adults have negative views of Trump. About 7 in 10 Jewish adults have a “very” or “somewhat” unfavorable opinion of Trump, compared to about 3 in 10 who have a favorable view.

Jewish adults are divided over whether protesting Israel is a form of antisemitism

Protests around events conducted in support of Israel became more common following the backlash over Israel’s military action in Gaza.

The war in Gaza began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed roughly 1,200 people, most of them civilians. Israel responded with a yearslong counterattack that killed more than 73,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which is part of the territory's Hamas-run government. Its casualty figures are viewed as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and international organizations but don’t distinguish between civilians and militants.

The poll found that about half of Jewish adults say protesting an event that is supportive of Israel is not a form of antisemitism, but roughly 4 in 10 say it is. About 1 in 10 are uncertain.

Jewish adults are more unified in deeming some actions as definitively antisemitic. The overwhelming majority say vandalizing synagogues or Jewish-owned businesses because of Israel’s actions is antisemitism. The same goes for denying the reality or scope of the Holocaust, putting responsibility for Israel’s actions on Jewish people in the United States or saying Israel shouldn’t exist as a Jewish state.

Support for Israel is less of a priority for younger Jewish adults

Support for Israel is a key component of the religious identity of many older Jewish adults in the United States, but younger Jewish adults appear less likely to prioritize it.

About half of older religious Jewish adults — those 45 and older — say that supporting Israel is “extremely” or “very” important for their Jewish identity. By contrast, only about 4 in 10 younger religious Jewish adults emphasize support for Israel.

Younger Jewish adults are more likely to prioritize other forms of connection, like celebrating Jewish holidays. About 7 in 10 Jewish adults under 45 say celebrating Jewish holidays is at least “very” important to their Jewish identity, compared to about half of older Jewish adults.

The robbery happened just before 11 a.m. in the 6900 block of North Loop 1604 East, not far from Rolling Oaks Mall, according to SAPD public information officer Lizzandra Trevino.

According to an SAPD preliminary report, the two males entered the credit union wearing masks and armed with weapons. Police did not specify what type of weapons were used.

They demanded money from a bank teller and also stole personal belongings from several people inside the credit union, including wallets and purses, Trevino said.

Authorities said they fled with a “large amount” of cash, though the exact amount has not been released.

They left the scene in a silver SUV-type vehicle and have not been located as of Saturday afternoon.

No injuries were reported.

The robbery remains under investigation, and anyone with information is asked to contact SAPD.

Read also:

• SAPD: Serial burglar accused of stealing ‘millions of dollars’ worth of items from Stone Oak homes
• SAPD, Crime Stoppers search for suspect accused in robbery after Game 5 of NBA Finals

But the film itself, which opened this weekend and has received raves from many critics, left her unsatisfied.

“I want to celebrate the fact that so many more people are aware of 'The Odyssey' and were brought back to the poem,” she told The Associated Press. ”But at the same time, I had the sense that Christopher Nolan was trying to pack everything in while missing themes that were essential to the poem."

One of the year's most anticipated releases, “The Odyssey” stars Matt Damon as the returning warrior Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as his wife, Penelope, and Tom Holland as their son, Telemachus. Reviewers have praised the acting and the narrative drive, the grand scale of a movie shot entirely on IMAX film and how it weds the sensibilities of ancient Greece and the modern world, at least as Nolan perceives it.

The divide between scholars and critics seems in part a matter of whether the balance should tilt toward Nolan or Homer. Wilson and fellow translator Daniel Mendelsohn both expressed admiration for Nolan's cinematic flair and ambition, what Mendelsohn calls his “great visual panache.” Both speculated that his desire to make a “Christopher Nolan” movie led to unfortunate decisions.

Mendelsohn is an author, critic and translator and his assessment appeared Friday in The New York Review of Books, where he is an editor-at-large.

Mendelsohn had previously defended Nolan's controversial decision to cast a Black actor, Lupita Nyong’o, as Helen of Troy, calling it a worthy way to “provoke, challenge and discomfit how we think about beauty and identity.” But he faulted the director for giving us an Odysseus with “no cleverness, no humor, no wily charm.” One of the Western canon's formative tricksters has been transformed, he contended, into the kind of haunted protagonist featured in such previous Nolan movies as “Oppenheimer” and “Memento.”

"This tormented, guilt-ridden Odysseus, stripped of humor and wit, seductiveness and cleverness, is a sibling of Memento’s anguished amnesiac, of Batman, of Oppenheimer, men tormented by pasts they wrestle with in different ways," wrote Mendelsohn, whose “Odyssey” translation came out in 2025. “Nolan has merely remade Homer’s hero in his own image.”

Wilson, a professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania, said she didn't want to come across as a “snobby,” nitpicking expert at odds with any deviation from the original text. But she questioned a range of omissions and other choices, from the absence on screen of the Gods Zeus and Poseidon (Athena is played by Zendaya ) to the “incoherent” messaging that condemns both war and physical cowardice. She found Penelope's role so thinned out that it endangered “any possibility of believing in this marriage.” Wilson also that thought parts of the movie, notably the scenes with Odysseus' dog, Argos, “catered towards modern sentimentality.”

“Everybody's a sucker for a dog,” she said.

A spokesperson for Nolan did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Wilson declined to offer a grade or ranking for the movie, but said she would recommend it for others, as long as they see it in a theater.

“It was fun to be there with my kids. I didn’t feel it was pulling teeth to engage with it,” she said. “If you can see it on a big screen you should absolutely go."

Officers responded to the scene just after 12:30 a.m. Sunday in the 12500 block of Cisco Boulevard.

Upon arrival, police said officers saw the 41-year-old man with multiple cuts. It was not immediately clear whether the man was transported to a hospital for treatment.

The man told officers he was involved in a verbal altercation with the woman when she began cutting him with a sharp instrument, police said.

The woman, 39, was arrested at the scene for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to SAPD.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Read also:

• Man hospitalized with major injuries after crash in Southtown, SAPD says

• TODAY: Dry and quiet weather continues through the weekend
• HOT & DRY: Highs approaching 100° by late week.
• RIVER FLOODING: Persists along portions of the Nueces, Frio, San Antonio, and Rio Grande basins as floodwaters move downstream.

FORECAST

TODAY

Expect a mostly sunny, humid Sunday with highs in the mid-90s. Heat index values may approach 100° this afternoon. The forecast remains dry with light southeast winds, aside from a stray shower near Val Verde County.

RIVERS & LAKES

Despite recent rain ending, rivers remain above flood stage. Downstream residents should monitor conditions and avoid flooded roads and crossings.

Following historic rainfall, the Edwards Aquifer continues to recharge as runoff flows into local watersheds, with Medina and Canyon Lake levels expected to rise before stabilizing.

THIS WEEK

High pressure will bring hot, dry summer weather this week. Expect sunshine and highs near 100° by late week, with heat index values in the low 100s.

WATCHING THE TROPICS

Invest 91L is organizing over the northeastern Gulf with an 80% chance of becoming a tropical depression. Models suggest it will remain a tropical storm, but weak steering currents make its path uncertain. Gulf Coast residents should monitor the latest updates.

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.

Just before 2 a.m. Sunday, officers responded to a crash involving a motorcycle and SUV in the 1000 block of Alamo Street.

The man, who was operating the motorcycle, was traveling northbound when he struck the rear of the SUV, police said. The 33-year-old man was taken to a local hospital.

SAPD said the driver of the SUV remained on scene and rendered aid to the man.

The investigation is ongoing.

Read also:

• BCSO: 6 arrested in connection with North Side home invasion, robbery where victims held at gunpoint

Although the family in northwest Nigeria has struggled with economic hardship, their situation deteriorated after February, when her husband, Shehu Aminu, lost his job as a taxi driver due to a spike in the retail price of petrol caused by the war in Iran.

“When she was diagnosed the second time, even though I suspected it, I was sad and angry because I knew why,” Aminu said in the living area of their unvarnished two-bedroom house in the quiet town of Kware, Sokoto, as ash from the coal stove billowed into the room. “Times are tough, and the food is not consistent.”

Children relapsing into malnutrition has become an increasingly common occurrence in the state and across northern Nigeria, according to local health and aid workers, who cite knock-on effects from the Iran war.

Northern Nigeria, one of the world’s poorest regions, is already under pressure from an insurgency crisis. Now, the conflict in the Middle East has worsened food security for millions of people living in poverty, especially children.

At the same time, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s vast economic reforms sparked high inflation after fuel subsidies were removed three years ago and the currency was devalued. A World Bank technical report this week stated that 139 million Nigerians are now poor or vulnerable to poverty.

If the war in the Middle East continues, up to 23.4 million additional children could fall into monetary poverty — meaning a lack of income or consumption — by the end of the year, the United Nations children's agency UNICEF said in a report this week. It warned that at least 80% would be in Africa and Asia.

“Children are paying the price for the escalating conflict in the Middle East, including children far beyond the region,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “The longer this continues, the worse the consequences will be.”

Dangers ahead for children

Amid the Iran war, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz — through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas passed before the war — sent a ripple effect across the world. A worldwide fuel shock drove up the prices of everything from gas and groceries to fertilizer and airline tickets.

In Nigeria, fuel pump prices jumped from 800 naira ($0.58) per liter in February to 1,400 naira ($1.02) in April, with a knock-on effect on the prices of food and necessities.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been trying to force Iran to fully reopen the route for months, turning to everything from airstrikes and naval blockades to negotiations and threats.

In Sokoto, where the soaring prices have brought more hardship for families, health workers told The Associated Press that they've been seeing more children returned to health facilities this year after falling back into malnutrition.

At a hospital in Sokoto, records shared with AP show nearly 40 children previously treated for malnutrition since February are currently under treatment again, in addition to those not documented.

“I am worried and sometimes angry about the increasing numbers we are seeing,” said health worker Halimah Muhammad.

Beyond current realities, soaring prices and economic hardship mean that children in poor households are more likely to be stunted in the long term, UNICEF's Russell said in an interview with the AP as she was visiting Sokoto this week.

“Their development will be compromised. They are less likely to stay in school because their parents are under so much financial stress. So the long-term implications for children are absolutely terrible,” said Russell.

The war has also affected fertilizer supplies and prices, threatening the planting season and worsening the fate of mostly farming communities in northern Nigeria who have struggled to access their farmlands amid a deadly conflict with armed groups.

“I wake up every morning unhappy, seeing I can no longer provide for my family,” said Shehu, Maryam's husband. “Then, 2,000 naira could buy you a nutritious meal for the whole family. Now, you need 5,000 naira to buy what 2,000 naira would buy.”

Most of their meals are pap, a kind of corn pudding, and rice. “There is no way to feed the children,” he said.

‘I wish she were excited and full of life’

People in northwest Nigeria are caught between regular attacks by bandit groups who specialize in kidnapping for ransom and Islamist militants who have been expanding their territory. The Iran war, analysts say, compounds the impact.

“This distant war offers no relief for the north’s vulnerable,” Ikemesit Effiong, a partner at SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based geopolitical risk advisory, said.

Larai Malami, a 35-year-old mother of 10, gave birth to her last child in December, but the infant has already been diagnosed with malnutrition twice.

Her family has been struggling after her husband lost his job as a motorcycle rider and crossed the border into neighboring Niger to look for work.

Malami worries about the fuel price because it keeps the price of food high and her husband away. “I worry that the child might never be fully well,” she said.

That is a sentiment shared by Aminu, too. “I wish she were excited and full of life,” she said.

______

For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

The supersized tournament delivered thrilling action on the field, with upsets, dramatic comebacks, spectacular goals and standout performances by the biggest stars of the game.

It also generated controversy, from political tensions surrounding Iran’s participation to criticism against innovations such as hydration breaks, which were unpopular among many fans.

Here are some key takeaways from the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

More teams, more drama

A newly expanded 48-team format raised concerns about lopsided matches and a lack of jeopardy in the group stage.

Tell that to Cape Verde, Congo and even Curaçao, which all made history and won new fans.

Cape Verde held Spain to a draw in its opening game, advanced to the round of 32 and gave Argentina a scare before eventually losing 3-2 in extra time in a World Cup classic. Cape Verde's goalkeeper Vozinha became a breakout star at the age of 40, gaining millions of followers on social media.

Congo also advanced beyond the group stage and pushed England before eventually losing, while Curaçao was still in with a chance of making the knockouts going into its final group match.

FIFA opened its door to more teams and they proved they could compete on soccer's biggest stage. Nonetheless, it was top-ranked nations Argentina, Spain, France and England — all former champions — that made it to the final four.

The big stars delivered

The race for the golden boot became a who's who of the world's top players with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham firing on all cylinders.

Mbappé led the way ahead of Sunday's final with 10 goals in the tournament and a record 22 career World Cup goals. Messi had eight at this World Cup and 21 in total with one game to go.

Cristiano Ronaldo couldn't lead Portugal to success in what he said was his last World Cup, while Spain's teenage sensation Lamine Yamal — the star of the Euros two years ago — had to work his way into the tournament after overcoming injury.

Big tech, big complaints

Video reviews known as VAR were at the center of a number of contentious decisions, ruling out huge goals for Germany, Croatia and Egypt.

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan launched a furious tirade after Argentina staged a spectacular comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in the round of 16.

“We have suffered injustice,” he said after Egypt had a goal overturned when the score was still 1-0.

Fitted with sensors, the high-tech ball in use at the tournament cost Croatia a dramatic late equalizer against Portugal in the round of 32 when it detected the slightest of touches from Igor Mantanovic and ruled Josko Gvardiol's goal offside.

“All these decisions take the joy out of football,” said Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić, who has since stepped down.

Exorbitant ticket prices, but fans still turned up

There were concerns going into the tournament that FIFA's introduction of dynamic pricing would make game tickets unaffordable for average fans. Some critics accused FIFA of a “monumental betrayal."

Official ticket prices on general sale ranged from $140 to $2,735 for group stage matches and up to $8,680 for the final, far beyond the prices at the previous World Cup in Qatar in 2022. After criticism FIFA said it would offer a selection of $60 tickets for every game to the 48 national federations participating.

FIFA's resale market place allowed sellers to list tickets for massively more than face value, including ones for the final for just under $2.3 million. FIFA didn't control resale pricing, but took a cut from sales.

For all the criticism, fans still turned up in big numbers, even for games that didn’t feature marquee teams or players.

After a shaky start when there were empty seats for the game between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara, stadium after stadium reported full houses.

Many foreign visitors were impressed by the hospitality they experienced in the U.S.

Hydration breaks a turnoff

FIFA’s new hydration breaks midway through each half — a novelty for this World Cup — prompted loud jeers from fans inside the stadium, while former players were also critical.

"We’re in America, right? So, it’s like it is a timeout,” former Ireland international Roy Keane said on The Overlap podcast.

The breaks were introduced to help players deal with the summer heat, but FIFA stipulated they would occur regardless of the weather, venue or location.

Coaches used them like timeouts to pass on in-game tactical instructions. Broadcasters, meanwhile, used them as an opportunity to take commercial breaks.

It is unclear whether FIFA will implement hydration breaks at future World Cups, but the English Football Association said they were unlikely to be in place for the 2028 European Championship, co-hosted by England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

Iran participated despite the war

It’s not unusual for politics and sport to intertwine at the World Cup. This time the biggest political tensions surrounded the national team of Iran.

The war in the Middle East raised doubts about whether the Iranian team would show up at all. It did, but only after moving its base camp from Arizona to Mexico.

Its participation was overshadowed by visa issues, with the U.S. refusing visas to several members of Iran's delegation. The Iranians also complained about travel restrictions, including having to leave the U.S. immediately after each match.

When Iran was eliminated at the group stage, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin made his feelings clear. “I’m just glad they’re done and they’re not coming back,” he said.

Trump's role in focus

While the Trump administration’s travel restrictions on a series of countries prevented some fans from traveling to the U.S., there were no reports of the aggressive immigration enforcement that some human rights groups had feared could take place around World Cup stadiums.

Besides the final, Trump didn't attend any World Cup games. However, his relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino came into sharp focus when U.S. striker Folarin Balogun's one game ban for a red card was suspended ahead of the team's round of 16 game against Belgium.

Trump said he had called Infantino to ask for the decision to be reviewed before FIFA made Balogun eligible to play. FIFA insisted its disciplinary bodies acted independently, but the incident raised question about political interference.

Ultimately, the decision didn't help the U.S. as it lost 4-1 to Belgium.

___

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

___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, and its affiliated groups have spent close to $30 million backing Stevens — their largest investment ever in a single race — as they seek to defeat progressive favorite Abdul El-Sayed in the Aug. 4 primary.

Stevens has largely avoided discussing the organization directly, even as its spending has reshaped the race. Asked twice about AIPAC during a July campaign stop in West Michigan, she responded for more than 800 words without mentioning the group a single time. Israel came up only once, when she said she “wanted to see the U.S. and Israel working together to rebuild Gaza.”

“Anyone who supported me is supporting me because of my dedication to the people of Michigan, and the things that I have done for Michiganders,” Stevens told The Associated Press when asked whether she welcomed AIPAC’s support.

The exchange illustrates how politically fraught AIPAC has become in Democratic politics as the war in Gaza has divided the party over U.S. support for Israel. AIPAC works to elect lawmakers who support its mission of strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship and advancing policies it says enhance the security of both countries.

AIPAC did not respond to a request for comment. The organization’s super PAC, United Democracy Project, declined to comment.

The issue carries particular weight in Michigan, home to the nation’s largest Arab American population. Beyond Michigan, El-Sayed’s progressive allies are framing the race as a broader test of whether grassroots organizing can overcome unprecedented outside spending.

“One of the laws of nature in politics is whoever spends the most money wins,” said New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has been campaigning for El-Sayed in Michigan this weekend.

“It is an opportunity to show that things other than money can win in America.”

Stevens has spent $1 million on advertising. Her backers have spent $50 million

The four-term congresswoman raised half of what El-Sayed did in the latest fundraising period until June 30. Her team said in a statement that the campaign “is raising the resources we need to win this race.”

She spent only $12,000 of her own campaign funds on advertising through early July, before bumping it up to close to $1 million, according to AdImpact. Outside organizations, meanwhile, have poured close to $50 million into boosting her candidacy. One of them, A Stronger Michigan, has spent roughly $12 million without disclosing its donors.

El-Sayed has made AIPAC and the tens of millions of dollars spent to support Stevens a centerpiece of his campaign. He and his allies have accused Stevens as being a mouthpiece for her large donors.

“She is nothing more than an employee of these billionaires,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is also campaigning with El-Sayed this weekend at rallies in Detroit, Lansing and Grand Rapids.

Stevens has said she supports “comprehensive campaign finance reform.”

Most voters are unlikely to realize many of the ads blanketing Michigan’s airwaves are funded by AIPAC. They never mention Israel, instead highlighting Stevens’ work on manufacturing and featuring former President Barack Obama.

“AIPAC never runs on AIPAC. They never even talk about Israel and Palestine,” said former Rep. Andy Levin, whom Stevens defeated in a 2022 Democratic primary after redistricting. AIPAC spent millions opposing Levin, who is Jewish. “If you’re just a voter and you see a million ads, you don’t know who paid for it.”

A stark divide on Israel in a state with large Muslim and Jewish populations

The surge of spending from AIPAC comes as the Democratic candidates have taken sharply different positions on Israel’s war in Gaza.

While Stevens is not Jewish, she has long been one of Congress’ most outspoken supporters of Israel. She has described herself as a “proud pro-Israel Democrat” and once said during a Hanukkah celebration that “Israel comes to me in my dreams.”

Stevens has criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During a recent debate, she said he “has not made us safer, has not brought us closer to peace, and he’s endangered Jews here in America and around the world.”

El-Sayed has embraced the contrast. The son of Egyptian immigrants, he has called Israel’s military campaign in Gaza a “genocide,” described the Israeli government as “evil,” and repeatedly argued that AIPAC’s influence distorts Democratic politics.

“The reason that we’ve seen this war fought is because of the impact of AIPAC in our politics,” El-Sayed said during a recent debate.

The war in Gaza began after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in Israel that killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostage. It has since waged on for over 1,000 days. Israel has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians in its retaliatory offensive, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.

If elected, El-Sayed would become the first Muslim U.S. senator. He recently addressed questions about whether his faith would hurt his electability in the battleground state.

“When they raise questions about my ‘electability,’ they are usually pointing to the most obvious thing about me that makes me ‘different’ — that’s my name and my Muslim faith,” he wrote in an email to supporters. “Faith, to me, isn’t just about an identity. It’s about the choices that I make every single day about how I live my life.”

El-Sayed has spent about $3.2 million from his own campaign account on advertising, with around $1 million in outside spending. His campaign has instead emphasized grassroots organizing, saying it has recruited more than 10,000 volunteers statewide.

Asked how many volunteers Stevens has, her campaign said it has “hundreds across Michigan.”

“This election will come down to the many versus the money,” El-Sayed wrote.

The Democratic divide is occurring beyond Michigan

Once-firm support for Israel has eroded within parts of the Democratic Party in the fallout from the war in Gaza. As divisions over Israel have deepened, criticism of AIPAC has intensified.

Earlier this week, 103 House Democrats voted unsuccessfully to block $3.3 billion in U.S. aid to Israel, the clearest sign yet of the party’s divide. Among them was New York Rep. Pat Ryan, who had previously voted to send aid to Israel and accepted support from AIPAC.

“I expect groups like AIPAC will not support me in my future elections and frankly, I don’t want their support,” Ryan said on social media, later adding that he was returning the money.

The tension also played out in 2024. In Michigan's Senate race, Democratic activists pressured now-Sen. Elissa Slotkin to take a harder line on Israel’s war in Gaza. Slotkin, who is Jewish, had already distanced herself from AIPAC years earlier. She ultimately defeated Republican Mike Rogers by fewer than 20,000 votes.

Rogers is running for Senate again this year, and is unopposed in the GOP primary.

While the issue still remains divisive for Democrats, some question whether it will ultimately shape how most primary voters cast their ballots, with concerns such as the economy carrying greater weight.

“It’s not that Democratic primary voters love AIPAC. They obviously don’t,” said Michigan political strategist Adrian Hemond. “But this doesn’t even register as an issue that’s influencing voting behavior for the overwhelming majority of primary voters.”

U.S. Rep. David Schweikert says those uncompromising tactics are a losing recipe in Arizona, where Republicans have watched their power erode as voters rejected nominees seen as too extreme.

After decades coexisting in the fractious Arizona Republican Party, Biggs and Schweikert are on a collision course in Tuesday's primary for governor. The race has become a clash of competing visions for reviving the once-dominant GOP to take on Katie Hobbs, the most vulnerable Democratic governor in the country.

Biggs, endorsed by Trump and backed by Turning Point Action, built his political career as a skilled Republican infighter, but he's never faced a tough campaign against a Democrat. Schweikert, meanwhile, is trying to resurrect a version of the party that is becoming increasingly anachronistic.

“Biggs lives in a district where if he were a turtle running as a Republican, you’re going to win it,” said Kathleen Dunbar, 75, a former member of the Tucson City Council who plans to vote for Schweikert on Election Day. “Schweikert lives in a district that’s very much like the state of Arizona, where he has to win the independents. And he’s done it eight times in the last 16 years.”

Republicans have struggled in Arizona

Biggs' biggest asset is his alliance with Trump. But Trump’s endorsement is a double-edged sword in Arizona.

No Republican has lost a statewide primary here with Trump’s backing. But since 2018, only one of them, former Gov. Doug Ducey, has managed to win a statewide general election. As a result, in a state where registered Democrats are outnumbered by both Republicans and independents, the Democratic Party holds both Senate seats and the top three state offices.

In 2022, a Trump-backed slate of Republicans — led by former local news anchor Kari Lake as the party's nominee for governor — refused to moderate their message in the general election, convinced that a fired-up MAGA base would propel them to victory. They lost.

Biggs rejects comparisons to Lake, and he's been sanding down the edges of his no-compromise persona.

After backing Trump's push to block the 2020 election certification, Biggs now refuses to say whether Biden's win was legitimate. He's also talking up examples of working across the aisle.

Biggs voter Kathy Babits, 71, a retired occupational therapist from Scottsdale, said she wasn't swayed by Schweikert's warning that Biggs is too toxic for a general electorate.

“As long as people get behind him and as long as things don't change too much, I'm in favor," Babits said.

The primary reflects a changing Republican Party

Biggs and Schweikert are both fiscal conservatives from neighboring districts in Phoenix's suburban East Valley, the two whitest and wealthiest districts in Arizona.

On style, however, they're starkly different.

Biggs brags about having a direct line to Trump. He built a national profile in the House as a bulwark against compromise with Democrats, playing a key role in taking down Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy and joining an unsuccessful rebellion against his successor, Mike Johnson.

He has taken hard-line, sometimes lonely stances against government spending. He was one of a handful of House members to vote against economic stimulus early in the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a state legislator even proposed eliminating the state's Medicaid program.

He has thrived in the younger, rapidly growing, family-oriented suburbs on the sprawling fringes of metro Phoenix.

“I like his style and his policies and his mannerisms,” said Don Dobie, a Biggs supporter from Scottsdale. “And he looks like a trustworthy guy.”

Schweikert, meanwhile, has not been photographed with Trump. Though he's been a reliable supporter of Trump's priorities and avoids publicly criticizing him, he's strived to cultivate a public image as a budget wonk obsessed with the federal deficit.

He has persevered among the genteel, country club set in one of the nation's most highly educated congressional districts. He managed to hold onto his House seat even as many of the wealthy, highly educated Republicans in his district abandoned the party under Trump.

Schweikert needs voters like Jeff Clark, a retired telecommunications engineer from Scottsdale who has been dismayed by his party's embrace of Trump.

“Once they say they’re Trump-sponsored and everything, I’m sorry, it’s just not going to work,” Clark said.

But Clark sat out the gubernatorial race, declining to vote for anyone because he's convinced Biggs has a lock on the nomination and didn't see Schweikert “do much of anything for anybody” in Congress.

Republicans are struggling in Arizona because they aren't aggressive enough in pushing Trump's priorities, like the SAVE America election bill, said Michael LoBello, a 79-year-old retiree from Scottsdale. He voted for Biggs.

“Stand up for the people,” LoBello said. “Just stand up for us. They’re forgetting who they represent, and that’s the people.”

Crowded primary for a battleground House district

Both parties have hotly contested primaries for Schweikert's House district, which is a top battleground in the fight for a congressional majority.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has controversially thrown its support behind Marlene Galán-Woods, a former television news anchor who used to be a Republican. Her late husband, Grant Woods, was the Republican attorney general in the 1990s and later became a vocal Trump critic.

Woods' chief opponent, Amish Shah, is an emergency medicine doctor and former state legislator who was the party's nominee in 2024 but lost narrowly to Schweikert.

“I like his background in medicine,” said Jeff Cohen of Cave Creek, 69, an attorney who voted for Shah. “And he actually came to my door and I met him. It made a difference. Old-style politics.”

On the Republican side, former Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely has Trump's endorsement. He's been dogged by criticism for living outside the district — he lives in Biggs' district and originally was running there until Trump endorsed a rival.

Feely faces Joseph Chaplik, a former state legislator popular with many of the party's grassroots activists, and businessman John Trobough.

Tiny particles in the air can cause a range of short-term and chronic health issues, experts say.

Wildfire smoke can settle over cities for days — like the recent blanket over parts of the U.S. from burning fires in Canada, which has created hazardous air for millions of people across multiple states.

Health officials advise people to stay indoors — and to take steps to keep the air in your home clean.

How to safely run your AC

If you have central air conditioning, it should clean the air in your home.

Make sure filters are replaced on schedule and are of the highest level of filtration your system can handle. Filters rated MERV 13 or higher are ideal. Set the air to recirculate and close any vents that pull air from outside if you can. The University of Oregon's Center for Wildfire Smoke Research and Practice recommends running the system's fan through the entire smoke event, not just when cooling.

If you buy a portable air filter, look for a HEPA air filter or one that says it traps small particles of pollution. Ensure it does not generate ozone, another harmful air pollutant.

If you can only afford one portable air filter, use it to create a “clean room” in your house where you can spend most of your time.

“The basic message is that something is better than nothing,” said Amy Kalkbrenner, an environmental epidemiologist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The science behind DIY air filters

There’s good evidence that DIY filters made by duct-taping furnace air filters to a box fan work.

They’re simple, relatively affordable and scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency have found they are just as good at removing fine particles of pollution from the air as a small commercial air purifier.

“The good news is they really work,” said Kalkbrenner.

All you need to have to make one is: four 20-by-20-inch (50.8-by-50.8-centimeters) furnace air filters rated MERV 13 or higher, a box fan, cardboard and duct tape. The EPA's website shows how you can modify the design to only use one or two filters. The fan should blow out, and the arrows on the filters should point in. Make sure everything is taped up air-tight.

Using your window AC and cooling your air safely

Many window air conditioners, mini-split heat exchangers and portable air conditioners don’t have the filters needed to remove fine pollution particles. But heat can also be dangerous.

“When smoke and heat occur together, the impacts on your health are even greater than when they occur by themselves,” said Jess Downey, a researcher at the University of Oregon’s Center for Wildfire Smoke Research and Practice

Downey said the ideal scenario is running the AC unit and using an air purifier or a DIY box fan filter to clean the air. Make sure your AC is well-sealed in your window frame, she added.

Make sure the window units are set to recirculate air. Portable units with a single hose should be used sparingly, according to the University of Oregon wildfire smoke center.

If you don't have AC, any reprieve from hot, smoky air is important. Head to the library, shopping mall or other space with clean, cool air.

Ways to seal up a home to keep hazardous air out

Whether it's a towel, some tape, or something else — plug areas where air could enter from outside.

“Being from Chicago, I think you can liken it to trying to keep the cold air out,” said Dr. Khalilah Gates, a lung doctor with Northwestern Medicine. “Any areas in which air can come in, consider sealing up those areas to reduce the amount that's coming into the home.”

When smoke levels are high, experts recommend avoiding anything that burns — candles, fireplaces, even gas stoves — so plan ahead with some meal prep.

How wildfire smoke affects the body

Exposure to wildfire smoke can lead to shortness of breath, chest tightness, headaches, and a burning sensation in the nose and eyes.

“When you ever start to feel those symptoms and they’re not severe, it’s important to acknowledge, ‘Oh, my body is responding to this. I need to move away from it. I need to move inside,'” Gates said.

If you're wheezing, can't catch your breath or are in distress, get to the emergency room immediately, she said.

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

The Argentina superstar has won just about everything in soccer except for the award for being the leading scorer at the World Cup, and he’s now two behind Mbappé after the France striker upped his total to 10 goals in a wild third-place game.

Even if Messi can’t get there, a record-extending third Golden Ball as the tournament's best player seems well in reach after Sunday's World Cup final against Spain in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

He’s already the only player to win the award multiple times since it was first given in 1978, and sparking Argentina's run to a second straight final at age 39 gives him a strong case for another.

“He is the history. He is the legend,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said.

The other awards to be presented Sunday for performances at the World Cup are the Golden Glove for the top goalkeeper, and the Best Young Player Award, given to the top player 21 years old or younger.

Spain is in good shape to win at least one if not both of those, with Unai Simón allowing only one goal in seven games and 19-year-old Lamine Yamal providing the dazzle up front and showing why he is already considered one of the most promising players in the world.

Messi is at the other end of a career in which he’s won the Ballon d’Or, given to soccer's player of the year, a record eight times.

The Golden Boot has eluded him, but he had the lead going into the final two matches of this year's tournament. Both Messi and Mbappé had eight goals through the semifinals, but Messi owned the tiebreaker with one more assist.

Mbappé then scored twice Saturday in France’s 6-4 loss to England, making him the first player with 10 goals in a World Cup since Germany great Gerd Müller had 10 in 1970.

Mbappé also won the Golden Boot four years ago in Qatar, when France lost to Argentina in the final. This time, he could join players such as Italy’s Salvatore Schillaci in 1990, Croatia's Davor Suker in 1998 and Germany’s Thomas Müller in 2010 as players whose goals in a third-place game carried them to the Golden Boot.

Should Messi beat out Mbappé in an Argentina victory, he would be the first Golden Boot winner to play for the champion since Ronaldo scored eight goals when Brazil won the title in 2002.

He may not need any goals to secure another Golden Ball.

Messi won that trophy for the first time in 2014, when Argentina was the runner-up, and again in 2022 when his seven goals in seven games powered his country to its third title.

The Golden Ball, Golden Glove and the Best Young Player Award are voted on by members of the media from a list of players compiled by the FIFA Technical Study Group.

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

The brothers were taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service on a sealed warrant, agency spokesperson Brady McCarron told The Associated Press, placing the United States at the center of an international legal saga that has stretched from Romania to Britain.

Britain is seeking their extradition on rape and trafficking charges

British prosecutors announced Saturday that they were seeking the brothers’ extradition on charges alleging they raped and trafficked women between 2010 and 2017.

The dual U.S. and British citizens moved to Romania in 2016. They were arrested there in 2022, accused of participating in schemes to lure women for sexual exploitation. They denied those allegations and the Romanian case hasn't gone forward because of legal and procedural problems.

