• SATURDAY: Hot, with a slight chance of rain, mainly 3–6 p.m.
• SUNDAY: Around 100° or hotter, mostly dry
• HEAT ADVISORY: Heat Advisory in effect through Sunday for heat indices reaching 108°+.
• NEXT WEEK: The August heat wave isn’t going anywhere anytime soon with little rain relief

FORECAST

THIS WEEKEND

San Antonio faces a potential record-breaking Saturday as temperatures climb to an estimated 102°–103°. While a slight afternoon drop in humidity may provide a marginal reprieve for heat index values, the extreme heat poses a significant safety risk for outdoor activities, making precautions essential. There’s a 10%–20% chance of isolated afternoon showers or thunderstorms in parts of the Hill Country.

Sunday will bring more of the same, with temperatures again expected to reach around 100° or higher. The atmosphere will be drier and less supportive of showers, so rain chances will be even lower than Saturday.

HEAT STICKS AROUND

The unrelenting heat wave is set to continue, as high pressure maintains triple-digit temperatures throughout the coming week with minimal precipitation expected to provide any cooling.

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The trooper attempted to make a traffic stop on a 2012 Chrysler around 1:30 a.m. Saturday near Loop 410 and Babcock Road.

DPS said the driver evaded through various parts of the city before crashing through a gate off Jones Maltsberger Road and into the airport runway. The collision disabled the vehicle.

On Saturday afternoon, DPS identified the driver as Brandon Christopher Figueroa, 25, from Refugio, Texas.

Figueroa was arrested for evading arrest in a motor vehicle and unlawful carrying of a weapon, according to DPS.

Troopers also located a firearm in the vehicle.

The investigation is ongoing.

Read also:

• Man hospitalized after shooting in downtown San Antonio, police say

Each side blamed the other for the collapse of negotiations in Washington late Friday, leading the U.S. to impose 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods and Canada setting Sept. 8 as the start of its retaliatory penalties.

President Donald Trump’s import taxes will hit about 5% of what Canada ships to the United States every year, ranging from hockey sticks to tongue depressors. Prime Minister Carney said Ottawa would respond with targeted tariff protection for industries exposed to the new U.S. duties, including some steel products. He also mentioned the dairy, appliance, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper and electronics sectors.

No further talks were planned. Whatever the eventual outcome, a loss of trust seems one of the earliest casualties.

Carney accused Washington of using “economic integration as a weapon” and said “its signature was written in pencil.” Resorting to the language of battle, he said his country had been “attacked” by the new American tariffs. “You’re at war when you get attacked,” he said, adding that Canada had the reserves, resilience and plan to respond.

But to Trump's chief trade negotiator, Jamieson Greer, the U.S. was compelled to act after a year of retaliation by its longtime partner.

“We’ve said enough, and so we’ve taken countermeasures. Our interest is in protecting American workers and protecting American supply chains,” the U.S. trade representative told "Fox & Friends Weekend."

Canada cites ‘unacceptable demands’ as US says it offered favorable terms

Carney said Canada had been willing to drop remaining retaliatory tariffs on steel, aluminum and autos if the U.S. substantially lowered its own, and to encourage provinces to restore U.S. alcohol sales. But he said Washington’s final demands went too far. “They asked too much and offered too little,” Carney said.

Greer said the Republican administration was offering to cut tariffs on steel, autos and lumber, “things that are sensitive for them. And they’ve always had the best deal, and they still would have an even better deal, but they didn’t want that."

As a result, he said, “We’re moving forward with measures that respond to Canadian retaliation.”

Carney said the U.S. added last-minute terms that would have reduced tariff relief for Canadian-made vehicles, restricted Canada’s ability to strike trade deals with other countries and weakened protections for language, culture and sovereignty.

He said such demands were “unacceptable.”

The breakdown in negotiations marked a sharp reversal from two days earlier, when officials from the two countries sounded as if they were headed toward a compromise.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who leads Canada’s most populous province, praised Carney for rejecting the deal, saying it would have hurt Ontario’s auto, steel and manufacturing sectors. Ford urged Canada to use “every tool in our toolbox” to fight the U.S. tariffs.

The moves also call into question the future of a North American trade agreement covering the United States, Canada and Mexico that is crucial to industry in all three countries.

Carney said the breakdown was “certainly not good news” for the review of that agreement and that the failed negotiations had given Canada “a new perspective” on what Washington wants from the broader economic relationship.

A typically cooperative alliance goes sour

The political impact will likely be even bigger than the economic fallout. The countries sold each other $880 billion worth of goods and services last year.

The tariffs were initially supposed to kick in at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. Trump extended the deadline for three days to allow talks to continue, but the countries could not reach an agreement in time.

The U.S. and Canada have wrangled for decades over trade, poking each other over sore spots such as Canadian softwood lumber imports and U.S. access to Canada’s protected dairy market.

Somehow, they still managed to remain friends, allies and trading partners. Canadian soldiers fought alongside Americans in Afghanistan after 9/11. The 5,525-mile U.S.-Canada border is undefended, and nearly 330,000 people and $2 billion worth of goods cross it every day; 800,000 Canadians live in the United States.

Trump’s approach to dealing with Canada marks an extraordinary departure from the traditionally cooperative relationship between the two countries. Trump has imposed tariffs on Canadian goods in a push to bring manufacturing back to the United States and made inflammatory comments about turning Canada into America’s 51st state.

Carney said Canada had recognized that “America has changed” and that the two countries would “not return to our old relationship.”

Canadians and Americans are frustrated

The Canadian public is fed up. A petition to expel U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, a Trump ally, has collected nearly 248,000 signatures since July 21. It accuses the former Republican congressman from Michigan of having “normalized’’ Trump’s talk of annexing Canada, among other things.

The two countries had good reasons to find a compromise.

Nearly 72% of Canada’s goods exports last year went to the United States. The Trump administration might be wary of imposing new tariffs — paid by U.S. importers who try to pass along the cost to consumers via higher prices — before the November midterm elections. American voters are already frustrated with the high cost of living.

“Both sides will be under immense pressure in the coming days to still find an off-ramp,” said Ryan Majerus, a partner at King & Spalding and a former U.S. trade official.

Joshua Bolten, CEO of the Business Roundtable, which represents leaders of major U.S. companies, warned the tariffs and retaliation risk “raising costs for American businesses and families” and disrupting vital supply chains, and urged both governments to resume negotiations.

Trump has turned to Depression-era trade penalties

Trump has made tariffs the centerpiece of his second-term economic agenda. Last year, he imposed double-digit import taxes on almost every country, justifying them by declaring the long-standing U.S. trade deficit a national emergency. The Supreme Court in February ruled that he had overstepped his authority. The justices struck down the trade penalties and set the stage for the federal government to pay refunds to importers.

So Trump has looked for other legal authority to justify tariffs.

After the Supreme Court struck down much of Trump’s earlier tariff program in February, the administration turned to other legal authorities. For Canada, Trump invoked Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, a rarely used Depression-era provision allowing tariffs of up to 50% against countries deemed to discriminate against U.S. businesses.

The provision is part of the Smoot-Hawley tariff law, widely blamed by economists and historians for worsening the Great Depression by restricting global trade. Section 338 has never previously been used to impose tariffs.

The rift comes as the United States, Mexico and Canada are trying to renew a trade agreement that Trump negotiated in his first term and once praised as a triumph. The United States has begun formal talks with Mexico over revamping the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, known as USMCA. But talks with Canada have not begun and escalating trade conflict casts doubt on whether they will.

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Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.

The WNBA has been the subject of recent debates on whether transgender women — people assigned male at birth who transition to align with their gender identity — should be allowed to participate in the league. There has never been such a player in the WNBA. Although the league’s collective bargaining agreement says the WNBA is restricted to women, it contains no more specific language about gender identity or sex assigned at birth.

There have been small rallies and protests outside Indiana Fever games after the issue came to a head when Sophie Cunningham of the Fever said in an ESPN profile published last month that she was opposed to transgender girls and women competing in girls’ and women’s sports. There are rallies planned before the Liberty face the Fever on Saturday night in Brooklyn.

“Knowing that rallies are happening on both sides shows the platform that the W has and the stunts for attention are just continuing to try and ride the wave that we have,” Stewart told a small group of reporters Saturday morning. “I want Liberty fans and even Indy fans that are going to come here tonight to be able to have this arena be a safe space.”

At least three fans were asked by WNBA security personnel to cover shirts that had messages about transgender women participating in women’s sports during last Sunday’s game at Atlanta between the Dream and the Fever. The league later said the fans should have been free to wear those shirts.

Stewart said Liberty fans specifically, but WNBA fans in general, come to games because “they can feel like they can be themselves in whatever capacity that is and we don’t want to lose sight of that."

The Liberty forward said everyone is entitled to their own opinion and if that stops being allowed there are much bigger issues. However, she said, trying to divide teams and players shouldn't be tolerated.

“If we don’t allow (free speech), we need to like really kind of go back and look at more things. I think the bigger thing is people are trying to divide us as teams, but also as teammates or as opponents," she said. "This league is incredibly inclusive and what we continue to fight for and stand up against. So, we don’t want to take that platform away.”

Stewart has been an ally for the transgender community during her career. She faced some online backlash last year when one of her signature shoes had a Harry Potter theme to it. Stewart is a huge fan of the Harry Potter books and subsequent movies by author J.K. Rowlings, who has drawn criticism for her anti-trans stance.

Stewart has donated royalties from that shoe to The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit organization for LGBTQ+ youth.

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See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

Moke, which formed Friday in the Pacific Ocean, was located about 470 miles (755 kilometers) southeast of Hilo, moving west-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph), as of 5 a.m. on Saturday in Hawaii. Maximum sustained winds were around 50 mph (85 kph), the National Hurricane Center said.

As with Hurricane Lala, the Big Island is expected to bear the brunt of Moke's rain and heavy winds as it passes south of a direct hit late Saturday into early Sunday.

Moke will then continue its westward path near the islands through early Tuesday, said Casey Oswant, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu.

“There will still be impacts, especially to the windward and southeast sides of the Big Island, but it will probably be a little bit more limited than what we saw with Lala,” Oswant said.

Lala downed trees, swept buildings off their foundations, damaged roads and bridges and left roads covered in mud and rocks. One storm-related death was reported.

Rainfall predictions for this weekend for the southeast and windward sides of the Big Island were 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters), with as much as 15 inches (38 centimeters) in isolated areas, Oswant said. Across the rest of the island chain, 1 to 2 inches (2 to 5 centimeters) of rain was expected, though parts of east Maui could see up to 4 inches (10 centimeters), she said.

There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect early Saturday morning, but people were urged to closely monitor the storm's progress. The rainfall has the potential to cause dangerous rip currents, life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in steep areas and places where the ground remains saturated, the center said.

The northeast coast of the Big Island saw the heaviest total rainfall from Lala, at 43.54 inches (1.1 meters), according to the weather service. About 9,000 customers on the Big Island remained without power Saturday, according to poweroutage.us.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green and other state officials held a news conference ahead of Moke, urging people to prepare by restocking food, medicine and other essentials.

“There’s definitely tension in the air” at the thought of more rain in communities that floodwaters turned into rivers, said Tiffany Edwards Hunt, a teacher living in Keaau, on the east side of the Big Island.

___

Associated Press writer Alexa St. John contributed from Detroit.

Prime Minister Mark Carney acknowledged the break after last-ditch negotiations failed Friday, saying Canada had recognized that “America has changed” and that the countries would “not return to our old relationship.”

The United States imposed 50% tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods early Saturday. Carney said Canada would retaliate dollar for dollar beginning Sept. 8, targeting sectors including steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper and electronics.

Carney foreshadowed the shift at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, declaring that the world was experiencing “a rupture, not a transition” and urging countries such as Canada to reduce their vulnerability to economic coercion by strengthening their economies at home and diversifying abroad.

He said in Ottawa on Saturday that warning had been borne out. He accused the U.S. of using “economic integration as a weapon” and said its “signature was written in pencil.”

“The collapse of the tariff talks points to the fact that the old Canada-U.S. relationship is over and, for many Canadians, it also confirms the perception that Canada can’t trust the Trump administration,” said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.

The pressure from Republican President Donald Trump has gone well beyond tariffs.

He has questioned Canada’s economic viability, repeatedly talked about making it the 51st U.S. state and used trade measures to encourage production to move from Canada to the United States. That has angered many Canadians and fueled a sense of betrayal in a country that had long regarded the U.S. as its closest ally.

Canadian travel to the U.S. remains sharply lower than before the dispute, with July return trips down nearly 29% by car and 27% by air from July 2024, Statistics Canada said.

The failed negotiations underscored how far the relationship had shifted. Canada had been prepared to accept some U.S. tariffs for market access and greater certainty — a break from decades of policy aimed at eliminating trade barriers.

For Canadians accustomed to preferential access under the 1989 Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA and its successor, even reduced tariffs would mark a retreat from the old relationship.

The collapse also puts Carney’s approach to Trump to the test.

The prime minister's “elbows up” posture — hockey shorthand for playing aggressively and refusing to be pushed around — has helped keep him popular at home. His decision to resist U.S. pressure could also resonate abroad with those impressed by his Davos call for countries to resist economic coercion and reduce dependence on great powers.

Provincial and conservative leaders broadly backed Carney. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said “the old status quo is not possible,” while Ontario Premier Doug Ford praised Carney for rejecting what he called a bad deal for the auto, steel and manufacturing sectors.

Ford said Trump "is not to be trusted whatsoever.”

Former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said Canada was “not cravenly surrendering in the face of constant economic and political aggression.”

Lana Payne, national president of Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector union, accused Trump of trying to weaken Canada’s industrial base.

“What we have seen from the U.S. administration, or Donald Trump, is this consistent attempt to try and destroy the industrial economy of Canada with tariffs that have been strategically designed to attack us,” Payne said.

The economic risks of fighting back and a s

hift seen as perhaps lasting beyond Trump

Nearly three-quarters of Canada’s goods exports go to the United States. The U.S. economy is roughly 10 times larger than Canada’s, limiting Ottawa’s ability to retaliate dollar for dollar without inflicting disproportionate damage at home.

Royal Bank of Canada economists estimate the tariffs directly affect about 0.4% of Canada’s GDP because they cover only about 5% of Canadian exports to the U.S. The damage could grow if retaliation broadens, more sectors are targeted or the dispute curbs investment and disrupts supply chains.

Carney himself acknowledged the cost of retaliation, saying the Canadian measures would “raise costs and reduce choice for Canadians.” He said his government would announce additional assistance for affected businesses and workers.

Béland said the countries were witnessing “the beginning of a full-scale trade war,” though he cautioned that the situation could change rapidly.

The dependence is not one-sided.

Carney said Canada supplies 99% of U.S. natural gas imports, 85% of its electricity imports and 60% of its crude oil imports. Trump has focused much of his pressure on autos, steel and aluminum, fueling resentment among Canadians who see the push as an effort to hollow out key industries.

Goldy Hyder, president and CEO of the Business Council of Canada, said businesses still view the U.S. as Canada’s most important trading partner but increasingly see the shift as lasting beyond Trump.

“There is a new trade and investment model, one that could well be kept in place by future U.S. administrations whether Democrat or Republican,” Hyder said.

Canada looks beyond the United States because ‘things will never be the same’

The breakdown adds urgency to Carney’s push to diversify beyond the United States. He has traveled abroad seeking investment and new trade ties, aiming to attract $1 trillion Canadian (US$730 billion) by 2030 and double non-U.S. investment over the next decade. Canada has signed more than 20 trade and security agreements across five continents in the past year.

That made Washington’s effort to restrict Canada’s ability to negotiate trade agreements with other countries particularly significant.

In July, Ottawa and Alberta advanced plans for a new Pacific Coast oil pipeline to give Canadian crude greater access to Asian markets and reduce reliance on U.S. buyers.

The immediate question is how long the latest tariff confrontation will last.

Béland said the deeper change probably will, partly because U.S. protectionism is likely to remain influential under future administrations.

“The idea that things will return to ‘normal’ once Donald Trump leaves the White House is probably just wishful thinking,” Béland said. “It doesn’t mean the relationship might not improve in the future but that things will never be the same.”

Saturday in England's top division began with United, the 20-time champion with a new permanent manager and a freshly renovated midfield, getting rolled over by promoted Hull in an embarrassing 2-0 loss.

It ended with Tottenham, one of the biggest spenders in Europe this summer with $300 million — and counting — of new players in its squad, getting overwhelmed in a 3-0 defeat at Brentford.

In the middle was a win for Everton in front of Britain's recently installed prime minister and a victory for another promoted club, Ipswich.

Man United stumbles at Hull

Hull made a dream return to the top flight after a nine-year absence but much of the post-match chatter was about Man United's shortcomings.

First-half goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy at set-pieces consigned United to a tepid loss away to a team that was promoted via the second-tier Championship playoffs and is widely expected to be among the relegation candidates.

"It was never going to be perfect,” said Michael Carrick, who was rewarded for leading United to a third-place finish last season and a return to the Champions League with a permanent contract over the summer.

Carrick also was given a new central-midfield duo in Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos — Brighton's Carlos Baleba might be next — while Marcus Rashford returned from a loan spell at Barcelona and entered as a halftime substitute against Hull.

They struggled to impress along with many other players in a lackluster team display that showed United — last a Premier League champion in 2013 under Alex Ferguson — still has far to go to recapture its former glories and is unlikely to challenge for the title, at least on this evidence anyway.

“One game doesn’t change the direction of everything,” Carrick said. "It doesn’t change the direction of the football club.”

Tonali and Tottenham outplayed by slick Brentford

Across Europe, only Chelsea has spent more on new players than Tottenham this summer but it didn't show at Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium.

Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali, who joined for a club-record $133 million from Newcastle, was among the new signings in a Spurs team that was completely outplayed by a settled Brentford lineup, which was two goals ahead by the 33rd thanks to close-range strikes by Keane Lewis-Potter and Vitaly Janelt.

Michael Kayode slid in to add a third just after the break and Igor Thiago, Brentford's top scorer last season, missed a chance to pad the scoreline by hitting the post with a penalty.

British PM sees Everton win

Everton had a famous fan in its stadium watching a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.

Andy Burnham took in his first Everton match since becoming Britain's prime minister last month and saw Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Thierno Barry score goals for the hosts.

Everton manager David Moyes said he spoke to Burnham, a season ticket-holder at the club, on the phone after the match.

Ismaila Sarr, linked with a move away from Palace, wasn't in the matchday squad for Pierre Sage's first game in charge of the team, though the manager said the Senegal forward's absence was injury-related. Palace lost Morocco defender Chadi Riad to what appeared to be a serious knee injury that forced him to be carried off on a stretcher in the second half.

Another victory for a promoted club

Ipswich was another promoted team to win in the opening round of games, scoring in the 90th minute through Jack Clarke to beat his former club Sunderland 2-1.

Leeds also scored a late winner, with Anton Stach's 88th-minute free kick enough to dispatch Nottingham Forest 1-0.

Arsenal has already won

Arsenal began its title defense by beating Coventry, the second-tier champion last season, 3-0 on Friday.

On Sunday, Manchester City — demolished 3-0 by Arsenal in the Community Shield last weekend — looks to bounce back against Bournemouth and Liverpool travels to Newcastle.

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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Today on Texas Eats NOW:

SLIM CHICKENS

7022 N Loop 1604 E, San Antonio, TX 78266

Slim Chickens is a fast-casual chicken concept that has opened its newest San Antonio location at Loop 1604, bringing with it a kitchen-forward approach that sets it apart from typical quick-service spots. The brand’s signature tenders begin with a 24-hour brine in a saltwater solution, followed by a buttermilk soak — both steps designed to deeply tenderize the meat and build flavor from the inside out. From there, the chicken is battered and fried to order, meaning every piece coming out of the kitchen is fresh.

The menu centers on those brined tenders, available in spicy or regular, served alongside a selection of 13 dipping sauces — including Slim Sauce and honey mustard — that can also be used to toss wings, bites, and sandwiches. Chicken wings come in options like Buffalo, garlic parmesan, and cayenne ranch, and guests can request all drums or all flats. Standout plates include the chicken and waffles — three tenders served with butter and syrup — and the new jalapeño honey pimento sandwich, built with jalapeños drizzled in honey, a large chicken breast, and pimento cheese. For dessert, the menu features jar options like chocolate brownie pudding, strawberry cheesecake, and a limited-time key lime pie, with a banana cream jar returning soon.

CARNITAS DON RAUL

325 W Jones Ave, San Antonio, TX 78215

Carnitas Don Raul is a San Antonio institution rooted in authentic Michoacán tradition. The concept originated in Morelia, Michoacán, in 1991, founded by the Muñoz family, and grew into a pair of beloved San Antonio food trucks before co-owners Martin and Michelle Muñoz opened the brick-and-mortar location just steps from the San Antonio Museum of Art. The restaurant prepares its carnitas the traditional way — slow-cooking hundreds of pounds of pork daily in the animal’s own rendered fat, honoring the regional techniques passed down through the family.

The menu is built around the many cuts of the carnitas which can be enjoyed across a range of dishes. The torta moreliana layers refried beans, grilled cheese, guacamole, and carnitas on a loaded sandwich, while the quesadilla moreliana features two crunchy tostadas stacked with the same ingredients. Flautas come filled with shoulder meat and topped with sour cream, cheese, guacamole, and lettuce. To drink, the restaurant offers aguas frescas including cucumber lime, hibiscus, horchata, and a strawberry pink horchata.

PEI WEI ASIAN KITCHEN

11647 Culebra Rd Ste 108, San Antonio, TX 78254

Pei Wei is a fast-casual Asian concept with more than 160 locations across the United States, brought to life through a partnership with Food Network chef and restaurateur Jet Tila. Over the past five years, Tila has worked to re-energize the brand around Thai and Korean flavors, bringing his 30 years of kitchen experience — spanning mom-and-pop restaurants to large-scale culinary operations in Las Vegas and beyond — to deliver bold, authentic flavors at fast-casual speed. Every dish is cooked to order, with a standard ticket time of two minutes, using high-quality, pre-prepped ingredients in the tradition of a French brigade kitchen.

The menu signature is the drunken noodles, made with gluten-free rice stick noodles, bell pepper, white onion, garlic, chicken, and a proprietary blend of sauces, finished with fragrant Thai basil and a customizable heat level. The dish is wok-cooked over high flame to achieve that characteristic smoky char.

DARKSIDE PIZZA

25 Truss Dr, Boerne, TX 78006

Darkside Pizza is a brick oven pizza concept in Boerne built entirely around the nostalgia of the 1980s. Owner Michael Haas designed the restaurant to recreate the feeling of hanging out at a mall food court as a kid — complete with an atmosphere packed with retro memorabilia — and paired that experience with serious, scratch-made pizza. The menu reflects Haas’s personal love of pizza and the desire to bring something distinct to the Boerne dining scene, with his wife Denise contributing several of the dessert items.

The pizza selection spans a white margherita and its sauced red counterpart, a fan-favorite barbecue chicken, a brisket pizza topped with pickles, and a signature pepperoni. Beyond pizza, the kitchen turns out veal meatballs served with a generous pull of melted cheese, and a hearty meatball sandwich loaded with sauce and cheese. Bruschetta rounds out the appetizer side of the menu. For dessert, Denise’s darkside skillet cookie and a classic crème brûlée are both on offer.

SCHILO’S

424 E Commerce St, San Antonio, TX 78205

Schilo’s holds the distinction of being San Antonio’s oldest restaurant, having served the city since 1917. Rooted in German-Texan tradition, the downtown institution carries more than three centuries of San Antonio history within its walls — and has even earned a reputation for a bit of haunted history along the way. With a menu that honors its heritage and a spirit that has endured generations of change, Schilo’s remains a touchstone of the city’s culinary identity.

The Reuben sandwich is one of the most iconic items on the menu, built with thin-sliced corned beef, house-made sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and a black Russian rye bread, finished with a sauce that delivers a sharp, satisfying zing. The root beer is equally legendary — a recipe developed during Prohibition so that San Antonio’s German community could still raise a glass in the spirit of celebration — and it remains a must-order alongside any meal.

LACOSTE BAKERY

4421 De Zavala Rd, San Antonio, TX 78249

Lacoste Bakery is a French bakery on the northwest side of San Antonio, founded by Vincent Lacoste, who began his craft at age 16 and spent a decade working in his family’s bakery in France before bringing his expertise to Texas. The shop operates with an uncompromising commitment to authenticity with flour, butter, and even the ovens and equipment are sourced directly from France, resulting in award-winning breads and pastries that reflect a strict, time-honored process.

The menu spans a wide range of French baked goods. Croissants come in multiple varieties: plain, chocolate, almond, and many more. Alongside the pastries, the bakery produces traditional French bread and baguettes, all shaped and baked after an overnight rise in the refrigerator — a process that gives each item its signature texture and depth of flavor.

OSTRA

212 W Crockett St, San Antonio, TX 78205

Ostra is a seafood restaurant inside the Mokara Hotel, situated directly along the San Antonio River Walk. Executive Chef Robert Cantu leads the kitchen with a menu rooted in Texas cuisine, drawing on ingredients and flavors from across the state. The setting — with the River Walk just outside — makes it a natural choice for both special occasions and casual waterfront dining, and the menu rotates seasonally to reflect what is freshest.

The Seafood Tower is a centerpiece of the dining room, presented in three tiers: a bottom layer of Gulf oysters from Copano Bay, Canadian oysters, and East Coast oysters; a middle layer of Gulf shrimp tossed with herbs, and house-made ceviche with tortilla chips; and a top layer of Maine lobster and snow crab claws. Charbroiled oysters, also sourced from Copano Bay, are finished with a garlic butter cream sauce and served with grilled bread. Rounding out the menu is the surf and turf burger, a combination of a lobster roll and an Oklahoma-style smash onion burger, served together in one towering bite.

TWANG

6255 Wt Montgomery, San Antonio, TX 78252

Twang is a San Antonio-based flavor company founded in 1986 by Roger Treviño, who developed the concept of packaged citrus salts after observing the tradition in Mexico City. What began as a small local operation — distributing lemon and lime salt packets to convenience stores — has grown into a full-scale manufacturing facility on the far west side of San Antonio, producing hundreds of thousands of packets per eight-hour shift and shipping products nationally and internationally. The product line includes beer salts, snack salts, fiesta shakers, michelada mixes, and cocktail rimming salts, all developed from concept through production entirely in-house.

The facility moves through several stages: a pre-weight room where each ingredient is precisely measured, a blending room where those components are combined in large-capacity mixers, and a packaging area where finished product is funneled into pouches and boxed for distribution. The flavors translate directly to the table — chili lime salt is the star ingredient in the chili lime veggie roasted tacos, made with bell peppers, red onion, and zucchini tossed in olive oil. The classic batanga cocktail — tequila, a splash of lime, and Mexican cola — gets rimmed with the Fiesta Lime rimming salt, a ready example of how Twang’s products move from the factory floor to the rim of a glass.

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Two federal investigations led Drug Enforcement Administration agents to arrest Joseph Adrian Padilla, 50, and Julian Esquivel, 20, one week apart, according to the agency.

According to a news release, both Padilla and Esquivel face the following charges:

• Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine
• Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine
• Providing or possessing contraband in prison
• Bribery of a public official

The U.S. Marshals Service said Padilla and Esquivel’s former positions as correctional employees helped them facilitate the drugs and other prohibited items into the facility in exchange for money.

“The introduction of dangerous drugs and contraband into a detention facility poses a serious threat to the safety and security of everyone inside,” U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas and former Bexar County Sheriff Susan Pamerleau said. “We are grateful to our state and federal partners for their commitment and willingness to stand alongside the U.S. Marshals Service in confronting this issue. Together.

The service said its investigation is ongoing. More arrests are possible.

Read also:

• Bexar County reports first dog rabies case in more than a decade, health officials say

Meanwhile, remarks by the U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria appear to contradict the official U.S. position on the Golan Heights. And Israel has carried out strikes in Syria and in Gaza.

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

Egypt tries to revive US-Iran negotiations

The top diplomats for Egypt and Iran discussed efforts to bring Tehran and Washington back to the negotiating table to settle the war, Egypt's foreign ministry said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty also discussed the Iranian-Omani talks on the management of the Strait of Hormuz, the ministry said.

Araghchi briefed Egypt's foreign minister about “Iran’s view of ongoing developments, the course of negotiations and their challenges,” the ministry said, without elaborating.

There was no immediate statement from Araghchi.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the war with the U.S. should end since the world has accepted that Iran has won, state media reported Friday. Iran sees its new control over the strait and resistance to U.S. demands as a win.

U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration would impose an “unprecedented” level of economic warfare and isolation on Iran, aiming to force its leadership to cave to demands to end its nuclear program and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global oil, natural gas and other supplies.

Iran and Iraq say some Iraqi oil is facilitated through the strait

The governments of Iraq and Iran said Tehran has helped some ships carrying Iraqi oil to transit the Strait of Hormuz, but there were few details.

“There is facilitation for some ships carrying Iraqi oil in the Strait of Hormuz,” Iraqi President Nizar Amidi said in comments published Saturday by the state-run news agency, adding that Iraq doesn’t have a national carrier for transporting oil.

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said a number of Iraqi oil tankers have been permitted to transit and called the request one of Iraq’s most important ones during the recent visit there by Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf.

It was not clear how many ships carrying Iraqi oil have been allowed to pass or when, or what Iran might have received in return.

Syria says an Israeli drone strikes inside a village

An Israeli drone strike on a vehicle wounded one person on Saturday in the southwestern Syrian village of Beit Jin, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA. Syria’s foreign ministry said several civilians were injured and called the strike a flagrant violation of the country’s sovereignty.

The Israeli military said it targeted a “terrorist who advanced terror attacks in final stages of preparation,” without elaborating. It wasn’t immediately clear if it was the same strike.

Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes around Syria after the ouster of former President Bashar Assad in late 2024, mainly destroying army assets to keep them out of the hands of his successors.

Messages differ on the Golan Heights

In an interview on Friday with Mario Nawfal, a Lebanese-Australian entrepreneur, U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack said Israel “still” occupies the Golan Heights in violation of U.N. resolutions.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Saturday in a statement called Barrack's remarks “full of inaccuracies and positions that contradict Trump’s own position.”

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 war and annexed it in 1981. The U.N. considers the territory occupied Syrian land. But in March 2019, Trump signed a proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, reversing decades of U.S. policy.

This month, Colombia became the second country to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the territory.

French president and Saudi crown prince will meet

French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are expected to discuss plans to develop alternatives routes to the Strait of Hormuz during the Saudi leader’s two-day visit to Paris that starts on Sunday, according to officials in the presidency who weren't authorized to be publicly named.

Proposals include increasing trade through Omani ports outside of the Persian Gulf, expanding or doubling pipelines in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, and developing new rail links, the officials said.

France and Saudi Arabia have formed a task force on energy and logistics connections between the Middle East and Europe that is scheduled to meet at the ministerial level Monday.

The officials said the work was well advanced and would focus on identifying the most strategic projects, securing financing and establishing roles for French companies.

— AP correspondent Angela Charlton in Paris

An Israeli strike in Gaza kills 1 Palestinian

An Israeli strike on the backyard of a house in central Gaza killed one Palestinian and wounded another Saturday, according to health officials at Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital.

Israel’s military said it targeted Sharif al-Hasanat, a Hamas commander who "advanced terror attacks and took part in efforts to restore Hamas’ underground infrastructure." Days earlier, U.S. negotiators reportedly asked Israel to draw down attacks.

While the heaviest fighting has subsided under the ceasefire that began 10 months ago, Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes, killing at least 1,285 Palestinians, according to Gaza'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.

They can provide valuable indications of your stamina and strength. They can estimate the risk of falls, which increase older adults ' risk of death. And they're useful to doctors who work to address aging or people with injuries.

But they're no crystal ball.

“A poor or declining result is a reason for a health professional to investigate why function is changing, rather than gauging how long someone will live,” said Auriel Willette, an expert on brain aging at Rutgers University.

Here's a look at what mobility tests entail and how to apply the results to your health.

A sit-to-stand test goes viral, but what does it really show?

“Sit-to-stand” tests come in several forms. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 30-second chair-stand test is designed for patients older than 60, to see how many times they can stand up in that time period.

Another test, popularized on social media, asks someone to move from standing, to sitting cross-legged on the ground, and then back up to standing. Making your way down to the floor is worth 5 points, as is standing up, for a total score of 10. You lose a point for each support you use (such as a hand or knee) and half a point if you're unsteady. The score is zero if you're unable to sit or stand without external help.

Doctors said they haven’t seen the test used with older U.S. adults, but researchers in Brazil published studies in 2020 and 2025 that concluded middle-aged people who scored higher were less likely to die within about a decade.

Many American doctors use a test called “Timed Up and Go,” or TUG. It requires the patient to get up from a chair, walk 10 feet (3 meters) and come back to their seat. That allows doctors to evaluate a person's balance, mobility and lower extremity strength all at once.

Dr. George Hennawi, who treats older adults at MedStar Health in Baltimore, said all the tests are meant to pinpoint specific weaknesses and narrow down their underlying cause, whether that's knee pain, slow reflexes, poor balance or feeling winded or dizzy because of cardiovascular issues.

“The key to react to it is to understand where did we not do well,” he said.

A full picture of a person's health is important

Tests like the viral sit-to-stand one are what doctors call screening tools. They're helpful in narrowing down issues, but they don't provide enough information for a full diagnosis.

Other popular tests for a person's “physiological age,” or how your body is aging, include tests of grip strength, walking speed, gait steadiness and balance. Such tests look at how hard your hand can squeeze something, whether you favor one side while walking, how long and well can you stand on one leg and how far forward can you reach without becoming unsteady.

Many doctors also use these challenges to understand a person’s risk for “frailty,” a medical condition that means the body is less able to handle strain from illness or injury.

Doctors sometimes use a 10-minute assessment called the Short Physical Performance Battery, which includes several tests including gait, balance and strength. It was developed by the National Institute on Aging and large clinical trials have shown it predicts mortality, disability and more.

At the University of California, Los Angeles' Multidisciplinary Falls Clinic, Dr. David Lee said it's important to look across multiple tests in combination. Grip strength, for example, is predictive of many different things, but it can be affected by arthritis, stroke or even simply not conditioning those muscles.

“It’s one measure of many,” Lee said.

Good health is about more than a good score

Experts note that strength and mobility are just one part of healthy aging. Tests of cognition, memory, hearing, eyesight and many other measures are key to evaluating how someone is aging.

They also cautioned against training to pass a test. Instead, keep the big picture in mind. Exercise your whole body. Eat nutritious meals. Address stress in a healthy way. Prioritize your sleep. Take care of your heart.

