The U.S. Department of Labor said in a news release that its Wage and Hour Division investigated the pay practices of three businesses: Tequila Almond Croissant, LLC, Pan Dulce, LLC and SA Bakery Co., LLC — which all do business as La Panadería at the following three locations:

• 301 East Houston Street
• 17030 Fiesta Texas Drive
• 8305 Broadway

According to the release, the employers violated child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act after employing a 13-year-old and allowing a 15-year-old to work overnight. Overnight work is prohibited for 14 and 15-year-olds, the agency said.

The department issued a $25,706 penalty for the child labor violations, the release states.

The investigation also uncovered minimum wage violations after the employers apparently failed to pay a worker for two overnight shifts at the La Cantera location on Fiesta Texas Drive.

The employers are also accused of failing to combine hours for employees who worked at multiple bakery locations and paying the employees straight-time rates instead of the required time-and-one-half overtime rates.

In total, the U.S. Department of Labor said La Panadería paid $45,000 in back wages and penalties.

A spokesperson for the restaurant sent a statement to KSAT Tuesday afternoon.

At La Panadería, we take our responsibility as an employer seriously and are committed to providing a workplace that complies with all applicable labor laws while supporting the well-being of every member of our team. The U.S. Department of Labor’s announcement relates to matters from 2024. While the announcement was issued this week, the underlying issues have already been resolved.

The allegations of child labor law violations were investigated and found to be the result of circumstances outside of management’s knowledge. The minors referenced in the Department of Labor’s violations were two minors accompanying their parents to work without leadership’s knowledge or approval. We do not hire minors under the legal working age, and the two minors identified were not on our payroll.

La Panadería has taken meaningful steps to strengthen our organization by working with experienced labor and human resources consultants and enhancing our internal policies, training, and compliance practices. We continue to provide meaningful careers to our workforce in excess of the standards set by law.

As a business rooted in our community, our employees are at the center of everything we do. We will continue learning, improving, and working every day to better serve our employees, customers, and community.

La Panadería

Read also:

• Driver of Corvette dies, 3 others hospitalized after 3-vehicle crash in New Braunfels, DPS says

Authorities released the names Tuesday of the people who died when 24-year-old Chad Williams opened fire at the Twin Falls restaurant. The attack Saturday afternoon ended when Williams shot and killed himself. Police said they are confident Williams acted alone but have not yet identified a motive.

Ashley Garibay, 23, who was killed in the shooting, worked for the burger chain on a team that trained new employees away from where she lived in Stockton, California. Her family said she loved her work and called her an “amazing, beautiful soul who loved living life.”

“She was adventurous, outgoing, smart and driven, never letting obstacles get in her way," her family said in a statement. “She lit up a room with her bright smile and a laugh that was contagious.”

Dale Schultz, 66, of Salt Lake City, and Christopher Claunch, 59, of Hagerman, Idaho, about 28 miles (45 kilometers) northwest of Twin Falls, were also killed, according to police.

One of Claunch’s friends, Garren Taylor, said Claunch completed a rehab program for alcohol abuse in Idaho a couple of years ago and was immediately hired at the center. Taylor said Claunch, known to those close to him as “Toph,” dedicated his life to helping others get sober.

“He helped hundreds of people,” Taylor said Monday. “He was just a gift to anyone he came in contact with. It wasn’t about the paycheck. His attitude was: ‘I get to help someone today.’ ”

A candlelight vigil was planned Tuesday night at Twin Falls City Park, and police have opened a center where those who were affected by the shooting could get support and request or collect personal items left at the scene. Flags in the city will be at half-staff until next week.

The In-N-Out location opened in late July as part of the California chain's Idaho expansion. Garibay got her first job at one of the restaurants, and she dreamed of one day managing one of the stores, her family said. She worked in Stockton and joined the traveling team in 2023, said family spokesperson Kristin Cole.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene in and around the Idaho restaurant as shots were fired. One customer told The Associated Press that she and her daughters were waiting inside when she heard shots from the kitchen and an employee told her to get down. Another woman and her mother were waiting in the drive-thru line when they saw people running across the road and workers bolting out of the restaurant as a man directing traffic told them there was a shooter.

A man who was at a stoplight near the restaurant described seeing a person with an AR-style rifle emerge from the drive-thru and a man with a pistol start firing toward the suspect.

During the attack, an off-duty state trooper and a civilian fired on Williams, diverting him from the restaurant, police have said.

Steven Pixley was among those injured. He was riding his motorcycle near the In-N-Out when he heard a pop and his left hand dropped, his cousin Shane Klaas said Tuesday.

A bullet went into his arm above his elbow and exited right below it, Klaas said. The shooting left Pixley without use of three of his fingers, and doctors are waiting for the swelling to go down so they can do surgery, Klaas said.

“His attitude is wonderful, which is a big part of getting through this,” Klaas said. “He’s laughing, he’s joking.”

Klaas said Pixley recently moved to Twin Falls, found a job and was trying to get his life together.

“He had everything in front of him,” Klaas said. “And then this just, I mean, this is just senseless.”

___

Associated Press writer Jamie Stengle contributed to this report.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said the man was taking photos and video and had a 16-round magazine with ammunition in his pocket. They recovered a loaded pistol in his car.

The sheriff’s department announced the arrest Tuesday as Trump was preparing to arrive for a fundraising dinner at his golf club outside of Los Angeles.

The 38-year-old man was arrested for carrying a concealed firearm and possessing prohibited ammunition.

Law enforcement searched his home Monday and found a plethora of firearms, magazines and ammunition, body armor, and notebooks with “concerning statements.”

The sheriff’s department said there is “no credible threat to our communities.”

The country’s disaster management agency said 659 people were evacuated from eight villages in the danger area and are being housed in nearby shelters. The eruption started on Monday morning, with videos showing clouds of gas and ash above the volcano as lava and pyroclastic flows roll down.

Claudinne Ogaldes, executive secretary of the Guatemalan disaster management agency, or CONRED, said that about 10 more communities are expected to be evacuated throughout the day.

Among those evacuated were around 250 people from El Porvenir and the hamlet of Las Lajitas, CONRED said and also warned of ash spreading to nearby towns.

A major highway that passes close to the volcano, National Route 14, was closed. The Education Ministry suspended classes in nearby towns.

During a previous eruption of the volcano in June 2018, hundreds of people were killed and a whole village was destroyed — with as many as 1.7 million people impacted by the event, according to authorities. Another eruption in June last year spurred preventive evacuations.

Although there have been similar contests around the country, this one will hold extra weight because Michigan is a key state in presidential races. Abdul El-Sayed, backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, is up against four-term Rep. Haley Stevens, supported by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.

Democratic and Republican voters in Michigan are also deciding on their parties’ nominees to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

In Kansas, Missouri, Virginia and Washington state, voters are settling primaries in a host of races, including a key rematch between Democrats in a Missouri House contest. Also in play is whether Democrats, who tried to redraw districts in Virginia to their advantage but were rebuffed by the state supreme court, can pick candidates who can defeat Republicans in the fall.

Here is a look at the Latest:

A court order blocking Kansas abortion laws fuels calls for electing justices

District Judge K. Christopher Jayaram’s order Monday permanently blocked the enforcement of numerous restrictions, including a long-standing law requiring patients to wait 24 hours to have an abortion.

He’d put enforcement on hold in October 2023 ahead of the trial of a lawsuit from abortion providers.

With polls open for primaries Tuesday, the anti-abortion group Kansans for Life cited the decision in urging voters to approve a state constitutional amendment to elect Kansas Supreme Court justices rather than having the governor appoint them. Backers want to push the court to the right.

Jayaram ruled from Johnson County in the Kansas City area about two hours before being sworn in as the Kansas Supreme Court’s newest justice. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly appointed him to a vacant seat in July.

Maryland lawmakers vote to place redistricting amendment on November ballot

Voters will decide whether to clear the way for a new congressional map that would favor Democrats in all eight of the state’s U.S. House districts. Democrats currently hold seven of the House seats.

If voters approve the constitutional amendment, a redrawn map could kick in for 2028.

Maryland is moving more slowly than the 10 states that have passed new district boundaries for this year’s elections. States usually make new maps only after new census counts are released early each decade.

Detroit couple like Abdul El-Sayed’s support for ‘healthcare for all’

Craig and Regina Kuper were in Detroit’s Eastern Market, where, to their delight, the progressive candidate dropped by Tuesday.

“We just feel that, first of all, healthcare for all is really important,” said Regina Kuper, 78.

“There’s not a lot of humanity in politics,” Craig Kuper, 81, added in, seeming to suggest El-Sayed was an antidote.

While progressive politics, such as El-Sayed’s, are often associated with younger voters, Regina Kuper said support for him in the city runs the gamut, as she listed off the neighborhood’s where she’s seen campaign signs.

A proposal to change the Kansas Supreme Court is shadowed by an earlier abortion vote

Kansas voters were considering a measure that would make the seven justices elected statewide starting in 2028 rather than initially appointed by the governor.

The proposal, an amendment to the state constitution, is backed by Republican legislators, abortion opponents and other conservative activists. They believe voters would choose more conservative justices who would overturn the high court’s landmark 2019 ruling that the Kansas Constitution protects access to abortion.

Those lawmakers and activists backed a proposed amendment in 2022 that would have nullified the decision, but voters soundly rejected it.

Currently, a lawyer-led commission screens Supreme Court applicants and picks three nominees for each vacancy. The governor chooses from that list, and legislators have no role. Voters then decide every six years whether they want each justice to stay on the bench.

Missouri election chief rejects referendum on Trump-backed congressional districts

Missouri’s top election official has rejected a citizens’ petition seeking a statewide referendum on new congressional districts backed by President Donald Trump.

Supporters of the referendum had submitted hundreds of thousands of petition signatures in a bid to force a November election on a new U.S. House map approved by the Republican-led state Legislature. But Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins asserted Tuesday that the petition is unconstitutional because congressional redistricting plans cannot be subject to voter referendums.

A group backing the referendum effort has said it will challenge Hoskins’ decision in court.

The new map, which is being used in Tuesday’s primaries, dramatically reshapes the Kansas City-based 5th Congressional District, held by longtime Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, by stretching it into rural central Missouri to give it a Republican tilt. Republicans already hold six of Missouri’s eight congressional seats and hope to gain another under the new map.

Trump’s influence will be tested in Michigan’s GOP primary for governor

Trump has endorsed U.S. Rep. John James and invited him onstage during a recent rally in the state. Business owner Perry Johnson, who’s also seeking the nomination, held a tailgate with supporters at the same event.

Most of the candidates backed by Trump have won their primaries across the country this year — but not all of them.

In Texas, Trump’s endorsement boosted Ken Paxton in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate over Sen. John Cornyn. In Louisiana, Trump-backed U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow won the Republican nomination for Senate over Sen. Bill Cassidy, who voted to convict the president during his 2021 impeachment trial.

After Indiana state lawmakers rejected a White House-backed redistricting plan last year, Trump endorsed seven state Senate candidates, most of whom won their primaries in May.

Trump-endorsed candidates who lost their primaries for governor include Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa and Burt Jones in Georgia.

In the Democratic primary for Michigan governor, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is the frontrunner against Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.

Detroit voter casts ballot for McKinney over incumbent Thanedar for 13th House District seat

Bernie Henderix, 58, of Detroit, voted Tuesday for state Rep. Donavan McKinney in the Democratic 13th House District primary.

McKinney is challenging incumbent Shri Thanedar. Detroit has not had Black representation in Congress since 2022. McKinney is Black. Thanedar was born in India.

Henderix said he’s heard good things about McKinney and it’s important for the city to have Black congressional representation. “But I want the best person I think is going to represent us the best way,” he said.

He also voted for U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens over Abdul El-Sayed in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

“I like the way she talks. I know she talks about she’s going to go up against Trump, so I really like that,” Henderix said. “We need somebody to check him (Trump). He’s out of control.”

Henderix does have concerns about the current state of the Democratic party.

“We’re too weak,” Henderix said, adding that he doesn’t like the split between traditional Democrat and progressives. “We’re Democrats. But I think everybody is getting sick of this Trump mentality.”

El-Sayed voter says his progressive campaign appeals to younger voters eager for change

Jordan Snyder, 20, said she was voting for Abdul El-Sayed because of his advocacy for Palestinians, opposition to data centers and the fact that she views him as “a candidate that I feel like I can trust.”

El-Sayed’s progressive platform has proven popular among younger voters, some of whom say they are disillusioned with both political parties.

“People are feeling like a lot of the people that they’ve trusted that have been in government haven’t really been living up to expectations,” Snyder said.

She believes people are more willing to vote for a progressive candidate than in the past, citing New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who ran a viral social media campaign and was buoyed by younger voters. Snyder said she has heard more directly from El-Sayed on social media and thinks he has a good chance of winning against Republican Mike Rogers in the November general election, especially if a lot of younger people vote.

“As far as me and my friends are concerned, he’s kind of the only candidate we’re interested in,” Snyder said.

Kansas voters are choosing party nominees for an open governor’s race

Two-term Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly cannot run again, and both major parties had contentious campaigns ahead of Tuesday’s primaries.

The departing governor’s party has lost every open race for governor since 1962, but Democrats hope centrist voters unhappy with President Donald Trump and worried about the state shifting hard to the right will help them break that trend.

Republican candidates include Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt and a Kansas City-area businessman Philip Sarnecki.

The Democrats running are state Sens. Ethan Corson and Cindy Holscher and Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog.

Missouri ballot measure seeks to axe the income tax in favor of more sales taxes

The Missouri measure marks the first time since the modern income tax began over a century ago that a U.S. state legislature has asked voters whether to eliminate the tax.

Amendment 5 would direct the legislature to phase out the individual income tax as state revenue grows. To spur that along, it also allows lawmakers to expand the sales tax to “any goods and services.” It gives them five years to decide which sales to tax without needing further voter approval.

Alaska is the only state so far to impose a general individual income tax and then repeal it, doing so in 1980 by a legislative vote.

Massachusetts voters rejected income tax eliminations in 2008 and 2002 that were initiated by citizens, not lawmakers.

Another Virginia voter says she’d ‘never’ vote for a Democrat

Republican voter Chris Weymouth, 85, cast a ballot in a Richmond suburb for Bert Mizusawa in the Republican Senate primary. The winner of that three-way race will face a stiff general election challenge from Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, the longtime, well-funded incumbent.

Weymouth, who said Democrats have moved so far left she would “never” consider voting for one, said Mizusawa — a decorated Army veteran — won her support in the primary because she believed he would put America first, support the Constitution and protect America’s freedoms. Her faith also guided her vote, she said.

One Virginia voter wants someone ‘gung ho’ on supporting progressive issues

Devin Garcia, 30, voted in suburban Richmond for Salaam Bhatti, a public interest lawyer running for the Democratic nomination in Virginia’s 1st Congressional District. The winner of the seven-way nomination contest will face longtime Republican incumbent Rob Wittman. The 1st district leans red, but Democrats are hopeful they can flip it.

Garcia backed Bhatti over more centrist candidates in the race, including establishment favorite Shannon Taylor, wanting someone “gung ho” about supporting progressive politics, including diversity initiatives, abortion access and affordable health care.

“I do think that we need more bold people that are going to take a real stand. The Trump administration isn’t fighting fair, and I think caught the Democrats on the back foot,” Garcia said.

Stevens voter wants to see bipartisan work, says AIPAC questions have overshadowed primary race

Birmingham resident Nessa Fuller, 51, said she voted for Stevens because she will “fight to get the right things done, and she’ll work with other people.”

Fuller, who wore a Haley Stevens T-shirt outside her polling place, said she has progressive values but no longer identifies with the term as it has swung too far left. Rhetoric within the progressive wing that Fuller describes as antisemitic has overshadowed what she supports, she said, including in El-Sayed’s campaign.

“Here’s the deal with Abdul, I think, in the Jewish community. The question is, do you vote for your values? Do you take Israel out of the equation and say, these are social justice issues that we agree with, and I’m going to vote for you?” Fuller, who is Jewish, said. “I don’t think one issue should crowd out everything else. So it’s a conundrum.”

While Fuller agrees with some elements of El-Sayed’s campaign and said she would vote for him in November if he wins the primary, she isn’t sure all Democratic voters will do the same.

Missouri Republicans are picking a candidate in a congressional district reshaped at Trump’s request

A six-way Republican primary will settle who will try to unseat Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver in a dramatically reshaped district.

Missouri was the second Republican state, after Texas, to respond to Trump’s call last year to redraw congressional districts to the GOP’s advantage ahead of the midterms. The revamped map stretches Cleaver’s Kansas City district eastward into rural central Missouri to give the new 5th District a Republican tilt.

The GOP race features state Sen. Rick Brattin, a Marine veteran and founding member of the conservative Missouri Freedom Caucus. Brattin and fellow primary contestant Taylor Burks both ran unsuccessfully in 2022 for an open seat in Missouri’s 4th District.

Burks is a Navy officer who once served as a local election official in the University of Missouri’s home of Boone County.

Cleaver is unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

Abdul El-Sayed dances to Michigan Democratic Senate primary finish line

El-Sayed stopped by Detroit’s Eastern Market to talk to voters, going at one point to dance with a group of ladies in a Zumba class at the market.

“That’s generally how we operate,” El-Sayed told AP about the joyful tone to end his campaign. “The hope here is we build a world where people are free to actually fully enjoy their lives.”

Michigan lawmaker wants Detroit to have a Black representative in Congress again

Rep. Shri Thanedar is trying to fend off a primary challenge from state Rep. Donavan McKinney in a heavily Democratic district representing Detroit.

Thanedar first won election in 2022, marking the first time since the early 1950s that Detroit had no Black representation in Congress.

McKinney wants to change that. He’s trying to win office in the 13th District, which includes most of Detroit and other parts of Wayne County.

Thanedar was born in Indian. Since 2022, Democrat Rashida Tlaib, who is Palestinian American, has represented the 12th Congressional District, which also includes other parts of Detroit.

McKinney, who is Black, first was elected in 2022 to Michigan’s state House. He has been endorsed by influential progressive U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and several Detroit-area state lawmakers.

Wildfires disrupt primary voting in eastern Washington

The elections office in Spokane County, where wildfires have forced thousands to evacuate and destroyed hundreds of structures, says some voters are reporting that they had left their ballots behind when their homes were evacuated.

The secretary of state’s office says any voter who needs a replacement ballot should print one off the state’s website or go to a county elections office to receive one. Election officials say they have two centers open in Spokane County to help affected voters.

“We are here to assist them and ensure they can cast a ballot,” Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton said in an online post. “This is one small aspect of normalcy we can offer in what is otherwise a traumatic and overwhelming situation.”

The state’s most closely watched primary, in the 3rd Congressional District, was far south of the major wildfires.

Washington conducts its elections almost entirely with mail ballots.

Stevens casts her ballot, says she will focus on local priorities

U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens cast her ballot Tuesday afternoon at a public library in her hometown of Birmingham, Michigan, amid a slow trickle of voters.

“We’re getting everybody all excited and we’re ready for tomorrow,” she said. “I think we’re seeing a lot of great turnout.”

While speaking to the press, she positioned herself as someone who will focus on local priorities.

“Our voices often times get drowned out. They get drowned out by podcasts. They get drowned out by, you know, Twitch streamers. They get drowned out by other national priorities,” she said.

Democrats expect to hold Warner’s Senate seat

Both parties are focused on the open U.S. Senate race to the south, in North Carolina, but Virginia is not expected to be a battleground this year.

Democrats are confident that Sen. Mark Warner, a moderate who was first elected in 2008, will win reelection in November, and independent analysts rate the seat as safely blue. Voters will be deciding among three Republicans who hope to take on Warner in the fall.

The GOP contenders are: Kim Farington, an accountant who has touted her work over decades in the federal government; Bert Mizusawa, a decorated retired Army major general; and David Williams, a Marine Corps reservist.

Warner, who does not have a primary challenger, is a well-known former governor who currently serves as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. He will have a massive cash advantage and name recognition in a state where Trump has proven deeply unpopular.

House retirement creates a crowded Washington primary

Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse’s retirement created a frenzy of interest to replace him.

Eleven candidates will be on the ballot for the 4th Congressional District, a Republican stronghold in Washington’s agricultural center, including Yakima and the Tri-Cities. Six are Republicans, one is a Democrat, and the other four are from minor parties or unaffiliated.

The GOP dominates the district, so the primary could prove decisive if the top-two structure creates a traditional Republican vs. Democrat matchup in November.

Newhouse is one of two remaining House Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump. The other is Rep. David Valadao of California, whose district is a top pickup target for Democrats.

Michigan Democratic voter supports El-Sayed, messaging by progressives

Madison Francis voted Tuesday in Southfield, Michigan, for Abdul El-Sayed saying she especially supports his views on things like inclusion.

“Just having somebody that sees everybody and wants the best for everybody,” said Francis, a 19-year-old student at Michigan State University. “I feel like the world is very divided, right now.”

Francis also believes that if El-Sayed wins Tuesday’s Democratic primary over U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, Michigan voters are open-minded enough to elect him over Republican Mike Rogers in the November general election.

She said the United States is being run by “some interesting Republicans,” and that the Democratic party should focus on unity before the nation spirals “further out of control.”

Young voters also are having a hard time hearing what traditional Democrats are saying and that messaging by progressives appear more fluid.

“I think they’re taking more of a progressive and proactive stance,” she said of young voters. “Both the Republicans and Democrats can sometimes (come across as) being too rigid on their stances.”

The plan is to ban so-called energy monopolies between cities like San Antonio and municipally-owned utility districts like CPS Energy.

Abbott’s office said more than five million Texans live in areas with just one municipal power provider with no option to shop around for cheaper electricity rates.

Of those five million, the office said more than 60 percent are served by Austin’s and San Antonio’s electric utilities.

Abbott’s plan would allow Texans to choose their electricity provider by opening city monopolies to retail electric competition.

“Governor Abbott’s plan will give Texans the ability to choose their electricity provider and prohibit utility charges from being used as a slush fund, helping Texans save more of their hard-earned money,” Gov. Abbott Press Secretary Eduardo Leal.

According to the proposed plan, residential ratepayers in Austin and San Antonio would save — on average — 10% and 13%, respectively, on their electric bills.

The proposal said affected commercial ratepayers, including small businesses, could save 20% on average on their electricity bills. Savings could add up to $3,000 per year.

In Tuesday’s press conference, Abbott pointed to cities like Dallas and Houston which already have diversified energy choices.

“All consumers in the City of San Antonio would be able to do what other people in Texas are able to do, which is do a Google search for retail electric provider and find a lower rate than currently provided by CPS. That in turn would make CPS be competitive on a price point,” Abbott said.

Abbott said this is not the first time he’s tried to get a bill like this passed.

“We’ve tried it before and have not gotten enough votes to get it done. This is legislation that’s been brought up before. It’s time we get it across the finish line,” he said.

Abbott’s plan would also ban city utilities from imposing charges on ratepayers unrelated to electric delivery and prohibit using utility profits as a city slush fund.

CPS Energy sent KSAT a statement in response to the governor’s announcement, saying:

“CPS Energy consistently maintains the lowest combined electric and gas residential rates in Texas and high reliability, including compared to investor-owned utilities.

As an organization that is owned and operated by Texans, our success supports regional jobs, energy resiliency, small businesses, customer assistance programs, and strengthens both the state grid and economy. Any threat to the not-for-profit municipal model is a threat to all customers.

Our returns benefit the community, with the investment going to our customers rather than private investors. We welcome the opportunity to have conversations about this once a proposal is shared.”

City of San Antonio City Manager Erik Walsh also sent KSAT a statement, saying:

“The current municipally-owned utility (MOU) model has benefited our community and the State of Texas for more than 80 years and is an integral part of supporting the statewide electrical grid. CPS Energy revenues benefit our community by providing the funding for basic city services, including public safety, infrastructure, parks and libraries.

CPS Energy’s residential rates continue to be among the lowest in the state. The City and CPS Energy will work together with stakeholders and our local delegation to communicate the benefits to our community and the City’s responsible stewardship of our utility.”

Abbott is currently running for re-election against Democrat Gina Hinojosa. KSAT has also reached out for Hinojosa’s office for comment on how to tackle energy prices in Texas.

Supporters of the referendum had submitted hundreds of thousands of petition signatures in a bid to force a November election on a new U.S. House map approved by the Republican-led state Legislature. But Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins asserted Tuesday that the petition is void because congressional redistricting plans cannot be subject to voter referendums.

The number of petition signatures submitted doesn't matter, Hoskins said, because “challenging a congressional map is unconstitutional under Missouri law.”

A group backing the referendum effort said it will contest Hoskins' decision in court.

“Secretary of State Hoskins is making a last desperate attempt to silence the people’s voice in Missouri," Richard von Glahn, executive director of People Not Politicians Missouri, said in a statement, while asserting there are more than enough signatures to qualify the referendum for the ballot.

Missouri was the second Republican-led state, after Texas, to respond to Trump's call last year to redraw congressional districts to the GOP's advantage in hopes of holding on to the party's slim House majority in the midterm elections.

The new map, which is being used in Tuesday's primaries, dramatically reshapes the Kansas City-based 5th Congressional District, held by longtime Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, by stretching it into rural central Missouri to give it a Republican tilt. Republicans already hold six of Missouri's eight congressional seats and hope to gain another under the new map.

Hoskins shoots down amendment to citizen initiatives

Hoskins also rejected a potential November ballot measure seeking to fortify the initiative process.

The proposed amendment would bar the Legislature from making it harder to qualify citizen initiatives for the ballot or approve them at an election. It also would make it harder for the Legislature to reverse or amend voter-approved initiatives by requiring an 80% vote in both the House and Senate, instead of the current simple majority.

Although supporters had submitted thousands of signatures, Hoskins asserted that the petition violated a constitutional prohibition against rolling multiple subjects and sections of the constitution into a single amendment.

For both the redistricting referendum and the citizen initiative measure, Hoskins released opinions from Republican Attorney General Catherine Hanaway laying out the rational for his decisions.

Missouri's redistricting plan has faced lots of litigation

People Not Politicians, the group sponsoring the referendum drive, submitted more than 300,000 signatures to the secretary of state's office in December. Local election officials reviewed the signatures' validity over the ensuing months and approved well more than the roughly 111,000 needed to qualify for the ballot.

But Hoskins waited until the last day allowed under state law to announce his decision about the referendum — a move that let the new districts be used in the meantime.

Hoskins had long signaled that he was likely to reject the referendum. He asked a federal court last fall to block the referendum petition from being submitted, arguing that congressional redistricting is not subject to a referendum under the U.S. and Missouri constitutions. A judge dismissed the lawsuit as premature, noting in a December ruling that Hoskins had the authority to reject the petition himself if he thought it was unconstitutional.

When Missouri candidates began filing for office in February, Hoskins said they were doing so under the new districts and told The Associated Press that “the referendum process was never meant to be used for redistricting.”

If Hoskins is wrong, and a court orders him to place the redistricting referendum on the ballot, it's unclear what that means for the 2026 elections. Would candidates who win Tuesday's primaries be allowed to continue running under the new districts in November while voters simultaneously decide whether those districts can be used in future elections? Would candidates run in different districts for the general election than were used in the primaries? Or would courts order a do-over for the congressional primaries using the state’s prior congressional districts?

Missouri's mid-decade redistricting effort already has been among the most litigated nationally, triggering about a dozen lawsuits over the past year.

Republicans are ahead in the national redistricting fight

Legislative voting districts typically are redrawn at the start of each decade, immediately after a census. But Trump's call for Republicans to redraw districts to their advantage led to an unusual outbreak of mid-decade mapmaking. The redistricting effort gained additional steam when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a majority Black congressional district in Louisiana in late April, prompting Republicans in several Southern states to also redraw districts that had large minority populations.

All told, Republicans think they could win as many as 16 additional seats from new House maps enacted in eight states — Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Tennessee, Louisiana and Alabama. Democrats, whose counterattack faced several setbacks, think they could win up to six additional seats from new districts in California and Utah.

Voters ultimately will determine whether the new districts perform as intended. Even with redistricting, Republicans are facing headwinds. The president's party historically has lost congressional seats in the midterms, and Trump’s poor approval ratings could provide an extra hurdle for Republican candidates.

Nearly 145 million people — about two of every five U.S. residents — live in states with new congressional districts for this election. Additional states are considering redistricting before the 2028 elections. Maryland lawmakers voted Tuesday to place an amendment on November’s ballot that could pave the way for mid-decade redistricting.

It took firefighters nearly a month to extinguish the blaze, which scorched 22 square miles (57 square kilometers). The Eaton fire burned at the same time as the wind-whipped Palisades fire. An AP analysis at the time showed both blazes torched more urban area than any California fire in decades.

The Eaton fire was caused by electrical arcing on the utility’s out-of-service tower atop a ridge covered with dry fuel, the agency said in a statement. When bare, uninsulated wires touch or come close together it can cause arcing, which is when electricity jumps through the air, producing sparks.

The report said SoCal Edison was responsible for maintaining and operating its electrical lines and equipment “in a manner that would minimize the risk of catastrophic wildfire posed by them.”

Utility has acknowledged potential involvement

The utility indicated previously its equipment may be involved. In early reports to the California Public Utility Commission, SoCal Edison said it detected a “fault” on one of its transmission lines around the time that the Eaton fire started.

Kathleen Dunleavy, a spokesperson for SoCal Edison, said the utility is reviewing the report.

“We have taken our potential role in the start of this fire seriously from the very beginning,” Dunleavy said. She said SCE previously acknowledged “it was likely our equipment was associated with the ignition of the Eaton Fire.”

Utilities have been blamed for many of California’s most destructive fires in recent years.

SoCal Edison, which provides electric service to about 15 million people in California, has paid out hefty sums over the years due to its equipment sparking fires, including $2.2 billion to settle insurance claims from the deadly, destructive Woolsey wildfire in 2018.

Dunleavy said the utility has claims against other agencies over issues such as emergency response and the condition of surrounding vegetation.

“Ignition is different from spread,” Dunleavy said. “A fire of that magnitude – it’s never just one thing. There are numerous factors.”

The utility is facing hundreds of lawsuits from fire victims, insurers and government entities related to the Eaton fire. The U.S. Department of Justice has also sued the company over damage to National Forest land, and has asked for more than $40 million in damages to the federal, state and local governments.

Joy Chen, executive director of Every Fire Survivor’s Network, said the report confirms what thousands of fire victims already knew about what caused the blaze.

“The real question is who pays?” asked Chen, whose home sustained smoke damage.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday that it will review the investigative report and will work with local, state and federal authorities to determine if criminal charges are warranted. The California Department of Justice didn’t immediately comment.

Another California utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, filed for bankruptcy after its outdated equipment ignited wildfires in California that killed more than 100 people and wiped out entire towns, including Paradise. The utility pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the 2018 Camp Fire.

The Los Angeles County Arson Fire Investigation Unit jointly conducted the investigation with California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection or Cal Fire. The blaze was sparked during extreme weather conditions that included high temperatures, low humidity and powerful winds. Two “electrical arcing events” occurred in quick succession, causing an unknown burning material to fall from the tower to the ground below, according to the report.

Investigators interviewed residents who saw flames

The report cites interviews with several residents who saw the fire in its early stages on Jan. 7, some who said it occurred below power lines. One witness who noticed flames under an electrical tower said “he observed an arc while watching the fire; he described it as a blue light,” the report said. The witness began taking photos around 6:25 p.m., then watched as the blaze spread rapidly amid heavy winds.

Another Pasadena resident told investigators she was doing dishes with her daughter when she observed a circle of orange sparks that turned into flames. “The circle of fire was located at the base of the transmission towers,” the report said.

Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said “while the cause has been determined, our focus remains on assisting our residents to rebuild their homes and livelihoods, and ensuring lessons learned drive meaningful and impactful change in memory of the 19 lives lost.”

The Palisades Fire was the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles to date and among the five worst in California’s history. That fire killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,800 homes and buildings in Pacific Palisades. The fire ripped through hillside neighborhoods, destroying mansions with spectacular ocean views.

The man accused of sparking the Palisades Fire will be tried again this fall after his first federal arson case ended in a mistrial in June. Prosecutors said Jonathan Rinderknecht used a barbecue lighter on Jan. 1, 2025 to spark a blaze that burned undetected deep in root systems before flaring back up Jan. 7.

—-

Taxin reported from Santa Ana, California.

The remains were identified as Ozana Cisneros, according to SAPD and the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office. Her cause and manner of death remain under investigation.

Cisneros and her mother, Maximina Cisneros, 19, were the subject of a July 9 AMBER Alert issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety. The alert initially said Maximina Cisneros was wanted in connection with her daughter’s abduction.

One day after the alert was issued, Maximina Cisneros was found near the 200 block of Parkview Drive. Because her daughter remained missing, the AMBER Alert remained in effect.

Hours later, investigators discovered skeletal remains near Concepción Park, about half a mile away from where Maximina Cisneros was found. At the time, SAPD could not confirm whether or not the remains were of a person or if they were connected to the AMBER Alert.

On July 13, the AMBER Alert was officially discontinued, but law enforcement said Ozana Cisneros was still considered actively missing.

SAPD said its investigation is ongoing.

More coverage of this story on KSAT:

• Questions remain in San Antonio missing baby case
• ‘Just a little baby’: Community gathers at vigil for 7-month-old Ozana Cisneros amid ongoing investigation

The company run by Elon Musk posted a loss of $541 million, or 9 cents per share, in the three months through June, less than half what financial analysts had forecast. Revenue jumped to $7.8 billion, up more than 90% from the year-earlier period.

A standout in the quarter was the company's big cash source, its “connectivity” business, with revenue jumping 66% from a year earlier as the number of subscribers to its Starlink satellite communications service doubled to 12 million.

“It's not out of the question that at some point, Starlink will deliver a majority of the world’s internet," Musk said in call with analysts.

SpaceX stock rose 9% in regular trading Tuesday, but gave most of the gain back after hours. The rocket, satellite and AI company's stock has fallen by roughly half since peaking in June shortly after an initial public offering that briefly made Musk the world’s first trillionaire.

Investors are worried Musk has oversold them on the company's future prospects for space travel and its AI chatbot Grok. They’re also bracing for volatile trading as some company insiders get the opportunity to sell shares after the expiration of what’s known as a lockup provision later in the week.

Another area of concern is SpaceX spending on infrastructure and R&D, which jumped to $18 billion from less than $3 billion a year ago. The company's chief financial officer, Bret Johnsen, said to expect similar capital expenditures for the next two quarters.

Musk defended the outlays, a concern also weighing on many other technology companies spending heavily on AI, saying the resulting supercharged growth meant the company would reach a trillion dollars in revenue a year faster now, 2030 rather than 2031.

Shares jumped 19% on their first day of trading in June, making Musk the first-ever trillionaire. The subsequent drop, as well as a decline in the shares of Musk’s electric vehicle company Tesla, have knocked his wealth down to $783 billion, according to Forbes.

Musk was asked several times about the prospects for the gigantic Starship rocket that is key to SpaceX realizing his ambitions. Starship successfully deployed satellites in space during a test late last month.

Musk said he expected SpaceX will attempt to test the reusability of Starship at the end of the month when it will attempt to grab the spacecraft and its booster with mechanical arms upon their return to their base. NASA hopes to use Starship to put astronauts on the moon again in the near future.

“We want to put boots on the ground — boots on the moon — in 2028,” said SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell.

SpaceX shares could see continued volatility. Some insiders have been barred from selling in the public offering but that prohibition begins to ease on Thursday when more than 900 million shares are released for trading, more than doubling the amount currently available. The lockup release is the first of several tranches of stock that will be freed to trade over the next several months.

The company also runs the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

__

An earlier version of this story erroneously reported that 900,000 shares will be released for trading later this week. It should have said more than 900 million.

Both chambers of the Democratic-dominated state legislature on Tuesday approved putting an amendment on the ballot to allow the change. Sending it to voters required three-fifths approval of both legislative chambers, which met in a special session to consider the change. It cleared the House 96-38 and the Senate 32-13.

Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, praised lawmakers for putting the measure before voters, and joined them in saying it was necessary to combat President Donald Trump's push for a mid-decade redistricting that favors Republicans.

“I continue to believe that our country needs national redistricting reform. But until that happens, inaction is not an option,” Moore said in a statement. “Maryland will not be caught flat-footed while Republicans engage in political redlining that guts decades of progress that the generations before us fought for.”

In a state where Democrats now occupy seven of the eight House seats, Republicans are calling the effort a blatant power grab — and a move that violates a new state law intended to give voters more time to consider proposed amendments.

