And oh, what a miss by the mighty Swiss.

One TV headline back home at French language public broadcaster RTS blared: “QATARSTROPHE.”

Boualem Khoukhi scored the equalizing goal on a header in the fourth minute of injury time to give Qatar its first-ever point at the World Cup in front of 67,966 spectators at Levi's Stadium.

“Every draw feels like a loss,” Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka said. “We're looking at ourselves. This performance was not good enough today to win.”

Several of the Qatari players fell to the ground in celebration of the late goal as others ran to each other to embrace.

“I was very proud about today ... our mentality, the discipline they showed today,” Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui said. “We needed to have our plan we needed to fulfill. We were a little bit lucky sometimes, but you need to believe and to want to have this belief and bit of luck in life and in football.”

Breel Embolo scored for Switzerland from the penalty spot in the first half just over a week after being cleared to enter the U.S. following a visa delay, but the Swiss failed to capitalize on multiple other scoring chances.

Switzerland midfielder Denis Zakaria was asked by RTS if the result was a devastating scenario.

“Clearly," he said. "We didn’t play the kind of match we needed to. We had so many chances and we missed so many in front of goal. Today we paid dearly.”

In the 13th minute, Embolo was fouled by Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada, who received a yellow card on the play. Abunada lay face down and appeared motionless for a couple of minutes before he began to move his legs and was able to stand up again.

When Embolo calmly sent his penalty into the upper left corner in the 17th minute, it sent the red-clad Swiss fans into a dancing frenzy in the stands.

The 29-year-old forward applied for an urgent visa at the United States embassy in Bern on June 3, one day after he was denied boarding the team’s flight to travel for his third World Cup because of a 2018 criminal conviction that was only finalized in April.

Switzerland dominated the possession game on an unseasonably warm June afternoon — with sprinklers running during a first-half break.

There were thousands of empty seats scattered throughout Levi’s Stadium, home of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers. Brazil and Colombia drew 70,971 two years ago in a group match at Copa America. The stadium in Santa Clara staged the Super Bowl only four months ago.

Switzerland goalkeeper Gregor Kobel made a save in the second minute after Edmilson Junior got through the defense for a one-on-one. Kobel corralled the ball again in the 90th on a close-range attempt by Ahmed Alaaeldin.

Switzerland is hoping to advance further than its round-of-16 showing four years ago before losing 6-1 to Portugal — when Goncalo Ramos delivered an improbable hat trick playing in place of benched star Cristiano Ronaldo. The loss prompted Switzerland midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri to apologize the the fans.

The Swiss used consistency and experience to go unbeaten through qualifying against Sweden, Kosovo and Slovenia. Coach Murat Yakin's team produced four wins and two draws to secure its sixth straight World Cup appearance and hasn't missed one since 2002, but the team has never gotten beyond the quarterfinals.

Qatar had to qualify through a playoff in November — beating the United Arab Emirates and Oman — after missing an opportunity from its group stage in Asian qualifying.

The Gulf State country became the first host nation to lose all of its group matches four years ago. Qatar lost to Senegal, Ecuador and the Netherlands in the 2022 tournament, scoring its lone goal in a 3-1 loss to Senegal.

___

AP Sports Writer Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this report.

___

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

Yamamoto has seven strikeouts. He has thrown 89 pitches, 61 for strikes.

The Dodgers had a 5-0 lead going into the seventh.

Chase Meidroth had the best chance for a hit for the White Sox. He had a liner hook just foul before he struck out swinging for the final out of the fifth.

There was a short delay before the bottom of the sixth while the grounds crew worked on the area around the pitching rubber on the mound. But Yamamoto had no issues when the game resumed, striking out Jacob Gonzalez on a full-count cutter before Tristan Peters bounced to first and Edgar Quero fouled out to left.

Miguel Vargas used the ABS challenge system to overturn a called strike three before lining to left for the second out of the seventh.

The 27-year-old Yamamoto threw a season-high 107 pitches at San Diego on May 18. His career high is 113 against Cincinnati during last year's playoffs.

Yamamoto is in his third season with Los Angeles. He was the World Series MVP last year, helping the Dodgers win their second consecutive championship.

He is in the middle of a sharp stretch for the NL West leaders. He was 3-1 with a sparking 0.99 ERA in his last four starts coming into the day.

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

James M. McDonald, a former federal prosecutor in the office he had been picked to run, served as a financial regulator during Trump’s first term and worked in the White House counsel’s office in President George W. Bush’s administration.

A partner at the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, McDonald is part of the legal team handling Trump’s pending appeal of felony convictions in New York related to hush money payments to adult film actor Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election.

Trump said Saturday he would name McDonald to the role of U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, one of the most influential positions in the Justice Department. He would replace Jay Clayton, whom Trump put forward this week as his pick for the director of national intelligence.

McDonald’s perch as U.S. attorney would give him oversight of arguably the most prestigious of the Justice Department’s prosecution offices, with a vast portfolio ranging from terrorism and espionage cases to security fraud and public corruption.

McDonald was also part of the legal team that last month secured a favorable outcome for Indian billionaire Gautam Adani when the Trump administration Justice Department dropped a fraud and conspiracy case that had been brought under the Biden administration.

McDonald has also served as director of enforcement at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission during Trump's first term in office and was deputy associate counsel in the White House under Bush.

“I am confident that Jamie will deliver strong results for our Country,” Trump posted Saturday about McDonald on the Truth Social platform.

Nicholas Biase, spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, said it "welcomes the President’s choice to lead the SDNY. Mr. McDonald is widely respected.”

Trump's announcement on Clayton came as pressure increased from Congress to name a permanent replacement for Tulsi Gabbard, who announced her resignation as national intelligence director last month. Trump faced intense pushback over his decision to name Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director.

___

Associated Press writer Michael R. Sisak in New York contributed to this report.

Trump said the Strait of Hormuz would open immediately after the signing.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said a deal was expected to be finalized within 24 hours. Each side was expected to sign electronically. Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the signing ceremony was scheduled for Sunday but did not provide details.

Iran foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei in statements carried by state media said the signing “will not happen tomorrow," but “the likelihood of finalizing the memorandum of understanding in the coming days is high."

A tenuous ceasefire has been in place since April 7. Trump has asserted multiple times in recent weeks the countries were on the cusp of a deal.

Iran has long expressed wariness in negotiations, pointing out that previous talks with the U.S. last year and early this year ended with attacks by the U.S. and Israel.

Trump to discuss demining the strait at G7 summit

Trump was expected to discuss demining the Strait of Hormuz during the Group of Seven summit that starts Monday.

A senior U.S. official, who briefed journalists on condition of anonymity under rules set by the White House, said Trump planned to meet on the G7 sidelines with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and United Arab Emirates to discuss efforts to wind down the war.

G7 members Britain and France have expressed interest in assisting with demining once the conflict is paused.

It was not clear how many mines are in the strait that Iran has effectively controlled since shortly after the war began, virtually shutting down oil and natural gas shipments from the Persian Gulf. The U.S. has blockaded Iranian ports in response.

The nuclear issue remains elusive

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said the memorandum of understanding under discussion was focused on ending the war and "at this stage, it has been decided that there will be no discussion of the nuclear issue.”

Iran's nuclear program and highly enriched uranium have long been at the center of tensions with the U.S. and Israel and an international source of concern.

Trump on social media asserted that “when all is calm,” the U.S. would go in and “downblend and destroy” the enriched uranium in Iran or in the U.S.

The apparent breakthrough in negotiations came after Iran exchanged fire with the U.S. and Israel earlier in the week, threatening to rupture the ceasefire and push the Middle East back into full-scale war.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X on Friday that an agreement “has never been closer.” Trump on Thursday claimed significant progress in negotiations, hours after he threatened to seize Iran’s oil industry.

Iran's former supreme leader will be buried in July

Iran’s state-run television said funeral ceremonies for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in the war’s opening attack, will take place in July.

The funeral, burial and farewell events for Khamenei will occur between July 4 and 9 during Muharram, a traditional period of mourning in the Shiite Muslim calendar.

Khamenei is succeeded by his son, Mojtaba, who is considered less compromising and has not been seen publicly since the war began.

Funeral ceremonies are expected to begin in Tehran and move to Qom, a stronghold of many senior Shiite clerics, then to Mashhad, Khamenei's birthplace. He’ll be buried there at the Imam Reza Shrine, considered the holiest place among Shiite devotees.

Khamenei remolded the Islamic Republic following the death in 1989 of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the fiery, charismatic ideologue who led the overthrow of the shah and installed rule by Shiite Muslim clerics.

Khamenei ruled far longer than Khomeini. He greatly expanded the Shiite clerical class and built the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard into the most important body underpinning his rule. The Guard became a military and business behemoth, the country’s most elite force and head of its ballistic missile arsenal — a key target for Israel and the U.S. in the war.

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Magdy reported from Cairo and Madhani from Washington. Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed.

Daphy Michel, 31, died March 2. She was found at a bus shelter in Pittsburgh. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office found her cause of death to be hypothermia and ruled the manner a homicide, “indicating the death was caused by the actions of another individual” and should not be interpreted as a declaration of criminal guilt, the office said in a statement. The office released its findings Friday.

Michel was a native of Haiti who was seeking asylum in the U.S. after arriving at the southern border in 2022, said Joseph Patrick Murphy, her family's attorney. She was granted humanitarian parole based on urgent humanitarian need, but she did not live to see a hearing scheduled for two weeks after she died, he said.

The medical examiner's office said Michel was a vulnerable adult “suffering from untreated severe mental health issues and a significant language barrier” at the time of her release on Feb. 27, the office said.

She was arrested last summer for yelling at imaginary people due to her psychiatric challenges, Murphy said. She spent six months in Washington County Jail, where she underwent multiple psychiatric examinations as she awaited her first hearing, he said.

A magistrate said he could not hold her for trial for threatening imaginary people, Murphy said. Afterward, ICE arrested her in her cell, put an ankle monitor on her and took her 25 miles (40 kilometers) away to Pittsburgh, where she sat at a bus shelter for days in winter, he said.

“She was in September clothes and it was February, and the weather overwhelmed her and she went into hypothermia,” Murphy said.

The medical examiner's finding of homicide is different from a criminal charge, meaning “somebody did or failed to do something that brought about her demise,” Murphy said. He said he expects Michel's family to file a lawsuit against ICE in connection with her death.

In an email, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Lauren Bis said, “ICE had NOTHING to do with this woman’s death. She passed away THREE days after ICE encountered her."

She called Michel “an illegal alien from Haiti” who was placed in removal proceedings after her arrest.

Michel had all her belongings and a fully charged phone when she was released, with public transportation available, Bis said. ICE learned the day after Michel died that her ankle monitor “had been tampered with," but county medical examiner staff “refused to cooperate or even talk with” ICE officials, she said.

ICE called the U.S. Marshals Service, who retrieved the ankle monitor but were refused information about Michel's condition, Bis said. ICE learned of her death via news media, she said.

In a statement, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato called Michel's death “a tragedy and appears that with a little humanity, it could have been completely avoidable.”

U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, said her death was preventable and that “she deserved care, shelter, language access, and medical support.”

ICE is no longer reporting the deaths of detainees within 30 days of their release from custody, ending a 2021 Biden-era policy. Health experts say the change will reflect fewer deaths than actually occur without addressing issues in medical care.

___

Dura reported from Bismarck, North Dakota.

Ohtani hit a leadoff homer for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday in his return to the starting lineup after being sidelined by inflammation in his left knee.

The two-way star connected on a 1-0 fastball from White Sox right-hander Sean Burke for his 14th homer. The 409-foot drive to right in the first inning had an exit velocity of 109.6 mph.

It was Ohtani's fifth leadoff homer of the season and No. 29 for his career.

The Japanese slugger batted again in the second and reached on a two-out walk.

The 31-year-old Ohtani was back at designated hitter after he rested during Friday’s 8-2 loss in the series opener at Chicago. The knee inflammation popped up Thursday night at Pittsburgh, prompting Ohtani to leave an 8-6 win over the Pirates in the seventh.

“We took him out of the game the other night just for precautionary,” manager Dave Roberts said before Saturday's game against the White Sox. “Yesterday, treated it up, today he feels great. All the confidence that he can go out there and hit, feel good, not regress at all.”

Ohtani remains on track to pitch Wednesday against Tampa Bay. The 6-foot-4 right-hander tested how his knee feels with his throwing motion by playing catch in the outfield before Saturday's matchup with the White Sox.

Ohtani, who had surgery on his left knee in September 2019, began the day with a .305 batting average and 40 RBIs in 67 games for the NL West leaders. On the mound, the reigning NL MVP is 6-2 with a 1.06 ERA in 11 starts.

Roberts also said Justin Wrobleski is expected to make his next scheduled start on Tuesday against the Rays. The left-hander left in the fifth inning on Thursday night because of a left hamstring contusion.

“Yesterday I talked to him and he is a little sore, which is understandable, but he’ll be ready to go on Tuesday,” Roberts said.

Roberts, 54, is going to miss Sunday's series finale against the White Sox. Bench coach Danny Lehmann is going to run the team while Roberts attends his daughter's college graduation.

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

San Antonio police said a 22-year-old man drove near the 9000 block of Southwest Loop 410 before he veered off the main lanes, causing his vehicle to roll over.

When officers responded to the crash around 5 a.m., they said the man was ejected from his vehicle and was seriously injured, a preliminary report from SAPD states.

He was taken to the hospital in critical condition, according to the preliminary report.

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Donors were given a ‘Go Spurs Go’ rally towel and an exclusive Spurs hat.

“People love their Spurs, they love San Antonio, and they love supporting the team. And since we started giving out Spurs merch, since the start of the playoffs, we saw about over a thousand donors now who come in and donated,” said Roger Ruiz, spokesperson for South Texas Blood & Tissue.

“(I’m) a big Spurs fan, so this is just icing on the cake to come on a Saturday morning,” said donor Pete, who didn’t know he would be walking away with new merch.

So far, Pete has donated a total of eight times, which amounts to a gallon of blood, saving up to 24 lives.

“It’s always, of course, humbling to know that with each donation you’re saving three lives, but to get to that 24 mark, it’s amazing,” he said.

And the reach goes far past San Antonio. South Texas Blood & Tissue sent more than 12 gallons of blood to help the Midland mass shooting victims.

“This is a great way to give back to your community and restock our supply. We are still on call just in case we need to send more additional units to Midland,” Ruiz said.

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• Inside a San Antonio great-grandmother’s incredible Spurs collection

It will certainly take something special to eclipse it as the goal of the tournament, even only three days in.

Deep into added time at Los Angeles Stadium and with virtually the last kick of the game, Gio Reyna capped a spectacular 4-1 win for the United States against Paraguay on Friday with an exquisite finish to a wonderful team move.

This was Pochettino-ball at its finest.

“This might be one of the best back-to-front team goals this country and this team has ever put together," Fox TV analyst Stu Holden said.

It might've been even better than that.

Done in 70 seconds

With the clock on 96 minutes and 10 seconds, the U.S. just had to see out time and ensure a Paraguay team that had already pulled one goal back in the second half didn't spark a late rally.

Over the course of the next 70 seconds, Mauricio Pochettino's team put together a 26-pass move from left to right, through defense and attack and left Paraguay's players chasing shadows. Not one Paraguayan got a foot on the ball. Then it was over to Reyna, who went on for a cameo as an 82nd-minute substitute for the outstanding Malik Tillman.

Receiving a pass from Alexander Freeman outside the box, Reyna took one touch to control the ball and another to carry it into the area. Then, with the outside of his right boot and with a touch of curl, he swept the shot past Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill into the far corner to send the U.S. supporters wild one last time.

And they weren't the only ones going crazy. As Reyna wheeled away in celebration, hands covering his ears, he was mobbed by teammates, substitutes and even Pochettino, who raced across the field to join in the moment.

“There’s not a whole lot of words to describe the feeling,” U.S. captain Tim Ream said after the team's biggest ever World Cup win.

Just like watching Brazil

Such was the U.S. control of the ball that it brought back memories of what many believe to be the greatest ever team goal in the World Cup when Brazil's Carlos Alberto finished off a multi-pass move against Italy in the 1970 final.

That game also finished 4-1 and Carlos Alberto's strike, like Reyna's, came late, in the 86th minute.

A nine-pass move ended with Pele laying the ball off to Carlos Alberto, who drove a low shot into the corner.

The stakes were much higher for Brazil, but for the U.S. it was an opening statement performance against a Paraguay team that had one of the best defensive records among the South American teams during qualification. Pochettino's team already has more goals than the U.S. managed in the entire 2022 tournament where it scored just three and was eliminated at the round of 16.

“Congratulations to Team USA on their Big Win, 4-1, over a very good Paraguay team,” President Donald Trump wrote Saturday on his social media site. “Keep it going!”

A taste of what's to come

The U.S. Men's National Team went big when it hired Pochettino, the former Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Tottenham coach in 2024.

There was a run to the Gold Cup final last year and he has not been shy about his ambitions at the World Cup.

“Why not us?” has become something of a motto going into the tournament.

With extended time to work with the players ahead of the opening game, Pochettino believes the full potential of the team will be seen.

“When you only have few days, you know, to reunite and to play, you only select players, but you cannot coach players,” he said Friday. “Only in this type of tournament like the Gold Cup or now the World Cup, because you have preparation, two, three, four weeks, I think that is the only moment that we can coach.”

Reyna's goal was a perfect example of Pochettino's insistence of concentrating on the team over individuals.

“One thing we need to praise is the collective effort,” the coach added.

Reyna erases pain of 2022

It was a triumphant return for Reyna after controversy in Qatar four years ago for alleged lack of hustle, which nearly got him sent home from that World Cup by then-coach Gregg Berhalter.

Pochettino made the bold call to include Reyna in his squad even though he made just four league starts last season for Borussia Mönchengladbach and none after Dec. 19.

Reyna also took the opportunity to announce that his wife was pregnant by putting the ball under his shirt and sucking his thumb.

“Celebration was for the little one on the way," he later posted on Instagram.

The US has had great goals in the past

Fans will debate whether this was the greatest goal by the USMNT.

In 1989 Paul Caligiuri struck a long-range volley against Trinidad and Tobago that qualified the U.S. for the World Cup for the first time since 1950.

In 1994, the last time America hosted the tournament, Eric Wynalda's free kick against Switzerland earned the U.S. its first point in the World Cup since 1950.

There was also Benny Feilhaber's volley that won the Gold Cup in 2007.

___

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

___

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

The 24-year-old man was riding his bike along South Josephine Tobin Drive when a vehicle hit him near the Texas Avenue intersection, adjacent to Woodlawn Lake Park, according to San Antonio police.

>> San Antonio lands $2M to fund two-way bike path around Woodlawn Lake

When SAPD responded to the crash before 8 p.m., they said the cyclist had serious injuries.

The driver fled the scene after crashing into the cyclist, a preliminary report stated.

SAPD said the driver will face a charge of collision involving an in injury.

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“It was just kind of normal,” said Ricky, a 17-year-old recent graduate in Superior, Wisconsin. “Kids were vaping in class, in the bathrooms, wherever.”

Nationally, nearly 6% of middle and high school students — amounting to 1.63 million kids — reported using electronic cigarettes in 2024, federal figures show. Although that is down from previous years, e-cigarettes remain the most commonly used tobacco products among teens, and nearly 9 out of 10 of kids choose flavored products.

Some doctors are concerned that youth vaping rates may rise again. The Food and Drug Administration recently announced its first authorization of fruit-flavored vapes intended for adults interested in quitting or cutting back on more harmful traditional cigarettes. The policy shift came after months of appeals to President Donald Trump from the vaping industry. An FDA memo released this week said these fruit-flavored e-cigarettes are not significantly better at helping smokers quit than tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes.

“I understand the goal of giving adult smokers a less harmful off-ramp, but fruit and sweet flavors are precisely what draw young people in,” said Dr. Scott Hadland at Mass General Brigham for Children and Harvard Medical School. “I worry this could erode the hard-won progress that brought teen vaping to its lowest level in roughly a decade.”

Experts say there are ways parents can counteract the allure of e-cigarettes, teach kids about the dangers of vaping and help them quit.

Vaping poses many dangers to kids

Dr. Devika Rao sees lots of kids with respiratory problems caused by vaping, including coughing, worsening asthma, bronchitis and more severe types of lung disease.

Studies show teens who vape report higher rates of wheezing, shortness of breath and a reduced ability to tolerate exercise. Gaby Cuadra of Miami, who vaped for nine years starting at age 15, remembers how it hurt her high school track and field performance.

“As the years kept going on and I would keep vaping, the distances that I used to be able to run, I, like, couldn’t do them anymore,” said Cuandra, 25. “I would run out of breath.”

While an e-cigarette's aerosol doesn't contain most of the 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, most vapes “emit numerous potentially toxic substances,” according to a comprehensive 2018 consensus report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Researchers said the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes are not yet clear.

One of the biggest dangers of vaping is nicotine addiction, which can disrupt the developing brain and affect attention, learning and mood.

“The addiction factor cannot be overstated enough,” said Rao at Children's Health in Dallas. “Adolescent brains are primed for addiction.”

How to talk to your child about vaping

Start by asking questions, experts advise. You can raise the issue by, for example, pointing out a new vape shop.

“Start open-ended conversations,” Rao said.

Ask what your child knows about vaping and its harms, whether they've seen e-cigarettes and if their friends are using them.

Even if your kid is already vaping, Rao said, take a deep breath and don’t yell. Be nonjudgmental.

Consider what your child may see on social media, where some influencers call nicotine a “hack” for stress relief. Some studies show that many people misinterpret the curbing of nicotine withdrawal symptoms as stress or anxiety relief and that quitting reduces stress. A 2025 study in the journal Tobacco Control said vaping may be linked to adverse mental health outcomes and that those who quit “experience fewer urges to vape, reduced anxiety, and stabilized mood.”

Teens’ decisions are often based on their peers and what’s cool, said Anthony Alberg of the University of South Carolina, a member of the expert committee that produced the National Academies vaping report. Tell your teen they don’t have to succumb to peer pressure and that their friends should want to be friends whether they vape or not.

Younger children, Alberg said, may be more likely to listen to arguments about health effects, such as comparing vaping to “putting poison in your system.”

Arming kids with information is better than simply trying to limit access to vapes, experts said, since age restrictions often don’t keep them out of kids’ hands.

“Most teens get e-cigarettes from friends, older peers or online sellers rather than buying them in a store,” Hadland said.

A teen’s journey through vaping and quitting

When Ricky first tried e-cigarettes, he used an older cousin’s vape. Later, an older friend bought e-cigarettes for him and his friends. He particularly liked the flavors blue raspberry, strawberry, watermelon and kiwi.

In the early days, he thought vaping helped him with his ADHD.

“What I didn’t realize is that because I was addicted to nicotine, when I didn’t have it, I’d be anxious and really couldn’t focus,” he said. "Instead of being something that helped me, it just made things worse.”

Vaping also sapped his stamina, made it harder to sleep, worsened his asthma and compromised his performance as a football player and wrestler.

Eventually, he got into trouble with his school and parents for vaping and selling vapes to others. He began meeting with a school social worker and joined the American Lung Association’s Not On Tobacco program, which helps teens to quit.

The first couple of weeks were extremely difficult. But eventually, he stopped thinking about vaping as much. He quit for good in 2022.

Like Ricky, most middle and high school students who vape want to quit, researchers have found.

Parents can help them by first seeing their doctor, who can connect them with counseling or free text-message quit programs for young people.

For kids who vape heavily, Hadland said doctors may consider medications like Chantix or nicotine replacement therapy as part of a supervised quitting plan.

Cuandra quit after giving up e-cigarettes for Lent, assisted by a free program developed by Truth Initiative and Mayo Clinic called EX, which provides text message support, advice and encouragement.

“The best thing I ever did for myself was quit vaping,” said Cuandra, who has shared her story on social media.

Since Ricky gave up vaping, he’s also shared what he learned. Usually, he asks his peers what triggers their vaping and how they can avoid those situations, as he did.

“I tell them, like, ‘I’m not here to judge you,’” he said. “'I’m here to help you.'”

___

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

Israel's military appears to be trying to make as many gains as possible in case a U.S.-Iran agreement is reached to end the war in the region, which is likely to include Lebanon.

The departure from the army barracks in Kfar Tebnit came as the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for about 20 locations, including the southern city of Nabatiyeh and nearby villages.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported airstrikes on Saturday on different villages near Nabatiyeh, including one that killed two people in Deir al-Zahrani. It added that Nabatiyeh was subjected to artillery shelling on Saturday.

A senior Lebanese military official told The Associated Press that the Lebanese army moved its forces from the Kfar Tebnit barracks following an incursion by Israeli forces into the area. The official, who did not elaborate, spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Israeli troops were likely trying to capture the strategic Ali Taher hill on the edge of Kfar Tebnit that overlooks large parts of Nabatiyeh and some of the roads that link the city with nearby villages.

Israeli troops held the Ali Taher hill for 18 years until they withdrew from Lebanon in May 2000.

Hezbollah said in statements that its fighters carried out several attacks on Saturday including a morning one that targeted Israeli troops on the edge of Kfar Tibnit with two drones.

Hezbollah has been using fiber-optic drones since the start of the latest war inflicting casualties among Israeli troops.

In late May, Israeli troops captured a nearby strategic mountain topped with the Crusader-built Beaufort Castle in the deepest incursion into the country since 2000.

The Lebanese army said that later Saturday an Israeli drone targeted a soldier who was traveling near a hospital in Nabatiyeh, but missed. Later, however, another drone struck the soldier as he traveled on the road linking Nabatiyeh with the nearby village of Kfar Rumman, seriously wounding him.

The push on the edge of Kfar Tebnit came a day after Pakistan’s prime minister said that the United States and Iran have agreed to wording of an agreement aimed at ending their war in the Middle East and that mediators are working with both sides to finalize a deal.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Iranian state TV on Friday that both sides were working toward signing an initial agreement declaring an end to the war “on all fronts, including Lebanon.”

Senior Hezbollah official Hussein Haj Hassan told Al Jazeera TV that they have been informed by Iranian officials that Lebanon will be part of a future ceasefire deal between the U.S. and Iran.

Iran is Hezbollah’s main backer, supplying the group with different types of weapons over the past four decades as well as billions of dollars.

Attacks by Israel and Hezbollah have continued despite a ceasefire that went into effect on April 17 and was renewed several times but remains a ceasefire in name only.

Israel continues to occupy large swaths of southern Lebanon while battling Hezbollah fighters, causing civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure. Hezbollah, which is not part of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, has launched frequent rocket and drone attacks.

The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel two days after the U.S. and Israel began their attacks on Iran.

More than 3,700 people have been killed in Lebanon in the latest fighting, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Also, 30 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed in or near southern Lebanon, and two civilians have been killed in northern Israel, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.

Matt Floca, executive director and chief operating officer of the performing arts venue, told a federal court Saturday that the institution had complied with an order to remove Trump's name from the facade. In a filing, Floca said the board of trustees and the center had removed “all physical signage on the Kennedy Center building and grounds, including the front portico, that purports to rename the Kennedy Center after President Trump.”

But for onlookers who have gathered on the plaza in front of the center over the past day hoping to witness a dramatic moment symbolizing the limits of Trump’s power, it was virtually impossible to see whether the signage was gone. A tarp hung over the scaffolding constructed for workers to perform that task. It was unclear when the tarp might be removed to reveal the original lettering that had endured for decades: “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”

A reporter was able to peer through a slight opening in the tarp, which was pulled tightly against the wall, and saw that the letters for Trump’s name were no longer affixed to the building.

By the end, the Kennedy Center's leadership had dug in against a federal judge's order to erase Trump's name from the building. Two courts rejected the institution's last-minute request to keep retain Trump's name pending an appeal. After severe thunderstorms raked Washington on Friday evening, the Kennedy Center sought one more extension before complying with a noon Saturday deadline.

Those who pushed for the scrubbing of Trump's name were in a celebratory mood. Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex officio member of the board who sued to remove references to the president from the building and the center's operations, was spotted in the plaza late Friday and Saturday morning. She posted a video to social media that purported to show her performing the “Trump dance” in one of the Kennedy Center's great halls.

“Today’s victory is the beginning of returning the Kennedy Center to the American people," Beatty said in a statement. “The rule of law prevailed, and that is worth celebrating.”

Leo Bartholomaus, a recent graduate of Syracuse University who lives in Virginia, said he was walking by the Kennedy Center on Friday afternoon after visiting the National Mall to see events related to this weekend's UFC match at the White House. He said he was not happy that Trump added his name to the building.

“My grandmother had a big love of the arts,” he said. “I've been here to see ‘The Lion King.’ I wasn't a fan of Donald Trump putting his name on it. I thought it was better as the Kennedy Center."

Closing an unusual chapter

The removal of Trump's name closes one of the more unusual chapters in the history of the Kennedy Center, which began construction in 1964 and was dedicated to the memory of the slain president, Democrat John F. Kennedy. At what is typically one of the few relatively nonpartisan spaces in Washington, Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his second term.

Though he rarely discussed the Kennedy Center during his 2024 campaign, Trump moved quickly to oust the institution's leadership when he returned to office in January 2025 and replaced it with a board of trustees that named him chairman. His name was quickly added to the building.

While the removal of his name marks a setback for Trump, he is moving forward with plans to reshape the physical landscape of the nation's capital in ways that have few modern parallels.

He demolished the East Wing of the White House and is building a controversial ballroom in its place. He remodeled the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and plans extensive renovations of a golf course in East Potomac Park, moves that could significantly reduce the public's access to running and biking paths. He is also moving forward with a triumphal arch that will sit near Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River in Virginia.

Indeed as Trump's name was being removed from the Kennedy Center, the South Lawn of the White House has been transformed into a venue for a UFC match intended to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence but also coinciding with Trump's birthday on Sunday.

Questions linger about the Kennedy Center's future

Back at the Kennedy Center, there are many questions about the institution's future. The same May court decision that ordered Trump's name to be removed from the building also blocked a planned two-year closure for renovations that was set to begin next month.

The Kennedy Center's calendar for the weeks ahead include performances of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” and “Bluey's Big Play.” Comedian Bill Maher is to be awarded the Mark Twain Award for American Humor during a ceremony on June 28.

But little is scheduled for the stages beyond that and, after substantially reducing staff, it is unclear how quickly the Kennedy Center could build out a robust performance list. Trump, angered by the court's order to remove his name, has said he would turn the Kennedy Center over to Congress and has suggested it might simply shutter because of public safety concerns.

In its unsuccessful appeal on Friday seeking a pause on the order removing Trump's name, the Kennedy Center's leadership argued, in terms that seemed similar to the president's speech patterns, that the lower court was interfering with needed renovations.

“The District Court is not allowing us to close in order to properly fix up and repair the Building, including potentially life threatening structural damage like beams and parking garage ceilings that are rusted, and in serious danger of falling onto people below,” according to the appeal. “Indeed, total collapse!”

The institution also suggested that the president's name could return to the building if the Kennedy Center later wins its appeal.

If the court denied the venue's request for a pause, the Kennedy Center argued it would “be forced to squander time and money — by both removing the signage and then potentially returning it after appeal.”

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Associated Press journalist Emily Wang contributed to this report.

Of course, that won’t stop orange-and-blue-blooded Knicks fans from teeming into the area near the team’s Manhattan arena to watch on bar TVs and big screens as their team — playing 1,580 miles (2,545 kilometers) away in San Antonio — looks to clinch its first title in 53 years.

After a rift with the city over security measures for Game 4, the Knicks are again holding a watch party outside Madison Square Garden. Up to 3,000 fans can attend, the team said. Advanced registration is required and all fans in attendance will be screened by police. Other watch parties are being held at Radio City Music Hall and Wollman Rink in Central Park.

Registration for both filled up quickly.

Tickets for the Radio City event, sold on the Knicks website for a $10 donation to their Garden of Dreams charity, were going for hundreds of dollars on the secondary. The Garden and Wollman Rink events are free.

For Game 4 at the Garden on Wednesday, the Knicks were granted a permit for a watch party for up to 1,000 people, but team owner James Dolan declined to hold one as he lashed out at Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the police department for keeping in place a security perimeter, metal detectors and other restrictions after President Donald Trump‘s visit to Game 3 on Monday.

Those restrictions remain in effect for Game 5.

All postseason, Knicks fans have flocked to the Garden by the thousands, making playoff pilgrimages to a place known as the “Mecca of Basketball” to cheer, commune and revel in a remarkable feat: 14 wins in 15 games since April 23, and a 3-1 lead over the Spurs in the best-of-seven series.

On Saturday, Knicks fever collides with the New York City area’s first World Cup game in 32 years. The match at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey kicks off about three hours before the Knicks game, but traffic and transit restrictions extend to Manhattan, and soccer fans returning to the city by train will be arriving at Penn Station — right underneath the Garden.

Complicating matters: a concert at the Garden that is expected to bring another 15,000 to 20,000 people to the area and prevents a watch party inside the arena and a scorching heatwave that has city officials advising people to stay indoors. On Sunday, the city is hosting another big event, the National Puerto Rican Day Parade.