Finally, experts said it’s important to know the context in which a test has been studied and verified. If it’s shown to predict an outcome for one age group, the performance standards won’t necessarily apply to others.

If you score poorly in a mobility test and are concerned about your fall risk, or have recently fallen, talk to your doctor. The test results are the first step in determining if you need an assistive device, physical therapy, a change in medications or something else, said Emily Nabors, a falls prevention expert with The National Council on Aging.

She cited one estimate that more than a quarter of older adults fall each year, but most of them don't tell their doctor about it.

“If you've fallen, you might feel fine,” she said, “but you might not be fine at all.”

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

The attacks came a day after a Russian strike on a Ukrainian shopping center killed at least 16 people and wounded some 130.

Moscow’s forces have recently intensified their ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv, exploiting Ukraine’s chronic shortage of U.S.-made Patriot air defense interceptors, the sole weapon in its arsenal able to shoot down the missiles.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that one person was killed and another wounded in the latest attacks when ballistic missiles hit railway infrastructure in the capital, Kyiv, overnight.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that its forces had hit a locomotive depot.

In a separate attack, local authorities said two people were killed Saturday afternoon in a Russian ballistic missile strike on the Kyiv region, which surrounds the capital.

Russian drone strikes also killed one person overnight in the Zaporizhzhia region, local officials said Saturday, and a daytime attack killed three others and wounded 15. Zelenskyy said that three people were also wounded in an attack on a minibus in the regional capital, also called Zaporizhzhia.

In Russia's southern Krasnodar region, authorities said that three people, including two children, were killed and two adults were wounded in a Ukrainian drone strike.

A day on from a deadly attack on a shopping center

The latest attacks came a day after Russian drones struck a shopping center in the city of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine.

Dnipropetrovsk regional head Oleksandr Hanzha said in the early hours of Saturday that the death toll had risen to 16. Later on Saturday he said four people remain missing after the attack, which wounded a further 130.

Kryvyi Rih is the hometown of Zelenskyy, who described the attack as a double-tap strike, in which an initial wave of drones hit the area followed by a second wave as rescue workers responded. The Ukrainian leader said the fire, which spread across 9,000 square meters (around 97,000 square feet), had been extinguished and rescue efforts were underway.

Kryvyi Rih has been hit multiple times during the 4½-year all-out war between Russia and Ukraine, with one of the deadliest occurring in April 2025, when 20 people were killed, including nine children.

Large-scale Russian strikes have become a regular occurrence this summer, with Friday’s attacks landing just 24 hours after Russia pounded Kyiv with scores of missiles and drones in a nighttime assault that killed 16 people. The United Nations said last week that Kyiv was one of the hardest-hit cities in July, with at least 54 civilians killed and 202 wounded.

Ukraine pounds Russia with long-range strikes

At the same time, Ukraine has shifted the war onto Russian soil through long-range drone strikes on oil facilities that have caused fuel shortages across Russia. It also has unsettled the Russian public by striking warehouses of Wildberries, the country’s biggest online retailer.

The Russian online news outlet Astra reported Saturday that a Ukrainian drone set ablaze an oil refinery in the Samara region. Local officials said that damage was recorded at an unidentified “industrial facility” and a logistics center for Ozon, a competitor to Wildberries.

Zelenskyy said Saturday Ukrainian forces struck the Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery in Samara, noting it is some 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) from the front line.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in remarks to state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin, who posted them Saturday on his Telegram channel, that strikes on civilian targets “cause economic damage to our country” and “lead to losses,” but that “no turning point” in the conflict had been reached and that Kyiv “will never gain any advantage.”

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

U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, set aside the policy Friday as “contrary to law and in excess of statutory authority.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio exceeded his authority by issuing the policy, which “runs afoul” of the Immigration and Nationality Act by mandating "the refusal of visas to eligible applicants without any basis in law,” the judge ruled.

Judge says power lies with consular officers

Vargas said the policy also undermines the congressional requirement that puts consular officers at the forefront of any visa decision.

“Congress imbued these officers with exclusive authority and discretion to determine if an immigrant is eligible for a visa based upon review of specific and detailed criteria set forth in the statute,” she wrote. “The Policy, which categorically prohibits the issuance of immigrant visas based upon the nationality of the applicant, represents a direct abrogation of this statutory scheme."

The policy was challenged by two nonprofit organizations along with 11 individuals, including six whose family members had been refused visas. The remaining five are outside the country and had filed “employment-based petitions” to come to the United States.

Advocates say keeping families apart is cruel

“We welcome this ruling because, at its heart, this case is about keeping families together,” said Anna Gallagher, the executive director of CLINIC, a national nonprofit that provides training, resources, and support to a network of immigration legal service providers and was one of the plaintiffs.

“Catholic social teaching calls us to uphold the dignity of every person and recognize the family as the foundation of society,” she said in a statement. “This decision affirms both those values and the rule of law, allowing families to once again move forward toward reunification.”

Another plaintiff is African Communities Together, a Harlem-based nonprofit. One of its leaders called the ruling “a tremendous victory for the rule of law."

“This unlawful and racist ban caused immeasurable harm, cruelly keeping families and loved ones apart,” Diana Konate, deputy executive director for policy and advocacy, said in a statement. “Today, we are elated to tell our community members: this ban is no more.”

Trump expands his anti-immigration agenda

President Donald Trump has imposed a growing list of immigration and travel bans mostly for people from Africa, Asia and Latin America. The State Department said Saturday that the Trump administration is “protecting the American people by upholding the highest standards of screening and vetting of visa applicants,” and that it would not comment on pending litigation.

At the time the policy was issued, the State Department said it had instructed consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications from the 75 countries in accordance with a broader order in November that tightened rules around potential immigrants who might become “public charges.” Relying on Council of Economic Advisers data, the State Department said that more than 30 percent of households with immigrants from these countries received some form of public assistance.

A separate notice sent to all U.S. embassies and consulates said that non-immigrant visa applicants also should be “fully vetted and screened” for the possibility that they might seek public benefits in the United States.

The cable, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, noted several times that the applicant must prove they won't apply for public benefits while in the U.S., and that consular officers who suspect the applicant might apply should require them to fill out a form proving their financial bona fides.

The ruling is the latest example of the courts upending Trump’s immigration agenda. In June, a federal judge struck down a Trump administration policy that made it harder for immigrants from dozens of countries to enter and stay in America — affecting elements like asylum, work permits, green cards, and citizenship applications. That judge said the policy threw countless immigrants’ lives “into indeterminate legal limbo,” and accused the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of ignoring the law.

As rain started to fall on the Zandvoort track, McLaren’s Norris made the most of his final run to reclaim pole by 0.102 of a second from Russell, whose Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli — the standings leader — was third.

“A little surprised, honestly, but a decent lap," said Norris, who'd been critical of his car in the earlier sprint race and credited McLaren with making the right changes.

“We had to try something because what we had before wasn’t going to be enough," he said, adding the changes were small but "enough to give me some confidence.”

Norris won the last race in Hungary on July 26 but was deflated after the sprint, saying McLaren wasn't competitive at all in slower corners.

Russell is rebuilding his title challenge after losing ground to Antonelli last month and said it was “a real joy” to drive in qualifying. The plan now is to “get in my groove again and try to fight with them tomorrow," he added.

Lewis Hamilton lost ground to Antonelli in the standings in the sprint race. His difficult day continued with fifth in qualifying.

Russell takes sprint victory

The sprint race was a display of domination from Russell, who started from pole position, quickly built a gap to Norris in second and managed the pace from there, taking his first win since the Austrian Grand Prix in June.

“Obviously a great start to the weekend,” he said.

Charles Leclerc snatched second off Norris with a daring pass into the inside of the first corner with six laps to go, but couldn’t get close enough to try passing Russell.

Norris held off a late charge from Antonelli to stay third as the Italian pulled out of a potential overtaking move on the final lap.

“We just don’t have the pace in general, especially in the slow-speed corners,” Norris said.

Fourth-place Antonelli, starting fifth after car damage in qualifying, still managed to extend his standings lead by three more points to 53 because Hamilton could only manage seventh for Ferrari.

Long-awaited rain arrives seconds too late to shake up sprint

F1 still hasn’t had a wet race this year but came tantalizingly close as rain fell as the drivers were heading back to the pits, seconds after the sprint finished.

“If there was one more lap it would have been a very, potentially, different end to the race so I’m glad the rain came when it did,” Russell said.

While it stayed dry, overtaking was difficult, even in a year where the cars’ electrical power has made back-and-forth passes common. The overtakes by Leclerc and Antonelli were the only changes of position anywhere in the top 11 finishers.

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See AP’s full auto racing coverage here

Officers were dispatched to the scene around 2 a.m. Saturday in the 1000 block of East Houston Street. According to a San Antonio Police Department preliminary report, an unknown vehicle ran over a 26-year-old man while he slept.

After being hit, the man ran to a nearby location and called for emergency medical services, SAPD said. He was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police said the driver fled the scene without helping the man.

When found, the driver will be charged with collision involving injury, according to the report.

The investigation is ongoing.

Read also:

• Man hospitalized after shooting in downtown San Antonio, police say

In December, Takaichi moved into the official residence, a brick-and-stone mansion that opened in 1929 used to be the original prime minister’s office until its replacement was built right next to it.

Takaichi said on X that living in the official residence, or “kotei,” is good because its proximity requires no commute and lets her immediately get down to work in time of an emergency.

Takaichi said she has reinforced office functions at the residence so she can work and have meetings there remotely or in person with her staff whenever needed, even after office hours. She also takes home documents to read.

“To me, the official residence is also a workplace,” she said.

But Takaichi, whose work mantra and her recent revelation on X of zero to three hours of sleep at night because of her homemaking burden on top of her heavy workload as prime minister, triggered criticisms that Japan's first female leader was setting a wrong example for a work-life balance and gender-equality.

Takaichi has seen her support ratings rapidly drop as she pushed unpopular policies such as a revision to the Imperial House Law to reinforce a male-only succession system, while delaying economic measures to address rising prices.

Media reports have said that Takaichi was avoiding parliamentary sessions and largely holed up at the residence at night and on weekends, saying that she's having significantly less interactions and communication with other lawmakers and officials than her predecessors. Takaichi frequently posts comments and policies on X instead of talking to the media.

The official residence was the site of two bloody coup attempts in the 1930s, and legend has it that the building is haunted by ghosts.

Takaichi apparently doesn’t mind spending long hours at the residence despite that.

“I’ve never seen a ghost, but I have often screamed because of my encounters with cockroaches,” she said. “I was shocked when a cockroach ran past my feet.”

The U.S. Tennis Association announced Saturday that Williams and Alcaraz had been given a wild card into the tournament. The mixed doubles main draw begins Tuesday, with the winning team sharing $1 million.

It will be Williams' first time playing at the U.S. Open since 2022. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion returned to tennis this summer.

“Let’s gooooo!” Alcaraz posted on X, with a fire emoji and tagging Williams.

Williams is not planning to play singles in New York. The USTA had been holding one women's wild card, presumably in case Williams wanted it. However, the tournament announced Saturday that it had been given to American Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion.

Williams played singles at Wimbledon but sustained a knee injury in her first-round loss. She played doubles with older sister Venus at the Cincinnati Open, and they could still opt to play together at the U.S. Open.

Alcaraz announced this week he would return to defend his U.S. Open singles title after being sidelined since April with a right wrist injury.

Serena Williams won a mixed doubles title at the U.S. Open even before winning any of her six singles titles there. She teamed for the 1998 championship with Max Mirnyi, who now works with top-ranked woman Aryna Sabalenka.

The mixed doubles tournament is far different now, as the USTA revamped it last year to make it a two-day, 16-team event it hoped would draw top singles players.

Few are bigger than Williams and Alcaraz, the two-time U.S. Open men's champion who is ranked No. 2.

The USTA also announced a number of updates to the field after some players withdrew from the competition.

Americans Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz will team up, after their previous partners, Jack Draper and Elena Rybakina, pulled out with injuries. The teams of Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul, along with Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik, were given the remaining two wild cards into the main draw.

Also, Diana Shnaider remains in the field and will be given a chance to find a new partner after Daniil Medvedev withdrew.

The current field:

Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic, Pegula and Fritz, Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli, Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien, two-time defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, Alex Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime, Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev, Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils, Williams and Alcaraz, Muchova and Mensik, and Navarro and Paul.

The remaining two spots will be determined through an eight-team qualifying tournament Monday. The USTA gave wild cards to the teams of Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev, and Peyton Stearns and Christian Harrison, to be part of that field. It is otherwise largely made up of the traditional doubles specialists who lost out on the chance to play in the U.S. Open last year, with direct entry based on the players' combined singles ranking.

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See AP’s full tennis coverage here

The ban, imposed over concerns about a flesh-eating parasite known as the New World screwworm fly, dealt a blow to cattle and beef industries on both sides of the border, exacerbating a livestock shortage in the U.S. and hurting a Mexican ranching sector already weakened by drought and a cattle export business that generated $1.2 billion for Mexico last year.

Now, the U.S. is set to resume livestock imports from Mexico beginning Aug. 24 at the Douglas, Arizona, border crossing, which borders Agua Prieta in Mexico’s Sonora state. If the reopening goes smoothly, the U.S. Department of Agriculture could allow imports through additional ports, though shipments will initially be subject to restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of the parasite — which has already crossed the border, with authorities battling cases in Texas and New Mexico.

The screwworm gets its name from the maggots’ habit of burrowing — or screwing — into a wound, according to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Any warm-blooded animal, including wildlife, pets and occasionally even humans, can be infested.

In Mexico, the screwworm outbreak was detected in November 2024 and has spread to 30 of the 32 states — most recently in Sonora, where the first case was reported Wednesday in the community of Munihuasa, near the borders with Chihuahua and Sinaloa, states where infections have also proliferated.

To date, Mexico has 1,969 active screwworm cases, which represent less than half of the infections reported a year ago, a decline that authorities say shows progress in containing the outbreak. Still, they acknowledge eradication will take time.

New US controls are expected to slow shipments

Against that backdrop, Ibarra and thousands of other ranchers in the northern state of Sonora are preparing to resume live cattle exports. But optimism is tempered by new U.S. controls expected to slow shipments across the border.

“This is not over yet,” said the 58-year-old rancher, adding that the export halt cut his income by 40% last year.

According to the protocol defined by U.S. authorities, in the first week of reopening, only 700 cattle per day will be allowed through; this will rise to 900 in the second week and will gradually increase until reaching 1,300 cattle per day, veterinarian Arturo Ruiz, responsible for animal health for the state of Sonora, told The Associated Press.

The new rules also require cattle to be fitted with radio-frequency identification tags in their ears and screened by electronic readers and trained dogs. Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will conduct the inspections before allowing the Mexican cattle to cross into Arizona, Ruiz explained.

Mexico accepted the U.S. protocols, but the restrictions have frustrated some local ranchers.

“We are at a complicated moment when we need authorities to think less politically and more technically and reasonably,” said Juan Carlos Ochoa, president of the Regional Livestock Union of Sonora, referring to tensions between the Mexican and U.S. governments when the ban was first imposed in May 2025.

Ochoa said the new U.S. restrictions would limit shipments and argued that a greater flow of cattle across the border is needed to address supply shortages in both countries.

A cautious optimism as imports resume

Although both countries felt the effects of Washington’s decision, the impact was greater in the U.S., particularly for consumers facing record-high beef prices that led some to cut back on meat.

Juan Carlos Anaya, general director of agricultural consulting firm Grupo Consultor de Mercados Agrícolas, said U.S. ranchers were unable to make up the supply shortfall, contributing to closures at some meat-processing plants and hurting feedlot operations.

Before the border closure, Mexico exported about 1.2 million head of cattle to the United States each year, mainly from its northern states. When exports were suspended, Mexican ranchers turned to the domestic market, where they sold their cattle for nearly 40% less than they had received in the U.S. — a loss of income that forced many to sell some of their cattle or cut spending and investment.

Back in Sonora, in the stifling August heat of the capital, Hermosillo, Ibarra was cautiously optimistic about finally sending his 16 calves to the U.S. But he said he would temper his expectations until October, when the cattle have gained enough weight and the sale could be finalized.

“There’s no need to get too excited,” he said.

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Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Speaking to tens of thousands in Rimini, Leo warned against a culture that “rearms minds, words and nations” and argued that Christians must respond with mercy, encounter and a commitment to peace.

He also delivered a message of encouragement to young Catholics, telling them they are “a sign that the future is promising, and not a threat!”

Earlier, in San Marino, Leo addressed local authorities of the world’s oldest surviving republic and reflected on the legacy of Saints Marino and Leone, whom he credited with helping create a society rooted in freedom, mutual respect and community.

The pope said the two saints translated the Christian message into “a new community and political model, strongly characterized by the Christian principles of freedom, mutual respect and communion” — a legacy that he said continues to shape the republic today.

San Marino, a nation of about 35,000 people completely surrounded by Italy, traces its origins to the fourth century. It is governed by a 60-member parliament that elects two captains regent every six months to serve jointly as heads of state, a power-sharing arrangement designed to prevent the concentration of authority.

Using the micro state as an example, Leo argued that small political communities can offer lessons in public service and social cohesion at a time of growing division and distrust.

Leo is the third pope to visit San Marino, after St. John Paul II visited in 1982 and Pope Benedict XVI came in 2011.

The American pontiff praised a society “built on respect for one’s own freedom and that of others and above all on respect for the sacred Will of God.”

He warned that modern societies face increasing threats from violence, social fragmentation and ideologies that put self-interest ahead of the common good.

“We live in a world wounded by many conflicts,” the pope said, citing growing violence, closures and fear of others. He urged Christians to respond through forgiveness, solidarity and concern for the vulnerable.

Leo also described San Marino as a “laboratory of good politics” and called for public life to uphold the dignity of every human person “from conception to natural death” — language commonly used by Vatican officials and Catholic leaders when referring to church opposition to abortion and euthanasia.

In 2021, San Marino voters approved a referendum legalizing abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, overturning a decades-old ban. The referendum represented a significant change in law and public policy in a country with deep Catholic roots.

While Leo did not directly address the referendum, he repeatedly stressed the need for political, social and economic systems to place human dignity at their center. He warned against models that present themselves as liberating but ultimately fail to serve the human person and the common good.

A call for mercy in a divided world

Later Saturday, Leo addressed the annual Rimini Meeting — a major Catholic cultural festival organized by the Communion and Liberation movement — urging Catholics to respond to a world marked by war, division and inequality with dialogue, friendship and encounter.

He said peace is built by people “who love to encounter one another and are not afraid to engage with one another,” arguing that human dignity must come before political, social and ideological divisions.

In some of his strongest comments to date on global tensions, he warned against what he described as a growing culture of confrontation and militarization.

Christians should recognize that “there can be no enemies,” and that even opponents are “a brother or sister to be looked in the eye and encountered in truth,” Leo added.

He urged Catholics to challenge systems that fuel poverty, inequality and conflict.

“Let us expose unjust structures of power that lie at the root of poverty, inequality, war and environmental disasters,” he said, while urging believers to free “work from the idolatry of profit” and to “disarm technological development whenever it becomes invasive and destructive.”

A significant portion of the pope's speech focused on young people, whom Leo portrayed as a source of hope at a time when many fear the future.

Encouraging young Catholics to engage with society rather than retreat into closed communities, he urged them: “Do not be afraid to give yourselves fully!” and “Go forth to meet everyone!”

Echoing themes championed by his predecessor, Pope Francis, Leo also encouraged Catholics to embrace listening and dialogue, arguing that the church grows through the attraction of authentic witness rather than proselytism.

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Zampano reported from Rome.

The shooting happened around 3 a.m. Saturday at Indianola Street and Garfield Alley, near East César E. Chávez Boulevard.

Upon arrival, police said officers found a 20-year-old man with a gunshot wound. The man was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

A witness told officers they observed a group of men in an unknown vehicle firing shots into the air and toward another group, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

SAPD said the man did not know who shot him.

Additional information was not immediately available. The investigation is ongoing.

Read also:

• SAPD looking for 3 suspects wanted in connection with deadly Northwest Side shooting

On Saturday, Infantino posted photos on his Instagram account showing the FIFA president meeting political and soccer officials from the Dominican Republic on the sidelines of a Caribbean Football Union (CFU) youth tournament in the Punta Cana resort.

On Friday, Infantino had been asked not to go by Victor Montagliani, the Canadian president of Miami-based continental soccer body CONCACAF, to avoid being a distraction from the soccer games.

“I believe that considering the governance crisis surrounding FIFA as a result of your controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, the media will focus on this situation,” Montagliani wrote in an emailed letter seen by The Associated Press, “which will unfortunately significantly take away from the technical nature of the CFU youth competition.”

“As such, I respectfully ask you in the name of football to reconsider your attendance as it will unfortunately undermine the technical nature of this important youth development activity,” Montagliani wrote.

FIFA declined to comment on the Montagliani request, though noted it directly funds regional bodies like the CFU with up to $5 million from each four-year World Cup cycle.

Montagliani has aligned with fellow FIFA vice presidents Aleksander Ceferin from European body UEFA and Asian Football Confederation president Sheik Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa in seeking to end Infantino’s increasingly executive presidency now in its 11th year.

They accused Infantino two weeks ago of “deception” in secretly planning over the past year to spin off FIFA’s multi-billion dollar commercial activities to a subsidiary 20% owned by investors led by Joshua Kushner.

Infantino withdrew the project on Aug. 1 amid a global backlash by soccer leaders and fans, and hours after his own chief operating officer published stinging criticism of the proposal and his leadership style in a statement to the AP. The Zurich-based COO, Kevin Lamour, was fired this week.

Caribbean member federations are seen as potential supporters for Infantino to peel away from their CONCACAF leadership. South American body CONMEBOL has backed Infantino as its best path to hosting more games at the 2030 World Cup it wants expanded from 48 teams to 64.

Avoiding questions from a bald reporter

The FIFA leader has not taken questions publicly since the $20 billion FFE project was revealed July 28 by British daily The Times, and on Friday in Punta Cana he evaded a reporter from British broadcaster Sky News.

Asked by Sky reporter James Matthews if he had betrayed the sport and should resign, Infantino said “Thank you so much” and made quips about both men being bald.

Infantino is aiming to be re-elected for a fourth and final term in office through 2031 at the FIFA election congress next March in Rabat, Morocco. FIFA has set Nov. 18 as a deadline for would-be candidates to enter the race.

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here

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Bitcoin had dropped from a January high around $95,000 to below $60,000 at the end of June. Investors shied away from speculative assets earlier in the year and crypto supporters were concerned about the lack of movement on proposed regulation of the industry. On Friday, bitcoin rose above $77,000.

Gold hit a high above $5,300 in January but dropped to around $4,000 in June as rising rates made interest-bearing investments more attractive. Gold rose to $4,661 on Friday.

The first jolt arrived Wednesday when the Treasury Department announced plans to significantly increase its buybacks of long-term Treasurys, or government debt. On the same day, President Donald Trump, who made about $1.2 billion last year from various crypto holdings, urged Congress to move quickly on crypto legislation.

There was an almost immediate reaction, which included a dollar sell-off, and a jump in the value of gold and bitcoin as investors moved toward alternative assets.

How these two investments caught fire can be understood in the context of several developments this week.

The Treasury stepped into the bond market - forcefully

In a surprise announcement Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury Department said that it would at least double the size of its planned purchases of longer-term government debt. The maneuver was intended to calm bond markets after a sustained sell-off, meaning investors were asking for higher yields to lend money to the U.S., which suddenly seemed more risky.

That's because while the Treasury intervention worked, at least for a short period, it also raised questions about whether the government is trying to push borrowing costs lower despite inflationary pressures. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is attempting to lower long-term borrowing costs, a move that can put upward pressure on inflation at a time when inflation is already elevated. Bessent's maneuver could handcuff the Federal Reserve, which fights inflation by raising interest rates.

Debt, inflation, and the “debasement trade” heat up

Then there's the national debt, which surpassed a record $40 trillion on the same day that the Treasury's actions unfolded. The milestone figure was recorded just five months after the U.S. hit a record $39 trillion debt in March. It reached $38 trillion five months before that, in October.

There is already a lot of anxiety over inflation, particularly because of the conflict in Iran and soaring energy prices. If yields on U.S. bonds are not truly reflecting risk, you can often see that play out in the value of the U.S. currency, which took a significant downward swoop Wednesday.

So where does the money that was invested in the dollar or Treasurys go? This week, it appears to have been funneled into what is known as the “debasement trade,” when investors flood into alternative assets such as gold, which rose more than 2% Wednesday. The debasement trade now includes bitcoin. Bitcoin jumped more than 20% this week.

Crypto had a very good week in Washington

On Wednesday President Donald Trump, who banked nearly $1.2 billion from his crypto businesses last year, held a crypt conference at the White House where he called on Congress to pass the crypto-friendly Clarity Act, saying that it would "keep us ahead of China, keep us ahead of everyone else.”

Trump then yielded the floor to Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Mike Selig, who vowed to “use every tool available” to advance Trump’s agenda.

Selig’s comments came ahead of a CFTC meeting Thursday examining ways the agency can use its existing authority to ease crypto rules. A day earlier, other regulators proposed rules making it easier for crypto companies and projects to raise money from the public.

Since taking office, Trump has pushed policies friendly to the crypto industry and reversed a Biden administration regulatory crackdown.

Bitcoin's big squeeze sent prices even higher

Bitcoin can sometimes get a bump when the U.S. dollar is on the ropes as investors try to unload the U.S. currency. But you don't typically see the kind of related movement that was observed with bitcoin this week.

The price of bitcoin had been stuck between $62,000 and $67,000 for weeks. Investors seized on that weakness, many placing bets that the cryptocurrency would be stuck in that range for some time to come.

However, on the day that the Treasury announced its buybacks, Treasury yields fell, as did the dollar, and bitcoin blasted through that upper level of $67,000.

The Treasury's actions negatively affected the money investors could make on U.S. bonds and the dollar, and boosted the value of bitcoin. That meant that many investors who had shorted bitcoin, or bet that its price would remain subdued, were forced to close their positions as bitcoin surged. Closing those bearish positions required buying back the digital asset, adding even more upward pressure to bitcoin’s price.

By Friday, more than $4 billion in bearish crypto positions had been liquidated during the rally, according to CoinGlass, which tracks cryptocurrency derivatives markets.

And because bitcoin was already rising, those forced purchases added fuel to the rally, potentially triggering still more liquidations as prices climbed.

Just two days after U.S. negotiators reportedly asked Israel to draw down attacks in the Gaza Strip, at least 10 people were killed Wednesday in two strikes, according to local hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent. Israeli troops also crossed the ceasefire line in southern Gaza and detained a Hamas police colonel at dawn Wednesday, two witnesses and a Hamas official said.

Israel's military said one of the strikes on Wednesday, in the area of Nuseirat refugee camp, struck a Hamas commander who had participated in the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 abducted. A second strike in the Tuffah area of Gaza City struck four Hamas militants gathering in a police station, the military said, claiming they were planning to carry out attacks against Israeli troops.

Israel's military said a strike the day before targeted a meeting of four Hamas commanders and additional militants.

The commanders killed included Muhammad Hamdi Ahmad Al-Masri, Muhammad Attar and Muhammad Fathi Hussein Nasser, all accused of carrying out terrorist attacks against Israeli troops, and Samed Samir Harb Abu Habal, who infiltrated Israeli territory during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, according to a statement from Israel's military.

The Hamas-run Interior Ministry said the Wednesday Gaza City strike on the police station killed eight police officers and a 13-year-old girl. Two officers were women, it said. One person was killed in Nuseirat. On Tuesday evening, an Israeli strike on a busy seaside cafe killed seven Palestinians, including a child, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Jared Kushner, a U.S. negotiator and President Donald Trump's son-in-law, held a marathon meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, in which he asked Israel's leader to draw down attacks on Gaza, a person familiar with the meeting said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to brief journalists.

Also on Wednesday, Israel's military said it had completed reviews of 150 incidents of troop conduct during the war in Gaza and would launch criminal investigations into the 2024 killings of a 5-year-old girl and her family, as well as of 15 Palestinian paramedics in 2025.

At least 17 killed in Israeli strikes

The deadly strikes in Gaza on Tuesday and Wednesday exacted more casualties even as a ceasefire that’s been in place since October has significantly diminished the fighting in the tiny enclave where more than 2 million Palestinians live. Since the ceasefire, Israeli strikes have killed at least 1,273 people, according to health officials in Gaza.

The nearly three-year Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 73,400 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and international organizations. It doesn't distinguish between civilians and militants, but says women and children make up around half of the toll.

In the early hours of Wednesday, at least 15 Israeli troops entered the Muwasi coastal area, west of the city of Khan Younis, two residents and a Hamas official said.

Accompanied by armed men, the troops stormed the tent of Sabri Abdel-All, a colonel for the Hamas-led Blue Police in Khan Younis. They also detained another resident identified as Nashat Ezzat Zaarab, they said.

The two residents and the Hamas official spoke on condition of anonymity for their safety.

Latest ceasefire negotiations offer few concrete commitments

On the diplomatic front, the ceasefire also appears stalled. Trump's initial ceasefire plan laid out a broad vision for ending Hamas’ rule in Gaza and rebuilding the territory, much of which was reduced to rubble during the war.

But since last fall, major sticking points have emerged on the conditions of Hamas' disarmament and Israel's withdrawal — and which should come first.

Earlier this month, Trump announced that Hamas had agreed to disarm. But Hamas said it would begin to disarm if Israel halts strikes and withdraws, adding that laying down its heavy weapons would come later and be contingent on the creation of a Palestinian state — something Israel’s government rejects.

Netanyahu also pushed back on the deal, saying Israel won't withdraw from its current lines in Gaza until Hamas has completely disarmed.

After Wednesday's strikes, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem lashed out at the Board of Peace — the body Trump established to oversee the ceasefire — saying it has provided a "cover” for Israel to escalate its attacks in Gaza instead of pressuring it to abide by the ceasefire agreement.

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Associated Press journalists Julia Frankel and Giovanna Dell'Orto in Jerusalem; Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel; and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed.

Jeffrey Huber still remembers the day some 34 years ago when Hurricane Andrew blew off the roof of his childhood home, one of tens of thousands damaged and destroyed across southern Florida. For days, first responders couldn't get to them. For a month and a half, they relied on food donations. For more than a year, he lived with his family in a trailer.

“It wasn’t just about the storm itself, but it was about the aftermath of that storm and how we begin to design for those aspects,” said Huber, a landscape architect and professor who was 12 in 1992 when the Category 5 hurricane hit. "We are seeing extreme storms, extreme scenarios like this that are becoming much more common."

Some 129 million people — nearly 40% of the U.S. population — live in coastal counties. Recent research shows that a rise in sea level driven by humans has increased the frequency of extreme coastal flooding around the world.

As climate change threatens communities, Florida is showing how to build to adapt. Throughout the state, architects and designers are merging infrastructure with urban design to create residential buildings, parks and more. The goal is to better withstand rising waters, worsening storms, saltwater intrusion, heat heaves and other climate impacts.

“In places like Miami, we’re dealing with a combination of tidal flooding, storm surge and long-term sea level rise," said Huber, professor in the School of Architecture at Florida Atlantic University. "So the question isn’t about how we stop water, but it’s how we live on, with and over it.”

Seawalls that double as reefs

As global average temperatures climb because of fossil fuel emissions, so do sea levels, making low-lying coastal cities vulnerable to flooding.

Frequent flooding and intensifying storm surges got so bad in Miami Beach that when it rained, Anya Freeman rushed home to move her car because her street filled with knee-deep water and she couldn't get car insurance for flooding.

"But nobody was doing anything practical about it," she said. So in 2024, she left behind her career as a lawyer to launch Kind Designs, a startup creating 3D-printed living seawalls to protect shorelines from flooding.

These seawalls are meant to be affordable so they can be scaled, and also serve as marine habitat. They're made faster and with a nontoxic concrete mixture and can be custom shaped for the ecosystems where they're installed. On a recent August day, workers in neon-green shirts and yellow construction hats installed one mimicking mangroves at a waterfront church in Fort Lauderdale, north of Miami.

Traditional seawalls are flat, but theirs can be designed to mimic natural coastal features like the mangrove roots you'd find in Miami or barnacle clusters in New York.

“We have a whole library of designs for different marine habitats, and the point is to attract the native species... create caves where they can hide from predators and also to dissipate waves," she said.

Their technology dissipates at least 45% of wave energy, making it more resilient to overtopping and erosion. On one wall, researchers from Florida International University identified 51 species living in it one year after installation, including filter feeders like oysters and tubeworms that clean water.

They've since installed 16 living seawalls across Florida for residential, commercial and government clients, she said. Soon they'll put their first ones in California and New York and will be fortifying coastal bases for the U.S. Navy.

Affordable housing project and park

The Vista Breeze affordable senior housing project in Miami Beach by the architectural firm Brooks Scarpa Huber is a real-world application of how to live with the threats of water.

The 119-unit, two-building complex is elevated 10 feet (3.05 meters) from sea level and is designed to withstand storm surges of up to 20 feet (6.10 meters). Concrete is mixed with a crystalline, water-proof powder that blocks water from penetrating into it, protecting structures and extending their life. Rebar coated in zinc shields it from rust and corrosion.

They're “some of the most simple, easy steps and they don’t cost that much,” said Huber, the project's principal architect. “But they’re going to make our buildings more resilient starting up front.”

From a heat-mitigation standpoint, the buildings are oriented southeast to the prevailing breezes, passively cooling themselves.

There are also community rooms, courtyards and terraces to promote socializing. The elevators are hidden, and the stairs made prominent to encourage their use.

About 30 miles north, a former parking lot was transformed into a public space that doubles as flood infrastructure. DC Alexander Park in Fort Lauderdale has a 25-foot artistic overlook that provides shade on hot days.

Along the park's perimeter, a native maritime forest absorbs rainfall and saltwater flooding while providing recreational opportunities and species habitat.

These designs build on Huber's research on adapting coastal cities to rising seas, which he wrote about in his 2024 design manual “Salty Urbanism.”

Miami, he said, is a testing ground for it.

“The ideas that we’re working on here... designing for, you know, these extreme scenarios like 5, 9 feet of sea level rise are going to become increasingly relevant to any coastal cities around the world," he said.

Visions for the future

Financing, policy and community support are just some of the challenges architects and urban planners face with implementation.

About a decade ago, architectural designer, urban planner and Future Vision Studios founder Aaron DeMayo began developing The Coastline, a regional resilience master plan proposal to protect Southern Florida from storm surge and sea level rise.