In debate in the House on Tuesday, Republican Delegate Kevin Hornberger told his colleagues: “Just because we can go ultra-partisan doesn't mean we should go ultra-partisan.” Other Republicans said constituents weren't behind it and one Democratic lawmaker worried that the change could cost rural parts of the state federal resources if they're put in the same districts with suburban areas.

In the debate, Democrats emphasized that the amendment does not include approval of any specific new maps.

If the amendment is ultimately approved, it would likely be part of a rapid reconfiguration of congressional district lines that began last year when Trump urged Republican-controlled states to adjust their maps to help the party in the 2026 midterm elections. Normally, redistricting happens just once a decade after new Census data is released.

Eight states — Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas — have redrawn maps to help Republicans, who could pick up as many as 16 seats due to the redistricting. New maps in California and Utah could give Democrats an advantage in six races.

Maryland moved more slowly — and with an approach that will not change districts for this year's elections — because Democratic state Senate President Bill Ferguson blocked an earlier initiative aimed at putting new maps in place for this year. He was worried that the state Supreme Court, with most of its members appointed by a Republican former governor, could backfire — especially because a judge in 2022 rejected a new map that could have boosted the Democrats.

Ferguson said his view changed after the U.S. Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act in April, giving Republicans grounds for reconfiguring districts with large minority populations in Southern states.

The question that could go to voters is designed to make it hard for the court to reject redistricting. It would make it clear that the parameters the judge cited — including that districts be compact in form and have regard given to “natural boundaries” — apply only to state legislative districts, not congressional ones.

That would allow congressional districts to cross the Chesapeake Bay, which is the only way Democrats could draw a map that gives them an edge in every congressional district. Currently, the only district on the rural Eastern Shore east of the Bay is also the only one represented by a Republican, Rep. Andy Harris, the chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.

On Tuesday, Texas Department of Public Safety officials identified the teen as Ava Wetzel. Wetzel would have started her junior year at La Vernia High School a day after the crash.

Wetzel crashed into the “Welcome to La Vernia” sign off U.S. Highway 87. KSAT requested the crash report, but officials said it was not available.

A growing memorial has taken shape at what remains of the brick sign, filled with flowers, framed photos and notes left by classmates and community members since Sunday.

Madi Symanski describes Wetzel as her best friend and confidant. KSAT spoke with her as she visited the memorial Tuesday.

“It makes me happy to know how much people loved her,” Symanski said. “She was the most understanding, welcoming person I’ve ever met. She had a good heart.”

Symanski said she and Wetzel connected by both being new to school, and often hung out and drove golf carts together.

“I just came back from homeschool, and she was the only person ever there for me,” she said. “We were in it together because she was brand new to the school and I was basically new.”

KSAT also spoke with Jessica Humphries, Wetzel’s aunt, who she was living with in La Vernia after moving from the Corpus Christi area. Humphries told KSAT that Wetzel was looking for a fresh start.

“She loved hanging out with friends; she was the life of any party,” Humphries said. “She loved her brothers to pieces, and loved her mom and her family.”

Humphries said her niece would have turned 17 in September and played soccer.

A La Vernia Independent School District spokesperson said counseling will be available for students and staff, and their focus remains on “supporting our students, staff, and families while providing a safe, caring, and welcoming environment.”

Humphries said the family is raising money online for a celebration of life for Wetzel in her hometown, but a date has not been set yet.

Read also:

• DPS confirms identity of 16-year-old girl killed in La Vernia crash
• 16-year-old La Vernia HS student killed in rollover crash, police say

The State Department said the decision was a reciprocal response to Brazil’s actions and officials said the step had been delayed several times to give Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva room to back down, something he did not do. Officials said, however, that it could be quickly reversed if Brazil takes appropriate action and accepts Trump’s ambassadorial choice.

Trump has had a fractious relationship for some time with Lula's administration, which has opposed him on numerous policies, particularly in the Western Hemisphere regarding Venezuela and Cuba. Their relationship also has been strained by Trump’s fondness for Lula’s first term successor and then predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently under house arrest, and his son Flávio, who is Lula’s main opponent in October election.

Lula has spared Trump himself from criticism and claims they liked each other when they first met at the United Nations Assembly General in September of last year. The Brazilian leader has blamed Secretary of State Marco Rubio for some of the actions against his country.

Brazil's ambassador is not being expelled

Despite the revocation of her visa, Brazil’s ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti is not being expelled from the United States, said one State Department official, who like several others spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomatic matter. The ambassador was previously a senior United Nations official.

She could be allowed to resume her official duties if the Brazilian government accepts Trump’s choice of former Florida House speaker Danny Perez to be U.S. ambassador to Brazil. Perez was nominated to the post in June and the official said Brazil had signaled it would not act on the appointment until after the first round of Brazil's election on Oct. 4.

In addition to stalling on Perez, Brazil denied visas last month for Riley Barnes, the assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, and one of his top aides after reports emerged that the pair were going to criticize Lula or the election process.

The State Department denied the allegations and said the two had planned to visit Brasilia on July 27-30 to meet government officials, religious leaders and others about “election integrity,” religious freedom and freedom of expression.

It said the visit was routine and that “any insinuation of a ‘ploy’ to undermine a democratic nation’s election is a baseless lie.”

Brazil’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press about the revocation of the ambassador’s visa, but last week a top Brazilian diplomat told journalists the government was expecting a response from the U.S.

The diplomat also mentioned the U.S. government had triggered the proceedings to send Perez to Brasilia before seeking Brazil’s approval, which is not standard diplomatic procedure. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity due to lack of authorization to discuss the matter publicly.

The same Brazilian diplomat told the AP on Tuesday, also under condition of anonymity, that the Lula administration is trying to figure out why the U.S. government is rushing to have an ambassador in Brasilia only months before October's election. The post in the Brazilian capital has been vacant since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.

The Trump administration has taken other actions against Brazil

Lula, who is 80 and seeking his fourth term as Brazil's president, will face Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, whose father once served as Brazil's president and whose family has many ties with the Trump administration.

Sen. Bolsonaro and his brother, Eduardo, visited U.S. officials in Washington, including Trump, in late May. Shortly afterward, the Trump administration classified Brazil’s biggest drug-trafficking groups — First Command Capital and Red Command — as foreign terrorist organizations, a move Lula opposes.

The Trump administration also imposed an up to 37.5% tariff hike on thousands of Brazilian exports, which came into force Friday. The U.S. government claims the South American nation has unfair competition practices and fails to stop forced labor practices — both accusations rejected by the Lula administration as an attempt to sway the election to Sen. Bolsonaro.

Jair Bolsonaro has for years fed concerns about the country’s electronic voting system, without providing any evidence for his claims. He is now serving a 27-year prison sentence at home for an attempted coup. He has long insisted that the machines, used for a quarter-century, are prone to fraud.

Sen. Bolsonaro has recently repeated some of these claims, although he steered clear of those on Saturday when his Liberal Party confirmed him as a presidential candidate in Sao Paulo.

___

Savarese reported from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Russia has relentlessly pounded civilian areas of Ukraine, even though Moscow insists its forces target only military facilities.

Since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion over four years ago, Ukraine has developed long-range drones that can strike deep inside Russia. In the past year, its forces have battered oil facilities, major storage depots and other key infrastructure.

More than 16,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the war began, the United Nations said last month in its most recent casualty report, with the vast majority occurring in areas under the Ukrainian government’s control. Casualties have risen steadily each year.

The U.N. children’s agency on Tuesday urged both countries to uphold international humanitarian law requiring the protection of children, citing recent deaths in Russia's Belgorod and Krasnodar regions, as well as in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy regions.

“Attacks that kill and injure children must stop,” UNICEF said in a statement.

Meanwhile, escalating attacks on shipping in the Black Sea by both sides have reawakened fears that global food security could be put at risk.

Russia is accused of using a drone to attack a street vendor

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a video on social media that he said showed a Russian drone hunting a man selling vegetables from a street stall in the southern city of Kherson.

The video shows the man trying to flee the drone as it circles his vehicle, follows him and ultimately strikes the car where he was trying to hide. He suffered wounds to his back, legs and arms, according to an interview he gave to the Kherson regional military administration.

Russia's Defense Ministry did not immediately reply to an Associated Press request for comment.

Drone attacks on civilians have surged since the war began, with 967 people killed, including 10 children, and nearly 7,000 people injured, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office said Tuesday.

Russian drone operators track and strike civilians going about daily activities, according to previous AP reporting. A U.N. commission concluded in October 2025 that such attacks amounted to crimes against humanity.

“The world must see this,” Zelenskyy said. “It must see every piece of evidence that Russia has gone mad and that its soldiers take pleasure in killing and abusing civilians.”

Russia says a Ukrainian drone killed 7 on Black Sea coast

The death toll from a drone strike Monday in the Russian Black Sea resort of Arkhipo-Osipovka rose to seven, including four children, regional authorities said.

On Tuesday, Krasnodar regional authorities updated the number of wounded to 58, with 21 hospitalized.

Video circulating online showed a drone slamming into a crowded beach with what sounded like gunfire in the background. Ukraine has not commented on the strike.

Ukrainian drones strike near Moscow and St. Petersburg

A Ukrainian drone attack Tuesday in the region around Moscow killed five people and wounded 10 others, said Gov. Andrei Vorobyov. Most of the damage occurred in the Chekhov municipal district, where several fires erupted at the Novoselki industrial zone, he said.

In the latest in a series of attacks on Russia’s biggest online retailer Wildberries, the company said its warehouse in the Leningrad region, adjacent to St. Petersburg, was on fire.

In the village of Emmaus, located between Moscow and St. Petersburg, drone debris partially damaged a wall of a Wildberries warehouse, regional Gov. Vitaly Korolyov said.

In the past 18 days, Ukrainian drones have targeted 15 Wildberries warehouses, 13 of which caught fire, said Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces. Ukrainian officials say the company provides goods that can be used by the military. Kyiv is also keen to unsettle the Russian public with high-profile attacks.

Russia hits Ukrainian ports and shipping

The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces on Monday night struck “Ukrainian ports, vessels and port infrastructure” used by Kyiv’s army.

In the port of Chornomorsk, in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, Russia said it hit an automobile components plant and a port terminal, where the military vehicles were being repaired and ammunition and fuel were being stored.

In the southern port of Mykolaiv, a bulk carrier with military cargo was damaged, while in Pivdennyi, another Ukrainian port, a vessel unloading military cargo was hit, according to the Russian statement.

The ministry also said two bulk carriers hauling weapons and military equipment were damaged at sea, south of Odesa.

Turkey on Tuesday repeated its appeal for both countries to ensure safe passage in the Black Sea after two Turkish-owned ships were attacked by drones after leaving the Russian port of Novorossiysk.

A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement expressed concerns that the war is increasingly spreading across the Black Sea, threatening merchant shipping, and warned such incidents could have broader consequences, including for the global food supply, as important shipments of grain, fertilizer and other key products move through those waters.

Ukraine reports more Russian glide bomb attacks

Russian attacks on Mykolaiv, including its port, killed an 89-year-old woman and wounded seven other people aged between 2 and 83, Ukrainian regional officials said.

The Russian strike on civilian infrastructure in southern Odesa region destroyed a private home and wounded two people, according to Oleh Kiper, head of the regional military administration.

In Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, six Russian glide bombs killed two girls aged 5 and 10 and an elderly woman, said Oleh Hryhorov, head of the Sumy regional military administration.

Russian forces also struck Kharkiv and 18 towns and villages across the northern region in the previous 24 hours, killing one person and injuring seven, including an 8-year-old, said Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional military administration.

Strikes in Balakliia, also in the Kharkiv region, damaged an apartment building, a library, three stores and more than 10 houses, wounding two women, local authorities said.

Two glide bombs struck Kramatorsk in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine, injuring 24 people, local officials said. Kramatorsk sits at the northern end of Ukraine’s Fortress Belt, where Western analysts say Russia is making a renewed effort to break through after four years of attrition.

Vadym Filashkin, head of the regional military administration, urged people still living near the front to evacuate, saying authorities would help with transportation, housing and other support.

___

Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

___

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

The man, Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, was hospitalized Saturday after having a “medical emergency” while being held at Delaney Hall in Newark, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He died the same day.

His official cause of death will be released following further medical examination, according to ICE, which listed his age as 41. Relatives said he was 39.

At a news conference Tuesday, distraught family members said Lopez-Cornejo had complained he was not getting regular access to his medications, which he took for diabetes, high blood pressure and seizures. His mother, Maria Cornejo, said he called the day before his death to tell her he had spoken to a doctor early Friday and had lost feeling in half his face and arm.

“My son needed medical attention, and he didn’t receive it,” Cornejo said in Spanish. “He was a good father. A good son. A hardworking man. He didn’t harm anyone.”

Through tears, his 12-year-old daughter, Ashley Lopez, said the family knew his health had worsened in detention. “All of us were worried about him,” she said.

In their statement, ICE said Lopez-Cornejo “received proper medical care and was seen by medical professionals” while in custody. He had been held at the facility since his arrest on June 18, according to the agency, which accused him of entering the country illegally.

In all, at least 56 people have died in ICE custody during Trump’s second term. Hundreds of people detained across the U.S. have brought lawsuits accusing immigrant detention facilities of failing to provide proper medical care.

In recent months, Delaney Hall has been the site of fierce protests by immigration advocates, with demonstrators at times attempting to block vehicles from entering or leaving the facility. Earlier this year, some people held at the jail launched a hunger strike over the conditions, according to Cosecha, an immigrant advocacy group.

The facility is owned by Geo Group, a private prison contractor that operates multiple detention centers across the country. The contractor deferred comment to ICE.

After Lopez-Cornejo's death, Democratic politicians and civil rights groups renewed their calls to shutter the 1,000-bed facility.

“This is not the first death of a detainee at Delaney Hall, and absent decisive action, it will not be the last,” Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker said in a statement. “I have visited the facility myself and witnessed these conditions firsthand, so I say this plainly: Delaney Hall must be closed immediately and permanently.”

In December, Jean Wilson Brutus, a 41-year-old Haitian national, died after collapsing at the jail in what a medical examiner ruled was due to a blood clot blocking an artery in his lungs.

On Monday, U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat who has routinely visited Delaney Hall, told reporters another person detained by ICE died in July after they had a seizure while they were being processed at the facility. Menendez said ICE granted the person a “discretionary release” from custody after they were taken to a hospital and lost consciousness, and the person died shortly afterward.

Menendez did not identify the person. ICE didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry about the case.

Menendez said ICE did not report the death, in line with a policy change announced earlier this year in which the agency no longer reports deaths that occur within 30 days of someone’s release from custody.

ICE has also not publicly recognized the July 24 death of 29-year-old Priciliano Trejo in Georgia, which came nine days after the agency released him from custody while he was hospitalized in a coma, according to a coalition of advocacy groups in the state. The agency has not responded to inquiries about Trejo’s death.

On Tuesday, Lopez-Cornejo’s brother, Danilo Lopez, called for the release of all medically vulnerable detained people, adding that the family would seek an independent state investigation into the “health crisis” at Delaney Hall.

In a statement, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, said her administration’s inspection efforts “continue to face obstruction.”

“Every effort to block oversight raises serious questions about what is happening inside Delaney Hall and what those operating the facility are trying to hide,” she added.

___

Associated Press journalists Ryan Foley in Iowa City, Iowa, and Joseph Frederick, in Highland Park, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

Wenger said in a statement he knew nothing of the $20 billion plan and that it was “absolutely necessary” to drop the proposal, and Grafström sent an email to all FIFA staff — seen by The Associated Press — calling the last week a “sad and reproachable series of events.” He also said it created “turmoil which is difficult to comprehend and accept.”

Neither directly named Infantino or offered support for the now-embattled president.

Late Tuesday, media reports in Britain said Infantino would hold a crisis meeting with senior FIFA staff in Morocco on Wednesday, which the governing body hadn't confirmed.

The comments by Wenger and Grafström had echoes of the direct criticism from FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, who said Friday that staff had been “deceived” by Infantino's private equity plan, which provoked a furor in global soccer. Lamour called it the "project of one person” and said FIFA staff “deserve better than contempt and intimidation.”

The three executives are respected and trusted figures among the 211 FIFA member federations who now hold sway over Infantino's grip on a presidency that looked unshakeable after the World Cup ended barely two weeks ago.

UEFA legal threat to FIFA

Wenger, Grafström and Lamour also were named in a letter from UEFA’s lawyers to Infantino among 18 executives whose data and communications should be retained as potential evidence.

“You do not need to worry,” Grafström wrote Tuesday to the hundreds of FIFA staff based mostly in Zurich and Coral Gables, Florida. “I assure you that you as members of the administration, you will be defended and safeguarded from the political context we currently experience.”

Wenger, who was hired by Infantino in 2019 and is FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, said he was “not involved in this strategic plan and first became aware of the project through media reports.”

Infantino withdrew his $20 billion proposal early Saturday after a furious backlash by global soccer officials, including European body UEFA warning of a boycott of all FIFA games and events.

The plan would have created a subsidiary — known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) — to run the money-making parts of the not-for-profit soccer body’s work: organizing tournaments like the World Cup, selling broadcasting and sponsorship rights, tickets and hospitality.

It proposed raising $4.2 billion from investors by selling stakes amounting to about 20% in FFE, based on an equity valuation of $20 billion. The “anchor investor” would have been Thrive Eternal, launched by Joshua Kushner, whose brother Jared Kushner is a son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.

“The decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary and beyond question, because I firmly believe in an independent FIFA that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity,” Wenger wrote.

Cash offers to FIFA members

FIFA’s 211 member federations — already effective owners of the governing body as a nonprofit association under Swiss law — were offered $20 million each. The deadline to accept was Sept. 19.

They also were promised a doubling of their FIFA funding for the four years through 2030 to $20 million instead of the previously announced $10 million.

Infantino shared details of the project to FIFA management just one week after the July 19 final of the financially successful World Cup in North America that drove FIFA's revenues to $15 billion for the 2023-26 commercial cycle — almost double the income tied to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Grafström, a long-time loyal aide to Infantino since their work together at UEFA, urged FIFA staff to “all continue being proud and happy” about the first 48-team World Cup.

“A sad and reproachable series of events — which were thankfully concluded with the FFE project permanently abandoned — for as much as we feel dismayed by them, should not overshadow this reality,” he wrote.

Infantino came under even more pressure when former FIFA vice president Prince Ali bin Al Hussein criticized the soccer body’s leadership on Tuesday, describing prize money withheld from his Jordan national team as a kind of blackmail.

Infantino's ties to Trump

The World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico was judged a success on the field, though it had unprecedented issues linked to Infantino's close ally Trump, who received a specially created FIFA Peace Prize at the tournament draw in December.

During the tournament, Iran's team could not stay in the U.S. where it played three games, a Somali referee picked by FIFA was refused entry, and U.S. forward Folarin Balogun was allowed to play against Belgium despite a red card in his previous game.

“We have all been thrown into the middle of a turmoil, which is difficult to comprehend and accept, but, as secretary general, I urge you to remain focused on what has always united us,” Grafström wrote. “I will continue to support our teams, our work and our mission every hour of every day for as long as my work is valued by those we serve.”

Waiting to hear from Infantino

Infantino has not commented in public on the schism in soccer since a FIFA statement early Saturday announcing that the proposal had been dropped. His official Instagram account has posted letters of support from several member federations, including 2030 World Cup co-host Morocco, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Infantino has been president of FIFA for more than 10 years and had seemed sure to be re-elected unopposed next March in Morocco. FIFA has set a Nov. 18 deadline for challengers to come forward, with Sweden's soccer leader saying Monday that UEFA is seeking a rival candidate.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and AP World Cup coverage

In a brief statement, Chipotle maintained that the “health and safety of our guests and employees is our highest priority” — and that it had pulled the jalapeños out of an abundance of caution and “replaced them with product from different growers” in all locations where a previous common lot had been distributed.

The company did not specify where the initial peppers came from but noted that the jalapeños in question were sent across multiple states to several retailers.

The Minnesota Department of Health on Tuesday confirmed that it was investigating a salmonella outbreak tied to several Mexican-style, quick-service restaurants — with jalapeños as the suspected source. Officials identified 110 cases in the state. Chipotle made up the majority of those where they were able to reach impacted consumers for an interview — who ate at the chain between mid-June and mid-July — but not all.

“Based on all the evidence so far, the food that made people sick was served at other restaurants as well,” Carlota Medus, senior epidemiologist supervisor in the Minnesota Department of Health's Foodborne Diseases Unit, said in a statement.

Medus said Chipotle had been cooperative over the course of the investigation — and that given the measures the company put in place, her department was not concerned about the chain at this time. Still, she said it was “too soon for us to know if the outbreak is ongoing” and that it's possible contaminated food is being served elsewhere.

The Minnesota Department of Health noted that other states are contributing to the investigation, without elaborating further. On the federal level, the Food and Drug Administration is conducting the traceback probe, covering but not limited to jalapeños.

The FDA on Tuesday confirmed it initiated its traceback investigation “of multiple ingredients” on July 22, in response to a cluster of salmonella illnesses identified by both state officials and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a statement, the agency said it appreciated Chipotle's cooperation and that it would “provide additional information if and when there is an actionable public health update.”

The CDC did not respond a request for further comments Tuesday afternoon.

Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhea, fever, severe vomiting, dehydration and stomach cramps. Most people who get sick recover within a week. Infections can be more severe in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems, who may require hospitalization.

Chipotle has been battered by larger outbreaks in years past — notably between 2015 and 2018, where a string of E coli., norovirus and food poisoning illnesses sent sales plunging. The California-based company has since boasted stronger food safety practices.

The latest salmonella outbreak arrives at a tough time for restaurant-goers and the dining industry nationwide. A handful of fast-casual chains are still wrestling with the fallout of a separate, wider cyclospora outbreak linked to shredded lettuce that has sickened thousands of Americans.

Chipotle hasn't been tied to or named by government investigations into those cyclospora illnesses. Still, the company is among those bracing for lower sales because of that outbreak.

Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill plunged nearly 10% Tuesday.

___

A previous version of this story misgendered Carlota Medus, senior epidemiologist supervisor in the MDH’s Foodborne Diseases Unit.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines in support of the nomination of President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, who has aggressively pushed the Republican administration’s priorities since taking over from Pam Bondi in April.

The vote followed a deal struck late Sunday between Blanche and two Republican senators — John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — who had been threatening to block his confirmation over the settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service regarding the president’s leaked tax returns.

Cornyn and Tillis backed Blanche’s nomination after the Justice Department confirmed in writing that it wasn’t moving forward with a $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies who believe they were prosecuted for political purposes, which the administration announced as part of the settlement.

After days of negotiations, Blanche issued an order Sunday evening confirming “beyond any doubt, that there is no Fund.”

It was still unclear, though, if Republicans will have enough votes in the full Senate to confirm Blanche. A vote could come by the end of the week.

If all Democrats oppose him, Blanche can only afford to lose two Republican votes if Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who was hospitalized after a fall, does not return before then.

Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a moderate Republican who is in a tough reelection race this year, said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that she would not support Blanche because he has taken actions that “eroded the department's independence," including the creation of the settlement fund.

At least two other Republican senators have not said if they will vote to confirm Blanche — Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who lost reelection earlier this year when Trump endorsed one of his primary opponents. Both declined comment when asked how they will vote.

Democrats complain about the fund

Democrats say Blanche’s order doesn’t go far enough to prevent the Trump administration from reviving the fund after the acting attorney general’s confirmation and have called for legislation to permanently bar it.

The order also doesn’t stop the administration from compensating Trump allies — including people who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — through a previously established process that allows people to file claims for damages if they believed they were wronged by the government.

The fund “can easily be revived with a new order from the Department of Justice 15 minutes after Mr. Blanche is confirmed as attorney general,” said Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the committee.

Cornyn and Tillis had also pressed for clarification on a separate part of the settlement that would grant Trump and members of his family immunity from tax audits.

Under the deal, the Justice Department clarified in writing that the tax audit immunity agreement applies only to claims open at the time of the settlement and does not protect Trump from examination of future tax filings. It also makes clear that only the parties that brought the lawsuit — Trump, two of his sons, and the Trump Organization — are covered by the tax agreement.

Cornyn said his reasons for backing Blanche go beyond the deal struck Sunday, adding that he believes the Justice Department needs a “stabilizing force" at the helm.

“The Department of Justice does not need a temporary, unconfirmed nominee as our nation’s top law enforcement official. Trump needs someone in this role, as well, with a strong legal mind," Cornyn said.

Blanche's independence has been called into question

Blanche has faced intense scrutiny regarding his ability to maintain independence from the White House, the Justice Department’s pursuit of the president’s political foes and the agency’s handling of files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation.

But it was the settlement of Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS that threatened to derail Blanche's nomination, forcing a delay in the committee vote last week amid pressure from the two Republican senators, who are not returning to Capitol Hill after their terms end in January.

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, who chairs the committee, said Tillis and Cornyn’s demands were “common sense.” Grassley said the senators’ concerns about the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” and the IRS settlement were shared by many other lawmakers, including himself.

“I’m grateful that they as well as Mr. Blanche and the White House worked in good faith to solve them, formally rescinding the fund, clarifying the scope of the release of claims has put this issue to bed once and for all," Grassley said.

Trump’s lawsuit has been sharply criticized because of the highly unusual way it was handled, with the president challenging an agency overseen by the executive branch he leads. A judge last month slammed the case as an improper exercise in self-dealing and referred one of Trump’s attorneys who filed it for potential disciplinary action.

Blanche was an important figure for Trump's defense

Blanche, a former federal prosecutor and key member of Trump’s defense team as the Republican battled four indictments, arrived at the Justice Department last year as deputy attorney general. He was elevated to acting attorney general following Bondi’s failure to meet Trump’s demands to successfully prosecute his perceived political opponents.

While Blanche insisted he wasn’t auditioning for the permanent post, he moved swiftly to accelerate investigations into Trump foes and advance other White House priorities, drawing condemnation from critics who say he has not shed his title as Trump’s personal lawyer.

Shortly after Blanche took the top post, the Justice Department moved to indict longtime Trump adversary James Comey, the former FBI director, on charges of threatening the 47th president by posting a social media photograph of seashells in the numerical arrangement of “86 47.”

Comey’s lawyers have accused the Justice Department of misleading judges, submitting documents containing false statements and withholding key facts to bring what the defense described as a politically motivated prosecution.

Blanche separately appointed Joseph diGenova, a former Justice Department prosecutor from the Reagan administration, to oversee a Florida-based investigation into whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired over the last decade to undermine Trump.

Miller, a senior adviser to Trump during his first presidency, faced a Wednesday deadline to decide whether to stay in his race for reelection, with Republicans nervous that the allegations surrounding the second-term congressman could cost them a seat as they try to hang on to their House majority in this year's midterms.

Leaders of the ethics committee said in their statement that the committee was reviewing whether Miller “may have engaged in domestic violence and abuse or illegal drug use.” Earlier in the day, Miller said he had requested his own investigation into the allegations made by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno. It was not clear whether his request or another one prompted the committee to investigate.

Trump spoke with Miller on Monday and advised that his candidacy “doesn’t look good,” according to a source familiar with the conversation who was granted anonymity to discuss a private conversation. Trump’s conversation with Miller was first reported by Axios.

Miller said during a CNN interview Tuesday that he wasn't exiting the race, despite what he described as Trump's words of caution.

"'Maxie, it’s going to be a tough race. And he said, I don’t know if you’re going to be able to, you know, pull this one out,'” he quoted Trump as saying during their conversation.

Miller added: “I will never, ever, ever let my baby girl see her dad walk away as a quitter. I will continue to finish this.”

The former Trump aide, whom the president endorsed in May, is facing a flurry of legal filings by his ex-wife, who is the Republican senator's daughter, and an ex-girlfriend.

Sen. Moreno, who until Sunday had remained quiet about the allegations at his daughter's request, on Tuesday described the impact on his daughter, granddaughter and wider family as “truly the seventh level of hell."

“This has been brutal beyond comprehension," he told reporters at the Capitol. "And if there's any minimum standard for being a public official, as I said, he fails to meet that minimum, basic standard.”

Asked about the election implications of the allegations for Republicans, Moreno told reporters, “I don't care about the politics at all.”

Moreno expressed concern for his granddaughter and told reporters that he traveled Sunday to a suburban Cleveland police station, where Miller was dropping off their daughter. Miller and his ex-wife share custody of the 2-year-old.

Miller had previewed his intention to stay in the race over the weekend when he livestreamed a video defending himself on X and posted a cache of documents related to his divorce and custody cases.

Sen. Moreno said the video prompted him to break his silence and call for Miller to no longer hold public office.

Trump declined to say publicly Monday whether Miller should exit the race, noting that the accusations against him were “allegations.”

“I know Max. He's a good person. I mean, I always thought he was a very good person. And I'm going to let the families figure that out,” Trump told reporters when asked about Miller during an Oval Office event.

The university system bars professors from “advocating” race or gender ideology or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity. The policy applies to all 12 universities in the system. It requires presidential approval to address those subjects in certain courses and, according to the lawsuit, prohibits them in core courses.

The lawsuit asks the judge to rescind instructions requiring professors to remove particular readings or subjects and declare the policy unconstitutional. The professors and faculty group allege the restrictions violate the professors’ First Amendment rights and are so vague that faculty cannot determine what they may teach without risking discipline. They want the judge to restore courses removed from the core curriculum and prevent the regents from imposing similar restrictions.

The American Association of University Professors brought the lawsuit alongside four professors: Texas A&M professors Leonard Bright, Vanita Reddy and Landon Sadler and Tarleton State University professor Aaron George. They are represented by the ACLU of Texas, the national ACLU and the Houston law firm Yetter Coleman. They sued the system’s regents in a federal court in Houston.

“We believe this lawsuit is without merit, and the system will vigorously defend its policies and procedures,” Chris Bryan, the system’s vice chancellor for marketing and communications, said in a statement. “The A&M System remains focused on the important work for supporting our students and fulfilling our duty to the state.”

Cloe Kempf, an ACLU of Texas staff attorney, said the policy censors discussion of the rights and identities of Texans who have historically faced discrimination.

“What’s more, it undermines all of Texans’ First Amendment rights,” Kempf said. “If public officials can abuse their power to ban these topics and perspectives today, there’s nothing stopping them from targeting other subjects and points of view, including your own, down the line.”

The lawsuit is the second filed in less than a month challenging restrictions on what professors may teach. The National AAUP and Texas AAUP-AFT sued Texas Tech Chancellor Brandon Creighton and the system’s regents on July 8 over limits involving race, gender identity and sexual orientation.

Unlike the Texas A&M case, the Texas Tech lawsuit was brought by two faculty groups rather than individual professors and challenges two directives issued by Creighton.

The Texas A&M restrictions came after months of upheaval in College Station that began after a student secretly recorded her confrontation with a professor over a lesson on gender identity last summer. A Republican state lawmaker then posted the video on social media that fall, fueling conservative outrage over what the university was teaching.

Then-President Mark A. Welsh III, who initially defended the professor, fired her after the video went viral. He resigned days later amid Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s criticism of his handling of the controversy. Chancellor Glenn Hegar subsequently ordered a systemwide review of courses.

Texas A&M regents first adopted the policy in November and revised it in December. The regents defined “race ideology” as concepts that shame a race or ethnicity, assign people guilt based on their ancestry or promote racial activism instead of academic instruction. 

They defined “gender ideology” as the idea that a person’s gender identity could replace biological sex and that biological sex has less value or legitimacy. 

They did not define what advocacy was. 

Regent Sam Torn said at the time that the board left it to university presidents to determine the difference between teaching and advocacy. 

“What we’re doing is pretty simple,” Torn said. “It’s not as complex. We’re simply making sure that we do educate, and we’re simply making sure that we teach what the course syllabus specifies that we teach.” 

The policy allows professors to teach the restricted subjects in non-core and graduate courses only if they establish a “necessary educational purpose” and receive the university president’s written approval. The lawsuit argues that because the policy does not define “necessary educational purpose,” administrators have sweeping discretion to decide meets that standard.

The rules also shifted as professors tried to comply, according to the lawsuit.

Early guidance allowed professors to teach the restricted subjects in graduate courses without approval and to advocate them with presidential approval. A later FAQ barred advocacy altogether and required approval merely to teach the subjects in graduate and non-core courses. It prohibited teaching them in core courses.

After the policy took effect, professors submitted syllabi for review. Some were told to change their courses or teach something else. In one example, administrators told a professor to remove readings from Plato’s “Symposium” from a philosophy course to continue teaching it as a core course, or instead teach a different philosophy course that would not fulfill a core requirement.

Texas A&M officials have said the university still teaches Plato and have emphasized that only six of more than 5,400 courses reviewed were canceled in the spring, but the lawsuit argues that the cancellations alone understate the policy’s effects.

Bright, president of Texas A&M’s AAUP chapter, had his graduate seminar on ethics in public policy canceled in January, three days after the spring semester started, because he could not identify every class meeting in which sexual orientation might arise during discussions. Bright told administrators that he did not advocate for a particular position.

The lawsuit alleges the policy continues to affect courses planned for the fall. Texas A&M canceled an LGBTQ literature course that Reddy and Sadler were scheduled to teach this fall and required Sadler to remove the Academy Award-winning film “Moonlight” and a poem titled “Trans-Generation” from another course. Administrators allowed him to show “Barbie,” the complaint says.

At Tarleton State, administrators ordered George to remove “The Gay Manifesto” and Kevin Kruse’s book “White Flight” from a history course, while not flagging a reading by conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly opposing equal rights for women, according to the lawsuit. The professors and AAUP argue that the contrast shows the policy allows certain viewpoints while censoring others.

The lawsuit also alleges Tarleton officials used an artificial intelligence-powered platform to screen syllabi and told professors that courses containing words such as “gender,” “diverse,” “bias” and “ethnicity” would receive extra scrutiny.

The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.

Trump, meanwhile, is making a rare visit to California and Nevada on Tuesday and Wednesday to shore up support for Republicans in the November midterm elections. The president has so far struggled to connect with voters on the economy, as elevated inflation and feelings of uncertainty overshadow the stock market gains he often highlights, alongside a low national unemployment rate.

Here is the latest:

$150M contract for child immigrant legal services going to Houston law firm with ties to Trump administration

The Trump administration is planning to hire a Houston-based law firm with ties to the administration to provide legal services to unaccompanied children, according to a notice scheduled to be posted on the Federal Register this week.

The agreement will award a contract of $150 million to Burke Law Group, with a proposed time period covering one year starting Aug. 15.

One of the founders, Marcella Burkey, was a former Trump appointee to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior. Jeffrey Hall, a former employee and founding partner, was recently appointed and confirmed to serve in the EPA late last year.

The announcement comes days after the federal government allowed a contract to expire on Friday with a network of nearly 100 legal groups after not paying for their services for more than half a year.

Watchdog finds FEMA cuts came without reviewing whether it had adequate staffing for disasters

The Federal Emergency Management Agency may not have a workforce capable of effectively responding to disasters now or in the future.

That’s the assessment of a new report from the Government Accountability Office, the independent watchdog that advises Congress on how taxpayer dollars are being spent.

The agency says more than 4,300 employees separated from FEMA in the 2025 fiscal year, a 55% increase from the prior year.

The workforce cuts came without the agency assessing whether it had the staffing capacity to meet its mission, GAO said. Without such planning, FEMA is not positioned to determine whether it has the numbers it needs in the right positions.

GAO offered several recommendations, including urging Congress to require FEMA to report before the start of each year’s hurricane season on its workforce planning results.

Democratic lawmakers on the House Homeland Security Committee requested the report.

Trump administration revokes visa of Brazil’s ambassador to US in spat with Lula

The Trump administration has revoked the visa of Brazil’s ambassador to the United States in retaliation for Brazil’s denial of visas last month for two American diplomats who sought to visit the country ahead of upcoming elections as well as Brazil’s stalling on approving Trump’s nominee to be ambassador in Brasilia.

The State Department said the decision was a reciprocal response to Brazil’s move and officials said the step had been delayed several times to give Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva room to back down, something he did not do.

Officials said it could be quickly reversed if Brazil takes appropriate action and accepts Trump’s ambassadorial choice.

Lula will face Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, whose father once served as Brazil’s president and whose family has many ties with the Trump administration, in the Oct. 4 polls. The administration has numerous issues with the leftist Lula and his policies and has also hosted the younger Bolsonaro, who is seeking to carry on his father, Jair’s, conservative governance.

Wall Street rallies to records, pushing S&P 500 up 1.8%, as profits pile up and oil prices ease

The U.S. stock market rallied to records as companies kept piling up profits and oil prices eased. The S&P 500 shot up 1.8% Tuesday, and the main measure of Wall Street’s health topped its prior all-time high set in June.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1.7% to its own record set the day before, and the Nasdaq composite jumped 2.6%. Palantir Technologies and Caterpillar helped lead the way after becoming the latest companies to deliver stronger profits for the spring than expected. Brent crude fell below $80 per barrel, which helped Treasury yields ease in the bond market.

