It identified Anastasiia Berezovska, a 39-year-old woman from Ukraine, as the suspect in a Red Notice posted on its website seeking her arrest.

Monaco authorities haven’t identified any of the three people wounded in Monday’s explosion at an apartment building entrance but said they are a family and that they appear to have been specifically targeted.

Media reports identified Ukrainian construction tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev as being among the wounded. He has said he renounced his Ukrainian citizenship nearly a decade ago, and he was targeted by Ukrainian sanctions in 2023 for ties to Russia.

A woman and a child were also hurt. One of the victims is still in a life-threatening condition, prosecutors said Friday.

The Interpol notice says the suspect has a tattoo, possibly of a snake, on her right arm from the shoulder to the elbow. It says she was born in Ukraine, has dark hair, and speaks German.

Her arrest is sought by authorities in Monaco for attempted murder, placing an explosive device in a public place with criminal intent, and criminal conspiracy.

Morgan Raymond, the deputy prosecutor in Monaco, said the bomb was detonated from a distance, using a remote control. The remains of the bomb are being analyzed in France, he said.

He added that the suspect was initially identified as a heavily built person appearing to be male, wearing a dark long-sleeved top, light-colored shorts and a black bucket hat. A broader review of CCTV footage from previous days and testimony from a witness redirected the investigation toward a woman disguised as a man.

Eric Arella, Monaco’s director of public security, held up copies of the Interpol wanted notice at the news conference with the prosecutor.

Two photos included in the Interpol wanted notice for Berezovska show a woman wearing a white T-shirt with dark stripes, one of them in a street where she’s holding what appears to be some sort of electronic device, trailing a cable, in her left hand.

The attack shocked the country on the Mediterranean coast, one of the world’s smallest sovereign states known for its high concentration of wealthy residents. Monaco’s Prince Albert II described it as “an odious act” and said all public services were mobilized to ensure security.

Ukraine is believed to have carried out attacks and targeted killings of Russian figures in the course of the war, although those attacks have largely been confined to Ukrainian or Russian territory.

In December 2024, Ukraine's security service claimed responsibility for killing the head of nuclear, biological and chemical military protection forces for the Russian military.

Western intelligence officials have recently said that Russia has ramped up a campaign of targeted killings since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“We saw a lot of bodies that had not yet been identified,” López said.

The rush is on across La Guaira, the state on Venezuela’s northern coast hardest hit by the powerful back-to-back June 24 earthquakes, to identify loved ones before it’s too late. With at least 2,295 people killed, Venezuela is overwhelmed with bodies that officials are struggling to collect, identify and preserve for loved ones to claim. Thousands are still missing.

José Antonio Toledo, López's 25-year-old son-in-law, was found under the building where he was working as a security guard when the quakes struck. Crews took his body to a local hospital, where staff turned them away because there was no space. The body was sent to another facility and eventually transferred to an open parking lot.

A forensic doctor helped the family find him days later, on Saturday. But once they identified his body, they didn’t know what to do with it because they couldn’t afford the $450 that a funeral home was charging.

At almost midnight on Saturday, López got word that the mayor’s office was offering them a free space at a local cemetery, but they had to move quickly to not lose the spot. An hour later, López and her daughter trudged up a hill leading to the cemetery and buried Toledo.

“He was an exemplary person, a boy who liked helping people,” López said.

They saved him from a mass grave that many fear is coming as they search for the bodies of their loved ones.

The number of bodies found is expected to soar

Forensic technician Joel Mirabal has worked for seven days straight since the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes struck.

The 45-year-old estimates that in 60% to 70% of cases, there’s a relative or neighbor available to identify a body when he comes to pick it up. Even so, it’s a struggle, he said, with many relying on tattoos, scars or familiar clothing.

“They don’t look even 10% like what they were in real life,” he said of the victims.

If a body cannot be identified, it goes to forensic specialists working at La Guaira seaport. Private companies have donated large cooling containers to help preserve the bodies, but the number of dead keeps growing.

“Obviously, mass graves will have to be created,” Mirabal said. “The collapse is massive, and the bodies are buried under many layers of debris.”

Mirabal said he and other forensic technicians anticipate spending up to three months collecting bodies.

They drive around the affected areas every day, led by rescue crews and civilians who have recovered or spotted bodies.

“Many of the rescues are carried out by the people,” he said of the thousands of ordinary Venezuelans who have pitched in for the recovery effort.

A dog trainer by profession who once helped the government locate drugs and missing people, Mirabal finds solace in the 12 dogs waiting for him at home, not counting the puppies. One of his favorites is Mila, a young black Dutch Shepherd who lay by his side on Thursday as he rested.

“It’s not easy at all to witness the suffering and tragedy of your fellow human beings,” he said.

Venezuelans wait in line to try to identify loved ones

Over the weekend, crews took dozens of bodies recovered from flattened buildings to a government-run health care facility in the city of La Guaira. They were left on a sweltering parking lot until families identified them, with funeral home workers estimating that more than 200 bodies were kept there at one point.

On Thursday, those who lost loved ones waited outside La Guaira seaport to identify bodies that authorities continue to pick up across the coastal state. Cars, including trucks and vans from funeral homes, formed a line outside a makeshift morgue.

Among those waiting was Robert Rodríguez. He sat on a concrete block, crestfallen, his legs dangling, waiting for his daughter to identify the body of his son-in-law. Rafael Alvarado died trapped inside a grocery store where he worked at the deli counter.

Rodríguez said the family found Alvarado in the rubble on Wednesday, his body freed and transported to the port on Thursday.

“I saw his shoes and knew it was him,” Rodríguez said, adding that he warned his daughter. “I told her, ‘Prepare yourself.’”

He said the family plans to cremate Alvarado and scatter his ashes on Isla de Margarita, the Venezuelan island that was his home.

___

Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

There was another glaring problem that Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd told legislators about: Unlike paid firefighters and police officers, the state has no required training for all local emergency management coordinators, the people tasked with planning for and helping to lead the response to disasters.

“I do think it’s time that we as a state decide there needs to be a baseline for people that get appointed into that position,” Kidd told lawmakers at a July 23 hearing focused on the floods.

Nine months later, in April, he told another state committee investigating the disaster: “To be an emergency management coordinator in the state of Texas, you need the signature of a mayor or judge. Period. That needs to change.”

Two bills meant to address that issue, and others Kidd highlighted, failed in the final special legislative session of 2025. And as the one-year anniversary of the disaster arrives, that lack of action means that leaders in Texas’ 254 counties, as well as all of its cities, can hire people with no formal training in the field.

After the floods, which left more than 130 people dead, state lawmakers required flood warning sirens to be installed in areas struck by the summer disaster that also have histories of flooding. In Kerr County, where the vast majority of deaths happened, six of the first eight planned sirens are in place.

Legislators also passed two camp safety bills, championed by the parents of 27 girls who died at Camp Mystic, which include requirements for camps to have more robust emergency plans and move cabins from flood-prone spots by rivers. Nearly 300 camps have been licensed under the new regulations, according to state data.

Legislators’ next opportunity to address Kidd’s recommendations — if they choose to — happens in January when they return to the Capitol for their regular session.

“We have work to do next session,” state Sen. Charles Perry, a Republican from Lubbock who authored the failed bill to address licensing, said in the April hearing. “We just don’t have to start from ground zero.”

Absent leaders

Then-Kerr County Emergency Management Coordinator William “Dub” Thomas was notably absent early on the morning of July 4. He’d been feeling badly since July 2 and taken the day off on July 3, according to his testimony to lawmakers. Legislative investigators later found no evidence that a representative of Kerr County dialed into a state emergency preparation call on July 3 to learn about potential storms over the holiday weekend.

County Judge Rob Kelly was at his Austin-area lake house for the holiday, he testified. According to the county’s emergency plan, in their absences, the judge’s role should have fallen to the most senior county commissioner, while the coordinator’s role should have fallen to someone designated by the judge.

The state legislative investigation concluded that the state’s “alerts and warnings effectively were disregarded by Kerr County officials, who were substantially absent from duty, and who failed to conduct effective local emergency coordination relating to summer camps in advance of the storm. As flooding began, the county judge was away and unaware, and the county’s emergency coordinator was sick and asleep in bed with no delegate at the watch while the entire tragedy unfolded.”

Amid a series of increasingly urgent National Weather Service alerts that night, a 911 call came in from upstream on the Guadalupe River’s south fork at 2:52 a.m., warning the river was rising high and fast. The flooding started its precipitous rise around that time in Hunt, where the north and south forks of the river meet. It peaked around 6:45 a.m. downstream in Kerrville, the county seat, according to US Geological Survey data.

As the morning wore on, county law enforcement helped lead the response. Text messages among a group that included a number of Sheriff’s Office officials, obtained through an open records request by the Texas Newsroom and shared with The Texas Tribune, reveal some issues they faced. The text thread included Thomas.

By 7:18 a.m., the sheriff’s office leaders and others were working through where to send evacuees. At 9:15 a.m., they were texting about where to stage media and, at 9:40 a.m., where to stage resources. Later in the morning, they considered whether to set up a hotline or email for families to report missing relatives.

“It’s very common in the middle of a response for there to be a lot of back and forth and for people to be confused where resources are, how things are changing and evolving in the moment,” said Samantha Montano, an associate professor of emergency management at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. “That’s really why you want to have an emergency manager, somebody who is overseeing all of that and funneling correct and updated information out to the people who need it.”

According to his resume, Thomas had spent much of his career moving up the ranks of the Texas Highway Patrol and had spent less than two years working as regional preparedness manager with the local American Red Cross when he took the Kerr County job in 2015. Thomas had completed various state and federal training courses related to emergency management before the flood, county records showed.

Thomas retired from his post at the end of March, according to county records. Kelly, the county judge, did not seek reelection this year.

County commissioners hired Shorey Harmon, the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s liaison officer for Kerr and Bandera counties, to replace Thomas.

Harmon had earlier served in the U.S. Navy and worked for Texas Parks and Wildlife and Texas A&M Forest Service, according to his resume, then became a TDEM cadet in 2022 — attending what the resume described as “the first-ever emergency management academy in the United States for training in all-hazards emergency preparedness and response.”

A developing field

The emergency management field is relatively young, with beginnings tied to Cold War concerns about nuclear war, said Romeo Lavarias, lecturer at the University of Central Florida’s emergency management program. The field has developed because emergency management became more complicated and expensive, involving much more than the immediate disaster response, Lavarias said.

A recent study from Argonne National Laboratory found that an emergency management director’s professional background could matter greatly. The study found most local directors had worked in the field more than 10 years and that nearly a third of them were between 50 and 59 years old.

As one person told the researchers: “In our agency, the director position has historically been occupied with people with no formal training in emergency management (myself included).”

In 2024 in Florida, lawmakers passed a new law for all county managers to have minimum emergency training.

“We haven’t got a choice anymore,” Lavarias said. “With the nature of hazards we’re dealing with here, their drastic impacts on everyone, the complications of politics, of social (issues) and economics, it’s going to take a heck of a lot more than what we’ve got going for us.”

• TEMPS GRADUALLY GETTING HOTTER: Upper-90s possible next week
• 4TH OF JULY: Quiet, but hot
• RAIN: A stray shower is possible, Sunday & Monday looking less-promising

FORECAST

HOLIDAY WEEKEND

Whether your celebrating in San Antonio or hitting the road today, you’ll find quiet weather locally and across Texas today. A stray shower is not impossible, but the odds are very low. It’ll be hot & humid, with seasonable July 4th weather.

This will also be the case for Saturday evening, as San Antonio celebrates with fireworks. For those who will be using their own fireworks (outside of city limits), know that while we have had good rainfall this year, grasses are already beginning to dry out. Grass fires can still spread easily.

SUNDAY & MONDAY

While we still will keep an eye on any storm activity to our north, the odds for rain over this period are dropping. The setup doesn’t look as good as it once did. Look for only stay to isolated activity.

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.

In June, the bellowing and blubbery 5-year-old mammal hauled himself onto land for his twice-yearly tour of beachside towns in southern Tasmania state after months of feeding at sea. That's posing problems now that he weighs as much as a small car and has a social media following more than double Tasmania’s human population.

His rampage through local infrastructure has claimed bent traffic bollards, a sign warning the public about seals and a fence that did not survive Neil’s attempt to vault it. The rest of the time he lies placidly any place he likes, which is sometimes the middle of the road, bringing towns he visits to a standstill.

But officials say their biggest concern is that Neil's popularity could lead to ill-advised human-seal encounters that are dangerous for both sides.

Neil is a bad boy with a long rap sheet

Neil, the only male elephant seal to visit Tasmania in years, has commanded an enthralled TikTok following of 1.4 million in part because he acts like kind of a jerk. During this visit to shore, his 12th, his crimes have included picking fights with parked cars and smashing through barriers erected to keep him off roads.

Those antics have prompted some online to hail Neil as a kind of anti-authoritarian hero. But experts say it's normal experimentation for a growing seal.

Juvenile male elephant seals need to practice for dominance battles in which adults rear up and crash their chests together as they compete for breeding opportunities, said Sophia Volzke, an elephant seal scientist based at the University of Tasmania in Hobart.

With no other juveniles to practice with, Neil can only rehearse on Toyotas.

Officials plead for fans to leave Neil alone

Local officials fear that Neil is the latest wild animal whose social media stardom has outgrown what’s good for him.

“Neil’s fame is a bit of a double-edged sword,” said Kris Carlyon from Tasmania’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment, at a news conference in Hobart on Thursday in which he asked the seal’s fans to give him privacy.

“We have had some pretty silly behavior, instances with people carrying their small babies up close to him and simply trying to get that shot for Instagram,” he said.

Officials have urged the public to refrain from identifying the town Neil is currently delighting or terrorizing, depending on who you speak to. They fear a disastrous encounter between the seal and an admirer could force rangers into a risky operation to move him elsewhere.

Carlyon also warned of worse. In a 2023 episode, a walrus known as Freya who drew huge crowds in Norway was euthanized after officials cited a growing risk to human safety.

“There is a risk here of essentially loving Neil to death,” Carlyon said.

Neil’s problems will get bigger as he does

It’s usual for seals to return biannually to the place they were born to rest, fast and shed fur. Many species roam inland during visits to shore, sometimes leading them into beachside towns.

What’s unusual about Neil is that he's the only male elephant seal hauling ashore in Tasmania.

Sub-Antarctic islands south of Tasmania are home to breeding populations of elephant seals and Neil’s mother would have arrived from one of them to give birth, Volzke said. Females have been spotted ashore in Tasmania before, but topping out at the size Neil reached when he was a year or two old, they don't cause the same kind of chaos, she added.

“Humans got rid of those animals and now maybe they are coming back and repopulating areas that they were previously seen in,” she said. “We do need to find a way to coexist.”

That could prove tricky for Neil, and for the rangers, police officers and security guards who follow in his wake. If he survives to adulthood, Neil could measure up to 5 meters (16 feet) in length and weigh triple what he does now.

However, about 90% of male elephant seals die before they reach a breeding age of around 10, Volzke said.

For now, Neil the seal is occupying a stretch of sidewalk, unmoving and unbothered. Sometimes he canoodles with an orange traffic cone, to the delight of his online followers. It isn't clear why he prefers that location, which he has returned to even after being ushered away by rangers.

“He’s obviously decided this puddle surrounded by bollards, which are horizontal at the moment, is his spot,” said Carlyon on Thursday.

His fans can relate. The locals have mixed feelings.

“He’s one of our biggest exports at the moment,” said Dale Creamer, a resident of the town that the seal is currently trashing, who has not been personally inconvenienced. “It’s Neil’s world and we’re just living in it.”

Luckily, San Antonio is surrounded by places to take a dip when the weather is hot. Below, we’ve listed some well-known and under-the-radar spots for swimming in this area.

>> With 3 boat ramps, mid-lake fireworks show, Canyon Lake prepares for busy Fourth of July

The places on this list are definitely not all-encompassing for the state of Texas, but they’re worth checking out for tubing, paddling and chilling.

• Barton Springs - One of Austin’s most popular destinations, Barton Springs, is located within Zilker Park’s 358 acres. The three-acre pool is fed from underground springs and water temperature typically ranges between 68-70 degrees. The pool is open year-round, and entry fees only apply between spring break and Halloween. Note that guests cannot take their coolers, food or pets. Tickets can be purchased online, and prices range between $4 and $9 each for non-Austin residents. Barton Springs is located at 2131 William Barton Drive.
• Blanco State Park - Located about 50 miles north of downtown San Antonio, this state park is located just off Highway 281. People can swim anywhere along the river, and children can use the wading pool near the Blanco River dam. The park is open daily. Kids 12 and younger can get in for free, and adults are $5 each.
• Blue Hole in Wimberley - The popular Hill Country spot is open for the 2026 season. Daily passes range between $10-$15 per person for non-Wimberley residents. Reservations can be made online. The swimming spot is located at 333 Blue Hole Lane.

• Canyon Lake - There are three designated swim beaches at Canyon Lake. Comal and Canyon Parks have beaches for the general public and Potters Creek Park has a beach that only allows access to registered camping guests. Canyon Lake is located about an hour north of downtown San Antonio. Last year, the lake was only slightly above the historic low it had hit in April, about 32 feet below the full level. As of Thursday, July 2, it was down nearly 21 feet.
• Comal River - This spring-fed river in New Braunfels is a tubing hotspot. Starting in Landa Park, the river travels through the city, past Prince Solms Park, Schlitterbahn and into the Guadalupe River. One destination is the popular tube chute. There are several tube outfitters to choose from, and you can see a list of them here. Keep in mind that only reusable cups, food containers and water jugs are allowed in the Comal River.

• Devil’s Waterhole - This swimming hole is located in Inks Lake State Park, where Inks Lake and Spring Creek meet. Devil’s Waterhole is a short hike away from a tent area, or it can be reached by kayak or canoe. It consists of boulders and cliffs to jump off — but be careful, there is no lifeguard in the area. The state park is located at 3630 Park Road 4 West in Burnet. Daily fees are $7 for adults and free for children 12 and younger.
• Garner State Park - This state park, way out west from San Antonio, is one of the most popular in the Texas State Parks system. Guests can paddle, swim or float in the Frio River — yes, it’s cold all year round — making it a destination for many people in South and Central Texas. Its busy season is from May 1 through Labor Day, and it often reaches capacity. The state park is located at 234 RR 1050 in Concan. Daily fees are $8 for adults and free for children 12 and younger.

• Guadalupe River State Park - Located just 30 miles north of San Antonio in Spring Branch, the state park is a quick trip for swimming and hiking. As of May 6, the Guadalupe River is flowing at 10-40 cubic feet per second, which is a slow flow rate. If you plan on visiting the park, note that styrofoam is prohibited in the river. The park’s busy season is March through November, and it often reaches capacity. It is located at 3350 Park Road 31 in Spring Branch. Daily fees are $7 for adults and free for children 12 and younger.
• Hamilton Pool - Visitors to Hamilton Pool Preserve may currently enter the water from the beach, though the water is listed as “very cold” on the website. Due to the risk of falling rocks, only a small section of the pool is open for access. Swimming availability depends on conditions such as bacteria levels and recent rainfall, and water access is never guaranteed with a reservation. When swimming is not permitted, the preserve remains open for hiking, and reservations are still required. It is located at 24300 Hamilton Pool Road in Dripping Springs.

• Krause Springs - Located in Spicewood, Krause Springs is a popular family-owned swimming and camping site with 32 springs, a manmade pool, and a natural pool. People can book their reservations online. Daily fees are $11 for adults, $6 for kids ages 4-11, and free for children under 4. Overnight camping is available. Krause Springs is located at 424 Country Road 404.
• Landa Park Aquatic Complex - The park in New Braunfels has the Coach E.E. “Bud” Dallmann Olympic Pool that varies between 4 and 7 feet deep. There’s also a spring-fed pool that stays 72 degrees year-round and a zero-depth pool that’s perfect for young kids, as it ranges in depth from zero to 2.5 feet. From Memorial Day to August, the complex will be open from noon to 7 p.m. Sundays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and holidays. Daily admission ranges between $6 and $8, depending day of the week. The park is located at 350 Aquatic Circle in New Braunfels.
• McKinney Falls State Park - Located just south of Austin, people can take a dip in Onion and Williamson creeks. The Upper and Lower Falls are perfect for swimming — that’s where Onion Creek flows over limestone and into pools below. The park’s busy season is March through November, and it often reaches capacity. It is located at 5808 McKinney Falls Parkway in Austin. Daily fees are $6 for adults and free for children 12 and younger.
• Paradise Canyon - Located in Rio Medina, Paradise Canyon offers opportunities for swimming, fishing, camping, cabin stays, vintage trailer rentals, and RV sites. Daily admission is $35 per carload (limit five people).
• Rio Vista Park - The park provides access to the San Marcos River, where people can swim, tube, kayak, canoe and paddle. No reservations are needed, and access and parking are free. Visitors may bring their own tubes or rent from a vendor. The Rio Vista Pool is also available for swimming at an additional price. Rio Vista Park is located at 555 Cheatham St. in San Marcos.
• San Marcos River -Outside Rio Vista Park, there are several other places to swim and tube in San Marcos on the river. San Marcos riverfront parks are open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily unless posted otherwise. Click here for a list of tubing outfitters.

• Schumacher Crossing - People can get access to the Guadalupe River at Schumacher Crossing, located one mile east of Hunt on Texas 39.

Popular swimming hole Jacob’s Well is not on the list due to low water levels.

The country's theocracy plans to see millions flood the streets of the capital beginning Saturday in scenes reminiscent to the burial of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.

That could provide a boost for Iran's government, particularly as it tries to leverage its hold on the Strait of Hormuz in negotiations with the United States over a permanent end to the war, and as concern still lingers that Israel could attack yet again.

Despite that, a powerful general who leads Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard emerged publicly for the first time in months for the funeral. Other top government officials likely will be on hand alongside foreign dignitaries as well in show of strength of Iran.

“As long as these people, who are chosen (by God), are on the field, we will definitely continue the same ‘no to humiliation’ policy that was founded by the Islamic Republic,” said Mohammad Hossein Rezaei, a volunteer preparing for the funeral Friday.

“We will continue our policy of pursuing independence, and decisions will be made inside the country, and the people will decide their own fate,” he said.

Caskets displayed in Tehran

Khamenei's flag-draped coffin sat at Tehran's Grand Mosalla alongside family members killed in the Israeli airstrike that came in the first moments of the war on Feb. 28.

The dead being honored include a son-in-law, his eldest daughter, a 14-month-old granddaughter and the wife of Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the previous leader who remains in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the attack.

Religious leaders and foreign dignitaries walked up to Khamenei’s casket as a military band played or a man sang prayers.

Video published by Iranian state media showed an earlier mourning ceremony Thursday night for Khamenei. The black-clad mourners, whom state media identified as coming from families of those who lost loved ones in the 12-day war in 2025 and the recent Iran war, threw scarves and other items for attendants to brush against the coffin, a common practice in Iran seen as a blessing.

Later, state media showed images of Khamenei’s casket draped by a red flag with white calligraphy reading “Ya Hussein,” a Shiite expression in remembrance of the 7th-century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson. It had been flying over the Imam Hussein golden-domed shrine in Karbala, Iraq. The flag also traditionally symbolizes both the spilled blood of someone unjustly killed and a call for vengeance.

Top general appears for first time in months

Photos published online by Iranian state media showed Gen. Ahmad Vahidi attending a meeting Thursday about the funeral of Khamenei, then sitting alongside his casket as Iran's theocracy held a smaller service for him Thursday night near the supreme leader's former home in downtown Tehran.

Vahidi has become a major player in formulating Iran’s tough stance in negotiating a possible permanent end to the war with the United States, experts say. He hadn't been seen publicly since Feb. 8, weeks before the Iran war began. Israel killed top leaders in Iran’s military and government during the war, and has threatened the life of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as well. Vahidi is believed to be part of a small clique in direct contact with the younger Khamenei.

It remains unclear whether Khamenei will appear at his father's funeral. His father appeared in 1989 at Khomeini's funeral, weeping visibly, as he began his journey to lead Iran for decades with an iron fist while confronting the West.

Israel repeatedly has threatened to kill Khamenei, something that drew a warning from Iran's joint military command Thursday.

“We warn the enemies of a strong Iran, especially the United States, the Israeli regime and their regional and extra-regional accomplices, to avoid any miscalculation and to consider the harsh and regret-inducing responses that the sons of the Iranian nation in the armed forces will give to any threat or aggression against our beloved country,” the military command said.

Funeral to go on for days

Beginning Saturday, Iran will hold the dayslong funeral for Khamenei and his body will be transported to cities in both Iran and neighboring Iraq. Authorities plan to shut down streets, airspace and daily life in Tehran as mourners commemorate the life of Khamenei.

In Tehran, images of the late Khamenei's fist could be seen in banners and in a giant statue in Tehran's Enghelab Square. In his first message to the nation, read by a state television anchor, Mojtaba Khamenei said he saw his father’s body after his death with raised, clenched fist.

The banners read in Arabic, English and Farsi: “We must rise.”

___

Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

Trump has frequently lavished praise on the Turkish president, calling him a “hell of a leader” and a good friend. “I would not have gone for most people,” Trump said last week. “But he called me up. He said: ‘Please, I have it in Turkey. You got to be there. The United States has to be in there.’ And so I’m going out of respect to President Erdogan.”

Leveraging that respect has helped Erdogan avoid the disarray that the U.S. president’s absence would cause the alliance, particularly at a time when Trump has been repeatedly threatening to pull U.S. forces from Europe and scale back America’s role in NATO, unsettling allies. Trump has long rebuked other NATO countries over their defense spending — and claimed last year’s pledge to collectively boost it as a major personal win — while more recently clashing with them for failing to back his war against Iran.

But Trump has sweetened the deal for Erdogan by also hinting that he could make news during his visit related to jet engines and the potential sale of F-35 fighter jets barred for years because of Turkey’s closeness with Moscow.

The Republican president's affinity for strongmen leaders has long made him an admirer of Erdogan, who amassed power in Turkey first as its prime minister and now in his 13th year as president.

“His relationship with Erdogan, which is pretty strong, is consistent with what seems to be a pattern of his preference,” said Philip Gordon, who served as national security adviser for Vice President Kamala Harris. “It has often been pointed out he seems to have better relationships with adversaries and autocrats, and he certainly says nicer things about them than with allies.”

Gordon, now at the Brookings Institution, added, “Erdogan is taking full advantage of it.”

Erdogan snubbed Biden but bets on Trump

Trump — who is expected to have a bilateral meeting with Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit — will be the first U.S. president to visit Turkey since Barack Obama in 2015. By contrast, U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration kept Erdogan at arm's length during his four years in office over Turkey’s democratic backsliding and close ties to Russia.

Opposition parties and human rights organizations have accused Erdogan of undermining democracy and curbing freedom of expression. They say baseless investigations and prosecutions of human rights activists, journalists, opposition politicians and others remain a persistent problem in Turkey.

Soner Cagaptay of the Washington Institute said Erdogan and Trump “clicked” personally during Trump’s first term. When Biden extended an invitation in 2024 for Erdogan to visit the U.S. after Turkey endorsed Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership, Erdogan decided not to go.

“That was Erdogan’s way of signaling to Trump, ‘Hey, you are going to probably win the elections,'” Cagaptay said. “I think Trump saw that as a giant gesture.”

Trump signals steps toward jet sales for Turkey

During a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte last week, a reporter asked Trump whether he was taking “a big gift bag for Erdogan” on the trip, noting that Ankara wants F-110 jet engines and F-35 fighter jets.

“Yeah, I think so,” Trump responded. “Yeah, I’m going to probably do something that’s going to make him very happy.” Trump had also suggested last September that the U.S. could soon start selling F-35s to Turkey.

Turkey was barred from the program in 2019, after it purchased Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems. U.S. officials have feared that Turkey’s use of the Russian system could enable Moscow to gather information on the F-35’s capabilities.

At the Oval Office meeting, Vice President JD Vance said Washington was exploring ways to sell ⁠Turkey the jets, emphasizing that any sale would ensure Turkey has complied with U.S. law. There is significant bipartisan opposition on Capitol Hill to selling the F-35s to Turkey as long as Ankara is in possession of the Russian missile defense systems, including from influential Republicans such as Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch of Idaho.

Meanwhile, the F-110 jet engines that Turkey is seeking to purchase would power its domestically produced KAAN fighter jets. The State Department last week took a step toward making those sales, sending key lawmakers a notice that it planned to bypass congressional opposition to more than $700 million of the jet engine sales to Ankara, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss details of a nonpublic notification.

“In this case, the State Department did not even attempt to justify its decision,” New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement last week. “It did not invoke any emergency authority, did not present a written rationale, and for months refused to make a good-faith effort to brief me on implications of the sale for the U.S.-Turkey relationship, Turkey’s continued possession of the Russian S-400 system, and other regional security concerns.”

The relationship between the U.S. and Turkey is thawing in other ways, too. Earlier this year, the Justice Department dropped a major case against Turkey’s state‑owned Halkbank, which had been accused of helping Iran evade U.S. sanctions.

Erdogan lauds Trump's friendship and phone calls

When he returned to the White House for his second term, Trump appointed a close friend as ambassador to Turkey: Tom Barrack, a longtime ally who also served as the chairman of his inaugural committee. “Barrack is playing a crucial role as a facilitator in the relationship,” said Ahmet Kasim Han, a professor of international relations at Ankara’s TED University.

Erdogan and Trump have frequently held telephone calls to discuss Syria, Gaza and the wider Middle East, and Turkey joined Trump’s Board of Peace aimed at overseeing the ceasefire in Gaza. Trump claimed this month that he asked Erdogan to stay out of the war in Iran and that the Turkish leader complied, though there is no indication that Turkey had ever intended to get involved.

Trump expressed admiration for Erdogan even while standing beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a joint press conference last year. Netanyahu, whose government is at odds with Ankara, had hoped to win Trump’s support for pushing back on Turkish influence in Syria, but instead found himself watching as Trump showered praises on Erdogan and urged Netanyahu to be “reasonable.”

Last year, after meeting with Trump at the NATO summit in The Hague, Erdogan told reporters that the U.S. president is quick to return his calls, an anecdote that illustrated their close ties.

“With my friend Trump, we are opening the door to a new era in Turkish‑American relations,” Erdogan said. “The process of telephone diplomacy between us has never exceeded 24 hours so far. When we call, the other side responds within 24 hours.”

___

Fraser reported from Ankara.

McManus attended his final cadet graduation ceremony Thursday morning at South San Antonio High School — one of his last public appearances before leaving the department.

He described graduations as one of his favorite events and said he has no regrets about his decades-long career in San Antonio.

“Thank you, San Antonio,” McManus said.

McManus will leave the department ahead of his originally scheduled retirement, which was set for the end of September.

The police chief is departing early to take a position with Silver Ventures as the head of security at Pearl, the popular mixed-use development near downtown.

A political future?

McManus hinted that his name could surface in future political conversations, though he stopped short of confirming any plans.

“Could be, could be. You never know,” McManus said when asked whether his name might appear on a future ballot.

When pressed further, McManus said he wasn’t ready to share specifics.

“There’s been a lot of conversation about that, but that’s … my focus right now is on Silver Ventures and the Pearl,” McManus said.

His last day with the San Antonio Police Department is July 10. The search for his replacement is already underway.

Read also:

• SAPD Chief William McManus to retire next week; Accepts new role with Pearl, officials say

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding is slated to take place Friday at Madison Square Garden, where the couple's closest friends and family — and several hundred more — will attend what is expected to be an elaborate event inside the iconic New York venue.

Many of the details surrounding the pending nuptials are still unknown, but a city permit obtained by The Associated Press shows that Friday's wedding event is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. and could last until 4 a.m. the next morning. A law enforcement official briefed on security plans had previously told the AP that a smaller rehearsal dinner would be held Thursday night. A tented area shielded guests from view as they were dropped off Thursday evening. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the events publicly.

The wedding is the latest development in the superstar singer and football player's relationship, which has continued to thrill and fascinate millions around the world — particularly the Swifties, the pop star’s enormous and ardent fan base — for the past three years ever since the pair first started dating.

Key questions remain over how Swift and Kelce have transformed MSG into a wedding venue fit for a billionaire and the star tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, as well as who may perform and who will officiate. Trucks and crews have been going in and out of the venue for days, setting up tents and whisking massive materials inside, setting off more speculation about MSG's makeover.

And while fans have seen Swift wear wedding dresses in plenty of music videos over the years, many also remain eager to see what looks she will unveil at the wedding.

Perhaps the biggest puzzle surrounds the selection of MSG. Swifties, commentators and the public have spent weeks debating the merits of the venue, some convincing themselves that it must be a smoke screen for the wedding to take place elsewhere. Others pointed to the arena's lack of windows and robust security, which would provide a rare opportunity for privacy for one of the most public couples in the world — and crucially, add another layer of protection.

New York City Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch has repeatedly declined to confirm that Swift and Kelce’s wedding would take place Friday at MSG but has said her department will have appropriate resources at each major event over the weekend, including at the venue.

The wedding is taking place during a jam-packed weekend even by New York's standards. It's the July Fourth weekend, where the city will be partake in celebrating the nation's 250th birthday. Separately, a parade of dozens of tall ships will take place on the Hudson River, and a World Cup game is scheduled in New Jersey. On top of everything, a massive heat wave is also coming to the northeast.

Earlier this week, Swift and Kelce donated $26 million to 20 local and national charities across the U.S. Many of the organizations were located in areas where the couple has deep ties, including Nashville, Tennessee; Los Angeles; Kansas City, Missouri; and New York.

The states and federal government accused Cal-Maine Foods, Versova and Hickman’s Egg Ranch of a behind-the-scenes arrangement to “artificially inflate the daily price quotations for eggs" between June 2022 and March 2025. In particular, their investigation found that the companies coordinated on what bids they would submit to Urner Barry Publications, a company that runs an index key to determining how much grocery stores, restaurants and others pay for billions of eggs each year.

In turn, that meant “higher prices for eggs sold to consumers,” alleged the complaint, which was filed in Iowa on Monday, the day the settlement terms were announced.

“When powerful corporations collude behind the scenes to raise prices, working families suffer the costs,” New York Attorney General Letitia James, who helped lead the investigation, said in a statement. “These egg producers manipulated the market to squeeze even more profit out of consumers and businesses."

None of the companies admitted wrongdoing under the settlements. But to settle the states' claims, Cal-Maine, Versova and Hickman's will collectively be on the hook for $3.3 million and 53 million eggs, James and others said. Those eggs would be donated by the companies and make their ways to food banks and nonprofits. The money will be distributed to the states.

The Justice Department and the states also outlined actions the companies will need to take, including adopting antitrust compliance programs and banning communicating with competitors on pricing and bidding strategies.

The settlements would still need court approval. The Justice Department's Omeed A. Assefi said Tuesday that the proposed settlements “resolve years of conduct that dragged on Americans’ finances and their everyday lives.”

Average U.S. egg prices soared to a record high of about $6.23 per dozen in March 2025, amid a bird flu epidemic that forced farmers to slaughter millions of egg-laying chickens. Egg producers blamed price spike on the outbreak, but critics accused big companies of taking advantage of their market dominance and the government began its investigation.

Monday’s complaint notes that price quotations “dropped significantly” after Cal-Maine, Versova and Hickman’s learned of the Justice Department’s investigation and were instructed to preserve documents in March 2025. Consumer egg prices also later tumbled — to under $2.20 per dozen as of May 2026 — as replenished flocks caught up despite the ongoing outbreak.

Cal-Maine maintained Monday that allegations of price manipulation were “baseless” and that it believes its conduct has been legal. It also noted that while it was part of a cooperative with the other egg producers, it left the group in May 2024.

Still, Cal-Maine CEO Sherman Miller said the company's settlement agreement “enables us to move forward so we can devote our full attention to what matters most: delivering affordable, high-quality eggs and egg-based prepared foods to consumers nationwide.”

Miller added the period the Justice Department reviewed “was a particularly challenging time” — noting that, beyond avian flu, the COVID-19 pandemic, weather and other market conditions have contributed to temporary supply shocks and high prices in recent years. He said Cal-Maine “took numerous steps to protect and grow its hen flock” in that time.

Versova echoed a similar sentiment, particularly pointing to the toll the bird flu has had on its farmers, who it noted “don’t set the wholesale price of eggs.” Instead, Versova said the price of most of its eggs depends on cost fluctuations of grain used in hen feeds.

Meanwhile, Hickman's owner Mantiqueira USA, which acquired the egg producer in November, said the “conduct referenced in the complaint predates our acquisition," noting that it is committed to complying with the law.

Some advocacy groups say the proposed settlements aren't enough.

“Consumers paid record prices while dominant egg producers reported extraordinary profits, yet the result is another settlement that corporations can treat as the cost of doing business rather than meaningful accountability,” said Angela Huffman, president of Farm Action.

Cal-Maine — the only of the three companies that is public and reports quarterly financials — reported a profit of $1.22 billion for the 2025 fiscal year. Under its settlement agreement with the states, the company would pay $1.5 million and donate 30 million eggs.

Meanwhile, per court documents, Versova would provide 20 million eggs and $800,000, and Hickman's would be on the hook for 3.25 million eggs and $1 million.

In addition to New York, these states were party to the settlement agreements: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

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This article is co-published with The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan local newsroom that informs and engages with Texans. Sign up for The Brief Weekly to get up to speed on their essential coverage of Texas issues.

Guards at an immigration detention center in El Paso, Texas, could see a detainee in his cell with one end of a bedsheet wrapped around his neck and the other tied to the door handle. If they opened the door, the sheet would tighten and strangle him. 

The detainee, Geraldo Lunas Campos, had been in detention at Camp East Montana for a month by then. The facility itself was still relatively new and had been opened as part of the Trump administration’s plans to house and quickly deport thousands of immigrants at a time.

Almost immediately after being admitted, the 55-year-old Cuban immigrant began expressing frustration about his care, according to a nearly 300-page unpublished medical examiner’s investigative report. 