Last year, they were allowed to leave Romania and flew to Florida on a private jet.

The brothers are expected to appear in Miami’s federal court early next week, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive law enforcement operations.

The pending charges in the United Kingdom accused the brothers of abusing women in an area north of London, where they grew up. Their lawyers had said they denied the allegations.

Joseph McBride, an attorney representing the Tate brothers, said in a phone interview Saturday evening that he has not been able to speak with his clients but called the new charges out of the U.K. “filth and slander” intended to derail defamation lawsuits filed by the brothers in the U.S.

“They’re pulling out all the stops to make sure these guys never get their day in court,” McBride said.

“We are confident that once a competent judge sees the facts, and once the Department of Justice confronts this egregious abuse of its own authority, Andrew and Tristan Tate will walk free. America does not do Britain’s political dirty work."

Tate has been banned from social media platforms for hate speech

Andrew Tate, 39, first reached a mainstream audience as a contestant on the U.K. reality television show “Big Brother” in 2016. He was removed from the show when a video surfaced that appeared to show Tate assaulting a woman. He and his brother Tristan Tate, 38, are vocal supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Andrew Tate has amassed over 10 million followers on X but has been banned from platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram for violating hate speech guidelines. His most widely condemned rhetoric includes comments that women who are sexually assaulted should bear some responsibility for their attacks, graphic descriptions of how he might attack women and criticisms of people who seek treatment for mental illness.

The Tate brothers have consistently denied allegations of abuse and human trafficking, claiming that violent and misogynistic statements have been taken out of context or were intended as jokes.

In a statement Saturday, the U.K.'s Crown Prosecution Services said that in addition to the charges publicly announced against the brothers in 2025, involving alleged crimes against three women, it was bringing a total of 38 new charges related to "four further victims.”

Both brothers are accused of rape and human trafficking. Andrew Tate faces an additional charge of profiting from prostitution, and 19 charges “for offences relating to indecent images of a child and extreme pornography,” according to U.K. authorities.

“There is no place for male violence against women and girls, and we will continue to work tirelessly to support victims and investigate all reports made to us,” said Karena Thomas, an assistant chief constable of the Bedfordshire Police, which investigated the case.

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Associated Press writer Savannah Peters in Santa Fe, New Mexico contributed to this report.

Still, warnings of unhealthy air remained in effect Saturday across a wide swath of the United States, and President Donald Trump continued to lay blame on Canada for the smoke crossing the border.

Trump, who planned to attend the cup final, threatened to impose tariffs in response, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford criticized that as unacceptable and shortsighted.

At MetLife Stadium, where the World Cup final is scheduled to take place, the sky was the same thick, soupy gray it has been for days, even after a drenching thunderstorm prompted warnings of flash flooding and forced the Spanish national team to suspend its last outdoor training session ahead of the clash with Argentina.

After the rain cleared, Netherlands tourists Joost Timpers and his two sons were among fans taking photos outside the open-air venue, which has been renamed the New York/New Jersey Stadium for the matches.

They did not have tickets to the final but biked more than an hour from their hotel just to see the arena up close. Timpers said he was certain players and fans will fare just fine even if conditions do not improve.

“We’re not experts in air quality, of course, but we are experiencing the quality now,” he said. “I didn’t experience anything different from cycling in the Netherlands or anywhere else.”

Storms will help clear the air

Saturday's storm front will largely move the smoke out of the Northeast before the final between Spain and Argentina, said Tyler Roys, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.

“There could be some lingering smoke that would make things hazy, but very faint,” Roys said. “In terms of the thickest smoke, the smoke that has really been eye-popping and leads to poor air quality, that is not expected across New York City or much of the Northeast.”

WFLA-TV Chief Meteorologist and Climate Specialist Jeff Berardelli, in Tampa, Florida, echoed Roys, saying the storm front would “sweep the atmosphere clean,” leaving only a thin smoke that World Cup spectators may still smell in the air.

The air quality index shows an improvement from unhealthy air for sensitive groups on Saturday to “moderate” air quality Sunday in East Rutherford, which means little to no health risk for the general public.

“It won't be dangerous anymore,” Berardelli said. “It's going to be dramatically better.”

The smoke could still cause issues for people who are sensitive to particulate matter, and they should check the air quality index particularly in the morning, said Rob Shackelford, a meteorologist for The Weather Channel app and weather.com.

Air quality at the field is measured every 10 minutes, said David Lu, CEO and co-founder of Clarity Movement, an environmental technology company providing air quality monitoring services. In the past two days, the readings have swung between the level where the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups and the level where it's very unhealthy, Lu said. He said Saturday afternoon he expects to see improvement in the readings within hours because of the rain.

Temperatures are forecast to be around 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius), with light breezes and low humidity for the start of the final.

“You couldn’t have asked for much better weather for the World Cup,” Berardelli added.

Both Roys and Berardelli expect the heavier smoke Sunday to be concentrated closer to the fires, hanging over parts of the Midwest and the Great Lakes region.

Trump talks of new tariffs on Canada

The president made no mention of the World Cup final but said on his social media platform, “We are holding Canada responsible.” He added that the U.S. “is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable!”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the topic of U.S. officials complaining about smoke from during a news conference Thursday. Carney said climate change is the responsibility of everyone, including the United States.

Ford said Canada has contributed to fighting fires in the U.S. and offered assistance when Georgia was hit by a hurricane in 2024 because “that’s what neighbors do.” Ford called the rhetoric “absolutely unacceptable” when Canada is “trying to get through this.”

There are hundreds of active fires in Canada

Wildfires have been igniting across Canada and northern Minnesota this month. Berardelli said they are burning longer and faster because of climate change. The Canadian Wildland Fire Information System showed hundreds of active fires Saturday. Environment Canada issued air quality warnings across the country and into the Northwest Territories.

The fires prompted evacuations, including in Nova Scotia where there's a large fire that local and provincial crews have been fighting since Wednesday, and in northwestern Ontario, where ​some of the most intense fires are burning.

In Ontario, nearly 200 wildfires have already scorched more land than all of last year’s fires. In Thunder Bay, Ontario, Fire Chief Dave Tarini said this fire season is unprecedented in his more than 35 years as a firefighter.

In British Columbia, about 100 fires are burning, a huge jump from the 20 firefighters were facing Wednesday. The BC Wildfire Service says the fires are largely the result of 4,000 lightning strikes that hit the province Friday.

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McDermott reported from Providence, Rhode Island. Associated Press writer Jim Morris in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Sports Writer Stephen Whyno in New York contributed.

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

This is the Gion Matsuri festival, born more than 1,000 years ago as a ritual to ward off epidemics and celebrated in the former imperial city of Kyoto throughout July.

“I am conscious of them when I’m riding on top,” Horikawa said. “When we’re assembling it as well, but I think the main time is when I’m riding on it.”

The parades — accompanied by dances, music and song — draw large crowds and tourists every year. The biggest floats can weigh up to 12 tons. Yet behind the festive atmosphere lies a tradition rooted in the worship of deities and rituals of protection.

“Those performances are not meant primarily for the entertainment of people,” said Fabio Rambelli, a religious studies professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. “They are offerings to the gods.”

A festival that has layers of religious history

The Gion Matsuri originated in the late 9th century as a ritual to appease spirits believed to cause epidemics and to pray for protection from disease. It takes its name from Kyoto’s Gion District and “matsuri,” the Japanese word for festival.

At the heart of the celebration is Kyoto’s Yasaka Shrine, a Shinto site whose principal deity has long been revered as a protector against calamities. But the shrine’s history also reflects centuries of interaction between Shinto and Buddhism in Japan.

“Until about 150 years ago it was a Buddhist temple,” Rambelli said. “That’s part of the religious changes that have taken place in Japan.”

Back then, the sanctuary’s main deity was Gozu Tennō, an ox-headed figure believed to have the power either to spread epidemics or to avert them.

“It was a kind of syncretic deity — probably of Indian origin — with connections to Korea and local folklore,” Rambelli said. “A lot of gods in Japan are a mixture of different traditions.”

Early versions of the Gion Matsuri involved that deity, Rambelli said.

To show evil forces and spirits that their god would confront them, devotees carried him around the city in processions that resembled those seen throughout Kyoto today.

A shrine's turn from Buddhism helps shape today's Shinto practices

Japan’s government separated the two traditions of Shinto and Buddhism in 1868 during the Meiji era, effectively bringing Shinto shrines under state control and placing the emperor at the center of the new order.

“Because the emperor was the direct descendant of the goddess of the sun, they purified the whole system creating what now we see as Shinto,” said Andrea De Antoni, professor of anthropology and religious studies at the University of Kyoto.

De Antoni said a strong anti-Buddhist movement followed. Temples, mandalas and statues were burned and destroyed.

Shinto was formally separated from the state after World War II, but its traditions still reflect a broader history of religious and cultural influences.

“It is an institutionalized religion that revolves around ideas of deities called kami and different spirits,” De Antoni said.

“Kami shares its rules with general ideas of animism that can be found throughout the world, but there are a lot of similarities with certain parts of Southeast Asia and with the Pacific,” he added.

Ancient traditions bring communities together

Japanese festivals often serve as ways for deities to be brought into the streets for sacred or ritual purposes while also bringing communities together in celebration.

“This is the festival of all the people in the neighborhood,” said Jacques Garrigues, a Frenchman who has lived in Kyoto for three decades and who attended the Gion Matsuri procession with his son on Friday.

“We also come together through a certain sense of religion, although the religious significance is not the same as in France,” he added.

Among the traditions preserved by the Gion Matsuri is the choosing of a boy as a sacred messenger to the gods. During the parade, the selected boy is seen sitting on one of the floats, his feet never touching the ground.

Some key participants spend months getting ready for the celebrations. Different neighborhoods prepare their floats with great care and dedication, with many people trusting the floats will drive away evil spirits.

Atsushi Matono is responsible for erecting the shingi, a sacred tree placed at the top of one of the floats —the holiest part of the structure, to which a deity is believed to descend.

Like Horikawa, he describes feeling a sacred presence.

“I always carry out my work with great care and respect,” Matono said. “Feeling the presence of the gods.”

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Hernández reported from Beijing.

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

After the base hit, Ginn was removed from the game by manager Mark Kotsay and received a standing ovation. The right-hander exited with the A's leading 8-0 as they tried to snap a 10-game losing streak.

Ginn struck out seven and walked three. He threw 82 pitches, 50 for strikes.

Before the seventh, Washington’s only baseruners came on a pair of two-out walks in the second and a two-out walk in the fifth. The Nationals piled up a season-high 21 hits Friday night in a 23-4 blowout against the A's.

The closest the Nationals had come to a hit was in the fifth when Dylan Crews appeared to beat out an infield single to third baseman Joshua Kuroda-Grauer. After Crews was initially ruled safe, the A’s challenged and the call was overturned following a replay review for the final out of the inning.

Kuroda-Grauer also made a diving catch in the outfield on CJ Abrams' popup in the fourth.

Ginn took a no-hitter into the ninth on May 18 at the Los Angeles Angels before walking off the mound with a heartbreaking loss. He allowed a leadoff single to Adam Frazier and a two-run homer to Zach Neto that gave the Angels a stunning 2-1 victory.

That was the only complete game for Ginn in his three-year major league career. He entered his latest outing 7-6 with a 3.67 ERA this season.

Mike Fiers pitched the most recent no-hitter for the A’s against the Cincinnati Reds in May 2019 when the team still played in Oakland.

The lone no-hitter in the majors this year came when three Houston Astros pitchers combined for a 9-0 victory over the Texas Rangers on May 25.

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This story has been corrected to show that three Houston Astros pitchers combined on a no-hitter against the Texas Rangers on May 25, not four pitchers.

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

• THIS WEEKEND: Quiet & dry conditions take over
• WATER LEVEL UPDATES: Most cities are seeing rivers recede; Major flooding still expected where the Frio and Nueces meet I-35
• AQUIFER/LAKE UPDATES: Aquifer and area lakes still rising

FORECAST

FLOODING CONCERNS REMAIN ALONG RIVERS

South Central Texas conditions are improving following historic rainfall, but major to moderate river flooding persists across the the southern reaches of the Nueces, Frio, and San Antonio basins. Waterways will remain elevated through the weekend as floodwaters move downstream. Residents near rivers, creeks, and flood-prone areas should remain vigilant and avoid flooded and destroyed roads.

Areas that could continue to experience high water include:

• Asherton and Cotulla – Nueces River
• Derby, Fowlerton and Choke Canyon – Frio River
• Falls City and Kenedy – Cibolo Creek and the San Antonio River

AQUIFER AND LAKE LEVELS

Water levels remain on the rise across the region. The Edwards Aquifer continues to recharge, while Medina Lake and Canyon Lake are expected to receive additional inflow from swollen rivers and tributaries over the coming days.

THIS WEEKEND

The heavy rain pattern is shifting northwest, giving way to a quieter forecast. Sunday will be mush sunnier, and the second day day in a stretch ahead to feel like 100° in the afternoon. Air temperatures will stay in the mid-90s, with elevated humidity levels sticking around.

EXTENDED FORECAST

Expect a hotter, drier pattern next week as high pressure builds. While no significant rain is forecast, lingering humidity will keep heat index values elevated. Prepare for the return of our usual July heat.

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.

“We kept checking the Espantosa ... it was really high,” she said.

But Bookout, who lives near the waterway, said instead of the Espantosa being the immediate threat Friday morning around 10 a.m., her neighbor called just in time to say the Nueces River was speeding her way.

“A wall of water (was) just coming towards us,” Bookout said. “And by the time we saw it within 10 minutes, it was a foot in our house, and I mean up to my chest outside. That’s how quick it happened.”

Bookout said she and her husband went into survival mode, waking up their daughters and getting them into a boat.

“My parents live two houses down,” Bookout said. “I tried to walk them to my parents’ house, and I was getting swept under the boat. So, I turned around and walked back.”

She said she saw a Black Hawk helicopter but didn’t know if it was there to rescue them or someone else, and called 911 asking for help to get her children out of the floodwaters.

The Texas Army National Guard Alamo Dustoff Unit responded.

According to a Joint Base San Antonio military online article, the Alamo Dustoff Unit is an air ambulance and medical evacuation unit operating as Company C, 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment within the Texas Army National Guard, based at Martindale Army Airfield in San Antonio.

Multiple social media posts report the Texas Army National Guard, along with the Texas Military Department and Texas A&M Texas Task Force 1, are working in tandem conducting rescues across Texas in response to the flooding event.

Melaine Puente sent KSAT photos of the rescue. Puente said her husband, Sgt. Joey Puente, is the crew chief on the Black Hawk helicopter that rescued the Bookout family.

In one of those photos, you can see Bookout’s 4-year-old daughter smiling as she is holding a unit patch after being buckled in.

“They just made us feel so comfortable,” Bookout said.

She said her family, including her parents, were taken to the event center in Crystal City and were picked up by family.

Once safe, Bookout said there were a lot of tears.

“When you sit down and it all sets in, they saved my family, especially my children,” Bookout said.

She said for that, she is appreciative beyond words.

“I don’t even know how to repay them,” she said. “I’m so grateful. I’m still grateful and honored.”

Read also:

• ‘Unbelievable’: Flood cleanup continues in Kerr County as Guadalupe River recedes
• Batesville community rallies to help families recover after devastating floods
• How new flood sirens and warning upgrades helped Kerr County during this week’s flooding

The strikes were designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to restrict the traffic of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command said. The waterway accounted for roughly 20% of global oil supplies before the war. Iran effectively closed the strait to shipping traffic after the war started with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28.

The new strikes came after the U.S. military announced its first troop deaths from direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war, following a drone and missile attack on a base in Jordan on Friday. The dead were not identified, and Central Command didn't offer any further details on the deaths.

Since the war began, 16 U.S. service members have been killed and over 430 wounded.

Strikes target southern Iran

An area near Sirik, on the Strait of Hormuz, was targeted around 1:30 a.m. local time, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, which cited local authorities in southern Hormozgan province.

In the same province, a location near Hajiabad was targeted and explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas, according to IRNA. An area near Qeshm Island, which is inside the strait, was also targeted, according to Iran's state-run broadcaster, IRIB.

On Saturday, Iranian state media reported that U.S. airstrikes had hit an electricity and desalination plant in Hormozgan and damaged tunnels and bridges, disrupting a main highway toward Bandar Abbas, the site of Iran’s main port near the narrowest part of the strait.

An official in Khuzestan province, also on the Gulf, said a strike hit near the city of Shadegan, according to state media.

Trump has threatened to target Iran’s power stations and bridges to try to compel Tehran to loosen its hold on the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. in the past week also reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports to halt its shipments of crude oil, and the military on Saturday said it had redirected five ships and disabled one since then.

Iranian authorities said Saturday that at least 50 people have been killed and more than 500 wounded in U.S. strikes in the past three weeks, including eight killed in a strike on a bridge Friday.

Strikes hit Iraq's Kurdish region

In neighboring Iraq, a base of the Kurdistan Freedom Party, an Iranian Kurdish dissident group, near Irbil was struck by a drone early Sunday, wounding eight of its members, according to Rebaz Sharifi, a military official with the group.

Residents of Irbil, the capital of Iraq’s semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region, also heard explosions from air defenses early Sunday.

Irbil has been targeted by drone attacks multiple times over the past four days, which coincided with a visit by new Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to Washington last week and an ongoing escalation between the U.S. and Iran.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but in the past both Iran and Iran-backed Iraqi militias have launched attacks in the Kurdish region, where both U.S. troops and armed Kurdish Iranian dissident groups are present.

Iran's supreme leader warns of ‘unforgettable lessons’

Minutes before the U.S. announced the troop deaths earlier Saturday, Iran’s supreme leader warned of “unforgettable lessons” if the U.S. keeps attacking the Islamic Republic.

The remarks read out on state TV and attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei, still unseen since the war began, called President Donald Trump’s signature “worthless and invalid.” An Iranian negotiator said Tehran was suspending its commitments to the interim deal signed about a month ago and aimed at permanently ending the fighting.

Iran’s joint military command said that U.S. “covetousness, bullying, totalitarianism or brutality” would meet with a “devastating response.”

Tehran's declarations snapped another fragile thread as the war shows no end in sight. Now Khamenei warns of “lessons” not only from Iran but also its armed proxies in the region, calling them the “Axis of Resistance." The U.S. issued a global travel alert over the rising tensions.

The battle has focused on control of the Strait of Hormuz. The widening strikes now threaten civilians and infrastructure, including desalination plants for drinking water, while the global economy again is on alert.

The U.S. has violated its commitments under the deal and now Iran is “no longer implementing them,” Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, told state TV.

There was no new word on mediation efforts.

US soldiers face growing risks

The last recorded death of a U.S. service member was that of a helicopter pilot who crashed in the Arabian Sea earlier this month. Early in the war, an Iranian drone strike on a command center in Kuwait killed six soldiers. Another soldier died after an attack on a base in Saudi Arabia, and six were killed when a refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq.

On Saturday, the most significant damage from Iranian strikes occurred in Kuwait, where a water desalination plant and an oil facility were hit, according to the Kuwait authorities and the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation. Both declined to provide locations.

It was the second attack against a desalination plant in two days in the tiny desert nation that depends on desalination for 90% of its drinking water. The strikes injured several people at the oil facility and caused a fire at the desalination plant, forcing several power generation units offline.

Several firefighters and a worker were injured while battling two other blazes sparked by Iranian strikes, according to the Kuwait Fire Force. Kuwait briefly closed its airspace due to missile threats, and Kuwait Airways said it was rescheduling most flights to and from the capital.

Jordan’s state-run Petra news agency said the kingdom’s air defense systems had downed Iranian missiles, while air sirens sounded multiple times in Bahrain throughout the day and in Saudi Arabia in the morning, according to their governments.

The secretary-general of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, accused Iran of war crimes for strikes on infrastructure and civilian facilities.

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This story has been corrected to change the day to Sunday from Saturday to reflect the Dubai, United Arab Emirates Dateline.

___

Ezzidin reported from Cairo and Toropin from Washington. Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran; Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel; Stella Martany in Irbil, Iraq; and Matt Lee and Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.

Alcántara, 38, was greeted at the airport by a crowd that was cheering, singing and holding their phones high in the air to get a photo of him. They draped him in a Cuban flag, printed with the words “Patria y Vida” — “Homeland and Life” — the title of a song he shared a Grammy for that became an anthem for Cuba’s political opposition against repression.

The United States granted him parole into the country earlier this week, according to a social media page maintained by his friends and supporters. They wrote that he accepted exile as the only way to escape persecution and continue his art and activism.

Alcántara co-founded a group of Havana artists, writers and musicians called the San Isidro Movement — named for the neighborhood where Alcántara lived.

He was arrested on July 11, 2021, during a public protest. In 2022, a court sentenced him to five years in prison for public disorder, contempt and disrespect toward national symbols.

His arrest and incarceration had long been denounced by human rights organizations and the U.S. government. Groups including Amnesty International called him a political prisoner, an allegation the Cuban government rejected.

Alcántara was held in a maximum-security prison, he said, and was expected to be released last week. But for days, advocates said they still could not contact him and did not know where he was.

The organization Cubalex, which legally advises dissidents and reports human rights violations from outside of the country, filed a habeas corpus petition on his behalf Monday.

Until he boarded a plane Saturday, his advocates were not sure of his location, or if he was truly free.

His said his first stop on American soil would be at the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity to make an offering.

Other political prisoners remained imprisoned, including his fellow artist Maykel “Osorbo” Castillo Pérez, his advocates said, and they hoped Alcántara's release would prompt insistence that Pérez also be set free.

Alcántara brought from Cuba a broken statue of the Virgin Mary, which he described as a symbol of hope and healing, a chance to put back together something from fragments.

A day before Lionel Messi and Argentina were set to try and defend their title in a highly anticipated final, Bukayo Saka scored three goals to lead England past Kylian Mbappé and France 6-4 in a wild third-place game.

Mbappé surpassed Messi's record for World Cup goals, scoring twice in the second half. The 27-year-old star has 22 goals in his career and 10 in this World Cup, two ahead of Messi in the Golden Boot race.

It was the highest-scoring World Cup game since Hungary beat El Salvador 10-1 in 1982, and the 10 goals were the most in a third-place match.

Saka had goals in the 37th minute and in first-half stoppage time, then added his third on a penalty in the 87th for his second career hat trick with England. The Three Lions also got goals from Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa to build a 4-0 halftime lead, and they hung on against a relentless France attack in the second half to secure their second-best finish in the World Cup. England won its only title in 1966.

“I hope that the players can be proud of that in some time,” England coach Thomas Tuchel said. “We are fiercely competitive, so we almost don’t allow ourselves to be proud of third place because 18 months ago we set the highest goal. We set the highest dream to chase, and we were very, very ambitious with our dream to make it to the final and win the World Cup. So it's very, very painful if you miss out.”

Tuchel said he viewed England's World Cup run as a success despite its collapse in the semifinals. The Three Lions blew a 1-0 lead against Argentina and lost 2-1 when Messi assisted on two late goals.

Tuchel was criticized for his tactical decisions in the loss, with many wondering what it will take for England to end its decades-long wait for another trophy.

He said Saturday's result was the first step toward closing the gap with teams like Argentina and France.

“This game will help us for sure,” he said, “even if a part will never allow you to fully celebrate the bronze medal.”

Jude Bellingham capped the scoring in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time, his seventh goal of the tournament and the most in a World Cup by an England player. Captain Harry Kane scored six this year and in 2018, and Gary Lineker had six in 1986.

Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé also scored in the second half for France, which pulled within 4-3 on Mbappé's second goal.

Messi — with 21 career World Cup goals and eight in this tournament — will get one last shot to pass Mbappé for the scoring title when he and defending champion Argentina face Spain on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Mbappé also won the Golden Boot four years ago, when France lost the final to Argentina on penalties.

“Leo scores all the time,” Mbappé told Fox Sports in French. “Tomorrow he will score for sure. I just try to help my team every time to score. It's certain that when you score so many goals in the World Cup, it elevates you to certain levels. I would have preferred not to be the top scorer in history and play in the match tomorrow.”

Both teams had said they’d rather be playing in Sunday's final. France had enough offensive firepower to potentially win the tournament, but Les Bleus lost to Spain in the semifinals and squandered their chance at reaching a third straight World Cup final.

Still, a sellout crowd of 64,478 showed up to watch the seventh and final match of this World Cup at Hard Rock Stadium.

Plenty of supporters were cheering for both teams. Many were there simply for the atmosphere of the low-stakes match, and it more than delivered.

“I love English football,” said Gaston Esquivel, a native of Mexico City who came to support England. “I’ve followed the Premier League since I was a kid. I am a Manchester United fan. I like their style, I like their game.”

Thomas Viel, who traveled from Paris to follow France throughout the tournament, was hoping to see a hat trick by Mbappé. He nearly got his wish.

France trailed 4-0 when Mbappé flicked a shot past goalkeeper Dean Henderson in the 48th minute. Then he beat Henderson again with a left-footed strike from about 14 yards in the 66th.

“I think Messi will not score a hat trick tomorrow,” Viel said.

It was also the final match for France coach Didier Deschamps, who has said he will step down after 14 years. Deschamps embraced players and waved toward the crowd as he exited the pitch.

“We were not expecting such a first half,” Deschamps said through an interpreter. “And we did better in the second half. We were deeply disappointed, gutted after the semis. I don't want to sum up my career on this moment.”

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Associated Press writer David Fischer contributed to this report.

___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

In a 1,800-square mile stretch of the Hill Country — from Hondo through Uvalde, up toward Camp Wood and Utopia — anywhere between 15 and 27 inches of rain fell from July 13 to July 17, according to KSAT Weather Authority Meteorologist Sarah Spivey. That’s nearly 12 billion bathtubs of water.

Even though the worst of the rain is behind us, Abbott predicted the rivers will continue to rise for days.

“Because of the flow of water downstream, residents and leaders need to understand the rivers will still rise and still pose life-threatening danger to anybody near those rivers,” Abbott said.

Abbott listed the Sabinal, Frio and Leona rivers as bodies of water to avoid. He highly urged people near Uvalde County to stay away from the Nueces River.

“The one river that remains the greatest danger to this community is the Nueces River,” Abbott said.

Major disaster declaration

Major disaster declarations are written up by the state governor and sent to the president to ask for federal relief to assist the rebuilding process of an area affected by a natural disaster, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Abbott signed the declaration and said he will send it to President Donald Trump after Friday’s news conference concluded.

The declaration includes 28 counties who were among the “hardest hit by these devastating floodwaters,” Abbott said. Bexar County was listed in the declaration.

“More counties can and will be added as needed,” he said.

Abbott named Uvalde, Zavala, Dimmit, Real, Sutton and Crockett as counties that remain under the greatest threat for flood damage.

Last year’s declaration after the July 4 floods in the Hill Country was received and accepted by the president in a few days, according to Abbott. He predicted a similar timely response from Trump.

Flood response

First responders from the state and local counties rescued more than 500 people this week during the historic South Texas floods. Abbott said the rescue efforts continue even though rain has slowed down significantly.

Abbott linked last year’s devastating Hill Country flood to the successful evacuation and rescue efforts of residents in counties experiencing flooding.

“Because of everything that was learned and experienced in the flood last year, everybody in Texas has been far more prepared to deal with what has happened this year,” Abbott said.

Two people have died as a result of the flooding this week.

A 74-year-old man was found dead Thursday in Uvalde after floods swept away his vehicle, the city’s police department said in a news release.

The Kerr County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed John Mark Steward also died in Thursday’s floods. His body was recovered near Center Point after he was swept away in an RV.

On July 18, the Texas Game Wardens said they have made 153 rescues, 92 evacuations and 5 pet evacuations.

Uvalde County

In Uvalde County, more than 10 inches of rain fell Thursday on top of the showers over the last few days, according to the KSAT Weather Authority team.

The excessive rainfall caused the Farm-to-Market 481 Bridge above the Nueces River to collapse, DPS footage showed. A timeline for when the bridge will reopen is unclear, according to a Texas Department of Transportation official.

A dam in the northern part of the county “did not fail,” according to acting Uvalde County Judge Jerry Bates.

Bates cited the historic flood for the water breaching over the dam.

“We put eyes on that dam, and it did not fail, it worked just as designed,” Bates said. “The water came over the spillway in a way that it’s never done.”

The excessive showers caused all major highways and many streets to close in Uvalde.

U.S. Highway 90 in Uvalde was closed for all of Thursday and reopened at least one lane early Friday.

More weather coverage on KSAT:

• Community Foundation of Texas Hill Country launches flood relief fund for 10-county region
• KSAT checks on aftermath of severe weather in Hill Country, surrounding areas

According to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, the robbery happened on May 7 in the 23000 block of Canyon Golf Road.

The sheriff’s office said three suspects forced their way into the home through the garage, held the victims at gunpoint and struck one victim with a handgun.

The suspects allegedly stole rifles, gaming consoles, a thermal optic, footwear and the victim’s truck, which was later found nearby.

Investigators were able to identify several suspects after they traced the stolen thermal optic to a pawn shop, the sheriff’s office said.

“Search warrants and resulting arrests uncovered additional criminal activity,”' the sheriff’s office said, including drug possession, stolen weapons and vehicle theft equipment.

The sheriff’s office said investigators determined the suspects acted together to plan and carry out the robbery, while others pawned off the stolen items.

The following people were arrested:

• Jaemaurices Jordan Mayes — aggravated robbery, engaging in organized crime
• Michael Jarome Randolph Jr. — aggravated Robbery, engaging in organized crime
• Roberto Carlos Bernal — aggravated robbery, engaging in organized crime
• Marquell Jovon Clay — aggravated robbery, engaging in organized crime
• Daquarius Esean Crockett — theft of property ($750–$2,500)
• Steve Monroe Pickens Jr. — theft of property ($750–$2,500)

The sheriff’s office said it could not release Mayes’ mugshot due to him being a minor.

Read also:

• SAPD: Masked, armed suspects rob credit union on Northeast Side, flee with ‘large amount’ of cash

The France star moved past Argentina's Lionel Messi for the career World Cup scoring record with 22 goals, scoring twice in a 6-4 loss to England in Saturday's third-place match.

Mbappé finished this World Cup with 10 goals, two more than Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, which is awarded to the tournament's top scorer. Should he remain ahead of Messi after Argentina plays Spain in Sunday's final, he would become the first player to win the Golden Boot twice.

“I would have preferred not to be the top scorer in history,” Mbappé told Fox Sports in French, “and play in the match tomorrow.”

Les Bleus missed out on a chance at playing in their third straight World Cup final when they lost to Spain in the semifinals.

Mbappé scored eight goals to win the Golden Boot four years ago in Qatar, where France lost to Messi and Argentina in a penalty shootout in the final.

His 10 in this year’s tournament matched the third most in a World Cup. Just Fontaine had a record 13 goals for France in 1958, Sandor Kocsis of Hungary scored 11 in 1954, and West Germany’s Gerd Müller had 10 in 1970.

Mbappé's quest for the Golden Boot appeared to be going nowhere when France trailed 4-0 at halftime.

Then Mbappé and France came alive in the second half. He flicked a shot past England goalkeeper Dean Henderson in the 48th minute to begin a rally for Les Bleus, who also got goals from Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé. Michael Olise added two assists, setting a record with seven in this World Cup, one more than Brazil's Pelé, who had six assists in 1970.

France pulled within 4-3 on Mbappé’s second goal, when he beat Henderson again with a left-footed strike from about 14 yards in the 66th minute to pass Messi's career mark of 21 goals.

“There were two very different halves,” Mbappé said. “During the first one, I can understand why some people think we made fools of ourselves and didn’t do the jersey justice. I’d say instead that we were human — and we can’t afford to be. We were completely stunned, and they really shook us awake.”

He said French players wanted to win for Didier Deschamps, who coached his final game with the national team.

“In the end, we didn’t win, and that’s a shame for the coach,” Mbappé said. “The first half gives the impression that we let him down — that’s not at all how we wanted him to feel. This match isn’t going to tarnish Didier Deschamps’ legacy.”

France won the World Cup under Deschamps in 2018, lost a gut-wrenching final to Argentina on penalties in 2022, and was shut down offensively by Spain in the semifinals. It was a disappointing end to Deschamps' 14-year tenure after his star-studded squad was among the favorites to win another World Cup.

Zinedine Zidane is widely expected to be confirmed as Deschamps' successor in the coming days by the French soccer federation.

“It is the end of a journey which represented the most beautiful period,” Deschamps said. “When I started in 2012 ... I put the put the French team first.”

Deschamps embraced players on the pitch before exiting, and he defended Mbappé in his news conference.

“I know he has been given an image that is not true to reality,” the coach said through an interpreter. “He is an incredible captain, and like many of these players, he has evolved. He is disappointed that he did not manage to compete in the final.”

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Products with the potential to be contaminated with the diarrhea-causing parasite were shipped to 27 states including Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New Jersey, the California-based company said in a statement Friday.

“We are actively removing the implicated products,” the statement said, adding that the company has stopped sourcing lettuce from an implicated lot in central Mexico.

U.S. health officials earlier this week identified lettuce from a supplier in Mexico as a source of cyclospora contamination in food served at Taco Bell restaurants in five Midwestern states.