▶ Read more

Guard deployment to Washington into 2029 will cost roughly $1.4B, estimate shows

The extension of the National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C. until January 2029 will cost roughly $1.4 billion, according to a Defense Department estimate provided to Congress.

The figure offers a glimpse of how much taxpayer money will be spent on a deployment that has been criticized by local officials as an infringement of their city’s autonomy and by Democrats who say it has militarized the streets of nation’s capital at the public’s expense.

The cost estimate is for fiscal years 2027-2029 and came in response to questions from Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and was provided to The Associated Press.

The deployment began last summer, when Trump issued an emergency order that launched a law enforcement surge in the city which the administration says was meant to fight crime. Hundreds of armed Guard troops have been deployed to city streets, supporting arrest operations but also helping with snow removal and carrying out beautification projects.

▶ Read more

Trump’s arch could harm the integrity of many of Washington’s historical sites, report says

A divided federal appeals court on Tuesday said the Trump administration improperly terminated a multi-billion program to boost clean energy projects, handing a win to a coalition of nonprofits picked to run the Biden-era effort.

Climate United Fund and other nonprofits won’t have access to their funds immediately as the decision will be put on hold for several days giving the Environmental Protection Agency time to ask the Supreme Court to step in.

The split ruling by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is a loss for the Trump administration in one of its earliest efforts to dismantle President Joe Biden’s campaign to reduce climate-warming greenhouse gases. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, commonly referred to as a “green bank,” is a congressionally authorized program that provided money to nonprofits that would then make loans and invest in small energy projects, energy-efficient buildings and transportation.

▶ Read more

Divided federal appeals court says Trump administration was wrong to terminate climate program

A divided federal appeals court on Tuesday said the Trump administration improperly terminated a multi-billion program to boost clean energy projects, handing a win to a coalition of nonprofits picked to run the Biden-era effort.

Climate United Fund and other nonprofits won’t have access to their funds immediately as the decision will be put on hold for several days giving the Environmental Protection Agency time to ask the Supreme Court to step in.

The split ruling by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is a loss for the Trump administration in one of its earliest efforts to dismantle President Joe Biden’s campaign to reduce climate-warming greenhouse gases. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, commonly referred to as a “green bank,” is a congressionally authorized program that provided money to nonprofits that would then make loans and invest in small energy projects, energy-efficient buildings and transportation.

▶ Read more

Housing prices are a big issue in Nevada

In Nevada, where Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo faces Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford in one of the nation’s most competitive governor’s races, Democrats are putting up billboard signs blaming Trump and Lombardo for the shortage of affordable housing, exploding energy demand from data centers and federal cuts to key state programs.

Trump has tried to sell voters on his income tax cuts and claims of a manufacturing renaissance. But interest rates are high, gasoline costs more because of the Iran war, tariffs are still reshaping the economy and even the White House acknowledges a national shortage of housing.

Staying on message could be difficult for Trump, who called his own housing bill a “yawn.” Past speeches advertised by the White House as being about the economy gave way to Trumpian weaves about his political enemies and capital construction projects.

Democrats complain about Blanche’s deal making for Trump

Democrats say Blanche’s order doesn’t go far enough to prevent the Trump administration from claiming more immunity from tax audits or compensating Trump allies — including people who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — through a previously established process that allows damage claims for government wrongdoing.

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Senate Justice Committee, said Blanche’s promises are virtually unenforceable. The fund “can easily be revived with a new order from the Department of Justice 15 minutes after Mr. Blanche is confirmed as attorney general,” Durbin said.

Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general clears critical hurdle after deal with GOP holdouts

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines in support of the nomination of Trump’s former personal attorney, who has aggressively pushed the Republican administration’s priorities since taking over from Pam Bondi in April.

The vote followed a deal struck late Sunday between Blanche and two Republican senators who had been threatening to block his confirmation over the settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service regarding the president’s leaked tax returns.

Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina had said they were withholding their support unless the Justice Department confirmed in writing that it was not moving forward with a $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies who believe they were prosecuted for political purposes, which the administration had announced as part of the settlement.

Blanche issued an order Sunday evening confirming “beyond any doubt, that there is no Fund.”

▶ Read more

Attacks continue in Gulf region despite talks

A cargo ship reported being “hit by an unknown projectile” early Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz , the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said, without providing further information on the ship. It suffered damage, according to British maritime security firm Ambrey, which did not elaborate.

Yemen’s Houthis, meanwhile, fired at an airport in Saudi Arabia. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Iranian-backed rebels, said a drone hit a “sensitive target” at the airport in the southwestern city of Najran, without providing evidence.

Saree said the attack was in response to what he described as Saudi breaching of Yemen’s airspace over the provinces of Saada and Hajjah. There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis recently announced a blockade on Saudi-linked shipping passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that leads to the Red Sea.

Qatar mediating talks between US and Iran

Despite conflicting claims, mediation efforts have been underway between the U.S. and Iran to wind down the war, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said Tuesday.

“We’re looking into a diplomatic solution,” he said during a briefing, without elaborating.

Comedian Jenny Yang uplifts immigrants, one grocery store at a time

Stand-up comic Jenny Yang is spending her summer turning cultural grocery stores into comedy clubs for a night in a response to Trump’s immigration crackdown.

The Good Egg Immigrant Grocery Store Standup Comedy Tour is using the unusual venues in immigrant enclaves and pairing with nonprofits to raise funds for Asian, Latino and Black communities. It’s grown to 20 performances and a possible comedy special on TV.

For one show in Minneapolis, the manager of a supermarket down the block from where an ICE agent fatally shot Alex Pretti fit 150 chairs near the checkout lanes so people could see her show.

Comedians are divided on whether stand-up should stand down on politics, but Yang says “I believe in punching up, not down.”

▶ Read more

Rubio says progress made in Iran, Oman talks and deal on Strait of Hormuz could happen ‘very shortly’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that there has been progress made in talks between Iran and Oman on the status of the critical Strait of Hormuz waterway.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with the vice president of Paraguay at the State Department on Tuesday, Rubio said that “suffice it to say, there’s been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet. We’re hoping that will happen very shortly.”

Rubio said ships continue to transit the strait but the U.S. would like to see more commercial traffic.

US job market continues to show strength despite bumpy economy

U.S. job openings fell slightly in June, but the labor market continued to show resilience to the Iran war’s economic shocks.

The Labor Department said employers posted 7.36 million vacancies, down from 7.54 million in May, in line with economists’ expectations. Layoffs were little-changed at 1.8 million, and the number of people quitting jobs — a sign of confidence in their prospects — rose slightly.

So far this year, companies, government agencies and nonprofits have added an average 92,000 jobs a month. That would have been mediocre in years past, but Trump’s immigration crackdown and baby boomer retirements mean fewer people are competing for work, so the economy doesn’t need as many new jobs to keep unemployment from rising. In fact, some economists believe the “break-even″ rate could be nearly as low as zero jobs.

Trump administration to close five smaller US embassies, consulates and other posts while opening others

The Trump administration has informed Congress that it intends to close five smaller U.S. embassies, consulates and other diplomatic missions even as it steams ahead with plans to reopen shuttered posts in Libya and Syria and has reopened the long-closed embassy in Venezuela.

In separate notices sent late last week to lawmakers, the State Department said it would close the U.S. embassy in the Caribbean island of Grenada, the consulates in Nagoya, Japan and Medan, Indonesia, the American Presence Post in Winnipeg, Canada and an embassy branch office in Douala, Cameroon.

The closures are expected to save the government roughly $4.4 million per year, according to the notices, which were obtained by The Associated Press.

Markets move, again, on Trump comments

Trump said he’s not happy with energy company profits, though it was the war he launched that enabled their windfalls.

Shares of ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips and Chevron all fell around 1% before the bell. Brent crude, the international standard, lost $1.87 to $81.90 a barrel.

Also possibly helping to push oil prices lower was comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said Tuesday in an interview on CNBC that “we are in talks with the Iranians.” Bessent added, “There is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the Strait and move towards a more normalized position in this conflict.”

Big oil reports bigger profits in Iran war windfall

Exxon Mobil on Friday reported that its second quarter profits doubled to $14.53 billion, while Chevron nearly quadrupled its profits to $12.07 billion.

Foreign oil companies are also posting massive increases in profits: Saudi Aramco on Tuesday reported a 44% year-on-year increase in second-quarter net profit to $32.69 billion, driven by higher prices for crude oil, refined products and chemicals. And London-based BP reported its profits more than doubled to $3.9 billion.

US markets poised to open with gains and oil prices slide again as Trump bashes Big Oil

Wall Street was poised to open higher and oil prices flipped to significant losses Tuesday after Trump criticized oil companies for using the Iran conflict to amass excessive profits.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.2%, while S&P 500 futures rose 0.3%. Nasdaq futures jumped 1.1%. Oil prices slid close to 3% early Tuesday after Trump bashed big oil companies.

“They made too much money, too much money,” Trump said on Monday. “They ought to give some of that back to the public, and they better cut the retail price.”

FIFA executives distance themselves from Infantino’s World Cup plan

Two senior FIFA executives — coaching great Arsène Wenger and CEO-like Secretary-General Mattias Grafström — distanced themselves Tuesday from their boss Gianni Infantino’s failed plan to sell stakes in future World Cup profits to private investors through a money-making subsidiary to be launched by Joshua Kushner, whose brother Jared Kushner is a son-in-law of Trump.

Wenger said in a statement he knew nothing of the $20 billion plan and that it was “absolutely necessary” to drop the proposal, and Grafström sent an email to all FIFA staff — seen by The Associated Press — calling the last week a “sad and reproachable series of events.” He also said it created “turmoil which is difficult to comprehend and accept.”

Neither directly named their boss nor offered support for Infantino, who has not commented in public on the schism in soccer since a FIFA statement Saturday announcing the proposal had been dropped.

▶ Read more

What to watch as primary voters choose nominees

Michigan is testing the direction of the Democratic Party, as voters choose between a progressive standard-bearer and an establishment-backed candidate for the U.S. Senate. Abdul El-Sayed, backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, is up against four-term Rep. Haley Stevens, supported by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.

Democratic and Republican voters in Michigan are also choosing nominees to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

In Kansas, Missouri, Virginia and Washington state, voters are settling a host of races, including a key rematch between Democrats in a Missouri House contest. Virginia Democrats who lost a court battle over trying to redraw districts to their advantage are picking candidates they hope can defeat Republicans in the fall.

▶ Read more

Trump and Newsom, mocking and taunting

As Trump flies to California he’ll likely throw barbs at the governor, eyed as a likely candidate for the next Democratic presidential nomination.

White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said the president plans to “draw a sharp contrast between his commonsense agenda and the radical policies of Democrats like Gavin Newsom.”

Trump routinely mocks Newsom using a derogatory nickname. Newsom taunts the president in turn.

The Democrat wrote on social media on Monday that California is raising its minimum wage next year to $17.40 an hour, more than double the federal minimum. “Donald Trump and the GOP are still defending a $7.25 minimum wage while workers scrape by. Pitiful,” Newsom wrote.

The economy is on Trump’s agenda in California and Nevada

Trump’s rare visit to California and Nevada is meant to draw contrasts with Democrats on the economy, border security and crime in support of Republicans in November elections that will determine whether party control of Congress.

But he’s struggled to connect with voters on the economy as elevated inflation and feelings of uncertainty have overshadowed the stock market gains he often talks about, along with a low national unemployment rate.

Trump is headlining a Republican National Committee fundraising dinner at a golf club his family owns in the Los Angeles suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Trump will discuss the economy at Red Rock casino in Las Vegas.

Only 32% of U.S. adults approved of Trump’s handling of the economy in an AP-NORC poll conducted in late July, while 69% characterized the state of the economy as “poor.”

The nominee will face former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, who is running unopposed after narrowly losing a Senate race in 2024.

Democrats endured a bitter and expensive campaign that became a proxy battle between the party’s establishment and progressive wings. Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez supported El-Sayed, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer backed Stevens.

El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director, is seeking a political comeback after losing the 2018 gubernatorial primary to now-Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. He campaigned on Medicare for All, campaign finance reform and ending military aid to Israel.

Visiting Detroit’s Eastern Market to talk to voters on Election Day, El-Sayed stopped to dance with a group of women in a Zumba class. He noted the joyful tone to end his campaign.

“That’s generally how we operate,” El-Sayed told The Associated Press. “The hope here is we build a world where people are free to actually fully enjoy their lives.”

Stevens is a four-term congresswoman from the outskirts of Detroit who has focused on manufacturing and the economy in a campaign she called a “love letter to Michigan.” She stresses her past victories in tough races, saying she is best positioned to beat Rogers.

Stevens benefited from tens of millions of dollars in outside spending, including the largest investment in a race ever from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which supports pro-Israel candidates.

After casting her ballot, Stevens told reporters that her campaign was seeing “great turnout.” She positioned herself as someone who will focus on local priorities.

“Our voices oftentimes get drowned out. They get drowned out by podcasts. They get drowned out by, you know, Twitch streamers. They get drowned out by other national priorities,” she said.

Voters were also choosing nominees in competitive House races and for governor. The GOP gubernatorial primary featured U.S. Rep. John James, who was backed by President Donald Trump, and businessperson Perry Johnson, who spent millions of his personal fortune. For Democrats, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson was the overwhelming favorite over Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.

Michigan is a must-win Senate race for Democrats

Michigan's Senate seat is open because Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is retiring. Hopes for a relatively orderly primary to replace him disappeared when Stevens, El-Sayed and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow all entered the race. McMorrow suspended her campaign in July.

Stevens won election to Congress in 2018 after serving as chief of staff to President Barack Obama’s auto task force, which helped oversee the federal rescue of General Motors and Chrysler. Her campaign and allied groups have repeatedly highlighted that experience, including advertisements featuring Obama calling her “a critical part of my team.”

Backed by Sanders from the outset, El-Sayed cast himself as the anti-establishment candidate and aimed to join the ranks of newcomers winning races this year across the country — sometimes unseating incumbents backed by party leaders, in places like New York and Denver.

He argued that Democrats need to reject corporate influence and embrace a more progressive agenda. In addition to Medicare for All, his campaign centered on lowering prescription drug costs and banning corporate PAC money.

Kenneth Woodside, 87, of West Bloomfield, said he voted for El-Sayed over Stevens because he wants someone in office who is “more focused on the people rather than just on the wealthy and businesses.”

Woodside said he has faith that El-Sayed can defeat Rogers.

“I think the nation is ready for someone who wants to take some more action rather than on the road we are now, which is on the road to an oligarchy and authoritarianism,” he said.

Nessa Fuller, 51, of Birmingham, who wore a Haley Stevens T-shirt, said she voted for Stevens because she will “fight to get the right things done, and she’ll work with other people, which is really important to me.”

Outside influences spent millions on the Senate race

National groups poured unprecedented sums into the race, making it one of the country’s biggest tests of outside spending.

Groups backing Stevens spent more than $50 million, led by more than $30 million from AIPAC and its affiliates.

The spending thrust Israel policy into the center of the race even though the ads never mentioned it. While El-Sayed called for ending military aid to Israel, Stevens maintained strong support for the relationship.

Israel has become a contentious issue within the Democratic Party amid a war in Gaza that killed more than 73,000 Palestinians in its retaliatory offensive after about 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages were taken in attacks by the militant group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

The race also became a proxy fight over the direction of the party. In addition to Schumer, more establishment-aligned senators, such as Peters, backed Stevens, while progressives such as Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Elizabeth Warren lined up behind El-Sayed.

Voters also will decide governor and U.S. House matchups

Trump traveled to Michigan on July 27 and gave a speech at a General Motors plant, at one point calling the gubernatorial hopeful James and several other Republican politicians, including Rogers, onstage. James, a second-term congressman, previously ran twice unsuccessfully for Senate.

The primary turned uglier than Republicans hoped, with Johnson spending big sums of money on ads targeting James. Johnson ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2022 and also launched a long-shot presidential bid in 2024.

In the Democratic gubernatorial primary, much of the party including lawmakers and outside groups, such as the United Auto Workers union, coalesced behind Benson.

Meanwhile there are several competitive House races this year that will help decide whether Republicans hold their slim majority or Democrats reclaim the chamber.

In the 4th District, which stretches along Lake Michigan, Democratic state Sen. Sean McCann and election newcomer Diop Harris II were vying to become the nominee to try to oust GOP Rep. Bill Huizenga.

In the 7th District, former U.S. Ambassador Bridget Brink, community organizer William Lawrence and former Navy Seal Matt Maasdam were seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican Rep. Tom Barrett in the seat representing the Lansing area.

James' decision to run for governor left open his seat in the 10th District, which includes a portion of Oakland County and stretches across conservative communities in Macomb County. In the GOP primary, Trump endorsed Michael Bouchard against Steffan Demetropoulos and Justin Kirk. The Democratic primary featured former state House Rep. Tim Greimel, former prosecutor Christina Hines and former Commerce Department attorney Eric Chung.

And in a heavily Democratic district representing Detroit, Rep. Shri Thanedar looked to fend off a primary challenge from state Rep. Donavan McKinney, who argued that the city should once again have a Black representative in Congress. After Thanedar won election in 2022, Detroit had no Black representation in Congress for the first time since the early 1950s.

___

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

Speaking with reporters for the first time since the Packers opened training camp last week, Parsons made his motivation very clear Tuesday. Parsons is on the physically unable to perform list as he works his way back from the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee that ended his first season with the Packers.

“I think people are worried about, you know, if I come back. I just feel like people should just be worried about how I’m going to be when I come back,” Parsons said. “Like, people are worried about the knee. They should be worried about how I’m going to play when I get back. The anger, the frustration, the things that I’m going to have to let out because of how long it’s been since I played.”

Parsons recorded 12 1/2 sacks in his first 13 games with the Packers after the blockbuster trade that brought him to Green Bay from Dallas in late August. But after he went down during a Dec. 14 loss at Denver, the Packers never won another game.

Green Bay’s season ended with a 31-27 los s to the rival Chicago Bears in the NFC wild card playoffs, a game in which the Packers surrendered 25 fourth-quarter points after building a 21-3 halftime lead.

Parsons underwent surgery on Dec. 29 to repair the ACL and damage to the meniscus, and doctors gave him a strict nine-month “no football” directive, meaning the first time he could do anything football related would be on Sept. 29, after the Packers’ first two games of the regular season.

He is expected to start the season on the PUP list, which means he can start practicing after missing two games but won't be eligible to play until after missing four games.

The Packers’ Week 5 game is on Oct. 11 at home against the Bears, who lost to the Packers while Parsons was healthy but beat them late in the regular season and again in the playoffs after Parsons went down.

The following week, the Packers face the Cowboys at Lambeau Field on Oct. 18. And Parsons — while refusing to commit to any sort of timeline — acknowledged he’d like to be back to face his old team.

“I think it’s very realistic,” Parsons said. “Me and the (medical) staff, we’ve got to get to the point where I’m feeling great and we say, ‘Micah, you’ll be in a really good phase.’

“Is it possible? Yes. I wouldn’t say it’s not possible. But, at the same time, in these next 10, 12 weeks from now on, we’ve got to do our part to make it possible. It’s not off the board, but we’ve got to put the work in.”

___

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

The Bears announced the deal Tuesday by saying “The Wright Tackle is here to stay.” It's a four-year, $116 million contract, a person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press. The deal includes $93 million guaranteed, the person said.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details had not been announced by either side.

The contract is the biggest ever for a right tackle and includes the most guaranteed money for an offensive lineman in NFL history, according to ESPN.

The 10th overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Tennessee, Wright anchored an offensive line that helped the Bears rank third in the NFL in rushing and win the NFC North. He earned second-team All-Pro honors.

Wright said during training camp last week that he believed an extension would work out.

“Obviously, I know I’ll be here for a long time, hopefully my whole career,” he said. “Those things kind of just handle themselves. I just have to stay focused on the main things. That’s just getting better, consistency every day.”

___

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

It's good to be prepared, but kids who walk to school or participate in extracurricular activities may be lugging more than their bodies can handle. Lockers and classroom storage aren’t available everywhere — and a child carrying too much weight might not be ready to learn.

As families begin back-to-school shopping, here's how to know if your child's backpack is too heavy, and how to lighten their load.

How heavy is too heavy?

The modern school backpack has evolved, but it hasn’t necessarily gotten lighter. Whether students have textbooks, digital devices or both, they often are accompanied by notebooks, water bottles, lunch containers, workout clothes and more. Individually, those items may not seem heavy, but together they can add unnecessary strain to children's bodies.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, signs a backpack may be too heavy include a child leaning forward to support its weight or having difficulty walking. Straps should not dig into shoulders.

Don't wait for a child to express discomfort or pain to lighten the load, experts say.

Dr. Sadika Kendi, a physician who chairs the academy’s injury-prevention efforts, says back injuries are uncommon but possible, particularly if a child falls while carrying a heavy backpack.

“It’s worse if, for example, they trip and fall and they have a huge, heavy backpack on their back. Then that’s just more weight that could increase the severity of an injury,” she said.

Although 10% to 15% of a child’s body weight is often cited as a backpack guideline, there isn’t enough evidence to establish a one-size-fits-all approach, Kendi said. Because children vary in size, strength, physical development and daily routines, caregivers should consider their child’s individual needs and, in general, keep backpacks as light as possible.

Teachers say leave this stuff at home

After families receive back-to-school checklists for classroom materials, they should take an audit of what a child really must carry every day.

Samantha Ness, a history teacher in Phoenix, said parents should focus on making sure children have basic supplies rather than getting caught up in trendy, decorative or expensive items. Her students have access to classroom textbooks but are still expected to carry a laptop and charger each day. As technology becomes more central to schoolwork, some students have stopped bringing paper, she said. They rely instead on their devices, which can also become distractions.

“When considering the things going into their backpacks, how is it going to help them be successful in the classroom?” said Ness, who has been teaching for about 10 years.

In Fairfax County, Virginia, the school district is bringing back math textbooks after a backlash against technology. That was a win for the group Fairfax County Parents for Intentional Technology, but it also means hard decisions about weight in backpacks.

Parents should think carefully about whether a child really needs to carry both books and a laptop every day, said mom Alix Fetch, a spokesperson for the parents group. For example, a student might not always need their laptop at home. Parents of elementary school students in Fairfax County can now opt out of having the device come home in backpacks. For older students, block scheduling means they don’t need every textbook every day.

Fetch said her 7-year-old typically carries lunch, a water bottle and occasionally a folder with homework or notes from the teacher. Even that can feel burdensome, she said, particularly when students move between classrooms for activities such as art or music. And the inside of the bag can still be messy.

“Kids are still kids. There’s food in their backpack and water, and they’re scrunching up papers,” Fetch said.

As students get older, Ness said, backpacks can become more personal storage than school storage, carrying items such as makeup, nail polish and hair dryers.

“They’re using their backpacks more as purses and like storage than they are actually using them for school,” she said.

How to carry the load safely

Experts recommend choosing a backpack that fits the child and has two broad, padded shoulder straps, a padded back, compartments to distribute weight and a waist or chest strap to redistribute the load. The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends teaching children to pick up and carry backpacks safely, including bending at the knees rather than the waist when lifting heavier bags to avoid strain.

Backpacks with wheels can be helpful, especially for children with injuries, but experts say they may be problematic in schools with stairs or crowded walkways, where they can pose a tripping hazard.

Children should remove their backpacks before riding in a moving vehicle, Kendi said, because wearing one can interfere with how a seat belt works during a crash or sudden stop. Instead, place the backpack beside the child, even if leaving it on seems more convenient during drop-off.

“Don’t wear it in a car or any form of transportation while that car is moving,” Kendi said. “It’s just incredibly dangerous.”

Regularly cleaning out backpacks can also help reduce unnecessary weight and keep track of notes, permission slips and assignments. Some teachers recommend doing it weekly to catch missing work, spills from leaky water bottles and accumulating crumbs.

___

The Associated Press’ education 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.

The organization says traffic safety remains a serious concern in Texas. According to AAA, 698 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in the state last year, along with 80 bicyclists. Thousands more people suffered serious injuries.

“It is absolutely critical that drivers start paying extra attention out there on the roadways, watching out for small children who could dart out between parked cars, as well as for those bicyclists,” said Doug Shupe, corporate communications manager for AAA.

AAA is also urging drivers to be especially mindful around school buses. When a bus has its stop arm extended and red lights flashing, drivers are required to stop.

Shupe said avoiding distractions can make the difference between a close call and a tragedy.

“Slow down, stay alert and put those distractions away, like those mobile phones,” he said. “Those few extra seconds of paying attention could save a life.”

Parents are also encouraged to talk with children about safe habits on the way to school.

AAA recommends teaching students to cross at crosswalks and to make eye contact with drivers before stepping into a crosswalk or intersection to make sure they are seen. Children should also be encouraged to remove earbuds or headphones near traffic so they can stay aware of their surroundings.

Read also:

• Back-to-school start dates for districts in San Antonio, surrounding areas

Netanyahu's remarks cast more doubt on the deal to disarm Hamas, which was seen as a potential breakthrough for ending the war. It also marked a rare public display of friction with the Trump administration.

The agreement called for Hamas to begin disarming and for Israel to halt its strikes and begin withdrawing from the roughly 60% of Gaza it currently controls. It was based on an October ceasefire agreement that ended major military operations and brought about the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza but has stalled on other fronts.

Netanyahu, who faces a tough battle for reelection in October, reiterated his stance that disarmament should come first. He said Israeli forces would continue to “do whatever is necessary to protect themselves, our territory, and our citizens.”

The Trump administration “sent us a draft. We did not agree. It is not our draft. We sent our comments. … This is our position,” Netanyahu said in a video posted on social media.

Mass funeral held for dozens killed in 2023 strike

Earlier on Tuesday, Palestinians gathered for a mass funeral of more than 100 bodies finally recovered from a deadly Israeli strike in Gaza in 2023. More than 300 people were killed on Nov. 22, 2023, weeks into the war with Hamas, when warplanes flattened a residential block in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood.

Around 40 bodies were recovered soon afterward in a frantic scramble of rough tools and bare hands, but most were buried deep beneath the rubble. Reports of the high number of victims in one of the war's deadliest attacks took days to reach the public in the chaos just before its first ceasefire.

Over the weekend, first responders dug through the destroyed buildings and recovered remains of 112 victims, including 40 children, according to the Civil Defense, a rescue agency operating under the Hamas-run Interior Ministry.

It said 157 bodies still have not been found.

“The only crime of these martyrs was that they remained steadfast and resilient in their homes, believing that these homes would protect them,” one relative, Taysir al-Hassayna, told The Associated Press following the funeral prayers.

For the missing, it's “as if their bodies had evaporated without a trace.”

The current ceasefire has allowed recovery of remains

Only now are some bodies of people killed in the war's ferocious early months slowly being recovered, as the fragile ceasefire allows such efforts to push ahead in parts of devastated Gaza.

Those discoveries have contributed to the war's rising toll. The Hamas-led militant attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 73,377 Palestinians, including since the ceasefire, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.

At least 7,400 people have been reported by relatives to still be under the rubble, Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the ministry's records department, told the AP. The true number is likely thousands higher because in some cases entire families were killed in a single bombing, leaving no one to report the missing, al-Waheidi has said.

The people mourned on Tuesday were from a residential block belonging to the Hassayna and Abu Sharia clan, and many were related. AP has identified at least 60 families across Gaza who lost 25 or more family members during the first three months of war.

On Tuesday, the remains of the victims, wrapped in Palestinian flags, were laid in rows on the ground. Many were marked with photos, and flower petals were scattered around them all. Hundreds of people surrounded the bodies for funeral prayers, some standing on the rubble.

Following the prayers, people carried the bodies on stretchers along a narrow street lined by destroyed buildings and buried them in a nearby cemetery.

Deadly strikes continue and rebuilding is on hold

At least 1,252 people have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.

The ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. It does not give a breakdown of civilians and militants but says women and children make up most of the dead.

Israel says its strikes are against militants who endanger its soldiers, took part in the Oct. 7 attack or carry out other violations. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.

The U.S.-backed ceasefire agreement last October called for Hamas to be disarmed and for Israel to withdraw. An International Stabilization Force was to be deployed, and an independent Palestinian administration was to oversee governance and reconstruction.

Israel says everything hinges on Hamas giving up its weapons, while Hamas says Israel must end its strikes and begin withdrawing from the territory. Each side accuses the other of violating the truce.

Gaza remains largely shattered. Most of its 2 million Palestinians are displaced, many living in tent camps where poor conditions and overcrowding have led to rodent infestations and outbreaks of infectious diseases such as chickenpox.

___

Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.

The S&P 500 shot up 1.8%, and the main measure of Wall Street’s health topped its prior all-time high set a couple months ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 907 points, or 1.7%, to its own record set the day before, while the Nasdaq composite jumped 2.6%.

Despite worries about high inflation, the war in Iran, frustration with the economy and a possible bubble in stock prices because of the boom in artificial-intelligence technology, Wall Street hit its latest apex and rewarded investors who remained patient because profits keep soaring for companies. Stock prices tend to follow the path of corporate earnings over the long term.

Palantir Technologies helped lead the way and surged 29.5% after CEO Alex Karp said its overall revenue leaped 93% in what he called an “otherworldly” quarter. Besides reporting a stronger profit for the spring than analysts expected, the AI company also raised its revenue forecast for the full year of 2026.

Caterpillar climbed 5.6% after the heavy-equipment maker likewise reported stronger profit and revenue than analysts expected. It was the first time Caterpillar made more than $20 billion in sales and revenue in a quarter, and CEO Joe Creed said it’s seeing strong order rates and a growing backlog across its main businesses.

Caterpillar is also benefiting from the AI boom through increased orders for turbines used to power data centers, among other things.

They’re the latest companies to deliver even better profits for the latest quarter than investors expected, following strong results from Amazon, Microsoft and others. Coming into this week, companies in the S&P 500 index were on track to deliver growth of nearly 50% in earnings per share for the spring from a year earlier, according to FactSet.

That would be the biggest such jump since 2021, when the economy was roaring back to life after cratering in the COVID-19 pandemic. With corporate profits up so much, when stock prices are still roughly where they were two months ago, stocks don’t look as expensive as they did before, according to Phil Segner, a co-portfolio manager at the Leuthold Group.

Also helping stocks on Tuesday was another drop for oil prices.

Brent crude, the international standard, sank 5.3% to $79.36 per barrel as hope once again took over from fear in the oil market. It had swung sharply between $72 and $102 through July on uncertainty about when the war with Iran would allow oil tankers to freely exit the Persian Gulf again to deliver crude around the world.

It’s jerked up and down many times as uncertainty built, receded and then built again, not only week to week but also hour to hour. Analysts warn more swings could be ahead, but the latest drop in oil prices nevertheless helped ease Wall Street’s worries about inflation. That pulled down yields in the bond market, which in turn relaxed pressure on the overall economy and on prices for stocks and other investments.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.62% from 4.70% Monday and from 4.75% at the end of last week. That’s a notable move for the bond market, though it remains well above its 3.97% level from before the war with Iran.

Higher yields make it more expensive for all kinds of Americans to borrow money, from homebuyers looking for a mortgage to big companies looking to build AI data centers.

Reports on the U.S. economy, meanwhile, showed it remains resilient even though inflation remains worse than anyone would like. One said U.S. employers were advertising nearly 7.4 million job openings at the end of June, a slight slowdown from May’s level but close to economists’ expectations.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose modestly across much of Europe and Asia.

South Korea’s Kospi had a more significant move and climbed 1.6%. Seoul has seen some of the world’s sharpest swings because two companies swept up in AI mania dominate its market, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. The Kospi had dropped 5.1% and soared 17.9% in the prior two days.

Stocks of computer chip companies also strengthened on Wall Street, where gains of 2.6% for Nvidia, 6.6% for Broadcom and 7.6% for Micron Technology were some of the strongest forces lifting the S&P 500.

They more than offset a drop for Chipotle Mexican Group, which fell 9.7% on fears that future profits could be hurt after the chain removed jalapeños from some of its restaurants following a salmonella outbreak. Chipotle said that Minnesota health officials have no ongoing concerns with it.

All told, the S&P 500 rallied 136.02 points to 7,736.52. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 907.47 to 54,085.88, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 671.10 to 26,584.99.

___

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

Many of Washington's monuments, buildings and sites have been carefully planned over decades to reflect significant moments in the nation's history and evoke symbolism in being connected by sightline to other sites.

The proposed towering gilded arch, which last month received initial approval from a key federal commission, would impact the “integrity” of dozens of those historical properties because it would change “character-defining visual and spatial relationships” between them.

The NPS report, published recently, said the immediate project area is located within the Memorial Avenue Corridor cultural landscape, “a nationally significant historic designed landscape extending between the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.”

One of the most obvious elements the report cited is that the arch would break alignment between the Lincoln Memorial, Memorial Bridge and Arlington House that was formerly Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s home.

“The bridge alignment and associated ceremonial landscape were intended to physically and symbolically unite North and South through a coordinated monumental composition extending across the Potomac River,” the report said.

The Lincoln Memorial Arlington House connection was one of dozens of historic sites and structures listed as being impacted directly by the proposed structure. It added that the National Mall, the U.S. Capitol, Washington Monument and grounds and Lady Bird Johnson Park would also be directly affected.

The report puts a snag in a project that has sailed through several steps of the approval process in front of planning bodies stocked with Trump appointees and allies.

The White House said in an email that it would follow all legal requirements in constructing the arch.

The proposed arch is one of several projects the Republican president is pursuing to leave his lasting imprint on Washington. With the potential to change the city’s sightline, it has already sparked opposition, including through a lawsuit filed by a group of veterans and a historian.

The arch design, proposed by Trump, has already received early approval from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. The commissioners were all appointed by Trump. The National Capital Area Planning Commission approved the site and preliminary plans at its July meeting. The commission is expected to take up the matter again at its September meeting.

“The Triumphal Arch in Memorial Circle is going to be one of the most iconic landmarks not only in Washington, D.C., but throughout the world,” said White House spokesman Davis Ingle in an emailed response for comment. “It will enhance the visitor experience at Arlington National Cemetery for veterans, the families of the fallen, and all Americans alike, serving as a visual reminder of the noble sacrifices borne by so many American heroes throughout our 250 year history so we can enjoy our freedoms today.”

The arch is one of several projects Trump has proposed that is involved in litigation. The plaintiffs, three veterans and a historian, have challenged its construction saying it requires Congressional approval.

“Our claim is essentially that none of this has any authorization to be happening in the first place,” said Nicolas Sansone, an attorney with Public Citizen Litigation Group representing the plaintiffs. Authorization of the construction of a monument “in the core of Washington, D.C., on National Park Service land” requires an act of Congress, he said.

The National Park Service assessment confirms what the plaintiffs have said the construction will do to the symbolic and solemn area, he added.

“I think its very significant that the National Park Service itself understands that this is the effect that it's going to have,” Sansone said.

Aaron F. Farinacci, of Spokane, was arrested Monday and booked on suspicion of first-degree arson in connection with the Old Trails Fire, the biggest of three blazes that have destroyed at least 700 buildings and forced tens of thousands of people from their homes. According to court records, he denied setting the fire. His bond was set at $1 million.

Authorities haven't said what caused the other two fires burning around Spokane. No deaths have been reported.

Farinacci, 37, served about a decade in prison after killing his father in Arizona in 2010. Last year, authorities questioned him in two fire-related cases in Spokane, according to a probable cause statement filed in Spokane County Superior Court.

One involved several “bus-sized” fires in an area near Farinacci's apartment in July 2025, police records in that case say. The other involved a wildfire in a state park that prompted evacuation notices the following month. In neither case was he arrested.

A tip leads to an arrest

On Saturday, Paul Child, 64, was driving with his grandson along some railroad tracks in his rural neighborhood northwest of Spokane. He saw a man standing and looking toward nearby trees. About 10 minutes later, as they were returning home, the man was still there.

“He was bent over in the brush, acting nervous," Child told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "You get the feeling this guy’s up to something.”

“No longer than 10 minutes after I got home, my daughter says, ‘There’s a fire,’” Child recalled. “My first words were, ‘That SOB started a fire!’ It was the exact spot where he was standing.”

Child’s daughter called 911 and he drove back to the spot where he'd seen the man, sheriff’s detective Michael Drapeau wrote in the probable cause statement. He gave a police officer a description of the man he had seen — bald, white, wearing a green shirt and carrying a backpack.