The report, reviewed by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, includes dozens of notes that detail medical staff interactions with Lunas Campos, who had a history of mental illness and had been previously institutionalized in New York. 

The report and the records it contains offer a rare and disturbing look at how immigrant detention facilities — erected rapidly and with little oversight — manage detainees with serious mental health needs. The records paint a portrait of a man in a crisis and a facility whose staff, on several occasions, discussed transferring him to a facility where he could get a higher level of care. 

According to the records, he complained at least eight times to staff about skipped or late doses of antipsychotic drugs to treat his depression, anxiety and hallucinations. He “expressed frustration regarding his medication dosage,” says a Sept. 9 entry from medical staff.

They point to moments of exasperation that led to self-harm. He banged his head against the wall after he couldn’t afford to pay the charges to talk with his children in New York. That left him with a black eye. In response, staff simply noted that they spoke with him about “not hitting his head against the wall bc he must take care of his brain and his eyes.” 

The incident with the noose and the doorknob came in early October. A mental health provider eventually coaxed him to untie it. Notes detailing the incident stated that Lunas Campos affirmed he wasn’t suicidal. The notes dismissed what occurred as a “suicidal gesture made to force security staff to release him” from the isolation room where he had been segregated from the rest of the detainees. Hospitalization, the notes stated, was “not clinically indicated at this time based on assessed risk and protective factors.” 

Lunas Campos died in detention nearly three months later, after an altercation with guards over his medication. The Trump administration initially claimed that he had experienced medical distress, but a coroner later ruled his death a homicide. 

The conflicting accounts over the cause of his death have drawn significant media attention and served to rally advocacy groups who have alleged that it is one of the more shocking pieces of evidence of the dangerous conditions endured by immigrants in federal detention facilities. 

But little had been reported about Lunas Campos’ condition and treatment before that day. On Monday, Lunas Campos’ three children sued the companies running the facility at the time of his death. The lawsuit alleged that guards killed him and argued negligence, including missed medication doses and the improper use of force and restraint. The Washington Post on Thursday reported that Lunas Campos had repeatedly sought treatment for his mental illness, pointing to the medical examiner’s investigative report. The companies have not responded to the allegations in court filings and did not return emails and phone calls seeking comment.

ProPublica and the Tribune reviewed the contents of the report several weeks ago. Two doctors, who are experts on mental health and deaths in detention, also reviewed the report at the news organizations’ request. The takeaway was clear: The detainee asked for help, the facility staff failed to adequately respond.

The news organizations separately reviewed more than 160 emergency calls, as well as records and interviews with staff and government officials familiar with the detention center. They show medical and mental health emergencies beyond those experienced by Lunas Campos, as well as staff indicating they felt ill-equipped to respond. Detainees had little access to recreational activities and time outside, which mental health experts say exacerbates their despair. Staff also ignored warning signs, such as detainees’ previous efforts to harm themselves.

“It’s civil detention,” said Will Horowitz, an attorney representing Lunas Campos’ adult children in the lawsuit. “They’re not in detention because they’ve committed a crime.”  

The White House declined to comment. Immigration and Customs Enforcement didn’t respond to multiple requests for an interview and did not answer a list of written questions. The administration has previously dismissed detainee accounts of inadequate medical care and poor conditions at Camp East Montana and other detention centers as “false” and called them “fearmongering clickbait.” Federal officials have repeatedly said that for many immigrants, the medical care they receive in detention is the best in their lives.

In Lunas Campos’ case, officials from the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, initially minimized the incident that led to his death, pointing to his criminal history. Later, in response to news reports that the medical examiner planned to rule the death a homicide, a DHS spokesperson said guards had used force to keep him from killing himself. 

Lunas Campos was sentenced to a year in jail after a 2003 conviction for sexual contact with a child under the age of 11, according to The Associated Press. The news organization also reported that he was convicted of attempting to sell a controlled substance and sentenced to five years in prison and three years of supervision in 2009.

Horowitz said Lunas Campos’ criminal history is irrelevant to his detention. Lunas Campos’ children declined to comment on the failures highlighted in the medical examiner’s report or on his criminal history, but, Horowitz said, “They want people to know that he was a person like anyone else and that he didn’t need to die.” 

In a report issued after Lunas Campos’ death, DHS officials said he received regular medical and psychiatric evaluations, with staff adjusting his medication as needed. They also contended that he was monitored for suicidal ideation. Investigative records from the El Paso medical examiner show a period during which facility staff checked on him every 15 minutes following his suicide attempt, as required by the federal government. 

But the medical examiner’s report also brings into focus a series of breakdowns in care, according to Dr. Sanjay Basu, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco. He said Lunas Campos’ case is a model of how such moments compound, creating crisis after crisis with dire outcomes.

“The clinical trajectory documented in his chart — escalating agitation, self-harm, pressured speech, repeated confrontations with staff over medication — is the predictable result of erratic psychotropic medication administration in a patient with serious mental illness,” Basu said.

He pointed to records that show staff didn’t transfer Lunas Campos to a facility that could better treat his mental health, even after noting that they were working to move him as early as Oct. 8. Lunas Campos was also repeatedly placed in segregation cells, separate from the rest of the camp population, which had little more than a bed in them. The government’s own detention standards say staff should generally make every effort to avoid placing detainees with a serious mental illness in segregation. 

Most critically, instead of taking his previous suicide attempt seriously, staff interpreted it as an effort to manipulate them, Basu said.

The records, Basu said, clearly show “systemic neglect.”

A system unraveling

Camp East Montana was supposed to be the model for how detention centers across the country would operate under President Donald Trump’s administration. It was near the U.S.-Mexico border and had easy access to a highway and an airfield to quickly transport and deport unauthorized immigrants. Its location on barren, massive Fort Bliss land also allowed for a space that could hold up to 10,000 unauthorized immigrants at a time, more than any other facility in the country.

Instead, the detention center became an example of what could go wrong. 

Within months of the camp’s opening, the American Civil Liberties Union, which is now suing the federal government, published accounts from immigrants who said they were beaten by guards, denied lifesaving medication and kept in squalid conditions with sewage at times spilling into their eating areas. Detainees commonly caught measles or tuberculosis. The government hasn’t responded formally to the lawsuit, but in statements to the media a DHS spokesperson said claims of inhumane conditions and detainees being abused are “categorically false.”  

The problems treating people with mental health challenges were not as visible but stacked up in ways that experts said added mental distress and could contribute to more suicide attempts. In the worst cases, they said, detainees unnecessarily died.

The facility was never set up to house detainees struggling with serious mental health conditions, a DHS official and a medical provider who worked there told ProPublica and the Tribune. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because the government did not authorize them to discuss conditions at the camp. 

Several staffers told the news organizations that they had a lot of relevant information they could share, but they had signed nondisclosure agreements.   

The DHS official said immigrants didn’t have adequate space to read, pray, write or get legal services. They were kept inside windowless cells with nothing to do. Detainees were also granted little time outside, partly because the facility’s outdoor space was not big enough for all of them, a government report later found. The federal government requires detention centers to provide detainees at least one hour of outdoor time per day, but many got only a couple of hours a week, detainees told ProPublica and the Tribune. 

“Recreation and amenities, games, books, TVs, are all lifelines for people in detention,” the DHS official, who did not participate in the report, said. 

Prolonged confinement made detainees more anxious and desperate, at times leading to hunger strikes and fights. Immigrants were only supposed to remain at Camp East Montana for a maximum of two weeks, according to contract documents and statements from federal officials. When Lunas Campos died, the typical detainee had spent 38 days in the facility, according to a ProPublica analysis of government data provided to the Deportation Data Project, which collects and posts immigration enforcement information. He had been there far longer, more than 100 days.

Dr. Katherine Peeler, a medical adviser for the advocacy group Physicians for Human Rights who has studied healthcare in immigration detention centers, said that the conditions reported at Camp East Montana signal that it is not a safe place for any detained individual. 

“You’ve been detained. You don’t know what the process is going to be. You don’t know when you’re going to be released,” Peeler said. “It’s really hard to trust people who are in charge to give you accurate information and so, as a result, you’re going to have a lot more despair and a lot more kind of anguish.” 

The situation is worse for people with a history of mental illness, Peeler said. Solitary confinement can cause post-traumatic stress disorder, self-harm and suicide risks, according to a 2024 report that Peeler co-authored with partners, including students and staff at Harvard University. 

“We are creating a mental health crisis that does not need to be there,” Peeler said.

Some detainees at Camp East Montana who showed signs of potential self-harm were placed in isolation rooms that were not suicide-proof. They had doorknobs and mesh ceilings to which detainees who wanted to harm themselves could tie a bedsheet, the DHS official said. 

National detention standards don’t specify the number of suicide-proof rooms needed in each facility but make clear that detainees who are suicidal should be placed in rooms “free of objects and structural elements that could facilitate a suicide attempt.” 

“It’s insane,” said the medical provider who spoke to ProPublica and the Tribune. “If somebody wants to kill themselves, there’s nowhere to put them that’s actually safe.”

“They just didn’t do it”

Lunas Campos was in such a room when he first tried to commit suicide. By then, staff had reported at least three other suicide attempts to 911.

There were the two calls in September, one about a detainee who lay on the floor holding his stomach in agony and unable to speak after swallowing an unknown object. The other about a man biting his arms and trying to cut his wrists with a piece of cardboard and a comb. 

Another call came in October, the day before Lunas Campos was spotted with a sheet tied around his neck. A man being kept in a medical isolation room to rule out tuberculosis tried to hang himself, the caller told the 911 operator. 

Suicide attempts are warning signs of a larger problem at a detention center, which could include inadequate strategies for observing or flagging self-harm or more general medical issues, said Claire Trickler-McNulty, a former senior official at ICE who served in the Obama, first Trump and Biden administrations. 

Out of 53 deaths in ICE custody since Trump returned to the White House, at least 10 have been reported as presumed suicides. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for independent investigations into the ICE deaths and expressed alarm over the reported use of solitary confinement.

“You would hope that if you have a number of negative outcomes of problematic incidents like that, that they would do critical incident reviews, figure out what was going on and try to take corrective action,” Trickler-McNulty said.

Last week, DHS’s inspector general launched probes into detainee deaths and whether the department was following its own standards on the use of force, citing a rise in ICE custody fatalities since 2022. 

Other problems were already identified in a report released last month by the Government Accountability Office. The GAO found millions of dollars had been wasted, pointed to gaps in medical care and noted unsanitary conditions at the El Paso facility. The report mentions that in October, ICE officials raised concerns with the contractors running the facility about the lack of windows on some doors in medical holding rooms, which prevented staff from easily seeing what was happening inside. 

The DHS official flagged several other problems that the government could have worked to improve. It could have assigned more ICE agents to help with chronic staffing shortages, created more opportunities for recreational activities and built special tents with suicide-prevention rooms, the DHS official said. 

“There was no lack of money or space and there was an obvious incentive to do it,” the official said, referring to the suicide attempts at the facility. “They just didn’t do it.”

There seemed to be a push-pull between career ICE staff and political appointees, the DHS official told the news organizations. 

“The political side didn’t want to give the appearance that it was so chaotic, they wanted to pretend it wasn’t happening,” the official said. 

Even without the proposed changes, staff at the detention center should have done more to treat Lunas Campos’ mental illness, said Joanne Ahola, a psychiatrist who has spent 17 years evaluating immigrants inside detention centers for Physicians for Human Rights’ volunteer Asylum Network. She also reviewed his records at the request of ProPublica and the Tribune.  

Lunas Campos’ early pleas for help continued throughout his detention. Nearly two weeks after his suicide attempt, he again flagged that he wasn’t getting his medications.

“Pt reported being very frustrated and anxious because he had not received his medication for a couple of days,” a medical note from Oct. 19 read. It noted that Lunas Campos was visibly “irritated and yelling.”

Another note on Nov. 10, said Lunas Campos “had not gotten his medications since Nov. 6.” 

And, on Nov. 11, more than a month after staff told Lunas Campos that they were working to move him to a facility with a higher level of care, shorthanded as HLOC, he was still waiting. “Continues to request transfer to HLOC stating conditions at current facility are adversely affecting his mental health,” according to a note from that date.

Lunas Campos was temporarily moved to another facility, but it was another detention center that experts say did not provide the higher level of care he needed.

On Jan. 2, a day before his death, he returned to Camp East Montana. A note from medical staff at 9:42 p.m. said they “provided emotional support,” “reviewed grounding and breathing techniques to manage anxiety,” encouraged him “to seek ongoing mental health support as needed,” and added his name to the medical sick call for a psychiatric evaluation. 

“This is a man who needed regular medications, a full evaluation, mental health clinicians and, no doubt, re-hospitalization,” Ahola said.  

“Instead, it almost seems like it was brushed off or brushed under the rug,” she added. 

Less than two weeks after Lunas Campos’ death, the health administrator at Camp East Montana called 911 again.

Victor Manuel Díaz, a 36-year-old Nicaraguan native, was found in a cell with his pants tied around his neck. He was in a room with no windows.The staff found him as they were doing routine checks.

An ambulance was needed, the health administrator told the operator, explaining where emergency responders should go upon arrival at the facility. Without hesitation, he added, “They’ve been out here many times.” 

Díaz, who cooked chicken and washed dishes at a Minneapolis Korean restaurant, had been picked up and flown to Camp East Montana a week earlier. The GAO noted that ICE itself later acknowledged in a report that staff had not properly followed procedures after he “exhibited risk factors for suicide.” Staff placed him in a medical holding room — not a suicide-resitant cell — and left him unattended for periods longer than 15 minutes, the GAO stated. 

His autopsy, which was conducted by the military, has not been made public.

Francesca D’Annunzio contributed reporting. Misty Harris and Gabriel Sandoval contributed research. Jeff Ernsthausen contributed data analysis.

“Compared to a year ago today, Canyon Lake is up almost 10-and-a-half feet from where it was, and it’s fantastic,” Mike Dussere, the general manager of the Water Oriented Recreation District (WORD) of Comal County, said while boating on the lake Wednesday.

Three of the 23 boat ramps for Canyon Lake are open: Canyon Park (#18) , Canyon Lake Marina (#19), and Jacob’s Creek Park at the Joint Base San Antonio Recreation park (#14).

The boat ramps are all open to the public for a fee, and the marina’s general manager said it has a few overnight slips available.

Each ramp has a limited amount of parking for boat trailers. So getting there early enough will be key for revelers who want to get on the lake.

Getting off the lake is likely to take more time, though, with Dussere estimating it could be a “couple of hours” to get your boat back on its trailer after an evening fireworks show.

Kayakers, paddle boarders and others who can carry their boats can still launch from at least the Comal County boat ramps, which are are otherwise closed to power boats: ramps 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 22, and 23.

Last year, the lake was only slightly above the historic low it had hit in April, about 32 feet below the full level. As of Thursday, it was down nearly 21 feet.

Still, at its deepest, the lake is more than 100 feet deep.

However, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Park Ranger Philip Anderson warned boaters who haven’t been on the lake in a while to be cautious, as they may be unfamiliar with new navigational hazards because of the lower water level, such as trees below the surface.

“I would say stay in the main body of the lake,” Anderson advised for people towing water skiers or tubers. “Don’t do any of that up in the coves because that’s where the majority of the hazards are going to be.”

With the water back up a bit, Canyon Lake Marina and Crane’s Mill Marina General Manager Angela Tobin anticipates a busy weekend.

“I think people are realizing that Canyon Lake is making its way back,” Tobin said.

Also drawing people to the lake is an on-the-water professional fireworks show, "Liberty on the Lake,“ which the WORD of Comal County says will be a first of its kind for Canyon Lake.

Wes Walker, the operations manager for WORD of Comal County, said they had been part of the event’s planning committee, along with other local businesses, organizations and individuals.

“Then the idea was, ‘well, do you want to do it off a barge in the middle of the lake?’” Walker asked. “And then somebody piped up, and they’re like, ‘oh, it is the 250th.’ And I was like ‘all right, fair enough. Go big or go home, right?’”

“We’re going to make this thing awesome,” Walker said. “It’s going to be huge.”

For anyone hoping to watch from the shore, both Comal Park and Canyon Park will be free for entry after 7:30 p.m. The fireworks start at 9:30 p.m.

Boat Ramp information

#18 - Canyon Park

• ADDRESS: Canyon Park Rd, Canyon Lake, TX
• REGULAR HOURS: 7:00 a.m. — 6:00 p.m. (last entry), out by 7:30 p.m.
• JULY 4 HOURS: 7:00 a.m. — 6:00 p.m. (last entry), REOPEN 7:30 p.m. free entry for fireworks
• FEE: $20 per out-of-county vehicle, $5 per Comal County vehicle, $0 for disabled veterans

#19 - Canyon Lake Marina

• ADDRESS: 280 Marina Drive, Canyon Lake, TX
• REGULAR HOURS: 9:00 a.m. —7:00 p.m.
• JULY 4 HOURS: 9:00 a.m. — after fireworks
• FEE: $30 ramp fee

#14 - Jacob’s Creek Park at JBSA Recreation Park

• ADDRESS: Jacobs Creek Park Road, Canyon Lake, TX
• REGULAR HOURS: 7:00 a.m. — dark
• JULY 4 HOURS: 8:00 a.m. —after fireworks
• FEE: $20 per vehicle, $15 per vehicle with D.O.D. ID

Read also:

• Keeping afloat and out of jail: Texas Game Wardens discuss boater safety ahead of Memorial Day weekend
• How to stay safe on the water as July 4 weekend nears

Most municipal offices will be closed, but police, EMS and fire personnel will remain on duty. If you’re trying to catch a break from the heat, select outdoor city-owned pools will be open.

Take a look at what’s open in San Antonio on Friday, July 3 and Independence Day:

Grocers and retail stores

• Costco warehouses will be open Friday, July 3, but stores will be closed Independence Day.
• H-E-B will be open both days.
• IKEA will be open Friday, July 3, and open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Independence Day.
• Sam’s Club: Sam’s Club will be open Friday and open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for plus members and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. for club members Independence Day.
• Walmart will be open both days.

Below is the holiday schedule for Friday, July 3, which was released by the City of San Antonio:

Police and fire

• Police will be on duty
• Fire and EMS personnel will be on duty

General services

• 3-1-1 Call Center will be operational from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 5-11 p.m. for urgent animal concerns and traffic signal malfunctions
• Animal Care Officers will be on duty
• Code Enforcement Officers will be available for emergency coverage
• Downtown parking visitors will enjoy an on-street parking meter holiday (this does not apply to off-street city-operated garages and lots)
• For a list of pools and hours, click here for hours of operation and locations.
• City parks and trails will be open
• McFarlin Tennis Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Waste collection & drop off

• Garbage, recycling and organics will have normal collections all week.
• Curbside brush and bulky items will have normal collections all week.

Facilities & administrative offices

Mixed schedule

• Bitters Brush site at 1800 Wurzbach Parkway will be open Friday, July 3, and closed Independence Day
• All Bulky Waste drop-off centers and the Household Hazardous Waste drop-off center (Bitters, Frio City Road, Rigsby and Culebra) will be open Friday, July 3 and closed Independence Day
• World Heritage Center will be open Friday, July 3 and closed Independence Day
• Central Library and all San Antonio Public Library locations will be open Friday, July 3 and closed Independence Day
• Animal Care Services Lobby and adoption center will be open Friday, July 3 and closed Independence Day

Open

• • Municipal Court magistration services and SAPD’s detention center
  • La Villita and Market Square shops
  • Spanish Governors Palace
  • Alamodome box office

Closed

• • All Pre-K 4 SA Centers and Corporate Offices
  • The Darner Headquarters and Park Reservations Office
  • City of San Antonio Community Centers, adult and senior centers, the Atanacio Garcia Natatorium, Fairchild Recreation Center, the Barrera Community Fitness Center and Wheatley Heights Sports Complex
  • All Metro Health clinics and offices
  • San Antonio Municipal Court
  • SAPD’s administration and records section
  • SAFD administrative offices
  • Head Start administrative offices, school district site and Early Head Start Centers
  • All Senior/Adult Comprehensive Centers
  • Senior Nutrition Sites
  • Willie Velasquez Center (including Financial Empowerment Center, VITA free tax preparation and Utility Assistance Program)
  • Claude Black and Frank Garrett community centers
  • Homeless Connections Hotline and Veteran Services
  • City of San Antonio Street Outreach
  • City of San Antonio Homeless Encampment Team
  • Our City Cares
  • NXT LEVEL Youth Opportunity Center
  • Carver Community Cultural Center
  • Alamodome Executive Offices
  • La Villita and Market Square administrative offices
  • Parking Division Administration offices
  • Solid Waste Management administrative offices
  • Development Services Department
  • Economic Development Department
  • Office of Historic Preservation
  • Office of Innovation
  • Planning Department
  • Neighborhood and Housing Services
  • Office of the City Clerk, including Vital Records
  • Culture Commons Gallery at Plaza de Armas
  • Centro de Artes Gallery at Market Square

Read also:

• Know before you go: San Antonio prepares for busy July 4 weekend with fireworks, festivals, Ye concert
• Events to celebrate Fourth of July, honor flood victims in Hill Country

The news agency didn't give a cause of death but said the 70-year-old Lam had a cancer relapse last year and was admitted to MacKay Memorial Hospital in Taipei on Tuesday. He fell into a coma on Wednesday and died Thursday evening, according to the report.

Lam, who was the manager of Causeway Bay Books in Hong Kong, moved to Taipei in 2019 over fears of legal troubles and reopened the bookstore under the same name in the Taiwanese capital in 2020.

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te offered his condolences in a Facebook post.

“The passing of Mr Lam Wing-kee is deeply saddening, but the courage he left behind would not fade,” Lai wrote. “Taiwan will remember that a Hong Kong bookstore worker once told us in the most ordinary yet most steadfast way how precious freedom is and reminded us that democracy requires the efforts of generation after generation to defend it.”

Lam was one of five people affiliated with Causeway Bay Books who disappeared in late 2015. The store sold books and magazines that were not available in mainland China, including some that purported to reveal secrets about the inside lives of Chinese leaders and the scandals surrounding them.

The disappearances raised concern about Beijing's growing reach into Hong Kong and the erosion of freedoms in the city, which is part of China but has its own legal system and laws.

One of the five, Gui Minhai, a publisher who was a part-owner of Causeway Bay Books, went missing from his holiday home in Thailand. He was sentenced in 2020 to 10 years in prison in China on a charge of illegally providing intelligence overseas.

In an act of defiance, Lam gave an explosive account of his experience in 2016 that contradicted official Chinese accounts of what happened to the five booksellers.

He said that he was seized by Chinese authorities in October 2015 after crossing the border from Hong Kong to the city of Shenzhen on China's mainland, and that he was blindfolded for a 13-hour train ride to the eastern city of Ningbo, where he was kept under 24-hour surveillance in a room for five months by rotating two-person teams.

Speaking to a packed news conference in Hong Kong, he said he was later forced to appear on Chinese television to confess to crimes.

Last month, Lam told the Central News Agency that he had temporarily closed the bookstore in Taipei because of his health and that he couldn't say when it might reopen. A man from Hong Kong, who did not give his name, left a white rose outside the entrance to the shop on Monday.

Chinese and Hong Kong authorities have further tightened control over the city, shutting down virtually all dissent, following massive anti-government protests in 2019.

Hong Kong police, acting under a 2024 national security law, arrested two people in June who reportedly own a bookstore. They are suspected of selling seditious publications and receiving funds from foreign political organizations, police said.

The future for the S&P 500 gained 0.4% while that for the Dow was up 0.2%. U.S. markets will be closed Friday for the Independence Day holiday.

In early European trading, Germany's DAX rose 0.7% to 52,643.30 and the CAC 40 in Paris gained 0.3% to 8,497.30. Britain's FTSE 100 picked up 0.4% to 10,689.77.

During Asian trading, South Korea's Kospi, which sank nearly 8% on Thursday, gained 5.8% to 8,088.34. Samsung Electronics, the country's biggest company and a major maker of computer chips, gained 8.2%, while its smaller rival SK Hynix jumped 10.9%.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 advanced 1.5% to 69,744.07. Chipmaker Tokyo Electron rose 0.4%, while memory maker Kioxia jumped 9.2%.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 1.3% to 23,345.28 and the Shanghai Composite index added 0.4% to 4,043.64.

Taiwan's Taiex edged 0.1% higher, while the Sensex in India jumped 0.7%.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 picked up 1.4% to 8,844.40.

“Asian stocks found some footing after two bruising tech-led sessions, with the Korean market once again showing how quickly a stretched rubber band can snap back when everyone leans the same way,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary.

On Thursday, most U.S. stocks rose as the Dow snagged another record, gaining 1.1% to 52,900.07.

Drops for computer chip companies and other winners of the artificial-intelligence boom kept indexes mixed.

The S&P 500 finished the day virtually unchanged and edged up by less than 0.1%, even though seven out of every 10 stocks within the index rose. It closed at 7,483.24.

The Nasdaq composite dropped 0.8% to 25,382.67.

Stocks broadly got some help from a report showing U.S. employers added 57,000 jobs to their payrolls last month. That’s good for the economy, but it was also short of the 100,000 jobs that economists expected and a slowdown from May’s hiring pace.

The bright side of the weaker-than-expected result is that it could keep pressure off inflation, which has been accelerating worldwide because of jumps in oil prices caused by the war with Iran. And now that oil prices are back below where they were before the war, if inflation slows in upcoming months, the Federal Reserve may feel less need to raise interest rates several times this year.

That would be a relief for investors, who tend to love lower interest rates because they can give the economy a boost by making it less expensive for U.S. households and businesses to borrow money and spend. Lower rates also tend to push upward on prices for stocks and other investments.

Stocks of companies in the crypto industry were also strong after the price of bitcoin rose roughly 2%, a day after dropping near its lowest level since 2024. Robinhood Markets rose 3.8%, and Coinbase Global gained 3.9%. Bitcoin rose 0.5% early Friday.

Selling of computer chip companies's shares has weighed on indexes. They’ve come under pressure because of worries that their stock prices shot too high in the frenzy around AI and that all the spending on chips and data centers may not yield as much profit and productivity growth as hoped.

Memory maker Micron Technology erased an early gain to drop 5.5%, a day after plunging 10.6%. Nvidia fell 1.4%, and Lam Research sank 10.2%. They were some of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500 because they’ve grown so huge in size amid AI mania.

Nvidia has a total value of nearly $4.7 trillion, so its stock’s movements have more weight on the S&P 500 than any other.

In other trading early Friday, Brent crude, the international standard, gained 0.6% to $72.26 a barrel. U.S. benchmark crude was up 0.5% to $69.05 a barrel.

The dollar fell to 160.97 Japanese yen from 161.11 yen. The euro rose to $1.1450 from $1.1431.

Yet the anti-migration nationalist party is as polarizing as ever. Its meeting is expected to draw tens of thousands of protesters to the eastern city of Erfurt.

An established political force

Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is meeting to elect its leaders, which German parties do every two years. It will aim to put on a show of unity as it extends the terms of Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, who have run the party together for four years.

In last year's national election, AfD achieved the best showing by a far-right party since World War II. Its second-place finish left it as the biggest opposition party nationally and the strongest political force in Germany's formerly communist east. Its support has since climbed above the 20.8% it won then, with recent assessments putting it in first place.

Weidel said recently that “2026 is a year of destiny for AfD.” Mainstream parties say they won’t work with it, a stance often known as a “firewall.”

But it hopes to win 40% of the vote or more in a state election Sept. 6 in the eastern region of Saxony-Anhalt. That could put it on course for an absolute majority or in a position where it might try to attract defectors, paving the way for its first state governor.

Another eastern state election follows two weeks later in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and AfD is optimistic there too.

A slice of power

“AfD is standing before the gates of power, to some extent,” said Albrecht von Lucke, a political expert who edits the magazine Blätter für deutsche und internationale Politik.

AfD's first head of a county administration was elected in 2023 in Thuringia, the state where Erfurt is located. No more have followed since, as enough voters rallied around mainstream candidates to prevent a repeat.

But leading a state administration would be a far bigger prize. Germany's 16 states have extensive powers, for example in running the education system and in overseeing security matters.

Opponents worry about the prospect of AfD replacing large numbers of civil servants if it governs Saxony-Anhalt, and about the possibility of confidential information ending up in far-right circles or even Russia. “An AfD interior minister would be a security risk,” Gregor Maier, Thuringia's center-left interior minister, told ARD television.

AfD rejects concerns about it running a state government. “We will prove that we can do it better, and that is exactly what the old parties are afraid of,” Chrupalla said this week at a rally in Berlin.

Von Lucke, however, said it would be “a huge challenge” for the party to show it can govern Saxony-Anhalt well, with internal conflicts likely. “A lot speaks for this not succeeding,” he said.

A government under pressure

AfD has been helped by the deep unpopularity of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's national coalition government, which took office 14 months ago with pledges to reform and turn around Germany’s economy, Europe’s biggest. It is now embarking on potentially painful change after a long period of economic stagnation, but has yet to persuade voters that it can produce results.

Merz has pleaded for patience.

“It is unrealistic always just to lament decline, mope and wait for a big bang,” he said at an industry meeting recently. “There isn't going to be one. We are in a reform process ... and we are moving forward in this process.”

“We want to show that solutions are possible from the political center of this country, that we also recognize the problems correctly,” he added.

But AfD has long become adept at harnessing discontent with issues well beyond its signature theme of curbing migration, which powered its rise in the mid-2010s.

It has been supportive of the Trump administration's general approach, while criticizing the war in Iran. It also has long called for lifting of sanctions against Russia and opposes weapons deliveries to Ukraine. Merz, Chrupalla said, “thinks he has to escalate against Russia, like in the Cold War. He should be building bridges.”

A party under scrutiny

AfD is locked in a battle with Germany's domestic intelligence agency over the latter's assessment of the party. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution announced last year that it was classifying AfD as a proven right-wing extremist group, but suspended the designation after a legal challenge. In February, a Cologne court said the agency can't use the designation while it considers the party's lawsuit in detail.

Some want to see the party banned, and protesters expected to turn out in force on Saturday and Sunday likely will underline those calls. But Germany's supreme court has set the bar for banning parties very high in the past.

Opponents of the idea are wary of handing AfD a victory by having a plea for a ban rejected after lengthy proceedings. Merz and conservative allies say the priority should be for the government to prove it can improve Germans' lives.

In a 2025 report issued on Tuesday, the intelligence agency said there were no indications that the party had backed off its problematic views.

“Many statements by the AfD and its representatives reflect an understanding of the nation that is based on ethnicity and ancestry and contradicts the understanding of the nation enshrined in Germany's constitution,” it said. It pointed to calls for the “remigration” of millions of people and to regular talk of an allegedly planned “great replacement” of the population.

AfD vehemently rejects accusations of extremism and argues the agency is being weaponized by mainstream parties.

___

Kerstin Sopke in Berlin contributed to this report.

He has shrugged off the setback for one of the world’s leading oil-producing nations as “not critical,” dismissed ceasefire proposals and insisted the war will continue until his goals are met.

Putin has described the attacks on Russian energy as an effort by Ukraine to distract attention from its losses on the battlefield, although analysts say the advance of Russian forces has been stymied in recent months. The Russian leader appears to believe his government can keep the fuel crisis from eroding his authority and support for the war he launched more than four years ago.

The Russian military unleashed a massive 11-hour barrage on the Ukrainian capital overnight into Thursday morning that killed at least 30 people. It was one of the deadliest attacks on Kyiv since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.

Here's a deeper look at the latest exchange of strikes and Putin’s refusal to halt the fighting:

Gas shortages worsen in Russia as more oil facilities are hit

There have been more than 50 reported Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries and other energy facilities in Russia and occupied Crimea since March — a barrage Ukrainian leaders have said is intended to pressure Moscow to end the war.

At the very least, the attacks have brought the war home even more poignantly for millions of Russians, shattering Putin’s narrative of the conflict as something that doesn’t affect the lives of ordinary people in his country.

An estimated one-third of Russia’s refining capacity has been cut off, according to Chris Weafer, CEO of the consultancy Macro-Advisory. The attacks have inflicted lasting damage that will be costly to fix.

Despite significant air defenses protecting Russia's capital, a top refinery in Moscow has been hit twice. The second strike on June 18 set it ablaze, damaging key equipment that will reportedly take until the end of the year to repair.

With gasoline production in Russia reduced by roughly 17% to 850,000 barrels a day, according to government statistics, rationing has been introduced in many regions, and motorists have had to wait in line for hours to refuel.

Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, has faced the worst fuel shortages. Gasoline sales to individuals have been periodically halted there altogether.

Putin downplays the impact of Ukrainian strikes

Putin chaired a meeting of government officials last weekend to discuss the fuel shortages.

In televised statements, he acknowledged the country was going through a “difficult period.” He pledged to accelerate repairs of energy facilities and said Russia would consider importing gasoline to help make up for what he described as “temporary” shortages. He also said Russia's arms industry will boost production of air defense systems to fend off future Ukrainian attacks.

Putin portrayed the Ukrainian strikes as an attempt to divide Russian society, halt Moscow's offensive and try to force the Kremlin into negotiations on “terms advantageous to our adversary.”

“We will not give them that chance,” he said.

While Putin said Ukraine's long-range strikes on Russian oil facilities “have absolutely no effect on the situation at the front,” Western military analysts say mid-range strikes on the Russian army in recent months have hampered military logistics and slowed the tempo of its advance, leaving the battlefield in a stalemate.

Putin claims Russian forces are still advancing across the roughly 1,000 kilometer-long (620 mile-long) front line. In an interview last weekend with state TV, Putin mentioned the names of small villages and even streets in Ukraine.

Putin dismisses Ukraine's ceasefire offers

The Russian president has responded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's offer to meet by challenging him to come to Moscow, a non-starter to Ukraine.

Putin has rejected a truce that Kyiv and its Western allies have proposed. He says it would only give Ukrainian forces time to rest and regroup.

He has made any ceasefire conditional on Ukraine's withdrawal from the part of the Donetsk region it still controls, a demand rejected by Ukraine. Putin has said that a final peace deal must oblige Ukraine to abandon its bid to join NATO, reduce its military and protect Russian language and culture.

In last Sunday's interview, Putin claimed that Ukraine had offered to limit the fighting to the four regions that Russia annexed but never fully captured: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. He said he rejected the proposal because it would free up Ukrainian forces from other areas where Russian troops have made inroads and let them focus on fending off the Russian attacks in the four southeastern regions.

“Faced with a catastrophic shortage of personnel, the armed forces of Ukraine apparently believe this could be their salvation,” Putin said. “Saving the Kyiv regime is not part of our plans.”

The Kremlin said the offer was made via confidential channels; Ukrainian officials have not publicly discussed any such proposal.

Putin also dismissed a Ukrainian proposal to mutually halt strikes deep into each other's territory. Russian attacks deep into Ukraine are “much more powerful, sensitive and, frankly speaking, destructive,” he said.

In Thursday's deadly barrage on Kyiv, Russia once again hit residential areas even as it claimed to be targeting military sites. By contrast, the vast majority of Ukrainian strikes in Russia have hit oil facilities, weapons factories and other military targets.

A United Nations tally says more than 16,000 Ukrainian civilians have died in the war.

He's giving his harvest away rather than watching it rot as he's locked in a legal battle with a company that claims exclusive rights over the variety of white nectarine he grows. He's shared more than 100,000 pounds (45,359 kilograms) since Monday.

“It was really just a thought of not wasting a perfectly good product,” Mora said. “It does make a grower feel good, being able to share my fruit with people and see their immediate reaction that they love it. It’s a little bit of good in this tough situation that I’ve been dealing with.”

The legal dispute highlights the tension that can emerge between farmers and the plant breeders and large industrial food marketers that create new varieties of plants and obtain the exclusive rights to sell them.

Since 2023, the third-generation farmer in the agricultural community of Reedley in California's Central Valley has been fighting a lawsuit filed against him by Giumarra Brothers Fruit Co. The suit centers on the company’s claims of exclusivity over a variety of white nectarine and accusations that Mora broke their contract by selling the fruit to other packers. A trial has been scheduled for later this month.

“At its heart, this is a disagreement involving two written agreements, and it is being resolved the right way — in court and on the facts,” the company said in a statement emailed by one of its attorneys.

Mora has accused the company of unfair and fraudulent business practices.

Fruit patents are becoming more common

The fight centers on a white nectarine variety known as “Monalise,” which has a sweeter, less tart taste.

In its court filings, Giumarra says all rights to the Monalise variety are owned by Star Fruits Diffusion, a French company that works with plant breeding programs, while Giumarra holds the right to sublicense the variety for testing, production and sale. Star Fruits Diffusion did not respond to a request for comment.

Plant breeders, including universities, have long experimented with breeding new crop varieties, and some have become household names. Washington State University developed the Rainier cherry in the 1950s, while the University of Minnesota released the Honeycrisp apple in the 1990s. Both varieties are now in the public domain and can be grown and sold by anyone.

Fruit patents are becoming increasingly common, said Bradley Rickard, professor of food and agricultural economics at Cornell University. A patent allows a breeder to collect a royalty from the fruit trees it sells, the fruit that the trees produce, or both.

In 2010, more than a dozen apple growers sued the University of Minnesota for awarding exclusive rights to its SweeTango apple to an orchard that organized a cooperative of growers to market the variety. A settlement maintained the university's license agreement with the cooperative while also allowing more Minnesota orchards to lease the trees that bear the apple variety.

The white nectarine battle in California

California's Central Valley, stretching some 20,000 square miles (51,800 square kilometers), is an agricultural powerhouse that's estimated to produce 40% of the nation's fruits, nuts and other table foods, including most of its nectarines.

Court filings show Mora signed a sublicensing agreement with Giumarra in 2017 allowing him to grow and sell the Monalise. He entered a marketing agreement in 2019 requiring the fruit to be packed and sold through Giumarra. He said Giumarra recruited him to grow it.

Under the agreements, Mora was to pay Giumarra a royalty of $2.50 per tree and a 4% production royalty based off the gross sales of the fruit the trees produced, as well as a sales commission.

