During a White House dinner event, President Trump announced his intention to formally nominate Todd Blanche for the position of attorney general, based on video footage from the gathering that was shared on social media by a White House aide.
The announcement marks Trump’s selection of Blanche, who currently serves as Acting Attorney General, for the permanent role leading the Department of Justice.
The French basketball sensation received blessings from nuns before tip-off, drew the biggest cheers during player introductions, and appeared to relish his inaugural NBA Finals experience in San Antonio.
That enjoyment quickly faded as the final buzzer sounded.
Victor Wembanyama put up 26 points in his championship series debut, but had to battle for every basket — connecting on only 6 of his 21 field goal attempts, with some shots even bouncing off the top of the backboard while facing constant pressure from New York’s defense. Most disappointing for the league’s top defensive player was watching the Knicks close out the contest with an 11-0 scoring run to capture a 105-95 road win and seize home-court advantage.
“I was bad tonight,” Wembanyama stated. “It’s not more complicated than that.”
His response came across as composed and straightforward, without any hint of alarm. San Antonio dropped one contest. The championship series continues. He remains unfazed for now.
“I would say that he definitely holds himself accountable,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson commented. “I expect he’ll learn a lot of things from tonight’s game and come out with a good approach in Game 2.”
Both Wembanyama and San Antonio have experience bouncing back from early setbacks. They surrendered home-court advantage to Portland in the opening round before claiming the series’ final three contests, lost their home edge again to Minnesota after dropping the second round opener, and entered the Western Conference finals without home-court advantage against Oklahoma City — a series where the Spurs fell behind 2-1 and 3-2 before ultimately advancing.
However, they now face a Knicks squad that hasn’t tasted defeat since April. With June now here, New York has won 12 straight games, and San Antonio must now capture four of the remaining six contests to claim the championship.
“Obviously, we’ve been down in a series before,” Wembanyama noted. “Never in the finals, obviously. But I’m not kicking myself about anything really. I’m not worried the slightest.”
There’s no doubt about his ability to rebound from this performance, or whether the championship stage pressure affects him. Since joining the NBA three seasons ago, Wembanyama has managed every challenge thrown his way — including last year’s health scare when deep vein thrombosis ended his season prematurely — with apparent composure.
Defeating the Knicks will prove challenging. However, expecting Wembanyama to deliver an improved performance in Friday’s Game 2 seems reasonable.
“Players come along every once in a while that, in addition to having this incredible skill, love the promotional side of it and want to play that role for the league,” Commissioner Adam Silver remarked about Wembanyama before the contest. “We saw the role he played at All-Star, even leading the other young players, saying, let’s take this seriously, this really matters.”
Dating back to when the NBA anticipated Wembanyama’s arrival, Silver has avoided setting specific expectations for him or the league. His reasoning remains clear: sufficient pressure already exists on Wembanyama’s shoulders. Silver has wisely chosen not to increase that burden.
“He came in highly touted. He was somebody who even before he came into the NBA was blowing up the internet in terms of his highlights,” Silver explained. “Did I have a specific expectation in terms of numbers of years it would take him to get to the finals? No. But I would say, just trying to be an objective observer, he’s ahead of any timeline that people had in mind.”
That assessment may hold true. He simply trails in the current series. Friday’s challenge will be significant.
“We’re all confident,” Spurs guard Dylan Harper expressed. “I feel like that is kind of who he is. He never backs down from the moment. He always kind of steps up and meets it.”
In the eastern Congo city of Bunia, 28-year-old Aline Kasiwa spends each day tending to her ailing mother – feeding her, helping her drink water, and washing her clothing – while living in constant fear of contracting Ebola during one of the most rapidly expanding outbreaks ever recorded.
“She is the only family I have left. I cannot abandon her,” Kasiwa shared with The Associated Press. She explained her reluctance to bring her mother to medical facilities for potential diagnosis, stating, “These days we hear that many people are dying there, even nurses.”
Armed with nothing more than an inexpensive face covering for protection, Kasiwa represents countless women throughout eastern Congo who traditionally assume caregiving responsibilities – a cultural role that medical professionals believe significantly increases their vulnerability to the virus.
Dr. Furaha Elisabeth, who heads the Karibuni Wa Maman gynecology and obstetrics clinic in Bunia, explained the pattern: “It’s the woman who gives them a bath, it’s the woman who feeds them, and it’s the woman who’s there to wash the dirty clothes and everything else.”
The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which no approved treatments or vaccines exist. Medical personnel report lacking basic protective supplies including masks and gloves needed for safety.
This situation forces women, particularly expectant mothers, into devastating dilemmas.
Anny Ekyambo, a 32-year-old Bunia resident who is five months into her pregnancy, expressed her terror: “When you see the way people die — even the nurses who treat us are dying — how can you not be afraid?” She described being too frightened to seek prenatal care at medical facilities.
Health officials identified the outbreak several weeks later than optimal because initial testing failed to screen for the uncommon Bundibugyo variant. Congolese officials reported Wednesday that they have verified 344 infections, resulting in 60 fatalities, with additional suspected cases under investigation. Uganda has documented 15 confirmed infections and one death.
While exact numbers of infected women remain unclear, historical patterns indicate women bear a heavier burden during Ebola outbreaks.
During the initial recorded outbreak in the 1970s, women represented 56% of fatalities, according to UN Women. Throughout Congo’s 2018-2020 outbreak – the nation’s most devastating – women and girls comprised approximately two-thirds of documented cases.
Sofia Calltorp, UN Women’s chief of humanitarian action, predicted in a statement: “We will certainly see the same pattern emerge in the current outbreak. Ebola transmission follows social realities. The virus spreads along the lines of care-giving, domestic labor, front-line health work and burial practices.”
Traditional burial preparations in many eastern Congo communities also fall to women.
Staff at the Karibuni wa Maman clinic report receiving no personal protective equipment since the outbreak’s beginning, despite repeated requests to health authorities.
The facility examines symptomatic patients before transferring them to larger treatment centers, creating potential exposure risks for medical staff with inadequate protection.
Julienne Lusenge, who leads Women’s Solidarity for Inclusive Peace and Development – the organization operating the clinic – described their efforts to obtain protective gear from multiple partners, receiving only hand sanitizer and limited masks for nursing staff.
She emphasized that the equipment shortage also threatens women providing home care for sick relatives, with most unaware that Ebola might be the underlying cause.
“During previous outbreaks, many women died because they were the ones nursing sick family members,” Lusenge noted.
Although recent aid deliveries and improved health facility organization have occurred, Doctors Without Borders reports the virus continues spreading more rapidly than response efforts can contain.
Dr. Alan Gonzalez, the medical charity’s deputy director of operations, stated: “Nobody knows the true scale and severity of this outbreak.”
The crisis unfolds in challenging terrain. Ituri province features inadequate road infrastructure and under-resourced medical facilities located more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from Congo’s capital, Kinshasa.
Violence from the Allied Democratic Forces – a rebel organization linked to the Islamic State group – and a coalition of ethnic militias has complicated response efforts. Additional cases have emerged in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, where the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group maintains control over major cities Goma and Bukavu.
Decades of regional conflict have created deep suspicion of outsiders, another factor driving people away from medical facilities and into women’s care.
Concerns about contracting Ebola at healthcare centers have become widespread.
Ekyambo, the expectant mother in Bunia, said fellow community women share her reluctance to visit clinics.
“I know that there are steps we must follow with the doctors to monitor the pregnancy and the baby, but we have no choice because this epidemic frightens us,” she explained.
UN Women has noted that pregnant women may face increased exposure through their regular interactions with health services.
However, Lusenga cautioned that avoiding medical care could result in missed essential prenatal and postnatal consultations.
“We risk seeing a rise in prenatal and postnatal mortality, for both mothers and children,” she warned.
OUIDAH, Benin (AP) — A remarkable transformation occurred in 1991 when Benin’s longtime military ruler unexpectedly lost an election he had arranged himself, bringing democratic governance to the birthplace of Voodoo traditions.
For years, Mathieu Kérékou had consolidated control by outlawing practitioners he labeled as sorcerers, viewing their influence as a threat to his authority. However, followers of the ancient faith would ultimately prevail.
Nicéphore Soglo, the opposition candidate who unseated Kérékou, restored Vodún (as the religion is called locally) as an integral part of the nation’s cultural identity and promoted the kind of acceptance that Kérékou would later adopt when he won reelection in 1996.
Three decades and multiple presidents later, this West African country stands as a democratic stronghold in an area known as “the coup belt” due to frequent military seizures of power since 2020. President Romuald Wadagni took office on May 24, succeeding Patrice Talon, who completed his two-term limit.
Remarkably, Benin’s commitment to democratic principles mirrors the endurance of Vodún faith, which withstood Kérékou’s authoritarian control until he was forced to become more flexible. Kérékou’s downfall demonstrated that even the most powerful rulers cannot destroy religious conviction in the homeland of Voodoo, according to practitioners and academics.
“The return to democracy recognized the existence of traditional religion,” Vodún supreme leader Daagbo Hounon Houna II told The Associated Press. “Kérékou acknowledged that (African) religions must be respected.”
Kérékou represented an unusual type of leader. Serving as a major in the armed forces of Dahomey, the country’s former name, he seized control through a 1972 military coup and established a Marxist-Leninist regime. However, his government takeover of private businesses contributed to financial ruin as the Cold War ended, creating additional demands for reform from the Catholic Church and other participants in the 1990 National Conference.
This era also witnessed a campaign against Voodoo practices. Kérékou viewed Vodún as primitive, despite maintaining his own spiritual counselors called marabouts. Religious leaders faced imprisonment and sacred sites were destroyed during development projects, infuriating worshippers.
Followers of Vodún are thought to have struck back against Kérékou, who became deeply afraid of being cursed into a zombie-like state. He enlisted a Malian marabout known as the Devil and explored various faiths while seeking spiritual protection, believers report.