The Taylor Farms recall announcement listed 25 shredded lettuce and salad mix products sold under eight different brand codes. Taylor Farms did not respond to an emailed request for the full names of those brands or retailers. The recalled products were shipped as recently as Thursday and have “best by” dates as late as Aug. 3.

Sysco, the nation's largest food distributor, has halted distribution of all Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce products sourced from Mexico and instructed customers to destroy them.

Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that infects food that has come into contact with human feces, most commonly when produce is irrigated or washed with contaminated water. When ingested, the parasite causes intestinal illness marked by “frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” according to the CDC.

In 2026, cyclospora has sickened at least 1,645 people in the U.S. and hospitalized 141, according to the CDC, which is investigating more than 5,000 additional illnesses that may be linked to the parasite. This time last year, only 249 cases had been reported.

The CDC initially warned consumers to avoid eating shredded lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.

“Taco Bell worked swiftly to voluntarily remove the product from restaurants and the affected ingredient has been removed from our supply chain nationwide,” the company said in a statement Friday.

Throughout the week, residents of the small Zavala County community, home to about 787 people, began the cleanup process by hauling waterlogged furniture from homes, salvaging what they could and leaning on neighbors determined to help one another recover.

KSAT visited Batesville on Friday and Saturday to see how residents were faring with the rising floodwaters from the Leona River. Once the floodwater began to recede, streets that were once submerged just a day earlier were open. But inside neighborhoods hit hardest, the destruction was impossible to miss.

>> Floodwaters recede in South Texas as communities turn toward recovery

Inside one home, a family sorted through years of memories damaged by floodwaters. They declined an on-camera interview but told KSAT they were devastated, saying their home, where generations had grown up, will never be the same after just a few hours of flooding.

Streets over, hope was taking shape inside the Zavala County Nutrition Center.

The building has become more than a shelter. It has transformed into a hub for recovery, where volunteers spent Friday and Saturday preparing hot meals, organizing donations and packing boxes of essential supplies for families displaced by the flooding.

Rows of tables were covered by clothing, toiletries and cleaning supplies donated by people.

“We have wipes, diapers, toilet paper, napkins, feminine hygiene products, just a little bit of everything,” one volunteer told KSAT as she helped assemble cleaning kits for affected families.

She said the outpouring of donations reflects the generosity of Texans, but what has impressed her most is the determination of her own neighbors.

“It’s a beautiful thing,” she added. “Everybody in this room right now is people from Batesville. We might be small, but we’re a mighty community. We come together. We help each other out. There’s no questions asked.”

That spirit has been especially meaningful because many of the volunteers have also been affected by the flooding.

The volunteer told KSAT one woman working alongside her had watched floodwaters completely take over her own home. Even after suffering significant damage, she spent the day helping prepare supplies for other families.

“She’s still here helping out,” the volunteer said. “Even though she was impacted, she’s still here helping out, trying to get everything together.”

Community advocate Mike Mendez made the trip from Uvalde to his hometown after seeing videos of the flooding.

“When I seen the videos and the footage of my hometown, it’s ugly,” Mendez said. “And I knew a lot of people were going to need help and resources that they can’t afford to get.”

Mendez partnered with local volunteers to bring pallets of bottled water, food and hygiene products to residents staying at the shelter.

For now, Batesville’s recovery is being driven one meal, one donation box and one neighbor at a time.

In a town where many families are cleaning out homes while also helping others do the same, residents said the road to recovery won’t be easy.

But they believe they’ll get there together.

Read also:

• How new flood sirens and warning upgrades helped Kerr County during this week’s flooding
• Medina Lake jumps from 13% to 24% full in 48 hours after historic Hill Country rainfall
• Kerr County residents begin cleanup after new round of flooding revives painful memories

The shooting happened on June 15 in the 7500 block of Glen Briar Drive, the sheriff’s office said. BCSO said the people involved in the shooting fled from the scene.

A 40-year-old man was shot twice in the chest and one of the suspects sustained a gunshot wound. Both were taken to the hospital.

BCSO previously said they believe the man shot the suspect in self-defense.

Clinton Dwayne Dixon III, 20, and Rodney Robinson III, 20, were named suspects in the shooting investigation by BCSO.

On July 18, the sheriff’s office said Robinson has two active warrants in connection with the investigation:

• Burglary of a habitation with intent to commit a felony
• Engaging in organized criminal activity

Additionally, BCSO said investigators are looking for two unidentified individuals who may have information related to the case, according to a Facebook post

Anyone with information is urged to call the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office at 210-335-6000.

Read also:

• 2 men arrested after DPS troopers dragged during vehicle pursuit in San Antonio, authorities say
• SAPD identifies suspect accused of shooting 2 sleeping children on Northeast Side

Rizzo didn’t catch Busch’s 12th homer on the fly, but reached behind and picked the ball up off the concrete after it landed. Rizzo held it high in the air with a small boy on his shoulder.

Rizzo, a three-time All-Star who played 10 of his 14 seasons with the Cubs, took part in dedicating an arching, 31-foot wide “Champions Gate” on the west side of Wrigley Field before the game. It commemorated the 10th anniversary of Chicago winning the World Series in 2016.

Busch initially didn't know Rizzo retrieved the ball. He was told by catcher Miguel Amaya, who doubled in two runs in the second inning.

The notion of a previous Cubs slugging first baseman snaring the home run ball of the current one wasn't lost on the 28-year-old Busch, who homered 34 times last year. The 36-year-old Rizzo hit 242 regular-season home runs with Chicago and 303 for his career.

"I thought that was super, just like mind-blowing," Busch said. "Who knows how things work out, but I thought that was pretty cool.

“Just the 2016 team, what they did for this city and the championship that they brought was obviously a big deal," Busch added. "You could just tell from the fans how much they were loved and how much joy they brought to the city. And then Rizzo was kind of a cornerstone for them.”

Rizzo hit .292 with 32 homers and 109 RBIs in the 2016 regular season, then went on to add three homers and 10 RBIs in the postseason as the Cubs ended a 108-year championship drought.

Team owner Tom Ricketts, 2016 manager Joe Maddon and Rizzo addressed the crowd in a ceremony that included some 20 players from team. Maddon and the players returned to the field before the game and right-hander Kyle Hendricks threw a ceremonial first pitch.

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

Water along the Guadalupe River has slowly started to recede, but signs of the flood remain across Kerrville and nearby communities.

Residents returned to the river this weekend to see the damage left behind, including debris, logs and damaged infrastructure.

>> Floodwaters recede in South Texas as communities turn toward recovery

Richard Tomich, who lives in Kerrville, visited the Memorial Pavilion with his wife after the flooding.

“Just the amount of rain that fell over the last few days was just unbelievable,” he shared.

Tomich said the latest flood was especially difficult to see after the area had begun to recover from last year’s damage.

“I was commenting to my wife just recently how things have come back and things were looking really nice and beautiful,” he added. “And lo and behold, here again we get this massive flood.”

One visible reminder of the force of the water is a search and rescue barge from last year’s flood response.

A Kerrville police officer told KSAT that the barge was carried down the Guadalupe River and became wedged beneath the Sidney Baker Bridge in Kerrville.

It had been stuck there for two days, but crews contacted by the county began bringing in equipment to retrieve it over the next several days.

Neighbors and officials said Kerr County was better prepared for this round of flooding.

“We did get a lot of warning on the phone,” Kerr County resident Ervin Daily said. “In fact, every 15 minutes, it seemed like it was going off.”

Even with those warnings, some residents said certain areas saw more damage this time than during last year’s flooding.

Daily, who lives in the Turtle Creek community, said Upper Turtle Creek Road took on more water than he had ever seen.

“I’ve been living out there about 20 years,” he said. “This is as high as I ever seen it.”

Near Turtle Creek, water was still rushing over parts of the road after the storm.

The flooding damaged asphalt and created hazardous driving conditions.

Several cars and trucks were seen trying to cross the area, with some drivers swerving into oncoming traffic to avoid a large pothole.

A Turtle Creek Volunteer Fire Department official said that the state owns the crossing and two others.

The official said the roadways are expected to be repaired, but crews are waiting for the water to go down before work can begin.

As the Guadalupe River continues to recede, county crews are expected to keep assessing damage and clearing debris in the days ahead.

Read also:

• How new flood sirens and warning upgrades helped Kerr County during this week’s flooding
• Key differences spared Texas lives in second straight July flood

The deaths reflect the complicated reality that American boots don’t need to be on the ground for there to be lethal risks in a conflict that involves drones, missiles and airplanes. American forces are arrayed across the Middle East, making other nations targets of Iran as the fighting has escalated after a breakdown in peace talks.

President Donald Trump has said the war is necessary to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. As of Saturday afternoon, he had yet to issue a statement on the latest set of deaths that occurred in Jordan, with the White House instead sending the statement issued by U.S. Central Command.

First fatalities came soon after the war started

Shortly after the war began on Feb. 28, an Iranian drone strike at a civilian port in Kuwait killed six American soldiers. The soldiers were part of a supply and logistics unit based in Iowa who were working at a shipping container-style building that had no defenses.

A seventh soldier died more than a week after being wounded during a March 1 attack by Iran on the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

Later in March, six service members were killed when a KC-135 refueling aircraft supporting U.S. military operations against Iran crashed in Iraq. The aircraft was in “friendly” airspace when an unspecified incident involving another aircraft took place, according to U.S. Central Command.

On Monday, the U.S. military said a Navy pilot died in a helicopter crash in the Arabian Sea. The Navy initially described the July 1 crash as an emergency landing and said there was “no indication the emergency was caused by hostile action.” The remaining three sailors aboard the helicopter were rescued.

On Saturday, the U.S. Central Command said two service members were killed in Jordan while defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. The military said one U.S. service member is “currently” missing after the attack.

The military said as part of the most recent announcement that it was withholding additional information, including the names of the deceased, until 24 hours after families had been notified.

The deaths in the war are not limited to Americans.

Iranian authorities said at least 50 people have been killed and more than 500 wounded in U.S. strikes in the past three weeks, including eight killed in a strike on a bridge Friday.

People working on ships, as well as foreign workers and others in Gulf nations, Israel and Lebanon have also perished in the conflict.

Two weeks after his daughter was born, one week after Burns changed his mind and decided to fly from Louisiana to play in the British Open, he followed his record-tying 62 with a 5-under 65 on Saturday to build a two-shot lead at Royal Birkdale.

Perhaps even more impressive was he played with purpose amid the chaos that is Bryson DeChambeau, who played alongside Burns and heard big support from the gallery a day after he theatrically protested a two-shot penalty for improving the path of his swing.

DeChambeau seems to thrive among distractions — his week began with six-time major champion Nick Faldo saying he had “zero clue of strategy” in links golf — and the penalty for an infraction on the fifth hole Friday was a big one. The two shots took him out of the final group and moved him three shots behind instead of one back.

But he pressed on, high-fiving the gallery from green-to-tee, giving a thumbs-up to the crowd when he walked onto the first tee and playing a high standard of golf. DeChambeau was even par through 14 holes until two birdies gave him momentum. He bogeyed the last hole for a 69, his sixth consecutive round in the 60s in the British Open.

DeChambeau didn't speak to the media again. Rory McIlroy did, referring to the way DeChambeau protested the penalty as “performative.”

“I think a lot of it's for attention,” McIlroy said after a 69 left him eight shots behind. He also accused DeChambeau of holding the tournament “hostage” because the extraordinary late-evening scene also delayed Saturday tee times.

The golf attention now falls to Burns.

He was at 10-under 200 for a two-shot lead over Si Woo Kim (67) and Ryan Fox, who became the third player this week to tie the major championship record with a 62. He finished some 90 minutes before the last group even teed off, and now the 39-year-old from New Zealand will be in the final group with a shot at his first major.

Burns shot down a suggestion that golfers with newborns have a lot more freedom when they play. “If I was aware of that, I'd have like eight kids by now,” he said.

But there was freedom in knowing this is a chance he never thought he would have. His wife, Caroline, had been due to give birth to their second child the Tuesday before the British Open. Their first was born four days late.

“I just didn't think there was any possible way,” Burns said. “And little Belle had different plans.”

Belle is the name of their daughter born July 3, which at least planted the idea of Burns playing. That turned into a conversation with his wife, including a phone call to close friend Scottie Scheffler, and it led to him deciding a week ago Friday to fly over to England.

“Ultimately she's the one that really encouraged me to come over and play,” Burns said. "She basically said: 'I’ve got this at home. Go over there and give it your best.' And here we are.”

The timing is intriguing in another way. Just one month ago, Burns was a 17-foot putt away from forcing a playoff in the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. He was the 54-hole leader in the U.S. Open at Oakmont the previous year, slowed on the back nine by having to play on rain-soaked fairways that affected his shots and led to a 78.

The four players closest to him — Fox and Kim two shots behind, British Open newcomer Ryan Gerard (69) and Lucas Herbert (71) three shots back — have never won a major. Herbert and Burns each shot 62 on Friday just 22 minutes apart.

“I think Sam Burns is going to be a man possessed,” Herbert said. “Given his results in majors and him not winning one, I think he’s going to be very tough to beat. I’m not thrilled about giving him a three-shot head start, but we are where we are."

DeChambeau, four shots behind along with Ludvig Aberg (67) and Jackson Suber (70), is the only player among the top 10 who has won a major, the U.S. Open in 2020 and 2024.

Scheffler plays practice rounds at most majors with Burns, a close friend with whom he often share houses on the road.

“I know how good he is,” Scheffler said. “Sometimes you just need to continue to build that experience and put yourself in the positions. He was close at the U.S. Open last year. He was close again at the U.S. Open this year. ... But it’s just a matter of continuing to give yourself opportunities, continuing to knock on the door.”

Scheffler sounded as though he could have been describing his own week at Royal Birkdale. The defending champion has looked every bit like the No. 1 player in the world from tee to green. Scheffler just can't seem to make a putt.

Such was the case again Saturday in his round of 70 that left him six shots behind. Scheffler had gone 34 holes without a bogey until missing from 3 1/2 feet for par on the 16th hole.

“I haven’t had many bogeys over the course of the week,” he said. “I just haven’t made enough birdies.”

Also still hanging onto hope was Southport's own Tommy Fleetwood, who had a 69 and was five shots behind.

Also six back was Jon Rahm, who recovered from a double bogey on the first hole for a 70, and Xander Schauffele, who had a 66 that felt worse playing alongside Fox.

Eight players were separated by four shots going into the final round on a course that is baked and brown and running fast but with wispy rough that really makes avoiding bunkers the biggest challenge. The wind has not been very strong since the opening round, even in the afternoon.

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

Kyiv's forces have pressed their relentless aerial campaign against energy infrastructure and military targets inside Russia, aiming to undermine Moscow’s war effort and make Russians feel the consequences of the Kremlin's all-out invasion of Ukraine that is well into its fifth year.

Two sprawling warehouses of Russia's major online retailer, Wildberries, were hit by Ukrainian drones overnight, according to Russian officials — one in the town of Kotovsk in the Tambov region, some 360 kilometers (220 miles) from the border with Ukraine, and another in the city of Elektrostal, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Moscow.

A Ukrainian drone also hit an oil depot in the city of Noginsk, just north of Elektrostal, sparking a fire and prompting evacuations of a nearby maternity hospital and a residential building, according to the governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov. Drone debris also hit a kindergarten building, Vorobyov said, sparking a fire that has since been put out.

Seven night shift workers were killed at the warehouse in Kotovsk and 25 others were wounded, Tambov regional Gov. Yevgeny Pervyshov said.

A total of 61 people were wounded in the Moscow region, Vorobyov said: 20 sought outpatient care, while 40 others were hospitalized. One person died of their injuries, he said.

One more person was killed and another wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Belgorod region on Saturday afternoon, according to local authorities.

Both warehouses caught fire, Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim said, and the blaze in Kotovsk was put out. Images and footage released by Russian online outlets showed a fire raging at the Elektrostal facility, with massive plumes of smoke towering over it.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post on Saturday that Ukrainian long-range strikes hit two “significant logistical facilities in the Moscow and Tambov regions.”

“These facilities were used by the aggressor to supply sanctioned components for the production of drones and navigation equipment,” he wrote. An oil facility was also hit, he said.

In the city of Vladimir, some 180 kilometers (110 miles) east of Moscow, a Ukrainian drone hit a residential building, sparking a brief fire, Vladimir Gov. Alexander Avdeyev said. There were no casualties, he added.

Ukrainian special operations also conducted strikes against targets in the Sea of Azov and in occupied territory, Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine’s General Staff said in a statement on Saturday that the fuel depot in Noginsk that was targeted overnight supplied the Russian armed forces. It also reported hitting two tankers, two floating cranes and a tugboat in the Black and Azov seas, saying the vessels were used to transport oil, fuel and military cargo.

Separately, the military said it struck a Project 10410 Svetlyak-class patrol ship in Kerch, describing it as the second vessel of that class hit in two days, as well as a railway bridge over the Bila River near Sabivka in the occupied Luhansk region that it said Russia uses for military logistics.

Overall, the Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses overnight intercepted 379 Ukrainian drones over 19 Russian regions, as well as the illegally annexed Crimea, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.

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

In Batesville, floodwaters from the Leona River left some residents unsure what the next few days would bring. Many went to the Zavala County Nutrition Center, where volunteers offered a safe place for families to wait out the flooding and access basic supplies.

>> 500+ people were rescued in Texas floods; threat not over, Gov. Abbott says

Community advocate Mike Mendez helped deliver water, food and hygiene products to people who needed them most.

“What I can do is give back when I can,” Mendez said.

Mendez said H-E-B donated five pallets of water to support the relief effort. Volunteers also helped provide meals for families affected by the flooding.

“This is going to be dinner here,” Mendez said. “That way people can come out, grab a plate and take it home.”

He said seeing images of flood damage in his hometown pushed him to help.

“When I see the videos and the footage of my hometown, it’s ugly,” Mendez said. “And I knew a lot of people were going to need help and resources that they can’t afford to get.”

>> Where to find flooding resources and how to help impacted Texans

As floodwaters moved south, communities more than 70 miles away also saw impacts.

In Eagle Pass, the Rio Grande spilled into parks and low-lying areas.

Rodolfo Cardona, Eagle Pass and Maverick County emergency management coordinator, said the National Weather Service had indicated the Rio Grande could rise to 23 feet. On Friday evening, he said, the river was at 19.7 feet.

Emergency officials said the immediate flood threat near Shelby Park eased Friday night as the river began to recede.

At the height of the flooding, more than 100 floating buoys originally installed as a border barrier drifted downriver. The drifting buoys led to the temporary closure of two international bridges, according to officials.

“The bridge was temporarily stalled for a while, while we got those buoys coming in,” Eagle Pass Fire Chief Manuel Mello III said Friday evening.

For many residents, the worst of the storm has passed, but the recovery is just beginning. Local volunteers and emergency officials are expected to continue assessing needs as water levels fall and families return to damaged areas.

Read also:

• Drifting anti-immigrant buoys in Rio Grande temporarily close two bridges with Mexico
• Bridge partially collapses in Uvalde County amid flooding on Nueces River, DPS footage shows
• How new flood sirens and warning upgrades helped Kerr County during this week’s flooding

Fox started early with barely a trace of wind, and he took advantage. The New Zealander made five birdies on the front nine, and birdied two of his last three holes for a 62 on the par-70 Birkdale links. Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns each had 62 some 20 minutes apart on Friday.

More than his name in the record book, Fox now has a shot at his first major.

With stronger wind in the afternoon and tough pin positions, he wound up two shots behind Burns (65) going into the final round. Herbert, who had a 36-hole lead, shot 71 and was three shots behind. Xander Schauffele at the 2024 PGA Championship is the only player with a 62 in a major who went on to win.

There now have been eight rounds of 62 in major championship history, half of them at Royal Birkdale. Branden Grace was the first to set the record with a 62 at Royal Birkdale in 2017.

Fox was in a pot bunker off the fairway on the 18th and still managed to find the green, leaving a birdie putt of nearly 50 feet for a 61. He left it short by about 5 feet and holed the par putt.

“When I got to 6 under through 14 I thought, ‘Oh, I’ve got a chance.' I would have liked to give myself a birdie chance at the last, but happy to make par,” Fox said.

He played alongside Schauffele, the only player with 62 twice in a major. Schauffele and Rickie Fowler each shot 62 in the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club — like Herbert and Burns, they were playing two groups apart — and Schauffele and Shane Lowry each shot 62 in the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla.

Haeran Ryu set the record in women's majors last week with a 60 in the final round of the Evian Championship, which has yielded all the top scores in LPGA majors since it was designated one 13 years ago.

The links have rarely been this brown and fast, but it's the wind — or lack of it — that has allowed for such low scoring this week.

Fox, one of the strongest players in golf with his rugby heritage, leaned on his driver for much of the round and set up good scoring chances.

“The game plan was to be aggressive,” Fox said. “I was aggressive on a lot of good wedge shots. Pretty happy with 62 at the end.”

All but one of his nine birdies — Fox made his lone bogey on the 13th with a drive into a pot bunker — came from about 10 feet or closer. His drive on the 321-yard fifth hole was about 30 feet from the hole, and his most important shot was a wedge from the rough on the par-5 17th that rolled out to about 4 feet.

Herbert also had a bogey on his card during his 62 on Friday.

There have been weeks of soft conditions or little wind — two elements that lead to low scores — at previous majors. Seven major courses — three of them links courses — have yielded two rounds of 63 or lower in the same championship.

Royal Birkdale is the first to give up three of them — with half of the field Saturday and the final round still to come.

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

Evers had initially declined to endorse in the race, but threw his weight behind Crowley and resuscitated his bid to lead the swing state known for razor-thin election margins, where appealing to moderate and independent voters is crucial. It was the latest turn in a chaotic Democratic primary that has jeopardized the party's chances this fall and comes after Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez said she was abandoning her campaign for the state’s top office after a campaign finance scandal.

Democrats are looking to November to secure full control of Wisconsin state government for the first time since 2010, and hope it will send a signal about where the country’s politics are headed by shaping a key political battleground that helps decide presidential campaigns.

In an event in Milwaukee Saturday relaunching his campaign, Crowley referenced the stakes, saying that “winning this election will require building the broadest possible coalition,” and touting his ability to forge relationships across partisan divides. And Evers' endorsement, he went on, “reflects his confidence that I have the experience” to lead and to win.

Evers was on a trade visit to Africa and not in attendance at Crowley’s Saturday event but acknowledged in a social media post that he was now “all in” for Crowley, touting his executive leadership on issues including job creation and balancing budgets.

“He’s not just a candidate who can win in November, but he’s the kind of person who cares about doing the job right,” Evers wrote.

Crowley, 40, is reemerging into a competitive primary for Wisconsin’s open governor’s race that was turned on its head Friday with the departure of Rodriguez, who earlier in the week fired her campaign manager after discovering her campaign had hundreds of thousands of dollars less on hand than expected.

Now, as they approach Wisconsin’s primary election on Aug. 11, Democrats are hoping to hold onto the governor’s office as they also eye flipping majority control of the state Legislature, which Republicans have held since 2011.

The primary also comes following democratic socialists' earlier victories in the liberal strongholds of New York City, Washington, D.C., and Denver. Francesca Hong, a single mother who has worked as a dishwasher and line cook, is trying to do the same with her campaign for Wisconsin governor, with her candidacy turning the Democratic contest into a test of just how far left voters are willing to go in the November midterms.

Crowley, who would be the state’s first Black governor if elected, had shuttered his own bid two weeks ago to back Rodriguez. Now, he’s returning to a contest against Hong, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, state Sen. Kelda Roys and Joel Brennan, a former top aide to Evers.

In an interview Saturday afternoon, Crowley told The Associated Press that voters would see “a much more aggressive campaign” from him in the primary's closing weeks, buoyed in part by Evers' backing and “a renewed, energized, volunteer base.”

“I wouldn’t have gotten into this race if I didn’t believe a pathway was there," Crowley said. "We can not only get over the hump in winning on the Aug. 11 primary, but then we’ll be able to really focus on how we can make sure that Tom Tiffany doesn’t bring an extreme MAGA agenda to the state of Wisconsin," Crowley said.

Democrats have been struggling to overcome disarray in other messy primaries across this year’s midterm calendar. In California, the race to replace outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom devolved into a chaotic free-for-all, with dozens of names on the ballot, and one of the leading contenders, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, abruptly quit both his campaign and Congress following sexual assault allegations. Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton ultimately advanced from a “ jungle primary.”

In the first iteration of his campaign, Crowley leaned into his background, highlighting how his family was once homeless in Milwaukee but he rose to become a community organizer and was elected to the state Assembly in 2016 at age 30. He served until the middle of 2020, when he was elected as executive of Milwaukee County, the state’s largest county. He was the first Black person to hold that job and also the youngest at age 33.

The winner of the Democratic primary will advance to the general election against Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, who faces only token primary opposition.

In a statement to AP, Tiffany portrayed Crowley as “asleep at the wheel” in his role as county executive and described his reemergence as Democrats' “only shot at stopping the socialist who wants to abolish the police and prisons.”

In an email statement, the Republican Governors Association said that “watching Wisconsin Democrats is like watching a clown car crash into a parked semitruck.”

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Associated Press reporter Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, contributed to this report.

Shouts of “We love you Bryson” and “Go Bryson” followed him to the first tee, where fans cheered and whooped when he was introduced by the starter.

If the American was concerned how he’d be received at Royal Birkdale the day after his heated brush with officials and subsequent two-shot penalty — for inadvertently improving the path of his swing — that blew up the final major of the year, he needn’t have worried.

OK, there was the odd jibe from the deep galleries — “Watch your step, Bryson” was one of them — but DeChambeau enjoyed overwhelmingly positive support around the parched, sun-kissed links in his third-round 69 that left him four shots off the lead on Saturday.

In fact, golf’s big entertainer reveled in it.

After hitting his tee shot at No. 1 left and onto trampled-down grass near spectators, DeChambeau flicked away a pine cone and remarked that it was a “loose impediment” — sparking some laughter.

On the second hole, he appeared to have a wry smile on his face as he assessed how to get to his ball that was buried in thick grass to the back left of the green. Every movement and practice swing by DeChambeau was met with a “ooooooh” by fans, clearly a nod to Friday and his heavily scrutinized actions in deep rough at the fifth hole that sparked the rules review.

At the par-4 sixth hole, DeChambeau drew more laughter from spectators when he addressed his second shot by stretching out his legs in an exaggerated stance — similar to how he stood for the shot in question on Friday.

Paul McGinley, an analyst on British broadcaster Sky Sports, predicted early Saturday that what happened to DeChambeau the previous would spur him on.

“Playing with a chip on your shoulder can be a good thing,” McGinley said.

Similarly, Jon Rahm, a colleague of DeChambeau's at LIV Golf, used the American as an example of players who “do really well when they have, let’s say, some extra going on off the course.”

Indeed, it seemed DeChambeau was treating Saturday’s round as another chance to interact with fans, some of whom would likely have been among the nearly 2.8 million subscribers to his YouTube channel.

He rarely missed a chance to high-five spectators who stuck their hands out as DeChambeau walked from greens to tees.

Another fan shout came on the tee at the reachable par-4 ninth hole, imploring DeChambeau to use his driver. He obliged, slowly and theatrically removing the big stick from his bag, taking off the head cover to loud cheers and booming his drive 354 yards to the front of the green.

“Performative” was how Rory McIlroy described DeChambeau in a brutal post-round put-down on Saturday.

“I think a lot of it is for attention,” McIlroy said.

DeChambeau has suggested the swelling popularity of his YouTube channel — where he has fun, comes up with some wacky ideas and shows the world a different side to him — is as important as the results he gets.

Yet not much in golf beats lifting the claret jug.

And he's still very much in contention, even if a bogey at No. 18 ruined a closing stretch where DeChambeau made gains with birdies at Nos. 15 and 17. He had been even par after 14 holes.

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

At a Diamond League meet in London, Kerr broke Moroccan great Hicham El Guerrouj’s mark of 3 minutes, 43.13 seconds, set in Rome in 1999. The 28-year-old native of Edinburgh celebrated with a lap of honor at London Stadium.

“It was just me, my shoes and the track,” he said. “I was absolutely deaf in that last 110 meters."

Kerr finished more than three seconds clear of American Yared Nuguse's second-place time of 3:45.69.

In an interview with the BBC, Kerr said the crowd support as he closed in on the record was “just incredible.”

“I didn't take my foot off the gas," he continued, “but ... I started to glide and I was like ‘oh wow this feels incredible.’ It's incredible because I'm slowing down. So, I was like ‘I better get to the line.’ So, crossing the finish line, seeing 42-something — anything — was my goal, so it was great.”

The 28-year-old Kerr’s previous best time was 3:45.34 in 2024.

Kerr, the 2023 world champion, and Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the 2021 Olympic champion, put a charge in the slightly shorter but more widely contested 1,500-meter race in the leadup to the Paris Olympics. They went back and forth online and on the track over a number of issues, including Kerr's suggestion that his rival could only run his top times with the help of pacesetters, the likes of which aren't allowed at major championships.

When the Paris Games rolled around, Ingebrigtsen faded to fourth while American Cole Hocker pulled a huge upset, with Kerr finishing second.

Last year at world championships, Ingebrigtsen faltered in a preliminary heat while Kerr pulled up lame and limped into the finish in a final won by Issac Nader of Portugal.

This year, with no worlds or Olympics on the schedule, Kerr made the mile his key target. It's a distance that isn't run as much in big events but that still has major historical significance, most of it surrounding Roger Bannister's breaking of the once-intimidating four-minute barrier in 1954.

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

The Malian army confirmed the attack, saying in a statement that armed groups ambushed the convoy of Malian soldiers and their partners in a remote part of the northern Gao region, and that it was launching counterattacks. It was the latest in a series of militant attacks against Malian security forces in recent months as armed groups compete for influence and territories in the Sahel region.

Later on Sunday, the army said it carried out “precision strikes against enemy positions” in the area where the attack happened. "Three terrorist positions were successfully targeted (and) several terrorists were neutralized. ... These operations allowed the convoy to break free from the ambushes and continue its route,” it said.

Both the regional al-Qaida affiliate JNIM and the separatist Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA, separately claimed responsibility for the attack as a joint operation in statements that spoke about “great human losses” and “serious material damage” on the side of the Malian army.

The groups said the convoy was made up of both the Malian army and Russia’s Africa Corps, whose forces have been supporting Mali's military on the ground.

It is the latest such partnership between the two groups that observers say poses great risks to Mali's stability and its ruling junta.

“There were many soldiers killed, others captured alive. Army cars including armored cars were destroyed and others seized in good condition,” said FLA spokesperson Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane.

The military convoy was leaving the northern town of Anefis and headed to Gao city when it was ambushed in the Sahara desert. The nature of the convoy wasn't immediately clear, although fuel tankers could be seen as part of it, suggesting it could be a Malian logistics convoy.

The rebels shared videos purportedly showing the soldiers lined up as they appear to be surrendering while surrounded by the militants and Malian military vehicles. In one of the videos, the rebels were seen opening fire on some soldiers lying on the ground. The soldiers were also seen being transported in vehicles belonging to the armed groups.

The Associated Press could not independently verify the videos.

There has been a series of militant attacks against Malian security forces in recent months as armed groups compete for influence and territories in the Sahel region. Landlocked Mali is part of the Sahel, a vast strip of land south of the Sahara Desert that has become the epicenter of extremist violence in recent years.

In northern Mali, Tuareg-led separatist groups have been fighting for years to create an independent state named Azawad. In 2024, they merged into the Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA.

Both the FLA and the JNIM have increasingly worked together in their attacks against Malian forces, including the largest coordinated attack in over a decade in the West African nation, which took place in April.

The S&P 500 fell 1% to finish its first losing week in the last three and only its third since the end of March. Just a couple days earlier, it had climbed within 0.5% of its all-time high.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 406 points, or 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1.4%.

Chip stocks and other AI darlings once again were at the center of the shaky trading. They’ve been under pressure for weeks on worries that their prices shot too high and that voracious demand for computer memory and processors may be unsustainable if AI ends up producing less profit and productivity than promised.

Nvidia was the heaviest weight on the S&P 500 after dropping 2.2%. Its recent losses forced it to briefly cede the No. 1 ranking as the most valuable company on Wall Street Friday, but it finished the day back above Apple.

Applied Materials sank 5.6% to trim its surge for the year to 106%. Micron Technology swung between a loss of 5.8% and a gain of 3.2% before slipping 0.5%.

Earlier in the morning, tech sold off worldwide. Indexes tumbled 6.5% in Taipei, 4% in Tokyo and 3% in Shanghai as stocks like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. dropped 7.3%.

South Korea’s stock market was closed for a holiday, offering some respite, if only temporary. It’s been at the center of the AI swings because it’s dominated by two huge tech companies, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. This past week alone, Seoul’s Kospi stock index had one day where it surged 6.2% and two others where it sank 6.4% and 8.9%.

News of a powerful Chinese AI model by startup Moonshot, Kimi K3, further shook markets. Similar to when China’s DeepSeek announced its AI model in early 2025, another low-cost rival to big Western AI models like ChatGPT and OpenAI could potentially hurt demand for computer chips and other components.