The concert, by the Australian pop band 5 Seconds of Summer, follows the Knicks’ 4.5 seconds of delirium Wednesday night at the Garden — a magical sequence in which OG Anunoby tipped in a Jalen Brunson miss to complete a historic 29-point comeback and put them a game from the third title in team history.

Wild scenes outside the Garden

Outside, it was pandemonium.

Fans in blue Brunson and orange Karl-Anthony Towns jerseys ran through the streets. Subway cars erupted in cheers as fans peeped the winning shot on their cellphones, their feeds interrupted at times by spotty underground reception.

Just beyond the Garden’s police-prescribed security perimeter, crowds swelled to about 10,000 people, the NYPD said. Thousands more were taking in the game and its see-it-to-believe-it ending at watch parties at nearby Bryant Park and Wollman Rink in Central Park.

But as the game progressed, the police department said in a statement, “the crowds became increasingly destructive, and there were many incidents of incredibly reckless and dangerous behavior.”

People fought in the streets and set off fireworks. They climbed scaffolding and traffic lights and smashed the windshields of four police vehicles. Some people tried to physically flip over a taxi or jump on top of moving trucks and other vehicles, police said. One group broke into a tractor trailer, took items from inside and threw them at police officers.

At least 10 officers were hurt in the mayhem, police said. One was hit in the head with a glass bottle.

In all, 56 people were taken into police custody during and after Game 4. Of them, 15 were arrested and 41 were released with criminal court summonses.

Other Knicks-related crimes remain unsolved.

On Wednesday, about two blocks from the Garden, a 17-year-old boy was beaten into a coma by people who had been arguing with him about the Knicks after their Game 4 comeback win, the NYPD said. Later, at the Spurs hotel five blocks from the arena, someone hurled an egg at star Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, but missed.

After the Spurs won Game 3 on Monday, a 39-year-old Spurs fan had his Tim Duncan jersey ripped from his body while walking back to his hotel near Times Square, the NYPD said.

New York declares Gridlock Alert

With the confluence of events on the pitch, court and stage, the city has declared a Gridlock Alert for Saturday, with severe traffic congestion expected in midtown Manhattan. Street closures and limited access to parts of Penn Station will be in effect for each of the eight World Cup matches at MetLife Stadium.

Starting at noon, two streets adjacent to the Garden — 32nd and 33rd — will be closed to vehicle traffic and used as queues for people waiting for trains from Penn Station to the World Cup. They will reopen three hours after the match ends.

The city is also barring truck deliveries from 30th Street to 60th Street from noon to 11 p.m., closing streets around the Lincoln Tunnel to New Jersey and converting some streets to bus-only corridors, including 42nd Street, which traverses Times Square. Of late, the tourist haven has been co-opted as yet another place for New York fans to cheer.

If the Knicks win Game 5, the next stop for their roving faithful will be a celebratory parade in Lower Manhattan, through a skyscraper-filled stretch of the city known as the Canyon of Heroes.

If not, the Knicks and their fans will be back at the Garden on Tuesday for Game 6.

The company behind the popular chatbot, ChatGPT, said it will respond to the inquiry “constructively” and that it already has in place measures to protect its customers.

“AI is a new and powerful technology, and we work every day to safely bring its benefits to people in a responsible way," an emailed statement from a spokesperson said. “We take the concerns raised by state attorneys general seriously.”

OpenAI has drawn criticism for ChatGPT allegedly offering encouraging words to users thinking of killing themselves or engaging criminal acts. It also has come under scrutiny for how its uses health data and other personal information of its customers.

On Thursday, the company was sued by a Canadian blaming the chatbot for her daughter's decision to hang herself. Earlier in June, the Florida attorney general sued the company after two separate shootings where alleged gunmen were reported to have asked ChatGPT questions while planning their crimes.

OpenAI said in a statement that its models repeatedly encouraged the individuals to seek real-world support, including from mental health professionals. The company also said it has cooperated with law enforcement in both shooting cases.

The new probe comes just a few day after it filed documents with U.S. security regulators for a highly anticipated initial public offering of stock. Artificial intelligence rival SpaceX celebrated its own IPO on Friday. The rocket maker founded by Elon Musk also runs an AI business responsible for a rival chatbot called Grok.

How governments should respond to the potential for good and possible dangerous of AI is becoming a big political issue.

Regulators Europe opened investigations into Musk's Grok over antisemitic content and sexualized material, include deepfake nudes. And another chatbot company preparing an IPO, Anthropic, was directed by the Trump administration Friday to shut down two of its online models to users abroad for national security reasons.

The OpenAI subpoena was earlier reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The Associated Press sent emails to a dozen state attorneys general Saturday asking for details of the probe but has not received any responses.

In its statement, OpenAI highlighted measures it has taken to keep children using its chatbot safe.

“Today’s ChatGPT includes a more protective experience for minors and people experiencing difficult situations, with safeguards that direct them to real-world resources and trusted human contacts," the statement read in part. “We believe kids should be treated like kids, which is why we built age prediction, released parental tools to guide their children’s use of AI, and disallowed advertising that targets kids.”

A petition by the initiative, named “Remigration and Reconquest,” gathered the 50,000 signatures needed to trigger parliamentary discussion, pushing the once-fringe concept of “remigration” into the political mainstream. No date has been scheduled yet for a vote.

The proposal, promoted by right-wing groups, calls for sweeping measures targeting foreigners, including coercive returns, incentives to leave Italy and broader policies critics say could extend to legal residents.

Several thousand demonstrators from around Italy gathered for the anti-migration march, singing the national anthem. On several occasions, many of them raised their arms in the fascist salute, shouting “Duce! Duce!," a reference to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, who ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943.

A rival, pro-migration demonstration saw tens of thousands of people take to the streets in another part of Rome Saturday evening. That march was attended by various left-wing groups and trade unions, with some demonstrators waving Palestinian flags.

Thousands of police were deployed to ensure the two rival groups would remain apart. No violence was reported.

The debate on migration represents a delicate balancing act for Premier Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition. While the anti-migration League has backed opening discussion, Meloni’s Brothers of Italy and centrist allies have been more cautious about endorsing a proposal linked to extremist circles, amid concerns over legal risks and internal divisions.

Critics, including opposition parties and legal experts, argue the proposal would violate constitutional and international anti-discrimination principles by targeting people based on ethnic background, including naturalized citizens and their descendants.

The controversy comes even as Meloni’s government pursues a parallel policy of expanding legal migration, having approved a multiyear plan to admit hundreds of thousands of non-EU workers to address labor shortages in key economic sectors.

The demonstrations in Rome a day after a new set of European Union rules came into effect governing how each of the bloc's 27 member states will deal with irregular migration and asylum seekers.

The European Migration and Asylum Pact is the culmination of years of grueling negotiations that overhauled the previous system, which was widely considered a failure and gave far-right parties a potent issue to win votes.

The Pentagon on Monday added several non-state-owned Chinese companies, including electric vehicle maker BYD, tech giants Alibaba and Baidu to its list that seeks to identify Chinese companies it deems to have ties to the Chinese military, preventing them from landing U.S. defense contracts.

By adding these firms to the list, “the U.S. side has ignored the consensus reached during the meeting between the heads of state of the two countries in Beijing,” a Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson said Saturday in a statement.

The U.S. has “disregarded the overall interests of bilateral economic and trade relations, continuously generalized the concept of national security, and abused state power to unjustifiably suppress Chinese enterprises,” the spokesperson added.

BYD, Alibaba and Baidu said earlier there’s no basis to include them in the list.

Trump in mid-May visited Beijing in a much-anticipated summit with Xi. The two leaders agreed to boost economic ties between the countries, including China's purchase of more U.S. agricultural products and Boeing jets, and the setting up separate boards of trade and investment.

Harden, 36, was arrested by Houston police around 3:40 a.m. and is accused of unlawfully carrying a weapon, a misdemeanor charge, in his vehicle, records show.

KSAT has reached out to HPD for additional details.

Records indicate the former 2018 most valuable player of the NBA bonded out of the Harris County Jail at 7:12 a.m.

His current team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, are aware of his arrest. Read the team’s full statement below:

The Cleveland Cavaliers are aware of the arrest of James Harden this morning and are in the process of gathering additional information. We are in contact with James and his representation and will continue to monitor developments as they become available. At this time, we will have no further comment.

Cleveland Cavalier spokesperson

Harden is set to appear in court on June 22.

Read also:

• What it’ll take for Spurs to rally from 1-3 NBA Finals hole

Harden was arrested at 3:41 a.m. and booked just before 5 a.m., then posted $100 bond and was released from police custody, according to charging documents, which said he had a handgun in plain view that was not in a holster.

His arraignment is scheduled for June 22, according to the clerk’s office website. Harden is listed as a Houston resident in court documents.

“The Cleveland Cavaliers are aware of the arrest of James Harden this morning and are in the process of gathering additional information,” the team said in a statement. “We are in contact with James and his representation and will continue to monitor developments as they become available. At this time, we will have no further comment.”

A message sent to Harden’s representatives from The Associated Press seeking comment was not immediately returned.

Harden, 36, just finished his 17th NBA season and has the right to exercise a $42.3 million option to return to the Cavaliers next season. He indicated when Cleveland’s playoff run ended with a loss to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals that he would like to remain with the club, which would suggest he’s willing to forgo the option in favor of a longer contract with the Cavaliers.

Harden is an 11-time All-Star and an eight-time All-NBA selection who earned MVP honors in the 2017-18 season while playing for the Houston Rockets.

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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.

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

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Saturday that a deal aimed at ending the war in the Middle East is closer than ever before and expected to be finalized within 24 hours. Pakistan is preparing for the electronic signing of the agreement, followed by technical-level talks next week.

U.S. President Donald Trump said the deal was “scheduled to get signed tomorrow,” and that the Strait of Hormuz would open immediately. But Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said no signing would occur Sunday and left the possibility open for the coming days.

Previous declarations of an imminent breakthrough failed to materialize.

Iran exchanged fire with the U.S. and Israel earlier in the week, threatening to push the region back into a full-scale war. The war launched by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28 has rattled the region and virtually shut down oil and natural gas shipments from the Persian Gulf. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 7.

Here's what to know:

A 60-day period would address Iran's nuclear program

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday the terms of dealing with Iran’s nuclear program would be finalized in the 60 days after the initial agreement is signed and that the parties could decide to extend that period.

The U.S. and Israel fear Iran’s nuclear program could lead to an atomic weapon — a main reason their leaders cited for going to war. Tehran has insisted its nuclear efforts are for peaceful purposes.

A senior U.S. administration official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House, said Friday that the emerging agreement would begin the process of destroying or removing Tehran’s highly enriched uranium.

The official said the 60-day period after both sides sign the deal would be used to work out technical details for removing the uranium. The official did not say who the U.S. envisions taking charge of removing the uranium, which is believed to be entombed under three nuclear sites battered by U.S. strikes last year.

The deal may include addressing reopening the Strait of Hormuz

The U.S. official said the emerging agreement includes provisions for reopening the strait.

Araghchi said Iran wants a deal that allows Tehran to charge ships “for services rendered” when they transit the strait. Iran imposed a toll system during the war, which the U.S. and other nations have said violates international law.

Transit through the strait, a vital shipping lane for oil and natural gas, has disrupted global energy supplies, driven up fuel prices and made food and other basics like fertilizer more expensive well beyond the region.

The agreement would include Iranian sanctions relief

Three regional officials said the emerging deal was expected to include the phased lifting of sanctions on Iran and the release of frozen Iranian assets. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations.

They said they expect a signing ceremony for the agreement in the coming days after officials in Washington and Tehran approve it.

What will happen to Lebanon remains unclear

Iran has insisted that any deal must also include a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Friday that Israel could still act independently toward Iran and that the country would not pull out of the zones it is occupying in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, nor would it withdraw from the northern refugee camps of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Fighting continued in southern Lebanon on Saturday.

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Weissert reported from Washington and Mednick from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price and Aamer Madhani in Washington and Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, contributed to this report.

The preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Massachusetts also orders a pause on any additional changes, writing that the plaintiffs have shown that these efforts are meant “to rewrite the Nation’s history with a white-out pen.”

“History cannot be faithfully told while excluding the experiences of communities whose contributions, struggles, and achievements form an important part of our Nation’s story,” the judge wrote.

The Trump administration must also provide a status report every week describing the progress they’ve made with these changes, the judge wrote.

“Under the guise of promoting American dignity, this Administration seeks to share a limited history by ordering the removal of all signs, displays, and interpretive exhibits at National Parks that do not align with its preferred narrative, thereby telling half-truths,” Kelley wrote.

The order comes in response to a February lawsuit filed by conservation and historical organizations over National Park Service policies that the groups say have forced park service staff to remove or censor dozens of exhibits that share factually accurate and relevant U.S. history and scientific knowledge, including about slavery and climate change.

Many of the changes were at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park, where the administration removed exhibits on the lives of nine people enslaved at the site in the 1790s under George Washington, the first U.S. president. Other changes included removing a sign at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in Arizona describing basalt bubbles because it had an image of a visitor holding a Pride flag while films on labor history were removed from the Lowell National Historical Park in Massachusetts.

President Donald Trump signed the executive order “restoring truth and sanity to American history” at the nation’s museums, parks and landmarks last year. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum later directed removal of “improper partisan ideology” from museums, monuments, landmarks and other public exhibits under federal control.

An email seeking comment from the Interior Department was sent Saturday.

Alan Spears, senior director for cultural resources for the National Parks Conservation Association, one of the organizations that brought the lawsuit, said the ruling will help protect national parks from the administration's effort “to erase history and science at these one-of-a-kind places.”

“National parks belong to the American people and censorship of any kind goes against the values these places represent,” he said.

Bill Wade, executive director for the Association of National Park Rangers, another organization that brought the lawsuit, said this is especially good news for National Parks employees who “have prided themselves for being able to provide truthful, accurate and unbiased information."

The new requirement, also under consideration in California, attempts to thwart the latest technique for producing untraceable “ghost guns” that have turned up in crimes. But there are questions about whether the technology can work and concerns about its effect on personal privacy and constitutional rights.

About one-third of U.S. states already have taken steps to ban or regulate build-it-yourself firearms that lack serial numbers and evade the background checks required to purchase guns from federally licensed dealers. What makes the new effort unique is that it targets the equipment used to produce the firearms, not the people who make them.

The blocking technology being pushed in two of the nation's most populous states has the potential to set industry standards for 3D printers. It also could serve as a model for other Democratic-led states wanting to add to their gun regulations, which often already ban certain semiautomatic weapons and allow firearms to be temporarily confiscated from people deemed to pose a threat to themselves or others.

More privately made guns are being used in crimes

Three-dimensional printers have become increasingly common over the past couple of decades.

Since 2012, the number of 3D printers worldwide has grown from an estimated 30,000 to over 3 million while the industry's value has multiplied from around $2 billion to $26 billion annually, said Bill Decker, executive chairman of the Association of 3D Printing. Though high-end printers cost thousands of dollars, some 3D printers now can be bought for as little as several hundred dollars.

The devices can make toys, prosthetic limbs and even airplane parts. They also can make firearms — or the pieces necessary to assemble them — using digital designs available online. Homemade guns that lack serial numbers often are called “ghost guns," because they are hard for law enforcement officers to trace.

Firearms made with 3D printers are increasingly being used in crimes, according to a U.S. Department of Justice report released last year. The number of privately made guns recovered in crimes and submitted to federal authorities rose from about 1,600 in 2017 to nearly 27,500 in 2023, though the report didn't specify how many came from 3D printers.

In a high-profile New York case, police say a 3D-printed gun likely was used to kill UnitedHealthcare’s CEO in 2024.

How 3D printers could refuse to make gun parts

A New York law signed last month and a bill in the California Legislature both would direct panels of experts to come up with standards for firearm blueprint detection algorithms. The technology would analyze every design submitted for 3D printing, compare it to a digital library of firearm parts, and reject those that are similar.

Though the study process would start now, the mandate that 3D printers come equipped with firearm blocking technology wouldn't begin until 2029 — or later, in New York's case, if the study group determines it's not yet feasible.

The concept is a bit like a smartphone app that identifies trees or flowers from an uploaded photo, said Solomon Diamond, an associate engineering professor at Dartmouth College who was among several experts at a recent online seminar about the legislation.

For 3D printers, one possible method could use a geometric analysis of shapes, dimensions and other structural features to reject print projects that closely resemble firearm parts.

"Geometric search is mature, it’s deployed, it is ready to be applied to this problem,” said Julian Chultarsky, a technical account manager at Physna, a Columbus, Ohio-based company that develops such technology.

Could 3D printers block both too little and too much?

The Association of 3D Printing supports the legislation in New York and California, but “it's not going to work,” Decker said. "It’s more of a political statement than anything else.”

Criminals still will come up with ways to make guns from 3D printers, either by altering their designs or taking their printing projects elsewhere, Decker said.

The more aggressive the technology becomes, the more likely that it also blocks unintended items, said Rory Mir, director of open access and technology community engagement at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit digital rights group. Some harmless pipes might look like gun parts, or an S-shaped wall hanger might resemble an auto sear trigger used to modify a semiautomatic weapon into a machine gun.

“These sort of censorship algorithms don’t work, and they wind up capturing and blocking a lot of lawful speech," Mir said.

If print instructions are submitted for a cloud-based artificial intelligence search, it also risks the privacy of people's artistic and proprietary creations, Mir said.

Does the right to bear arms extend to making them?

Gun safety advocates say 3D printers have created a new pathway for people who cannot legally purchase firearms — like children or convicted felons — to nonetheless obtain them. Eleven states already generally prohibit 3D-printed guns, and six additional states require them to receive serial numbers, according to Everytown for Gun Safety.

Blocking the actual 3D printing of firearms could make it harder for people to ignore such laws.

“3D printing really is the new frontier of the fight against ghost guns,” said Samuel Levy, director of policy advocacy at Everytown for Gun Safety.

The National Rifle Association might partly agree with that assertion, though it disagrees with the policy.

“Despite desperate fear-mongering campaigns, homemade firearms are nothing new — they are a proud, time-honored American tradition dating back to the founding of our Republic," John Commerford, executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, said in a statement. He added that "these measures only restrict responsible Americans — who do follow the law — from participating in constitutionally protected activities.”

Trump, who is trying to make progress on finalizing an Iran war deal in the coming days, is expected to have a busy schedule of one-on-one meetings with foreign leaders on the sidelines of the summit in the French lakeside town of Evian-les-Bains, according to senior administration officials who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.

The Republican president is expected to discuss with U.S. allies plans to remove mines from the Strait of Hormuz as confidence grows for a deal, one official said.

Britain and France, both G7 members, have expressed interest in assisting with demining the critical waterway once the conflict is paused.

Trump also plans individual meetings on the sidelines of the summit, which opens Monday, with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and United Arab Emirates to discuss efforts to wind down the Iran war.

Macron's office said the French president will host Trump for a dinner Wednesday to mark the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States, at the Palace of Versailles, “a historic symbol of Franco-American friendship.”

The palace was the residence of French kings from the time of Louis XIV to Louis XVI. It regularly hosts heads of state and foreign dignitaries.

Macron hosted King Charles III and Queen Camilla there in 2021 for the palace’s 400th anniversary, with a dinner in the Hall of Mirrors, one of the features of the 2,300 rooms in the palace.

In 2017, before his personal relationship with Vladimir Putin deteriorated because of the war in Ukraine, the then newly elected Macron hosted the Russian president at Versailles.

Trump and Macron will meet after the U.S. leader arrives in France on Monday afternoon. Trump will depart Washington after celebrating his 80th birthday with a primetime mixed martial arts show on the White House lawn Sunday.

Trump also plans separate talks with India's prime minister, officials said. India, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt are attending the summit at Macron's invitation because they are not G7 members.

Leaders of the G7 countries, which also include Canada, Germany, Italy and Japan, are meeting to discuss economic growth and development, strengthening supply chains for critical minerals, illegal immigration and artificial intelligence, among other issues.

The wars in Ukraine and Iran are also expected to be front and center. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also be at the summit. A formal meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy is not currently scheduled, officials told reporters, though they could meet on the sidelines.

Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are likely to discuss progress toward a trade deal between their countries when they meet, officials said.

The U.S. and India signed a joint framework agreement earlier this year and negotiations continue. One of the officials told reporters a deal is possible, but unlikely to be settled on at the summit.

—-

Petrequin reported from London.

Drone debris sparked a fire at a sea terminal, local Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said. He did not give details, but Russian news outlets reported that a Black Sea export terminal transporting terminal crude oil, petroleum products and liquefied gas in the village of Volna was damaged.

Ukraine’s General Staff did not comment on the Krasnodar strike Saturday, but said that its forces had hit an oil preparation and pumping station overnight in Russia’s Volgograd region, as well as Russian-occupied areas in Ukraine's Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.

The attack comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country’s forces had struck several military and energy infrastructure sites deep inside Russia, including a military factory that he said supplied components for Russian drones and missiles.

He said Wednesday that Ukrainian FP-5 Flamingo long-range missiles had hit the facility in Cheboksary, in the Chuvashiya region, more than 900 kilometers (560 miles) from the front line.

At the moment, he’s not scheduled to hold one-on-one talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, who will be in Evian-les-Bains for the Group of Seven summit, according to a senior U.S. administration official who briefed reporters on planning for the summit. The official spoke on the condition anonymity on ground rules set by the White House.

Trump and Zelenskyy last met in December, when the Ukrainian leader visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and the resulting global energy disruptions have overshadowed the conflict in Ukraine and pulled much of Trump’s attention away from the conflict in Europe that he vowed to quickly bring to an end during his 2024 White House run.

More than four years since the start of Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine, the more than 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line has remained largely static as swarms of drones hinder advances. As a result, both sides have increasingly relied on long-range strikes.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to strengthen air defenses after Ukrainian attacks set ablaze an oil terminal in St. Petersburg and also hit a nearby naval base, casting a cloud over a showcase economic forum in his hometown.

Elsewhere, Russian attacks injured nine people in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, setting fire to a local marketplace, regional authorities said.

Russia attacked three districts of the region more than 20 times with drones and aerial bombs, according to regional head Oleksandr Hanzha in a Telegram post on Saturday. Six were hospitalized including a man in critical condition, he added.

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AP writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report from Washington.

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

“When I walked out for the ninth, my whole body shivered and the adrenaline really kicked in,” he said.

Misiorowski threw a 104.5 mph pitch, the fastest by a starting pitcher since tracking began, and struck out 15 with no walks in a one-hitter that led the Milwaukee Brewers over the Philadelphia Phillies 6-0 on Friday night.

“That was as good as it gets,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “To pitch a game like that against an offense like that with all those All-Stars over there, it was an incredible performance.”

Misiorowski had never pitched past the seventh inning in 27 previous big league starts.

As he strode to the mound for the ninth inning, the capacity crowd of 40,205 rose in unison. Misiorowski retired Gabriel Rincones Jr. and J.T. Realmuto on groundouts, then struck out Justin Crawford with a 103.1 mph pitch that ended the game.

Misiorowski raised his hands in the air and turned to embrace catcher William Contreras.

“There was no chance I was going to throw anything other than a heater right there. I was amped up,” Misiorowski said.

He struck out Kyle Schwarber leading off the game with his fifth pitch, a 104.5 mph offering at the low, outsider corner that was tipped into Contreras' mitt.

Misiorowski (8-2) threw four pitches of 104 mph or higher, all faster than the previous high for a starter of 103.7 mph he set at Colorado on June 7. The fastest pitch overall since tracking began in 2008 was 105.8 mph by Cincinnati reliever Aroldis Chapman in September 2010.

Misiorowski reached 100 mph with a record 58 pitches, one more than he threw against St. Louis on May 25. He tossed 74 of 95 pitches for strikes and lowered his major league-leading ERA to 1.34 in just the eighth complete game and fifth individual shutout in the majors this year.

He has a 0.17 ERA in his last eight starts and the 15 strikeouts were the most by any pitcher this season. Milwaukee had not had a complete game since Brandon Woodruff on Sept. 11, 2023, against Miami.

Misiorowski started the game with four straight strikeouts and fanned eight of his first nine batters.

“You pretty much better be ready to hit the fastball. You don’t see guys like this often,” Phillies manager Don Mattingly said before the game. “We see more guys throw 100 mph or up in that range, but you don’t see guys that are consistent like him. If you can’t hit a fastball, you’re in big trouble.”

Misiorowski faced the minimum 27 batters. Schwarber singled on a slider on the first pitch of the fourth and, after Bryce Harper struck out, Trea Turner grounded into an inning-ending double play.

“It was a backdoor slider that I located well, but maybe slightly off,” Misiorowski said of the pitch to Schwarber. "I was trying to jump out ahead of him. He made good contact and poked it through. End of the story.”

Murphy said Misiorowski has continued to mature.

“His work between starts is consistent,” Murphy said. “He’s worked hard in the weight room. He’s worked hard building a routine. This guy loves the ball in his hand.”

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

The 24-year-old right-hander struck out Kyle Schwarber leading off the game with his fifth pitch, a 104.5 mph offering at the low, outside corner that was tipped into the mitt of catcher William Contreras.

Misiorowski (8-2) threw four pitches of 104 mph or higher, all faster than the previous high for a starter of 103.7 mph he set at Colorado on June 7. The fastest pitch overall since tracking began in 2008 was 105.8 mph by Cincinnati reliever Aroldis Chapman in September 2010.

Misiorowski reached 100 mph with a record 58 pitches, one more than he threw against St. Louis on May 25. He tossed 74 of 95 pitches for strikes and lowered his major league-leading ERA to 1.34.

He faced the minimum 27 batters. Schwarber singled on a slider on the first pitch of the fourth and, after Bryce Harper struck out, Trea Turner grounded into an inning-ending double play.

With the capacity crowd of 40,205 at American Family Field on its feet, Misiorowski struck out Justin Crawford to finish the game and raised his hands in the air in his first professional complete game. It was just the eighth complete game and fifth individual shutout in the major leagues this year.

Contreras put Milwaukee ahead in the first with a two-out RBI double off opener Tanner Banks (0-4) and Andrew Painter threw a run-scoring wild pitch in the second.

Jake Bauers hit a three-run homer in the fifth off Painter and Jackson Chourio added a run-scoring single in the sixth.

Philadelphia placed outfielder Adolis García on the 60-day injured list with a right lat tear and recalled outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. García left in the seventh inning of Wednesday night’s game at Toronto after making consecutive throws to home plate on sacrifice flies. The team also placed outfielder Steward Berroa on the paternity list.

Milwaukee put right-hander Coleman Crow on the 15-day injured list with a right flexor strain and recalled right-hander Craig Yoho from Triple-A Nashville.

Up next

Aaron Nola (3-4, 5.86 ERA) gets the start for the Phillies on Saturday against the Brewers' Shane Drohan (3-1, 3.11 ERA).

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

Today on Texas Eats NOW:

PORTILLO’S

18678 I 35 N Frontage Rd, Schertz, TX 78154

Portillo’s officially opened its newest Texas location in Schertz on June 9, bringing a taste of Chicago to the rapidly growing I-35 corridor. The iconic fast-casual chain began as a small hot dog stand in suburban Chicago and has grown into a national favorite known for its authentic Windy City specialties, energetic atmosphere, and loyal fan base. The Schertz location features the company’s modern “Restaurant of the Future” design, complete with double drive-thru lanes, indoor and outdoor seating, and convenient pickup options.

The menu is packed with Portillo’s signature favorites, including its famous Italian beef sandwiches piled high with thinly sliced roast beef and served dipped in savory gravy. Guests can also enjoy authentic Chicago-style hot dogs loaded with traditional toppings, crinkle-cut fries, and the legendary Chocolate Cake Shake, which blends an entire slice of chocolate cake into a rich milkshake. The grand opening drew enthusiastic crowds eager to experience one of Chicago’s most beloved restaurant brands as it continues its expansion across Texas.

PING’S SICHUAN KITCHEN

2339 E Evans Rd, Ste 103, San Antonio, TX 78259

Ping’s Sichuan Kitchen brings the bold, complex flavors of China’s Sichuan province to North San Antonio. Founded by owner Ping “Joanne” Xia, the family-owned restaurant is known for serving authentic Chongqing-style cuisine inspired by recipes passed down through generations. The welcoming restaurant has earned a loyal following for its commitment to traditional cooking techniques and its ability to balance intense flavors with fresh ingredients.

The menu showcases the signature mala flavor profile that defines Sichuan cuisine, combining fiery chilies with the distinctive numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns. Popular dishes include Ping’s Boiled Spicy Beef, Chongqing Spicy Chicken, Classical Dong Po Pork, and house-made soup dumplings. Guests looking for milder options can enjoy favorites such as Walnut Shrimp, West Lake Beef Soup, and Sweet Garlic Chicken. With its authentic recipes and warm hospitality, Ping’s Sichuan Kitchen has become one of San Antonio’s standout destinations for regional Chinese cuisine.

AMBLER TEXAS KITCHEN + COCKTAILS

306 W Market St, San Antonio, TX 78205

Located inside Hotel Contessa on the San Antonio River Walk, Ambler Texas Kitchen + Cocktails offers a chef-driven dining experience that blends South Texas flavors with contemporary culinary influences. The stylish restaurant features a warm interior, a lively riverside patio, and a menu built around locally sourced ingredients. Its relaxed yet sophisticated atmosphere has made it a popular destination for both visitors and locals seeking an elevated taste of Texas.

Ambler’s menu highlights regional ingredients and creative twists on familiar favorites. Signature dishes include smoked brisket sourced from nearby Augusta Ranch, Texas Akaushi chicken fried steak, blackened Gulf red snapper, and skillet cornbread served with jamaica flower honey butter. The beverage program is equally impressive, featuring agave-forward cocktails such as the Oaxaca Old Fashioned and a curated selection of Texas wines. With scenic River Walk views and bold flavors throughout the menu, Ambler delivers a dining experience that captures the spirit of modern South Texas cuisine.

CRAWFISH KING

8142 Shin Oak Dr, Live Oak, TX 78233

Crawfish King is a veteran-connected, Lao-Asian fusion restaurant in Live Oak that has been serving up fresh seafood and bold, pan-Asian flavors for eight years. Co-owner Jet Chan built the concept out of a food truck before settling into a brick-and-mortar location, learning his craft from his father and the home cooking traditions of Lao, Thai, and Vietnamese cuisine.

The crawfish are boiled in a deeply seasoned pot loaded with lemons, oranges, onions, celery, and jalapeños, then finished with a garlic-forward house sauce that loyal customers have repeatedly tried to purchase by the bottle. The menu extends well beyond the signature boils, featuring Goldband oysters, Thai yuk rye New York strips, and a whole deep-fried fish topped with tamarind, peanuts, and bell peppers.

TWANG

6255 Wt Montgomery, San Antonio, TX 78252

Twang is a San Antonio-based flavored salt and seasoning company that has been producing Southwestern-inspired products since 1986, when founder Roger Trevi​ño began blending citrus salt packets and distributing them to local convenience stores. Today the family-owned operation — now led by CEO Elysia Trevi​ño-Gonzales — manufactures and ships its products to stores across 48 states and internationally. The product line spans beer salts, fiesta shakers, and michelada mixes, all developed in-house.

ROSARIO’S

722 S St Mary’s St, San Antonio, TX 78205

Rosario’s is a longstanding Southtown institution serving bold, scratch-made Mexican cuisine from a spacious multilevel space in the heart of the neighborhood. Owner Lisa Wong has built the restaurant into one of San Antonio’s most recognized Tex-Mex destinations over more than three decades.

In the kitchen, Executive Chef Richard Pichon and his team produce dishes rooted in tradition and finished with distinct touches. The Griselda Callejeros, chile relleno, and cheese enchiladas are all standouts that exemplify San Antonio Tex-Mex cuisine. Upstairs on the rooftop, the bar menu includes a prickly pear macalito — a non-alcoholic take on a mojito — and the top-selling watermelon mint margarita made with Patrón barrel select, both of which will blow you away.

Follow Texas Eats and David Elder on Facebook and Instagram for more food info, pictures, videos and giveaways.

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The new centerhung system features a new LED video scoreboard and display control system made by Novastar — set to be delivered and installed by OES-USA, Inc., according to an agenda document from the council’s June 11 meeting.

All upgrades are expected to be finished by Sept. 4 ahead of big events coming to the Alamodome later this year, including the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship in December and the UTSA football season.

Funding for the centerhung systems will come from the Alamodome Improvement and Contingency Fund, pending approval. The fund has headed a string of renovation projects over the years, centered on the continuous upkeep and modernization of the Alamodome.

One of the reasons the current scoreboard wore down so quickly was from being taken apart and reconfigured to fit different events, according to the agenda document. Now, there will be two centerhung systems — one for the stadium setup and one for the arena setup. Both are set to last at least a decade.

The stadium setup will have a larger scoreboard, approximately 18 feet by 39 feet, whereas the arena setup will use a smaller scoreboard, measuring about 15 feet by 33 feet.