Kérékou encountered “the heat, and there were parts of the country he couldn’t go to,” said Léon Bani Bigou, a former lawmaker who once served as Kérékou’s adviser. “This is precisely what led him to reconsider his position regarding Indigenous religions.”
The nation’s leader, originally raised in the Catholic faith, later converted to Islam under the name Ahmed Kérékou before adopting evangelical Christianity, possibly as a survival strategy, according to Gerrie ter Haar, an emeritus professor of religion and development at the International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University.
It’s understandable that Kérékou “remained terrified to become a victim of a Vodún curse and had to search for stronger spiritual power” he saw in evangelical Christianity, she said.
Approximately half of Benin’s 14 million citizens consider themselves Christians, based on U.S. State Department data. Nevertheless, Vodún represents “the first religion of all Beninese,” stated Mahougnon Kakpo, a prominent politician and lawmaker in Cotonou, Benin’s commercial capital.
“The rest is hypocrisy,” Kakpo said. “Kérékou himself practiced Voodoo.”
Vodún follows animist principles through its connection to supernatural forces. Practitioners find divine presence and guidance in natural elements, from stones to waterways. Religious rituals include animal offerings, spoken chants and energetic dance movements.
Vodún originated in Ouidah, a coastal city along the Gulf of Guinea that previously served as a significant slave-trading center. This location houses the headquarters of Houna II, the Vodún supreme leader.
During a recent morning visit, Houna II arranged his heavy ceremonial clothing while taking his place in an ornate chair to explain Voodoo’s persistence, his words accompanied by chants from the female priests around him.
Voodoo’s “sworn leaders were not afraid to confront anyone, to leave behind what their ancestors bequeathed them no matter the cost,” he said. “It has been shown that the more you attack their religion, the more you raise their spirits.”
Kérékou joined other post-independence African rulers who attempted to substitute religious leadership with their own authority. However, he was unsuccessful and eventually reversed course. This explains why Kérékou earned the nickname “the chameleon” among his citizens.
Gnassingbé Eyadéma, while leading Togo, effectively promoted worship of his own image, presenting himself as a rescuer figure. Eyadema, who justified certain attacks against his enemies by labeling them as witches, maintained continuous rule from 1967 through 2005.
In Zaïre, now known as Congo, Mobutu Sese Seko seized power through force and portrayed himself as a “god-chief,” widely feared for his supposed connection to supernatural powers. He governed with minimal opposition for thirty years.
Kérékou’s 1991 electoral loss represented the initial instance of a current president being removed through voting in West Africa. Five years afterward, he returned as a civilian democratic leader, abandoning his Marxist-Leninist symbols. He also supported establishing the National Voodoo Board, along with an official celebration held annually on January 10 beginning in 1996.
Kérékou was unable to eliminate Vodún “because he was attacking a centuries-old social practice deeply rooted in the daily lives of Beninese people, a resource to which he and officials in his regime had been able to turn in the exercise of power,” said Narcisse Martial Yedji, a political sociologist at Université d’Abomey-Calavi. “Kérékou could not win over all the guardians of Voodoo traditions. Voodoo is not private property.”
The religion demonstrated remarkable endurance, he explained, and currently “priests claim that most public authorities resort to magical-religious practices and other rituals deeply rooted in the Voodoo collective consciousness.”
By 2001, while pursuing his final term, Kérékou was actively seeking support from Voodoo followers in Ouidah, where spiritual seekers can be observed carrying protective charms near the ocean.
At that location, within a wooded area beside marshland, a Vodún follower named Irène Kpatenon indicated the remains of a tree that served as his shrine where he sometimes left fruit offerings, explaining that he learned “Voodoo spirits like sweet things.” Kpatenon had recently requested divine help in finding well-paid employment.
Visitors to Ouidah often walk the sandy trail leading to the memorial called “the Door of No Return” honoring the unfortunate victims of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Even within that tragic history lies a tale of defiance that Houna II recalled with pride.
Enslaved Africans brought to Caribbean islands, particularly modern-day Haiti where the faith is called Vodou, organized uprisings against their captors.
During a Vodou ritual called the Bois Caïman pact of 1791 — which involved sacrificing a pig for its blood — certain slaves planned the revolt that established Haiti as the first independent Black nation in 1804.
Haitian Vodou faced persecution and was stigmatized for generations as mere superstition while being influenced by Catholic beliefs. Similar to Benin’s experience, Vodou in Haiti persisted and continues to shape cultural traditions.
“Voodoo is life,” said Dossavi Yovo, a priestess in Houna II’s temple, warning against the faithless practice of combining Christianity with Vodún. “If you want to practice Voodoo, you have got to dedicate yourself to it.”
CHICAGO (AP) — After more than ten years since the former president selected Chicago as the location for his presidential library project, the Obama Presidential Center is set to welcome visitors on June 19. The facility features exhibits of campaign artifacts and presidential memorabilia, while the surrounding grounds include community amenities such as a basketball court, public library branch, and children’s playground.
Here’s a breakdown of the key figures associated with the former President Barack Obama’s presidential library.
The estimated construction cost for the 225-foot museum tower and the nearly 20-acre site, funded entirely through private contributions to the Obama Foundation. This figure represents a significant increase from original projections of $350 million.
The anticipated yearly attendance for the museum, which will charge admission fees. Additionally, up to 1 million visitors annually are expected to use the complimentary facilities throughout the campus.
The estimated count of book titles that the Obamas chose themselves for inclusion in a “Presidential Reading Room” within the new public library branch located on the grounds.
The total count of campaign buttons featured in exhibits from Obama’s political campaigns, including specialized designs created for specific states.
The quantity of specially commissioned artwork created by 30 different artists.
The count of beehives located on the property. The apiary serves as part of the gardens and comprehensive landscaping throughout the campus.
CHICAGO (AP) — The personal touch of former President Barack Obama permeates every corner of his presidential museum, from its Chicago South Side setting to the textured stonework on its striking tower and the striped reading chairs that mirror those found in his personal residence.
Following a ceremonial dedication ceremony attended by dignitaries in Chicago, the Obama Presidential Center will welcome the general public on Juneteenth. Thousands of visitors — including museum staff family members, students and media representatives — have already received preview tours of the nearly 20-acre facility while workers complete final art pieces and grounds work.
The approximately $850 million development encompasses both the political career and private life of America’s first Black president. While the ticketed museum tower displays campaign artifacts and presidential memorabilia, the expansive campus’s public areas highlight other Obama priorities: a new library branch, basketball facility and picnic space with grilling stations.
“This serves as a welcoming environment where people can come to contemplate the significant moments from this presidency and the campaigns, while also gathering as a community to consider what changes you might implement in your own neighborhood,” Josh Harris, the Obama Foundation’s vice president of public engagement, explained during a recent Associated Press tour.
Here are the main highlights of the campus anticipated to attract up to 1 million annual visitors.
This presidential museum breaks new ground as the first completely digital facility of its type, abandoning traditional displays of official documents.
Visitors will instead encounter high-tech and interactive exhibits covering the campaigns, pivotal moments from Obama’s presidency and White House experiences.
Among the most popular features is a full-scale recreation of the Oval Office.
During a recent visit, a steady flow of guests, including schoolchildren, moved through the circular space, pausing to sit at the desk for photographs. The top drawer contains a handwritten letter copy from his predecessor, former President George W. Bush, and Obama’s cherished BlackBerry device.
“We aim to ensure that individuals from every background get the chance to sit at the Resolute Desk,” Harris stated. “You consider the potential that if a young community organizer from Chicago’s South Side can become president, you might become president as well.”
Additional museum sections explore the Affordable Care Act and immigration policies, alongside intimate moments such as Obama’s spontaneous singing during a 2015 memorial service for victims of a South Carolina church attack. A large display screen shows Obama performing “Amazing Grace.”
Scattered throughout are spaces for personal contemplation, which museum planners consider essential.
“We’re handing over that responsibility and encouraging people to take change back to their communities, however change might be understood, whether modest or significant,” explained Louise Bernard, the museum’s director.
During the museum’s 2021 groundbreaking ceremony, Obama anticipated one of the major attractions.
“We want this center to be more than a static museum or a source of archival research,” Obama remarked at the location. “It won’t just be a collection of campaign memorabilia or Michelle’s ballgowns, although I know everybody will come see those.”
About twelve outfits displayed on mannequins sit behind protective glass, including a black and red Narciso Rodriguez creation that the former first lady wore during 2008 Election Night in Chicago.
Guests can also feel fabric samples, including the rose gold chain mail Atelier Versace evening dress she selected for her last state dinner in 2016.
The museum sits close to where Barack Obama launched his political journey, served as a law professor at the University of Chicago, and where the family resided. Michelle Obama also spent her childhood on the South Side.
As a lifelong basketball enthusiast, Obama requested a glass-walled professional-quality basketball court for community programming.
The former first lady created a garden where lettuce and strawberry plants were growing during a recent visit. Charcoal grills will be publicly available, fulfilling Obama’s vision from community meetings almost ten years ago.
“President Obama frequently discussed his connection to Chicago and one of his cherished memories involved grilling in the park,” Harris noted.
The Obamas’ aesthetic preferences and appreciation for history are clearly visible.
The museum campus displays dozens of specially commissioned artworks while various campus sections honor notable figures. The central “John Lewis Plaza,” honoring the late congressman and civil rights champion, serves as a public meeting place.
Within a new Chicago Public Library branch, a 70-foot artwork portrays literary icons including Walt Whitman and James Baldwin. At its center stands a boy in an orange shirt being read to by Toni Morrison, representing young Obama.
The presidential reading room contains thousands of books selected by the Obamas, spanning presidential biographies to popular fiction. Obama particularly favors two tall-backed chairs with blue, yellow and black stripes, chosen by the former president as excellent reading chairs resembling ones in his home.
Admission costs $30, the steepest price among all U.S. presidential museums or libraries. The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in California follows at $29.