“They sold me hope and a big dream that I thought I could participate in with them," he said.

Mora alleges that up to half of the nectarines he provided to Giumarra in 2020 were thrown away, reducing his profits. The company disputes this, and the judge overseeing the case found that the statute of limitations for those claims had passed.

In 2022, Mora alleges the company sold his nectarines to Taiwan in violation of the contract, which states Giumarra will market and sell them in the U.S. and Canada. Giumarra also disputes that claim.

Mora later sought to terminate his relationship with Giumarra, and he sold his nectarines to another fruit packer in 2023. That's when Giumarra sued him for breach of contract, leading to his inability to sell the fruit at all while the court battle plays out.

Mora’s attorneys say Giumarra has not provided documents regarding its license to the nectarine variety. The company said in court filings the Monalise is not covered by a U.S. plant patent. Mora’s attorneys claim in court filings that “Giumarra promised and represented that the Nectarines were an ‘exclusive variety’ of fruit, and thus Giumarra held patents and related legal rights over these nectarines,” and that because it was exclusive, the fruit “would be sold for top dollar.”

Fresno County Superior Court Judge Jon Skiles in May ruled that Giumarra's breach of contract claim can go forward, saying that the agreement between Giumarra and Mora is valid whether there is a patent for the fruit or not.

“The sublicense agreement does not expressly state that its validity is dependent on the existence or issuance of a patent for the fruit,” he wrote.

He added that Giumarra “does not have to prove the existence of the underlying license agreement in order to prove that it has a valid contract with defendant regarding growing and selling the fruit."

Legal battles can discourage farmers

Mora said the yearslong litigation has left him feeling frustrated and defenseless. He also grows peaches and plums that are not subject to agreements with Giumarra, but he has lost a quarter of his income by not being able to sell his nectarine crop. Mora says he hopes his case results in more legal protections for growers, while Giumarra says it will let the evidence speak at trial.

“It's been discouraging to even want to go out and farm,” he said.

On Wednesday, locals wore T-shirts that read “No Nectarines Wasted” as they bagged up the free fruit, with some staying to help Mora serve the large crowds. He's raised more than $17,000 through a GoFundMe page.

“The only saving grace through all this is being able to share it with the public,” Mora said of his nectarines, “and having everybody enjoy it."

The government this week introduced to Parliament amendments aimed at increasing powers of the eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s online safety watchdog, to enforce the ban on Australian children younger than 16 from holding accounts on platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube that has been in place since December.

The amendments would have given Inman Grant power to demand documents as well as information from platforms about their efforts to exclude young children. She can currently only demand information.

But the conservative opposition Liberal Party and minor Australian Greens party referred the draft legislation Thursday to an eight-week Senate inquiry. The center-left Labor Party government does not hold a majority in the Senate.

“It is outrageous the delay because what the eSafety Commissioner has said very clearly is that that will allow the platforms to go and just delete a whole lot of material,” Albanese told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

“Whereas if it was passed yesterday, that would have been the date from which these demands could be made by the commissioner. So then fines can be issued,” he added.

The amendments would also give the commissioner power to demand information from third parties, including age assurance technology providers, to test claims made by platforms about how children continued to circumvent the ban.

The bill would double the maximum fine to 99 million Australian dollars ($68 million) for platforms that fail to take reasonable steps to exclude children.

Greens Sen. David Shoebridge, who has always opposed the social media ban, questioned why a fine that had never been issued needed to be doubled.

“Doubling penalties that they've never used doesn't seem to me to be a meaningful measure,” Shoebridge told Sky News Australia. “Is that really going to be the thing that keeps kids safe online?”

Opposition communications spokesperson Sen. Sarah Henderson said the amendments needed to be tougher.

“This is a social media ban which is failing; a half-baked law which is poorly designed, which was rushed, which is badly implemented and which is not working,” Henderson said.

“We will interrogate this bill properly and, frankly, I think the amendments before the Parliament need to be tougher,” she added.

Parliament passed the initial legislation with overwhelming support in 2024. The 10 targeted platforms were given more than a year to implement the ban.

Many countries who have implemented or are planning similar restrictions have been closely watching progress of Australia’s ban.

The government initially reported more than 5 million children had accounts removed, deactivated or restricted after the ban became law.

But eSafety reported in March that seven in 10 children who held accounts on restricted platforms on Dec. 10 when the ban took effect remained on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok.

Inman Grant said in April she was considering court action against those platforms and YouTube, alleging they were not taking reasonable steps to exclude children.

She had been satisfied with progress made by the remaining restricted platforms: X, Kick, Reddit, Threads and Twitch.

Communications Minister Anika Wells said this week she had received monthly updates from eSafety since March and “we are not seeing improvements.”

The right-hander struck out seven and walked none through six innings, throwing 50 of his 69 pitches for strikes. The only baserunner for the Angels had come when Denzer Guzmán reached second on a throwing error by Mariners third baseman J.P. Crawford with two outs in the fourth.

Guzmán followed Schanuel with a single of his own in the seventh, but Miller got through the inning with a 1-0 lead.

The 27-year-old Miller took a 3-2 record and 1.97 ERA into the game. His season debut was delayed by a strained left oblique muscle sustained in spring training, but he joined the rotation in mid-May.

Angels rookie Walbert Ureña also had a no-hitter going through five innings, before Crawford led off the sixth with a double.

James Paxton pitched the most recent no-hitter for Seattle in a game at Toronto on May 8, 2018. Paxton was born and raised in Canada.

The Angels haven’t been no-hit since Sept. 11, 1999 — the longest active streak in the majors. In that game, they lost 7-0 at Minnesota, shut down by Twins left-hander Eric Milton.

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

The 16-count indictment against Republican Liz Murrill, handed up by a New Orleans grand jury, charges Louisiana’s first female attorney general with intimidation and malfeasance. At the center of the case are deepening rifts between state leaders in Louisiana, which is heavily Republican, and Democrats who control the state’s most prominent city.

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry promised a swift pardon, saying Murrill would not have her reputation tarnished by an “Orleans Kangaroo court.” Mayor Helena Moreno, a Democrat, was among those who had accused the state’s top law enforcement official in May of making threats against public officials.

Murrill called the case against her “retaliatory, meritless, and unconstitutional." Late Thursday, Murrill said she had filed for an emergency stay with the Louisiana Supreme Court.

“I will not back down. I will continue enforcing the law, fighting corruption, and doing the job the people of Louisiana elected me to do,” she wrote on X.

For months, political tensions intensified between Louisiana Republicans and New Orleans officials over a new law that abolished a court clerk office won by an exoneree, Calvin Duncan, who spent nearly three decades in prison. The change consolidated that job with another clerk's office, which Republican supporters said would make the local judicial system more efficient.

The change was staunchly opposed by New Orleans leaders, and in May, the city council set a special election that would have given Duncan a chance to win the newly combined job. Murrill responded by warning local officials in letters that they could lose their offices for violating state “usurper” laws, which forbid support for an unauthorized officeholder.

“We’re very interested in elected officials in New Orleans not being intimidated or threatened by letter or any other way,” special prosecutor Laurie White told reporters.

Bond set for Louisiana attorney general

Bond for Murrill was set at $400,000 on Thursday, according to court records.

Landry said he was ordering state police to investigate what he called “alleged improprieties” of the grand jury and those who ran it.

“The criminal justice system is a circus at its finest in Orleans and we will not have any of that!” he wrote on X.

The Republican Attorneys General Association said that making statements to local officials — in writing — was simply “issuing a legal opinion and warning public officials about the law” as part of her official duties. It called the indictment “as outrageous as it is dangerous.”

Moreno, who was elected in January and was defiant after Murrill sent the letters, on Thursday called it a “matter for the courts” and did not directly address the allegations.

“My focus, as always, remains on fulfilling the responsibilities the people of New Orleans elected me to carry out,” Moreno said.

Elected clerk says state targeted him

Duncan has said he believes state officials were retaliating against him in eliminating the job he won with 68% of the vote. Murrill and Landry have long refused to acknowledge his innocence, though he’s listed on the National Registry of Exonerations.

Republicans have said the change was not personal and supporters have noted that the offices of criminal and civil clerks of courts are combined in other parishes.

Duncan was a jailhouse lawyer who later graduated from law school. He founded a nonprofit dedicated to expanding incarcerated people’s access to the court system and was the driving force behind a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended nonunanimous jury convictions.

Duncan spent more than 28 years in prison over a fatal shooting during a robbery in 1981.

The night before a 2011 hearing to consider new evidence, prosecutors offered to reduce Duncan’s sentence to the time he’d already served in prison if he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and armed robbery. Duncan took the deal and was freed but didn’t give up on clearing his name.

In 2021, a judge agreed that Duncan had been unjustly convicted and vacated his sentence altogether. Landry and Murrill have pointed to the 2011 plea deal in objecting to Duncan calling himself exonerated.

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Associated Press reporter Jack Brook in New Orleans contributed.

“The Tale of KAHO” is the Japanese author's first full-length novel featuring a lone woman protagonist, according to Shinchosha Publishing Co.

“Kaho, a picture book author, is just an average young woman. But truly bizarre things start happening around her,” Murakami said in a brief message posted on the publisher’s campaign website. “I wrote this novel as I put myself in her shoes.”

His statement drew the attention of many fans, because most of Murakami's protagonists are young or middle-aged men.

“I'm excited about finding out how the story evolves around a female main character,” said Naoyuki Yamano, the first customer to buy the new Murakami novel.

Initially, the novel started as a short story titled “Kaho,” which Murakami rehearsed at a book reading event two years ago at Waseda University, his alma mater in Tokyo, with Mieko Kawakami, a renowned female author and fan of his work. The story was published in the June 2024 edition of Shincho magazine.

Takumi Hashimoto, a 33-year old office worker who attended the launch event with three fellow members of a Murakami book reading club, said he hopes to read a story from a female protagonist’s perspective and find out how the story evolved from a series of magazine stories into a full-length novel.

His companion, Mizuki Shirota, 33, said she was struck by the way Murakami portrayed the female protagonist’s emotions in the magazine version.

“The story was written in a way that makes you very aware of lookism, or how I, as a woman, am perceived by men ... there were parts that I even felt startled a bit," Shirota said. “So I want to read that again in the book."

Beaming and in all smiles, the group headed to a coffee shop open all night to immediately start reading the book.

One day, 26-year-old Kaho goes on a blind date arranged by her book editor. Over dinner, her date tells her that, although he has dated a number of women, “I’ve never seen one as ugly as you.” Baffled rather than outraged, curious Kaho tries to uncover the meaning of his words. Soon, bizarre things begin happening to her, including encounters with other mysterious characters, such as an anteater and a jaguar.

Murakami has since released three subsequent “Kaho” stories in Shincho magazine, most recently in the March edition. He weaves the four stories into a 352-page new novel with four chapters: “Kaho and the Motorcycle Man,” “The Anteater of Musashi-sakai,” “Kaho and the Termite Queen” and “The Guardian Angel, Elephant Egg and Scarlett Johansson.”

The magazine version of the first “Kaho” story has been published in English in The New Yorker, but the novel for now is available only in Japanese. Translation plans have not been disclosed.

The new book comes out three years after his previous novel, “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” which follows a male protagonist navigating love, loss and the boundaries between real and subconscious worlds.

The self-described socialist government of Rodríguez, striving for legitimacy months after the United States removed former President Nicolás Maduro from power in January, has come under fire for what residents have described as a sluggish and haphazard response to the quakes.

Residents of the hardest-hit state, La Guaira, have complained that the initial absence of a serious government search-and-rescue operation left them alone to scour for neighbors and loved ones with their bare hands. Rescuers have lamented the country's shortages of specialized equipment. Experts have warned that substandard construction of social housing projects — a hallmark policy of former President Hugo Chávez — left neighborhoods vulnerable to quakes.

At a press conference for foreign journalists in the capital of Caracas late Thursday, Rodríguez, wearing a black ribbon as a symbol of mourning, refused to accept the criticism.

“We did not wait one day, two days or three days. We activated immediately,” she said, lacing into media outlets that she accused of spreading misinformation. “To politicize a humanitarian tragedy like this — when the Venezuelan government and its authorities have spared no effort, public, private, national, or international — is disgraceful."

Authorities have counted at least 2,295 people killed by the earthquake as of Wednesday — a number that’s expected to rise. They did not offer an updated death toll on Thursday, and have maintained tight control over public communications and relief efforts.

A rare bright spot in the misery

The stench of decomposition hung heavy over streets of flattened buildings as rescue missions to find survivors of Venezuela’s devastating earthquakes increasingly turned to the recovery of corpses.

Desperate for good news, Venezuelan and international emergency workers celebrated the near-miraculous rescue of a 43-year-old security guard found alive after nearly eight days under the rubble — five days beyond the critical 72-hour mark following a quake when experts say finding survivors is most likely.

National broadcasters reran footage of the exuberant moment he was pried free from the collapsed mall and lifted onto a stretcher as crowds cheered. Trapped in an air pocket beneath the concrete, Hernán Alberto Gil Flores survived on the food and water that rescuers managed to pass him through crevices.

Elsewhere across La Guaira, an air of hopelessness was setting in. The port city of Catia La Mar teemed with officials carrying body bags and stacking wooden coffins.

More than 38,000 reports of missing people — many of them likely buried beneath the rubble — have been sent to a website set up by the Venezuelan opposition, as the government has not given official figures for those missing.

When one journalist asked Rodríguez about the true, still-unknown toll of the disaster, citing reports that the United Nations is procuring 10,000 body bags, Rodríguez defended the government's tally.

“We do not want to speculate," she said. “The numbers we provide are rigorously verified.”

In La Guaira, several of Chávez's signature social housing projects were razed by the earthquakes, prompting suspicions of flawed construction. Rodriguez deflected the accusations, claiming on Thursday that about 80% of the collapsed buildings were privately developed. She did not offer evidence.

Rodríguez’s denies a slow government response

Pressed on reports that residents were on their own in the first 48 hours after the quakes, with heavy machinery and official aid scarce, Rodríguez acknowledged that “naturally, at the sites where the building collapsed, the first people to arrive were survivors of the collapse itself, relatives and neighbors."

But she railed against what she called “narratives manufactured in propaganda laboratories" and claimed that a day after the quakes, “We had already mobilized the full capacity of the Venezuelan state together with the private sector.”

The disaster has evolved into the biggest test of competence yet for Rodríguez, who served as deputy to Maduro until his ouster and became interim leader with the backing of the Trump administration.

Her comments Thursday came a day before the extension of her 180-day mandate as acting leader was set to expire. It was unclear what would happen once the deadline passes Friday.

Under Venezuela’s constitution, temporary absences are to be filled by the vice president — which was Rodríguez’s former role — for up to 90 days. These interim appointments can be extended by the national assembly for an additional 90 days. The National Assembly, controlled by Rodríguez’s party, can trigger a snap election if lawmakers declare the post permanently vacant.

U.S. support of a government under fire

In contrast to the aftermath of Venezuela's catastrophic 1999 landslides, when then-President Chávez rejected offers of assistance from an adversarial U.S., Rodríguez has publicly welcomed aid and rescue teams from governments across the political spectrum — including the Trump administration and its regional allies.

In expressing thanks for the foreign help, Rodríguez singled out Israel, which has no diplomatic relations with Venezuela. She praised President Donald Trump and Secretary State of Marco Rubio, saying they “remained constantly attentive and offered support.”

Washington has thrown its support behind Rodríguez in its bid to open up Venezuela’s lucrative energy industry and largely turned its back on opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado, who this week accused Rodríguez’s government of blocking her return to the country.

The U.S. has committed over $300 million and deployed some 900 military personnel to support rescue operations. On top of that, John M. Barrett, the U.S. chargé d’affaires to Venezuela, said the U.S. would make revenue from Venezuelan oil production, controlled by the U.S. Treasury since Maduro’s seizure, available for relief efforts. That promise has made demands for more transparency in U.S. management of Venezuelan oil sales all the more urgent, analysts say.

“Venezuelans really need that money to be used for the protection of Venezuelans,” said Laura Cristina Dib, Venezuela program director at the independent human rights organization Washington Office on Latin America.

___

DeBre reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Associated Press journalists Ben Finley in Washington, Gabriela Aoun Angueira in San Diego, Gisela Salomon in Miami and Megan Janetsky in Mexico City contributed to this report.

___

Corrects that the deadline for the acting president expires on Friday, not Thursday.

Portugal advanced to the round of 16 after a 2-1 win against Croatia at Toronto Stadium on Thursday.

That doesn't even begin to tell the story of the most dramatic of clashes that relentlessly swung back and forth and ended in the cruelest way for Croatia when Josko Gvardiol's would-be game-saving equalizer 13 minutes into added time was ruled out for offside after video review.

Croatia legend Luka Modrić, age 40 and likely playing for the last time at a World Cup, looked crestfallen at the final whistle.

The 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo lives to fight another day and couldn't hide his relief when just moments earlier he stood helplessly on the sidelines in anguish, believing Portugal had blown it.

Here's how it all happened:

The First Goal in Added Time

After 90 minutes of play, the electronic board signaled 10 minutes of added time, and it was difficult to imagine at that point just how much drama would be packed into the coming minutes.

At the 94-minute mark, Rafael Leao sends a curling cross, and substitute Gonçalo Ramos rises highest to meet it, powering a header beyond the dive of the Croatian goalkeeper.

Cue wild celebrations from Portugal’s players. They now had to just ride out the final minutes and advance to the next round.

Croatia Strikes Back

As the clock ticks into the 103rd minute, Croatia knows it is nearly out of time.

From the left wing, Ivan Perisic hits a right-footed, in-swinging cross into the box.

Igor Mantanovic makes the slightest of glances with his head — and this is crucial — to flick the ball on. It bounces off the thigh of Mario Palasic and rolls across the face of goal.

Gvardiol lunges and sends the ball crashing into the back of the net.

Now it’s time for Croatia’s players and fans to go crazy. Ronaldo, meanwhile, shakes his head in disbelief.

But wait ...

While celebrations are ongoing, replays show Palasic was in an offside position when the ball came to him. However, it hit Portugal defender Renato Veiga on the way, which raises the possibility of him being onside because a Portugal player made the last touch.

VAR quickly starts to review the footage. Croatia’s hopes lie in the hands of the video assistants.

Portugal’s staff, meanwhile, have seen replays on the sideline and are convinced it's offside.

The crucial question is whether Mantanovic actually made contact with the ball before it hit Veiga.

This is because Palasic was standing in an offside position when a Croatia player last played the ball forward.

Sensors inside the World Cup ball can detect the slightest of touches and Eskås was instructed to go to the sideline monitor where he confirmed contact by Mantanovic.

“Croatia player number 20 touched the ball ... final decision: offside,” he announced over the stadium speaker system.

Portugal’s players cheered as if they’d scored a goal. There were tears in the eyes of Croatia players. Perisic dropped to his knees. Modrić threw his hands in the air.

In fury, Croatia fans threw bottles onto the field, delaying the restart by a couple of minutes.

What happened up to that point ...

There was nothing to separate the teams after a first half that failed to catch fire, but that all changed after halftime with Perisic firing Croatia in front in the 53rd minute.

Leao almost leveled for Portugal with a long-range curling shot that came back off the bar. Ronaldo then thinks he has scored for the first time in a World Cup knockout game, but his is ruled out for marginal offside, something that would become a theme of the match.

Portugal makes lots of changes. Ronaldo stays on

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez makes four substitutions at once in an attempt to turn the game. Crucially, he keeps Ronaldo on despite the veteran forward's struggles to make an impact.

From a Portugal corner, giant defender Veiga tumbles to the ground under the challenge of Nikola Vlasic for a penalty. Ronaldo steps up to fire down the middle of the goal, level the game and finally score in the knockout round of the World Cup.

Heroic goalkeeping by Diogo Costa

Croatia, which reached the final and the semifinals of the last two World Cups, has a slew of chances. Portugal keeper Diogo Costa blocks Matteo Kovacic's long-range shot and then stops another effort from the same player. He then makes a sprawling save to block Igor Matanovic from close range.

Petar Sucic does beat Costa, but his celebrations are cut short by the offside flag.

In the 81st, Portugal made another change, taking off Ronaldo for what could have been the last appearance at the World Cup.

At some point after leaving the contest, Ronaldo donned a jersey of Diogo Jota, the former teammate who died in a car crash exactly one year ago. He and his teammates basked in the emotion of the win and thought of their dear friend.

Meanwhile, Croatian coach Zlatko Dalić was left wondering what could have been, and he had some harsh words for the video replay rules and decisions.

“All these decisions take the joy out of football. I’m not saying VAR can’t sometimes be of help, but it kills the emotion of the game. It kills everything within you. It kills what you are experiencing in the moment. Football should be fair. We’ve gone too far about VAR.”

___

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

___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

SAFC sits second in the Western Conference standings (6-6-2) heading into the second half of the season.

The team has been a model of resilience in recent matches, coming back to win or tie three of their last four matches after conceding the first goal in every one.

Their opponent, Monterey Bay (4-2-8), struggled the first two months of the season.

After a mid-season coaching change, the team has found a rhythm, and they’ve won or tied five of their last six matches.

“This is a different team than the one we played in Monterey a couple months ago,” Head Coach Carlos Llamosa said. “When they changed the coach, everything changed — different mentality, different lineup.”

Monterey Bay also added two players on MLS loans in the last two months: Goalkeeper Jacob Jackson and Defender Quinton Elliot.

But Llamosa, and his players alike, haven’t viewed that as a big factor in their preparation.

“Whoever they play on the field, it’s more about us, how we’re gonna defend, behave with the ball,” Llamosa said. “It’s not about an individual, it’s about how they play as a team.”

SAFC has been tested in recent matches, and while some flaws may have been exposed, they’ve gotten to see how their team can come together in adverse game situations.

The club’s last match against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks on June 24 saw them fall behind 1-0 once again.

By the match’s end, and a 2-1 SAFC victory.

Llamosa said the team showed maturity, and midfielder Luke Haakenson said it spoke to the character they’ve built as a team.

“I think we really grew closer in this away stand,” Haakenson said. “And it also helps when you’re getting good results on the road. There’s great comradery having to fight on the road together.”

Now, with four months of the regular season to go and entering the dog days of summer, SAFC knows it’s time to batten down the hatches and even use the South Texas heat to their advantage.

“Summertime is a big window to pick up points, especially at home,” Haakenson said. “Teams don’t like coming here, especially when it’s warm.”

“Coming out to STAR every day in the dead of summer, it’s not easy,” team captain Mitchell Taintor said. “Champions are built here at this club. You have to have a mentality for it.”

SAFC’s next two matches will be at home at Toyota Field.

• SAFC vs. Monterey Bay on July 4 at 8 p.m.
• SAFC vs. Las Vegas Lights on July 18 at 8 p.m.

Read also:

• 2 San Antonio prospects selected for 2026 All-Star Futures Game
• Meet the rooks! Ashley Gonzalez caught up with Spurs’ rookies ahead of NBA Summer League play

With four months to go until November’s elections, it's still unclear how much MAGA Inc., the country's largest political war chest with $382 million in the bank as of last month, plans to spend on key races. The silence has persisted even as Senate Republican leaders have urged Trump’s team, both privately and publicly, to pick up the tab for the president’s decisions.

Front and center is Texas, where Trump successfully endorsed fiery conservative Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn, a choice that some Republicans grumble has turned a safe election into a toss-up that will drain resources away from other battlegrounds. Democratic nominee James Talarico, a state lawmaker, has made Paxton's history of corruption allegations a central target of his campaign.

“The president picked Paxton, and he’s got $350 million dollars," Cornyn recently told Semafor. “I think he can spend his money.”

Another challenge has emerged in North Carolina, where Sen. Thom Tillis declined to run for reelection after feuding with Trump last year over healthcare spending. Trump backed Michael Whatley, his former handpicked chair of the Republican National Committee, to run instead, and Democrats hope to flip the seat with former Gov. Roy Cooper.

Some in Republican campaign leadership are expecting MAGA Inc. to pitch in for Whatley in North Carolina, where the state’s several metro media markets can be pricey.

Republicans will likely be able to count on generous support from well-funded official party committees, which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier this week should be allowed to make unlimited direct contributions to candidates’ campaigns. But even that sum falls short of what Trump has stockpiled in MAGA Inc. Even though the president is constitutionally barred from running again, he began raising money shortly after winning a second term, and he's regularly held fundraisers at his resort properties where tickets cost $1 million per person.

James Blair, the former White House political director who left his government job to coordinate the president's midterm efforts, was evasive in an interview with Sean Spicer, a former Republican spokesman who hosts a podcast.

“The president is going to expend substantial resources to win the midterms,” said Blair. “He cares deeply about the party winning.”

As a super PAC, MAGA Inc. can raise unlimited money from individuals and corporations. However, it is barred from coordinating with individual campaigns or national Republican committees, which adds to the sense of mystery surrounding its plans.

It’s been more than two months since Blair, along with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, pollster Tony Fabrizio and political adviser Chris LaCivita huddled at Washington’s Waldorf Astoria to discuss MAGA Inc.'s strategy.

The huddle was focused on assembling teams of vendors, such as advertisers, canvassing providers and digital media company leaders who had worked with the Trump team in key states during previous elections and who would be dispatched once plans were in place.

The president has spent much of the year waging a war of retribution against Republicans who have crossed him. He viewed Cornyn as insufficiently loyal, held a grudge against Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana for voting to convict him in an impeachment trial and assailed Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky as the “worst Republican Congressman in history." All of them lost their primaries to Trump-backed challengers.

Cornyn's loss weighs heavily on Senate Republicans, who suggest that Paxton could cost the party an extra $100 million to defend the seat.

Senate Leadership Fund, the principal super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, is still expected to spend money on advertising in Texas but not play a central role given its obligations elsewhere.

Democrats must net four seats to take the majority, and they see Alaska, Maine, North Carolina and Ohio as their best opportunities. The Senate Leadership Fund has already committed to spending $342 million across these four states, plus Iowa, Georgia, Michigan and New Hampshire.

When Paxton came to Washington after winning the nomination on May 26, he had a cordial meeting with Thune focused on moving forward together, according to people with knowledge of the conversation who were not authorized to speak publicly.

Later that day, Thune suggested that Trump should be putting up money for a candidate whom Senate Republicans hadn’t asked for.

“We will do what we need to do to make sure the state stays red," Thune told reporters. "But I’m certainly hopeful the president and the resources he can bring to bear will be engaged.”

“It’s going to be an expensive race,” he added.

___

Associated Press White House correspondent Seung Min Kim contributed from Washington. Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa.

The rookies with not much time settle in the Alamo city before getting straight to work. However, before they took off to California for their game, KSAT’s Ashley Gonzalez caught up with a few rookies.

San Antonio Spurs NBA Summer League schedule

California Classic – Chase Center (San Francisco)

• San Antonio Spurs vs. Miami Heat; Friday, July 3 at 7 p.m.
• San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors; Sunday, July 5 at 6 p.m.
• San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers; Monday, July 6 at 9 p.m.

NBA 2K Summer League – Thomas & Mack Center/ Pavilion (Las Vegas)

• San Antonio Spurs vs. Atlanta Hawks; Thursday, July 9 at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2
• San Antonio Spurs vs. New York Knicks; Saturday, July 11 at 5 p.m. on ESPN
• San Antonio Spurs vs. Milwaukee Bucks; Sunday, July 12 at 8 p.m. on ESPN
• San Antonio Spurs vs. Utah Jazz; Wednesday, July 15 at 8:30 on Amazon Prime

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• 2 San Antonio prospects selected for 2026 All-Star Futures Game

Ramos headed in the winner as Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in a wild finish that also included a Croatian goal disallowed for offside just before the final whistle in a World Cup round of 32 match on Thursday night.

The game featured a matchup of 40-somethings — Ronaldo, in his sixth World Cup, and Croatia's Luka Modrić, making his fifth bid for a tournament title.

Ronaldo tied things up in the 68th minute on a penalty kick that gave the megastar his first knockout stage goal at the World Cup before being subbed out in the 81st minute.

“I never felt any of that (fear),” he said. “Yes, nervous. But as always, you have to be very positive for things to go well.”

Still, it was Ramos who gave Portugal the victory and a berth in the round of 16.

“I love that type of moment, I love that type of games,” he said. “I want to play every game like that.”

Portugal moves on to face Spain on Monday.

“First half we dominated the game. In second half after the goal we get a little bit panic, but this is football,” Ronaldo said. “After the penalty, I think it was a little bit better for us. We created a few chances and I think at the end of the day we deserved to win the match.”

In a postgame interview with Fox, Ronaldo proudly turned around to show that he was wearing a Diogo Jota jersey and his No. 21, one year after his teammate died in a car crash. “We knew this before the game. It was a so special moment. We speak today to our group, the coincidence of life. It’s unbelievable.”

Things got weird after Ramos scored. With Portugal and its fans still enthralled with his goal, Croatia thought it had tied things up 2-2 in the very last moments. But after a 2 1/2-minute delay, Mario Pasalic was called offside as VAR ruled no goal. Croatia fans threw bottles on the field and whistled in protest.

Croatia midfielder Petar Sucic said, “the referee said he didn’t see (anyone) touch the ball, he said that he had a sensor in that ball,” that caused the offside ruling. “For me, it's a regular goal.”

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said it was, indeed, the chip in the ball that triggered the decision.

“I need to tell them (Croatia fans) the message is very clear: The balls now have a chip, and it’s very clear that’s why the VAR intervened," he said. "It's not a subjective opinion."

Croatia opened the scoring in the 53rd minute when Ivan Perisic scored off a cross from Josip Sanisic.

Ronaldo, booed loudly by Croatia fans every time he touched the ball, got his chance from the spot after Nikola Vlasic was called for a holding foul inside the box. Portugal’s megastar hitched his step and converted down the middle as the goalkeeper went to his right.

Modrić led Croatia to second- and third-place finishes in 2018 and 2022, and the match carried the weight of the two aging stars each trying to realize the dream of winning the World Cup. Modrić is 40.

The men, who were teammates at Real Madrid, shared a few smiles and an embrace ahead of the coin toss before the match. The two met on the pitch after the match, hugged and exchanged a few words.

“I played with Luka so many years,” Ronaldo said. "We’re nearly the same age. I think he’s a legend of football. He’s still a legend of football.”

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić said this was “probably” Modrić's last World Cup, but added, "only God knows what will happen in the next four years. We’ll see. We’ll talk about it in Croatia.”

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Lexie Linderman is a student in John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.

—-

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

When the knockout rounds finally arrived Thursday, this star-studded team turned on its full talent and served notice that Spain can be just as good as everybody thought — and it's probably getting better.

Mikel Oyarzabal scored two goals and Spain beat Austria 3-0 for its first World Cup victory in a knockout match since winning the title in 2010.

Pedro Porro added a goal in the second half as La Roja put on its most impressive performance of the tournament while demonstrating offensive creativity and defensive rigor throughout its vaunted lineup.

“The great teams step up when it’s needed,” Spain coach Luis De La Fuente said. “We played a great match. We came close to perfection, but we must keep improving.”

While Oyarzabal, fullback Marc Cucurella and winger Lamine Yamal all had sensational moments in attack, Spain also has yet to allow a goal at this year's World Cup. Austria failed to get a shot on target, so Unai Simón didn't have to make a save while keeping his fourth consecutive clean sheet and setting a World Cup record with 519 consecutive shutout minutes dating back to the last tournament in Qatar.

Everybody in a red shirt was happy after a dominant day in the Los Angeles area — but nobody was satisfied, either.

“I’m happy to have helped the team for us to go through another round,” Oyarzabal said. “Now just rest and get ready for the next one. It was a complicated match. We knew that it was going to be difficult against a very physical team, but we had a very good day and played a good match.”

La Roja will next face Portugal, a 2-1 winner over Croatia, in Dallas on Monday in the round of 16.

Yamal had four of Spain’s 10 shots on goal while getting wild cheers from the pro-Spanish sellout crowd at SoFi Stadium. The 18-year-old Barcelona sensation played his longest stretch of the tournament before coming off in the 85th minute, moments after Austria defender David Alaba deflected Yamal’s hard shot off the goal line.

Spain got its marquee offense from Oyarzabal, the Real Sociedad captain who has four goals at this year's World Cup by opening the scoring in the 36th minute and clinching the victory in the 89th. Cucurella had assists on both of Oyarzabal's goals, demonstrating an excellent connection from the left side.

“Our only focus is to remain thinking that we need to exceed our own expectations,” De La Fuente said. “Today’s match is just the prelude to what’s next, because in the next match we will try to play even better. We have wonderful players. Their behavior, their attitude, their talent is insurmountable.”

Goalkeeper Alexander Schlager made six saves in an outstanding performance for Austria, which reached the knockout rounds of its first World Cup since 1998 by squeaking out a late draw with an injury-time goal against Algeria. Coach Ralf Rangnick’s team hasn’t won a knockout match at the World Cup since 1954.

“I cannot remember any unforced error they made,” Rangnick said of Spain. “I think they showed us their best performance. I would dare to say we did not only meet the European champion, but possibly the next world champion. If you want to win it, you need to win against Spain. But if we had a lucky punch, we could have had a chance.”

Spain is firmly back in World Cup contention for the first time since winning it all in South Africa 16 years ago. La Roja lost two knockout matches and got eliminated in the group stage over the past three World Cups.

But Spain is now unbeaten 35 straight competitive matches since March 2023. La Roja won the 2023 Nations League and the 2024 European Championship in that stretch, but also lost the 2025 Nations League final on penalties to Portugal.

Following a cautious start against Austria, Spain unleashed its full attack after the first-half hydration break. Three minutes after Schlager made a diving fingertip save on Oyarzabal’s low shot, the Spain player came unmarked in the penalty area and coolly converted Cucurella's pass.

Spain kept up its pressure after halftime, playing some of its most creative soccer of the tournament. It was rewarded when Álex Baena broke in on the left side and lifted a pass to an unmarked Porro, who banged home an emphatic header for his first international goal.

“People have their opinions, (but) we’ve been doing our job since Day 1," Porro said. "We believe in ourselves, and whatever people on the outside say is fair enough.”

Oyarzabal wrapped it up by converting another sharp pass from Cucurella.

Simón has only had to make four saves in his four straight shutouts. His World Cup shutout streak of 519 minutes broke the tournament record set by Italy great Walter Zenga at the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

Marko Arnautović came on as a second-half substitute for Austria. Rangnick said afterward that the 37-year-old striker had played his final international match.

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Neighbors of the family in tiny Hamden, employees at local stores where they shopped and even the investigators who responded to the scene have been left to wonder that aloud and to themselves, and the limited information shared by investigators doesn't offer a full answer.

The children weren't enrolled in school, the family moved around over the past two decades, and neighbors said they’d never spotted the kids. The children remained mostly confined to a small room in the house, investigators said, under deplorable conditions.

“Right under our noses and nobody was able to help them sooner,” said Emily Collins, 27, owner of VC Farm & Floral in nearby McArthur, as she lamented how the case goes against the grain of the tight-knit community.

“It’s just crazy with all the wonderful things going on in our little Hallmark town and this is what puts us on the radar. It’s really sad,” said the mother of three, who pulled out her chalk and decorated the sidewalk in front of her shop with bright flowers and stars drawn for the Fourth of July to cheer herself up.

Authorities said they had gone to the home Tuesday on an unrelated investigation and discovered the children — ages 1 1/2 to 18 years old — some of whom were unable to speak.

Seven were taken to hospitals, including one who was in critical condition, investigators said. Their current conditions weren't immediately known Thursday. Child welfare officials have temporary custody of the children.

Lawyers: Let the case ‘play out’

Four people who are the children’s parents and grandparents were arrested on child endangerment charges. Gary Siders Jr., 36, Gary Siders, 73, Elizabeth Siders, 33, and Christina Siders, 67, pleaded not guilty to child endangerment. Bond was set at $300,000 each.

The children's mother, Elizabeth Siders, married their father Gary Siders Jr. when she was 15, and all of the children are theirs, her attorney, Thomas Stolly, told The Associated Press. She was “crying and exhausted” when he met with her on Thursday, Stolly said.

“In fact, my client's first question to me when I walked into the jail and introduced myself was about her kids. She asked if her children were OK, she asked if I knew where they were, and she asked when she’d be able to see them again,” Stolly said.

He wasn’t able to answer those questions, “but I thought it was telling that her first concern was not, ‘When can I get out of jail,’ but was ‘Are my children OK.’”

Stolly said his client told him that all of the children were born in area hospitals and she considers herself a full-time mom. She left high school after the 11th grade, he said, and Gary Siders Jr. was driving for Door Dash and looking for another job, he said.

Stolly said the prosecutor’s office has not yet shared their evidence with him, but so far he hasn’t seen anything that supports Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson’s description of the family as “pure evil.”

“Evil requires malice, and I did not see any malice in Elizabeth,” Stolly said.

He added: “I think that this is more so a case of isolation than a case of evil, and I think that there’s an important distinction there. Because if that’s all you know -- and you have to think someone at 15 years old doesn’t know a whole lot about being an adult, about being a mother, about being a wife — and that’s been your worldview for the past 17 or 18 years, you get shaped by that.”

Stolly said Elizabeth didn't characterize herself as a victim, but “I think it may be too early to actually determine what was going on there.”

“While the headlines may be sensational, there’s a real human component to this and so I would ask people to give this process time to play out,” Stolly said.

An attorney for the elder Siders also urged the public to wait before passing judgment.

“We ask that the community at large, as well as anyone who might have an interest in this case, to take a deep breath, step back, and let the case play out and the facts play out,” Dorian Baum told The Associated Press.

Attorneys for Siders Jr. and Christina Siders declined to comment.

Little traffic on home’s rural road

A man who lives three houses down from the Siders family said he had seen “no kids at all” there.

“It’s a sad situation,” said Joseph Stewart, 60, who has lived in the “quiet neighborhood” for six years.