European stock indexes, which have less of an emphasis on AI and tech, had milder moves.

Adding to the pressure on Wall Street were drops for several stocks following their latest earnings reports. Companies are under pressure to deliver big growth for the spring to justify the big moves upward their stock prices have already made.

Netflix sank 7.3% after its revenue for the latest quarter fell just short of analysts’ expectations, even though its profit was bigger than expected. Its forecasts for upcoming revenue and profit in the summer also fell below expectations.

Intuitive Surgical, a maker of robotic surgical systems, dropped 14.1% despite topping expectations for the latest quarter. Analysts pointed to worries about slowing procedure growth because of the expiration of enhanced tax credits that helped lower the cost of health insurance for many Affordable Care Act enrollees.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX fell 5.4% and touched its lowest level since its stock began trading on the Nasdaq just over a month ago. The owner of the xAI business has been swept up in the swings for AI stocks, and it also had to abort a test flight of its mega Starship rocket Thursday within a second or so from blasting off.

All told, the S&P 500 fell 76.08 points to 7,457.69. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 406.55 to 52,146.42, and the Nasdaq composite sank 361.70 to 25,520.24.

More climbs for oil prices also pressured the stock market.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 4.6% to settle at $88.10, up from roughly $76 a week ago.

The United States expanded its airstrike campaign against Iran early Friday by hitting more bridges and collapsing a tower at a key Iranian port. That raised further worries about whether oil tankers will be able to use the Strait of Hormuz to carry crude from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide.

High oil prices have sent Treasury yields upward in the bond market, which threaten to slow the economy and undercut prices for stocks and all kinds of other investments. Higher yields have already sent the average 30-year mortgage rate to its highest level in nearly a year.

But longer-term Treasury yields eased Friday. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.55% from 4.57% late Thursday.

A report suggested sentiment among U.S. consumers is improving more than economists expected, while expectations for upcoming inflation eased. That’s important for the Federal Reserve, which is considering hikes to interest rates to keep a lid on inflation.

If expectations for inflation remain anchored, it could prevent a vicious cycle where people make moves in anticipation of higher inflation, which only worsen it.

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AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

The world No. 2 didn’t hold back when asked for his thoughts on DeChambeau’s conduct late Friday, when the American was involved in a lengthy, heated post-round exchange with rules officials as they reviewed whether he had inadvertently improved the path of his swing on the fifth hole.

DeChambeau was penalized two shots and there were doubts over whether he would show up for the weekend. The extraordinary late-evening scenes also delayed the release of the tee times for Saturday’s third round.

“I won’t pretend to be up here and defend Bryson,” McIlroy told reporters after shooting a 1-under 69 in the third round. “I’m not particularly fond of him. I think a lot of it is performative. I think a lot of it’s for attention."

“To hold the tournament hostage like that,” McIlroy continued, “and to have all of us — players, volunteers, everyone — waiting on him to depart, I didn’t feel like it was a great look.”

McIlroy said he watched the initial incident live with a few other players and felt DeChambeau's actions “didn’t seem right.”

“I think there’s no doubt that he improved the line of his backswing,” McIlroy said. “Again, it’s like, whether it was careless or whether it was intentional, I don’t think it matters. Hopefully it was careless, but I think the two-shot penalty was justified, for sure.”

Other players were more diplomatic when discussing the incident.

“If I was in that position, I’d just be very careful where I’m standing and how I get into the ball and make sure I don’t improve my lie," said English player Marco Penge, who was among the golfers to post on X late Friday about his frustrations about the tee times being published so late. “Yeah, I would never want anyone to think I was doing that. That’s how I would deal with it.”

Former Open champion Xander Schauffele said DeChambeau could have been given “the benefit of the doubt.”

“He said he didn’t do it intentionally and it’s unfortunate that he got penalized because he was playing incredibly well and obviously he’s still playing incredibly well,” Schauffele said, “so he’s obviously going to have something to prove these next two days.”

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

According to UGRA General Manager Tara Bushnoe, three flood warning sirens were activated along the Guadalupe River under the county’s protocol. Two sirens were sounded along the South Fork, and one was activated in Hunt.

>> Texas Hill Country floods test new warning systems after last year’s deadly disaster

Three other sirens were not activated since those sites recorded only minor flooding, Bushnoe said.

Upgrades to the area’s flood warning system were far from done when a new round of storms began pummeling the Hill Country this week, triggering catastrophic flash floods in some of the same areas devastated on July 4, 2025. At least two people died this week, and more than 500 people were rescued.

But residents in some hard-hit areas said a year of preparation did make a difference, the Associated Press reported.

Residents told the AP that phones buzzed with alerts that weren’t sent out in last year’s disaster.

Bushnoe also pointed to new emergency procedures and UGRA’s “RiverHub” dashboard as important tools during the flood response. The dashboard is designed to provide real-time information to both emergency crews and the public.

Officials said more improvements are planned, including additional gauges, better forecast modeling and more flood warning sirens.

“There is more work to be done, and we remain dedicated to building on these improvements in the future,” Bushnoe said.

Read also:

• Flood threat shifts downstream as rain ends, heat returns next week
• 500+ people were rescued in Texas floods; threat not over, Gov. Abbott says

Many health workers and other frontline workers in Ituri province have also gone on strike over unpaid salaries, further complicating response efforts in what’s been declared the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record. So far 2,181 cases have been recorded, including 864 deaths.

The Bundibugyo virus responsible for this outbreak is less common than others that cause Ebola disease, and there is no approved vaccine or treatment.

Many of the attacks have been carried out by angry mobs who have stormed treatment centers or targeted response teams in the field, Pierre Akilimali, incident manager for the Ebola response, said at a press briefing in Bunia, the capital of Ituri.

The attacks are not limited to healthcare teams and affect frontline workers like burial teams, according to Dr. Adelard Lufongola, operations manager for the Ebola response.

“Members of the various response teams have been held captive in some health zones. Teams responsible for safe and dignified burials have been threatened and continue to be threatened in some cemeteries and within several communities,” Lufongola said at the briefing.

Ebola spreads in the human population through contact with bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen, and with contaminated surfaces and materials. Traditional funerals in which loved ones wash and prepare bodies have been restricted, which has angered some residents.

In Ituri, which accounts for around 90% of all cases, health and aid workers have been seen leaving remote communities considered hot spots and heading to Bunia in recent days, locals told The Associated Press.

U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric on Thursday told reporters that humanitarian actors are “deeply concerned by escalating violence” impacting the Ebola response and that access to treatment centers and surrounding communities remains constrained.

“The worsening security situation has forced several humanitarian partners involved in the Ebola response to temporarily relocate staff to Bunia which is relatively safer,” he said.

The most recent attack recorded was on Wednesday, when residents in the town of Nyakunde attacked a hospital and touched an Ebola treatment center nearby.

Officials said treatment and care resumed on Thursday at the center after its occupants, including some patients, fled in the aftermath of the attack. Concerns, however, remained about risks of transmission amid the chaos.

“I fear that the aid workers involved in combating this Ebola outbreak are going to leave the area. This risks making the task of eradicating the outbreak more difficult,” said Christophe Munyanderu, a civil society leader in Ituri’s Irumu territory.

The landslide occurred in Pengshui County on Friday morning on the outskirts of Chongqing municipality, when massive amounts of rocks and soil washed down a slope, burying more than 10 residential buildings, state broadcaster CCTV said. Ten people were rescued and sent to the hospital, while more than 1,100 people have been relocated.

Associated Press photos and videos showed that one of the fallen rocks appeared larger than a multistory building, with ruins scattered across the steep terrain. One of the damaged buildings had its top part crushed and a car was seen half-buried near another building.

The landslide contained about 18,000 cubic meters (635,500 cubic feet) of rocks and debris, and the largest single rock was around 3,000 cubic meters (106,000 cubic feet), Wang Chuanjun, head of Planning and Natural Resources in Pengshui County, told a news conference on Friday.

CCTV said persistent rain hit Pengshui from Friday night to Saturday morning, with 19.2 centimeters (nearly 8 inches) recorded at a weather station. The unstable weather made the rescue operation more challenging, it said. As the rain eased slightly, rescue teams entered the site to conduct on-the-ground inspections of the collapsed buildings and riverbank areas.

While rescue operations are being carried out on one side of the massive rocks, teams will later need to look beneath them, where they may risk injury if the boulders become unstable and slide, CCTV reported. Once the search of the surrounding areas is complete, officers will drill into the boulders and fill the holes with explosives to break them apart, it said.

Beyond the deployment of excavators, a CCTV video report showed a search dog barking to alert a rescuer about signs of life.

Volunteers rode on motorbikes to deliver supplies to rescuers and some stranded residents. Other residents in Pengshui reported that the water supply to their homes was only available at certain intervals.

China's National Development and Reform Commission on Saturday allocated a relief fund of 30 million yuan ($4.4 million) to support the restoration of infrastructure and public service facilities following the disaster.

The rain-triggered landslide occurred near a stretch of the Wujiang River, which cuts through karst mountains peppered with small towns and terraces.

Pengshui County is located in the southeast part of Chongqing, bordering the provinces of Hubei and Guizhou.

___

Leung reported from Hong Kong. Associated Press video producer Wu Jia contributed to this report.

While residents continue to recover from devastating flooding, the dramatic rebound at Medina and Canyon lakes offers a silver lining after years of drought concerns.

RESERVOIRS IMPROVE

The recent rainfall has been a huge boost for South Central Texas water resources. The Edwards Aquifer is responding quickly, with the J-17 well in San Antonio rising 11 feet in just one week. The Uvalde Pool also climbed about seven feet, providing more good news as lakes, rivers and groundwater supplies continue to recover from years of drought.

CANYON LAKE APPROACHING FULL CAPACITY

As of July 18, Canyon Lake was 95.6% full. Just one week earlier, the reservoir sat at only 60.9% full, continuing a months-long stretch of below-normal levels. Between July 16 and July 18, the reservoir climbed to 95.6% full, adding nearly 100,000 acre-feet of water. By Saturday morning, the lake stood at 907.47 feet, just 1.53 feet below its conservation pool.

The rapid rise ranks among the most significant increases Canyon Lake has experienced in recent years and provides much-needed relief for lakefront businesses, recreational users and regional water supplies.

MEDINA LAKE LEVELS

Three days of torrential rain delivered a significant boost to Medina Lake, which jumped to 25.3% full by Saturday morning. The rapid rise came after months of drought conditions and years of historically low water levels.

Medina Lake, which serves as an irrigation reservoir for the Bexar-Medina-Atascosa Water Control and Improvement District, is known for dramatic swings in water levels due to its relatively small watershed. During prolonged droughts, the lake can fall rapidly, but substantial rainfall events can also produce quick rebounds.

While the rapid rise is encouraging, water experts caution that summer heat and irrigation demand could challenge the lake’s recovery in the weeks ahead.

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Now, modern-day Greeks hope their tallest mountain will be inducted into UNESCO’s World Heritage List as a mixed cultural and natural site. The nomination is to be discussed when the World Heritage Committee meets in Busan, South Korea from Sunday through July 29.

“Olympus is our life. It is the place we grew up in,” said Evagelos Geroliolios, mayor of Dion-Olympus, based in Litochoro, the mountain’s main town. “It is the place we see every day, but at the same time, it is also a place which carries with it myth, history, biodiversity, extraordinary beauty and a very great cultural weight.”

Seat of the gods

Few locations are as central to ancient Greek mythology as Mount Olympus. It was here that Zeus was said to have established his court after overthrowing his father, Cronus, in a 10-year war that ended the reign of the Titans.

Interest in Olympus may receive another boost with the theatrical release this week of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” a new adaptation of Homer’s epic, in which the mountain serves as the home of Zeus and the Olympian gods who influence Odysseus’ journey.

On one of Olympus’s lower peaks, excavations have uncovered an open-air sanctuary, with the oldest finds dating to the Hellenistic period, which ran from 323 B.C. to 30 B.C. According to Greece’s original UNESCO nomination, the sanctuary is believed to have been one mentioned by the ancient philosopher and historian Plutarch, who in the 2nd century wrote of processions to one of Olympus’s peaks for animal sacrifices to Zeus.

The mountain retained religious significance into the Christian era. Α chapel on the peak of Prophet Elias, at 2,803 meters, is believed to be the highest altitude chapel in the Christian Orthodox world. The mountain’s Enipeas Gorge holds the remains of a monastery founded in 1542, while a roughly 20-minute walk from there leads to the Holy Cave of St. Dionysios, a chapel built into a cave from where a small spring flows, believed to carry holy water.

The mountain’s slopes, which reach practically to the sea, also host a wealth of flora and fauna, including endemic species. It is this blending of culture, myth, natural beauty and biodiversity that locals hope will see their mountain declared a World Heritage site.

“It is a place we love. It is a place that many people from all over the world visit to see, to live, to experience. We want to protect it,” Geroliolios said. Its inclusion on UNESCO’s list would be “something very big that goes beyond not just local boundaries, but national boundaries. It is something that concerns the entire world. It is very important.”

Inclusion in the World Heritage List is far from certain

Greece began the process to have Mount Olympus recognized as a World Heritage site in 2014, inscribing it on its Tentative List — the mandatory first step in any nomination. The Tentative List is where countries include sites they can then formally nominate over the next five to 10 years.

The nomination process includes a preliminary assessment followed by submission of a full nomination file, which is then evaluated over 14 months by advisory bodies, including the International Council on Monuments and Sites, ICOMOS, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Recommendations by the advisory bodies are then discussed during the World Heritage Committee’s annual meeting, where representatives of 21 countries vote on nominated sites.

Greece's Mount Olympus nomination is far from certain. A draft of the Busan meeting's agenda indicates the committee will refer the nomination back to Greece and request further details.

Still, locals hope the mountain’s cultural and natural wonders will secure it a place and will play a role in securing more protection for the mountain.

The need for protection

The mayor, Geroliolios, said inclusion on the World Heritage list “places some greater obligations on our part to protect this environment.”

Environmental protection is also foremost in the mind of mountain guide Babis Marinidis, president of the Alpine Club of Litochoro.

Including Olympus on UNESCO’s World Heritage list would likely attract more people to the mountain and the surrounding area, Marinidis said. “How many people can this mountain, this ecosystem, bear?” he asked. Although much of Olympus was designated a national park decades ago and there are regulations in place, many are openly flouted, with Marinidis saying visitors regularly ignore “no swimming” or “no camping” signs.

The ever-growing number of visitors had led local authorities to consider imposing entrance fees and registering visitor numbers. “I used to be against that,” Marinidis said. “But now with so many people, I believe some limit must be imposed.”

Mount Olympus has claimed many lives

The mythological home of the gods attracts hikers and mountaineers from across the world. While technical climbing experience isn’t mandatory to reach the summit, the mountain is also not to be trifled with.

With its combination of changeable weather and treacherous terrain, it has claimed many lives. The most recent fatality was on July 11, when a 64-year-old Greek hiker died after collapsing on a trail. In May, rescue crews found the body of a 25-year-old Spanish man days after he went missing while attempting to reach the summit in the snow.

“You need to be careful,” and safety measures must always be kept in mind, said 32-year-old hiker Triantafyllos Giannospyros, who was visiting the mountain for the first time. “But with care and with good organization, it isn’t something you should be afraid of.”

Stavroula Vourou, who runs a hotel in Litochoro, the town from where many hikers set off, echoed his sentiment.

“Everyone sets off to go up and conquer a mountain that needs respect,” she said. “You respect this mountain, it respects you too.”

___

Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece. Associated Press journalist Srdjan Nedeljkovic contributed to this report.

___

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

The 19-year-old Italian beat a display of Red Bull formation flying to take pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix in qualifying on Saturday and boost his push to be the youngest-ever champion.

Max Verstappen had set the fastest time after smart coordination with Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar to give him the strongest possible slipstream on his lap. Hadjar stayed in front through the high-speed Blanchimont corners, only moving across at the very last moment to avoid being hit by his own teammate.

Mercedes driver Antonelli found a new level of pace on his lap to beat Verstappen by 0.317 of a second and dedicated the pole position as a birthday present to his father Marco, a sportscar racer who turned 62 on Saturday.

“Let's go, man, let's go,” he said over the radio. “Happy birthday, dad.”

With Verstappen starting second and teammate and title rival George Russell third on the grid, Antonelli is hoping he can cling on to the lead in the long run-up into the forested hills on the first lap Sunday and that if there's overtaking, “hopefully it's just off in the distance.” Beyond that, he said, he'll just focus on managing his tire wear.

Verstappen said Hadjar's help was the difference between being second and sixth but that his Red Bull still can't keep up with Antonelli's Mercedes in race conditions.

“He did amazing. I initially thought ‘Oh my god, it’s too close.’ Actually it worked out well to the last corner. It was close but I trusted him," Verstappen said of Hadjar, who had nothing to gain because of a penalty which sends him to the back of the grid.

“The gap in qualifying even with a massive tow is still three-tenths, so I don’t really expect to race (Mercedes) tomorrow,” Verstappen added.

Lando Norris qualified third-fastest for McLaren but a grid penalty means he drops 10 places. Antonelli’s teammate George Russell is set to move up to third on the grid, but once again he struggled to match the 19-year-old Italian.

Russell complained that trying to match Antonelli was like “battling with one had behind your back,” in comments to Sky Sports, and said the team had “changed everything” in an attempt to narrow down why he's struggled to keep up.

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were fifth and sixth on a disappointing day for Ferrari following Leclerc's surprise win at the British Grand Prix. Even getting on track was a small victory for Hamilton after a crash in practice meant Ferrari had to rebuild his car in a hurry.

Russell closed the gap to Antonelli to 25 points in the standings at the British Grand Prix after the latest in a series of car problems for the Italian, but has consistently been off his teammate's pace, except for a win at the Austrian Grand Prix last month.

___

This story has been corrected to specify that Antonelli's father was marking his 62nd birthday, not 61st.

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Today on Texas Eats NOW:

POSTINO SOUTH BROADWAY

2600 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78215

Postino South Broadway is a vibrant wine cafe located in a restored historic building near the Pearl District. Known for its eclectic atmosphere, vintage-inspired design, and approachable dining experience, the restaurant has become a popular gathering place for friends, date nights, and happy hour crowds. The concept centers on shareable plates, boutique wines, and casual hospitality, creating a neighborhood destination that blends style and comfort.

The menu highlights customizable bruschetta boards, fresh paninis, charcuterie selections, and creative small plates. Guest favorites include the Apple Fig & Brie bruschetta, Prosciutto with Fig Jam & Goat Cheese, crispy cauliflower, and meatballs topped with goat cheese. Complementing the food is an extensive beverage program featuring more than 30 wines by the glass, rotating craft beers, handcrafted cocktails, and refreshing house specialties, making Postino a standout destination for food and wine lovers in San Antonio.

PRIMO’S

720 E Mistletoe, San Antonio, TX 78212

Primo’s is a neighborhood Italian restaurant located in San Antonio’s Tobin Hill district near the St. Mary’s Strip. The restaurant specializes in Southern Italian cuisine, serving handmade pastas, fermented-dough pizzas, and elevated comfort food in a warm, welcoming setting. Since opening, Primo’s has developed a loyal following thanks to its from-scratch approach, inviting atmosphere, and focus on classic Italian flavors.

Popular menu items include crispy arancini, whipped ricotta with honey, scallop tagliatelle, sausage orecchiette, and the rich baked trotolle. Guests also enjoy signature cocktails like the Limoncello Margarita and a thoughtfully curated wine selection. Whether visiting for brunch, dinner, or drinks on the patio, Primo’s delivers a fresh take on Italian dining while maintaining the comfort and hospitality of a traditional neighborhood restaurant.

ALAMO ICEBAR

200 River Walk, Ste 120, San Antonio, TX 78205

Alamo IceBar offers one of San Antonio’s most unique attractions, inviting guests to step into an 18-degree ice chamber carved from hand-sculpted ice. Located along the River Walk, the experience combines frosty photo opportunities with a rotating selection of shots, liqueurs, tequilas, and non-alcoholic beverages served inside the sub-zero environment. Admission includes a complimentary drink, while guests are outfitted with parkas and gloves to comfortably enjoy the chilly surroundings.

The IceBar focuses on quick, fun pours designed to complement the immersive setting, featuring options such as flavored tequilas, cream liqueurs, whiskey shots, and juices for younger visitors. During the day, the attraction welcomes families looking for a memorable River Walk experience, while evenings transform the venue into a 21-and-over destination with mood lighting and an energetic atmosphere. The cashless concept and timed sessions help keep the experience moving, making Alamo IceBar a popular stop for tourists and locals alike.

SMAC’N NOODLES

225 N Saunders St, Ste 7, Seguin, TX 78155

sMAC’n Noodles is an elevated comfort food destination in Seguin specializing in scratch-made macaroni and cheese bowls built around fresh ingredients and bold flavors. Known for generous portions and perfectly cooked pasta, the restaurant has gained a loyal following by transforming a classic side dish into a customizable main course. Guests can choose from a variety of cheeses, proteins, vegetables, and toppings to create their own personalized bowl.

Signature creations include the Buffalo MAC with shredded chicken and buffalo sauce, the Tah-Ko MAC loaded with taco-inspired ingredients, and the Brisket Elote topped with smoked brisket and crunchy Hot Cheetos. The menu also accommodates gluten-free and plant-based diners, while homestyle desserts like cookies and brownies provide a sweet finish. With inventive recipes, hearty portions, and a welcoming atmosphere, sMAC’n Noodles has become a go-to spot for comfort food lovers in Central Texas.

Follow Texas Eats and David Elder on Facebook and Instagram for more food info, pictures, videos and giveaways.

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Devil’s River in southwest Texas is expected to reach a major flooding stage Saturday morning, according to National Weather Service forecasts, and could rise up to 22 feet. The Rio Grande is expected to reach that same level Sunday morning. 

In the coming days, water levels are expected to rise at southern parts of the Nueces River and the Frio River, reaching major flood stages, according to National Weather Service forecasts. Additionally, Nueces County, by the Gulf, is not expected to reach major flooding stages until Tuesday.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday warned residents to remain on high alert, as very little rainfall could quickly become dangerous. 

“The worst of the rain is behind us,” Abbott said. “But … very importantly … for a while, as in for days, the rivers are going to continue to rise because of the flow of water downstream. Residents and leaders need to understand the rivers will still rise and still pose life-threatening danger to anybody near those rivers.” 

According to weather forecasts, the Frio River will likely crest when it reaches Derby, about 59 miles south of Uvalde. The Nueces River could crest for a longer period of time, forecasters said, as it accumulated more water from the heavy rainfall earlier in the week. 

The rain that battered northern Uvalde, western Kerr and Edward counties has let up. Minimal rain is expected to fall in the central Texas region this weekend and residents will likely instead see high heat indexes, forecasters said.

“We’ve got a pretty good handle on how those rivers are going to be behaving over the next few days,” said Harrison Tran, a forecaster with the National Weather Service’s San Antonio and Austin office. “Sometimes the rate of rise can be quick, but it’s not a flash flood in the sense that it’s not immediate. The heavy rain falls, and then within a few hours, the rivers and streams respond. This is more of a gradual rise over the course of several hours or days.”

— Carlos Nogueras Ramos and Sneha Dey

Here’s what you need to know

• State officials warn rivers could still rise
• A look at where rain fell and rivers rose this week
• Crystal City orders evacuations
• Cleanup efforts underway in Uvalde
• Uvalde was among the hardest hit by storms, floods
• Drifting anti-immigrant buoys briefly close 2 Rio Grande bridges
• Laredo told to prepare for moderate flooding
• Flood risk remains for parts of Texas after days of rain
• Hill Country residents face renewed anxiety amid new flooding
• Governor confirms second flood-related death
• Kerr County flood victim identified
• Hill Country preparing for another night of floods, swelling rivers
• Sid Miller declares agricultural emergency amid drowned livestock, flooded crops
• Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country steps in
• Rain to ease in the afternoon but more could be coming
• Camp CAMP says all are safe 
• Kendall County rescues two, shelters nearly 70
• Dam floodgates to open along Highland Lakes system 
• One person has died in the flooding, Gov. Abbott says
• More than 40 rescued as rain pummels Uvalde
• Flash flood emergency declared for Pedernales River
• Life-threatening flooding in 14 counties, weather service says
• Additional rain expected to batter Kerr and Uvalde counties after a long night of showers 
• Life-threatening floodwaters endanger southwest Texas
• Dangerous flood wave moving down Guadalupe River near Center Point

July 17, 2026, 5:00 p.m.

State officials warn rivers could still rise

Even as the rain lets up, officials on Friday said they still expect floodwaters moving downstream to cause rivers to rise and threaten surrounding communities.

“We want everyone just for the next 24 to 48 hours to be fully aware of the danger that water can provide to your life right now,” Gov. Greg Abbott said at a press conference in Uvalde on Friday.

The Nueces River, which snakes around Uvalde, is currently one of the greatest threats, Abbott said. The state has already deployed thousands of first responders and vehicles, as well as boats and aircraft, leading to rescues of about 270 people.  Local officials in the Uvalde and Zavala regions have rescued an additional 300 people in the area.

“It’s still a very dynamic situation where we had days of 10 or 15 inches of rain. Another day of one or two inches of rain could produce equally catastrophic impacts,“ W. Nim Kidd, the chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, said. “So we are not out of this fight yet.”

Abbott also declared a major disaster declaration on Friday, opening the door to federal aid to help rebuild after the floods. The disaster declaration will include at least 28 counties hit hardest by the floods. 

— Sneha Dey

July 17, 2026, 4:35 p.m.

A look at where rain fell and rivers rose this week

The National Weather Service issued a report listing rainfall observations from the hardest-hit counties as of Friday. Four locations in Uvalde and Kerr counties measured more than 2 feet of rain between Monday and Friday.

That heavy rainfall caused major flooding along multiple rivers Thursday. Those water levels had receded by Friday afternoon, but flood warnings remained in effect as water continued downstream.

— Dan Keemahill

July 17, 2026, 2:24 p.m.

Crystal City orders evacuations

Residents in the Mexico Chico neighborhood of Crystal City, a community to the south of town, have been ordered to evacuate their homes. The neighborhood, which is south of town, sits near the Espantosa River Slough. 

Local officials said in an announcement around noon that U.S. Border Patrol agents, the police, and volunteer fire department personnel would go door-to-door to help residents evacuate. 

Crystal City is 40 miles south of Uvalde.

— Carlos Nogueras Ramos

July 17, 2026, 2:13 p.m.

Cleanup efforts underway in Uvalde

Signs of chaos from flooding could be seen on nearly every street in some form across the city of Uvalde on Friday as cleanup is underway by officials and residents returning home.

Water lines marking the flood’s peak reached 3 feet in some Uvalde homes as potted plants, yard decorations and detritus was flung throughout neighborhoods.

Debris has already been pushed aside on highly traveled roadways, but several roads in residential neighborhoods were still closed in the early afternoon. Alerts went out to residents in the afternoon warning that FM 2369 had been closed due to pavement damage.

Water was still overflowing from the Leona River into Uvalde Memorial Park where workers cleared debris behind Uvalde’s civic center. Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to deliver an update on statewide recovery efforts at the center later this afternoon.

— Ayden Runnels

July 17, 2026, 1:30 p.m.

Uvalde was among the hardest hit by storms, floods

Uvalde, among the hardest hit by the storms and floods that swept the Texas Hill Country, continues to grapple with the aftermath of a dayslong stretch of heavy rainfall, even as rain subsided through the night and early morning Friday. 

Up to 28 inches of rain lashed parts of the county over the last five days, forecasts indicate, and much of it filled rivers and creeks as the soil became oversaturated, worsening road conditions and diminishing prospects of immediate relief. Most of that rain fell in Uvalde County’s northern portion.

On social media, images showed flooded or damaged roads and a collapsed bridge.

Just this morning, the Texas Department of Transportation said the U.S. 90 corridor had reopened after closing earlier this week due to deteriorating weather conditions. 

Texas game wardens had conducted 147 rescues and 83 evacuations across eight counties as of 3 p.m. Thursday, with a video showing the team using a helicopter to rescue a family in Uvalde from a flooded house.

Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to hold a news conference in Uvalde at 3 p.m.

— Katlyn Ma and Carlos Nogueras Ramos 

July 17, 2026, 11:25 a.m.

Drifting anti-immigrant buoys briefly close 2 Rio Grande bridges

About 100 buoys that the federal government planned to install as anti-immigration deterrents near Eagle Pass drifted into the Rio Grande, prompting officials to close two key bridges along the U.S.-Mexico border for about three hours, reopening them just after midnight Friday.

Eagle Pass shut down transit at the bridges while it worked to determine whether the buoys posed a threat, City Manager Homero Balderas said. About 9,000 vehicles cross both bridges daily, transiting between Eagle Pass and Las Piedras.

Read the full story

— Carlos Nogueras Ramos and Katlyn Ma

July 17, 2026, 10:55 a.m.

Laredo told to prepare for moderate flooding

National forecasters warned Laredo residents to expect the Rio Grande river to enter flood stage Saturday night, with highest levels of nearly 21 feet expected by Sunday evening. River levels are typically under 5 feet.

A moderate flood warning has been issued for Webb County, meaning water can be several feet deep in low-lying areas, said Kirsten Snodgrass, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Laredo is “susceptible to flash flooding,” and officials are now meeting with the weather service to assess the current forecast for next steps, she said. 

The Amistad and Falcon reservoirs – upstream and downstream of Laredo on the Rio Grande – are not included in the warning.

— Katlyn Ma

July 16, 2026, 11:35 p.m.

Flood risk remains for parts of Texas after days of rain

Parts of southwest Texas and the Hill Country endured a third night in a row of heavy rain and flash flooding that has left at least two people dead and forced evacuations. 

The Hill Country, the Rio Grande Plains and the southern Edwards Plateau remain among the hardest-hit areas with “life-threatening flooding” and “locally catastrophic flash floodings of creeks, streams, and other low-lying locations”, according to the National Weather Service. 

The agency forecasts rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches for that region, with isolated areas potentially receiving up to 8 inches overnight and into Friday morning. Experts warn that the additional rainfall could worsen an already critical situation. 

As of Thursday night, seven locations were experiencing major flooding or at significant risk: the Pedernales River at Johnson City; the Guadalupe River near Spring Branch; Cibolo Creek at Sutherland Springs; Cibolo Creek near Falls City; the Frio River below Dry Frio near Uvalde; the Nueces River at Laguna; and the Nueces River below Uvalde. 

Water levels at all of these locations are expected to recede on Friday. 

— Alejandro Santos Cid 

July 16, 2026, 11:35 p.m.

Hill Country residents face renewed anxiety amid new flooding

For many Hill Country residents, Thursday’s flooding brought back the familiar levels of wreckage and trauma that they suffered through during the July 2025 floods that killed 119 people in Kerr County.  

In many parts of the county and elsewhere, scenes were strikingly similar: fences lined with debris and personal effects, cars strewn in all directions and water lines that hugged the bottoms of homes. The response by Hill Country community members echoed last year, too, as neighbors coalesced in one another’s homes to help begin cleanup and shelters welcomed those displaced with hot meals and clean clothes.

Rain in the early morning Thursday pushed the Guadalupe River in Comfort to as much as 37 feet and the Pedernales River to 34 feet in Fredericksburg, according to river gauges.  Near Kerrville last year, the Guadalupe River in Hunt spiked to a record-breaking 37.5 feet on July 4. 

Those who have lived along the rivers have been accustomed to flooding for decades, but the sudden overflow last year caught even longtime residents off-guard. Since then, residents sought solace in the idea that the river’s sudden swelling had been a once-in-a-century event — an apparent illusion shattered in the early hours Thursday.

“When it did it last year, we’re like, ‘Oh my God, it’s never happened before, ever, so maybe it won’t happen again in our lifetime,’” said Sherri Steadham, who lives in Center Point within eyesight of the river. “And here we are, a year and a few days later.” 

Though the rate of flooding and the severity of human casualties have differed — two people have died, as of Thursday evening — watching the waters rise and taking calls from trapped residents reminded many first responders of the fear-stricken residents they saved from  harrowing floodwaters last year.

“When that rain’s hitting really hard, and you hear it pounding, you can see the look on their faces,” said Razor Dobbs, a volunteer firefighter at Center Point Fire Department, who responded to last year’s flood. “You can see the look on their faces, this is it.

Read the full story

— Ayden Runnels and Ellie Ashby

July 16, 2026, 5:48 p.m.

Governor confirms second flood-related death

Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed Thursday at a press conference that two people died in the ongoing flooding across south-central Texas.

The victims are John Mark Steward, 65, of Kerrville, who was swept away in an RV near Comfort along the Guadalupe River, and a 74-year old man in Uvalde County who was swept away while driving across a flooded roadway.

Abbott warned that life-threatening, catastrophic flooding remains the biggest threat through tonight and into early Friday, with additional risks of tornadoes. Flood watches remain in effect for 59 counties.

The state has mobilized about 2,350 emergency responders, more than 1,400 vehicles and specialized equipment, 85 boats and 21 aircraft. Officials have completed over 230 rescues.