Obama Foundation executives justify the pricing for the cutting-edge facility.
The neighboring Griffin Museum of Science and Industry charges $25.95. In downstate Illinois, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield costs $15.
Besides complimentary days and Illinois resident discounts, Obama Foundation representatives emphasize that most campus areas are free, with only four museum tower floors requiring admission.
Visitors can freely explore the campus, utilize the playground, library, sledding hill or grilling facilities. The tower’s uppermost floor, offering sweeping views of the nation’s third-largest city, is also complimentary.
“The concept behind this institution, this campus, centered on making it available to the greatest number of people possible,” Harris said.
Motorists traveling on southbound Route 13 should expect delays this morning as construction crews have closed the right lane between US-40 and Langollen Boulevard.
The lane restriction is part of ongoing construction work in the area and is expected to remain in effect until 6:00 AM today.
Drivers are advised to allow extra travel time and exercise caution when passing through the work zone.
The European Union rolled out an ambitious technology independence strategy on Wednesday, with one senior official celebrating by declaring “Today is Tech Liberation Day.” However, achieving genuine freedom from American technology dominance remains a distant goal, according to industry analysts.
The comprehensive strategy seeks to strengthen European technology companies while restricting access for powerful American competitors. Though representing an important milestone, the European bloc continues to lag significantly behind the United States and Asia in artificial intelligence, semiconductor manufacturing, cloud computing, and data center operations.
Ralf Wintergerst, president of German digital industry group Bitkom, described initiatives like the proposed Chips Act 2.0 as a “step in right direction,” but emphasized Europe requires concrete implementation and improved investment conditions spanning semiconductors to AI infrastructure.
“It is now crucial that these efforts do not stop at mere announcements. Europe needs to move quickly,” he said.
EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen introduced the comprehensive package that blocks American technology leaders including Amazon, Microsoft and Google from the most critical cloud computing contracts, while promoting rapid development of data centers incorporating European hardware or software components.
Regarding semiconductors, the strategy focuses less on attracting cutting-edge manufacturing facilities and more on strengthening existing capabilities surrounding leading chip equipment maker ASML, from raw materials to sophisticated packaging, while leveraging government purchasing to help emerging companies expand.
However, with limited regional technology leaders, reducing dependency will require considerable time. The bloc lacks a European equivalent to Nvidia for AI chip design, no competitor to Taiwan’s TSMC for manufacturing, and no software companies matching the scale of major American firms capable of generating demand through extensive cloud platforms.
“We will continue to rely on Nvidia and AMD for GPUs and will need to cooperate with international partners on certain AI models. This is not a weakness, but realism,” said Achim Weiß, CEO of German cloud provider Ionos.
“It must be clear that sovereignty does not mean self-sufficiency.”
The EU strategy contains minimal new funding, particularly when compared to substantial American investment and Chinese government support. This leaves financing responsibilities to member nations already facing budget constraints, while businesses confront elevated energy expenses, workforce shortages and fragmented financial markets.
“Europe cannot regulate its way into semiconductor leadership,” said Erik Rein, head of European chipmaker association ESIA, who also heads Bosch’s semiconductor business.
Mitchell Rutledge, Europe Policy Manager at the Computer & Communications Industry Association, said focusing on data center capacity was positive but Europe needed to attract investment, “not shutting it out.”
A Microsoft spokesperson said the firm shared the EU’s ambition to strengthen technological sovereignty and global competitiveness in AI, but called for an open market with “fair competition.”
Wolfgang Weber, managing director of ZVEI, the German electrical and digital industry group, praised plans for faster approvals of strategic tech projects that require state aid, though he said Europe couldn’t “force the issue.”
“Europe achieves sovereignty through its own strength, not through barriers,” he said.
The final European Commission package also avoided implementing a strict “Buy European” policy, leaving some critics arguing the measures were insufficient.
“I am sceptical that this will be sufficient to ensure long term independence from the U.S.,” said Greens/EFA European parliament member Kim van Sparrentak.
“This long delayed package finally recognises the scale of Europe’s digital dependency, but ultimately falls short.”
Others highlighted the balanced approach of the measures – practical incremental progress toward a longer-term objective.
“The package frames tech sovereignty in a more pragmatic way than previous debates often did,” Julia Hess of interface, a German technology policy think-tank, told Reuters.
Tony Blair Institute’s Director of Science & Technology, Keegan McBride, said the package was an important step, though he cautioned a retreat into a Europe-first approach would leave the continent weaker.
“Europe can’t regulate its way to competitiveness, it must build,” he said. “There’s still much more to do if Europe wants to close the gap with the U.S. and China.”
Officials in Delhi announced plans for widespread enforcement of fire safety regulations following a fatal hotel fire that claimed 21 lives on Wednesday, according to the chief minister’s office.
The deadly incident occurred at a hotel located in the Malviya Nagar area of Delhi. Among the victims were 12 foreign nationals, with media outlets reporting the fatalities included individuals from Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique, and Liberia, though Reuters could not independently confirm these details.
According to media reports, the hotel was frequently used by patients receiving treatment at a nearby medical facility and their family members. The fire represents the most deadly such incident in the city since 2022.
Law enforcement officials confirmed they have filed criminal charges and taken the building owner into custody in connection with the tragedy.
In response to the incident, city leadership announced a comprehensive enforcement initiative targeting guest accommodations and other businesses that fail to meet fire safety standards and building regulations. The chief minister’s office stated in a social media post late Wednesday that non-compliant facilities will face closure and those responsible will face legal action.
Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar confirmed via social media that the country’s foreign ministry is coordinating with relevant diplomatic missions and providing necessary support services.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that the league’s investigation into alleged salary cap violations by the Los Angeles Clippers is approaching its conclusion.
During remarks before Game 1 of the NBA Finals in San Antonio, Silver indicated the investigation is “close to the point now where I think we need to wrap this up.”
The league launched the investigation in September, hiring the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to examine whether the Clippers circumvented salary cap rules by arranging a $28 million endorsement agreement between star forward Kawhi Leonard and banking company Aspiration. The team maintained a long-term business relationship with the same company.
The banking firm has since filed for bankruptcy, and this week company co-founder Joe Sanberg was sentenced to 14 years in prison on wire fraud charges. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer claims he personally lost $60 million due to his involvement with Aspiration.
Regarding the law firm’s investigation, Silver explained, “They are doing the work independent of the league office, and my instruction to them is we can’t be investigating forever, but at some point, we have to wrap it up. But at the same time, the most important thing is that we get it right.”
“I think it’s clear they’re far along. I think those reports are (coming in) all the time from people who are being interviewed by them, and I think they understand that you can keep going on and on. But I think we’re close to the point now where I think we need to wrap this up because you also need finality. Their team has to understand what the situation is they’re going to be operating under, and so do the other 29 teams.”
Silver also discussed several other NBA topics during his appearance:
—League expansion decisions could be completed by year’s end.
“As I think everyone knows at this point, we are focused on Las Vegas and Seattle,” Silver stated. “There’s multiple groups interested in both cities. We are in discussions with them. The timeline is, as I’ve said before, it’s not a foregone conclusion that we will expand either in one city or both cities. But what we have told all interested parties, our anticipation is our (board of governors) will make a decision by the end of this calendar year.”
—The commissioner expressed confidence that recently implemented anti-tanking measures will prove effective.
“We found ourselves in a situation this year where all of a sudden it seemed like a third of the league maybe was responding in what an economist would say is very rational behavior but nontraditional behavior in terms of what they saw as a clear incentive to fall to the bottom of the standings,” Silver explained. “And it maybe or likely was compounded by the fact that there’s a perception of a very deep draft class this year. But we ultimately concluded that we needed to take immediate action.”
—The proposed NBA Europe structure would feature 12 permanent franchises, with four additional positions available for teams to earn through competition.
Planning summer vacation travel? If you’re bringing portable battery chargers for your electronic devices, new aviation regulations require your attention before boarding.
Portable rechargeable lithium-ion battery chargers, commonly called power banks, are available in different sizes and protective cases. These devices provide convenient extra power for mobile devices while traveling.
Following multiple smoke and fire emergencies, aviation authorities in the United States and internationally have established updated regulations, with airlines implementing stricter passenger requirements.
Here’s what air travelers should understand about power bank regulations.
The key rule: lithium battery chargers are prohibited in checked baggage and must be placed in carry-on bags.
Air travelers may typically bring two lithium ion power banks rated at 100 watt hours without requiring airline permission. This capacity provides multiple smartphone charging cycles.
Non-rechargeable lithium metal batteries are limited to two grams of lithium content per battery. Standard AA and AAA batteries usually contain under one gram of lithium.
These restrictions encompass nearly all lithium batteries found in typical consumer electronics, according to the Federal Aviation Authority.
The FAA states that current lithium ion batteries should display a watt hour (Wh) rating label. However, if your power bank shows energy capacity in milliampere hours (mAH), calculations are necessary, or you can use the FAA’s online calculator.
To calculate your battery’s watt-hour rating, divide the mAH number by 1,000 to obtain ampere hours, then multiply by the device’s voltage, typically 3.7 volts. For instance, a battery rated at 10,000 milliampere hours equals 10 ampere hours. Multiplying by 3.7 volts results in 37 watt hours.
Larger lithium-ion batteries rated between 100 to 160 watt hours, such as those in professional video equipment or medical devices, require airline permission.
Airlines are addressing lithium battery fire risks seriously following recent incidents.
A severe incident occurred in January 2025 when fire erupted on an Air Busan aircraft preparing for departure from a South Korean airport, requiring evacuation of all 176 passengers and crew.
The FAA documents nine lithium battery aviation incidents this year, with six involving power banks.
Battery concerns have caused flight disruptions even without actual problems. Last month, an Easyjet flight from Egypt to Britain diverted to Rome as a precaution after a passenger informed crew about a power bank charging a device in checked luggage.