Other features of the new centerhung system include 12 new moving lights, a processor and video cards that will work in conjunction with Ross Xpression products to support 3D graphics and playback video clips and an underbelly LED scoreboard, which is compatible with the new arena LED scoreboard.

Read also:

• As Spurs chase a ring, San Antonio mayor chases cash from Spurs

The sheriff’s office said deputies executed a search warrant on June 11 at a residence in the 9000 block of Hyatt Resort Drive following a tip about possible narcotics activity.

Inside the home, deputies say they found 5,768 grams of marijuana, 43 grams of THC wax, 197 grams of THC vape products, an AR-style rifle, a handgun, and $492,425 in cash.

Danielle Gill, 25, was arrested and booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center.

Gill faces a charge of manufacturing or delivery of a controlled substance in an amount of 4 grams or more but less than 400 grams and possession of marijuana between 5 pounds and 50 pounds, jail records show.

Her total bond was set at $55,000. Gill was released on bond Friday.

Read also:

• Teen detained for questioning in connection with fatal Northwest Side stabbing, SAPD says
• Medical Center store where clerk stabbed to death was considered ‘high crime area’ by SAPD

Around 6:35 p.m., DPS said troopers attempted to stop a white Chevrolet Malibu near Weizmann Street for a traffic violation.

DPS said the driver failed to yield, leading to a vehicle pursuit. Troopers ended the pursuit using a Grappler device, but the driver fled on foot and entered a second vehicle, which also fled the scene.

During the escape, two DPS troopers were injured after being dragged by the fleeing vehicle. Both drivers remain at large.

The Texas Rangers are leading the investigation,

Read also:

• Medical Center store where clerk stabbed to death was considered ‘high crime area’ by SAPD

The rest is up to the Knicks.

New York can win its first NBA championship since 1973 on Saturday night, with the Knicks holding a 3-1 lead going into Game 5 of the NBA Finals against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.

The Knicks are 3-0 in closeout opportunities this season, winning them by an average of 39.3 points — all of them on the road.

“We’ve been preaching all year it’s about the next possession, the next possession, the next possession,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “We understand any time you try to play a closeout game, the level of desperation — for your opponents — increases (and) the level of desperation for the fans of your opponents is increased. You have to bring your best effort because even if you bring your best effort, it may not happen, especially on the road.”

New York got to the brink of this title by rallying from 29 points down in Game 4 to win 107-106 on OG Anunoby's tip-in with 1.2 seconds left. It was the largest comeback in NBA Finals history and the biggest comeback in any game this season, regular season or playoffs.

The Spurs have led each of the four games entering Saturday by double figures and let three of those games become losses.

“The biggest thing for us is just can’t take our foot off the gas in a sense,” Spurs guard Dylan Harper said. “Can’t get comfortable with a lead. It’s the NBA Finals. Anything could happen, like we just saw. But just at the end of the day, we’ve just got to stay together as a group.”

The referees selected for Saturday's game were Scott Foster, James Capers and Tyler Ford. Foster and Capers both worked Game 1 and Ford worked Game 2 of the series.

If the Spurs win, Game 6 would be Tuesday in New York.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

• WEEKEND RAIN: Isolated to scattered downpours, mainly during the afternoon hours. Don’t cancel plans
• WEEKEND HEAT: Feeling like 100°+
• MONDAY-TUESDAY: Best chance for rain, heavy downpours could bring flooding

FORECAST

SATURDAY

As we have had over the last couple of mornings, there are a few stray showers out there! For the most part, today will be hot and humid with a high in the low-90s, but humidity will make it feel more like 100°+.

As for rain, expect 20%-30% coverage throughout the day, but no rain after sunset. Spurs watch parties should be toasty, but just fine. GO SPURS GO!

SUNDAY

Slightly higher rain coverage at 40%, and even a rumble of thunder or two -- especially in the afternoon. Still, for the most part it will simply be hot & humid!

TROPICAL DEVELOPMENT? NOT SO FAST...

You may have seen on social media, local websites, and even some news outlets saying a “tropical system” is in the Gulf. This is categorically FALSE, and is being used as clickbait, in my opinion. It’s misleading and can cause unnecessary panic, just for clicks and attention.

Here’s the reality: There is an area of storms in the Bay of Campeche that the National Hurricane Center is monitoring, and is ONLY giving a very low, 20% chance of becoming a tropical system. Not a hurricane, not a tropical storm, just a messy area of disorganized storms with a LOT of moisture around it.

MONDAY & TUESDAY

The bottom line for San Antonio and the Texas coast is that there will be more rain in the forecast Monday through Tuesday. It could even lead to some flooding in spots. We need more rain for our ongoing drought, we’ll just have to monitor the flooding risk.

This whole clickbait ordeal is a great reminder to make sure you follow trustworthy sources of weather! We hope that’s us 😊.

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.

Electric vehicles. Brain implants. Underground tunnels. A social media platform once called Twitter. And a rocket maker that blasted off its trading from Wall Street this week.

Over time, more and more of these ventures have found themselves under the same roof. Musk merged SpaceX — which went public on Friday — with his artificial intelligence company xAI just earlier this year. But he still holds the CEO role at several corporations today, in addition to other various executive titles or ownership stakes.

Here's a look at Musk's vast business empire.

SpaceX

Musk is CEO of SpaceX, which he founded in 2002. The company has grown far beyond rockets. It owns satellite communications service Starlink, a big source of cash for the company that generated $4.4 billion in operating income last year. SpaceX also houses social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, which Musk bought for $44 billion in 2022 and parked it under xAI, the maker of the Grok chatbot.

Both xAI and X are money losers (the AI business lost $6.4 billion in operations last year). Nonetheless, SpaceX — which lost $2.6 billion overall from operations last year — was able to whip up enough market hype to debut with the biggest initial public offering in history on Friday, closing at just below $161 per share, or a total market value of $2.1 trillion.

Some think that price tag significantly overvalues the company. SpaceX has promised it will become a leader in AI and one day help make human life multiplanetary — with lofty, and at times sci-fi sounding, goals that range from putting data centers in space to colonizing Mars. But the bulk of that hinges on unproven technology and massive capital needs.

Tesla

Musk is also CEO of Tesla, a role he has held at the electric car maker since 2008.

Tesla has struggled with rising competition in the EV space. Last year, the company lost its crown as the world’s largest EV maker to China’s BYD. Sales were also bruised during boycotts over Musk’s politics. Those numbers have since rebounded some, but Musk has repeatedly shrugged off troubles — emphasizing that Tesla’s future lies less in car sales than getting people to take rides in them as self-driving taxis.

Beyond the road, Tesla has been upping production of robots for homes and businesses. And it's also been in the solar energy business for about a decade with it purchase of SolarCity, which was founded by Musk and two of his cousins. Tesla went public in 2010, and went on to join the trillion dollar club on the S&P 500. Its market cap currently stands around $1.5 trillion.

Neuralink

Musk has also the CEO title at Neuralink, a brain-computer interface company he co-founded in 2016.

Neuralink is one of many groups working to connect the human nervous system to machines. It's launched clinical trials for people who have spinal cord injuries, ALS and other conditions. The company (and sometimes Musk himself ) has announced a handful of brain implants over recent years. In January, Neuralink said it had 21 trial participants worldwide.

The Boring Company

Musk also founded The Boring Company, a decade-old tunnel digging and underground transportation business.

The Boring Company is behind projects like the “Vegas Loop” — a network of underground, Tesla-hailing tunnels that first opened around around the Las Vegas Convention Center in 2021. It's promised to deliver a network of high speed transit — with plans to also make tunnels in Dubai and Nashville. Still, pushback has piled up along the way. The company has been accused of breaking multiple safety and environmental requirements in Las Vegas, where its full route is still unfinished, and other criticism from some local officials in Nashville.

Paypal and other previous endeavors

Musk made his initial fortune by creating two companies, Zip2 and PayPal ( once X.com ). Those then-startups were sold to new owners decades ago — but netted him about $200 million at sale, which Musk used to later start SpaceX and invest in Tesla.

The news conference Friday night featured the fighters who are preparing to face off Sunday in the Octagon built outside the White House. But it was also a chance to see the UFC fans who have thronged to Washington and endured lightning, humidity and bugs for the spectacle.

Tracy Philbeck and his son Levi drove from Charlotte, North Carolina, with a group of friends to support their favorite fighter, American Justin Gaethje, in the upcoming lightweight title bout against Georgian Ilia Topuria.

"You will hear an eagle screaming when Justin Gaethje wins,” the elder Philbeck chuckled.

David Halstead journeyed from Albany, in Western Australia, to watch the sport he has loved for a decade. Halstead said Trump, who regularly attends the fights, “put UFC on the map."

The UFC has said it spent $60 million on this weekend's festivities, and Republican president has billed it as “the greatest show on earth.”

Not everyone agrees.

The Public Integrity Project described the event as a “private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain” in a lawsuit the watchdog group filed to try to stop it from happening on federal land. A federal judge ruled on Friday that the White House was allowed to go ahead.

Only about 1 in 10 U.S. adults consider themselves mixed martial arts fans, according to Ipsos Sports polling conducted in February and March. That polling suggests MMA fans skew male and nonwhite. They are more likely to identify as Republicans than Democrats.

“One misconception is that everyone who watches UFC is a Trump supporter, but that’s not the case," said Ricardo Rodriguez, 24, explaining he loves the physicality of the sport. “People also expect a knock out every time," he said.

Ellie Louizes, who practices Muay Thai, or Thai kickboxing, and jujitsu martial arts, drove from Daytona Beach, Florida, with her boyfriend, Jacob Purvis.

Female fans of MMA are the minority. But Louizes said she knows a lot of women who get into watching the sport through their male partners. She said “female fighters are often way more aggressive” than the men.

Fans brushed off the criticism about White House as host

The fans at the Lincoln Memorial brushed off criticism about the bouts being held at the White House.

Holding fights at the “People's House,” Tracy Philbeck said, "goes back to the days of Teddy Roosevelt.”

Roosevelt regularly held sparring sessions at the White House, though they were not formal public prizefights. He was an enthusiastic amateur boxer who had boxed at Harvard and continued the sport throughout much of his life.

Boxing fans also make up a large part of the UFC's fan base.

At a UFC-sponsored community event this week at the District of Columbia's Midtown Youth Academy, the boxing gym's executive director was helping out with a visit from UFC fighter Randy Brown, who sparred with more than dozen local teenagers and preteens.

Gloria Lee said meeting the fighter was a big deal for kids at her gym. “It's just been a thrilling week, and I was about to fall out when he came in the door!” she said.

Asked about her personal UFC fandom, Lee said she had not watched it much. But by the end of Brown's visit, she got into the ring with the professional fighter and threw some slugs of her own.

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Associated Press writer Linley Sanders contributed to this report.

SpaceX is now worth $2.1 trillion after its stock launched 19.2% higher in its debut on Wall Street. Whether or not you believe it deserves to be worth more than Exxon Mobil, Bank of America and Coca-Cola combined, the collective market does. And if SpaceX maintains that big a value, it will join some high-profile stock indexes.

Many of these indexes don't care about how realistic a company's growth plans are or who its CEO is. They're simply trying to show how slices of the market, or the whole thing, are performing. And if SpaceX is big enough to meet the qualifications to join those indexes, whether it's in a few weeks or a year, it will gain entry.

That matters for investors and their 401(k) accounts because they're depending more than ever on funds that simply mimic these indexes. It's a lower-cost way to invest, allowing savers to keep more of their investments. Partly because of that, such index funds have usually proven to be better performers than funds that try to pick and choose individual stocks.

Just one in five actively managed U.S. stock funds survived and beat their average index peer over the last decade, at 21%, according to Morningstar's data through 2025. Such disparities in performance meant investors had more money invested in U.S. index funds than actively managed ones beginning in 2024, and the gap has only grown since then.

Here's a look at what's going on:

What indexes are

They're things the investment industry has created to answer the question: What is the market doing? It's otherwise tough to answer quickly when the U.S. market has thousands of stocks moving in different directions at any moment.

The S&P 500 is perhaps the most famous and influential index. It tracks 500 of the biggest U.S. stocks, and trillions of dollars in investments are either directly mimicking it or at least benchmarking themselves against it.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is well known because it's been around since the 19th century, but it tracks only 30 big stocks so Wall Street pays it little attention.

Companies want to be in indexes

Because index funds are the way so many investors put money into the stock market, companies want to be part of indexes. Stocks can see a big jump in their prices after S&P Dow Jones Indices, Nasdaq, FTSE Russell or other companies announce they'll be joining their indexes.

The investment industry has created funds, including both traditional mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, to track almost every kind of index. More than 1,000 index funds were available at the end of last year, according to the Investment Company Institute. Of them, 185 tracked the S&P 500.

SpaceX could soon be in indexes

Nasdaq changed its rules to allow some huge companies to join its Nasdaq 100 index after just 15 trading days. That's a break from the past, where it would wait until each December to add new members in an annual reconstitution to make sure it includes the 100 largest non-financial companies on the Nasdaq.

Some popular funds track the Nasdaq 100 index, including the QQQ exchange-traded fund from Invesco that has roughly $477 billion in total investments. That means QQQ holders could soon own shares of SpaceX, without doing anything on their own.

Other AI giants could as well

Anthropic and OpenAI are two other huge AI-related companies looking to sell their own stocks soon on a U.S. exchange for the first time. Their IPOs could potentially make each worth close to $1 trillion.

It used to be that companies would have an IPO long before they got that big. But SpaceX, Anthropic and OpenAI swelled to tremendous sizes thanks to dollars from private investors, including pension funds, companies and rich investors, away from the public market.

That's forcing the reconsideration for the investment industry about how quickly to add companies to indexes that they say track the biggest companies.

Not every index is making changes to fast-track big IPOs

The company behind the S&P 500 is not making changes to allow SpaceX and other “mega” IPOs faster entry into the index. For it, a stock needs to trade on an eligible exchange for at least 12 months before it can join the index.

Not only that, S&P Dow Jones Indices also requires companies to have made a profit in its most recent quarter and over the sum of its last four quarters.

SpaceX lost $4.9 billion last year and another $4.3 billion through the first three months of 2026. It acknowledges that it “may not achieve profitability in the future.” Over the long term, a stock’s price tends to track with how much profit the company is making.

Not everyone is happy about SpaceX's IPO entry to indexes

Officials from pension funds for firefighters, teachers and other workers in California and New York sent a letter to SpaceX last month decrying its corporate governance, including how much power Musk will hold over the company through his ownership of a special class of stock with more voting power.

They said they could become owners of SpaceX stock because they hold index funds.

If Musk is able to control so much of the voting power on the board of directors, it would make him tremendously powerful atop SpaceX, “essentially making him unfireable without his own consent,” the CEO of California Public Employees’ Retirement System, the New York state comptroller and the New York City comptroller wrote in their letter.

If an investor doesn’t like certain companies in the index

Index funds track indexes. And if a stock is in an index, the index fund will buy it, even if investors may not like it.

Tesla has remained in the S&P 500 even though critics called it overvalued for years, for example, and Musk's electric-vehicle company has grown to become one of Wall Street's 10 biggest companies.

Some indexes say they will not include companies that have poor corporate governance standards or other narrowed criteria, but investors need to look for them.

The S&P 500 ESG index famously kicked Tesla out in 2022, for example.

The posture is an escalation from a year ago, when Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer was widely criticized within his party for a spring vote with Republicans to keep the government open. Since then, Democrats have forced government shutdowns, slowed Trump’s nominations and now blocked the bipartisan intelligence law as they seek leverage in a Republican-led Congress.

The risky strategy has consequences when government programs go dark, and Democrats have little to show for it so far in terms of policy victories. Republicans say it is a grave threat to national security to let the surveillance law, which aims to prevent terrorist attacks, expire just as millions of people are entering the United States for World Cup games and as celebrations for the nation’s 250th anniversary get underway.

But the hardball approach has helped unite Democrats inside and outside of the Capitol as they say they have no other choice — and that the blame should fall on Trump for how he is governing.

“I don’t deny that this is dangerous,” Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Thursday about Democrats allowing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to expire starting Saturday. “But this didn’t have to happen.”

Democrats’ growing confidence also comes at a time when Republicans are often sparring with Trump, who has made clear he has little interest in compromise with lawmakers in either party. Democrats are blocking renewal of the law, known as FISA, in protest of Trump’s appointment of federal housing regulator and loyalist Bill Pulte to temporarily lead the nation’s intelligence agencies. The choice also rankled Republicans, who said Pulte lacks the required experience for the job.

Lawmakers in both parties urged Trump all week to pull the appointment, and on Thursday he nominated a permanent replacement for the job just after lawmakers left Washington for the weekend. But the Senate confirmation process will take time, and Trump has not budged on Pulte’s appointment as an interim director.

With no change, Democrats “are going to use every tool we have to fight back,” said Schumer, D-N.Y.

The standoff over FISA has won Senate Democrats some respect with base voters revolted a year ago. Schumer and the caucus have “shifted to more of a fight posture,” says Joel Payne, a Democratic strategist who served as an aide to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Republicans say blocking FISA is a dangerous strategy

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Democrats have been playing “fast and loose” with national security for the past year. He pointed to the 43-day government shutdown last fall and a monthslong delay in funding for Trump’s immigration enforcement operations.

“How did we get to the point where one party has completely abdicated any responsibility for our nation’s security?” Thune asked.

Democrats argue that Pulte, with little national security background, is a greater threat. They note that as a federal housing regulator, he has pushed for investigations of high-profile political figures whom Trump considers political foes.

“It’s not a close call,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. “We cannot extend these capabilities if the president is making clear that he’s going to use them not to protect the nation, but to protect himself politically.”

Democrats fight for more leverage

Strategist Payne says he believes Democrats have gained a bit of leverage since the shutdown in the fall.

Democrats did not get the extension in health care subsidies they demanded because a small group of moderate Democrats voted with Republicans to end the impasse. They did not achieve the changes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol that they sought when they delayed passage of funding for those agencies for months. But the White House did agree to negotiate, even if those talks ultimately failed.

Democrats also have grown more unified. While moderates ended the fall shutdown, the party stayed together in blocking the immigration funding and the surveillance authority.

“They’ve showed Republicans they are not going to fold,” Payne said.

Still, it may not be enough for some in the party base or to win Democrats a majority in November's midterm elections.

Andrew O’Neill, national advocacy director for the Democratic resistance group Indivisible, said he was concerned to see some Democrats praise Jay Clayton, Trump’s permanent pick for the intelligence job.

Republicans are rushing to confirm Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, before Tulsi Gabbard leaves the job and Pulte takes over as interim director on June 19.

It is unclear, so far, if Democrats will support Clayton or allow Republicans to speed up the process and confirm him quickly.

O’Neill said he is glad Democrats blocked FISA over Pulte’s appointment, but activists are wary.

“It’s a mixed bag,” O’Neill said of the past year. “The frustration is it took so long.”

Republicans navigate Democrats and Trump

Caught in the middle are Senate Republicans, who had to spend months to fund border enforcement agencies and are now navigating the dispute over FISA, even after lawmakers reached a bipartisan compromise.

Republicans are also trying to work with Trump, who derailed the intelligence legislation when he announced Pulte’s appointment as senators were on the verge of passing that deal.

Trump has weakened Republicans' position — and his own support in the Senate — by backing primary challenges to incumbent senators. Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana both lost in primaries to Trump-backed opponents last month and have joined Democrats in criticizing Pulte.

Senate Democrats say hope their strategy gives them enough leverage to win more Republican allies.

Being in the minority is “a difficult dynamic for us,” said Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt. “But I’m seeing the Republicans start to move a little bit.”

The 35-year-old suffered serious leg and arm injuries in the attack at 11:15 a.m. off Coogee Beach, a police statement said.

“I saw the shark come out of the water and just the size of it shocked me,” lifeguard Charlie Verco told Sydney’s The Sunday Telegraph newspaper. He was in the area on his 5.5-meter (18-foot) paddleboard and was the first rescuer to the scene.

“I kept paddling towards her and the shark took her underwater and I was going, ‘What do I do now?’ A couple of seconds later, she popped up again,” Verco said.

He said the woman was too weak to climb onto the board, but he managed to grab her by an arm and they headed toward the beach. Other bystanders reached the pair and helped them back to shore.

An off-duty hospital doctor Ian Ferguson was spending the morning at the beach with his young family when he said he heard screaming and saw a “big cloud of blood in the water.”

Ferguson and others applied tourniquets to her wounds after she reached the beach. She had a 30-centimeter (12-inch) wide bite on her thigh, the flesh had been removed and bone was exposed, Ferguson told the newspaper. She had a similar wound to her arm, he said.

The victim was taken to a rugby field near the beach, from where she was flown by helicopter to a hospital. Police described her condition as critical.

The woman, who was not identified, was swimming with two friends 30 meters (100 feet) from the beach when she was attacked, ambulance official Michael Corlis said.

She was attacked by a 3.5-meter (11-foot) white shark, lifeguard Tony Waller said.

Three spearfishing divers have been killed by sharks off the Australian coast since May 16, bringing the total of fatalities in the nation this year to four. In January, a 12-year-old boy died in a hospital days after he was mauled by a bull shark in Sydney Harbor.

Australia has averaged between two and three fatal shark attacks a year since 2000, according to the Australian Shark Incident Database, a partnership of the Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Flinders University and the New South Wales state government.

Last year, Australia recorded five fatal shark attacks. Attacks in Australia have become more common over the decades as the population has grown and activities such as surfing and scuba diving have gained in popularity.

The remains of the girls, who were students at Utumishi Girls Academy, were placed in white coffins adorned with flowers and topped with their portraits. The coffins were lined up in front of their families, schoolmates, community members and local leaders, who called for justice.

The nine accused girls, who were students at the school, remain in police custody, with interrogations revealing that the May 28 blaze was started by lighting a mattress at the dormitory’s exit using a matchstick and paraffin. No motive has been revealed so far.

During the memorial service, hundreds of students from Utumishi Girls Academy sang a somber hymn declaring that all shall be well. One of the presiding officials reminisced about being a victim of Kenya’s deadliest school fire in 2001, when 67 boys died in a dormitory blaze in Machakos County in eastern Kenya.

Mourners called for accountability and justice as dozens of schools have closed in recent days because of student unrest. The Kenya Red Cross said that it had responded to 37 school fires since the beginning of the year.

School fires are common in Kenya, with some linked to arson attacks by students protesting disciplinary measures or scheduled examinations, while others are caused by electrical faults.

Congested dormitories, a lack of emergency exits and insufficient firefighting equipment have often contributed to loss of life and extensive damage.

Last month, Kenya's Education Ministry suspended the principal of Utumishi Girls Academy for failing to comply with school fire safety regulations. The ministry also said that it had closed more than 300 schools following a 2024 fire tragedy that killed 21 boys in central Kenya.

During the Friday memorial service attended by Kenyan first lady Rachel Ruto, the presiding bishop questioned how much longer Kenyan children and families would continue to suffer from school fires.

The school captain, Abigael Wanjiku, eulogized the girls as “friends, study partners, teammates and companions.”

“The pain of losing them is one that we will carry for a long time,” she said.

A mother representing the parents broke down in tears during her speech as she called for accountability and justice, while reassuring the surviving students that ensuring their safety remained a priority.

The world’s biggest soccer tournament finally returned to the U.S. on Friday night after a generation of anticipation.

With this phenomenal match, the Americans also look like they've arrived.

Balogun scored twice in the Americans' three-goal barrage before halftime, and the U.S. opened its first home World Cup in 32 years with its biggest win in the tournament, a dynamic 4-1 victory over Paraguay.

Christian Pulisic had an assist in a stellar first-half playmaking performance for the Americans, who enthralled their Southern California fans with an aggressive attack while streaking to a 3-0 lead — the team's largest in any World Cup game.

“It meant everything for us,” Pulisic said. “A half like that, for it to go as it did, and have the fans excited about our performance, it felt amazing.”

Gio Reyna ripped another goal in the dying moments of second-half injury time, giving the Americans four goals in a World Cup match for the first time in their tournament history dating to 1930.

This production, this confidence, this dominance — it was nothing like the vast majority of the Americans' previous performances on the international stage over the years and decades.

They've won exactly one knockout-round game in the World Cup. They've almost always struggled to score in the biggest events, most recently managing only three goals combined in their four matches at the Qatar World Cup in 2022.

In this pressure-packed home opener, the Americans were a team transformed while playing in coach Mauricio Pochettino’s more creative system in front of a passionate, star-studded Los Angeles crowd of 70,492. Led by the elite talent and coach-inspired fearlessness of Balogun, Pulisic and Weston McKennie up front, the U.S. finally had its breakthrough performance at SoFi Stadium.

“It’s difficult to compare with the past,” said Pochettino, who took over in late 2024. “I don’t know what happened in the past. I think we need to talk about today, because it was a great match. It was amazing for our fans to see, to watch this type of game, and today, I am so proud and we are so proud. I think we are winning a lot of fans, adding fans for the sport here in America.”

Not everything went perfectly: Pulisic was replaced by Sebastian Berhalter at halftime for precautionary reasons. Pochettino said Pulisic was kicked in the back of his left calf during a training session this week, and felt some subsequent tightness during the match.

“Staying positive,” Pulisic said. “I don’t think it’s anything.”

Maurício scored in the second half for Paraguay, but La Albirroja fell too far behind early in their first World Cup match in 16 years.

“The U.S. won this match very clearly and fairly,” Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro said through an interpreter. “They dominated tactically, technically and physically as well. ... This team is a complex challenge because they have answers to everything you throw at them.”

After the U.S. went ahead on an early own-goal created by Pulisic's playmaking, Balogun scored in the 31st minute and again in the fifth minute of first-half injury time.

The New York-born, London-raised striker made his World Cup debut with the first multigoal performance from a U.S. player in the tournament since 1930. Balogun chose to represent the U.S. three years ago instead of staying in the English system, where he likely would have struggled to make the Three Lions' roster — and the 24-year-old Monaco professional has swiftly provided the top-level striker play historically lacking on U.S. rosters.

“Poch has said many times, ‘Why not us?’” Balogun said. “We have to believe. You can’t do anything if you don’t believe in yourself.”

Pulisic created the first two U.S. goals with exceptional runs down the left side. In the seventh minute, the AC Milan standout cleverly split two defenders and passed to McKennie, whose centering touch hit Paraguay midfielder Damián Bobadilla’s outstretched foot and went in, setting off pandemonium in the stands.

The Americans gradually amplified their attack centered around Pulisic’s runs — and three minutes after an apparent goal from Balogun was erased by an offside call, Pulisic again drove the left side and got a deflected pass to the trailing Balogun, who banged it home.

Malik Tillman then made a perfectly weighted pass in injury time to Balogun, who sidled through the Paraguay defense and beautifully found the top shelf.

The Americans were less cohesive without Pulisic in the second half, but Reyna still added the finishing touch by gliding into the box and toe-flicking home his first World Cup goal. The moment was sweet for Reyna, who barely played at the Qatar World Cup amid a messy family dispute with former U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter.

Dozens of American celebrities and cultural icons turned out for the match 10 miles south of Hollywood, including Tom Cruise, George Lucas, Bill Gates, Halle Berry, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

A judge earlier in the afternoon rejected a request to pause a court-ordered deadline of Friday to remove references to Trump from the building and other aspects of the Kennedy Center's operations. The institution appealed that ruling, an effort that was also rebuffed Friday evening.

Scaffolding was erected around a section of the building that includes Trump's name but the Kennedy Center sought a short extension to complete the work. Shortly after midnight, the Kennedy Center asked a judge to extend the deadline until noon Eastern Time on Saturday because of storms that had swept through the Washington area Friday, causing a delay. Some of the thunderstorms included lightning.

In the filing, the Kennedy Center offered assurance that the “removal work is presently ongoing” and would “conclude in the early hours of the morning.”

Dozens of people spent hours on the plaza in front of the Kennedy Center taking pictures and cheering occasionally as they broke into chants of “take it down.” Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex-officio board member who sued to have Trump's name removed from the building, was spotted at one point on the plaza as well.

After ignoring the Kennedy Center for much of his first term, Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his return to office. Just a month into his second term, he ousted the center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a board of trustees that named him chairman. Trump's name was quickly added to the building.

In his ruling that only Congress could make changes to the Kennedy Center's name, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper also blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations that had been planned to start in July and last for two years.

The Kennedy Center's leadership argued in its appeal Friday that the renovation was badly needed and accused the lower court, in terms that seemed similar to Trump's speech patterns, of interfering in the effort.

“The District Court is not allowing us to close in order to properly fix up and repair the Building, including potentially life threatening structural damage like beams and parking garage ceilings that are rusted, and in serious danger of falling onto people below,” according to the appeal. “Indeed, total collapse!”

Even as the Kennedy Center has fought efforts to remove Trump's name from the building, it has taken steps to comply with Cooper's initial ruling.

A June 4 memo to staff from the Kennedy Center’s Office of General Counsel said email signatures, letterhead and other documents must reflect the name as “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” or “Kennedy Center.”

The Kennedy Center’s website has dropped Trump's name. And an earlier email sent to members offering ticket packages for the June 28 Mark Twain Award for American Humor ceremony came from the Kennedy Center without including Trump’s name.

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Associated Press journalists Anna Johnson, Mark Sherman and Emily Wang in Washington and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.

The 24-year-old striker scored two goals as the Americans opened with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay on Friday night in front of a rabid and star-studded red, white and blue-clad sold-out crowd of 70,492 at SoFi Stadium.

“I visualized my debut in the World Cup scoring, but the reality did surpass that,” Balogun said. “A very dreamy night.”

With retired England captain David Beckham looking on, Balogun became the first U.S. player to score multiple goals in a World Cup game since 1930. Back then, Bert Patenaude scored all three goals in a 3-0 U.S. win over Paraguay, the first hat trick in World Cup history.

“The kid’s insane,” teammate Christian Pulisic said. “He’s lethal right now. We’re really lucky to have him.”

Balogun was born in the New York City borough of Brooklyn to Nigerian parents. A month later, he moved to England, where he grew up in London. He joined Arsenal's academy at age 8. He represented England at the youth level and also played for the U.S. under-18 team.

England's roster is traditionally filled with stars. Nigeria failed to qualify for this World Cup. So Balogun is making himself an American household name during this summer of soccer.

“Everyone will look at the goals,” Pulisic said, “but the way he’s fighting against these center backs, holding up the ball, getting fouls, I really like it.”

Balogun committed to play for the U.S. three years ago.

“I've always said the fans gave me so much motivation and showed me so much support. The most important thing has always been to be able to repay that,” he said. “I just want to continue to show the fans I made the right decision.”

Among the crowd were Balogun's relatives, with extended family watching around the U.S. and in London.

“I was able to spot them out in the crowd, but it was tough because so many fans were wearing red and white,” he said. “I had to sort a lot of tickets, but I’m happy to do it because this is a once in a lifetime occasion and I want everyone to experience it.”

The U.S. took a 1-0 lead on an own goal by Damian Bobadilla.

Balogun extended the lead to 2-0 when Christian Pulisic played the ball into the box to set up Balogun with his 21st career assist. That tied Pulisic for fourth most in U.S. history.

Minutes earlier, Balogun nearly had another goal, but it was called back when the U.S. was offside.

Undeterred, Balogun scored again just before halftime, putting the ball in the upper left corner for a 3-0 lead.

“I’ve not been able to take it all in,” he said.

Balogun was heading back to the team hotel to rest.

“To be honest, I think I’ll just watch some Netflix,” he said, smiling.

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Only this time, the sport was soccer.

The U.S. team's home opener in the World Cup on Friday brought more than 70,000 passionate soccer enthusiasts to the massive stadium near Los Angeles, where they saw the U.S. beat Paraguay 4-1. They had, in many cases, paid thousands of dollars to see their team play on the biggest global stage for a sport that has long been eclipsed in the United States — a sport many say is finally having its moment.

Many fans said they grew up playing soccer in recreational leagues as young children, and well into high school and college. Nakisha Gutierrez, a 37-year-old occupational therapist from Los Angeles, and her sister both played the sport. Their Argentine father raised them on soccer, and the next generation is now taking it up, too, she said.

“It's in the family blood,” said Gutierrez, her cheeks painted with sparkling red-and-blue stars. “It is the American culture — it's starting to be.”

The World Cup is played every four years, and fans around the world track their national teams, hoping they'll have a strong enough showing to qualify for it. In many countries — like Friday's opponent, Paraguay — just making it to the tournament can prompt street parties, fireworks and national holidays. In the United States, though, the response is often a bit more muted. Soccer has long been overshadowed by football, basketball and “America's pastime” of baseball.

But soccer's popularity has risen in the United States since the country last hosted the World Cup in 1994. Major League Soccer was launched two years later, and soccer has become especially popular among young athletes.

There was palpable joy in the air for U.S. fans watching the match as Folarin Balogun scored an electric two goals in the first half of the game, and star player Christian Pulisic made a shot that led to a Paraguay own goal. But the stadium was aroar when Gio Reyna sealed Paraguay’s fate with a late fourth goal during added time.

Samuel Esquivel, 9, said he was screaming when the match ended.

“That was probably, like, the second best goal,” he said of Reyna's shot. He started playing soccer last year and said he already wants to win a World Cup.