Authorities wouldn’t publicly share the nature of the other investigation that led them to the house Tuesday. However, court records show a warrant was issued for Siders Jr. that day on misdemeanor indecent exposure charges related to alleged incidents on four days in May. He has pleaded not guilty.

On Thursday, windows and doors at the formerly wide-open home, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southeast of Columbus, had been boarded up. Police tape and piles of refuse remained.

The previous day, a door was ajar and heaps of trash and children’s toys were visible inside. A wood deck and the backyard were filled with discarded tires, a high chair and other debris.

The house sits on a road tucked alongside a steep railroad embankment, where tracks carry rumbling trains to a rail yard in the village of fewer than 1,000 residents. The closest neighbors are separated by trees and thick brush, but the house is easily visible from the road.

Kids not seen in schools

Investigators said members of the family had moved around southern Ohio over the past two decades and that it looks like they avoided creating a medical or governmental paper trail. The Vinton County Local School District, the only district in the area, said it has no records indicating that any of the children were ever enrolled.

“These folks were pretty good at hiding these kids,” Wilson, the state attorney general, said Wednesday.

The children’s absence from school, and the apparent lack of regular visits with medical professionals, likely contributed to keeping the dire situation unknown, said Jacqueline Yahn, an associate professor at Ohio University.

“When kids are isolated or not participating, you don’t have someone who’s trained to know the clues,” said Yahn, who specializes in rural education and poverty. “A well-check is called that for a reason: They’re checking for well-being and development.”

Investigators were reviewing whether the family was reported to any children’s services agencies in the past.

The children spent most of their time in a room that was roughly 12 feet by 12 feet (3.5 meters by 3.5 meters), according to investigators, who noted that human waste was all around.

“They looked like almost feral animals. It was terrible,” Wilson said.

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Boone reported from Boise, Idaho. Associated Press reporter Ed White in Detroit contributed.

Jeff Japhet is calling on San Antonio Police to provide more enforcement.

Japhet, owner of Japhet Builders, develops homes within a newer area along Shavano Ranch near Loop 1604.

For weeks, Japhet said large crowds of people have gathered for parties, and used the homes he’s building as the venue. The constant trespassing and vandalism has left Japhet frustrated and urging someone to be held accountable.

“Accountability from the police is really what I want,” Japhet said. “Their attitude before this was, ‘It’s just kids being kids.’ While that is true, it should be for this situation. There was alcohol. There’s drugs. There’s no supervision, no security.”

Japhet said the large parties started a few weeks ago. His teenager daughter’s friend shared a flyer that began circulating social media. On that flyer were details to a party and the address was shared later.

Japhet shared surveillance video with KSAT from one of the parties at the home. Dozens of people can be seen standing outside, in the driveway.

Another video showed dozens of cars parked along the street in the neighborhood and first responders trying to put out a fire that spread from a bonfire. Japhet said the wood used for the bonfire was his and used for home construction.

Japhet said he’s called the police several times during the parties. When officers arrive, Japhet said they advise partygoers to leave.

However, Japhet believes some people should have been reprimanded for breaking into a home, vandalizing property inside and underage drinking taking place at the home.

“They’ve broken windows, the front door was kicked in, beer cans, the kitchen cabinet doors.” Japhet said. “When they break the face of it [the cabinet] like that, we have to pull the top and replace the whole thing. It’s not a cut it, put it back together thing. It’s a lot of repair.”

Japhet said he’s spent more than $100,000 on damage repairs.

Japhet filed multiple police reports with SAPD, installed several surveillance cameras around the property, hired his own private security and posted no-trespassing signs in an effort to discourage people from using the space to party.

Despite those efforts, he said the parties have continued.

During the interview with Japhet on Thursday, he was sent another flyer for a party happening that same evening. Japhet said he planned on contacting police to alert them ahead of the party.

He’s hoping police increase their presence around the area to minimize the chaos. When officers responded to the call during the first party a few weeks ago, Japhet said they did as much as they could, as they were outnumbered by the large crowd.

“They said it was mass hysteria. While that was all true, they didn’t I.D. one kid, no breathalyzers, they didn’t search for weapons. They just let them go. So what are they going to do? Come back again,” Japhet said.

KSAT reached out to the San Antonio Police Department for comment, but have not responded as of Thursday.

Japhet isn’t only concerned about the newly developed homes being used for parties. He’s worried that someone could get hurt.

“I mean, there was underage drinking and some of the people were adults, mixed with kids,” Japhet said.

Japhet also mentioned the hosting of illegal parties have caused concerned from homeowners. They were expecting to move into their new home in the next two weeks, however, the property damages have delayed that under further repairs are completed.

Read also:

• San Antonio mother seeks answers after 13-year-old son drowns at Boerne City Lake
• ‘It’s f---ing nasty’: Rat feces among 17 violations found at West Side restaurant

Police fired tear gas and pepper spray at protesters who were pelting them with rocks, eggs and other objects. Authorities said 12 police officers were injured and 18 protesters were detained.

The gathering was part of daily protests, dubbed the “ flamingo revolution,” that began more than a month ago in opposition to plans for a luxury coastal development project linked to Kushner.

While the protests stemmed from environmental issues related to the development project, they have morphed into more general political demonstrations voicing opposition against the government and Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in recent weeks, blowing whistles and holding cardboard cut-outs of flamingos — one of the protected migratory bird species whose habitats could be threatened by the proposed resort on the Adriatic coast.

The government says the development at Narta Lagoon would be transformational for the former communist nation as it seeks to enter the high-end tourism market and pushes for European Union membership. But the venture, spanning an abandoned island and a nearby stretch of seafront, has drawn opposition from environmental campaigners and critics of Rama’s government.

On Thursday, several hundred protesters gathered outside the Albanian parliament in Tirana, demanding the prime minister's resignation and chanting “Rama has to go to jail.”

Some hurled rocks, eggs and plastic bottles at police, and used part of a metal barrier to smash the windows of a police car. Police used tear gas, pepper spray and a water cannon to disperse the crowd.

“The protesters want their voice to be heard inside (the parliament), as the prime minister for so many days has not heard them and has ignored them,” said protester Agustela Thoma. “But enough is enough.”

Interior Minister Besfort Lamallari condemned “the acts of vandalism and criminal violence" against the police.

“Police officers are public servants, citizens of the Republic, and family members just like everyone else. They serve the law, public order, and the safety of every citizen, without distinction. An attack against them is an attack against the state,” the minister added.

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Cimili reported from Pristina, Kosovo

A total of 35 monks from Mukdahan province, about 600 kilometers (372 miles) northeast of the capital Bangkok, were on the pilgrimage. Five monks died at the scene, while five others died at a hospital. More than 10 were hospitalized and one remained in critical condition, according to the provincial administration.

The group started the 260-kilometer (161-mile) walk to Ubon Ratchathani province about 30 minutes before the crash.

Security camera footage shared by a local rescue group, Ruam Jai Mukdahan Rescue Association, shows the monks walking in a single line on the side of a road before the truck crashes into them.

The boy was in custody and police have said his parents may be charged with negligence.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, but police said the monks described seeing the vehicle swerving before it slid off the road and crashed into the group.

• HOT, BUT NOT BLAZING HOT: East coast hotter than SA, 90s again next few days
• SPOTTY SHOWER: Today, Friday, Saturday, minimal impacts
• SUNDAY & MONDAY: Rain chances rise *slightly*

FORECAST

FRIDAY

Am I sounding like a broken record yet? We’ll have similar weather tomorrow! Highs will be in the low- to mid-90s with a small chance (10%) for a spotty shower or storm in the afternoon.

NORTHEAST HOTTER THAN SA

Sure, it’s hot. But, it could always be worse. By and large, we’re dealing with seasonable temps here in South Central Texas. In contrast, the northeast will once again have 100°+ temperatures, underneath the heat high. This is impressive because even San Antonio has not seen 100° yet this summer.

SPOTTY SHOWER? (10% Chance)

Just like today, a stray shower can’t be ruled out, mainly around sunrise and again during the late afternoon hours. Impacts will be minimal. This trend continues into July 4th. For fireworks Saturday night, we expect to see rain-free conditions, but it will be a bit breezy with winds gusting from the south up to 20 mph.

SUNDAY & MONDAY

It still looks as though that outflow boundaries arriving from the north may be enough to give us a little more rain on the radar on Sunday and Monday - rain chances rise slightly (20%). Beyond Monday, dry conditions take over again.

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.

Around 100 people showed up to the come-and-go meeting in just the first hour. Bexar County had several engineers at the meeting to explain to people who live in the area what the current proposed plan to alleviate traffic looks like.

Bexar County Public Works Interim Director David Wegmann shared information on the project and provided insight on the cost and timeline.

“The existing lanes (on Alamo Ranch Parkway) will continue to exist, but they will act as frontage roads,” Wegmann said. “The main lanes will be six lanes. There will be overpasses over the major intersections.”

The goal is to allow people to use overpasses to avoid lights and pass through the area of Alamo Ranch Parkway much faster than they currently do.

“You’re taking 20, 30 minutes to get a five minute place,” Corrine Malapolsky, a homeowner in the area, said. “Traffic is horrible.”

A man named KJ was walking his dogs with a large bag in his hand when he stopped and spoke with KSAT. He shared that it is faster for him to walk to his errands than it is to drive to them.

“It has gotten progressively worse,” KJ said. “It’s almost disgusting.

Wegmann is also a county engineer and he oversees engineering and roadway operations for the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority.

According to renderings on the Bexar County Alamo RMA page, the project will span 2.5 miles on Alamo Ranch Parkway from 1604 to Calaveras Way.

“We will be going back to the board for construction funding approval in the near future,” Wegmann said. “It’s about $75 to $80 million.”

Wegmann said if the project is approved, the Alamo RMA will fund the project. The Alamo RMA gets funding from the 2014 approval of a $10 new vehicle registration.

Wegmann also addressed concerns about traffic during the construction process. If approved, construction would begin in the winter of 2027 and run through winter 2030.

“Traffic during construction is difficult even on the best project,” Wegmann said. “Fortunately for this one, the existing lanes are going to remain and they’ll act as the future frontage road, so most of the construction is going to be happening where that large median is between those lanes. So hopefully the traffic impact will be minimal.”

Several people mentioned to KSAT they were surprised the county is starting improvements in the area on Alamo Ranch Parkway rather than on Culebra.

“Culebra is a state-owned facility,” Wegmann said. “Alamo Ranch Parkway is a Bexar County maintained facility.”

The Alamo RMA has to approve the funding and noise concerns will also need to be addressed before the project can begin.

“I know there’s going to be some concerns from people that are adjacent to the project as far as the noise is concerned,” Wegmann said. “We are in the middle of our environmental clearance process right now...If we are deemed that noise walls will be required, then we will install those too.”

Homeowner Corrine Malapolsky said she and her husband are looking forward to the improvements and are not worried about the traffic during construction.

Malapolsky did however say that she will miss seeing the greenery of the median once she’s able to use the overpass to avoid traffic.

Read also:

• San Antonio mother seeks answers after 13-year-old son drowns at Boerne City Lake
• San Antonio firefighter among 48 people from 16 countries sworn in as new U.S. citizens

Cleveland (46-42) rallied from a three-run deficit and trails Chicago (45-41) by less than a full percentage point atop the division standings.

Pinch-hitter David Fry launched a solo homer in the seventh that trimmed the Guardians' deficit to 5-4.

White Sox reliever Grant Taylor (4-2) walked Rhys Hoskins leading off the ninth. Kahlil Watson flied out to center before Rocchio pulled a 99 mph fastball down the right-field line for his sixth home run this season.

Tim Herrin (1-3) pitched a perfect inning for the win.

Travis Bazzana hit an RBI double and Rocchio drew a bases-loaded walk in the third to give Cleveland a 2-0 lead.

Sam Antonacci delivered an RBI double and scored on Kyle Teel's two-run double to put Chicago ahead 3-2 in the fifth.

Braden Montgomery doubled leading off the sixth and Chase Meidroth's two-run homer made it 5-2, chasing Guardians starter Slade Cecconi.

Daniel Espino, Shawn Armstrong and Herrin combined to allow one hit in four innings of scoreless relief.

Cleveland loaded the bases against reliever Sean Newcomb in the sixth and cut it to 5-3 on an RBI groundout by Chase DeLauter.

Fry connected off Brandon Eisert in the seventh for his second pinch-hit homer this year.

White Sox starter Davis Martin gave up two runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings without striking out a batter. He walked five and threw only 37 of his 73 pitches for strikes.

Up next

White Sox LHP Anthony Kay (6-3, 4.50 ERA) faces Guardians RHP Gavin Williams (9-4, 3.81) on Friday night.

___

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

Rigoberto Ramon Miranda-Orozco, 49, recruited human smugglers to bring 67 migrants from Guatemala to Mexico and eventually into the United States, according to the release.

Authorities found the migrants inside of a sweltering 90-degree semitrailer on Quintana Road, where 53 people died, many suffering heat-related injuries.

On Thursday, Miranda-Orozco admitted that he arranged for the migrants’ transportation and accommodations throughout Guatemala to the U.S., according to the release. He plead guilty to three felony charges:

• Conspiracy to bring an alien into the United States resulting in death
• Aiding and abetting bringing an alien into the United States resulting in death
• Aiding and abetting bringing an alien into the United States resulting in serious bodily injury

Miranda-Orozco is expected to be sentenced Oct. 8 and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

“This guilty plea is another step toward justice,” U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons said in the release.

Miranda-Orozco was arrested in August 2024 in Guatemala, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The United States requested for his extradition.

Last year, two men were found guilty on three charges.

Armando Gonzales-Ortega, the alleged coordinator, was sentenced to 87 years and six months in prison.

Felipe Orduna-Torres, a leader and organizer in the incident, received two life sentences and a 20-year sentence that will run consecutively.

Read also:

• ‘These men will never breathe free air again’: 2 men officially sentenced in Quintana Road tragedy
• Community calls for action as problems persist at memorial for 53 migrants on Quintana Road

The president signed the order in March. It directs U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Social Security Administration to create a “citizenship list” for each state and the Postal Service to limit mailed ballots to those on the lists.

The Postal Service filed a proposed rule to implement the order in late May. Since then, a federal judge has blocked Trump's executive order and barred agencies from implementing it, saying it was unconstitutional because only states and Congress — not the president — have the power to set election rules.

The letter sent Thursday was an effort organized by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and included eight other Democratic governors — from California, Connecticut, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin. It cited the judge's ruling and asked that the Postal Service withdraw the rule it had proposed to fulfill Trump's order.

“Far from ensuring integrity in federal elections," they wrote in the six-page letter, “the Proposed Rule would undermine trust in elections, needlessly complicate voting processes, arbitrarily disenfranchise millions of eligible voters, and undermine states’ constitutional role in ensuring free and fair elections.”

The proposed rule would grant, they argued, “unilateral power to refuse to deliver their ballots if a state refuses to collaborate with President Trump’s unlawful directives.”

The Postal Service did not immediately respond to calls and emails seeking comment. It had filed the proposed rule in the Federal Register after a judge considering a separate lawsuit against Trump's executive order declined to block it because the administration — at that point — had not taken steps to implement it. The Democratic and civil rights groups that filed that lawsuit have appealed the ruling.

The executive order also met pushback from postal workers, with the president of the American Postal Workers union, Jonathan Smith, previously saying that their job was not to “verify voter eligibility” but to “move mail from one destination to the next."

It was the second executive order seeking oversight of elections that Trump has signed since returning to office. The centerpiece of his first order, which also has been blocked by the courts, sought to require people to show documented proof of citizenship to register to vote.

Both orders revolve around Trump's targeting of voting by noncitizens, which studies and investigations by state and local authorities have shown to be rare. Trump also has fixated on voting by mail as a source of fraud, even though he also uses the method.

There is no indication of any widespread problems with mail voting, which has gained in popularity among Democrats and Republicans alike. A report by the Brookings Institution published in 2025 found that the number of cases of mail voting fraud was minuscule — about four cases per 10 million mail ballots.

Northrop Grumman ’s rocket-launching plane took off from the Marshall Islands in the Pacific on Thursday, following weather delays all week. But a software issue resulted in an abort, keeping the Pegasus rocket strapped to the plane's belly, according to NASA.

The problem has since been fixed, and another launch attempt was set for Friday.

The rocket holds a three-armed robotic spacecraft built by Katalyst Space Technologies to capture the Swift Observatory, which will come crashing down by October if no help arrives. No new launch date has been set.

NASA paused Swift's science operations earlier this year to preserve its orbit as long as possible. It has detected thousands of gamma ray bursts and exploding stars since its launch in 2004, tipping off other telescopes for more detailed observations.

Anxious to continue Swift's scanning of the universe, the space agency hired Katalyst Space last September for the $30 million salvage operation.

___

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

More than a year after first trying to buy Infowars, The Onion on Thursday debuted a send-up under its own website with plans to give some of the revenue to families of the victims in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

The families have still received no money from Jones since courts ordered him to pay more than $1 billion for falsely calling the 2012 shooting a hoax.

The webpage launch was accompanied by a YouTube live premiere video, “Welcome to the Real Infowars," with comedian Tim Hedeicker doing an impression of Jones while introducing viewers to the page.

“Today we reclaim the standard of truth and deliver the first salvo in the final battle for your mind,” a note on the site read.

The Onion plans to send Sandy Hook families $100,000 from merchandise sales that combine the conspiracy empire’s brand with the The Onion’s logo in rainbow colors, according to CEO Ben Collins, whose company is still in court trying to take control of Infowars.

“Don’t give comedy writers a grudge for 18 months,” Collins said.

The parody will include a series of shows and other content under Infowars branding that spoof Jones’ aggressive mashup of conspiracies linking major news events, dubious scientific claims, attacks on people suffering in tragedies and sales of supplements and survival gear.

Spoof advertisements on the site beckon: “Win a chance to become a car" and “Send $10 to your grandson! For just $50.”

Jones' claims that the 2012 shooting that killed 20 first graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut is a hoax have no truth, but Jones continued to amplify them. His followers started to harass victims' families, suggesting they were “crisis actors” and even making death threats.

Jones' Infowars empire had 10 million visitors a month and generated more than $50 million in annual revenues at its peak, according to the company. But the $1.4 billion judgements in defamation cases in Connecticut and Texas, where Jones is based, forced him into bankruptcy and broke Infowars apart.

“All he’s been left with is an iPhone and a fancy microphone," said Chris Mattei, an attorney for nine of the Sandy Hook families.

Jones has moved his show to a different website. An email sent to an address to request interviews went unanswered.

The families knew they could never stop Jones from getting his message out, and he has managed to avoid paying the judgement so far. But they could expose what he said and assure he can never profit again, Mattei said.

“Every dime Alex Jones makes from here until the end of eternity is going to be claimed by the families,” Mattei said.

The Onion stepped in when Collins saw Infowars' assets were going to be sold at auction.

Collins spoke to Sandy Hook families, who said they were briefly skeptical, but then saw how The Onion's staff could use the Infowars style and branding to take the moral high ground and make fun of the people who not only caused them so much pain but they felt also poisoned society.

The new Infowars will maintain The Onion's sharp satire sprinkled with shock value. Collins said there will be a section selling a penis flattening device, a fake “pro oxygen” supplement pill that the host claims can replace breathing, as well as an extended debate on how many Bozo the Clowns there are.

“It’s old-fashioned Infowars — using the tricks that they use to get people addicted to outrage and, I would say, addicted to anticipation, trying to find the thing that’s around the corner that’s going to save your life,” Collins said.

The Onion will keep chasing Jones' property. Collins thinks they will soon get control of the Austin, Texas, studio Infowars once used.

Some families can't wait for that day. Collins said that Robbie Parker, whose daughter died at Sandy Hook, plans to read his book about fighting Jones while dealing with so much grief in the place Jones once sat.

The families at first wanted Infowars shut down forever and Jones never heard from again. But they are now looking forward to seeing what The Onion has planned, attorney Mattei said.

“The idea that it could be turned to some social good. I think it’s even better,” Mattei said. “So, yeah, I think the families are both pleased and amused with what they’ve been able to achieve here.”

Then one day last May the retired insurance executive made a discovery of his own while sifting through the letters of an 18th-century Royal Navy captain.

There, attached to a report on the capture of the American privateer Dalton on Christmas Eve 1776, was an enclosure identified only as “another paper.” Carefully unfolding the document, Scurr stopped when he saw the word “Declaration” printed across the top.

“I thought, oh, right, OK, this is definitely a Declaration of Independence,'' he told The Associated Press. “How exciting is this?’’

The document spreads the news of independence

Researchers at the National Archives have since identified the document as a rare early copy of America’s founding document, printed just days after the original was signed on July 4, 1776, to spread the news that 13 rebellious North American colonies had severed ties with Britain.

It is one of just 11 original copies of the so-called Exeter printing of the declaration that are known to exist, and the only one identified outside the United States, the National Archives said on Thursday as it unveiled the find ahead of this weekend's 250th anniversary of American independence. This version was printed in Exeter, New Hampshire, July 16 to 19, 1776.

But it isn’t just the age of t he document that makes it important. It is also the fact that it was captured from a ship under the direction of the recently formed Continental Congress, with orders signed by its president, John Hancock, said Amanda Bevan, head of the National Archives’ project to catalog the correspondence of Royal Navy captains during the American Revolution.

While the public has heard about the dreadful conditions faced by the Continental Army at places like Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, little attention has been given to the Americans who went to sea to disrupt British trade and battle the mighty Royal Navy, Bevan said.

Discovery offers a nod to what was at stake

Finding a copy of the Declaration of Independence on board ship also suggests how it might have been used, Bevan said. She believes the Dalton’s captain would have read out his orders, as was customary, and also the declaration itself.

“They know why they’re fighting, but this puts it in a language which makes it greater than them,’’ Bevan said. “They’re not fighting because they’re aggrieved in particular. They’re fighting for an ideal. And I think that just to find the declaration in a theater of war where people are committing themselves to fight for their country on the wide ocean is really something special.”

As a privateer, the 18-gun Dalton was a privately owned vessel that fought under the auspices of the Continental Congress to supplement the tiny navy of the new nation.

Captain Thomas Fitzherbert, commander of the 64-gun HMS Raisonnable, chased the Dalton for seven hours on Christmas Eve 1776 before capturing her off the coast of Portugal. The Dalton’s 120-man crew was imprisoned in Plymouth, England, under harsh conditions.

Charles Hebert, who was just 19 when he was captured, described hunger, illness and repeated punishment in the journals he kept during more than two years of captivity before his release in a prisoner exchange.

Despite it all, many survived.

The joy of discovery is shared by Americans

Historians in the United States are also excited about the National Archives’ discovery.

This copy of the Declaration of Independence provides a direct link to the Dalton’s captain, who carried news of American independence to the world, said Matthew Skic, director of collections and exhibitions at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia.

“It’s not just a document, it’s an artifact,” he said. “It’s a tangible connection to the past, because holding that piece of paper in the archivist’s hand today is a way to transport us back to 1776. The baton being passed, in a way.”

The discovery is also proof that there’s still more for historians to uncover, Skic said.

“Even though 250 years has gone by, we still do not know everything about the American Revolution, and there are still finds left to be discovered.”

The team will still be required to leave after Friday's match in Seattle, a department spokesperson said. A spokesperson for the Iran Football Federation confirmed that the team will leave its base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, on Wednesday for Seattle.

“This was planned on our end,” Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, told The Associated Press. “We were going to look at how the first two movements went, and if they went smoothly, we would extend the extra day in light of the longer travel time.”

The policy change was first reported by NBC News and comes as officials from both countries negotiate over how to end the war in Iran.

Iran's squad has complained about the travel restrictions levied on the team, and the challenges it has faced since the outbreak of war. Iran in March sought to move its group-stage matches to Mexico, with which it has diplomatic ties. Its request to move its base camp from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana was granted two weeks before the team's arrival. Several team officials and members of the support staff have been barred from traveling into the U.S. with the team.

For the first two matches, near Los Angeles, the team was not permitted to travel until the day before. Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei repeatedly said that restriction disadvantaged the team, especially when it had less than 24 hours on the ground before its noon match Sunday.

“Right now we need recovery more than anything,” Ghalenoei said through an interpreter after the 0-0 draw against Belgium. “The conditions have been extremely hard for us.”

It's not uncommon for teams to travel a day before the match, and it's in line with FIFA regulations, which state that “each team shall travel from its team base camp to the match venue one day before matchday (MD‑1) and in exceptional cases on MD‑2, and shall return to their team base camp after the match (on MD/MD+1).”

But Iran had asked for more time to acclimate to host cities and recover after matches, especially for the 1,200-mile (1,930-kilometer) trip to Seattle. The team is scheduled to train on Thursday at the University of Washington.

“We don’t ask for much. We just ask for the same procedure as for all the other 47 teams,” Iran captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh said Sunday. “Hopefully we can bring everyone who is involved and help us with us.”

The Iran team has also said it experienced difficulties entering and exiting the U.S. each time it made the 127-mile (204-kilometer) flight between Tijuana and Los Angeles. The typically short trip took five hours the day before its first match against New Zealand, team captain Mehdi Taremi said.

Hours before Sunday's match against Belgium, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Fox News the Iranians had “tried to get somebody in yesterday” who had direct ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. In a statement, the soccer federation vociferously pushed back, calling the claim “an outright and undeniable lie.”

Iran's players and coaches have mostly steered clear of outright commentary on the war. “We are here for football, not politics,” Ghalenoei said Saturday. But the team hasn't shied from highlighting the victims of a deadly missile strike on an elementary school at the start of the war in the Middle East, likely launched by the U.S.

Players wore gold-colored pins with the number “168” on their jackets when they disembarked in Mexico on June 7, referencing the number of people killed in the attack, mostly young girls. They left a goodbye note in the locker room at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, after their match Sunday, calling for peace “among all nations” and with the hashtags #168 and #minab, the city where the school was located.

At Iran's last training session Tuesday in Tijuana before departing for Seattle, four small flags had been stuck into the turf, each bearing the number 168.

It's unclear whether Iran's upcoming opponent, Egypt, will also be allowed to arrive in Seattle two days early. After its 3-1 victory against New Zealand in Vancouver Sunday, Egypt asked to fly directly to Seattle. FIFA denied that request, citing a lack of security resources to accommodate the last-minute demand. Egypt returned to its base camp in Spokane, Washington, a 45-minute flight from Seattle.

Egypt's national team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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This story was first published on June 23, 2026. It was updated on July 2, 2026 to correct that the missile strike on an elementary school happened in the city of Minab, but that is not the name of the school. The school is Shajareh Tayyebeh.

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AP Sports Writer John Marshall contributed reporting and AP video journalist Javier Arciga contributed reporting from Tijuana, Mexico.

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

The players return to a homeland still in the grips of an unresolved conflict with Israel and the United States. But their fans say they should be proud.

“I think even though they lost, it gave people a sense of hope,” said Mohammad Modarres, 38, who traveled from San Diego to bid the team farewell.

Heartbreak over missed chances

After its three group stage matches ended in draws, Iran's World Cup future depended on either Algeria or Austria winning their match on Saturday.

Watching from the lobby of their Tijuana hotel, the team erupted in celebration when Algeria took the lead in stoppage time.

“I've never seen a room explode like that,” said Kimia Ranjbar, 25, a lifelong fan of Team Melli who had driven down from the Los Angeles area. But minutes later, Austria tied the game again, leaving the lobby in dismayed silence.

It was the last of many disappointments throughout the tournament, including when a late goal by Shoja Khalilzadeh gave Iran the lead in its last match, against Egypt, before being ruled offside.

Facing challenging circumstances

Distractions abounded off the pitch before and during the tournament, beginning with questions over whether Team Melli would even be allowed to play in light of Iran's war with the U.S. and Israel. What followed was Iran's denied request to move its matches to Mexico, a relocation of its base camp from Arizona, and the U.S.'s refusal to grant visas to key members of the Iranian team's staff. The U.S. also rejected Iran's request to travel to the U.S. two days before its Los Angeles matches, though it relaxed some restrictions for Iran's last match.

During a World Cup security briefing Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters that the U.S. had made several accommodations for Iran's travel and repeated assertions that many of the people Iran originally requested to travel with the team to the U.S. were associated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

“I'm just glad they're done and they're not coming back," Mullin said, adding that he “might have sung a song or two or maybe even danced a happy dance.”

FIFA did not respond to request for comment.

In a statement to The Associated Press on Monday, the Iranian team said Mullin's remarks showed a lack of commitment to international law and the basic standards expected to host a global tournament.

“The fact that he openly celebrates Iran’s elimination says far more about him than it does about our team. It reflects a level of pettiness that cannot even tolerate the presence of a football team competing on the world’s biggest stage,” said the team, which declined requests to interview players and staff.

Before decamping Tuesday, the team thanked Mexico and Tijuana for their “kindness” but questioned its treatment at the tournament by the U.S.

“What we experienced was a series of decisions, logistical arrangements, and circumstances that undermined the sense of fairness — an impression only reinforced by the events of the final matchday of our group,” the team said in a statement.

Members of the Iranian diaspora were also divided about whether supporting the team showed tacit backing for Iran's theocratic government, which many of them oppose. Some wanted to keep politics and sports separate.

“You don't see someone screaming at (U.S. soccer star) Christian Pulisic for something Trump does,” Modarres said.

Though the team spoke out against its travel restrictions, it avoided commenting directly on the war. But it didn't shy away from spotlighting the victims of a deadly missile strike on an elementary school at the start of the conflict.

Players wore pins with the number “168” when they first landed in Mexico, referencing the number of people, mostly children, killed in the attack, which was likely launched by the U.S. They left a note in the locker room at Los Angeles Stadium, calling for peace “among all nations” and with the hashtags #168 and #minab, the city where the school was located.

Sherry Ghaemi, an Iranian living in Los Angeles, called their stand for the young victims “honorable.”

New friendships are forged

Amid the strife, players tried to focus on the sport. There were high notes, like when goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand made seven saves to hold Belgium to a scoreless draw, and when Ramin Rezaeian scored off the outside of his boot to equalize against New Zealand.

“They’re going home not as losers, they’re going home as winners," said Ghaemi. “We’re proud of them.”

Meeting some of the players was a thrill for Siavash Khosrowshahi, a 32-year-old Iranian American who drove from Los Angeles to Tijuana on Sunday, the day after the team was eliminated.

“It’s been really tough and stressful,” Khosrowshahi said of the months since the U.S. and Israel started the war. There were times during the conflict when he couldn't reach his parents in Tehran — but not Sunday, when he called his mother from the hotel and surprised her by putting Beiranvand on the phone.

“It’s a source of happiness for her,” he said.

Iranians and Mexicans also deepened a bond, as Tijuana embraced the team throughout its visit.

“Irán, hermano, ya eres Mexicano!" fans chanted in Spanish whenever they saw Team Melli: “Iran, brother, now you are Mexican!”

“Iran is taking home the best of our country, and this city, which is the way in which outsiders are received,” said Arely Ramírez, a Tijuana resident who turned up at the team's hotel Sunday hoping to meet some of the players.

The feeling was mutual.

“We’re leaving Tijuana today, but our heart and soul stay here,” head coach Amir Ghalenoei said Tuesday through an interpreter before the Iranian team left for the airport.

On Monday, many players still looked solemn as they passed their last hours in Mexico. A few signed final autographs and stood for photos with fans, their smiles more muted than the week before.

Despite the disappointment, some supporters were already looking ahead. “This whole year has been bad events, bad luck after bad luck” for Iranians, said Ranjbar. But the AFC Asian Cup is six months away, a new chance for Team Melli, she said. “I'll be watching them play for that.”

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This story was first published on June 30, 2026. It was updated on July 2, 2026 to correct that the missile strike on an elementary school happened in the city of Minab, but that is not the name of the school. The school is Shajareh Tayyebeh.

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Associated Press reporter Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed.

ICE acting director David J. Venturella said the facility will be capable of housing an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 detainees at a time, as part of its strategy to acquire “non-traditional facilities” that will be retrofitted to the agency’s standards.

Although ICE intends to have it operational by the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2027, Venturella said no contracts have been awarded for the facility. The federal government’s fiscal year runs from October to September.

The information was provided June 22 in response to two letters sent by Mayor Jones earlier this year. Jones, who expressed her opposition to the facility, reiterated her stance in another letter dated July 2.

Jones said in April that the city had yet to be formally notified about the Department of Homeland Security’s acquisition of the warehouse and feared the facility “will further depress economic activity in a part of town that already struggles to attract economic development.”

Venturella said in last month’s response that the East Side facility will “abide by all applicable laws and regulations” and “encourages community stakeholders to raise any concerns” as it collaborates with the vendor, city authorities and utility service providers to review design plans and engineering solutions.

In her letter Thursday, Jones asked whether the facility went through a review process under the National Environmental Policy Act, which she said should have occurred before the Department of Homeland Security acquired the facility.

Jones also said she expects ICE to take the input into account before the implementation plan and schedule are completed, so that her “community’s concerns may be addressed in a meaningful way.”

More recent coverage of this story on KSAT:

• San Antonio restricts new detention facilities. How might it impact the planned ICE warehouse?
• Why is San Antonio trying to crack down on detention centers if changes won’t include East Side ICE facility?

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Pete Thamel, Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame coach Billy Donovan will join Mitch Johnson’s staff in San Antonio ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season.

As the reported new lead assistant for Johnson, Donovan would, in effect, replace the space vacated by Sean Sweeney.

Last month, Sweeney, the Spurs’ most recent associate head coach, was announced as the 16th Orlando Magic head coach in that franchise’s history.

Coincidentally, in 2007, Donovan was famously offered and accepted the Orlando Magic head coaching job. After he was introduced as Magic head coach, Donovan had second thoughts and decided to return to coach the University of Florida.

After a stellar 19 seasons that resulted in 467 wins, four NCAA Final Four appearances and back-to-back national championships at Florida, Donovan officially leapt into the NBA when he became the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015.

Anchored by likely future Hall of Fame players Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the Thunder went all the way to the Western Conference Finals in Donovan’s first season at the helm.

Oklahoma City took a 3-1 lead in its best-of-seven series against Stephen Curry and Golden State before the Warriors climbed the mountain and captured the Western Conference crown in seven games.

Under Donovan, OKC was competitive, but it did not reach those heights again. With his contract at the end of COVID-impacted 2019-20 season, he and the franchise agreed to mutually part ways.

Two weeks after leaving the Thunder in September 2020, the Chicago Bulls hired Donovan to be their head coach. The Bulls made only one postseason appearance in his six seasons before Donovan elected to step aside in April.

In 2025, Donovan was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for his accomplishments at the college level.

Donovan was also a standout guard for fellow Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino on the 1987 Providence College Friars team that qualified for an NCAA Final Four.

More recent San Antonio Spurs coverage on KSAT:

• Spurs forward Carter Bryant among Fourth of July holiday travelers at busy San Antonio airport
• ESPN: Veteran forward Tobias Harris inks 2-year deal with San Antonio Spurs
• Spurs release NBA Summer League roster, schedule as rookie class starts practice
• Report: Harrison Barnes to sign one-year deal with San Antonio Spurs worth $8 million

Cink was the only player to make five birdies on the back nine at Scioto Country Club on Thursday, shooting a 3-under 67 for a share of the first-round lead in the U.S. Senior Open with Charlie Wi.

Cink struggled on the front nine, shooting a 2-over 37, but found momentum once he made the turn.

“I’ve been off for a little while, and I started like I’ve been off for a little while. I had to prove it to myself again that I could play decent golf a certain way,” Cink said. “The back nine was really nice. I actually could have shot quite a bit lower on the back nine. I missed three very reasonably like inside — right around 10 feet or less birdie putts.”

The 53-year-old Cink has four wins in nine PGA Tour Champions starts this year, including the Senior PGA Championship and the Tradition. The last player to win the Senior PGA, Tradition and U.S. Senior Open in the same year was Jack Nicklaus in 1991. Scioto, the Donald Ross course hosting its third U.S. Senior Open, is where Nicklaus learned to play the game.

Simon Griffiths, Freddie Jacobson and George McNeill were tied for third at 68. Defending champion Padraig Harrington was among a group of 10 players at 69.

“Of course it’s tough, we know that, so once you get through that, the golf course itself is playing nicely,” Harrington said.

Cink is also attempting to become the fifth player to win the event after being runner-up the previous year. Fred Funk was the last to do it in 2009.

Cink was part of the seventh afternoon group to tee off from the first hole and played in the toughest conditions of the day, when the temperature reached 95 degrees midway through his round and a heat index of 103 according to the National Weather Service.

“The heat is a factor for sure. It affects your focus and your energy level. Sometimes even the simplest shots just kind of -- it’s easy to fall asleep at the wheel when the conditions are like that,” he said.

Cink tied Wi with a birdie on the par-4 18th. Cink's tee shot found one of the bunkers on the left hand side, but he got a great lie. His second shot landed within 2 feet near the front of the hole, and made for an easy putt.

Wi was at even par through his first 11 holes before his string of birdies on holes three through seven holes. Wi made a double bogey on the par-4 eighth before ending his round with a par.

Wi thought his best shot came on the par-3 fourth, when he hit his tee shot within a couple feet with a 5-iron on the 205-yard hole.

“I hit the ball pretty solid today, made a couple of putts. It was a hot day. I just made sure that I stayed in the ballgame, meaning like mentally, because you could easily lose it out there,” he said.

Wi’s run of bridies ended on the eighth hole when his second shot went left and into the water near the green. He is the 14th player in the 46-year history of the Senior Open to have at least five straight birdies in a round. The last time it happened was in 2022 when Thongchai Jaidee birdied Nos. 5-9 at the Saucon Valley Country Club's Old Course in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, during the third round.

The 54-year old South Korean player has nine worldwide professional victories — including five on the Korean Tour — but none on the PGA Tour or Champions circuit.

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

Inside Raul Hinojosa’s North Side home, a Spanish silver coin is on display that dates to the 1770s — a tangible link to his family’s history in what was then New Spain.

Hinojosa traces his ancestry to Jose Manuel Hinojosa, whose family established ranches along the Rio Grande generations before Texas became part of the United States.