“Protecting life remains our top priority,” Abbott told reporters, emphasizing that response efforts — not recovery — are the focus as conditions continue to change rapidly.

Abbott said last year’s deadly flooding served as “a warning” that prompted a more aggressive response this year, including the early evacuation of more than 80 people from campgrounds before rivers began to rise. He said that first responders are applying the lessons learned from last year and being “very aggressive.” 

He added that state leaders will review this flooding event after the emergency ends to determine whether additional emergency management or flood-related legislation is needed.

“We will take experiences gained from this flooding event and evaluate if further laws are needed, or the existing walls need to be recalibrated,” he said. 

– Alejandra Martinez

July 16, 2026, 4:15 p.m.

Kerr County flood victim identified

John Mark Steward, a 65-year-old Kerrville resident, was identified by his wife as the first victim of flash flooding that has swept through southwest Texas and the Hill Country this week. 

“My heart is broken. I am devastated. My husband, Mark, was found and went to be with Jesus,” said his widow, Jennie Steward, in a statement on social media. “Mark, my love, I will forever be grateful for the beautiful years we shared together. You made me a better person. I love you all.” 

The mobile home where Mark and Jennie lived on Junction Highway, Kerr County, which runs  parallel with the Guadalupe River, was swept away and destroyed by the rising water on Thursday morning. Only John Mark Steward was inside the home at the time — his wife had traveled to Dallas.

At 3:06 a.m., Steward called a neighbor to tell him that his home was floating away, according to the Houston Chronicle. He phoned his neighbor a final time to say his home had been destroyed before the line went dead.

Steward was a caretaker at Sage Park Guadalupe, an assisted living facility for seniors, the Chronicle said. Before that, he worked as a pest control technician. Wednesday marked the couple’s third wedding anniversary.

Steward’s cousin, Maranda Freeman, shared her condolences in a Facebook post. “Our family is completely heartbroken by this loss,” Freeman said. “While we had been holding onto hope and praying for a miracle, we now find comfort in knowing that he has been found and is at peace in the arms of our Lord.” 

— Alejandro Santos Cid 

July 16, 2026, 3:44 p.m.

Hill Country preparing for another night of floods, swelling rivers

Parts of the Texas Hill Country are preparing for one more round of heavy rain tonight, National Weather Service forecasters said.  

While showers and storms may briefly decrease early this evening, another round of thunderstorms is expected to redevelop overnight across portions of the Hill Country, southern Edwards Plateau, and the Rio Grande. Although the storms are not expected to be as widespread as in previous nights, the flood threat remains extremely high.

“There’s no more room to take rainfall,” forecaster Jason Runyen said at an afternoon webinar.

After days of relentless rain, saturated ground means any additional rainfall will immediately run off, worsening flash floods. Areas west of Interstate 35 and north of the U.S. 90 corridor are especially vulnerable.

Several rivers remained at dangerous levels as “catastrophic flash floods” continued Thursday afternoon. The Nueces River below Uvalde is expected to crest at a record high above 27 feet tonight into Friday, creating downstream concerns for Crystal City. The Pedernales River, which has already experienced devastating flooding, crested near 34 feet upstream and is now sending a major flood wave toward Johnson City, where rapid rises are expected in the evening before water levels slowly begin to recede.

Forecasters expect rainfall to decrease beginning Friday night and through the weekend. 

— Alejandra Martinez

July 16, 2026, 3:39 p.m.

Sid Miller declares agricultural emergency amid drowned livestock, flooded crops

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller declared an agricultural emergency in response to the torrential flooding in the state. This comes after reports of drowned livestock and flooded crops in some areas. 

Miller’s declaration allows the Texas Department of Agriculture to use relief resources to help farmers, ranchers and other businesses related to agriculture as they recover from widespread flood damage. 

In a statement, Miller said Texas agriculture is taking another blow. 

“Families who make their living on the land are watching their crops, livestock, and homes threatened by rising floodwaters,” Miller said. 

There are reports of hundreds of livestock trapped and potentially drowned along the Pedernales River and Cibolo Creek near Falls City. Similar reports have come out of the Frio and Nueces Rivers near Uvalde.

Miller also encouraged people to help recovery efforts by donating to the department’s relief fund. 

— Jayme Lozano Carver

July 16, 2026, 3:16 p.m.

“We knew that there would be a role for philanthropy”

A little more than one year after mobilizing to raise and distribute millions of dollars for response and recovery from the devastating July 4 flood in Kerr County, the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country launched a new flood relief fund Thursday.

The fund will support communities in the 10-county region that the foundation supports, which includes hard-hit Uvalde, Gillespie and Kendall Counties in addition to Kerr. 

Some in the area woke to relentless rain Thursday morning, and the foundation leader realized a similar flooding scenario was unfolding, foundation Chief Executive Officer Austin Dickson said. Organization leaders felt prepared to take action to help. 

“There is a significant number of evacuations, water in homes and businesses, roads and bridges washed out, many physically damaged,” Dickson said. “It was at that point that we knew that there would be a role for philanthropy and long-term recovery.”

In San Antonio, San Antonio Animal Care Services put out a call for people to help temporarily foster dogs as a surge of animals arrived because of the weather. Volunteers were directed to 4710 State Highway 151 to meet dogs that needed immediate homes.

— Emily Foxhall

July 16, 2026, 1:32 p.m.

Rain to ease in the afternoon but more could be coming

After hours of incessant rainfall, forecasters at the National Weather Service said hard-hit parts of Texas can expect some relief Thursday afternoon but warned that the storms could return in the evening. 

Forecasters are monitoring northern Uvalde, Del Rio and Bandera counties, where since morning storm systems have formed over already drenched areas. Those storms migrated north to Kerr County, exacerbating flooding and spiking the Guadalupe River to dangerous levels. 

Forecasters estimate it is raining at a rate of two inches an hour. That’s down from earlier reports of six inches of rain in some areas, but the soil is so saturated that the water is running off, resulting in flooding. 

“The rainfall rates have come down, fortunately, from what they were earlier,” forecasters said. 

— Carlos Nogueras Ramos

July 16, 2026, 1:05 p.m.

Camp CAMP says all are safe 

Summer camps near Hunt were not flooded, Gov. Abbott said during a Thursday news conference, adding that his office is still getting updates on others and could not confirm any more details. 

The Kerr County Sheriff’s Office said all camps in the county have been contacted and confirmed that their campers are safe.

The Children’s Association for Maximum Potential, a beloved program for individuals with disabilities known as Camp CAMP near the Guadalupe River, said Thursday that campers and staff would remain in the campgrounds, which stand 80 feet above the riverbank, and continue with programming. In a statement on social media, the camp said it is “fully prepared for changing conditions, with back up generators in place.” 

“At this time, travel to the area is not safe,” the camp said in a statement on social media. “In accordance with our Emergency Action Plan, sheltering in place remains the safest course of action for everyone on site. … We also have ample food and essential supplies on hand to care for everyone at the camp for as long as needed.”

— Carlos Nogueras Ramos and Terri Langford

July 16, 2026, 1:05 p.m.

Kendall County rescues two, shelters nearly 70

Two people were rescued and 68 have sought shelter in Kendall County as the Guadalupe River swelled to life-threatening levels early Thursday morning, prompting multiple flash flood emergency warnings from forecasters, emergency management officials said in a news conference.

County officials said they’d been coordinating to deploy rescue efforts since 2 a.m. in advance of the early wave of rainfall.

“We didn’t know where the water was going to hit, how much, and if it was going to affect us,” county officials said. 

— Carlos Nogueras Ramos

July 16, 2026, 12:25 p.m.

Dam floodgates to open along Highland Lakes system 

Several Central Texas reservoirs have reached capacity, prompting operators to begin releasing water downstream along the Colorado River.

The Lower Colorado River Authority plans to open multiple floodgates at Alvin Wirtz Dam, which forms Lake LBJ west of Marble Falls, and Max Starcke Dam, which forms Lake Marble Falls. Both dams are part of the Highland Lakes system operated by LCRA.

Officials are urging anyone living, working or recreating downstream to take precautions as water levels rise and the river flows much faster than normal. Conditions can also change quickly, especially if additional rain falls.

While reservoir releases are common in Central Texas, they can create hazardous conditions. Reservoir operators control how much water is released to reduce flood risks downstream. 

The LCRA warns that unscheduled water releases may occur at any time due to emergency hydroelectric generation or other operational needs.

— Alejandra Martinez

July 16, 2026, 11:59 a.m.

One person has died in the flooding, Gov. Abbott says

One person has died in the flooding and more than 70 others have been rescued, Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday. 

The death of the adult occurred between Kerrville and Comfort but Abbott had no other details. 

“I am informed that the loss of life is not a camper,” Abbott said. 

“We have been engaged in making rescues,” Abbott said. “We have rescued well over 70 people already and we will continue making those rescues every step of the way,” Abbott said. 

After last year’s deadly flooding, state legislators required warning sirens to be installed in areas hit by the July 2025 disaster that regulators identified as having a history of severe flooding and other factors such as where people could die or structures could flood. 

The Upper Guadalupe River Authority had so far installed six sirens in Kerr County expected to be paid for with state funding, but all of those sirens were upriver of where the worst river flooding occurred Thursday, according to river gauges. 

Abbott confirmed Thursday that the sirens worked except for one that did not go off as soon as it was triggered.

“All the sirens worked,” he said. “With regard to one of the sirens and sometime before 4 a.m. this morning there was a triggering of the siren that did not go off immediately. But it was triggered again five minutes or two minutes later and it did go off at that time,” he said. “So for all practical purposes, the functionality of the sirens worked just fine and so those alarms went off.”

While a lot of attention is on the Kerrville and Uvalde areas, Abbott said he was concerned about the “massive challenges” in the Rio Grande Valley and other areas hit by heavy rains. 

“People need to understand to expect very meaningful flooding in the Rio Grande,” he said. 

So far, 1,300 personnel have been “actively engaged” in responding to the flooding, Abbott said. 

Unlike the 2025 flooding, which was concentrated upstream from Kerrville near Hunt, this year’s flooding is happening downstream from the Guadalupe River headwaters, he said.

The Guadalupe River at Center Point spiked just below the July 2025 record, according to federal data. In Comfort, it spiked just above last year’s record, hitting 37.08 feet compared to last year’s 35.64 feet, a difference of 1.44 feet, according to the gauge.

More than 90 new River Sentry flood warning sirens that the directors of Camp Mystic raised money for have also been installed in Kerr County, again largely upriver of where the worst river flooding occurred Thursday, according to a company map. Twenty-seven campers and counselors died at Camp Mystic in last year’s floods, along with the camp’s co-owner and executive director. Some of these sirens were stationed in the Kerrville area. 

— Terri Langford and Emily Foxhall

July 16, 2026, 10:58 a.m.

More than 40 rescued as rain pummels Uvalde

Intense overnight rain in Uvalde submerged roads and homes, prompting more than 40 rescues. After receiving 7 inches of rain overnight, Uvalde was placed under a flash flood emergency, with mandatory evacuations underway, as drone footage from the Weather Channel showed the Leona River overflowing near Uvalde. 

The Uvalde County Office of Emergency Management closed all major highways and city streets, issuing a shelter in place order. 

More than 40 people have been rescued, most of them in Uvalde County, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Uvalde officials have deployed boats for rescue operations and plan to fly helicopters.

Roads across Uvalde County are also flooded, including Highway 90, where videos have shown pavement torn up by floodwaters.

— Katlyn Ma and Carlos Nogueras Ramos

July 16, 2026, 9:14 a.m.

Flash flood emergency declared for Pedernales River

Federal forecasters issued a flash flood emergency for the Pedernales River in Gillespie and Blanco Counties, warning of life-threatening flash flooding and catastrophic damage. 

A “large and deadly flood wave” was pushing down the Pedernales River, the forecast alert said. At Fredericksburg, the river had already passed 28 feet at 8 a.m., according to a U.S. Geological Survey gauge. It was forecast to keep rising into a major flood. 

Forecasters urged people to move to higher ground immediately.

July 16, 2026, 7:45 a.m.

Dangerous flood wave moving down Guadalupe River near Center Point

Center Point through Bergheim on the Guadalupe River were under a flash flood emergency early Thursday morning as forecasters warned of a “large and deadly flood wave” pushing down the Guadalupe River and urged people to seek higher ground.

“The river gauge at Center Point has risen 32 feet in 4 hours and is expected to reach a crest similar to July 4, 2025 catastrophic river flood,” the forecast warning said. “Flash flooding is already occurring.”

A flash flood emergency was also extended upstream in Hunt and Kerrville in Kerr County through 3 p.m. Thursday where up to a foot of rain had fallen and more was expected, according to the alert. Kerrville officials asked residents to shelter in place if safe to do so.

Forecasters warned the damage could be catastrophic. The river near Center Point hit nearly 38 feet at 5:20 a.m., according to a U.S. Geological Survey gauge. A steep rise was recorded downriver in Comfort, passing above 33 feet at 6:25 a.m. No rise had been recorded yet at the next gauge near Bergheim as of 6:45 a.m.

In Hunt and Kerrville, forecasters reported between three to six inches of rain had fallen in that area already as of 3 a.m. Thursday with a heavy rainfall rate of two to four inches of rain expected and the Guadalupe rising.

“Flash flooding is already occurring with evacuations, escalating water rescues, and water beginning to enter structures,” the alert said.

The gauge on the Guadalupe River at Hunt had spiked just above 20 feet around 3:35 a.m. Thursday morning, which was below what’s considered a major flood there, according to the USGS gauge. The river later hit nearly 17 feet in Kerrville, also below what’s considered a major flood.

Kerrville officials also asked residents to minimize water use as a preventive measure because of operational issues at its water plant.

More than 100 people died in Kerr County last summer during flash floods early on July 4, when more than 10 inches of rain in places on the river’s South Fork fell largely in the span of several hours, with much of the worst damage in Kerrville and upriver.

— Emily Foxhall

July 16, 2026, 7:36 a.m.

Life-threatening flooding in 14 counties, weather service says

All or portions of 14 counties were under flash flood warnings issued by the National Weather Service as of 7 a.m. Thursday morning as heavy rain had fallen across the area. A flash flood warning means life-threatening flooding is imminent or likely. 

Uvalde and the Knippa area were under flash flood emergencies, meaning “historic and catastrophic” flash flooding was imminent or already happening that could damage entire communities. The area had received up to 8 inches of rain over two hours as of 4 a.m., according to the forecast alert, and had already been drenched with heavy rain over several days.

Structures had flooded and water rescues were occurring, according to the forecast alert.

Areas along the Guadalupe River between Center Point through Bergheim, as well as in Hunt and Kerrville, were also under flash flood emergencies.

Counties under flash flood warnings included:

• Sutton County

• Kendall County

• Kerr County

• Bandera County

• Gillespie County

• Real County

• Kinney County

• Maverick County

• Val Verde County

• Uvalde County

• Edwards County

• Zavala County

• Medina County

• Kimble County

According to the weather service, the following cities and areas will experience flash flooding: Kerrville, Comfort, Waring, Sisterdale, Center Point, Crown, Medina, Fredericksburg, Bandera, Kerrville-Schreiner Park, Tivydale, Camp Verde, Harper, Vanderpool, Hunt, Uvalde, Sabinal, Knippa, Kerr Wildlife Management Area, Lost Maples State Natural Area, Mountain Home, Rio Frio, Del Rio, Brackettville, Lake View, Amanda, Laughlin AFB, Val Verde Park, Standart, Cienegas Terrace, Long Point, Black Brush Point, Diablo East, Amistad Village, Governors Landing, Escondido Estates, 277 South Boat Ramp, 277 North Campground, Lake Ridge Ranch, San Pedro Canyon, Devils Shores, Rough Canyon Recreation Area, Leakey, Camp Wood, Barksdale, Vance, Tuff, Brackettville, Spofford, La Pryor, Dabney, Anacacho, Washer, Darling, Alamo Village, Turkey Mountain, Fort Clark Springs, Waltonia, Ingram, Boerne, Fair Oaks Ranch. Welfare, Walnut Grove, Nelson City, Kreutzberg, Bergheim, Kronkosky State Natural Area, Old Tunnel State Park, Kendalia, Bankersmith, Guadalupe River State Park, Bandera Falls, Spring Branch, Lakehills, Hondo, D`Hanis, Hill Country State Natural Area, Lake Medina Shores, Concan, Reagan Wells, Garner State Park, Laguna, Montell, Utopia, Cline, Blewett, Roosevelt, Telegraph, Cleo, I-10 near the Sutton-Kimble county line.

The warning includes the following streams: Block Creek, Sabinas Creek, Holliday Creek, Jacobs Creek, Verde, Creek, Turtle Creek, Cherry Creek, Guadalupe River, Wasp Creek, Bruins Creek, Joshua Creek, Steel Creek, Elm Creek, Werner Creek, West Sister Creek, Violet Creek, Cypress Creek and East Sister Creek, Pipe Creek.

— Emily Foxhall

July 16, 2026, 7:22 a.m.

Additional rain expected to batter Kerr and Uvalde counties after a long night of showers

Additional rainfall fell across Central Texas overnight, with storms battering several towns particularly vulnerable to the rising Guadalupe River, forecasters at the National Weather Service’s San Antonio office said. 

Forecasters said they expect the heaviest downpours in Kerr and Uvalde counties after a long night of heavy rain. Over the last six hours, towns along central Kerr County, including Kerrville, Hunt and Ingram, saw as much as 8 to 10 and a half inches of rain. The storms also showered towns downstream from the Guadalupe River, in Center Point, Comfort and Bergheim, forecasters said. 

Nearly 20 inches of rain has fallen over the past 48 hours in central and northern Uvalde County, forecasters said.

Storm activity is developing further south in Bandera County and is likely to travel north, bring more rain in the coming hours. 

“Showers and thunderstorms and the rainfall rates are picking up again a little bit acrossKerr County, and even back into those areas that got hit hard across Uvalde and back into the portions of the Hill Country,” said Eric Platt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “So it’s not over just yet.”

— Carlos Nogueras Ramos

July 15, 2026, 9:45 p.m.

Life-threatening floodwaters endanger southwest Texas

National Weather Service forecasters were expecting stormwater to push rivers and creeks over their banks in southwest Texas — including the Nueces and Frio rivers —  Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday night. 

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

Federal forecasters also issued a flash flood emergency for Boerne midday Wednesday through Wednesday evening. As much as a foot of rain had fallen in the area, according to the warning, and more was possible.

Forecasters said people were being rescued and were stranded, according to local emergency management. Chris Shadrock, the city’s communications director, said in a video posted online that areas that don’t typically experience high water were likely to see flooding.

“This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW!” the warning said. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Emily Foxhall

July 15, 2026, 9:36 p.m.

Cities stay vigilant ahead of an anticipated early morning downpour

Cities across the Hill Country and South Texas already pummeled by a series of rainstorms held their flood precautions steady into Wednesday evening as rainfall was expected to return in the early hours of Thursday morning.

In Uvalde County, where some mandatory evacuation orders were given earlier in the day, City of Uvalde police outlined more neighborhoods that should be prepared to evacuate “at any time” through the night. Most of the county was under a flash flood warning set to expire at 1 a.m.

In La Pryor, the Nueces River had risen significantly, according to a social media post from the Zavala County Sheriff’s Office. According to a river gauge in the Nueces River south of the city of Uvalde, water levels had reached a historic high of 20 feet at 8:30 p.m., but were expected to peak there and lower through the night. 

Flash flood warnings in Kinney and Real counties were extended until 4 a.m. Thursday and in Bandera, Kendall and Medina counties until 2 a.m. as showers ebbed Wednesday evening. In Edwards County, a flash flood warning was issued just after 9:15 p.m. Wednesday until Thursday at 11:15 a.m.

Emergency officials across the region warned residents to stay vigilant, avoid travel unless absolutely necessary and be prepared to leave in areas closer to waterways.

— Ayden Runnels

July 15, 2026, 6:06 p.m.

Abbott: Rainfall could surpass July 4 flooding numbers, but state is prepared

Gov. Greg Abbott said portions of the state could see upward of 30 inches of rain over the course of the storm, surpassing the surge of rainfall that caused the deadly July 4 flooding last year.

At a news conference Wednesday evening with agency officials, Abbott laid out Texas’ response to the larger wave of rainfall expected through the night and drew comparison to the disastrous rainfall in 2025. 

Roughly 20 inches of rainfall last year caused flooding in the Hill Country that killed more than 119 people in Kerr County. While Abbott said storms through the week could well exceed last year’s rainfall, potential ramifications are lessened by both the state’s level of preparedness and the differences in where rain is expected to occur.

“We are better prepared than we have ever been to deal with weather events in general, but rainfall events and flooding events in particular,” Abbott said, mentioning that sirens have been set up alongside the Guadalupe River as well as other river basins across Texas.

As of Wednesday, there have not been any reported fatalities, Abbott said, but he and other officials urged residents to stay alert through the end of the week, even after rainfall subsides as rivers and waterways continue to shift. 

More than 75 people have been rescued, most of whom were taken from stranded vehicles, said Texas Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd. With rainfall in some areas forecasted at 3 inches an hour, Kidd cautioned against residents making unnecessary trips on roadways, which can quickly become flooded under such heavy rates of rainfall.

“It doesn’t matter where you live in Texas; three inches of rain an hour will cause flooding,” Kidd said. 

Kidd cautioned Texas against driving on roads obscured by water and said that shelters were ready to be opened if needed.

The state has deployed more than 800 vehicles and 1,300 state personnel to help assist with preparation, rescue and recovery efforts, and Louisiana and Oklahoma officials have also provided resources, Abbott said.

Abbott said the biggest challenge facing emergency crews was making Texans aware of the inclement weather and flooding. 

“If every Texan is aware of what’s going on and realizes they can protect themselves over the next 24 hours, everything’s going to work out just fine,” he said. 

— Ellie Ashby and Ayden Runnels

July 15, 2026, 4:05 p.m.

More heavy rain expected over hard-hit areas

Another round of heavy rain was expected to fall over the same drenched areas of southwest Texas on Wednesday night and Thursday, said Jason Runyen with the National Weather Service in Austin and San Antonio. 

Forecasters said 2 to 6 inches of rain could fall in the worst-hit regions along U.S. 90 west of San Antonio and the western Hill Country, with up to 10 to 15 inches in some areas that could cause catastrophic flash flooding, Runyen said.

Counties of concern included Uvalde, Medina, Kinney, Edwards, Real and Bandera, plus possibly Kendall and Gillespie. Forecasters were also watching Kerr County, where more than 100 people died in floods last summer, for possible heavy rainfall.

“It’s a pretty big area west of San Antonio that’s been impacted,” Runyen said. “This is many counties we’re dealing with.”

A staggering 12 to 17 inches of rain had already fallen over the past two days over north Uvalde, northeast Kinney and north Medina County, according to the National Weather Service.

Flash flooding had prompted evacuations or calls to seek higher ground in the city of Uvalde, D’Hanis and Boerne. River flooding continued to threaten Crystal City and Carrizo Springs and other areas along the Nueces, Frio and Medina Rivers as water pushed downstream, plus smaller waterways such as Cibolo Creek. 

Emergency officials notified forecasters Wednesday that Cibolo Creek had overflowed, flooding River Road and stranding multiple vehicles. “Numerous water rescues, evacuations and road closures have been reported,” a forecast statement said.

A Cibolo Creek gauge near Boerne showed the water had risen above 22 feet Wednesday afternoon and was pushing downstream toward Selma.

— Emily Foxhall

July 15, 2026, 2:30 p.m.

Mandatory evacuations ordered in Uvalde

Some residents in Uvalde have been ordered to evacuate and have been notified by first responders, with additional  mandatory evacuations possible, according to a Facebook post from the Uvalde Police Department. 

South of Uvalde in Zavala County, emergency officials in another Facebook post warned residents near the Nueces River to prepare for flooding, with the river expected to crest near historic levels.

— Emily Foxhall

July 15, 2026, 2:00 p.m.

Reported tornado damages apartments near UTSA, displacing students

A reported tornado touched down near the University of Texas at San Antonio campus Wednesday, causing significant damage to an apartment complex and displacing 10 to 12 students, local officials said. That number could rise as assessments continue. 

The San Antonio Fire Department is on scene at the Oasis San Antonio apartments. No injuries were reported and the apartment has been evacuated.

UTSA is working with the American Red Cross to provide assistance and connect affected students with temporary housing and other resources.

“We’re grateful that no injuries have been reported. University staff are working closely with UT Police, the San Antonio fire and police departments, and the American Red Cross to support affected students and connect them with needed resources,” the university posted on X.

Meanwhile, crews have begun clearing debris, removing downed trees, and responding to storm-related damage across San Antonio as emergency officials continue to monitor weather conditions.

— Emily Foxhall and Katlyn Ma

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

Heavy rains continue as Texas’ flash flood concerns persist

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Emily Foxhall

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Emily Foxhall and Katlyn Ma

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

Tornado confirmed in northwest Bexar County

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

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

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

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

— Emily Foxhall

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

Multiple counties under flash flood warnings; Uvalde County hit hard

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

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

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

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

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

— Emily Foxhall

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Counties under flood warning brace for looming overnight deluge

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

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

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

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

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

— Ayden Runnels

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

New flash flood warnings issued in Hill Country counties

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

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

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

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

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

— Ayden Runnels

Disclosure: Austin Dickson, CNN, Lower Colorado River Authority, Matt Lanza, Terri Langford, Texas Department of Agriculture, Texas Parks And Wildlife Department and The University of Texas at San Antonio 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.

Ellie Ashby, Sneha Dey, Emily Foxhall, Dan Keemahill, Terri Langford, Katlyn Ma, Alejandra Martinez, Carlos Nogueras Ramos, Ayden Runnels and Alejandro Santos Cid contributed to this story.

Nobody would make that mistake today. After losing that race in 2017 and narrowly winning a U.S. Senate seat during a runoff in 2021, Ossoff is running for reelection with a full-throated broadside on President Donald Trump as a “national disgrace” leading a “Mar-a-Lago mafia” and “the most corrupt administration of all time.”

The 39-year-old senator has always been a vessel for Trump opposition, no matter his message on the campaign trail. But not until now has Ossoff openly embraced the role. His approach is being noticed across the Democratic spectrum, from activists hungry for the right message in the 2026 midterms to those pining for viable presidential candidates in 2028.

This week, as Trump renewed his fixation on false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election that brought Ossoff to Washington, the senator never missed an opportunity to denounce the “world’s most famous sore loser.”

“The senator is definitely having a moment, and these breakout moments can certainly become a launching pad for something bigger,” said Lis Smith, a Democratic strategist who helped Pete Buttigieg go from being an unknown Indiana mayor to a presidential contender in 2020. She said Ossoff's approach — tying Trump’s personal financial gain to his performance on the economy — is "one that more Democrats should adopt.”

Ossoff insists he’s focused only on “providing Georgians with the best possible service, investigating and exposing corruption and abuse, and winning this pivotal Senate race” over Rep. Mike Collins, who won a Republican primary runoff after Trump’s last-minute endorsement.

Collins argues that Ossoff is just another “out-of-touch, far-left liberal," and he has criticized him as “weak” and “woke.”

But Ossoff’s turn in the spotlight, coupled with prodigious fundraising, puts him in a stronger position for a second term than most political observers expected when Trump returned to the White House less than two years ago. And with Ossoff being the only Democratic senator facing reelection in a state Trump won in 2024, defending his seat is critical for Democrats as they try to gain at least four seats elsewhere to reclaim a Senate majority.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who is also seeking reelection and is mentioned as a potential 2028 candidate, was in Georgia recently campaigning for Ossoff and Democratic nominee for governor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

He described them both as “fighters” and said Ossoff is making the right pitch for voters who "want someone that will disrupt the status quo and do what’s necessary to make their lives easier as the Trump administration raises prices on everything from gas to groceries.”

In 2017, Trump wasn't Ossoff’s initial focus

Ossoff was a political unknown when he decided to run for Congress in 2017. It was the first special congressional election of Trump’s presidency, an open seat because Trump nominated Tom Price as health secretary thinking the district that once sent House Speaker Newt Gingrich to Washington was safe for Republicans.

The young Democrat had been a congressional aide and started a production company focused on investigative documentaries. But Ossoff became a fundraising sensation as rank-and-file Democrats looked for a way to counter Trump. He led an initial all-party primary, supercharging the national attention on a runoff campaign.

“The atmosphere of disarray and gridlock and dysfunction and chaos in Washington doesn’t serve the American people, and it’s not just this administration or this White House — it’s career politicians in Congress,” he said.

Ossoff lost to Karen Handel, a Republican who previously served as Georgia secretary of state.

In 2020, a careful candidate and senator emerged

Running against Republican Sen. David Perdue in 2020, Ossoff continued a disciplined, wonkish approach. Georgia was not considered to be a top battleground, and what early attention it got was focused more on Democrat Raphael Warnock, running in a special Senate election against Sen. Kelly Loeffler. She was considered more vulnerable than Perdue after being appointed to replace Johnny Isakson, who retired because of health issues.

The dynamics changed when Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden carried Georgia and both Georgia Senate contests went to runoffs — with control of the chamber hanging in the balance. Trump tried to overturn Biden’s victory and began his yearslong fixation with falsely claiming U.S. elections are rigged, with Georgia as his prime example.

Still, throughout his 2020 campaign, Ossoff kept his focus on Perdue’s personal business dealings and the Republican reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic. In one debate, Ossoff did not mention the president at all. In another, when asked about Trump, he answered broadly.

“That kind of leadership really only grows when there’s already been a destruction of faith in our political institutions," he said.

In 2026, an aggressive stump speech goes viral

As a senator, Ossoff has built relationships and a constituent services operation that span Georgia. He regularly announces appropriations for infrastructure, hospitals and other programs — including in heavily Republican areas. He led a congressional investigation into problems in Georgia’s child services programs, and he’s focused heavily on veterans’ care.

But his 2026 breakout has been anchored by a stump speech built around a withering take down of the president. He mocks Trump’s social media blitzes on Truth Social and proposals to put his face on U.S. money.

“When he’s not posting, he’s been trying to rob us. Have you seen it?” Ossoff asks, shifting to allegations of corruption and incompetence.

He ticks through Trumps’ lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, his idea for a restitution fund that could compensate Jan. 6 rioters and foreign business deals by his sons. “Prince Don and Prince Eric,” Ossoff calls them.

He blasts Trump’s tax cuts as tilted to the rich, his effort to shield the Jeffrey Epstein case files, and an Iran war that “no one voted for and no one can explain.”

“All this while you pay more for gas, for groceries, for healthcare,” he says.

Ossoff still nods to an overall “rot” in a “coin-operated” political system that goes beyond Trump. But the applause lines, which campaign aides cut and distribute across social media platforms in real time, are trained on Trump.

“He's a failed president and a national disgrace," Ossoff repeatedly says.

Election denial has been a backdrop for Ossoff's political career

Ossoff won his Senate seat in the midst of Trump's election denial in Georgia, and the president has revived the topic as he runs for reelection. Trump has directed his administration to investigate the 2020 election, and federal agents seized hundreds of boxes of ballots from Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold that includes Atlanta.

Refusing to acknowledge that Biden legitimately defeated Trump has become a litmus test for serving in the administration, one that Ossoff highlighted when questioning Jay Clayton, Trump's nominee for national intelligence director.

“Who won the 2020 election?” Ossoff said.

“I’m not going to get into that with you,” Clayton responded.

As Clayton continued to dodge, Ossoff said, “isn’t it humiliating to be unable to answer this question, to have to indulge the president’s delusions?”

Ossoff raised $20 million during the second quarter of 2026 and had $42 million left to spend. Collins raised about $2.1 million and had about the same amount in his coffers. And a 20-to-1 money advantage certainly helps a politician trying to stay in office, and in the spotlight.

Smith offered one caution about Ossoff.

“You can’t live off one great speech or one viral exchange,” she said. “You have to prove you can perform in every format." The question, she said, is how someone goes "from flavor of the month to a more serious national political figure.”

But lately, Trump’s sentiments on the 39th president have become more wistful as he faces some of the same challenges the late Carter did.

Those include the war in Iran with no end in sight — and now escalating as the U.S. moves to control the Strait of Hormuz — and inflation, a drag on the economy Trump hasn't tamed despite long insisting that his business background would wipe it out.

The comparison seems to be on Trump’s mind, too. Asked last month why he didn’t dispatch U.S. Special Forces into Iran to forcibly remove its enriched uranium, he responded, “I didn’t feel like being Jimmy Carter.”

That recalled the failed 1980 raid to free U.S. hostages that killed eight American servicemen. Trump also said in March that the unsuccessful mission “cost them the election" against Ronald Reagan in 1980, sounding cognizant of political realities in a way he didn't when using Carter as a punchline.

The shift in tone coincides with Trump's increased focus on his personal legacy and comes as the parallels between the two presidents become harder to ignore.

“I think it is dawning on him — it’s getting through even his thick skull — that he’s kicked over a hornet’s nest and his presidency might be remembered for some of the same things Jimmy Carter’s presidency is,” said Jonathan Alter, author of “His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life.”