His father Roman Esquivel said they came from a family that played football, basketball, and baseball. But Esquivel's daughter and son both fell in love with soccer, and their enthusiasm for the game has spread to him as well.

“It's the most beautiful sport in the world,” he said. “There's a reason why the whole world plays soccer.”

Interest has also been buoyed by immigrants from countries where, as Gutierrez puts it, “soccer is life.”

Ava Cupit, 14, traveled with her family from Franklin, Tennessee, to cheer on the U.S. team, dressed up as the Statue of Liberty. Her great-grandfather was from Spain and helped bring soccer to their small town, where he built fields and promoted the sport.

“He made us all fall in love with it, and our whole family loves soccer,” Ava’s mother Rachel Cupit said. “The people who’ve married in, they’ve just become a part of it too.”

In the massive stadium in Inglewood, California, usually home to football games, seats were a sea of red and white. Fans wore glitter, Stars-and-Stripes high-tops, overalls, robes and the team's hallmark jerseys. Some dressed as that ultimate symbol of American patriotism, Uncle Sam, with long white beards and top hats. A few wore George Washington costumes.

They came to show their support for their team, and to show that Americans, like the rest of the world, can be passionate about soccer, too. Many were trying to attend all of the U.S. team's group round matches. One spectator said he came from Texas after seeing the U.S. team previously face off in international matches before large crowds backing their opponents.

Self-proclaimed soccer “addict” Jose Contreras said he grew up playing the sport with his uncle in Mexico because it was cheap and accessible. He flew from Georgia to support the U.S. in its opening match, even though there are games he could attend in Atlanta, closer to home.

“This is one of the happiest days of my life,” Contreras said.

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

After entering the ring, Apollo switches into an Uncle Sam costume. “I want YOU!” he roars as he points to Rocky Balboa, the far less flamboyant palooka he's chosen for this bicentennial bout in Philadelphia.

Then the two boxers pound the daylights out of each other.

It's as accurate a representation of the American bicentennial vibe as has ever been put on film — plenty of fireworks, but not much thought about how 200 years of independence led to this.

I was 13 years old in 1976. Kids my age — the tail end of the Baby Boom, or the vanguard of Generation X — grew up skeptical of the government. We had outlasted the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal, with the occasional moment of joy — the moon landing, say — to break the gloom. The state of the union was intact, even if many Americans were still on edge.

My family lived in Newport News, Virginia, not far from the Historic Triangle of Jamestown, Yorktown and Williamsburg. So there was plenty of buzz surrounding the bicentennial. President Gerald Ford and his wife, Betty, took a carriage ride through Colonial Williamsburg, foreign leaders came to visit, and the living museum regularly staged reenactments of the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Ford and plenty of other dignitaries went to New York for what the president called “the greatest Fourth of July any of us will ever see.” Operation Sail was a floating parade of 16 tall ships and more than 100 smaller vessels from around the world — including, even, the Soviet Union. It was a boon for the beleaguered Big Apple, proving that “New Yorkers could get along, even during difficult times,” according to the Gotham Center for New York History.

All aboard the Freedom Train

For history buffs who couldn't make the trip east, there was the American Freedom Train, a 26-car behemoth that toured all 48 contiguous states. It displayed two centuries of artifacts like George Washington's copy of the Constitution, the original Louisiana Purchase, Judy Garland's dress from “The Wizard of Oz” and a moon rock. Merle Haggard even released a song about it.

I had a nifty 3D poster of the Freedom Train on my bedroom wall. A different poster captured everyone's eye later in 1976 — one featuring “Charlie's Angels” star Farrah Fawcett-Majors.

It's patriotic in its own way. There's Farrah, sporting big hair, a blinding white smile and a red swimsuit, posed in front of a red, white and blue blanket. The color scheme may not have been intentional, but it might as well be titled “All-American Girl" for its presentation of what much of society saw as one.

There were plenty of more deliberate anniversary collectibles out there. A quick search of eBay in 2026 digs up hundreds of collectible plates, glasses, beer mugs and bumper stickers. The government unleashed special quarters, stamps and license plates. And of course Madison Avenue jumped in, selling bicentennial cereal, candy, beer and soda. You could get a different 7-Up can for each of the 50 states.

Even the creator of the Pet Rock — the preposterous 1975 phenomenon that was, yes, a rock in a box — tried to get in on the act. That fad, alas, had run its course, and the Bicentennial Pet Rock flopped. You'd have been better off buying a Pez dispenser with the head of Paul Revere or Betsy Ross.

Broadcast television — remember, we only had three networks — was more subdued. For kids, ABC's beloved “Schoolhouse Rock!” spun off “America Rock.” But while that cartoon did include some history, it's best remembered for the mournful civics lesson “I'm Just a Bill.”

More prominent was CBS News' "Bicentennial Minute." Starting July 4, 1974, barely a month before President Richard Nixon resigned, it ran every night in prime time, presenting the news from 200 years earlier. It was so unavoidable that sitcoms like “All in the Family” referred to it; “Saturday Night Live,” which debuted in 1975, paid tribute with a “Bisexual Minute.”

Still, all three networks pulled out the stops on July 4, 1976. Walter Cronkite led the pack with 16 hours of coverage on CBS, while “Bob Hope's Bicentennial Star-Spangled Spectacular” ("the show that took 200 years to produce") on NBC celebrated with Sammy Davis Jr., Captain & Tennille and Donny and Marie Osmond.

The bad news bearers

Certainly, not everyone was in the mood to celebrate. Richard Pryor released an influential album whose title was “Bicentennial,” followed by an ethnic slur. The title track is a monologue from a 200-year-old slave; it ends with “I ain’t gonna never forget it.” In the same album's ”Bicentennial Prayer," Pryor proclaims, "We are celebrating 200 years of white folks kickin' ass.”

Popular music wasn't in a particularly patriotic mood either. Elton John's 1975 hit “Philadelphia Freedom” became a de facto anthem of sorts, even though it's barely about Philadelphia and is more about individual independence.

Indeed, the prevailing pop attitude was: Let's forget about this mess we've left behind and go to the disco. So the Billboard singles charts were topped by the likes of Johnnie Taylor's “Disco Lady,” The Sylvers' “Boogie Fever,” The Bee Gees' “You Should Be Dancing” and KC and the Sunshine Band's “(Shake Shake Shake) Shake Your Booty.”

On the album charts, California's hippie culture was shaking off its hangover with haunted LPs like the Eagles' “Hotel California” and Jackson Browne's “The Pretender.” Something else was breaking loose in New York, though, with aggressive debuts from the Ramones and Blondie. The Ramones' logo included an eagle holding an olive branch and a baseball bat, and their repertoire included the future stadium anthem “Blitzkrieg Bop.” What could be more American?

Speaking of America's pastime, I'd be remiss if I didn't bring up the year's funniest movie, “The Bad News Bears.” It's baseball the way it was meant to be played — by a bunch of foul-mouthed juvenile delinquents coached by a surly, alcoholic has-been embodied by Walter Matthau. Double 50-year-old spoiler alert: Like Rocky, the Bears don't win in the end. But they do have fun.

The same can't be said for the characters in most of 1976's dramatic films. Hollywood did its best to get a patriotic movie — the World War II epic “Midway” — in theaters in June, but it quickly fizzled. The top box office draw on July 4th was “The Omen,” about an angelic-looking boy who turns out to be the Antichrist.

More prestigious films continued to wrestle with the paranoia of the Nixon era. “All the President's Men” dramatized The Washington Post's investigation of the Watergate scandal. In “Taxi Driver,” a Vietnam War veteran plots to assassinate a presidential contender. In “Network,” a TV anchorman urges his viewers to open their windows and scream, “I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!”

All three are undisputed classics. All three were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. All three lost to “Rocky.”

Tren de Aragua has been labeled by the United States as a terrorist organization. Guerrero Flores was charged in a New York federal court with racketeering conspiracy and other crimes, including lending support to terrorists in crimes that stretched more than a decade, authorities announced in December.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X that the strike occurred earlier in the week on a Tren de Aragua compound in Venezuela.

U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said at the time that the gang is responsible for countless acts of violence, extortion and drug trafficking in North America, South America and Europe. Trump nominated Clayton on Thursday to be director of national intelligence.

The U.S. State Department had offered rewards of up to $5 million for information leading to Guerrero Flores’ arrest.

In a post on his social media site, Trump wrote, “Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else and, under my leadership, we will find these vicious murderers and drug lords anytime, anyplace, and send them to the depths of hell where they belong.” Trump's post referred to Guerrero Flores by his alias, “Niño Guerrero.”

The post also included unclassified video, shot from above, of a small building with a green roof exploding.

Hegseth said, “The operation underscores the shared U.S. and Venezuelan commitment to take the fight to narco-terrorists and deny them any safe haven in our hemisphere.”

Venezuela's government released a statement confirmed its participation in the operation and revealed it took place in the southeastern state of Bolivar.

“During the operation, clashes occurred with members of criminal groups, resulting in the death of Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias ‘Niño Guerrero,’ the leader of one of these criminal organizations,” according to the statement.

The mineral-rich state, which borders Brazil and Guyana, is home to large illegal mining operations long controlled by gangs and other actors who mine with the consent — and to the benefit — of officials and the military.

Trump has taken a series of extraordinary actions against the gang, including a series of strikes on small boats his administration has accused of smuggling drugs to America. At least 207 people have been killed in boat strikes by the U.S. military in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” in early September.

Trump and administration officials have consistently blamed Tren de Aragua for being at the root of the violence and illicit drug dealing that plague some U.S. cities. The president spent months repeating the claim — contradicted by a declassified U.S. intelligence assessment — that Tren de Aragua had operated under Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s control. The U.S. whisked Maduro out of Venezuela to face U.S. drug charges in January.

Tren de Aragua originated more than a decade ago at an infamously lawless prison with hardened criminals in Venezuela’s central state of Aragua. The gang has expanded in recent years as millions of Venezuelans migrated to other Latin American countries or the U.S. in search of better living conditions.

Guerrero Flores returned to the prison in Aragua for murder and other convictions in 2013, when Venezuela’s crisis began as corruption, mismanagement and a drop in crude prices wrecked the oil-dependent economy. Guerrero Flores and a few other inmates saw a profitable opportunity as the government neglected prisons.

They assumed control and administration of the prison, establishing a system that controlled the entire inmate population through force and extortion. Over time, they transformed the facility into a sort of city that included a zoo, baseball field, casino and restaurants. Guerrero Flores had his own lavish suite.

The size of the gang is unclear. Countries with large populations of Venezuelan migrants, including Peru and Colombia, have accused the group of being behind a spree of violence in the region. Still, unlike other criminal organizations from Colombia, Central America and Brazil, Tren de Aragua has no large-scale involvement in smuggling cocaine across international borders, according to InSight Crime, a think tank that tracks crime across Latin America.

In Venezuela, gang leaders have long been known to participate in various illegal activities, including gold mining and drug trafficking.

The legal mining of gold and other minerals is a component of the Trump administration's phased plan to turn the crisis-wrecked country around. In March, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum told reporters during a visit to Venezuela that the government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez was giving security assurances to mining companies interested in investing in the South American country.

Trump campaigned for a second term promising to crack down on immigration and crime. While polls show his favorability ratings have sagged on his handling of the economy, immigration remains Trump’s strongest issue, according to the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

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Associated Press writer Regina Garcia Cano in Mexico City contributed.

A slow start and an early deficit turned into a rousing celebration once late substitute Cyle Larin scored in the 78th minute for a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday in Canada’s tournament debut on home soil.

Playing in the shadow of Toronto’s iconic CN Tower, and with hockey star Connor McDavid and actors Ryan Reynolds and Mike Myers in the stands, Larin converted Promise David’s pass a mere two minutes after entering the game.

“The crowd, I think, willed us into the game as (the players) could feel that energy in the second half tilting more and more,” said Marsch, who took particular delight upon learning Myers, who portrayed international man of mystery Austin Powers in the movies, was on among those on hand.

“Oh, sweet,” Marsch said.

It was an even better feeling for Larin, who normally starts but had to bide his time watching on the bench until late in the second half.

“It was amazing feeling, just to score a goal on home soil, where I’m from, and just to celebrate with the fans, amazing atmosphere,” said Larin, who plays for second-division English club Southampton and is from Toronto’s suburb of Brampton.

The goal was only the second in World Cup play scored by Canada after the team lost all three of its games at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and again four years ago at Qatar.

Injury fill-in Jovo Lukic headed in a corner kick in the 21st minute for Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is making its second World Cup appearance. The team previous played at the 2014 tournament in Brazil but failed to advance out of group play.

Starting in place of Edin Dzeko (shoulder) and Haris Tabakovic (undisclosed), Lukic was in an ideal position to cap a set piece with captain Sead Kolasinac flicking along a header off Ivan Basic’s corner kick. The goal was Lukic’s first in international play and coming in the 27-year-old attacker’s fourth international appearance.

Despite giving up the lead, the small Balkan nation of about 3 million people keeps coming up big on the international stage — including eliminating four-time champion Italy in the European playoffs.

Bosnia coach Sergej Barbarez couldn’t help but feel relief in how his team persevered amid such a tough environment.

“This is huge pressure and it’s a huge compliment for my team to have not succumbed to that pressure and I’m very satisfied with that aspect of the game, too,” Barbarez said through a translator.

Though a large majority of the 43,000 fans filling the temporarily expanded Toronto Stadium along the shores of Lake Ontario were Canadians, a small but vibrant group of Bosnian fans in blue also stood out in the upper deck of the stands.

The Bosnians now head west, with games against Switzerland on June 18 in Los Angeles and Qatar on June 24 in Seattle.

Canada also heads west, to Vancouver, for its final two group games, against Qatar on June 18 and Switzerland on June 24.

Marsch’s challenge is to get his team off to a better start.

“I told them after the match that if we play like that second half the whole match, we win, right?” he said.

“We’ve got to find a way to have a bit more confidence and a bit self-belief,” he added. “The good part was is in a difficult moment we responded.”

Before Larin’s goal, Canada’s best scoring chance came in the 54th minute when captain Stephen Eustaquio fed the ball to Richie Laryea in front of a wide-open net. The ball deflected off Kolasinac’s foot and hit the crossbar.

Canada was playing without Alphonso Davies (hamstring), who scored the nation’s first World Cup goal four years ago in Qatar.

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

The suspect, 45-year-old Victor Mata Villarreal, already was being sought by authorities when he began firing at police and bystanders in Midland on Friday before barricading himself in an abandoned veterinary clinic, where he was eventually found dead, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Police have provided limited details about how the shooting unfolded. Police arrived in the area after receiving reports of an active shooter, and Mata Villarreal started firing at officers, said Midland Police Chief Greg Snow. Several officers were pinned down behind their patrol cars and had to be rescued by an armored vehicle, Snow said, but no officers were shot.

Police then got everyone out of the area. “We moved to deny more targets for this active shooter,” Snow said.

A few hours after the shooting began, authorities used robot and drone footage from inside the building to confirm the shooter was dead, Midland Mayor Lori Blong. Police did not say how he died.

A spokesperson for the city identified a man killed in the shooting as Ed Scott, a father and husband who worked in solid waste for Midland. He also did a lot of work with local and regional softball organizations, according to the city.

Friends mourning his death described him in social media posts as a softball umpire and volleyball official who was known for his kindness and jokes.

Mata Villarreal, of nearby Odessa, was wanted for attempted capital murder of a peace officer after firing multiple times at a Midland police officer on Wednesday, the state’s public safety agency said.

The officer, who wasn't injured, fired back after initially trying to pull over Mata Villarreal, who drove away, investigators said. His vehicle was found empty a short distance away, they said. Police have not said why the officer tried to stop Mata Villarreal.

Friday’s standoff happened about a half-mile (1 kilometer) from where the shots were fired at the police officer Wednesday.

Police have not said why Mata Villarreal began shooting on Friday or provided any details about the victims, including who they were, how they were shot or the conditions of those still hospitalized.

Midland Memorial Hospital said four people who were brought there underwent surgery and that five had been treated and released.

Calls to numbers listed for some relatives of Mata Villarreal in Texas went unanswered Friday or appeared to be lines that had been disconnected.

Mata Villarreal had several previous encounters with law enforcement, including some arrests, records show.

He was convicted on a 2009 charge of unlawfully carrying a firearm in San Angelo, according to Texas criminal history records.

He was charged in 2003 and 2004 for unlawfully carrying a weapon and unlawful possession of a prohibited weapon, but both cases appear to have been dismissed as part of a plea. He also pleaded no contest to a domestic violence charge in 2008 that was later dismissed.

As police responded to Friday's shooting, dozens of squad cars and law enforcement vehicles descended along what’s normally a busy roadway lined with hotels and auto businesses a few miles west of Midland’s downtown.

Andrea Mendias said she heard what sounded like a small explosion at the closed veterinary clinic next to the auto body shop where she works and saw a number of heavily armed police officers rush into the parking lot. Some appeared to go inside the building.

Mendias said she earlier heard what sounded like at least 40 gunshots.

Video from Mendias showed officers pouring out of the back of an armored police vehicle and police deploying robots into the area.

The city with about 140,000 residents sits in the heart of the state’s oil and gas region and was near the site of a deadly shooting rampage in 2019.

In that shooting, a gunman who had been fired from his oil services job killed seven people and wounded two dozen others while firing at random as he drove around the Odessa and Midland areas. The two cities are more than 300 miles (482 kilometers) west of Dallas.

___

Associated Press reporters Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia and Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas, contributed.

He became the eighth player to hit a grand slam and a multi-run homer in an inning and the first since Angels slugger Kendrys Morales did it against Texas in 2012, according to Sportradar.

The left-handed Alvarez drove in two runs with an opposite-field homer early in the inning and cleared the bases with a two-out shot to center, giving him six RBIs in Houston's nine-run inning.

With his two-homer inning, Alvarez moved into a tie with Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber for the MLB lead at 24.

The 28-year-old designated hitter, who is from Cuba, was the AL rookie of the year in 2019 with Houston. The three-time All-Star was the AL Championship Series MVP in 2021 and led the Astros with six RBIs the next year when they won the World Series.

___

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

The team officially touched down Thursday afternoon in the Alamo City less than 24 hours after squandering an NBA Finals-record 29-point lead Wednesday night before losing Game 4 to the New York Knicks 107-106.

Entering Game 5 Saturday night, the Knicks lead the Spurs 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.

“I wouldn’t say it was so hard to shake off, right? But harder than any other game before by far,” Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama said during media availability Friday afternoon. “Now, we’re over it. It’s the playoffs. There’s no time to regret things for too long.”

The final moments in Game 4, which included Knicks forward OG Anunoby singlehandedly blocking and tipping New York to victory, went under the microscope once again.

“I don’t get into social media. I think I’ve probably been fired 212 times, and we (should have) traded (guard De’Aaron) Fox 72 times. Unfortunately, we still gotta show up and play tomorrow, and I gotta coach,” Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said. “The people that matter — we bond together. We stick together through the highs and lows.”

Johnson, however, pointed to one area of Game 4 where he believes he could have managed better.

“Looking back on it, I do believe that I have to make sure that I help him (Wembanyama) have the energy required to finish the game as strong as he needs to finish the game,” Johnson said. “And, looking back on the game, I think I could have done better in that regard.”

Wembanyama, who played 44 minutes Wednesday night, said everyone else on the floor is “just as tired” as he was.

“It shouldn’t even be a factor,” Wembanyama said. “Now, we’ve got two days between games. It’s not going to be a factor.”

Fox, who has been the subject of criticism for his decision to go in for a layup late in the fourth quarter instead of dribbling the ball out, remains hopeful as Game 5 approaches.

“I think these games have showed us that we have a chance. It’s not like we’re just going out there and getting steamrolled,” Fox said. “We’ve had, I think, the largest lead in all four games. ... We have to figure out ways to execute down the stretch.”

Game 5 between the Spurs and Knicks will air at 7:30 p.m. Saturday live on KSAT 12.

KSAT’s pregame coverage begins with the News at 5 p.m. before an hourlong “Race to Seis” special at 6 p.m. on KSAT 12 and KSAT Plus.

More recent Race for Seis coverage on KSAT:

• Spurs return home to San Antonio after New York trip for NBA Finals
• Knicks come from 29 down and beat the Spurs 107-106 for a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals

For Tommy Capell, every chair represents more than craftsmanship. It represents a life.

“When an officer loses their life in the line of duty, now there’s just that chair sitting there. Nobody wants to sit there,” Capell said. “We want them to have a permanent place so their legacy and their name are always remembered.”

Capell is the founder of Saving A Hero’s Place, a nonprofit dedicated to building memorial chairs for first responders killed in the line of duty.

The idea began in 2013. Capell, a former San Antonio police officer, was first asked to build a memorial chair for a fallen officer.

Shortly afterward, he was deeply affected by the death of Massachusetts Institute of Technology Police Officer Sean Collier, who was killed in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing.

“For whatever reason, it bothered me,” Capell said. “I had no ties up there, but I was mad.”

Still, he felt compelled to act. Capell reached out to the department and offered to build a chair in Collier’s honor.

After fundraising with his wife, he loaded the chair into a vehicle and drove roughly 30 hours from Texas to Massachusetts to personally deliver it.

The experience changed everything.

“You could just see the emotions and everything when we took the chair,” Capell said.

What began as one memorial chair soon became a nationwide mission. Today, Saving A Hero’s Place has created hundreds of handcrafted chairs for law enforcement officers, firefighters and other first responders across the country.

Each chair takes approximately three days to build from start to finish. The chairs are crafted from cherry lumber, much of it donated by a sawmill owner in Virginia who drives truckloads of wood to Texas.

“Gochenour Sawmill, he drives a truckload of cherry lumber from his sawmill in Virginia all the way here to our shop,” Capell said.

Every chair is customized to reflect the life and service of the first responder it honors.

Some feature department badges, challenge coins, patches, engraved messages or Bible verses. Others include deeply personal touches requested by family members and departments.

One chair included the phrase “Gone Fishing” because of an officer’s love for fishing. Another incorporated bottle caps because the officer was known for handing out water to people in the community.

The nonprofit keeps a patch from every department it serves.

“Every patch represents a department and a story behind it,” Capell said.

But perhaps the most unique part of the process is what happens after the chair is finished.

Capell refuses to simply ship them. Instead, he personally travels across the country to deliver many of the chairs himself.

“We want to meet them,” he said. “If we ship it, we don’t get the stories of who the officer was that we’re doing a chair for.”

This year alone, Capell plans to deliver 12 chairs to California. As demand has grown, Saving A Hero’s Place has expanded its reach.

The nonprofit recently added chair builders in Florida and Arkansas to help meet requests from departments while preserving the organization’s hands-on approach.

For Capell, the work remains deeply personal.

Families have told him they visit the memorial chairs at the departments instead of a gravesite. Others have said the chairs gave them a reason to return to a department building after losing a loved one.

Those stories remind him why the mission matters.

“Every time we open it, we get a badge and we’re like, ‘Man, it’s someone else who has been killed,’” Capell said. “And it’s just an honor to do it.”

Saving A Hero’s Place will also be hosting an Honor Chair Benefit Night on September 19, 2026 at Pedrotti’s Ranch in Helotes, Texas.

To sponsor or donate to Saving A Hero’s Place, reach out through email info@savingherosplace.org.

Read also:

• San Antonio military wife creates community to help families navigate constant relocation
• San Antonio Food Bank feeding thousands more, with even more expected to seek help this summer

Ohtani was sidelined for Friday night's 8-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox. But manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani could play this weekend and remains in line to make his next scheduled start on the mound on Wednesday.

Ohtani was lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning of Thursday night’s 8-6 win at Pittsburgh.

“He’s doing fine today,” Roberts said before the series opener against the White Sox. “I think that we got some pictures. There was no findings. It’s just the normal wear and tear. I thought initially it was a hamstring, it was the knee. So it just kind of got upset, swelled up a little bit.”

Ohtani, 31, is batting .305 with 13 homers and 40 RBIs in 67 games for the NL West leaders. On the mound, the reigning NL MVP is 6-2 with a 1.06 ERA in 11 starts.

Ohtani had surgery on his left knee in September 2019. Roberts said the swelling is in the back of the knee.

“That’s where a lot of the swelling with the knee kind of like builds,” Roberts said. “But again his range of motion today is good and so if it was another time in the season he’d be in there tonight.”

Ohtani did not speak with the media before the game.

Alex Call was in the leadoff spot for Los Angeles and Santiago Espinal stepped in as the designated hitter. Espinal contributed an early two-run single, but the Dodgers finished with just four hits — all in the first three innings.

Roberts also said utilityman Tommy Edman is on track to be activated from the 60-day injured list on Tuesday. Edman, who is coming back from offseason ankle surgery, is on a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who is on the 60-day IL because of a back issue, could start playing catch soon.

“(Glasnow) feels great, so he’s going to start kind of ramping things up,” Roberts said.

___

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

The commission announced the warning following a review of allegations against Boyd, who presides over the 187th Criminal District Court in San Antonio.

Boyd livestreamed proceedings on the court’s YouTube channel and, according to the commission, engaged with viewers outside of court business.

The commission said Boyd hosted a book club on the court’s YouTube channel, allowing real-time comments and messages about court proceedings and participants.

The commission also cited Boyd’s conduct during a July 2023 plea hearing involving defendant Willberth Villamil.

Investigators found Boyd improperly inserted herself into plea negotiations after rejecting a plea agreement, and asking whether the defendant would accept a 20-year prison sentence offered by the court.

During the hearing, Boyd also described the case as a “life-sentence worthy,” according to the commission’s findings.

A second complaint centered on an October 2024 probation revocation hearing involving defendant Thomas Henson.

The commission found Boyd directed a court reporter to go “off the record,” while the livestream continued, and made remarks suggesting the defendant could be victimized in prison.

“Do you want to be passed around for ramen noodle?” she said, according to the commission.

The commission said the comments were not patient, dignified or courteous, and reflected bias or prejudice.

Boyd told the commission she never reviewed or relied on viewers’ comments or messages when making judicial decisions and maintained that her rulings were based solely on the evidence and the law.

Boyd acknowledged participating in a book club through the court’s YouTube channel, but said she no longer does so.

In its conclusions, the commission found Boyd failed to maintain professional competence in the law, failed to be patient and courteous toward defendants, performed judicial duties with bias or prejudice, and made public comments about pending or impending proceedings in a manner that could suggest how she might rule in a case.

The commission determined the conduct constituted willful and persistent behavior inconsistent with the proper performance of judicial duties and cast public discredit on the judiciary and administration of justice.

The public warning was issued June 3.

The punishment amounts to a public reprimand that becomes part of Judge Boyd’s permanent disciplinary record, but it does not remove her from the bench or prevent her from continuing to preside over cases.

Judge Boyd lost her latest bid to be the Democratic candidate for the 187th District Court, and her term is up at the end of this year.

KSAT 12 reached out to Judge Boyd for comment. Her attorney said she had “no comment” and is “instead focused on continuing to meet her obligations and duties of protecting the good citizens of Bexar County.”

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• ‘She put me in handcuffs’: Attorney speaks after ex-Judge Speedlin Gonzalez was kicked off bench

Shalit's family announced the death Friday to NBC News, saying in a statement that he “passed away peacefully today after 100 years of an amazing life.”

Shalit joined “Today” as a contributor in 1970 and became arts editor in 1973, later settling in for his segment, “Critic’s Corner.” When he left the show in 2010, he was one of the last high-profile film critics on a major network.

“What resonated above his unusual appearance was his incredible wit, his remarkable intelligence. But he didn’t pound you over the head with it. He amused you. He enlightened and amused whatever subject he was on,” Guy Ludwig, Shalit’s producer for more than 20 years, wrote in an essay at the time of Shalit's retirement.

It was no coincidence that Chicago critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel’s local “thumbs-up, thumbs-down” movie-review program, “Sneak Previews,” went national on PBS in the late 1970s and that “Today” show's ABC rival, “Good Morning America,” hired Joel Siegel to be its movie critic in 1981.

“Shalit was instrumental in changing the balance of critical power in America. When he began his ‘Today’ tenure, newspapers and magazines were the primary sources for movie reviews. That’s where cinematic opinion was sparked and shaped,” The Plain Dealer wrote in 2010, calling Shalit “Daniel Boone in a bow tie and Groucho glasses.”

Magazine work led to NBC offer

Shalit started as an entertainment columnist for McCall’s magazine, eventually becoming senior film critic for Look magazine in 1968 and writing for Ladies’ Home Journal. His popularity in magazines led to an offer from NBC.

“No one at NBC had seen him. They’d only read his stuff. So he walked into this executive’s office and the executive took one look at him and said, ‘Mr. Shalit, have you ever thought of radio?’” wrote Ludwig. “They didn’t know how the public would react to someone who looked so different from people who were typically on TV in 1967.”

On the air, Shalit was a middle-of-the-road critic. Of 1986’s classic “Stand By Me,” he said it was different from other movies about youth “because of instead of grossing you out, ‘Stand by You’ is engrossing.”

“Many critics will give so much of the plot of a movie away that they destroy the movie for the viewer. ... I just don’t give away the story,” he told The Associated Press in 1993.

Highlights in words

He liked “Enemy at the Gates,” starring Jude Law, calling it “a vivid dramatization of one of history’s titanic turning points.” But he called “Brokeback Mountain “wildly overpraised, but not by me” and drew condemnation from GLAAD for calling Jake Gyllenhaal’s character, Jack, a “sexual predator.” Shalit apologized.

He called “Frozen” “very cool.” He said the oddball title of “The Men Who Stare at Goats” was “heard to bleat,” and his review of “The Lovely Bones” read in part: “There’s no bones about it.”

He began reviewing on air the year of “Patton” and “Love Story” and ended his run with a critique of “Shrek Forever After,” of which he noted that the “bellow fellow is now a mellow fellow.” One highlight of this tenure was his descent into a fit of giggles while interviewing Carol Channing.

He called a remake of “King Kong” so “gargantuan that I must create new words to describe it: fabularious … a brilliantological humongousness of marvelosity.” His take on Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple”: “It should be against the law not to see it.”

In a 1981 interview with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, Belushi said Shalit’s hair looked like “an ant farm on fire.” Nevertheless, he peppered his guest with so many questions about their daily life that it felt like therapy. He asked both comedians what their last meals would be. “What do you want to be doing 10 years from now, John Belushi?” Shalit asked. “Fiddler on the Roof” Belushi replied.

During his tenure, he traded quips with anchors ranging from Edwin Newman, Barbara Walters and Jane Pauley to Tom Brokaw, Bryant Gumbel, Katie Couric, Al Roker and Meredith Vieira.

Gumbel was not always a fan, once saying Shalit’s reviews “are often late and his interviews aren’t very good.” The critique came in what was supposed to be a confidential memo to Marty Ryan, the show’s executive producer at the time.

In 1994, while in St. Pete Beach, Florida, to cover Major League Baseball spring training, a car hit Shalit as he was crossing a street and broke his leg. After that, “Today” began recording his movie reviews in his home studio.

Early life

He was born in New York and grew up in Morristown, New Jersey, starting his grammar school’s first newspaper before writing a humor column for the newspaper while a student at Morristown High School. He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1949.

Shalit played the bassoon, but he said he started out on the clarinet.

“I didn’t practice for a few weeks and the teacher got furious,” he recalled in 1988, before playing bassoon in a New York City fundraiser. “He took away my clarinet and as punishment he said, ‘From now on, you’re gonna play THIS.’”

In 1987, he edited a book called “Laughing Matters: A Celebration of American Humor,” saying he wanted to introduce and reintroduce such old and new masters of American humor as Mark Twain, James Thurber and Russell Baker.

Shalit was regularly mocked on “Saturday Night Live” by cast member Horatio Sanz, who would appear on the “Weekend Update” desk dressed as Shalit and go on extended, barely coherent rants that punned the title of every movie he reviewed. Shalit also made cameos on “Sesame Street,” “Family Guy” and “SpongeBob SquarePants.”

Shalit was predeceased in 1978 by his wife, Nancy Lewis, and had six children.

___

This story has been corrected to show that a movie Shalit liked was “Enemy at the Gates,” not “Defiance.” It also removes a reference to Daniel Craig, who was in “Defiance” but not “Enemy at the Gates.”

The flood killed 11 people in the Loop 410 and Perrin Beitel area when a wall of rain moved through, sending fast-moving water across the road.

Another victim was located several miles north of the Perrin Beitel search area. The 13^th victim died near U.S. Highway 90 in the Leon Creek area.

Some victims were on the phone with their loved ones as they died.

Memorials have been placed near Briar Glen and Perrin Beitel, where family members and neighbors continue to stop and reflect.

Councilman Marc Whyte (D10), whose district includes the frontage road off of which cars were washed, said “the city is on this.”

“We have a commitment from our city manager’s office to make sure that these low area crossings do not pose a danger to the public moving forward, and it’s incumbent upon the mayor and City Council now to hold the city manager’s office to that and get these things fixed,” Whyte said.

In November, an outside investigation into the flood provided new insight into what went wrong. It included multiple recommendations to mitigate flood-related risks and improve safety.