“We were lucky to get many of our ranches on the Rio Grande,” Hinojosa said. “The big thing about cattle is you need water. By chance, one of my cousins still owns the ranch 300 years later.”

Those ranches played an important role in the Revolutionary War effort, Hinojosa said.

Cattle raised in South Texas were driven to Louisiana to supply Spanish Governor Bernardo de Gálvez’s forces before salted beef eventually reached Gen. George Washington’s Continental Army.

“We herded it...to New Orleans to feed Gálvez,” Hinojosa said. “At some point, they started processing and salting it to get the meat to George Washington. Without that, especially around Valley Forge, they would have starved to death.”

Ron Finch, president of the San Antonio chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, said many people don’t realize families in what is now Texas contributed to the fight for independence.

“We were all New Spain back at the time,” Finch said. “You had individuals who participated in the cattle drives.”

Finch said ranchers supplied cattle while others in New Spain also helped finance the Revolutionary War.

Founded in 1930, the San Antonio chapter has approximately 200 members. Finch said descendants of those who supported American independence are eligible to join, even if their ancestors were not part of the original 13 colonies.

“There are so many avenues,” Finch said. “You didn’t have to be part of the 13 colonies. It could have been from here within New Spain.”

The group is already looking ahead to 2033, when the nation will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the Revolutionary War.

“So even though we’re doing the declaration of the 250 this year,” Finch said, “it really just got started.”

Read more recent America250 coverage on KSAT:

• New initiative aims to help descendants of San Antonio Missions uncover Indigenous roots
• How The Alamo became one of the most defining sites in U.S. history

Anisimova, who was consoled by Kate a year ago after being routed by Iga Swiatek in the final, trailed 3-1 in the third set before she broke back in the sixth game against her fellow American, the 2020 Australian Open champion who is now ranked No. 105.

“Some moments were really awful. I’m just so happy through to the next round,” Anisimova said on No. 2 Court. “I never thought that I’d be saying this — but thank you to my serve today,” she added. “I’m not an amazing server. Now, I can finally say I can serve pretty good.”

The sixth-seeded Anisimova whacked her racket on her leg at one point in the deciding set.

“I was down 3-1 and I told myself to just keep fighting and this might be your last moments at Wimbledon ... just try and maybe have fun and enjoy it,” said Anisimova, who will next face another American, 26th-seeded Madison Keys. “I try to remind myself, just have fun, you are playing at Wimbledon. I do get hard on myself sometimes.”

Swiatek, who beat Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 for the 2025 title on Centre Court, needed just 70 minutes to get past 2021 Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 6-3.

The defending champion next gets Filipino rising star Alexandra Eala, who rallied to beat Maya Joint 3-6, 6-2, 6-0. On Tuesday, Joint spoiled Serena Williams' singles comeback.

Second-seeded Elena Rybakina, the 2022 champion at the All England Club, made quick work of Caty McNally 6-1, 6-2 and will face Belgium's Elise Mertens, seeded 25th, for a spot in the last 16.

Fritz emulates Tiafoe with tear-away pants

A well-dressed Taylor Fritz impressed again, beating compatriot Patrick Kypson 6-2, 6-2, 7-5 to reach the third round.

Fritz's white blazer and NBA-style warmup pants for his walk-on at No. 2 Court drew attention but his play wasn't bad either — he fired 19 aces and avoided getting pushed into a fourth set.

The sixth-seeded American, a semifinalist last year, emphatically pumped his right fist when he broke Kypson to convert his fourth match point.

Fritz also won his opener in straight sets and had worn a similar outfit with tear-away warmup pants — designed to easily unbutton as you pull them off in one tug.

“I took it off slowly in the first round. I kind of actually made a mess of it,” Fritz said in his media conference. “It’s actually just a lot easier to just rip them off. I saw a video of Frances (Tiafoe) doing it. I was just trying to copy him today. ”

Later, an equally dapper Tiafoe showed how it's done — earning applause for quickly pulling off the bottoms before his match against Jan Choinksi. The 17th-seeded Tiafoe won 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-2.

“I had a lot of momentum from the end of the third,” the American said in his on-court interview. “I just wanted to try to get an early break and take his soul a little bit, take his belief away, and that’s kind of what happened.”

Naomi Osaka's fashion statements have made her court walk-ons must-see viewing at Grand Slam tournaments — Wimbledon included.

Also Thursday, second-seeded Alexander Zverev and fifth-seeded Alex de Minaur recorded straight-set victories.

Matteo Berrettini, who lost the 2021 Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic, beat 20th-seeded Arthur Fils 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 on Centre Court.

Berrettini will next face wild-card entry Grigor Dimitrov, who eliminated 15th-seeded Jakub Mensik 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. Last year, Dimitrov was leading his fourth-round match against eventual champion Jannik Sinner but stopped playing because of an injured pectoral muscle.

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

Behind the Kitchen Door is a series where KSAT investigates health inspections of restaurants in and around San Antonio.

Ramona’s Taco

The Mexican restaurant, located in the 600 block of Northwest 24th Street, was given a score of 86 after inspectors visited last month.

During the June 15 inspection, the report lists the 17 demerits issued to Ramona’s Taco for issues like rat feces, cooking equipment encrusted with grease and uncovered food in the freezer. Metro Health ordered the restaurant to get another inspection.

The inspection report surprised a longtime customer.

“Oh, hell no,” the customer said as she read the restaurant’s laundry list of health code violations. “I think it’s f---ing nasty, and I just made an order right now. I’m thinking about when I should go get my money back.”

KSAT visited the restaurant to ask the owner, Doña Ramona, about the violations.

Ramona said fumigators are taking care of the rodents and allowed KSAT’s cameras behind their kitchen door.

The report said inspectors found grease built up throughout the kitchen on the floors, walls and ceiling.

Doña Ramona told KSAT that the score given by Metro Health was not bad or good and said that the restaurant always had scored 90 or above.

KSAT reviewed the restaurant’s past health inspection records, which showed that was not the case. Records show the last time Doña Ramona’s restaurant earned above a 90 was in April 2024.

Doña Ramona told KSAT she plans to close the restaurant for a few weeks later this summer for repairs.

Other scores from the week of June 14 through June 20:

Arby’s #8514 - 100

13601 Nacogdoches Road

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Molina’s - 100

700 North Alamo Street

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Tiff’s Treats - 100

726 NW Loop 410, Suite 106

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Flip Flop Cafe - 100

9310 Timber Path

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Amen Cafe Eritrean & Ethiopian Restaurant- 100

5115 Fredericksburg Road

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Frankie G’s Sports Bar - 100

2437 Frio City Road

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Fuentes - 100

2703 West Southcross Boulevard

Score Guide

100-90 = A (Very Good to Acceptable)

89-80 = B (Acceptable to Marginal)

79 or lower = C (Marginal to Poor)

• RELATED: What do Metro Health inspectors look for when inspecting a restaurant?

You can catch Daniela’s BKD reports on Thursdays on the Nightbeat.

ALSO ON KSAT.COM

Watch other Behind the Kitchen Door stories here

David Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer, was indicted on a single count of property destruction in Washington, D.C., court.

District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Hearn ripped up recently installed sealant on the pool in “a deliberate act” that caused more than $1,000 in damage. She accused him of “forcefully and violently” pulling up the bottom liner “with both hands” and acting belligerently toward an employee who told him to stop.

“This is a case with tremendous evidence,” she said, adding that authorities have made about six other misdemeanor arrests.

In a statement, Democracy Defenders Fund co-founder Norm Eisen and Mary Dohrmann, senior counsel at Washington Litigation Group, said that they represented Hearn and that the charges were “outrageous and should be alarming to every American.” Eisen and Dohrmann construed the case as representative of “the misuse of government power against an ordinary citizen based on a concocted narrative.”

Hearn didn’t immediately return a phone call seeking comment. He previously told The Associated Press that he reached into the pool on June 19 to examine the newly peeled coating. He said he briefly touched a chunk that was still attached to the side of the pool, then let go shortly after a park worker told him to.

“I’m a curious citizen,” Hearn said in a telephone interview last month. “I reached down to see what it felt like. It was very rubbery.”

Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, owned a company that made composite materials used to build watercraft.

Saying that he stopped by the pool during a 64-mile bike ride, Hearn said he was detained by National Guard troops and U.S. Park Police for five hours before being released.

Trump said last month that federal authorities made “multiple arrests” of people he accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool as he struggled to explain why the $16-million rehabilitation project he launched for the nation’s 250th anniversary seemingly backfired. Without providing any substantiation, he also said vandals dumped fertilizer into the pool and slashed the coating with a box cutter.

In subsequent days, National Guard members and Park Police patrolled the deck around the Reflecting Pool as Trump’s administration faced a self-imposed deadline to fix a botched renovation before the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration. Contractors and federal workers used chemicals and ozone nanobubbles to combat an algae bloom, and Trump has said that problems most likely require draining the pool again for liner repairs.

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Kinnard reported from Columbia, S.C.

Dangerous, record-breaking heat will continue across much of the central and eastern U.S. through Friday and will continue along the East Coast through the weekend, the National Weather Service said Thursday. Temperatures in the high 90s Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) were forecast for the Northeast; New York and Boston both hit 100 degrees Thursday. Humidity is expected to make it feel even hotter, all but ensuring that sweat will dampen spirits at many celebrations marking 250 years of American independence.

“Anywhere you go in southern New England, you will be dealing with dangerous heat today, tomorrow and Saturday,” said Bryce Williams, a meteorologist with the weather service.

Heat wreaks havoc with event schedules

In Boston, entrance to the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular will start at 4 p.m. instead of noon on Saturday because of the heat. In Philadelphia, officials shortened the route of a Thursday morning parade, canceled an afternoon all-American Block Party, and pushed back the start times of an evening picnic and concert at Independence Mall.

In Lower Windsor Township, Pennsylvania, an America 250 celebration including food trucks, games and the highway department's dump truck has been rescheduled for July 8. In Norristown, Pennsylvania, officials canceled a parade set for Saturday, citing the safety of residents, participants and first responders, though evening fireworks and an afternoon party featuring games, food, and music will go on as scheduled.

“The parade is one of our community’s most beloved traditions, and we share in the disappointment of its cancellation, especially as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday,” Interim Municipal Administrator Jayne Musonye said.

Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania moved outdoor events indoors. Amtrak, meanwhile, canceled some train routes due to the heat Thursday, including the Acela between Boston and Washington, and said others may operate with reduced speeds resulting in delays through Saturday.

Baseball, Taylor Swift fans sweat it out

A heat dome — high-pressure systems above a region that trap heat and humidity — has been smothering parts of the U.S., from the Midwest to the East Coast. Beyond the holiday festivities, officials in many communities are taking steps to keep residents safe, including opening cooling centers. In Boston, several air-conditioned museums are offering free admission to city residents, and in Providence, Rhode Island, city pools and waterparks have extended their hours.

The temperature was 98 degrees by the time the Philadelphia Phillies started their home game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday. Sixteen pallets of water bottles were given out for free.

Bill Christy, 69, of Philadelphia, was walking with two teen charges that he had brought along for company.

“They’re young, they can handle it,” he said. “I’ll just go up in the shade somewhere if I get hot.”

Nearby a fife and drum corps marched up and down the lower concourse in full uniform.

“Usually it’s wool regimental. But this is linen, it’s cool,” said Debbie Mayes of Ewing, New Jersey, part of the Washington Crossing Fife and Drums. “We’re fine. They’ve been very kind to us, letting us take breaks and providing water.”

In New York, Amanda Powell, of Little Rock, Arkansas, was among the Taylor Swift fans flocking to Madison Square Garden in hopes of seeing the superstar singer before her Friday wedding.

“It’s super hot,” she said. “Being from Arkansas, we thought we could handle the heat, but it’s been very warm.”

Central Park in Manhattan hit 100 degrees Thursday afternoon, marking the first time the iconic park reached triple digits since 2012, according to the National Weather Service.

Zoo employees work to keep animals cool

At the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, workers offered up frozen blocks ice with herring for the African penguins, frozen pellets to the Nigerian dwarf goats and tossed frozen treats into the enclosure of the Western lowland gorillas, who scramble to grab and gobble them up.

“All of my animals have been doing a really great job of staying under the fan, staying near a sprinkler,” zookeeper Brooke Cannon said as she offered Quinn frozen treats. “I’m running around with the hose hitting them a little bit there and there. Yeah, it’s not their favorite, but you know sometimes you got to do what you got to do to make sure that they’re not making poor choices.”

Despite the heat, the zoo had plenty of visitors - though many took time to fan themselves or stand under misters to keep cool. Others were second-guessing their decision to visit.

“It's too hot in the summer and this is not the right time to come and visit zoo,” Bhargavi Patha, who was with her husband and 14-month-old son, said as they headed to the lion enclosure. “The heat is exhausting us. We are draining and we had to drink a lot of water to see all the animals.”

Electric grids feel the stress

As the heat bore down on New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged people conserve energy by setting their air conditionings to 78 degrees — a step previous mayors, including former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, have advised — in order to avoid stressing the power grid. Nevertheless, the request drew a round of jeers from the Democratic mayor’s conservative critics online.

By early Thursday afternoon, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was asking everyone in the state to turn air conditioners to 75 degrees (24 Celsius) or higher, avoid using appliances unnecessarily and otherwise conserve electricity. Hochul, a Democrat, cited high demand and “unexpected load challenges.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who pokes at the mayor often on social media, responded on X “Is this what was meant by the warmth of collectivism?,” spinning a phrase the democratic socialist employed in his inaugural address back at Mamdani.

The explosive growth of data centers are adding stress to electric grids, as operators in New York state, New England and the one stretching across 13 mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states all projected that electricity demand would peak on Thursday before falling back slightly on Friday.

Operators had not issued emergency calls to reduce consumption as of Thursday evening, as usage surged roughly 40% above a normal summer day.

PJM Interconnection, which operates the grid that serves 65 million people from New Jersey to Illinois, had projected that Thursday would set an all-time high for summer electricity demand, but it fell just short of 2006's record.

To prepare, PJM had sought — and received — an order from the U.S. Department of Energy that allows utilities to force data centers and other big energy users to disconnect from the grid and switch to backup power sources, such as diesel generators, before carrying out rolling blackouts to conserve energy.

A major new Canadian hydropower transmission line to New York City had gone out of service Wednesday because of an equipment problem in Canada, but the line was repaired and back in service by 12:30 p.m. Thursday, according to operator Hydro-Québec.

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Associated Press writers Daniel Gelston in Philadelphia, Jennifer Peltz, Anthony Izaguirre and Ted Shaffrey in New York, Michael Casey and Rodrique Ngowi in Boston and Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.

The moment marked the end of a years long journey for Kendell Ramlal, who’s originally from Trinidad and Tobago.

“I’ve been here since I was four years old,” Ramlal said after taking the Oath of Allegiance. “Obviously I’m a firefighter, so I like to give back to the community, and it feels great to actually be a part of the community officially. Still doesn’t feel real, but I’m loving every moment of it so far.”

Ramlal, who serves as a firefighter in San Antonio, said becoming a U.S. citizen makes his commitment to serving the community even more meaningful.

While the ceremony highlighted the culmination of the naturalization process, immigration attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch said many immigrants continue to face uncertainty earlier in the immigration system.

“The immigration court system is a complete mess,” Lincoln-Goldfinch said. “That’s primarily because the immigration court system is an administrative court system.”

Lincoln-Goldfinch said obtaining a green card — often a prerequisite to applying for citizenship — has become increasingly unpredictable.

While some applicants move through the process without issue, others face requests for additional evidence or denials.

“In some green card cases, we’ve seen people denied outright or issued notices of intent to deny or requests for evidence,” Lincoln-Goldfinch said. “In other cases, they sail right through. It’s not one impact evenly across the board. It really varies widely.”

Ramlal said his own path to citizenship was relatively smooth, though it took years to complete.

Now officially an American citizen, he hopes others still navigating the process remain encouraged.

“Pray about it,” Ramlal said. “Trust God that he will open doors for you.”

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The application — for a “Special Event at MSG” — was approved Wednesday night by New York City’s permitting office, according to a spokesperson for Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The permit shows 100 guests will begin arriving at Madison Square Garden at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday for a “pre party celebration,” which officials described as an intimate rehearsal dinner. Thursday evening, black sport utility vehicles were seen driving into a tented area, shielding views of who was going into MSG.

A full street closure will then go into effect overnight, allowing crews to erect a “drive through tent” next to a separate “entrance tent,” according to the permit.

The “main event” will begin at 5 p.m. Friday, per the application, with the option to continue until 4 a.m. the next morning. That party can host up to 1,000 people, records show.

Beginning on Friday afternoon, several blocks surrounding the arena will be off-limits to vehicles and partially closed to pedestrians, according to information shared by police on Thursday afternoon.

Access to Penn Station — the busiest rail hub in the U.S., sitting directly below the arena — will be heavily restricted, with transit users urged to use a separate entrance further from the venue.

The approval of the permit comes as city officials and Swift’s representatives have continued to stay silent about the festivities — angering some business owners and residents, who have called for more transparency around a private event that will soak up public resources.

A spokesperson for the NYPD did not respond to a question Thursday about the purpose of the street closures.

Behind the scenes, emails obtained by the AP show city officials have been aware of the wedding — and its impact on city streets — for nearly a month.

On June 8, the director of the city’s street permitting office, Dawn Tolson, emailed several City Hall staffers to discuss a permit application “in association with the T&T wedding,” an apparent reference to Taylor and Travis.

The application included a request for “full street closures” on July 3 and 4, under the subject line: “Wedding Bells Are Ringing.”

Mamdani, who previously said the city would have to cut back on large scale events this summer due to the demands posed by the World Cup and America250 festivities, has declined to discuss the city’s role in the wedding event.

“The NYPD will of course have a detail in place, but I’m not going to go into more specifics at this time,” New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference on Wednesday.

Michael O’Brien, who co-owns O’Briens Bar and Grill across from the arena, said the city should do more to publicize the impact on local businesses — and that the newlyweds-to-be should foot the bill for any lost revenue.

“This is, in my opinion, ridiculous,” O’Brien said. “If they can afford to buy the permits, they can afford this big lavish ceremony, why don’t they just buy out the local businesses instead of having us adversely affected?”

But others seemed unbothered by the secrecy and precautions around the much-anticipated nuptials.

“She’s just so important in everyone’s life,” said Alyssa Heinen, one of scores of Swift fans who gathered outside the arena on Thursday afternoon. “We grew up with Taylor Swift, and just seeing her now find love — I feel like it’s inspiring to so many women. It’s so nice to see her so happy.”

_____

Associated Press video journalist Joseph B. Frederick in New York contributed to this report.

Powell was one of scores of Taylor Swift fans and inquisitive passersby who braved the New York City heat Thursday to satiate their curiosity about what many are calling the wedding of the century and the American equivalent of royal nuptials.

The couple are "literally the king and queen of America,” said Kristen Donohue, who stopped by the area surrounding Madison Square Garden Thursday with a fellow Swiftie co-worker on their lunch break.

A law enforcement official briefed on the security plans confirmed to The Associated Press Wednesday that Swift and Kelce will have their wedding at Madison Square Garden on Friday night with a smaller rehearsal dinner planned for Thursday night.

The couple themselves have been mum on the wedding details. Neither has confirmed the festivities will happen on the bustling and hot weekend that coincides with World Cup matches and Fourth of July celebrations. A representative for Swift has not responded to multiple inquiries, including on Thursday.

About 100 guests began arriving at the famed venue at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday — when temperatures were still near the triple digits. The event was for a “pre party celebration,” according to a copy of a city permit obtained by The AP. Heavy security was in place as black sport utility vehicles drove into a large tent to drop off passengers, who then walked through a tented area into the arena.

Several fans stopped by in passing or even made trips to midtown Manhattan expressly to scope out the scene hours before those expected arrivals.

Crews have been seen unloading equipment from trucks this week — much of it covered or obscured — and barricades have been placed near the perimeter of the arena. The aesthetic details of what will happen beyond the loading docks have been shrouded in mystery.

Madison Square Garden sits next to New York Penn Station, one of the nation’s busiest transportation hubs, so it is naturally a lively area on any day. But Thursday afternoon, people lingered longer than usual as they passed through, and there was an increased police presence in the area.

Rachel Latchford and Linda Solano, nurses in a hospital in central Pennsylvania, made the trip to New York to see a Broadway show this weekend, but they said they had to go “see what all the buzz is about," Latchford said. “We’re going to the wedding, baby,” Solano joked on a FaceTime call with a friend.

Latchford acknowledged the heavy police presence, but she said she felt “very protected” and added that “there's been police all over the city this week with Fourth of July.”

A large tent was erected Thursday on 31st Street outside of an entrance to the arena. Tarps were hung to cover the walkway, so the couple and their guests will presumably be blocked from view as they enter and exit. In one spot where glass windows offered a peak inside, pink curtains were hung around 5 p.m., completely obscuring any of the exclusive happenings indoors.

By 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, 31st Street was completely closed off to pedestrians between 7th and 8th avenues. Some disappointed fans lingered near the barricades and boundaries police had set up and were enforcing. They were still hoping to see anything from their limited vantage point.

While many there earlier on Thursday were keeping their eyes peeled for any decor, florals or anything that could give them a sense of what and who might be inside the arena this weekend, much of the motivation to be there for fans was purely out of excitement for Swift herself.

“She's just so important in everyone's life,” said Alyssa Heinen, who was outside the arena Thursday afternoon. “We grew up with Taylor Swift, and just seeing her now find love — I feel like it's inspiring to so many women. It's so nice to see her so happy.”

“When they started dating, it was super exciting and cute and adorable,” said Brittany McCusker, who was with her colleague Donohue on their scouting mission. “It’s really amazing that they don’t have to broadcast anything, they can have it super private. I really respect that, but it’s a bummer that we don’t get to see it too.”

___

Associated Press journalist Ted Shaffrey contributed.

The shooting happened around 3:45 p.m. on June 6, at the intersection of Culebra Road and Roft Road.

The man stopped at the intersection’s red light while traveling westbound on Culebra Road.

The alleged shooter timed the stoplight to line up with the victim’s vehicle, a news release said.

Just before the light turned green, the release said the shooter fired a round into the man’s vehicle.

The bullet struck the victim’s head and “destroyed” both of his eyes, authorities said.

According to the release, the shooter was in a gray-colored Ford Escape.

If you have information about this crime, call Crime Stoppers at 210-224-7867 (STOP). To text a tip, text “Tip 127 plus your tip” to CRIMES (274637).

You can also leave a tip on the P3 Tips app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.

Tips can also be submitted on the Crime Stoppers website.

Crime Stoppers may pay up to $5,000 for information that leads to felony arrests in this crime.

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“We are profoundly sad to announce the death of Victor Willis, lead singer of Village People," the group posted on its official Facebook page. The cause was identified as “a short but aggressive illness.”

Willis was a musician-actor who, among other things, had appeared on Broadway in “The Wiz” when he decided to cash in on the disco craze in 1977 by joining a group made up of beefy, macho-looking guys dressed as a biker, a construction worker, a cop, a cowboy and a Native American chief.

With producer Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo, Morali’s business partner, Willis founded the six-member Village People. The idea came to them while partying at an after-hours gay nightclub in the West Village of Manhattan. The group’s self-titled debut album was released in 1977.

In 1978, the group released two albums, “Macho Man” and “Cruisin’” — which featured the international hit “Y.M.C.A.,” a song that peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard chart. A year later, Village People released the album “Go West,” which included “In the Navy,” a song that peaked at No. 3 on the chart. “Macho Man” peaked at No. 25 in 1978.

In 2020, Congress described “Y.M.C.A.” — with its infectious chorus of “It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.” and an accompanying dance spelling out the letters — as “an American phenomenon” and added the song to the National Recording Registry. In 2021, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Willis left the band before shooting started on the 1980 movie “Can’t Stop the Music,” a widely ridiculed comedy starring the Village People and Steve Guttenberg and directed by Nancy Walker.

Village People music is the backbone of pool parties, high school dances, weddings, proms, bar mitzvahs, games and whenever an uplifting mood is needed. The songs also played at gay marches and the White House.

“We will think of Victor every time ‘Y.M.C.A.’ is played, like today, and all throughout this July Fourth Birthday week,” President Donald Trump wrote on social media Wednesday. “My condolences to his wonderful family and group, Victor Willis will be sorely missed.”

While musicians like Neil Young, John Fogerty, Phil Collins, Panic! At The Disco and the estates of Leonard Cohen, Tom Petty and Prince sent cease-and-desist letters to stop Trump from using their music, Willis said he didn't feel he was endorsing Trump when the song played.

Willis was born in Texas and grew up in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco. When he moved to New York, he went to a YMCA on West 63rd Street in Manhattan, which inspired the hit song.

The ownership of Village People's songs came into doubt decades after the hits, and in 2015, a federal jury ruled that Willis was entitled to 50% copyright ownership in the United States of 13 of the group’s songs, including “Y.M.C.A.”

After a series of arrests on drug-related charges that resulted in a rehab stint, Willis told The Associated Press in 2012 that his life had turned around. “Life is fine. I went through whatever I went through, but everything is going great now,” he said.

In May, Willis and the Village People — he was the only original member — sang “Happy Birthday” and “Y.M.C.A.” for Secretary of State Marco Rubio during an event in India.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect that Willis did not appear in the 1980 movie “Can’t Stop the Music.”

Even coach Mauricio Pochettino, who was born in Argentina and lives in Spain, got in on the act after Wednesday's 2-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina, belting out the words to Denver's anthem as he hugged his players and staff members.

“Country Roads” cowriter Bill Danoff told The Associated Press that he's honored that the U.S. team has embraced the song, and that Denver, who died in a plane crash in 1997, would have relished watching the most recent match.

“It was such an exciting game — they were down a player with a red card, but they still won,” said Danoff, who has started to become more of a soccer fan in recent weeks, partially due to the “Country Roads” connection. “I thought, ‘Gee, I wish John was still here.’ John got super excited about stuff like that, and it would have been fun to watch that game with him.”

The John Denver estate told the AP that it is “thrilled” by the song’s latest revival at the World Cup, saying “Country Roads” has endured because its message transcends geography, and that its “simple, clear, and relatable” lyrics make it perfect for a sing-along.

“Everyone knows what ‘Take me home to the place I belong’ is about,” the estate said Thursday. “It’s not limited to West Virginia.”

Here’s how a song inspired by a Maryland drive became a World Cup anthem.

The song has its origins in Maryland, not West Virginia

Despite the lyrics' heartfelt embrace of West Virginia, Danoff has said the inspiration for the song came from a drive he and his then-wife, cowriter Taffy Nivert, took along Maryland's winding Clopper Road to attend a family reunion in Gaithersburg, some 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of the West Virginia border.

“I just started thinking, country roads, I started thinking of me growing up in western New England and going on all these small roads,” Danoff told Washington's WRC-TV in 2020. “It didn’t have anything to do with Maryland or anyplace.”

At the time, Danoff hadn't spent considerable time in West Virginia. He was familiar, though, with Appalachian music broadcast from Wheeling, West Virginia's famous WWVA radio station, which he listened to while growing up in Springfield, Massachusetts. Danoff said he was also inspired by the West Virginia-born actor Chris Sarandon, as well as the West Virginian members of a commune who would frequently attend his gigs.

Danoff said he and Nivert were planning to try to sell the song to Johnny Cash, but when they played an unfinished version one night in their apartment for their friend John Denver, the singer-songwriter convinced them to let him record it instead. The song, released in 1971, turned into Denver's biggest hit and has been a mainstay for decades.

“I don’t know all of the ways that song must have touched people, but I’m grateful that I have somehow been able to say something that has meaning for others,” Denver wrote years later.

‘Country Roads’ finds a new stage at the World Cup

According to The Athletic, FIFA officials added “Country Roads” to its postgame playlist options in hopes of creating a shared moment between the U.S. team and its supporters.

It made its debut at the end of the U.S.'s second match as the players celebrated their 2-0 win over Australia in Seattle. The song was an immediate hit both inside the stadium and on social media, as fans embraced the scenes of U.S. players waving to fans as they sang the lyrics.

“You could feel the connection with the fans,” midfielder Weston McKennie told reporters after the match.

John Denver's song didn't get quite the same reception on June 25 at Los Angeles Stadium, as it came after a deflating, though insignificant, last-minute U.S. loss to Turkey.

But it came back in force Wednesday evening in Santa Clara, California, as the U.S. defeated Bosnia-Herzegovina to advance to the round of 16. Perhaps none were more enthusiastic than midfielders McKennie and Sebastian Berhalter, who swung their arms wildly as they wandered around the field while singing to the fans.

During matches not involving the U.S. team, the song has frequently been played during hydration breaks and has also been met with roaring approval from fans who, moments previously, had been booing the start of each hydration break.

‘Country Roads’ has long been a sports staple

It’s hardly the first time that “Country Roads,” has been used by sports fans. It has long been a mainstay at West Virginia University football games, where Mountaineer fans serenade the team after its home victories.

It's even found a home in Europe, where fans have been singing it during the NFL's annual visit to Germany since the first game in Munich in 2022. Fans there were used to singing the song during Oktoberfest celebrations.

And, in the English Premier League, Manchester United supporters years ago tweaked the words to sing about their own “home” — Old Trafford stadium.

England’s players have their own sing-along

While “Country Roads” is the U.S.'s unofficial anthem, the England national team during this tournament has similarly adopted Oasis' “Wonderwall.”

Standing in a line, arms around each other’s shoulders, the English players sang the 1995 hit after their 4-2 opening victory against Croatia, something that captain Harry Kane said was “one of my favorite ever moments in an England shirt.”

The team has been repeating the post-match tradition after each match since.

___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

The strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, has emerged as one of the top issues in negotiations seeking a permanent end to the Iran war. The statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya military command, reported by Iranian state television, comes after both U.S. and Iranian diplomats met with mediators Wednesday in Qatar.

Iran is preparing for the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the war’s first moments in February. On Thursday night, Iranian state media broadcast images of what it said was the casket with Khamenei's remains arriving at the Imam Khomeini Hussainiya, for the farewell ceremony.

Hundreds were seen in the footage, praying and grieving near the casket covered with a green cloth. The weeklong official funeral is expected to start on Saturday.

It wasn’t clear what sparked Iran's warning Thursday about oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz. However, the U.S. military's Central Command had put out a statement about a meeting with officials from Mideast nations in Bahrain that said “leaders underscored their shared commitment to the free flow of commerce through" the strait.

That could have been the phrase that angered Iran.

“Any failure to comply, deviation from the designated route, or disregard for the navigation protocols of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz will be met with an immediate and forceful response from the armed forces, endangering the security of the violating vessels,” the Iranian statement said.

It also said that interference by U.S. forces in the strait “will be met with a rapid and decisive reaction.”

Iran and the United States agreed as part of an interim deal to allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days. But Tehran insisted it must control the routes of the vessels and later charge fees for passage, upending decades of practice in the waterway.

The U.S. and many Gulf Arab states say they won’t agree to Iran charging for passage through the strait. An effort by Oman and a United Nations agency to launch a new route near Oman’s shore sparked attacks across the Mideast last weekend, highlighting the tensions.

Despite the attacks, ship traffic in the strait continued to rebound. At least 258 ships transited the waterway last week, a period that included Iranian strikes on two commercial vessels, according to marine data and analysis company Lloyd’s List Intelligence. That’s up from 138 ships the previous week.

Iran's attacks on June 25 and 27 “seem to have been forgotten,” Richard Meade, editor-in-chief at Lloyd’s, said Thursday during a webinar.

Traffic in the strait has slowed somewhat since the strikes and remains far below levels seen before the war, when about 130 vessels passed through daily. And with ship operators having to choose between complying with Iran's demands or braving the route off Oman watched by U.S. forces, “nothing about this situation is stable,” Meade said.

“Routes are being chosen on an hour-by-hour basis ... and they are contingent on shifting political approvals and real-time security assessments," he said. “This is not the new normal.”

Earlier this week, Iranian state television reported that a foreign ship got stuck in the strait after ignoring instructions from Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. However, the vessel’s shape, reported location and other details indicate the ship is tied to Iran and appears to have been stranded for months.

Despite the tensions, Wednesday's talks saw “positive progress,” Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said. He told journalists that Pakistan hoped the next round of talks would be scheduled as soon as possible after Khamenei’s funeral.

___

McHugh reported from Frankfurt, Germany. Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, contributed to this report.

The high court rebuffed an emergency appeal from Catherine Herridge. The veteran investigative reporter has been held in civil contempt as part of a lawsuit that scientist Yanping Chen filed against the government over the leak.

Chief Justice John Roberts previously put a short-term hold on the fine as the court considered the appeal. On Thursday, the court said it was denying Herridge's bid to stay the fine. Justice Brett Kavanaugh supported granting the application for a stay, the court said.

Herridge published a series for Fox News in 2017 that examined Chen’s ties to the Chinese military and raised questions about whether the scientist was using a professional school she founded in Virginia to help the Chinese government get information about American servicemembers.

Fox News Media expressed disappointment in the decision.

“Protecting the confidentiality of journalistic sourcing and the integrity of the newsgathering process is fundamental to a free and functioning democracy. While we are deeply disappointed by the Court’s decision, our commitment to defending these critical First Amendment principles remains unwavering and we will be reviewing our options to further fight this injustice," the network said in a statement.

Herridge’s attorneys did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

The stories relied on what Chen’s lawyers say were items leaked from the probe into statements she made on immigration forms related to work on a Chinese astronaut program.

Those include snippets of an FBI document summarizing an interview conducted during the investigation, personal photographs, and information taken from her immigration and naturalization forms and from an internal FBI PowerPoint presentation, according to court documents.

The six-year probe never resulted in charges against Chen, and in 2018 she sued the FBI and the Justice Department.

Her suit said that both her personal and professional life were upended amid a wave of negative media attention after the leak, leading to hate mail and death threats. She accused the government of violating the Privacy Act, which prohibits the public disclosure of private information about individuals without their consent.

A judge ordered Herridge to answer questions about her source or sources in a deposition with Chen’s lawyers. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington ruled that Chen’s need to know for the sake of her lawsuit overcame Herridge’s right to shield her source.

Herridge was interviewed under oath but declined to answer questions about her sources. The judge eventually held her in contempt, and the fine was set to begin after the order was upheld by an appeals court panel.

The case has been closely watched by media advocates, who say forcing journalists to betray a promise of confidentiality could make sources think twice before providing information to reporters that could expose government wrongdoing.

“Journalists facing contempt should not have to muster large payments to the court while they seek to vindicate First Amendment rights," said Bruce Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. "And forcing them to betray source confidences always has a harmful impact on the free flow of information to the public.”

Chen’s lawyers say they have exhausted other ways to identify the leaker, and the identity is key to making their case that the Privacy Act was violated. Attorney Andrew Phillips said they hope Thursday's decision will help bring the matter to a close.

“Dr. Chen, like any other American citizen, is entitled to discover the identity of the federal official(s) who abused their access to an American’s private information and leaked it to cause her harm. That type of corrupt, unlawful conduct is exactly what the Privacy Act was designed to address," he said.

Herridge reported for Fox News and CBS News before recently becoming an independent journalist.

Mia Robinson said her son, Jaylen, told her he was going for a swim, but he never mentioned he was leaving the city and going to a lake.

“He gave me a hug, and he said... ‘Bye mom, I love you. I’m going swimming,’” Mia Robinson said. “And that was just the last time I heard from him.”

Jaylen went to the lake with their neighbors.

Robinson was candid about her son’s ability to swim.

“He doesn’t even really know how to swim,” Robinson said. “He doesn’t, really. He’s scared of water, really.”

If she had known the group was heading to the lake, Robinson said she would have put a stop to it.

What happened at the lake

According to Boerne fire officials, Jaylen’s body was recovered 20 feet from shore in water roughly 12 to 15 feet deep Monday morning.

A neighbor, who spoke off camera to KSAT, said they took Jaylen to the lake.

The neighbor’s 11-year-old son was skipping rocks with Jaylen near a drop-off when Jaylen ended up in deep water and began to struggle.

The 11-year-old jumped in to help, and both boys began to drown, the neighbor said.

The father of the 11-year-old said he ran toward the boys, who screamed for help.

When the father reached them, he threw his son closer to shore. When the father turned around, Jaylen was nowhere in sight.

‘Nobody tried to help’

Robinson said she is heartbroken not only by the loss of her son, but by the idea that bystanders may have done nothing.

“I just want to know why everybody just watched and nobody tried to help,” Robinson said. “Because my child: he always wanted to help everybody else. He always would put his self in jeopardy and try to protect everybody else. But nobody (was) there to help my son.”

Robinson also raised concerns about safety conditions at the lake.

“I feel like if you don’t have the safety equipment at lakes, I don’t feel like people should be swimming there,” Robinson said.

Franco Guerrero, the organizer of Guardian Search and Rescue, jumped in to assist in the search for Jaylen Sunday night and Monday morning.

Guerrero encourages people to always put safety first.

“Instead of thinking about what you’re going to be wearing — what you are going to be eating and drinking — think about life vests,” Guerrero said.

Boerne officials said they are conducting internal reviews and working closely with Texas Parks and Wildlife to review lake operations and safety plans.

City officials said life jackets are highly encouraged for anyone entering the water, regardless of age and experience swimming.

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A court record shows the video was submitted as evidence in federal court in Dallas, where Pooh Shiesty and eight others have been indicted on kidnapping and extortion charges. Prosecutors say the victims were robbed at gunpoint after traveling to the city to discuss Pooh Shiesty's recording contract with Mane's 1017 Records.

The victims have only been referred to by their initials in court documents. One, R.D., is described as the owner of 1017 Records. Mane's legal name is Radric Delantic Davis. The song “Crash Dummy,” which Gucci Mane released this spring, includes the lyrics: “I thought it was a business meeting, but it was a set up.”

The court document was filed by prosecutors in response to a motion Pooh Shiesty filed last month proposing home confinement, arguing that the evidence against him did not warrant keeping him in custody pending trial, as was ordered by a judge in April.