Funding it will have a large price tag, but “the need and the urgency I think merits this type of infrastructure solution,” he said.

“We have a massive amount of low-lying property and property that could be impacted from storm surge," he said. "And what we’re presenting here is going to have a very large return on investment because we’re protecting hundreds of miles of direct waterfront property, as well as property behind that waterfront property.”

At the University of Miami’s Center for Urban and Community Design — founded after the 1992 hurricane that damaged Huber’s home — designer, architect and the center's director Thomas Klein is working to address a problem: a lack of assistance to help lower-income communities afford climate resilient projects.

They're putting together a community design fund that would do a call out for project proposals, work with communities to identify which would have the most impact, then bring in university experts to help develop them with residents.

For Klein, funding scarcity for climate resilient infrastructure is an opportunity to build in a way that provides multiple services.

“In 2026, is it acceptable to just build a road to move cars? Or does the road need to also move bicyclists and have a bus rapid transit lane, but also manage stormwater and ameliorate for heat island issues?" he said. This fall, they're also launching an initiative to conceptualize and design “sponge parks” in South Florida that use green and other infrastructure to absorb rain and manage stormwater.

Florida is a challenging regulatory environment, he added, but the solutions evolving there are “uniquely replicable” to other states. “Because we have to rely on a narrower band of potential approaches to actualizing solutions for resilience in our cities, that those solutions might be a little bit more, I guess, resilient.”

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

The remarks by Doron Spielman, spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, were some of the first public comments since U.S. President Donald Trump announced the agreement.

Spielman told The Associated Press that Israel's intelligence assessment is that Hamas remains committed to rebuilding its military rather than genuinely demilitarizing. He said the Israeli military would not withdraw from Gaza — where it controls more than 60% of the territory — before Hamas disarms.

“Our assessment is that if we redeploy before Hamas is truly disarmed, it will quickly expand its presence throughout Gaza, rebuild its terrorist infrastructure, once again threaten Israeli communities, and seek to carry out another Oct. 7-style attack,” he said, referring to the Hamas militant attack on Israel in 2023 that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip.

“Disarming means physically giving up the weapons. Nothing less,” Spielman said.

His comments come days after Hamas said that it would begin disarming as part of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire signed nine months ago to end the nearly three-year-long conflict. It marks a potential breakthrough in ending the conflict, but many hurdles, conditions and long timelines remain.

Hamas says it's agreed to disarm but the process has obstacles

Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan calls on the militant group to surrender its weapons and destroy its vast network of tunnels. It also envisions Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza, the arrival of a new technocratic Palestinian government, deployment of an international security force and the rebuilding of the battered Palestinian enclave.

Hamas disarming has been a sticking point and has deadlocked negotiations for months. In announcing the deal on social media on Thursday, Trump said it would be carried out in “carefully structured phases.”

A copy of the agreement obtained and verified by the AP said that all weapons held by the Hamas-run police will be transferred to the U.S.-backed Palestinian technocratic committee, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, upon its arrival in the enclave. It’s not clear when that would happen since it is contingent on other steps.

A process to decommission and store heavy weapons and to dismantle military production sites and tunnels will begin after the arrival of the Palestinian committee and the deployment of international forces. The process will be linked to a phased Israeli withdrawal, according to the agreement.

The areas Israel controls in Gaza have been mostly destroyed and depopulated. Most of the territory’s 2 million Palestinians are in the other part, where hundreds of thousands live in squalid tent camps and destroyed neighborhoods.

Israel appears unlikely to pull back significant forces or make other concessions ahead of its October elections. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a tough reelection battle, with his far-right coalition partners urging him to keep up the pressure on Hamas and leave forces in Gaza, and opponents accusing him of failing to prevent the Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli communities then, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 others hostage. Israel responded with a punishing military offensive that has killed more than 73,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and international organizations. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants but says women and children make up around half of all fatalities.

Israel warns that Hamas is rearming

While Spielman said Israel greatly appreciates Trump’s commitment to its security and to finding a durable resolution, the government's position on disarmament is based on detailed intelligence saying that Hamas continues to rearm, recruit fighters, and rebuild its military capabilities.

The White House did not provide additional comments on Sunday, when asked specifically about Israel’s assessment that Hamas remains committed to rebuilding its military.

U.S. officials, who briefed reporters on the disarmament agreement last week, said that Israel had been consulted at every step of the negotiations and was not being asked to do anything more than what it had committed to as part of the ceasefire and hostage release agreement signed last October.

It's unclear what exactly Israel conveyed to the White House. Two people with knowledge of the deal told the AP that Israel had communicated its issues with it to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who's part of the Trump-led Board of Peace. One of them said that among the points Israel wanted was freedom to conduct military operations in Gaza. They spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

According to another person familiar with the deal, the Israelis raised two other issues: that Qatar and Turkey not be involved in verifying the stages of the agreement, and that Hamas’ weapons be destroyed after confiscation. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Israel continues to strike Gaza

Since the ceasefire was signed last October, Israel has continued striking Gaza, saying it’s targeting Hamas and its infrastructure.

Local Gaza hospitals said at least 17 were killed in the latest Israeli strikes, including children. A strike on a residential apartment in southern Gaza killed three family members, including their 4-year-old child, according to Nasser hospital, where the bodies arrived.

The Israeli military said the strikes had targeted militant operatives.

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Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.

“It’s extremely important to us,” said Itai Nixon, who leads the diaspora department for Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs. “We’re the state of the Jewish people, not just Israelis.”

Lesley Sachs, who has protested the current Israeli government and chairs the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, also considers a close relationship with diaspora Jews a “strategic asset” for both Israel and Jews worldwide.

So she’s greatly concerned about diaspora Jews losing the sense that Israel can be a homeland for them, especially as rising antisemitism targets them regardless of political and religious affiliations.

“That was always really, really important that everybody around the world, especially after the Holocaust, knows that there is a country that will always take them,” Sachs said in her synagogue in Tel Aviv. “This is already a few generations after, and this is less prominent in their DNA. And I think that this is really a failure on the part of both Israel and world Jewry, that we have not managed to keep that prominent.”

Since 2000, Taglit-Birthright Israel has brought a million Jewish young adults from the United States and elsewhere for a free 10-day “discovery” tour of Israel. The organization’s CEO says it’s more necessary than ever to show what their connection to Israel could be like beyond controversial politics.

“That really increases the importance of my job to expose people to what they give up on,” said Gidi Mark. “What we give them is a mirror.”

The staunch Israel-US relationship shows some cracks

Israel and the United States have long been staunch allies. U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Washington earlier this week to discuss the war against Iran they launched together five months ago.

“The United States is perceived as the best friend of Israel in the entire world, and that’s still the case,” said Tamar Hermann, who directs the Israel Democracy Institute’s Viterbi Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research in Jerusalem.

Divisions over the ceasefire in the Iran war, however, have weakened Jewish Israelis’ belief that Trump prioritizes Israel’s security — from 64% in March to 26% in June — according to the center.

Amid diplomatic tensions, the role of Jewish Americans who historically lobbied for political, military and financial support for Israel gains new prominence, Israelis said. And that deepens the concern that many young progressive Americans, including Jews, now see supporting Israel in any way as irreconcilable with their worldview.

The decline in support for Israel has become particularly stark since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack when Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians in southern Israel, and abducted 251 others. Israel’s ensuing war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 73,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and international organizations. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants but says women and children make up around half of all fatalities.

That in turn ignited protests across the United States, especially on college campuses.

“Holocaust, refugees, the importance of Israel in times of need abroad, and the fact that Israel is a small country fighting for its existence … that’s history they read in a book,” Sachs said of younger Jewish Americans. “They weren’t emotionally part of it in any way or any form. And so they look at their values and the things that they believe in. And they don’t see it in Israel.”

Jewish Americans have a complicated relationship with Israel

Only about 4 in 10 religious Jewish adults under 45 in the United States say that supporting Israel is “extremely” or “very” important for their Jewish identity, while about half of older religious Jewish adults do, according to the AP-NORC poll.

The survey of 1,022 Jewish adults — including people who identify as Jewish by religion and religiously unaffiliated people who identify as Jewish through culture, ethnicity or family background — also found that only about half of religious adults say Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza are justified. The number drops to 2 in 10 among Jewish adults without a religious affiliation.

At the same time, about 6 in 10 Jewish adults say prejudice against Jewish people is an “extremely” or “very” serious problem in the United States today.

To many Israelis, safety threats against Jews make it all the more tragic — and dangerous — that young Jewish Americans do not see the state of Israel as a refuge or even an ally.

“Antisemitism sadly helps us to explain why a Jewish homeland is not a bad idea,” said Asaf Zamir, a deputy mayor of Tel Aviv who served as consul general in New York. “Opposing the government is fine, but you cannot understand your history as a Jew without understanding the part of Israel in it.”

Israel reaches out to secular and liberal Jews in North America

In order to promote deeper attachment between Israel and diaspora Jews, both the government and religious organizations are reinforcing exchange programs. For decades, young Israelis have traveled to Jewish summer camps across North America, and non-Israeli Jews get free trips to Israel.

“To see Israel and meet Israelis is the gold standard,” Itai Nixon said of programs bringing teens to the country.

Taglit-Birthright’s Gidi Mark said that since 2023, with multiple wars, tour participants are fewer — and their reactions to touring Israel have also changed. He recalled one participant shouting “Israel! Israel!” outside his hotel just because he felt safe to express himself.

“These people don’t feel free to experience who they are in the places that they are coming from,” Mark said.

These and other initiatives are focusing on secular Jews and adherents to Reform Judaism. The largest branch of the religion in North America, it emphasizes progressive values such as social justice.

Orthodox Jews abroad tend to have stronger ties to Israel — and Orthodox Jews in Israel tend to see themselves as closer to diaspora Jews than do secular Israelis, Hermann said.

Within the Israeli Reform movement, which is a small part of Judaism in the country, there’s a push to send more young Israelis to the United States, including as camp counselors.

“That kind of action is important, that one-on-one connection saying, ‘You know what, we believe in the same things you do. Really, we have the same ideology in general, and we feel we need to change Israel together,'" Sachs said. “We need to be partners in making Israel the country that we all need.”

Alma Edry, 18, is spending two months as a counselor at a progressive Jewish summer camp in Ontario with teens and young adults from Canada and the United States. She said her biggest surprise has been “that Israel is such a big deal for people outside the country.”

“Most of their friends are anti-Israel,” she said of the campers. “This is their chance to celebrate their connection.”

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

Given that the state easily backed Republican Donald Trump three times and hasn't supported a Democrat for the White House since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, the answer may seem obvious.

But in Nebraska’s largest city, it's an open question and could decide one of the country’s most-watched congressional races. Retiring Rep. Don Bacon ’s open seat pits fellow Republican and Omaha City Councilmember Brinker Harding against Democratic activist Denise Powell.

The district encompasses an increasingly Democratic-leaning Omaha metro area of 1 million-plus and its more conservative suburbs — famous for steaks and the Reuben sandwich's birthplace, though New York disputes that.

It's one of just eight districts nationwide that elected Republicans in House races while supporting Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris over Trump two years ago.

Harding and Powell have been making the rounds at parades and festivals where meat raffles offer oversized sausages as prizes. However, those on-the-ground appeals could be drowned out by Trump who, like most things in politics, has moved to shape November's midterm elections in his own image.

The president is organizing a Republican midterm convention in Dallas next month that will serve as much a two-day rally for him as a boon to party candidates nationwide. Trump is also frequently visiting tightly contested districts, despite his low approval ratings and the unpopular war in Iran.

While Trump centers himself, Democrats are happy to oblige.

When Powell knocks on doors to talk to voters, she asks, “What’s keeping you up at night?” On a sweaty Saturday afternoon, John Rosseter responded without hesitation. “Well, Trump.”

“I want to see the history books written years from now,” said Rosseter, 67, who owns a carpentry business. “They won’t be pretty.”

The ‘Blue Dot’ hasn't helped Democratic House candidates

Nebraska splits its presidential electoral votes, and the 2nd Congressional District's delegate has gone to Democrats three out of five times since 2008, making it a “ blue dot ” in an otherwise Republican red state. But a Democrat has won the House seat just once since 1994.

Harding plays up Trump's primary endorsement, and House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise campaigned for him. Harding said he has “the full confidence of, not only the White House, but leadership in the Congress.”

He has also tried to appeal to swing voters and says he knows the district better than does Powell, co-founder of Women Who Run Nebraska, which supports female candidates.

Two possible Democratic 2028 presidential candidates — ex-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Rahm Emanuel, an ex-Chicago mayor who was President Barack Obama's first White House chief of staff — have campaigned with Powell.

She talks about how Medicare cuts have increased anxiety about affordability. Powell also points to Trump and his family's business dealings as an example of “the choices that they have made while people on the ground are struggling” and she says that resonates with Republicans.

“Even the ones who aren’t necessarily anti-Trump," Powell said, "understand the need for checks and balances.”

Some Democrats want a 'Blue Dot Wave'

Jason Brown and his wife, Ruth Huebner-Brown, caused a sensation in 2024 by spray painting about 50 reused lawn signs with blue dots and distributing them around Omaha's Dundee neighborhood. The couple has since expanded to professionally produce signs promoting a “Blue Dot Wave.”

Brown said the Republican-controlled Congress has capitulated on “every Trump nominee, every Trump policy, all the way down to putting gilding gold on statues.”

Supporters of Harding have countered with red “Brinker Dot" signs.

“We need to make sure that we keep this country on the track to being even better,” Harding said.

Jack Hosking, the 90-year-old retired former head of a title insurance company, organizes a weekly coffee to discuss political and community issues. He estimated that about 70% of attendees are Trump voters and “maybe even more so lately, because of the crap that the New York mayor started,” referring to Zohran Mamdani's efforts at pushing the Democratic Party to the left.

Both Powell and Harding have addressed Hosking's group, though, and he predicted that as much as half will support the Democrat.

“She spoke well enough that, my sense is, a lot of them will cross over," Hosking said, noting that when it came to campaigning, “Brinker’s not doing much.”

The president seen as a base motivator

The Republican National Committee views Trump as a national asset, betting he can prevent complacency in a year without a presidential race, when enthusiasm for the party in power typically wanes.

The committee rebranded its “Young Guns” program for key candidates to “MAGA Majority” in deference to Trump's “Make America Great Again” movement, and many congressional candidates will be at the Dallas convention with Trump.

Others aren't waiting that long.

Republican Reps. Mike Lawler of New York and Tom Barrett of Michigan, whom Democrats are aiming to unseat, both appeared with Trump during his rallies in their districts. When the president visited Macungie, Pennsylvania, in June, he joined Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, saying, “I’m here for him.”

Trump also traveled to the Wisconsin district of Republican Rep. Derreck Van Orden, as have Cabinet members.

Rep. Juan Ciscomani, facing a reelection fight, appeared with Trump during an April event in Arizona. Two Iowa Republicans in what could be toss-up reelection contests, Reps Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, both were by Trump's side when he kicked off his midterm campaign outside Des Moines.

Bacon sometimes defied the White House in his final term. He criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and tried to curb Trump’s ability to impose tariffs and was the only House Republican who opposed renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

Mary Jane Truemper, who heads the Nebraska Republican Party, said Powell and the state's Democrats have moved too far to the left. She called Harding “a steady force” and said the nominee is not as fond of picking high-profile fights the way Bacon sometimes was.

“I think he speaks to the moderate Democrats as well as the Republicans,” said Truemper, who managed Bacon’s reelection campaign in 2018 and also worked for an unsuccessful primary challenger to him.

Even Powell said, “Don Bacon was a good representative of this district, and I think that there are a lot of people drawn to a pragmatic style of leadership in a state like ours.” But that may not be enough this year.

“People are worse off than they were before,” Powell said.

A local race may expose a wider party divide among neighbors

In the Elmwood Park neighborhood, Andy Maxwell, a 58-year-old pediatrician, said he likes to find the middle ground in politics and his community. But he recalled that, after putting up a Biden sign in his yard in 2020, his neighbors erected a Trump one.

“We don’t like all the turmoil part of it,” Maxwell said of politics nationally.

Nearby, 80-year-old Jerard Pearson called Democrats “feckless,” but said of Trump's base supporters, “I’ve always been curious about this one-third level of crazy out there, a third of the population.” He is also no fan of a neighbor's large “Harding for Congress” sign.

Truemper said Harding appreciates Trump's endorsement but Nebraskans like to be wooed "person-to-person, rather than a national entity coming in."

“Is that going to be the deciding factor?" she asked of Trump. "I don't know.”

The 16,250 doses arrived at the N’djili International Airport in the capital, Kinshasa, late Friday, as part of 70,000 doses expected from the World Health Organization and partners that were announced on Thursday. More doses are expected early next week.

The current Ebola outbreak in Congo is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which currently has no approved treatment or vaccine. It can spread easily and go undetected because some of its symptoms are similar to other illnesses, such as malaria. The Ervebo vaccine is licensed to treat Ebola and has been effective in past outbreaks. The WHO said it may provide some protection against the Bundibugyo virus.

The latest outbreak, which has recorded 2,557 deaths out of the 5,375 confirmed cases across six affected provinces, is spreading at an unprecedented rate and is on track to surpass the deadliest outbreak on record, which killed over 11,000 people across West Africa between 2014 and 2016. Data from the Africa Centre for Disease Control shows that transmission has not yet peaked and could reach three times its known rate.

Efforts to contain the outbreak have been hampered by armed conflict between the government and rebel groups, which control key cities in the hot spot; attacks on medical personnel and facilities; an itinerant labor population and people displaced by the armed conflict; and a lack of critical infrastructure.

Guo Degang, the country’s most prominent performer of traditional xiangsheng, a form of Chinese comedic dialogue, is under investigation by local authorities in the city of Wuhan in central China, local media reported. Guo's show on Friday in the northwestern city of Xi’an was canceled due to “venue issues," a statement on ticketing platform Damai released by his promotion company showed.

The company offered refunds for tickets as well as travel and hotel expenses. The exhibition center hosting the performance in Xi’an, which also cited “venue issues” on Wednesday, said the show had been “postponed,” without giving a new date.

Local media reports said several of Guo’s shows scheduled in August across cities were canceled.

The investigation highlights China’s stricter controls and censorship of the entertainment and arts industries, where performers and artists have to navigate an environment where “red lines” are often unclear and shifting.

Guo was reported to Wuhan's culture and tourism authorities after he changed a lyric from “it is quiet along Weishan Lake” to “it is quiet in the Forbidden City” while performing at a show in the city last month, according to local media reports and videos shown on social media platforms.

The Forbidden City, once home to China’s emperors for hundreds of years, is now a museum that attracts over 10 million visitors each year.

Neither Guo nor his show promotor immediately responded to the AP’s emails seeking for comment on Saturday.

Guo’s performance had been approved in advance by local authorities in Wuhan, but the lyric change had not, which may have violated regulations governing commercial performances according to The Paper, a Shanghai-based news outlet.

The lyrics are from “Playing My Beloved Pipa,” a song from Railway Guerrilla, a well-known 1950s film about Communist-led guerrillas fighting Japanese forces during World War II. Pipa is a traditional Chinese stringed instrument, similar to a lute.

It is a popular song among the public. It was once played at CCTV Spring Festival gala in 1998, and was also selected in 2019 by the Chinese Communist Party’s Publicity Department as one of 100 songs recommended to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Guo is widely considered as the one who brought xiangsheng closer to the younger generation in China. The traditional art form was more regional and more popular among the older audience.

This is not the first time that performers facing consequences over their work on stage. In 2023, comedian Li Haoshi, known by his stage name House, sparked controversy after describing dogs chasing squirrels with a military slogan. Xiaoguo Culture Media, the company he worked for, was later fined 14.7 million yuan ($2.13 million), and Li has not appeared in public performances in mainland China since.

Edman hit a line drive to left field off Gregory Soto (5-4), scoring automatic runner Kiké Hernández from third, keeping the Dodgers as the only undefeated team in extra innings in the majors with a 5-0 record.

With Hernández starting at second, pinch-hitter Alex Call struck out and Mookie Betts was intentionally walked. Kyle Tucker grounded into a fielder's choice to second, where Betts was out.

Evan Phillips (1-2) got the win with one inning of relief.

The NL West-leading Dodgers have won eight of their last 11.

Pittsburgh's Oneil Cruz hit a two-run homer off reliever Kyle Hurt in the eighth to make it 4-4.

Betts hit a two-run single with two outs in the third to make it 4-2.

Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed two runs and five hits in 6 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts.

The Japanese right-hander was lifted after putting the tying runs aboard in the seventh. Jake Mangum had a leadoff double and Yamamoto hit Jared Triolo. Reliever Brock Stewart came on to retire the next two batters and end the inning.

Pirates reliever Luke Bachar set up the struggling Tucker for a potential Hollywood ending in the bottom of the seventh. Shohei Ohtani drew a leadoff walk and stole second. Two outs later, Bachar issued back-to-back walks to Max Muncy and Betts to load the bases and bring up Tucker. However, he flied out to center to end the threat.

Muncy's two-run, two-out homer in the first gave the Dodgers to a 2-1 lead.

The Pirates led 1-0 on Nick Gonzales' RBI single to center in the top of the inning. He tied the game 2-2 with an RBI single to center in the third.

Up next

Pirates RHP Jared Jones (2-5, 4.78 ERA) starts Saturday against Dodgers LHP Tarik Skubal (7-7, 2.85). Skubal is 0-2 with a 3.18 ERA since being traded to Los Angeles earlier this month.

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

“It felt great,” Nix said after working with new play-caller Davis Webb for the first time in a game. “Just like any typical year, going out for the first drive, there's going to be some different things that you can grow from. But I felt like for the first drive of the season it was solid.

“I think the strongest emotion was when I got out there it was just like riding a bike; nothing really changed.”

Nix's second and final series ended with a 53-yard field goal from Wil Lutz, but Pierre Strong Jr. returned the ensuing kickoff 68 yards, setting up Trey Smack's first of four field goals, a 51-yarder that tied it at 10.

The Nix-Waddle connection is a work in progress as Nix missed most of the offseason and Waddle missed a week of training camp.

“It’s coming along," Waddle said. "We’ve got a lot of work to do. But it was a good time. It’s good to get back out there with all the guys.”

Nix completed 6 of 9 passes for 76 yards and the touchdown in his first live action for the Broncos (1-1) since breaking his right ankle against Buffalo in the playoffs seven months ago. He underwent surgery in January and had a follow-up procedure to remove bone spurs in the spring.

The Packers (1-1) dominated every phase in snapping Denver's eight-game winning streak in the preseason.

“I can't think of one area we outplayed them,” lamented Broncos coach Sean Payton.

Jordan Love drove Green Bay on a 12-play, 63-yard touchdown drive in his only series, which he capped with an 11-yard touchdown throw to Lloyd for a 7-0 lead.

That series looked short-lived when cornerback Riley Moss recovered Christian Watson's fumble on the second play of the game, but a review determined Watson's knee was down just as the Pat Surtain II was ripping the ball out of Watson's arms.

“He's definitely one of the best corners in the game,” Love said about Surtain. “And he does a great job just everything he does. So, definitely got a lot of respect for him. He made a great play trying to get the ball out, but that's just what he does. He's a sticky corner. He does a lot of good things. I'm excited for him, the year he's going to have.”

Moss, who's had a terrific training camp and had an interception in Denver's 27-7 win over Atlanta in the Broncos' preseason opener, left the game with a rib injury later in that drive and didn't return.

Former University of Colorado receiver Will Sheppard's toe-dragging 2-yard touchdown catch from Tyrod Taylor gave Green Bay a 17-10 lead and Smack kicked field goals of 59 and 44 yards sandwiched around Mark Perry's interception of Broncos backup Jarrett Stidham's pass to send Green Bay into halftime with a 23-10 lead.

Jaden Nixon's 3-yard TD run made it 30-13 and Smack added a 38-yard field goal with 1:05 remaining.

The Broncos were upset about their performance but happy to see Nix back.

“I thought he did a great job,” said Broncos QB Sam Ehlinger, who is vying for the backup job with Stidham. “It was right back to post-season form, really. Didn't miss a beat. Really happy for him. He's in a great spot. He's been looking good and clearly he's feeling good.”

Up next

Packers: Host Arizona on Friday night.

Broncos: Host Minnesota on Friday night.

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Many of the basic facts jurors have learned are not in dispute.

Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight were in Las Vegas to watch a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Just outside, Shakur, Knight and their entourage got into a brawl with Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson.

Later that night, Shakur and Knight were in a black BMW at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip, when a white Cadillac with four men inside pulled up beside them and someone opened fire. Shakur was shot multiple times and died six days later. Knight survived with minor injuries.

Years later, Davis would say he procured the gun and his nephew fired the shots. Davis' lawyers have disputed the statements and fought unsuccessfully to get them excluded. The other men in the Cadillace have since died, limiting eyewitness testimony.

The dispute had its roots in the long-running feud between the Mob Piru Bloods, a gang Knight and Shakur were affiliated with, and the South Side Compton Crips, for whom Davis was a prominent leader.

A jury of six men and 10 women — four are alternates — will decide whether Davis, 63, is guilty of one count of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. He has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could get life in prison.

Here's a closer look at the first week of the trial that is expected to last about a month.

Is Keffe D admitting old truths — or as his lawyer says, ‘full of crap’?

A prosecutor said in his opening statement that Davis' own words — in interviews with police, podcasters and filmmakers — would prove he orchestrated the killing.

“Let’s be clear, Duane Davis did not pull the trigger. But he did plan the shooting in retaliation of the beating of his nephew,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors. “Remarkably, you will learn that from Duane Davis himself.”

“Now, 30 years later, we’re going to ask you to finally hold Duane Davis accountable,” Palal said.

Davis' defense attorney Michael Sanft took the unusual approach of telling jurors his client's words were all bloviating and braggadocio, and did not represent the truth.

“What they are telling you, they are representing as fact, when it’s really fiction,” said Sanft. He said Davis wasn’t previously charged because law enforcement knew that he was “full of crap.”

Who are the witnesses and what have they said about the 1996 shooting?

Seventeen witnesses testified through the first five days, a little under half the number prosecutors said they plan to call at the trial.

They included a police officer, Garry Dale, who first responded to the scene, jumped into the ambulance with Shakur and asked him who shot him. “We'll take care of it,” was Dale's best memory of what Shakur said.

Brent Becker, a homicide detective from the initial investigation, said that despite being able to get probable identification on the men in the Cadillac from confidential informants, it was of little use because no witnesses would say anything solid on the record.

That included Knight. “I thought he lied to us,” Becker said.

Some of the case's most compelling witnesses — formerly gang-affiliated men who testified unwillingly under court order — essentially refused to help the prosecution that summoned them, but provided drama and humor that was absent from the more sterile official testimony.

They included James McDonald, a former Mob Piru member who helped Knight with security.

“I’m aware of a lot of things,” McDonald said on the stand, “things that was going on, people ain’t talked about them in 30 years. Today ain’t one of them.”

He directly addressed the defendant. “What you’re going through, brother, is what you’re going through,” McDonald said, adding “I didn’t want to be a part of it.”

Knight is on the prosecution's witness list, but will likely take a similar approach should he be called. He's in prison serving a 28-year sentence for an unrelated killing in California.

Leonard Jefferson, who took the last known photo of Shakur, also took the stand. Police developed Jefferson’s film and returned the photo negatives days after Shakur died.

In the frame, Shakur looks directly at the camera while Knight stares ahead, his hand on the steering wheel.

“The picture just took on a life of its own,” Jefferson told The Associated Press.

Jurors hear Keffe D's damning statements

Decades of interviews starting from the late 1990s were played for jurors.

Key was a 2008 interview with law enforcement looking into the 1997 killing of the Notorious B.I.G., Shakur’s rap archrival. Davis had briefly been a suspect in that shooting, but one detective testified that “everyone was a suspect” in that case at one point or another.

Davis shifted the conversation to the Shakur shooting, and admitted his involvement from the passenger side of the Cadillac.

“If we would have been on my side, I would have blasted,” Davis said. Instead, Knight’s car was on the other side, so Davis passed his gun back to the guys in the backseat, he said.

Davis said his nephew took the weapon and started firing.

Several people in the audience shook their heads when they heard detectives tell Davis that the interview would not be used against him. But authorities argue he negated that agreement when, years later, he spoke publicly about the shooting.

Davis, with bald head and gray goatee, sat stoically through most of the testimony, wearing a suit and tie. He occasionally whispered and exchanged fist bumps with his lawyer.

And he spoke to the judge on Friday, saying his family's safety is at risk because witnesses for the prosecution have shared his home address. “They keep giving out my address,” he said. “They broke into my house, vandalized my house, vandalized my wife’s car.”

“I’m not upset I’m being prosecuted,” Davis said, but “you’re endangering my family’s life.”

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Dalton reported from Los Angeles and Boone from Boise, Idaho.

Head coach Brant Bourquin comes from the Houston area, where he spent six years coaching in Montgomery and another six years at The Woodlands High School.

Bourquin said he looks forward to the competition in District 14-4A Division I, where wins won’t come easy.

The Cougars will also enter their first varsity season without a senior on the roster. The team is made up of juniors and underclassmen.

“It’s going to be tough for the kids, of course. They’ve never seen the speed of play at the varsity level,” Bourquin said. “I think we’re going to be ready.”

Despite their youth and lack of varsity experience, the Cougars believe they have the right mentality heading into a season filled with firsts.

The players see being part of a new program as an advantage.

“New coaches, new teammates. Some of us actually grew up together,” said Isaiah Aguilar, who plays on both sides of the ball as a lineman. “Feels great to be the first team to walk on this field and take pride in this field.”

The Cougars are embracing the challenge and looking to establish the foundation for Creek View football.

“New kids on the block, so everyone is going to doubt us. Everybody’s going to think we’re soft,” said starting quarterback Demarcus Young. “We’re looking to be the toughest team in the district.”

The Cougars will play their first home game in program history on Aug. 28 against Lytle. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Read also:

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Moke was located about 595 miles (960 kilometers) southeast of Hilo and was moving west-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph). Maximum sustained winds were around 45 mph (75 kph), according to an advisory from the Miami-based hurricane center.

Like with Hurricane Lala, the Big Island is again expected to bear the brunt of the storm. It battered Hawaii last weekend without making landfall, downing trees and leaving roads covered in mud and rocks.

Rain and heavy winds from Moke are expected to hit the Big Island late Saturday, with the storm continuing to move west across the islands through early Tuesday, said Casey Oswant, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu.

“There will still be impacts, especially to the windward and southeast sides of the Big Island, but it will probably be a little bit more limited than what we saw with Lala,” she said.

The northeast coast of the Big Island saw the heaviest rainfall from Lala, at 43.54 inches (1.1 meters), according to the weather service. The resulting flooding swept dozens of homes from their foundations and damaged roads and bridges. About 11,630 customers on the Big Island remained without power Friday, according to poweroutage.us.

Rainfall predictions for this weekend for the southeast and windward sides of the Big Island were 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters) of rain, with isolated amounts up to 15 inches (38 centimeters), Oswant said. Across the rest of the island chain, 1 to 2 inches (2 to 5 centimeters) of rain was expected to fall, though parts of east Maui could see up to 4 inches (10 centimeters), she said.

There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect Friday evening, but people were urged to closely monitor the storm's progress. The rainfall has the potential to cause dangerous rip currents, life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in steep areas and places where the ground remains saturated in Lala's wake, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green and other state officials held a news conference Thursday afternoon to update Lala recovery progress and urge people to prepare for the next storm.

Officials urged people low on emergency supplies to restock up to 14 days of food, medicine and other essentials and closely monitor the storm’s progress.

“There’s definitely tension in the air” at the thought of more rain in communities that floodwaters turned into rivers, said Tiffany Edwards Hunt, a teacher living in Keaau, on the east side of the Big Island. “There were some areas that were completely washed out.”

The Hawaiian Electric utility said it expects nearly all affected customers on the Big Island to have power restored, except for certain remote and severely damaged areas.

The dog, which was not vaccinated against rabies, tested positive Tuesday after killing a baby skunk, according to its owner. The dog eventually developed behavioral and neurological symptoms and bit the owner at a home on the far West side.

The case is the first reported rabies-positive pet dog in Bexar County in more than a decade, according to San Antonio Animal Care Services and Metro Health.

But officials say the concern extends beyond that one dog. There were 22 positive rabies cases involving wildlife in Bexar County in June and July 2026, according to local health officials.

That’s a significant increase compared with the same two-month period in the previous two years, when there were only two to three reported cases.

John Gary, director of San Antonio Animal Care Services, said the increase is something residents should take seriously.

“Our biggest concern is just ensuring that our public knows that we have seen a significant increase in the number of positive rabies cases in wildlife,” Gary said.

The Texas Department of State Health Services tracks rabies cases throughout the state and provides monthly reports and maps showing reported cases by location and animal.

Wildlife commonly associated with rabies in Texas includes bats, skunks, foxes and raccoons.

You don’t have to be bitten to be exposed

Rabies is a viral disease that affects mammals and can cause severe neurological illness.

The virus is primarily spread through the saliva of an infected animal, most commonly through a bite. However, an exposure can happen in other ways.

Christina Carmona, epidemiology program manager for San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, said infected saliva entering an open wound can also transmit rabies.

“If you see an animal that is on the ground and you approach it and they lick you and you have an open wound on your hand, that is a way for rabies to get into your system,” Carmona said.

That is why she said residents should avoid touching wildlife — even if an animal appears injured, sick or harmless.

What should you do after a possible exposure?

If you are bitten or scratched by an animal that could have rabies, wash the wound immediately with soap and water. Then seek medical attention as soon as possible. Carmona said people who need rabies post-exposure treatment should go to a major hospital.

“You would have to go to the emergency room,” Carmona said. “Then they’ll give you the immunoglobulin for the rabies and also your first dose of the rabies vaccine.”

For people who have not previously received rabies vaccination, Carmona said the vaccine series includes four doses on day zero, day three, day seven and day 14.

Health officials stress that treatment should begin before symptoms develop. Once rabies symptoms appear, the disease is almost always fatal

What should parents tell their children?

Children are naturally curious and may be more likely to approach an unfamiliar animal. Carmona said parents should teach children to stay away from animals they do not know, particularly wildlife.

“We need to teach them to be wary and cautious when interacting with animals they do not know, especially wild animals,” Carmona added.

If a child does interact with a wild animal, Carmona recommends contacting the child’s pediatrician to determine whether additional treatment will be necessary.

Parents should also teach children never to touch bats or other wildlife they find on the ground.

What if your pet encounters wildlife?