A responding sheriff’s deputy saw a man matching that description walking more than one mile (1.6 kilometers) away and detained him. Another deputy also responded, and Child showed up to identify the person in custody — Farinacci — as the one he had seen in the area of the fire, the document states.

Farinacci had a backpack and a fanny pack, in which he had a pack of cigarettes, waterproof matches and a butane lighter, it says. He told the deputies he didn’t start the fire and he denied having been in the area where it started. He was wearing a green T-shirt that read, “who needs luck I have charm,” the detective wrote.

The deputies were unaware of Farinacci’s prior fire-related contacts and the cause of the Old Trails Fire hadn’t been determined yet, so they released him to continue working on evacuation efforts, Drapeau wrote.

But the following day, a wildland fire investigator ruled out other possible causes, including sparks from electric wires or passing trains, and police arrested Farinacci on Monday.

“As it happens in so many critical cases, it was citizens who were paying attention to their surroundings, being aware and willing to step up and say something that led to the relatively quick apprehension of Mr. Farinacci,” Sheriff John Nowels told reporters.

Child credited the heroic work of police and firefighters responding to the disaster, and said he hopes people who lost homes “can get some kind of peace of mind or a little bit of comfort” from the arrest.

Farinacci appeared in court Tuesday via video link from the jail and was represented by Colin Charbonneau, director of the Spokane County public defender’s office. A judge set his arraignment for Thursday.

In an effort to get comment from Farinacci’s family, The Associated Press sent a message to a possible social media account for a brother.

Police contacted him about earlier fires

A detective investigating the Old Trails Fire ran a criminal history check on Farinacci and found that he had been contacted by law enforcement twice before during fire investigations.

Spokane police responded to reports of several fires on July 8, 2025, near Farinacci’s apartment. The area near the Spokane River involved several “bus-sized” fires and prompted a significant emergency response, according to a police record.

The Washington State Patrol made contact with Farinacci the following month while pursuing a suspect in a wildfire at Riverside State Park. They found him on a park bench, “seemingly out of breath from possibly running.” They took photos of him. He was wearing a green T-shirt just like the one he was seen wearing on Saturday, the document says.

Convicted of manslaughter

Farinacci, then age 21, shot and killed his father in Mesa, Arizona, during a 2010 argument about washing dishes, police said. Farinacci also shot himself but survived.

He was charged with murder but pleaded guilty in 2012 to manslaughter and aggravated assault, records show.

A judge in 2011 found that Farinacci was mentally fit to assist in his own defense, though defense lawyer Jose Colon continued to raise questions about his mental health and noted that he had been hospitalized multiple times for psychiatric treatment, court records show.

In a letter to the judge, Beth Farinacci, who had married Farinacci's father, said second-degree murder, not manslaughter, would have been a more appropriate way to resolve the case.

“Manslaughter is for when someone accidentally kills another person. It is not for someone who intentionally points a loaded gun at their father and shoots him in his face and back,” Beth Farinacci wrote.

Farinacci was released from probation in Arizona in early 2024. A probation officer said Farinacci maintained a stable residence with his girlfriend and her family in the previous year, but also noted he hadn’t completed a mental health evaluation or domestic violence treatment.

Residents return to destroyed homes

The fires were among dozens across the Western U.S. that have stretched the ability of federal, state and local agencies to fight them. More than 1,000 firefighters, many from outside of Washington state, were in the Spokane area Tuesday, and that number was expected to rise.

Winds died down Monday and Tuesday, aiding firefighters, but the weather was expected to get hotter by Wednesday.

In one neighborhood, blackened vehicles, a boat twisted by the heat and melted plastic recycling bins remained. Across the street, lawns were still green and houses were spared, as residents continued to run hoses or sprinklers to water their properties.

Some residents who had to flee blazes returned to find only chimneys left standing.

“There’s nothing to save,” Miriam Sim, 76, said as she and her husband, Daniel Sim, surveyed the ruins of the home where they had lived since 2005.

___

Johnson and Bellisle reported from Seattle, and White reported from Detroit. Associated Press reporters Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed.

Climate United Fund and other nonprofits won’t have access to their funds immediately as the decision will be put on hold for several days giving the Environmental Protection Agency time to ask the Supreme Court to step in.

The judgement by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is a loss for the Trump administration in one of its earliest efforts to dismantle President Joe Biden’s campaign to reduce climate-warming greenhouse gases. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, commonly referred to as a “green bank,” is a $20 billion congressionally authorized program that provided money to nonprofits that would then make loans and invest in small energy projects, energy-efficient buildings and transportation.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin accused Climate United Fund and other nonprofits picked to run the green bank of mismanagement and potential fraud. He froze billions that had been placed in a Citibank account for the program and then terminated their grants. The groups disputed any wrongdoing and sued, arguing the Trump administration broke the law and violated the Constitution by not spending money authorized by Congress.

“Despite efforts to harm the awardees with false allegations and misinformation, there remains no legal basis for terminating our grant award and clawing back funds that were already disbursed in our bank accounts,” Climate United said in a statement.

In September, a divided three-judge panel of the same appeals court overturned a lower court and said the Trump administration had broad power to cancel grants without having to face charges of illegality in federal court.

The full appeals court agreed to revisit that decision, a rare occurrence reserved for the most important cases.

Zeldin early last year told Fox News that he suspected the green bank “was a clear-cut case of waste and abuse” that “in my opinion, is criminal.”

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan last year said that when the federal government was asked for evidence of fraud, the agency didn’t provide it and shifted its position to more general concerns about the level of EPA oversight over the program. Chutkan ruled the government can’t violate the law and terminate the contracts and that the groups should have access to some of their frozen money. That order was put on hold during appeal.

A lawyer for the nonprofits argued at the time that the agency had already allocated the money by putting it in the Citibank account for the program’s use.

The agency argued the nonprofits are making constitutional and statutory arguments that don’t apply in a simple contract fight, and that the matter should be heard by a different court that can only award a lump sum — not force the government to keep the grants in place. Federal officials argue there is no law or provision in the Constitution that compels the EPA to make these grants to these groups.

The green bank was created by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, a Biden administration priority that boosted clean energy and climate-friendly projects. President Trump’s tax and spending bill last year, however, repealed part of the law that established the bank and rescinded money that hadn’t already been obligated to its recipients. That added a layer of complication to the legal case.

Six of 10 judges agreed with a lower court judge that the Trump EPA likely violated the 2022 law when it terminated the grants and tried to claw back funds based on a policy disagreement.

However, one of the six judges that agreed the grant terminations were improper said Trump's bill complicated whether the clean energy groups could access funds going forward.

The remaining four judges broadly disagreed with the majority and sided with the EPA, saying that after Trump's tax and spend bill, the agency likely would have authority to end the grants.

The EPA did not immediately provide comment.

___

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

“We must act now to stem the rise in child deaths, which this crisis is provoking,” John Aylieff, WFP’s country director in Afghanistan, said in a statement, adding that “it is already too late for too many."

Afghanistan continues to recover from decades of conflict and upheaval, including the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces in 2021 as the Taliban took power.

Olga Cherevko, spokesperson for the U.N. humanitarian office in Afghanistan, said nutrition specialists report that “wasting among children has worsened this year in over three-quarters of the country." Children suffering from a condition known as wasting are acutely malnourished, become very thin for their height, and need immediate therapeutic feeding.

But “too many children arrive at health facilities severely malnourished” while others never make it, Cherevko told reporters at U.N. headquarters by video from Afghanistan, where she has traveled across the country in recent months and weeks.

WFP said 142 health centers closed in 2025 because of aid reductions and more than 13,000 children lost access to nutrition treatment. It did not mention any specific donor, such as the United States, where the Trump administration has made sweeping cuts in foreign aid.

Nearly 3.7 million Afghan children are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition this year, along with 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women, according to WFP.

The agency said 12 Afghan provinces have reached critical levels of acute child malnutrition, a record number. It cited a combination of conflict, unemployment, rising food prices, disease outbreaks, poor water and sanitation and reduced humanitarian funding.

The Iran war and other fighting ha delayed deliveries

WFP said supply shortages linked to conflict in the Middle East and the nine-month closure of Pakistan’s border because of fighting between the neighbors have disrupted deliveries of nutrition products, leaving nearly one million malnourished women and children without essential nutrition services for five months.

From August through October, WFP said food distributions aimed at preventing famine in the worst-hit areas are being suspended due to lack of funding, even though the annual peak season for malnutrition is between July and October.

It said it urgently needs $540 million over the next six months.

WFP previously described cuts as ‘devastating’

Humanitarian groups in Afghanistan are grappling with steep funding cuts. In February, Aylieff told The Associated Press that cuts had been “devastating” and were forcing the agency to turn away three out of four acutely malnourished children.

Funding for food assistance has dropped sharply — by about 59% since 2022 — even as needs have surged, according to a recent WFP report.

In June, the U.S. pledged $800 million to WFP, which said it will help more than 38 million people in at least 37 countries.

Cherevko of the U.N. humanitarian office said the larger $1.71 billion humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan is just over 26% funded, which is “alarming,” especially since malnutrition and other indicators are worsening.

—-

Edith M. Lederer contributed to this report from the United Nations.

Arbaeen is held 40 days after Ashoura, which commemorates the killing of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, and members of his family, at the Battle of Karbala in 680 A.D.

Karbala Gov. Nasseif Jassim al-Khattabi said Tuesday that more than 22 million people entered the city during the pilgrimage, including about 5 million non-Iraqi visitors as well as Iraqis from different regions of the country.

The event is considered one of the world’s largest annual religious gatherings.

Among the highest-profile foreign visitors was Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who arrived in the Iraqi city of Najaf on Monday and continued on to Karbala to take part in the pilgrimage.

Araghchi's presence was a reminder of the delicate balancing act that Iraq — which has close ties to both Washington and Tehran — has carried out since the beginning of the war. Iraq has found itself in the crosshairs of both sides and has sought to avoid getting pulled further into the conflict.

As usual, Iranian pilgrims arrived in large numbers, but some observers said the number of pilgrims from other countries had shrunk.

Aqeel al-Rubaie, 45, a pilgrim from Baghdad who was on his way to Karbala, said Iranian flags were particularly visible along the Najaf-Karbala road, while there were fewer flags than usual from European, Arab and other Islamic countries.

He attributed this to “the war and the events unfolding across the region, which have affected the number of Arab and foreign pilgrims."

Another pilgrim from Baghdad, Hassan al-Sarai, 35, said, “I hardly saw any flags other than Iranian ones, which were clearly visible along the road as well as inside and around the city of Karbala."

Volunteer processions providing food, water, medical care and other services lined the roads leading to Karbala from across Iraq.

The pilgrimage is taking place this year as Iraq faces difficult economic conditions following the war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted Iraqi oil exports. More than 90% of Iraqi state revenues come from oil exports, making the country’s economy highly vulnerable to any interruption in crude shipments.

It also comes as Baghdad is wrestling with a difficult task it has set for itself: disarming the country's network of militias, many of them Iran-backed.

One of the most powerful Iran-backed militias, Kataib Hezbollah, said in a statement marking the occasion of Arbaeen that it rejects calls to disarm and remains committed to retaining what it described as the “weapons of the resistance."

Meanwhile in Iran, many observant Shiites unable to make the pilgrimage to Karbala held their own observances, which sometimes took on a political tone.

In the capital, Tehran, black-clad mourners rallied along a nearly 20-kilometer (12-mile) route to a Shiite holy shrine in the south of the city from a starting point in the central part of the city.

The mourners chanted slogans seeking retaliation for the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in strikes by the U.S. and Israel, while some demonstrators trampled on U.S. and Israeli flags.

State media said similar rallies were held in other Iranian cities and towns.

——

Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran contributed.

Several fires that burned through mountain communities and coastal areas west of the Greek capital were brought under control overnight. Planes and helicopters dumped water inside the contained perimeters through the morning, dousing hot spots while the winds stayed calm.

“There is a huge fire load in the area and the risk goes up as the day progresses,” said Costas Tsingas, head of the Greek Firefighters Association. “The goal is for the day to end better than it started.”

Fires started through negligence prompt wave of arrests

Burning for a fifth day, the blaze outside Athens prompted the evacuation of more than 1,000 people and was blamed on a faulty power line from a wind farm in the area.

Restrictions and park closures are imposed locally according to fire‑risk levels. Authorities say 33 people were arrested between June 29 and Aug. 2 for starting fires, including 30 through negligence and three on suspicion of arson. Most of the negligence cases involved farm work carried out despite local bans, including prohibited welding.

On Tuesday, crews were working against the clock: Winds typically pick up in the afternoon, a coastal phenomenon common across the Mediterranean in summer as land heats faster than the sea and draws in stronger breezes.

The army deployed tracked earth movers to carve fire breaks across the scorched hillsides, while specialist units pushed into forest areas on foot to extinguish smoldering embers before they could reignite.

More than 1,000 people have been evacuated from around the seaside resort of Porto Germeno and other areas west of the capital, including more than 250 rescued by boats from beaches in the area.

Wildfires in France expose ammunition

Prolonged heat waves across Europe this summer have left France tinder-dry, fueling blazes that this week exposed long-buried ammunition in a forested area.

The massive wildfire outside the southwestern city of Bordeaux, which has scorched about 420 square kilometers (162 square miles), uncovered what is believed to be World War II-era ammunition.

Demining experts have found more than 400 shells and other munitions in recent days at Le Porge, the hardest-hit town, where 183 homes were destroyed. Residents described hearing explosions believed to be blasts from the old shells, authorities said.

The fire remained contained and thousands of evacuees were allowed to return Monday. More than 224,000 people fled in France’s largest civilian evacuation outside wartime.

___

Corbet reported from Paris.

The figure offers a glimpse of how much taxpayer money will be spent on a deployment that has been criticized by local officials as an infringement of their city's autonomy and by Democrats who say it has militarized the streets of nation's capital at the public's expense.

The cost estimate is for fiscal years 2027-2029 and came in response to questions from Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and was provided to The Associated Press.

The deployment began last summer, when President Donald Trump issued an emergency order that launched a law enforcement surge in the city which the administration says was meant to fight crime. Hundreds of armed Guard troops have been deployed to city streets, supporting arrest operations but also helping with snow removal and carrying out beautification projects. This summer, as the city marked the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, their numbers surged to about 5,000.

The Defense Department said in its estimate the cost assumes there will be an average of 2,500 National Guard members in Washington through January 2029.

"While American families are getting flattened by skyrocketing costs, Donald Trump is spending $1.4 billion to keep troops on the streets in Washington for years on end," Warren said in an emailed statement. "The National Guard are not pawns and taxpayer dollars are not a piggy bank for Trump’s political stunts.”

The cost was first reported by The Washington Post.

The Pentagon said last month the Guard mission will continue until Jan. 20, 2029, “or until terminated by the President.” The deployment was set to expire at the end of this year after previously being extended.

While the use of National Guard members has been restricted by courts elsewhere, their presence continues in large numbers in D.C. where the president is the direct commander of the D.C. Guard.

What's not clear is whether the governors will extend their state units for more than two years. As of late July there were 4,600 military personnel from D.C. and 23 states and territories still in the city, some sent to help with security and other functions as part of events around July 4th.

One state, Georgia, had roughly 800 personnel here, more than the D.C. National Guard. Maj. R. Dustin Cole, spokesperson for the Georgia Air National Guard, said in an email the increased number is temporary. He stopped short of saying how many Georgia troops might be pulled away, and when.

Col. Joel Lynch of the Arkansas National Guard said about half of the state’s 238 soldiers in D.C. will return home the end of this month and 123 are projected to return near the end of October.

Hawaii said it will bring home its 27 members later this month after the Freedom 250 Grand Prix. Louisiana will have about 150 Guard members in the city through January 2027.

Don and Donna Powell, residents of the city who split time between Washington and Texas, said the money being spent on the National Guard could be used for other necessities.

“They’re everywhere. They’re just hiding wherever it’s shady,” said Donna Powell, while attending a FreeDC protest Monday against the continued surge. The money being spent for them “could be spent on healthcare and food for families that need it and instead we’re wasting our money.”

Helicopters were on standby but unable to fly by noon for the ongoing search and recovery operation on Broad Peak, the regional government said in a statement Tuesday.

The climbers from Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, China, Britain and the United States were swept away by the avalanche Thursday in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, which the Alpine Club of Pakistan called one of the country's deadliest mountaineering disasters.

Ground teams located the remains of eight climbers and at least three bodies were brought down the mountain on Saturday, officials said.

Nirmal Purja, a Nepal-born former British Army soldier widely known as Nims Dai, was among the climbers killed in the avalanche while attempting to scale the peak. His expedition company said Saturday that the world had lost one of mountaineering’s greats.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday expressed condolences to the families of those killed, saying he was deeply saddened by the tragedy.

“My heartfelt condolences go to the bereaved families and to the governments and people of China, Nepal, Oman, the United Kingdom and the United States,” Dar said in a post on X.

Dar also offered condolences to the family of Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi, saying his courage and passion for the mountains would be remembered with pride.

“The determination and pursuit of excellence shown by all those who perished embodied the true spirit of mountaineering and will continue to inspire generations,” Dar said.

Dar praised the “tireless efforts of our rescue and recovery teams” and said Pakistan remained committed to the ongoing search and recovery operation in close coordination with the Nepal, Oman, U.K. and U.S. embassies.

Mountaineering accidents are common in northern Pakistan because of avalanches, falling ice and rock, extreme altitude and rapidly changing weather. A Chinese mountaineer died last year after being struck by falling rocks while descending K2, the world’s second-highest mountain, in northern Pakistan.

Bodies of foreign climbers who die attempting to summit mountains in Pakistan are typically recovered at the request of their families and governments. If the family declines a rescue, the remains are left at the spot where the climber died.

___

Khan reported from Peshawar, Pakistan.

The emerging agreement calls for ships to enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman, two regional officials told The Associated Press.

Any deal, though, appears contingent on the United States lifting its blockade on Iran’s ports. The Trump administration has previously ruled out any deal that would give Iran control over the strait.

Elsewhere, a mass funeral was held in Gaza City for more than 100 people killed in an Israeli strike early in the conflict. A memorial service was also held in Beirut, for victims of a 2020 port explosion, and Yemen’s Houthis claimed they fired at a Saudi Arabian airport.

Here is a look at the most important developments in the Middle East on Tuesday:

US officials suggest strait deal imminent

Senior U.S. officials struck an optimistic tone on Tuesday, suggesting a deal to reopen the strait could be reached soon.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed there has been progress made in talks between Iran and Oman, “but not finality yet.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that “there is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the strait and move towards a more normalized position in this conflict.”

The Strait of Hormuz is the crucial waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas passed before the war. It has been effectively shut by Iran’s attacks on shipping since the start of the war in February.

Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, said he also spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday as the Arab country tries to broker a resolution to the war.

Al Thani’s office said in a statement that on the phone call, the two discussed ways to bridge the divide “in a way that enhances the prospects of reaching a sustainable diplomatic settlement to the crisis.”

Ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz and in Red Sea

A cargo ship reported being “hit by an unknown projectile” while traversing the Strait of Hormuz, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center.

The center said the reported strike damaged the vessel at around 2 a.m. local time while it was about 37 kilometers (23 miles) northeast of Al Khasab, a port city in Oman.

It's unclear what flag the ship was sailing under or whether it was carrying cargo, but the British maritime security firm Ambrey said the ship sustained damage.

On the Red Sea, meanwhile, an Indian-flagged commercial ship sank off Yemen after being struck by an explosive-laden boat, Yemeni and Indian authorities said.

Yemen’s coast guard rescued the crew, which included 13 Indians and a Yemeni.

India’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, though no one immediately claimed responsibility. Iran-backed Houthi militants have repeatedly struck ships traversing the Red Sea near Yemen.

Gaza residents killed in 2023 airstrike laid to rest

Hundreds of people gathered Tuesday as bodies wrapped in Palestinian flags were laid in rows near flattened buildings in Gaza City.

The 112 victims were then carried off on stretchers through a narrow street, destined for burial in a nearby cemetery. They were among more than 300 killed during an attack on Nov. 22, 2023, in the city’s Sabra neighborhood.

First responders recovered the bodies, including 40 children and 30 women, over the weekend, according to the Civil Defense, a rescue agency operated under Gaza’s Hamas-run Interior Ministry.

The Gaza war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage.

Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has since killed 73,375 people, including civilians and combatants, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Around 7,400 people are still missing and presumed buried under the rubble from the war, according to Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry’s records department.

Israel discusses withdrawal from Lebanon

Israeli and Lebanese officials met in Rome on Tuesday to continue talks on implementing a U.S.-mediated deal to drawdown the Israeli military from southern Lebanon and disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.

A diplomat familiar with the negotiations said Lebanon had asked for the next “pilot zone” — where Israeli forces would withdraw and the Lebanese army would take control — to be either in the town of Khiam or Bint Jbeil. Both areas saw heavy fighting in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war and are currently occupied by Israeli forces.

But U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa suggested ahead of the three-day talks that no new pilot zones would be immediately implemented, saying that “moving too quickly risks jeopardizing the very civilians this process is meant to protect.”

Implementation of the June 26 agreement began last month with an initial pilot zone in an area that wasn’t occupied by Israeli forces but had previously sustained Israeli fire.

Yemen’s Houthis fire at airport in Saudi Arabia

In Yemen, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, said a drone hit a “sensitive target” at the airport in the southwestern city of Najran, without providing evidence.

He said the attack was in response to what he described as Saudi breaching of Yemen’s airspace over the provinces of Saada and Hajjah. There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis recently announced a blockade on Saudi-linked shipping passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that leads to the Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia led an international coalition and imposed an air and sea blockade against the rebels after they seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen in a civil war that began in 2014. Major fighting ended in a truce in 2022.

Memorial marks Beirut port explosion anniversary

Families of the more than 200 people killed in the massive explosion at the port in Beirut in 2020 gathered at the blast site to mark six years since tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrate exploded, devastating large parts of the Lebanese capital.

No one has been convicted in a long-stalled judicial investigation into the incident, but some families expressed renewed hope after government officials promised indictments would be issued by the end of the year.

The tragedy has been overshadowed by recent events, including two wars between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group and an Israeli military occupation of much of the country’s south.

___

Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece. Wafaa Shurafa in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Abby Sewell in Beirut, Lebanon, Maria Grazia Murru in Rome, Matthew Lee in Washington and Philip Marcelo in New York contributed to this report.

The Republican president has struggled to connect with voters on the economy as elevated inflation and Americans' feelings of uncertainty have overshadowed the stock market gains he often cites along with a low national unemployment rate.

Trump was headed to the Los Angeles area on Tuesday to speak at a fundraising dinner for the Republican National Committee at a golf club his family owns in the suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes. On Wednesday, Trump will discuss the economy during an event at Red Rock casino in Las Vegas.

Only 32% of U.S. adults approved of Trump’s handling of the economy in an AP-NORC poll conducted in late July. In the same poll, most Americans, 69%, characterized the state of the economy as “poor,” and many said the cost of everyday essentials like groceries and gas was a “major” source of stress in their lives.

Trump’s overall approval rating is at 33%, slightly below where he stood at this point in his first term.

Trump is likely to take aim at Democratic Gov. Newsom

During the trip, Trump is likely to throw barbs at California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat eyed as a likely candidate for his party’s presidential nomination in 2028. Newsom has become one of the president’s highest-profile opponents.

White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said the president plans to “draw a sharp contrast between his commonsense agenda and the radical policies of Democrats like Gavin Newsom," touting his own efforts to cut taxes, reduce fraud in government programs, and crack down on immigration and crime.

California was one of Trump's first domestic stops after returning to office in January 2025. He surveyed the aftermath of wildfires that had wiped out whole neighborhoods of Los Angeles County, left thousands of people homeless and killed more than two dozen.

Newsom greeted Trump at the airport on that trip, and they chatted amiably and gestured toward cooperation despite a bitter history. But the comity did not last. Six months later, Newsom argued in a speech that “democracy is under assault” by Trump after the president sent National Guard troops and U.S. Marines into Los Angeles without Newsom's consent. This came after protests following a series of immigration raids by federal authorities.

Trump routinely mocks Newsom and refers to the governor using a derogatory nickname, while Newsom taunts the president with frequent social media posts.

The Democrat's press office on Tuesday put out a statement saying that Trump was traveling to California not to help survivors of the wildfires but to raise money and attack the state with lies.

“More than anything, we’d like the President to keep the promise he made on January 24, 2025: to 'take care of Los Angeles,'" Newsom said. “18 months later, survivors are still waiting. And while you’re here, Mr. President, welcome to the world’s fourth-largest economy — growing faster than Texas and Florida combined. Enjoy your stay.”

“Trump treats California like his personal political punching bag—right up until he needs someone to write a check,” California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks said in a statement. “He may hit up a few billionaire donors who bankroll his political operation, but the people of California have already made it clear: they want nothing to do with his chaos and corruption.”

Housing prices are a big issue at Trump's second stop: Nevada

Nevada, where Trump will be on Wednesday, is led by a Republican governor, Joe Lombardo, who faces Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford in a battle for reelection in November. The contest is considered one of the most competitive governor’s races in the country.

The Nevada State Democratic Party is putting up billboard signs about Trump’s visit that tie him to Lombardo and higher costs. The state is grappling with a shortage of affordable housing, exploding energy demand from artificial intelligence data centers and federal cuts to key state programs.

Trump has tried for several months to sell voters on his income tax cuts and claims of a manufacturing renaissance. But interest rates are high, a gallon of gasoline costs more because of the Iran war, tariffs are still reshaping the economy and, by the White House’s own estimates, there is a national shortage of housing.

The president called his own housing bill a “yawn,” and past speeches advertised by the White House as being about the economy, including one he delivered at a General Motors facility in Michigan last week, gave way to Trumpian weaves about his political enemies and construction projects in the nation's capital.

___

Associated Press writers Josh Boak and Michelle L. Price in Washington, Michael R. Blood in Las Vegas and Jessica Hill in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

Robinson reposted the NFL's Instagram post detailing the extension on Tuesday morning, writing “God this is for you! Blessings. Love this team and this city!”

The extension is worth up to $75 million with incentives, with $51 million guaranteed, a person with knowledge of the details told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because terms weren’t announced.

The base value of $66.75 million gives Robinson a $22.25 million average per year that makes him the league's top-paid running back. Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley's average is $20.6 million.

“Obviously very excited for him, excited for us,” Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday.

NFL Network and ESPN first reported the extension.

The deal with Robinson continues the Falcons' trend of locking up foundation players on their offense.

On Saturday, the Falcons announced signing left guard Matthew Bergeron to a four-year contract extension. The team gave new contracts to wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts in the offseason.

“It’s all guys that we believe in, all guys that fit who we are,” Stefanski said.

The new deal comes after Robinson spent the first week of training camp, including Monday's first day in pads, as a spectator. He attended the practices but did not participate in an apparent contract “hold-in."

“I just knew throughout this whole process that it would be a process and I felt good about where we were,” Stefanski said. “I think everybody understands how we feel about Bijan the person and Bijan the player.”

Robinson joined practice on Tuesday as Stefanski and the Falcons no longer have to worry about their star running back's status for the season.

“It means obviously as a coach, you want to get your guys ready for the football season and it allows us to get Bijan ready,” Stefanski said. “And he’s eager, beyond eager, to get out here. So on that note, we’ll slowly get him back in there. ... We’ll have a plan here for the next week to ramp him up.”

A panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers ranked Robinson the league's top running back in a preseason survey.

Robinson led the NFL with 2,298 yards from scrimmage and scored 11 TDs last season.

Robinson has been the focus of Atlanta's productive ground game since he was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. He flourished as a dual-threat back last season, finishing fourth in the league with 1,478 rushing yards while adding 820 receiving yards.

Steven Jackson in 2006 is the only other player ever with at least 1,400 rushing yards and 800 receiving yards in the same season.

___

AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi and AP Sports Writer Maura Carey contributed to this report.

___

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

The sudden arrival of 72,000 migrants on Thursday and Friday sparked a humanitarian crisis in Ceuta and reignited the immigration debate in the 27-nation bloc, though most of the migrants soon went back. More than 80 migrants died, including some who drowned or were trampled in a stampede to cross a breakwater barrier, according to Spanish and Moroccan authorities.

Open letters from 22 EU leaders, and a quick retort from Sanchez, have exposed a roiling debate inside the EU pitting migration hawks against the progressive Spanish leader who has challenged consensus within the bloc on migration as well as NATO spending, Gaza and Israel.

Sanchez's government has dismissed the attacks as politically motivated, saying most of the migrants were pushed back from Ceuta within hours in “close coordination with the Moroccan authorities and with very little support from other European states.”

While ministers seemed to rally back around Sanchez after meeting Tuesday, Europe displayed a deeply damaging disunity in the aftermath of Ceuta as it faces security threats from Moscow, instability with Washington and economic tension with Beijing, said Alicia García-Herrero, chief economist for Asia Pacific and Middle East for the financial firm Natixis.

“Europe has shown weakness again,” she said. “Massive weakness.”

Sanchez defends court ruling blamed by Morocco and EU leaders

EU leaders quickly pounced on Sanchez once videos from Ceuta went viral. Many blamed the incident on his government's progressive policies and publicly rallied for new border checks at sea, air and land ports of entry.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni issued the most blunt criticism of Sanchez, as well as announcing that Italy would enforce air and sea border controls with Spain.

Yet Ceuta’s remote geographical position meant “there was almost zero risk that people (would) really arrive in Spain and then move on to Italy,” said analyst Matteo Villa at the Italian Institute for Political Studies in Milan. He said that just 2% of migrants arriving in Europe make it to Italy.

Nando Sigona, a professor at the University of Birmingham, said that Meloni detested a move Sanchez presided over in July to potentially grant legal status to as many as 1 million immigrants living in the country without permission, and is eager to portray his approach as a failure.

Sanchez fired back in an online post that called Meloni’s position on Ceuta “contrary to European law, humanitarian law, and the principles of solidarity that bind us together.” He said that Italy has allowed in twice the number of migrants as Spain since 2021, with Spain receiving 234,000 to Italy’s 478,000.

But the criticism was EU-wide, with Meloni signing a joint letter with 21 other leaders from Finland to Malta that pointed to a July Spanish court ruling as the “trigger” for “this attack on our migration and asylum system.”

Spain’s Supreme Court had ruled that migrants arriving by sea could not be summarily deported without due process — unlike those who cross by land or climb Ceuta’s border fence — because they had not crossed a physical barrier.

Sanchez said that the ruling had been intentionally misconstrued by migrant smugglers to persuade thousands of people to swim around the border fence.

The Socialist leader replied in his own letter by recalling that Spain had taken in migrants who arrived at eastern European nations from Belarus in 2021 and at the southern Italian island of Lampedusa in 2023.

Morocco's government views the situation as a predictable result of the court ruling, said a high-ranking diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a highly sensitive issue.

He said it “sent a clear message to migrants: ‘Come. If you arrive, you’ll be protected.’ That outcome should have been anticipated by Ceuta’s authorities.”

Blame has been pointed the other way, however, with Spain’s Defense Minister Margarita Robles on Monday demanding Rabat investigate the local failure to stop tens of thousands of migrants from leaving the kingdom.

Gil Arias, who served as deputy executive director of the EU’s border agency Frontex from 2006-2016 and also worked for Spain’s interior and migration ministries, said he has “absolutely no doubt” Morocco not only knew of, but was likely directly or indirectly complicit in the Ceuta crisis.

“This doesn’t happen simply due to a passive attitude or omission from Morocco,” Arias, who retired in 2020, told The Associated Press. “There was an invitation or it was encouraged.”

The Moroccan diplomat rejected using force to tackle the migration phenomenon.

“We are not Europe’s police.”

Policies keep changing to meet influx migration patterns

Many right-wing politicians have won elections across the EU by promising to crack down on migration — and they claim to have done so with the European Migration and Asylum Pact that grants capitals greater abilities to surveil, detain and deport migrants to so-called “safe countries” like Morocco or “return hubs” outside the bloc.

Data from Frontex shows migration to the EU peaked in 2015 with 1.8 million people, the majority of whom crossed via the Balkans or the eastern Mediterranean. Since then numbers have dramatically fallen: In the first half of 2026, crossings fell by 37% to around 49,000 people.

“Fewer boats are setting out towards Europe, and that is the result of sustained cooperation with our partners in the region,” said Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens.

But Ceuta shows there's still an underlying migration problem that the EU has not tackled, said Michele LeVoy, director of the Brussels-based Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants.

“On Ceuta, political games are being played over the lives of people on both sides of the border,” she said.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the crisis has exposed a need in the EU to develop an emergency mechanism when “migration is weaponized,” he wrote in a Tuesday op-ed in Politico that attempted to make peace between European politicians.

“The deliberate instrumentalization of migration by state and nonstate actors seeking to test Europe’s resilience, undermine its cohesion and extract political concessions” requires new legal and operational tools to “defend its external borders, deter those who seek to exploit its openness and respond to this new reality firmly, lawfully and collectively,” Mitsotakis wrote.

___

Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain, and Barry from Milan. Associated Press writers Renata Brito in Barcelona, Akram Oubachir in Fnideq, Morocco, and Derek Gatopoulos in Athens contributed to this report.

As of Tuesday, 3,802 cases had been recorded, with 1,707 deaths, the latest government update showed.

It was not clear when the outbreak will reach its peak, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said Tuesday during his second visit to the town of Bunia, located near the epicenter of the outbreak in Ituri province.

Kaseya pointed out that some 60-70% of the new cases were recorded from spreading within a community, not from contact tracing — a method that traces those who have been in contact with a confirmed case.

“Contact tracing is not working,” said Kaseya, “we don’t like the trajectory of this outbreak, and it’s already the second largest outbreak (ever) in the world.”

The director-general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, was expected to arrive in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, later on Tuesday and would visit Bunia later this week.

The outbreak, declared on May 15, has been linked to the Bundibugyo virus for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments. Delays in contact tracing, difficulties accessing affected areas, mistrust from communities, and violence by armed groups and some residents have hampered the response, the Africa CDC has said.

Two clinical trials for post-exposure prophylaxis drugs are ongoing in Ituri province as well as two separate vaccine trials in the United Kingdom and Canada.

The outbreak is mostly concentrated in eastern Congo’s remote Ituri province, which accounts for nearly 90% of cases, but cases have also been confirmed in five other provinces, including in one of the country’s largest cities, Kisangani.

Neighboring Uganda declared itself free of Ebola following the discharge of the country’s last patient in mid-June.

A key challenge is that patient zero has yet to be identified in the outbreak while displacement from armed conflict and illegal mining in the region have made it difficult to trace thousands who have come in contact with infected individuals.

The World Health Organization said Tuesday that it was monitoring over 17,000 potential contacts, with nearly 80% of them being seen daily.

Mohamed Janabi, WHO's regional director for Africa, told reporters on Tuesday that the U.N. health agency is now testing over 2,000 samples a day, up from 20 previously.

On Monday, healthcare workers in the hard-hit town of Mongbwalu issued an ultimatum over unpaid wages saying that “if nothing is done within 24 hours, we will escalate our action.”

Previously, healthcare workers in Bunia went on strike over a lack of pay and dangerous working conditions. The WHO says more than 100 healthcare workers have been infected since the beginning of the outbreak.

The latest outbreak has killed people at a quicker rate than any previous outbreak, including in 2014-2016 when 28,000 cases were reported, of which over 11,000 people died. That outbreak took about eight months to reach 1,000 deaths.

The response is also hampered by a funding gap, attacks on health centers, an ongoing conflict in eastern Congo and mistrust among local communities.

Enrollment in a highly anticipated study of two possible Ebola treatments recently started in Ituri.

Cornyn had held up Blanche’s nomination for days in an effort to secure written modifications to a controversial settlement between the DOJ and President Donald Trump that created the $1.8 billion fund, resolving a lawsuit Trump filed over the leak of his tax returns. The deal also extended immunity from tax audits to Trump, his family and his business associates.

The senator confirmed Monday that the deal addressed his concerns with those provisions, and he voted Tuesday to advance Blanche’s nomination, which cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on a party-line vote.

Texas’ senior senator had negotiated with the DOJ last week to secure written assurances that the fund was dead, as Blanche had previously declared in verbal testimony, and that the audit deal was limited in scope. Amid the talks, Trump expressed his frustration with Cornyn, speculating that his endorsement of Attorney General Ken Paxton in the May primary runoff, and Cornyn’s loss, were motivating the standoff.

Trump defended the fund and promoted its revival via legislation, demonstrating the rationale behind Cornyn’s desire to see it voided in writing and seemingly hardening the impasse.