But prosecutors said in their filing that the motion from Pooh Shiesty, whose legal name is Lontrell Williams Jr., should be denied and that evidence against him was “extraordinarily strong.”

Prosecutors said they have the cooperation of all five victims and witnesses in the case and cellphone location data. There is also surveillance video placing the defendants at the scene, according to prosecutors, in addition to the video of the owner of 1017 Records being forced to declare that Pooh Shiesty was “dropped” from his label.

Prosecutors said in the filing that just before that video was made, Pooh Shiesty produced a printed contractual release for the record label owner to sign. The man initially refused but signed after Pooh Shiesty allegedly pointed an AK-style pistol his head.

Prosecutors also said BIG30, whose legal name is Rodney Wright, recorded the video with his cellphone while another defendant blocked the door holding a firearm that resembled an AK-47 style rifle.

According to prosecutors, Pooh Shiesty robbed the record label owner of about $450,000 worth of items including his wedding band, a watch, a pair of earrings and cash.

Prosecutors have said that at the time of the alleged confrontation, Pooh Shiesty was on home confinement for a prior firearms conspiracy conviction out of Florida and was required to wear an electronic monitoring device.

Attorneys for Pooh Shiesty and BIG30 did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment Thursday.

Gucci Mane is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta rappers T.I. and Jeezy. He emerged in the mid-2000s with his breakout single “Icy” and went on to build a vast catalog.

Bodycam footage shared with KSAT showed the deputy using a baton to shatter the window of a parked car on June 19 located in the 12100 block of U.S. Highway 90 West to rescue an infant inside.

A juvenile was arrested in connection with the case, the sheriff’s office said.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said temperatures inside parked vehicles can be life-threatening.

Leaving children and pets inside unattended vehicles can carry serious consequences, including arrests, jail time and fines, the sheriff said.

BCSO: Dog left inside vehicle in northeast Bexar County

In a separate incident one day earlier, BCSO responded to a report of a dog left inside a vehicle at approximately 9:19 p.m., in the 4000 block of North Foster Road.

When deputies arrived, the owner was on scene, but the dog had already died.

The owner told deputies she went inside a store for approximately an hour while her dog was left inside the vehicle with the windows closed.

The owner, Damaris Rebeca Herrera Aguilar, 35, was arrested on a charge of animal cruelty, the sheriff’s office said.

BCSO urges anyone who sees a child or animal left alone inside a vehicle to immediately call 911.

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A memo obtained Thursday by The Associated Press calls for the FBI to “surge” 260 investigative analysts and staff operations specialists to the effort, which it described as a “priority investigation.”

It said each of them is to conduct a check of an estimated 708 records by July 17. While the memo does not describe the investigation, people familiar with the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss internal decision-making confirmed the request was to help with the Georgia 2020 election investigation.

FBI agents in January seized hundreds of boxes containing ballots and other documents related to the 2020 election in Georgia’s most populous county, which is heavily Democratic and includes most of the city of Atlanta. A Fulton County spokesperson declined to comment citing a pending investigation. The contents of the memo were first reported by MS NOW.

President Donald Trump and his allies have made false claims that widespread election fraud cost him the 2020 election. Georgia’s votes in the 2020 presidential race were counted three times, including once by hand, and each count affirmed Democrat Joe Biden’s win.

The Justice Department has previously said it is investigating “irregularities that occurred during the 2020 presidential election in the County."

___

Durkin Richer and Tucker reported from Washington.

Also, former CIA Director John Brennan sued the Trump administration Wednesday, demanding a court order that would require officials to preserve records from investigations he says are targeting him for “what amounts to phantom criminal conduct.”

The lawsuit says the records would shed light on the motivations of government officials who are investigating Brennan.

Here's the latest:

Trump defends making so much personal money as president

In a CNBC interview, the president said, “I’ve made a tremendous amount of money, more than I would have ever thought I’ve made. And I let people invest it.”

He insisted the investments were made without his input: “I don’t even speak to — I don’t even know who they are.”

A recent federal filing showed that Trump took in nearly $1.2 billion from his crypto businesses last year alone.

Trump said during the interview that some of his assets were in “semi-blind trusts or blind trusts” without elaborating.

He said that, as president, he doesn’t run his family’s business, The Trump Organization, and has left doing so to his sons, adding there was nothing wrong with or illegal about what his family was doing.

Trump still won’t say if he’ll sign bipartisan bill to address housing affordability

During a CNBC interview, Trump was asked about the housing bill that was sent to him this week despite his cancellation last week of a signing ceremony and an announcement that he wouldn’t sign it until an election-related bill pass.

Trump called the bill “fine,” a much warmer review than he gave it earlier this week when he declared it to be “a yawn,” but he still didn’t say whether he’d sign the legislation, veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature.

Louisiana AG is indicted by grand jury in fight over court changes

Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill is accused of trying to intimidate local officials who fought a law enacted by GOP legislators to overhaul the local courts.

Murrill told eight New Orleans officials, including its mayor and district attorney, that they could face removal from their jobs because of their opposition to the law.

The law eliminated the position of Orleans Parish criminal court clerk after a man who spent decades in prison for a wrongful conviction was elected to the post with 68% of the vote in a blue hub in a red state.

▶ Read more

State Department rolls out new Trump-branded passports to celebrate America’s 250th

After announcing that the limited-edition Trump passports would be available to applicants who want them earlier this year, the department said they would become available on Monday.

“This special passport features striking custom artwork and enhanced imagery that honors our nation’s founding while maintaining all the advanced security features that make the U.S. passport the gold standard for travel and identity documents,” the department said.

To get one of the commemorative passports, applicants must apply in-person to the Washington, D.C., passport office. Applicants who want the standard, traditional passport can apply online, by mail or at a passport agency outside of Washington.

ICE arrests 10,000 people over 5 days at the end of June

This marks a major push by the agency tasked with carrying out the Trump administration’s mass deportations agenda.

The arrests translate into roughly 2,000 per day, a sharp increase over previous periods.

In June, the number of people booked into Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities climbed to roughly 39,000.

The New York Times first reported the news of the arrests.

ICE doesn’t publicly release arrest data, making exact comparisons difficult. The Deportation Data Project provided data showing a significant increase in arrests.

Former Olympian indicted for alleged Reflecting Pool vandalism

A former Olympian was indicted Thursday on a felony charge in what Trump has called vandalism of the Reflecting Pool.

David Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer, was indicted on a single count of property destruction in Washington, D.C., court.

He previously told The Associated Press that he reached into the pool to examine the newly peeled coating. Hearn, 67, said he stopped by the pool during a bike ride.

Trump has said federal authorities made “multiple arrests” of people he said were vandalizing the Reflecting Pool following a $14-million-plus rehabilitation project he launched for the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Democrats accuse Trump-linked fundraisers of America250 fraud

House Democrats allege consultants tied to Trump may have engaged in financial fraud related to the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

Democrats accuse the consultants of tricking donors who wanted to support the nation’s bipartisan 250th anniversary organizer into sending their money to a rival group set up by Trump’s Republican administration.

A Democratic report released Thursday says donors intending to contribute funds to the bipartisan America250 committee created by Congress were instead given banking and routing numbers for a different but similarly named Trump-backed group, Freedom 250.

A Freedom 250 spokesperson dismisses the Democrats’ report as “categorically false” and calls it a “partisan smear.”

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Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is still rebounding despite recent attacks

At least 258 ships transited the waterway last week, a period that included Iranian strikes on two commercial vessels, according to marine data and analysis company Lloyd’s List Intelligence. That’s up from 138 ships the previous week.

Iran’s attacks on ships in the strait on June 25 and 27 “seem to have been forgotten,” Richard Meade, editor-in-chief at Lloyd’s, said Thursday during a webinar.

Still, traffic has slowed somewhat since the strikes and remains far below prewar levels, when about 130 vessels passed through daily.

And with ship operators having to choose between complying with Iran’s demands or braving the route off Oman watched by U.S. forces, “nothing about this situation is stable,” Meade said.

Top FBI agent in Chicago abruptly leaving post, AP sources say

Douglas DePodesta has served as special agent in charge in Chicago, one of the FBI’s largest offices, for nearly two years and has been with the bureau since 2002.

He told colleagues in a resignation message that his last day would be Monday. Multiple people familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel move, said DePodesta had been pushed to retire.

The move is part of a broader upheaval in the FBI’s workforce as Director Kash Patel has sought to force out line agents and supervisors alike who are perceived as not supporting the Trump administration agenda. It also comes amid prolonged tumult in the law enforcement community in Chicago.

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-By Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer

American Hospital Association says Trump Medicare proposal could hurt hospitals

The American Hospital Association said the Trump administration’s proposal to keep hospitals from charging markups on discounted drugs for Medicare patients would compound the financial pressures its members face.

“These proposals will undermine the ability of hospitals to maintain essential services and protect affordable access to care for those who depend on the 340B program,” said Ashley Thompson, the group’s senior vice president for public policy analysis and development.

There is the risk that hospital systems could see their revenues decrease, which could have consequences in the communities they serve.

Goal of higher voter turnout remains elusive in California

California’s drawn-out tabulating has put the state in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump and made it a target of those who promote unfounded election conspiracy theories.

California has enacted many changes over the years that were intended to boost voter turnout. But there hasn’t been significant improvement in participation and those changes are largely responsible for the state’s tediously slow ballot counting today.

Preliminary figures show turnout hit 40.8% in the June primary, with counties required to complete their vote counting on Thursday.

That would be an increase over recent primary elections but below participation levels in others stretching back to 2000.

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Iran warns oil tankers to use approved routes in Strait of Hormuz or face a ‘forceful response’

Iran’s joint military command warned Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz must use its approved routes or face a “forceful response,” ratcheting up tensions again over a waterway crucial for international energy supplies.

The strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, has emerged as one of the top issues in negotiations seeking a permanent end to the Iran war. The statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya military command, reported by Iranian state television, comes after both U.S. and Iranian diplomats met with mediators Wednesday in Qatar.

It wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the threat from Iran. However, the U.S. military’s Central Command had put out a statement about a meeting with officials from Mideast nations in Bahrain that said “leaders underscored their shared commitment to the free flow of commerce through” the strait.

That appears to have been the phrase that angered Iran, which is preparing for the funeral that begins this weekend for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the war’s first moments in February.

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Hegseth praises National Guard in sweltering DC park as protesters chant

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other Trump administration officials thanked National Guard members for their service in the nation’s capital as small groups of protesters chanted, “Guard go home!”

Hegseth apologized for being nearly 30 minutes late to the event in a city park, where more than 200 Guard members sweated in the morning sun as Washington faced an extreme heat warning.

Hegseth called the protesters “ingrates” as their whistles, chants and horn-blowing mixed with the speeches.

Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, claimed crime has rapidly fallen since President Trump deployed the Guard last year. Local officials say crime was already going down before Trump ordered troops into the city.

Hegseth credited Trump, Miller and the Guard for why Washington “is a safe and beautiful place” for the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations this weekend.

The Supreme Court tackled race, history and the law in fraught and reflective major rulings

The Supreme Court just wrapped up a term that yielded significant rulings in cases involving race and discrimination that could have lasting effects on U.S. politics and society.

Justices were at times bitterly divided — and critical of one another — in rulings that winnowed key provisions of a landmark voting rights law, allowed the government to revoke protections for some immigrants and even challenged the historic understanding of birthright citizenship for the children of immigrants.

The decisions come at a moment when long-standing debates over race and identity have turned toward immigration, increasing racial diversity and the fairness of policies meant to prevent and redress discrimination.

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On July 4, Trump Accounts launch, giving newborns $1,000

On Saturday, Trump’s administration plans to launch Trump Accounts, tying the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence to an effort to boost financial independence for American kids.

Under the program, parents can open investment accounts for any child born during Trump’s second term and automatically receive $1,000 from the government. Accounts can be opened on behalf of older children — as long as they don’t turn 18 before the end of the calendar year — but they won’t get the $1,000.

That money — and anything else deposited by employers, philanthropies and relatives — is invested in the stock market by private firms. Children can’t access the money until they turn 18, and then only for specific purposes, like paying for a home or school.

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Trump administration proposes a rule it says could save Medicare patients $1.1 billion on drugs

The administration is proposing the new rule Thursday to keep hospitals from charging markups on discounted drugs for Medicare patients and says that could save consumers $1.1 billion next year, according to estimates obtained by The Associated Press.

The rule would apply to hospitals that serve low-income patients under what’s known as the 340B program, which lets hospitals buy outpatient prescription drugs at discounted prices. But in many cases, hospitals can bill insurers at rates that exceed those costs, allowing hospitals to keep the difference and resulting in higher costs to patients.

Under the proposed rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services would change the formula for what hospitals participating in the program can get reimbursed, in an effort to cut costs for patients.

The Republican administration has sought to show during an election year that it’s tackling the challenges of affordability for U.S. families at a time when rising healthcare costs are driving financial strains for households and the government alike. While the administration has taken several steps it says will save money on medical treatment, it’s unclear how much savings might ultimately materialize based on the complexity of the country’s healthcare system.

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Trump and Republicans return to communist attacks against Democrats ahead of the midterm elections

President Trump and his fellow Republicans are reviving a line of attack against Democrats heading into the midterm elections: They’re communists.

In just the past week, Trump has issued dark warnings that members of the Democratic Party’s ascendant left are communists who want to “completely destroy the traditional American way of life” and even engage in assassinations. Vice President JD Vance has similarly called out communism as a political shift that is “something we haven’t seen in the U.S.” House Speaker Mike Johnson has decried “radical candidates” who are “self-described, self-identifying Marxists.”

The GOP’s ideological focus conflates democratic socialism, which often centers on securing universal healthcare, higher taxes on wealthy people and stricter corporate regulation, with communism, under which private ownership is largely eliminated. It’s been building since Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, won the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor last year.

But it’s kicked into a higher gear recently after democratic socialists won several New York City congressional primaries last week.

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Trump administration’s $46 billion ‘smart wall’ races ahead on the US-Mexico border

For decades, all that separated the U.S. from Mexico was barbed wire.

Now, after a massive infusion of cash from Congress, Trump’s administration is swiftly building what it’s dubbed a “smart wall,” a combination of 30-foot-tall (9-meter-tall) steel fencing and an array of sophisticated technology like sensors, cameras and towers allowing Border Patrol to surveil the territory.

The wall is under heavy scrutiny for the billions of dollars being dedicated to it when border crossings are at their lowest in decades. Critics say the U.S. is militarizing the border as it increasingly deploys sophisticated surveillance technology to the area, impacting local communities.

“We are seeing a massive expansion of surveillance and surveillance technology across the borderlands,” said Ricky Garza, border policy counsel at the Southern Border Communities Coalition, an advocacy group. “The wall in all its forms is harmful to communities.”

Officials say the technology is complementary to the physical wall and frees up agents for other tasks.

“It’s a smart wall. It’s not just a barrier,” Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said during recent congressional testimony.

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Crypto, real estate, watches: How Trump made over $1 billion last year

Trump’s latest financial disclosure report showed he took in about $1.2 billion last year from various crypto holdings, overshadowing a real estate business that brought him fame and helped propel him to the nation’s top office.

Whereas it took decades for Trump to amass his various properties, the rise of crypto in his portfolio was done in just over a year.

Running over 900 pages, the mandatory annual report showed Trump struck several other new veins of wealth last year, raising questions about whether he is profiting from his high office.

He took in tens of millions from new property holdings in foreign countries eager to please a man with power over where to deploy the U.S. military and how much to charge in tariffs. And he got tens of million more suing media companies worried they could lose their broadcast licenses or not get deals approved by his regulators.

Ever the salesman, Trump even made big money off the smallest of things, pulling in millions by slapping his name on Bibles, guitars and watches — the latter alone bringing in $4.7 million.

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Trump visits newly built Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota’s Badlands

Trump visited North Dakota on Wednesday to see the newly built Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, a massive facility exploring the life of America’s 26th president, built in the rugged, lonely landscape where Roosevelt built his conservation values in the 1880s.

During a tour of the 96,000-square-foot library and in a speech afterward, Trump spoke admiringly of Roosevelt and compared himself favorably to the former president, who he described as the embodiment of the American spirit, praising his toughness as a leader and outdoorsman.

“He had a freakin’ wild life,” Trump told an audience at a Western-themed amphitheater. “He didn’t want to be quiet. He wanted to be great.”

The official opening of the library on Saturday coincides with July Fourth celebrations honoring the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

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Ex-CIA Director John Brennan seeks court order requiring records from investigations be preserved

Former CIA Director John Brennan sued the Trump administration Wednesday, demanding a court order that would require officials to preserve records from investigations that he says are targeting him for “what amounts to phantom criminal conduct.”

The lawsuit says the records would shed light on the motivations of government officials who are investigating Brennan and would form the basis of defense efforts to dismiss any eventual indictment on grounds that the case constitutes a vindictive prosecution.

Such an argument, his lawyers said, would be supported by the more than 100 verbal or written statements that President Donald Trump has made since 2017 lambasting Brennan and by the Republican president’s directives to his Justice Department to initiate investigations of Brennan “without regard to factual or legal justification.”

Without an order, the lawsuit contends, the records are at risk of being lost or intentionally deleted.

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Elvia and Todd Malcolm were in Telos Township, Maine, about an hour or so from their home in Lincoln, when they saw a female moose along the edge of a wooded area before she turned down a side road.

“I said to Elvia, I said, ‘Grab your phone because you’re going to get a chance to get a picture of a moose,'” Todd Malcolm told The Associated Press.

They parked their truck to watch the moose and noticed she seemed agitated and was grunting as if calling to a calf.

Suddenly, the calf and bear charged out of the trees heading straight toward them. Todd Malcolm said there was no doubt in his mind that the bear would catch the calf and decided not to let nature take its course that day.

“I put the truck in drive and I just stepped on the gas,” he said, explaining that he wasn't trying to hurt the bear, just trying to put the truck between the bear and the calf. “I knew what I had to do and I just did it.”

The bear jumped to the side and streaked off, Todd Malcolm said, “Boom, gone, right in the woods."

His wife was happy and relieved they were able to intervene.

“My heart was racing because I did not want to witness the bear catching the calf,” she said. “As soon as the calf got past the truck and we were able to get the bear to give up the chase, I looked up the road and saw that they were together, the mom and the calf.”

Once the excitement was over, Elvia Malcolm started looking through the photos on her phone and was amazed to see that some clear action shots of the chase.

"I really thought I probably got like a bug on the windshield when I started to look at them,” she said. “I took them through the front windshield of the truck. I wasn’t outside the truck. No way was I getting outside the truck.”

After making sure that the mother moose and calf were reunited and safe, the Malcolms continued to their fishing spot where they caught some brook trout.

The latest crime happened early Wednesday morning at Alta Moda Salon, which is located at The Rim Shopping Center.

Matt Cochran, whose wife owns the salon, shared security camera video with KSAT 12 News. The video showed a person entering the business by breaking through a glass window.

Once inside, the video shows, one of the three suspected burglars heads for the cash drawer while the others rummage around inside the shop. They all exited the building within two minutes of entering.

Cochran said he was unaware of the crime until he showed up approximately five hours later to prepare the salon for opening.

“Found out, walked in, things are scattered around. Tossed and turned,” Cochran said.

In all, Cochran believes the criminals stole a few hundred dollars while, for some reason, ignoring other high-valued items.

Cochran said he felt “violated” by the crime.

“I mean, my wife and I, we spend more time here than at our own home,” Cochran said. “So, this is no different than somebody coming into your own home.”

While he doesn’t blame the shopping center’s management for what happened, Cochran said he wanted to speak out to warn other small business owners about protecting their own property.

The crime appears to share similarities with other business break-ins that have happened recently, including some in Alamo Heights.

As KSAT 12 News reported last week, that city experienced four business burglaries within a span of a few days.

The shops that were targeted included two barber shops, a hair salon and a health and wellness business called DRIPBaR.

DRIPBaR also shared video of the crime with KSAT 12 News.

As with the Alta Moda Salon break-in, the DRIPBaR video shows the burglars entering the shop by breaking out a glass window and making a dash for the cash drawer.

KSAT 12 News sent an email to SAPD asking whether the cases at The Rim and Alamo Heights might be connected. As of Thursday afternoon, the department had not responded.

Cochran said completely recovering from the crime that hit Alta Moda Salon may take weeks. He expects it will be 4-6 weeks before the front window is fully repaired.

More recent crime coverage on KSAT:

• BCSO: Man accused of using blowtorch, knife and cinder block to attack neighbors; set own home afire
• Authorities seek leads in far West Side shooting that ‘destroyed’ victim’s eyes
• Northwest San Antonio tattoo shop recovers after break in causes $70K in damages

The CT scanner at Havana’s Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital, the country’s leading hospital, is broken. Doctors have told her that, because of a lack of resources, they cannot operate on her again in Cuba, she said.

“I feel like my life is in danger,” Tristá, 34, a mother of a 13-year-old from Batabanó, a town 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of Havana, told The Associated Press. “I don’t know if it has grown. We have no way of knowing,” she said.

Cuba’s once-vaunted system of free universal healthcare has deteriorated sharply. The crisis, say analysts, has been compounded by fuel shortages they attribute to tightened U.S. sanctions on the island’s energy sector, worsening an economy that had already been struggling for years.

The Trump administration is pressuring Cuba’s socialist government to implement major economic reforms and change its way of governance in return for a lifting of sanctions.

Hospitals across the island face shortages of supplies including syringes, gauze, vaccines and anesthetics. They also lack spare parts to repair equipment such as hemodialysis and CT scan machines, leaving patients like Tristá without critical care. Food shortages have also made it difficult for her to follow the diet prescribed by her doctors.

Medical specialists and technicians have left the country in large numbers.

Children among the hardest hit

Cuba was already grappling with an economic crisis following the COVID-19 pandemic and the tightening of U.S. sanctions. The situation worsened after U.S. authorities captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in early January, depriving Cuba of one of its staunchest allies. The White House then threatened countries that sold fuel to the island and stepped up pressure on foreign companies and individuals to stop doing business with Havana.

The result was persistent power outages lasting more than 20 hours, gasoline rationing and declines in industrial and food production, among other effects.

For Cuba, a country with health indicators comparable to those of developed nations — including low mortality, high life expectancy, broad vaccination coverage and widespread prenatal care — the situation “is shocking,” said Mario Cruz Peñate, the Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization representative in the island.

Cruz Peñate said the fuel shortages have caused “quite large” disruptions to health services, affecting not only the service itself, but the entire process around the continuity of care.

He added that PAHO and the WHO themselves also faced difficulties in distributing humanitarian aid. The United Nations, on which they depend, launched a $94 million emergency plan in March to address the foreseeable humanitarian crisis resulting from the energy blockade.

A government report released in June said the survival rate for children with cancer had fallen to 65% from 85% before the energy restrictions began in January.

“We have had children die. Two so far this year,” said Yolainy Romero, a specialist at the National Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology in Havana, during a tour of the pediatric ward. “This situation is terrible.”

Romero said some children, particularly those from distant provinces, must return to the hospital every 21 days for treatment.

“Sometimes a week or even 15 days go by before they can come because of the fuel shortage,” she said.

“It’s very hard,” said Adriana Felipe García, whose 4-year-old daughter, Nashly Zerquera, is being treated at the hospital. They traveled about 350 kilometers (217 miles) from their home in Sancti Spíritus, east of Havana, for her treatment.

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

This is not meant to be an all-encompassing, up to the minute report on the very latest on the flood, but a snapshot of how people and businesses across Kerr County have recovered in the last 12 months.

KSAT reporters, Dillon Collier, Courtney Friedman and Patty Santos will have stories with people that we connected with in aftermath of the tragedy, and report on how they are doing as they recover, rebuild, and in some cases, reopen. And Boerne firefighters who responded to the call for help recall their harrowing day, saving lives in the fast moving flood waters.

Ernie Zuniga takes a tour of Kerr County with Kerr County Lead founder and publisher Louis Amestoy and talks about the recovery efforts. And a report on the work to clean-up and restore the Guadalupe River.

The July 4th flood special airs at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 3rd on KSAT 12 and will stream on KSAT Plus and KSAT.com live and on-demand.

See more of KSAT’s Hill Country Floods coverage.

The explosion near the main courthouse complex left 20 others wounded, the ministry said as reported by Syria's state-run Al-Ikhbariya network.

No group immediately claimed responsibility. Security forces rushed to the cafe and cordoned off the area as they investigate the attack.

Syria's Interior Ministry said in a statement that the explosive was a “crude improvised explosive device weighing approximately one kilogram equipped with metal shrapnel.” It said investigators were reviewing security camera footage, collecting forensic evidence and interviewing witnesses.

“The perpetrators of this terrorist act and those behind it will be brought to justice, and no one involved will escape accountability,” it said.

A video circulating on social media showed several wounded people lying on the ground, with police officers nearby. Ambulances later rushed to the scene treating people on site and taking the more severely wounded to hospitals in the Syrian capital.

The cafe is near the Syrian capital's main judicial complex and was frequented by lawyers who worked in the neighborhood.

Jalal Aljanani, who owns a restaurant next door, ran toward the cafe when he heard the explosion and was horrified by the sight of the bodies on the floor.

“We carried the victims to the cars until the traffic police arrived,” he told The Associated Press, his shirt covered in blood. "Many of them had suffered severe impact injuries, and almost all of them were bleeding.”

Since overthrowing the Assad dynasty and taking power in a lightning insurgency in December 2024, Syria’s new rulers have cracked down on militants from the extremist Islamic State group in an attempt to thwart attacks in and around the capital.

During the uprising-turned war in Syria that began in 2011, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa led the Hayat Tahrir al Sham group, formerly affiliated with al-Qaida, but since coming to power has vowed to protect Syrians of all backgrounds, especially religious and ethnic minorities.

Al-Sharaa has reasserted the government's full authority across the vast majority of the country, wresting control back from extremist groups or Kurdish-led forces. However, he still contends with security concerns as he tries to stabilize the country.

Security agencies frequently announce that they have raided IS cells and thwarted attacks reportedly targeting minorities and busy commercial areas. However, several incidents such as a suicide bombing in a church in July 2025 have raised concerns among many Syrians.

— Associated Press writers Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut and Omar Albam in Damascus contributed to this report.

He’s 39 and is a 24-time Grand Slam champion who now plays only sparingly.

So he’s better positioned than almost anyone else to analyze what Serena Williams — a seven-time Wimbledon singles champion just like he is — must have been feeling after losing at the All England Club earlier this week in the first singles match that she played in nearly four years.

“People always expect you to play at your best because they’re used to seeing you dominate the sport for many years,” Djokovic said. “She’s 44. She has two children. Coming back, it’s normal that she still is not at her best in terms of movement. She hasn’t played a match in so many years. People need to cool off a little bit with judgment and criticism and everything. Let’s just enjoy the greatness, who she is, what she represents to the sport.”

Williams was beaten 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 by 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia in the first round on Tuesday but showed she could be competitive with an opponent less than half her age after being away for so long.

Williams still cranked out serves faster than 120 mph and dictated points with her heavy groundstrokes. But movement was an issue and the 87th-ranked Joint was able to win more of the big points by hitting beyond the reach of the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion.

“Her wanting to give it a try and just come back is an incredible gift for our sport," Djokovic said. "I think people sometimes — I don’t know why — they don’t appreciate that enough. They just start to speculate, judge or whatever. It’s like, ‘Hey, guys, enjoy. You have the greatest ever to come play for you, to bring more attention to your sport.’

“I really support Serena. Always have. Hopefully she’s going to play more,” Djokovic added.

Williams was given wild card invitations to play both singles and doubles at Wimbledon and it remains to be seen whether she will still play doubles with older sister Venus.

Williams announced on Wednesday that she tweaked her right knee toward the end of the first set against Joint. She said she still hopes to play doubles but the Williams’ sisters opener against Colombia’s Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra of Argentina was only the remaining first-round match not on the schedule for Friday. There's is still a possibility they could play Saturday.

At last year’s U.S. Open, Djokovic publicly challenged Serena to return.

“When somebody challenges her, she never refuses. So I challenge Serena: Come back on the tour next year,” Djokovic said in 2025.

Now, Djokovic wants to see Serena play this year’s U.S. Open.

“I hope for the sake of tennis and all of us that we be able to see her more,” Djokovic said. “I assume that U.S. Open is somewhere where she would like to play. Playing in her home Slam would be amazing for her and for everyone else.”

Djokovic won his second-round match against Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets Wednesday night on Centre Court — 24 hours after watching Serena’s match on the same court on TV.

“What she’s doing is incredible. Epic,” Djokovic said. “I’ve always been a fan of Serena. I’m sure she wanted and expected to at least win one match or more. Knowing how competitive she is, the mind of a champion that she has, she’s not happy with just showing up on the court. She wants to win.”

Lindsey Vonn wasn't expecting Serena to 'show all her cards'

Lindsey Vonn, another 40-plus athlete who recently made a comeback, struggled at times in her first season back on the World Cup skiing circuit after nearly six years of retirement.

But Vonn was the top World Cup downhiller last season at age 41 until her horrific crash at the Milan Cortina Olympics in February left her with a severely fractured left leg.

Vonn attended Serena's comeback in doubles at Queen's last month and last week told The Associated Press ahead of Williams' singles return, “I would expect for her to play well but not show all her cards yet.”

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

The S&P 500 finished the day virtually unchanged and edged up by less than 0.1%, even though seven out of every 10 stocks within the index rose. The Dow jumped 594 points, or 1.1%, while the Nasdaq composite dropped 0.8% after erasing an early gain.

Stocks broadly got some help from a report showing that U.S. employers added 57,000 jobs to their payrolls last month. That’s growth, which is good for the economy, but it was also short of the 100,000 jobs that economists expected and a slowdown from May’s hiring pace.

The bright side of the weaker-than-expected result is that it could keep pressure off inflation, which has been accelerating worldwide because of jumps in oil prices caused by the war with Iran. And now that oil prices are back below where they were before the war, if inflation slows in upcoming months, the Federal Reserve may feel less need to raise interest rates several times this year.

That would be a relief for investors, who tend to love lower interest rates because they can give the economy a boost by making it less expensive for U.S. households and businesses to borrow money and spend. Lower rates also tend to push upward on prices for stocks and other investments.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury got to 4.50% in the morning, up from 3.97% just before the war. But after the release of the U.S. hiring data, it immediately fell back to 4.46% before drifting to 4.48%.

Traders now see an 82% chance that the Fed and its new chairman, Kevin Warsh, will not raise the federal funds rate at its next meeting later this month. That’s up from the 71% chance seen a day earlier, according to data from CME Group.

“The labor market isn’t overheating,” said Brian Jacobsen, chief economic strategist at Annex Wealth Management. He said the data could allow the Fed to wait through the summer to get more clues about how inflation is behaving before having to decide on hiking rates.

On Wall Street, the company behind LaCroix sparkling waters climbed 7.5% after National Beverage said it will pay a special dividend of $3.25 for each share that investors hold.

Dollar Tree rose 2.4% after the retailer said it approved a program to send up to $2.5 billion to its shareholders by buying back its stock.

Stocks of companies in the crypto industry were also strong after the price of bitcoin rose roughly 2%, a day after dropping near its lowest level since 2024. Robinhood Markets rose 3.8%, and Coinbase Global gained 3.9%.

But more drops for computer chip companies weighed on indexes. They’ve come under pressure because of worries that their stock prices shot too high in the frenzy around AI and that all the spending on chips and data centers may not result in as much profit and productivity growth as hoped.

Memory maker Micron Technology erased an early gain to drop 5.5%, a day after plunging 10.6%. Nvidia fell 1.4%, and Lam Research sank 10.2%. They were some of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500 because they’ve grown so huge in size amid AI mania.

Nvidia has a total value of nearly $4.7 trillion, for example, which means that its stock’s movements have more weight on the S&P 500 than any other.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 0.01 to 7,483.24 points. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 594.83 to 52,900.07, and the Nasdaq composite sank 207.36 to 25,382.67.

In stock markets abroad, continued drops for chip companies sent indexes sharply lower in several Asian markets. South Korea’s Kospi index sank 7.9% due to losses for companies like SK Hynix. That’s its worst drop since a 10% plunge a little more than a week ago.

Indexes also fell 2.5% in Tokyo and 2% in Shanghai.

European indexes were stronger, and France’s CAC 40 rallied 1.7%.

In the oil market, prices dropped in the morning but pared their losses as the day progressed. Brent crude, the international standard, settled at $71.80 per barrel, up 0.3%.

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AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Matt Ott contributed to this report.

Three-time Stanley Cup champion Patrick Kane and two-time winner Vladimir Tarasenko were among the top unrestricted free agents available by late afternoon. Jason Robertson headlines the restricted free agents without a contract as the Dallas Stars work to get him signed.

The Washington Capitals needed very little to bring Alex Ovechkin back, re-signing him to a bonus-laden deal with a $1 million salary that will make him $9 million at age 41 as long as he plays in 10 games. The Capitals made sure to keep enough salary cap space open to fit Ovechkin during an offseason in which they added Jordan Kyrou, Alex Tuch, Boone Jenner and Vincent Desharnais.

“I’m truly happy for him,” said John Carlson, a teammate for 16-plus seasons, who signed a two-year, $17 million deal with Tampa Bay. “I felt that he really wanted to come back, and I’m glad that he came to that decision. I think it’s great for everyone. I think it’s great for hockey.”

A day after landing prized free agent goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, the Toronto Maple Leafs continued their offseason transformation by signing former Capitals forward Brandon Duhaime to a three-year contract.

Free agency as it stands

Kane is still available after spending the past three years with Detroit. Kane is 37 now and a decade removed from winning the Hart Trophy as MVP when he led the league in scoring. Also unsigned are wingers Tarasenko and Anthony Mantha, who is coming off a career year, and forward Claude Giroux, who is still chasing a championship at 38.

The first day of free agency featured more than 55 players changing places across the league with more than $360 million worth of contracts. And that's not even counting Bowen Byram becoming the highest-paid defenseman at an average salary of $12.5 million beginning in 2027 under his new deal with Chicago after he was acquired in a trade with Buffalo.

Byram's time with that distinction may be short if Colorado gets a new contract done with two-time Norris Trophy-winner Cale Makar, which also would go into effect in 2027-28.

Wild day of signings and a trade

The Minnesota Wild were busy in re-signing their own free agents and acquiring forward Blake Coleman and defenseman Olli Maatta in a trade with Calgary. The Flames acquired defenseman Jake Middleton and three draft picks, including a second-rounder in 2029. Calgary also agreed to retain 50% of the $4.9 million Coleman is owed in the final year of his contract.

The 34-year-old Coleman has 10 seasons of NHL experience and posted his fourth 20-goal season last year, finishing with 20 goals and 35 points. Matta is a 13-year NHL player noted for his defensive play. The 30-year-old Middleton leaves Minnesota after four-plus seasons.

The Wild signed Maxim Shabanov for $1.6 million for next season after the New York Islanders decided not to bring back the Russian winger.

Minnesota is also bringing back two players by re-signing defenseman Zach Bogosian ($1.25 million) and right winger Nick Foligno ($900,000) to one-year deals.

Montreal extends Jakub Dobes

Building the future of the Canadiens took another step forward with an extension for Jakub Dobes, the self-described “goofy goalie” who was one of the stars of their run to the Eastern Conference Final. Dobes got a three-year extension from 2027-30 worth just over $16 million, with the final four digits of his annual average salary ($5,357,575) matching his No. 75 jersey number.

“I feel like it was really important this summer to kind of get it done with,” Dobes said on a video call with reporters. “Where I come from in the Czech Republic, it’s a lot of money. I’m really happy, especially for my family that we have this all together. I cannot really get satisfied. I don’t feel like the money is too important to me. I’m just happy I can focus on hockey and have a clear mind and try to win a championship with Montreal.”

The team earlier this week signed rookie of the year finalist Ivan Demidov to an eight-year, $73 million deal through 2035. Captain Nick Suzuki is signed through ‘30, while wingers Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield and defensemen Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, Mike Methson and Kaiden Guhle are all under contract through ’31.

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AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell in St. Paul, Minnesota, contributed to this report.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

Time slots are back open and are available, according to the spokesperson.

While the company confirmed that the pause was not related to a software crash or security breach, H-E-B did not disclose the cause for temporarily suspending those services.

During the pause, an H-E-B spokesperson said the company “communicated with impacted customers” earlier Thursday.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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Schatzline, who was among the most hardline conservative members of the Texas House, is set to lead “policy development and legislative strategy efforts related to election integrity,” according to a Thursday announcement by Abbott’s office.

The two-term lawmaker had been floated in recent weeks as the governor’s potential choice for secretary of state, Texas’ top elections officer, according to unconfirmed media reports that The Texas Tribune could not independently verify. On June 2, Secretary of State Jane Nelson announced she would step down from the office in mid-July, just months before a blockbuster midterm.

“Nate Schatzline is a dedicated conservative leader with a proven record in the fight for election integrity,” Abbott said in a statement. “His experience in the Texas House and service in the Trump administration will be a tremendous asset as we protect the voices of Texas voters.”

Schatzline’s portfolio for the next legislative session is expected to include closing Texas’ primary elections, or requiring voters to register with a party in order to cast a ballot in the nominating contests. It is set to be a major priority of the Legislature next session, with Abbott announcing his support for doing so at the Texas GOP’s convention last month and the party’s rank-and-file delegates putting it on their policy wishlist.

Republican activists have long pushed to close the primaries, arguing that Democrats and voters who are not truly conservative were casting ballots in GOP primaries and elevating more moderate candidates. Other Republicans, including U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, have opposed closing the primaries, arguing the move would stifle participation.

The Texas GOP sued Nelson, a former Republican state senator, last year in a bid to close the 2026 primaries. She opposed the idea on the grounds it would “confuse voters, unduly burden election administrators, or otherwise sow chaos or distrust in the electoral process,” she wrote in a court filing, arguing lawmakers could instead take up the issue during their 2027 session. 