Lithium batteries in aircraft cargo areas create dangers because crew members cannot immediately respond to smoke or fire situations, according to the International Air Transport Association, or IATA.
Cabin storage allows crew members to quickly address potential fires using fire-resistant containment bags and protective gloves for overheating devices.
While lithium ion battery short-circuit and fire risk remains very low, the resulting hazard is “very horrible,” said Paul Christensen, a professor of pure and applied electrochemistry at the University of Newcastle in the United Kingdom.
Lithium batteries can contain “a huge amount of energy in a very small space,” Christensen said. Danger arises when batteries are crushed, overcharged or overheated. This can cause “thermal runaway,” a chemical reaction producing heat and toxic gases, he said.
Christensen suggests inspecting your power bank for damage signs. Bulging or excessive heat during charging may indicate problems.
He also recommends avoiding inexpensive power banks from unknown manufacturers, which may lack proper quality controls preventing defects or contamination. Poor-quality lithium batteries can “produce thermal runaway a long time after they’ve been purchased,” he said.
During flight, airlines enforce strict power bank handling rules in passenger cabins.
Overhead bin storage is prohibited. Instead, keep power banks easily accessible, such as in seatback pockets or under the seat ahead of you.
Avoid using power banks to charge devices during flight, and don’t recharge them using aircraft power outlets.
If a battery or battery-powered device falls beside your seat, don’t move the seat to retrieve it.
“Seats can crush or damage the battery, which could cause it to overheat or catch fire,” IATA says. Instead, notify cabin crew members who are trained for safe device retrieval.
The FAA notes that individual airlines and international regulations may be more restrictive than U.S. rules, so checking with your airline is advisable when uncertain. Southwest Airlines, for example, announced in April that passengers would be limited to one charger each.
Many airlines maintain detailed regulations for various battery types, including lithium-powered devices like laptops, tablets and e-cigarettes.
MADRID (AP) — During the 1970s in Catholic Spain under Francisco Franco’s dictatorship, Paula Alonso-Pimentel attended religious education classes at age 8 at a faith-based school in Valladolid, a northern Spanish city.
At that location, she reports, a Marist priest sexually violated her over the course of a year in the school’s entrance area, positioning her on his lap and raising her clothing while other pupils walked by. More than five decades have passed, and she now seeks compensation.
Spain’s delayed confrontation with sexual misconduct within the Catholic Church moved into a fresh stage this year when officials introduced a compensation system for situations like Alonso-Pimentel’s involving accused religious figures who are deceased and whose alleged offenses are beyond prosecution time limits.
The Spanish bishops conference and Spain’s government endorsed the system months ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s scheduled visit beginning Saturday to the nation of 50 million people that was once predominantly Catholic. Significantly, it grants the government ultimate authority over compensation decisions. Globally, clergy sexual misconduct and concealment scandals have shaken Catholic dioceses, harming the Church’s standing and undermining papal support more than thirty years since the crisis first became public in Western nations.
In Spain, certain victims feel reassured while others maintain doubt, contending that the timeframe for compensation applications is insufficient and questioning whether success is possible without mandatory, clear payments.
The system allows victims twelve months to submit applications. Currently, 420 individuals have applied. This follows years of dispute after El País newspaper exposed the extent of alleged misconduct during the church’s silence, plus criticism of the church’s independent victim compensation efforts.
Alonso-Pimentel maintains some doubt but hopes the abuse she has worked for decades to overcome will finally receive attention.
“It must cost them, the Church,” she said. “It must cost them because this cannot come for free. It cannot be that they can continue doing it without paying a huge price.”
The Associated Press does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Alonso-Pimentel has done.
For years, she suppressed the recollections. Eventually, she discussed the abuse with friends, romantic partners, mental health professionals and ultimately with others who also claimed clergy had violated them.
Following Pope Francis organizing a worldwide conference in 2019 on clerical misconduct, Alonso-Pimentel contacted the Marist order in Valladolid, requesting information about the priest she claims violated her. She only received his identity. After a short communication period, she became suspicious and ended contact.
When the Spanish church established its independent extrajudicial system for abuse victims in specific cases, she chose not to participate, discouraged by the institution’s approach. Alonso-Pimentel expects the new church-state framework will be more fair.
“I’m going to submit my report no matter what,” she said, “but I also want to see how they work.”
The updated framework requires Spain’s ombudsman to examine each situation through an independent expert team and suggest compensation, whether symbolic, psychological or financial, that the church will subsequently evaluate.
When no consensus is achieved, the situation moves to a joint panel with delegates from the church, the ombudsman’s office and victim organizations. If that panel cannot reach agreement, the ombudsman makes the final decision.
Through El País’ establishment in 2018 of a clergy sexual abuse case database, Spain started addressing a history of priest abuse and concealment by successive generations of bishops and religious leaders. This occurred later than other Western nations, including the United States, Ireland and Australia.
As the database expanded, public anger increased, with Spain’s ombudsman assigned by Parliament to investigate the issue’s scope. In 2023, the ombudsman released a critical 800-page document estimating hundreds of thousands of potential church sexual abuse victims in Spain across decades — using a survey of 8,000 individuals. The document also analyzed 487 documented cases.
Spain’s bishops disputed the estimate, stating their investigation identified 728 sexual abusers within the church since 1945. Most offenses occurred before 1990, the bishops’ conference reported, and 60% of alleged perpetrators were deceased.
In 2024, the bishops independently established a victim assistance system on an individual basis. This came months after the Spanish government declared its plan to require church victim compensation, accusing the church of downplaying the issue. Officials said the church’s internal system was ineffective partly due to lacking external supervision.
For this reason, many victims, including Alonso-Pimentel, stated they preferred not to directly contact the church.
You can’t be a judge and a jury in your own case, Alonso-Pimentel said. “It’s as simple as that.”
Earlier this year, the bishops conference reported paying approximately 2 million euros ($2.3 million) to victims, but recognized some victims’ unease. It accepted the value of the new state-church framework.
“It’s opening a new door for the process that the church has already been developing for the past two years,” said Josetxo Vera, the conference’s communications director.
The Vatican has become more direct about compensating sexual abuse victims. In Leo’s first encyclical, he stated that listening to sexual abuse victims included “acknowledging the harm done” and “just reparation.”
Nevertheless, Spain’s bishops have consistently rejected that clerical abuse is systematic, noting that more sexual crimes occur outside the church.
“We believe that, indeed, human nature is flawed, that it has a propensity for evil, and that it needs a great deal of reconciliation and forgiveness. But I can’t say that it’s a systemic issue,” said Vera. “We are part of this society. We share some of its virtues, and we also share some of its vices and crimes.”
Other victims and advocates fear that Spain’s new approach still lacks sufficient strength. A primary concern: no compensation scale exists based on abuse severity, with the church and government choosing to assess cases individually. Additionally, it lacks legal enforceability.
“I see this protocol actually as being quite fragile,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Bishop Accountability, a Boston-based nonprofit that researches child abuse by priests and the management of those cases by bishops, religious orders and the Vatican. “It has a very short time frame. It has no matrix to establish minimum awards for various categories of injuries. So will it be fair? Will it be consistent?”
Before Leo’s visit, Spanish activist Miguel Hurtado has referenced his personal abuse case to emphasize potential system weaknesses.
More than twenty years ago, Hurtado claims that a monk named Andreu Soler sexually assaulted him when he was a 16-year-old Boy Scout in a group supervised by Soler at the Montserrat Abbey, an 11th-century Benedictine monastery in the mountains near Barcelona.
Initially, the monastery convinced his parents not to report the alleged abuse to authorities, Hurtado stated. He attempted to continue with his life. But as Hurtado witnessed the clerical abuse reckoning occurring years later, he publicly shared his accusations, including to El País.
The Montserrat Abbey, through an independent investigation in 2019, confirmed multiple sexual abuse cases committed by Soler over decades. But Hurtado said it did not accept any obligation to formally compensate victims “because everything is time-barred, both criminally and civilly.”
When questioned by the AP, the monastery refused to comment on Hurtado’s case or whether it will participate with other cases that might arise through the new reparations system.
Hurtado expressed disappointment that Leo will visit the monastery despite the abuse allegations, which he has provided to the Vatican and other church authorities.
He worries the new system could leave many victims uninformed.
“The problem is that it’s built on sand,” Hurtado said.
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — A towering dark plume of smoke billowing over St. Petersburg’s horizon from a Ukrainian drone attack cast an ominous shadow as President Vladimir Putin prepared to launch his yearly display of Russia’s economic accomplishments.
As Putin was scheduled to reach his birthplace on Thursday for the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Ukrainian assault from the previous day that ignited an oil facility delivered yet another humiliating setback to his attempts to downplay the consequences of the 4-year-old war and portray it as a remote occurrence with no impact on everyday Russian life.
The strike, which simultaneously targeted a naval installation near Russia’s second-most populous city on the Gulf of Finland, highlighted Ukraine’s expanding capacity to reach far into its neighboring country and proved that even the heavily fortified city of Putin’s birth faces increasing danger.
Dozens of airline flights experienced delays or rerouting at St. Petersburg’s airport, while officials disabled mobile internet connectivity in an effort to thwart drone operations.
Putin had reduced the scale of Russia’s yearly Victory Day military parade on May 9, concerned about potential Ukrainian drone attacks. Several days afterward, a large-scale drone assault on Moscow’s outskirts resulted in three deaths and exposed the capital’s susceptibility.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russian military forces were advancing within Ukraine “in order to prevent such attacks” similar to the St. Petersburg incident. He observed that “systematic” bombardments of Kyiv that Russia had warned about the previous week were currently taking place.
On Tuesday, Russia launched attacks against Kyiv and additional Ukrainian cities using hundreds of drones and multiple missiles, resulting in 23 fatalities and injuring 151 individuals.