But Cornyn insisted that he was withholding his vote to advance Blanche’s nomination through the Senate Judiciary Committee over sincere concerns about the settlement, and that his opinion was shared more broadly among fellow GOP senators. Another Republican on the panel, retiring North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, also vowed to prevent Blanche’s nomination from advancing over similar concerns. Their joint stand forced the Judiciary Committee to delay a planned vote to advance Blanche’s nomination last week.

Blanche, the acting attorney general and Trump’s former personal lawyer, posted a written order late Sunday night rescinding the “anti-weaponization fund” and clarifying the parameters of the audit shield. A Cornyn spokesperson confirmed that the two sides had a deal.

“Sen. Cornyn has reached an agreement with the Department of Justice, which will be issuing a formal order permanently terminating the anti-weaponization fund and making clear in a binding written document that the scope of the audit settlement is limited to only the plaintiffs, including the President, and the IRS,” Cornyn spokesperson Natalie Yezbick said.

The Senate Judiciary Committee had previously rescheduled the Blanche vote for Tuesday morning. With the Cornyn deal now in place, Blanche’s nomination — which cannot afford any Republican defections — appears poised to advance.

In a joint statement, Cornyn and Tillis said the deal met their demands.

“We are pleased that the Department of Justice has issued a formal order terminating the anti-weaponization fund,” the pair wrote Monday. “Additionally, the Department has acknowledged in a binding written order that the audit settlement is limited to the plaintiffs and the scope does not extend beyond the defendants in the lawsuit, the IRS and the Treasury, addressing concerns that multiple of our Republican colleagues share.

“We want to express our gratitude to Mr. Blanche and his staff for working with us on this, and we look forward to voting to advance his nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee soon,” they continued.

Blanche’s nomination first appeared at risk in his hearing in front of the Judiciary Committee, when Cornyn pressed him on the gap between his testimony avowing the fund was dead, and the language of the settlement, which states that it may only be modified by written agreement of the parties to the lawsuit. As a vote on Blanche’s nomination approached, Cornyn made clear his vote was contingent on the DOJ putting what Blanche had testified to in writing.

But during negotiations last week, Trump’s fondness for the anti-weaponization fund became clear, threatening to derail Blanche’s nomination.

The president took the unusual step of suing his own government in January over the leak of his 2019 and 2020 tax returns. The Justice Department, representing the Internal Revenue Service, settled the case in May by establishing a nearly $1.8 billion fund for alleged victims of DOJ weaponization, a group that could include rioters who attacked police officers at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. And in an addendum to the lawsuit, Blanche signed an order giving Trump and his family immunity from having their tax returns audited.

Blanche eventually backed off the fund in the wake of bipartisan outcry. But Cornyn, a lawyer and former judge, wanted it killed in writing so that a plaintiff, such as Trump, could not revive the fund by filing a breach of contract lawsuit. And he sought written assurance that the audit shield would apply only to named parties to the lawsuit and would not protect them from IRS audits of future tax returns nor from audits by other agencies — all of which Blanche had testified to.

In announcing the new DOJ order Sunday, Blanche said it came as the result of “good faith discussions” with senators over several weeks. It states that the audit immunity deal applies “only retroactively” and that the acting attorney general stood by his testimony, “including answers to questions asked by Senator Cornyn related to the scope and applicability” of the audit shield.

The episode demonstrated the extent of Cornyn’s leverage and his willingness to use it — even when it puts him at odds with Trump — in his final months in office. Trump lashed out at Cornyn and Tillis numerous times, including in a Saturday morning social media post in which he lamented that the pair were “upset because I wouldn’t Endorse them” and threatened that the fund would “immediately be back on the table” via an “Anti-Weaponization Bill” if Blanche were not approved.

He also said he would keep Blanche in his acting capacity until Cornyn and Tillis leave office if they would not vote to approve his nominee — only for the DOJ to eventually meet the senators’ demands with Sunday’s deal.

Any legislative effort to revive the fund would likely be dead in the Senate, where it is opposed by a number of Republicans and reviled by Democrats.

In the committee meeting, Democrats argued that the deal Cornyn reached was not binding enough. They oppose the existence of Trump’s audit immunity shield on its face, and pointed out that the text of the settlement agreement requires both parties to sign off on modifications.

“The parties could still sue to enforce the agreement, and the cop-beaters’ fund can easily be revived with a new order from the Department of Justice fifteen minutes after Mr. Blanche is confirmed as attorney general,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, the ranking member of the committee. “Indeed, the president himself has loudly telegraphed that’s his plan.” 

But Cornyn said at the committee hearing that he expected the Department of Justice to live up to the agreement in any future litigation. And he offered Blanche some counsel on how to proceed in his relationship with the president.

“I would advise Mr. Blanche not to be afraid to capitalize on that earned trust when necessary for the good of the country,” Cornyn said.

In separate notices sent late last week to lawmakers, the State Department said it would close the U.S. Embassy in the Caribbean island of Grenada; the consulates in Nagoya, Japan, and Medan, Indonesia; the American Presence Post in Winnipeg, Canada; and an embassy branch office in Douala, Cameroon.

The closures by the Republican administration are expected to save the government roughly $4.4 million per year, according to the notices obtained by The Associated Press. But the missions to be closed employ very few people compared with others.

The embassy in St. George’s, Grenada, and the consulate in Nagoya have only one American staffer and five local employees each. The consulate in Medan has four direct-hire U.S. staffers and 47 local employees. The Winnipeg post has only two local staffers, and the embassy office in Douala has only 14 local staffers.

The State Department announced plans earlier this year to permanently close the U.S. consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, which was the closest diplomatic mission to Afghanistan since American troops withdrew in 2021.

The steps come as the department moves to streamline its operations at home and abroad, while investing millions of dollars into reopening the U.S. embassies in Caracas, Venezuela; Damascus, Syria; and Tripoli, Libya, to restore America’s formal diplomatic presence following the ouster of long-ruling autocrats in those countries.

___

This story has been corrected to show the Pakistani city’s name is Peshawar, not Peshwar.

Under the emerging agreement, ships would enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman, with service fees charged for providing security and preserving the maritime environment, two regional officials told The Associated Press.

They said negotiations are still underway and that the final agreement could take a different form, with any deal linked to lifting the U.S. blockade on Iran’s ports. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations unfolding behind closed doors.

Any agreement formalizing Iran’s control of the strait would mark a significant strategic victory for Tehran. For that reason, the U.S. could seek to block the deal by refusing to lift the blockade. The strait was an open international waterway before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28.

A U.S. official familiar with the negotiations said that any “temporary” routes established through the strait would not involve approvals by Iran or charges. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. remains committed to returning to the status quo in which “no party controls the lanes or the ability to transit through them.”

U.S. President Donald Trump is under mounting pressure to end an unpopular war that has driven up gas prices ahead of midterm elections and drawn down U.S. supplies of some munitions. In recent days, he has again whipsawed between threatening massive strikes and voicing support for diplomatic efforts.

In an exchange with reporters on Monday, Trump reiterated his public stance that he’s opposed to tolling in the strait. “I’m not going to let them charge,” Trump said. “Anybody’s going to charge, we’ll charge.”

US and Iranian officials confirm progress without giving details

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the bilateral talks with Oman are focused on “establishing safe inbound and outbound shipping lanes,” routes that “uphold sovereign rights while also addressing the national security considerations of both Iran and Oman.”

“The final results of these negotiations will be announced once concluded,” he added, in remarks carried by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters at the State Department, said “there’s been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet. We’re hoping that will happen very shortly.”

Rubio has previously ruled out any deal that would give Iran control over the strait, saying last month that it would create a “very dangerous precedent” for other parts of the world.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that “there is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the strait and move towards a more normalized position in this conflict.”

Asked whether there would be tolls for movement through the strait, Bessent said: “I think it would be freedom of movement.”

The potential agreement between Iran and Oman was first reported by The New York Times.

Trump says this is Iran's 'last chance'

A fifth of the world's traded oil and gas transited the waterway before the war. Iranian attacks on ships have largely shut it down, causing a spike in the price of fuel, fertilizer and other goods, and rattling economies far beyond the Middle East.

Trump said Monday that the U.S. was in talks with Iran, saying it was Tehran's “last chance” to reach a deal and avoid another U.S. military escalation.

“The first phase is the opening of the straits. The second phase will be the denuclearization,” Trump said. “And that will take a little while.”

Iran has denied it is negotiating with the U.S., saying the talks are only with Oman.

The two sides reached an interim agreement in June to reopen the strait and launch 60 days of talks aimed at ending the war and resolving the longstanding dispute over Iran's nuclear program. That agreement collapsed over escalating hostilities focused on the strait, and the deadline is around two weeks away.

Cargo ship reports strike in Strait of Hormuz

Meanwhile, a cargo ship reported being “hit by an unknown projectile” in the strait off the coast of Oman, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said, without providing further information on the ship, including what flag it was sailing under or whether it was carrying cargo.

The ship sustained damage, according to British maritime security firm Ambrey, which did not elaborate.

In recent weeks, Iran had repeatedly attacked ships using a route running close to Oman that is overseen by the U.S. military and intended to bypass Tehran's control.

___

Madhani and Lee reported from Washington.

It had to have its own identity and not be related to the Cavaliers. It needed to tie into Lake Erie. And fans wanted something progressive.

The Cleveland Sirens think they accomplished all three Tuesday when they introduced the name and branding during an event at Rocket Arena on Tuesday.

The WNBA's 16th team will begin play in 2028. Cleveland was home to one of the league's original franchises when the WNBA started in 1997, but the Rockers folded in 2003 when owner Gordon Gund could not find a new buyer.

Dan Gilbert's Rock Entertainment Group, which has owned the Cavaliers since 2005, paid a $250 million expansion fee for Cleveland's return to the WNBA.

Janice Braxton, who played for the Rockers for three seasons (1997-99), narrated a video introducing the name and the theme of “Hear the Call.”

Braxton, along with other former Rockers' players, were also at Tuesday's event.

“We were at dinner with them last night and we gave them a sneak peak of the video. And they were overwhelming in their support and clapped several different times,” said Allison Howard, the Sirens president of business operations.

The logo features a Siren underneath the name. The “S” in the wordmark also conceals “CLE”. The two shades of blue take inspiration from Lake Erie and the Rockers logo.

“We really wanted something that people could rally behind a real character. And we’re really excited about that,” said Grant Gilbert, Rock Entertainment Group's VP of business and basketball operations. “I think the other aspect of the siren name and brand that was really considered and that we get very excited about is how authentically it extends just beyond the name and branded logos itself. The potential of the name is endless.”

Over the past year, Cleveland has had 9,000 deposits for season tickets. Howard expects that to increase now that the name has been announced.

“This team can exist very much on the independent side of the Cavaliers. And that’s also what we are seeing right now. The demographic is totally different,” Howard said. “They eat different food, they drink different drinks, they get here earlier, they purchase merchandise differently, and they come from all over the state and even outside of the state.”

___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

There have been 11 train crashes involving people or trucks in Schertz since 2022. Most of the incidents occur on Schertz Parkway and FM 78. The latest collision happened in June.

Schertz Police Chief Jim Lowery said the problem is often caused by truck drivers ignoring posted “no trucks” signs and using routes that are not meant for large rigs.

He said some drivers also are not using GPS systems designed for commercial truck routes.

After KSAT first reported on the issue in March, city leaders moved forward with additional safety measures.

Schertz has installed new signage and flashing lights to warn drivers about a low-grade crossing. The city also added large white signs that follow the U.S. Department of Transportation’s manual guidance, which provides drivers another warning before the tracks.

Officers have also been stopping truck drivers who do not follow the posted signs. Since the March report, Schertz police have issued 10 citations and around 25 warnings.

“Our preference would be self-compliance,” Lowery said. “The bigger issue is for safety, not just for the trucker, but for the community.”

Schertz city leaders are now trying to coordinate with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and Union Pacific to repaint the road lines that tell drivers where to stop before the tracks. City officials said they cannot do that work without written permission, and receiving a response has been a challenge.

KSAT has reached out to both TxDOT and Union Pacific to ask what is causing the delay.

Here’s what TxDOT responded:

“TxDOT maintains a strong working relationship with the City of Schertz and regularly coordinates with city staff on transportation and traffic safety matters. We remain committed to working with our local partners to address concerns and identify appropriate solutions.

In general, TxDOT is responsible for maintaining and funding pavement markings and traffic control devices on state-maintained roadways, while the City of Schertz is responsible for work performed on city-maintained roadways.

Regarding questions about railroad crossing striping, TxDOT would need additional information about the specific request being referenced. At this time, we are not aware of a pending formal request from the City of Schertz related to this matter."

Union Pacific also provided a statement saying they haven’t heard from the city on this request either:

“Union Pacific has a process in place to seek approval for projects such as restriping that prioritizes the safety of all involved when the work is done near our tracks. Requests can be made through our Public Projects Contact Center

It typically takes about four weeks for our team to process. It does not appear - in our records - that the City of Schertz has sought approval for the restriping project.

State and local highway authorities are responsible for maintaining safety stripes and pavement markings on public roadways."

I followed up with the City of Schertz City Manager and here’s the statement they provided on this back and forth communication:

Our Streets department has been in communication with TxDOT regarding restriping the portions of the roadway that fall under their maintenance responsibilities. This is a collaborative effort between Schertz and TxDOT maintenance staff. As part of that process, coordination with Union Pacific is needed before work can occur within the railroad right-of-way.

Our streets staff has also attempted to contact Union Pacific directly but has not been successful. Thank you for sharing the Public Projects Contact Center information. I’ll pass it along to our Streets team and our TxDOT partners so they can determine whether it is the appropriate channel for this project and utilize it as needed.

The City remains committed to improving safety at these crossings and is working diligently to move the restriping project forward through the appropriate channels. While restriping is an important component of improving visibility, we also recognize additional measures will be needed to further enhance safety. Like I mentioned during our conversation, we are also exploring additional measures; including enhanced advance warning signage, technology-assisted warning signs, and ensuring mapping applications properly identify low-clearance crossings."

KSAT will continue to follow through on this

Read also:

• San Antonio school meal program changes: What parents need to know before first day
• Gov. Abbott set to announce plan to break energy monopolies in cities like San Antonio, Austin

DPS troopers responded to the crash just after 3 p.m. at the intersection of Oak Run Parkway and Loop 337.

According to DPS’ report, Nathan Verde, 21, was traveling in the Corvette eastbound on Loop 337 near Oak Run Parkway at a high rate of speed when the vehicle crossed the median and began traveling in the westbound lanes.

The Corvette then collided with a Dodge Ram truck turning onto Oak Run Parkway and a Tesla Model 3 at a stop, the agency said.

Upon impact, Verde was ejected from the Corvette. DPS said first responders attempted to save Verde’s life on scene, but he was later pronounced dead at a local medical facility.

According to the report, the driver and 12-year-old passenger in the Dodge Ram were first transported with “serious injuries” to a medical facility in Kyle. Officials said the 12-year-old was later airlifted to a facility in Austin due to the “critical injuries” sustained in the crash.

The driver of the Tesla suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash but was transported to a local facility for further treatment. A child passenger in the Tesla was uninjured, DPS said.

A nearby Lincoln Navigator was damaged after debris from the three-vehicle crash struck the SUV. However, according to the preliminary report, the driver of the Lincoln Navigator was not hurt.

DPS said its investigation into the crash remains ongoing.

Read also:

• Footage shows Northside ISD officer shoot woman outside packed football stadium
• Mother describes how her son found missing 2-year-old girl unresponsive in Northwest Side creek

Six of Europe’s largest oil companies posted combined first-quarter profits of $22 billion, more than 40% higher than last year. Profits at BP, based in London, more than doubled to $3.9 billion in the second quarter, the company said Tuesday.

And Saudi Aramco reported a 44% year-on-year increase in second-quarter net profit that reached $32.69 billion, driven by higher crude oil, refined products and chemicals prices.

The supercharged performances from big oil in Europe and the Middle East follow reports of enormous profits from the largest U.S. oil drillers last week.

As the conflict has dragged on, high oil prices have driven up the cost of gasoline, jet fuel and diesel, which has led to higher shipping costs. In the West, filling up the car or buying a plane ticket is costing consumers more. But the situation in parts of Asia are more dire because the region depends more heavily on fuel exported through the Strait of Hormuz. Fuel supplies have run low in some countries, leading to rationing and sporadic closures of schools and government offices.

Despite oil prices falling to their lowest level in three weeks Tuesday, big U.S. energy companies drew the ire of President Donald Trump, who criticized them this week for their outsized profits.

Trump said he’s not happy with Chevron and Exxon Mobil, though energy prices skyrocketed only after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February, and the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed off to tanker traffic.

About 20% of the world’s oil typically flows through the strait.

“They made too much money, too much money,” Trump said Monday. “They ought to give some of that back to the public, and they better cut the retail price.”

Exxon Mobil on Friday reported that its second quarter profits doubled to $14.5 billion, boosted by record diesel production. The oil giant, based in Spring, Texas, brought in $116 billion in revenue, up 42%.

Chevron, based in Houston, nearly quadrupled its profits to $12 billion and revenue jumped 56% to more than $70 billion.

On Tuesday, the price of U.S. crude oil fell 5.4%, or $4.36, to $75.98 per barrel. The sharp decline followed comments by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who told CNBC that the U.S. and Iran “may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the Strait.”

Oil prices for U.S. crude are down from around $92 a barrel in late July, but still more than 13% higher than when the conflict with Iran started.

Brent crude, the international standard, fell 4.9% to $83.87 per barrel.

A resolution to the Iran conflict, which has lasted more than five months, could give oil shippers the ability to send vessels out of the Persian Gulf, where tankers of oil and other products have been trapped during the fighting.

Shares of major oil companies are up by around 20% to 30% this year, easily outpacing the 13% gains on the S&P 500.

The shooting happened around 6:45 p.m. on Jan. 22, 2023, at an apartment complex in the 4500 block of Lavender Lane, which is located near S. WW White Road.

According to a news release, Brandon Caldwell, 20, arrived at the complex to meet with his ex-girlfriend in one of the buildings.

Caldwell confronted the woman’s current boyfriend and was involved in a minor physical altercation, the release states.

He later walked back to his vehicle but noticed that he had lost some jewelry in the altercation.

After searching for the jewelry, authorities said Caldwell walked to his vehicle again. However, an unknown person fired multiple shots from the side of the complex closest to Caldwell’s car, officials said.

Caldwell was pronounced dead at the scene.

If you have information about this crime, call Crime Stoppers at 210-224-7867 (STOP). To text a tip, text “Tip 127 plus your tip” to CRIMES (274637).

You can also leave a tip on the P3 Tips app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.

Tips can also be submitted on the Crime Stoppers website.

Crime Stoppers may pay up to $5,000 for information that leads to felony arrests in this crime.

Read also:

• Man charged with capital murder in Southwest Side warehouse shooting, affidavit states

With school starting next week for many San Antonio-area districts, time is running short for families to take action.

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) was directly affected after the U.S. Department of Agriculture changed its eligibility requirements following a new law passed by Congress that affected the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Stricter federal and state SNAP changes reduced overall program enrollment, which in turn lowered the number of students schools need to qualify for CEP.

Biggest local impact: North East ISD

One of the most significant changes is at North East Independent School District, where at least 30 campuses lost the free meals program, according to district officials.

Sharon Glosson, NEISD’s executive director of school nutrition, said the shift is being felt across the district.

“It does have a big impact because many of our families really appreciated the free meals for their students even if they didn’t qualify individually for free and reduced price meals,” Glosson said. “We saw that it helped with more students participating in the meal program. They felt comfortable because everyone qualified for the program.”

What San Antonio-area parents need to do now

For schools that lost CEP status, parents can fill out an application to regain it — and officials say it takes only minutes to complete. The form is available online and can be found on each district’s website.

NEISD’s online portal for the application can be found here.

Glosson stressed that no student will go hungry, but said it’s critical that parents apply as soon as possible.

If an application is denied, Glosson encourages parents to apply again.

San Antonio ISD announced Tuesday it will retain CEP coverage for the 2026-2027 academic year.

“All SAISD schools qualify to operate CEP and will serve breakfast and lunch to all children at no charge,” a district spokesperson said Tuesday. “Meal applications are not required.”

Judson ISD officials told KSAT they are “still updating some items,” and information will be available online.

No changes for these S.A. districts

The following districts told KSAT that their schools remain CEP qualified for the 2026-2027 school year and do not need to fill out an application:

• North Side ISD
• Southwest ISD
• Edgewood ISD
• South Side ISD

Parents who are unsure whether their child’s school is affected should check their district’s website and with administrators.

• ANY RAIN?: Only very small chances Thursday into the weekend
• 100° DAYS THIS YEAR: Boston has 2, San Antonio has 1!

FORECAST

RAIN?

It doesn’t look great. But the movement of the heat high later this week may allow for a few showers to make their way up from the coast. The odds remain low at 10%-20%.

100° DAYS

San Antonio has only seen one day at 100° or above this year (we stayed just shy of the mark on Monday). Incredibly, many spots in the nation, including in northeast, have seen more triple digit days than us. That said, we’ll see plenty of upper-90s through the foreseeable future.

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.

The 30-team league that Graber grew during his 27-year tenure now looks to Berg to capitalize on the success of the World Cup this past summer and guide the transition to a new international schedule next year.

“I think one of the reasons that I raised my hand is I feel like I have the enthusiasm and the passion to hopefully have other people, in some cases, see it through my eyes and understand where we’re going and where it can go and what what it can be," Berg told The Associated Press. ”I’m very proud of where we already are. I think we’ve come a very, very long way."

Berg, a co-owner of LAFC, will formally take over as commissioner at the start of next year. Garber, who has served as the league’s commissioner since 1999, will help guide the transition before moving into a new role as chairman.

Garber said the ideal candidate would unite the entire MLS ecosystem around a shared vision. And he believes the league will have that under Berg, who will become just the third commissioner in the history of the league.

“I think he’s convinced the ownership through a very comprehensive process that he has what it takes to do the two most important things, which is to create that vision, and then to get the owners to unite around it,” Garber said. “That requires great relationships. It requires the capability to put the plan together and do the work. ... He (Berg) is super smart. He doesn’t lead with ego. He leads with understanding perspectives, and I think that’s a super important part of being the commissioner.”

The 60-year-old Berg, who has served as co-chair of the MLS sporting and competition committee, will divest his ownership interest in LAFC. He was formally introduced as the incoming commissioner on Tuesday at the league's New York headquarters, a day after he received the required two-thirds of the votes from the owners.

“First of all, he loves soccer, and I think next to his family, soccer is the most important thing in his life. Second of all, he knows the league really well. We have 30 great owners, and all of them are very involved in the league. But Larry is, I think it’s safe to say, has been over the last five years the most involved owner,” Columbus Crew owner Jimmy Haslam said. “He understands what we do well, where we have opportunity. I think he has a great relationship with all the owners. Going through this process certainly enhanced that.”

Berg previously held ownership stakes in Italian club AS Roma, as well as English league team Swansea. Under Berg’s ownership, LAFC won the MLS Cup in 2022, and the Supporters’ Shield in 2019.

Under Garber's watch, the league has expanded from 12 to 30 teams. He introduced the league’s marketing arm, Soccer United Marketing, encouraged the construction of soccer-specific stadiums and spurred the growth of an academy system to develop players in the United States.

Five clubs, Inter Miami, the home of Lionel Messi, LAFC, LA Galaxy, Atlanta United and NYCFC are valued at more than $1 billion, according to Forbes.

At the start, Berg will oversee the league's shift to a new calendar, with the season running from on a summer to spring schedule to more align with its international counterparts. Currently the league plays a late winter to late fall schedule.

Following the conclusion of the current season, MLS will play a shortened 14-game “sprint season” in early 2027 before the league switches to its new schedule, kicking off in July with the league championship to be played in May 2028.

Berg will also be charged with negotiating a new media rights deal. The current contract with Apple TV ends in 2029. The league is also looking at changes to roster rules.

“This has been a passion my whole life. This sport and some of the great joys of my life have been involved in the LAFC and involved with the sporting competition committee," Berg said. ”I have a lot of ideas. I feel like we’re at a point where a tremendous amount of success has been achieved with the games and the live gameday entertainment experience, etc. But as the World Cup showed, you can be incredibly happy and very successful, but somehow there’s always more. You want to get to that next step."

___

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

Actors Steve Coogan and Chris O’Dowd and musicians including Bono, Hozier, Declan O’Rourke and Imelda May were in the congregation alongside friends, family and fans who had queued for hours outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

A large crowd watched on big screens outside as pallbearers carried a wicker coffin topped with flowers into the cathedral.

William Morton, the dean of the cathedral, said: “Glen’s remarkable gifts and outstanding talent, which touched so many hearts, took him from the streets of Dublin to audiences across the globe.”

The funeral service was interwoven with music, including a performance by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, who sang Hansard’s “The Song of Good Hope” alongside Hansard’s longstanding musical partner Markéta Irglová.

U2's Bono said of Hansard: “Everyone who met him, they just remembered the day they met him.”

Bono held up his phone to play a message he'd received from singer and poet Patti Smith performing “a lullaby for Glen’s family and friends,” before reciting lyrics to U2’s “Beautiful Day.”

Hansard was killed in a single-vehicle crash on the outskirts of Dublin on July 29, hours after taking part in a trad music session at a pub.

His widow, Finnish poet Maire Saaritsa, who thanked the police officers who came to his aid, read a poem she had written for him early in their relationship.

She said the couple's 3-year-old son was too young to attend or understand the funeral, but “the bright spirit he inherited from his father is with us.”

Hansard was the longtime front man of Irish rock band The Frames and played a member of a Dublin soul band in the hit 1991 movie “The Commitments.” He won an Oscar in 2008 for the song “Falling Slowly” from the movie “Once,” in which he co-starred with Irglová. A stage adaptation won eight Tony Awards in 2012.

Hansard also was half of rock duo The Swell Season with Irglová and released solo albums including “Didn’t He Ramble,” which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Folk Album in 2016.

For many years he led a Christmas Eve busk outside Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre, where members of the public gathered to see famous Irish musicians perform in aid of a homelessness charity.

Tributes have been paid by fellow musicians. Bruce Springsteen said on Instagram he was “heartbroken” at the loss of “a great musician, a good friend and a generous and gracious man.”

Stingers are injuries that impact the nerves in the upper arm, neck or shoulder and often give a player a burning sensation in his arms and hands. Most stingers resolve quickly, but some symptoms can last weeks or months.

“We’re going to evaluate him more over the next day or so and just make sure that he is in the right spot,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said. “We have a nice little window here to get him turned around.”

Canales said Legette does not have a concussion.

Legette will not play in the Panthers’ preseason opener on Thursday night against the Arizona Cardinals in Canton, Ohio.

Legette came crashing down after high-pointing a catch in the left corner of the end zone and landed hard and stayed down. Trainers rushed to his side and Legette was later seen wiggling his fingers in the air before boarding a cart.

Players shook Legette's right hand before he was taken into the locker room.

The Panthers have already lost wide receiver Chris Brazzell, their third-round pick from Tennessee, for the season to a torn LCL injury. Legette and Brazell were expected to battle for the team’s No. 3 wide receiver spot behind Jalen Coker and last year’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan.

Legette had 35 catches for 363 yards and three TDs last season and lost his job late in the year to Coker.

Canales said despite the demotion he has been impressed with how Legette has responded in training camp.

“He’s been the same person since he got here,” Canales said. “He’s a tireless worker. He cares. It matters to him. He takes coaching well. He’s a very humble guy. He wants to work at the things he needs to improve on."

Canales added that "the longer he’s with us, the less it’s about the concepts and the more it’s about just the details and fine techniques of playing the wide receiver position.”

___

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

While on stage at Chicago’s United Center, Grande told her fans that “things can get a little blown out of proportion,” and that her decision to take a break from public life was one she had "quietly made a long time ago,” rather than a “reactive or impulsive thing.”

Reading from her phone, she continued: “It was a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place. And I want you to know that many things can be true at the same time.”

On Sunday, producers for a London production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park With George” announced that Grande had withdrawn from her role in the musical, set to debut at the Barbican theater in 2027.

Grande’s recent breakup from “Wicked” co-star Ethan Slater, the ongoing tour and last week’s release of the album “Petal” has fueled rampant speculation online about her health and appearance. She has previously expressed discomfort with public discourse around her weight, stating in a 2023 TikTok video, “I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies, no matter what.”

A representative for Grande told People magazine that the 33-year-old singer “will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour.”

“She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily, and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny,” the statement said.

A representative for Grande did not offer further comment to The Associated Press.

Continuing her remarks from the stage Monday, Grande said she knows fans are worried that “negativity was ruining things” for her, but said the opposite is true.

"Multiple things can be true at the same time: boundaries need to be set, human beings can need a break sometimes, and also, this can be and will continue to be the greatest experience of my professional and creative life,” she told her fans, who erupted in cheers.

The “Eternal Sunshine” tour is scheduled to conclude on Sept. 1 in London, after a 10-night residency at the famed O2 Arena.

Japan has bolstered its military capability and spending in recent years and has started deploying long-range cruise missiles as a deterrent to China's military activity.

The 598-page defense paper adopted by the Cabinet on Tuesday reiterated that China is Japan’s biggest strategic challenge. Japan is alarmed by the growing presence and frequency of Chinese warships in the Pacific Ocean.

The annual white paper outlines Japan’s military activity and priorities and analysis of military trends in specific countries. As Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government needs public support for further military buildup and spending and to attract service members, the report has features to appeal to readers including a cartoon on the cover and links to video clips in Japanese, English and Chinese.

Combat drones for new warfare

Inspired by the use of drones by Ukraine, Japan considers it is essential to adapt to “new ways of warfare,” the paper said.

With many countries racing to develop combat drones, Japan's government prioritizes development of its own for a coastal defense, in combination with long-range missiles.

“Speed is key,” Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said in early July.

The Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency recently selected four drone makers out of 38 applicants for a rapid development program and that they will advance to testing by Japan's navy in early August before a final selection.

A number of companies are developing similar drones. Toshiba announced Friday plans to jointly develop combat drones with startup Pro Drone.

Uncrewed weapons could help Japan make up for its decreasing number of service members in a country with a shrinking population.

Experts say developing fully homemade drones while Japan’s commercial drone market is dominated by Chinese imports would be a challenge.

Alarmed by China’s activity in the Pacific, Russia and North Korea

Japan has strengthened its military forces on southwestern islands in recent years and has started deploying long-range cruise missiles, as it worries about a conflict in Taiwan, which China claims as its territory.

The paper noted the growing presence of Chinese warships and frequency of their activity in the Pacific as a major concern. The Defense Ministry has established a unit dedicated to studying Japan’s Pacific strategy and strengthening its defense against China.

China has consistently increased its military spending without transparency and strengthened nuclear and missile capability extensively and rapidly, the defense paper said.

It noted that last December, during Chinese aircraft carrier drills near southwestern Japan, Chinese aircraft locked their radars on Japanese planes — which is considered a possible preparation for firing missiles.

Two Chinese aircraft carriers were spotted last June near the southern Japanese island of Iwo Jima for the first time. This triggered Tokyo's worries about Beijing’s rapidly expanding military activity far beyond its borders and in disputed areas in the East China Sea.

Tensions between Tokyo and Beijing have escalated since Takaichi said in November that Chinese military action against Taiwan could justify Japan’s use of force.

China on Tuesday rejected sections of Japan’s annual defense white paper concerning the Chinese military, calling the document “rife with false narratives” and accusing Japan of using it as “an excuse to ease restrictions on its military buildup.”

“It is a classic case of the thief crying ‘stop thief’ — a pretext to unshackle its own military,” said Chen Xi, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense.

China’s growing joint military operation with Russia around Japan, including joint bomber flights and warship operations, is also “a grave national security concern,” the paper said.

It says North Korea’s rapid development of missiles, including hypersonic arsenals, is an “increasingly serious and pressing threat” and that the North’s growing military ties with Russia and its backing for Moscow's war in Ukraine are a grave concern.

Bolstering defense industry, weapons sale

Strengthening arms production and technology is essential to Japan's military power, the paper said. The government has been expanding funding for startups and scientific research.

In a country that had maintained a pacifist pledge since the end of World War II, many established companies avoid ties to lethal weapons, but a growing number of startups are showing interest in converting dual-use technology for military use, officials say.

Japan’s recent scrapping of lethal weapons export ban could also help strengthen the country's underdeveloped defense industry.

Weapons technology transfer and joint development and production strengthens both the Japanese defense industry base and Japan's ties with its defense partners, said Koizumi, whose travels to other countries have involved arms sales.

Japan recently made major deals, including the joint development and transfer of 11 upgraded Mogami-class frigates to Australia. It is discussing a similar deal with New Zealand and has struck a deal to sell retired destroyers to the Philippines.

The attack Saturday at a new In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls ended when the gunman, identified by police as 24-year-old Chad Williams, shot and killed himself. On Monday, police were still trying to determine why Williams carried out the attack, which happened early in the afternoon in a busy shopping plaza in the southern Idaho city.

Many details about Williams' life were still unknown Monday, but an initial search of court records in Idaho and Arizona, where he used to live, didn't show any criminal cases matching his name and birth date.

Man who knew gunman says he was ‘pretty chill’

Elijah Moseley, who lived across the hall from Williams in a College of Southern Idaho dorm a few years ago, described him as “an introvert” and “a pretty chill guy.”

“I was never scared or weirded out by him,” he said.

Moseley said he considered Williams a relatively close friend, though they lost touch a couple of years ago.

“I’m shocked by this and sick to my stomach about this,” he said.

Detectives are confident that Williams acted alone, Police Chief Matthew Hicks said Sunday, noting that Williams’ family is cooperating fully with the investigation.

Two of the wounded victims were treated at a hospital and released, three were listed as stable, and two others were in critical condition, police said Sunday.

During the attack, an off-duty state trooper and a civilian fired on Williams and diverted him from the restaurant, the chief said. Police haven't disclosed their names or those of the victims, but some victims have been identified by friends and relatives. Twin Falls spokesperson Josh Palmer said Monday that police were still trying to identify next of kin.

A vigil is planned for Tuesday evening at Twin Falls City Park, Palmer said.

In-N-Out employee among those killed

The attack happened at an In-N-Out that opened late last month as part of the California chain’s Idaho expansion, and an employee at the burger joint was among those killed, the fast-food chain’s owner, Lynsi Snyder, said in a statement. She didn't identify the worker.

Kimberley Castaneda confirmed to The Associated Press that her brother, Christopher Claunch, was among those killed, but she declined to discuss him further.

Garren Taylor, one of Claunch's friends, said that two years ago, Claunch completed a rehab program for alcohol abuse at Renaissance Ranch Recovery Center in Rupert, Idaho, and was immediately hired there. Taylor said Claunch, known to those close to him as “Toph,” had since then dedicated his life to helping others get sober.

“He helped hundreds of people,” Taylor recalled Monday. “He was just a gift to anyone he came in contact with. It wasn’t about the paycheck, his attitude was: ‘I get to help someone today.’”

Renaissance Ranch declined to comment Monday.

Wounded man moved closer to gunfire to help

In a Facebook post, Marcus Scott James said his son Austin “A.J.” Scott James was critically wounded in the attack and faces a long recovery. He said his son was shot after he moved “toward the danger” when he heard gunfire in an effort to protect others.

“We are incredibly thankful that God spared his life and that his wife and friend were there to provide immediate care until he could get to the hospital," he wrote.

Marcus James said in a message to the AP on Monday that his son used to work as a law enforcement officer for the Twin Falls police and the Idaho State Police. He declined to comment further on his son’s actions, saying it is his son's story to tell.

Terry Dudley, a driver for North Star Taxi, was shot as he was charging one of the company’s Teslas in a parking lot next to the In-N-Out Burger, said James Palmer, who owns the taxi service and is Dudley’s friend.

Palmer said Dudley called him to tell him he was shot after he couldn’t get through to 911. He said Dudley was flown to a hospital in Boise and remained there Monday with serious injuries, he said.

“It’s a lot, man,” Palmer said. “It’s daunting, to say the least, to even try to gather the scope of all this. It’s been absolute chaos."

He said Dudley was “kind of like my right hand.”

Gunman left local college before graduating

Williams attended the College of Southern Idaho from August 2022 and December 2023, according to the school's president, L. Dean Fisher. He didn’t graduate or earn a certificate from the school, which has about 10,000 students.

Williams served in the student senate but was unanimously impeached by his fellow senators in February 2023. Moseley, who served as the senate pro-tempore at the time, said Williams was ousted because he wasn't very active or engaged in student government.

___

Associated Press reporters Christopher Weber and Jamie Stengle contributed to this report.

___

This story was first published on Aug. 3, 2026. It was updated on Aug. 4, 2026, to include the last names of victim Austin Scott James and his father, Marcus Scott James.