In Schatzline, the proponents of closing the state’s primaries will have a strong ally.

The hard-right lawmaker authored a bill during the 2025 legislative session that would have done just that. House Bill 4059 was referred to the chamber’s elections committee but never received a hearing.

Last year, he also proposed a bill that would have further restricted voting by mail in Texas, limiting the practice exclusively to voters who are 65 or older. The bill, which failed, would have removed all other eligibility to vote by mail, which currently includes those with a disability or illness, those who are absent from the county and those confined in jail before a conviction.

Schatzline has said he believes the 2020 election was stolen from President Donald Trump, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. At a November event in Abilene honoring conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated in September, Schatzline praised rallygoers for “stepping up as election judges, making sure that the election is not stolen like it actually was in 2020 when Trump was winning,” the West Texas Tribune reported.

He has otherwise had little involvement in legislation affecting Texas’ election laws during his two terms representing a Tarrant County House district. He did not serve on the lower chamber’s elections committee, and no bill that bore his name as the primary author or sponsor ever reached Abbott’s desk.

Schatzline most recently served as senior director of the National Faith Advisory Board in the Trump administration, a position he began after briefly seeking an open state Senate seat. He ended his campaign when Republican activist Leigh Wambsganss entered the race with an endorsement from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who tightly controls the chamber. Wambsganss lost the seat to Democrat Taylor Rehmet in a special election this year; they will face each other again in November.

The arrest numbers, obtained from a person familiar with the information who spoke anonymously to discuss data that has not been publicly released, comes after the agency shifted its approach from high-profile arrest sweeps in major American cities to quieter ways to reach President Donald Trump's deportation goals.

The figures indicate that while the administration is no longer cracking down on individual cities, the arrests continue and are surging.

The total number of arrests during the five-day period starting Friday and ending Tuesday translates into roughly 2,000 arrests per day. It was not clear where the arrests had taken place.

The spike in arrests was first reported by The New York Times.

“Since Day One, DHS law enforcement has been delivering on President Trump’s promise to the American people to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists,” said the Department of Homeland Security in a statement. “Our message is clear: if you come to our country illegally, we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you.”

The arrests news also comes as the number of people entered into ICE detention facilities climbed in June to roughly 39,000 after hovering around 30,000 per month since February, according to information obtained by The Associated Press.

ICE doesn't publicly release arrest data, making exact comparisons with previous periods difficult. But according to data provided to UC Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project and analyzed by The Associated Press, 2,000 arrests per day would mark a sharp increase over previous periods.

December had the most ICE arrests since the beginning of the Trump administration, and that month only averaged 1,283 arrests per day nationwide.

In January, at a time when the administration flooded the streets of Minneapolis and surrounding regions with hundreds of immigration enforcement officers, arrests averaged about 1,212 per day across the country.

But Minneapolis proved to be a turning point in the Trump administration's mass deportations agenda after two American citizens were killed by immigration officers while protesting the crackdown in Minneapolis.

Border Czar Tom Homan started drawing down the number of officers in Minnesota as the agency stepped back from the flashy surge operations that had been common during the tenure of then- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Operations under Noem headed by former Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino were marked by frequent clashes between immigration enforcement officers and protesters, in footage that was often splashed across the Department's social media channels.

In February, immigration arrests fell to 1,057 a day, according to information from the Deportation Data Project. The Project sued through the Freedom of Information Act to obtain the ICE arrests data and it is only current through February.

After Noem was fired, her successor at Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, suggested he'd be taking a more low-profile approach to immigration enforcement and he aimed to get the department out of the headlines. But Mullin was expected to adopt Trump's priorities on immigration.

The princess, who early last year announced her cancer was in remission, is the patron of the All England Club.

“On arrival, Her Royal Highness visited The Queue, spending time meeting attendees who have queued since early this morning, alongside AELTC’s honorary stewards, who volunteer each year to manage The Queue and welcome guests as they arrive at the Championships,” Kensington Palace said in a statement Thursday.

Wimbledon leaves a small batch of tickets available for same-day purchase and fans begin lining up and camping out the evening before in Wimbledon Park to get them each day.

Kate — who also helped out in a Wimbledon ticket office — met with children from Shine Camera Club, a local program that supports kids from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Crowds gathered as Kate walked by “Henman Hill” to reach Court 18, where British player Arthur Fery was facing Otto Virtanen. She was greeted there by All England Club chair Deborah Jevans and board member Tim Henman, a former Wimbledon semifinalist and namesake of the grassy area — also just called The Hill — that overlooks No. 1 Court.

Kate watched a portion of the match — Fery won 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-3 — before attending Katie Swan's match against Madison Keys at No. 1 Court, where she sat next to Murray, who in 2013 became the first British man to win the Wimbledon singles title in 77 years. Swan lost 6-1, 6-4.

Neither Swan nor Fery realized the princess was watching.

“I heard after that she was there,” the 27-year-old Swan said. “It’s probably a good thing I didn’t know, otherwise I might have been a bit more nervous.”

Swan added she'd “love to meet her if possible one day,” calling Kate “such an inspiring person.”

The 23-year-old Fery said it was “an honor” to play in front of Kate.

“I guess if I'd known, it would have maybe made me a little tight,” said Fery, who didn't notice the crowd buzz. “I was locked in. I didn’t hear it.”

Kate last year was at Centre Court on consecutive days to present the winners’ trophies to singles champions Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner. Kate offered consoling words to women's runner-up Amanda Anisimova after a 6-0, 6-0 loss to Swiatek.

In 2024, while recovering from cancer, Kate did not attend the women’s final but was on hand for Carlos Alcaraz’s win over Novak Djokovic.

___

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

Below is the original story from Thursday morning.

ORIGINAL: The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has issued a CLEAR Alert for a missing man last seen on the Southeast Side.

Lovelady was last seen around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 3000 block of East Southcross Boulevard.

Lovelady is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs 220 pounds. DPS said he has white hair and brown eyes.

He was last seen wearing a black hat, a khaki shirt, khaki shorts, and red and black New Balance shoes.

If you have information on Lovelady’s whereabouts, contact 911 or the San Antonio Police Department at 210-207-7660.

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Ovechkin signed an incentive-laden deal Thursday to return for a 22nd season while also giving the Washington Capitals a chance to build a Stanley Cup contender and its longtime captain the opportunity to add to his jaw-dropping total of 929 goals.

"I’m back!” Ovechkin said.

Ovechkin, who turns 41 on Sept. 17, inked a deal with a $1 million salary and bonuses worth an additional $8 million. He receives a $3.25 million signing bonus and makes the additional $4.75 million if he plays 10 games, but the contract structure allows him to count just $4.25 million against the cap. All of that will help the Caps put a team together that could send Ovi out on a high note should this really be it.

After scoring 32 goals at age 40, Ovechkin is 35 clear of now second-place Wayne Gretzky, whose mark of 894 he passed on April 6, 2025, completing the so-called “GR8 Chase” that captivated hockey. He had said in recent months he was waiting until the offseason to decide whether to return or retire from the only NHL team he's ever played for, and management was working on contingency plans either way.

“Thank you to everyone for giving me and my family the time to make this decision," Ovechkin said. “I’m healthy. I love playing hockey and competing to win. I’m excited to come back and join my teammates so we can fight for a playoff spot and have a chance to win.”

The Capitals missed the playoffs this spring but qualified 16 times in a stretch of 18 years, which included winning the franchise's only Stanley Cup in 2018 when Ovechkin was playoff MVP.

A teammate for 16-plus seasons, fellow Cup champion John Carlson said he was not surprised by Ovechkin's decision.

"I knew that he was coming back for a long time," Carlson said on a video call with reporters after signing with Tampa Bay. “I’m sure that there was conversations to be had and decisions to be made on his end, too, but it just was always my gut feeling that he wasn’t ready to give it up and good for him. He’s been an amazing player for far too long in this league, and it’s just incredible what he’s been able to accomplish. I’m thrilled that he gets to keep living out that dream.”

Ovechkin also holds the NHL records for the most power play goals with 331 and game-winning goals with 141. He scored 30 in a season 20 times, joining Hall of Famers Gordie Howe, Johnny Bucyk and Teemu Selanne as the only players to hit that mark at 40 or older.

“What is he, 41, 42, and just incredible that this guy’s still finding ways to put up 30-goal seasons,” said Brandon Duhaime, who played the past two with Ovechkin in Washington before joining Toronto in free agency. “As a fan of the game, just to be able to watch him and over the past two years, to be able to see him break those records was pretty surreal. Growing up watching him and then being a part of that was absolutely incredible. Obviously wish him nothing but the best this season. Just a really incredible story. Really happy for him and his family.”

Ovechkin has been married to his wife, Nastya, since 2017, and the couple has two young children, Sergei and Ilya. They spend their summers in Ovechkin’s hometown of Moscow, and the family is expected to settle in Russia once his playing career is over.

That is not yet, which was welcomed by veteran forward Boone Jenner after signing with Washington. Jenner is one of several players the Capitals acquired this offseason, along with Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou and Vincent Desharnais to build around what might be one final run for Ovechkin.

“I always kind of thought he was going to be be back,” Jenner said. “He’s been great for the group. (His return) just adds to what they already have and the other additions that the Caps have made.”

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

“Joel Embiid is a great player, one of the best bigs in (expletive) basketball history,” Brown said. “Flops. He know it. This ain’t breaking news.”

Did someone say breaking news?

Brown might have to make amends with Embiid now that they are teammates on the 76ers in the wake of an out-of-nowhere trade that rocked the NBA and again positions Philadelphia as an instant contender for the franchise's first NBA title since 1983.

You know, because trying to win it all with a hired gun worked so well for the Sixers with Paul George. And James Harden. And Jimmy Butler.

All flops of the postseason kind in Philly.

The Sixers have another star to pair with Embiid — and the true franchise cornerstones in All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey and second-year standout VJ Edgecombe — after new team president of basketball operations Mike Gansey pulled off a whale of a move in his first month on the job.

Brown — the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, a five-time All-Star and the league’s fourth-leading scorer this past season — is getting traded by the Celtics to the Sixers, a person with knowledge of the deal’s terms said Wednesday.

Boston is getting George, along with a slew of draft capital that could become two first-round picks and two second-round picks, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade does not yet have the required league approvals.

“I’m still processing how this all went down,” Brown wrote in a statement released Thursday. “I’m excited and disappointed at the same time. I earned my respect from this city. I never asked for shortcuts or special treatment. I simply showed up every day, put my head down, and accepted every challenge.

Without a game played, the Sixers are the early winners in this deal.

Gansey somehow shed the two years and $110 million left on the oft-injured and aging George's deal for a bona fide superstar who was sixth in the NBA MVP voting this past season. The 36-year-old George — who was suspended 25 games for flunking a drug test — played in only 78 total games for the Sixers and has played more than 56 in a season only one time since 2019.

His contract seemed immovable.

Suddenly — as they say in Boston — anything is possible in Philadelphia.

Gansey continued his summer shopping spree on Thursday when the Sixers agreed to terms on a two-year, $12.3 million deal with guard Anfernee Simons, adding him to a list this week that includes former Knicks center Ariel Hukporti and veteran Cavaliers forward Dean Wade, a person with knowledge of the agreements told the AP, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deals cannot be signed until the league’s offseason moratorium is lifted on Monday.

The Celtics had to move on from Brown after they dangled him as trade bait to Milwaukee in a failed bid to land Giannis Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee.

Following the first round of the NBA draft, Boston president of basketball operations Brad Stevens declined to say how close the team got to executing a trade for Brown. But he said he still viewed Brown as part of the Celtics’ future. It’s why the team sat down recently with Brown recently, who currently overseas.

“Jaylen Brown is a big part of us. I don’t want to predict the future. I look at it as this is our team,” Stevens said.

He's now a big part of the plan in Philadelphia, a franchise that seemed stuck in the mud after it was swept by the eventual NBA champion Knicks in the second round — after rallying from 3-1 down to topple Boston in the first round — and was third among sportsbooks late Wednesday night to win the Eastern Conference.

Gansey said last month that he wasn't concerned the Sixers were traveling on two timelines — a win-now mode while Embiid and George were nearing the end of their deals versus dealing with the long term of trying to find pieces that can contribute in the future while Maxey is the undisputed leader of the team and Edgecombe is entering his prime.

“They're our four guys," Gansey said. "They're under contract. We've got to do the best to get them to their best selves. I think every night, at 7 o'clock, we've got to get them to their best to help us.”

They're going to get Brown at his best — and with a proverbial chip in his shoulder — trying to prove Boston wrong. With Jayson Tatum playing in just 16 games during the regular season while he rehabbed from a ruptured Achilles tendon, the 29-year-old Brown averaged career highs in points (28.7), rebounds (6.9) and assists (5.1).

Brown still has three seasons and about $182 million left on what was then a record, five-year, $304 million supermax deal he signed in 2023.

Before Antetokounmpo was ultimately dealt to the Heat, Brown posted a video on Twitch in which he described his mood.

“To all the people that’s doubted me, that want me to do this, or want me, you’re turning me into a monster,” Brown said.

He'll have his opportunity in Philly to unleash the beast with Embiid routinely sidelined big chunks of the season with injuries. Maxey had lamented how difficult it was to try and carry the Sixers without a 1B when Embiid was sidelined and now the Sixers have a sort of guardrail in Brown to steady the team during those absences.

The Sixers are transformed — just as they thought they would be when they traded for Harden, Butler and signed George, only to fail and fail again in the playoffs.

Now it's up to Brown and Embiid and Maxey to form an All-Star trio that can do the improbable just as the Knicks finally did this season in winning their first title in 53 years.

Speaking of improbable, anyone in Philly have a number for LeBron James?

___

AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.

___

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

What she didn’t know when she entered the water on that day in 2024 was that another woman had been bitten by a shark 90 minutes earlier and just 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) down the beach. Had she known about the earlier attack, there is no way she would have been swimming, she said.

Gribbin’s story has inspired new federal legislation to authorize emergency alerts to mobile phones to warn beachgoers when a shark has bitten someone in the area.

President Donald Trump last week signed “Lulu’s Law,” which requires the Federal Communications Commission to allow the emergency messages. The legislation, which Gribbin advocated for, authorizes the warnings by classifying a shark attack as an event for which an emergency alert can be issued. It is up to states to implement the warnings. Gribbin’s home state of Alabama approved such a warning system last year.

“It’s really just common-sense legislation. It says that whenever there has been a shark attack in a certain area where you are near, it will send an alert to your phone, exactly like how an Amber Alert system works when a child is abducted,” she said.

Gribbin said she hopes the alert system will help prevent attacks like hers. “I definitely see this law working in the future and I'm really excited to hopefully save lives,” she said.

A fight to survive

Gribbin was one of three people bitten by a shark on June 7, 2024, off the Florida Panhandle.

She was on a mother-daughter trip to the Florida Panhandle. Gribbin said she and her friend had been diving for sand dollars.

“All of the sudden my best friend yelled, ‘Shark!’ and so we all started swimming for our lives,” Gribbin recalled. She said she remembered that sharks are attracted to frantic splashing and yelled for everyone to be calm. Gribbin, who was closest to the shark, was bitten.

“The shark bit off my hand first, and I raised my arm out of the water, and there was just flesh and bone there,” Gribbin said. The shark then latched onto her leg. A man punched the shark off her and strangers on the beach rushed to help. She was flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital.

Doctors were able to save the teen's life but had to amputate part of her right leg.

Choosing positivity throughout her recovery

In the hospital, Gribbin made a deliberate decision to choose joy and to never give up.

She initially struggled knowing, “that I only have two regular limbs, and that my life would be completely different.”

“I would cry, and I would ask my mom, ‘Why is it happening to me?’ And on that day, we put a Bible verse on my bedside table that said, ‘With God, all things are possible.’ And then she told me that what you look like doesn’t define you, it’s who you are on the inside. And so, I think that stuck with me throughout my whole recovery the past two years.

It doesn’t matter what I look like, as long as I’m spreading positivity and inspiring others to stay strong and to never give up,” she said.

Gribbin was fitted with prosthetic limbs, quickly regained her ability to walk, returned to sports and got her driver’s license. She has gone back in the water and learned to surf, meeting Bethany Hamilton, a professional surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack.

U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, the Alabama Republican who sponsored the legislation, said the fact that Gribbin was bitten soon after an attack on another woman prompted discussions about what could have been done differently. That led to the idea of an alert. She contacted Gribbin's parents who had thought about the same possibility.

“If there had been any type of alert that was given, that there’s no way that Lulu would have been in the water. And so we talked about how a simple change could have made a huge impact,” Britt said.

Shark bites remain rare

While sharks are commonly found in the waters off the United States, shark bites are rare, said Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Museum of Natural History’s shark research program.

There are between 60 to 80 known unprovoked bites worldwide each year, he said. It's extremely rare that two or more people are bitten in close proximity. He said in a database of known shark bites, called the International Shark Attack File, there have only been a few instances of multiple bites in a single day.

“If somebody is bitten by a shark, and then an alert goes out, the probability that another person’s going to be bitten by a shark within, let’s say, two or three hours is incredibly small,” Naylor said.

When that happens, he said it’s likely because of environmental conditions such as sharks following schools of bait fish closer to the shore. Murky water conditions can also be a factor because they increase the chance that a shark will mistake a person for a fish or seal.

In the area where Gribbin was bitten, there are about 20 to 30 bull sharks 1,312 feet (400 meters) offshore at any time, Naylor said. Great white sharks have been spotted more frequently in the chilly waters of New England and Atlantic Canada, according to conservation groups. A smartphone app called Sharktivity also allows shark spotters to report their sightings.

The sightings might unnerve people, but Naylor said it's important to remember that shark attacks are rare.

“If sharks wanted to eat people, we’d have about 10,000 bites a day. The fact that we have so few is basically testament to the fact that the sharks are doing their level best to avoid people, not to target them,” Naylor said.

Britt said she believes parents and others on the beach will want the information. “I know as a parent, I want every tool in my toolbox to be able to keep my child safe,” Britt said.

Another survivor praises the alert system

Braxton Rocha, who was bitten by a large tiger shark off the north shore of the Big Island of Hawaii, said he liked the idea of an alert system. He thinks it is information that people, particularly tourists to the island, will want to know.

Rocha was spearfishing in 2015 when he saw the large shark. “Looked like a bus or submarine. She was the biggest thing I’d seen in the ocean at that time,” Rocha said. He started making his way to shore. When he looked back to check where the shark was, the animal was right in front of him. He tried to push the shark away, but the animal was too big and powerful. It latched onto his leg. Rocha punched it in the nose and the shark let go and swam away.

“Everything happened so fast. It was almost like being struck by lightning. I was still kind of out of it. I looked down and see giant clouds of blood just bursting out of my leg,” he said.

It took nearly 100 staples to repair the gaping wound on his leg. But the experience did not dampen Rocha's enthusiasm for the ocean and wildlife. “I’ve always loved sharks,” Rocha said.

___

This story corrects the spellings of Gribbin’s name that appear in the comments by Sen. Britt.

Brown — the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, a five-time All-Star and the league's fourth-leading scorer this past season — is getting traded by the Celtics to the Philadelphia 76ers, a person with knowledge of the deal's terms said Wednesday.

Boston is getting Paul George, along with a slew of draft capital that could become two first-round picks and two second-round picks, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade does not yet have the required league approvals.

“I’m still processing how this all went down,” Brown wrote in a statement released Thursday. "I’m excited and disappointed at the same time. I earned my respect from this city. I never asked for shortcuts or special treatment. I simply showed up every day, put my head down, and accepted every challenge.

“The relationships I built here, the battles we fought together, the championship we brought to this city, and the connection I shared with the fans, I’ll carry on with me. Saying goodbye isn’t easy when you’ve invested your heart into something.”

Add this move to the list of blockbuster moves across the NBA so far this offseason. LeBron James is leaving the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent, and this trade joins a long list of moves that involve All-Star-caliber players — like Giannis Antetokounmpo going from Milwaukee to Miami, Kawhi Leonard and Brandon Ingram headlining a swap between the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers, and Ja Morant getting traded to Portland by Memphis.

“Welcome to Philly, JB!” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro posted on social media. “Sixers get way better and, as a bonus, the Celtics got worse!"

It's a move that breaks up what has been one of the league’s most successful 1-2 punches in Brown and Jayson Tatum, who helped carry the Celtics to the 2024 NBA title.

Tatum missed most of this past season while recovering from an Achilles tendon tear that happened during the 2025 playoffs, meaning Brown had to carry even more of the load for Boston — and he wound up with career-best averages of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.

It seemed, though, that Brown has felt underappreciated, especially after it became known that Boston had included him in trade talks with Milwaukee when Antetokounmpo was on the market.

“Nobody has won more combined regular-season and playoff games since I entered the league 10 years ago,” Brown posted on social media over the weekend. He’s right: The Celtics have won 523 games with Brown in the lineup, including playoff contests, which is six more than Denver has won with Nikola Jokic over that span.

Brown now gets to be part of a squad in Philadelphia alongside guard Tyrese Maxey and center Joel Embiid — someone whom Brown recently called a flopper on a livestream.

“Joel Embiid is a great player, one of the best bigs in (expletive) basketball history,” Brown said. “Flops. He know it. This ain’t breaking news.”

Brown, Maxey (the league's No. 5 scorer this past season) and Embiid (a two-time NBA scoring champion) could become a positively frightening trio in Philadelphia, and the Celtics deciding to play a role in creating such a triumvirate only adds to the intrigue surrounding why they wanted to trade Brown in the first place.

The trade ends a tremendously disappointing two-year stint for George, who was dealt with two years left on a four-year, $212 million free-agent contract. The 36-year-old George never approached his nine-time All-Star form in Philadelphia and his tenure was marred by a 25-game suspension last season for flunking a drug test.

He averaged just 16.7 points in his two seasons in Philadelphia after topping the 20-point mark in nine straight seasons with Indiana, Oklahoma City and the Clippers.

Brown is the latest big name brought in to team with All-Stars Embiid and Maxey. Brown can try to lead the Sixers to their first title since 1983, a feat a steady string of stars from Ben Simmons to James Harden to George failed to do when paired with Embiid and Maxey to make a Big Three.

George cited mental health reasons as to why he failed a drug test and was suspended in late January for violating the terms of the NBA’s anti-drug program. His first year in Philly was marred by knee and adductor injuries that resulted in the forward having one of the worst years of his NBA career.

George averaged 16.2 points in just 41 games, easily his lowest scoring average in a full season since he averaged 12.1 points for Indiana in his second NBA season. He then had surgery in July on his left knee after he was injured during a workout and missed the first 12 games of this past season.

This was the first blockbuster pulled off under new team president Mike Gansey, who replaced the fired Daryl Morey.

Morey was fired after the Sixers failed to advance out of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in his tenure and they were swept by the eventual NBA champion Knicks in the second round last season — but only after erasing a 3-1 deficit to oust Boston in Round 1.

“Philadelphia is a good basketball team," Brown said after the Game 7 loss to the 76ers, surely not knowing at that time that he would be joining them a couple of months later.

His job now will be to make that good basketball team even better.

___

AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

___

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

Julia Reeker Moghal and Reuben Renteria, both of California, sued the ticketing giant this week in federal court in New York, alleging that “false and misleading” sales practices left them without the tickets they purchased for group stage matches last month.

The lawsuit, which seeks to become a class action, says Moghal and Renteria are among hundreds or even thousands of World Cup fans who purchased tickets only to find out that they “did not exist, were revoked without any forewarning, or had been erased” because of what the tournament’s organizer, FIFA, deemed “poor digital infrastructure.”

In addition to monetary damages, Moghal and Renteria are asking that StubHub be barred from selling World Cup tickets and that any profits from those sales be given to affected customers.

StubHub declined to comment on the lawsuit but said in a statement that its “singular goal is to get fans into events.”

If anything goes wrong, “our FanProtect Guarantee provides replacement tickets or a full refund,” the company said. “The World Cup is no different, and the issues fans have experienced are largely driven by problems with the event organizer’s own ticketing infrastructure.”

FIFA encourages fans to buy tickets through its own marketplace, where it adds a 30% surcharge to every resold ticket — 15% each from the buyer and seller.

In a statement, the organization said it “has no visibility over, or control of, secondary market ticket transactions carried out on third-party platforms” and “rejects any suggestion that the functional issues being experienced by users of third-party platforms” are the result of FIFA's ticketing infrastructure.

For weeks, fans have been complaining on social media about tickets that never arrived from resellers, orders that were canceled at the last minute and hours they spent trying to sort out problems between FIFA’s ticketing system and outside resale platforms.

According to the lawsuit, Moghal paid $1,905 for three tickets to the June 18 Switzerland-Bosnia and Herzegovina match at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, but never received them and never got a refund, which would violate the company's guarantee.

As the match approached, Moghal was given conflicting information about the status of her order, first receiving a notice that the tickets were ready, then learning that StubHub had canceled her order, then being misled into thinking her tickets would be delivered after all, the lawsuit said.

After the initial cancellation, Moghal spent hours on the phone with StubHub, which said the order would remain canceled but then reversed course and promised her that they would be delivered an hour before the match, the lawsuit said.

Moghal drove to the stadium and waited in line, but never received her tickets, the lawsuit said. She was then promised a refund but never got one, the lawsuit said.

Had she known “that StubHub was either unable to deliver or not authorized to deliver her World Cup Tickets to her, she never would have purchased them,” the lawsuit said.

Similarly, Renteria paid $2,294 for two tickets to the June 18 Mexico-South Korea match in Guadalajara, Mexico, but never received his tickets, the lawsuit said.

Like Moghal, Renteria received a notice that his tickets were ready, only to find that StubHub canceled the order, the lawsuit said. He was only refunded after “significant complaints to StubHub,” but had to eat the cost of traveling to Mexico, the lawsuit said.

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Associated Press reporter R.J. Rico in Atlanta contributed to this report.

—-

See more of AP's World Cup coverage here

The crash happened shortly after 10 a.m. at the intersection of Knox and Sabinal streets near Honey Bowl Stadium, according to a Uvalde police spokesperson.

Upon arrival, officers found an injured person who rode an electric bicycle and a truck who had allegedly struck them.

The bicyclist would assessed for their injuries before being airlifted to a hospital in San Antonio, the spokesperson said. The bicyclist was conscious, but their condition is unclear at this time.

It is also unclear if the driver of the truck will face any charges.

This is a developing story.

Read also:

• BCSO: Man accused of using blowtorch, knife and cinder block to attack neighbors; set own home afire
• ‘Thank you, San Antonio’: SAPD Chief William McManus now focused on Pearl security role

Today on Texas Eats NOW:

SAN ANTONIO MISSIONS

5757 US-90, San Antonio, TX 78227

Nelson Wolff Stadium is the longtime home of the San Antonio Missions, the Double-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. Established in 1888, the Missions are one of the most storied franchises in minor league baseball, bringing affordable family fun to the Alamo City for more than 120 seasons. This July 4th, the stadium serves as the centerpiece of the H-E-B Independence Day Celebration as San Antonio joins the rest of the nation in marking America’s 250th birthday.

The night is packed from first pitch to final burst, with the Missions facing off against the Amarillo Sod Poodles on the diamond while fans enjoy all the trappings of a full-scale Fourth of July celebration. A hot dog eating contest gets the crowd fired up, and country artist Wade Bowen headlines a postgame concert on the left field berm before a fireworks display caps the evening. With baseball, live music, and a sky full of fireworks all in one place, the stadium delivers everything the holiday calls for.

DORP CREAMERY

310 W Grayson St, San Antonio, TX 78212

Dorp Creamery is a local ice cream concept serving up Asian-inspired flavors with a handcrafted approach. Founded by Michael Chue, the inspiration behind the business was to fill a gap in the San Antonio dessert scene after Chue found himself craving the kind of Asian-influenced ice cream he grew up enjoying in New York. Operating out of a truck, Dorp produces small-batch ice cream made from scratch using a rich custard base, aged before churning for a smooth, premium texture.

The menu features bold, creative flavors including ube, black sesame, matcha, and Thai iced tea, alongside the mango sticky rice ice cream that has earned viral attention on social media for its thick consistency and standout taste. Through pop-ups and local markets, Dorp has built a loyal following among San Antonians looking for something far outside the ordinary scoop shop experience.

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

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The couple, who go by Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, said little as they left court, though Beerkus responded to a journalist's question about the stunt by saying: "We believe in love."

Authorities said the two — who were the subject of the 2024 Netflix documentary “ Skywalkers: A Love Story ” about their “rooftopping” exploits and budding romance — created not only a spectacle but a danger by ascending the famed skyscraper's broadcast antenna Wednesday.

After reaching the top, 1,454 feet (443 meters) above midtown Manhattan, the climbers displayed a black banner reading: “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace," news helicopter video showed.

Then they collected the banner and descended to a slightly lower ledge, where an apparently successful marriage proposal unfolded. Nikolau posted images of the escapade on her social media accounts, including a photo that modeled an engagement-style ring above a bird’s-eye view of Manhattan.

Police waited about a half-hour for the antenna to be powered down before Emergency Services Unit officers started ascending and eventually intercepted the climbers on their way down, according to the complaint, which noted the danger to officers who climbed about 1,250 feet (381 meters) above the ground. The court document identified the two by their formal names, Angelina Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov.

“Skywalkers: A Love Story” follows Beerkus, now 32, and Nikolau, 33, as they make often unauthorized ascents of tall structures, sometimes posing as construction workers to sneak in.

The court complaint said police found a broken lock on a security door on the Empire State Building's restricted-access 104th floor, which provides access to the antenna. The highest public floor is the 102nd, where there’s an observation deck. Going higher requires a key card, according to the court complaint.

The Empire State Building's management has called the climb “unauthorized” but hasn't answered questions about what interactions, if any, the daredevils had with security workers. Visitors to the skyscraper are screened and told not to bring large packages, sports equipment, costumes or masks, among other items.

Beerkus and Nikolau were released without bail, in accordance with New York laws that restrict when monetary bail can be set. Their attorney, Jason Krinsky, said outside court that once prosecutors provide evidence, he and his clients would assess it and determine next steps.

“What a way to propose — something you can only dream of," Krinsky said. “So you've got to, you know, give him some credit for that.”

Other daredevils have climbed the antenna and other parts of the Empire State Building. Those ascents have largely been unauthorized, but actor and musician Jared Leto was allowed to climb up to the base of the antenna from the 86th floor in 2023 to promote a tour.

By declaring a schism and extending excommunications to potentially thousands of Catholics, the Vatican’s doctrine office went above and beyond the minimum sanctions foreseen by the church’s canon law to respond to the consecrations Wednesday of four new bishops.

The society, known by its acronym SSPX, celebrates the ancient Latin Mass and opposes the modernizing reforms of the Catholic Church, which it considers to be rife with heresies and errors. While a fringe movement on the Catholic right, the SSPX has been a thorn in the Vatican's side for five decades because it claims to be even more Catholic than the Holy See.

During a ritual-filled, five-hour Mass on Wednesday at its seminary in Econe, Switzerland, the SSPX consecrated four new bishops in direct defiance of Leo, who had urged the group to hold off for the sake of church unity. An estimated 15,500 people and their children attended, a sign that the SSPX has plenty of supporters who came from around the world knowing full well they were defying Rome.

The harshness of the response suggested that after trying to negotiate with the SSPX, the Vatican under Pope Leo XIV had had enough.

Vatican decree targeted bishops and faithful

In a decree, the Vatican excommunicated the four new bishops and the two existing SSPX bishops who participated in the ceremony. It declared the consecrations a “schismatic act” and that the society itself had created a schism, or intentional rupture with the church.

It declared SSPX priests — who number about 750 — to be schismatic, and therefore excommunicated, and invalidated the sacraments of confession and marriage that they administer. The Vatican warned the faithful to stop going to SSPX Masses, decreeing that “those who adhere formally” to the society are schismatic and excommunicated.

The Vatican said that applied to people who are members of the SSPX lay branch and those who “regularly attend” SSPX Masses and formally share its doctrinal positions. The sanctions don't apply to Catholic faithful who attend SSPX Masses "just for liturgical or spiritual reasons" or those who go but accept the pope's authority and teaching.

The SSPX doesn't have an exact count but estimates around 400,000-600,000 people attend its Masses, meaning Thursday's decree could potentially involve the excommunications of thousands of rank-and-file SSPX faithful.

The sanctions, especially those targeting the priests, the faithful and the sacraments they can receive, were particularly harsh and reversed concessions the Vatican had granted the SSPX in recent years as part of its outreach to bring the group back under Rome's wing.

Marc-André Mabillard, media manager for the society, expressed shock at the severity of the sanctions and called them “unjust."

“For us, this excommunication extended to the faithful is brutal. It’s not what we expect from a father to whom we refer every day,” he told The Associated Press. “We are told, ‘You claim to have the truth.’ Fine. I’m just saying that we certainly have our flaws, but our main flaw today is having a leader who doesn’t want to communicate with us. And that’s terrible.”

The Vatican's doctrine chief, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, met in February with the SSPX superior, the Rev. Davide Pagliarani, and proposed a dialogue. But Pagliarani asked instead to meet with Leo, who declined but wrote a letter Tuesday begging the SSPX to call off the consecrations.

The group's founders opposed reforms

French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre founded the SSPX in 1970 in opposition to the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Among other things, the 1960s meetings known as Vatican II revolutionized the church’s relations with other Christians, Jews and people of other faiths and allowed Mass to be celebrated in the vernacular rather than Latin.

Lefebvre consecrated four bishops without papal consent in 1988. The Vatican promptly excommunicated Lefebvre and the four bishops and declared the consecrations a “schismatic act.”

Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 lifted the excommunications as part of his yearslong outreach to the group. But the SSPX today has no legal standing in the church and with Thursday’s decree is declared to be in schism.

The consecrations had posed a crisis for Leo because the American pope has stressed the need for church unity. He has reached out especially to the conservative and traditionalist wing of the church that was in many ways alienated during the Pope Francis pontificate.

The Vatican responded so aggressively in part because the group poses something of a threat by representing a parallel, ultra-Catholic, pre-Vatican II church that has grown in the decades since its original break from Rome. While representing a fraction of the 1.4-billion strong Catholic faithful, the SSPX now has six bishops, 751 priests, 264 seminarians, 145 religious brothers, 88 oblates and 250 religious sisters representing 50 nationalities, according to SSPX statistics.

A key Vatican II document rejected by the SSPX is one that, among other things, deplored antisemitism in every form and repudiated the “deicide” charge that blamed Jews as a people for Christ’s death. The Vatican crafted the document as the church reckoned with the role traditional Christian teaching had played in the Holocaust.

The SSPX today says it rejects accusations that it ever taught or practiced antisemitism, and the SSPX distanced itself from one of the original 1988 bishops, the late Bishop Richard Williamson, when he denied the Holocaust.

Traditionalists in communion with Rome respond

In a note accompanying the decree, the Vatican said it was willing, “like a caring mother,” to welcome any SSPX faithful back into the fold. It laid out specific procedures for SSPX priests and faithful, by signing two forms professing the faith, promising fidelity to the pope and accepting the core teaching of Vatican II.

While the SSPX is out of communion with Rome, plenty of other Catholic traditionalists who love the Latin Mass remain in communion with the Holy See. They had been watching carefully to see how Leo's Vatican would respond to the SSPX consecrations and were surprised by the harshness of Thursday's sanctions.

“He’s brought the hammer down,” said Joseph Shaw, head of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales, which is in communion. Shaw expressed sympathy with the plight of ordinary SSPX faithful, saying the invalidation of marriages especially is going to cause “massive” pastoral problems. “It's a sad day."

Luigi Casalini, of the blog Messa in Latino, meaning Latin Mass, said the excommunication of the bishops was correct because canon law provides for it. But the extension of the excommunications to SSPX priests and faithful was “an act of unusual severity,” he said, while saying the invalidation of SSPX sacraments was problematic.

One of the thousands of worshippers at Wednesday’s consecrations was Allison Isermann, a 24-year-old from St. Marys, Kansas, a small town with a large SSPX church. She grew up as a society member and strongly defended its teaching in opposition to Vatican II, specifically its openness to those of other faiths.

“It is actually very anti-Catholic and anti-charitable to affirm others and their beliefs when it is our duty and our mission to actually convert and sanctify the world and to restore all things in Christ,” she said.

___

Keaten contributed from Geneva.

___

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.

One of the biggest draws is expected to be Ye’s concert at the Alamodome. City officials told KSAT that many ticket buyers are from outside the Bexar County metropolitan area.

According to the city:

• 43% of ticket buyers are from other Texas metropolitan areas.
• 35% are from elsewhere in the United States.
• 22% are from within the Bexar County metropolitan area.
• Less than 1% are from international markets.

Overall, city officials said they expect more than 75,000 locals and visitors to be downtown throughout the holiday weekend. They are encouraging people to plan ahead, expect heavier traffic and consider using public transportation.

“Our goal is to help everyone enjoy a safe, memorable Fourth of July celebration,” City Manager Erik Walsh said in a news release. “With several large events taking place at the same time, we encourage everyone to plan ahead, allow extra travel time, and consider using public transportation.”

>>Stars & Stripes on Houston Street to feature parade, festival and fireworks show

Downtown events

Several major events are scheduled throughout downtown, including:

• Stars & Stripes on Houston Street
• Independence Day at the Alamo
• Market Square Fourth of July Weekend Celebration
• River Walk Artisan Show
• Fireworks at Hemisfair
• Ye concert at the Alamodome

Officials recommend checking event details, road closures and parking information before heading downtown.

Stars & Stripes on Houston Street

Stars & Stripes on Houston Street begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday with a downtown 5K from Milam Park to Civic Park at Hemisfair.

At 10 a.m., the Independence Day parade will make its way through downtown. Organizers said more than 100 organizations and groups are expected to take part, and the parade is expected to last about an hour and a half. Spectators are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.

KSAT will provide a livestream of the parade for viewers who cannot attend in person. The parade may also be featured as part of ABC’s national 250th anniversary coverage.