In a May 20 memo updating council members on the progress on the recommendations, none appeared to be completely done.

San Antonio City Manager's Quarterly Update on Beitel Creek Flood event by criley

A sign on the frontage road warns drivers “road may flood,” and another marks the feet above the road to show the depth of any floodwaters, but flashing warning signs have not yet been installed.

The memo also indicates a gauge hadn’t been installed yet at the site. However, “protocol has been established” to close the frontage road in case of flooding in the watershed.

A suggestion to actually raise the frontage road out of the floodplain also still appears in early stages. The memo notes the Public Works Department is working on a study “to evaluate alternatives,” which should be finished this summer and shared with the Texas Department of Transportation.

“There’s a lot of things that are in progress, and again, not all under — within our bailiwick, but I mean, the work is ongoing,” Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones told KSAT.

The city is also performing an audit on its disaster warning system to determine if it’s “effectively designed and operated to ensure timely, reliable, and accessible emergency notifications to the public.”

But for families who lost a loved one, any improvements come too late.

Stevie Richards, 42, was one of those victims. His wife, Angel, said she’s slowly healing.

“I feel like nothing was done to prevent something like this from happening,” said Angel Richards. “So it makes me angry at the same time. It’s just hard for me to steer away from what could have been done differently. And then to pass through the area and see that there’s still something like that can happen again, if it rains like that again — it’s disturbing.”

The city, Bexar County, and San Antonio River Authority have also been collaborating on a “NextGen” flood warning system. That includes reviewing existing gauges and sensors, adding more, and putting them into a single system managed by SARA.

The gauge data feeds into the Bexar Flood map, which SARA General Manager Derek Boese says integrates with Waze and Google Maps.

“So if you’re using these navigation tools, you will be alerted of low-water crossings while driving and can reroute,” Boese said at a May 19 media event.

Bexar County has put $21 million toward the system.

“We can go build low water crossings, but at the end of the day protecting human life is going to be our most critical and most valuable investment on that front,” Precinct 3 Commissioner Grant Moody told KSAT.

More Perrin Beitel flood coverage on KSAT:

• Widow of man who died 1 year ago in Northeast Side floodwaters finally on the road toward peace
• Bexar County invests $21 million to update flood warning system

The export controls mark the U.S. government’s most significant step to date to restrict access to the most advanced AI models. Anthropic released Fable widely this week. That model is a limited version of the even more advanced Mythos, to which the company has tightly limited access due to cybersecurity fears.

In a statement, Anthropic said it disagrees with the government’s handling of the matter, saying it received the directive from the U.S. government Friday afternoon and it did not specify the national security concerns. “We believe the government should have the ability to block unsafe deployments, as part of a statutory process that is transparent, fair, clear, and grounded in technical facts,” the company said. “This action does not adhere to those principles.”

Anthropic called it a “misunderstanding” and said it hopes to restore access to the models “as soon as possible.”

The Commerce Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The action comes 10 days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to establish a framework for the federal government to vet the national security risks of the most advanced AI systems for up to a month before their public release. Participation by AI developers would be voluntary, the order said.

The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office’s Organized Crime Group conducted an operation to crack down on prostitution crime in a neighborhood.

Although the location of the operation is unclear, Salazar said he chose this neighborhood because it’s “known for this sort of activity.”

Salazar said five people were arrested on Thursday for allegedly making deals with prostitutes.

“We had female deputies out posing as prostitutes walking on the street,” Salazar said.

KSAT reported last week that BCSO took at least nine people into custody on June 4. Salazar said at the conference that additional arrests were made.

The following people were booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center for solicitation of prostitution, a state jail felony:

• Jay Anthony Hernandez, 20
• Andrew Alanis, 28
• Joseph Xavier Guevara, 30
• Nathan Watkin Thomas, 30
• Abdul Ali Mohammad, 31
• Shawn Eugene Blue, 33
• Juan Alberto Rubio, 34
• Heriberto Lara Vargas, 35
• Rigo Molina, 40
• John Alvear, 40
• Luis Beltran Galdamez Lopez, 43
• Ernest Valdez Jr., 49
• Jose Navarro Velasquez, 64
• Roger Galan, 64
• Jose David Garcia, 72
• Fredy Rodriguez-Herrera
• Sree Chetan Reddy Bongu
• Ramon C. Gonzalez

The five arrested on Thursday have yet to be booked into the Bexar County jail. Authorities have not yet released their names.

Salazar said none of the people arrested reached out to actual prostitutes and it was a “proactive operation.”

Read also:

• Prostitution crackdown lands at least 9 men in jail, BCSO says

The Alabama Attorney General’s office filed a motion asking the Alabama Supreme Court to authorize a death warrant for Jeffery Lee, this time using lethal injection. The request came less than 24 hours after the state was thwarted in plans to use nitrogen to execute Lee, who was convicted of killing two people during a 1998 robbery.

“In sum, ADOC has not been barred from executing Lee, only from executing him by nitrogen hypoxia,” state lawyers wrote.

A spokesperson for Lee’s legal team said they did not have an immediate comment on the action. The next step is for his attorneys to respond to the request at the Alabama Supreme Court.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday night refused to lift an injunction blocking the state from executing Lee with nitrogen gas. A district judge issued the injunction after finding the state’s nitrogen protocol violated the ban on cruel and unusual punishments established in the Constitution's Eighth Amendment. The injunction, however, did not block the state from using one of its other authorized methods, lethal injection or the electric chair, to put Lee to death.

A spokesperson for Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall declined to comment Friday, citing the pending litigation. Marshall on Thursday said he would “never stop seeking justice” for Lee’s victims.

“The State is prepared to do whatever is necessary to see Mr. Lee’s lawful sentence carried out,” Marshall said Thursday.

Rulings raise questions about nitrogen executions

The development came after a week of legal rulings that cast doubt on the future of nitrogen executions, a method the state began using in 2024. It involves strapping a respirator to a person’s face and replacing breathable air with pure nitrogen gas, causing death from lack of oxygen.

Lee filed a lawsuit in 2025 challenging the constitutionality of the state’s nitrogen protocol. U.S. District Judge Emily C. Marks, after holding a three-day bench trial, initially ruled the method constitutional. However, a three-judge appellate panel on Monday reversed part of her conclusions and sent the case back. Marks issued a new finding Tuesday that the state’s execution protocol violates the Eighth Amendment and permanently enjoined the state from using it to execute Lee.

The state asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the injunction so Lee’s execution could go forward Thursday night. The court on Thursday declined to do so. The high court voted 6-3 and did not explain its reasoning. Three of the conservative justices — Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch — said they would grant Alabama’s request to lift the injunction and let the execution go forward.

The Supreme Court decision was only a ruling on Alabama’s emergency request to stay or lift the injunction. The court has not made a merits decision on the constitutionality of using nitrogen gas, said Robin Maher executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. However, Maher said there is now a very significant ruling by a district judge that “this method, as Alabama has chosen to use it, is unconstitutional.”

“Anyone else who’s facing a potential execution in Alabama, in which the state intends to use nitrogen gas, will argue that the very same equities that resulted in Alabama being prohibited from using it in Mr. Lee’s case should also prohibit the state from using it in their case,” Maher said.

Lee was convicted of two counts of capital murder for killing Jimmy Ellis and Elaine Thompson while robbing a pawnshop on Dec. 12, 1998. Prosecutors said Lee entered Jimmy’s Pawnshop with a sawed-off shotgun and shot Ellis, the owner of the store, and Thompson, a store employee.

Future of nitrogen executions remain uncertain

Nitrogen has been used in eight executions in the United States — seven times in Alabama and once in Louisiana. Lee was scheduled to be the ninth.

Alabama could appeal the case back to the Supreme Court, which so far has never ruled a state’s execution method unconstitutional.

Deborah W. Denno, a professor at Fordham Law School, said it’s difficult to predict what will happen.

“What seems pretty clear to me is that Alabama is going to have a very hard time carrying out a nitrogen hypoxia execution. It’s basically three courts telling you they can’t do that,” Denno said.

The Alabama Supreme Court recently authorized a nitrogen execution for another Alabama inmate, Michael Taylor. His lawyers asked the court to recall the warrant in the wake of what happened with Lee’s case. His lawyers wrote they don’t suggest the Supreme Court's “denial of emergency relief constitutes a ruling on the merits of the State’s appeal” but said the state shouldn't move ahead for now.

One of the 11 victims, 62-year-old Edward Randall Scott, died at the scene. The other 10 victims were taken to a local hospital.

Earlier Friday, Midland police said a possible suspect in the shooting was in a standoff with officers. Blong confirmed Friday afternoon that the shooter is now dead, as well.

In a statement, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) identified the suspect as Odessa resident Victor Mata Villarreal, 45.

Troopers said DPS, Midland police officers and other state, local and federal members law enforcement were dispatched at approximately 8 a.m. on an active shooter call in the 4600 block of West Wall Street in Midland.

Upon arrival, DPS said Villarreal opened fire on officers and bystanders before barricading himself inside an abandoned building.

After a perimeter was established, officers found Villarreal dead inside the building just after noon Friday, according to the agency. No members of law enforcement were hurt.

It is unclear what led up to Villarreal’s death. Additional details on the victims are also unclear at this time.

Troopers said Villarreal had been accused of attempted capital murder of a peace officer after allegedly firing shots at a Midland police officer Wednesday. The Texas Rangers are handling the investigation into Friday’s shooting, according to DPS.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The Kentucky General Assembly in April enacted a 14.25% tax on prediction market operators' transaction fees, a levy the lawsuit says is discriminatory, unconstitutional and preempted by federal law.

Prediction markets are platforms where customers can buy, sell or trade event contracts — a form of derivative that allow placing trades based on whether real-world events, such as election results or economic indicators, will or won't happen.

The new tax is higher than for Kentucky's “favored incumbent industry,” the lawsuit filed in state court by the Coalition for Fair Markets says, noting a 9.75% tax on wagers at horse tracks.

In a statement using gambling terminology, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman vowed to fight the legal challenge.

“You can bet our Office will defend these statutes and the people of our Commonwealth from out-of-state companies that seek to cancel Kentucky’s sports betting laws," he said. “In any courtroom, the attorneys with the AG’s Office are the odds-on favorite to win.”

The tax disincentivizes the operation of prediction markets in Kentucky, the lawsuit says.

“No State currently levies a State-specific excise tax of any kind on derivatives transactions that take place on a federally designated exchange, let alone the sort of specifically targeted and discriminatory tax that Kentucky has imposed here," it says.

Taxing federally regulated markets “just pushes people toward illegal platforms with no oversight and no protections,” Kalshi said in a statement. "Kalshi is an American company, regulated here at home, and we’re joining the fight for Kentuckians’ access to safe, legal markets.”

Prediction markets have been pushing hard to gain legitimacy among the public and policymakers as a legitimate platform where users can bet on everything from sports to the weather to geopolitical events.

There have been several incidents where traders have used inside information to profit on prediction market platforms. It was recently disclosed that former former Congressman George Santos was under investigation for allegedly illegally betting he wouldn’t attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address after initially saying he would. In April, a U.S. Army soldier was charged with using classified information to make a $400,000 profit trading on Polymarket on the timing of the U.S. military operations in Venezuela earlier this year.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the U.S. and Iran have reached a “final, agreed upon text.” He said Pakistan, which has taken the lead in mediation efforts, was working with the warring countries on next steps.

“Peace has never been this close as it is now,” Sharif said in a post on X.

The apparent breakthrough in negotiations comes after Iran exchanged fire with the U.S. and Israel over three days this week, threatening to return the Middle East to full-scale war.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday an agreement “has never been closer” in a post on X. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said multiple times in recent weeks the countries are on the cusp of a deal, shared Araghchi's post on his own social media.

The war launched by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28 has rattled the Middle East and virtually shut down oil and natural gas shipments from the Persian Gulf. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 7.

Iranian official says nuclear details will follow an agreement to end the war

Araghchi told Iranian state TV on Friday that both sides were working toward signing an initial agreement declaring an end to the war “on all fronts, including Lebanon.”

Israel has been fighting the Iranian-allied militia Hezbollah in Lebanon since early March. Israel is not a party to the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, and its leaders have said they don’t plan to withdraw from Lebanon.

Araghchi said terms dealing with Iran’s nuclear program would be finalized in the 60 days after the initial agreement is signed. He said the parties could agree to extend that period.

Iran’s nuclear program has been a key point of division. The U.S. and Israel fear it could lead to an atomic weapon — a main reason their leaders cited for going to war. Tehran has insisted its nuclear efforts are for peaceful purposes.

A senior U.S. administration official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House, said Friday that the emerging agreement would begin the process of destroying or removing Tehran’s highly enriched uranium.

The official said the 60-day period after both sides sign the deal would be used to work out technical details for removing Iran’s enriched uranium. The official did not detail who the U.S. envisions taking charge of removing the uranium, which is believed to entombed under three nuclear sites that were battered by U.S. strikes last year.

Also critical is Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for oil and natural gas. Disruption of transit through the strait has crimped global energy supplies, driven up fuel prices and made food and other basics more expensive well beyond the region.

The U.S. official said the emerging agreement includes provisions for reopening the strait.

Araghchi said Iran wants a deal that allows Tehran to charge ships “for services rendered” when they transit the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has imposed a toll system during the war, which the U.S. and other nations say violates international law.

“There will be costs involved,” Araghchi said, “and those costs must be paid.”

U.S. Central Command late Friday said in a social media post that it intercepted several Iranian attack drones that were targeting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Officials say a deal could be signed in the coming days

Three regional officials said the emerging deal is also expected to include the phased lifting of sanctions on Iran and the release of frozen Iranian assets. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations.

They said they expect a signing ceremony for the agreement in the coming days after officials in Washington and Tehran approve it.

Trump on Thursday claimed significant progress in the negotiations, just hours after he threatened to escalate attacks and seize Iran’s oil industry.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is not a party to the deal being negotiated. He said in a statement Friday that he and Trump were in “full agreement” that Iran must not have nuclear weapons.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a separate statement that Israel also expects Trump to uphold key Israeli interests, including weakening Iran's missile program and proxy network.

Katz warned that Israel could still act independently toward Iran and that the country would not pull out of the zones it is occupying in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, nor would it withdraw from the northern refugee camps of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The deal was largely being brokered by Pakistan, led by its army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, the regional officials said, with backing from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar.

___

Price reported from Washington and Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. Associated Press journalists Sahar Ameri in Berlin, Julia Frankel in Jerusalem, and Collin Binkley and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed.

Celebrities from “Star Wars,” “The X Files” and the Marvel franchise will be in attendance.

Guests this year include:

• Tom Hiddleston – Loki, The Avengers 
• John Cena – The Suicide Squad
• Hayden Christensen – Star Wars
• Zachary Quinto – Star Trek
• Karl Urban – The Boys, Mortal Combat II
• Gillian Anderson – The X Files 
• David Duchovny – The X Files

The three-day event will feature panels, cosplay competitions, gaming and more, according to a news release.

For more information on the event, click here.

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The NCAA banned Sorsby from participating in football after court filings showed the student athlete placed at least $90,000 in sports bets while attending Texas Tech and playing football at two other universities. He placed bets on his own team while playing at Indiana, and when in Texas, where sports betting is illegal, sent money to people in other states to bet on his behalf, according to court filings.

Sorsby sued to regain his eligibility, and on Monday a state district judge in Lubbock blocked the NCAA from prohibiting Sorsby from playing most of the upcoming season. The judge’s order also stipulates Sorsby must continue treatment for his gambling disorder and sit out the first two games of the season. The NCAA is appealing.

The judge set a Feb. 8 trial on the matter, after the football season concludes.

The ruling sparked criticism from officials at other universities and threats to cancel sporting events that include Texas Tech.

In a letter sent Thursday on behalf of Texas Tech, Paxton’s office warned the Big 12 that any effort to “disadvantage” the university would be illegal, prompting a swift reprisal from the attorney general’s office.

“The total exposure — for both the Big 12 and its members, jointly and severally — will be substantially more than $200 million,” said the letter signed by Thomas York, chief of the agency’s antitrust division.

The letter, first reported by The Athletic, came a day after Texas Tech Board of Regents Chair Cody Campbell said there would be a legal fight if teams or conferences boycott the university, calling it “an antitrust violation” on the Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich show.

The Big 12 Conference and Texas Tech didn’t immediately respond to comment requests.

In late April, Texas Tech announced 22-year-old Sorsby was diagnosed with gambling disorder and would be admitted into a rehabilitation center in Arizona.

In a statement posted on the Texas Tech website, university athletic director Kirby Hocutt defended Sorsby’s eligibility and asked for critics to understand the nuance of Sorsby’s addiction.

“A young man in treatment for a clinically diagnosed addiction exercised his legal right to seek a remedy in court, and a judge agreed with him,” Hocutt said. “Our role has been to support his recovery, not to engineer his eligibility.”

In a statement, Paxton said state antitrust laws protect the university from a “coordinated effort to harm a competitor.”

“Texas Tech acted consistent with a lawful court order and no athletic conference has the right to punish a member institution for respecting the judicial process,” he said.

On Friday, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond sent his own letter to the Big 12 calling Paxton’s antirust claims “facially absurd,” and encouraged the conference to sanction Texas Tech. 

“Its actions in obtaining eligibility for Brendan Sorsby … have constituted a shameful chapter in the story of college football,” Drummond wrote. “Texas Tech has acted in a manner adverse to the Big 12 and the integrity of college football as a whole.”

Sorsby transferred to Texas Tech from the University of Cincinnati in January and has not yet played a game on the team.

Sorsby’s legal team for the lawsuit includes Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock. A spokesperson for the speaker’s office referred questions about Sorsby’s case to Burrows’ private law practice.

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

Now, that vision lives on at the Japanese Tea Garden, one of San Antonio’s most photographed landmarks and a favorite destination for both visitors and residents.

Located on North St. Mary’s Street near the San Antonio Zoo, the garden offers free admission and free parking, making it an affordable outing for families, photographers and nature lovers alike.

The historic garden features walkways, stone arch bridges, an island and a Japanese-style pavilion overlooking the grounds. There are colorful flowers, koi ponds and scenic views.

One of the garden’s most recognizable features is its 60-foot waterfall, which cascades through the former quarry and provides a picturesque backdrop for photos.

Morning hours are often considered the best time to visit, when temperatures are cooler, and crowds are lighter. The garden is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Visitors are welcome to take photographs at no cost. Donations are encouraged to help support the preservation and maintenance of the historic site.

Those looking to cool off can stop by the Jingu House Café, located within the garden grounds. The café offers a variety of refreshments, including boba tea, mangonadas and other cold beverages, providing a welcome break from the South Texas heat.

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The wounded man, identified as Benjamin Del Real, underwent surgery and is recovering from his injuries, his lawyer, Joseph Murphy, said in a press release.

Pam Menaker, communications partner at Clifford Law Offices, said Del Real is 25 and has been in the Army for three years. His rank is private first class. Menaker said via email that Del Real has been receiving therapy at an undisclosed location.

Maj. George Wasickanin, spokesperson for the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, said Del Real is stationed there and was undergoing training to become an enlisted member of the special forces at the time of the incident. “Our focus is on the continued support for Pfc. Del Real and taking care of his family,” he said.

Del Real was near the White House May 23 when he was seriously wounded during an exchange of gunfire when a man approached Secret Service officers at a security checkpoint near the White House and began shooting. The gunman, identified as Nasire Best, 21, was killed.

According to District of Columbia court records, Best was arrested in July 2025 after he attempted to enter a different White House checkpoint without authorization, didn’t heed officers’ commands to stop, “claimed he was Jesus Christ” and said he wanted to be arrested.

Washington television station NBC4 quoted several sources in reporting that Del Real was wounded by Secret Service officers. The Metropolitan Police Department and the Secret Service both declined commenting on that report.

At a briefing on public safety in Washington, D.C., this summer, interim Police Chief Jeffery Carroll said the ballistics were not back to determine who had shot the bystander. He said Del Real was visiting the city as a tourist at the time of the shooting.

Metropolitan Police Internal Affairs is investigating the shooting and will turn its findings over to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Murphy, a former Army officer, said in the press release that the law firm was investigating the circumstances as well “and gathering all available facts. We will continue to work with the appropriate authorities to determine exactly what occurred and to ensure a full and accurate understanding of the events that led to our client’s severe injuries.”

_____

AP reporter Konstantin Toropin contributed to this story.

The agency said Friday that it closed its probe into the deal, with regulators at its antitrust division concluding that the impact of the merger “will be to increase competition across the media and entertainment ecosystem, with benefits for American consumers and workers.”

David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance reached a deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in late February. Paramount’s victory came after months of negotiations and a rival bid by Netflix that ultimately fell short. Paramount was bought by Skydance last year.

The companies contend that merging will be good for growth in the industry and give consumers access to more content, particularly if the HBO Max and Paramount+ libraries are combined. But critics have decried what further consolidation could mean in an industry already controlled by just a few major players.

Among the potential market impacts from the merger, regulators weighed whether the deal would hurt competition in video streaming. They concluded that the merger would likely increase competition by giving customers a more “robust competitive alternative” to larger video streaming alternatives.

The agency also determined that YouTube, TikTok and other social media portals that also offer video streaming content “do not appear to be competitive substitutes here under well-established antitrust legal precedents, although they compete broadly for consumer attention.”

Regulators also concluded that the merger is not likely to harm competition for so-called linear television, citing a strong competition for live programming.

On the question of competition in Hollywood, regulators found that the combination of two major film studio operators is not likely to harm competition in studio development, production or distribution of films for theatrical release.

“Instead, evidence shows extensive competition within the industry, which has generated greater output and diversity of film offerings, and is likely to continue unabated,” regulators concluded.

Thousands of actors, directors, writers and other industry professionals have voiced “unequivocal opposition” to the Paramount deal, arguing that further consolidation will lead to job losses and fewer choices for filmmakers and moviegoers. Many lawmakers have similarly sounded the alarm.

Ellison, chief executive of Paramount Skydance, has pledged to keep Paramount and Warner Bros. as standalone movie studio operations, and vowed to release a combined 30 movies a year in theaters. Paramount has acknowledged the merger will also lead to significant cuts due to duplication.

While the Trump administration’s Justice Department has now confirmed it won’t be challenging Paramount’s $81 billion purchase of Warner, the mega merger is still being reviewed by other regulators both in the U.S. and abroad.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has been particularly vocal about the transaction, and he said his state is investigating it.

Beyond the U.S., European regulators are also looking into the deal. The European Commission has listed July 7 as a tentative deadline for its review. And the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority is aiming to make an initial decision about its probe by early August.

Paramount and Warner previously said that they hoped to close their deal sometime in the third quarter of this year. And that clock is ticking. Paramount pledged to give shareholders some compensation if the acquisition doesn’t close by Sept. 30 — in the form of a 25-cent per share “ticking fee” for every quarter past that date. It has also agreed to a regulatory termination fee of $7 billion.

The 17-year-old victim was approached by a group of people and engaged in an argument over the Knicks, the New York City Police Department told KSAT, though it was unable to confirm what was said between the people involved.

After the argument, NYPD said one of the people in the group began punching and kicking the teenager’s head and body. The teenager suffered a seizure and was in a coma following the assault.

NYPD is searching for the person who punched and kicked the teen and said he is wanted for “gang assault.”

According to WABC in New York, the fight apparently began with a social media content creator allegedly provoking the crowd.

The content creator asked people in the crowd which team fans were supporting, which WABC said prompted someone to reply, “Spurs in 7.”

A fight ensued following the comment, which WABC said is when the 17-year-old victim became involved.

Police told WABC that he was taken to a local hospital in critical condition but has since stabilized.

NYPD asked anyone with information regarding the incident to call its Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477.

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Speaking at the Republican Party of Texas’ convention in Houston, Patrick accused Talarico, an Austin state representative, of introducing faith into the contentious Senate race, expected to be expensive and brutal as Democrats seek to capitalize on anti-Trump sentiment to claim the minority party’s first statewide victory in more than three decades.

“It’s James Talarico who decided to bring the Bible into this election. And let me tell you, that’s not a Bible I’ve ever read. I’ve never seen so much blasphemy from anyone running for office,” Patrick said to an uproar of applause. “Let me tell you what, I’m going to pray for that guy, because when he loses the Senate race, if he campaigns against God as he’s been doing, he’s going to Hell, for sure. That’s what we’re up against. That’s the darkness. That’s the light. That’s why we must be one.”

In a statement Friday evening, Talarico responded saying that Patrick had “sold out the poor, the sick, and the vulnerable to enrich his donors” for decades.

“Love feels like blasphemy when you worship power,” Talarico wrote in a social media post.

Attorney General Ken Paxton, Talarico’s general election opponent, also spoke at the convention.

A GOP leader, Patrick has also been a staunch advocate for Christian values — often championing proposed legislation as the presiding officer of the Texas Senate that historically failed in the Texas House until recent victories, like requiring the display of Ten Commandments in public schools.

President Trump also tapped Patrick, a close ally, to lead the Presidential Religious Liberty Commission tasked with drafting policy proposals regarding religious freedom.

Fans watched it from their couch at home. The Spurs all but watched it from the three-point line. But I digress.

Whether or not Spurs fans believe their team should be heading into Saturday’s Game 5 with the series even at two games apiece, it’s time to move on. Now, it’s time to assess what it’ll take for San Antonio to bounce back and do what only 14 teams in NBA history have pulled off — and only one in the NBA Finals.

That’s winning three straight games to overcome a 1-3 series deficit.

On the bright side, two of those teams joined the club this year. Let’s start there.

How can the Spurs become the third team to rally from 1-3 this season?

Historically, in a seven-game playoff series, teams that have gone down 3 games to 1 have come back to win the series in 15 of 288 tries, or 5% of the time. That number used to be 4% — until this year’s Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons came around in the first round of this year’s playoffs.

So how did they do it? One reason is they got big contributions from their stars.

Let’s focus on the Pistons, another young and frisky team like the Spurs. All-NBA point guard Cade Cunningham scored over 30 points in each of Detroit’s final three games of their series against the Orlando Magic, which all had to be Piston wins. He rarely saw the bench, racking up 44, 42 and 39 minutes in those games.

Tobias Harris, a 15-year veteran, also played a pivotal role. Harris was the team’s second-leading scorer in each of the latter three games and scored 30 alongside Cunningham in Detroit’s decisive Game 7 win.

And whoever wasn’t scoring the basketball for the Pistons was dominating on the glass. Players like Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson helped give Detroit the rebound advantage in each of the final three wins, and their scrappy 43% shooting was enough to do the rest.

The 76ers had a similar formula against the Boston Celtics, led by Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. Lean on your stars, and don’t take a possession off.

Every Philadelphia starter played heavy minutes, with little contribution from the bench. They also got a little luck, as the usual sharp-shooting Celtics went ice cold from the three-point line. (Ironic considering how San Antonio just performed from three in Game 4.)

Whatever attack plan the Spurs roll with going forward, they have to play smarter and more efficiently. There’s no time to waste. Victor Wembanyama cannot be off his game for a single minute.

Just like LeBron James wasn’t for the 2016 Cavaliers.

One team has overcome a 1-3 deficit in the NBA Finals. Do the Spurs have the same makeup?

Every basketball fan of a certain age remembers how special the 2016 NBA Finals was. It’s an anomaly in the history of basketball. Now, the ball is in the Spurs’ court to repeat that anomaly.

Unlike that Cleveland Cavaliers team, San Antonio won’t have to win three straight games against a team that won 73 games in the regular season with the greatest shooter in history in Stephen Curry. They do, however, have to win three straight games against a Knicks team that has won 14 of their last 15 games these playoffs and just stopped the presses with the largest comeback in the history of the NBA Finals.

So how did the Cavs pull it off? It’s pretty simple: LeBron James.

Not to take away from the other contributors on that Cleveland team, but the definition of carrying is what LeBron James did in games five, six and seven of the 2016 Finals.

The first and hardest order of business for a team down 3-1 is making the uphill climb in games five and six just to even the series again. In those games, James exploded with 41 points apiece, while also pacing the Cavs in assists, steals and blocks across the two games. Also notable: just three turnovers in 86 minutes of playing time. That was miracle number one.

Then, with everything on the line in Game 7, after playing 43 minutes each in the previous two games, James stayed on the court for a whopping 47 minutes of gametime. (There’s 48 minutes in an NBA game.) He didn’t hit the bench outside of a quick water break in the first quarter. That means he didn’t open the door for a game-changing point swing in his absence.

When the job was finished, James became the first player in NBA history to lead all players on both teams in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks across an entire playoff series. And perhaps most notably, he played 131 of 144 minutes over the final three games of the series.

In other words, for the Spurs to pull off the same miracle rally against the Knicks, Wembanyama has to be amazing. But does he have it in him?

Spurs’ 1-3 deficit leaves a career-defining opportunity for Wembanyama

Wembanyama is San Antonio’s equivalent of LeBron James. He has been compared to Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal and all of the other greatest big men in the history of basketball. It’s time for “The Alien” to work some sci-fi.

The Spurs will need ample contributions from their stars to have a chance at clawing their way back in the NBA Finals. That means heavy minutes for Wembanyama. But Wemby has only played 40 minutes in a game nine times in his career and never in back-to-back games. If the Spurs want a shot at a Game 7, let alone a Game 6, that likely will have to change.

It’s hard enough for a player Wemby’s size to play that many minutes at such a high clip; he’s already been playing at well above his season average in the playoffs. But it’s another thing to play 40 impactful minutes at the latest stage of a 100+ game season — and in the biggest games.

These young Spurs may very well be running on fumes and adrenaline at this point in the season. And even when Wembanyama has played 40 minutes or more in a game this season, San Antonio is just 3-4.

Remember, no team has come back to win the NBA Finals after dropping the first two games at home. That’s where the Spurs find themselves.

Now, Wembanyama and company must do the unthinkable to dig out of their latest hole — or not think anything at all.

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The event will be Rodriguez’s first fight this year and first in the bantamweight division.

The undefeated champ and ESPN’s No. 3 pound-for-pound boxer in the world recently vacated his WBC, WBA and WBO super flyweight titles ahead of the Vargas fight as he plans to compete in the 118-pound bantamweight division for the time being.

THE FINAL FACE-OFF 👀@210bam vs Antonio Vargas

👑 WBA World Bantamweight Title#BamVargas live on DAZN pic.twitter.com/YRmiwI6z9t

— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) June 12, 2026

Rodriguez spoke at a press conference in Desert Diamond Arena on Friday ahead of the big fight and addressed the all-in stakes he set for himself.

“(I’m) constantly trying to challenge myself,” Rodriguez said. “If it’s not a world title fight, then it really doesn’t interest me. Or even if it’s just a simple defense, it really doesn’t interest me or get me going inside the gym.”

Rodriguez, 26, isn’t a fan of plan Bs. By eliminating his fallback leverage to potentially reclassify in the 115-pound class, he’s set to compete in the 118-pound division, or heavier, going forward.

“I’m feeling much better at this weight class ... the fact that I don’t have to lose that extra three pounds,” Rodriguez said. “So, just expect another spectacular performance, and I’m ready to go out there and make it happen.”

The question will be whether Rodriguez can dominate at this level like he did in the lighter-weight divisions before eventually reaching his ultimate goal of fighting the undisputed No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world, Naoya Inoue.

Ask him? There’s no doubt in his mind that the answer is yes.

“I feel like I haven’t even shown 50% of what I’m capable of,” Rodriguez said. “But the tougher the opponent, then the bigger my performance. And Antonio Vargas, I feel like he’s going to bring out another percentage of ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, and I can’t wait to go out there and show it.”

“Bam” is a massive betting favorite over Vargas, with the money line currently ranging between -2000 and -3335 in his favor across major sportsbooks.

Rodriguez vs. Vargas will air on DAZN, with coverage beginning at 6 p.m. CT.

Ylora Posada recently completed Triple P, the Positive Parenting Program, a growing Metro Health initiative designed to teach parents skills that can help prevent child abuse and improve family relationships.

In a recent story, program leaders told KSAT the program is growing rapidly.

Posada said she began looking for help after her children started having outbursts at school, and she felt stuck on how to help them.

“I thought I was the only parent repeating myself and repeating myself over and over and not getting anything back,” Posada said.

She found Triple P and was relieved to learn the nine-week course was free. Posada said one of the most surprising parts of the program was that it taught her the importance of taking care of herself, too.

“Like doing this walking, just for myself,” she said.

Through the classes, Posada said she learned how much her own stress and frustration affected her children’s behavior.

“They do what I do, so my yelling and all that frustration and anxiety, I learned that they feel it and they’re going to do what they’re taught,” Posada said. “So that helped me to learn to take a step back and calm down and talk to them at lower eye point and stuff, where they talk to me and start respecting and following in my footsteps.”

Posada said the lessons have helped her approach discipline differently. She also said the program helped her recognize how some long-standing family practices can continue cycles of abuse.

“Even just yesterday my cousin was saying, ‘Oh, I would hit her. I would hit her,’” Posada said. “And I said, ‘No, I’m not doing that.’”