According to TxDOT’s report, motorcyclist Allan Ortega was traveling southbound at a high rate of speed early Sunday morning in the 14000 block of State Highway 16 before he crashed into the rear of a Chevrolet Tahoe.

Authorities said the driver of the Chevrolet Tahoe lost control, veered into another lane and flipped onto its hood.

Ortega then veered into the same lane and was ejected from the motorcycle, the report states. Ortega was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver and passenger in the Tahoe were not injured. However, San Antonio police later said the driver, whom the TxDOT report identified as Fred Guitron, was evaluated and found to be intoxicated at the time of the crash.

Guitron, 38, was arrested and charged on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, SAPD said. In its preliminary report, San Antonio police said the driver’s intoxication did not contribute to the crash.

More related coverage of this story on KSAT:

• Motorcyclist ejected, killed in crash on South Side, San Antonio police say

Newly released surveillance video shows the October 2023 shooting of a woman by a Northside Independent School District police officer outside of a crowded high school football stadium.

The footage, released by the San Antonio Police Department earlier this year, captures the moments leading up to the shooting of Markay Garcia, the wife of a Sotomayor High School assistant football coach, just outside Dub Farris Athletic Complex as thousands of spectators arrived for a varsity football game.

Garcia survived the shooting, but she suffered a shattered humerus bone, a destroyed triceps muscle and has permanent nerve damage, according to a 2024 federal lawsuit she filed against the district and two of its officers.

The video has drawn sharp criticism from a nationally recognized policing scholar, who told KSAT Investigates the officers’ actions unraveled almost immediately.

“None of it makes sense. It’s bad, essentially from the very beginning,” said Michael Sierra-Arévalo, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin. Sierra-Arévalo has spent more than a decade studying police culture and use of force.

The officer who shot Garcia, Kyle Kennedy, was later indicted by a grand jury and surrendered his peace officer’s license earlier this year as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.

‘She almost ran us over’

The surveillance footage shows Northside ISD officers Joseph Garcia and Kyle Kennedy positioned near a crosswalk outside the stadium entrance shortly before the shooting.

As Markay Garcia’s light-colored SUV approached, Kennedy stepped in front of the vehicle while Officer Garcia walked to the passenger side before moving to the driver’s side.

Within 20 seconds, the encounter escalated dramatically.

The video shows Officer Garcia attempting to open the driver’s door before the SUV lurched forward. Kennedy then reached into the vehicle and fires a single shot, striking Markay Garcia in the upper arm.

The footage shows Markay Garcia exiting the SUV with her right arm severely injured before she collapsed on the pavement as spectators scatter and run for cover.

Other officers respond moments later, followed by Garcia’s husband, who rushed to the scene from inside the stadium.

After reviewing the surveillance footage, Sierra-Arévalo told KSAT he believes the officers made a series of tactical mistakes that unnecessarily increased the danger for everyone nearby.

“The fact that we are at a public football game with families walking around and an officer chooses to draw a firearm, by extension, is immediately increasing the risk of individuals in the vicinity,” said Sierra-Arévalo.

Among the most significant errors, according to Sierra-Arévalo, was Officer Garcia’s attempt to open the door of a vehicle that was not secured in park while Kennedy simultaneously positioned himself directly in front of the SUV.

“It is generally poor tactics to place a human body in front of a vehicle — particularly if you have a reason to believe that that vehicle is going to try to flee,” said Sierra-Arévalo.

The professor said those early decisions left officers with few safe options once the SUV began moving.

“There were decisions that were made that remove the ability for officers to engage in that interaction in a safe way and frankly doomed them to make a series of mistakes, one after another, that wound up with an innocent woman being shot,” Sierra-Arévalo said.

Officer Joseph Garcia’s body camera did not record the shooting, but it captured his immediate account to other officers and even eyewitnesses.

Officer Garcia said the SUV had been “hauling a--” through the parking lot before officers attempted to stop it.

“She starts honking at people. And, as soon as a handicap is turning through here, she’s hauling a--. She starts speeding up again,” Officer Garcia told another officer as his body camera recorded. “So, we tell her to stop. Kyle (Kennedy) steps in front of the vehicle, and I go around and I tell her, ‘Ma’am, step out of the vehicle.’ I try to open the door, and she tries to take off. And that’s when Kyle fired a shot at her.”

Surveillance footage disputes claim that Markay Garcia was speeding through parking lot

However, additional surveillance video obtained by KSAT Investigates disputes Officer Garcia’s claim that Markay Garcia was hauling through the parking lot.

Multiple camera angles showed her SUV’s entire path of travel behind a black van after entering the athletic complex’s lot.

The footage does not show the vehicle speeding through the lot before the encounter with officers.

In November 2024, a Bexar County grand jury indicted Kennedy on charges of aggravated assault by a public servant, deadly conduct-discharge firearm and official oppression.

In December 2025, he pleaded guilty to the aggravated assault charge. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss the deadly conduct and official oppression charges as part of the plea agreement, records show.

In January 2026, Kennedy received six years of deferred adjudication and surrendered his Texas peace officer license.

The agreement allowed Kennedy to avoid jail time in the case.

Kennedy, who had been on administrative desk duty after the shooting, resigned from the Northside ISD Police Department on the day of his sentencing.

Through his criminal attorney, Kennedy refused a request to be interviewed for this story.

TCOLE records show Kennedy worked as an NISD officer from June 2019 to June 2022, before briefly working for the Live Oak Police Department.

Kennedy’s tenure with Live Oak PD, which lasted less than five months, included multiple performance evaluations that raised concerns about his police tactics, personnel records obtained by KSAT Investigates show.

A July 2022 evaluation stated that Kennedy struggled when interviewing people he came into contact with.

The assessment stated Kennedy needed to slow down when speaking with people and allow them time to answer questions.

“PPO Kennedy often gets ahead of himself while speaking and does not obtain necessary information,” the evaluation states.

A separate September 2022 evaluation of Kennedy referred to him as “rusty” when it came to the penal code and traffic offense knowledge.

The following month, in October 2022, Kennedy was ordered to go through remedial training to improve how he handled himself on calls, records show.

The letter noted several specific incidents, including an October 2022 call in which “Kennedy’s head was down most of the time” making him unaware of his surroundings during a traffic stop.

Weeks later, during a stop for a defective tail lamp, Kennedy and the driver took turns entering the driver’s vehicle and using the brake pedal to test the light, records show.

The action caused Kennedy’s back to be turned to the driver repeatedly, which ran afoul of the department’s tactics for a traffic stop, according to records.

Kennedy resigned from LOPD the following month, stating “I have some things to take care of” and that it was in his best interest to leave the department.

He was then rehired by NISD PD two months later, Texas Commission on Law Enforcement records show.

Officer Garcia, meanwhile, remains an NISD police officer, according to TCOLE records.

An NISD spokesman declined to comment on the shooting video, citing the ongoing litigation.

An attorney for Markay Garcia declined to make her available for an interview and said no trial date for the lawsuit has been set.

SAPD, the lead law enforcement agency on the case, was delayed in releasing the footage due to a significant backlog of video requests filed with the city.

Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.

In a memo posted on social media to the San Antonio City Council, Jones welcomed a discussion about having San Antonio residents vote on the city’s $489 million contribution toward a new downtown San Antonio Spurs arena on the November ballot.

Jones said the economic environment in San Antonio has shifted since Bexar County voters approved the county’s share of the arena funding in last November’s election.

“Our city is facing an affordability crisis which is made more difficult by the persistent poverty in our community,” she said in the memo. “This requires we demonstrate a ruthless level of fiscal responsibility and allow our community greater agency to decide how their money is spent.”

The mayor cited a $158 million budget deficit, downtown infrastructure bond issues, property taxes and the Spurs’ choice to not entertain a revenue-sharing agreement as reasons for the proposed re-vote on the city’s contribution.

Jones also stated that city voters should have the opportunity to vote on the city’s share, not just the county’s.

“City voters will pay twice towards the proposed arena, as they will contribute to the County’s $311 million contribution and the City’s $489 million contribution, for a total of $800 million plus the to-be-determined infrastructure bond costs. Since they pay twice, City voters deserve to vote twice,” Jones said.

The deadline to add a new proposition to the November ballot is Aug. 17.

More Project Marvel stories on KSAT:

• San Antonio closes on $30M land deal to advance Project Marvel
• Why hasn’t San Antonio started arena negotiations with the Spurs yet?
• Project Marvel hotel plans change as SAWS says downtown plant too expensive to relocate

Bosh, the 11-time All-Star who was a part of a Miami Heat team that both defeated and lost to the Spurs in back-to-back NBA Finals, told HoopsHype in an interview published Monday he nearly died due to a health “episode” that kept him hospitalized for a week.

“I almost dropped dead pretty much and came back to life,” Bosh told the website. “I’m not joking.”

According to Bosh, the “scare” stemmed from a pulmonary embolism, which The Mayo Clinic in Minnesota describes as “a blood clot that blocks and stops blood flow to an artery in the lung.”

In 2019, Bosh decided to retire from basketball after he suffered multiple blood clots. He played his final NBA game in 2016.

“Yeah, you got to deal with it for the rest of your life,” Bosh said. “I thought I was past it. I am not. So, you know, it’s just making sure I stay on top of my regimen.”

Chris Bosh to HoopsHype: "I had an episode in January. I almost dropped dead pretty much and came back to life. I'm not joking. I had another pulmonary embolism. It was in January. I was in the hospital for a week." pic.twitter.com/cEkj5eOieB

— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) August 3, 2026

Bosh’s blood clot diagnosis is similar to Wembanyama’s.

In February 2025, Wembanyama was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in his right shoulder.

DVT develops “when a blood clot forms in one or more of the deep veins in the body,” according to The Mayo Clinic. The diagnosis ended Wembanyama’s 2024-25 season.

Bosh’s advice to Wembanyama was simple: “Take your medicine.”

“Make sure that he’s (Wembanyama) staying on top of his regimen to make sure that doesn’t happen again because it only takes one more time,” Bosh said. “It happened one more time for me. It happened twice, and I couldn’t play anymore.”

“So, I guess with him, just making sure he does everything necessary to keep that blood as thin as possible and take care of that body off the court,” Bosh continued.

More recent sports coverage on KSAT:

• Dallas Cowboys cheerleader from Round Rock reflects on Netflix fame
• Midnight practices open Texas high school football season

The friendlies include games against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada in U.S. cities that didn’t host World Cup action this summer.

The Americans will face Peru on Sept. 26 at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando, Florida. Three days later, they will host Chile at Energizer Park in St. Louis. The US-Mexico rivalry resumes Oct. 3 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. And the finale against Canada follows three days later at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota.

All four matches will be broadcast on TNT, HBO Max, Telemundo, Universo and Peacock.

The games come on the heels of the U.S. team’s run to the round of 16 at the World Cup. They also will serve as the first action since U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino agreed to a new deal that puts him under contract through 2030.

“We are so excited to start this new phase of our journey with matches in front of our home fans,” Pochettino said in a statement. “Their amazing energy during the summer has set the standard.

“Our objective is always to play the best opponents possible, and these matches provide a variety of experiences for this group of players as we begin this new chapter of the U.S Men’s National Team.”

The 2030 World Cup will be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

___

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

Same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, edged up 0.8% in the U.S. That’s a sharp slowdown from the 2.5% increase a year ago, when the company had a big win with a meal tied to “A Minecraft Movie.” Global same-store sales rose 1.3%.

CEO Chris Kempczinski said during the company's earnings call on Tuesday that the U.S. performance was partly hurt by inconsistent execution across its restaurants and marketing programs that didn't meet expectations.

“We don’t have a strategy problem," he said. "We simply didn’t execute at the level we needed to in the second quarter.”

Another issue was a pullback on the number of digital offers that customers received, Chief Financial Officer Ian Borden said. Without those offers, customers either bought less, or didn't buy at all. McDonald’s plans to address this by launching more digital offers nationally, starting next week. The company is also looking to send more personalized offers to its most loyal users, he added.

McDonald's, like many restaurant chains, is dealing with American consumers that are keeping a close eye on their wallets. The company warned in May that high gas prices and consumer anxiety over the U.S. conflict with Iran could dent its sales. The U.S. average for regular gasoline reached its most recent peak on May 21 at $4.56 per gallon, according to AAA.

McDonald's has jostled its menu and tried to lure some cost-conscious customers to its restaurants through value meals and other specials. These items can be particularly important for low-income customers, who are hit hard by rising costs. In April, the chain introduced a simplified McValue menu, which has 10 items that cost $3 or less.

Kempczinski said that about a year ago, McDonald's got a bit off target on value, and that its base menu pricing began running higher than its competitors in many places. The company has since worked to bring its prices below or closer to competitors on items ranging from burgers to drinks.

For the three months ended June 30, the Chicago burger chain earned $2.36 billion, or $3.32 per share. A year earlier it earned $2.25 billion, or $3.14 per share.

Excluding one time charges and benefits, earnings were $3.38 per share, beating the $3.32 per share analysts polled by FactSet expected.

Revenue climbed to $7.1 billion from $6.84 billion in the prior-year period, but came a bit short of Wall Street's estimate of $7.13 billion.

McDonald's also announced Tuesday that Skye Anderson will be president of McDonald's USA.

Company shares rose less than 2% Tuesday.

_________________

AP reporter Dee-Ann Durbin contributed to this report.

Employers posted 7.36 million vacancies in June, down from 7.54 million in May, the Labor Department said Tuesday. The numbers were in line with economist expectations. Openings rose by 97,000 at warehouse, transportation and utility companies and 39,000 at federal government agencies. Openings dropped at wholesalers and manufacturers of nondurable goods.

Layoffs were little-changed at 1.8 million, and the number of people quitting their jobs — a sign of confidence in their prospects — rose slightly.

The gross number of people hired — before subtracting those who quit or lost their jobs — rose slightly 5.3 million. But hiring is weaker than it was in the jobs boom that followed pandemic lockdowns. Then, gross monthly hiring often topped 6 million.

Still, the U.S. job market has remained sturdy despite a surge in energy prices caused by the conflict in Iran, rebounding from a 2025 slump. Before the war in Iran, roughly 15 million barrels of Persian Gulf oil were shipped each day through the Strait of Hormuz. The strait borders Iran, which has fired on ships attempting to transit the passage.

So far this year, companies, government agencies and nonprofits have added an average 92,000 jobs a month. That is up from fewer than 10,000 a month last year — fewest outside a recession since 2002 — as employers held off on hiring because of high interest rates and uncertainty caused by President Donald Trump’s unpredictable economic policies.

When the Labor Department releases its jobs report for July on Friday, it is expected to show job gains of 100,000, up from 57,000 in June. The unemployment rate is expected to have remained at a low 4.2%, according to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet.

In years past, 100,000 new jobs a month would have been mediocre. But Trump’s immigration crackdown and the ongoing retirements of baby boomers mean that fewer people are competing for work. So the economy doesn’t need as many new jobs as it once did to keep the unemployment rate from rising. In fact, some economists believe the “break-even″ rate could be nearly as low as zero jobs.

The types and locations of common injuries often change with a child’s age and activities, according to Dr. Aaron See, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon with Methodist Children’s Hospital.

He said common injuries he sees in elementary-age children are in the wrists or elbows after playground falls, while knee and ankle injuries become more common among older athletes.

“Often what we find is that children are out of school and then they go back to school, and they want to be on the playground,” Dr. See said. “They haven’t done it for a while, and they’re not as good as they thought they were, and there tend to be some falls.”

Is it a sprain or a broken bone?

Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to distinguish a sprain from a broken bone -- also called a fracture -- just by looking at it, but the way symptoms change during the first hour or two can offer clues.

“If you allow the child to have a brief period of rest and they show some improvement without a lot of swelling, that tends to lean more toward a sprain or strain,” Dr. See said. “If the pain continues, the swelling increases or there are some obvious changes in the way the injured area looks, the injury should be evaluated in the emergency room with an X-ray.”

He said age matters, too. A toddler might communicate pain by suddenly becoming inactive, while an older athlete who limps off the court and cannot return to play also deserves attention.

“Watch how they act. Watch what they do,” Dr. See said. “I think the biggest thing is watching their activity level and how they’re able to return. That will give you a really good clue.”

When should an injury be evaluated right away?

An arm or leg that looks bent, crooked or out of place should be evaluated in an emergency room. Increasing pain, swelling or bruising that does not improve with rest, ice, elevation and an age-appropriate over-the-counter pain reliever -- used as directed -- should also be medically evaluated.

“If the child has hurt their wrist, leg or ankle, look at the toes or the fingers,” Dr. See said. “If they’re having trouble moving the fingers, or something a little farther away from the injury doesn’t feel quite right, those are signs that should be looked at right away.”

If emergency evaluation appears necessary, Dr. See advised keeping the child comfortable and protecting the injury from further movement. He also advised asking before giving the child food or drinks, because surgery or sedation may be needed.

Not every broken bone comes with an obvious warning sign. A nondisplaced fracture -- one in which the bone remains aligned -- can resemble a sprain. A parent might reasonably let a child rest overnight, then seek care when the pain has not improved.

Dr. See wants parents to know they should not blame themselves if the injury is discovered to be more serious than they initially thought.

“It is really tricky sometimes to tell the difference between a simple sprain and a nondisplaced fracture that doesn’t need surgery,” he said. “I often tell the families, ‘You’re doing the right thing. It’s OK. No harm has come to it.’ There are usually some obvious signs if something must be cared for right away.”

Why children’s growing bones are different

Children’s bones are still growing and may bend or partially break in ways adult bones do not. They also tend to heal more quickly.

“There are many injuries that would get treated with surgery in an adult that, in growing children, we just treat with either a cast or other nonsurgical care,” Dr. See said. “Children can heal a lot of things that adults can’t.”

Growth plates allow bones to lengthen and form properly. In uncommon cases, an injured growth plate can slow down or cause a bone to grow in a different direction, which can cause one limb to grow differently or a bone to grow at an angle.

Because younger children still have years of growing, the orthopedic team may continue monitoring a growth plate after the fracture heals. Follow-ups can include periodic visits and X-rays, plus guidance about changes to watch for at home.

“A little bit of intervention up front can prevent a lot of problems down the road,” Dr. See said.

What might treatment look like?

At a Methodist Healthcare hospital or freestanding emergency room, X-rays may be taken to check for a possible broken bone. A pediatric orthopedic specialist can review the images and help determine whether the child needs care in the hospital or a follow-up appointment in the office.

Dr. See said many fractures do not require surgery. Treatment can instead include a brace or cast, based on the child’s age, activities and ability to follow restrictions.

“One of my favorite jokes is, ‘Do we need to protect the child from themselves?’” Dr. See said. “I can ask a child not to walk on their leg for four weeks, but good luck with a 3-year-old. When that 3-year-old feels better, they’re going to walk on it.”

A cast may give a young child added protection, while an older child might reliably use a removable brace. The decision ultimately includes a conversation with parents about the child’s habits and home environment.

“Tell me about your child and what you think we may need to do, because every child’s situation is different,” he said. “Do they have siblings who like to play? Is your child very active? Is there a big dog at home? Those details help us think through the right treatment plan.”

Helping young athletes stay healthy

Not all orthopedic pain follows a sudden injury. During growth spurts, bones may lengthen faster than muscles can adapt. When children who are active or involved in sports move to a more demanding level of competition, it can lead to knee, back and muscle pain.

“The muscles work. The bones work. But the bones have lengthened and the muscles haven’t kept up,” Dr. See said. “With a little bit of a stretching regimen, a lot of this stuff gets better.”

He said warming up before being active, stretching after -- while the muscles are still warm -- and wearing proper protective equipment can all help to reduce minor injuries.

If pain continues despite stretching and rest, an evaluation can help determine whether physical therapy may be beneficial.

“I’ve had patients attend a short course to let the therapist educate them and help them understand what they should be doing,” Dr. See said. “Even just three or four weeks can really help.”

Good nutrition can also help support growing bones. Dr. See advises families to speak with their child’s doctor or pediatrician to understand if supplementation might be appropriate.

Methodist Healthcare provides orthopedic care for children from birth through age 18, including treatment for broken bones, sports injuries, scoliosis, bone tumors, limb deformities, hip dysplasia, foot conditions and more.

Learn more about pediatric orthopedic care at Methodist Children’s Hospital.

But an estimated 1,000 minors — among the most vulnerable of those who crossed the border — remain in Ceuta, staying without their families in a foreign land.

One 17-year-old girl told The Associated Press how she watched her 8-year-old brother drown as migrants made a chaotic crossing around a breakwater and a subsequent stampede on the rocky shore to avoid the border fence last Thursday at the peak of the migration surge. She was separated from her mother and has been begging on the streets of Ceuta since. The AP is withholding her identity because she is a minor in a vulnerable situation.

“I saw people stepping on the dead,” she said through a translator since she doesn’t speak Spanish. “Now we are children begging on the street.”

Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska on Tuesday gave a fresh estimate of the migrants who pushed into Ceuta last week, saying a total of around 72,000 crossed over. Of those, he said, 70,000 had returned. Local official Alejandro Ramírez, however, said that it was impossible to know the exact number, which he estimated to be closer to 3,000-5,000 remaining in the city.

The Spanish minister also increased the death toll to 75 people who perished mostly in the water, during the crossing. Morocco reported 11 deaths which are not included in the Spanish total, the Spanish interior ministry said.

Spanish authorities said many of the migrants went back voluntarily after they saw that there was little chance to reach mainland Europe, or that the tiny enclave of 84,000 people was unable or unwilling to accommodate them. Spanish security forces have rounded up others, placing them on trucks and taking them back to the border, but by law, they're not supposed to do that with unaccompanied minors.

Like many migrants, the teenage girl from Tangier came to Ceuta, perched on the north African coast, driven by a viral social media onslaught to try a mad dash to Spain seeking better opportunities. She said some locals gave her food and some clothing, with one woman taking her into her home so she could bathe. She then went to a center for youths run by the government for some help, but found it was full.

Anguish among parents looking for children

The inverse drama was seen in Fnideq on the Moroccan side of the border where parents were hoping to see their children come home.

Ibtissam Chari has been waiting for signs of life from her son, called Rayan. He left Morocco with a group of friends last week. She knows he made it across because he was able to get word to her that he made it to Ceuta. But since then, she hadn't heard from him.

“Every day, we come here in the hope to have any news but there is none,” she said. “Some of his friends from the same neighborhood came back home, which is good news. I heard that many people died. May God protect us.”

Minors must be cared for under Spanish law

Spanish law says that adult migrants can apply for asylum. If rejected, they will face expulsion procedures. The bar is normally very high for Moroccans to be granted humanitarian protection.

Migrant minors who are unaccompanied by adults, however, are supposed to be granted protection and taken care of by Spanish authorities.

An AP journalist witnessed Monday how Spanish soldiers escorted an unaccompanied Moroccan boy who was crying and begging not to be sent back to Morocco. A few meters before reaching the border, and due to pressure from local residents who insisted he was a minor, as well as the presence of the media, a lieutenant colonel in the Spanish Army stopped the repatriation and transferred the boy to the Spanish Civil Guard.

AP journalists, however, witnessed Spanish security forces ushering other young migrants toward the border.

Spain’s government announced Tuesday that it has earmarked 25 million euros ($28.8 million) to be spent on assisting the minors in Ceuta.

Spain's Civil Guard also said Tuesday that it was opening an office for missing persons at the customs house on the border, as well as providing an email address for people to write to with missing persons reports. An AP reporter was unable to arrive at the customs house on the Moroccan side on Tuesday without a European passport or visa.

“In Spain, the fundamental rights of minors as vulnerable individuals are respected, as are those of adults,” Grande-Marlaska told reporters in Madrid Tuesday.

Food is main concern for those migrants still in Ceuta

Among the adult migrants who remain in Ceuta are significant numbers of people from other countries, including Sudanese fleeing their war-torn country, Palestinians from Gaza and Afghans, as well as people from several African nations.

Food is scarce among the migrants, according to reporting by AP journalists. Authorities organized food distribution among the remaining migrants late on Monday.

Ahmed Chenaf, a 25-year-old Moroccan man, told of the poor conditions he experienced in Ceuta before returning. He said he didn’t eat for two days.

“To those thinking of trying to reach Ceuta: you will suffer. All the grocery stores (were) closed. There is no food, and no one wanted to sell us anything,” he said.

The city’s migrant center with a capacity for 600 people is completely full. Many migrants sleep or rest on the beach or hills surrounding the speck of Spain. In the hazy distance, mainland Europe, their ultimate goal, lies across the sea.

___

Joseph Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain. Associated Press writer Akram Oubachir and video journalist Majd Semlali contributed from Fnideq, Morocco.

Officers responded to the crash at approximately 11 a.m. at the intersection of Hardy Oak Boulevard and Sable Canyon.

The woman, identified as Valerie Keeney, attempted to exit a neighborhood and travel southbound on Hardy Oak Boulevard.

However, Keeney disregarded a stop sign, and a teenage driver traveling northbound crashed into her, police said.

After the collision, officers said Keeney was trapped in her vehicle. Authorities were able to pull her out of the vehicle to perform life-saving measures. Police said she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office told KSAT that Keeney’s cause and manner of death remain under investigation.

The teenager was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, officers said.

SAPD said its investigation is ongoing. Further information was not readily available.

Read also:

• 2-year-old girl who was subject of AMBER Alert found dead on Northwest Side

Although there have been similar contests around the country, this one will hold extra weight because Michigan is a key state in presidential races. Abdul El-Sayed, backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, is up against four-term Rep. Haley Stevens, supported by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.

Democratic and Republican voters in Michigan are also deciding on their parties’ nominees to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

In Kansas, Missouri, Virginia and Washington state, voters are settling primaries in a host of races, including a key rematch between Democrats in a Missouri House contest. Also in play is whether Democrats, who tried to redraw districts in Virginia to their advantage but were rebuffed by the state supreme court, can pick candidates who can defeat Republicans in the fall.

Test time for Democrats in Michigan's Senate race

The choice between El-Sayed and Stevens has become a focal point for Democrats this year, and the race has become bitter. Whoever wins will need to bring splintered factions back into the fold to beat Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman.

The seat is open because Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is retiring, and Democrats are under pressure to defend it to preserve their chance of winning control of the chamber.

Another dynamic at play has been the influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC and its affiliated groups, which have spent nearly $30 million supporting Stevens.

The issue has become a lightning rod in Democratic politics since the Gaza war has split the party over U.S. backing of Israel. AIPAC backs candidates who support strengthening U.S.-Israeli relations. It's a significant issue in Michigan, which is home to the country's largest Arab American population.

El-Sayed cast the spending as a question of whether grassroots organizing can overcome millions in outside contributions.

That tension was also at play in 2024 when Democratic activists pressured now-Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin to take a harder line on Israel’s war in Gaza. Slotkin, who is Jewish, had already distanced herself from AIPAC earlier. She ultimately defeated Rogers by fewer than 20,000 votes.

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

Will Trump's endorsement overpower self-funded candidate for governor?

Republican voters will decide on their nominee for Michigan governor on Tuesday as well. President Donald Trump has endorsed Rep. John James.

The president's backing typically carries significant weight in Republican politics, but there could be a complicating factor. Businessman Perry Johnson has loaned his campaign more than $30 million, according to Michigan campaign finance records.

A similar dynamic played out this year in Georgia's race for governor, where Rick Jackson spent $100 million, largely of his own money, to overcome the Trump-backed Burt Jones in a runoff.

On the Democratic side, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson faces Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.

Virginia Democrats aim to overcome redistricting disappointment

Virginia has been one of Democrats’ greatest regrets this year after the state’s supreme court overturned a voter-approved referendum to redraw its House map to create four new winnable seats for the party.

The measure’s failure left Republicans with a clear national lead in winnable House seats in the partisan footrace triggered by Trump’s unusual mid-decade redistricting push.

Democrats are hoping to whittle away at that lead the old-fashioned way — by winning elections. The first step is Tuesday’s primary, where the party will be watching races in three of the state’s 11 districts to see whether the candidates its strategists see as most competitive can win the nomination.

Two of those candidates are former House members. Elaine Luria, a former Naval commander, is seeking to return to her Virginia Beach-centered swing seat, which she narrowly lost in 2022 to Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans. Luria faces three other Democrats, none with a history of holding elected office, in the primary.

Former Rep. Tom Perriello is running for his old central Virginia seat in the state’s 5th congressional district. The district has swung even further to the right since Perriello briefly represented the region following President Barack Obama’s 2008 election.

Perriello ran this year hoping a remap would make it friendlier to Democrats but says he’ll still compete and hope to flip it in November. He faces political commentator Robert Tracinski and physician Suzanne Krzyzanowski.

Many Democratic strategists see Shannon Taylor, the longtime Henrico County commonwealth’s attorney, as their best bet out of the seven candidates competing for the party’s nomination in the state’s 1st congressional district, a swing seat held by Republican Rep. Rob Wittman.

Last time the progressive lost in Missouri. Who'll emerge in the rematch?

All eyes have been on Michigan, but there's another matchup between Democrats' centrist and leftist wings playing out in a safely blue House seat in the St. Louis area.

Two years ago, prosecutor Wesley Bell ousted firebrand leftist Rep. Cori Bush in the Democratic primary for the district that includes Ferguson, the city where a police killing of a Black teenager helped set off 2014’s Black Lives Matter protests.

Now Bush is back, challenging Bell and arguing voters can take revenge against AIPAC for targeting her in the previous cycle.

In an email to KSAT, the department said that Ava Wetzel was the teen who died in the collision.

The crash happened just before 4 a.m. Sunday in the 12000 block of U.S. Highway 87, near Chihuahua Street.

Upon arrival, authorities said they found a 2015 Lexus RX3 rolled over on its side and on fire.

Wetzel was the only person in the vehicle and was found dead inside, police said.

Police said Wetzel was traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 87 when, at some point, she entered a grassy area and struck a brick-and-mortar “City of La Vernia” sign before rolling over.

La Vernia police confirmed to KSAT that Wetzel was a student at La Vernia High School.

In a statement, a La Vernia Independent School District spokesperson said the district’s thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy.

The district said counseling resources will be available for students and staff, whose first day of school was on Monday.

The full statement can be read below:

As we prepare to welcome students back for the first day of school tomorrow, our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.

La Vernia ISD has taken steps to ensure support is available for those who may need it. Our campus teams are prepared to provide counseling resources for students and staff, with additional support available through neighboring school districts if needed.

Our focus remains on supporting our students, staff, and families while providing a safe, caring, and welcoming environment as we begin the new school year.

Out of respect for the privacy of those involved, we will not be providing additional details at this time. We appreciate your understanding.

La Vernia ISD

Additional information was not immediately available. The Texas Department of Public Safety is leading the investigation.

Read also:

• Motorcyclist ejected, killed in crash on South Side, San Antonio police say

After many shares and comments, thousands of Moroccans became convinced that Europe was suddenly within reach.

Within hours, young people began heading toward the border with the Spanish territory of Ceuta in North Africa. Packed buses rolled into the neighboring Moroccan city of Fnideq. Regional trains filled up. Taxis did too.

By the time authorities reacted, some 72,000 people had reached Ceuta in just a few days, the largest migration surge between Morocco and Spain in years. More than 80 migrants died on both sides of the border, including some who drowned and others who were killed in a stampede, authorities said.

Nearly all of the surviving migrants soon returned, but the fallout from last week’s events will linger.

Rumors started online

In the northern Moroccan city of Larache, about 93 miles (150 kilometers) from Ceuta, three friends watched a video posted by an Instagram account called Haraga Ceuta claiming the border would be open. Haraga refers in Moroccan dialect to young migrants who destroy their identification papers and try crossing illegally into Europe.

The post convinced Anas Amrani, Yahya Harak and Ismail Atik that it was worth risking the journey.

For migrants hoping to reach Spanish territory, the most common route begins in Fnideq, where many attempt the roughly 3-mile (5-kilometer) swim around the border breakwater. Others leave from the nearby village of Belyounech.

One TikTok video mapped the exact route swimmers should follow.

On Facebook groups such as Fnideq Bab Sebta, users shared screenshots from vessel-tracking platforms to identify moments when coast guard patrols appeared lighter. Some sought advice on using inflatable boats. Others advertised wetsuits for sale.

“I saw online that the border was open, and I decided to go,” said 17-year-old Omar Danbor from Fnideq, walking back exhausted along the coast.

It's unclear who was behind the claims that the border was open or who operated many of the social media accounts, several of which were deleted soon after the crossings. The Associated Press contacted several accounts but received no response.

The surge to Ceuta touched a political nerve in Europe, and the European Union is investigating what happened. The EU's migration commissioner expressed concern Tuesday about online disinformation but didn’t identify a specific culprit.

Chaos unfolded at the breakwater

As migrants reached the shores of Ceuta, mass chaos erupted at a narrow concrete breakwater where many tried to climb onto land.

According to multiple migrants interviewed by AP, people rushed to scramble over the slick rocks at the same time, pushing and climbing over one another. Several said they saw people knocked back into the water and forced beneath others, leaving them unable to resurface as migrants sought to reach land.

“I stepped on the face of a dead man while I was climbing out. I hope God forgives me and all those whose bodies were found,” said Lahcen Kalouch, a Moroccan migrant who reached Ceuta before returning home distraught.

At least 72 people died on the Spanish side of the border. Another 11 died on the Moroccan side.

Tens of thousands of migrants have since returned to Morocco, either after being expelled or leaving by choice because of a lack of shelter, food and water in Ceuta.

Some misinterpreted Spain’s new migration measures

Some migrants misunderstood recent legal developments in Spain, including Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s immigration regularization measures and a court ruling limiting authorities’ ability to immediately return migrants who swim into Ceuta.

Sánchez’s recent efforts to regularize migration were meant only for people already living in Spain prior to Jan. 1, the majority of whom hail from Latin America and entered Spain legally but overstayed their visas. But some in Morocco misinterpreted his policy, believing they would be allowed to stay. That belief spread online.

“Pedro Sánchez is a liar. He told us if we came, we would get jobs and papers, but they sent us back,” said Adam Assil, a migrant from Casablanca, even though Sánchez never made such a promise.

While attempts to reach Ceuta are common, migration activists said this episode was different because of the way rumors snowballed online, encouraging thousands of people to head toward the territory at the same time instead of in smaller, scattered groups.

Failures happened on both sides of the border

Moroccan authorities said the migration wave was not spontaneous. The Interior Ministry blamed the “exploitation of the digital sphere” and “the spread of misinformation.” Officials offered no evidence but said an investigation had been opened. Spain’s government made similar statements.

Ceuta officials said they had warned the Spanish government of a surge in arrivals before the massive crush on Thursday. The Spanish Interior Ministry said Monday that it had not received “any report or warning regarding the mass arrival of people in Ceuta,” and it praised cooperation with the Moroccan authorities in sending most of the migrants back.

“Nobody addressed how these individuals managed to breach the border," said Mustapha Azaitraoui, a Moroccan geographer specializing in migration dynamics. “If a large group of people can cross the border under these circumstances, it suggests a broader security issue that has yet to be acknowledged publicly.”

Migrants reject government claims of smuggling

Both Morocco and Spain blamed the Ceuta crisis on human smugglers and trafficking networks, saying organized criminal groups encouraged the mass crossings.

But returning Moroccan migrants interviewed by AP largely rejected that explanation.

“No one smuggled me there. I wanted to go of my own free will, but that country is not worth all this sacrifice,” Kalouch said.

“There are no mafias. The border was open, and I crossed. But now I regret it,” said Danbor, his clothes still wet after making the journey back.

The Spanish Interior Ministry said investigations into smuggling networks are ongoing and noted that Spain and Morocco have carried out joint operations against trafficking groups. The Moroccan Interior Ministry did not respond to questions about smuggling networks.

Several politicians and experts have suggested it would be impossible for so many to cross without Moroccan complicity. A high-ranking Moroccan diplomat appeared to push back against that.

“It would be reductive to say that Morocco should have used force to stop the migrants,” said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the issue is highly sensitive in Morocco. “We are not Europe’s police.”

The lack of jobs is a key factor

Morocco’s economy is projected to grow by 4.5% this year, boasting major factories, advanced ports and ambitions to become a regional hub for the car industry.

Yet for many young Moroccans, that transformation has not translated into stable work. Youth unemployment remains high, with 37% of people ages 15 to 24 out of work. Among university graduates, unemployment stands at nearly 20%. The dream of migration is often reinforced by stories of relatives who left and returned with cars, new clothes and foreign currency.

One of those who breached the border was a 16-year-old who grew up a few dozen miles from Ceuta. Europe had always seemed a dream close enough to see, yet impossibly far.

So when he saw a post on Facebook suggesting the border was open and thousands were making it across, he joined the rush.