Click here for more information.

Official Fourth of July celebration at Woodlawn Lake

The city’s official Fourth of July celebration will take place at Woodlawn Lake Park from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday. The free event will include live entertainment, family activities, carnival rides, food vendors and a fireworks show celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.

Transportation and parking

VIA Metropolitan Transit will offer Park & Ride service to the Alamodome beginning at 5 p.m. from Stone Oak Park & Ride, Crossroads Park & Ride, Frost Bank Center and Walmart at Brooks.

Round-trip fares are $2.60, with discounted fares available for children, seniors, students and military members.

Route 100 Prímo will also provide service between downtown parking garages, hotels and event venues, with the Robert Thompson Transit Station added as a stop starting at 5 p.m.

Visitors staying downtown are encouraged to walk between many of the weekend’s events. Click here for more information on Park & Ride.

Alamodome concert

Those attending the Ye concert at the Alamodome are encouraged to arrive early.

H-E-B Plaza opens at 4:30 p.m., while venue doors open at 6 p.m. Parking lots B and C open at 2 p.m. and cost $60 per vehicle on a first-come, first-served basis. Officials say guests should expect delays due to traffic, parking and security screening.

Safety reminders

The city is reminding residents and visitors to celebrate responsibly by reporting suspicious activity to law enforcement, following directions from officers directing traffic, avoiding the illegal discharge of firearms within city limits and using a designated driver, public transit or rideshare instead of drinking and driving.

“Safety is a top priority for the San Antonio Police Department, and everyone plays a role in staying safe,” a San Antonio Police Department spokesperson said in a statement to KSAT. “If you see something, say something.”

Officials also recommend allowing extra travel time, reviewing road closures before leaving home and reserving parking in advance whenever possible.

The department also said discharging firearms within city limits dangerous and is against the law. Residents can report any gunfire immediately to SAPD’s non-emergency line (210-207-7273).

Click here for City of San Antonio parking maps, and here for City of San Antonio street closures.

Read also:

• How visitors heading to New Braunfels rivers can prepare this Fourth of July weekend
• How to keep mosquitoes away from your Fourth of July backyard celebration

The donations were spread out across 20 local and national charities, according to Swift's publicist, with many located in areas where the couple has deep ties. The announcement did not include any mention of Swift and Kelce's wedding, but a law enforcement official briefed on security plans has told AP that the wedding will be held Friday, with a smaller rehearsal dinner Thursday night.

Nine of the selected organizations are based in New York, ranging from the Food Bank For NYC, City Harvest, to Musical Mentors, a nonprofit that connects music teachers with students in need.

Just how much each charity received was not disclosed.

Other charities reflected where Swift and Kelce have also called home, including the Rhode Island Community Food Bank — where Swift owns an estate in Watch Hill — and the Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri — where Kelce plays tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.

A handful of national groups also received money: Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a book giveaway program spearheaded by the music legend; the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Feeding America.

The large donations ahead of Swift and Kelce's wedding is reminiscent of charitable gifts the couple has given in the past. Swift, a billionaire, gave millions to food banks ahead of her Eras Tour stops, while Kelce has been recognized by the Chiefs for winning “charity challenges” and operating his own nonprofit.

Swift and Kelce have been in a relationship since 2023, enthralling millions around the world. Their relationship have been documented in countless shots of Swift celebrating at Chiefs games and fan videos of Kelce dancing along at Swift’s Eras concert tour as it traveled the globe. In 2025, they announced their engagement with the caption but have remained mum on wedding details.

Yet buzz has remained high around New York's MSG, with multiple trucks and crews going in and out delivering materials for what is expected to be an elaborate event.

In a news release, the sheriff’s office said Jorge Medina Ibarra, 43, faces the following charges:

• two counts of arson with intent to damage a habitation (first-degree felony)
• burglary of a habitation with intent to commit another felony (first-degree felony)
• aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (second-degree felony)
• two counts of assault causing bodily injury (Class A misdemeanor)
• criminal mischief worth between $750 and $2,500 (Class A misdemeanor)

Sheriff’s deputies responded to a fire at approximately 7:30 a.m. Wednesday at a shared residence in the 6400 block of Manda Drive, which is located in northeast Bexar County.

Ibarra had intentionally set fire to his own shared residence before leaving and approaching a separate home nearby, BCSO said.

Witnesses told the sheriff’s office that Ibarra used a blowtorch in an attempt to burn through a window of the second home. He then punched the same window “in an apparent effort to gain entry,” the news release said.

A resident exited the home and confronted Ibarra. However, BCSO said Ibarra chased the resident back into their home, attempted to force entry through the front door and allegedly threatened to kill the resident and their family.

Ibarra then picked up a cement cinder block and threw it through a child’s bedroom window, the sheriff’s office said. While the same resident tried to prevent Ibarra’s entry through the window, deputies said Ibarra “slashed the resident” with a knife on the back of their left arm.

One of the resident’s family members — a woman who lives nearby — attempted to remove the children from the area. When Ibarra saw the woman placing the children in a vehicle, investigators said he attacked her and “forcibly” slammed her head into the ground.

The woman suffered “visible lacerations” to the back of her head in addition to separate injuries to her face and back as a result of the assault, BCSO said.

Deputies later arrived on the scene and took Ibarra into custody, according to the sheriff’s office.

Investigators said the stabbing victim was taken to a local hospital for further treatment. The other victims were evaluated and are expected to recover.

Ibarra was booked late Wednesday afternoon into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center on a combined $268,000 bond for the seven total charges, court records show.

As of 12:30 p.m. Thursday, jail records show Ibarra remains in custody at the jail.

More recent crime coverage on KSAT:

• Northwest San Antonio tattoo shop recovers after break in causes $70K in damages
• Authorities seek leads in far West Side shooting that ‘destroyed’ victim’s eyes

It's the second time in four years that three players from the same team were chosen to start the game, with Las Vegas doing it in 2023. Clark wasn't able to play in last year's game that the Fever hosted because she was injured right before the All-Star break.

Clark and Mitchell will be joined this year in the backcourt by Dallas' Paige Bueckers and Minnesota rookie Olivia Miles. It's the fourth consecutive year that a rookie was chosen as an All-Star starter. Bueckers played last season.

A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Jessica Shepard, Natasha Howard and Gabby Williams were selected for the frontcourt for the game that will be played in Chicago on July 25. It will be Wilson's and Stewart's eighth All-Star appearance while Shepard will be making her first.

“It's an honor to be an All-Star, even though I've had a few of them,” Stewart said. “Each one is really special and I'm not taking it lightly.”

Williams played in her first All-Star Game last season. Howard will play in her third.

Starters were chosen by a mixture of fan, player and media votes. The fan vote counted for 50% while media and player votes were 25% each. Each player’s score was calculated by averaging their weighted rank from all three areas.

The league's head coaches will select the 12 reserves for the team, results that will be announced Tuesday. The 15 head coaches will vote for three guards, five frontcourt players and four players at either position regardless of conference. Coaches can’t vote for their own players.

New this year, WNBA greats Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon will serve as honorary general managers and select the two teams from the pool of All-Stars. Previously the top two fan vote-getters would serve as captains and select the squads.

Bueckers, Clark and Boston were the top three vote-getters among fans. All three received more than 1 million votes.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Some swear that turning off the AC when they’re gone for a few hours is the most energy-efficient, cost-saving method. Others say it’s better to leave it running continuously, preventing the system from straining to rapidly cool the house down after the home has gotten warmer throughout the day.

Three experts interviewed by The Associated Press agreed that setting the thermostat a few degrees higher than normal while you’re away is generally the best way to balance energy efficiency against comfort and humidity.

While turning an AC unit off for several hours and turning it back on can save money and energy compared to continuously running it, that approach can lead to mold problems in humid environments as well as wear and tear that can cause more frequent repairs. The equation can also vary depending on other factors including comfort level, AC unit type and building insulation.

Air conditioning strategies differ in humid or dry climates

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, adjusting your thermostat by 7-10 degrees Fahrenheit (4-6 degrees Celsius) for eight hours a day can save up to 10% a year on heating and cooling.

Experts say there are a lot of factors to consider when deciding what AC habits save the most energy and money.

“If you’re gone for like 15 minutes to go to the grocery store, you don’t get any gain" by turning off your AC, said Elizabeth Hewitt, professor and urban planning expert at Stony Brook University.

But as a general rule, “if you’re going for your work day, say for eight hours or so, you’ll almost always save more energy and money by turning things off," she said.

In some climates, however, turning off the AC might not be feasible, so residents can set back their AC a few degrees instead of blasting cold air all day.

In dry places like Arizona, you can let the home warm up more by raising the thermostat a few degrees higher. But in humid climates like Florida, air inside the home can become damp and harder to cool, and turning the AC off for long periods can increase the risk of mold since the system helps control indoor moisture.

Bumping up the thermostat by 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.6 degrees Celsius) yields about a 3% savings in cooling costs, said Patrick Phelan, mechanical engineering professor at Arizona State University.

Phelan also said leaving your AC off for hours and then turning it back on could lead to wear that results in more frequent repairs. That is because it can take AC systems 15 to 30 minutes after they are turned on to perform most efficiently.

How much energy and money you can save depends on the kind of home you live in, said Gregor Henze, an architectural engineering professor at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Homes built with heavy materials like concrete or brick hold in cool air longer, while older, draftier houses heat up faster. In less insulated homes, Henze said, it makes sense to adjust the thermostat even if you’re stepping out for just a few hours, because the indoor temperature can rise quickly.

Some AC units save more energy than others

Whether you have a window unit, a smart thermometer or central air could influence your savings.

Window units are generally less efficient because they’re installed in an open window, making it difficult to seal out hot air completely, said Hewitt. She added that spraying “cheap foam spray insulation in open windows or areas that are drafty is a really low-hanging fruit that doesn’t cost a lot of money and really helps retain the indoor temperature in your home.”

Phelan says smart thermostats are a handy tool to remove the mental burden of tinkering with your manual thermostat multiple times a day. Smart thermostats “learn” by monitoring the occupancy with a sensor and raise the temperature when no one is home to conserve energy and lower it when people return.

“If you’re going from just an ordinary manual thermostat to installing a smart one like a Nest, then you can expect something like 10% savings," said Phelan.

How to cool your home without air conditioning

Each expert said simple steps like blocking sunlight can go a long way in keeping homes cool.

Henze pointed to “time-honored strategies” such as opening windows at night when it’s cooler. In dry climates, that night air doesn’t add much moisture, but in humid regions it can bring in dampness the AC will later need to remove.

Hewitt added that closing your blinds can make a difference of several degrees.

Phelan also noted that some blinds are designed to reflect sunlight and said tinted window films are another option.

___

O'Malley is a former Associated Press reporter.

___

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The Labor Department said Thursday that the unemployment rate declined to a low 4.2% from 4.3% in May, though the drop mostly occurred because many people out of work gave up looking and were no longer counted as unemployed.

The figures suggest businesses remain wary of the economy’s health, with inflation at a three-year high and consumer confidence near post-pandemic lows. The job market has been stuck in a “low-hire, low-fire” rut in which the employed enjoy some job security with layoffs low, but those out of work are struggling to get hired. Strong hiring in the spring raised hopes the economy was escaping that dynamic, but Thursday's report suggests job gains are still muted.

“We are in a market that is still very fragile, and still susceptible to shocks happening,” Nicole Bachaud, labor economist at ZipRecruiter, an online job platform, said. "There is still a lot of hesitation on the part of employers and workers themselves to make any moves.” She noted that other government data shows companies are posting more jobs but not filling them.

Hiring has improved from last year, when employers added fewer than 10,000 jobs a month, on average. In this year's first half the pace improved to 92,000. Yet healthy job gains that were initially reported in April and May were revised lower, from 172,000 down to 129,000 in May and from 179,000 to 148,000 in April.

Restaurants and bars cut jobs last month, despite the World Cup

Restaurants, bars, and hotels cut 61,000 jobs, a sharp disappointment for those who expected the World Cup tournament that is taking place in multiple U.S. cities would lead to at least temporary job gains. Retailers also shed 7,500 jobs.

Chad Moutray, chief economist at the National Restaurant Association, said member companies are seeing signs consumers are pulling back on eating out, particularly outside higher-income households. It reflects a “K-shaped” economy, where wealthier households pull ahead of middle- and lower-income ones.

“We continue to hear that a lot of Americans are struggling to make ends meet," he said. “If you’re catering to the upper-end of the K, you’re doing fine. If you’re catering to the lower part of the K, you’re seeing some challenges in the last couple of months.”

Moutray's group has forecast that restaurants will hire 450,000 seasonal workers this summer, slightly below last year's 470,000.

Denise Beckson, a vice president at Morey's Piers and Beachfront Water Parks in Wildwood, New Jersey, said her company has hired about 1,500 summer employees this year, roughly the same as last year. But she said many restaurants and hotels are struggling with higher food costs and minimum wage increases that have limited their ability to hire.

“Costs continue to rise, and one way to control that is to pull back on staffing,” she said.

Many Americans worry about the impact of artificial intelligence on employment, but for now AI may actually be adding jobs. Last month professional and business services, a category that includes architecture, engineering, and software development — occupations expected to be vulnerable to AI — added 36,000 jobs.

Construction firms added workers, possibly because of AI buildout

Blue-collar industries added a modest number of jobs, with manufacturers adding 3,000 positions and construction firms 11,000.

Scottsville, New York-based Power & Construction Group added some of those jobs as it seeks to keep up with the demand for greater electrical capacity in the state. Thomas “Murph” Murphy, the company's vice president, said they are looking to hire another 15-20 workers after adding 47 in the past two months.

The company is seeking more electricians, laborers, and heavy equipment operators to join the 350 workers on staff, Murphy said.

Murphy said his company is competing for workers with firms building data centers in other states -- not many are being built in New York -- and he has to work to convince young people to choose construction as a career. The firm recently built a training center to bring newer, younger workers up to speed.

“The grid can’t handle all the new power that everybody’s using,” Murphy said, noting the increase in laptops, phones, and tablets in many Americans’ homes. “We need to continuously build the grid. But it does take time.”

Jobs data could keep Federal Reserve on sidelines

Thursday's report suggests that hiring and wage gains aren't accelerating enough to worsen inflationary pressures in the economy, which could allow the Federal Reserve to keep its key rate unchanged at its current level of about 3.6%.

Previously, many Wall Street investors had expected the central bank to lift its key rate this year as hiring appeared to be accelerating. The prospect of no rate cuts lifted the stock market in mid-morning trading, with the broad S&P 500 index up 0.7%.

“Today’s data hit the sweet spot for markets — strong enough to keep worries about growth at bay, but soft enough to reduce the probability of a rate hike,” said Eric Winograd, chief U.S. economist at AB Global, an asset management firm.

Fed chair Kevin Warsh in Portugal Wednesday reiterated that he would push inflation back to the Fed’s 2% target, though he wouldn’t comment on whether the Fed would raise rates at its next meeting, later this month.

Average paychecks, meanwhile, rose 3.5% from a year ago, a decent gain but one that still trailed inflation, leaving many Americans struggling to keep up with rising costs for necessities such as food, gas, and housing.

Historically, a job gain of just 57,000 would be seen as weak. Yet as more Americans retire and new immigration has dropped sharply, the U.S. workforce has shrunk in the past year. As a result, even gains at that level are enough to keep the unemployment rate unchanged over time.

Fewer Americans are working or seeking work

Last month, in fact, the workforce declined sharply, with the percentage of Americans working or looking for jobs falling to 61.5%, down from 61.8% in May. It's the lowest level in five years.

Much of the decline reflected the aging of the population, as more than 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day and many retire. Yet the proportion of Americans aged 25 through 54 who are working or searching for jobs also fell last month.

State data and experts who study voting trends suggest those efforts have made no significant improvement in participation, even as California's drawn-out tabulating has put it in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump and made it a target of those who promote unfounded election conspiracy theories.

Turnout hit 40.8% in the June primary, according to preliminary figures from the secretary of state's office, with counties required to complete their counting by Thursday. While that was an increase over the previous two primary elections, it was below participation levels in several other primaries stretching back to 2000 and nowhere near participation in the 1970s, when primary turnout sometimes topped 70%.

Wide gaps also remain in participation by younger voters and voters of color, according to the Center for Inclusive Democracy, a nonpartisan research group. The state's most consistent voters remain older, white, more affluent homeowners.

The state appears to have seen only incremental progress from its voting changes over the past decade or more, said the center's director, Mindy Romero.

“We haven’t seen significant jumps in turnout,” she said. “We still have very significant disparity in turnout with race and ethnicity. The numbers don’t lie.”

Extensive changes have mostly led to longer vote counting

Over the years, heavily Democratic California has ushered in a series of changes aimed at driving up voter participation. Those changes have sometimes come with a price, lengthening the time it takes to count ballots.

Every voter receives a mail-in ballot that can arrive at an election office seven days late and still be counted, provided the envelope is postmarked by Election Day. Residents also can sign up to vote on Election Day if they missed the registration deadline or had not updated their voter registration information. Those ballots are counted once their registration is verified.

Each envelope containing a mail ballot must match the signature on file, and that takes time. If a signature does not match, election officials are required to give those voters a chance to come in and prove their identity so the ballot will count, further delaying a final tally.

In that sense, California’s unusually long vote tally is the result of its own doing. In a report released last month, the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation found that the percentage of California’s ballots counted within two days of Election Day has generally declined over time, from 81% in 2004 to 66% in 2024.

That period loosely tracked a steady expansion of mail voting in the state. In a special statewide election last year, nearly 9 of every 10 voters used a mail ballot.

Florida, Texas and other big states quickly wrap up vote counting. California is a national laggard, with the outcome in close races sometimes taking weeks to decide.

While election officials insist they are focused on accuracy, the extended tabulating period has opened the door for candidates who see their lead slip away to suggest something nefarious is at work. After the June primary, Trump seized on California’s reputation as the national slowpoke in vote counting to renew his long-standing criticism of the state's elections, while the Republican's Department of Justice launched an investigation into Los Angeles County's elections.

Even Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office has lamented the glacial pace of counting. The state’s newly enacted budget includes $29 million to help speed up the state’s long count.

“We wish the votes were counted faster, too,” Newsom's press office wrote on the social platform X last month.

Turnout hardly budged after California passed a major participation law

One of the most prominent changes came in 2016, with the passage of what was called the Voter’s Choice Act. It was intended to make voting more convenient and increase turnout, especially among younger voters of color.

The law set a path toward statewide vote-by-mail and, in some counties, replaced traditional neighborhood polling places with community voting centers and ballot drop boxes. The goal was to free voters from being tied to a single polling location or day.

It does not appear the law has had the intended impact.

Elections two decades apart give a stark illustration: Turnout for the 2024 presidential election in California was 71%, 5 percentage points lower than turnout for the 2004 presidential election. The 2022 midterms turnout was 51%, the same rate as the midterm election 20 years earlier.

A 2025 study by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California concluded that “turnout did not consistently improve or worsen for any racial or ethnic group.”

“The effects of the (act) have generally fallen short of the reform’s original goal of a larger and more representative electorate,” the study said.

In separate 2025 research, the institute found that whites make up 36% of California’s adult population but comprise 50% of the state’s likely voters. Latinos make up 38% of the adult population but 29% of likely voters. Black residents make up 5% of adults and 4% of likely voters.

“You can’t definitely, clearly say the (act) had an overall, positive impact on turnout,” said Romero, the voting researcher, who added that more study was needed.

Legislative changes can go only so far to boost turnout

There appears to be an emerging consensus that more needs to be done to connect with and motivate infrequent voters, many of them people of color who are often overlooked by campaigns.

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, a Democrat who was the state’s chief elections officer when the Voter’s Choice Act was signed by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, said in a statement that while the state is a leader in voting access “candidates and political parties must do more to motivate voters to get out and vote.”

Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation, said part of California’s challenge is simply contending with the scale of voting. California has 23 million-plus registered voters, more than any other state. That number has increased steadily over two decades, even as turnout has not jumped significantly.

The state has at least made gains registering new voters — nearly 85% of eligible voters are registered, compared with 70% two decades ago. That also means more votes to count, another challenge to the timeliness of results. The state has about 7.5 million more voters than it did in 2006.

Alexander said a voter’s decision to turn in a ballot can turn on multiple considerations. Primary elections can be seen as optional, with the general election coming in the fall. Misinformation and attacks on the reliability of elections are suppressing turnout. Even California’s notoriously complex ballots with dozens of races overlapping with state and local ballot initiatives can be a turnoff, she said, overwhelming some would-be voters.

Despite all the state's changes, how people vote can be less important than what motivates them to vote.

“The public’s level of trust in government and institutions, who and what’s on the ballot and how well-financed their get-out-the-vote campaigns are, have a much greater impact on voter participation than the election model used,” said Bob Page, Orange County's registrar of voters.

The reminders come after first responders and doctors saw several holiday-related emergencies last year.

During the Fourth of July weekend last year, the San Antonio Fire Department responded to:

• three burn calls
• one drowning
• nine building fires
• four grass fires

At Baptist Health System emergency rooms in San Antonio and New Braunfels, doctors treated five cases involving fireworks injuries and burns.

Doctors say many of those injuries are preventable with a few precautions. Anyone grilling should set up the grill away from homes, decks and railings.

Children and pets should be kept away from the grilling area, and grills should also be cleaned to remove grease and fat buildup that can become a fire hazard.

Fireworks also require close supervision, even if they are legal where you live. Doctors warn that children should not handle fireworks, no matter how small they appear.

Teenagers should also be supervised by an adult. Even sparklers can reach temperatures of up to 2,000 degrees, creating a serious burn risk. Safer alternatives include glow sticks, confetti poppers and streamers.

Families using fireworks should keep a bucket of water nearby to extinguish them afterward fully. Spent fireworks should not be placed directly into a trash can because they can start a fire.

“I think a lot of parents think that they’re keeping a close eye,” said Dr. Anna Garza with Baptist Health System. “Or sometimes parents just don’t realize the dangers that are inherent with these fireworks. We see it widespread in our community, and I think sometimes we get comfortable and we don’t think it is as dangerous as it is.”

Garza said falls around pools also lead to emergency room visits during holiday gatherings. Anyone around water should avoid swimming alone, and adults should never take their eyes off children or inexperienced swimmers in the water.

Heat is another concern during outdoor celebrations. Doctors recommend drinking water throughout the day, especially if you are drinking alcohol.

Heat stroke can develop suddenly in as little as 15 minutes or over the course of a few hours.

For more information about the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke, click here.

The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate fell to 6.43% from 6.49% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. One year ago, the average rate was 6.67%.

The average rate has been mostly hovering around 6.5% going back to mid-May and trending higher overall in the months since the war between the U.S. and Iran began in late February, disrupting the flow of crude oil from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide. That’s sent oil prices sharply higher, helping drive up inflation, bond yields and mortgage rates.

Despite the modest decline from last week, the average rate is now at its lowest level since May 14, when it was 6.36%.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, often sought by borrowers refinancing a home loan, also declined this week. That average rate fell to 5.79% from 5.84% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.8%, Freddie Mac said.

Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation. They generally follow the trajectory of the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.

The 10-year Treasury yield was at 4.46% at midday Thursday on the bond market, down from 4.48% late Wednesday.

Hope that the United States and Iran may ultimately end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers delivering crude has helped lower oil prices, helping ease some of the pressure on bond yields.

Bond yields remain elevated, though. The 10-year Treasury yield was at 3.97% in late February.

As recently as late February, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage had slipped just under 6% for the first time since late 2022. It’s hasn’t fallen below that threshold since. Five weeks ago, it reached 6.53%, its highest level since Aug. 28.

While average long-term mortgage rates remain lower than they were at this time last year, uncertainty about their trajectory amid the war with Iran kept many would-be homebuyers on the sideline.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes declined in the first three months of the year compared to a year earlier, extending a nationwide housing slump that dates back to 2022 when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Sales were essentially flat in April, but accelerated in May to their fastest pace since December.

Still, sales of existing U.S. homes continue to hovering close to a 4-million annual pace, far short of the historic norm that is closer to 5.2-million.

“Homebuyers and sellers are starting to accept rates in the mid-6% range as the new normal,” said Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist at Bright MLS. “However, affordability is a major constraint to housing market activity as rates remain elevated and home prices continue to rise.”

The electric vehicle maker run by Musk reported Thursday that it delivered 480,126 cars to customers, a jump of 25% over the 384,122 figure a year ago when many Europeans refused to buy his cars because of his embrace of far-right political candidates there.

The second-quarter sales, the second straight gain in a row, also came in much higher than the 401,000 that Wall Street analysts had been expecting, according to a FactSet survey.

It's a big turnaround from just a few months ago when Tesla reported sales had fallen in 2025 for a second year in a row and it had to yield its crown as the world's largest EV maker to China's BYD.

Tesla’s stock fell sharply in midday trading Thursday, down 6%, an odd development that Seth Goldstein of Morningstar attributed possibly to profit-taking by investors after a recent run-up in its shares.

For the second-quarter figures, the company didn't break out results by country, but an earlier report from European trade groups reported big sales increases in Europe in May, including a 300% rise in Germany.

The Austin, Texas, company introduced cheaper Model Y and Model 3 models last year in hopes of boosting sales. In Europe, it also cut the cost of leasing and loans. Sales were also helped by a surge of EV buying in general on the continent as gas and diesel prices have risen due to the Iran war.

For future quarters, Tesla hopes to lure even more Europeans as countries approve use of its driver assistance feature, available in the U.S., called Full Self-Driving (Supervised). The Netherlands approved the system in April, followed by Estonia, Greece and Lithuania.

Sales fell last year amid protests at showrooms in Europe and the U.S., a Musk figure burned effigy in Milan and vandalism against Tesla drivers. Customers were angry about him publicly supporting far-right political candidates in elections. In the U.S., too, many of Tesla's traditional buyers stopped buying because of Musk's work heading a Trump administration group cutting government spending.

Tesla was also hurt in the U.S. by the elimination of a tax break for buying electric vehicles in the fall last year, which added as much as $7,500 to EV costs. That is still keeping EV buyers away even as gas prices have risen.

Tesla sales in the U.S. weren't broken out in the latest report, but research firm Cox Automotive estimates they are still falling fast, down 20% in the second quarter from the year earlier period.

Amid Tesla struggles last year, Musk managed to shift the narrative about Tesla's future away from its car business to its robots, automated driving system and self-driving robotaxis.

Judging from the stock price, investors approve. Shares have fully recovered from a deep dive early last year, rocketing more than 40% in the past 12 months.

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Business Writer Michelle Chapman contributed to this report.

New polling from Ipsos Sports, provided exclusively to The Associated Press, shows that the World Cup has excited soccer fans and piqued many Americans’ interest, even as the sport faces an uphill climb to reach mainstream popularity in the United States.

Despite that challenge, many U.S. adults were excited about the United States making it to the knockout round of the World Cup. Most soccer fans in the U.S. have been pleased by the U.S. men’s national team performance, and the overwhelming majority are excited for the rest of the World Cup.

The poll was conducted June 26-28, after the United States advanced from the group stage but before they won against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the first knockout round.

Soccer fans are excited by the USMNT's performance

About 6 in 10 soccer fans were “extremely” or “very” excited about the U.S. advancing to the knockout round, much higher than the 25% of Americans overall who said the same.

The United States has historically lost once they reached the knockout rounds. Before Wednesday, they had last won a knockout game in 2002.

Though this poll was conducted before the United States' victory against Bosnia-Herzegovina, fans were already giving the U.S. men’s team credit for having a strong showing in the group stage. Most soccer fans, 55%, said the U.S. team's performance was going “extremely well” or “very well.” One-quarter, roughly, believed it was going “somewhat well.”

Similarly, about half of soccer fans say the United States’ role in co-hosting the World Cup is going at least “very” well.

There's less enthusiasm for FIFA's role in managing the World Cup. Only about one-third of soccer fans in the U.S. say that's going “extremely” or “very” well. During the tournament, FIFA has faced criticism for enforcing mandated hydration breaks that some say ruin the momentum of games, as well as cooperating with travel restrictions and visa refusals against Iran.

The poll found Americans and soccer fans alike are about evenly split on whether they have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of FIFA. About 2 in 10 U.S. adults have a positive view of FIFA, while 25% have a negative one. Most Americans — 55% — don't have an opinion.

Will this be the moment Americans turn to soccer? Probably not

It’s not easy to get Americans to care about soccer, even with the World Cup in their backyard.

Only about 2 in 10 Americans consider themselves fans of international or U.S. soccer, far behind the share who root for professional football, basketball or baseball. And roughly one-third of U.S. adults say they have heard or read “a lot” about the World Cup, though most have heard at least “a little.”

Roughly 2 in 10 U.S. adults — 17% — say they are “extremely” or “very” excited about the rest of the World Cup. That’s up a smidge from Ipsos polling in May, but points to the challenge that comes with trying to turn America into a soccer nation.

Most Americans expect that the World Cup will increase other Americans’ interest in soccer, but relatively few say they have personally gotten more interested in the sport. About 6 in 10 U.S. adults think Americans in general will get more into soccer because of the World Cup, while 24% say they personally have.

Soccer fans are especially optimistic, though. About three-quarters of soccer fans in the U.S. expect this year’s World Cup will increase Americans’ general interest in soccer, compared to about half of non-soccer fans. And roughly half of soccer fans say the World Cup has increased their own interest in the sport, even if only 17% of non-fans say the same.

Many Americans will watch games or follow on social media

Outside of watching games, there are other ways for people to engage with the World Cup.

About 4 in 10 U.S. adults — including about half of soccer fans — say they have used social media to keep up with teams and players.

Roughly one-quarter of Americans have gone to a restaurant or bar to watch a game or plan to do so, and about 2 in 10 have gone to a World Cup watch party. About 2 in 10 U.S. adults — and 33% of soccer fans in the U.S. — say they have bought official merchandise like team jerseys, posters or scarves.

As sportsbooks note how World Cup betting has exceeded expectations amid the USMNT's success, about 1 in 10 Americans in the poll say they have placed an official bet on the games. About 5% say they have traded on game outcomes using a prediction market.

And with official and unofficial watch parties popping up in host cities across the United States, 8% say they have watched a game from a host city.

___

The Ipsos Sports poll of 1,027 adults was conducted June 26-28 using a sample drawn from the Ipsos probability-based KnowledgePanel. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Students returned to class just weeks after the devastating July 4, 2025, flood that killed 119 people in Kerr County, including two children who would have been students in the district, incoming Hunt ISD Superintendent Sarah Nichols said.

“It started out extremely hard,” Nichols told KSAT. “There was a lot of unknown. We didn’t know what we were getting into. We didn’t know what was coming.”

Nichols said the goal early on was stability for students still processing trauma.

“Academics is essentially on the back burner until a student’s well-being is taken care of,” Nichols said. “And so, just trying to navigate — making sure we were addressing the whole child.”

Nichols said students pushed through difficult moments as the school year unfolded, including the first storms after the disaster.

“There were some hard days. There were some hard weeks,” Nichols said. “But for the most part, they were impressive at how they pushed through, how they pushed through the first thunderstorm.”

Hunt ISD Superintendent Luci Harmon, who is retiring and wrapping up a 35-year career in education, said the district’s approach was to take care of people first and trust academics would follow.

According to Harmon, the community’s response made that possible thanks to families and neighbors organizing special events and support for children.

“We took good care of our adults, and they took care of business, just staying focused on instruction and doing what they needed to do to make our kids be successful,” Harmon said. “So, it really wasn’t a year lost instructionally.”

Nichols credited the broader community for “pouring into” the district, including educators-in-training from nearby Schreiner University who helped teachers maintain instruction during a difficult year.

Hunt ISD also found ways to honor the two children killed in the flood. During the dedication of the district’s new gym, staff memorialized the students by placing their signatures — saved from schoolwork — onto the gym floor.

“He had the idea of having Renee and Lyle sign the floors,” a staff member said. “So, we still had some of their student work. So, this is actually their signatures.”

Renee Smajstrla would have entered third grade and Lyle Zunker would have entered second grade. Two annual awards will now be given in their memory to students who exemplify love, joy and courage, district leaders said.

Despite the trauma that touched nearly every family in the area, the small rural district grew last school year, by local standards, from 195 students to 217.

Harmon became emotional describing what the school and community built together after the flood.

“I wish every community could come and see how this community loves this school,” Harmon said. “This is how it should be.”

Nichols said her goal as she steps into the role is to protect that culture and keep families moving forward.

More recent Hill Country Floods coverage on KSAT:

• Nonprofits team up to restore Guadalupe River after deadly Fourth of July floods
• Volunteer dive teams prepare Guadalupe River for summer visitors
• Mental health support expands following deadly floods in Texas Hill Country

Employment projection data offers a grim outlook for the women-dominated profession that may be particularly vulnerable to AI-induced job displacement compared to the broader workforce. But some admins are embracing the technology — and even using it as a tool to get ahead.

Deanna Danger, 43, has worked in an administrative role since 2003. She says adapting and staying ahead of the curve is a key part of her constantly-changing role, and AI is no exception.

“All you do is have to evolve,” she says.

Danger started using AI professionally in 2022, learning through experimentation and collaboration with fellow admins. Today, she no longer takes notes during meetings — she's set up Copilot and ChatGPT to do it for her. That has freed her to “actually participate in the meetings, and not just worry about making sure I typed everything out that was said,” says Danger, executive assistant to the chief information officer at Vanderbilt University. “Honestly, what used to take me hours I’m now done with in under five minutes.”

How — and to what extent — AI might reshape her profession remains to be seen, but jobs for administrative assistants and secretaries have been dwindling for decades. In 2004, about 3.5 million people worked in the role — nearly 97% of them women, according to Current Population Survey data. Twenty years later, that number slid to 2.1 million — despite overall workforce growth during the same period. And except for medical secretaries and administrative assistants — a category projected to grow 4% by 2034 thanks to growth of the healthcare industry — economists at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predict a continued decline in the profession.

The unemployment rate for office and administrative support workers — a broader category that also includes accounting clerks, postal service workers and more — ticked up to 4% compared to 3.6% in June last year, according to Labor Department data released Thursday, although that level remains lower than the overall unemployment rate.

“The overall story in office and admin occupations from the projection standpoint for the last several cycles has been one of productivity-enhancing technologies, limiting demand for employment,” said Emily Rolen, lead economist for the division of employment projections at the BLS. Technological advances — word processing, speech-to-text transcription, scheduling tools and apps — each transformed the duties of administrative professionals and contributed to overall decline.

Clerical and administrative workers may be more exposed to AI-induced job displacement than other professionals because they “lack adaptive capacity due to limited savings, advanced age, scarce local opportunities, and/or narrow skill sets," according to a Brookings Institution report published in January. About 86% of these 6 million workers are women.

Indeed, more secretaries and administrative assistants are 55 and older compared to the workforce at large (34% vs. 23%), median pay is lower than that of all U.S. workers ($47,460 vs. $49,500), and a high school diploma is sufficient for many entry-level roles.

But what labor data doesn't capture — as noted by the Brookings report — is an individual’s ability to navigate a changing environment, including administrative assistants like Danger, who say they “are way more capable than people think.”

Danger hosts a biweekly virtual coffee chat for peers through the American Society of Administrative Professionals, a professional group that says it serves about 132,000 members. Participants in a May session shared their AI use cases: creating flyers, scouting out restaurants for executive events, coming up with captions for employer social media accounts, drafting standard operating procedure language, and more.

But despite the overall atmosphere of enthusiasm, some participants raised concerns, including data security and the lack of AI regulation. Others emphasized that AI cannot, and will not, replace the emotional intelligence and relationship building skills that are hallmarks of a successful admin.

Fiona Young, founder of Carve, a business focused on training executive assistants on AI, says she has seen “a massive shift in demand" for her services since 2023. Young, a former executive assistant herself, says she has delivered AI training to administrative professionals globally, including at Google, Amazon, Uber, Salesforce and LinkedIn. In her experience, employers want staff to be able to leverage AI — “not just loosely understanding it, but genuinely using it as an integral part of how people are working every day,” she says.

Oana Manolache takes an even stronger stance. The founder and CEO of Sequel.io, a platform that enables companies to host webinars on their own websites, wrote in a LinkedIn post last year: “I will fire anyone who doesn’t use AI.”

But even Manolache says AI could not replace her executive assistant, Stephanie Martinez.

Manolache says Martinez uses AI to “free herself” from tasks like note-taking and meeting prep to focus on the “human work” of building team connectivity, making judgment calls, understanding executives' relationships with stakeholders and communicating accordingly.

Maybe AI could supplant the “traditional” assistant, but “it doesn’t replace what an executive assistant does now as the role has evolved,” Manolache says.

Martinez works remotely from El Salvador through Viva Talent, which — in another example of the shifting landscape for the role — trains and matches assistants from Latin and South America to primarily U.S.-based tech companies.

“The people who truly want to succeed in this role have a massive opportunity," Manolache says. “This person has access to information across the entire organization.”

For instance, when the company aimed to drive more customer reviews on a software review platform, Martinez, who manages most invoices and billing, approached the problem innovatively. She leveraged AI to sift through all customer communications, pinpoint good candidates for reviews, and draft outreach emails. Without AI, “it would have taken her so long to do this,” Manolache says, adding that it also freed up Martinez to “think creatively.”

That freedom to strategically implement AI is just as important as education and training, since many assistants are interested in adopting AI but lack the bandwidth to incorporate it, says Melissa Peoples, an Austin, Texas-based executive assistant coach and former C-suite executive assistant.

Gender dynamics compound that challenge in an industry dominated by women who are often paired with male leaders, Peoples says.

“You see those that are early adopters, and are crushing it, and are partnered with really empowering executives, and can do all of these things," she says. "And then you see the other side of this, where literally assistants are being told, ‘You’re not smart enough to be in the room. Just bring me my coffee.’”

With effective AI training, Peoples says admins can “find their voice” and “have higher impact so they are protected against what is going to happen as agentic AI becomes more commonplace and more easily accessible.” ___

The Associated Press’ women in the workforce coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.