She said relatives reminded her that physical punishment was common in previous generations.

“She was like, ‘Back in the day we used to get spanked with a belt,’” Posada said. “And I was like, ‘Well, this is a new generation. We’re doing new things now to teach our kids that it’s not OK to be doing that, to stop the cycle of abuse.’ It’s helped. It really has.”

Posada said she also gained a support system through the class, meeting other mothers who are working toward becoming better parents for their children.

Families interested in signing up for Triple P through Metro Health can call 210-207-4599 or sign up online.

Read also:

• Positive Parenting Program in Bexar County helps prevent child abuse by teaching skills, reducing stressors

“If Texas Tech will not do the right thing, the Big 12 should,” Drummond wrote Friday in a letter to the conference. “Texas Tech should be sanctioned. I also note that the injunction granted to Sorsby applies only to the NCAA. It does not impede the Big 12 from suspending Sorsby.”

The office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton warned the Big 12 on Thursday of potential legal action from Texas Tech as the conference considers its options. Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said the notice came shortly before the start of the league’s executive board meeting to discuss Sorsby's situation.

Drummond said claims that sanctions against Texas Tech would violate antitrust laws are meritless.

“By adopting and enforcing its bylaws, the Big 12 Conference is simply upholding integrity and fair play among membership," he said.

A Texas district court's temporary injunction that was issued Monday prevents the NCAA from enforcing its permanent ban of Sorsby, a decision that sent shock waves across college sports.

The transfer quarterback had been ruled ineligible after he acknowledged years of gambling that included more than $90,000 in wagers and at least 40 bets on his own team while he was a freshman at Indiana.

NCAA rules call for a permanent loss of eligibility for any player who wagered on his own team.

Drummond weighed in because Oklahoma State is a member of the Big 12. He suggested the conference could act under a bylaw that says a supermajority of the league’s athletic directors can sanction a member school if that school has “engaged in any action or a course of conduct materially adverse to the best interests of the conference as a whole.”

“Sadly, that fits Texas Tech to a ‘T’,” Drummond wrote. “Its actions in obtaining eligibility for Brendan Sorsby ... have constituted a shameful chapter in the story of college football. Texas Tech has acted in a manner adverse to the Big 12 and the integrity of college football as a whole."

Texas Tech says Sorsby has completed a month-long inpatient treatment program and will have to meet stipulations laid out in the court ruling if he is going to play this fall.

The school posted a 21-minute video Thursday night in which school president Lawrence Schovanec, athletic director Kirby Hocutt and coach Joey McGuire defended Texas Tech's approach with Sorsby. Hocutt said the school wasn't party to Sorsby's lawsuit against the NCAA and hasn't helped him with legal fees.

“There’s no reason whatsoever to question the integrity of our athletics department, or the competitive product that we put on the fields or on the courts each and every time that we go out,” Hocutt said. “Integrity of the game is sacred, and that’s why we’ve gone to such great lengths to ensure the monitoring and the compliance measures are in place for Brendan’s return.”

Big 12 athletic directors in a conference call Tuesday expressed strong opposition to Sorsby playing for the Red Raiders in what will be his final college season. Some of those athletic directors suggested not playing Texas Tech if he does.

The Big 12's board of directors, which is made up of presidents and chancellors from the league’s 16 schools, is set to meet Monday.

Sorsby transferred to Texas Tech in January for a reported multimillion-dollar deal after playing the past two seasons at Cincinnati, another Big 12 school. The 22-year-old Texas native first spent two seasons with the Hoosiers.

The Red Raiders, with one of college football’s most expensive rosters, won their first Big 12 title last season, set a school record with 12 wins and made the 12-team College Football Playoff.

___

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

BreAnn Halcumb, 34, was arrested Monday in Panola County on a felony warrant out of Bexar County, records show. The charge is considered a second-degree felony.

In a Tuesday statement to KSAT, Randolph Field ISD (RFISD) acknowledged Halcumb’s arrest. However, the school district said she “tendered her resignation prior to the end” of the 2025-2026 school year and is “no longer employed by RFISD.”

According to an arrest warrant obtained by KSAT Investigates, Randolph High School staff reported to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office late last month that Halcumb and the student were “spending excessive time together and appearing ‘hip to hip.’”

A school administrator told BCSO that staff discovered more than 160 messages between Halcumb and the student sent between February and April.

The administrator described the messages as “teenage flirting” that violated school policy. The last message sent in April had Halcumb’s personal phone number, records show.

The student’s father told school administrators that Halcumb gave his daughter a ride home after a school sporting event. Records show Halcumb and the student ended up at a park where they were kissing and fondling.

In a separate incident, Halcumb went to the teen’s house to get her nails done. Records show the teenager told her father that kissing and fondling between Halcumb and the teen happened again.

Halcumb told the teenage girl not to tell anyone about their relationship, records show.

The teenage girl told investigators that she was 18 and still a student when the physical contact happened, according to the warrant.

The teen’s parents called Halcumb in May. Records show that Halcumb knew the contact was wrong, but placed the blame on the teen, who Halcumb said, “pushed up on her and tried to kiss her first.”

In its statement, Randolph Field ISD said it could not “comment on the specific allegations or provide additional details” due to the “active law enforcement investigation.”

“The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority,” RFISD’s statement to KSAT continued. “Randolph Field ISD is cooperating fully with law enforcement and will continue to do throughout the investigation.”

Halcumb takes job at Bastrop ISD

On Tuesday, KSAT found an April 27 Facebook post that identified Halcumb as the newest head volleyball coach at Cedar Creek High School, which is in the Bastrop Independent School District.

The post, which was made on a page managed by the school’s “Home Court Booster Club,” served as a notification for the school’s volleyball parents to meet Halcumb during an upcoming meeting scheduled for May 18.

A follow-up Facebook post, which was made on May 18, thanked Halcumb for leading the meeting.

In a phone call, Bastrop ISD Executive Director of Communications Evan Moilan told KSAT the district was aware of the “developing situation” regarding Halcumb but offered no further comment.

In an emailed response to KSAT’s original email, Moilan said Bastrop ISD is “reviewing the matter in accordance with district policies.”

“The safety of our students, staff, and community is always our highest priority,” Moilan said.

According to Panola County jail records, Halcumb was released from the county’s custody earlier Tuesday.

A BCSO spokesperson told KSAT Investigates that Halcumb was transported back into Bexar County custody. Jail records show Halcumb was released on bond Tuesday afternoon.

Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.

The Central African Republic, a deeply impoverished country plagued by conflict, is one of at least nine African nations with this type of agreement.

Under a series of often-secret agreements that are part of a broad U.S. crackdown on immigration, the Trump administration has deported thousands of people to nearly two dozen countries that are not their own, advocates say.

The Trump administration uses deportations to third countries as a legal loophole to indirectly force asylum seekers back to their home countries, immigration lawyers said.

It was unclear exactly how many migrants were on the deportation flight that left Louisiana late Thursday on the way to the Central African Republic’s capital, Bangui.

Some of the migrants are temporarily staying at a firefighters’ base near the U.S. Embassy compound under construction in Bangui, while others will be housed at other locations, according to a source close to the embassy. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not allowed to speak publicly on the matter, also said women and men were separated upon arrival.

Among those set to be deported Thursday were people from Iran, Jordan, Armenia, Turkey, Georgia and Afghanistan, according to Ali Rahnama, interim executive director of the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, who has been in touch with some of the migrants.

Three Iranian women in the U.S. were originally scheduled to be sent to the Central African Republic, according to Sahar Jalili Pawelski, one of their immigration lawyers, who said two of them received emergency court orders temporarily stopping their deportation while judges reviewed whether the government was acting legally.

All had been granted court protection against deportation to Iran after judges ruled they faced credible fears of persecution on the basis of politics or religion, Rahnama said.

“Despite being granted withholding of removal, these individuals are being removed from the United States and abandoned in a country where they have no status, no connection and no support network. We fear they will ultimately be forced to return to the countries they originally fled,” Emily Trostle, an attorney representing two of the women, said Friday.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Thursday would not comment on the case, saying it would not confirm future removal operations for security reasons. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Central African Republic has been plagued by years of conflict between pro-government forces and armed groups and is one of the poorest countries in the world. Despite vast reserves of gold, one in three people live on less than $2 a day.

It also is one of the countries where Wagner, a Russian mercenary group, was first active in Africa. The group has been responsible for President Faustin-Archange Touadéra’s security and fighting rebel groups.

The country remains one of Russia’s closest allies in Africa, despite recent tensions between Touadéra and Moscow over Russia’s push to replace Wagner with the state-controlled Africa Corps.

Rahnama of the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund expressed concerns about an Iranian asylum seeker being sent to the Central African Republic, noting Russia’s influence in the country and Moscow’s close security ties with Iran.

The International Organization for Migration, a U.N.-affiliated agency, will “provide post-arrival humanitarian assistance” to the migrants at the request of the Central African authorities, a spokesperson said.

The U.S. earlier this year awarded $85 million to ⁠the IOM for ​operations in the Central African Republic to provide “assistance to migrants” and promote “community stabilization.”

___

Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writers Rebecca Santana in Washington and Akram Oubachir in Casablanca, Morocco contributed to this report.

Thursday's storms ripped roofs off of buildings, flattened homes, brought down scores of trees and power lines and caused hundreds of thousands of power outages and major air traffic disruptions. Officials said there were no reports of deaths or life-threatening injuries, though there were several people treated for minor injuries.

Tornado damage was reported in several towns including Merrillville and Hebron in Indiana and Streator, Illinois. Authorities were surveying the damage Friday and preparing to issue emergency declarations needed to get recovery funding.

Marsha Smith was in her apartment building in Merrillville, about 33 miles (53 kilometers) southeast of Chicago, when the tornado struck the complex, tearing roofs off three buildings, knocking down trees and breaking car windshields before heavy rain caused more damage to the homes. She and some neighbors huddled under an indoor stairwell holding hands and praying.

“The louder the tornado got, the louder I started praying,” said Smith, 54, a CPR instructor. “I said, ’Oh God it’s here.′ I said, ’Lord Jesus make it pass, let it pass, let it pass over. I said, ’God give us the strength to make it through this.’ And it just started wrecking.”

Smith said there was an eerie calm just before the tornado struck. Then it sounded like a freight train smashing into her building, she said. She thanked God no one was hurt. Friday morning, she surveyed her neighborhood and described it as a catastrophe.

Officials in Merrillville said more than 200 buildings were damaged, including some that were destroyed. Downed trees and power lines blocked streets, and part of a high school's roof was ripped off. Cleanup crews were out working Friday.

Multiple agencies from the region helped local first responders search and assessed damaged areas, town officials said on social media. Crews worked into the night clearing roads. The American Red Cross set up a 700-bed shelter.

In and around Streator and Hebron, photos and videos posted on social media showed damage in those areas similar to that in Merrillville. The National Weather Service said tornadoes hit those areas as well, and it was surveying the damage to determined exactly how many tornadoes touched down.

In Streator, a manufacturing and farm city about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southwest of Chicago, emergency crews were inspecting the damage. Officials said nearly a dozen homes were damaged, including some that were destroyed. A reunification center for displaced residents was set up in its city hall and the Red Cross opened a shelter.

Streator Mayor Tara Bedei said there were no reported deaths. “We are incredibly grateful for the safety of our residents and the quick action of emergency personnel,” she said in a statement. Officials said four people were treated at a hospital for minor injuries.

First responders also worked through the night in Hebron, a small town about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Chicago, officials said in a Facebook post. Damage assessments were underway.

Jennifer Hall was in her garage in Elkhart, Indiana, as the winds and rain picked up Thursday evening. Suddenly, she said, she heard a loud crash and discovered a tree limb had gone through the roof of her rental home. She used buckets to catch the rain coming in from the hole.

“I’m just nervous because it’s just been one thing after another,” said Hall, explaining she just had surgery and her husband is out of town.

The tornadoes came after severe storms swept through the Midwest on Wednesday, knocking out power, damaging buildings and canceling flights.

There were nearly 180,000 power outages in Illinois on Friday afternoon, down from more than 200,000 earlier in the day. Nearly 115,000 homes and businesses in Indiana were in the dark, down a few thousand from earlier Friday, according to poweroutage.us.

Commonwealth Edison, a major electricity provider in Illinois, said it expected to restore 80% of the power outages from Wednesday's storms by Saturday night, and 80% of outages from Thursday's storms by Sunday night. In Indiana, NIPSCO said it was working to restore power as fast as possible but did not provide a timeline.

The storms delayed or halted flights at airports in some cities, including Chicago, Philadelphia and New York on Thursday. Parts of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic also strained under high heat and humidity. Dozens of flights were canceled or delayed Friday at Chicago’s O’Hare International and Midway International airports, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking website.

Police in Des Moines, Iowa, said a 54-year-old man was found critically injured Thursday morning at a homeless encampment in a park after being hit by a tree that “broke apart and fell during strong storms." He died at the scene.

___

This story was updated to correct that police said a man in Des Moines hit by a fallen tree was found Thursday, not Wednesday.

___

Associated Press writers Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, and Gene Johnson in Seattle contributed.

• WEEKEND: Isolated to scattered downpours, mainly during the afternoon hours
• MONDAY-TUESDAY: Best chance for rain, heavy downpours could bring street flooding

FORECAST

WEEKEND

Random, pop-up downpours can be expected over the weekend, especially during the afternoon hours but coverage will be limited. Most of them will be brief but could still drop 1″ or so of rain. The only threat is lightning if you happen to be outside and a downpour hits your location. It stays hot & humid.

MONDAY

A front will give lift to a saturated airmass over South Texas. Downpours will focus along the boundary as it slowly shifts south across the region Monday afternoon into Monday evening. With heavy rainfall a possibility, there will be concern for street flooding.

The exact timing of rain for your neighborhood remains uncertain, so check back for updates. This is likely to be a slow moving front, and hasn’t even formed to our north yet, but in the days ahead, we will be able to get more specific with timing of rainfall. Regardless, drought-denting rain is likely for many neighborhoods.

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Days after Randolph High School’s former volleyball coach was arrested in East Texas on a Bexar County warrant, her new employer at Bastrop ISD said she was no longer joining the district.

BreAnn Halcumb, 34, was arrested June 1 in Panola County and accused of having an improper relationship with a student, records show. The charge is considered a second-degree felony.

In a June 2 statement to KSAT, Randolph Field ISD (RFISD) acknowledged Halcumb’s arrest. However, the school district said she “tendered her resignation prior to the end” of the 2025-2026 school year and is “no longer employed by RFISD.”

Halcumb named head volleyball coach in Bastrop ISD

On June 2, KSAT found an April 27 Facebook post that identified Halcumb as the newest head volleyball coach at Cedar Creek High School, a school in the Bastrop Independent School District.

The post, which was made on a page managed by the school’s “Home Court Booster Club,” served as a notification for the school’s volleyball parents to meet Halcumb during a meeting scheduled for May 18.

KSAT also found a second Facebook post, which was made May 18, that thanked Halcumb for leading the meeting.

As of June 3, both Facebook posts that mentioned Halcumb by name were deleted.

Bastrop ISD Executive Director of Communications Evan Moilan told KSAT he was “reviewing the matter in accordance with district policies.”

“The safety of our students, staff, and community is always our highest priority,” Moilan said on June 2.

Halcumb no longer joining Bastrop ISD

In a June 4 letter to parents and staff obtained by KSAT Investigates, Bastrop Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Kristi Lee addressed Halcumb’s future with the district.

“Earlier this week the district became aware of information that had not been disclosed during the selection process. Upon learning this information, district administration immediately reviewed the matter and took appropriate action,” Lee wrote. “As a result, the individual (Halcumb) will not be joining Bastrop ISD.”

Teachers are contracted annually from July 1 - June 30 in Texas, Moilan said.

Lee also wrote that the district did its “due diligence” while completing the process that led to Halcumb’s hire.

“We want to assure you that the district followed its established hiring procedures and conducted appropriate due diligence throughout the selection process, including a background check and references from their previous school which included her previous Principal, Athletic Coordinator, and Assistant Athletic Coordinator,” Lee wrote. “The information that prompted this action came to our attention only after the hiring process had concluded.”

The allegation

According to an arrest warrant obtained by KSAT Investigates, Randolph High School staff reported to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office late last month that Halcumb and the student were “spending excessive time together and appearing ‘hip to hip.’”

A school administrator told BCSO that staff discovered more than 160 messages between Halcumb and the student sent between February and April.

The administrator described the messages as “teenage flirting” that violated school policy. The last message sent in April had Halcumb’s personal phone number, records show.

The student’s father told school administrators that Halcumb gave his daughter a ride home after a school sporting event. Records show Halcumb and the student ended up at a park where they were kissing and fondling.

In a separate incident, Halcumb went to the teen’s house to get her nails done. Records show the teenager told her father that kissing and fondling between Halcumb and the teen happened again.

Halcumb told the teenage girl not to tell anyone about their relationship, records show.

The teenage girl told investigators that she was 18 and still a student when the physical contact happened, according to the warrant.

The teen’s parents called Halcumb in May. Records show that Halcumb knew the contact was wrong, but placed the blame on the teen, who Halcumb said, “pushed up on her and tried to kiss her first.”

In its statement, Randolph Field ISD said it could not “comment on the specific allegations or provide additional details” due to the “active law enforcement investigation.”

“The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority,” RFISD’s statement to KSAT continued. “Randolph Field ISD is cooperating fully with law enforcement and will continue to do throughout the investigation.”

Records show Halcumb is expected to make her next Bexar County court appearance on Aug. 31.

Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.

More KSAT Investigates’ coverage of this story:

• Records: Ex-Randolph High School volleyball coach arrested for improper relationship with student

Three regional officials say the emerging deal is expected to pave the way for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the phased lifting of sanctions on Iran, and the release of frozen Iranian assets. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations.

A senior U.S. administration official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House, said that technical details on how to remove Iran’s enriched uranium, according to the emerging memorandum of understanding, would be worked out during a 60-day period following the two sides signing off on the agreement.

Here's the latest:

Court denies Kennedy Center request to pause removal of Trump’s name

An appeals court has rejected a last-ditch effort by the Kennedy Center’s leadership to keep Trump’s name on the building, leaving the institution with few options other than removing the name in the coming hours.

With storms dancing around Washington before a court-ordered deadline to remove references to Trump, workers were seen Friday building scaffolding around a section of the building that includes the president’s name.

A crowd gathered nearby and cheered their work as Trump’s name moved closer to being taken down.

▶ Read more

Migrants deported from US arrive in Central African Republic

An Iranian woman is among around two dozen migrants who arrived Friday in the Central African Republic on a deportation flight from the United States, lawyers said. It’s the latest example of the Trump administration’s widely criticized deals with African and Latin American nations to take third-country deportees.

It was unclear exactly how many migrants were on the deportation flight that left Louisiana late Thursday on the way to the Central African Republic’s capital, Bangui.

The Central African Republic is one of at least nine African nations accepting third-country deportees under widely criticized deals with the Trump administration. Immigration lawyers argue the administration uses deportations to third countries as a loophole to force asylum seekers back to their home countries.

The Central African Republic is impoverished and has strong Russian ties, raising concerns for the Iranian deportee.

▶ Read more

Treasury expands bank data-sharing rules tied to Trump immigration crackdown

The Treasury Department has moved to involve banks more deeply in the administration’s immigration crackdown.

The department issued new guidance Friday allowing banks to share information about suspected customers more freely.

The changes are framed as a crackdown on fraud and crime. In May, Trump signed an executive order requiring banks to scrutinize customer citizenship. The new guidance expands banks’ ability to share information, including flags tied to immigration status.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told bankers that the new guidance is part of what the banking system needs to do as part of their routine operations.

“The advisory does not ask banks to become immigration officers,” Bessent said. “It asks banks to do what they do best: know their customers, identify risk, recognize suspicious patterns, and report illicit activity when they see it.”

▶ Read more

Platner’s nomination reflects Democrats’ desire for a bigger tent to gain seats

Support for Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner despite a growing list of controversies reflects a Democratic Party increasingly willing to overlook behavior it might once have deemed disqualifying.

For some Democrats, the shift reflects lessons learned during the Trump era. Republicans stood by Trump through scandals, impeachments and criminal convictions, often without paying a lasting political price at the ballot box.

“I think what the people of this country and the people of Maine are interested in is how we’re going to have a government that represents all of us and addresses the many crises we face. Not the marriage problems of a campaign,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Among the controversies concerning Platner are a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol, sexting with other women shortly after he married and allegations, which Platner denies, that he locked an ex-girlfriend in a room and forcefully twisted her arm.

▶ Read more

Take a peek inside more new UFO files

One was a rotating disc that sent out beams of light. Another was a shining red orb of a hue the observer had never seen before. Then there was the one compared to a potato, and also a bean, but with a coat of shimmering, fish-like scales.

Those were some of the UFOs described in documents released Friday by the Pentagon, the third release since Trump directed his administration to give the public full disclosure around what it knows about alien life and mysterious objects in the sky.

The 72 files released on Friday don’t include the kind of blockbuster revelation that Trump has teased. There’s no conclusive evidence of alien life or government cover-ups. But the files reveal new details about some recent sightings, along with the government’s efforts to explain what many find inexplicable.

▶ Read more

As Trump again says the Iran war could soon end, some objectives are unfulfilled

The Trump administration has said its war aims are clear and unchanging. However, the list has expanded and shifted as the president and his administration have spoken about the conflict, now in its fourth month.

All the while, the war has battered the global economy, tested alliances and raised unanswered questions about the planning for the conflict, its justification and its aftermath.

By most accounts, the strikes by the U.S. and Israel have significantly degraded Iran’s military capabilities and killed scores of senior leaders. But those tactical successes don’t necessarily translate into achieving all the president’s strategic aims, even as the administration said Friday that it was meeting the goals it had laid out.

Here’s a look at the objectives laid out by Trump at various points during the war, and what we know about where they stand:

▶ Read more

The rise of UFC: Dana White’s path from ‘human cockfighting’ to the White House starts with Trump

Dana White and the UFC’s journey to the White House began 25 years ago with a modest event in Atlantic City called “Battle on the Boardwalk.”

At the time, White was a new UFC president who said his goal was to make the fledging promotion “the Super Bowl of mixed martial arts.”

The site of this seemingly absurd proclamation: Trump Taj Mahal.

After larger fights outside the cage for legitimacy and legalization, UFC is back at Trump’s home this weekend, though both the promotion and the businessman have long since leveled up in status and stature.

▶ Read more

White House is trying to assure Netanyahu about emerging deal

Trump spoke on Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the latest efforts to reach an agreement with Iran, according to a senior U.S. administration official.

The official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House, said that the U.S. administration is stressing to Israeli officials that any deal will require Iran to begin delivering on concessions in the deal before Tehran receives any potential benefits from the settlement.

— By Aamer Madhani in Washington

Cuban president announces economic reforms amid tensions

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel on Friday announced a package of economic reforms aimed at attracting investment, expanding participation by Cubans living abroad in the economy and decentralizing parts of the country’s administration.

The president did not provide details during remarks to state media.

“Every opportunity in the midst of a crisis must be seized as a moment for takeoff, as a moment for growth,” Díaz-Canel said, according to a statement from the presidency that was republished by state-run media.

The reforms come amid heightened tensions in U.S.-Cuba relations. The U.S. has pressed for economic reforms since launching a blockade that has deprived Cuba of fuel since February.

Technical details are still in flux for emerging Iran deal, US official says

A senior U.S. administration official said that a deal with Iran was 80% to 85% done, and the U.S. side believes “most of the people who have authority” in the Iranian government want to sign on to the deal “but not everybody.”

The official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House, said that technical details on how to go about removing Iran’s enriched uranium, according to the emerging memorandum of understanding, would be worked out during a 60-day period following the two sides signing off on the agreement.

The official did not detail who the U.S. envisions taking charge of removing the uranium, which is believed to be entombed under three nuclear sites that were battered by U.S. strikes last year.

— By Aamer Madhani in Washington

Judge rules Trump can stage UFC fights at the White House this weekend

A federal judge has refused to stop the White House from staging a UFC mixed martial arts event this weekend in an elaborate ring already built on the South Lawn to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary — on Trump’s 80th birthday.

The nonprofit Public Integrity Project sued to challenge Trump’s UFC Freedom 250 event.

The White House calls the lawsuit baseless, saying it’s no different from many other events hosted at public forums in the capital.

▶ Read more

Judge denies Kennedy Center request for pause in ruling ordering Trump’s name removed from building

That denial came Friday. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled last month Trump’s name was illegally added to the iconic Washington performing arts facility. Cooper ruled only Congress could institute a change to the Kennedy Center’s name and ordered references to Trump to be removed by Friday.

A June 4 memo to staff from the Kennedy Center’s Office of General Counsel said email signatures, letterhead and other documents must reflect the name as “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” or “Kennedy Center.”

The Kennedy Center’s website has dropped Trump’s name. And an email earlier this week sent to members offering ticket packages for the June 28 Mark Twain Award for American Humor ceremony came from the Kennedy Center without including Trump’s name.

▶ Read more

Pakistan says US and Iran agree on ‘final’ text of a peace deal

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Friday that a “final, agreed upon text of the peace deal” between the United States and Iran has been reached and that Pakistan is now working with both sides to finalize the next steps.

“Peace has never been this close as it is now,” he added.

In a post on X, Sharif said Pakistan was engaged in “ongoing intense mediation efforts” and accused unnamed actors of spreading “incessant misinformation” aimed at undermining the process.

The U.S. and Iran did not immediately comment on Sharif’s statement.

Thunderbirds and Blue Angels fly over White House before Sunday’s UFC matches

Dana White, president and CEO of UFC, was on hand to watch as the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and U.S. Navy Blue Angels did a practice run over the White House, where the lawn is set up for Sunday’s matches.

White is a big Trump supporter. Sunday is also Trump’s 80th birthday.

Trump’s name remains on Kennedy Center as removal deadline approaches

Yet there were signs of activity on this steamy summer afternoon, as workers put up scaffolding around a section of the performing arts venue that includes Trump’s name.

Workers have appeared in the area before so it’s unclear whether they were preparing to immediately take down his name.

Much of the attention is on U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who must decide whether to grant a last-minute pause for his earlier ruling to remove Trump’s name. The judge ruled in May that only Congress could make such changes.

U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty, a Democrat from Ohio, made a filing earlier Friday opposing the request. An ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board, she filed the lawsuit seeking to remove Trump’s name from the institution.

▶ Read more

Iran’s top diplomat says a deal with the US is close

Striking an unusually optimistic tone, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that a Pakistan-brokered agreement between the U.S. and Iran to end their war “has never been closer.”

He added that the media should not speculate about the deal’s content, apparently in reference to reports circulating with lists of points purportedly included in the agreement.

“All details will be shared with the public in due course,” Araghchi said in a post on X.

Trump shared Araghchi’s post on his own social media account.

Official details US reductions to NATO resources in Europe

The U.S. notified NATO in early June that it’s reducing the American military assets that would be available to Europe in case of attack, according to a NATO official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The reduction included an aircraft carrier strike group as well as a number of submarines, fighter jets, maritime patrol aircraft, air refueling planes and drones, the official said. However, U.S. space capabilities that help with targeting are not being drawn down.

The official said details are still being worked out on exactly when those assets are being reduced and when other NATO countries will step in to fill gaps left by the U.S. The timeline will be discussed further at the NATO summit in Turkey in July.

German news outlet Die Welt earlier reported some details of the cuts.

— Ben Finley

Vice President JD Vance pushes back on critics of in-the-works Iran deal

Vance in a social media post appeared to be chiding some of the president’s supporters who “said Donald Trump was a historic president a month ago” were now “criticizing a deal based on unconfirmed media reports.”

“The president is going to get us a good outcome, one way or the other,” Vance said.

The vice president in his post said the Iranians “are not receiving any cash,” but that Iran would receive “economic benefits” if it meets obligations.

“This deal has the potential to remake the region and lead to lasting peace,” he said, without releasing details.

Judge extends block on Trump’s $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund

The federal judge agreed Friday to extend a court-ordered block on the Trump administration’s creation and operation of a $1.8 billion settlement fund for compensating people who claim to be victims of a weaponized government.

Earlier this month, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress the government is scrapping its plans for the fund in the face of a fierce bipartisan backlash. Government attorneys have argued that lawsuits challenging the fund are now moot, but plaintiffs’ attorneys aren’t satisfied by Blanche’s assurances that the fund won’t move forward.

President Trump, meanwhile, has not publicly and unequivocally endorsed its cancellation.

▶ Read more

US official says Iran deal has five key terms that include destroying and removing nuclear material

A senior U.S. official said there are five key terms in the agreement: Iran’s nuclear material will be destroyed and removed, its nuclear program will be dismantled, none of its frozen money will be released until it meets certain demands, the Strait of Hormuz will be open, and Iran must not fund terrorist groups.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to provide details about the sensitive talks.

Trump on Friday lashed out at Iranian officials on social media and said, “They better get their act together, and FAST!”

— Collin Binkley

NATO weighs options to defend Europe as the US plans for conflict elsewhere

NATO’s top military officer is weighing alternative plans to defend Europe should it come under attack from Russia, after the United States announced it’s cutting the number of aircraft and warships it would provide in a security crisis.

The so-called NATO Force Model is Plan A for making forces from the 32 member nations available in times of peace, crisis or war. It sets out the military assets commanders can call on in phases over the first six months of any conflict.

But last month, the Pentagon warned its NATO allies it would be scaling down its commitment to focus on potential threats elsewhere, notably from China in the Indo-Pacific region.

European countries and Canada had waited impatiently for over a year for the Trump administration to detail its plans after it warned that Europe is no longer a top U.S. security priority. They knew cuts were coming, but not how big, fast or what kind.

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Tensions between Trump and Macron could be on full display at next week’s G7 summit in France

The relationship between Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron started simply enough, with a handshake, nearly a decade ago.

But even then, there were signs of strain in their relationship — tensions that could be on full display during next week’s G7 summit in France.

Back in 2017, Trump was a brash businessman just elected to America’s most powerful office, and Macron was an upstart politician who had won his race in a landslide. At a NATO summit in Brussels, they clinched hands far longer than most people do when they meet for the first time. Neither seemed to want to be the first to break a grip so tight that it exposed white knuckles.

Nevertheless, a friendship was born. And early on, Macron seemed to be the one European leader with a knack for managing his mercurial, three-decades-older counterpart.

But by the end of Trump’s first term, the bromance had faded. And in his second term, the leaders now openly trade barbs, disagreeing over tariffs, Ukraine and the Iran war.

▶ Read more

A key US government surveillance program is set to expire

The surveillance tool seen as vital in preventing terror attacks and catching foreign spies is set to expire Friday after congressional efforts to temporarily extend it failed in bipartisan fashion.

It’s a significant lapse for the program known as Section 702, and even as President Donald Trump nominates a new national intelligence director more palatable to both Republicans and Democrats than his initial pick, it’s unclear how soon lawmakers — set for recess — would be able to revive the spy program.

Still, there may not be an immediate drop-off given that a court order from March authorized these government surveillance powers to remain in effect for another year.

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Police made dozens of visits to the store in the 4000 block of Medical Drive between January and March, for what the department listed as “Crime Plan-High Visibility.”

These visits are intended to deter crime in areas with a high volume of calls, according to SAPD’s public information office.

Prior to the deterrance calls, the data shows more than 100 calls for police service were made at Classic Mart and 420 Shop, which appears to be a combined convenience store and smoke shop, including disturbances, some involving guns, and holdup alarms.

Police said they received the call about the recent stabbing around 1 a.m. Friday, however, it originally came in as a shooting.

When officers arrived, they found the 25-year-old clerk with multiple stab wounds, which ultimately led to his death.

“When I found out, it was crazy,” said Domanick Turley, who works at a neighboring business. “From what I know, he didn’t have no problems with no one. Everyone who went in there at night, they liked him.”

Turley said he got to know the victim fairly well because they both worked the overnight shift at their respective businesses.

Police said it appears the worker was killed during some sort of disagreement.

Within hours, they said they developed leads on who the suspect might be.

Officers later surrounded an apartment across the street from the murder scene, then began calling people out of the particular unit.

Mark Pollard, who lives in a nearby apartment, says he woke up to the commotion.

“I saw all the dogs barking and the guns drawn,” he said. “I started recording to see what was going on, and I couldn’t even come to the end of the rail. The cops were telling me to stand back.”

Pollard said he was surprised and a bit shaken to see the trouble so close to the place that he and his family call home.

The video he shared with KSAT shows officers ordering people to slowly walk backwards out of the apartment with their fingers interlaced behind their heads.

Police ended up taking several people into custody for questioning.

Later, a homicide detective told KSAT 12 a 17-year-old boy had been arrested as a suspect in the murder.

As of Friday afternoon, police had not released any names of the suspect or the victim.

Read more:

• Teen detained for questioning in connection with fatal Northwest Side stabbing, SAPD says

Midland officials have confirmed that a city employee was killed and 10 people were injured in a Friday morning shooting on the south side that also left the suspected gunman dead.