Days later, he was back in Morocco, crying as he asked strangers for money for a taxi home.

“They fired tear gas at me and beat me with batons. There’s nothing for me there,” said the teen, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of being stigmatized following his failed border crossing attempt.

“I just wanted to provide for my mom,” he said, wiping his tears.

___

Associated Press journalists Bernat Armangue in Ceuta, Spain; Joseph Wilson and Renata Brito in Barcelona, Spain; Houda Benalla in Rabat, Morocco; and Sam McNeil in Brussels contributed.

A cast member from the Broadway phenomenon “Hamilton” joins us on set to discuss the award-winning musical and what audiences can expect during its run at the Majestic Theatre through Aug. 9.

Get a taste of the islands without leaving South Texas! Family-owned Howzit Hawaiian Kitchen joins us with authentic Hawaiian comfort food inspired by the many cultures and flavors of modern-day Hawai‘i.

Ready for a new ride? Ford of Boerne shares its Summer Sales Event deals and ways drivers can save on select vehicles.

Bestselling author Ryan La Sala joins us to discuss his new young-adult horror novel, “The Dead of Summer,” a chilling story filled with dark secrets, supernatural mystery and a summer vacation that takes a terrifying turn.

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey brings The Greatest Show on Earth to the Alamodome Aug. 14–16 with jaw-dropping acrobatics, daring stunts, music, laughter and family fun.

Officers responded to the stabbing around 3:35 a.m. in the 6000 block of Ingram Road, which is located near Callaghan Road.

Police said the man was stabbed once in the parking lot of a Dollar Tree. Afterward, he was chased across the street to a McDonald’s, where he was stabbed for a second time.

An SAPD sergeant said the man ran around the McDonald’s and left a blood trail. A knife was also located in the restaurant’s parking lot, police said.

The man then ran to a nearby bank, where EMS officials responded and took him to a local hospital for treatment.

Officers said two men fled the scene.

Further information was not readily available. Check back later for updates.

Read also:

• Mother describes how her son found missing 2-year-old girl unresponsive in Northwest Side creek

DiCaprio's Re:wild and the Bezos Earth Fund are leading the Phoenix Species Project, the groups announced Tuesday. They call it the largest single fund in history dedicated exclusively to recovering critically endangered species.

DiCaprio has for years been developing the idea of a major concerted effort to help species whose habitats and future existence are threatened by climate change.

In 2021, he and Re:wild co-founder Wes Sechrest, a biologist who serves as the organization's CEO, met with the Amazon-founding mega billionaire Bezos and his wife, former TV news reporter and host Lauren Sánchez Bezos. He serves as chair and she as vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund.

The meeting led to a series of conversations with local governments, environmental groups and Indigenous people on how best to reverse the decline of their most vulnerable species. Those conversations eventually led to the Phoenix Species Project.

Animals the initiative is seeking to sustain include:

- The golden-crowned sifaka, a lemur from Madagascar

- The Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander, a lungless tree-dweller that lives only in a small canyon in North Carolina.

- The Visayan warty pig, endemic to islands in the Philippines.

- Mexico's Cozumel harvest mouse, which lives only on an island off the Yucatán Peninsula.

- The pink land iguana, found only on Wolf Volcano in the Galápagos Islands.

- The Malayan pangolin, also known as the Sunda pangolin, native to Southeast Asia.

- Tanzania's pancake tortoise, named for its flat, flexible shell.

- The starry night harlequin toad, known and named for its black-and-white evening sky appearance, found only in the mountains of Colombia.

- Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna, a monotreme, or mammal that lays eggs, from New Guinea named in honor of the 100-year-old naturalist and narrator-of-nature David Attenborough.

The project’s goals include giving long-term sustenance to successful but fleeting smaller efforts.

“We’ve protected the golden-crowned sifaka for years on a budget that would never match what this species deserves, but letting it go extinct was never an option,” Tiana Andriamanana, executive director of Association Fanamby, one of the groups getting a grant from the initiative, said in a statement. “This funding, this global platform and technical support change what is possible.”

SNAP recipients now have until Aug. 12, 2026, to apply for replacement benefits. Funds will be added to Lone Star Cards within two business days of receiving a request.

“Texas will provide all available resources to help families recover from recent severe weather and severe flooding across our state,” Abbott said. “Through this expansion of SNAP replacement benefits, we will ensure that affected Texans across Central and South Texas have access to the essential food support they need to recover and rebuild.”

At the request of the commission, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service also approved SNAP replacement benefits for recipients in Sutton and Zavala counties.

Those counties join nine others previously approved: Bandera, Blanco, Frio, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Medina, Uvalde and Val Verde.

SNAP recipients should visit a local Texas Health and Human Services Commission office to request a benefit replacement. To find an office, visit YourTexasBenefits.com and click “Find an Office” at the bottom of the page.

Those unable to visit a local office because of age, disability, or distance can download form H1855 and mail it to Texas Health and Human Services, P.O. Box 149027, Austin, Texas 78714-9027, or fax it to 877-447-2839.

Read also:

• Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country announces $18M commitment to flood-affected residents, businesses

Tuesday, Aug. 4

Major traffic delays are expected on Interstate 35 southbound at Schertz Parkway due to construction, according to TxDOT.

Drivers are encouraged to take an alternate route to reach their destinations.

For more information on traffic, you can click here to view our traffic page on KSAT.com. To view more on the current weather conditions, click here.

Click the links below for current road closures.

• San Antonio road closures
• Bexar County road closures
• TxDOT highway conditions

The law banned synthetic THC products, including Delta-8, Delta-10, THCP and THCA flower. Low-dose Delta-9 — the most commonly sold THC product in the state — remains legal as long as products contain less than 0.3% THC by dry weight.

For San Antonio coffee shop LazyDaze, the change has little impact because the manager said everything it sells is made from natural THC.

“We have had no slowdown in sales whatsoever,” said Alex Cabello, LazyDaze manager. “The space is being filled and utilized for what it was here for, you know, just a safe space, third space for everybody.”

Cabello said the law is a positive step towards better regulation of natural THC products sold in Texas.

“This is just gonna help kind of verify products,” Cabello said. “I think that’s what Texas really needs, more of like a database to have verified, trustworthy products that all stores can carry.”

What remains legal — for now

Many Delta-9 edibles and drinks can still be sold under the new law. Smokeable Delta-9 hemp flower also remains available for now, after a court paused a separate ban on those products.

The Department of State Health Services argued hemp-derived THC products should be treated as controlled substances because they are psychoactive drugs.

Cannabis experts said the new law could remove 60% to 90% of THC products from circulation statewide.

Despite the sweeping changes to the industry, Cabello said his business is built to last.

“We’re the right direction,” Cabello said. “I think it’s been an uphill battle the entire time since we’ve been open. We’ll be hitting our two-year mark coming up in November. And we’re not going anywhere.”

Cabello urged consumers to do their homework before purchasing any THC products.

“I think overall everybody should just do their own important research if you are going to be consuming to that degree,” he said.

Penalties, law enforcement responses

Possession of illegal THC products will be treated as a state jail felony, which carries a punishment of 180 days to two years in prison and fines of up to $10,000, cannabis experts said.

KSAT 12 reached out to local authorities, including the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office, to ask how they plan to enforce the new ban.

Statements from the district attorney’s office, the San Antonio Police Department and the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office can be read below:

Pursuant to our oath to enforce the laws of the State of Texas, we will continue to prosecute any possession, sale, or delivery of any controlled substance that our legislature has identified as illegal.

As always, we will conduct thorough reviews of each case, guided by the established legal framework and the results provided by crime laboratories certified by the Texas State Forensic Science Commission. Our commitment to enforcing the law remains steadfast, and we will continue to approach our responsibilities with diligence and integrity.

Bexar County District Attorney's Office

The San Antonio Police Department will follow Texas law and will enforce the reclassification of Delta-8, Delta-10 and other hemp derived cannabinoids as Scheduled 1 controlled substances.

SAPD

We will continue to follow statutory laws and regulations. We currently are not planning any large-scale operations on the enforcement side, nor will the new laws have higher priority. As always, our primary focus is the violent crimes.

BCSO

The Texas Tribune contributed to this article.

Read more:

• Texas is banning several THC products. Find out what will still be legal on July 31.

The survey of 500 Black Texans who voted in recent elections, fielded by Texas Southern University, provides a temperature check of the crucial voter bloc as Talarico continues efforts to coalesce Black Democrats behind his candidacy.

While numerous Black political leaders have backed Talarico, some elected officials and activists have said he, and the Democratic Party as a whole, have to do more to mobilize voters and listen to their worries. Those calls have fallen largely on Talarico, however, after he defeated Crockett, one of the state’s most prominent Black politicians, in a contentious primary that was fraught with racial issues and saw Black voters overwhelmingly back Crockett.

The poll found that Crockett’s defeat left just 7% of Black Texans less likely to show up in November, while an accompanying TSU survey found that 79% of likely Black voters intend to vote for Talarico, compared to 12% who supported Republican U.S. Senate nominee Ken Paxton, the attorney general.

The findings suggest that many Black voters appear to be sticking with Talarico even as an overwhelming majority — 77% of recent Black voters — said they believe the Democratic Party in Texas takes Black voters “for granted.” Eight in 10 also said they believed Crockett’s race influenced the decision by non-Black primary voters to support Talarico.

Pollsters at TSU’s Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center conducted both surveys starting July 27. The poll that surveyed a representative sample of the likely statewide electorate was in the field through Thursday and had a +/- 2.8% margin of error, while the one that focused on recent Black voters was conducted through Sunday and had a 4.4% margin of error. Respondents to the latter poll had voted in at least one election since the November 2022 midterms.

In the poll of statewide voters across all demographics, Talarico received 47% to Paxton’s 45%, continuing a stretch of surveys showing the Democrat with narrow leads within the margin of error. Republicans led by single digits in all other statewide races in the survey, with GOP Railroad Commissioner nominee Bo French leading by the narrowest margin at 3 points.

Crockett endorsed Talarico the day after losing the March 3 primary, which came after some polls showed Talarico winning less than 10% of Black voters who were likely to vote in the contest. She has since cast doubt on whether Black voters have unified behind the statewide ticket, skipped the Democrats’ state convention and said she is focusing her efforts on down-ballot races. Crockett’s supporters, meanwhile, have urged Talarico to do more to rein in his supporters who have demanded that the Dallas congresswoman play a more active role in supporting her former rival — tension that has played out largely online.

Talarico recently vowed to invest $25 million in Black voter outreach, announcing the initiative during an event in Houston that was intended to serve as a forum to listen to Black voters’ priorities, and that grew tense at times. At the Texas Democratic Party’s convention in June, he told a room packed for a Black Democratic Caucus meeting that the party had a “troubling history of taking Black voters for granted,” which received emphatic applause.

Among the critics of Talarico’s outreach to Black Texans is state Rep. Jolanda Jones, a Houston Democrat who has accused him of being “unwilling” to reach out to her directly and “have a substantive conversation” about earning the community’s support. Last month, Talarico held a 75-minute Zoom call with Black elected officials, including Jones, according to state Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, D-San Antonio and chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus.

TSUBlackTexasVotersAugust2026Download

TSUStatewideAugust2026Download

That kind of ambience is what you'll find on comic Jenny Yang's unique nationwide summer comedy tour, where she has been turning cultural grocery stores into comedy clubs for a night. And she's been leaning into her unconventional venue choice.

“I got to buy a bunch of small snacks and shrimp chips and throw it into the audience every time I felt like a joke didn’t land,” Yang said. “I mean this is my dream.”

A stand-up and sketch comedy veteran whose acting credits include the Netflix show “The Brothers Sun,” Yang is living a dream of “the most politically and creatively fulfilling project” she's ever done. The Good Egg Immigrant Grocery Store Standup Comedy Tour is partly her reaction to the immigration crackdowns by President Donald Trump's administration impacting Asian, Latino and Black communities. She wanted to entertain in cities with immigrant enclaves where she could give back. So, Yang and her team chose grocery store stops and nonprofits to donate to based on recommendations from local organizations.

The unorthodox tour has grown from five performances to nearly 20, far beyond her expectations. It started June 5 in Los Angeles, where Yang lives, and has taken her to Minneapolis, Phoenix and other cities. After stops in New York and San Francisco, the tour will wrap Sept. 26 back in L.A. with Yang filming a performance for a proposed comedy special.

She touches on topics ranging from infertility to awareness of immigrant experiences in the U.S. While comedians are divided on whether stand-up should stand down on politics, Yang has always spoken on it.

“People come into this art form as a stand-up comedian for different reasons. I am of the mind that my stand-up comedy is just an extension of my values and I believe in punching up, not down,” Yang said.

Being inspired to be a ‘good egg’

Last December, Yang, who immigrated from Taiwan, was back there to receive what was a failed round of in vitro fertilization treatment. Heartbroken and sitting in front of an omelet breakfast, she lamented not having “one good egg" to start a family. As she mulled a new endeavor to focus on, her mind drifted toward the “non-stop barrage” of headlines about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.

That's when the idea for a tour weaving her past as a labor organizer with her passion for stand-up sparked.

”The ability to do and bring a show together, and bring people together inside of the immigrant grocery store, to me, reaffirms our ability to take up space and to own the space that matters to us," Yang said.

After emceeing a gala for the Asian Law Caucus in April, Yang shared her outside-the-box idea with the San Francisco-based group. The Caucus works pro bono in immigrant communities and on high-profile cases like the recent birthright citizenship case. They hired Yang not just for her comedic touch but as “somebody who culturally could relate to the communities that we serve,” said executive director Aarti Kohli. The Caucus offered its vast network of Asian American community leaders and immigrant-centered nonprofits nationwide.

“Although we are a legal civil rights organization, we understand that so much of how we reach community is through, especially for Asian communities, food and culture,” Kohli said. “I think comedy is healing and unifying.”

How a grocery store becomes a stage

At Shuang Hur Supermarket in Minneapolis — half a block from where ICE agents fatally shot Alex Pretti — Yang put on a show in July, said manager Henry Zhou.

They reconfigured shelves near the checkout lanes to fit 150 chairs, he said.

“Everybody got in line to buy some snacks and some drinks. A few people even did a bit of grocery shopping,” Zhou said.

He then dimmed the lights for Yang.

“Just renting a spotlight makes a show,” Yang said. “How fun is it that I’m literally doing stand-up comedy next to an aisle that sells fungus and five pounds of rice?”

Zhou found it a “unique experience” that he'd do again.

“We enjoyed every minute. Even after the show, everyone stayed and chatted,” Zhou said. “I’m pretty sure it helped us promote the store.”

The value of cultural grocery stores in the US

"Ethnic food” is no longer just a supermarket aisle. Chains like H Mart and 99 Ranch Market, as well as smaller stores, generate $55.8 billion in revenue, according to a 2025 report from market research firm IBISWorld.

These stores are also “cross-cultural meeting grounds,” said Willow Lung, founding director of the Small Business Anti-Displacement Network. They provide jobs for locals and attract other businesses such as restaurants, beauty counters, and even tax preparers. They can be anchors where there is no Chinatown or Japantown.

“They act as kind of a ‘main street,’ if you will, for communities,” Lung said. “There's just so many ways in which we underestimate the value of a grocery store as just being like, ‘Oh, it just sells these products and services.’”

For over a year, international grocers have struggled with tariffs and the absence of immigrant customers fearful of venturing out. Some stores had to close temporarily or long-term, Lung added.

Grocery workers like Zhou try to “just help as much as we can.” For a few customers, he took a shopping list via text and delivered it.

Yang hopes bringing a dose of humor will momentarily distract from the angst so many of these communities continue to feel.

“It’s just a way to remind people, yes, there’s a lot of doom and gloom,” she said. “But, we got to make room for joy.”

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said 37-year-old Aaron F. Farinacci was arrested and booked on suspicion of arson in connection with the Old Trails Fire. He is being held on $1 million bond. It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

The fire that sparked Saturday is one of several burning around Spokane, the state's second-largest city. They are among the most destructive blazes in state history, together destroying at least 700 structures and forcing roughly 67,000 people to evacuate.

Earlier Monday, some residents returned to find their homes leveled by wildfires that erupted across a parched landscape over the weekend, covering yards in charred debris. In some cases, only chimneys were left standing.

“There’s nothing to save,” Miriam Sim, 76, said Monday as she and her husband, Daniel Sim, surveyed the ruins of the home where they had lived since 2005.

“At our age, do we want to rebuild?” her husband asked.

The fires jumped roads and rivers and had burned about 12.5 square miles (about 32 square kilometers) by Monday. The sky filled with smoke and haze. Calmer winds and lower temperatures arrived to help firefighters, but it was expected to be hot and dry again by midweek.

In one Spokane neighborhood, blackened vehicles, a boat twisted by the heat and melted plastic recycling bins remained. Across the street, lawns were still green and houses were spared, as residents continued to run hoses or sprinklers to water their properties.

“Hundreds of people have completely lost their homes and farms, and many are prohibited from returning to their homes or neighborhoods as crews continue to extinguish smoldering embers,” the state's entire congressional delegation wrote Monday in asking President Donald Trump to approve an expedited emergency declaration.

No deaths or major injuries have been reported so far

Cpl. Mark Gregory, a spokesperson for the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, said the county initially received nearly 300 reports of missing people, but by Monday they had cleared all but 14.

Those outstanding reports more likely represented people who had not been in contact since evacuating than people who were truly missing or in danger, authorities said.

The Spokane-area wildfires were completely uncontained, fire officials said. More than 1,000 firefighters, many from out of state, had arrived by Monday, and that number was expected to double in the next few days.

The fires were among dozens across the Western U.S. stretching the ability of federal, state and local agencies to fight them. At least 390 square miles (1,000 square kilometers) has burned across Washington, which has contended with severe drought and a paltry snowpack.

Authorities warned people not to fly drones near the burned areas, saying it could force them to delay aerial firefighting operations.

Homes, cars and possessions have been lost in flames

Angela and Wayde Deatherage, both 49, evacuated shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday with a son, grabbing a few bins of family photos and heirloom rings but not much else. Roughly 30 minutes later, their security camera was sending fire notifications to Angela’s phone.

Wayde Deatherage took some back roads and returned by early evening. He stopped at the end of the street and called his wife: “Our house is done.”

Deatherage, however, wasn't done with his neighborhood. He propped a hose at another house so it sprayed the property. That home survived.

The couple returned to their property Sunday.

“It’s just ash,” Angela Deatherage said of the home where they had lived for nearly 22 years. ”It’s like our house sunk down in the basement. ... There’s just so much loss for so many people.”

Karen Faggioli, 61, figured she would be returning to her home. She recalled how other recent fires had been brought under control. But a relative texted her the bad news: Her house and three vehicles were destroyed. A daughter lost her nearby house, too.

“Why cry? What’s crying going to do? I’ve been through so many tragedies myself,” said Faggioli, who is recovering from breast cancer. “This is nothing. Like I told my granddaughter, ‘We’re strong — and now we get all new things.’ I’m emotionally numb.”

Friends and relatives of fire victims posted online appeals for money, clothes and basic necessities.

Grassland burns in Idaho, Oregon and Utah

Spokane was hardly the only place struggling to contain fires.

A lightning-caused fire that has burned over 530 square miles (about 1,370 square kilometers) of grassland in western Idaho and eastern Oregon continued to grow Monday. The area is home to cattle ranches, and authorities said the fire is threatening more than 600 homes and 800 other structures.

In central Utah, a blaze quadrupled in size over the weekend to nearly 109 square miles (282 square kilometers) by Monday afternoon. More than 100 cattle have been killed, according to law enforcement.

Heavy winds helped flames jump containment lines, but forward progression was slowed toward Fillmore, a town of about 2,600 people and the seat of Millard County, officials said. Mandatory evacuations were ordered Sunday evening for the town's southern portion, and inmates at the county jail were transferred.

Spokane sets up shelter for impacted residents

In Spokane, about 400 people were staying at city's main convention center, which was turned into a shelter, officials said.

Spokane Public Schools opened a free emergency drop-in camp for children on Monday. Trials at the county court were pushed to Aug. 10.

Several larger fires continued to burn in less populated areas northwest of Spokane.

___

Johnson reported from Seattle, and White from Detroit. Associated Press writers Manuel Valdes in Spokane; John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas; Kathy McCormack in Concord, N.H.; and Martha Bellisle in Seattle contributed.

Chicago acquired right-hander Clay Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor from the last-place New York Mets on Monday for touted infield prospect Jefferson Rojas. The Cubs also added reliever Ryan Zeferjahn and left-hander Braxton Garrett in two other deals ahead of Monday's deadline.

Those moves were completed one day after the Cubs augmented their rotation by landing Kevin Gausman in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays.

“In some ways we were as focused as I can remember in a deadline,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “It was very clear we needed to add pitching.”

The Cubs weathered a series of pitching injuries on their way to a 64-49 record and the top spot in the NL wild-card standings. They trail NL Central-leading Milwaukee by 5 1/2 games.

Led by All-Star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Cubs' group of position players has been in place for most of the season. But Hoyer wanted to make sure the pitching staff was equipped for the rest of the season and a possible postseason run.

“I think we’re more talented than we were 48 hours ago,” he said. “Like I said, I think these guys have battled and they’ve done a really good job. We’ve used so many different guys. I think our coaching staff has done a terrific job with them as well. But certainly I think providing more talent and more depth was something that was critical.”

Some of Chicago's injured pitchers are nearing a return. Right-hander Edward Cabrera (hamstring/abductor) and hard-throwing reliever Daniel Palencia (flexor strain) are scheduled for rehab appearances with Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday. Hoby Milner (appendicitis) is expected to pitch for Iowa on Tuesday.

The Cubs got Zeferjahn from the Los Angeles Angels for two minor leaguers: catcher Moisés Ballesteros and right-hander Mason McGwire — son of retired slugger Mark McGwire. Garrett was acquired in a deal with the Miami Marlins for minor leaguer infielder Jonathon Long and right-hander Jace Beck.

The 28-year-old Zeferjahn is 4-3 with a 3.66 ERA and four saves in 45 games this season. The right-hander has 75 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings.

“I think he’s getting better,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said before Monday night's 10-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. “I think it’s an improving player.”

Garrett was optioned to Iowa. Garrett, who turns 29 on Wednesday, had a 3.66 ERA in 159 2/3 innings with Miami in 2023.

“We’re going to need depth. We’re going to need innings,” Hoyer said. “He’s likely to provide that here. But there’s also a future play as well. Like I said, we always thought highly of him.”

Holmes appears just about ready to return from a broken right leg that has sidelined him since mid-May. He was 4-4 with a 2.39 ERA in nine starts before getting hurt.

The 33-year-old right-hander has a $12 million player option for 2027 that he's expected to decline in order to become a free agent again. He was an All-Star reliever with the New York Yankees before signing with the Mets ahead of the 2025 season and successfully converting to a starting role.

Holmes fractured his right fibula May 15 when he was hit by a low line drive while pitching against the Yankees. He made his third minor league rehab start Sunday, allowing four runs in 5 1/3 innings for Class A Brooklyn.

Hoyer said the team plans to meet with Holmes before a decision is made about his next step.

“I think we love the fit from a shape standpoint,” Hoyer said. “I mean he’s a fantastic groundball guy, doesn’t give up home runs. I think putting that kind of guy in front of this defense makes a ton of sense for us.”

Holmes went 16-12 with a 3.26 ERA in 40 starts and two relief appearances for the Mets overall.

Taylor, 32, batted .241 with 10 homers, 28 RBIs and a .794 OPS in 67 games for New York this season. The reserve outfielder, better known for excellent defense, has been on a remarkable tear at the plate since returning June 26 from a strained right hip. He can become a free agent after the World Series as well.

Chicago also acquired pitcher David Peterson from the Mets for minor league infielder Cole Mathis in late June.

The 21-year-old Rojas was hitting .270 with 15 home runs, 57 RBIs, 17 stolen bases and an .800 OPS in 91 games at Double-A Knoxville this season. He was the second-ranked prospect in Chicago's system and No. 63 overall in baseball, according to mlb.com.

___

AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick in New York contributed to this report.

___

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

Instead, the Yankees found other ways to bolster their roster. They added outfielder Heliot Ramos from the last-place San Francisco Giants in a three-player swap, a day after acquiring left-handed-hitting Luis García Jr. from the Washington Nationals for four pitchers.

Skubal went to the Dodgers on Sunday in a blockbuster trade for three prospects and Rutschman was sent to the Red Sox for a package that included three of Boston’s top prospects earlier Monday.

“We had many conversation with Baltimore but were unable to obviously meet the price,” Cashman said in a video conference after the trade deadline passed. “So they did their business elsewhere and we kept grinding through it, but ultimately in the end of the day, there was no opportunity that existed that we felt good enough about to be able to push through on.”

The Yankees had less of a need for Skubal because their rotation began Monday with a 3.46 ERA, but their catchers entered the series opener against the Cardinals hitting .188 with eight homers and 27 RBIs, which ranked 28th among the 30 big league teams.

“We talked to Detroit,” Cashman said. “They set a high price and to be honest that was not something we were unable to get them off of what they said might work, but at the same time they were communicating that it also might not even win the day and then they kind of went silent, I think after they got what they were looking for.”

García was in the lineup at first base and batting third after hitting a career-high .283 in his first season as a full-time first baseman with Washington. He hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning of a 13-7 loss.

García's average is the highest on the Yankees, who began Monday with a .232 average and hitting .219 in 53 games since losing captain Aaron Judge to an injury two months ago.

“I think it has been one of the keys to how the season has played out so far,” García said Monday through a translator. “Before I used to hit the ball very well, but a lot of the times it was on the ground. So I think one of the focuses was to get the ball in the air and keep hitting it with the same intensity, but lift it up, and better results have come.”

Besides the batting average, Garcia also joined the Yankees after hitting a career-high 23 homers and producing a career-best 78 RBIs. He was third in the big leagues with a .560 slugging percentage behind new teammate Ben Rice and Houston slugger Yordan Alvarez while also hitting .330 with runners in scoring position.

“As good a year as he’s having, leading the league in slugging percentage over there, we think there’s more in there potentially in our ballpark,” manager Aaron Boone said. “So it’s exciting. We needed to inject a presence in our order, and we think we’ve done that in a big way.”

García appeared in 93 games at first base with the Nationals and will share time with Rice and Paul Goldschmidt at first and as the designated hitter. García struggled defensively as a second baseman at times before moving over to first base full-time.

The 26-year-old García was born in New York and said his favorite Yankees growing up were Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano. His father, Luis García Sr., appeared in eight games with the Tigers in 1999 and spent 10 seasons in the minor leagues from 1993 to 2002.

The Yankees needed another outfielder after losing Cody Bellinger to a strained left hamstring July 25, and Ramos batted .264 with nine homers and 34 RBIs in 74 games for the Giants. He also had an .835 OPS against left-handed pitching and slugged 43 homers in the previous two seasons.

Ramos will likely join the Yankees on Tuesday, and touted shortstop prospect George Lombard Jr. is expected to be promoted from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Following their loss Monday night, the Yankees optioned outfielder Jasson Domínguez, shortstop Anthony Volpe and reliever Angel Chivilli to Triple-A.

The Yankees sent starting pitcher Henry LaLane and infielder Kaeden Kent to the Giants for Ramos, who is not eligible for free agency until 2030.

“They have a lot of history,” Ramos said. “It’s obviously going to have a big place in my heart, but at the end of the day, I’m very happy to be a New York Yankee.”

LaLane was recently promoted to Class A Hudson Valley and was New York’s fifth-ranked prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Kent, the son of recently inducted Hall of Famer Jeff Kent, was batting .302 this season at Hudson Valley.

New York is 27-27 since Judge last played May 31. The slugger is still awaiting another scan to determine when he can start baseball activities.

“It’s always possible that things don't go the way you want, but we currently are still very optimistic he’s going to return,” Cashman said.

The Yankees have been without Giancarlo Stanton since April 24 due to a strained right calf and lost Bellinger for four to six weeks when he was injured in Philadelphia.

“One of the first areas of need was to try and upgrade the offense in any way, shape or form in any way we can while waiting for important players to come back at the same time off the IL,” Cashman said.

To make room for García, the Yankees optioned Max Schuemann to Triple-A. New York also recalled reliever Kervin Castro to take the spot of Yovanny Cruz, who was sent to Washington for García.

___

AP Freelance Reporter Jeff Miller contributed to this report

___

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

Trustee Stephanie Torres was the only board member who voted against the curriculum.

Art Valdez, another trustee, said he heard from community members who worry about the inclusion of religious and biblical references in some lessons.

“So what guidance will teachers receive on presenting these lessons in an academically appropriate and non-devotional manner?” Valdez questioned.

Superintendent Adrian Bustillos said the district plans to modify the curriculum, and the items the district cannot scope down, they will opt into using the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HHM) curriculum.

Districts that choose the curriculum receive $60 per student each year from the state to purchase the instructional materials. The Texas Legislature passed the system in 2023.

According to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), Bluebonnet Learning consists of “state-developed instructional materials that provide teachers with the tools to foster student success.”

Critics, including First Amendment advocates, argue the curriculum blurs the line between teaching about religious literature and promoting a religion.

Other trustees, like Mike Villarreal, questioned whether the curriculum should do more to represent other faiths.

“What can we do to make sure that our children understand that there are multiple religions of the world and they all have their principles and values,” Villarreal said during Monday’s meeting. “And there are atheists that have their own ethical moral and code.”

The TEA, however, maintains there is no religious instruction in the curriculum.

In the end, the majority of SAISD’s trustees said their decision came down to one thing: improving student outcomes.

“Right now, our time and our focus needs to be on turning these schools around and trusting the recommendations of our superintendent,” Trustee Christina Martinez added.

SAISD shared a transition plan in the board meeting agenda’s documents indicating the district will launch the new curriculum this school year on Aug. 12 at select schools.

Read also:

• Funding shortfall threatens West Side youth program serving over 150 kids

That’s why high schools like Holy Cross and Lytle hold midnight practice — to start organized team practices as early as they can.

Per UIL guidelines, 12:01 a.m. is the earliest teams can begin fall practice, with the date falling on Aug. 3 this year for teams that did not hold spring training. Only a relative handful of teams actually start practice at that time. One of the motivating factors, besides the love of the game, is to beat the Texas heat while the sun is still set.

“The energy is different out here,” Lytle wide receiver/running back Clayton Jopling said. “Everybody else is asleep right now, and we’re out here putting in the work.”

Lytle brought the tradition to their school when head coach Mike Trevino took the reins in 2023.

“We talked about it right before we got on the bus and I said, ‘I can probably count, on my hand, how many teams still continue to do the midnight madness tradition,’” Trevino said.

“We always try to resemble ourselves as different,” he continued. “I want us to practice different, I want us to play different, I want us to speak different, I want us to lead different. I love different.”

On the other hand, Holy Cross coach Mike Harrison, entering his 20th season at the school, was inspired by a different dynamic: the appetite of their football-loving community.

“A few years ago, we ran into a team that was doing a midnight madness, and they talked about how they got the community involved and how people came out and supported it, and I thought, ‘What an incredible opportunity for us to rally our community here.’” Harrison said.

Fans answered the call. Senior linebacker A.J. Eguia said the bleachers filled up like they do for a game.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Eguia said.

An opportunity this special and this anticipated means players don’t even need a nap to charge up, according to Trevino.

He talked about the environment of his team waiting to get off the bus for midnight practice.

“It’s like a hot pot of boiling water. ... When the clock strikes midnight, I don’t think there can be any more excitement,” Trevino said.

For Holy Cross, it’s the same story, despite the inevitability of having to field a different team every year.

“They’ve still got pretty good enthusiasm, you can hear them,” Harrison said on cue, pointing behind him as players came yelling out of the whistle.

Football season is nearing, and perhaps nothing can tell that story better in Texas every year than midnight madness.

“Football is something that our entire community rallies around — sports in general, football specifically — and it’s important,” Harrison said. “It’s important to us to have that sense of community, and I think tonight really did that.”

Read also:

• Midnight practices open Texas high school football season

Pro Football Hall of Fame member, and former Cowboys great, Charles Haley addressed the crowd at the beginning of the ceremony.

During media availability, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer was asked about whether he felt the energy surrounding the ceremony.

“Yeah, I feel it,” Schottenheimer said. “I think it’s a big day. We try to throw great practices every day whether we’re by ourselves or no one’s out here — that’s where the music helps. The coaches should always drive the energy. This is pretty special because we love having the fans come out here in Oxnard, California. We feel like this is really our second home. It should be a great day.”

Compared to the first two days of camp, fans will get to see the Cowboys be more physical.

“We say play on the edge without going over the edge,” Schottenheimer told the media. “We’ll be in shells (wearing helmets and shoulder pads instead of full pads) today, which is different. It’s part of the NFL-mandated ramp-up. First two days you’re in helmets, and now you’re in shells.”

While the coach wants the players to get after it, he also wants to see them come out of practice healthy.

“The biggest thing we emphasize is run your feet. You got to run your feet — once your feet stop, then guess what happens: guys coming from your left or right or front or behind get tangled up. I think that’s where we can get better,” Schottenheimer told the media.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones presented the mayor of Oxnard, Luis A. McArthur with a $25,000 check, an annual donation celebrating the partnership between the Cowboys and Oxnard.

Read more Campin’ with KSAT coverage:

• Dak Prescott’s patience wearing thin entering Year 11 with the Cowboys
• Quinnen Williams embraces Cowboys culture, championship mindset at training camp
• Cowboys rookie Caleb Downs impresses early at camp, welcomes tough test against offense
• Franchise-tagged George Pickens reacts positively to Jerry Jones’ remarks on future in Dallas
• Cornerbacks thrive under new DC Parker at Cowboys training camp, position battles headline first practice
• Dallas Cowboys open training camp in Oxnard with Super Bowl mindset
• Cowboys open 2026 training camp with focus on defensive overhaul
• Cowboys set to open training camp with revamped defense, no holdouts
• Dallas Cowboys 2026 training camp: Key storylines to watch in Oxnard

After getting Sunday off, the Cowboys are allowed to get a little more physical as the ramp-up stage continues. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer made clear what he wants from his guys.

“I want to see physical play,” Schottenheimer said. “I want to see pad level. I want to see us work together. Still stay off the ground. You know, this is still a ramp-up mentality.”

Because it’s the Cowboys’ first day in pads, Schottenheimer and his coaches will watch film and teach.

“You know, it’s a review day,” Schottenheimer told the media. “You know, the first three days the installs were in, but there’s no mistaking why you would do a review day. The first day of pads, because you don’t want any guys going the wrong way, bumping into each other, stuff like that. So, the normal play style that we’re looking for, but really, the competition piece, playing to the edge without going over the edge.”

The Cowboys will not tackle players to the ground. Before practice, Schottenheimer explained exactly what will happen.

“We want to get our pads down. We want to be able to strike,” he said. “Now we’re actually going to wrap. We call it wrap and release. So, you get down low, you strike, you wrap your arms and then you release. Because if you don’t have the ball carrier running, you can’t get the conditioning and training, the pursuit angles and things like that. But, yeah, the guys working together, you know, the big thing we say is they stay off the ground, protect your teammates but play with great pad level and urgency.”

Schottenheimer added that pass-rushing drills and one-on-one drills will take place Tuesday.

More Cowboys Camp coverage on KSAT:

• Cowboys training camp week 1 top takes: Revamped defense impresses, Jerry Jones optimistic
• Dak Prescott’s patience wearing thin entering Year 11 with the Cowboys
• Quinnen Williams embraces Cowboys culture, championship mindset at training camp

Whether it’s CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, who both consider themselves wide receiver ones, or tight end Jake Ferguson and wide receiver Ryan Flournoy, the group is deep.

Flournoy has really shined at camp and continues showing he’s ready to step into a larger role in 2026.

“Super different,” Flournoy said. “I’m in a different spot. Last year I was WR6, something like that and now I’m coming into WR3. My confidence is up, I know what to expect, I know what to do, definitely just having fun. Just got out there feeling confident.”

Lamb has seen the former sixth-round selection take major strides this offseason. The Cowboys aren’t limiting how many of their playmakers can be 1,000-yard receivers next season.

“He is a guy. And the way he’s developed in his last I want to say seven, eight months, if you will, or really just later on in the season when you see him really emerge,” Lamb said.

“Confidence is the main thing about this league, especially at the receiver position, because you never know when your opportunities are going to come, but when it does, you want to cherish it and take advantage,” Lamb continued. “I feel like he did a great job then and then this offseason, I mean, his routes, he’s crisped them up. I mean he got a little juice to him, he got flavor and he has confidence. For him he’s an amazing talent. Looking forward to it. But he can be an 1,000-yard receiver this year in this offense.”