Putin has utilized the forum as a platform to highlight his nation’s economic progress and attract international investment. Frequently described as Russia’s answer to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the event typically brings together tens of thousands of participants from across the globe.
Although Western government representatives and business leaders have avoided the forum since Putin deployed military forces into Ukraine in 2022, Russia has worked to draw more attendees from different regions to emphasize its stated objective of fostering a “multipolar world.”
Saudi Arabia, serving as this year’s special guest nation, has dispatched a substantial delegation. The leaders of Uzbekistan and Tanzania, along with China’s vice president, are also participating. A U.S. official, Rodney Mims Cook Jr., head of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, will attend the event for the first time in years.
Russia’s economic prospects have dimmed as the initial benefits from extensive military expenditures have diminished. The administration has implemented tax increases and expanded domestic borrowing to maintain budget deficit control.
Putin is anticipated to downplay Russia’s economic difficulties during his forum presentation, but the Ukrainian strike on St. Petersburg’s port approximately 15 kilometers (about 9 miles) from the forum’s location has emphasized the mounting obstacles created by the ongoing conflict.
In the hours before the forum commenced on Wednesday, Ukrainian drones also struck the Kronstadt naval facility located on an island in the Gulf of Finland, which has served as the headquarters for Russia’s Baltic Fleet since Peter the Great established St. Petersburg. Although the majority of the fleet has relocated to Russia’s Baltic territory of Kaliningrad, Kronstadt maintains its symbolic significance as the center of the nation’s naval heritage, featuring its historic cathedral and ancient defensive structures.
Major artificial intelligence companies are preparing for stock market launches this year with massive valuations that could reshape Wall Street. Companies like Anthropic, SpaceX, and OpenAI are positioning themselves for initial public offerings as they seek additional funding in the competitive race to advance AI technology.
The enormous costs associated with developing and operating artificial intelligence systems, combined with the goal of creating artificial general intelligence that could outperform humans across various tasks, has generated significant market enthusiasm. This excitement has contributed to pushing stock markets to new record levels.
“These companies are now burning through cash to win the AI race, and public equity is the cheapest source available, particularly in a rising interest rate environment,” said Michael Field, chief equity analyst at Morningstar.
However, concerns about a potential AI market bubble are emerging as billions and trillions of dollars are at stake. Some analysts worry that technology companies and investment firms may be investing excessive amounts in technology that remains relatively new and unproven.
Despite these concerns, the market continues to show strong momentum. Here’s an examination of the major AI companies preparing for public offerings.
SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, reached a valuation of $800 billion last year before jumping to $1.25 trillion following its February merger with Musk’s AI company, xAI. The space exploration firm is now planning what could become one of the largest stock offerings in history, despite currently operating at significant losses. According to May regulatory documents, SpaceX recorded operational losses of $2.6 billion last year against $18.7 billion in revenue, with losses continuing into this year. The xAI division, which operates the Grok chatbot, reported $6.4 billion in operational losses last year based on company records.
The SpaceX acquisition of xAI earlier this year faced opposition from some SpaceX investors who characterized it as an improper bailout, given Musk’s controlling interest in both companies.
SpaceX announced Wednesday its intention to raise up to $75 billion through its upcoming public offering this month, potentially creating the largest stock market debut ever and positioning Musk to become the world’s first trillionaire. This offering would significantly surpass the current IPO record held by Saudi Aramco, which raised $26 billion in 2019.
Anthropic, which develops the Claude chatbot, was established in 2021 by former OpenAI executives. The company recently achieved a valuation of $965 billion, ranking among the world’s most valuable startup companies. This represents remarkable growth for what began as a relatively unknown research facility. The San Francisco company is moving toward a public offering, having announced June 1 that it submitted confidential paperwork to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed IPO.
Anthropic reports generating $47 billion in annual revenue by licensing its technology to individuals and organizations who use Claude for coding and various professional and personal applications.
OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT, started in 2015 as a nonprofit organization focused on developing AI for public benefit. The company now carries a valuation of $852 billion and is planning an IPO potentially as early as this fall.
Despite OpenAI’s role in sparking the current AI surge, Anthropic’s rapid growth and Claude’s increasing market share have put the ChatGPT developer in a position of playing catch-up.
Elon Musk, who co-founded OpenAI, filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against the company and its leadership, alleging that it abandoned its original mission for profit motives. OpenAI responded by suggesting Musk was attempting to gain a larger ownership stake in the company. OpenAI has not yet announced filing initial IPO documentation with the SEC.
Google developed its Gemini AI assistant as a response to competitive pressure from OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which launched in late 2022. Gemini AI technology is now incorporated into Google search and other services including Maps. Alphabet, Google’s parent company based in Mountain View, California, saw its market value rise to $4.54 trillion at the start of June, up from $2.3 trillion the previous year. This increase suggests that Alphabet’s substantial AI investments are generating returns, despite investor concerns about similar spending by other companies.
Meta has integrated its AI assistant, Llama, throughout its business operations, including advertising and consumer tools such as a digital assistant for daily tasks and image and video generation. Unlike competing models, Llama operates as open source software, making it accessible to the public and developers. Meta AI functions as a standalone application and is built into the Menlo Park, California company’s smart glasses. Meta’s market value reached $1.55 trillion in early June, down from $1.76 trillion a year earlier as investors expressed concerns about the company’s significant AI expenditures.
Microsoft, which became publicly traded 40 years ago, would likely be trailing in the AI competition without its strategic multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI. Microsoft supplied the computing infrastructure and financial support that enabled OpenAI to create ChatGPT. This partnership allowed Microsoft to use the same underlying technology for its own AI assistant, now known as Copilot. The previously exclusive partnership has since broadened as both companies seek additional partners to further their AI objectives.
Opening arguments began Thursday in Dallas for the murder trial of a former high school athlete charged with fatally stabbing a teenage competitor during a track and field event.
Karmelo Anthony, currently 19 years old, could receive a life sentence if found guilty in the death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf. Police records indicate Anthony claimed he acted in self-defense during an altercation that occurred at a high school track meet in Frisco, located in the northern suburbs of Dallas.
The incident last April shocked the wealthy Dallas-area community and gained widespread public attention, particularly after social media content portrayed the case through a racial lens.
This week, a jury was selected with heightened security measures at the Collin County courthouse, where a judge has imposed strict guidelines for the trial, including a ban on public statements from legal counsel.
“We know this case has struck a deep nerve — here in Collin County and beyond,” Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said while announcing the indictment against Anthony last year.
The fatal encounter occurred on a wet April morning in 2025. Police reports show that witnesses described the conflict starting when Anthony sat beneath a tent that belonged to Metcalf’s team. The two teenagers were students at different Frisco high schools.
According to the arrest documentation, when Metcalf instructed Anthony to relocate, Anthony reached into his bag and allegedly responded: “Touch me and see what happens.”
The report states that shortly afterward, Metcalf allegedly grabbed Anthony, who then produced a knife and stabbed the other teen in the chest.
In the police report, an officer noted that Anthony stated Metcalf had physically contacted him first and that he was defending himself.
Following last summer’s indictment, Mike Howard, Anthony’s attorney, said he anticipates prosecutors would “not be able to rule out the reasonable doubt” that his client may have acted in self-defense once the complete details of the confrontation emerge.
Both teenagers’ families described them as strong students with college aspirations.
The father of the victim has criticized those who have focused on the racial backgrounds of the teens following the death. Anthony is Black; Austin Metcalf was white.
“This was not a race thing. This is not a political thing. Please do not comment if you do not know what happened,” Metcalf’s father, Jeff Metcalf, said on Fox News’ “America Reports.”
“This is a human being thing,” he said. “This person made a bad choice and it affected both his family and my family forever.”
Law enforcement officials have also cautioned against online commentary about the killing. Frisco Police Chief David Shilson has encouraged the public to be wary of posts spreading “misinformation, hate, fear, and division.”
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is receiving criticism from both political opponents and supporters who warn he’s becoming trapped in a difficult position regarding the Iran conflict, a military engagement he initially described as a short operation that has now entered a prolonged stalemate.
Almost a week has passed since American and Iranian negotiators reached a preliminary deal to extend the current ceasefire by 60 days and begin fresh discussions about Iran’s nuclear activities, an agreement that needed Trump’s approval.
However, Trump has requested unspecified modifications to the deal, and Iranian leaders — possibly believing the Republican president is hesitant to resume bombing after depleting crucial weapons stockpiles — appear unwilling to accommodate additional requirements.
Recent strikes between the U.S. and Iran this week have sparked new worries that the ceasefire might fail. Trump minimized these concerns on Wednesday.
“It’s a different part of the world,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “You know, I’d say in that part of the world, a ceasefire is when you’re shooting in a more moderate manner.”
This uncertain situation comes after Trump has repeatedly claimed since the 14-day ceasefire began on April 7 — after 38 days of U.S. and Israel attacks on Iran — that an agreement is imminent and that Iranian leaders are desperate for a settlement. Trump suggested on Wednesday that something might materialize “over the weekend.”
Without a temporary agreement in place to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, worldwide energy costs continue to be high and are contributing to global concerns about the effects of increased expenses from the three-month war on food, fuel and other commodities.
Following multiple reports this week that Iran was ending discussions, Trump told CNBC he “couldn’t care less” if negotiations had stalled and even suggested they had become “boring.”
Growing worry exists within the administration and among key advisers and allies that Trump now faces a difficult situation, according to a U.S. official and another person familiar with the administration’s internal discussions, both of whom spoke to The Associated Press anonymously to discuss private conversations.
He’s caught between Democrats exploiting oil prices and warnings from hawkish supporters that an early withdrawal from the conflict would represent surrender.
Trump is privately receiving advice from other Republican lawmakers, Pentagon officials and Gulf allies that returning to the bombing strategy would be unwise.
Those recommending against resuming military operations point out that the U.S. has depleted ammunition too quickly. Restocking some essential weapons systems could require three years.