Pet owners should make sure dogs and cats are up to date on their rabies vaccinations. Rabies vaccinations are required by both state and local law for dogs and cats. Officials also recommend keeping pets from roaming freely and reporting any interaction between a pet and wildlife.

Call 311 to report an animal exposure or request assistance.

If a potentially rabid animal is inside your home or another building, do not attempt to handle it unless it can be safely contained without direct contact. Officials recommend waiting for Animal Care Services or animal control to respond.

Officials say keeping pets vaccinated is one of the most important ways to prevent rabies from spreading from wildlife to people. San Antonio Animal Care Services holds pet vaccination clinics throughout the year.

The city also scheduled a vaccination clinic for Saturday, August 22, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Monterrey Park, 5919 W. Commerce St.

The clinic is open to San Antonio residents, with free rabies vaccinations and other protective vaccinations available for the first 100 pets, according to the city.

Read more:

• Bexar County reports first dog rabies case in more than a decade, health officials say

The driver, Anthony Baines, told KPRC it was one of the craziest things to ever happen to him.

Baines was a block away from picking up someone who requested a ride, when he saw a man running with no shirt on. Two Houston police officers were trailing behind the man, and the second officer asked the driver to give them a ride towards the man.

“The gap between the cops and the suspect, I felt that it would make sense for them to get in a vehicle and pursue the suspect because he was extremely fast,” Baines said. “I didn’t think they would be able to catch him on foot.”

Houston police confirmed the authenticity of the video and the incident, and told KPRC the man was upset because he thought someone stole from him. Police said when they attempted to detain the man as he was leaving an apartment, he refused to cooperate and took off running.

Despite Baines’ help, Houston police said they were not able to find the man. KPRC reached out to the department to ask about its policy for officers using a person’s car to chase a suspect on foot.

“I didn’t know what my rights were at the moment, but I’m glad I was able to help, and I’m glad that they are recognizing it,” Baines said. “This is by far a unique situation. I never prepared for anything like this. So this is different.”

This story was originally published on Click2Houston.com. Read the full story here.

The Infowars founder can only be forced to pay about $6 million, the Texas Third Court of Appeals ruled in a unanimous opinion, citing state laws that limit lawsuit damages.

The ruling does not affect a separate $1.25 billion judgment against Jones in Connecticut, where he was also found liable for defaming and causing emotional distress to relatives of the 20 first-graders and six educators killed in the Newtown shooting.

The punishing financial verdicts against Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems, in recent years have forced him into bankruptcy, led to some of his personal property being put up for auction and led to him leaving his Infowars platform. For decades, he used the platform to push conspiracy theories about the United Nations, the federal government, gun control and more.

Sandy Hook families have yet to collect any money from Jones, who has waged lengthy appeals in state and bankruptcy courts as his company faces liquidation. He remains on air after moving onto new websites and streaming platforms.

Friday's ruling did not throw out the trial court's finding of defamation against Jones. Still, he called it "a gigantic victory for the First Amendment,” and said he will continue to appeal the case to the state Supreme Court to get the remaining damages thrown out.

“I got lawyers who are good constitutional lawyers and they are not backing down,” Jones said.

Jones has already tried to appeal the Connecticut judgment to the U.S. Supreme Court but was denied last year.

The decision by the Texas Third Court of Appeals left intact more than $4.1 million in compensatory damages awarded by a jury to Sandy Hook parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis for defamation and emotional distress. But it slashed more than $45 million in additional punitive damages down to $1.5 million to comply with the state's $750,000 cap for each plaintiff.

The court found Heslin and Lewis did not show evidence that the harassment following Jones’ hoax claims rose to a level that would allow them to exceed the cap. It also said the trial judge improperly allowed the parents to seek higher damages after trial.

Mark Bankston, an attorney for Heslin and Lewis in the Texas lawsuit, shrugged off the appeals court ruling as “irrelevant” given that Jones still faces massive financial judgments in Connecticut.

“The families care not at all about this irrelevant ruling which affects only two of the 19 claims they all share. Jones still faces over a billion dollars of liability, so this changes absolutely nothing. All it does is highlight the absurdity of Texas law,” Bankston said.

Newtown families harassed as Jones claimed the massacre was a hoax

Heslin and Lewis’s 6-year-old son Jesse Lewis was among those killed in the Sandy Hook attack. Their lawsuit against Jones and the 2022 verdict marked the first time he was held financially liable for peddling lies about the massacre, claiming it was faked by the government to tighten gun laws.

Jones portrayed the lawsuit as an attack on his First Amendment rights, but conceded during the trial that the shootings were “100% real” and that he was wrong to have lied about them.

At the Texas and Connecticut trials, victims’ relatives testified that Jones’ followers -- believing his claims that the shooting didn’t happen -- subjected them to death and rape threats, in-person harassment and abusive comments on social media. Jones argued there was no proof that linked him to those actions.

Heslin and Lewis told jurors that an apology wouldn’t suffice and initially called on them to make Jones pay more than $150 million for the years of suffering he has put them and other Sandy Hook families through.

Almost immediately after the punitive damages in Texas were announced, Jones' trial attorney predicted the award would be reduced to $1.5 million on appeal.

Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the Sandy Hook families in the Connecticut lawsuit, said Friday’s ruling has no bearing on the ongoing lower court proceedings in Texas involving the liquidation of Infowars’ parent company.

The Onion steps in to mock Jones and help frustrated families

Jones and his company have filed for bankruptcy, and those legal proceedings continue. The satirical website The Onion also moved to take over Jones' Infowars platforms and turn his bullhorn of conspiracy theories into parody sites.

Jones took Infowars off the air in April and moved to a new location, switching his shows to new websites and posting them on his personal X account. The Onion, meanwhile, has set up its own Infowars webpage on its website, running videos of shows parodying Jones.

A proposed licensing deal that would give The Onion temporary authority to use Infowars’ trademarks, copyrights and intellectual property has been put on hold because the liquidation proceedings have been stayed during Jones’ appeals.

In November 2024, the Chicago-based satirical outlet was named the winner of a bankruptcy court auction of the assets of Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, aimed at helping pay some of the defamation judgments. A federal judge overturned the auction results, citing problems with the process and The Onion’s bid.

___ This story has been corrected to show that Jones is still liable for $4.1 million in compensatory damages in addition to $1.5 million in punitive damages.

___ Dave Collins contributed from Hartford, Connecticut.

Biologists and doctors recommend washing water bottles every day, especially when they have straws, mouthpieces or any other areas where moisture can collect.

“We should clean them every day,” assistant professor of biology at Texas A&M University-San Antonio, Alba Chavez, said.

Chavez said bacteria can accumulate in a bottle’s straw or mouthpiece, creating what she described as a microbiome, a community of microorganisms.

“If we don’t clean them or let them dry properly, they’re going to keep growing because they have moisture,” Chavez said.

The risk can increase when people take their bottles to places such as gyms or bathrooms, where they can be exposed to soil bacteria and potential pathogens in the environment.

“Our microbiome is harmless,” Chavez said. “But if we take the water bottle to other places, like to the bathroom or to the gym, they’re exposed to soil bacteria. They are exposed to potential pathogens from the environment, and they can grow and become pathogenic to us.”

A water bottle can also collect bacteria from the person using it. Dr. Amy Cobb, a pediatrician with University Health, said germs associated with oral health can be transferred to the bottle.

“If you have a lot of gingivitis or cavities, just keep in mind that those germs are being shared with your water bottle and it’s a moist, wet environment where bacteria can grow,” Cobb said.

Mold growth can create additional concerns. Cobb said mold spores in a bottle could trigger asthma or allergies in some people.

The recommendation applies to more than just water bottles. Parents should also regularly wash baby bottles, cups, and other reusable drink containers.

Cobb said adding anything besides water can also contribute to bacteria growing quickly.

“If you add anything that other than water to your water bottle, like flavor packets that have sugar or maybe tea or coffee, even more so you are likely to get some bacterial growth,” Cobb said.

Cobb said if you find it difficult to stay on top of washing your water bottle each day, get two and rotate them, then clean them together.

Health experts recommend washing reusable bottles with soap and water, paying close attention to straws, lids, mouthpieces, and other hard-to-reach areas. Bottles should also be dried completely before they are used again.

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Poth football is always one of the better Class 3A teams in the area, but this season they are looking at their first major rebuild in quite a while.

Coach Jeff Luna said they lost 13 seniors from last season, but they have a good core coming back.

Poth has five offensive starters and three defensive starters returning, per Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.

Nevertheless, the Pirates are expected to battle for the District 15-3A-DII title.

Poth will open the season at home next Friday, Aug. 28, against Aransas Pass.

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Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones’ office refused to respond to questions about whether anyone answered her call for the private and philanthropic sectors to help fund an assortment of city contracts as the Aug. 21 deadline passed.

With San Antonio facing a projected $158 million budget gap over the next two years, Jones said she sent an “open letter” on July 24 to “business, foundation, and philanthropic leaders” asking if any would commit to three years of funding for any of the 15 outside agency contracts she listed.

The list, which represents fewer than half of the outside agency contracts in the FY 2026 budget, included funding for the San Antonio Botanical Garden, LiftFund, Síclovía, and the MLK Commission.

KSAT has not confirmed to whom specifically Jones sent the letter, though she also posted it on her social media. In it, she asked anyone interested in helping fund any of the “worthwhile efforts” to email her chief of staff, Andrew Fuentes, by Aug. 21.

KSAT left multiple voicemails and text messages throughout Friday for Fuentes requesting an update. Although another mayoral staffer also referred KSAT’s questions to Fuentes, he never responded.

And while the mayor posted a video on her social media Friday evening discussing some of the latest budget updates, she made no mention of her previous request or whether anyone answered.

City Manager Erik Walsh also told KSAT as he left city hall on Friday evening that he had not heard anything.

University of Texas at San Antonio Political Science Professor Jon Taylor called Jones’ request for outside funding help “relatively unique.”

“I do not recall a mayor — and I’ll be blunt by saying it — going hat in hand to the community, particularly community leaders and particularly corporations and saying, ‘hey, can you help fund part of our city services?’” he said.

Taylor said he wouldn’t call it a “stunt,” though, and believes the mayor is trying to avoid a tax increase in the upcoming budget.

“Politicians are wont to try to find creative ways to either save money or to save services or save anything from a park to whatever,” he said. " People may call that ‘stunts,’ or people may say it’s just creative thinking. Maybe she’s engaged in a form of creative thinking in what is essentially a desperate situation."

Though the city is discussing a combination of cuts, tax hikes, and fee increases, the contracts on Jones’ list largely don’t appear in danger of being cut. Most of them were poised to receive the same, or at least partial, funding within the FY 2027 budget proposed by staff last week.

Notable exceptions were a $150,000 employment program for military spouses, veterans, and transitioning service members that Walsh said hadn’t had much activity, as well as $2.2 million worth of scholarship funding for the San Antonio Education Partnership.

Although the city cut $200,000 from its contribution to the San Antonio Botanical Garden, it would still receive $1 million.

A $40,000 contract for the Diez y Seis de Septiembre Commission also did not appear to be listed in next year’s proposed budget.

Jones has pointed to the scholarship funding as a possible target for another budget maneuver she has been promoting: diverting money from the Ready to Work job training program.

The mayor has suggested using voter-approved sales tax dollars earmarked for Ready to Work to instead fund a small number of permissible programs, which could knock a few million dollars free for other priorities.

The city could use the money to save the San Antonio Education Partnership scholarship money from the chopping block, she says.

“I would argue it should not only backfill it, it should double it,” she told KSAT in a live interview Tuesday. “In this affordability crisis, that $250, $500 scholarship could be the difference between a young person going, pursuing studies, and not pursuing studies. So I think we double down on those things.”

The city council is scheduled to pass a final budget on Sep. 17.

Read also:

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Thompson intends to sign with the Miami Heat once he clears waivers, according to a person familiar with the five-time All-Star’s plans. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because Thompson has yet to reveal that detail publicly. Assuming he is not claimed by another club, Thompson may be able to sign with the Heat as early as Sunday.

The buyout announcement comes after the Mavericks missed the playoffs in both of Thompson’s seasons, which came after Doncic led Dallas to the NBA Finals in 2024.

Thompson joined Dallas in a sign-and-trade with Golden State, giving the Mavericks one of the league's all-time great 3-point shooters to complement Doncic and another high-scoring guard in Kyrie Irving.

But the high hopes for that threesome imploded after the Mavericks sent Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for the oft-injured Anthony Davis in a deal before the trade deadline in 2025. Irving tore the ACL in his left knee a month later and hasn't played since. Davis was traded to the Washington Wizards just before the February trade deadline last season.

The Doncic trade ended up derailing the franchise, although Dallas overcame steep odds to win the draft lottery a few months later. With the No. 1 overall pick, the Mavericks selected Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg, who ended up winning Rookie of the Year.

The addition of Flagg led to Thompson coming off the bench in most games for the first time since his rookie year with Golden State.

The buyout of Thompson is the latest in a major retooling of the Dallas roster. His departure leaves just five players from opening day two years ago, along with a new front office in president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri and general manager Mike Schmitz and a new coach in Dusty May, who replaced Jason Kidd.

Thompson won four NBA titles alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green with the Warriors. The 36-year-old spent his first 13 seasons with Golden State, although he missed two entire seasons with knee and Achilles injuries.

The five-time All-Star averaged 12.9 points and shot 39% from 3-point range in his two years with the Mavericks. His career marks are 19.6 points per game and 41% shooting from beyond the arc.

Thompson passed Damian Lillard for fourth place on the career 3-point list in January. He has 2,899 3-pointers, trailing Curry, James Harden and Ray Allen.

Thompson missed the playoffs just twice in the 11 seasons he played for the Warriors. He matched that number in his only two seasons with Dallas.

“Klay is one of the great players and competitors of his generation, and we are grateful for everything he brought to the Mavericks organization,” Ujiri said. “We have tremendous respect for Klay and all that he has accomplished throughout his career.”

___

AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this story.

___

See AP’s full NBA coverage here

The Republican president also begged them to pretend that he's on the ballot Tuesday — even though he is not — if that will help get them out to vote.

Voters will decide Tuesday whether Graham or Rep. Ralph Norman will be the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate on the ballot in November.

“You have to get out and vote,” Trump said about Darline Graham, who is serving out the remainder of the term of her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died unexpectedly in July. “And we need every South Carolina patriot to go to the polls and vote for Darline Graham.”

Trump nodded to the reality that Republican base voters lose interest in elections when he is not a candidate for office, as is the case this year. Trump is serving his second and final term as president.

“So what I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot. Just come and vote. It’s so important,” Trump said. “So just say that I’m on the ballot one more time. You got to say it, and you got to come out and vote.”

Trump, who encouraged Darline Graham to run and has given her his “complete and total endorsement,” called her to the stage as he neared the end of his remarks.

“This is Trump country,” she declared before leading the crowd in chants of “U.S.A.”

Trump visits friendly territory in Myrtle Beach

Trump opened his remarks by declaring he was in a “very good mood" because Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts earlier Friday allowed construction to continue for now on the $400 million ballroom Trump is adding to the White House. The project is being challenged in federal court.

He appeared jovial throughout and noted at several points that it was the end of the week.

“It's a Friday night. We have plenty of time, right?” Trump said at one point. “What the hell do I have to do? Go back, bomb Iran a little bit more?”

At another point, he resurrected a campaign staple by reading the lyrics from the 1960s song “The Snake" as he steered the speech toward illegal immigration. Trump used to read the lyrics in his past campaigns to illustrate what he said are the perils of allowing people to enter the United States without authorization.

“Haven't done that in a long time,” he said after he finished the reading. “That's our border.”

He also called a cast of people on stage, ranging from Republican Tim Scott, South Carolina's other U.S. senator, to Karoline Leavitt, his outgoing White House press secretary.

Trump closed by encouraging people to vote for Darline Graham on Tuesday to preserve tax cuts, among other things. He said choosing her would be a tribute to her brother, who was very close to the president, and, “I want it to happen.”

“Good luck, Darline,” he said before leaving the stage.

The Myrtle Beach rally was the sort of campaign trail occasion that Trump hasn’t done as much of this year, compared with past midterms, making it a signal of the importance he is placing on a win for his pick.

It was also an opportunity for the president to wade into friendly territory before the midterm elections that leave his party’s control of Congress hanging in the balance. South Carolina hasn’t elected a Democrat statewide in decades, its House delegation has only one Democrat and Trump’s own victory in the 2016 presidential primary here helped propel him toward the nomination and ultimately the White House.

Darline Graham draws contrasts with Norman

“I am many things: a problem solver, a mother, a leader, but I am not a career politician," Darline Graham said. Norman has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2017.

In the scramble of a special Republican primary election that was called after Lindsey Graham's sudden death, his sister was picked by Gov. Henry McMaster — also a Trump ally — to serve as interim senator and entered the special primary at Trump's urging. The president had said he told McMaster that appointing her would be a “fabulous tribute to Lindsey,” although the governor pointed out that he asked Graham to serve “in the wee hours” after her brother's death, adding that Trump “thought it was a great idea” when he later told him of his pick.

Hours before the rally, McMaster officially endorsed Graham. When he appointed her Graham last month, a person familiar with McMaster’s thinking but unauthorized to speak publicly about it said the governor had never contemplated that she would run for the seat herself.

The president pressed “RUN DARLINE, RUN” on social media, and gave her his “Complete and Total Endorsement” before she'd officially announced her campaign. And at every turn on the campaign trail, she's reminded voters of this anointing, as well as her commitment to advancing his priorities if elected. On the eve of the primary two weeks ago, he held a tele-rally for Graham.

Like Trump, Darline Graham has portrayed herself as a political outsider

A political newcomer, Graham has stressed that she's “not a politician,” as she's hurriedly introduced herself to voters across the state. Regularly touting her support for Trump’s policies, as well as his endorsement, she has pointed to her years heading up a state agency, as well as her weeks on the job in the U.S. Senate, as evidence of her readiness.

Saying she’s “answering President Trump’s call to serve,” she has repeatedly said she wants “to fight for President Trump’s agenda” and cited his core goals of border security and passing the SAVE Act voting bill as among her top priorities.

Graham has said she's focused on kitchen table issues like gas prices and household spending rather than international affairs. Earlier this week, after stumbling on an elemental foreign policy question related to U.S. interests in Taiwan, Graham defended herself as “not a polished politician up here.”

Speaking publicly about the gaffe for the first time Friday, before he flew to South Carolina, Trump told reporters Graham “was being honest” when she said Tuesday during a debate that she wasn’t up to speed on national security issues.

“She’s surrounded by very good people, and she said that she’s totally for the military,” Trump said.

___

Superville reported from Washington. Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP

Under the Bureau of Reclamation's plan, California, Nevada and Arizona will collectively reduce water use by 1.25 million acre-feet (about 1.54 billion cubic meters) annually during that period, with the possibility of larger cuts depending on conditions.

Arizona will see the biggest cuts, while states upstream — Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico — do not face any for now.

Meanwhile neighboring Mexico will reduce its intake by 250,000 acre-feet (about 310 million cubic meters) under a U.S.-Mexico treaty.

“We’ve been in this 26-year prolonged drought period,” said Andrea Travnicek, the Interior Department’s assistant secretary for water and science. “We continue to see a prolonged drought in our future. So continuing to work together as a whole within the basin is going to be extremely important.”

The current rules governing the use of the river’s water are set to expire in October, and the seven states have been unable to reach a consensus on sharing it over the long term.

Last winter saw the worst snowpack on record for the Colorado River Basin, adding more stress on farmers, industry, wildlife and hydropower producers, as well as tens of millions of people who rely on the waterway, including in dozens of Native American tribes and in two Mexican states.

Years of overuse combined with drought and rising temperatures due to climate change have depleted the country’s two largest reservoirs, which are both fed by the Colorado. Lake Mead recently plummeted to its lowest level since it began filling nine decades ago, and Lake Powell did the same about a week later. Their combined storage is the lowest it has been in nearly seven decades.

Negotiators in Arizona thanked California and Nevada for their collaboration on sharing the cuts.

“For 2027 and 2028, the reductions that are now memorialized here will provide substantial stability for folks,” said Tom Buschatzke, Arizona Department of Water Resources director. “We’ll continue to negotiate and figure out how we’re going to operate over a longer-term period, which is what we all want.”

JB Hamby, California’s chief Colorado River negotiator, said the plan brings “some badly needed near-term certainty at a moment of extraordinary risk,” though he called it “a bridge, not a permanent solution.”

Officials in Nevada applauded their collaboration with Arizona and California and said a seven-state consensus remains their preferred path for the river.

In Southern Nevada, Kyle Roerink, senior adviser at the conservation group Great Basin Water Network, said efforts to build a new airport and shopping malls and some public land sales have not progressed, reflecting the dire hydrology inked in the federal documents. Further cuts could slow real estate development in metro Las Vegas, he said.

“When the Hoover Dam, a symbol of American fortitude and American power, drops and loses its shine, it can be scary,” Roerink said. “But it can also pose itself as a great opportunity for us to prepare for the next hundred years in a meaningful way.”

___

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

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is allowing the White House to continue construction on Trump’s $400 million ballroom project for now. Roberts signed a temporary order on Friday allowing work to continue while the court considers an emergency appeal from the Trump administration. Lower courts had ordered a halt to the project, finding that it must have congressional approval.

Nearing the six-month mark of the Iran war and facing diminishing stockpiles of key weapons, the Trump administration is touting a crushing financial campaign against Tehran, promising an “economic D-Day” against a country that has so far withstood nearly five decades of punishing American sanctions.

The Latest:

Trump wraps rally for Sen. Darline Graham after more than an hour

Reminding voters to cast ballots for Graham in Tuesday’s runoff, Trump again referenced an overall push for Republicans to take part in the midterms, even though he’s not on the ballot himself.

“I am on the ballot. We’re all on the ballot. Our country’s on the ballot,” Trump said. “You have to get out. You have to vote.”

After basking in part of the crowd’s reaction to his dance moves during The Village People’s “YMCA,” Trump left the stage and started rolling back to the airport in his motorcade.

Trump brings back campaign staple with a reading of ‘The Snake’

Trump read the lyrics from the 1960s song, “The Snake,” after saying it’s Friday night and “we have plenty of time.”

He’d already spoken for more than an hour, and people had begun leaving the rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Trump has used the lyrics in his past campaigns to warn about border security, and was talking about people entering the U.S. without authorization when he decided to read “The Snake.”

“Haven’t done that in a long time,” he said when he was finished reading. “That’s our border.”

Trump urges South Carolina to choose Darline Graham on Tuesday

Trump told a crowd of thousands in Myrtle Beach that the first step in sending Graham to the U.S. Senate involves helping her win Tuesday’s runoff election against Rep. Ralph Norman so she can become the Republican candidate.

“You have to get out and vote,” he said as he campaigned for Graham. “And we need every South Carolina patriot to go to the polls and vote for Darline Graham.”

Karoline Leavitt says South Carolina trip is her last as White House press secretary

Leavitt is leaving the White House at the end of August to devote more time to her young family.

She told reporters accompanying Trump aboard Air Force One that she’ll be back on the plane soon for Trump’s trip to Dallas in September to attend the Republican Party’s midterm convention.

She said she’ll spend some time back in her native New Hampshire before she returns to Washington.

Asked if she’ll work for MAGA Inc., Trump’s political action committee, Leavitt said she would. She didn’t say in what capacity.

Sen. Graham warms up crowd before it’s Trump’s turn

Darline Graham pumped her fist and danced a little bit as she walked on stage to music, then outlined her record serving South Carolinians as the head of a state agency.

She responded to those who argue she doesn’t have enough experience to serve in the U.S. Senate.

“Now, the critics say I shouldn’t run for the Senate. They say I’m not a politician. You know what I say? Guilty as charged,” Graham said.

She drew parallels with Trump, who has endorsed her, saying he was never elected to any office before he became president

“I think he’s done a damn good job,” she said.

Graham urged people to vote for her in Tuesday’s runoff election against Rep. Ralph Norman “and take 10 friends with you.”

Darline Graham pumped her fist and danced a little bit as she walked on stage to music, then outlined her record serving South Carolinians as the head of a state agency.

She responded to those who argue she doesn’t have enough experience to serve in the U.S. Senate.

“Now, the critics say I shouldn’t run for the Senate. They say I’m not a politician. You know what I say? Guilty as charged,” Graham said.

She drew parallels with Trump, who has endorsed her, saying he was never elected to any office before he became president “and I think he’s done a damn good job.”

Graham urged people to vote for her in Tuesday’s runoff election against Rep. Ralph Norman “and take 10 friends with you.”

US to pay more than $800M of owed dues to the United Nations ahead of annual UN General Assembly

The Trump administration has notified Congress of its plans to pay more than $800 million of the several billions it owes to the United Nations, making it the largest payment the U.S. has made to the world body since it demanded sweeping reforms in exchange for continued support as its largest donor.

That’s according to notifications sent to lawmakers this month and obtained Friday by The Associated Press.

In them, the State Department laid out its plans to transfer $725 million as part of its dues to the regular U.N. budget and $125 million toward U.N. peacekeeping operations in Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Trump and his allies have spent the last year and a half demanding drastic changes across the U.N., alarming many humanitarian workers and leading to severe reductions in programs and services.

Trump says he’s had many applicants seeking to be White House press secretary

The president told reporters that with Karoline Leavitt’s announced departure at the end of the month, “I have never had so many job applications in my life. They all want that job.”

Trump also had a favorable review of CNN’s conservative commentator Scott Jennings, whose name has been among those suggested as a possible replacement.

“Scott Jennings is good,” Trump said.

Trump says he’ll name companies that donated money to build the ballroom

“I’ll name the companies probably over the next couple of weeks, but I want to ask if they mind, but, and really, most of them have said, ‘You could use my name’ gladly,” Trump said. “So that’s all money, no taxpayer money for the ballroom at all.”

His claim of only private funding for the ballroom is incorrect. Public funds are being used for security aspects of the building. He was asked if he could guarantee that no taxpayer money would pay for construction.

“We’re spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the ballroom, and it’s all from people like me and great companies that are putting it up,” Trump said. “It’s going to be close to $400 million dollars, and it’s all paid for by patriots and patriotic companies, big companies.”

On data centers, Trump says Republican candidates can ‘do what they want’ but he supports building them

As the rapid expansion of data centers fueling the artificial intelligence boom has sparked bipartisan outcry around the country, Trump insists the subject is actually “pretty simple.”

He said you had to “pick the right location” but “what it means for a community is jobs and lots of money and lower taxes.”

The president added that his administration is mandating that data centers supply their own power sources, helping reduce strain on local electric grids and keeping utility rates from rising too sharply.

Asked about the issue becoming a liability for some Republicans in key midterm races, Trump said of his fellow party members: “I want them to do what they want.”

“Some people feel differently,” he said. “If a Republican’s against a data center that’s OK with me.”

Trump says growth will solve $40 trillion national debt

The president told reporters that the record milestone the U.S. passed this week “has been a problem for 35 years” but that “the way you take care of debt is growth.”

Trump’s prescription comes as the U.S. is facing growing costs for the Iran war, social programs like Social Security and Medicare and interest payments on the deficit.

Experts say the debt has already started impacting Americans’ finances, raising costs for borrowing and goods and lowering wages.

Trump responds to cattle producers’ concerns over his imported beef deal

The deal, which would allow 300,000 metric tons of beef to be imported for 90 days at a lower cost, incurred backlash from some rural-state Republicans and cattle producers. When asked about criticism, Trump said the proposal would bring beef prices down “a little bit,” which is “what people want.”

“The ranchers are great; they’re my people. I love the ranchers. They’ve done a fantastic job,” he told reporters. “But they admit that we need a little help, and in order to get the prices down, so that’s what we’re doing.”

Critics of the deal, including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, have said it will harm the industry in the long term as it slowly recovers from a low cattle herd.

When asked what countries were involved in the agreement, Trump said he didn’t want to say but that “there are a few countries” and that they will “be sending the highest quality beef.”

Trump says Darline Graham ‘was being honest’ when she said she lacked foreign policy expertise

As he boarded the plane to head to Myrtle Beach to rally for Sen. Darline Graham, Trump gave his first public reaction to his chosen South Carolina GOP Senate runoff candidate’s flub earlier in the week.

Trump told reporters Graham “was being honest” when she said Tuesday during a debate that she wasn’t up to speed on national security issues.

“She’s surrounded by very good people, and she said that she’s totally for the military,” Trump said, adding he looked forward to seeing “a very big crowd” in South Carolina.

Graham says she entered the special primary to replace her late brother Lindsey Graham at Trump’s urging. Friday’s rally comes just four days before her runoff against U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman.

Trump says he has $850M political war chest to spend ‘on candidates that I think are good’

Asked about the unprecedented amount of money raised as part of his MAGA, Inc. Super PAC, the president said, “I’ll be spending a lot of that” as well as his own funds on “Republican candidates that I think are good.”

“You add the $850 million, all of the other money that we’ve raised,” he said, “We’re in very good shape.”

Trump’s mountain of money could be enough to lift Republicans during November’s midterm elections, but the president has remained tight-lipped on if and how he’ll spend it before Election Day.

Gov. Henry McMaster says he’s endorsing Sen. Darline Graham in Senate runoff

The South Carolina Republican had so far stayed out of the special Senate primary to replace Lindsey Graham.

But just ahead of a scheduled appearance at Trump’s rally in Myrtle Beach, McMaster — also a Trump ally — posted on social media that the interim senator had “stood for the values that South Carolinians live by, continued Lindsey Graham’s work, and stood firmly with President Trump to advance his America First agenda.”

“I am proud to give my full endorsement to Darline Graham,” McMaster concluded.

Voters choose Tuesday between Graham and U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman. Three days of early voting just wrapped up.

Trump gratified by court decision on ballroom

The president says he is “grateful” for a temporary order by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to continue construction on the $400 million White House ballroom project.

“The Military/Ballroom Complex being built on the hallowed grounds of the White House, which is so vital for National Security, will be THE GREATEST OF ITS KIND!” he posted on Truth Social on Friday.

The temporary order came hours before lower-court rulings would have forced a halt to aboveground construction of the project because Trump didn’t get congressional approval.

Trump will travel to Houston to award the Artemis II astronauts after historic spaceflight

The president will be bearing the Congressional Space Medal of Honor for the Artemis II crew, who flew farther than any human has from the Earth and hung a U-turn around the moon, laying the first eyes on the rocky orb’s far side in April.

It was NASA’s first lunar trip since the Apollo era, and a step toward again putting a human back on the moon in just two years. The crew of three Americans and one Canadian flew in NASA’s Orion capsule a maximum distance of 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers) from Earth.

Trump is set to honor them next week at the Johnson Space Center, said White House spokesperson Liz Huston, who added that “America is leading the world in space exploration.”

Stars and Stripes editor says he has been fired for insubordination

The Pentagon on Friday fired the editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes, as well as its publisher and a reporter, the editor said. He said he was dismissed for insubordination after an interview he gave that objected to any potential censorship by the U.S. military.

Erik Slavin, editor-in-chief of the military newspaper that is partly funded by the Pentagon but has a long legacy of editorial independence, told The Associated Press that he and the others had received notices of separation.

Slavin said he was being fired “for stating in a CBS interview that hypothetical censorship of news for service members would constitute a red line.” He said he stands by the principle “that Stars and Stripes must remain editorially independent.”

Earlier this week, publisher Max Lederer announced his retirement effective at the end of September. He too received a separation notice, according to Slavin, as did the Middle East reporter Lara Korte.

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Key White House ally leaving to help with midterms

Trump says Ed Martin, a key ally who has pushed the president’s claims of election fraud, is leaving his administration to help with this November’s midterms and the 2028 election.

“Ed Martin has been with me from the very beginning, and done an incredible job as an Attorney, Director of the Weaponization Working Group, and the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. Ed is now leaving to go outside to fight Legal Battles,” Trump said in a Truth Social posting. “I know he will do an outstanding job, ensure Free, Fair, and Honest Elections, and strongly advance our Constitutional Rights. Good luck Ed! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

Martin has been a leading figure in — and cheerleader for — Trump’s campaign to use the Justice Department to prosecute his political enemies, including former FBI director James Comey.

MAHA activists urge Trump to oppose coal power for AI

Nearly 200 activists in Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement are criticizing Trump’s promotion of coal to fuel the rise of artificial intelligence data centers, according to a letter sent Friday.

The letter, signed by at least two former staffers from Kennedy’s 2024 presidential campaign, marks the first major MAHA movement mobilization over fossil fuels and the latest in a series of rifts between the diverse group of activists and the Trump administration over environmental policy.

The letter to Trump, Kennedy and various other Cabinet officials, first obtained by The Associated Press, laments a 2025 executive order that aimed to boost coal to power data centers over pollution concerns and asks the administration to consider renewable options, including solar and geothermal energy.

“We understand the importance of American leadership in artificial intelligence, national security, innovation, and economic growth,” the letter reads. “But American AI leadership should not come at the cost of a more toxic burden for American children.”

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Supreme Court allows work on Trump’s $400M White House ballroom to continue for now

Chief Justice Roberts signed a temporary order on Friday allowing work to continue while the court considers an emergency appeal from the Trump administration.

Lower courts had ordered a halt to the project, finding that it must have congressional approval. That ruling was set to take effect on Friday. Roberts signed the order because he oversees appeals of Washington-based cases.

The case comes before the nation’s highest court as Trump, a Republican, exercises unparalleled assertions of presidential power and increasingly seeks to mold the capital in his own image.

The Trump administration has scored a series of victories on the high court’s emergency docket, though the justices have ruled against some of the president’s signature policies after fuller review.

The administration has argued that the president has total authority to renovate the White House and other federal buildings as he sees fit and that the ballroom project must be completed due to national security concerns.

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Vance attacks Democrats for supporting foreign workers

Vice President JD Vance said he and Trump are fighting for American-born workers, while Democrats prefer foreigners.

The Republican vice president outlined a fiery midterm message during an appearance at the Middletown, Ohio, steel plant where his grandfather used to work. Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate and governor joined steelworkers in the crowd.

“Every step of the way, these Democrats have voted for foreign workers and fraudsters over American citizens and hard-paying taxpayers,” Vance said. “Who do these Democrats put first? Everyone else. You know who the Trump administration puts first? Americans.”

Vance noted that he served in the Senate alongside former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who is locked in a tight race against Republican Sen. Jon Husted.

“He was a friendly enough guy, but he was a man who claimed to represent this state, but never once raised his voice against Joe Biden’s border crisis or against the inflation that was brought on by Joe Biden underinvesting and trying to destroy American industry,” Vance said.