Despite some similarities, the two had glaring differences

Asked about Trump's change in tone on Carter and the two facing overlapping challenges, White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said, “Trump will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon” and “remains laser-focused on implementing his proven economic agenda to lower costs.”

“The president is a one-of-a-kind leader who will always unapologetically advance America’s interests," Wales said in a statement. "The only legacy he is concerned with is making America greater than ever before.”

Kori Schake, a former member of George W. Bush’s National Security Council, said she doesn't think Trump is reassessing Carter. “He doesn’t stitch facts together and create theories," she said.

Still, Trump's more recent comments are a long way from his 2024 reelection campaign, when he routinely called Joe Biden “the worst” president who made Carter look “brilliant” by comparison. Trump still frequently mentions Carter, who died two years ago at age 100, but usually to incorrectly suggest that he was wary of mail-in ballots.

Other disparities between the two are legion.

Carter was married to his wife, Rosalynn, for 77 years, was deeply religious and pledged to “never knowingly lie to the American people.” Trump is twice divorced, relishes cursing publicly and offers a never-ending onslaught of falsehoods.

As president, Carter placed his family's peanut business in a blind trust. Control of the Trump Organization has transferred to Trump's sons, but the president took in nearly $1.2 billion from his crypto businesses last year while not being shy about turning his presidency into a major source of personal benefit in other ways.

Speaking in 1977, Carter declared, “We are now free of that inordinate fear of communism.” Trump has seized on primary wins by progressive Democrats to constantly stoke new fears about communism.

Carter also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Trump hasn't, despite declaring himself more deserving than any of the award's past recipients.

The two have inflation and Iran in common

While inflation plagued both presidents, Carter had it much worse, facing a peak inflation rate of 14.7% in April 1980. Consumer prices rose 4.2% this May from a year earlier — a three-year high — and though they fell sharpl y from May to June, that decline included lower gas prices fueled by a U.S.-Iran ceasefire. That deal is now in tatters, driving up oil prices again.

Trump suggested he didn't think about Americans' financial woes when it comes to Iran, a war he started in conjunction with Israel in February. More recently, he shrugged off inflation concerns. But resolution has proved tricky and U.S. attacks have intensified anew after Iran's attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Like Trump, Carter was also bedeviled by the strait, declaring during his 1980 State of the Union address that the situation “demands the participation of all those who rely on oil from the Middle East and who are concerned with global peace and stability.”

Another Trump-Carter parallel was the Democrat having considered military action to seize Kharg Island, though he ultimately decided against it so as not to jeopardize the hostages. Trump targeted the island with U.S. strikes early in the war, looking to thwart Iranian oil exports, and has threatened it again.

Schake, a senior fellow and director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, noted a key difference was “while the Carter administration gave serious consideration to attacking Kharg Island, the reason they didn’t do it was they didn’t want to be at war with Iran."

"And we’re already at war with Iran,” she said.

Alter said Iran tried to hurt Carter's reelection chances and raised the possibility that they may do the same to Trump's Republican Party ahead of the November midterm elections.

“These people are master diplomats, and they proved that during the Carter administration," Alter said. "They’re proving that again. They’re really good at rope-a-dope.”

Trump now talks up presidential history

The president has lately name-checked many of his predecessors, praising William McKinley 's support for tariffs and Teddy Roosevelt as a “great he-man.” Trump said a key reason for reaching the now-imperiled June ceasefire with Iran was to avoid the “economic catastrophe " that befell Herbert Hoover.

“I’m a student of a lot of history,” Trump said this week.

During his first term, Trump frequently compared his own populist streak to Andrew Jackson's. He still praises Jackson but has more recently extolled many past presidential records, including those of Democrats like Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Trump even listed some of Carter's accomplishments on the “ Walk of Fame” he installed along the White House Colonnade despite displays for other Democrats, such as Barack Obama and Biden, offering biting attacks.

“Trump is thinking of his legacy, and he might have thought that attacking Iran would have enhanced it. But, in fact, it will seriously hurt,” James P. Pfiffner, a professor emeritus at George Mason University and author of several books including “The Character Factor: How We Judge Our Presidents,” said via email.

After his presidency, Alter said, Carter asked Trump for a donation to help build Carter's presidential library. Trump later wrote that Carter wanted $5 million, but he didn't answer him.

Then, during Trump's first term, Carter wrote the president a letter and Trump called to thank him, eventually leaving Carter with the impression that he might serve as a special envoy to China — an offer that never actually materialized.

“If he had learned anything from Carter’s experience — and listened to predictions about the Strait of Hormuz — he would have hesitated," Pfiffner said of war with Iran. “But he ignored lessons of history and geography.”

___

This story has been updated to CORRECT the spelling of the Carter biographer to Jonathan Alter.

One year after catastrophic flooding killed more than 100 people along the Guadalupe River, another round of deadly July flooding swept across Central and South Texas, creating flash flood emergencies that forced evacuations and rescues along the Guadalupe and elsewhere.

But while the two July storms were sometimes similar in intensity and effect, they unfolded in unique ways — swift and concentrated last year vs. multiple rounds of heavy rain over days across a broad region this week.

And while weather officials said they took the same approach to issuing warnings, residents and responders on the ground said they had more tools available to them and the motivation of anxiety borne from last year’s horrific tragedy.

The result: Two confirmed deaths amid widespread and catastrophic flooding.

“I mean, it’s so fresh in everybody’s memory, about the flood and about being so surprised that it got that big and that it made it far and all that kind of stuff,” said Center Point resident Kay Steadham, who felt people took emergency alerts more seriously this go around.

Last year’s flooding came from an exceptionally intense burst of late-night rain that pummeled a small area at the headwaters of the south fork of the Guadalupe River. Some 7 to 12 inches of rain fell mostly over three hours, propelling a huge and deadly wave of water downstream. The National Weather Service issued alerts through the storm, but the worst of the flooding happened overnight, in the dark while people slept. Some alerts may not have been received if cell service was lacking or phone alerts were disabled. Some people described getting alerts but not feeling worried because floods often happen in Flash Flood Alley.

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The Guadalupe River rose 29 feet in three hours at the gauge where the two forks of the river meet in Hunt, according to U.S. Geological Survey data. Many along the waterway found themselves trying to escape a river that rose faster than they imagined it could. The flood was incredibly deadly, killing 27 girls and an adult at the Camp Mystic summer camp and more than 30 people at RV parks, along with families staying in vacation homes. The top emergency officials — the county judge and the county emergency management coordinator — were asleep when the disaster struck.

This year’s floods stretched across a much broader area and time span, dropping water over multiple days and multiple river basins, often while the sun was up, giving emergency officials a warning and residents time to prepare, experts said. State and local officials confirmed two deaths from this year’s flood; one person who was driving in Uvalde County and the other who was swept away in an RV in Kerr County.

It was a serious and significant disaster at a wide scale, but the loss of life and severity of destruction did not amount to last year’s swift and violent tragedy.

“The Guadalupe River last year, it all came down at once,” said Greg Waller, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service’s West Gulf River Forecast Center in Fort Worth. “This one almost looks like a football game. There’s the first quarter, then there’s the second quarter. … It’s spread out.”

People gather in Guadalupe Park to look at the damage left behind by the flood in Kerrville on July 16, 2026. Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune

Differences and similarities

Multiple rivers saw flooding this year because the rain was widespread.

The heaviest rainfall Tuesday developed farther west in rural Uvalde County before spreading across the Hill Country and into Central Texas. Repeated storms followed over several days and across multiple watersheds, including Cibolo Creek and the Nueces, Guadalupe and Pedernales Rivers.

In the Kerr County area, the heaviest rain fell Wednesday and Thursday around Kerrville in areas further downriver than the year prior.

Several rivers crested at significant flood levels Thursday, including the Nueces River below Uvalde at 28 feet (up from a foot and a half in the weeks prior) and the Pedernales River at 34 feet near Fredericksburg (up from earlier levels around 5 feet).

The Guadalupe River, around 3 feet in recent weeks in Comfort, rose to 37 feet there this year — slightly higher than the 2025 floods. This wasn’t the first time major flooding struck that area in consecutive years. In 1935, the river rose to 36 feet, then 34 feet the following year.

Upstream on the Guadalupe where the worst damage occurred last year, the river did not peak nearly as high.

This year’s storms produced lower hourly peak rainfall rates, said Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon, with hourly rainfall generally topping out around 4 inches from Tuesday to Friday over a wide area of the Hill Country. The heaviest rain fell in Kinney and Uvalde counties, and then Kerr and Gillespie counties.

The repeated rain added up. Rain gauges in Uvalde, Kerr, Real and Guadalupe counties measured more than 20 inches of rain since Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Such totals in those locations have only a 0.2% chance of occurring in a given year, according to federal scientists.

The 2025 and 2026 storms were highly extreme with a low probability of happening, said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California. They shared other traits, including occurring when there were high levels of water vapor in the atmosphere and conditions primed for persistent, slow-moving storms — which Swain said was the model for most major flash floods in the region.

“It’s a familiar flavor, certainly, but the magnitude really is in some cases exceeding what we’ve seen historically, and it is really notable the same place has seen this in two consecutive years,” Swain said, “Part of that is just random chance. Just because it happened last year does not decrease the likelihood of it happening this year.”

Residents clean up a home that was flooded in Kerrville on July 16, 2026. Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune

Climate change is making heavy downpours more likely because warmer air is able to hold more moisture. Swain said scientists have found that intense subtropical and tropical downpours in thunderstorms like these may be the fastest increasing type of extreme rainfall.

The progression of storms over days created what experts described as valuable lead time for emergency managers downstream. Periods of lighter weather between rounds of rain allowed forecasters to monitor rivers as they rose before the next wave arrived.

Nick Fang, director of the University of Texas at Arlington’s water research center and an expert in flood prediction and early warning systems, said the 2026 storm’s evolution allowed forecasters and emergency responders to recognize the threat before it reached some of the hardest-hit communities.

“Early flood warning doesn’t start with the sirens, but starts with the science,” Fang said.

Forecasters briefed local officials on calls starting Sunday to spread the word about incoming storms, said Jason Runyen, warning coordinator meteorologist with the National Weather Service office for the Austin and San Antonio region. During the storm, he said, they were issuing warnings with the same approach as last year, escalating flash flood warnings to emergencies in some places, including along the Guadalupe and Pedernales rivers and in Uvalde.

“From a warning philosophy standpoint, there’s been no change in how we warn things,” Runyen said

And on the ground, people said they were prepared to take action.

Emergency vehicles cross the debris-covered San Antonio Street bridge in Center Point, on July 16, 2026. Law enforcement had closed the bridge for most of the day. Eric Vryn for The Texas Tribune

Better tools bring a better response

Last year’s flood served as a warning that prompted an aggressive response this year, Gov. Greg Abbott said in a news conference Thursday.

The Texas Legislature responded last year with two major reforms: sweeping safety requirements for summer youth camps and warning siren mandates for certain places with a history of flash flooding.

The Upper Guadalupe River Authority has thus far installed six sirens in Kerr County, where the worst of the damage happened last year. Two on the South Fork and one in Hunt on the Guadalupe River were activated, while the remaining were not because they served areas with minor flooding, Tara Bushnoe, general manager of the river authority, said in an email. The authority plans to install additional sirens elsewhere.

Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring said the city was pushing out warnings along with the county and weather forecasters. They were also tracking conditions on the river authority’s dashboard, which became active in June and uses rainfall, river levels, stream flow and weather data to support emergency managers and prepare people to act.

The information let crews coordinate evacuations, close bridges and put up barricades.

“That saved lives yesterday, without a doubt,” Herring said Friday.

Continued Herring: “The difference [from 2025] is we did not have a warning system in place that could tell us the magnitude of the problem heading our way.”

County and city officials were posting updates throughout the night on their Facebook pages.

Debris stuck on the pier of the Sydney Baker Bridge after the flood in Kerrville on July 16, 2026. Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune

In Center Point, an unincorporated community in Kerr County along the Guadalupe River, volunteer firefighter Razor Dobbs said first responders felt prepared this time around. At the fire department, volunteers who staff the station 24/7 were trained and certified, he said.

The department had new rescue boats and vehicles, specialized gear and two trucks. The special operation team was ready to help with evacuations when an alert arrived.

“We’ve had it on our radar because the ground’s been getting saturated,” Dobbs said. “The more the ground gets saturated … it doesn’t take as much rain to flood.”

Rising water tore through the area early Thursday morning. The first alert one volunteer received went out roughly at 2:40 a.m.

The Center Point firefighters responded to dozens of distress calls, rescuing people from homes, cars, trees, tops of RVs and attics, Dobbs said. Two volunteers, Darcy Hasty and Coral Barrett, said they were knocking on doors to tell residents to evacuate to higher ground.

Dobbs said his team pulled people from floating cars and threw ropes to help a man trapped inside an 18-wheeler.

Last year’s tragedy helped change how people responded this week, said Robert Mace, a water expert and executive director of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University.

“Everybody’s already a bit on edge about these storms and what they can do in terms of devastating property and taking people’s lives,” he said.

Rachel Hanes, a policy director at the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance, said there’s a “much higher level of flood awareness this year,” adding this year’s event did not happen on a major holiday weekend, so there were likely fewer visitors unfamiliar with the local flood risks.

The broader lesson, experts say, is that no two floods are identical.

“The main lesson is this sort of thing can happen again, and we won’t know when,” Nielsen-Gammon said.

Dan Keemahill and Ayden Runnels contributed to this story.

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

You may remember the names Caden Sterns, Jordan Sterns and Justin Stockton. Not long ago, our KSAT Sports team followed their success on the football field.

On Friday, they returned home to host a youth football clinic for boys in our area.

The event was hosted by The Impact Zone, a nonprofit organization focused on creating better opportunities and brighter futures for young people. The organization invited former local football standouts to teach the next generation valuable lessons on and off the field.

“They’re working super hard,” Stockton, a former Texas Tech and Detroit Lions running back, said. “There’s some extreme talent out here.”

“This is really the foundation where I found a love for the game,” Jordan Sterns, a Steele High School graduate, said. “I don’t want to speak for my brother, but I know this is where it all started for us.”

After graduating from Steele, Jordan Sterns played at Oklahoma State before beginning his professional career with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jordan’s brother, Caden Sterns, a Texas Longhorns alumnus and former Denver Bronco, also took part in the camp. Like Jordan, he is a Steele graduate.

“Cibolo Steele is one of the best high schools in the state,” Caden Sterns said. “It’s a recruiting hotbed for colleges. To be able to invest in these kids and this community now, the sky’s the limit for them.”

The former players said they hope to continue hosting camps like this in the future.

Read also:

• Summer League Spurs are on an upward trajectory, plus a new episode of ‘4 and Out’
• Former Harlan High School track star Tate Taylor wins 200-meter dash at Prefontaine Classic

Terms of the deal announced on Friday were not disclosed. The partnership will begin with the 2026 season.

The Red Raiders’ football stadium will be renamed Galaxy Stadium and the partnership will include NIL opportunities for Texas Tech student-athletes.

The deal comes on the heels of a tumultuous time at Texas Tech surrounding quarterback Brendan Sorsby.

Texas Tech planned to play Sorsby after he transferred from Cincinnati despite admitting to betting on games as a freshman while at Indiana.

The quarterback ultimately abandoned a legal effort to regain his eligibility after the NCAA suspended him for gambling and has said he will wait until next year to enter the NFL draft.

The Texas Tribune reported Texas Tech Board of Regents Chair Cody Campbell donated $274,300 to a fundraising committee supporting Texas attorney general Ken Paxton in his bid for U.S. Senate. Paxton sent a letter to the Big 12 the following day, saying that any attempts to sanction the university for fielding Sorsby would be “unlawful” and potentially expose it to $200 million in damages.

___

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And the lunar lander — a groundbreaking piece of America — is up there still, far away.

NASA put 12 men on the lunar surface more than half a century ago, beginning with Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. The two became the first humans to explore another world when their lander, bearing the patriotic name Eagle, settled onto the Sea of Tranquility on July 20, 1969. “The Eagle has landed,” Armstrong radioed as a spellbound Earth erupted in cheers and tears.

Just 6½ hours later came the most momentous and memorable line of all. Armstrong descended the ladder and stepped onto the gray, gritty dust: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

At 23 feet (7 meters), the Apollo lunar module stood a little taller than a giraffe and looked just as ungainly. It had two sections: a lower descent stage with four legs and an upper stage that housed the crew. The descent stage got the moonwalkers to the lunar surface and remained behind as the men blasted back into lunar orbit.

All six descent stages will be there for perpetuity, clumped around the equator on the moon’s near side.

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and other countries’ satellites around the moon have photographed them. Resembling whitish splotches from orbit, the descent stages pinpoint the touchdown sites not only of Eagle but Intrepid, Antares, Falcon, Orion and Challenger. Its moon landing nixed, Apollo 13’s lunar module Aquarius was turned into a lifeboat that got its crew of three safely home. The ascent stages are scattered all over the moon — smashed to bits, no longer needed once the moonwalkers were back inside the command module. Some speculate, however, that Apollo 11’s ascent stage might still be orbiting.

For NASA’s new Artemis program, private businesses are handling lunar lander details and operations. Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are scrambling to get their landers ready for a docking test in low-Earth orbit with a NASA crew capsule next year. If Artemis III’s docking rehearsal goes well, NASA could launch its first moon landing with astronauts since Apollo as early as 2028. SpaceX’s Starship is so tall that moonwalkers will need a 10-floor elevator to descend to the lunar surface. The Apollo astronauts used a nine-rung ladder.

On that long-ago day, President Richard Nixon said in a phone call to Armstrong and Aldrin as the pair stood alongside the U.S. flag they had just planted 240,000 miles (385,000 kilometers) from home. Said Nixon: “For one priceless moment in the whole history of man, all the people on this Earth are truly one.”

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Part of a recurring series, “American Objects,” marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. For more American objects, click here. For more stories on the anniversary, click here. The 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.

State data from the Texas Water Development Board shows the lake hit 23.4% full as of July 17, 2026 — up from 12.9% on July 15. That is a 10-percentage-point jump in just 48 hours.

To put that in perspective: One year ago, Medina Lake was sitting at just 5.9% full.

KSAT’s Weather Authority team estimates roughly 480 billion gallons of rain fell across parts of the Hill Country between July 13 and July 17 — a regional total that reflects the scale of the storm system that moved through the area.

Medina Lake is an irrigation reservoir operated as part of the Bexar-Medina-Atascosa Water Control and Improvement District system. Because of its relatively small watershed, the lake is known for dramatic fluctuations — it can drop sharply during drought and rebound quickly after a well-placed rain event.

KSAT has documented the lake near record lows in recent years, including periods when it sat around 2% full. At its worst, the lake approached what water managers call “dead pool” conditions, when there is essentially no functional inflow or outflow.

At Wally’s Watersports on the lake, owner Mike Crandall was moving his marina float up the steps Thursday afternoon, chasing the rising waterline in real time.

“It’s been pretty good, pretty good business,” Crandall said, “but this is definitely going to help, I mean, there’s no question about it.”

His co-owner, Shirlee Crandall, put the turnaround in even sharper relief.

“Right now, it’s almost at 25% full,” she said. “So compared to the 2.4% that we had last year, it does look full, not quite there yet, but we’re certainly hoping that’ll translate into business coming back.”

While the numbers are encouraging, water managers and longtime lake watchers caution that Medina Lake can drop just as fast as it rises. Hot summer temperatures and irrigation demand could test the recovery in the weeks ahead.

KSAT reached out to the Bexar-Medina-Atascosa Water District about operations and what comes next for the lake but did not immediately hear back.

The broader 2026 trend has been more promising than recent years. KSAT weather coverage noted earlier this year that 2026 has been markedly wetter since early April, with improved conditions for area lakes and aquifers — including Medina reaching its highest levels in years even before this week’s surge.

Still, residents and business owners are choosing cautious optimism for now.

You can monitor Medina Lake’s water levels in real time through the Texas Water Development Board’s Water Data for Texas dashboard at the link here. The site tracks daily reservoir levels, percent full and conservation storage across the state.

Read also:

• Floods sweep away Hill Country family’s property as Goat Creek surges
• Survivor recounts escaping raging floodwaters in Kerrville to KSAT crew
• KSAT checks on aftermath of severe weather in Hill Country, surrounding areas

In a Facebook post, DPS shared multiple images of the bridge collapse from its South Texas Region Aircraft Operations Division.

“Stay away from flooded areas, obey all road closures, and never drive around barricades,” the post said. “Your safety comes first.”

In the county, more than 10 inches of rain fell on Thursday on top of the showers of the last few days, according to the KSAT Weather Authority team.

A Uvalde Police Department spokesperson previously told KSAT that the city was practically “impassible” for drivers due to the floods.

Officials say at least one person died from flooding in the Uvalde area. Another person died in Kerr County, according to Gov. Greg Abbott.

Read also:

• 2 deaths confirmed as flooding hits South Texas; Rescues, evacuations continue

The thick smoke enveloped the nation’s capital in a gloomy, eerie haze and prompted Major League Baseball's Cleveland Guardians to postpone their game against Pittsburgh Pirates in Ohio.

Warnings of dangerous conditions were expected to remain in effect through Saturday across a wide swath of the U.S., though there's potential for temporary improvement with storms forecast in some affected areas during the weekend.

D.C. resident Stewart Verdery awoke Friday to take in his usual sunrise view of the city's famous landmarks from a rooftop, only to be greeted by a darkened horizon and no monuments in sight.

“It’s pretty crazy to wake up at sunrise and not see the sun when it’s not even raining,” he said by phone after posting a video of the surreal scene on X. “And it smells like somebody’s having the world’s largest cookout.”

No end in sight for smoky conditions

There may be pockets of relief at times, such as this weekend, but the smoky conditions won't be gone anytime soon as the fires continue to burn largely unchecked, cautioned Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster at the National Weather Service based in Maryland.

Wildfires are burning in the Ontario area of Canada as well as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota, which U.S. officials have closed as they fight to put out the blazes.

“The source of the smoke is going to continue on for certainly a week, probably,” Oravec said. “It’s just going to depend upon which way the wind’s blowing as to where the smoke is going to affect the most.”

On Friday, communities in Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan, including Detroit, again registered some of the worst air quality in the world, according to IQAir, an air quality monitoring website.

Not far behind Detroit was Washington, D.C., where the smoke created eerie scenes. The Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and other national landmarks were enveloped in an orange-hued haze throughout much of the day.

People, particularly those with heart or lung disease, older adults and children, were urged to limit or avoid going outside until air quality improved.

Long-term exposure to smoky conditions can complicate existing health problems and lead to chronic and deadly issues, including respiratory illness, cardiovascular and neurological diseases and premature death, officials warned.

For Maria Travela, Friday was her first day outside since after smoke from the wildfires blanketed the Chicago area early Thursday.

“Now it’s better. This morning, it was bad,” said Travela, who has asthma and wore a mask as she crossed a bridge over the Chicago River downtown. “They were saying that, for people like me, with asthma, any kind of issues like that, it would be bad for your lungs.”

Trump criticizes Canada

Hundreds of wildfires are burning in Canada, including about 190 in northern Ontario, Premier Doug Ford said at a news conference. Flames destroyed the Namaygoosisagagun First Nation community, and 10 northern Ontario communities have been evacuated or were being evacuated, with more possible.

The increase of fire in vast Canadian forests has largely been blamed on climate change.

In response to the smoke, U.S. President Donald Trump made a social media post Friday that blamed Canada for its forest management and threatened additional tariffs on Canada.

The Canadian government didn't initially respond to questions about Trump's comments.

Asked about a Michigan lawmaker's criticism about the smoke, Ford noted Canada has helped the U.S. fight fires in the past.

“If there’s some politicians out there chirping away, maybe what you should do rather than complain is send support, send help, because we have done the exact same thing for our American friends and that’s what you’re supposed to do,” Ford said.

Conditions should improve for Sunday's World Cup final

In the New York City area, there was also concern about how the smoky air might impact Sunday's World Cup final between soccer powerhouses Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Oravec said winds will continue pushing the wildfire smoke east in the U.S., though conditions should be better on game day than on Saturday.

On Thursday, a thick haze tinged with orange and yellow darkened skies across several states and partly obscured Manhattan’s skyline.

Officials from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and other Northeast states distributed free K95 face masks, canceled outdoor programming and opened libraries and other public buildings as cooling centers where people could get a respite from the sooty air.

As Friday progressed, air quality measures improved from “unhealthy” to “moderate” in some places in and around New York City. A strong sun broke through a thin veil of smoke, and clear blue sky was visible across much of the region by Friday afternoon.

Rainstorms could bring reprieve in some places

Saturday brings a high chance of thunderstorms across much of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, which will help dampen the bad air.

Organizers of the All-American Soap Box Derby in Ohio hope air quality improves enough to allow for Saturday’s championship races. The major annual competition in Akron scrubbed Friday's events over air quality concerns.

“I think they made the right choice,” said Dayna Lincoln, a pediatric nurse practitioner from Hodgdon, Maine, whose family drove 15 hours for their 9-year-old daughter’s race on Saturday.

“I’m glad they’re not forcing the kids out into it,” she said. “There are kids with asthma and adults with respiratory conditions who could really suffer.”

___

Associated Press reporters Jim Morris in Vancouver, British Columbia, John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, and Cybele Mayes-Osterman in Chicago contributed to this story.

There were no casualties or major damage, but the June 25 attack set off a chain of hostilities that would put the two countries on a path back toward all-out war less than a month after they agreed to stop fighting.

Each strike and counterstrike chipped away at the pillars of the agreement, which has now collapsed, though there are still efforts to salvage it. Red lines set by both sides have been crossed. A return to full-scale war that would further destabilize the Middle East and disrupt the world economy appears increasingly likely.

Here's a look at how we got here.

Iran attacks ships using a route bypassing its control

The attack on the cargo ship came after Iran had warned vessels not to use an alternative route through the Strait of Hormuz that is overseen by the U.S. military and intended to be outside Tehran's control.

Iran had largely shut down the waterway — which carried a fifth of the world's traded oil and gas in peacetime — after the surprise U.S.-Israeli attack on Feb. 28 that started the war. Tehran has come to see control over the strait, and its far-reaching economic impact, as a key pressure point in its confrontation with the U.S.

The preliminary agreement called for the strait to be fully reopened, but it also contained language suggesting Iran would manage traffic and potentially charge fees in the future. Iran has seized on that, saying it has the right to control the strait and that the alternative route is a violation of the deal.

The U.S. and others dispute that, saying the strait should be open to all and toll-free, as it was before the war.

US strikes Iran, which retaliates against Gulf states

The U.S. launched strikes on Iran a day after the June 25 attack, hitting what the U.S. military said were missile and drone locations and coastal radar sites.

The following day, Iran attacked a tanker using the alternative route through the strait, and the U.S. responded with more strikes. This time, Iran lashed out at nearby Gulf states, attacking Kuwait and Bahrain, both of which host American troops.

The two sides pulled back the following week, each sending delegations to Qatar, which had played a key role in mediating the agreement. But they did not meet directly.

Iran reiterated its warning against using the alternative route as it prepared for the dayslong funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening U.S.-Israeli strikes. The funeral began on July 4, with crowds calling for revenge against U.S. President Donald Trump.

Fighting resumes after attacks on 3 ships

Days later, Iran attacked three ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. responded with a wave of strikes that it said targeted air defense systems, radars and over 60 small boats used by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Such boats have been used to harass ships in the strait.

The U.S. also revoked a waiver that had allowed Iran for the first time in years to sell its oil on the international market for U.S. dollars. The waiver was part of the interim deal.

Iran condemned the U.S. strikes and the restoration of oil sanctions as violations of the agreement while insisting it had the right to control the strait, which the military command says is an “unbreakable red line.” Iran also broadened its retaliatory strikes, hitting Bahrain, Kuwait and mediator Qatar.

Trump, after departing from a NATO summit, offered mixed messages.

He said the U.S. strikes were in response to the attacks on shipping, warning that “if it happens again, it will get much worse!” But he also appeared to rule out long-term military action, saying “anything that happens is going to happen very fast." He also suggested the U.S. military might “just finish the job.”

The fighting has steadily escalated since then. On Wednesday, the U.S. restored its blockade on Iran's ports, which had been lifted as part of the interim agreement.

The next red line is civilian infrastructure, and it may have been crossed

In recent days, the U.S. has expanded its strikes to northern Iran, hitting targets far from the strait. On Friday, it struck bridges and power stations in the south, collapsing a tower that it said was used by the Revolutionary Guard for maritime surveillance at one of Iran's main ports.

Iran said Saturday that U.S. strikes have killed at least 50 people and wounded more than 500 since hostilities resumed.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to target civilian infrastructure in Iran, at one point earlier in the war vowing to annihilate Iran's “whole civilization.” Until now, he has repeatedly backed off from such threats, citing diplomatic progress.

But Iran's leaders may already believe that yet another line has been crossed. On Friday and again Saturday, Iran attacked a water desalination plant in extremely arid Kuwait.

Trump has also mused about taking control of the strait by force, possibly by seizing one or more strategic islands held by Iran. That would likely require a far larger naval presence and potentially tens of thousands of ground troops.

That work was far from done when a new round of storms began pummeling the state this week, triggering catastrophic flash floods in some of the same areas devastated in 2025. At least two people died. Hundreds needed rescue.

But residents in some hard-hit areas said a year of preparation did make a difference. Newly installed flood sirens sounded in the darkness, warning people to get out. Phones buzzed with alerts that weren't sent out in last year's disaster.

Still, stories of people surprised to find their homes inundated by rising rivers illustrate the challenges of trying to bolster early warning systems in a vast, rural area known as Flash Flood Alley.

Some agencies were more proactive about sending wireless alerts

Over the last decade, a variety of Texas state and local agencies missed opportunities to implement flood warning systems along the Guadalupe River, the AP reported after last summer’s floods killed 136 people, including 28 at a sleepaway camp for girls.

That changed after the tragedy as lawmakers and others scrutinized a lack of preparedness by government agencies and riverside camps.

Unlike last summer, when local officials in Kerr County said they had been reluctant to “cry wolf” and order evacuations and failed to send out wireless alerts to warn of flash floods, Kerr County issued four alerts and the city of Kerrville issued one early on Thursday as the risk for flooding became apparent, according to an Associated Press review of available data.

They warned residents along Quinlan Creek to evacuate to higher ground, and of “extremely dangerous” flash flooding. Those alerts came alongside flood watches, warnings and emergencies sent to broadcast outlets, weather radios and mobile phones by the National Weather Service. People who signed up for the CodeRED notification emergency system in Kerr County also received text message warnings.

“Last year, we got no alarms. We had no idea what was going on,” said Suzanne Sutphin Gschwind, of Kerrville.

“This year, very different,” she said, with multiple texts and calls coming in from local authorities, a weather channel and her doorbell camera. One night the warnings arrived “about every two hours.”

“I think we would all like to err on the side of too much,” she said.

The warnings didn't reach everyone

Between the early morning hours of Tuesday and about 9 a.m. Thursday, the National Weather Service sent 38 alerts to people in certain southwest Texas communities, including 14 tornado warnings and 24 warnings that flooding was occurring or imminent and could be “life threatening.”

Those Weather Service notifications, though, often don’t contain the highly localized information put in alerts sometimes sent by municipal and county emergency agencies — and people in some places may not have gotten any of those local alerts, which can be more decisive for people considering whether to seek high ground.

An Associated Press review of wireless emergency alert data did not find any listed as sent by agencies in Uvalde County, which was hit hard by flooding, though agencies in that county might have used other means to alert the public.

Jaclyn Gonzales was awakened at 2 a.m. Wednesday by a friend who called to warn that a tornado might be headed toward her Uvalde-area home. When she jumped out of bed, the floor was wet.

“It was the shock of the water to my feet that made me really wake up,” she said.

Kat Sprawls only learned floodwaters were nearing her Batesville home when a friend called her at 3:30 a.m. Friday. It took five or six calls before she woke up, because she had her phone on do-not-disturb mode.

“There's no warning system at all. It's just like the flood in Kerrville last year — we had no warnings,” Sprawls said. “Over half of Batesville is under water now."

Zavala County Sheriff's Department secretary Jessica Belmarez said the department is updating its Facebook page with evacuation information and that law enforcement officers were going door-to-door in affected areas, including Batesville.

The network of flood sirens is expanding

Newly installed sirens in Ingram and in Kerr and Kendall counties were used this week to warn residents, said state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, who authored legislation in 2025 to help fund the sirens. Twenty-eight additional counties are also eligible for flood warning funding. Most are in the process of putting together implementation plans for review by the Texas Water Development Board.

“Between the outdoor sirens, and the cellphone alerts, the response was very positive in getting people out of the way and to higher ground,” Bettencourt said. “It’s an enormous improvement over a year ago.”

Three of six new sirens installed in Kerr County were used to warn people to seek high ground, said Tara Bushnoe, manager of the Upper Guadalupe River Authority. The other three were in areas with only minor flooding, Bushnoe said.

The small town of Comfort had one warning siren for years. The volunteer fire department recently installed two more.

“Some people just don’t want to leave — that’s our problem here,” said Danny Morales, the assistant fire chief. “But we did set them off twice, probably an hour from one to another, just because we had people just lingering, and not wanting to move."