Meanwhile, Gulf allies worry that Iran will strike back against them and their vital infrastructure and energy assets, further damaging their economies.
Simultaneously, Trump has rejected accepting a deal that looks like the 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated by Democrat Barack Obama’s administration, which limited Iran’s nuclear program in return for removing international economic sanctions.
During his first presidency, Trump withdrew from the agreement, claiming it failed to permanently halt Iran’s nuclear program, ignored Iran’s ballistic missile development, and didn’t punish Iran for backing militant proxy groups throughout the Middle East.
Currently, Trump, according to those aware of internal discussions, has expressed strong feelings that he cannot make “a bad deal” and is very conscious that he’s at a critical moment where he risks damaging his legacy if he makes an error.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly rejected the idea that Trump has been cornered or that there’s any worry within the administration about the negotiation timeline.
“These mysterious so-called ‘administration officials’ have no idea what they’re talking about — those actually involved in sensitive discussions know to trust in President Trump, who will always do what is best for U.S. national security,” Kelly said in a statement.
Israeli and hawkish allies in Washington have argued to Trump that a deal now would represent unconditional surrender, encouraging him to increase economic pressure on Iran and support Israel’s assault on the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.
However, Trump earlier this week in a tense call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Israel to stop, and on Wednesday, Israel and Lebanon announced they agreed to extend a ceasefire. Hezbollah was not involved in the Israel-Lebanon discussions, which have occurred at the ambassadorial level in Washington since early last month.
Staying in the current situation with Tehran — neither fully resuming fighting nor completing an interim agreement to restart nuclear discussions — is a circumstance that Iran seems better positioned to use, argues Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the hawkish Washington think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Despite being the weaker side, Iran appears to be calculating that the longer the stalemate continues, the better their chances of “boxing in” Trump, he added.
“Either way, Tehran appears more resolute than ever to not provide Trump with a victory image, hence why it isn’t budging on the battlefield or negotiating table,” Taleblu said.
Meanwhile, Democrats are attempting to benefit from Trump’s management of the unpopular war before November’s midterm elections. The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed for the first time a symbolic resolution demanding a stop to military action against Iran, with four Republican lawmakers joining Democrats in criticizing Trump’s war.
During extensive hearings on Capitol Hill on Tuesday and Wednesday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Democrats attacked Trump for dismissing the economic effects of the conflict on Americans and for failing to predict that Iran would close the Strait.
In one heated exchange, New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker cited the unstable ceasefire as evidence that Iran holds the advantage.
“We are the strongest nation on the planet Earth, and we’re in a stalemate with Iran,” Booker said. “And now we’re begging to get back into a deal that you all trashed in the first place.”
Rubio rejected the criticism, emphasizing that Iran has been put at a disadvantage with the strikes that eliminated multiple levels of senior leadership and devastated Iran’s economy.
“There’s no one begging,” Rubio responded. “I don’t know where you’re getting this perception that Iran is stronger.”
Another Democrat, Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, focused on Trump’s comments last month that voter concerns about living costs were “not even a little bit” of a motivating factor for him to reach a deal to end the war.
The president continues to minimize the rising costs for Americans at gas stations and predict that fuel prices would drop dramatically after the conflict concludes.
Christopher Borick, the director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion in Pennsylvania, said that Democrats campaigning in competitive districts nationwide are already focusing on Trump’s statements about the war’s impact on Americans’ finances.
“There’s significant risk in having this thing drag on for Republicans,” Borick said. “It’s certainly going to hurt if Trump ends up in a place where the war ends and Iran’s nuclear program is in the same place. But for Republicans in some of these tough swing districts, there’s a case to be made to rip the bandage off now, get some easing in the oil markets and hope there’s enough time for voters to turn the page.”
Stock markets across Asia declined Thursday after Wall Street experienced drops that ended a nine-day winning streak for the S&P 500.
Crude oil prices dropped after climbing Wednesday when renewed conflict jeopardized the U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
During early Thursday trading in Asia, Brent crude declined $1.17 to $96.64 per barrel, while benchmark U.S. crude oil dropped $1.08 to $94.94 per barrel. Crude prices had risen the previous day after both the United States and Iran reported launching retaliatory strikes for previous attacks or attempted strikes.
In equity markets, Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped 1.9% to 67,101.83 as investors sold technology stocks to secure profits. Energy and technology conglomerate SoftBank Group plummeted 10.4%, while Shin-Etsu Chemical declined 3.8%.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng decreased 1.3% to 25,299.29, and the Shanghai Composite index dropped 0.4% to 4,067.46.
In South Korea, the Kospi fell 1.7% to 8,651.87, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 1.5% to 8,657.40.
On Wednesday, the S&P 500 declined 0.7% from its record high for its first decrease in 10 days, ending at 7,553.68. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 1.2% to 50,687.07, while the Nasdaq composite dropped 0.9% to 26,853.98.
Palo Alto Networks contributed to the market decline, falling 5.6% despite reporting quarterly earnings that exceeded analyst projections.
Equities also faced pressure from rising bond market yields, which increased alongside oil prices. The 10-year Treasury yield climbed to 4.49% from 4.46% late Tuesday and from just 3.97% before the war started.
Elevated yields globally threaten to slow economic growth and reduce values for stocks and various other investments. They have already pushed the average long-term U.S. mortgage rate to its highest level in nine months, and they may limit companies’ borrowing for artificial-intelligence data centers that have recently supported U.S. economic expansion.
Costlier loans can particularly impact smaller companies because many require borrowing for growth. The Russell 2000 index of the smallest U.S. stocks declined 1.3%, exceeding broader market losses.
Wednesday’s U.S. economic data showed mixed results. A report from the Institute for Supply Management indicated that growth accelerated more than economists anticipated last month for U.S. construction, agricultural and other services businesses.
The survey also revealed businesses are experiencing pressure from higher costs due to tariffs and increased oil prices.
Nevertheless, stocks remain close to record levels, despite all the global economic pressure from higher inflation.
Crude prices stay below their war-time peaks with Iran, and optimism appears to persist on Wall Street that the United States and Iran will eventually agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers. This would enhance global crude flow and hopefully reduce prices.
GameStop gained 6% after the video-game retailer reported its latest quarter revenue increased 14% from the previous year. The company also revealed a plan to return up to $2 billion to investors through stock buybacks.
Macy’s rose 0.6% after fluctuating between gains and losses throughout the day. The retailer posted quarterly profit that significantly exceeded analyst expectations, while stating that a merchandise overhaul and improved customer service is connecting with shoppers.
In other early Thursday trading, the U.S. dollar declined to 159.90 Japanese yen from 160.08 yen late Wednesday. The euro increased to $1.1610 from $1.1600.
Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda has virtually guaranteed an interest rate increase this month as he adopts a more aggressive stance against rising inflation driven by Middle East conflict and energy price shocks.
During a Wednesday address, Ueda abandoned his previously cautious approach and emphasized the central bank’s willingness to combat escalating inflation that could damage Japan’s economy if allowed to continue unchecked.
This represents a fundamental change in Japan’s monetary policy direction, placing inflation concerns at the heart of interest rate decisions rather than simply focusing on reaching the stable 2% inflation target.
Most significantly, he dropped previous uncertainty regarding supply disruptions, signaling the BOJ will no longer ignore war-related inflation if it threatens to create broader economic ripple effects.
This messaging signals a new chapter in Ueda’s five-year leadership. After spending his initial period dismantling his predecessor’s aggressive stimulus measures, he’s now guiding the BOJ toward a more traditional function: maintaining stable inflation.
The BOJ ended a decade of massive economic stimulus in 2024 and has increased its benchmark rate multiple times, including in December, based on expectations that Japan was approaching sustainable achievement of its 2% inflation goal.
“Even if the situation surrounding the Middle East remains unclear, we must discuss the pros and cons of raising the policy rate if we judge that upside risks to prices outweigh downside risks to economic activity,” Ueda stated, words that strengthened widespread market expectations for a rate increase at the June 15-16 policy meeting.
His comments mirrored statements he made before December’s rate boost, when he mentioned a similar “pros and cons” evaluation.
However, this time Ueda expanded the circumstances under which rates might increase.
Previously, the BOJ’s tightening approach had been characterized as a careful, gradual withdrawal from stimulus connected to achieving consistent 2% inflation.
Ueda has now introduced an additional catalyst focused solely on inflation dangers. With companies altering their pricing strategies, he cautioned that energy disruptions could intensify price pressures.
“Unless there’s a severe escalation in the conflict, the BOJ will probably hike rates in June,” said a source familiar with its thinking, a view echoed by another source.
Ueda also warned against delaying action too long, pointing out that increasing raw material expenses are already pushing up wholesale prices and could spread more widely throughout the economy.
The shift in messaging demonstrates the BOJ’s increasing worry about building price pressures, according to veteran BOJ watcher Mari Iwashita, who considers a June rate hike certain.
“The war-induced wave of price increases has only just begun and is likely to intensify around summer,” she said. “Ueda’s remarks suggest the BOJ is bracing for the chance of being forced to raise rates in autumn, possibly at a faster pace.”
Meanwhile, Ueda attempted to ease concerns from a dovish government about potential economic harm from rate increases.
He presented policy tightening as protection against declining household buying power. Considering the administration’s resistance to higher government borrowing expenses, Ueda also promoted timely hikes as a method to maintain market confidence and prevent disruptive spikes in bond yields.
Despite the more hawkish direction, the yen kept declining, highlighting ongoing market doubt. The currency stays close to the 160-per-dollar threshold viewed as Tokyo’s intervention trigger, maintaining pressure on import costs and living expenses.
Even a June increase may not reverse the yen’s downward trajectory.
Some experts believe it will require a stronger, sustained tightening message to significantly impact the currency.
“Even if the BOJ raises rates in June, any rebound in the yen will be limited,” said Rinto Maruyama, a strategist at SMBC Nikko Securities.