Ohio Sen. Ber

nie Moreno pledges he will serve only one more term

“I’m going to serve for one more term, and then I’m going to go home because these shouldn’t be jobs forever,” Moreno said at an event in Middletown, Ohio, on Friday before Vance was scheduled to speak.

Moreno, a Republican and Ohio’s first Latino senator, was elected in 2024, when he defeated incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown.

Moreno is up for reelection in 2030. If he abides by his pledge Friday to serve only one more term, he’d be in office until early 2037.

Moreno’s remark follows an intense period of scrutiny involving his daughter Emily’s former marriage to U.S. Rep. Max Miller. Moreno publicly called Miller unfit to serve.

Spokesperson Reagan McCarthy said Moreno had always said he would serve only two terms.

Brazil’s Lula calls Trump, urges for tariff negotiations

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Trump had an 80-minute phone call on Friday amid pressure from Washington ahead of Brazil’s October elections.

Lula’s presidency said in a statement that the two leaders discussed trade, organized crime and global conflicts. Brazil’s president, who has insisted he has a friendly relationship with Trump, has blamed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio for several recent sanctions against his country, including the revocation of the visa held by Brazil’s ambassador to the U.S.

Lula’s rival in the elections is Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, whose family has long been allied with Trump.

Brazil’s presidency says the two leaders agreed to keep negotiations on tariffs open. The U.S. has imposed new tariffs on Brazilian exports that could add up to 37.5% in some products.

Lula has said that move was politically motivated to help Flávio Bolsonaro, a son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Mark Sanford says he’s backing Rep. Ralph Norman in Senate runoff

The former South Carolina governor and congressman said on social media Friday that Norman “holds the best shot at holding the line on government spending, our debt and its accompanying deficits,” all of which are Sanford’s signature issues.

Sanford was the fourth place finisher in the Aug. 11 primary. He applauded Norman’s “experience in legislative circles, matched by a conservative voting record and conservative stands.”

Norman and Sen. Darline Graham face voters in a GOP primary runoff Tuesday to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Trump announces plan aimed at lowering beef prices

In a social media post Friday, the president said his administration will allow more beef to be imported into the U.S. without triggering a higher tariff rate that would otherwise go into effect.

The agreement, Trump said, allows up to 300,000 metric tons of ground beef to be brought into the U.S. for the next 90 days without activating an “out of quota” tariff.

The president said he had a commitment that the beef would be sold at 25% below current market rates, making beef cheaper for American consumers.

Trump did not say who the deal was with or what countries the beef will be imported from. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for more details.

An out-of-quota tariff is a higher tax that goes into effect once a certain quantity of that product enters the U.S.

Trump said the agreement would help rebuild the U.S. beef herd and ultimately help American ranchers. But the American cattle industry has in the past balked at Trump’s plans to import more foreign beef, such as his effort last year to bring in more beef from Argentina.

Trump to stump for Sen. Darline Graham days ahead of South Carolina’s GOP Senate runoff

Trump is scheduled to travel to South Carolina on Friday to make a last-minute appeal for Sen. Darline Graham, his chosen candidate to replace her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, ahead of a Republican runoff next week.

Voters will decide Tuesday whether Graham or Rep. Ralph Norman will be Republicans’ nominee on the November ballot.

The Myrtle Beach rally is the sort of campaign trail occasion that Trump hasn’t done as much of this year, compared with past midterms, making it a signal of the importance Trump is placing on a win for his pick.

It’s also an opportunity for the president to wade into friendly territory ahead of the midterm elections that leave his party’s control of Congress hanging in the balance. South Carolina hasn’t elected a Democrat statewide in decades, its House delegation has only one Democrat and Trump’s own victory in the 2016 presidential primary here helped propel him toward the nomination and ultimately the White House.

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Investigators seek interviews with Trump foes related to Mar-a-Lago search, AP sources say

Justice Department investigators have sought to interview law enforcement officials related to the FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate as part of a Florida-based inquiry aiming to establish a conspiracy against the Republican president, multiple people familiar with the matter said Thursday.

The requests for interviews, made in recent weeks, suggest a conspiracy investigation that had mostly appeared focused on the decade-old question of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election is also examining a more contemporary event — the 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago that resulted in the FBI seizing top secret documents from the president’s Palm Beach estate.

The requests for voluntary interviews were not made through subpoenas, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation with The Associated Press.

It is not clear when or if prosecutors might seek to bring charges, or for what, but investigating conduct that occurred in Florida might give the Justice Department the legal hook it needs to try to anchor a prosecution in the state.

— Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer

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World shares are mixed and US futures edge higher, while oil prices slip

World shares were mixed Friday after a retreat on Wall Street as a U.S. Treasury Department plan to boost its government debt buybacks appeared to have only limited capacity to calm markets.

The futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were up 0.3%.

The Treasury Department announced Wednesday that it will at least double the size of its planned purchases of longer-term government debt, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signaled Thursday that the repurchase program could be larger.

The announcement temporarily brought down government bond yields, which have been elevated under concerns about high inflation partly caused by the war in Iran and rising U.S. government debt. Higher yields tend to slow the broader economy because of increased borrowing costs across the financial system and can undercut stock prices.

▶ Read more

Trump warns of ‘economic D-Day’ against Iran, but Tehran is well-acquainted with sanctions

Nearing the six-month mark of the Iran war and facing diminishing stockpiles of key weapons, the Trump administration is touting a crushing financial campaign against Tehran, promising an “economic D-Day” against a country that has so far withstood nearly five decades of punishing American sanctions.

With sparse details, Trump announced this week that the U.S. would be imposing an “unprecedented” level of economic warfare and isolation on Iran, aiming to force its leadership to cave to demands to end its nuclear program and fully reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz to oil and natural gas tankers.

It reflects the dire reality Trump faces with an increasingly unpopular war he can’t seem to end just months before pivotal midterm elections that will decide whether his Republican Party keeps control of Congress. Whether out of desperation or strategy, the president is refocusing America’s might on bringing Iran to its knees through an accelerated sanctions campaign against one of the most economically penalized countries in the world.

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Without going into detail, the PWHL issued a statement saying the trophy “did not arrive as expected at its latest stop,” and added "we are working closely with the shipping company to locate it.”

The trophy was supposed to be shipped to Lethbridge, Alberta, to spend the day with Victoire forward Dara Greig, a person with knowledge of the plans told the AP on the condition of anonymity because those details were not revealed by the league.

A container did arrive, but not the one the PWHL shipped with the trophy inside, a second person with knowledge of the details told the AP. The second person spoke on the condition of anonymity because those details have not been revealed by the league.

As a result, Greig wound up postponing her day with the trophy on Thursday, which included a public event at the city’s VisitLethbridge.com Arena.

It’s unclear where the Walter Cup was last seen. And unlike the NHL and the Stanley Cup, the PWHL does not have a person dedicated to travel with its trophy when it goes on the road to be with players.

The missing Walter Cup in question is not the one presented to teams on the ice upon winning the championship. That one is permanently housed at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

The missing version is instead a version issued to championship-winning teams to keep.

The team's version, like the original trophy, is made of sterling silver and designed by Tiffany & Co. It weighs about 35 pounds (16 kilograms) and measures about 24 inches (61 centimeters) in height and 13 inches (33 centimeters) wide.

The cup rests on two rods, resembling hockey sticks. On the cup are engraved six W’s representing the league’s six original franchises. The base of the cup represents a puck on which the championship teams are etched.

Montreal clinched the cup by defeating Ottawa in Game 4 of a best-of-five series in May to become the PWHL’s first Canadian team to win title. Minnesota won the PWHL’s first two championships.

The trophy is named after PWHL founder and primary financier Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter and his wife Kimbra.

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See AP’s full women’s hockey coverage here

The Soundview Little League club — the Northwest region champions from Tacoma, Washington — held off Boerne 4-3 Friday afternoon in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

After Boerne loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the sixth, Soundview called upon Kasen Workman, who then induced two ground ball outs and a harmless flyout from Carson Patrick to end the game.

Friday’s opener was tight throughout. Soundview jumped on the board with two runs in the top of the first inning before Boerne answered with run-scoring singles in its half of the first and second innings.

Soundview grabbed the lead for good when Workman drilled a two-run double to put the Northwest team up 4-2 in the third. Boerne’s Anders Paulson got a run back with an RBI single in the fifth.

Because the Little League World Series is a double-elimination tournament, Boerne is not yet out of the bracket.

Boerne will get another opportunity at 2 p.m. Monday. Their opponent has not yet been announced, but the game will air on ESPN.

The Tacoma, Washington, team will now advance to face the Paseo Verde Little League team — the Mountain Region champion from Henderson, Nevada — at 8 a.m. Sunday.

More coverage of Boerne at the 2026 LLWS on KSAT:

• ‘We don’t crack under pressure’: Boerne Little League confident ahead of LLWS
• Boerne heads to Little League World Series after judge dissolves temporary restraining order

The DOJ said Friday that TikTok will pay $300 million immediately and another $100 million after an order vacates an earlier consent decree against its predecessor company, Musical.ly.

“This settlement is a major victory for American children and parents,” said U.S. Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. in a statement. “The Department’s priority is ensuring that children are protected online and that companies entrusted with their personal information meet their legal obligations. This resolution secures a substantial recovery while reinforcing the protections that families expect and deserve.”

Since the DOJ's lawsuit in 2024, TikTok has undergone major changes, most notably in the ownership structure of its U.S. arm. In January, the social video platform company signed agreements with major investors including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX to form the new TikTok U.S. joint venture.

Representatives for TikTok did not immediately respond to a message for comment Friday.

The latest lawsuit focused on allegations that TikTok and its China-based parent company ByteDance violated a federal law that requires kid-oriented apps and websites to get parental consent before collecting personal information of children under 13. It also says the companies failed to honor requests from parents who wanted their children’s accounts deleted, and chose not to delete accounts even when the firms knew they belonged to kids under 13.

The settlement comes as social media companies face an avalanche of lawsuits over children's safety and privacy and a growing number of countries are banning young kids and teens from social media apps. Instagram's parent company, Meta Platforms, is currently on trial in federal court in Oakland, California, over allegations it violated the 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, along with various state statutes.

• HOTTEST DAY SATURDAY: Saturday could bring hottest temp yet if SA can beat 102°
• VERY SMALL (10%) RAIN CHANCE: 3pm to 6pm
• DROUGHT COMING BACK: Drought rapidly returning

FORECAST

SATURDAY HEAT

Saturday could be our hottest day of all. Temperatures are forecast to reach 102°-103°. Thankfully, humidity values drop slightly in the afternoon, keeping heat index values in check. That said, several area schools will be having football scrimmages, so heat safety will be imperative for any outdoor activities.

SATURDAY RAIN CHANCE (10%)

A weak front could stir up a storm or two mainly north of San Antonio Saturday afternoon from 3pm to 6pm. A pop-up downpour can’t be ruled out, however the rain chance sits at only 10%. That being said, if you are one of the few to see rain, there could be some lightning and gusty winds with any storms.

SUNDAY AND BEYOND

We settle in to a continued hot, 100°+ streak. Widespread rain is not even a consideration for us until at least early September.

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 temporary order came hours before lower-court rulings would have forced a halt to aboveground construction of the project because Trump didn't get congressional approval.

It will remain in place until the Supreme Court issues a more durable decision, though the one-page document does not detail Roberts' reasoning or indicate when another ruling will be handed down. Roberts signed the order because he oversees emergency appeals of cases filed in the capital.

Trump thanked the high court and the chief justice during his remarks later Friday during a political appearance in South Carolina.

“When they say proceed, I think that's a good thing. That's a good thing,” Trump said.

Ballroom case tests the limits of presidential power

The case is coming before the nation’s highest court as Trump, a Republican, exercises unparalleled assertions of presidential power and increasingly seeks to mold the capital in his own image.

The administration has argued that the president has total authority to renovate the White House and other federal buildings as he sees fit and that the ballroom project must be completed due to national security concerns.

When Trump first announced the plans for a new ballroom, he did not emphasize national security. He said the project would be funded by private donations, including from himself.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation argues that Trump has no unilateral authority to undertake the work, which has included demolishing the East Wing. Lawyers for the preservation group accused the White House of trying to “outrun the courts” by accelerating construction.

A spokesperson for the trust said Friday that the order from Roberts is not a final decision and the group is awaiting further action. The full Supreme Court will likely weigh in next on whether construction can continue for the potentially long duration of the lawsuit.

Trump said his administration is grateful for Friday's decision, writing in a social media post that the project is “under budget and ahead of schedule.”

While litigation plays out, the ballroom is going up quickly

The Trump administration says 65% of the work has already been completed on the planned 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom, where the East Wing stood before the president ordered its demolition.

Crews are working 20 hours a day, seven days a week, on the project, where about $200 million in private donations has been spent or committed, according to court documents filed by the Justice Department.

The work has proceeded against the backdrop of the litigation winding through the courts.

In April, a district court judge ordered a stop to the aboveground construction of the planned ballroom. That ruling was briefly suspended, then upheld by an appeals court panel. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington allowed work to continue only belowground on bunkers and military installations. Leon was nominated by President George W. Bush, a Republican.

Leon's decision was upheld by an appeals court panel, as two judges appointed by Democratic presidents found the project was for Congress to decide and “not a matter for Executive self-help.” A third judge, appointed by Trump, found that the preservationist group challenging the project had no legal standing to sue.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer picked up on that argument, calling the decision halting the work “extraordinary and unlawful.” He said the completion of the project was “vitally required by national security.”

The Trump administration has scored a series of victories on the Supreme Court's emergency docket, though the justices have ruled against some of the president’s signature policies after fuller review.

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Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.

The Cessna's two pilots could not see the gravel airstrip and were flying solely by instruments when the plane crashed about midday Thursday, Clint Johnson, the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska region chief, told a virtual news conference.

Regulations required that they abort their first landing attempt because of the lack of visibility, he said, and the plane crashed on its second attempt, about one-third of a mile (0.5 kilometers) from the runway. The runway is surrounded by mountainous terrain on three sides, and the Federal Aviation Administration recommends pilots use GPS and other instruments when they land there.

On board were the pilots, two employees of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and four contractors. Two of the contractors were employees of Calista Brice, a collection of companies that perform construction, engineering, logistics and other work in remote areas. Calista Brice is a subsidiary of Calista Corp., an Alaska Native regional corporation.

The military has not said what work they were performing at the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site, about 450 miles (725 kilometers) west of Anchorage on Alaska's southwest coast.

NTSB investigators were traveling to the scene Friday.

The radar site was built in the 1950s as part of a network designed to provide early warning of a missile attack by the Soviet Union. Today, it monitors the skies off the coast in the direction of Russia, North Korea and China.

Those on board were “dedicated professionals carrying out a vital mission in a demanding environment," U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Davis, commander of Alaskan Command, the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and Eleventh Air Force, said in a statement Thursday.

“This is a devastating loss for our military family and the communities we serve,” Davis said.

Johnson said search teams found the fragmented wreckage after the twin-engine Cessna 441, also known as a Cessna Conquest, lost contact. Its final flight path was captured by radar at the site, he said.

Weather conditions were changing Thursday as heavy fog rolled through the area. An automated observation system not far from the airport reported a low cloud ceiling, fog and visibility of about 10 miles (16 kilometers) in the minutes before the crash, but the next update about 15 minutes after it showed visibility of less than one-quarter mile (0.40 kilometers), according to Carrie Haisley, the meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service's Alaska sector operations center.

Mike O’Donnell, who oversaw airport safety programs and accident investigations for much of his 17 years at FAA, said it sounded as if weather conditions were bad enough that the pilots should have diverted and landed somewhere else.

The airstrip is at a private military site managed by the Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center. It’s part of a network of remote radar sites that tracks aircraft operating in Alaska’s airspace and along its borders, a statement from Alaskan Command said.

The outpost at Cape Newenham closed in 1983 after a new radar was installed, and now the site is visited only occasionally by civilian contractors who perform maintenance on the system.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the two employees who died were part of a “project delivery team en route to a project site in support of the U.S. Air Force.” The statement did not provide additional details about the work.

Johnson said the flight was operated by Security Aviation based in Anchorage. The charter company did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

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Associated Press writer Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report. Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska.

The letter gave the Washington, D.C.-based Center for American Progress until the end of business Friday to issue the retraction or face a $5 billion lawsuit. The center declined.

The nonprofit's president and chief executive, Neera Tanden, said in a statement that the lawsuit “is a transparent attempt to silence us. We will neither cower nor bend in the face of it.”

The report, published July 13, criticized the administration for taking credit for a historic drop in violent crime at a time when that decline was already underway. The analysis concluded that Trump’s deployment of the National Guard “had no measurable effect on violent crime trends.”

Tanden said the work was based on the nonprofit's analysis of crime data and its findings were simply "inconvenient to the Trump administration.”

In the letter, sent Monday and first reported by The New York Times, Trump attorney Alejandro Brito said the center should “immediately retract the false, malicious, and defamatory statements made about President Trump.”

Brito highlighted several examples of statements in the report that drew objections from Trump. One read, “In an effort to falsely claim his policies have reduced crime, the president is exploiting the fact that violent crime and murder were already declining in the cities his administration targeted with these extreme interventions.”

Brito wrote that failure to retract the report will leave Trump no choice but to seek remedies for the “overwhelming financial and reputational harm that Defendants have caused him to suffer.” Attempts to reach Brito on Friday were unsuccessful.

The nonprofit's general counsel, Kevin Metz, said in a letter responding to the threat that the defamation allegation "is utterly absurd: truth is not and cannot be defamation. The legal standards here are clear, well-established, and speech-protective.”

Threatening lawsuits against perceived enemies or over media coverage he doesn't like is part of a well-worn playbook for Trump. At the beginning of his second term, he threatened numerous legal firms with cutting off access to the federal government unless they capitulated to his various demands, which some did.

Kevin Goldberg, a First Amendment expert at the Freedom Forum, said such threats from Trump are done “for the purpose of trying to push someone into submission rather than actually on the merits of compensating Donald Trump for any harm that might have been caused.”

The newspaper’s publisher, who announced his impending retirement days ago, was also dismissed.

Erik Slavin, editor-in-chief of the military newspaper that is partly funded by the Pentagon, told The Associated Press he was dismissed for insubordination after an interview he gave that objected to potential censorship by the U.S. military. He received a notice of separation, as did publisher Max Lederer — who had just announced his upcoming retirement — and Middle East reporter Lara Korte, Slavin said.

The moves come at a time when the Trump administration, in its second term, has been progressively combative toward the media — including sharply curtailing Pentagon access for the press corps that covers the Defense Department. Trump or other parts of the executive branch have also, in policy and in the courts, grappled with The Wall Street Journal,The Associated Press and The New York Times — in addition to using the FCC to target broadcast networks.

Slavin said he was being fired “for stating in a CBS interview that hypothetical censorship of news for service members would constitute a red line.” Korte participated in the same interview.

“I stand by the principle that Stars and Stripes must remain editorially independent, as required by law and by the department’s own policies,” Slavin said.

Media leaders are troubled

National Press Club President Mark Schoeff Jr. called the firing of Slavin “another brazen attempt by the Pentagon to dictate coverage of the military” and said it should be immediately reversed.

“Firing a newspaper editor after he publicly defended his newsroom’s editorial independence is deeply troubling, and it should concern every journalist and every member of the U.S. military who depends on independent reporting,” Schoeff said.

Neither Lederer nor Korte immediately responded to emailed requests for comment. Korte said on X: “Today, I was informed that the Department of Defense is firing me for insubordination after I told a CBS reporter that I work for Stars and Stripes — not the Pentagon, not the administration, and not any policy maker.”

Earlier this week, longtime publisher Lederer announced his retirement effective at the end of September. He made his announcement a few weeks after the Pentagon installed a new deputy publisher, an active duty service member, under him at the newspaper without his prior knowledge. Three Democratic senators on Thursday wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, asking why the new deputy — Navy Capt. William Urban — had been installed.

The retirement of Lederer, who had been at Stars and Stripes for three decades and publisher since 2007, comes as Hegseth’s Pentagon has moved to exert editorial control and eliminate what it asserts are “woke distractions.”

“Stars and Stripes will be custom tailored to our warfighters,” Sean Parnell, Hegseth's spokesman, wrote in January on X. “It will focus on warfighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability and ALL THINGS MILITARY. No more repurposed DC gossip columns; no more Associated Press reprints.”

In April, the Pentagon fired Jacqueline Smith, ombudsman for the newspaper, whose job had been to safeguard editorial independence.

Lederer, the second full-time civilian in the position, wrote in a staff memo this week that it had “become clear that my philosophy of leadership, and my understanding of the value and mission of Stars and Stripes, differ in fundamental ways from the direction the leadership of the Department of Defense has for the organization.”

Newly installed Pentagon leader outlines his plan

In a letter posted on Stars and Stripes, Urban wrote of his plans and said: “I understand that I am now part of a team, committed to editorially independent journalism that best serves our most important customer, which is our service members, their families, and our greater military community.”

“I am a media junkie who has served as a communication professional engaged in being a spokesman for some of the hardest Public Affairs assignments in the Navy and Department of War for more than 20 years,” he wrote.

It was unclear whether Urban, currently titled “military deputy to the publisher,” would now become head publisher. “I can’t comment on what my role will be in the future,” he told the AP.

In a telephone interview, Urban said Stars and Stripes has “a strong team of professional journalists that are focused on the mission of providing our military service members and their families the best possible product. That mission is going to continue. All of us in leadership will continue to advocate for … the best possible journalism going forward.”

He said he had no formal journalism experience but cited his years in public affairs and communications. He said he would be focused on expanding digital journalism at the paper, because the service members to which it caters are often young and are “digital natives.”

“I think we need to get better on the digital side,” he said, “to make sure that we are reaching as many service members as we possibly can and having the impact that we should be having.”

It will be DeRozan's fifth team in his 18th season for a six-time All-Star looking for his first championship. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the agreement hasn't been announced.

The addition of DeRozan gives the Nuggets a veteran backcourt presence after sending young, versatile wing Peyton Watson to Cleveland as part of a four-team trade. The 23-year-old Watson started a career-high 40 games last season and averaged career bests in points (14.6), rebounds (4.9) and assists (2.1). He missed the first-round series with a hamstring injury as the Nuggets were eliminated by Minnesota. Aaron Gordon also was hampered by calf tightness in the series.

Bringing in a veteran like DeRozan may go a long way in showing All-NBA center Nikola Jokic the team is committed to staying competitive. Last month, Jokic reiterated his desire to remain with Denver. He held off signing his contract extension until next summer when he can sign a five-year supermax contract that would be worth around $350 million.

The Nuggets won their first NBA title in 2023, but have been eliminated early in the last three postseasons. They signed forward/center Marvin Bagley III this summer and brought back forward Spencer Jones by matching the Oklahoma City Thunder’s offer sheet.

It's a deal that pushed Denver into the second apron. Crossing into that territory makes roster construction increasingly difficult.

DeRozan, the ninth overall pick by Toronto in 2009, spent his first nine seasons with the Raptors, only to get traded to San Antonio for Kawhi Leonard as his former team won the title in Leonard's only season in 2018-19.

The 37-year-old DeRozan spent three seasons with the Spurs and three with Chicago before joining Sacramento the past two seasons. He was part of sign-and-trade deals in the moves to the Bulls and Kings.

DeRozan averaged 18.4 points last season, ending a 12-year run of averaging at least 20 points per game. He has had just two winning seasons since going to the playoffs his last five years with the Raptors. DeRozan made the postseason once with Chicago.

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See AP’s full NBA coverage here

Prosecutors then began calling rebuttal witnesses in the trial, which is likely entering its final days. Closing arguments are expected next week.

Clancy, 36, has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the deaths of her children Callan, Dawson and Cora Clancy, who ranged from 8 months to 5 years old. They were found in the basement of the family’s home in coastal Duxbury, Massachusetts. Clancy jumped from a second-story window after strangling the children and remains paralyzed from the waist down.

Prosecutors argue that Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, planned the killings.

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

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Clancy’s lawyer, Kevin Reddington, hasn’t disputed that she killed the children but says she should not be held criminally responsible because she had postpartum psychosis, a rare mental illness linked to the stress, sleep deprivation and hormonal changes that follow childbirth.

He sought to bolster that defense by having the jury hear from more of Clancy’s family members, who detailed her worsening mental health and attempts to fix it through psychiatric treatment and medications before the January 2023 killings. The jury also heard from a psychologist and a hospital chaplain who met with Clancy after the killings.

The defense's final witness also testified at the trial of Texas mom Andrea Yates

For his final witness on Friday, Reddington called Dr. Phillip Resnick, a forensic psychiatrist and expert in filicide, or the killing of a child by a parent.

Resnick testified that Clancy was “clearly psychotic” on the day she killed her children and was not in control of her actions.

“It was almost like she was a puppet and someone else was pulling the strings,” said Resnick, who testified for the defense in the 2006 trial of Andrea Yates, the Texas mother who drowned her five children in 2001.

Resnick said he spent hours interviewing Clancy four months after the killings and believed she tended to minimize rather than exaggerate her symptoms. He said she suffered from severe depression, showed evidence consistent with bipolar disorder and reported hearing a voice commanding her to kill her children.

Resnick described several categories of filicide, including killings involving abuse. Others involve psychosis or what he calls “altruistic” filicide — a killing committed “out of love rather than hostility.” He said he found Clancy’s case involved both of the latter categories, but he didn’t find evidence of abuse.

Resnick said Clancy had a delusional belief that if social services took the children or if she killed herself, her children would suffer without her, and believed that they would be better off dying with her and going to heaven.

“She believed that she was doing what was right for her children,” he said.

Under cross-examination by prosecutor Jennifer Sprague, Resnick acknowledged that Clancy did not disclose thoughts of harming her children to medical providers who asked, but said that was “very common because people fear their children will be taken away.”

“So it’s better to kill them than have them taken away?” Sprague asked.

The judge struck the question.

Prosecutors say Clancy wasn't suffering from psychosis or bipolar disorder

Prosecutors argue that Clancy contrived to get her husband out of the house the day of the killings. They have attempted to show that while she was getting treatment for anxiety, insomnia and depression, she wasn't suffering from psychosis or bipolar disorder.

After the defense rested, prosecutors called forensic psychiatrist Dr. Avram Mack as a rebuttal witness. Mack agreed that Clancy suffered from a major depressive episode but said he found no evidence of mania or hypomania to support a bipolar diagnosis — or of psychosis — leading up to the killings.

Mack said Clancy recounted the killings to him, saying she heard a loud male voice telling her to kill the children so she could kill herself. She recalled strangling the children and saying “go to God” as she did so, he told jurors.

Mack said Clancy was experiencing severe mental illness when she killed her children but that it was a continuation of the depression she had experienced for months in which she was able to control impulses and distinguish right from wrong.

He also said, “There’s no reason that psychosis in and of itself inhibits a person’s ability to know right from wrong.”

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Clancy’s first name was misspelled in the headline of an earlier version of this story. It has been corrected to Lindsay, instead of Lindsey.

More than a month after floodwaters from Town Creek surged five feet inside her house, she is sifting through her backyard — pulling up what little remains. Her truck sits where the water left it. Her kitchen, her pantry, her furniture — gone.

A neighbor pulled her out just in time.

“My house with all items is for the family, and everything is no work anymore,” Martinez said. “My house is empty, empty, empty, empty.”

Martinez lived in the home for 15 years. Her family has been there for 30 years. She is now staying in a rental just around the corner while strangers work to put her home back together — completely free of charge.

Mark Roye, a volunteer with the nonprofit Somebody Cares America, drove up from San Antonio and has been working on her home for weeks. His organization is currently rebuilding 17 flood-damaged homes across Kerr County, all at no cost to the homeowners.

Roye said the scale of this flood is being underestimated — and largely forgotten.

“I come here, we’re going back and say, ‘Mark, how are you doing?’ ‘Well, I’ve been working with the floods,’” Roye said. “‘What flood?’ Even people in San Antonio are saying, ‘What flood?’ And I think a lot of it — we call it compassion fatigue.”

Roye said his team is operating at roughly 10 to 15 percent of the volunteer and financial capacity they had during last year’s floods. He said he still hopes to have Martinez’s home finished by Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, the San Antonio Food Bank has been showing up every Monday with groceries. For Martinez, that help is nothing new — she has relied on the food bank for 15 years. But after the flood wiped out everything in her pantry, she said the support has meant even more.

“It’s food and items for the bathroom and fruits and veggies and everything,” she said. “Very nice, because not every time in a big family you have money for the store. It’s basic.”

Eric Cooper, President and CEO of the San Antonio Food Bank, said the organization has distributed roughly one million pounds of food to approximately 36,000 households across 11 flood-impacted counties since July — a roughly 20 to 25 percent spike in demand.

He said families like Martinez’s are caught in a painful cycle.

“To have 12 months later, just a month and a half ago, to have additional flooding back to some of those same neighborhoods — and some of which were already rebuilt — it’s a double whammy,” Cooper said. “More needs to be done, and we will continue to be there.”

The City of Kerrville has reported more than $55 million in preliminary flood-related damages and more than 820 flood-damage reports. Several parks and city facilities remain closed, and debris removal efforts are ongoing.

If you need help, the San Antonio Food Bank can be reached at 210-431-8326 or at safoodbank.org. The City of Kerrville also has a flood debris assistance request form available on its website.

Read also:

• Boerne nonprofit steps up after July 2026 floods as Hill Country families need assistance
• Uvalde County’s FM 481 bridge to reopen this weekend ‘several weeks ahead of schedule’ after July floods, TxDOT says

Sacco, a longtime Massachusetts charter fishing boat captain, saw the giant fin break the surface, and at first he thought he was dealing with an enormous shark.

“Then I got a better look at it and thought, dang, that thing's pointed,” he said. “But that's too big for a marlin.”

He was wrong. Sacco and his client Walter Chapman landed what they and others believe is the largest Atlantic blue marlin ever caught off the U.S. East Coast on Wednesday. The massive billfish, more than 11 feet (335 cm) in length, weighed 1,260 pounds (571.5 kilograms) when they got it back to land in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

That was just 142 pounds (64.4 kilograms) shy of the world record for an Atlantic blue marlin, caught off Brazil in 1992, according to records kept by the International Game Fish Association.

To catch such a huge fish off New England might be even more remarkable, said Walt Golet, director of the University of Maine Pelagic Fisheries Lab and an associate professor at the university's marine sciences school. The water is too cold for them in the Northeast most of the year, making the window to catch a big one very narrow.

The fish’s head was on its way to the UMaine lab to determine its age, said Golet, who speculated that it could be in the range of 25 to 30 years.

“I don’t suspect there will be a whole lot of blue marlin caught in the Atlantic in general that are going to top 1,200 pounds for the next several years,” he said.

On the day of the catch, Sacco's charter boat, Castafari, was fishing Atlantis Canyon, an underwater canyon on the edge of the continental shelf about 100 miles (160 kilometers) off Cape Cod. The highly migratory blue marlin is a seasonal visitor to the area, Golet said.

The battle with the marlin took about three hours and was fought on rod and reel by Chapman. Sacco said his role for most of the adventure was to “drive the bus around and yell at people.” He added that the fish left a couple of holes in the boat's transom with its bill that he considers “war marks.”

Chapman, a retiree and lifelong fisherman from Plymouth, said the meat of the fish was divided among about a dozen people, and he's currently looking up recipes for what to do with it. He said the marlin is unquestionably the biggest fish he's ever fought on a line, and some of it's probably destined for fish chowder.

“I wasn't going to eat a 1,200 pound fish all by myself,” Chapman said.

When the boat returned to the docks, a crowd was waiting, and weighing the fish became a brief spectacle. Onlooker Katie Curran of Falmouth said it was spectacular.

“People fish their entire lives and never come close to a catch like this,” Curran said. “Hats off to Captain Damon Sacco and the crew on the catch of a lifetime.”

Kelly Lee Brower Sr., 68, was arrested Wednesday in Cottonwood, Arizona, according to the Universal City Police Department, for the murder of Yolanda Herrera.

Investigators said they linked Brower to the crime through a DNA match, while Brower was already in custody in Arizona on a separate, unrelated charge.

Herrera was last seen in the early morning hours of Saturday, April 11, 1981, leaving Johnny’s Inn, a bar in Universal City. Witnesses reported she was last seen walking away from the establishment.

Two days later, her nude body was discovered in a field near the 500 block of East Aviation Drive. An autopsy determined her cause of death was homicide due to multiple injuries. Evidence also suggested she was sexually assaulted before her death.

Read also:

• Deadly North Side shooting is latest in string of recent violence in San Antonio

Sterling was killed in October 2024 at Victoria Plaza, a downtown San Antonio apartment complex. Police found him dead inside his apartment. The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office determined he died from a gunshot wound to the head.

“My brother, Donnell Sterling, which we affectionately called Donnie,” his sister Bridget Sterling said, “he was a very kind, sweet person, great brother, great son, great father.”

Bridget Sterling said losing her only sibling has been difficult for their family.

“Losing my brother, my only sibling, is indescribable,” she said. “It’s just really hard to see that someone took my brother’s life for no reason.”

Daniel Gonzalez is accused of killing Sterling. Gonzalez was already in custody on an unlawful firearm possession charge when police began investigating Sterling’s death.

Police also investigated Gonzalez in connection with another man’s death at the same apartment complex. That case is separate from Sterling’s murder case.

According to court records, ballistic testing later connected a gun Gonzalez owned to shell casings found in connection with Sterling’s shooting.

Gonzalez told police he knew Sterling and had been to his apartment, but denied involvement in his death, according to court records.

Now, after years of waiting, the case is headed to trial.

Jury selection has been completed, and testimony is scheduled to begin Monday.

Sterling’s family is preparing for the emotional difficulty of seeing Gonzalez in court.

“That’s something that we’re really trying to mentally prepare ourselves for, just to see him in court,” Bridget Sterling said. “Seeing the person that took my brother’s life is just, it’s really hard.”

She said no court ruling can bring her brother back, but she wants Gonzalez held accountable if he is convicted.

“Justice would never bring my brother back,” she said. “So justice for my family would be that Mr. Daniel Gonzalez stay behind bars and serve the rest of his life.”

As the family marks Sterling’s birthday, Bridget said she is trying to focus on the person he was rather than the circumstances of his death.

“When your sibling or your family members on this earth, you know, we live every day and we see them,” she said. “But once they’re gone … that’s an unbearable, heart-wrenching feeling.”

If convicted in Sterling’s death, Gonzalez faces up to life in prison.

Read more:

• Second body found at downtown San Antonio apartment in four days
• Man arrested in connection with fatal shooting at downtown San Antonio apartment complex

Officers were dispatched shortly after 12 a.m. Tuesday at an apartment complex in the 4900 block of Woodstone Drive.