Private companies are working to fill the gaps

Ian Cunningham founded River Sentry after the 2025 floods, building flood siren towers for privately owned sites like RV parks, camps and hotels. The sirens are triggered by rising water levels.

So far, the company has installed 104 sirens along the Guadalupe River, Cunningham said, including several near the site of an RV park where more than three dozen people died in 2025.

“We installed them about three months ago and did not expect them to be used so soon,” Cunningham said.

Hononu, which has developed water-level sensor technology and a real-time data network, received a state contract that will make it easier for agencies to purchase its flood warning technology.

Watch Duty, a fire-tracking app used by millions, expanded earlier this year to help monitor floods.

Officials say the changes saved lives

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the lessons of 2025 led to a better emergency response this time.

“Everybody in Texas has been far more prepared to deal with what has happened this year,” Abbott said during a news conference in Uvalde. “Lives have been saved.”

___ Associated Press reporters Jamie Stengle in Dallas, Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia and Jesse Bedayn in Uvalde, Texas, contributed to this report.

Authorities tightened security around New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, a designated public protest ground enclosed by police barricades, where activist Sonam Wangchuk has been camped along with students and Cockroach Party activists who demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, after allegations that exam papers were leaked in advance.

The movement also seeks sweeping reforms to the examination system and compensation for families of students who died by suicide over the leaks or exam results.

The 59-year-old engineer and education reformer’s strike has become a rallying point for the party, which began in May after Supreme Court Chief Justice Surya Kant compared some unemployed young people to “cockroaches” during a hearing on another issue. Supporters embraced the insult as a badge of resilience, turning it into a satirical political campaign that amassed more than 21 million Instagram followers in a few days.

Delhi Police said Wangchuk was taken to hospital after his health worsened during the hunger strike, and that a brief commotion occurred when some protesters tried to block the move.

Sachin Sharma, a deputy commissioner of police, said Wangchuk’s hospitalization was carried out following medical advice and a court directive.

“Mr. Sonam Wangchuk has been taken from here to an appropriate government hospital, a much-needed medical intervention, under medical supervision,” Sharma said.

The Cockroach Party said in a social media post that the government “forcefully abducted” Wangchuk “without his or his family’s consent” two days before their planned march to India’s Parliament.

Saurav Das, chief spokesperson of the Cockroach Party, disputed the police account, saying the court had not ordered Wangchuk’s forcible removal. He questioned the medical grounds for the move, noting that no doctor had examined him shortly before he was taken away, and alleged that authorities were trying to curb a protest movement that had been gaining momentum.

Shortly after the incident, Abhijeet Dipke, a Boston University student and founder of the Cockroach Party, announced he would begin a hunger strike and called for nationwide protests.

Dipke told The Associated Press at the protest ground that police used force while removing Wangchuk and alleged that he was “kidnapped by the police like criminals and goons” after “covering him in sheets.”

The party founder reaffirmed the movement’s plan to march to India’s Parliament, scheduled for Monday, when its session begins.

“The resolve and the movement will only get stronger from here,” Dipke said.

Meanwhile, Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali J. Angmo, in a letter to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital, said “lack of transparency has shaken their trust” and sought her husband be shifted to a medical center of their choice. She said nothing should be given to Wangchuk orally or intravenously without her consent.

Authorities deployed additional police and paramilitary soldiers and erected barricades around Jantar Mantar. Police said the heightened security measures were precautionary and urged protesters to cooperate with authorities.

There's one big caveat — it only works if it's used.

The Arizona Diamondbacks and three-time All-Star Ketel Marte learned that the hard way Friday night when Marte failed to challenge a called strike three by umpire Bill Miller for the final out in a 5-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Television replays showed that the 100 mph sinker from Riley O'Brien was high and out of the strike zone.

The D-backs still had both of their ABS challenges remaining.

“I was looking for a breaking ball,” Marte said through an interpreter. “Got the two-seamer and I was a little bit surprised.”

D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said he hadn't talked to Marte about the gaffe and would address it with him Saturday. It was a tough night for the veteran second baseman, who also made an error in the first inning that led to two unearned runs.

“Clearly — I don't want to speak for Ketel — you guys will have a chance to talk to him, but he thought it was a strike," Lovullo said. "Sometimes you've got to trust your own instincts. Possibly thought it was a good pitch, checked off of it and lost the ability to challenge as soon as he stepped across home plate.”

The D-backs had plenty of other mistakes that led to the end of their four-game winning streak. One of the most frustrating: Pinch runner Jorge Barrosa was picked off in the ninth after Nolan Arenado drew a leadoff walk.

Lovullo said the team would learn from the mistake and the manager refused to pin the loss on Marte.

“We're not perfect, it's frustrating of course, but there are 15 other things that happened in this game that are still eating at me right now and we'll address them one by one,” Lovullo said.

___

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

The region has endured days of back-and-forth attacks in a conflict increasingly focused on control of the strait. The collapse of an interim ceasefire leaves no clear end in sight for the war that the U.S. and Israel began more than four months ago.

The U.S. Central Command said early Saturday that its seventh straight night of strikes had hit “surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities.”

Kuwait said Saturday it was intercepting Iranian missiles and drones, while Iraq said it had shot down attack drones over the city of Irbil. Jordan's state-run Petra news agency said that the kingdom's air defense systems had downed Iranian missiles, while air sirens sounded in Bahrain according to the government there.

Iranian officials say recent U.S. strikes have killed dozens of people and wounded hundreds, with new casualties reported Friday, when the U.S. military also acknowledged more injured service members.

Iran effectively closed the strait to shipping traffic after the war started Feb. 28. That sent the price of oil soaring and gave Iran significant leverage in negotiations. The price of oil rose Friday above $86 a barrel, close to its highest level in a month, as crossings through the strait fell to a three-week low, according to an international shipping tracker.

In an address to the American public on Thursday evening, Trump insisted the war was going well. “We are likewise winning big in Iran, and you will see the fruits of that labor very, very shortly,” he said.

Before the war began, the U.S. had been in talks with Iran over its nuclear program. Trump now faces political pressure to bring the war to a close and avoid the kind of prolonged Middle East conflict he had campaigned against.

Bridges and 'electrical infrastructure' hit in Iran

The U.S. airstrikes had hit bridges in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province, Iranian state television reported. The attacks hit Bandar Khamir, a city on Iran’s coast on the Strait of Hormuz.

The highway and railway bridge strikes appeared aimed at cutting off Bandar Abbas, Iran’s main port, from roads leading into the Islamic Republic’s central region onward to Tehran, the capital.

Iran acknowledged “attacks on power infrastructure” during the U.S. airstrike campaign for the first time Friday when its Energy Ministry issued a call for people to use less power in southern provinces "experiencing extreme heat.” The ministry did not specify what was hit.

Iranian authorities said at least 46 people have been killed and more than 400 wounded in recent U.S. strikes, including eight killed in a strike on a bridge Friday.

U.S. officials acknowledged 13 additional U.S. service members — 10 Army soldiers and three Navy sailors — had been injured since Monday, but offered no further details. Since the war began, 14 U.S. service members have been killed and 427 wounded.

Tower at key port collapses in US strike

U.S. strikes conducted overnight into Friday collapsed a tower at Iran’s Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman, a key trade route for landlocked, neighboring Afghanistan, the state-run IRNA news agency reported and the U.S. military later confirmed.

Chabahar port, which Iran had been running with support from India, has been a repeated target of American airstrikes.

Iran said the tower oversees commercial traffic into the port. But Central Command said it was part of a maritime surveillance network used by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard to “track and target” commercial vessels in the strait.

On Friday evening Iranian state media reported explosions around Iran, including in the central and south of the country. Local authorities said the U.S attacked around Ahvaz city without elaborating. IRNA also reported the sound of explosions in Lar, Yazd and Sirik.

Iran retaliates by targeting Qatar, a mediator in the war

On Friday, Qatar warned the public to take shelter as a barrage of Iranian missiles targeted the nation. People heard explosions overhead as air defenses fired to intercept the missiles. Qatar’s Interior Ministry said falling debris wounded a child.

Iran also targeted Bahrain and Kuwait early Friday.

In Kuwait, authorities said Iran attacked a power and water desalination plant, causing widespread damage to the station. Kuwait said it extinguished the blaze and was working to assess the damage and get the station working again. About 90% of the country's drinking water comes from desalination.

A spokesman for Kuwait’s defense ministry said Iranian drone attacks on its army’s “facilities and camps” injured an unspecified number of personnel.

Jordan's military said it intercepted three incoming missiles Friday morning launched by Iran.

Explosions also could be heard Friday morning in Irbil and Sulaymaniyah in northern Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region as air defenses targeted incoming fire. The attack apparently targeted the Iranian Kurdish dissident group Komala, killing at least nine people and wounding others, said an official who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

Iran did not immediately claim the attack but has targeted Komala in the past.

Also on Friday, a tanker came under attack traveling through the Strait of Hormuz taking the route closest to Oman, the British military said. The report from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said the ship sustained minor damage without any of its crew being injured.

Iran did not immediately acknowledge any attack. In recent days, it has openly targeted ships using the route, which is overseen by the U.S. military and intended to be outside of Tehran’s control.

Strikes come as Iran and US vie for Strait of Hormuz

Iran has said the strait must be under its sole control and that vessels should pay fees to Tehran — even though the world for decades has considered it an international waterway.

Trump has returned in recent days to his threats to target Iranian power stations and bridges to try to compel Iran to loosen its hold on the strait, through which about a fifth of all oil and natural gas traded once passed in peacetime. The U.S. also reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports to halt its shipments of crude oil.

Crossings through the strait fell to a three-week low of just eight vessels on Thursday, according to MarineTraffic.com.

A growing amount of the region’s energy is being shipped through pipelines, but not nearly enough to offset the decline in shipping through the strait.

___

Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran; Annika Wolters in Rayong, Thailand; Stella Martany in Irbil, Iraq; Gene Johnson in Seattle; and Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed to this report.

Guided by club coach Kevin Schexnayder, who also goes by “Coach K,” Taylor followed a long-term development plan built on trust — even when it meant skipping his entire senior UIL season to compete against the world’s best professionals.

Taylor continued his rapid rise by defeating a field of professional athletes to win the 200 meters at the Prefontaine Classic in 19.75 seconds into a -0.9 meters-per-second headwind.

The victory made Taylor the first U.S. high school athlete to win a Diamond League 200-meter event.

It capped a season in which the teenager has already broken the national high school record twice.

Taylor’s 19.75 ranks near the top of the 2026 world list and is faster than any time Noah Lyles posted as a high schooler.

The performance amplified growing excitement around his potential as one of America’s most promising young sprinters.

Taylor’s next major goal is the World U20 Championships before he begins his college career at Texas Tech.

Read also:

• Former San Antonio football stars give back at youth clinic

Hours ago, China said the U.S. recently confirmed to China that the President’s Executive Order on Hong Kong Normalization would end, the ministry said in a statement responding to media questions. That announcement had appeared to be a sign that the city's preferential privileges might be restored.

But a statement from a State Department spokesperson sent to the AP said that U.S. President Donald Trump “allowed the national emergency to end, but Executive Order 13936 otherwise remains in effect.”

As the order states, Hong Kong is no longer sufficiently autonomous to justify differential treatment in relation to mainland China under certain laws and provisions, it said.

National emergency declaration had expired

The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control said in a statement Friday that the national emergency declared in the executive order had expired and that it delisted people who were sanctioned under the order. But it said people who remain sanctioned under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act of 2020 have been added to a different sanction list.

The statement showed Hong Kong leader John Lee and his predecessor, Carrie Lam, were removed from the first list but added to the second one.

The declaration had significant overlap with the other act linked to Hong Kong, and 39 of the 48 people affected by the expiration would continue to be sanctioned under that act, according to a Treasury Department spokesperson who was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

"The non-renewal is consistent with sanctions modernization efforts that streamline sanctions for greater efficiency and effectiveness, including by ensuring our sanctions are not duplicative," it said.

Trump signed executive order in first term

Trump signed the executive order in July 2020 in his first term in response to Beijing imposing a national security law.

China considers the law for Hong Kong necessary to restore stability in the city after massive anti-government protests in 2019. The pro-democracy movement back then posed one of the biggest challenges to the Communist Party in Beijing and the Hong Kong government since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Under the order, it eliminated the preferential treatment for Hong Kong to the extent permitted by law and in the national security, foreign policy, and economic interest of the United States.

The full implications of the U.S. decision not to renew the declaration were not immediately clear. The White House referred questions about the executive order lapsing to the Treasury Department.

China-US relations

China’s Commerce Ministry said on Friday evening that the U.S. made commitments on Hong Kong issues and other matters during the U.S.-China trade talks in Madrid last year. It struck a positive tone in its statement.

“The U.S. side’s actions represent an important step in fulfilling the consensus reached during the bilateral economic and trade talks. China appreciates it,” it said.

The Hong Kong government said in a statement that it noted the “positive shift in the U.S. policy” toward the city.

“Safeguarding Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability serves the common interests of China and the U.S. and also aligns with the general expectation of the international community,” it said.

It said it hopes the U.S. will respect China’s sovereignty and the rule of law in Hong Kong and resume normal economic and trade exchanges with the city.

The U.S. policy change, which came two months after Trump met with his counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing. It could be seen as another sign of warming ties between Beijing and Washington ahead of Xi’s expected visit to the U.S. later this year. Earlier this month, a pastor of a prominent underground church who was detained in China in October was released after Trump brought up his case with Xi.

But it is unclear whether the differences on how they understand the change could cast a shadow over that.

Six years after the national security law's introduction, many leading activists, including pro-democracy former media tycoon Jimmy Lai, were imprisoned under it. Critics say the Western-style civil liberties that Beijing promised to maintain for 50 years after the handover have declined.

___

Associated Press writer Joshua Boak in Washington contributed to this report.

___

This story has been updated to correct the details of the U.S. decision. A previous version of the story said the United States confirmed it would not renew the executive order.

• RIVER FLOODING: Major to moderate flooding still underway, high water moving downstream
• DRIER FORECAST: Quieter conditions take over this weekend for all
• UPDATED RAINFALL TOTALS: Historic rainfall totals over the last week
• AQUIFER/LAKE UPDATES: Aquifer and area lakes still rising

FORECAST

EVENING UPDATE

Water-logged areas can take a small sigh of relief, as heavy rain has ended for most of us. Flash flooding no longer expected for the area, except around rivers. Rain is not expected tonight, nor in the week ahead.

Don’t forget, most of our major rivers are now transporting massive amounts of water downstream -- either toward the Gulf or into area lakes. If you live near a river or creek, pay very close attention to your surroundings!

AREAS THAT MAY STILL SEE HIGH WATER ALONG AREA RIVERS:

Eagle Pass -- Rio Grande

Crystal City, Asherton, Cotulla -- Nueces River

Derby, Fowlerton, Choke Canyon -- Frio River

Stockdale, Falls City, Kenedy -- Cibolo Creek and San Antonio River

UPDATED RAINFALL TOTALS AS OF FRIDAY:

AQUIFER/LAKE UPDATES:

The aquifer continues to rise, while Medina and Canyon Lake will continue to see water feed into the reservoirs via swollen rivers and creeks. Here are the latest numbers:

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.

A few downpours remain possible on Friday afternoon, but widespread flash flooding is not expected, according to the KSAT Weather Authority team.

LATEST FORECAST >> UPDATE: Rain is winding down for all, flooding still possible downstream along rivers

However, most of the significant rivers in the area are now carrying massive amounts of water downstream, which could cause additional flooding.

Officials say at least two people have died as a result of the severe weather in South Texas.

KSAT has crews throughout the area on Friday, including Kerr County, Uvalde, and Crystal City, to check on the aftermath of the floods.

WATCH: Water from Rio Grande recedes after cresting in Eagle Pass

WATCH: Frio County sheriff: ‘All hands on deck’ for flood response

WATCH: Clean-up efforts underway in Kerr County after days of severe weather

WATCH: How South Central Texas severe weather impacted Crystal City

WATCH: One lane on US Highway 90 reopens in direction of Uvalde

WATCH: Damage evident in Hill Country after deadly severe weather

WATCH: Floods sweep away Hill Country family’s property as Goat Creek surges

More recent weather coverage on KSAT:

• UPDATE: Rain is winding down for all, flooding still possible downstream along rivers
• 2 deaths confirmed as flooding hits South Texas; Rescues, evacuations continue

Nearly a decade ago, a British court ordered a man named Sam Westrop to pay the equivalent of more than $173,000 in libel damages after he published an article on his website calling the founder of a London-based Islamic TV channel a “convicted terrorist.”

Westrop eventually admitted the underlying evidence for the claim was not reliable, according to court filings, and corrected the story on his website.

“There simply was no evidence to support the allegation of terrorism,” the judge in the case wrote.

Years after that ruling, Westrop made similar claims about a group of Islamic private schools in Texas that had applied to the state’s new voucher program. He alleged the school leaders had connections to Islamic extremist or terrorist groups, such as Hamas. Westrop shared his research as early as last fall with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, which oversees the voucher program that awards eligible families taxpayer dollars for private education or homeschooling.

In December, acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock asked the state’s top lawyer if the agency could exclude from the voucher program an unnamed number of schools with supposed ties to the Chinese Communist government or that had hosted events for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil-rights group. A month later, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ruled that it could.

Westrop’s allegations, along with claims made by several others, were among the primary reasons the comptroller’s office investigated the schools and delayed their admittance in the voucher program, according to new legal filings.

The scope of the investigations was also far broader than what was previously known, the filings show. The state used taxpayer money to contract with two investigators to dig into the histories of nearly 50 private schools across the state with alleged ties to radical Islamic organizations and the Chinese government — a number that far exceeds what has been reported.

The extent of the state’s probe and Westrop’s involvement are detailed as part of a new trove of legal filings in a lawsuit four Islamic private school campuses filed against the state comptroller in March after the agency initially kept them out of the program. It draws heavily on an eight-hour deposition of Murl Miller, the comptroller’s chief counsel for general litigation, taken in May as part of the lawsuit.

While the comptroller has since accepted all of the investigated schools into the voucher program, the schools that pursued the legal action are still asking the judge to certify a class-action lawsuit to ensure the comptroller can’t discriminate against certain private schools in the future.

“Religious liberty is not a temporary pass issued after a lawsuit,” said Eric Hudson, an attorney representing the Islamic schools. “We’re pressing on so equal treatment is the rule — not an exception granted under pressure.”

The comptroller’s office has objected to certifying the lawsuit as a class action, saying it shouldn’t be allowed to continue since the four Islamic campuses were ultimately allowed into the voucher program. The state’s lawyers also maintain that a class-action claim is outside the jurisdiction of the current court and case.

“Plaintiffs received not only the initial approval they sought, but also the continuing ability to participate in the Program on the same footing as all other approved providers and families,” the state’s June 26 filing said.

The debate over whether to allow the schools into the voucher program has come amid a wave of anti-Muslim rhetoric among some elected officials and prominent political candidates in Texas and across the country. At the state Republican Party convention last month, members tried to remove Muslims as delegates. Dr. Rick Scarborough, a former Southern Baptist pastor, told a Muslim attendee he wanted him to leave the event. (Scarborough later clarified to The Texas Tribune he wanted him to leave the country and admitted he had some regrets about the interaction.) In November, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott designated CAIR a foreign terrorist organization. Florida’s governor soon followed with his own accusations. CAIR is part of a lawsuit against Abbott and Paxton challenging the enforcement of the governor’s designation, saying he issued it “without due process and in violation of federal law.” The case is ongoing.

In the months since the Islamic schools’ lawsuit was filed, the comptroller’s office has maintained that its leaders did not purposefully single out certain schools. Instead, agency officials said that the Islamic schools were swept up in a wider review of some 700 private schools that were accredited by Cognia, a nonprofit that vets tens of thousands of schools worldwide. The agency has said it did not know which schools had Islamic connections but instead set aside the entire group after discovering not all had up-to-date accreditations, which are mandated to qualify for the Texas voucher program. Cognia could not be immediately reached for comment.

Miller’s deposition, however, contradicts the state’s claim.

In the deposition, Miller said the agency began receiving information as far back as last summer that identified almost 50 schools with alleged links to the Chinese Communist Party or extremist groups. He also confirmed that the third-party researchers hired by the comptroller only examined those particular campuses out of the more than 2,600 private schools now approved for the voucher program.

The filing also said the comptroller initially approved at least one of the Islamic schools represented in the lawsuit for the voucher program, Bayaan Academy, then later removed it two hours after Westrop shared some of his research in January via email.

Miller’s deposition cited a range of sources that prompted the comptroller’s investigations into the schools, including Westrop, a regional Homeland Security Task Force launched last summer to “combat emerging threats from transnational criminal organizations in Southeast Texas,” congressional hearings probing potential terrorist activities in Texas and the RAIR Foundation, an activist and investigative journalism organization combating “the threats from Islamic supremacists, radical leftists and their allies.”

Miller spoke with Westrop on the phone at one point this year. He told lawyers Westrop appeared credible.

“Did you Google Mr. Westrop?” Hudson asked during the May deposition.

“I did not Google, no,” said Miller, who added that the investigators the state hired confirmed his credentials.

“Did they make you aware of a defamation judgment against him for falsely accusing someone of being a terrorist?” Hudson asked.

“No, they did not,” Miller replied.

Westrop, who could not be reached for comment, was hired this year by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, an influential conservative think tank based in Austin. He has continued raising allegations on at least one podcast that extremist groups will take advantage of the school voucher program funding.

Westrop later published his research, which he had shared with the comptroller, on Middle East Forum, a website founded in 1994 that “promotes American interests in the Middle East and protects the West from Middle Eastern threats.”

Miller said in his deposition that the comptroller’s office is “not readily prepared to do investigations and to do deep research into foreign terrorist organizations or any other accusation.”

The comptroller, instead, handed over the list of accused schools provided by Westrop and others to two third-party counterterrorism researchers, Reuben Katz and Lara Burns, a retired FBI agent who now works with George Washington University’s Program on Extremism.

Katz and Burns, who could not immediately be reached for comment, provided the agency with dossiers on each school. Their research included cross-referencing accused school leaders against government terrorism and extremist group databases.

The comptroller ultimately allowed in all of the schools alleged to have Islamic terrorist or Chinese Communist Party ties.

The Islamic school plaintiffs have said their inclusion in the program is still not guaranteed long term and they hope a class-action suit could help change the comptroller’s processes that allowed the agency to delay their admission in the first place.

The filing pointed to a March 24 letter Hancock sent the state attorney general, in which he continued pushing claims linking the Houston Quran Academy’s principal to the Muslim Brotherhood. In the letter, he says the school had been “temporarily” approved for the voucher program but called for its removal. (The school could not be immediately reached for comment; the Houston Chronicle previously reported that Principal Hamed Ghazali said the school has no ties to CAIR and is “purely academic.”) Hancock asked Paxton, whom the comptroller had been feuding with over the attorney general’s legal strategy in the investigation, to highlight what he called the school’s “terror ties.” He urged the attorney general to strip the school, “and any other school with documented ties to terrorism,” of its corporate charter. (Hancock has since announced he will step down from his position as acting comptroller at the end of this month.)

Of Hancock’s comments, Miller said in his deposition, “There’s a lot of mistakes and misstatements in this particular letter, but again, I’m not the acting comptroller.”

“We,” Miller said, had determined the accusations of terrorist ties were not accurate. “This letter came completely out of the blue, and — and so this was a surprise to all of us.”

An attorney for the plaintiffs asked whether the comptroller has the authority to remove a school from the approved list, overriding the agency’s own internal research. Miller opposed the notion multiple times before conceding at one point.

“It’s possible, yes,” Miller said.

Misty Harris contributed research. Vianna Davila contributed reporting.

Disclosure: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and Texas Public Policy Foundation 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.

Ohtani was 0 for 4 with a pair of warning-track flyouts as the leadoff batter and designated hitter in Friday's 2-1 win over the New York Yankees that opened the second half. The four-time MVP is not slated to pitch this weekend and likely will make his next start Wednesday at Philadelphia.

Roberts said Ohtani had the procedure after Sunday's game against Arizona. Ohtani last pitched on July 3.

“It gives him some relief in his knee, which we were hoping to get, and then the four days off from activity, which gets it all to kind of settle in,” Roberts said. “I think we are certainly more prepared to back off on the workload if it calls for it, but Shohei wants to be out there as much as he possibly can.”

Ohtani is batting .293 with 22 homers and 58 RBIs while going 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings over 14 starts on the mound. The four-time MVP skipped Tuesday night’s All-Star Game.

“Part of his wear and tear, just part of being an athlete, being a baseball player, the running, the pitching, the swinging of the bat, all that stuff has effects on the body,” Roberts said.

He will try to give Ohtani days off after his pitching starts if possible.

“Safe to say that even if there isn’t an off day behind it, I would like to give him that next day off,” Roberts said. “So ideally, yeah, he would have the scheduled off day behind it. But that’s not always possible, kind of with the schedule and also where he’s at.”

Ohtani probably will throw off a mound in the next few days to test the knee. He has been landing more in an open stance to lessen torque on the left knee, which Roberts said likely will not need offseason surgery.

Roberts said he doesn't know whether catcher Will Smith, who hasn't played since June 5 because of neck inflammation, will return this season but hopes the three-time All-Star can contribute this year. Roberts said Smith “didn’t feel like he was making any improvement.”

“He’s taking a week, at least a week of just really doing no activity to hopefully calm his neck down, to then build up,” Roberts said. “Early on we’ve been trying to get him ready, moving around, doing some baseball stuff, but he hasn’t been able to get over the hump.”

Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz, recovering from surgery on April 22 to remove loose bodies from his right elbow, was to pitch Friday in his third minor league rehab appearance and then throw again Sunday.

“He’s got to assure us that he’s in a good spot to close out,” Roberts said.

Left-hander Blake Snell, sidelined since his season debut on May 9 because of loose bodies in his pitching elbow, is to start for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday.

Tyler Glasnow, a right-hander out since May 6 because of lower back spasms, has been throwing bullpens.

___

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

U.S. Marshals located Lavaca County Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Travis Hill at a remote location in Gonzales County, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. The marshals “attempted to safely take Hill into custody and provided him the opportunity to surrender peacefully.”

During that interaction, the sheriff’s office said Hill fatally shot himself. No injuries to law enforcement were reported.

The Lavaca County Sheriff’s Office said it became aware of misconduct allegations involving Hill around six weeks ago, which prompted a request for the Texas Department of Public Safety Texas Rangers to conduct a special investigation.

Because Hill served as both an elected official and a practicing criminal defense attorney — including as a public defender — the Lavaca County Attorney’s Office formally recused itself from the case. The Texas Attorney General’s Office was asked to take over prosecution.

Hill, who also worked as a criminal defense attorney, faced three charges:

• Compelling prostitution, a first-degree felony
• Sexual assault, a second-degree felony
• Solicitation of prostitution, a state jail felony

Hill was initially arrested on Saturday, July 11. He was booked into the Lavaca County Jail and was later transferred to the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office Jail the same day.

The sheriff’s office said Hill bonded out on July 12 on the condition that he report to the Lavaca County Community Supervision and Corrections Department within 72 hours for a GPS ankle monitor.

On July 15, he failed to report for his ankle monitor fitting session, the news release said.

Additionally, Hill did not “appear in district court, where he was scheduled to represent clients” as a criminal defense attorney. The sheriff’s office stated an attorney’s arrest does not automatically prohibit that attorney from continuing to practice law.

An arrest warrant was issued by the original Lavaca County magistrate judge based on Hill not showing up for the ankle monitor session and “additional investigative information.” The sheriff’s office said authorities believed he was actively avoiding contact with law enforcement and deemed Hill a fugitive.

“Although Mr. Hill was considered a fugitive during this period, law enforcement intentionally did not publicly announce the search,” the sheriff’s office said. “While we cannot disclose all operational considerations, we can state that investigators had no reason to believe the general public was in immediate danger.”

On July 16, Hill was formally charged with the sex crimes, according to the news release.

The Victoria division of the U.S. Marshals Service assisted the investigation and located Hill in Gonzales County, the news release said. Marshals “attempted to safely take Hill into custody and provided him the opportunity to surrender peacefully.”

After they communicated with Hill, the sheriff’s office said he fatally shot himself.

Hill was pronounced dead at the scene. The sheriff’s office said no law enforcement members were injured.

The Texas Rangers are investigating Hill’s death, according to the news release.

“This investigation did not end with Mr. Hill’s death. Our investigators, alongside our law enforcement partners, will continue to pursue every credible lead, identify any additional victims, and thoroughly investigate the full extent of the alleged criminal conduct brought to our attention,” Lavaca Sheriff Steven E. Greenwell said in the news release. We are equally committed to determining whether any other individuals knowingly participated in or facilitated Mr. Hill’s criminal activity and will seek accountability wherever the evidence leads.”

Authorities are asking anyone with information relevant to the investigation to contact the Texas Rangers or the Lavaca County Crime Stoppers website or Facebook page.

The LCSO Criminal Investigation Division can also be reached at 361-217-6753. Callers may remain anonymous.

Read also:

• Lavaca County justice of the peace arrested on felony sexual assault charge, sheriff’s office says
• Lavaca County justice of the peace dies by suicide during encounter with deputies, sheriff’s office says

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services' decision cites a multitude of noncompliance citations in 2026 for the Provo Canyon School’s Provo campus, including not protecting “a client from potential harm or acts of violence,” and “using cruel and unnecessary practice on a child." More than a dozen of the citations were noted on Friday.

“No child should be hurt in a program that is meant to protect them; particularly programs that require the authorization of the state to operate,” Shannon Thoman-Black, director of the division of licensing and background checks at the health and human services department, said in a statement.

Earlier this month, the state revoked the license for the Provo Canyon School’s other campus in Utah, saying the school has “failed to provide applicable health and safety services for clients.”

Paris Hilton, the media personality who spent almost a year at the school in the late 1990s, said the latest announcement means she finally feels a sense of “peace.”

“This horrific chapter of abuse, neglect, and trauma has finally come to an end,” she said in a statement.

The school, which is described on its website as a psychiatric residential treatment facility for youth ages 12 to 18, has until Aug. 15 to stop providing services at its Provo campus. In the interim, Utah officials will be monitoring the facility at least once a week, according to the state’s Department of Health and Human Services.

Staci Bradley, the school’s director of business development, said in a statement that they do not agree with the state’s decision and “are carefully reviewing all available legal and administrative avenues, including the appeals process.”

The facility has 15 days to request a hearing before the department.

Hilton alleges that school staff members beat her, watched her shower, fed her unknown pills and locked her in solitary confinement without clothing.

“Today means no child will ever have to endure what we did at Provo Canyon School again,” she said.

She has testified about her experiences there in Congress and state legislatures around the U.S., helping pass laws to protect teens in Utah and more than a dozen other states. Utah has long played an outsized role in the troubled teen industry, a network of private, for-profit residential centers for children with behavioral issues.

In June, Hilton returned to the Provo Canyon School to support two families who filed lawsuits alleging that their children were mistreated at the school.

The school is under new ownership, and the administration has said it can’t comment on anything that came before the change, including Hilton’s time there.

He wrote on social media that she “has been a WINNER all of her life and, should she accept, has my Complete and Total Endorsement.”

“RUN, DARLINE, RUN!” Trump added.

The president said he had discussed a potential campaign with Darline Graham at the White House. Four people familiar with the deliberations, none of whom were authorized to speak publicly, had previously said that she privately expressed interest in running.

Trump's endorsement dramatically reshapes the scramble to fill Lindsey Graham's seat after he died last weekend. The president had previously suggested he could back a potential candidacy from Rep. Russell Fry. Several other noteworthy politicians — including Fry, Rep. Nancy Mace, Rep. Ralph Norman and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette — have been eyeing a run.

The filing period for a special primary runs from July 21 to July 28, and the primary is scheduled for Aug. 11.

Plans for Lindsey Graham’s funeral were also announced Friday. There will be a service in Washington on July 28 and more in South Carolina on July 29.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham to serve the remainder of her brother's term, which ends in January.

The first woman to represent the state in the Senate, Darline Graham called it "such an honor,” as dozens of her brother’s staffers and campaign advisers stood behind her, some with eyes glassy from welling tears.

“Lindsey has always been there for me. And now, I will be there for him," she said.

Lindsey Graham died Saturday at age 71. A preliminary report from the medical examiner said he suffered a tear in his aorta.

He never married or had a family of his own, but his sister was often by his side for the political touch points of his career, speaking at events and appearing in some of his campaign ads. After both of their parents died when Darline Graham was only 13, her older brother became her legal guardian and later adopted her, to ensure his military benefits would flow to her.

In forging a relationship with Darline Graham — who is new to politics but was a constant in her brother's political career — Trump could be angling to develop another ally to help steer his agenda through the Senate.

Although they had at times a tumultuous relationship, Lindsey Graham had been one of Trump's top Senate confidants, and the day after his death, the president said he was “like a member of the family.”

In his announcement Monday, McMaster made no reference to Darline Graham as a placeholder or symbolic appointment.

However, a person familiar with McMaster's thinking but unauthorized to speak publicly said the governor, in selecting Darline Graham, had never contemplated that she would run for the seat herself.