The social media company has delayed the launch of its Muse Spark artificial intelligence model for software developers on multiple occasions and currently has no firm release timeline, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing sources with knowledge of the situation.
A company representative confirmed to Reuters on Wednesday that they are currently conducting tests of the Application Programming Interface with select early partners and anticipate making it available this month.
An Application Programming Interface serves as a software bridge that establishes how two different software systems communicate with each other.
“The muse spark API will be coming soon,” the company’s AI Chief Alexandr Wang posted on the social media platform X back in April.
The tech giant introduced Muse Spark in April, positioning it as their initial model designed to narrow the competitive gap with other companies in the field. This model represents the debut offering from the company’s Superintelligence Labs division.
On Wednesday, the company also announced a new AI assistant designed to support businesses with their daily operational tasks, signaling their intention to challenge competitors including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Alphabet’s Google.
NEW YORK guard Jalen Brunson delivered a clutch performance Wednesday night, netting 30 points with 13 coming in the final quarter as the Knicks mounted a dramatic comeback to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 in the opening contest of the NBA Finals.
The victory marked New York’s 12th straight playoff win, matching the second-longest postseason winning streak in NBA history. The triumph also represented the franchise’s first Finals appearance since 1999.
After trailing by 14 points during the third quarter, the Knicks dominated the final period, finishing the contest with an 11-point scoring run while committing zero turnovers in those crucial 12 minutes.
Karl-Anthony Towns provided solid support with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while OG Anunoby chipped in 17 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter when New York seized control.
San Antonio struggled down the stretch, turning the ball over five times in the final quarter while shooting just 28.6% from the field and getting outscored 29-19.
Spurs standout Victor Wembanyama put up 26 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked three shots, though he connected on only 6 of 21 field goal attempts. Stephon Castle contributed 17 points and eight rebounds, Julian Champagnie recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Dylan Harper added 16 points coming off the bench.
The pivotal sequence came late in the fourth when Brunson scored eight consecutive points, capping it with a driving basket that put New York ahead 94-86 with 6:08 remaining. Wembanyama answered with eight points during a 9-0 Spurs surge that gave San Antonio a 95-94 edge with 2:16 left on the clock.
However, the Spurs failed to score again. Brunson connected on a corner three-pointer to reclaim the lead with 1:50 remaining, then Mikal Bridges sank two free throws, Brunson hit a jumper, and Anunoby sealed the victory with four straight free throws.
Landry Shamet provided 13 points off New York’s bench, while Josh Hart recorded an impressive stat line of 15 rebounds, six assists, four steals and three points.
The Knicks shot 41.5% from the floor overall and made 11 of 36 three-point attempts for 30.6%. San Antonio connected on 36% of their shots and went 11 of 43 from beyond the arc for 25.6%.
San Antonio held a seven-point halftime advantage before opening the third quarter with 10 of the first 13 points to build a 65-51 lead on Harper’s basket. New York responded with a 20-6 run to tie the game at 71 on Brunson’s jumper with 2:01 left in the third.
Champagnie knocked down five three-pointers for 15 first-half points as the Spurs led 55-48 at intermission. Brunson managed 11 points in the opening half despite suffering a right knee injury in the first quarter and hurting his left ankle in the second.
Backup center Mitchell Robinson played 13 minutes despite a broken right pinkie, contributing two points and six rebounds.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series takes place Friday night in San Antonio.
The Toronto Blue Jays completed a cash deal Wednesday to bring back right-handed pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson from the Minnesota Twins, marking a return for the former organizational prospect.
The 25-year-old Woods Richardson was placed on waivers by Minnesota last Saturday following a difficult 2024 campaign where he posted a winless 0-7 record and 7.74 earned run average across 12 appearances, including 10 as a starter.
Blue Jays skipper John Schneider expressed optimism about the acquisition, stating: “He has been a pretty good stable guy in Minnesota’s rotation for a couple of years. So I think having some confidence and hopefully maybe tweaking a few things here and there can get him back on track.”
Schneider noted that Woods Richardson would not be available for Thursday’s series conclusion against the host Atlanta Braves.
Throughout his five-year major league career spent entirely with Minnesota, Woods Richardson has posted a 12-17 win-loss record alongside a 4.76 ERA. He has recorded 258 strikeouts against 124 walks across 302 1/3 innings in 65 appearances, with 61 coming as starts.
The pitcher’s professional journey began when the Mets chose him in the 2018 draft’s second round. A year later, he joined Toronto’s organization as part of the trade that sent right-hander Marcus Stroman to New York.
Woods Richardson developed within Toronto’s minor league system until July 2021, when he and outfielder Austin Martin were dealt to Minnesota in the trade for right-hander Jose Berrios.
An Idaho-based precious metals company successfully completed its debut on the U.S. stock market Wednesday, securing $270 million from investors as part of a wave of new companies seeking public investment.
Sunshine Silver Mining & Refining Company, headquartered in Kellogg, Idaho, offered 20 million shares priced at $13.50 each, which fell at the bottom of the company’s projected price range.
This public offering reflects a broader trend of increased stock market debut activity in 2026, with notable companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and artificial intelligence company Anthropic preparing their own market launches in coming days. Mining companies are particularly active in this trend, with CopperTech Metals submitting paperwork for a New York exchange listing just Tuesday.
Data shows at least 18 companies—primarily from Canada and Australia, plus several American startups—have either finished or are working toward dual U.S. stock exchange listings this year, compared to only three companies in 2025.
Established in 2010, Sunshine Silver specializes in buying, redeveloping and operating precious metal mining properties throughout North America. The company is currently working to reopen and expand a previously closed mining operation in Idaho’s Silver Valley, which ranks among the most historically productive silver mining areas in the United States.
Investment firms Electrum Group and Ospraie Management back the company. Regulatory documents indicate Electrum will maintain ownership of more than 50% of Sunshine Silver’s total shares following completion of the public offering.
The company will begin trading Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange using the ticker symbol “SSMR”, joining other prominent new listings including Honeywell’s Quantinuum division and gas engine producer Innio.
Morgan Stanley, Scotiabank and BMO Capital Markets served as the primary underwriters managing Sunshine Silver’s stock offering.
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday evening his intention to formally nominate Todd Blanche for attorney general, selecting his former personal attorney who has been leading the Justice Department in an interim capacity.
Speaking at a White House dinner, Trump revealed plans to submit the nomination Thursday, with video of his remarks shared on social media by a White House staff member.
“We are going to make him permanent attorney general,” Trump declared during the Rose Garden gathering.
Since taking over in an acting capacity, Blanche has worked to establish himself as the top candidate for the permanent position following the dismissal of Pam Bondi in April. He has ramped up investigations targeting Trump adversaries and unveiled a proposed $1.776 billion compensation program for the president’s supporters who allegedly faced political targeting. The controversial fund sparked opposition from both parties, forcing the Justice Department to abandon the proposal earlier this week in a dramatic reversal.
Originally joining the department as deputy attorney general, Blanche was promoted after Bondi’s removal due to her unsuccessful attempts to prosecute Trump’s political enemies. Though Blanche denied seeking the top job, his high-profile decisions since assuming leadership have clearly demonstrated his commitment to Trump’s agenda.
Critics, particularly Democrats, have condemned Blanche’s approach, claiming he continues operating as Trump’s personal attorney rather than serving the public interest in his pursuit of the president’s revenge agenda. The “Anti-Weaponization Fund” also drew criticism from Senate Republicans, whose approval Blanche will require for confirmation.
On Tuesday, Blanche informed Congress the Justice Department was dropping the fund proposal after political opposition threatened to derail funding for Trump’s immigration enforcement operations.
Despite Blanche’s claims of independence from presidential influence, the Justice Department has intensified its focus on Trump’s long-standing opponents during his tenure.
In April, former FBI Director James Comey faced indictment related to a social media image showing seashells on a beach, which authorities characterized as a presidential threat. Comey has denounced the charges as politically driven and expressed expectation of additional prosecutions.
Blanche has also named Joseph diGenova, an 81-year-old former Reagan-era Justice Department prosecutor, to lead a Florida investigation examining whether former law enforcement and intelligence personnel conspired to target Trump over the past decade.
A former New York federal prosecutor, Blanche gained national recognition leading Trump’s legal defense, including during the Republican’s hush money case in New York. He has stated this experience provided him direct insight into what he describes as the weaponization of criminal justice against Trump.
Taiwan’s leadership called on China Thursday to acknowledge the violent suppression of pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square 37 years ago, marking an anniversary that China continues to treat as forbidden territory.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te used social media to address the sensitive milestone, writing: “I sincerely hope that China can face up to the June 4 incident of 37 years ago, acknowledge the truth, soothe the pain, and open the door to reconciliation and dialogue.”
The June 4, 1989 incident, when Chinese military forces fired on student-led democracy advocates in and around the Beijing square, remains off-limits for public discussion in China with no official recognition of the anniversary.
Memorial events now occur in cities outside China’s borders, including Taipei, where Taiwan’s government officials regularly use the date to criticize China. Beijing considers the democratically-run island nation part of its territory.
In his social media statement, Lai cautioned against “blindly believing” in military force and argued that responsible governments and societies should work to improve future generations’ prospects rather than employ “violence, surveillance, and other means to strangle their dreams and erase their opinions.”
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office had not provided a response to requests for comment regarding Lai’s statements.
Beijing labels Lai a “separatist” and has rejected his repeated attempts at dialogue. Lai maintains that Taiwan’s citizens alone should determine their nation’s path forward.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also marked the anniversary Wednesday, stating that Beijing’s censorship efforts cannot eliminate recollections of the military attack. This continues the American tradition of the nation’s chief diplomat recognizing the date, which consistently angers Beijing.
“Those who sacrificed to uphold their unalienable rights of free expression and peaceful assembly will be vindicated someday,” Rubio stated.