Police said two 18-year-old men were found at the scene with gunshot wounds. One victim later died at the hospital after he was shot in the upper body.

The second victim is expected to recover, according to police.

In a Friday Facebook post, San Antonio police shared a video of three people officers believe to be suspects connected to the shooting.

Officers said they are working to identify these suspects.

Anyone with information connected to the shooting is urged to contact SAPD’s Homicide Unit at (210) 207-7737 or email craig.rodriguez@sanantonio.gov.

More related coverage of this story on KSAT:

• ‘This is my home’: Neighbors troubled by deadly shooting at Northwest Side apartments

The U.S. carmaker is recalling about 2.98 million China-made and imported EVs including Model 3, Model Y, Model X and Model S over door handle safety risks, according to China’s State Administration for Market Regulation.

The recall, the largest this year according to Chinese media, comes a few months after Chinese authorities said in February that starting next year, it would be banning hidden car door handles that are commonly seen on Tesla electric vehicles and many Chinese EV models.

China has stepped up scrutiny recently on hidden, or flush, car door handles following EV accidents in the country and elsewhere, in which cars’ hidden electronic doors failed and trapped people inside.

In a notice on the Chinese regulator’s website, it cited safety risk. In extreme situations, such as a severe collision that causes an electrical system failure, the car handles could hinder car users from quickly opening the doors to escape, or prevent rescuers outside the car from gaining access, the notice said.

Some experts in the industry said the automakers should value safety over design.

Cui Dongshu, head of the China Passenger Car Association, called the recall “an inevitable step” in the development of the electric vehicle industry and said automakers were “being responsible” by moving toward a more reliable, “safety-first” approach.

“This represents, in part, the growing pains of the industry. At the same time, however, this move signifies a policy-driven safety upgrade,” said Cui.

Tesla will perform software updates on the vehicles to mitigate risks, the notice added. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

Xiaomi, the Beijing-based Chinese technology giant, is recalling more than 390,000 vehicles. Hangzhou-based Leapmotor is recalling over 370,000 cars. Other Chinese carmakers, including Geely and XPENG are also recalling some vehicles.

The reasons given in each case were similar, mostly relating to issues with their car door handles.

A report published by the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of China’s ruling Communist Party, said the large-scale recall “serves as a unified safety upgrade” for existing vehicle models ahead of the 2027 implementation of the ban on hidden car door handles.

“For the rapidly evolving NEV (new energy vehicle) industry, competition should be defined not only by the pace of technological innovation but also by the high standards set for safety,” the newspaper said.

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Fu Ting reported from Washington.

Messi slapped the Union's Quinn Sullivan on the back of the neck as the two exchanged words Wednesday night. Messi scored his first goal since the death of his father, Jorge Messi, and added an assist.

Sullivan also was involved in the fracas that led to Fray's fine. After Sullivan lost his footing dribbling into the penalty area, he got tangled with Fray, who then grabbed his neck. Sullivan jumped up and tackled Fray.

Minnesota United FC defender Anthony Markanich was fined for embellishment in the second half of a 2-1 loss to Atlanta United on Wednesday.

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See AP’s full MLS coverage here

The Farm-to-Market 481 bridge, referred to by the department as a “vital connection” in Uvalde, was restored over the past 37 days. TxDOT said it anticipates drivers will be able to travel over the Nueces River beginning Sunday.

The July 2026 Floods ravaged through South Texas and the Hill Country, leaving behind damaged communities and a partially collapsed bridge in Uvalde County.

Drivers were not able to pass over FM 481 due to flood damage.

An emergency repair contract for the bridge was initiated by TxDOT on July 28, and the department said it was expected to be complete by the end of September.

The reopened roadways were completed “several weeks ahead of schedule,” TxDOT said.

“We moved quickly to assess the damage and complete repairs so access could be restored as quickly and safely as possible,” Charles Benavidez, a San Antonio district engineer, said in the news release.

It cost the department more than $3 million to repair the bridge. TxDOT said the repairs are not complete, and drivers should be cautious of workers restoring the bridge in the area.

Read also:

• Emergency repair contract underway for Uvalde County bridge that partially collapsed in floods
• Closures planned on Northwest Side by La Cantera; New diamond interchange on Blanco Road set to open

The S&P 500 rose 0.4% for just its second gain in the six days since setting its all-time high last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 517 points, or 1%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.4%.

Ross Stores helped lead the way and rose 4.4% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. CEO Jim Conroy said it saw both an increase in new customers and more interest from existing customers, while the off-price retailer at the same time benefited from refunds on tariffs.

Most U.S. companies have reported bigger profits for the spring than analysts expected, which has helped drive stocks to records recently. Stock prices tend to follow the path of corporate profits over the long term.

Hopes for continued profit growth got a boost from a preliminary report by S&P Global suggesting growth for U.S. business activity hit a 52-month high. But the other big lever that helps set stock prices, interest rates, has been much shakier.

After soaring through the summer and then hesitating following this week’s surprise move by the U.S. Treasury Department to repurchase more U.S. government bonds, yields climbed further on Friday.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.73% from 4.69% late Thursday. It’s back above its level from before the Treasury market made its move, which analysts said at the time would likely have only a temporary effect. The 30-year Treasury yield, which the Fed is also targeting with its bond repurchases, also rose and is near its highest level since 2007.

Contributing to Friday’s gains for bond yields was continued uncertainty about when the war with Iran will allow oil tankers to freely exit the Persian Gulf again. That caused oil prices to rise, which affects Treasury yields because they increase worries about inflation.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil settled at $92.67, up 0.8%.

Besides inflation, concerns about the fast-rising debt for the U.S. government have also been sending yields upward. Higher yields can slow the economy and undercut prices for all kinds of investments.

One of the biggest beneficiaries of U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s move to try to get longer-term yields lower is bitcoin. Cryptocurrencies often rise when interest rates are lower and more money is flowing through the financial system. Hopes for legislation in Washington to help the crypto industry have also helped it.

Bitcoin has climbed above $77,000 from less than $63,000 a week ago. That helped stocks in the crypto industry lead Wall Street. Robinhood Markets jumped 13.7%, and Coinbase Global gained 8.2%.

The price of gold also climbed and briefly topped $4,690 per ounce from less than $4,440 a week earlier. The Treasury Department’s buyback announcement has helped weaken the U.S. dollar’s value against other currencies, which tends to give gold’s price a boost.

That helped drive stocks of miners higher. Newmont climbed 3.1%, and Freeport-McMoRan jumped 7.6%.

They helped offset a 5.2% drop for OSI Systems, which sells security screening equipment to airports and other specialized electronic systems. It reported weaker revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected, and CEO Ajay Mehra said it was hurt by “the Middle East conflicts which shifted the timing of certain planned deliveries.”

Boston Beer sank 2.6% after the seller of Samuel Adams and Dogfish Head said its chief financial officer is leaving the company and announced an interim replacement.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 33.21 points to 7,674.37. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 517.80 to 53,277.01, and the Nasdaq composite added 113.29 to 26,180.45.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose in much of Asia and Europe. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.2%, and South Korea’s Kospi climbed 0.9% for two of the world’s bigger moves.

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AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Michelle Chapman contributed to this report.

An estimated 33% of active duty personnel who said they experienced unwanted sexual contact in fiscal year 2025 reported it, compared with 25% in fiscal year 2023, the report said. The findings are based on confidential surveys taken every two years as well as sexual assault reports made to authorities.

“In other words, about 1 in 3 Service members reported experiencing their sexual assault to a Department authority,” the report said. “This estimate is up from the 1 in 4 Service members estimated to have reported experiencing sexual assault in FY 2023.”

The Pentagon says it estimates about 20,492 service members — 9,860 active duty women and 10,632 active duty men — said in the survey that they experienced unwanted sexual contact.

The report marks another year of improving trends in the effort to tackle sexual assault in the military. The Pentagon reports from the previous two years show drops in sexual assault reports as well as the number of service members who said they had experienced unwanted sexual contact. That followed almost a decade of rising numbers of reported assaults, though many say the numbers still are too high.

The Pentagon has faced persistent criticism and pressure from both Congress and outside advocacy groups to reduce sexual assaults and harassment in the military, which also can affect recruiting and retaining troops.

The Pentagon releases this report every year on the number of sexual assaults reported by or about troops. Because sexual assault is a highly underreported crime, the department does a confidential online survey every two years to get a clearer picture of the problem.

Defense officials have long argued that an increase in reported assaults is a positive trend because so many people are reluctant to report them, both in the military and in society as a whole. Greater reporting, they say, shows there is more confidence in the reporting system and greater comfort with the support for victims.

The number of reported sexual assaults dipped last year from the previous year. The Defense Department said it received a total of 7,998 reports of sexual assault in 2025, a decrease of 197 from 8,195 reports received in 2024.

The latest confidential survey found that unwanted sexual contact among active duty women decreased from an estimated 6.8% in 2023 to 4.3% last year. For men, the prevalence fell from an estimated 1.3% to 1%.

Sexual harassment of active duty women fell from an estimated 24.7% to 17.5% during that time, while it dropped from 5.8% to 4.4% for men, according to the survey.

However, the report noted that junior enlisted men and women and those younger than 24 “remained at greater risk of unwanted sexual contact compared to men and women of higher ranks and those over the age of 25.”

It says “preventing and responding to sexual assault is ... a readiness imperative” and that the Pentagon will “continue to strengthen efforts to deter and diminish harmful behaviors, provide timely and victim-centered care, and hold substantiated offenders appropriately accountable.”

While the latest Pentagon report suggests the military is making progress on changing the culture of sexual assault and its underreporting in the military, the new figures cover only the first several months of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s time leading the Pentagon.

Since his arrival, Hegseth has not shied away from firing top female leaders and instituting policies and reviews that suggest he may be looking to diminish the role that women can play in the military.

Vance has highlighted his Rust Belt roots while trying to boost GOP candidates ahead of the November midterm elections. He has focused on promoting the Trump administration’s economic policies and efforts to try to expand U.S. manufacturing.

As he took the stage at the Cleveland-Cliffs Middletown Works facility, known as Armco Steel when his grandfather James Vance worked there for nearly 40 years, he remarked on sharing the space where the man whose name he shared once stood.

“Papaw was a welder in this place for 40 years, and today his grandson stands here as the vice president of these United States. It’s an amazing thing,” Vance said.

The Middletown event comes as Vance is expected to ramp up his travel schedule with more public events and fundraisers, according to a person familiar with the plans who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Vance says Trump is trying to reverse decades of ‘American decline’

As they've campaigned this year, Vance, more than President Donald Trump, has acknowledged Americans' cost-of-living concerns, seeking to assure voters that the administration is working to reverse high prices, though he didn't offer specifics.

The vice president said, “We’ve got a lot of work to do” and “I’m not saying it’s going to be easy or it’s all going to happen overnight,” but he said Trump was trying to reverse “40 years of American decline.” He pointed to Trump's immigration and trade policies, including his tariffs, as trying to protect jobs like those at the steel plant.

Trump's tariff policies, though, have contributed to the higher costs Americans are facing, as taxes on imports have raised the price of imported products as well as those made domestically, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

With an eye toward Ohio's competitive elections, Vance focused on portraying Democrats today as unrecognizable to the party his grandfather supported for its union associations, calling it the “party of graduate students.”

Vance said his grandfather also thought “way too many politicians were just plain old corrupt.”

“He hated the people who forgot about this town when they should have been fighting for this town,” Vance said.

Vance blamed politicians of both major political parties, saying that for 40 years they espoused policies of free trade and open immigration that led to factory jobs being shipped overseas and an eventual scourge of opioids left behind, which he blamed on “a lot of cartels” and “the fentanyl trade,” which he said came along with “some innocent people” across the border.

Vance has deep ties to the town and the steel plant

In his bestselling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” Vance described the steel plant as an economic savior that brought his grandparents from Kentucky's hills into the American middle class. He described how his grandfather would boast upon seeing an old Ford or Chevy that its steel was made by his company.

His grandson's election as vice president of the United States spurred pride in the Midwestern city, though Vance has faced some pushback on his portrayal of it in the book. He said kids “derisively called it ‘Middletucky’” when he was a child because it had so many transplants like his family. He said they brought problems with them from Kentucky, such as drug addiction, “Mountain Dew mouth” and problematic fathers.

In the 2024 election, Trump and Vance won about 62% of the vote in the city's precincts. His mother, Beverly Aikins, and his sister still live in Middletown.

Before he arrived at the steel plant, he first stopped by a pastry shop to buy doughnuts and remind workers there of the “no tax on tips” provision in the tax and spending law Trump signed last year, according to a video posted online by an aide.

After the event, Vance visited a Cincinnati chili restaurant where he served beers and Cincinnati chili-topped dogs with cheese to people gathered inside.

“Nice pour, JD!” someone shouted. “I’ll take a beer back here,” called another.

Ohio has lost its political bellwether status and turned red during the Trump era, but Democrats see a chance to win both the governor’s office and a U.S. Senate seat from Republican hands this year as anti-Trump sentiment buoys their party.

Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed to replace Vance in the Senate, is trying to hold on to his seat against a challenge from former Sen. Sherrod Brown, a longtime Ohio politician with a pro-working class message who lost his reelection bid to Republican Bernie Moreno two years ago.

Brown has capitalized on public opposition to artificial intelligence data centers in the campaign and aired ads calling Husted the “face of data centers in Ohio.” The National Republican Senatorial Committee, the GOP’s Senate campaign arm, warned in a memo this week that backlash to the centers has left Husted vulnerable.

Vivek Ramaswamy, a Vance ally, is the party’s nominee for governor in a race against Democrat Amy Acton. Democrats have not won the Ohio governor’s office in two decades.

Husted and Ramaswamy both spoke before Vance on Friday, as did U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

Vance, whose family still keeps a home in Cincinnati where they sometimes spend weekends, was making his first public visit since his fourth child was born in July.

As part of his plans for ramping up his travel schedule, his office announced a trip Monday to Brewer, Maine, where former Republican Gov. Paul LePage is running against Democrat Matt Dunlap, the state auditor, in a competitive House district.

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Price reported from Washington.

Neighbors who live at or near the 600 block of Hallmark Path, which is located near Pleasanton Road, have been evacuated, the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office said people in the area should expect a large number of first responders on scene to contain and extinguish the fire.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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• Man arrested for 1981 Universal City cold case murder, police say

Beef prices have climbed to record highs amid a drop in the number of U.S. cattle, consistent consumer demand and limits on cattle from Mexico, where the animals are facing a flesh-eating pest. The U.S. president has also imposed 50% tariffs on Brazil, a major beef exporter.

Trump remains under pressure to cut costs and address affordability issues ahead of November’s midterms. But ranchers, normally some of the president’s biggest supporters, are enjoying some rare profitable years and worry cheap beef imports will reduce cattle prices — and with it, the incentive to increase herd sizes.

“We all want lower grocery prices, but as I’ve said for months, we cannot do it at the expense of American producers,” Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., said in a statement. “Flooding the market with foreign beef hurts our livestock industry and undermines the long-term solution: growing the U.S. cattle herd to meet demand.”

When asked by reporters Friday evening about criticism of the deal, Trump said, “I love the ranchers; they’ve done a fantastic job. But they admit that we need a little help, and, in order to get the prices down, so that’s what we’re doing.”

Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., said in a social media post just hours after Trump announced the deal that the president's “heart is in the right place,” but importing beef will “harm our ranching families who feed the nation.”

And Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., said that while he appreciates the administration's focus on grocery prices, “short term policy shifts do not equal long term solutions.”

The deal, Trump said, allows up to 300,000 metric tons of ground beef to be imported into the U.S. for the next 90 days without activating an “out of quota” tariff, which is a tax that goes into effect once a certain quantity of that product enters the country.

The president said on social media that he had committed to ensuring the imported beef would be sold at 25% below current market rates, making it cheaper for American consumers. Trump didn't specify which countries would import the beef while speaking to reporters Friday, but said “there are a few” and that they'll send the “highest quality beef.” A White House official said the deal is with foreign beef exporters who have agreed to the discount on beef.

“You don’t put America first by putting U.S. cattle producers last,” U.S. Cattlemen's Association President Justin Tupper said in a statement. “This move will weaken our markets and gamble with food safety in the process.”

The president's announcement and other market interventions sacrifice “long-term stability for short term messaging,” Colin Woodall, CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, said in a statement.

Glynn Tonsor, a professor at Kansas State University who focuses on the cattle and beef industry, said he would like to see more details about the latest deal but that his immediate assessment was that it wouldn't have a big effect on prices.

That’s because 300,000 metric tons amounts to roughly 3% of what Americans eat yearly, he said. “The relative magnitude we are talking about is pretty small.”

David Anderson, professor of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University, said he was skeptical other countries could redirect so much beef to the U.S. in such a short time period.

“Is that even achievable?” he questioned in a phone interview.

The White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a plan that has yet to be finalized, said the beef in question is lean beef trimmings that are used for ground beef production. Trump plans to sign an executive order formalizing the directive within two weeks, the official said. The administration made a push last year to buy more beef from Argentina to try to bring down prices.

The president said Friday that his plan would help grow the U.S. cattle supply, which is the smallest it's been in decades. Some ranchers and experts said the opposite effect was more likely.

“Imports have been a major contributor to the decline in the U.S. cattle inventory,” said Bill Bullard, the CEO of the R-CALF USA, which represents independent cattle producers. “Using more imports today will exacerbate that decline and will prevent herd expansion.”

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Associated Press writers Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta contributed to this report.

The 35-year-old was transported to a hospital after 3 a.m. Friday at a North Side apartment complex on Sahara Drive, near San Pedro Avenue, according to the San Antonio Police Department. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The shooting happened after the man pulled out a gun during the argument. Police said another person, who was present and also had a gun, shot the man, killing him.

It is unclear whether anyone was arrested.

The shooting comes amid an already busy month for homicide investigators.

On Saturday, Aug. 8, police found a 24-year-old man with a gunshot wound in his head inside a home on NW 26th Street near Poplar Street. He later died from his wounds.

Two other men were shot Tuesday morning at a Northwest Side apartment complex on Woodstone Drive. One of them, an 18-year-old, was killed.

Another man died just before midnight Monday after being shot by an SAPD officer. Police said the 56-year-old man was armed with two knives when an officer encountered him outside a home on Spring Front Drive, near Babcock Road, and ignored commands to put them down.

Just outside the city limits on Crestway Drive, Bexar County Sheriff’s investigators also found a murder case: a man shot dead August 10 while riding in a car.

The violent streak does not necessarily indicate this will be an especially violent year.

SAPD figures show a slight drop in the number of murders, 59 murders so far this year compared to 68 at the same time in 2025.

The picture for BCSO, though, is a bit different.

As of Friday morning, the sheriff’s office had 16 homicides reported, compared to 9 during the same time last year.

Read more:

• Man dies after North Side fight between siblings escalates into gunfire
• 1 dead, 1 injured after shooting at Northwest Side apartment complex, SAPD says
• SAPD officer shoots, kills man who ‘aggressively advanced’ at him with large knives, police say
• Shooting that killed man, wounded mother doesn’t appear random, Bexar County sheriff says
• Man found with gunshot wound to head inside West Side home, police say

“We get to race at a lot of cool cities, but this one is by far the best that we've ever had, and I can say that very truthfully," Kyle Kirkwood said Friday. "Going by the Capitol building, the views here, all the architecture of all the buildings around here, all the museums, it's stuff that you dream of.

"It's a serious honor and privilege.”

This weekend's Freedom 250 Grand Prix is the second big sporting event staged by President Donald Trump in Washington as part of the nation’s 250th birthday celebration. The first was a UFC fight card on the White House’s South Lawn in June.

IndyCar racing — an open-wheel counterpart to NASCAR — doesn’t have quite the same association with the right-wing “manosphere” or the MAGA movement, but series owner Roger Penske received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump in 2019 and led the effort to put together this race in the District of Columbia.

For the drivers, it’s a welcome moment in the spotlight.

“What’s been the coolest part of this week? Honestly, the media covering us,” Kirkwood said. “It’s cool to see IndyCar in this light. We don’t get these opportunities very often outside of the Indy 500, and to have an event that is sought after as much as the 500 is something that’s special.”

Washington has little history with high-level motorsports. In 2002, the parking lot at RFK Stadium on the city's east side was transformed into a course for an American Le Mans Series event.

The Freedom 250 is downtown in one of D.C.'s prime tourist areas. If you're not in a race car, it's not the greatest weekend to be driving around the area given all the road closures, but if the weather holds up, the setting has the potential to be spectacular.

“As a boy from the Netherlands that just got his green card, it is really cool,” said Rinus VeeKay, who has six top-10 finishes this season. “We didn't get too much U.S. history in school ... but learning so much about it here, seeing all the monuments and museums and just how every building kind of has a special purpose here around the city, is very cool. Getting to see the White House, this is stuff you see in movies.”

The White House is not part of the D.C. course, although after Turn 1, the track does include a lengthy straightaway along Pennsylvania Avenue, heading northwest away from the Capitol. Then there's a sharp left turn between the National Archives and the main Justice Department building, followed by a couple quick 90-degree turns as the track navigates the city's grid system.

After a straightaway takes drivers across the National Mall, they turn left onto Independence Avenue, passing the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum. and the Eisenhower Memorial before heading north on 3rd Street to the finish line, which is just west of the Capitol.

“I think it's more exciting when you actually get on the grounds and see what you're about to do. I mean, when is this ever going to happen again?" said Josef Newgarden, a driver for Team Penske. “I hope it's great visibility. That's probably the biggest thing that it could bring to us — is visibility to people that aren't maybe as familiar with IndyCar racing."

IndyCar practice and qualifying are scheduled for Saturday, along with an IROC race. The IndyCar race is Sunday and set for 250 miles (147 laps) — the second-longest street circuit race in IndyCar history.

The 1.7-mile track includes seven turns in all. The Air & Space Museum and National Gallery of Art are both inside the course's perimeter, with a fan zone between them. The track is shorter and has fewer turns than several others on the IndyCar schedule, but it's not much different from the 1.6-mile, nine-turn circuit used in downtown Detroit.

“It’s short and snappy, but you know what? We don't know. We haven't driven on it yet," driver Marcus Armstrong said. “We'll find out tomorrow. It might even be wet tomorrow. There's a lot of crosswalks, a lot of paint on the track, so that could be super slippery.”

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See AP’s full auto racing coverage here

Today on Texas Eats NOW:

KARBACH BREWING COMPANY

2032 Karbach St, Houston, TX 77092

Karbach Brewing Company is a Houston craft brewery rooted in time-honored German brewing tradition, offering fresh beer alongside a full restaurant, biergarten, and expansive event space open for seven days a week. Known for pairing quality craftsmanship with a lively, family- and pet-friendly atmosphere, the brewery features live sports on a large outdoor screen and private event venues. The Hoppadillo IPA has earned multiple medals at both the World Beer Cup and the Great American Beer Festival, a reflection of the brewery’s commitment to quality as its core value.

The seasonal standout is the Karbachtoberfest Märzen, a Bavarian-style lager brewed with 100% imported German malt and hops. True to tradition, it is brewed in spring and lagered through the summer, producing a crisp, clean, and balanced finish without excessive bitterness. The beer is available on draft and in cans at the brewery, and can be found statewide at major retail partners including H-E-B, Walmart, and Kroger. Three weekends of Karbachtoberfest celebrations, featuring a 40-foot traditional German beer hall, run from September into October on the brewery grounds.

GOODE COMPANY ARMADILLO PALACE

5015 Kirby Dr, Houston, TX 77098

Armadillo Palace is a sprawling Texas honky-tonk restaurant and live music venue opened in 2004 by the Goode Company. Spread across 17,000 square feet with one dance hall, two bars, and three stages, it is one of Houston’s premier destinations for live music — particularly during rodeo season, when the venue comes fully alive with performances and private events. A Walk of Fame embedded in the entryway pays tribute to Texas-born music legends.

The kitchen fires over mesquite wood and brines proteins for 24 hours before they ever hit the grill. The 12-ounce heritage pork chop, bone-in and grilled over mesquite, is finished with a house-made tomato bacon jam. The Kennedy Ranch discada features skirt steak slow-stewed in a beer sauce with fresh tomatoes, cilantro, and onions. Texas deer camp quail legs are wrapped in applewood smoked bacon, cooked over mesquite, glazed with quail marinade, and served over white cheddar grits. Rounding out the spread are smoked chicken collard greens and a house-made mac and cheese.

FIFE AND FARRO

221 Newell Ave, San Antonio, TX 78215

Fife and Farro is a wood-fired pizza and pasta restaurant that opened in April 2024 inside Pullman Market. The concept centers on locally sourced ingredients, with fresh mozzarella made on-site every 20 minutes and dough that is worked by hand, shaped with semolina for manageability, and fired in a wood-burning oven until blistered and bubbly.

The Americano pizza builds on a fresh mozzarella and oregano base, dotted with pesto, house tomato sauce, and pieces of meatball, finished tableside with dollops of ricotta. A take on the New Orleans muffuletta arrives as a generously stacked sandwich of mortadella, salami, capicola, provolone picante, and a house giardiniera tapenade with mayonnaise.

BIRD DOG

1701 S Interstate 35, San Marcos, TX 78666

Bird Dog is a San Marcos comfort food restaurant owned by Michael De La Cruz, specializing in made-to-order chicken tenders, loaded hot dogs, and a roster of creative side items. Opened in 2025 along the east side of Interstate 35, the spot has built a following for its scratch approach to classic American fare, including fresh-baked desserts and agua frescas to round out the menu.

Chicken tenders are soaked in buttermilk, pressed for even thickness, double-breaded, and fried to order — served as a six-piece meal with toast and fries, and optionally finished with white gravy. The hot dog program is where creativity runs deep: the CAB beef dog is wrapped in bacon and topped with queso and fried pickles; the Wicked Chili Dog layers chorizo chili, queso, and pickled jalapeños over a bacon-wrapped dog; and the Hot Mess features a no-nitrate dog wrapped in bacon topped with asada, grilled peppers and onions, and queso — landing somewhere between Tex-Mex and a Philly. A loose-grind smash burger rounds out the savory menu, and cinnamon rolls baked fresh in-house, finished with butter sauce and icing, close things out on a sweet note.

CHUZZ! BURGERS

13480 San Pedro Ave, San Antonio, TX 78216

Chuzz! Burgers in San Antonio brings a bold, playful approach to the classic smash burger, with double and triple patties, creative toppings, loaded fries, and hand-spun milkshakes. The menu features favorites such as The O.G., made with two smashed beef patties, sharp cheddar, fresh vegetables, and Chuzz sauce, along with the massive StackZilla and the spicy Snake Bite. One of the restaurant’s most memorable creations is Da Dip, a bacon cheeseburger served with queso and crushed Cool Ranch Doritos or Takis for an over-the-top combination of crunch, cheese, and flavor.

The restaurant’s high-energy atmosphere matches its creative menu, with a retro-pop aesthetic and plenty of customizable options. Guests can also order Chaos Fries topped with beef, queso, bacon, and Snake Bite sauce, or hand-battered Fuzz Rings served with dipping sauces. Sweet-seasoned fries and milkshakes, including Oreo and birthday cake flavors, round out the menu for a full fast-casual burger experience.

RAVELLO ITALIAN CUISINE

4272 TPC Pkwy, Ste 110, San Antonio, TX 78261

Ravello Italian Cuisine in North San Antonio offers an upscale Italian dining experience featuring handmade pastas, fresh seafood, classic appetizers, and craft cocktails. Located near the JW Marriott, the restaurant’s menu includes favorites such as Rigatoni Piccante, Short Rib Gnocchi, Ravioli alla Vodka, and fresh weekly fish selections such as halibut. Starters include calamari fritti with Calabrese peppers, grilled octopus, beef and pork meatballs, and roasted bone marrow.

The sophisticated setting makes Ravello a popular choice for date nights, special occasions, and elevated dinners. Guests can pair their meal with selections from the restaurant’s curated wine list and craft cocktail menu before finishing with traditional Italian desserts such as tiramisu. The combination of house-made pasta, coastal seafood, and polished service gives Ravello a refined take on classic Italian cuisine.

MAUI’S ON MAIN

1022 N Main Ave, San Antonio, TX 78212

Maui’s on Main brings Hawaiian-inspired comfort food to San Antonio with generous plate lunches, island-style bowls, burgers, tacos, burritos, and tropical drinks. Popular dishes include Kalua Pig, Garlic Shrimp, Hawaiian Fried Chicken, and Teriyaki Chicken served with white rice or Spam fried rice and macaroni salad. The menu also features the Loco Moco, a Hawaiian comfort food favorite made with rice, beef patties, brown gravy, and sunny-side-up eggs.

Guests can also choose from burgers, Baja-style tacos and burritos, and tropical beverages. One of the restaurant’s standout treats is its Ube Milkshake, made with purple yam for a vibrant color and sweet, creamy flavor. Specialty juices such as the Maui Sunrise and Kawai Omao add a refreshing tropical touch to the menu.

NOLA BRUNCH & BEIGNETS

1101 Broadway, Ste 120, San Antonio, TX 78215

NOLA Brunch & Beignets brings the flavors of New Orleans to San Antonio with a daytime menu centered around fresh beignets, Creole favorites, po’boys, and creative brunch dishes. The restaurant serves its signature beignets classic with powdered sugar or stuffed with rotating fillings such as lemon curd and mango custard. Other favorites include Chicken & Beignets, featuring crispy chicken strips glazed with Sriracha cane syrup, as well as shrimp and grits prepared barbecue-style.

Sweet brunch options include bread pudding French toast with Steen’s syrup, Bananas Foster pancakes, and chocolate chip cookie dough pancakes. Guests can pair their meal with authentic chicory café au lait or other breakfast beverages. With its New Orleans-inspired menu and focus on fresh, small-batch beignets, NOLA Brunch & Beignets offers a taste of the Crescent City in the heart of San Antonio.

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Officials said there were no reports of any serious injuries.

The National Weather Service said a trained spotter reported a tornado in Dover, Delaware, during Thursday's storms. Photos and video on social media show the roof of a motel being blown off and damage to other buildings along Route 13 northeast of downtown.

In Atlantic Beach on Long Island, images posted on social media show a large funnel cloud over the water and small buildings torn apart at a beach club. The weather service confirmed a tornado touched down on the shore, saying it started as a waterspout over the Atlantic Ocean.

Weather service crews were going to view the Delaware and Long Island damage on Friday to determine the strengths and paths of the tornadoes.

Dover Mayor Robin Christiansen said a state of emergency was lifted Friday morning to allow residents and businesses to resume normal activities. Police urged residents to be patient and set aside extra time for travel.

“There is still debris throughout the city, and crews will be out working on cleanup, repairs, and restoring services. You may encounter blocked lanes, utility crews, emergency personnel, and other delays,” police said on social media.

On Long Island, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said first responders rescued people trapped in their vehicles during flooding.

In other parts of New York, flooding caused part of the Long Island Expressway in Queens to close in both directions, according to New York City Emergency Management. Photos on social media showed lines of stopped cars as emergency crews traversed the water.

In Jersey City, New Jersey, emergency crews rescued 69 people trapped in cars that were overtaken by flash flooding, said Mayor James Solomon. Emergency crews used small inflatable boats to reach people who were stranded.

A 2-1 decision by a panel of the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals halted, for now, a judge's order that would have granted thousands of athletes an extra season of eligibility. But it did nothing to resolve dozens of other lawsuits and court orders piling up across the country that allow players in the same situation to join teams for the upcoming season.

Virtually all these lawsuits involve players who graduated from high school in 2022, whose college eligibility ended last season and who were not included in the NCAA’s controversial new rule — less than two months old — that grants most Division I athletes five years of eligibility over five years but doesn't take effect until next season.

“There's a reason we saw so many state-court lawsuits filed" after the now-paused federal court ruling that came down July 31, said Sam Ehrlich, a former lawyer who now works at Boise State and operates the College Sports Litigation Tracker. “It was a ‘just in case.’ They did it just in case what we just saw happen actually happened.”

Among the many athletes watching this unfold and wondering where it winds up are defensive linemen Kellan Wyatt and Stephan Daley, both members of the national championship team at Indiana last season who decided to return after the lower-court decision. So are former Ole Miss starters Dae’Quan Wright, Zxavian Harris and Wydett Williams, who won a ruling from a Louisiana state court giving them another season of eligibility even though they had signed with NFL teams this summer.

While some players hope to land back at their schools, whatever the impact on the rosters, how that works isn’t at all clear in many cases. The judge in the case involving the Ole Miss players, for example, gave them a week to enter the transfer portal, which for football players is only open in January.

In appealing the state court cases, the NCAA is expected to invoke parts of Friday's ruling, which agreed with NCAA arguments that it was likely to win the case when it's heard in full — probably several months from now — and that the NCAA would suffer more harm than the players if the court didn't pause the order.

The NCAA can also take heart in an Ohio appeals court that paused a similar injunction involving Xavier basketball Filip Borovicanin and others.

But other than those two cases, Ehrlich said, judges across the country "are unanimous that the NCAA is in the wrong” on the five-year eligibility issue when it comes to the Class of 2022.

Plaintiffs' attorney Rob Shelquist issued a statement calling the appeals court ruling procedural and “not a decision on the merits of the athletes’ antitrust claims.”

“We are exploring every available option given the split in the panel’s ruling and remain committed to fighting for these college athletes whose opportunities and eligibility have been unfairly restricted,” he said.

The NCAA’s chief legal officer, Scott Bearby, sent a memo to schools telling them they would not be subject to NCAA punishment for allowing any player to compete between the time the July 31 ruling came down and Friday. But he reiterated that those players are no longer eligible.

Bearby also acknowledged that the NCAA would continue to defend lawsuits around the country — a signal that the NCAA knows Friday’s ruling offers no guarantees of an end to the roster chaos.

“If anything, I do wonder if there’s a part of the NCAA that’s, like, ‘Maybe we’d have been better off not getting the stay because, boy, there’s going to be a lot of lawsuits filed over the next couple of weeks,’” Ehrlich said.

Courts that go beyond filing emergency injunctions and take up the cases in their entirety will have to decide who suffers more harm: Is it players who can't play a fifth year and could lose educational and NIL opportunities? Or incoming freshmen who signed with the idea that they wouldn't be competing against a class of fifth-year seniors?

When the NCAA decided to have the rule kick in next year, it also grappled with that calculation, knowing it couldn't be perfectly fair.