Sen. Tim Scott, another South Carolina Republican, said he would not endorse any candidate in the primary because he also serves as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

But, he said, “as Tim Scott, the voter of South Carolina, I might indeed wade into the water at some point.”

“I think the truth of the matter is that Darline has so far been off to a remarkable start,” Scott told reporters, asking about her as a possible special primary contender. “‘Why not her?’ would be my question.”

When he died, Lindsey Graham had millions in his campaign account and was expected to raise much more heading into the general election. But those aren’t funds that Darline Graham could directly access, if she were to run, according to Bradley A. Smith, a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission.

Under federal rules, Lindsey Graham's campaign would be limited to transferring just $2,000 to a potential Darline Graham candidacy. However, Smith said there is no limit on how much it could transfer to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which could — thanks to a Supreme Court decision last month — “spend an unlimited amount in coordination with Darline’s campaign.”

“It can’t be earmarked for Darline’s campaign, but in those circumstances I’m sure that the party will make sure she’s not short of cash,” said Smith, now serving as a professor at Capital University Law School in Ohio.

___

Kim reported from Washington. Associated Press reporter Thomas Beaumont contributed from Des Moines, Iowa.

___

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

This is the first time a federal appeals court has struck down a state ban on such weapons, and it comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is set to consider whether bans on semiautomatic rifles violate the Second Amendment. Just last week, a different federal appeals court upheld Illinois' ban on semiautomatic weapons.

Friday's appeals court ruling in the New Jersey case goes further than a July 2024 ruling from a federal judge, who said that the state's ban on AR-15s specifically was unconstitutional but upheld the provision barring larger magazines. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Friday in its opinion that the state's ban on all semiautomatic rifles it deems to be “assault firearms” and restriction on “large capacity ammunition magazines” were unconstitutional.

New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, a Democrat whose office defended the law, said in a statement that the decision is “as unfortunate as it is legally incorrect.”

“Every other federal circuit court to consider the issue has come out the other way,” Davenport said. “Assault weapons and large capacity magazines play a dangerous role in the modern epidemic of mass shootings, and New Jersey acted reasonably and lawfully in restricting them. We are considering our options.”

John Commerford, executive director of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, called the ruling a “historic victory for the NRA, the Second Amendment, and law-abiding Americans."

In addition to New Jersey, 10 states, as well as the District of Columbia, have laws that generally ban the manufacture, sale, and transfer of assault weapons, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. The District of Columbia, New Jersey and 11 other states cap magazine capacity at 10 rounds generally or for certain types of firearms.

Adam Winkler, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that Friday's ruling was surprising because federal courts of appeals have upheld assault weapons bans in the past. On the other hand, he added, the decision "may be foretelling the Supreme Court’s coming opinion on assault weapons bans.”

“What this Third Circuit opinion shows is that there are very few gun laws that are safe from being struck down right now," Winkler said. ___

Kelety reported from Phoenix.

People located in Kerr, Kendall, Gillespie, Blanco and Uvalde counties should remain aware of warning and evacuation calls. Officials are asking people to refrain from traveling to or through areas with Flash Flood Emergencies in an effort to prevent unnecessary rescue calls.

>> Flash Flood Emergencies along Guadalupe, Pedernales Rivers and in Uvalde County.

For those affected by the floods, there are emergency shelters and resources available across the region.

Comal County

A mandatory evacuation was issued Thursday for parts of Comal County along the Guadalupe River, according to a county news release.

Residents from the Comal County line at Guadalupe State Park along the river to FM 311 are urged to evacuate due to river flooding.

Spring Branch Middle School, located at 21053 TX-46 in Spring Branch, is available to anyone needing shelter, the release said.

A boil notice is under affect for residents of Canyon Lake Shores and other neighborhoods in Comal County, according to a news release from the City of Bulverde.

People affected by the boil notice can visit Academy Sports + Outdoors in Spring Branch on Saturday, July 18, for free cases of 24-count bottled water, while supplies last, according to a news release. No purchase is necessary. Water is available starting at 9 a.m. at the 407 Singing Oaks, Suite 101 location.

Uvalde County

The county opened emergency shelters as water levels rise in the Leona, Nueces, and Frio rivers:

• Flores Elementary Campus, 901 N. Getty St.
• Dalton Elementary School, 600 N. Fourth St.
• Southwest Texas College, 2401 Garner Field Road

It’s important to note all major highways and streets near rivers, creeks and low-water crossings in Uvalde are closed.

Kerr County

Flooding in the Guadalupe River prompted Hunt, Ingram, Kerrville and Center Point to coordinate shelters for those displaced or in need of reunification.

Shelters:

• Calvary Temple, 3000 TX-534 Loop in Kerrville
• City West Church, 3139 Junction Highway in Ingram
• Center Point ISD Gymnasium, 215 China St. in Center Point

Additional updates in Kerr County can be found through the sheriff’s office’s Facebook page.

Kendall County

Anyone in need of emergency shelters in Kendall County can visit Comfort High School, located at 143 US-87 North, or the Kendall County Golden Age Center, located at 628 Front St.

Additionally, Kendal County residents can text KENDALL to 69310 and receive Kendall County emergency alerts.

This story will be updated as more shelters and resources are announced.

More weather coverage on KSAT:

• Flash Flood Emergencies along Guadalupe, Pedernales Rivers and in Uvalde County.

Crowley will announce his return to the race Saturday, less than two weeks after he dropped out and endorsed Rodriguez. spokesperson Brandon Weathersby confirmed. The move caps a tumultuous chain of events that began Monday, when Rodriguez said she had fired her campaign manager after discovering her campaign had hundreds of thousands of dollars less on hand than expected.

On Friday, Rodriguez, a leading establishment Democrat from the pivotal Milwaukee suburbs, abruptly ended her campaign, saying the financial concerns would be a distraction were she to continue running in the Midwestern battleground state.

“As we have continued to dig into our financial reports, it has become clear there are issues that would be an ongoing distraction,” Rodriguez said in a social media post Friday. “Part of being a leader is taking swift action, doing the right thing and being as honest as possible when there's a problem."

“And because I believe that, I cannot, in good conscience, allow these questions to become a cloud over an election Democrats need to win,” she added.

The shake-up comes less than a month from the primary election on Aug. 11, when Democrats will be choosing a successor to Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat who opted not to seek a third term.

The remaining Democratic candidates include democratic socialist Francesca Hong and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes. The winner of the primary will advance to the general election against Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, who faces only token primary opposition.

Crowley grew up in the 53206 ZIP code, which a 2013 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee study found was the most incarcerated ZIP code in the country, with a majority of men who lived there having spent time behind bars. The area is also known for high rates of poverty, a high concentration of vacant lots and poor healthcare.

Before suspending his campaign, Crowley leaned into his background, highlighting how his family was once homeless in Milwaukee but he rose to become a community organizer and was elected to the state Assembly in 2016 at age 30. He served until the middle of 2020, when he was elected as executive of Milwaukee County, the state’s largest county. He was the first Black person to hold that job and also the youngest at age 33.

Barnes Campaign Manager Darby O’Connor said Crawley failed to gain traction, and predicted that restarting his campaign will empower Republicans.

“This Hail Mary serves no purpose other than playing spoiler and handing our state to Trump’s handpicked candidate in Tom Tiffany,” O'Connor said in a statement.

Democrats are hoping to hold onto the governor’s office as they also eye flipping majority control of the state Legislature, which Republicans have held since 2011.

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Associated Press writers Scott Bauer and Jonathan J. Cooper contributed.

The city and the police union most recently met to negotiate a contract Thursday.

In the release, City Manager Erik Walsh lauded the “meaningful pay increases” and “strong health benefits” for officers in the agreement that also keeps the “City’s long-term fiscal health” and its ability to fund “mandated services” in mind.

“Our goal was to keep San Antonio among the top three Texas cities in total police compensation, and this agreement accomplishes that. Reaching an agreement before the FY 2027 budget is proposed also gives us a clear understanding of the costs as we prepare for next year,” Walsh said in the release. “I deeply value the work our police officers do every day to keep San Antonio safe, and I appreciate Deputy City Manager María Villagómez and the entire City negotiating team for their hard work throughout this process.”

The tentative agreement would cost the city approximately $102.2 million over the three years of the contract, according to the city.

In a statement to KSAT, SAPOA President Johnny Perez believes the tentative agreement represents a “fair compromise for both sides.”

“Every conversation at that negotiation table was rooted in one goal: to ensure our officers receive the fair pay and benefits they’ve earned for selflessly protecting our city,” Perez said.

If SAPOA members approve the contract, San Antonio city council members would then need its own stamp of approval in order for it to become official.

“This isn’t the finish line, it’s just the beginning,” Perez said. “We’re looking forward to presenting this to our members to formally ratify the agreement.”

What’s in the tentative deal

A rookie San Antonio police officer is making $65,436 under the current deal.

According to the terms of the tentative agreement, which could go into effect Oct. 1, 2026, a new officer would have a starting salary of $68,053. If SAPD hires a rookie officer on April 1, 2029, per terms of the tentative deal, that officer would have a starting salary of $76,959.

A San Antonio police captain, who is making $139,152 under the Step C designation of the current deal, would see their salary jump to $144,693 if the new deal is approved before Oct. 1.

The proposed pay of that same San Antonio police captain would rise to $163,629 on April 1, 2029.

A SAPOA spokesperson said the union is now tasked with educating its 2,600 members on the contract and answer any questions officers may have.

That process could take anywhere between two and three weeks before union members vote on the deal, the spokesperson said.

Background

The city and union began negotiating a new contract in late January and had settled a number of other matters in the contract before Friday’s announcement, such as hours of work.

Pay had also been a sticking point in the most recent negotiations. Back in April, the union paused the talks because of a previous city offer the union’s former president described as a “slap in the face.”

The city, which is heading into a tough budget year that could involve cuts and possibly a property tax increase, hoped to negotiate a deal before they present a draft budget to the council on Aug. 13.

The previous agreement was set to end Sept. 30. If the new tentative deal is not approved by Sept. 30, an evergreen clause would keep the previous agreement’s terms in place for up to eight years.

More related coverage of this story on KSAT:

• Pay still an issue as City of San Antonio, police union inch closer to new contract
• SAPOA President Danny Diaz retiring after 30 years of service, union says

Judge hasn't played since May 31 because of a stress fracture in his right ribs. He had a scan during the All-Star break and called the result positive news.

“Part of it's healing. The other part of it's still trying to bridge together,” the three-time AL MVP said before the Yankees started the second half Friday night against the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Judge and the Yankees were waiting for an evaluation of the scans from Dr. Gregory J. Pearl, chair of the department of vascular surgery at Baylor Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital in Texas. Judge will need another scan before he is cleared for baseball activities and given a timeframe for a return.

“I’m going to wait for the doctors to kind of tell us what to do and what they see when they look at it,” Judge said. “We've got a big team of guys looking at this just so we get the best answer and have the right plan.”

Judge is hitting .248 with 17 homers and 38 RBIs but had just one homer in his last 18 games before going on the injured list. The 34-year-old outfielder has done lower-body work, used a treadmill and climbed steps — but no baseball activities or heavy weightlifting. He's stopped the bicycle work he did earlier during the layoff.

“It’s feeling better. It was a couple weeks that were tough, couldn’t do a lot, but now we’re feeling 10 times better,” he said. “So that was my big complaint, well, if I’m feeling better, how about we start moving? But I think they just don’t want to start adding baseball activities and other stuff and all of a sudden we have a setback and it pushes everything back.”

When he is able to play, Judge doesn't want to go on a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment.

“I hate rehab games, so I've got to talk with them about all that, because why waste at-bats in a rehab game?” Judge said.

New York was 36-23 when he last played but was 18-19 since as the second half began Friday.

“I feel good about the fact that he will be back but it's just a matter of when,” manager Aaron Boone said.

Fried pitches in minors and other Yankees injury news

Left-hander Max Fried, out since May 14 because of a left elbow bone bruise, made his first rehab start Friday for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre against Worcester, allowing two runs and five hits over three innings with three strikeouts and no walks. Fried threw 32 of 52 pitches for strikes.

Fried gave up Andrew Knizner's RBI single in the first and Kenedy Corona's home run on a changeup in the second. He will have at least one more minor league outing before returning to the Yankees' rotation.

Shortstop prospect George Lombard Jr. homered for the RailRiders in his return from the injured list. He hadn't played for Scranton since June 16 because of sprained fingers on his left hand.

Left-hander Carlos Rodón, who has not pitched since June 28 because of left elbow inflammation, threw 10 pitches off a mound Friday but has not progressed to a bullpen session.

Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, who hasn’t played since April 24 because of a strained right calf, started a running progression outdoors.

Clarke Schmidt, coming back from Tommy John surgery on July 11 last year, was set to throw an inning of batting practice Saturday.

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

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, on July 7 as he was driving to a Houston construction job site with three co-workers, one of whom was his brother. The shooting sparked protests in the sprawling Texas city, echoing Salgado Araujo’s family’s calls for transparency. The family describes him as a hardworking father very close to obtaining legal status in the U.S. after living in the country for 35 years.

The shooting came just days before two other men in Florida and Maine died as part of President Donald Trump's federal immigration crackdown, renewing scrutiny on the Department of Homeland Security's law enforcement tactics.

Aaron Reitz, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas, said for the first time on Thursday that ICE officers were targeting two Guatemalan men who were potentially subject to deportation. He said they were driving a van similar to the one Salgado Araujo was driving when he was killed. In an earlier statement released the day Salgado Araujo was killed, DHS said he was targeted in an immigration enforcement operation, and he was living in the country without legal permission.

Reitz also said that the officers believed that Salgado Araujo and the passengers in his car fit the description of the Guatemalan men the agents were looking for.

Four officers driving two separate law enforcement vehicles attempted to pull over Salgado Araujo's van using their police lights. Salgado Araujo then made a U-turn and drove over a median to evade getting pulled over, Reitz said.

Later that morning, the officers again encountered Salgado Araujo's van and for the second time tried to pull him over, this time effectively surrounding the vehicle, Reitz said. Two of the four agents got out of their cars and told Salgado Araujo to put the vehicle in park. Just before he was shot, one of the agents was “partially inside the van or immediately next to it” when Salgado Araujo tried to reverse and then drive forward again, Reitz said.

An earlier DHS statement accused Salgado Araujo of weaponizing his vehicle. The agency said he rammed his van into a law enforcement vehicle and said an officer opened fire in self-defense. The most recent statement from the U.S attorney's office, however, didn't mention any collision between Salgado Araujo's van and a law enforcement vehicle. It also didn't explicitly say that the officer feared for his life. There are no reported injuries for the officers involved.

The latest statement didn't name the officer who killed Salgado Araujo, nor did it specify if the officer who fired the shot was the same person who was next to, or partially inside, the van.

Reitz also said in the statement that officers “saw in plain view several small bags of a white, crystal-like substance inside the van” and that the FBI later executed a search warrant to investigate for possible illicit substances. Salgado Araujo’s brother, who was in the van when the shooting happened, has been in ICE detention since the incident. His attorney said the white substance was a salt mixture that the men used as electrolytes to stay hydrated while doing manual labor in the grueling Texas heat.

Few photos or videos surrounding the shooting in Houston have emerged on social media, unlike other deaths involving federal immigration officers.

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, on July 7 as he was driving to a Houston construction job site with three co-workers, one of whom was his brother. The shooting sparked protests in the sprawling Texas city, echoing Salgado Araujo’s family’s calls for transparency. The family describes him as a hardworking father very close to obtaining legal status in the U.S. after living in the country for 35 years.

The shooting came just days before two other men in Florida and Maine died as part of President Donald Trump's federal immigration crackdown, renewing scrutiny on the Department of Homeland Security's law enforcement tactics.

Aaron Reitz, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas, said for the first time on Thursday that ICE officers were targeting two Guatemalan men who were potentially subject to deportation. He said they were driving a van similar to the one Salgado Araujo was driving when he was killed. In an earlier statement released the day Salgado Araujo was killed, DHS said he was targeted in an immigration enforcement operation, and he was living in the country without legal permission.

Reitz also said that the officers believed that Salgado Araujo and the passengers in his car fit the description of the Guatemalan men the agents were looking for.

Four officers driving two separate law enforcement vehicles attempted to pull over Salgado Araujo's van using their police lights. Salgado Araujo then made a U-turn and drove over a median to evade getting pulled over, Reitz said.

Later that morning, the officers again encountered Salgado Araujo's van and for the second time tried to pull him over, this time effectively surrounding the vehicle, Reitz said. Two of the four agents got out of their cars and told Salgado Araujo to put the vehicle in park. Just before he was shot, one of the agents was “partially inside the van or immediately next to it” when Salgado Araujo tried to reverse and then drive forward again, Reitz said.

An earlier DHS statement accused Salgado Araujo of weaponizing his vehicle. The agency said he rammed his van into a law enforcement vehicle and said an officer opened fire in self-defense. The most recent statement from the U.S attorney's office, however, didn't mention any collision between Salgado Araujo's van and a law enforcement vehicle. It also didn't explicitly say that the officer feared for his life. There are no reported injuries for the officers involved.

The latest statement didn't name the officer who killed Salgado Araujo, nor did it specify if the officer who fired the shot was the same person who was next to, or partially inside, the van.

Reitz also said in the statement that officers “saw in plain view several small bags of a white, crystal-like substance inside the van” and that the FBI later executed a search warrant to investigate for possible illicit substances. Salgado Araujo’s brother, who was in the van when the shooting happened, has been in ICE detention since the incident. His attorney said the white substance was a salt mixture that the men used as electrolytes to stay hydrated while doing manual labor in the grueling Texas heat.

Few photos or videos surrounding the shooting in Houston have emerged on social media, unlike other deaths involving federal immigration officers.

Kyle Bylin discovered his birth family after taking an at-home test he chose randomly during a Christmas gift-exchange. That led to his biological aunt on a genealogy platform. Her nephew, Jeremy Morrison, then had his DNA tested. The results were irrefutable.

“That’s when my mind was just completely blown,” Bylin said. “We could have never imagined that it was an actual birth switch that occurred.”

Morrison said he was convinced as soon as he saw a photo of Bylin's brother and realized they looked very much alike.

Bylin and Morrison were the only babies born on Jan. 26, 1988, at Unity Medical Center in Grafton, North Dakota, according to their lawsuit filed in state court last week. Somehow, they went home with the wrong parents.

A hospital statement says there’s no evidence staff was responsible for the switch.

But Bylin, born Jeremy Morrison, says he still has the hospital bracelet that misidentified him as Kyle Bylin.

The hospital records no longer exist

Two years have passed since the DNA tests shattered what they thought they knew about their families — including disorienting moments, emotional family meetings and thoughts about the what-ifs.

“Kyle is still my son — that is never going to change,” Evelyn Newton, who raised him as her own, told The Associated Press in a phone interview Friday. “But I feel robbed of the life I should have had with my biological son. You can't go back and replace 35 years. First steps, driving a car, getting married — how do you make up for that?”

The hospital doesn't dispute that the babies were switched at some point. It says it's working to better understand what happened, but has uncovered no evidence that its administration or staff were responsible for the lives-altering error.

“We recognize the profound impact this discovery has had on them and their families,” Unity Medical's statement says. “Unfortunately, because of the passage of nearly four decades, the medical and staffing records that might have provided additional clarity no longer exist, and no members of the delivery team from that time are still employed by the hospital.”

The knowledge hasn't changed the way Morrison feels about the family he's always known. He still thinks of the parents he grew up with — Elizabeth O'Toole and Terry Morrison — as his parents. And aside from some challenging times — like wishing he had a sibling to lean on when he was 7 and they divorced — he says his childhood was fine.

“I was loved. I played sports. I did well in school,” Morrison said. “A DNA test is not going to take away 38 years of memories.”

The shocking truth led to emotional encounters

Morrison now lives in Colorado City, Colorado, and works as a welding inspector for a wind energy company. Had he not been switched at birth, he figures he'd still be with his biological brother and father, working on the North Dakota grain farm where Bylin grew up.

Newton said she never had any thought that Kyle might not be their biological son as she and her then-husband, Keith Bylin, were raising him. True, the immediate family had light hair and Kyle’s was dark. But her husband had relatives with dark hair, and Newton herself was adopted, so she didn’t know what her own blood relatives looked like.

For Bylin, questions about nature versus nurture have become more personal. As he pursued an academic career far from North Dakota, he figured the political debates over Thanksgiving dinner were just a staple of American family life.

“You’re just kind of shaking your fist, like, how can this be my family? How am I so different from them?” Bylin said. “It turns out that we’re just totally different people, period.”

Bylin and Morrison have now met their biological parents — the encounters were welcoming but awkward, they said. They have yet to meet each other, but have spoken on the phone.

“We’ve tried to unite as a group and just recognize that no matter what, there’s different ways that this can be socially messy,” Bylin said. “Everyone’s getting to know people that they didn’t know before.”

Others have discovered they were switched at birth

Such cases are rare, but at-home DNA tests are making them easier to uncover:

1. In 2024, two women sued the government of Norway alleging a breach of human rights after discovering they had been switched.

2. Two men who believe they were switched at birth in 1942 sued a Roman Catholic diocese in West Virginia in 2020, alleging negligence and breach of duty by the hospital where they were born.

3. In 2018 in Pennsylvania, testing revealed that two girls had been switched some 75 years earlier .

4. In 2016, the Canadian government launched an investigation after DNA evidence indicated two men from a northern Manitoba Indigenous community were switched at birth in 1975.

Modern tech helps hospitals prevent switches

Dr. Jonathan Marron, a pediatric oncologist who also teaches at Harvard Medical School’s Center for Bioethics, says such mix-ups should happen “pretty close to never” nowadays.

“As often as all clinicians, doctors, nurses, social workers, everybody else, gripe about the electronic health records,” the digital backstop is a clear benefit, Marron said.

Attorney Tim O’Keefe said he tried for a year to reach a monetary settlement with the hospital before filing a lawsuit claiming emotional distress due to negligence and medical malpractice. The families have spent this time adjusting to new realities.

“I know the truth now, but we’re still working to build relationships,” Morrison said. “I mean, it’s not like I can go back in time and rebuild what’s already lost. It’s a work in progress, just like me.”

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Susan Montoya Bryan contributed from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Johnson reported from Seattle, Schuettler from Phoenix. Schuettler 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.

A week of punishing downpours dumped more than 2 feet (60 centimeters) in some areas. The rain was expected to taper off, but another round of showers worsened already swollen rivers and flooded rural communities near the border with Mexico that had largely been spared major damage.

Near Ozona, a small town about 200 miles (322 kilometers) west of San Antonio, floodwaters spilled over Interstate 10. More than 50 people were rescued by boat from flooded apartments and a water-logged RV park.

A section of a bridge also collapsed over the Nueces River in Uvalde County, where months worth of rain has fallen in a span of days. In Uvalde, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) southwest of San Antonio, floodwaters rushed through Miguel Vasquez’s home twice this week, leaving a layer of mud and knocking over his refrigerator and other items.

Debris was strewn around his neighborhood and a neighbor’s shed teetered over a washed-away section of the property. He said Friday that he'd been caught in the waters' current and nearly been swept away and drowned in trying to get to his house Wednesday.

“I had to grab on with my hands and my feet. You couldn’t swim," he said. "People think that when there’s a flood, you can swim. Swimming’s not going to help you. It’ll take you. The current’s too strong.”

Almost a trillion gallons of water fell in a flood-prone area

Nearly 1 trillion gallons of water fell on the three hardest-hit counties over three days — enough to fill 1.5 million Olympic-sized swimming pools or supply 11 million homes for a year.

Uvalde County alone got more rain in that period than California has seen over the last month, according to Ryan Maue, former chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.

The Hill Country is especially prone to flash floods because the area’s signature limestone is covered by just a thin layer of soil. During heavy rains, water can quickly shoot downhill before filling the narrow river basins.

Emergency personnel across a wide swath of southern and central Texas have rescued more than 570 people, including stranded drivers and people trapped in homes, Gov. Greg Abbott said. Hill Country residents were beginning to clean up after floodwaters again barreled down the Guadalupe River and through communities still reeling from deadly floods a year ago.

Giant border buoys set adrift on the Rio Grande

Floodwaters on the Rio Grande temporarily closed the two international bridges on the border with Mexico at Eagle Pass, stranding a few people on the wrong side. About 600 huge buoys placed on the river to deter migrants from crossing into the U.S. illegally were set adrift by the rising waters, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar said.

Cuellar said about 480 of them were captured by noon Friday. Critics have worried about the damage the buoys might do if they became untethered and got caught along banks and against bridge piers. Each is about 15 feet (4.6 meters) long and weighs 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms).

In the Hill Country, Serena Reyna woke up Thursday morning to find her Kerrville boutique, Nu Accents, covered in debris after four feet of floodwater rushed into the store. She described the store as “a total loss.”

“The floors, I mean they’re soaked in mud and still you know an inch of water in some spots," she said.

The Texas Department of Transportation said high waters closed a 50-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 57 and that parts of the roadway were not expected to reopen until Monday.

In all, roughly 6 million residents across Texas were under a flood watch at various points this week.

Residents in hard-hit Uvalde return to flooded homes

Floodwaters had overrun Uvalde and cut off most outside routes, making it one of the hardest hit cities. The waters were receding Friday, and officials said a major highway, Route 90, had reopened.

One person died while driving on a flooded road, swept away near Uvalde, authorities said.

Another victim, 65-year-old John Mark Steward of Kerrville, died after his mobile home was swept into Goat Creek on the Guadalupe River, his wife said. The same river was wrecked by flash floods last year when two dozen children and counselors died at Camp Mystic. Authorities on Thursday said summer campers were safe.

In Ozona, the seat of Crockett County, authorities used seven rescue boat teams to get people out of the hardest-hit areas. They were taken to the local civic center for shelter.

Eddie Martin, the county's emergency management director, said the area received 6 inches of rain after midnight, on top of nearly 10 inches of rain before that.

“We have more and more accidents on the interstate,” he said. “We have more and more water pouring into the neighborhoods where we’ve been pulling people out of.”

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Stengle reported from Dallas and Hanna, from Topeka, Kansas. Also contributing reporting were Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut; Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas; Michael Phillis in Washington, and Anna Wilder in Austin, Texas.

Instead of receiving automatic protections, imperiled species will need individualized protection plans once they are added to the threatened species list. That's a potentially lengthy process in which companies could seek exemptions for oil and gas drilling, mining and other development where those species live.

Opponents said it would make it harder to save wildlife that’s awaiting federal protections and in danger of disappearing, such as monarch butterflies and alligator snapping turtles.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement that the Endangered Species Act had been used for too long “to stop almost any new project in America, driving up costs for families, weakening our competitiveness, and undermining our national security.”

“Success should be measured by species recovery and delisting, not by adding more species to the list,” Burgum added.

A second change finalized Friday requires officials to analyze economic impacts when deciding whether habitat is critical to a species’ survival. Critics say it gives corporations an opportunity to put their thumb on the scale so that officials will allow development in those areas.

“If you're exempting certain industries that cause habitat destruction, in many instances you'll be exempting the main threat to those species,” said Noah Greenwald with the environmental group Center for Biological Diversity.

Officials made similar changes during Trump’s first term but they were reversed under former Democratic President Joe Biden.

The rules that gave what some consider “blanket protections” to threatened species were first adopted for wildlife in 1975 and for plants in 1977.

Two groups, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Property and Environment Research Center, sued the Biden administration in 2024 after officials restored the blanket protections rule. They argued the rule unfairly imposed the same restrictions on landowners when a species' status improves from endangered, which is more dire, to threatened.

That removed incentives for landowners to participate in species recovery, said Jonathan Wood, vice president at the Montana-based research center.

Wood said the Trump administration's approach allows officials to “better reward progress and encourage proactive conservation.”

There have been no species added to the endangered or threatened lists in Trump’s second term. By comparison, more than 20 species were added in Trump’s first term, and about 60 during Biden’s presidency.

About 30 species are currently proposed to be listed as threatened. Besides monarchs and alligator snapping turtles, they include California spotted owls and various snakes, fish, clams and insects.

Changes to government policies for endangered plants and wildlife have come faster and extended further in Trump's second term than in his first.

The administration in March exempted oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from the Endangered Species Act after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said environmentalists’ lawsuits threatened to hobble domestic energy supplies as the U.S. wages war against Iran.

Last week, Interior officials sharply narrowed the definition of what constitutes “harm” to a species. The change would allow development on critical wildlife habitat so long as the animals themselves are not immediately killed or injured.

This week officials sharply reduced the amount of critical habitat in the U.S. Rocky Mountains designated for Canada lynx, forest dwelling wildcats that are threatened by climate change and other pressures.

Also this week, Burgum said in a visit to Montana that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would turn over more management authority for grizzly bears to states where the bruins live. That's been a longstanding priority for the Republican governors of Wyoming, Idaho and Montana.

The Endangered Species Act is credited with bringing back iconic animals including the bald eagle and American alligator from the brink of extinction.

Burgum noted Friday that 97% of the species that have been given protections still have them. That’s a frustration for Republican lawmakers who say species should be taken off the endangered and threatened lists more quickly once they’ve recovered.

The tablets have access to video and league-provided data, and also included a custom tab where teams could access other programs. MLB made the custom tabs inaccessible to teams starting Wednesday night, when the second half of the season started.

“In many cases, the custom tab had expanded the use of the dugout iPads beyond their originally intended purpose to include recommendations regarding substitutions, pitch calling, and other in-game decisions traditionally made by players and coaches," MLB executive vice president of baseball operations Morgan Sword wrote in a June 11 memo to general managers, assistant GMs and video coordinators.

The memo, first reported by The Athletic, was obtained by The Associated Press.

“I read the article and I was like, I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Teams are making decisions off of AI? Man, that’s just crazy,” Yankees captain Aaron Judge said.

Ottavino said on his YouTube livestream “Baseball & Coffee” that the Mets had been using AI and cited spending by team owner Steve Cohen on the software. Ottavino pitched for the Mets from 2022-24 and is now a broadcaster on the New York Yankees' YES Network.

“The Mets were actually the team, the main team, that got cracked down on,” Ottavino said. “They had an AI program that was very expensive apparently and they were bragging about it a little bit early on in this — the year. Some of the coaches that I know were talking about it from around the league and they had basically an AI program helping them pick pitches and I think some other stuff.”

“But MLB got wind of it and nipped that right in the bud, so apparently they weren't the only team, but I knew about it from the Mets angle," he said. “They tried to throw some money at the situation. Steve ponied up for — I think this program from what I heard was several hundred thousand dollars to have.”

The Mets did not comment when asked whether they had a response.

A review by the competition committee found clubs had been compliant with the regulations.

“Instituting this prohibition beginning with the second half of the season is intended to provide clubs that have relied on the custom tab with appropriate lead-time to make any necessary adjustments," Sword wrote.

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider called it “a little weird to kind of see the whole report on it, where you can do things kind of in real time that can sway your decision one way or another.”

“I think the biggest thing is calling pitches and kind of seeing how that can evolve in real time via technology,” he said.

MLB started a pilot program allowing use of iPads in dugouts with restrictions late in the 2015 season and expanded their use in 2016 under a deal with Apple. Video was eliminated in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season following the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal, then returned in 2021.

“It hasn’t impacted us at all but I know AI is entering our arena for sure," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. "It’s entering everyone’s arena. You better get on it, or you’re going to get rolled over by it.”

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AP Baseball Writer David Brandt and AP freelance writer Ian Harrison contributed to this report.

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

The museum, which opened last November, debuted the “Rancheras” exhibit in January. Curated by Special Collections Manager Marcus Flores, the display focuses on San Antonio’s early women who owned large ranches and exercised legal rights uncommon for women in the English colonies.

“They were influential in their communities,” Flores said. “They had large land holdings in the area.”

Under Spanish colonial law, women could own property, maintain land separately from their husbands and sue in court, Flores said.

“They had a lot more rights than a lot of the English women did on the East Coast,” he said.

Among those featured is Maria Robaina de Bethencourt, who arrived with the Canary Islanders in 1731. Flores said she became one of the area’s most prominent landowners, operating large ranches before her death in 1779.

The exhibit also connects those women to the American Revolution. When Spain declared war on Great Britain in 1779, it sought to weaken Britain while protecting its own empire. Rancheras supported the effort by supplying cattle to Spanish Governor Bernardo de Gálvez’s military campaign.

“They actually did send cattle to the cause,” Flores said. “They had these large land holdings and a lot of cattle, so they sent that to Gálvez.”

A centerpiece of the exhibit is a 1779 census record of Leonor Delgado, identified as a patriot of the American Revolution. The document lists her household, horses and cattle, providing a rare glimpse into frontier life.

For Flores, the research brought new appreciation for the women behind the records.

“I think just learning about the women, how much rights they actually wielded during that time period,” he said, “seeing it on paper gives a lot more depth to the story.”

More America250 coverage on KSAT:

• America250: Spanish Governor’s Palace offers glimpse into San Antonio’s overlooked role in America’s founding
• America’s military aviation legacy took flight in San Antonio
• America250: Descendants of Revolutionary War supporters keep South Texas history alive