Midland Police Department confirmed the suspected shooter was 45-year-old Victor Mata Villarreal, who had been wanted for attempted capital murder since Wednesday. That evening, he shot at a police officer with a rifle after being detained at a traffic stop, police said. Mata Villarreal fled the scene, abandoning his car, and after exchanging gunfire, local police were unable to find him afterwards. Police have not disclosed why Villarreal was stopped. The officer was not injured, but has been placed on administrative leave.

The shooting Friday began around 8 a.m., and residents received a stay-in-place notification as police surrounded the barricaded suspect. The city confirmed that the suspected shooter was dead around 11:30 a.m. A motive for the shooting has not been confirmed. 

Mata Villarreal, who was an Odessa resident, had been convicted in 2009 for unlawfully carrying a firearm in San Angelo, according to state records. In 2003 he was charged for the same reason and a year later, was charged for unlawfully possessing a prohibited weapon. Both times, the case was dismissed. 

Mayor Lori Blong said in a Friday news conference that officials had no further details on the dead or wounded victims. The city later announced Ed Scott, one of their employees, was the victim who was fatally shot.

Blong said the suspected shooter had been in a standoff with police for several hours before drones and a robot confirmed he was dead. The mayor did not say how the suspect had been killed. Hotels and a convention center are near where the shooting happened, along with Beal Park.  

Midland Memorial Hospital said four people underwent surgery and three others had been treated and released, according to The Associated Press. Two others were in stable condition, the hospital said.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and everyone impacted by this tragic incident,” said Mayor Pro-tem Amy Stretcher Burkes. “We’re also praying for law enforcement officers, first responders, and the surgical teams working tirelessly to protect lives and provide care during this difficult time.” 

Midland Community Organizations Active in Disaster, a coalition of local nonprofits and businesses, is coordinating multiple efforts to support victims, Blong said on Facebook. The West Texas Food Bank has vehicles on the way to support law enforcement, and mental health experts are headed to Midland Memorial, where a family reunification center has been set up. 

The city is also coordinating a food and donation drive, along with a blood bank.

“Our community is already responding with love and action,” Blong said. “Thank you for taking care of the people who are taking care of us today.”

Midland and nearby Odessa was the scene of a 2019 shooting rampage when a lone gunman killed seven civilians and injured 25, including three law enforcement officers, from his vehicle before he was shot to death. An 11-foot-tall monument was erected five years later to commemorate the victims and survivors.

Gov. Greg Abbott’s office shared condolences for the city and urged the community to cooperate with local police. 

“The Governor commends the swift and professional response of the Midland Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Rangers, and all assisting law enforcement agencies working to protect the public,” Abbott Press Secretary Andrew Mahaleris said in a statement. “Texas stands ready to provide any additional state resources or support.”

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick echoed the sentiment in a post on X.

“Texans are heartbroken over the news of a shooting in Midland. Please join Jan and me in prayer for the victims, their families, and the city of Midland,” he wrote. “Please also pray for our brave first responders who put themselves in harm’s way to keep the Midland community safe.”

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

Shares in SpaceX jumped more than 19% after opening for trading Friday, a sign that investors are looking past the billions the company is losing and instead betting that its massive investments in satellites, orbital data centers and artificial intelligence will pay off in the future.

SpaceX opened around midday at $150 a share, then rose to around $168, before finishing the day just below $161. That price gave the company a market value of $2.1 trillion, making it the sixth largest public U.S. company — larger even than its founder and CEO's other big business, the electric vehicle maker Tesla.

Between his holdings in SpaceX and Tesla, where he is also CEO, Musk is now worth an estimated $1.1 trillion, according to Forbes.

Why SpaceX is going public now

Musk says SpaceX, founded in 2002, is going public now because it needs money to fund its ambitions of putting satellites and data centers in space and eventually establishing a colony of people on Mars.

He marked the opening of trading on Nasdaq by joining a ceremonial bell ringing from Starbase, the South Texas home of SpaceX.

He reiterated his lofty goals “to make life multiplanetary.”

“Not just a few astronauts, I mean literally you,” Musk said. “Whoever you are watching this, SpaceX wants to be able to take you to the moon, take you to Mars and ultimately beyond.”

Known for his technological breakthroughs, as well as wild claims and missed deadlines, Musk was able to whip up enthusiasm for the IPO. The typical company going public has seen a 7% jump in its first day of trading, from 1980 through 2025, according to Jay Ritter, a professor at the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business.

Institutional and retail investors alike jumped at the opportunity to buy a piece of the company at $135 per share before trading began. The $75 billion in proceeds SpaceX raised easily topped the previous record IPO from oil giant Saudi Aramco in 2019.

In addition to establishing a one-million person Martian colony, the company has promised to save humanity by establishing other outposts in space, launch data centers the size of football fields into orbit and outdo rivals Anthropic and OpenAI in the race to make money from artificial intelligence.

To reach its goals, SpaceX needs billions more than it currently takes in from its rocket and satellite business. Between the start of 2025 and March 31, 2026, the company, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies Corp., lost $8.7 billion.

Pros and cons for investors

Betting on SpaceX is in many ways a bet on Musk himself. In an unusual arrangement that has drawn criticism from shareholder watchdogs, he holds 82% interest in a special B class of shares, giving him sweeping power to control the company even though his ownership stake is about half that.

“There’s a lot of hype, but I see the faith that investors have in Musk,” said Yordys Coro, an IT support contractor in Miami as he watched his $14,000 investment in SpaceX shoot up to $17,000 in just a few hours. “I’m going to hold on.”

Wall Street bankers that helped take SpaceX public are also enthusiastic about the company — and the big fees they will earn — but not everyone thinks the stock price is justified.

Analysts at research firm Morningstar, which doesn't earn any investment banking fees, wrote that the IPO is “significantly overvalued."

Citing SpaceX’s technology challenges, including shielding its orbiting datacenters from radiation damage and catching up to leaders in AI such as Anthropic and OpenAI, they estimated the company is only worth $780 billion — less than half its IPO value.

SpaceX itself has hinted at the challenges, conceding in regulatory documents that some of its business plans rest on “unproven technologies.” It also indicated that another part of the company, its artificial intelligence business called xAI, has no clear path to profitability and is burning cash to catch up with rivals.

On a livestreamed conference Thursday with the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, one of the investment banks making big money off the IPO, Musk offered few details.

He entertained the crowd with talk of “moon hotels,” a future Martian colony and a network of Earth-orbiting data centers powered by the sun. But when asked about plans for his flagship chatbot offering Grok, he pivoted to talking about his satellites.

How Elon made his fortune

Still, Musk has pulled off the seemingly impossible before.

The now-trillionaire — on paper at least — made his initial fortune by creating two companies, Zip2 and PayPal, that netted him about $200 million at sale. He used that money to start SpaceX and invest in Tesla, and defied the odds by creating a space company that figured out how to reuse rockets and a car company that made electric vehicles cool.

Musk has realized vast sums of wealth for himself, much of it in stock he has yet to cash in or grants for shares he’ll only receive if Tesla or SpaceX hit ambitious performance targets.

His recent pay package from Tesla was so large it even drew criticism from the Vatican. At Tesla, he’s worried shareholders by fighting with regulators or dividing his attention between multiple companies and last year by taking a role in the Trump administration.

But a rising stock price has cured all ills: Since it went public in 2010, Tesla has returned 20,000% for shareholders, or more than $1.2 trillion in investor wealth.

SpaceX is the first of three “megacap” companies expected to go public this year, with Anthropic and OpenAI to follow. Nasdaq even revised its rules to allow SpaceX to gain entry into funds tied to its indexes in 15 days, which means investors will end up buying the rocket maker's shares much earlier.

Not all investors are thrilled about SpaceX potentially showing up in their holdings of index funds.

Officials from pension funds for firefighters, teachers and other workers in California and New York sent a letter to SpaceX last month decrying some of the provisions in its IPO, including mandatory arbitration of shareholder claims and how much power Musk will hold over the company.

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AP reporters Stan Choe and Wyatte Grantham-Philips contributed from New York and reporter Matt O'Brien contributed from Providence.

The scholar, Min Zin, was suspected of “engaging in espionage activities that endanger China’s national security,” said China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lin Jian.

It is uncommon for Beijing to arrest a U.S. citizen on national security allegations. The case comes just a month after U.S. President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing as the two countries aim to reset a tumultuous relationship.

A Burmese activist who knows Min Zin said he disappeared June 3 after going to Kunming, in China’s Yunnan province, for a conference. The activist, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of government retribution and arrest, said Min Zin had visited China multiple times before.

The U.S. State Department confirmed Min Zin, a U.S. citizen, was detained during a trip to Yunnan province in China.

“U.S. consular officers have visited him, and the Department of State is providing all appropriate consular assistance,” the State Department said. “We are engaged with Chinese officials on this case.”

Min Zin was a student activist in Myanmar’s 1988 uprising, a student-led movement that the government at the time reacted to with military force. He eventually sought asylum in the U.S. He was not engaged in any direct activism work currently, said the activist.

Min Zin is the founder of a think tank called ISP Myanmar, which in recent years has written about Chinese foreign policy and trade with Myanmar, located on China's southwest border. The think tank was involved in regular exchanges with Chinese think tanks, and had published on issues such as Myanmar's rare earth exports to China.

Min Zin is also a Ph.D candidate at the University of California, Berkeley.

Amnesty International, the human rights organization, called for Min Zin’s immediate release.

“The circumstances around Min Zin’s mysterious arrest are extremely concerning, as is the apparent charge of espionage,” said Joe Freeman, a Myanmar researcher for the group.

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Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

The president did not provide details about the measures or a timetable for their implementation but said during remarks to state media that it is now “time to change” and that the country “simply cannot continue on its current course.”

“Every opportunity in the midst of a crisis must be seized as a moment for takeoff, as a moment for growth,” Díaz-Canel said, according to a statement from the presidency that was republished by state-run media. “We have established a group of priorities to confront this situation,” he added without offering specifics.

The announcement comes as Cubans have struggled with fuel shortages as a result of the U.S. oil blockade and food insecurity. In January, the United States tightened restrictions on Cuba’s oil supplies in an effort to pressure the island’s government to change its political and economic model, exacerbating challenges that have persisted for about five years.

The U.S. State Department had no comment on the Díaz-Canel remarks and referred to the statement released Thursday on the latest sanctions.

Díaz-Canel said officials are evaluating measures related to foreign trade, exports, supply chains and logistics. Without elaborating, he suggested the government could eliminate mandatory state intermediaries in import and export operations and grant tariff benefits to those who bring raw materials into the country for production.

“The numbers don’t add up, and the government wants to make this look like a matter of will rather than a math problem,” Cuban economist Pedro Monreal wrote on X, in response to Díaz-Canel’s proposals.

The Spain-based former UNESCO official went on to criticize the collapse of a centralized planning model, for which he said “there are two respectable alternatives: assume the political price of failure, or self-critically rectify and drastically transform the model.”

For decades, Cuba maintained a centralized, vertical system under strict state control. This structure began to shift gradually over the last decade when the government introduced permits for independent workers. More recently, the state authorized the operation of the country’s first small- and medium-sized private enterprises.

Earlier Friday, a ship carrying nearly 100 tons of food and essential goods arrived from Colombia as part of the humanitarian aid that several countries have sent to Cuba in recent months as a U.S. energy embargo persists.

The ship, which departed Cartagena in early June, crossed the Havana Bay channel early in the morning flying the Colombian flag and escorted by a small Cuban auxiliary vessel, The Associated Press confirmed.

The Colombian Presidential Agency for International Cooperation said that, on orders of President Gustavo Petro, the shipment included nonperishable food, medicine, hospital supplies, electrical materials, solar panels and other items.

The ship also carried seven tons of goods collected by solidarity groups.

Last weekend, another ship carrying 1,700 tons of essential goods from Mexico and Belize arrived in Havana.

In late January, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. The move has deepened a preexisting crisis caused by U.S. sanctions. Washington is pressing the Cuban government to release political prisoners and move toward political and economic liberalization in return for a lifting of sanctions.

Cuba produces only 40% of its oil, leaving the island semiparalyzed and subjected to severe power outages.

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AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report from Washington.

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

Judge Sid Harle set the tentative trial date during a status hearing Friday, according to ABC News.

It is unclear whether the court will be able to stick with that date, due to ongoing civil litigation that seeks to force agents with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol Tactical Unit to testify in the case about their role in taking out the gunman.

Arredondo’s attorney, Paul Looney, said both sides hope the tentative trial date can speed up those ongoing civil lawsuits.

“We are both doing everything we can,” Looney said.

Looney also asked Harle to move the trial out of Uvalde County to secure a fair jury, not directly impacted by the tragedy.

Harle did not rule on that motion during Friday’s hearing, though ABC News reports he is expected to move the case to a different county.

Arredondo is facing 10 child endangerment charges connected to the May 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School, where the law enforcement response has been the subject of state and federal scrutiny.

Read also:

• Remembering Uvalde: Four years later, impact of Robb Elementary shooting remains felt
• One year later: What’s been done after 13 people killed in San Antonio floods

As a large column of air descended on Merrillville, Indiana, a town about 33 miles (53 kilometers) southeast of Chicago, the city’s police warned residents to take cover. By the evening, downed trees and power lines blocked the streets, homes were torn up and part of a high school's roof was ripped off.

Meanwhile, emergency crews were in the nearby manufacturing and farm city of Streator, Illinois, as the community reeled from tornado damage. A reunification center for displaced residents was set up in its city hall and the Red Cross opened a shelter.

Streator Mayor Tara Bedei said there were no reported deaths. “We are incredibly grateful for the safety of our residents and the quick action of emergency personnel,” she said in a statement.

Strong storms delayed or halted flights at airports in some cities, including Chicago, Philadelphia and New York on Thursday. Parts of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic also strained under high heat and humidity.

The tornadoes came after severe storms swept through the Midwest Wednesday, knocking out power, damaging buildings and canceling flights.

In Des Moines, Iowa, a 54-year-old man died at a homeless encampment in a park after being hit by a tree that “broke apart and fell during strong storms,” police said in a statement. The man was found critically injured Thursday morning and died at the scene, authorities said. There were no immediate reports of other deaths or injuries from the storms.

Tree limb breaks through roof

Tornado warnings were also in place in Chicago and in parts of Indiana and Michigan Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. In Chicago, a series finale between the White Sox and the Atlanta Braves was postponed due to rain.

Jennifer Hall was in her garage in Elkhart, Indiana, as the winds and rain picked up Thursday evening. Suddenly, she said, she heard a loud crash and discovered a tree limb had gone through the roof of her rental home. She used buckets to catch the rain coming in from the hole.

“I’m just nervous because it’s just been one thing after another,” said Hall, explaining she just had surgery and her husband is out of town.

A home vanishes before residents' eyes

Shane Tipton stepped out of his truck in Unionville, Missouri, Wednesday afternoon to find a twister bearing down, said his daughter, Kylie Rouse. He rushed to get his 87-year-old dad out of his mobile home.

They made it back to the truck, drove just far enough away and watched as the tornado obliterated the home. Shattered cabinets, furniture and appliances littered the ground. Clothes hung in trees. They believe they lost one of their hunting dogs, who has been missing since it struck.

“Everything's destroyed,” Rouse told The Associated Press in a phone interview Thursday. “It was scattered clear for miles. If my grandpa would have been in there, there's no way that he would be alive.”

Storm damages animal shelter in Illinois

Residents of Springfield, Illinois, believe a tornado touched down in their area late Wednesday. Two buildings at the Animal Protective League shelter in Springfield were heavily damaged, but none of the nearly 150 cats and 28 dogs housed there were injured, said Deana Corbin, the group's executive director.

“It pretty much wiped out our shelter facility, took the roofs off both of our buildings,” Corbin said. “It’s a miracle. We were so blessed to not have any injuries of either people or animals.”

The community pitched in to take in all the cats and dogs temporarily, including a local animal control center, veterinarians and residents, she said.

Damage also was reported at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield.

Weather service meteorologist Frank Pereira said the system that produced the storms, including high winds and hail, was moving eastward Thursday, fueled by cool air from Canada clashing with warm, humid air from the South.

Record high temperatures expected along East Coast

Potentially dangerous heat and high humidity arrived Thursday and was expected to continue Friday for a swath of the East Coast from the mid-Atlantic to the Northeast, where daily high record temperatures could be broken in numerous places, the weather service said. Temperatures in the mid-90s Fahrenheit (mid-30s Celsius) were expected, but with the humidity it could feel like 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) or more, the service said.

Philadelphia declared a heat health emergency for Thursday and Friday, activating cooling centers, home visits by field teams, outreach to people experiencing homelessness and other services. New York City officials were also urging residents to take precautions, including drinking plenty of water and finding a cool place to stay if they do not have air conditioning.

Severe weather wreaks havoc on air travel and power

At various points Wednesday and Thursday, ground stops were issued at Chicago's O’Hare International and Midway International airports, and at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

The Pittsburgh International Airport experienced a temporary power outage after a storm produced an “extraordinary” power surge, the airport said.

More than 1,000 flights going into and out of Chicago had been delayed or canceled, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking website.

Commonwealth Edison Company, which provides electric service across northern Illinois, said the storms had downed poles and wires. On X, it wrote that it expected “80% restoration” by late Saturday.

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This story was first published June 11. It was updated on June 12 to correct that police said a man in Des Moines hit by a fallen tree was found Thursday, not Wednesday.

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Associated Press reporters Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, and Gene Johnson in Seattle contributed.

A small fly has the potential to impart a big impact on Texas’ beef and agricultural industry.

On June 3, the New World screwworm was detected in a three-week-old calf in Zavala County by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Since then, the agency reported more screwworm infestations in Texas.

The fly poses a multibillion-dollar crisis for the state’s cattle industry, which generates $41 billion a year. It could also increase already record-high beef prices nationwide.

It’s unclear how many cases could hit Texas. Nearly 28,000 cases have been detected in Mexico since November 2024, according to Mexican officials.

State and federal officials are working together to stop the northern migration, which they have tracked since 2023. In response to the cases, USDA and the Texas Animal Health Commission have ramped up animal surveillance of animals near the confirmed detections by setting up zones around each infestation. Animals are not allowed to leave infested areas without being properly inspected.

Officials are also increasing fly traps, surveillance of wildlife and releasing sterile flies, which are used to break the reproduction cycle of the parasitic screwworm fly.

What is New World Screwworm?

New World Screwworm is a parasitic fly that is attracted to living tissue, burrowing their larvae into open wounds. After they hatch, the maggots then feed off that living flesh, causing damage to the animal. If untreated, the damage can even cause the animal to die.

Screwworm can also burrow through openings in the skin, such as the corner of an eye or through the nose.

From a biological standpoint, all mammals are vulnerable to screwworm, including pets and humans. However, livestock and wildlife tend to be the most susceptible because they spend their entire lives outdoors.

Dogs and cats are vulnerable through small wounds or scratches that break the skin. Health officials recommend pets be medicated for fleas and ticks year-round, said Casey Locklear, veterinarian and parasiticides lead for Elanco Animal Health.

“As a pet owner, if you were to notice that your dog or cat had a wound, especially if it’s foul smelling, it’s enlarging, you may actually see the maggots,” Locklear said. “If you see a wound, get treatment early. Whether that’s for yourself or your pet, early treatment is key.”

Read more about the screwworm here.

These changes are part of the administration’s push to remove undocumented workers from the nation’s banking system without explicitly mandating that banks do so. In order to get banks to participate, the administration has framed these actions as a crackdown on fraud and crime, not explicitly about immigration.

“The information in your purview can help stop a cartel financier, disrupt a money laundering network, uncover labor exploitation, or protect taxpayers from fraud,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in prepared remarks at a banking conference in Houston.

Bessent's remarks and the Treasury Department's new guidelines come from an executive order signed in May by Trump that requires banks to take a closer look at the citizenship of their customers as well as directs bank regulators and government departments to look for signs that people without legal status are opening accounts or obtaining loans or credit cards. But that executive order did not include an explicit mandate that banks collect citizenship information, which the industry for months lobbied against.

Banks have long been able to share information about their customers with other banks under the Patriot Act program when they suspect money laundering or fraud, part of the post-9/11 effort to combat terrorism and other crimes.

Friday’s actions widened that system on two fronts. Banks can now share such information with one another in real time and more freely, the Treasury Department said.

Secondly, the Trump Administration is giving banks a wider variety of reasons to share information, which now include flags historically tied to immigration status. One example is a customer having an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN), which are disproportionally used by undocumented immigrants when applying for work.

Bessent told bankers that the new guidance is simply part of what the banking system needs to do as part of their routine operations.

“The advisory does not ask banks to become immigration officers,” Bessent said. “It asks banks to do what they do best: know their customers, identify risk, recognize suspicious patterns, and report illicit activity when they see it.”

Bankers have been wary about sharing customer information with the federal government as part of immigration enforcement. Bankers never collected citizenship information on their customers, so any effort to do so would require a massive effort by banks and significant amounts of paperwork. There's also the fact that banks send millions of what are known as Suspicious Activity Reports to the federal bank regulators under the Bank Secrecy Act. Last week, the Treasury Department expanded the reasons why a bank might file a SAR to include potential undocumented workers.

“The administration is saying they don't want banks to be immigration officials, but they are trying to get as close to the line as possible,” said Nicholas Anthony, who focuses on bank regulation issues at the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute.

At the time Trump signed the order, the White House framed the effort on the premise of combating fraud, but also it said undocumented workers introduce risk to the overall financial system by taking out loans that could potentially never be repaid because the borrowers could be deported. Since banks haven't historically collected citizenship data on their customers, it's hard to quantify how much of a risk undocumented workers are to banks. One study by the left-leaning Urban Institute estimated that between 5,000 and 6,000 mortgages were issued to customers with ITINs, which would be a tiny fraction of the millions of mortgages written each year.

Immigration advocates have previously said any order that would order banks to collect citizenship information would likely result in undocumented immigrants moving out of the financial system, increasing the number of “unbanked” individuals.

The White House has taken other measures to discourage undocumented workers from using the financial system. The Treasury last November announced that it would reclassify certain refundable tax credits as “federal public benefits,” which bars some immigrant taxpayers from receiving them, even if they file and pay taxes and would otherwise qualify.

LULAC members spoke at a Friday news conference in front of the Bexar County jail to discuss their concerns with in-custody deaths at the facility.

LULAC Chapter Executive Director Henry Rodriguez and Director of Communication and Government Affairs Queta Rodriguez led the conversation.

Rodriguez believes San Antonio’s elected officials do not prioritize improvements to help inmates inside the Bexar County jail. She said the people in power blame one another instead of coming up with solutions.

“We are tired of elected officials pointing fingers at each other and not demonstrating a sense of urgency,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez called for the elimination of double magistration and named multiple elected city officials to “work together towards a concrete action plan and real transparency about every single death in custody.”

Double magistration is when a suspect is essentially booked into jail twice. San Antonio police officers normally take suspects to Municipal Court before Bexar County sheriff deputies take them to the county jail.

A mother named Gloria, whose daughter died at the Bexar County jail in 2011, also spoke at the news conference. Her daughter, Pamela Anguiano, was 25 years old at the time of her death.

Gloria claims Bexar County jail officials never called to notify her that Anguiano died.

“We know that there are other mothers that have lost their children, (and) children who have lost their parents,” Rodriguez said. “That’s why this is so urgent.”

“The commissioners court runs the budget, and the sheriff runs the building,” Rodriguez said. “When everyone owns a piece of the problem, and no one is willing to take accountability. No one owns the death.”

According to a KSAT Investigates analysis, six inmates have died while in the custody of the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office this year.

Most recently, Elizabeth Anne Nero, 57, died after experiencing a medical episode on June 4. A BCSO spokesperson said detoxing may have been a factor in the June 6 death of Reyes Antonio Chaires Jr., 44.

KSAT has reached out to each member of the Bexar County Commissioners Court, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office and San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones’ office for comment.

BCSO provided KSAT with the following statement:

Prior to the event, we committed to organizers that we’d gladly participate in a forum. We have been working with stakeholders on these important issues, and look forward to sharing our plans publicly.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar

Bexar County Precinct 3 Commissioner Grant Moody sent the following statement to KSAT:

For more than a year, I have been pushing for a public discussion on the overcrowding crisis at the Bexar County Jail. At my insistence, we finally had an initial conversation in April, but we cannot continue sweeping this problem under the rug. I have already requested another public discussion so we can continue this dialogue and start identifying potential solutions. The Bexar County Jail is one of our most important responsibilities on Commissioners Court. This is not only a public safety issue—it is also a quality-of-life issue for our community. I will stay focused on this issue and keep pushing for real solutions that strengthen public safety, prepare for future needs, and better serve our community.

Pct. 3 Commissioner Grant Moody

More related coverage of this story on KSAT:

• Bexar County jail inmate dies at San Antonio hospital, BCSO says
• Inmate dies after possible medical episode inside Bexar County jail, BCSO says

Waters joined host Ernie Zuniga for an emotional conversation that traced her journey from a bullied child in Corpus Christi to one of San Antonio’s most recognizable drag entertainers and LGBTQ+ advocates.

Born and raised in Corpus Christi, Waters described growing up in a deeply Catholic family and attending private school, where she often felt isolated and was bullied for being different.

“I was bullied in elementary and middle school,” Waters said, recalling years of struggling to understand her identity while feeling out of place.

A move to public school during high school proved transformative. Waters said she found acceptance, friendships and confidence after years of feeling excluded.

Her path eventually led her to theater and later to a career in education. Before becoming a full-time performer, Waters taught fifth grade and balanced classroom responsibilities with weekend drag performances.

Waters said she never intended to become a drag performer. What began as a one-time appearance at a talent competition quickly evolved into a successful career. Her stage name, “Kristi Waters,” was inspired by her hometown of Corpus Christi and its coastal roots.

After years of juggling teaching and performing, Waters made the difficult decision to leave education and pursue entertainment full time. Despite giving up the stability and benefits of a teaching career, she said she has never regretted the decision.

In 2025, Waters faced one of her greatest challenges when doctors diagnosed her with Stage 3 cancer. She continued working while privately battling the disease before eventually stepping away to undergo treatment. With support from family, friends and the community she helped build, Waters completed treatment and is now in remission.

Reflecting on Pride Month and San Antonio’s LGBTQ+ community, Waters praised the city for its welcoming spirit and acceptance.

For anyone struggling with their identity, Waters offered simple but heartfelt advice.

“Don’t be scared to come out,” she said. “There’s always someone there to talk to.”

Watch the full Pickup Lines with Kristi Waters in the video player above.

More Pickup Lines episodes:

• Pickup Lines: South Side roots, fifth-time charm led Visit San Antonio CEO to tourism career
• Pickup Lines: Radio legend Elizabeth Ruiz reflects on decades in San Antonio media, music and resilience
• Pickup Lines: Tony Plana reflects on childhood performance, Cuban exile and 50 years in acting

Ernie Zuniga started Pickup Lines, a digital talk show, straight from his vehicle. The segments feature a diverse range of guests, including executives, small business owners, and everyday individuals, as they share personal journeys, news, and stories.

The S&P 500 added 0.5% to close out its 10th winning week in the last 11. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 353 points, or 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.3%.

Stocks got a lift from a 3.4% drop for the price of Brent crude oil to $87.33 per barrel, deepening its loss for the week. Oil prices have come down since President Donald Trump on Thursday called off his threat to launch strikes on Iran and said a potential deal with Iran may be imminent.

A deal to end the war could reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow oil tankers to once again deliver crude from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide. Its near closure since the war began has sent the price of Brent up from roughly $70 per barrel and caused a wave of painful inflation for the world.

Of course, financial markets have rallied in the past on hopes that an end to the war with Iran was near, only to get disappointed each time.

The bigger factor for Wall Street over the last week has actually been artificial-intelligence stocks, and how they have gone from roaring to records to suddenly turning lower. The concern is whether such stocks shot too high, too fast because of AI mania, and their careening moves have sometimes reversed direction by the hour.

SpaceX suggested plenty of demand still exists among investors for AI after its stock leaped 19.2% in its first day of trading. That gave Elon Musk’s rocket company a total value of $2.1 trillion, making it bigger than Exxon Mobil, Bank of America and Coca-Cola combined. In addition to building rockets, SpaceX also owns the artificial intelligence company xAI.

AI-related stocks were otherwise mixed following their roller-coaster moves over the last week. Micron Technology’s drop of 1.4% was one of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500, but CoreWeave jumped 5% after learning it will join the Nasdaq 100 index later this month.

Elsewhere on Wall Street, Adobe dropped 6.8% despite reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

Its stock has lost nearly 42% so far this year, and it announced its chief financial officer is leaving the company on Monday. Adobe is already looking for a CEO to replace Shantanu Narayen, who announced in March that he is stepping aside after 18 years as Adobe’s leader.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 37.16 points to 7,431.46. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 353.51 to 51,202.26, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 79.18 to 25,888.84.

In the bond market, Treasury yields rose to regain some of their sharp slide from the day before, when oil prices dropped following Trump’s announcement. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.48% from 4.45% late Thursday.

High yields can slow entire economies and undercut prices for all kinds of investments, including stocks and cryptocurrencies. They hit investments seen as the most expensive in particular, and some critics are calling the AI industry a bubble where investment inflated too far.

Yields got a boost after a report suggested sentiment among U.S. consumers is not as bad as economists feared. The preliminary survey from the University of Michigan said sentiment improved by more than expected. U.S. consumers said they were feeling some relief after gasoline prices eased a bit early in the month.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rallied as they caught up to Thursday’s big gains on Wall Street.

South Korea’s Kospi jumped 4.6% and trimmed its losses from earlier this month taken because of sell-offs for AI-related stocks. The Kospi has nearly doubled since the start of the year.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 rose 2.8%, and France’s CAC 40 climbed 1.8% for two of the world’s bigger moves.

___

AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Matt Ott contributed to this report.

The comments were made in response to speculation that the bullet fragment could exonerate defendant Tyler Robinson. Conjecture over the evidence in Kirk’s killing has fueled unsubstantiated conspiracy theories that there might have been a second shooter or that his death was staged.

Prosecutors have said they intend to seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted. The 23-year-old from southwestern Utah is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 killing of Kirk, a conservative activist who was shot in the neck while addressing a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University. Robinson has not yet entered a plea.

Robinson’s attorneys accused prosecutors of going on a “media tour” to discuss expert reports about the bullet fragment, violating the judge's restrictions against speaking about the case outside court.

Prosecutors countered that they had a right to speak to the press to correct misinformation about a preliminary finding by ballistics experts. Those experts' initial tests did not match the bullet fragment with a gun that investigators believe was used to kill Kirk.

In court filings, defense attorneys made public a federal agency's failure to conclusively link the bullet fragment with the rifle. They said it appeared to be “exculpatory evidence” — information that tends to absolve a defendant of guilt — without noting that the finding was preliminary and that further testing was planned.

That spurred stories by some publications raising questions about the prosecution's case: A March 30 headline in the U.K.-based Daily Mail reported that the bullet that killed Kirk “did NOT match” the rifle investigators say was used to kill Kirk.

Authorities have said DNA consistent with Robinson’s was found on the trigger of the rifle, the fired cartridge casing, two unfired cartridges and a towel used to wrap the rifle.

“The rules expressly allow lawyers to set the record straight,” Deputy Utah County Attorney Christopher Ballard wrote in a court filing.

Ballard argued Friday that he didn't speak to the media about case specifics and only spoke generally about how ballistics testing can be inconclusive. He said his goal “was to respond to the substantial undue prejudicial effect of the media stories.”

Defense attorney Richard Novak disagreed, saying Ballard did not speak to the media using general terms and tried to “influence public perception” of the case.

“What was going on here was an attempt to influence the jury pool,” Novak argued.

State District Judge Tony Graf said he will issue his decision about the contempt allegation on June 22.

Earlier Friday, Graf declined a defense request to halt the proceedings while they appeal a June 1 order in which the judge declined to bar cameras from the courtroom.

The ruling comes ahead of a key hearing scheduled to begin July 6, when prosecutors must show they have enough evidence to warrant a trial. That would mark the most significant presentation of evidence to date in the case, which has so far focused on matters of media access.

Before Friday's hearing, the defense team pointed to another criminal case in which prosecutors were accused of contempt and suggested that one potential remedy would be to bar the state from seeking the death penalty.

While the judge in that earlier case disagreed that an order barring the death penalty was merited, Robinson’s attorneys noted that “the court did not conclude that such a remedy was beyond its authority where the facts support it.”

___

Brown reported from Billings, Montana.

That level of wealth, all owned by just one person, was once unfathomable. Before Friday, the trillion-dollar mark was reserved for measures like the GDP (or staggering debt ) of a handful of major economies — and, in the last decade alone, the value of some of the biggest companies to ever trade on the stock market.

Musk's new title arrives amid a wider acceleration for the richest of the rich. Year after year, his former (although now very distant) billionaires club has reaped a growing number of members — from tech titans to celebrities. All the while, more and more people worldwide are struggling to pay their everyday bills. Many have decried the arrival of the first trillionaire as the latest and most alarming example of that wealth gap.