“Fairness is in the eye of the beholder," the NCAA argued in its legal brief in the appeals case. “Countless student-athletes already on campuses, and schools who built their rosters in reliance on the rules the NCAA’s membership wrote and agreed to follow, do not believe it is fair for thousands of formerly ineligible athletes to return to competition at the start of the 2026–27 season."

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The shopping mall strikes, plus two other separate Russian attacks in the Mykolaiv and Kharkiv regions, left a total of 21 people dead across Ukraine on Friday, authorities said.

Kryvyi Rih is the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who described the attack as a double-tap strike, in which an initial wave of drones hit the area, followed by a second wave as rescue workers responded.

“Attacks like these are nothing less than terrorist acts,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media. In a video address several hours later, he said Ukraine would respond to the shopping mall attack.

Oleksandr Hanzha, who heads the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, said Friday evening that the attack on the mall killed at least 15 people and injured 130, including 23 children.

Kryvyi Rih has been hit multiple times during the more than 4-year-old war, with one of the deadliest occurring in April 2025, when 20 people, including nine children, were killed.

Russia exploits Ukraine’s shortage of defensive systems

Earlier on Friday, a Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s Kharkiv region killed two women, aged 73 and 66, and wounded two others, said regional head Oleh Syniehubov.

Another Russian attack on Friday evening killed four people, including three children, in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv region, emergency services said.

Ukraine shot down or suppressed 107 out of 135 drones launched by Russia overnight, according to a statement from Ukraine’s air force on Telegram.

Friday’s attacks came just 24 hours after Russia pounded the capital of Kyiv with scores of missiles and drones in a nighttime aerial attack that killed 16 people.

Large-scale Russian strikes have become a regular occurrence this summer. Just over two weeks ago, a Russian attack on Kyiv and its surrounding region killed 17 people, and nine were killed in the city two days before that. The United Nations said last week that Kyiv was one of the hardest hit cities in July, with at least 54 civilians killed and 202 injured.

Moscow’s forces have recently intensified their ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv, exploiting Ukraine’s chronic shortage of U.S.-made Patriot air defense interceptors, the sole weapon in its arsenal able to shoot down the missiles.

Ukrainian drones hit Russian oil refinery

A Ukrainian drone attack killed one person and wounded four others when a car was struck Friday in Russia’s Belgorod region near the village of Razumnoye, local officials said, adding that two of the injured were in serious condition.

Earlier, Zelenskyy said a separate Ukrainian drone attack hit an oil refinery in Perm, more than 1,600 kilometers (about 995 miles) from his country’s border. Also struck was the Marinovka military airfield in Russia’s Volgograd region, he said.

The Russian online news outlet Astra reported that the Ukrainian drone had set ablaze a Lukoil-operated oil refinery in Perm. Local officials said damage was recorded at an unidentified “industrial facility.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses overnight intercepted 325 Ukrainian drones over 15 Russian regions, as well as Crimea. The peninsula was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014.

Later Friday, it said its defenses shot down another 211 drones.

Long-range strikes between Russia and Ukraine have escalated as troops continually fail to make significant battlefield progress, analysts say. Troop movements along the roughly 1,250-kilometer (780-mile) front line in eastern and southern Ukraine are severely restricted by large numbers of drones and ground robots that threaten infantry and vehicles.

In the past year, Ukraine has devised and deployed domestically produced long-range drones for strikes deep inside Russia, capturing the attention of governments and defense manufacturers around the world.

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

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

Among the parties interested in taking a closer look at what’s possible east of Hemisfair is VIA Metropolitan Transit, which controls prime real estate immediately north of the center city stadium.

The mostly undeveloped site includes access points for VIA Park & Ride buses below and is part of the agency’s Thompson Transit Station footprint.

The station is expected to draw heightened activity with the build-out of a new arena district nearby.

Read more of this story at the San Antonio Business Journal website.

Editor’s note: This story was published through a partnership between KSAT and the San Antonio Business Journal.

More recent SABJ coverage on KSAT:

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While 12th-ranked Texas Tech seeks a repeat after winning its first Big 12 title and making the College Football Playoff, teams like No. 14 BYU, No. 21 Utah and No. 23 Houston could make a push to extend the league’s streak to seven.

“We want to do something that very few teams have been able to do, and that’s to win the Big 12 championship again,” Tech coach Joey McGuire said.

The Red Raiders reloaded again through the transfer portal after setting school records with 12 wins and nine NFL draft picks. Will Hammond is healthy after an ACL injury last season and will start at quarterback after the offseason legal saga surrounding transfer Brendan Sorsby, who was declared ineligible by the NCAA because of gambling.

BYU is coming off its first 12-win season since 2001, and both its losses were to Texas Tech, 29-7 in Lubbock, then 34-7 in the Big 12 title game.

“We know that last year was some really cool things, some awesome success,” 11th-year Cougars coach Kalani Sitake said. “At the same time, we know what we can do better.”

The Cougars return Big 12 rushing leader LJ Martin (1,305 yards, 12 TDs rushing) and QB Bear Bachmeier, who threw for 3,033 yards, ran for 527 and accounted for 26 TDs (15 passing, 11 rushing) after getting thrust into the starting role as a true freshman.

Houston went from four wins to 10 in its second season with coach Willie Fritz, and returns dual-threat QB Conner Weigman (3,405 total yards and 36 TDs.) Utah has 82% of its total offense back (QBs Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin, and RB Wayshawn Parker) from an 11-win team, but two offensive linemen were first-round NFL draft picks and coach Kyle Whittingham left after 22 seasons for Michigan.

Out West in the desert and the Rockies

Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, that national active leader with 73 TD passes, is a rarity going into his fourth season starting for the same team. With him back and the unexpected return of leading rusher Ismail Mahdi, the Wildcats hope to build on a 9-4 finish and be a Big 12 contender.

Arizona State won the Big 12 title and made the playoff in its league debut in 2024. The injury-plagued Sun Devils weren’t able to repeat last year and now are without QB Sam Leavitt (transfer to LSU) and receiver Jordyn Tyson (first-round NFL pick by New Orleans).

Deion Sanders, who last year had surgery for bladder cancer, said he feels like his old self going into his fourth season at Colorado. He hired new offensive and defensive coordinators after a five-game losing streak to end last season with a 1-8 conference record. He is 16-21 overall with the Buffs.

There are four new coaches in the Big 12, with some familiar faces

The Big 12’s four new head coaches include Kansas State’s Collin Klein and Utah’s Morgan Scalley at their alma maters replacing their former bosses. Jimmy Rogers took over at Iowa State when Matt Campbell left after 10 seasons for Penn State, and Eric Morris is at Oklahoma State.

Klein had been gone for two seasons as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator when Chris Klieman suddenly retired from K-State. Scalley was Utah’s defensive coordinator when Whittingham resigned. Roger won an FCS national championship three seasons ago as head coach at his alma mater, South Dakota State, and was at Washington State last year.

Oklahoma State’s 88 newcomers include 21 who came with Morris from North Texas, which lost to Tulane in the American Conference championship game to miss out on a CFP berth. Among the Mean Green transfers were QB Drew Mestemaker, the national passing leader with 4,379 yards as a freshman, RB Caleb Hawkins (1,434 yards and FBS-best 25 TDs rushing as a freshman) and WR Wyatt Young (70 catches, 1,264 yards, 10 TDs).

This is the first time since 2004 the Cowboys enter a season without Mike Gundy their head coach. They have lost 19 conference games in a row, with consecutive 0-9 conference records since a 49-21 loss to Texas in the 2023 Big 12 championship game.

The Big 12 needs to make a playoff statement

After making the 12-team playoff and getting a first-round bye last season, Texas Tech lost 23-0 to Oregon in the Orange Bowl quarterfinal game. That dropped the Big 12, which has never had multiple playoff teams, to 1-8 in CFP games.

“There’s an obligation as programs in this conference that we play at a high level, and then I think it’s really important that we win in the playoffs,” McGuire said. “Until we do that as a conference, then we’re going to continue to have the same narrative that we have right now.”

The Big 12’s last repeat champion is no longer in the league

Oklahoma won a record 14 Big 12 championships before going to the SEC two years ago. The Sooners won six in a row from 2015 to 2020, followed by Baylor, Kansas State, Texas, Arizona State and the Red Raiders winning titles.

This will be the 31st season for the Big 12, which will host its 25th championship game Dec. 4.

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Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said Canada has leverage in the talks even as his province weighs restoring U.S. alcohol sales at Prime Minister Mark Carney’s urging to help secure a deal that would avert threatened 50% U.S. tariffs.

“Everybody knows the American president by now, he’s erratic, he’s irresponsible, and he’s not to be trusted. And this is the person that we were supposed to make a deal with, and we’re going to make additional concessions for it. That’s why I say you can't make a good deal with a bad person, because who’s to say it’s not going to be undone?" Kinew said.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on Kinew’s remarks.

Dominic LeBlanc, the federal minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, said the two countries were close to finalizing an agreement after he returned to Washington to meet again with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

“We’re very close. We continue to make progress,” he said, adding that Canadian officials would remain in Washington to keep working on the deal. Trump has called the emerging agreement “very fair” to both sides, while tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian imports have been postponed until 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Neither side has released the full terms.

Despite his criticism of Trump, Kinew said Manitoba may go along with Carney’s request as part of a “Team Canada” approach. But he urged consumers to keep buying Canadian even if U.S. products return to provincial liquor stores. Other provincial leaders, including the premiers of Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia, have publicly backed the direction of Carney’s negotiation.

"I think we should fight. I think Donald Trump is very weak. I think America is weaker around the world today than it was a year ago. He’s about to get slaughtered in the midterms and the cost of living is the number one issue and he’s completely out of touch with the cost of living of Americans,” Kinew said.

Restoring alcohol sales a sticking point

Kinew said he understood Carney’s request to mean that restoring U.S. alcohol sales was effectively necessary to complete the deal. The provincial bans on U.S. alcohol have been a particular irritant for the Trump administration, which has pressed Canada to remove restrictions that sharply reduced American liquor sales.

Provincial governments do not have a veto over the overall Canada-U.S. agreement, but they control measures such as liquor sales and some procurement rules that have become part of the negotiations.

Eight of Canada’s 10 provinces restrict or ban U.S. alcohol — measures imposed in retaliation for Trump’s previous tariffs on Canadian goods and amid anger over his repeated talk of making Canada the 51st U.S. state.

Kinew said Carney strongly pressed premiers to restore U.S. alcohol sales while other details of the agreement were still being finalized. “I wouldn’t say that he was begging us, but what is the step before begging?” Kinew said.

Kinew also said Manitoba could agree to remove formal restrictions on U.S. companies and products, including procurement preferences, while continuing to favor Canadian suppliers in its own purchasing.

Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette, meanwhile, said Carney had answered many of her questions about the emerging agreement but stopped short of endorsing it while the province assesses the economic impact. She said Quebec could restore U.S. alcohol to shelves at the SAQ, the Quebec government corporation that controls most wine and spirits sales in the province, but stressed that the decision would be Quebec’s.

Robert Bothwell, a professor emeritus of Canadian history and international relations at the University of Toronto, said Kinew’s criticism reflects a broader Canadian view of Trump. “Kinew speaks for Canada,” Bothwell said.

No-cost flu shots will be available at four locations across San Antonio from September through October. Each event will run from 8 a.m. to noon.

The events are open to adults and children 6 months and older. Registration is required for everyone receiving a vaccination.

University Health officials said COVID-19 vaccines will not be offered at the events.

Drive-thru flu shot events:

• Saturday, Sept. 12: Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores’ Precinct 1 Satellite Office, 3505 Pleasanton Road

• Saturday, Sept. 19: Freeman Coliseum, 3201 East Houston Street, hosted by Commissioner Tommy Calvert

• Saturday, Oct. 3: Gustafson Stadium, 7001 Culebra Road, hosted by Commissioner Justin Rodriguez

• Saturday, Oct. 10: Dub Farris Athletic Complex, 8400 N Loop 1604 W, hosted by Commissioner Grant Moody

KSAT Community operates in partnership with University Health and Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union. Click here to read about other KSAT Community efforts. Interested in partnering with KSAT Community? Get in touch by filling out this form.

Khan isn't being held under a government order, but as a “convicted prisoner” serving sentences imposed by courts following judicial proceedings, the Ministry of Information said in a written response to The Associated Press.

The government’s response came hours after Khan’s family and opposition party accused authorities of violating a Supreme Court order by taking him to a government hospital for a medical examination instead of a private hospital designated by the court.

Khan’s sister, Uzma Khan, told a news conference that she was at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, a government-run hospital in Islamabad, when her brother was brought there overnight.

Khan’s sister said that during a meeting with her, Khan complained that he had been kept in solitary confinement, which she said amounted to mental torture for him. Suhail Afridi, a senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, also accused the government of violating the order by taking Khan to the public hospital.

Khan’s personal physician, Dr. Faisal Sultan, said that he had been escorted to Shifa International Hospital, where he waited for Khan until early Friday. Sultan said he was eventually told that Khan had been returned to Adiala prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said earlier Friday that Khan had been returned to prison after doctors examined him and found him medically fit.

The ministry also rejected allegations that Khan was being held in solitary confinement or denied meaningful contact with his family. It said that Khan had received more than 900 visits from family members, lawyers, doctors, political representatives and other approved visitors since his imprisonment in 2023. It said that he also has been allowed weekly meetings with his wife, and telephone, landline and WhatsApp contact with relatives in Pakistan and abroad.

According to the ministry, Khan’s most recent recorded telephone conversation with one of his sons was on March 21. It said that Khan’s sisters had met him as recently as Aug. 18 and 19.

The government said Khan has access to reading material and television, and is allowed home-cooked food and exercise equipment and “maintains a healthy diet.” It said, however, that access to Khan couldn't be used to send political messages from prison.

The ministry rejected allegations of medical neglect, saying Khan had undergone about 30 examinations by specialists and medical boards from institutions including PIMS, Shifa International Hospital, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, in addition to regular examinations by the prison doctor.

The ministry said Uzma Khan had herself acknowledged at Friday’s news conference that her brother was “100% fit,” with blood pressure of 120/80 and his eye condition almost completely healed.

It also disputed descriptions of Khan’s detention conditions, saying he was being held in a seven-cell compound with sleeping, sanitation and exercise facilities, and was provided separately prepared meals that included meat, chicken, fruit, milk, nuts, juices and bottled water.

The government insists that authorities took Khan to the public hospital because of security concerns involving supporters of Khan’s PTI party who had gathered outside Shifa International Hospital or were heading there. He said that Khan was found to be in good health.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that Khan be examined at Shifa International Hospital by a medical board that included specialists and one of his personal physicians.

Concerns about Khan’s health intensified in late January, after his family said that he had lost about 85% of the vision in his right eye, which the government disputed. Authorities later said that his condition was improving.

The former cricket star turned politician was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022 and has been imprisoned since 2023 after being convicted in multiple cases.

The letter, signed by at least two former staffers from Kennedy's 2024 presidential campaign, marks the first major MAHA movement mobilization over fossil fuels and the latest in a series of rifts between the diverse group of activists and the Trump administration over environmental policy.

The letter to Trump, Kennedy and various other Cabinet officials, first obtained by The Associated Press, laments a 2025 executive order that aimed to boost coal to power data centers over pollution concerns and asks the administration to consider renewable options, including solar and geothermal energy.

“We understand the importance of American leadership in artificial intelligence, national security, innovation, and economic growth,” the letter reads. “But American AI leadership should not come at the cost of a more toxic burden for American children.”

In response, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers noted that greenhouse gas emissions dropped to a 30-year low during Trump's first term and said Trump “was given a mandate to roll back the radical climate policies that are burning a hole through taxpayers' wallets.”

The agencies receiving the letter didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Prominent MAHA figures behind the letter include Zen Honeycutt, a former Kennedy campaign staffer and founder of the advocacy group Moms Across America, and Charles Eisenstein, a former speechwriter on Kennedy's campaign. Honeycutt said she asked the Kennedy-aligned political action committee MAHA Action to sign onto the letter but did not receive a reply.

Although it may not reflect the views of all MAHA activists, the new line of criticism against one of the administration’s signature policies less than three months before November’s midterm elections could present another challenge for Republicans as they seek to win over the voting bloc in key races.

As health secretary, Kennedy has carried out several policy changes that cater to the MAHA movement, including attempting to scale back childhood vaccine recommendations, a central priority for some activists. He also has sought to remove artificial dyes from food and encouraged Americans to have healthy diets free of ultraprocessed foods.

But many in the MAHA movement, which Trump credits with helping him win back the White House two years ago, say they have grown frustrated with the administration over its embrace of pesticides such as glyphosate and its deregulatory environmental agenda. Some have said they plan to vote on issues over party this fall, raising the political stakes of their increasingly public tensions with the Republican administration.

As president, Trump has enthusiastically embraced what he calls “big, beautiful coal” despite outcry from environmentalists about planet-warming greenhouse gases and toxic chemicals released by coal-fired power plants.

His administration has moved to reverse tighter Biden-era standards on greenhouse gas emissions, which, in addition to their climate impacts, can harm brain development in children and increase rates of heart attacks in adults.

He also has been a vocal advocate for data centers, which power artificial intelligence and cloud computing, framing them as a necessary component of winning the AI race against China.

“If I were the mayor of a town or the governor of a state, and I had a chance to get a big plant in, an AI plant or a data center,” Trump said this week, “I would absolutely want it because the jobs are enormous and the money paid, the taxes paid, are just enormous.”

Data centers have become a political flashpoint in this year's elections. Voters across the political spectrum have criticized them for jacking up electricity bills, draining water supplies, and creating unhealthy amounts of air and noise pollution.

Friday's letter asks the administration to require transparent review of data center location and power sourcing decisions, and respect existing environmental review requirements in the permitting process.

Honeycutt said that after Trump's executive order last year, she researched the impact of coal ash on communities and was disturbed by what she found. She said she was also concerned about other aspects of data centers, including their land use and their effects on the people living near them.

“The data center push has been an overwhelmingly negative impact on our communities, and there are many in the MAHA movement that are extremely disappointed about that,” she said. “We vote for those who put health and safety first.”

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Associated Press writer Michael Phillis in Washington contributed to this report.

Records show Santos Alvarez, 22, is charged with capital murder by terror threat in the shooting death of Jon Kross Perez-Levaeh, 26.

After more than six months on the run, U.S. Marshals said its Lone Star Fugitive Task Force and the San Antonio Police Department’s Covert Response Unit tracked Alvarez’s whereabouts to the South Side.

The U.S. Marshals said Alvarez was taken into custody in the 1000 block of Gillette Boulevard, which is located near South Zarzamora Street.

Alvarez’s bond has been set at $500,000, according to jail records.

Shooting scene

The shooting happened in the morning of Feb. 8, in the 1600 block of Rigsby Avenue, at an after-hours bar near Elgin Avenue.

Upon arrival, officers found a man, later identified as Perez-Levaeh, with gunshot wounds to his upper body. He was later pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the affidavit, the officers discovered through the bar’s security footage that there were multiple witnesses and suspects involved in the incident.

Authorities later told KSAT that five suspects fled from the scene after the gunfire.

The affidavit said the security footage captured the five suspects arriving at the bar around 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 8.

Witnesses told SAPD that the suspects approached Perez-Levaeh and a group inside the bar. They “acted friendly” before walking away, the affidavit states.

As Perez-Levaeh and the group started to leave, the warrant said the suspects assaulted Perez-Levaeh. He was shot several times and died.

Witnesses also reported that Perez-Levaeh’s necklace was missing after the deadly altercation.

Additionally, witnesses told SAPD that Perez-Levaeh was not involved in any disturbance before the shooting.

Angel Puente, 20, was the first suspect arrested and charged with capital murder in connection with the shooting, records indicate.

A third suspect, identified as 20-year-old Joseph Atwell, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities confirmed.

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Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, were charged in 2021 with inciting subversion under a China-imposed national security law that has effectively crushed the city’s previously thriving pro-democracy movement. They face a maximum prison term of 10 years. The alliance was also found guilty.

The three judges ruled that the alliance’s call to “end one-party dictatorship” aimed to end the ruling Communist Party’s leadership status under the constitution, and that the “end” in the phrase carried the meaning of “overthrowing” and “undermining.”

In the verdict, they wrote that the defendants persisted in the call after the law's introduction, neglecting that it was in breach of the constitution, which states the party's leadership is a defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics. That falls within “other unlawful means” under the security law, the judges said.

The defendants “intentionally encouraged supporters of the alliance to wait for the right time to carry out the goal to ‘end one-party dictatorship’ by unlawful means,” they said.

“They did not genuinely believe their words and deeds had not violated the national security law. They just refused to pull back from the brink,” wrote the judges, who insisted they weren't tried because of political views.

Lee and Chow smiled and waved at the public gallery before they left the courtroom. They are expected to be sentenced at a later date. They will plead for lesser sentences next week, one of the judges said.

Trial a barometer for Hong Kong’s civil rights, observers say

The verdict is among the latest involving Hong Kong’s once-vibrant pro-democracy movement, which has largely been dismantled after the security law's introduction in 2020.

For decades, Hong Kong’s annual candlelight vigil was the only large-scale public commemoration of the Tiananmen crackdown in China, drawing tens of thousands of people annually. The crackdown remains a political taboo on the mainland, where authorities tightly censor discussion and prohibit public commemorations.

Hong Kong’s greater political freedoms, granted under Beijing’s “one country, two systems” governing framework, allowed the vigil to occur until authorities banned it during the coronavirus pandemic.

Observers said that their trial symbolized the erosion of freedom of expression in the former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Eric Lai, a senior fellow with the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, said that every actor in Hong Kong civil society who assumed that renouncing violence and working within the law would be fine has to revise that assumption.

“Moderation of method offers no protection if the objective itself is held to be unconstitutional,” he said.

During the trial, Lee told the court that their call wasn't about ending the party’s leadership, but about moving toward democracy, letting the people decide who leads them, and that the Communist Party shouldn't enforce “dictatorship.”

In a Patreon post on Thursday, Chow recalled being shackled in handcuffs, and in waist and ankle chains, for trips to court from prison, saying she was walked by correctional service officers “like a dog.”

“Justice lives in the hearts of the people,” she said. “One verdict doesn’t matter much.”

When the trial began in January, codefendant Albert Ho pleaded guilty, which typically could result in a reduced sentence. He will also plead for a lesser sentence next week.

Supporters cast doubt on allegations

After the conviction, Lee’s wife, Elizabeth Tang, told reporters that she was disappointed and angry about the result.

“I feel it's unfair. I feel the judges did not consider our lawyers' opinions and materials,” she said, and that they would decide whether to appeal later.

Chow's mother, Medina Chow Lau Wah-chun, said that she hoped the “environment can be a little healthier” and “flowers and plants of all colors can bloom.”

Dozens of people lined up outside the court under drizzle before the hearing.

Tang Ngok-kwan, a former alliance member, said that police wouldn't let him join the line, if he insisted on bringing along “sensitive” materials, including bookmarks printed with “vindicate June 4.” The date is the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. He decided not to go into the court.

Former vigil goer Margaret Chan, who joined the line at 6 a.m., said that the alliance’s name carried the word “patriotic.”

“Everyone is patriotic. How to incite? Incite others to be patriotic?” she said.

Hong Kong authorities defend the verdict

Hong Kong leader John Lee said that the alliance has long deliberately planted seeds of hatred against the party and the central government in society, and their acts endangered national security.

Steve Li, chief superintendent of the police's national security department, said the case would help with future law enforcement.

“It also lets the public know that it is not that one cannot criticize,” he said. “It is simply that there must be no incitement, and no subversion of state power.”

But others disagreed

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres “has always believed that people should be allowed to speak and protest and demonstrate peacefully without fear of arrest or prosecution,” his spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, told U.N. reporters when asked for Guterres' reaction to the convictions.

Riley Barnes, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, said on X that the U.S. condemns the guilty verdict, saying the peaceful vigils sought only to remember the past and honor the lives lost in that assault.

Rosie Winterton, the minister for the Indo-Pacific region at the U.K. Foreign Office, said that the verdict is a further demonstration that even peaceful acts of remembrance in Hong Kong are now treated by the authorities as threats to national security. The European Union said the convictions confirmed the ongoing deterioration of the city's freedom of expression.

Hundreds of people, possibly thousands, were killed in the 1989 crackdown as military tanks rolled into the center of Beijing. The Tiananmen Square crackdown was a pivotal moment in China’s modern history, showing that the market reform that transformed the country into the world’s second-largest economy wouldn't be coupled with political liberalization.

After COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, the former vigil site in Hong Kong was occupied instead by a carnival organized by pro-Beijing groups.

Beijing said the security law was necessary for the city’s stability. Many leading activists have been jailed under the same law, including pro-democracy former media tycoon Jimmy Lai. Under the drastic political changes, the alliance was among dozens of civil society groups dissolved.

San Antonio police and crossing guards say speeding remains the most significant problem in school zones, putting children at risk as they walk and bike to campus.

Getting caught can be expensive. A school zone speeding ticket can cost more than $240 within the city, and more than $360 in Bexar County, officials said.

Crossing guards say they still have close calls even while wearing bright safety vests and using whistles and flashing stop signs.

“While the crossing guard is out in the street … motorists do pass the stop,” said Janet Sanchez, a school crossing guard supervisor with SAPD.

Sanchez said crossing guards have had moments when they were nearly struck by a vehicle.

Sanchez pointed to an incident earlier this week as an example of distracted driving near schools. While speaking with a guard, a driver ran over a cone set up at a crossing zone. She said this is a sign of motorists rushing or not paying attention.

‘The speeders are the teachers in the school zone, and they should be the example to the rest of the motorists around the schools,” she says happens sometimes.

Crossing guards are armed with paper and pen.

“They can take down license plates if the vehicle is speeding. They do write down a license plate number, make and model of the vehicle, the person, male or female, and turn it into the supervisor,” Sanchez said. “The supervisor then turns it into the safe officer, and they follow up on that,” she said.

Police statistics show the problem is widespread. Between August 2025 and May 2026, about 7,000 drivers received citations in school zones, with most tickets issued for speeding, according to SAPD. The next most common violations involved drivers using cellphones, followed by motorists who pass stopped school buses.

The city currently has about 250 crossing guards working around 28 elementary schools, but officials say they are still short staffed. The department is hiring and has 21 openings, with starting pay listed at $18 an hour for about two hours a day.

Sanchez said the job is open to a wide range of applicants.

“Whoever is looking to apply from age 18 to elderly,” she said, noting that crossing guards include grandparents and college students looking for extra pay.

Alexis Fuetsch is the reigning Miss Texas USA & she’s from right here in San Antonio. She talks about her local pride & tells us how you can vote for her in the People’s Choice category & send her straight to the top 20 of the national pageant. Vote here for our queen!

NBA star Jordan Clarkson is riding high off his finals win with the New York Knicks but did you know he’s from the Alamo City. He’s giving back this summer with the JC Cares Charity Golf Invitation. We chat about his mission & the upcoming event.

The summer sun can be tough on your skin & heading back to class with blemishes can make the school year even harder. Simply Tiff’s shares some do’s & don’ts of skin care, so you kiddos can go back with some confidence, and spoiler alert - good skin care is simpler than you may think.

Explore over 50 organic loose leaf teas — thoughtfully sourced, intentionally crafted, ready to ship or pick up locally in San Antonio at The Steeped Leaf. They tell us how a warm cup of tea might be the perfect way to unwind after a chaotic back-to-school week.

The person spoke Friday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details of the agreement — the second sale in the NBA this month — were not being publicized.

The Los Angeles Lakers were flipped by Mark Walter to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner at a $12.5 billion valuation in a deal struck last week.

Lore, a New York e-commerce entrepreneur, and partner Alex Rodriguez, the former Major League Baseball star, bought the NBA and WNBA clubs from Minnesota businessman Glen Taylor. That complicated and contentious process lasted more than four years until the $1.5 billion sale got league approval in June 2025.

Lore will retain a limited share and essentially swap roles with Stad, who is the founder of Dragoneer Investment group, a California-based firm focused on technology companies. Rodriguez will remain as a co-owner and continue as the most publicly visible owner of the pro basketball franchises.

Lore's decision to sell his majority stake stems from his focus on his food delivery startup Wonder, according to a second person with knowledge of the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity to the AP because those details were not being made public. Lore has started the process of taking Wonder public.

Lore, Rodriguez and Stad issued a joint statement Friday expressing their commitment to the current leadership in the organization including chief executive officer Matt Caldwell, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch, and Lynx president of basketball operations and head coach Cheryl Reeve.

“We have been working together for years with a shared goal of building the Timberwolves and Lynx into the best organization in basketball on and off the floor. Our priority is and always will be championships,” the owners said. “Our new agreement, pending league approval, is an evolution of the partnership we have built together and strengthening of our commitment to our team and our culture.”

The two teams currently play at Target Center, which opened in 1990 for the second season of the Timberwolves after they were granted an expansion franchise. Lore and Rodriguez have previously pledged a desire to keeping the teams in downtown Minneapolis, eventually in a new arena.

The Lynx were added to the WNBA as an expansion club in 1999 and have won four championships, with a healthy lead on the rest of the league this season behind star Napheesa Collier and rookie Olivia Miles.

The Timberwolves have never won a title or reached the NBA Finals, with an eight-year run of making the playoffs behind star forward Kevin Garnett their only period of sustained success until recently.

Since drafting Anthony Edwards with the first overall pick in the 2020 draft, hiring Finch in 2021 and Connelly in 2022, the Timberwolves have grown into one of the league's best teams. They reached the Western Conference Finals in 2024 and 2025 and were ousted in the second round by the San Antonio Spurs last season. They acquired point guard LaMelo Ball in one of the NBA's biggest summer trades.

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An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled Marc Stad's last name.

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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed.

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See AP’s full NBA coverage here

Zoo officials said Epulu’s care team noticed signs of colic and a loss of appetite last week. Despite treatment, his condition worsened.

Epulu arrived at the San Antonio Zoo in 2014. During his time there, he played an important role in raising awareness and supporting conservation for okapi, a rare forest-dwelling species native to Central Africa.

In 2023, Epulu and his mate welcomed a calf named Gates. Gates is now at the Los Angeles Zoo as part of a coordinated breeding program.

The San Antonio Zoo said it is working with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums on next steps for the program.

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She died Thursday at her home in Kent, Connecticut, Robert Johnson, manager of the property, told The Associated Press. The cause of her death was not disclosed. Johnson said she will be buried next to her late husband at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

The daughter of a New York City lawyer, she met Henry Kissinger while working for New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller. The couple wed in 1974.

She was described by one profiler as a brainy, Blass-bedecked blonde. She was often seen at high fashion openings and was a strong presence on the New York philanthropy scene.

“Nancy Kissinger can pick up the phone and get right through to the CEO. Nobody keeps her waiting,” philanthropist Judy Peabody said after chairing a successful hospital charity event in 1989.

Michael Bloomberg — the billionaire founder of the Bloomberg financial-news empire, former New York City mayor and a friend of the Kissingers — said in a social media post that Nancy Kissinger “was a powerhouse of ideas and insights that she put to work throughout her life in government and philanthropy — and as Henry’s most valued and trusted advisor.”

He added, “She was the ultimate diplomat — as wise as she was discreet — and I know how completely Henry admired and loved her. Diana and I were fortunate to call her a dear friend, and to see their extraordinary partnership in action over the decades. We will miss her greatly.”

Nancy Kissinger made headlines in 1982 when she tried to throttle a woman who harassed her and her husband with insulting questions at Newark Airport. The couple was going to Boston, where Henry Kissinger was to undergo bypass surgery.

The woman, a leafleter for a group affiliated with politician Lyndon LaRouche, accused Nancy Kissinger of choking both her throat and her free-speech rights. Nancy Kissinger said she only wanted to protect her husband from upset.

A judge acquitted Nancy Kissinger of assault and called her behavior “a spontaneous and somewhat human reaction to an offensive question.”

The Kissingers met in the mid-1960s when he was a consultant for Rockefeller and she was on the staff of Rockefeller's Commission on Critical Choices for America.

Henry Kissinger had joined the Nixon administration and was secretary of state when he and the former Nancy Sharon Maginnes married on March 30, 1974, in a civil ceremony in Arlington, Virginia.

After leaving Washington, they returned to New York and lived in homes in Manhattan and Kent, Connecticut.

The daughter of an Episcopalian Park Avenue lawyer, Nancy Kissinger grew up with two brothers and a horse on an estate in White Plains.

She attended Good Counsel Academy, a Catholic girls school in White Plains, and the exclusive Master's School in Dobbs Ferry, from which she graduated in 1951. She returned to the school to teach history for two years after graduating from Mount Holyoke in 1955.

Graduate studies at the University of California at Berkeley followed before she went to work for Rockefeller.

Work Location: Detroit, MI

Description

The Client Experience Manager leads a high-performing team of Client Experience Account Managers and a Digital Solutions Planner to drive client satisfaction, retention, and revenue growth. The Manager is responsible for overseeing all aspects of client support, building scalable processes, and fostering a culture of excellence. This role blends leadership, customer engagement, project management, and data-driven strategy to ensure clients receive exceptional service and measurable results.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and manage a team that focuses on the client experience through advisement of result-based solutions, execution of campaigns and recommendations for optimization and future growth.
• Develop, implement, and refine workflows that streamline pre- and post-sale processes.
• Establish best practices for client deliverables, including reporting cadence, onboarding, and project management.
• Foster team growth through training on campaign strategy, optimization, and industry trends.
• Track and analyze team KPIs to measure impact and identify areas for improvement.
• Partner with Director of Digital, Digital Sales Strategist and Account Executives to develop and deliver compelling, data-driven presentations using tools like Claritas.
• Support revenue growth by building retention strategies and strengthening client relationships.
• Collaborate with leadership to align client experience strategies with organizational goals.
• Travel for market visits to support client retention and business growth.
• Design and deliver training for Account Executives on Ad Operations processes and data-driven reporting.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, advertising, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of account management experience, preferably within media or digital advertising.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience managing direct reports.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to juggle multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills, both pre- and post-sale.
• Proven ability to think critically, proactively solve problems, and adapt to change.
• Strong digital acumen and understanding of marketing trends.
• Ability to train, coach, and inspire team members and sales partners.
• Detail-oriented team player with excellent interpersonal skills.

Additional Information:

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

Contact

tnguyen@grahammedia.com

Wesam Hamada said her daughter Hind Rajab’s final pleas still haunt her.

“All I remember is her voice pleading, ‘Mama, I’m scared. Mama, I’m hungry. Mama, I’m hurt,’" she said. “Her voice keeps repeating in my ears.”

The widely publicized recording of Hind's January 2024 phone call with her mother and emergency dispatchers made her one of the Israel-Hamas war’s most prominent casualties.