Both Pickens and Lamb cleared 1,000 yards receiving last season. Dallas is hoping a more explosive offense and an improved defense will help get them back to the playoffs.

More Cowboys Camp coverage on KSAT:

• Dallas Cowboys put on pads for first time in Week 2 of training camp
• Cowboys training camp week 1 top takes: Revamped defense impresses, Jerry Jones optimistic
• Dak Prescott’s patience wearing thin entering Year 11 with the Cowboys

Burleson homered to the short porch in right off Cam Schlittler three batters into the game. The first baseman also sent a drive to the short porch off lefty reliever Tim Hill in the fourth for a 6-0 lead.

Burleson became the first Cardinals player with a three-homer game since catcher Iván Herrera on April 2, 2025, against the Angels when he lifted a 2-2 slider from Angel Chivilli (1-1) to right field for a 13-7 advantage. Burleson launched the 418-foot drive after fouling off three straight pitches.

The left-handed hitter also became the eighth visiting player with a three-homer game at the current Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009. The previous one was Jordan Diaz for the Athletics on May 9, 2023.

Nathan Church hit a go-ahead, three-run homer for St. Louis in the eighth after George Soriano allowed a two-run drive to Yankees newcomer Luis García Jr. that gave New York a 7-6 lead in the seventh.

Jimmie Crooks added a two-run shot in the eighth for the Cardinals, who hit six homers for the first time since connecting seven times against the Dodgers on May 18, 2023.

Ryan McMahon and José Caballero opened the seventh with back-to-back homers for the Yankees off Ryne Stanek. Austin Wells hit a two-run shot and Trent Grisham had a solo homer in the fifth after New York trailed 6-0.

José Fermín had an RBI double for the Cardinals, and Church hit an RBI single.

García started at first base and went 2 for 4 after being obtained from Washington on Sunday.

Schlittler allowed four runs and four hits in three innings, his second-shortest start this season. The right-hander tied a career high with five walks and struck out six.

St. Louis starter Michael McGreevy permitted two runs and four hits in 4 1/3 innings. Gordon Graceffo (7-1) retired New York's final six batters to earn the win.

After the game, the Yankees optioned Chivilli to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre along with outfielder Jasson Domínguez and shortstop Anthony Volpe. Touted shortstop prospect George Lombard Jr. is expected to be called up.

Up next

Yankees LHP Ryan Weathers (4-7, 3.99 ERA) opposes Cardinals RHP Hunter Dobbins (2-1, 3.74) on Tuesday.

___

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

The shooting happened just before 5:30 p.m. Saturday in the 8600 block of Glen Echo Drive.

Upon arrival, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said deputies found the victim with a gunshot wound to the lower body. The teen is recovering and is expected to make a full recovery, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office told KSAT on Sunday.

BCSO said three juveniles were involved in the shooting, including the victim.

On Monday, BCSO said no other people or vehicles were seen in the area at the time of the shooting. Witnesses reported hearing the gunshot but did not see who fired the weapon.

Due to juveniles being involved, the sheriff’s office said it will not release further details about the case.

Read also:

• 16-year-old La Vernia HS student killed in rollover crash, police say
• SAPD: Woman shot, critically injured while riding in vehicle south of downtown; Shooter flees

Grande had been due to star alongside her “Wicked” co-star Jonathan Bailey in a production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park With George” at the Barbican theater in 2027.

Empire Street Productions said Sunday that Grande will no longer be part of the London production. A representative for Grande told People magazine that the 33-year-old singer “will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour.”

“She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily, and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny,” the statement said. A representative for Grande did not offer further comment to The Associated Press.

With Grande’s recent breakup from “Wicked” co-star Ethan Slater, the ongoing tour and last week’s release of the album “Petal,” attention has swelled, fueling rampant speculation online about her health and appearance. Grande has previously expressed discomfort with public discourse around her weight.

“I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies, no matter what,” she said in a 2023 TikTok video.

Late last year, while promoting “Wicked: For Good,” she reshared a 2024 interview in which she said it was uncomfortable having being picked apart for her appearance since she was a teenager. In the December social media post, she called the clip a “loving reminder to all.”

Grande found fame as a child performer on Nickelodeon before releasing her debut album, “Yours Truly,” in 2013. She has won three Grammy Awards and was nominated for a supporting actress Oscar for her role as Glinda in “Wicked.”

Grande's next concert is Monday in Chicago. Her tour is due to wrap up in London on Sept. 1.

“We know this cannot have been an easy decision, and she makes it with our complete understanding and support,” Empire Street Productions said. The company said “Sunday in the Park With George” will open next summer as planned, and that casting would be announced “in due course.”

Wildfires west of Athens jumped containment lines a day after a midair collision between two helicopters killed two crew members. A Greek and a Danish national died and two others were hospitalized following the collision on Sunday.

All four were private operators chartered by the Greek firefighting service.

In France, firefighters in the region around Bordeaux guarded against potential flare-ups inside a still-burning scar four times the size of Paris.

A prolonged heat wave and lack of rainfall led to the driest July in England and Wales in nearly 200 years of recordkeeping, according to provisional statistics, the U.K.’s weather service said Monday.

All of Wales and more than half of England are officially in drought, the Met Office said. The dry spell was accompanied by sweltering temperatures across much of the U.K., following heat waves in May and June.

Wales tied its record for its warmest mean temperature for July while England and the U.K. recorded their second-warmest July.

The Athens region remains at high risk with hundreds evacuated

Strong winds returned to southern Greece late on Monday, pushing flames into mountain home clusters, destroying farms and property, and closing a highway.

Areas surrounding the Greek capital remain at high risk through the week with temperatures set to rise further. More than 1,000 people have been evacuated from around the seaside resort of Porto Germeno and other areas west of the capital — including more than 250 rescued by boats from beaches in the area.

“This is a difficult fire that has troubled us,” Fire Service spokesman Yiannis Artopios said, adding that 12 water-dropping planes and 11 helicopters were operating in the area Monday.

The blaze was blamed on a faulty power line from a wind farm and led to the arrests of two contractors on charges of negligent arson.

Despite improved detection methods and expanded cooperation among European Union members, Greece and other countries along Europe's Mediterranean coast suffer devastating wildfires every summer as spells of heat wave temperatures grow longer.

Europe is Earth’s fastest-warming continent, heating at more than twice the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus climate service. Rising temperatures and prolonged drought leave vegetation drier and more combustible, allowing fires to spread faster and burn more intensely.

France's massive blaze is contained as evacuees return home

Thousands of evacuees were allowed to return home or to their holiday accommodations in France on Monday after a massive wildfire remained contained. More than 224,000 people had fled in what officials said was the country’s largest civilian evacuation outside wartime.

The wildfire burned about 420 square kilometers (162 square miles), making it France’s largest wildfire on record. Monday's return includes Cap Ferret peninsula, a tourist hot spot along the Atlantic coast, and Le Porge, the municipality hardest hit by the fire, where 183 homes were destroyed. Campsites remain closed.

A second wildfire in Provence did not flare up overnight, but was still not contained on Monday as stronger winds were expected, firefighters and authorities said. About 1,500 firefighters, supported by water-dropping helicopters, continued reinforcing fire lines along the blaze that tore through about 18 square kilometers (7 square miles).

The European Forest Fire Information System said the risk of wildfire remains high across parts of the continent through Aug. 5, including in traditionally cooler northern countries.

Firefighters in the Netherlands were battling a large blaze on Monday in a forest in the southern province of Limburg, authorities said, as the country sweltered through another day of hot, dry summer weather. The national railway operator halted trains between two towns in the area due to the fire.

The Dutch air force sent two Chinook helicopters equipped with large water containers to help firefighters tackle the blaze. Media reported that a campsite in the area was evacuated due to poor air quality caused by a large plume of smoke.

___

Corbet reported from Paris. Associated Press writers Elena Becatoros in Athens; Thomas Adamson in Paris; Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, and Brian Melley in London contributed to this report.

Before late last week, the dollar was trading above 163 yen, touching 40-year highs. After regulators were suspected of stepping in, it fell below 160 yen.

Early Monday, after the official announcement of the intervention, the dollar fell to nearly 155.20 yen. That’s a big drop for the exchange rate. The dollar was trading at 156.70 yen early Monday Eastern time.

Even though it has attracted millions of bargain-hunting tourists, the yen's prolonged weakness against the dollar has been a source of frustration for Tokyo. Since Japan imports so much of what it consumes, a weak currency pushes prices higher. High oil prices have amplified that problem and that's putting pressure on the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to do more to address the rising cost of living.

Joint intervention was needed to stem the yen's decline

Efforts earlier this year to raise the value of the yen against the dollar did little to budge the exchange rate.

Normally foreign exchange markets determine the relative values of currencies, but there are many factors that shape what happens in the markets.

A big gap between interest rates in the U.S. and Japan has led investors to sell yen and buy dollars to take advantage of the higher yields from dollar-denominated assets. Both the Bank of Japan and the Federal Reserve kept their interest rates unchanged at meetings last week, maintaining that gap.

So, last week, when the dollar slipped below 160 yen and stayed there, the U.S. side was suspected of lending a hand.

Officials usually stay mum on such actions. But on Sunday, Trump confirmed that the U.S. side had helped, and Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama likewise issued a statement saying the finance ministry had purchased yen in coordination with the U.S. Treasury Department.

“We will not hesitate to conduct further joint intervention,” she said.

Such overt acknowledgment of market intervention is rare, said Neil Newman, managing director and head of strategy at Astris Advisory Japan. He said the last big example was when governments intervened following a massive earthquake and tsunami disaster in northeastern Japan in 2011.

Why the US is helping support the yen

When asked why Washington was helping, Trump said Sunday that “We have a good relationship with Japan. We’re very strong —- very, very strong financially — and they are, you know, they have a weakening yen, and they wanted a little bit of help, and we’re always there for Japan. Japan’s been very good to us, with the exception, of course, of Pearl Harbor.”

Trump said the U.S. got “financial benefit” out of the intervention, calling it a “signal of friendship.”

“It’s also good for the world economy,” he said.

A weaker dollar makes U.S.-made goods more competitive, reducing their costs in yen terms, and might help increase American exports to Japan, Newman said.

“It’s very rare that the Americans will work with the Japanese on this, but there is an alignment of interests here basically between Japan and America,” Newman said.

It was a “low-cost” way for Washington to pay a favor to a key U.S. ally, while also protecting the stability of foreign exchange and bond markets, Shigeto Nagai, head of Japan economics for Oxford Economics, said in a report.

Analysts question if the intervention worked

The latest intervention appears to be having a more durable impact than earlier cases this year, and the yen may have a slightly stronger path for the rest of the year, Nagai said.

But the factors that have contributed to the yen's long-term weakness remain.

Takaichi has pushed to cut Japan's sales tax on food to 1% from 8% and to dramatically increase government spending. Such moves would tend to weaken the yen since it would increase inflation and add to Japan's already massive government debt.

The Bank of Japan has moved slowly to raise its benchmark rate from near zero to the current 1%, its highest level in 31 years but still well below the Federal Reserve' s rate of 3.5%-3.75%.

It likely will continue to slow-walk any changes as it evaluates the impact of the Iran war and other factors on the economy, Nagai said.

Meanwhile, a surge in oil prices because of the war and resulting higher inflation has kept the Fed from cutting rates.

“The yield differential remains wide, Japan’s energy-import burden remains significant, and the Bank of Japan is still moving more slowly than the market would normally require to generate a sustained currency reversal,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary.

___

Kurtenbach reported from Bangkok. AP journalist Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.

Two photographs published with the announcement showed Suu Kyi shaking hands with Arnaud de Baecque, the ICRC’s representative to Myanmar, and meeting with him in a wood-paneled room.

The Presidential Press and Information Bureau, which released the photographs, said the meeting was held Monday morning but did not disclose the location or provide details about what was discussed.

The ICRC confirmed in a statement on Monday that one of its delegates visited Suu Kyi under its standards and procedures for visiting people deprived of liberty, and spoke with her in private, but it did not disclose details of the discussion.

The organization said it continues to engage with all relevant actors to maintain and expand its access to places of detention in Myanmar.

Two other photographs showed Suu Kyi cutting a pink birthday cake bearing the inscription, “Happy Birthday Aunty Suu,” suggesting they may have been taken during a celebration for her 81st birthday in June.

In the photos, Suu Kyi appeared relaxed and was smiling. She did not show any obvious signs of ill health, although her physical condition could not be independently assessed from the images.

The release came as calls are growing from other countries, including Myanmar's fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, for access to or engagement with Suu Kyi as part of efforts to resolve the country's political crisis.

Kim Aris, her younger son living in London, and Myanmar democracy activists have been waging an online campaign to demand evidence that his mother is alive and well.

In a statement sent to the AP, Aris welcomed the reported ICRC visit, saying it could mark the first positive development concerning his mother in more than five years.

“This may be a first step, but it must not be the last,” Aris said.

He thanked governments, the international community and supporters for standing with his family and backing his campaign to seek proof of his mother’s well-being, while stressing that he had not yet received independent confirmation of her condition.

He said he hoped the visit would lead to direct family contact and her eventual release together with all political prisoners.

Suu Kyi was detained Feb. 1, 2021, when the army seized power from her elected government. She has not been seen publicly since then, and the last official photo of her released was in April, when she was moved from prison to house arrest and her sentence was reduced as part of a prisoner amnesty for a Buddhist holiday.

The country's military leaders, who have faced sanctions and widespread international isolation since seizing power in 2021, have sought to project a return to normalcy by holding a 2025 election and increased engagement with regional neighbors.

However, critics say the transition to a nominally elected government largely composed of former generals and holdovers from the previous military-led government has done little to change the military’s grip on power.

Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for the opposition National Unity Government, said the ICRC’s meeting with Suu Kyi shouldn’t be taken as a real move to address human rights or democracy issues.

“Since, from the outset, a country’s leader was wrongfully arrested and imprisoned by finding faults where there were none, she must be released without any conditions,” he said.

The United Nations welcomed the ICRC visit and reiterated its call “for the swift and unconditional release of all those arbitrarily detained as a fundamental step toward conditions conducive to a credible and transparent political process."

U.N. deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said Secretary-General António Guterres stresses the importance of a dialogue between all Myanmar parties and his special envoy Julie Bishop on how the U.N., the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and other key players can help peacefully resolve the current conflict.

Talks between the U.S. and Iran are critical to ending the monthslong conflict and reviving stalled cargo traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway through which about a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed before the war.

Trump, who has made a habit of threatening strikes on Iran only to dangle the prospect of a last-minute diplomatic reprieve, said the negotiations would be the “last chance ” for Iran to forge a deal to reopen the strait and address his concerns about its nuclear program.

But Iran’s foreign ministry said it's negotiating with Oman, not the U.S., prompting Trump to criticize the country’s leadership, which has grown increasingly divided over the war’s endgame.

Whether “Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking," Trump maintained.

Elsewhere, Israel bombed the Gaza Strip and the Syrian president met in Damascus with the Iraqi Kurdish regional leader over security concerns. In Iran, the government executed two men it claimed were Israeli spies.

Here is a look at the most important developments Monday in the Middle East.

Trump announces renewed talks

Trump said Sunday that he decided against carrying out major strikes against Iran at the urging of Gulf allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

He said a plan was in place for U.S. forces to carry out “the biggest attack since World War II,” but he decided to give diplomacy more time after hearing from key Gulf leaders and fielding requests from unnamed Iranian officials. He did not provide further details or say who would be involved in the talks.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry maintained that the country was not currently holding negotiations with the United States.

Esmail Baghaei, an agency spokesperson, said Monday that ongoing talks were with Oman, the country on the other side of the strait, and were focused only on establishing a temporary route for safe navigation through the channel.

Nine vessels transited through the strait Sunday, most of them using an Iranian-controlled route, according to trade data and analytics platform Kpler.

Trump voiced frustration at Iran's public posturing, suggesting the country's leaders begged for the discussions, despite their claims of only wanting to deal with Oman.

“Iranian Leadership is unbelievably duplicitous!” the U.S. president vented on Truth Social, his social media platform.

Iran's top delegates head to Iraq and Pakistan

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived Monday in Iraq’s holy city of Najaf to participate in the Arbaeen commemorations, an annual pilgrimage for Shiite Muslims, his office said on social media.

Araghchi’s trip comes as Iraq has been walking a tightrope between Iran and the U.S., an act that has only grown more fraught since the U.S. and Israel went to war with Iran in February.

Meanwhile Iran's Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade, Mohammad Atabak, headed Monday to Pakistan for a two-day visit expected to focus in part on ways to ease transit bottlenecks and move more Iranian containers through Pakistani ports during the U.S. naval blockade.

Syrian and Iraqi leaders discuss security concerns

Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Iraq’s Kurdish regional president met Monday in Damascus to discuss ways of improving mutual cooperation and contributing to regional security.

The meeting between al-Sharaa and Nechirvan Barzani came amid regional tensions as Iranian-backed Iraqi militia groups carried out multiple drone strikes targeting American interests across Iraq, including the country’s Kurdish region.

Syrian state media reported last month that authorities at the country’s border with Iraq thwarted an attempt in June to smuggle weapons believed to have been headed to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. Hezbollah denied the charges.

Iran executes 2 men it says spied for Israel

Iran’s judiciary said it executed two men Monday after convicting them of spying for Israel during both last year’s 12-day war and the ongoing conflict.

The judiciary’s Mizan news agency identified the two as Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat, who were accused of providing military coordinates, images and other intelligence used in attacks on Iranian targets. The agency did not specify where the executions took place.

Last week, Iran publicly hanged two men convicted of killing four police officers during nationwide anti-government protests in January.

Gaza official urges Israel to halt attacks

A top official overseeing Gaza’s postwar transition met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, in part to press him to halt military attacks on the territory.

Nikolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza on the Board of Peace, also discussed with Netanyahu the need to decommission all weapons in the enclave, the international body established by the U.S. said in a statement.

An Israeli strike Monday evening hit a car in Gaza City, killing two men, according to Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken. Over the weekend, Israeli attacks left at least 17 people dead, including children, according to hospitals in Gaza.

The Israeli military said the weekend strikes targeted militants. It confirmed Monday's strike and said it would release more information later.

Days earlier, the U.S. and Hamas reached a deal to disarm the militant group, a potential step toward ending the war in Gaza.

Gaza residents swelter in tents

Soaring temperatures in Gaza this summer have turned the makeshift tents sheltering hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians into suffocating ovens. Made of plastic sheets, the shelters trap heat during the day and offer little ventilation, forcing many families to spend hours outside.

The extreme weather compounds an already dire humanitarian crisis. With limited access to clean water, electricity and sanitation, residents of the overcrowded camps are at high risk of dehydration, heat-related illnesses and the spread of skin infections, diarrheal diseases and other communicable illnesses, humanitarian agencies warn.

“There is no breeze, nothing,” said Aida Abu Hadeesha, a woman displaced from the town of Rafah, near the border with Egypt. “Our kids are suffering."

___

Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece, and Boak from Washington. Associated Press reporters Julia Frankel in Jerusalem, Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Philip Marcelo in New York also contributed to this report.

Amongst the people grieving the death of Aryana Trevino Martinez are her neighbors, Anna Marie Ramirez and Uriel Ramirez, 22.

Anna Marie Ramirez told KSAT her son, Uriel Ramirez, found Martinez unresponsive in an overgrown, water-filled creek area. A San Antonio Police Department investigator on scene told KSAT the toddler was located near Belle Ellen, a road in the Dreamhill Estates neighborhood.

Watch the full interview with Anna Marie Ramirez below:

On Sunday night, the Texas Department of Public Safety issued an AMBER Alert for Martinez. She was last seen at 7:45 p.m. that day in the 4000 block of Allegheny Drive.

Anna Marie Ramirez said she told her son, “We need to be a part of this and help.” Their first thought was to search down a nearby creek.

She said she eventually had to stop her search for Martinez because of how difficult it was to maneuver through the tall weeds in the area.

Uriel Ramirez continued. His search lasted about 15 minutes, according to his mother.

Anna Marie Ramirez said her son took higher ground by standing on top of a rock to look over the weeds.

“I just kept saying, ‘Please don’t be there. Please don’t be there. Please don’t be there,’” she recalled her son saying.

As soon as he looked over, he found Martinez.

“I can’t even put it into words,” Uriel Ramirez told KSAT. “She’s like an angel and something led me straight to her, like a direct shot. My brain was just — that’s where she is.”

Anna Marie Ramirez said her son “jumped in the creek, not knowing how deep it was, and just picked (Martinez) up and just ran out of the water with her.”

She saw her son running back with Martinez in his arms yelling, “I found her.”

“He told me that he felt a pull to go look there,” Anna Marie Ramirez said. “He’s lived here all his life, so that’s the first thing he thought.”

First responders conducted CPR on Martinez before an ambulance arrived, Anna Marie Ramirez said.

At 12:10 a.m. Monday, the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office pronounced Martinez dead. Her cause and manner of death are still pending.

The AMBER Alert issued for Martinez was canceled around 3 a.m. Monday, according to SAPD and DPS.

A swarm of neighbors from Glenoaks Park and Dreamhill Estates attempted to find Martinez as early as 9 p.m. Sunday, Anna Marie Ramirez said. In addition to neighboring families, first responders helped by searching on the ground and in the air via helicopter.

Though it’s unclear how Martinez ended up in the water, police say she was captured on video walking alone in an alley before her death.

Authorities are seeking additional video to rule out whether Martinez was with anyone else.

“I think we all should pray for the family,” Anna Marie Ramirez said. “I know it’s going to be a long journey for them.”

Read also:

• 2-year-old girl who was subject of San Antonio AMBER Alert confirmed dead

On Monday, the San Antonio Police Department said Pedro Alvarez Castillo, 48, was booked on a warrant.

According to the Houston Police Department, Alvarez Castillo was arrested for kidnapping. It’s unclear if the kidnapping charge is connected to the AMBER Alert.

HPD said Alvarez Castillo’s bond was denied.

An AMBER Alert issued Saturday said Alvarez Castillo was the last person seen with Fidely Alvarez Mauricio, 10, and Neidy Alvarez Mauricio, 13, who were both last seen on the South Side of San Antonio.

The AMBER Alert was discontinued after both children were found Saturday night in Houston, according to SAPD.

Additional information was not immediately available.

Read also:

• Man charged with capital murder in Southwest Side warehouse shooting, affidavit states
• ‘This was my peace, and they ruined it’: Woman speaks out after being attacked at North Side park
• Government Hill neighborhood experiencing rare crime wave, homeowners say

Dominick Rubio was sentenced in August 2025 to 50 years in prison after a jury convicted him of shooting a San Antonio police officer in 2023.

On Wednesday, a viewer contacted KSAT after noticing Rubio appeared to be scheduled for release on Aug. 4, 2026, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s online inmate search.

A review of the agency’s website also showed no record of Rubio’s 50-year sentence.

KSAT contacted the Texas Department of Criminal Justice about the discrepancy. In an email, a TDCJ spokesperson responded, “We are looking into this, but you are correct. I do not see a 50-year sentence. Have you asked the county?”

KSAT then contacted the 399th District Court, where Rubio was sentenced. Judge Frank Castro and his staff said they were concerned by the information and began reviewing the case.

Minutes later, the court provided KSAT with Rubio’s judgment of conviction and pen packet, the official documents sent to TDCJ that detail an offender’s sentence and court records.

KSAT also contacted the Bexar County District Clerk’s Office. District Clerk Gloria Martinez was unavailable for comment, but members of her staff said the sentence had been entered correctly in the county’s records when Rubio was sentenced.

KSAT forwarded the court documents to TDCJ on Thursday afternoon.

By Friday morning, TDCJ’s online inmate search had been updated. Rubio’s 50-year sentence was listed, his projected release date of Aug. 4 had been removed, and the website showed he is not eligible for parole until 2050.

Castro was unavailable for an interview Friday but said in a text message he was thankful KSAT brought the matter to the attention of the court and that the issue had been resolved between TDCJ and the Bexar County District Clerk’s Office.

On Monday, the TDCJ said it is investigating the apparent error showing Rubio’s projected release.

TDCJ did not immediately explain what caused the discrepancy in its online records.

Read also:

• ‘The DA failed me’: Bexar County woman questions dismissal of felony domestic violence case against ex-boyfriend
• Charges dismissed against ex-BCSO deputy accused of allowing inmates into cells for assaults
• Former Hispanic chamber president avoids jail time, must pay 104-year-old mother restitution as part of plea deal

In Detroit, El-Sayed posed for photos and participated in interviews with content creators at a backyard pool party before a final rally with supporters. He projected confidence about Tuesday’s result, already looking ahead to a general election against Republican Mike Rogers.

“We have an opportunity to continue to build this movement. We got 13 weeks left to work,” El-Sayed said at his final event of the primary campaign in Detroit.

On the state’s west side, Stevens was barnstorming in the final hours with events in Muskegon Heights and Grand Rapids alongside Michigan Democratic officials. She continued to frame herself as the only candidate who could defeat Rogers.

It was a fitting final contrast in a race that has become one of the clearest tests yet of where Democratic voters want their party to go. El-Sayed, a progressive backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and other leaders on the party’s left, has run against much of the Democratic establishment. Stevens, a four-term congresswoman backed by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and many of Michigan’s top Democrats, has made electability and experience central to her case.

Tens of millions of dollars have poured into the race, much of it from outside groups supporting Stevens. But the contest now comes down to which candidate can assemble enough of Michigan’s Democratic coalition to win Tuesday.

El-Sayed opted to focus in his campaign’s final days on Detroit, which he called a “spiritual home” and a place where he wanted to “demonstrate what this movement is and what it could mean.”

Stevens, meanwhile, spent time in Detroit before heading to the state's west side. She called the final push the “last word phenomenon."

“Everyone’s trying to get in their last points," she said.

Both candidates focused on Detroit-area churches and union halls Sunday

Both candidates have spent parts of the campaign’s final days in Detroit, where Black voters have long been crucial to winning Democratic primaries.

El-Sayed began Sunday by sitting alongside his wife and Black political leaders in a packed Detroit church, clapping as the congregation sang and the pastor preached. Then he stood before the room and asked for their votes.

“I believe in the kind of America where no matter where you grow up, the color of your skin, how you pray, you deserve equal rights in this country,” El-Sayed told the congregation at Kingdom Covenant Church.

“You deserve to go to a good school, you deserve to get healthcare, you deserve to graduate and get a good job,” he added.

El-Sayed was joined by Democratic Reps. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, as well as Yusef Jackson, the son of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson who is president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

Pastor David A. Johnson II said welcoming a political candidate was not something he typically did, but “this particular season, it’s time for us to do something different.”

For Robin Robertson, a 59-year-old Detroit resident, El-Sayed’s visit came just in time. Robertson said she had gone back and forth over whom to support, waiting until the campaign’s final days to decide.

She ultimately settled on El-Sayed, saying Stevens “had a good run.”

“His agenda seems to match more for me the things that we need right now,” Robertson said. “And then, he’s here in my little church. That was confirmation that I’m going to vote for him.”

Stevens, meanwhile, emphasized her longstanding connections to Detroit-area churches.

At a church in Pontiac on Sunday afternoon, Stevens stayed after the service to speak individually with congregants, greeting many like familiar faces.

“I come here year-round. This isn’t just a campaign thing,” Stevens said. “Our churches are places of community refuge, community connection.”

Stevens and her allies have also made a direct appeal to Black voters through advertisements highlighting her ties to former President Barack Obama and her work as chief of staff for his administration’s auto rescue effort from 2009 to 2011.

Her campaign acknowledges that a strong showing among Detroit voters will likely be necessary for her to win Tuesday.

Reggie Williams, a longtime constituent who was supporting Stevens at an Oakland County event Sunday evening in a union hall, said he continues to back her because she “has always been there for the people.”

“She is out and about in the community, always has boots on the ground,” Williams said.

Stevens, El-Sayed

focus on different parts of Michigan on final day of campaigning

After spending much of Sunday pursuing some of the same Democratic constituencies, El-Sayed and Stevens took different paths across Michigan for the final full day of the primary.

For El-Sayed, that meant leaning into a volunteer operation his campaign says has grown to 12,000 people statewide. Stevens is relying on the broader institutional support she has accumulated across the state, including endorsements from many of Michigan’s most prominent Democratic officials, such as Sen. Gary Peters and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

El-Sayed remained in Detroit, trying to turn enthusiasm in the state’s largest city into votes. Monday evening he closed his campaign with a voter mobilization event in Detroit, alongside other candidates running for Congress and state office.

Stevens' Monday included a stop at a soul food restaurant and bakery in Muskegon Heights, where she addressed just over 20 people and positioned herself as the only candidate who can win against Republican Mike Rogers in November.

Sharri J. Lane, who owns a jewelry business and grew up in Muskegon Heights, was in attendance and had already voted for Stevens.

“I hope that she will keep her word and will do things that will benefit so many communities like ours,” Lane, 54, said while standing next to a rack of her earrings for sale. “Sometimes we’re forgotten about, you know, after the voting ends.”

Can Michigan Democrats come back together after Tuesday?

The primary has been bruising and expensive. And after Tuesday, Michigan Democrats will have to figure out how quickly they can put it behind them.

The winner will immediately face the task of bringing together supporters of two candidates who have offered different visions for the party and whose campaigns have grown increasingly contentious in the closing weeks.

El-Sayed and his allies have sharpened their attacks on Stevens. He told Semafor in July that a pro-Israel group backing her needed to “teach her how to string together two coherent sentences.” Stevens escalated her own criticism in the campaign's final days, responding to a clip of El-Sayed on July 31 by saying, “Everyone in America understands you want to blame all of your problems on Jewish Americans.”

Michigan Democrats are hoping to begin the process of coalescing almost immediately. The party plans to bring its nominees from across the state together in the days after the primary for a general election kickoff aimed at presenting a united front heading into November.

—

GaNun reported from Muskegon Heights, Michigan.

Geis’ social media posts, including her Instagram, show years of travel and outdoor adventure, including hiking to Mount Everest base camp, swinging through the jungle in Costa Rica and sightseeing in Jordan.

Her most recent trip, a hike up Broad Peak — the world’s 12th-tallest mountain — was her last.

Kaitlin Anthony, a close friend of Geis, said her adventurous spirit was only part of who she was.

“I think the thing that stands out the most is she is one of the kindest, kindest spirits,” Anthony said.

Anthony said the two were born about a month apart and were close from the start.

“I consider her to be more than just a friend. She is absolutely family and a sister to me on so many levels,” she said.

Geis attended St. Mary’s Hall, and Anthony went to Alamo Heights, but she said their friendship continued through different schools, college in different parts of the country and into their 20s and 30s. She described Geis as someone who never did anything halfway — from school and sports to opening her own Pilates studio.

“I never knew how she juggled everything, but she managed to with a lot of grace and humility,” Anthony said.

Anthony said she noticed Geis’ goals shift as she neared the end of her 30s.

“She sort of just made a decision that she wanted to start experiencing adventure,” she said.

Geis later closed her studio and began traveling and mountaineering, Anthony said.

“When you see that smile from ear to ear on top of whatever mountaintop or in whatever place she was in the world, you can tell the joy that she was experiencing, and that’s infectious,” she said.

Anthony said she does not want to focus on how Geis died, but said it comforts her to know her friend was doing something she loved.

“When you love someone to the capacity that we love Mallory, they never truly leave you because you keep their spirit alive by talking about them on a consistent basis,” Anthony said.

Geis was discovered Friday after the avalanche on Broad Peak in the Skardu District of Pakistan, the family confirmed in a statement shared with KSAT.

The family described her as “a bright light who was loved deeply by her family and friends” who “will be profoundly missed.”

They said they are grateful for the outpouring of love and support they have received, and are asking for privacy to process the “unimaginable loss.”

Geis was among a group of climbers who went missing after the avalanche. All 10 were confirmed dead, climbing company Moving Mountains said Saturday.

Read also:

• Family speaks out after San Antonio woman, 9 others found dead following avalanche in Pakistan

The calls stemmed from concerns about the man’s behavior, neighbors said. San Antonio Police Department Acting Chief Jesse Salame confirmed officers had been called to the area multiple times in the last month for similar situations.

The 69-year-old man was waving a loaded handgun and did not comply with commands to drop it, police said. There is no evidence he fired his weapon.

The five officers identified in the shooting include:

• Luis Cortes Garcia (less than 1 year of service)
• Richard Julien (less than 1 year of service)
• John Reyes (less than 3 years of service)
• Aldamaris Flores (less than 3 years of service)
• Joshua Rodriguez (less than 5 years of service)

At least one neighbor, who asked not to be identified out of concern for his safety, said the outcome should have been different.

“They’ve called the police several times,” he said. “It’s ridiculous that somebody gets killed over situations like this.”

“He should have been tased, properly controlled, safely controlled — and taken, not to jail, to a mental hospital to make sure that he has the proper medication that he needs,” the neighbor said.

The shooting is renewing scrutiny of how San Antonio handles 911 calls involving possible mental health crises.

SAPD recorded 28,800 mental health-related 911 calls in 2025 — a slight decrease from prior years, but still a significant burden on the system. More than half of those calls are still answered by patrol officers.

The city does operate SA CORE — the San Antonio Community Outreach and Resiliency Effort — three teams each made up of a mental health unit officer, a fire department paramedic and a clinician, providing 24-hour coverage across the city. But those teams are only dispatched on lower-acuity calls — when no weapon is involved, and the situation has not escalated.

In January, KSAT reported the city was exploring a pilot program with the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council and the Center for Health Care Services to triage mental health calls at the 911 level — potentially routing low-acuity calls to a clinician over the phone, without dispatching police or EMS at all.

On Monday, city Chief Mental Health Officer Jessie Higgins said that program is still not ready.

“It’s still something that we’re looking at right now, and we’re still exploring options on that,” Higgins said. “It’s not something that I have the details on.”

Higgins said neighbors don’t have to wait for a crisis to escalate before reaching out for help. She recommended calling the SAPD non-emergency line at 210-207-7273 if they’re concerned about someone’s behavior but don’t believe there is an immediate danger.

“It is totally OK to call the SAPD non-emergency line,” Higgins said. “You could ask for the mental health unit to respond. All of that information would get relayed when they’re figuring out who to dispatch to that call.”

If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. For mental health crises that are not emergencies, residents can also call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), the NAMI Greater San Antonio Warm Line at 210-939-9999, or the Center for Health Care Services crisis line at 210-223-SAFE.

SAPD has not confirmed whether the man killed Saturday had a diagnosed mental health condition. Salame was unavailable for an interview Monday. KSAT reached out to the department for comment.

The investigation is ongoing.

Read also:

• Video shows moments before SAPD officers fatally shot man in West Side neighborhood
• 5 officers shoot, kill West Side man waving gun near park, SAPD says

The city wants residents to give feedback and ask questions on the proposed budget at the town halls.

Free parking will be available on-site. American Sign Language and Spanish interpreters will be provided, according to the city’s website.

Here’s the schedule for the upcoming town halls:

• District 1 town hall is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at Central Library, 600 Soledad St.
• District 2 town hall is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 17, at the Wheatley Heights Sports Complex, 200 Noblewood Drive.
• District 3 town hall is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at the Southside Lions Senior Center, 3303 Pecan Valley Drive.
• District 4 town hall is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 19, at the Robinette Community & Senior Center, 1423 South Ellison Drive.
• District 5 town hall is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 24, at the Las Palmas Branch Library, 515 Castroville Road.
• District 6 town hall is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at the Ron Darner Parks & Recreation Headquarters, 5800 Historic Old Highway 90 West.
• District 7 town hall is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 17, at the Doris Griffin Senior Center, 6157 Northwest Loop 410.
• District 8 town hall is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 20, at the Phil Hardberger Urban Ecology Center, 8400 NW Military Highway.
• District 9 town hall is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 19, at the Walker Ranch Senior Center, 835 W. Rhapsody Drive.
• District 10 town hall is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 24, at the Northeast Senior Center, 4135 Thousand Oaks Drive.
• Youth Edition town hall is scheduled at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22, at the San Antonio Food Bank, 5200 Historic Old Highway 90 West.

San Antonio leaders are trying to close a nearly $158 million budget gap.

The budget shortfall is expected to hit in the 2028 fiscal year budget, not the upcoming 2027 fiscal year, but the city is plotting a two-year path to closing the pending gap.

The mayor has suggested cuts to city programs and raising taxes.

This year’s $1.67 billion General Fund covers services such as police, fire, parks, the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, Animal Care Services and regular street maintenance.

To find the closest town hall near you, click here. For more information or to register for a town hall, click here.

Read also:

• San Antonio mayor pushes for new vote on city’s $489 million contribution toward Project Marvel