The number “one trillion” is hard in itself for the human mind to comprehend. One trillion dollars is a thousand times greater than $1 billion. And a million times more than $1 million.

According to Forbes, Musk’s net worth actually hit $1.1 trillion on Friday, after SpaceX soared in its market debut. Most of that money is in stock. Still, here are some ways to think about how far one trillion could go.

To the moon and back, over 200 times

Thinking about what $1 trillion looks like is almost as astronomical as the interplanetary — and at this point, still far from realized — goals SpaceX has laid out for itself.

In terms of physical cash, one trillion U.S. dollar bills laid end to end would stretch nearly 97 million miles (or almost 156 million kilometers). That would account for the distance of more than 200 round-trip journeys to the moon — which NASA says sits an average of 238,855 miles (nearly 384,400 kilometers) away from Earth. It would also surpass the roughly 93 million miles (about 150 million kilometers) between Earth and the sun.

$122 for every person on Earth

There are nearly 8.2 billion people living on Earth today, per the latest numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau. If $1 trillion was divided among the entire population, each person would receive almost $122.

Double the GDP of South Africa

One trillion dollars is more than double the annual GDP of South Africa, the country where Musk was born. According 2026 numbers from International Monetary Fund, the nation’s output of goods and services stands at nearly $480 billion.

Only about 21 countries in the world have a GDP over the trillion-dollar mark today. The U.S. and China lead the pack at more than $32.38 trillion and $20.85 trillion, respectively, but that is far ahead of most other economies.

2.5 million homes in the US

Houses sold in the U.S. have a median sales price of about $403,200, per the latest numbers from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. With $1 trillion, you could buy nearly 2.5 million homes at that cost.

243 billion gallons of gas

At current U.S. gas prices — which averaged at nearly $4.11 a gallon Friday per AAA — $1 trillion could buy more than 243 billion gallons of regular fuel.

To help put that in context, that far surpasses the nearly 137 billion gallons Americans used on finished motor gasoline all last year. And prices at the pump were much less expensive in 2025. Steep oil prices, spanning from the U.S. and Israel's ongoing war against Iran, propelled the national average above $4 a gallon for the first time in four years.

Over $700 billion ahead the world's second richest person

According to Forbes, the second-richest person in the world today is Google co-founder Larry Page — who carried a net worth of nearly $294 billion as of midday Friday. That's $706 billion under the trillion dollar mark.

In fact, the combined net worth, as of Friday, of the four men following Musk on Forbes' richest list — which, beyond Page, includes fellow Google co-founder Sergey Brin ($271 billion), Amazon's Jeff Bezos ($249 billion) and Oracle’s Larry Ellison ($232 billion) — amounted to about $1.05 trillion.

Those fortunes can oscillate by tens of billions of dollars by the day, or even a matter of hours. Musk's own net worth has rapidly ballooned in value. Just last year, his net worth sat at $342 billion per Forbes — up from $195 billion in 2024.

Authorities responded around 7:20 p.m. to the 1100 block of San Fernando Street.

Officers arrived to find a large group of people outside, some of them armed, police said, after hearing gunshots.

A 55-year-old woman suffered a gunshot wound to the mid-torso area, police said. She was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.

29-year-old Deion Dukes was detained at the scene, police said. Several other individuals who were found with weapons were also detained for questioning.

Police said the relationship between those involved was still being determined, but preliminary information suggested the parties may have known each other.

Dukes faces a charge for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, records show.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Read also:

• Crime Stoppers seek tips in connection with fatal shooting on East Side
• Road rage victim urges drivers to stay alert after Memorial Day shooting on Interstate 35

At 83 years old, Gloria Garza has spent decades cheering for the Spurs, building a collection of memorabilia that fills nearly every corner of her Far West Side home.

Garza, a great-grandmother who lives near U.S. Highway 90, has followed the team for what she describes as “many, many years.”

Her love for the franchise is evident from the moment visitors step inside her home.

Walls are lined with photographs of Spurs players, signed jerseys, collectibles and keepsakes accumulated over decades of fandom. The collection has grown so large that not all of it fits inside the house.

“I appreciate them because they’re good-hearted people, the Spurs,” Garza said. “I always watch them.”

Her collection pays tribute to generations of Spurs stars, from Hall of Famer Tim Duncan to fan favorite Patty Mills. But Garza’s current favorite player is Victor Wembanyama.

“I think that Wemby’s such a good-hearted person,” Garza said. “I think Wemby’s getting tired of the way they treat him. That’s why he’s defending himself. He’s got to sharpen those elbows.”

Among her prized possessions is a photo album dedicated to Wembanyama. Garza has created images of herself alongside the Spurs star by pausing television broadcasts and capturing photos that make it appear the two are posing together.

“Look right here,” Garza said while flipping through the album. “It looks like he’s looking at me.”

For Garza, being a Spurs fan is about more than championships. It’s a lifelong connection to a team she believes represents the city and the values she admires most.

Despite the Spurs trailing 3-1 in the NBA Finals, Garza remains optimistic about the team’s chances and says she will continue supporting them no matter the outcome.

“Just have faith,” Garza said. “They’re going to win.”

Read also:

• San Antonio Spurs discuss preparation for Game 5 of NBA Finals
• Spurs return home to San Antonio after New York trip for NBA Finals

Rudy Garza was one of 13 people killed in the flash flooding on June 12, 2025.

His daughter, Brittany Guerrero, first spoke with KSAT one year ago about the final phone call her father made to her mother, Sylvia, as water rushed into his car.

“He said, ‘Oh my God, Sylvia, water is coming into my car,’” Guerrero recalled. “She said, ‘Baby, can you reverse?’ And he goes, ‘You don’t understand. It’s like an ocean is coming at me.’”

Guerrero said her father then told her mother he loved her before the call faded.

A year later, Guerrero returned to the Briar Glen Trailhead, where she said she often goes to feel close to her father.

“I always come here. I always feel like this is where his spirit is,” Guerrero said.

Since losing her father, Guerrero has also lost her mother, who died in January after battling cancer.

Guerrero said she finds comfort in believing her parents are together again.

“It brings me comfort. That’s the one thing for sure,” she said.

But as the one-year mark approaches, Guerrero said she worries the Perrin Beitel flooding will be overshadowed by other flood disasters.

“I feel like people think of the floods and they think of Hill Country, and they really don’t think about the one that happened right here in San Antonio,” Guerrero said.

She said she hopes people remember the lives lost, including her father.

“He was just such a great person,” Guerrero said. “He was bubbly and loud and would help anybody.”

One year later, Guerrero said the pain is still there — but so is her commitment to keeping her father’s memory alive.

Read also:

• Widow of man who died 1 year ago in Northeast Side floodwaters finally on the road toward peace

Speaking to thousands of delegates at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston, Abbott suggested the party will close its primaries to only Republicans, a priority of GOP activists that would require primary voters to register with the party. The governor also renewed his call to ban local governments from sending lobbyists to Austin — known among critics as taxpayer-funded lobbying — and encouraged the Legislature to adopt his plans for regulating data centers, slashing property taxes and taking a hard line on immigration.

Abbott’s remarks offered a fresh look at how he plans to confront Democrats in a midterm where President Donald Trump’s policies, and the state of the economy, is creating political headwinds for Republicans. The governor cast the minority party, and its nominee for U.S. Senate, Rep. James Talarico of Austin, as radical socialists who are trying to rebrand from their lenient approach to the U.S.-Mexico border during the Biden administration. The spike in illegal border crossings in part helped Trump and the Texas GOP make massive gains along the border with Latino voters.

The governor, who has nearly $100 million in his campaign coffers, did not once mention his own November opponent: Rep. Gina Hinojosa of Austin. He did, however, knock the top of the Democratic ticket for being from the capital city, which he called the “People’s Republic of Austin.”

“Unity is going to drive victory this November, and no one does a better job than you all” at turning out voters, Abbott said to uproars of cheers. “Together, we will demolish the Democrats. Together, we are going to win in November. Together, we are going to keep Texas, Texas.”

Abbott’s suggestion that the state will require voters to register with a party occurred two weeks after Secretary of State Jane Nelson — the state’s chief elections officer — announced she would step down in July.

The Republican Party of Texas had sued Nelson, an Abbott appointee, to close the state’s primaries, motivated by concerns that Democrats are infiltrating GOP contests to boost more moderate candidates. Abbott has not yet named a replacement secretary of state, but party activists are hoping Nelson’s successor will drop the agency’s legal opposition and allow the primaries to be closed via the courts.

Elsewhere in his speech, the governor, who is seeking an unprecedented fourth term, underscored a variety of urgent tasks he has identified for the Texas GOP, from its elected lawmakers to the party activists who are set to instruct them with a new slate of legislative priorities Saturday.

He professed Harris County will be red once again, as he plans to invest $25 million in that effort and campaign “block by block, door to door.”

Abbott also called for the Legislature to codify his executive order that froze new H-1B visa applications from state agencies and public universities. That new law should extend the freeze to “all state and local governments,” the governor said, adding, “Texas jobs should only go to Texans.”

Beyond clamping down on local government lobbying, Abbott also made a pitch for reining in city and county spending, touting his proposed property tax package that seeks to require two-thirds voter approval of property tax increases.

He also accused Democrats of supporting Sharia law and prompted thunderous applause when he called for completely outlawing it and giving the attorney general’s office more authority to tackle the issue.

“The contrast between what Republicans have passed and how Democrats have voted is shocking,” Abbott said. “It should be a five-alarm warning to anybody thinking about voting for Democrats.”

Some of his proposals received immediate praise from some of the GOP’s grassroots leaders, like Luke Macias, a longtime conservative political consultant who thanked the governor for “standing alongside the grassroots and leading” on the push to close the state’s primary elections.

But Spielberg is hardly the only one making headlines of late about UFOs and the possibility of life on other planets.

What was once considered fringe or conspiratorial has in recent months popped up everywhere from the White House to the Catholic Church, as public fascination with unidentified anomalous phenomena — or UAPs, as the government calls them — becomes more mainstream.

The Pentagon in May made public large swaths of UFO files with very little context, leaving curious sleuths to piece together their own interpretations. The dump came just weeks after former President Barack Obama set off a media frenzy for stating unambiguously in an interview that aliens are real, though he later tempered that take.

“Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there,” the former president, who made a surprise visit to the “Disclosure Day” set, posted on social media. “I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!”

Some religious adherents, as well as some nonbelievers, maintain that the existence of life on other planets might undermine many faiths because it would complicate assertions that humans are unique. But others argue the opposite.

“Belief in UFOs is really one of the best things that’s happened to religion in a long time,” said Diana Walsh Pasulka, a religion scholar at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. “It’s a blow to the secular, materialist worldview.”

An intersection of aliens, demons and Catholics

Even if broad interest in UAPs bolsters the case for an enchanted universe, some believers in religions such as Christianity think they are something to be wary of.

“I don’t think they’re aliens. I think they’re demons,” Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert, said in a recent podcast interview.

That sentiment was echoed by Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, formerly an exorcist with the Archdiocese of Washington. He was removed last week by the archbishop, who said statements by Rossetti “gravely undermine” Catholic teaching on demons and the devil.

“It’s my personal belief that probably many, if not most, of these UFO sightings are in fact demons,” Rossetti said in a May 29 video posted on his Facebook page. “Aliens, if there are aliens, don’t possess people.”

Christopher Baglow, who heads a science and religion initiative at the University of Notre Dame, was surprised by the firing given that Rosetti made clear in the video he was expressing his own opinion. Baglow speculated that there may be other factors behind the decision.

“I ask forgiveness for any ways that I have not been faithful to the teachings of the Church’s Magisterium,” Rosetti said in a statement online.

Despite the assertions by Vance and Rossetti about demons, Baglow maintains the Catholic Church has long been open to the possibility of extraterrestrial life. “Theologians have been speculating about this for centuries and the church has never ever taught one way or the other,” he said.

While meeting with astronomy students last year at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV spoke about the “ancient light of distant galaxies” and the “mysterious joy” provoked by the study of outer space. Some interpreted these remarks as tacit speculation about the possibility of life on other planets.

Extraterrestrials, old and new

In one sense, the idea of otherworldly beings coming to Earth can be traced back millennia.

“People would call it the plurality of worlds. So even back in the time of Socrates and Aristotle, there were Greek philosophers who talked about beings on other planets and other stars,” Walsh Pasulka said.

But it wasn’t until after 1945 that modern conceptions of UFOs began to develop, according to Jeffrey Kripal, a historian of religions at Rice University. “The flying saucer and the alien and the UFO — it’s definitely a Cold War invasion narrative,” he said.

That narrative explains why UAPs are often perceived as hostile to humans. But it’s also evolved over time and led to the formation of some religions — like Scientology, which counts many a Hollywood celebrity among its adherents — that see extraterrestrials as good or even part of a divine plan. Some adherents to the Nation of Islam, for example, believe that its founder will inaugurate an apocalyptic return to Earth on a spaceship.

The International Raëlian Movement, also know as Raëlism, is a UFO religion that was founded in France in the 1970s. It is still practiced today, with its strongest followings in parts of Asia, Africa and Canada, according to Susan Palmer, a sociologist who studies new religious movements at Concordia University in Montreal.

Its founder, Raël, claims he is a direct descendant of Yahweh, whom Raël visited on the planet of Elohim in 1975. Raëlism claims the Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad are all hybrids of humans and extraterrestrials, as well as Raël’s half brothers.

Of the groups she has studied, Palmer argued Raëlism is the most sympathetic toward UFOs. “They’re not interested in extraterrestrial wars,” she said.

But some think that sentiment might be growing.

Kripal, who heads Rice’s archival collection of reported paranormal experiences called the Center for the Impossible, perceives an increasing openness to these kinds of conversations about the existence of UFOs — and the possibility that they are not hostile.

“People are reporting these experiences or these encounters with entities and they’re religious through and through,” he said. “My colleagues in the academy, they’re really starting to listen in a different way.”

___

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.

Carney's speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, became a symbol of middle-power resistance in January, when he declared the global rules-based order over and condemned coercion by great powers on smaller countries. But this summit comes as tensions have been ramping up between Trump and Canada.

Carney met Friday with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, a few days before the summit in Evian-les-Bains, France.

He didn’t mention the U.S. directly but referenced artificial intelligence and said both Canada and France “are determined to act in this way to strengthen our strategic autonomy in a world dominated by hegemonic powers and hyperscalers.”

Macron said the two countries “share the same view of the world.”

The Group of Seven summit of industrialized democracies that begins Monday in France comes ahead of the scheduled July 1 review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA. It is a crucial moment in trade talks for the latest iteration of the North American free-trade pact that has intertwined the economies of the three countries since the early 1990s. Trump said this week that he may not renew the deal.

Preserving the accord is critical for Canada, where 70% of exports go to the U.S.

Canadian historian Robert Bothwell said Trump is more of a problem for Carney “than anybody else because we are more exposed to the United States.”

Trump leaves for the G7 summit right after he hosts UFC fights at the White House on Sunday for his 80th birthday.

Carney downplayed the notion that it could be six countries against one at the summit, saying there will be some issues where each country has more extreme views compared to others.

The summit comes amid strain in the Canada-U.S. relationship — one of the most durable and amicable alliances.

Trump’s actions, including launching a trade war and suggesting Canada become the 51st U.S. state, have infuriated Canadians and created the political environment for Carney to win the job of prime minister in 2025 after promising to confront Trump.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, the leader of Canada's most populous province, had a reception with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington canceled Monday at the last minute, although one of his ministers called it "a badge of honor.”

Trump said again this week that the U.S. doesn't need anything that Canada has. Carney has set a goal for Canada to double its non-U.S. exports in the next decade, saying Trump’s trade war is causing a chill in investment.

On Thursday, the opening of a major Canadian bridge across the Detroit River that Trump previously threatened to block was delayed due to unresolved issues.

Trump administration officials keep noting that only two countries, China and Canada, retaliated against America in the trade war. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer says Canada’s retaliatory measures are a major issue in talks.

Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, said Carney seems to have moderated his tone toward the Trump administration to avoid worsening relations.

“There is a clear tension between what Prime Minister Carney said in his Davos speech about middle powers standing up to hegemons and his attempt to nudge the U.S. administration ‘in the right direction’ with regard to the USMCA review and trade policy more generally,” Béland said.

Carney has downplayed Trump’s most recent comments about Canada becoming the 51st state.

Canada and Mexico want the USMCA to be renewed for another 16 years. More likely it will be subject to annual reviews for the next 10 years.

Carney will also travel to Ireland this weekend to meet with the Irish prime minister in a bid to diversify trade away from the U.S.

This is Carney's ninth trip to Europe in the 15 months since he became prime minister in March 2025.

Judge Lewis J. Liman said in a written decision that Lively can recover legal fees and costs related to her defense against a countersuit Baldoni brought against her after she sued him in December 2024.

In his written ruling Friday, Liman cited a California law designed to protect survivors of sexual harassment and discrimination from retaliatory lawsuits meant to intimidate and silence victims.

The judge said the law requires that the plaintiff must pay the defendant’s legal fees and costs if a defamation claim made in response to a lawsuit is dismissed, even if the facts of the case have not been developed through the gathering of evidence.

Liman said an exception would be if Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios LLC, could prove malice fueled Lively's claims, but that Baldoni and Wayfarer had produced no evidence to show that.

The judge rejected her claims to triple any damages and pursue punitive damages as well under the California law, saying that they did not fall within “carefully crafted federal procedural rules designed to protect the rights of the parties.”

Lively and Baldoni settled the bulk of their dispute last month just as a trial was about to start on Lively’s retaliation claims. She received no money from the deal but was permitted to pursue legal fees.

In their statements, both sides cast Liman's ruling as a victory.

Lively lawyers Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson said the award of legal fees “makes it clear that Ms. Lively brought her claims in good faith, that there was no evidence she acted with malice, and that she is the prevailing defendant.”

Bryan Freedman, Baldoni's lawyer, said Lively failed to get her demands for $300 million in fees and damages, with 10 or her 13 claims tossed out by the judge before the settlement was reached, and then “pivoted to exploit a California law” to get damages.

“Once again, she failed,” he said, noting that she was entitled now to limited attorney fees for a single claim in a portion of the litigation that existed for only a few months.

The lawyer said his clients were “threatened by one of the most famous movie stars, who tried to rip away their life’s work and pristine reputations.”

“Throughout this process, innocent people had their reputations unfairly tarnished. There was no sexual harassment. There was no retaliation. There was no smear campaign. The court recognized it, the record reflects it, and we have maintained it from the very beginning,” Freedman said.

Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation, along with his production company, in late 2024. She said the actor engineered an effort to damage her public reputation and credibility.

Baldoni, who directed the dark romantic drama and starred in it with Lively, denied harassing her or orchestrating a smear campaign. He claimed the complaints about his behavior were made up by Lively as part of an effort to seize creative control of the movie. He countersued, accusing Lively and her husband, “Deadpool” actor Ryan Reynolds, of defamation and extortion.

Liman threw out Baldoni's countersuit last year and then dismissed Lively's sexual harassment claims weeks ago, saying she could not bring them because she was an independent contractor rather than an employee on the movie set.

“It Ends With Us,” an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel about a relationship devolving into domestic violence, was released in August 2024 and exceeded box office expectations.

Lively appeared in the 2005 film “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and the TV series “Gossip Girl” from 2007 to 2012 before starring in films including “The Town” and “The Shallows.”

Baldoni starred in the TV comedy “Jane the Virgin,” directed the 2019 film “Five Feet Apart” and wrote “Man Enough,” a book challenging traditional notions of masculinity.

But some of the key objectives Trump laid out for the conflict seem to remain unfulfilled. And while the Trump administration has said its objectives are clear and unchanging, the list has expanded and shifted as the president and his administration have spoken about the war since it started Feb. 28. All the while, the conflict has battered the global economy, tested alliances and raised unanswered questions about the planning for the conflict, its justification and its aftermath.

By most accounts, the strikes by the U.S. and Israel have significantly degraded Iran's military capabilities and killed scores of senior leaders. But those tactical successes don’t necessarily translate into achieving all the president’s strategic aims, even as the administration said Friday that it was meeting the goals it had laid out.

Here’s a look at the objectives laid out by Trump at various points since the outset of the war and what we know about where they stand:

1. Destroy Iran's ability to fire missiles

One of the prime objectives laid out by the administration was to “destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground."

Trump said in late March that Iran's missiles “are mostly decimated" and that 90% of their missiles and launchers were knocked out.

By mid-May, that shifted to a more conservative estimate, with the president saying that 82% of Iran's missiles were gone.

Adm. Brad Cooper, the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, told lawmakers in mid-May that Iran maintains a “very moderate if not small capability to continue strikes” in the region.

Iran proved as recently as this week that it still had the ability to launch missiles when it attacked three Gulf allies of the U.S.

2. Destroy Iran's defense industrial base

Early in the war, the president and his administration sometimes listed this as a standalone objective. Other times, it has fallen off their list.

U.S. Central Command has said its targets for strikes in Iran have included weapons production and missile and drone manufacturing facilities.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers in early June that Iran has had “massive destruction” of its defense industrial base and “80 to 90% of attrition. It will take years for them to rebuild it.”

Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” in an interview that aired Sunday: “Most of the drone factories have been knocked out, most of the launching pads have been knocked out and most of the missile manufacturing areas have been knocked out. But they still have capacity.”

3. Eliminate Iran's navy and air force

The U.S. and Israel quickly established air superiority in the skies above Iran, where they flew largely unchallenged.

Rubio told lawmakers that Iran still has drone capabilities, but it lacks the ability to use swarms of drones to attack targets, as it did at the start of the war.

He also said Iran does not have a navy but small crafts outfitted with machine guns that harass ships and sometimes drop mines in the water.

Iran has shown its ability to still launch attacks in the region, such as a deadly June 3 attack of drones and missiles at Kuwait that led to the brief closure of its main airport. The U.S. and Bahrain also said they intercepted missiles and drones fired at the Gulf kingdom by Iran.

And on Tuesday, Trump blamed Tehran for the downing of a U.S. Army helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz after it collided with an Iranian drone.

4. Obliterate Iran's nuclear program for good

Trump made a marked shift over the last year after declaring that the U.S. had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program in June, only for his aides to warn that Iran was just weeks away from a bomb to justify the current operations.

One of the most pressing questions is what will be done with about 970 pounds of enriched uranium that Tehran has that could potentially be used for a weapon. The material is believed to be buried under three nuclear sites bombed by the U.S. and Israel last year. Trump said in a May 29 social media post that it will be retrieved by the U.S. “in close coordination and conjunction with the Islamic Republic of Iran, plus the International Atomic Energy Agency, and DESTROYED.”

Iran has not said whether it would consent. Without permission from Iran, seizing it would be a dangerous mission, experts say, and would require a sizable deployment of U.S. troops into the country.

Trump told reporters on Thursday that there was an agreement “conceptually” on the uranium, but he did not offer details and Iran has not yet confirmed it.

A senior administration official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity on Friday to provide an update on negotiations, said that Iran has agreed that the uranium will be destroyed and removed, but details of what that looks like have not yet been hammered out.

5. Protect America's Middle Eastern allies

Trump, in a March social media post, added a fifth objective for the U.S: “Protecting, at the highest level, our Middle Eastern Allies, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and others."

The U.S. maintains thousands of troops on bases and other installations in the region, but Trump has been unclear on how far he'd be willing to go to protect Middle East allies from threats.

As Trump said the U.S. was nearing a deal with Iran in recent weeks, he's said that any agreement should somehow bind many of the Gulf allies to join the Abraham Accords, agreements from Trump’s first term that seek to normalize relations with Israel. But that seems exceedingly unlikely as Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip have created a bigger distance from Gulf Arab states and the wider Muslim world.

As the U.S. and Iran traded back-and-forth strikes this week, Tehran’s targets included attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, prompting the U.S. to respond with a fresh round of strikes.

The Trump administration has begun exploring whether to let Gulf allies use Iran's frozen assets to pay for damages sustained in the war, but officials have not said whether they are moving forward with that plan.

The senior administration official said Friday that the memorandum of understanding would guarantee a long-term peace in the region, but did not offer details on what that would look like or how it would be achieved.

6. Reopen the Strait of Hormuz

Keeping shipping traffic flowing through the vital waterway was not one of the reasons for launching the war, but after Iran leveraged its ability to effectively shut traffic through the strait, it has become a key problem to tackle in the conflict.

The Strait of Hormuz is a chokepoint for 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas and its effective closure since the war has spiked global energy prices, along with the costs of other goods. Iran had allowed ships seen as friendly to pass through, while charging considerable fees.

Trump has said that a proposed deal with Iran would include the reopening of the strait and the U.S. ending its blockade of Tehran's ports.

7. Cut off

support for Iranian proxy groups

In March, Trump and his administration repeatedly included degrading Iran's proxy terror networks as a key goal of the operation.

As time has gone on, administration officials have offered fewer updates about this objective, which the president described as ensuring that “the region’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world and attack our forces” and “ensuring that the Iranian regime cannot continue to arm, fund, and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders.”

The U.S., early on, struck Iranian-aligned militia groups in Iraq. But the biggest question has been Israel's deepening war in Lebanon against Hezbollah, which Iran backs. Iran has insisted that the fighting in Lebanon must be stopped as part of any deal with the U.S., but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears intent on pursuing his goal of destroying the militant group.

Israel said Thursday that it was not a party to the agreement that the U.S. had reached with Iran.

The administration official said Friday that the U.S. was confident that broad regional peace terms in the memorandum of understanding would include both Hezbollah and Israel. If the Iranians hold up their end as it pertains to constraining Hezbollah, the Israelis would not feel a need to respond, the official said.

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Associated Press writer Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report.

The races set up significant tests of whether Democrats' redraw of California's House maps will pay off for the party.

Several other major U.S. House races also were set Tuesday as California's protracted vote count from the state's June 2 primary ground on. Two Republicans will face each other in a Southern California House district drawn to end one of their careers. And a Sacramento seat will become a high-profile generational clash between two Democrats.

But the most attention was on two districts in the vast midsection of the state that will help determine whether Democrats can claim victory in California's role in the mid-decade redistricting wars. Both will be crucial to determine which party controls the U.S. House in this year's midterm elections.

Democrats hope to pick off a perennial GOP target in the Central Valley

Progressive Randy Villegas, a political science professor and school board member, on Tuesday beat the favored pick of establishment Democrats, moderate Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, to advance to the November election against Valadao, a perennial target whose district Democrats redrew to shift further to the left.

Democrats narrowly beat Valadao in their 2018 wave, only to see him win back the seat in 2020. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee threw its weight behind Bains, but Villegas won the primary and will test whether progressives or moderates are best positioned to face the resilient Republican.

"Voters in the Central Valley have spoken and they have declared that the Valley is not for sale,” Villegas said in a statement.

Republicans had hoped to face Villegas.

“Socialist Randy Villegas clawed his way out of a bruising Democrat primary by sprinting to the far left and embracing the same failed policies that made California unaffordable for working families,” said Christian Martinez, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, in a statement.

An independent hopes to keep Democrats from winning redrawn district

For a few days after last week's primary, California's 6th District near Sacramento was a possible warning sign for Democrats, as Kiley and a long-shot Republican who ran on peace in the Mideast held the top two slots in the nonpartisan primary. But the state's slow but regular tally of late Democratic mail ballots catapulted Pan onto the November ballot.

Democrats broke up Kiley's conservative Northern California district, so the congressman opted to run in the new, Democratic-leaning district, left the GOP and became a vocal opponent of partisan redistricting.

“This race will be a choice between the extreme partisan politics that have made California the most unaffordable state in the country, and the independent leadership that allows our local communities to thrive,” Kiley said in a statement.

California Democrats scrambled their map to counter gains Republicans made in Texas and elsewhere after President Donald Trump called for the GOP to create as many conservative seats as possible in its bid to hold onto the House of Representatives in November.

California’s 52 House races provided a miniature of national trends. That included the fallout from redistricting ahead of this year’s midterm elections, this time with Democrats redrawing the map, the generational battle among Democrats and questions of whether moderates or liberals are better positioned to win in swing districts.

New districts set up clashes between members of the same party

In more fallout from redistricting, Republican Rep. Young Kim on Tuesday advanced to the November election. She will face fellow Republican Rep. Ken Calvert after Democrats drew them both into a single district, guaranteeing that one would not return to Congress next year.

“Throughout this campaign, we made the case that after more than three decades in Washington, it is time for fresh conservative leadership, and I look forward to continuing that conversation with voters in the months ahead,” Kim said in a statement.

Calvert replied in his own statement: “Voters throughout the district recognize I'm an effective member of Congress with a history of delivering results, cutting taxes and making life more affordable.”

Also on Tuesday, a major generational Democratic clash was set up as Sacramento City Councilwoman Mai Vang advanced to face longtime incumbent Rep. Doris Matsui on the November ballot.

The 81-year-old congresswoman has held the Sacramento-based seat since the death of her husband, former Rep. Bob Matsui, in 2005. Bob Matsui had represented the district since the 1970s.

Vang, 41, is one of a slew of Democrats across the nation mounting an explicitly generational challenge in the wake of Joe Biden’s presidency.

“People are tired of leaders who answer to their biggest donors instead of the families they represent,” Vang said in a statement after the race was called. “The squeeze on working families doesn’t check your party registration — and neither will I.”

Matsui released her first ad of the general election Tuesday night, focusing on a local mother whose son had muscular dystrophy and who praised Matsui for legislation funding therapies for the disease.

Veteran Democrats survive challengers as others vie to replace Pelosi

Two other veteran House Democrats in California also made it past younger challengers to the November ballot. Rep. Brad Sherman, 71, a 15-term congressman representing part of Los Angeles, will face a Republican in the fall. Mike Thompson, 75, is seeking his 13th term in a Northern California district.

In San Francisco, a wealthy progressive challenger was unable to crack the top two slots to fill retiring Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s seat. Instead, state Sen. Scott Wiener and city Supervisor Connie Chan will face off to replace the former House speaker.

The 7th District seat held by Matsui is considered a safe one for Democrats, but was redrawn as part of the party’s bid to add five more U.S. House seats elsewhere. Voters signed off on the changes with a constitutional amendment last year.

Democrats initially were concerned about getting locked out of the general election in a San Diego-area seat under the state’s primary system, which sends the top two vote-getters to the November ballot regardless of party. But San Diego City Councilwoman Marni von Wilpert managed to emerge from a large field of other Democrats and will face Republican Jim Desmond, a San Diego County supervisor.

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In this story first published June 9, 2026, The Associated Press erroneously reported Rep. Brad Sherman’s age as 72. Sherman is 71.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta rejected a legal advocacy group's request to block organizers from using the White House lawn as the venue for Sunday’s planned UFC mixed martial arts event.

Mehta concluded that the plaintiffs likely don’t have legal standing to challenge the event and have failed to prove that they would suffer irreparable harm by the event going forward as planned. The judge also cited the plaintiffs’ “unreasonable delay” in suing to challenge an event that’s been in the works for months.

“In the context of an emergency application — and coupled with the fact that the UFC fight date was long ago known — it is fair to say Plaintiffs unreasonably delayed bringing suit, undercutting their claims of irreparable harm,” Mehta wrote.

Attorneys from the nonprofit Public Integrity Project sued to challenge Trump’s “UFC Freedom 250” event on behalf of an activist and a Vietnam War veteran. The two plaintiffs also asked the court to block organizers from building anything for the event on White House grounds, including a 92-foot-tall, 600-ton steel structure called The Claw.

The plaintiffs’ alleged “aesthetic harms,” the judge noted, are temporary since The Claw will be disassembled starting Monday morning and staging equipment at the Lincoln Memorial must be removed before then. “The President’s musings about permanency of the Claw does not move the dial in the face of a White House official’s clear representation,” the judge wrote.

The White House called the lawsuit a baseless attempt to prevent Trump from hosting an event that’s no different from many others routinely hosted at public forums in the nation’s capital.

Trump's administration can’t issue permits for sporting events on the South Lawn or at the Lincoln Memorial, where UFC fighters planned to hold a press conference in front of fans on Friday, according to plaintiffs’ attorneys. They noted that the event is a privately organized, for-profit business venture, with VIP packages costing millions of dollars.

“The President’s administration is granting the UFC an extraordinary business opportunity it may not lawfully grant, and in exchange the UFC is throwing an event at which its leadership, fighters, advertisers, and various celebrities will all pay tribute to the President on his birthday,” plaintiffs’ attorneys wrote.

Public Integrity Project attorney Brendan Ballou said the plaintiffs were disappointed in the judge's decision but respect it and intend to "keep bringing cases to raise the cost of corruption in America.”

“This isn’t a case about a sporting event, it’s about corruption, as a handful of people and companies stand to profit from our public monuments," Ballou said in a statement.

The National Park Service and the Interior Department are named as defendants in the lawsuit.

In 2019, during his first term in office, Trump became the first sitting president to attend a UFC show. Trump, a Republican, is a friend of UFC president and CEO Dana White.

Mehta was nominated to the bench by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. Mehta has presided over other Trump-related cases, including civil litigation accusing Trump of inciting a mob of his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, after he lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden, a Democrat.