Israel’s military this week admitted to firing at the family’s car as it fled an Israeli invasion and firing toward an ambulance dispatched to help them.

It said it would launch a criminal investigation into its troops’ conduct. All six people in the car and two paramedics were killed. But both Rajab’s family and emergency responders from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society doubt the Israeli investigation can deliver justice.

“Why did the investigation and the acknowledgment of the shooting at Hind’s car and at the paramedics come only after more than two years?” Hamada said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It’s an attempt to distract from what’s happening in Gaza and improve the (Israeli) army’s image to the world. That’s it."

A call to paramedics that was heard around the world

The story of their deaths drew international outcry after the Palestinian Red Crescent Society released recordings of Hind and her 15-year-old cousin Layan Hamada calling for help. It was further amplified by “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” a film that excerpted the recordings and was nominated for an Oscar.

On the recordings, as audible gunfire erupts around them, Hamada asks for help and tells Red Crescent dispatchers that her family had been killed. Seconds later, more gunshots are heard, and Layan’s screaming stops.

Ambulance dispatchers called back and found Hind on the other end of the line. She told them Layan was dead and Israeli tanks were advancing. The Red Crescent sent an ambulance and stayed in contact with Hind until the call dropped.

Hind and five relatives were found dead in the family car 12 days later. The two medics sent to rescue her were also found dead nearby, their ambulance blackened and destroyed.

Israel initially said its troops were not in the area. A U.N. commission of inquiry and an investigation by the research group Forensic Architecture found evidence placing Israeli forces near the car and attributed the attack to them.

Rana Al Faqih, a dispatcher who was in contact with Hind for more than three hours, said the day remains seared in her memory. She tried to calm Hind and eventually patched her mother onto the call.

“I couldn’t physically reach Hind, embrace her or help her feel safe,” she said in an interview at the Red Crescent headquarters in Ramallah, West Bank. “All I had was my voice. My voice was with her, and it might have comforted her.”

Advocates doubt an Israeli investigation can bring accountability

The investigation is one of two criminal probes the military announced Wednesday after reviewing roughly 150 incidents.

Military investigators will now take up the probes and present their findings to military prosecutors. The military advocate general can then decide to keep investigating, indict any soldiers or decline to charge them.

Israeli officials say the country’s justice system can address any violations by its troops. But such investigations rarely lead to indictments. Just 0.17% of incidents reviewed from 2014 and 2022 led to prosecution, according to an analysis by Israeli rights group Yesh Din.

The Belgium-based Hind Rajab Foundation — which campaigns for the arrest of Israeli troops it accuses of war crimes — said in a statement on Wednesday that an Israeli military investigation “should not be mistaken for a genuine step toward justice.”

“Israel’s internal investigations into the criminal conduct of its own soldiers are fundamentally flawed and cannot be regarded as credible mechanisms of accountability,” it said.

A mother says her grief is not unique

The Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in southern Israel and abducted 251 others. More than 73,400 people have been killed in the Israeli offensive since, according to the health ministry in Gaza.

The ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, does not give a breakdown of civilians and militants but says women and children constitute about half the deaths.

Hamada said her pain since the killing of Hind — who had wanted to become a doctor — was not unique.

“The pain is like the pain of every mother who has lost her child in Gaza,” she said. “You wish she were in front of you, growing up and fulfilling your dreams and her dreams, and then you lose her in the most horrific circumstances.”

__ Ibrahim Hazboun in Jerusalem, and Haitham Hamed in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed reporting.

Also, Turkey announced it is asking for an international warrant for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his role in stopping several boats trying to break a naval blockade of Gaza in May, and an Israeli human rights watchdog is warning that settler violence has expanded from rural to urban areas in the West Bank.

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

Palestinian teen killed by Israeli settlers after rock-throwing incident

A 17-year-old Palestinian was killed and another man wounded by Israeli settler gunfire after rocks were thrown Friday in Sa’ir, north of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

The ministry identified the teenager as Karim Sanad Raja Shalaldeh. The teenager’s father told The Associated Press at the hospital that Israeli settlers had killed his son.

The Israeli military said soldiers were dispatched to Sa’ir after Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli civilians who were in the area without prior authorization. Some Israelis were injured and a security official opened fire.

Separately, the Palestinian General Authority for Civil Affairs informed the Health Ministry that 58-year-old Fathi Khazem was fatally shot by Israeli forces early Friday in Jenin.

An Israeli army official speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military rules said Khazem attempted to stab an Israeli soldier during an overnight operation. No Israeli soldiers were injured.

The Israeli official said Khazem was the father of Raed Khazem, who shot and killed three people in Tel Aviv in April 2022.

Violence has escalated in the West Bank where at least 87 Palestinians have been killed in almost 1,500 attacks by Israeli settlers and soldiers this year, according to Palestinian officials. Three Israelis have been killed by Palestinians in 2026.

— By Koral Saeed in Herzliya, Israel.

Turkey seeks international warrant for Netanyahu over May blockade

Turkey is seeking an international warrant for Netanyahu's arrest over Israel’s interception of an international flotilla that attempted to break a naval blockade of Gaza.

The Interpol red notice sought against Netanyahu and one other Israeli national was tied to an Istanbul court case trying 35 defendants in absentia for alleged “genocide,” other crimes against humanity, torture, unlawful detention and hijacking, Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said in a statement posted on X.

The charges stem from the Israeli navy’s interception in May of several vessels in international waters off Cyprus days after the flotilla departed from the Turkish port of Marmaris. Some detained activists reported mistreatment.

Turkey is among the most vocal critics of Israel’s government.

Netanyahu responded on social media, calling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan an antisemitic dictator who has “massacred Kurds, harbors Hamas terrorists, occupies half of Cyprus, and jails record numbers of journalists and politicians who oppose him.”

“Erdogan’s pathetic attempt to intimidate the leaders and soldiers of Israel, the only true democracy in the Middle East, will go nowhere,” Netanyahu said Friday.

Rights group says Israeli settler violence heads to established Palestinian cities

An Israeli group that collects information about potential human rights violations against Palestinians says reported incidents of Israeli settler violence have moved from the rural West Bank toward larger, more populated Palestinian cities and towns.

The establishment of new settlements and outposts throughout the West Bank has emboldened extremist settlers, who are now encroaching on larger communities that previously were far from the front lines of settler violence, Yesh Din said in its report released Friday titled “The Next Frontier.”

The uptick in violence corresponds with the Israeli government’s approval of new settlements and the expansion of outposts that it doesn’t authorize but often leaves in place, according to the report.

“As outposts advance deeper into Palestinian territory, violence, harassment and terror follow,” Yesh Din wrote.

Some 3 million Palestinians live under Israeli military rule in the West Bank alongside roughly 560,000 Israeli settlers.

Economic woes return to Lebanon

Lebanon’s economy is projected to contract 6.4% this year because the latest Israel-Hezbollah war reversed the economic recovery of the previous year, the World Bank said Friday.

The destruction from the war that started in March and related sharp drop in tourism reversed a 4.2% growth seen in 2025 in Lebanon's economy, the organization said.

The World Bank also predicts a sharp increase in inflation driven by supply disruptions, higher shipping costs, and rising oil prices, which will further reduce purchasing power.

Lebanon's economy has been in crisis since a 2019 banking collapse.

11 countries call Israeli airstrikes in Syria an extreme escalation

The foreign ministers of 11 countries are calling Israel’s airstrikes on a Syrian air base an extreme escalation.

The ministers of Turkey, Algeria, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mauritania, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and the Palestinian territories warned that attacks on Syria undermine its reconstruction efforts as well as its attempts to restore security, according to a joint statement released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

The Israeli strikes hit the Abu Duhur base early Tuesday, causing damage but no casualties. Netanyahu’s office said Israel targeted the base because Syria was about to breach an agreed “status quo in security matters” by allowing Turkish troops to deploy there.

• As part of the Loop 1604 North Expansion Project, TxDOT will require closures for bridge construction on the Northwest Side near La Cantera and The Rim
• Eastbound (EB) and westbound (WB) Loop 1604 main lanes at the Interstate 10 interchange
• EB and WB I-10 main lanes at the Loop 1604 interchange
• EB and WB I-10 frontage roads at the Loop 1604 interchange
• These weekend closures are expected to occur from 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, through 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, weather permitting.

All flyovers at the Loop 1604 and I-10 interchange will remain open. Travelers are asked to follow detour signage.

Loop 1604 and Blanco Road

Loop 1604 at Blanco Road will also be closed this weekend as crews make final preparations to fully open the Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) on the North Side.

Crews will close north and southbound directions of Blanco Road to finish signage, paving, striping and lighting. Access to local businesses will remain open.

The DDI is fully expected to reopen Monday.

This is a major improvement to one of the corridor’s busiest intersections: Loop 1604 and Blanco Road. The DDI moves traffic more efficiently and safely through the area.

What is a DDI?

A DDI is an innovative intersection design that shifts traffic to the left side of the roadway as drivers travel on Blanco Road through the interchange. This shift allows vehicles to make free-flowing left turns without crossing opposing traffic.

Why a DDI at Blanco Road?

The Loop 1604-Blanco Road intersection is one of the most heavily traveled areas on the North Side. A DDI helps address congestion and safety challenges.

More recent traffic coverage on KSAT:

• TxDOT plans major changes along Loop 410 and San Pedro Avenue near airport

Russell took the fight to his series-leading Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli as he qualified on pole position for the sprint race at the Dutch Grand Prix. F1 has returned from its midseason break, two weeks after Russell announced he and his partner Carmen Montero Mundt were engaged.

After setting the fastest time Friday, Russell said over the team radio, “Nice one! Must be a bit lighter after that engagement ring.”

Russell previously revealed that “a lot of thought” went into his proposal, including designing the ring itself. “I suddenly got really nervous when I was on one knee,” he added.

Russell snatched top spot by 0.041 of a second from McLaren's Lando Norris, winner of the last race in Hungary, with Charles Leclerc third for Ferrari, 0.014 further back.

Antonelli was fifth and revealed he'd been struggling with damage from a bumpy ride across a gravel trap in the first part of the session. The damage was “a couple of holes in the floor.” His closest championship challenger Lewis Hamilton could manage only seventh for Ferrari.

Pole is a long-awaited boost for Russell

Pole is especially welcome for Russell, who hasn't won since the Austrian Grand Prix in June and was one of the drivers hardest hit by software quirks in how his Mercedes uses its electrical energy.

“It was a tough end to the first half of the year and I'm really happy to come back,” said Russell, who’s 59 points off his 19-year-old teammate Antonelli after a near-stall ruined his race in Hungary last month. “The lap felt really good. It all came together nicely.”

After his joke about shedding the weight of the engagement ring, Russell said he'd also worked to lose the mental baggage of overthinking.

“Confidence level wasn’t exactly at my highest, but just trying to remember that feeling of what I needed from myself and the car and just go in and almost treat it like the first race of the season again and not overthink things,” he said. “That seems to work well for me. It’s very difficult to actually put those words into action.”

Earlier Friday, Antonelli went fastest in the single practice session on a drying, constantly changing track after rain.

The 2026 cars and their formidable electrical power have yet to be tried in serious rain as part of a race weekend. That briefly seemed like it would happen in practice as teams started on intermediate tires, but the track soon dried out. Sprint qualifying was dry.

Dutch GP is unique. Here's why it's leaving

Max Verstappen has committed to Red Bull on a new contract through 2030 but there's no sign of his Dutch home race staying beyond this year.

The 80s rock anthem “The Final Countdown” rang around the venue Thursday as organizers geared up for the sixth and final Dutch GP since returning to the F1 calendar in 2021.

The race is a privately run operation in a calendar packed with races that boast government backing. Citing “risks and responsibilities,” organizers said in 2024 they'd rather “go out on a high" with two more races and no more.

Something else makes the Dutch GP stand out, too. Almost all fans attending are barred from driving to the track because the seaside resort town puts strict rules on traffic. Instead, they must take the train from Amsterdam or — in a uniquely Dutch take on F1 — join the tens of thousands riding bikes to Zandvoort.

Lawson and Tsunoda need to learn fast

Liam Lawson learned only on Monday he was being promoted to the main Red Bull team after Isack Hadjar injured his wrist. Lawson has tried the unfamiliar car only on the simulator so far, in a hastily arranged session Wednesday.

Lawson's promotion means Yuki Tsunoda is back on the grid with Racing Bulls. He hasn't raced under the new-for-2026 regulations at all. Lawson qualified 11th and Tsunoda 12th.

___

See AP’s full auto racing coverage here

Geis’ remains were found by a team made up of local volunteers, according to Irfan Arshad Khan, president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan. The expedition was Geis’ first attempt to climb an 8,000-meter (26,247-foot) peak in Pakistan.

Geis, 39, lived in the Alamo City. She announced on social media earlier this year that she was closing her Pilates studio to take “a giant leap of faith into the unknown to see where life goes. I have a sneaking suspicion there will be lots of helmets, harnesses, and crampons involved.”

Her family remembered her in a statement earlier this month as “a bright light who was loved deeply by her family and friends.”

The recovery ended a search that began on July 31 after the expedition, led by renowned climber Nirmal Purja, was swept away by an avalanche on Broad Peak.

Purja, a Nepal-born former British Army soldier widely known as Nims Dai, climbed the world’s 14 highest peaks in a record 189 days in 2019, an achievement featured in the Netflix documentary “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.” His record was broken in 2023.

Accidents are common on climbing expeditions in northern Pakistan because of avalanches, falling ice and rock, high altitude and rapidly changing weather.

In a San Antonio St. Mary’s SAFFE Officers Facebook post, police said they took part in the animal rescue, removing 26 pug dogs from “unsanitary conditions.”

Lisa Norwood with ACS confirmed those details Thursday, adding that the seized animals also included one rabbit.

They were removed as ACS executed an animal cruelty warrant at the home on Clarence Street near McCullough Avenue.

Norwood said no one has been arrested, but the case is still under investigation.

The seizure is at least the second for ACS within the past month.

On July 23, staff members rescued 30 dogs from a home on La Charca Drive near Cerro Vista.

That happened just days after Bexar County Animal Control and sheriff’s deputies descended on a property near Interstate 35 and Kinney Road and seized 18 dogs.

“Those cases typically start off with a well-meaning person that really just wanted to help these animals, and then eventually over time they become overwhelmed,” ACS Director Jon Gary said.

The sudden influx of animals has also been taking a toll on ACS, leaving the agency with at least 56 additional mouths to feed.

“For an organization that runs at capacity at all times, it impacts us greatly,” Gary said. “Thankfully we have a lot of really strong partnerships with a lot of non-profits in the area, and so a lot of times we can reach out to them.”

The effort to help animals has the agency relying on some extra human help.

Read also:

• Bexar County reports first dog rabies case in more than a decade, health officials say

With sparse details, President Donald Trump announced this week that the U.S. would be imposing an “unprecedented” level of economic warfare and isolation on Iran, aiming to force its leadership to cave to demands to end its nuclear program and fully reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz to oil and natural gas tankers.

It reflects the dire reality Trump faces with an increasingly unpopular war he can't seem to end just months before pivotal midterm elections that will decide whether his Republican Party keeps control of Congress. Whether out of desperation or strategy, the president is refocusing America's might on bringing Iran to its knees through an accelerated sanctions campaign against one of the most economically penalized countries in the world.

In response to the threat, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted Friday on X the history of U.S. sanctions against Iran, saying, “We have seen this movie before. Same bull. Different bullies.”

The immediate reaction from Iran hawks has been praise and a call for patience as it plays out, while other analysts warn that Trump is refusing to learn the lessons of his predecessors.

In an interview Thursday on CNBC, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent offered a small glimpse of what may be ahead, threatening secondary sanctions on nations and companies that conduct business with Iran.

He did not reveal who would be targeted as part of this next phase of the administration’s Operation Economic Fury, which earlier had focused on entities and people who buy oil from or bank with Iran. China and India, however, are major buyers of Iranian oil.

“If you insist on doing business with them, then the U.S. Treasury and U.S. government will put its full might and force against you,” Bessent said. “It’s time for our allies and the rest of the world to make a decision."

Some experts see ‘uncharted waters’ that could force Iran's hand

Despite decades of U.S. sanctions against Iran, the Trump administration is arguing that it’s only a matter of time and that striking the right economic target would get Tehran to its breaking point.

Richard Goldberg, who coordinated efforts to put diplomatic pressure on Iran in Trump's first term, said the consequences of U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear sites last year, the war this year and the American naval blockade on Iranian ports have created the perfect storm for capitulation — one that didn't previously exist.

“I think we’re watching a strategy, whether it takes a short time or a long time, that is very much about fundamentally changing the future of the world by seeing the end of this regime," said Goldberg, who is now at the hawkish Washington think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, or FDD.

“I caution everyone — including myself, who has worked on sanctions, who’s worked on financial warfare — to have the humility to admit that we are in uncharted waters,” he said.

He said the decision this week by the United Arab Emirates — once one of Tehran's most important trading partners — to suspend trade with Iran over an alleged missile attack will only further isolate the government.

Beyond trade in domestically produced goods, the Emiratis had helped the country absorb some of the shocks caused by sanctions through its re-export hub.

Targeting allies and partners comes at a price

With nearly all of Iran's energy, financial and transportation sectors already covered by U.S. sanctions, Trump’s aim appears to be to apply secondary sanctions on countries, including allies and partners, that have not cut all ties with Iran to starve the country of any remaining income it may still be receiving.

In many ways, it is a redux of Trump’s first-term maximum-pressure campaign, which he has ramped up during his second term to include military action.

But as Trump and his allies discovered during his first administration, it can be difficult to enforce secondary sanctions without harming U.S. interests and provoking reciprocal measures. There were numerous instances of the administration granting sanctions waivers to countries, particularly those that rely on Iranian oil for their energy needs.

“Trump’s strategy now rests on targeting Tehran directly by impeding its touch points and access to the formal financial system and international economy,” said Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the FDD’s Iran program. “This will require making the Iran issue more important in U.S. bilateral relations with countries in Europe and Asia.”

Iran doesn't see an ‘open door’ at the end of the sanctions campaign

Iranian officials and analysts have accused the Republican president of flip-flopping with his latest pivot to economic pressure against Tehran. Trump has long derided past leaders who used sanctions to limit Iran’s ability to pay for its military and nuclear development.

In a post last week on X, Esmail Baghaei, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, wrote that Washington's pattern of retreating to sanctions when it doesn't want to pursue diplomacy has proven to be futile.

“Iran has demonstrated over decades that it will not be strangled by these exhausted refrains,” he said. “The real risk is that American politicians, clinging to this bad habit, will instead strangle their own remaining chances of a less humiliating exit from a crisis of their own making.”

Ali Vaez, Iran director at the International Crisis Group, said the Trump administration's decision to take its own maximum-pressure policy to new heights with military action seems to ignore years of U.S. foreign-policy lessons that show Iran does not respond well to pressure.

If anything, he says, the latest economic campaign has only “hardened Iran's position.”

“I think (Trump's) blind spot is the fact that the only thing that the Iranian regime views as more dangerous than suffering from U.S. sanctions is surrendering to U.S. terms," Vaez said.

Plus, the past year of start-stop diplomacy has only worsened the already fragile dynamic between the longtime adversaries, Vaez says, adding that Iranian officials' lack of trust in Trump and his mediators has created an untenable foundation.

“They believe that even if they capitulate to U.S. terms under economic duress, Trump would move the goalposts and ask for more,” he said. “And this is really the fundamental problem: Pressure without an open door is an exercise in futility.”

___

Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Fatima Hussein in Washington contributed to this report.

In a judgment Friday, Justice Matthew Nicklin said in a written statement that the payment to Associated Newspapers Ltd. will have to be made by Aug. 28. The payment is at the upper end of expectations and marks a vindication for the journalists at the Daily Mail and a defeat for the losing claimants and their lawyers.

The claimants lost a High Court case in London last month during which they had alleged malpractice, such as the illegal hacking of phones, on the part of Associated Newspapers.

The other high-profile figures behind the case were Doreen Lawrence, the anti‑racism activist whose son Stephen was stabbed to death in 1993 as he waited for a bus; Elton John’s film producer husband David Furnish; actors Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley; and politician Simon Hughes. Lawrence’s costs are expected to be covered by the others.

In excoriating comments accompanying his award, Nicklin said “several features” were important in his decision, including the “speculative” nature of the claims and the failure of the claimants to “voluntarily” withdraw serious allegations that could no longer be backed up.

“The conduct was unreasonable to a high degree,” he said.

Claimants face additional 25-million-pound charge

The publisher has said it incurred more than 34 million pounds during the case. Should it pursue the claimants for the remainder of the costs, and get the necessary legal approval to do so, then Harry and the six others will be liable for a further 25 million pounds or so.

The claimants took out insurance for around half of that total, in line with the budget estimates provided at the outset by the lawyers working for Associated Newspapers.

Though the judge said the costs appeared “excessive,” he said he would not impose a cap that would have limited the claimants' liabilities as it would have been “too broad brushed, would risk unfairness, and would be vulnerable to the charge that it was arbitrary.”

The amount that will be paid could well be determined in the future by costs judges, specialists who assess and determine financial outcomes in civil litigation when parties cannot agree.

David Bailey-Vella, chairman of the Association of Costs Lawyers, said the ruling “could not have gone much worse” for the claimants.

He said the claimants will "surely try again before the costs judges to try and show they relied on Associated’s original budget when buying the insurance and so should not have to pay more.”

Hughes, a former member of the centrist Liberal Democrats, said he was “disappointed and surprised” that Associated Newspapers’ recoverable costs were not limited.

None of the other claimants have yet commented on the judge's decision. They have until Oct. 2 to decide whether to appeal.

Harry and the rest had failed to even win one of 97 claims

The publisher had strongly denied the claims made during the 11-week trial in London earlier this year. In his July 7 judgment, Nicklin said there had been a shortage of evidence to support the 97 claims and found there was a possibility that the reporting came from legitimate sources.

In a statement following the decision, Associated Newspapers said the judgment is a “devastating critique of an attempt to destroy a newspaper and the reputations of its journalists, editors and executives."

“The truth is that these outrageous claims should never have been brought," it said. "That they were pursued raises disturbing questions about the conduct of elements of the legal profession.”

Cost verdict comes days after Harry's bombshell UK return news

The judgment comes two days after it was made public that Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, are moving back to the U.K. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are no longer working royals, decamped to California more than six years ago but will relocate back later this month to live in a nonroyal residence outside London.

Harry's defeat against Associated Newspapers brought an end to a trio of lawsuits accusing tabloid publishers of using unlawful tactics, such as phone hacking or hiring private detectives to dig up dirt on his life.

Harry won a judgment in 2023 that condemned the publishers of the Daily Mirror for “widespread and habitual” phone hacking. Last year, Rupert Murdoch’s flagship U.K. tabloid, The Sun, made an unprecedented apology for intruding on his life for years and agreed to pay substantial damages to settle his privacy invasion lawsuit.

Harry has said his litigation — in which he broke with royal family tradition to seek relief in the courts — was a primary source of his falling out with his father, King Charles III, and brother Prince William.

His grudge with the tabloids runs deep and his legal actions are part of his larger quest to reform the news media that he says damaged his relationships and made him “ paranoid beyond belief.”

He blames the press for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi in Paris, and for attacks on his wife, Meghan, that led the couple to abandon royal life and move to the United States in 2020.

Authorities said both incidents happened 14 days apart — on May 4 and May 18 — at the same Circle K convenience store in the 9800 block of Potranco Road, near Stevens High School. Each alleged robbery also had separate teenage victims who happened to be Stevens High School students.

Arrest warrants previously obtained by KSAT identified the following three suspects tied to both alleged crimes:

• Amir Notario, 17
• Omar Timothy John Saenz, 18
• Damian Zertuche, 18

The May 4 incident

Two weeks before their May 18 arrests, a police report and arrest warrant obtained by KSAT show Notario, Saenz and Zertuche may have been involved with a separate aggravated robbery case.

In the initial police report, the San Antonio Police Department said a 17-year-old Stevens High School student went off campus during his lunch break and walked to the Circle K to get snacks.

Around 12:45 p.m., the 17-year-old student was approached by the three suspects. The victim told investigators that he used to consider Zertuche a “close friend.”

According to the student, Zertuche “had a firearm in his right hand” and was “pointing it towards the ground.”

“I’ma need your bag,” Zertuche allegedly told the victim. “Give me everything.”

“Just leave me alone,” the victim told Zertuche, the report states.

According to the warrant, Saenz struck the student in the face with a pistol. The victim told police that Zertuche and Saenz began going through his backpack. The student said Zertuche and Saenz “stole his gold chain, ring, sunglasses, phone charger and wallet” while Notario served as the suspects’ eyes and ears.

When people approached the store, Notario notified Saenz and Zertuche. All three then fled the scene on foot, investigators said.

The student went back to school before heading home and reporting the incident to police, the warrant states.

Court records show Saenz and Zertuche were indicted Thursday on the same three charges: two counts of aggravated robbery (first-degree felony) and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (second-degree felony).

Notario was only indicted on two aggravated robbery charges. On July 15, records show a judge agreed to reduce Notario’s bond and subsequently placed him on house arrest.

Additionally, all three suspects each faced engaging in organized criminal activity charges, which is also considered a first-degree felony.

In an Aug. 14 statement to KSAT, the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office said the teenage suspects are awaiting an indictment on that charge.

However, according to records, each organized criminal activity charge was dismissed on Aug. 20 and Aug. 21.

The May 18 incident

Two weeks later, San Antonio police officers were dispatched just after 3:30 p.m. to the same Circle K location.

A Northside Independent School District spokesperson told KSAT at the time that a Stevens High School student was the victim of the off-campus assault.

According to a police report obtained by KSAT, the 18-year-old student was on his way back to campus when Notario, Saenz and Zertuche — who are former Stevens High School students — confronted him.

“What’s up? You’re talking s---?” Notario told the student, according to the report.

The student told police he saw one of the three suspects “pull a gun from his waistband and display it.”

“Give me everything you got,” Notario told the victim.

“I don’t have anything on me,” the student told Notario, according to SAPD.

The student told investigators one of the suspects then pistol-whipped him in the face. At some point, police said the suspects stopped the alleged assault and walked away from the student “for some unknown reason.”

According to the report, the victim gathered himself and began walking back to campus. Moments later, a friend of the victim saw him, helped him talk to school staff and call SAPD.

Investigators saw the victim’s nose was swollen “a little,” had a tissue inside a nostril due to “bleeding” and had a swollen lip following the alleged attack.

SAPD, with the assistance of Northside ISD police officers and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), tracked down Notario, Saenz and Zertuche at a nearby apartment complex and took them into custody.

According to court records, separate grand juries indicted Notario and Saenz June 30 on two aggravated robbery counts and an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge in connection with the incident.

As of Friday, the DA’s office said Zertuche is only facing one count of aggravated robbery. He has yet to be indicted on the charge, according to a DA’s office spokesperson.

Another suspect’s mall robbery indictments

Like Notario and Saenz, Zertuche was also indicted June 30 on an aggravated robbery charge. However, according to court documents, Zertuche’s indictment was connected to one of two robberies a day before his May 18 arrest.

SAPD detectives said the alleged May 17 robberies happened at two popular San Antonio malls: Ingram Park Mall and North Star Mall.

In the first May 17 incident, San Antonio police said officers were dispatched just after 4:30 p.m. to Ingram Park Mall on a robbery-in-progress call. The victim, a 16-year-old boy, told officers that a male — later identified as Zertuche — “snatched chains” from around his neck and “pointed a gun at him,” according to an arrest warrant obtained by KSAT.

The victim called SAPD after Zertuche fled on foot, police said.

According to an SAPD affidavit that detailed the second alleged May 17 robbery, Zertuche approached a 17-year-old boy shopping at North Star Mall and “forcefully removed” a necklace the victim wore. A police report indicates an officer was dispatched just after 5 p.m. to the mall’s Apple Store.

Officers said Zertuche also “assaulted” the 17-year-old, brandished a firearm and later fled the scene.

After his arrest in connection with the May 18 robbery, documents show Zertuche confessed to committing the North Star Mall robbery to investigators. On May 19, the North Star Mall victim identified Zertuche to police in a photo lineup.

On June 30, records show a Bexar County grand jury indicted Zertuche in connection with the North Star Mall robbery charge.

Zertuche was later identified as the suspect connected to the Ingram Park Mall incident by the victim and a witness on May 20, records indicate.

According to records, Zertuche was indicted Tuesday afternoon on the following three charges connected to the Ingram Park Mall robbery:

• Aggravated robbery
• Robbery (second-degree felony)
• Theft from a person (state jail felony)

Zertuche’s combined bond for all nine charges across the May 4, May 17 and May 18 alleged incidents was set at $625,000, documents show.

Back to the courtroom

Eight days after their newest indictments, Notario and Saenz are set to make court appearances next week on their arrests and charges stemming from the May 18 incident.

Bexar County records indicate the two will both appear before Judge Kristina Escalona Aug. 21 inside the county’s 186th Criminal District Court.

While he is not scheduled to appear in a courtroom this month, documents show Zertuche’s next court appearance in connection with the North Star Mall robbery is set for Sept. 14.

More related coverage of this story on KSAT:

• SAPD: 3 teens accused of robbing Northside ISD student connected to similar crime 2 weeks earlier
• Northside ISD student assaulted off campus; 3 suspects arrested, SAPD says

Officers responded to the shooting just after 3:30 a.m. in the 10300 block of Sahara Street, which is located near Isom Road.

SAPD said the man and his sister were arguing. An officer at the scene told KSAT that the man was allegedly assaulting his sister.

According to a preliminary report, officers said the man was “actively hitting the other person” when he then drew a weapon and pointed it at her.

The suspect, a 25-year-old man, saw the man pointing the weapon at the woman. An SAPD spokesperson said the suspect “attempted to intervene” and shot the woman’s brother in his upper torso.

The officer on scene identified the shooter as the woman’s boyfriend.

The woman and her boyfriend were later detained for questioning, SAPD said.

At this time, officers said it’s unclear whether charges will be filed or if the shooting will be considered self-defense.

No arrests have been made in connection with this case. Police said its investigation is ongoing.

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

Read also:

• Hondo PD officer fired, SAPD officer suspended after drunken incident at New Mexico ski resort

The ban for Paredes — who grabbed Spain's Eric Garcia by the throat and pushed Gavi to the ground — ranks with the FIFA sanctions for Uruguay forward Luis Suárez in 2014 as among the most severe in World Cup history.

Argentina defender Nahuel Molina was handed a seven-game ban while Thiago Almada was given a one-game suspension. FIFA imposed fines of $90,000 on Paredes and Molina, and $30,000 for Almada.

The ban for Paredes is effectively a one-year expulsion from the Argentina team as the FIFA calendar for national team schedules includes 10 games through June 2027.

All of those games could be friendlies with no competitive games currently scheduled.

Spain's Gavi also banned for game vs England

Gavi also was banned for one game, which is a Nations League match for Spain against England at Wembley on Sept. 26.

An Argentina coach, Roberto Ayala, also got a three-game ban and $30,000 fine.

The Argentine Football Association was fined $110,000 for a range of incidents during the World Cup including players carrying a political banner about the Falkland Islands after the semifinal win against England, and discriminatory chants by fans.

AFA also was ordered by FIFA to spend $100,000 on anti-racism projects. Argentina received $34 million in World Cup prize money from FIFA.

Argentina expected to appeal

AFA can appeal the longer sanctions and fines to FIFA, and likely after at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

“The AFA legal department will, in a timely manner, request from FIFA the grounds for the reviewable rulings in order to file appeals with the governing body’s appeal committee, while retaining the future option of appealing to the CAS as a final recourse,” the federation said in a statement.

Suárez and Simunic cases

In 2014, Suárez was banned from all soccer for four months, including for his new club Barcelona, and eight more competition games for Uruguay for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in a World Cup group stage game in Brazil.

Paredes' 10-game ban equals that in 2013 for Josip Simunic of Croatia after winning a World Cup qualifying playoff. Simunic used a megaphone to lead fans chanting a slogan used by the country's pro-Nazi regime during World War II.

The on-field clashes at last month's final in East Rutherford, New Jersey — which were charged by FIFA as assault cases — came after Argentina lost a testy final to Spain where it was mostly outplayed and barely created a scoring chance.

Spain forward Ferran Torres scored the only goal in the second period of extra time, after Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez was sent off.

FIFA disciplinary judges also ordered Argentina to play its next home game in a stadium limited to 50% of capacity. FIFA deferred a second stadium sanction and a $100,000 for probationary periods.

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AP Sports Writers Ken Maguire in London and Carlos Rodriguez in Mexico City contributed to this report

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here

The attack is the latest in a series of frequent and deadly aerial strikes targeting armed pro-democracy forces and ethnic armed groups in the country. The strikes often cause civilian casualties.

The attack occurred in Swel Le Oh village in Myaung township, about 75 kilometers (45 miles) west of Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, according to Nway Oo, a spokesperson for the Civil Defense and Security Organization of Myaung Township, or CDSOM.

Nway Oo said that 14 people, including three women, were killed and 20 others were wounded when a fighter jet dropped a bomb in the compound of the village’s monastery.

A villager who spoke on condition of anonymity, because he feared for his safety, also confirmed the death toll to The Associated Press. The villager said that the fighter jet dropped two bombs 15 minutes apart, with the second bomb damaging a house near the monastery where more than 100 people were on a weeklong retreat during Buddhist Lent.

The villager, whose mother-in-law was killed in the airstrike, said that people fled to a nearby community after cremating bodies of the victims.

BBC’s Burmese-Language service and Myanmar’s media outlets, including Myanmar Now, reported the death toll at between 10 and 14. They also posted photos and videos showing what they said was the aftermath of the strike, with images of bodies.

The military didn't immediately comment. In the past, the army has said that it only attacks legitimate targets of war, accusing the resistance forces of being terrorists.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, triggering a civil war. After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are embroiled in conflict.

The military has increasingly used airstrikes to counter opposition forces, including the armed People’s Defense Forces in Sagaing region, a stronghold of armed resistance. The resistance has no effective defense against air attacks.

The monastery attack comes a week after the U.N.-established Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, or IIMM, said that it observed a notable escalation in aerial attacks by the military in the months preceding the elections held in December and January, and that they have continued unabated afterward.

Myanmar’s foreign ministry rejected the IIMM report on Sunday, saying that limited airstrikes and counterterrorism operations solely aim at military targets and were carried out in response to insurgents and terrorist groups in accordance with the rules of engagement, and that the security forces exercise maximum restraint to avoid civilian harm.