China’s foreign ministry had not responded to requests for comment on Rubio’s remarks. Last year, Beijing condemned Rubio for his Tiananmen commentary, claiming he was “distorting” historical reality and attacking China’s governing structure.
Chinese military tanks entered Tiananmen Square in the early morning hours of June 4, 1989, ending weeks of democracy demonstrations by students and laborers.
Beijing has never released complete casualty figures, though human rights organizations and eyewitnesses estimate deaths could number in the thousands. China characterized the demonstrations as counter-revolutionary efforts to topple the ruling Communist Party.
In Hong Kong, where annual candlelight ceremonies in Victoria Park once attracted tens of thousands annually, public memorial events ended after Beijing enacted a national security law in 2020.
These vigils previously symbolized the financial center’s greater freedoms compared to mainland China, but the anniversary there now features heavy police deployment with minimal visible remembrance activities.
Multiple memorial events were planned for Thursday in various global cities, including four locations in Germany and one in Australia.
Australian wine producer Treasury Wine Estates announced Thursday a comprehensive restructuring strategy aimed at streamlining operations and restoring investor confidence through a focus on premium wine labels.
The company revealed plans to dramatically reduce its brand portfolio from the current 76 labels to fewer than 30 within five years, concentrating efforts on what it calls “Regional Heroes” and “Power Brands” categories.
Treasury Wine aims to achieve approximately A$100 million ($71.33 million) in annual cost reductions through operational changes and supply chain improvements.
Three flagship brands — Penfolds, DAOU and Matua — represent only 25% of production volume but drive 54% of total net sales revenue for the company.
The restructuring plan allocates the majority of marketing and promotional spending to these premium brands, with investment targeted at 12% of net sales revenue.
The company identified significant issues within its Americas operations, citing excessive inventory from recent wine harvests and surplus capacity throughout its vineyard, winery and packaging facilities.
Treasury Wine outlined plans to sell its facilities in Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo, terminate vineyard lease agreements in Napa Valley, Sonoma and the Central Coast, while concentrating luxury wine production at its St Helena Winery location.
Performance in the Americas division has struggled due to weakened wine demand and operational disruptions following distribution network changes.
The winemaker has increasingly relied on its premium wine collection, particularly the Penfolds brand — a high-end red wine label with strong market positioning — to maintain profitability and margins.
Company stock prices surged as much as 12.6% to A$4.640 following the announcement, reaching the highest level since May 25 and marking the strongest trading session since April 22.
Treasury Wine projects earnings before interest, taxes and SGARA items will range between A$480 million to A$490 million by 2026, down from A$770.3 million in the prior year.
A German manufacturer of gas engines announced Wednesday it successfully completed a $2.43 billion initial public offering in the United States, benefiting from strong investor appetite for businesses that support artificial intelligence infrastructure development.
The Munich-based company’s main shareholder AI Alpine, which is jointly owned by funds operated by Advent International and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, placed 90 million shares at $27 per share during the offering. This pricing hit the maximum of the company’s projected range between $24 and $27.
The stock market debut occurs during a positive period for businesses connected to AI infrastructure development, as investors eagerly seek companies that facilitate the technology’s expansion, including electrification services and data center supply chains.
The gas engine manufacturer joins multiple companies from various industries including software and insurance that are scheduled to debut on New York exchanges Thursday, buoyed by improving market conditions and accumulated appetite for fresh public offerings.
Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley served as the primary underwriters managing the stock offering.
Trading will commence Thursday on the Nasdaq exchange using the ticker symbol “INIO.”
The company was established after Advent International agreed to acquire General Electric’s distributed power division in a $3.25 billion transaction during 2018. The sovereign wealth fund ADIA acquired a minority ownership position in the business five years afterward.
During Advent’s control, the manufacturer has concentrated on high-growth market segments and expanded its presence across North America, increasing investments in domestic manufacturing and assembly operations.
The company produces gas engines through its Jenbacher and Waukesha product lines for essential infrastructure applications, including data centers, microgrids, electrical grid stabilization, industrial power generation and gas compression systems.
Market demand for the company’s gas engines has expanded as data center operators increasingly combine new facilities with on-location distributed power systems.
The manufacturer’s yearly data center equipment orders jumped to $2.28 billion in 2025, compared to $27 million during 2023. The company has secured significant contracts, including a deal for a multi-gigawatt power facility serving a major data center.
Ukrainian military forces conducted operations against two primary population centers in the Crimean peninsula under Russian control, according to Moscow-appointed regional authorities who reported the incidents early Thursday morning. The attacks occurred following a day of mutual strikes between the two nations targeting urban areas.
The Russia-appointed leader of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, posted on Telegram that Ukrainian military forces had struck a non-residential area of Simferopol, which serves as the peninsula’s primary administrative center. Three people lost their lives in the attack while seven others sustained injuries, according to his statement.
In Sevastopol, a major Crimean port city, the locally-installed Russian governor Mikhail Razvozhayev reported that defense systems had successfully intercepted over 20 Ukrainian unmanned aircraft.
While Razvozhayev did not report any casualties in Sevastopol, he noted that falling drone fragments caused damage to several structures. The city remained under air raid warnings for almost five hours.
Russia took control of and formally annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014, eight years prior to launching its comprehensive invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This occurred after widespread demonstrations led to the departure of a pro-Moscow Ukrainian leader.
Regional authorities have implemented steps to address fuel supply issues following Ukraine’s intensified campaign targeting petroleum infrastructure, including facilities located far within Russian territory.
Both countries launched strikes against each other’s urban centers on Wednesday.
In the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, described as one of the nation’s key “fortress cities” positioned along the 1,200-kilometer front line, Russian bombardment resulted in the deaths of at least three civilians, as reported by Vadym Filashkin, who governs Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
In the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region, local governor Oleksandr Hanzha reported that Russian military actions wounded eight individuals in the vicinity of Dnipro, the region’s primary urban center.
Ukraine’s campaign against Moscow’s petroleum sector included an assault on an oil facility in St Petersburg on Wednesday. Zelenskiy stated that these strikes allow Ukraine “to end this war on equal footing.”
In Russia’s Bryansk border region, Acting Regional Governor Yegor Kovalchuk reported that a Ukrainian drone strike killed a crane operator employed by the area’s utility company.
Diplomatic efforts mediated by the United States aimed at progressing toward resolution of the conflict, which has lasted more than four years, have reached an impasse as Washington maintains its attention on the situation in Iran.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed a Senate subcommittee on Wednesday that the possibility of conflict escalation was “real,” representing a greater threat than existed two years earlier.
Russia announced last month its intention to conduct “systematic” attacks on targets in Kyiv as retaliation for what it characterized as a drone assault on a dormitory in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region. Ukraine has rejected responsibility for that attack.
Russian military actions against Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities resulted in 23 deaths early Tuesday morning.
New Castle County police are actively searching for a 71-year-old Newark resident who vanished from her home in the early morning hours of Wednesday.
Authorities have activated a Gold Alert for Grace Bedford, who departed from her home on the 200 block of Tinsley Court around 1:30 a.m. on June 3, 2026. Bedford left without taking her mobile phone and has not returned to her residence.
The New Castle County Division of Police is asking for the public’s assistance in locating Bedford.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — While no official confirmation exists regarding President Donald Trump’s plans to attend upcoming NBA Finals games in New York, Commissioner Adam Silver suggested Wednesday that athletic events continue to serve as unifying forces during polarizing times.
Without directly naming Trump, Silver addressed questions about “unique people” expected at the New York games and the league’s preparation protocols for such occasions. According to The New York Post, which cited unnamed sources, Madison Square Garden staff have conducted “security walkthroughs” in preparation for a potential Trump appearance.
The series’ third game is scheduled for Monday in New York, which is Trump’s home city. Wednesday marked the series opener in San Antonio, with the second game set for Friday at the same venue.
“I think what’s really so special about sports in our society — and it’s a little bit of a cliché, but our increasingly divided society, and that goes to people who will be attending the first home game at Madison Square Garden — it truly brings people together,” Silver said. “It creates a sense of connectivity among people. It creates a sense of belonging, and I feel that every day.”
The White House had not responded to requests for comment by Wednesday evening.
Trump has frequently appeared at high-profile sporting events. He revealed to reporters recently that Knicks owner James Dolan extended an invitation to the NBA Finals, adding he would have attended Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals — however, the Knicks completed their series victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in just four games.
Trump described the Knicks’ first Finals appearance since 1999 as “great to see.”
Throughout his political career, Trump has regularly attended major sporting competitions. His recent appearances include the College Football Playoff championship and a primetime NFL matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets shortly before the 2024 election.
Ohio State University’s board of trustees voted Wednesday to approve a settlement worth roughly $100 million for hundreds of former student athletes who were sexually abused by a university physician decades ago.
The university has been defending against federal lawsuits since 2018 filed by former student athletes who accused the school of failing to prevent abuse by Dr. Richard Strauss. The doctor was employed at the university between 1978 and 1998 and operated a clinic off campus. He passed away in 2005.
At Wednesday’s board meeting, trustees gave preliminary approval to settle with all except one of the 280 abuse survivors whose legal claims remain active in court proceedings. When completed, this agreement could bring closure to years of litigation and end a dark period in the university’s past.
“The survivors of the Strauss abuse are all Buckeyes, will always be a part of our family and our community, and I firmly believe that,” university president Ravi Bellamkonda stated at the meeting. “We continue to be very grateful to them for their courage in coming forward, and reaching a final resolution is very important to us and is an important step forward.”
An independent investigation previously determined that numerous Ohio State staff members were aware of complaints regarding Strauss’ behavior starting in 1979 but failed to conduct proper investigations or take significant action for years.
In a combined statement Wednesday, the university and legal representatives expressed gratitude to mediators and confirmed they are working to complete the settlement terms.
The university had previously reached settlements with 317 survivors totaling more than $61 million. Many former student athletes entered into confidential agreements that protected their identities. Former NFL players were among those who suffered abuse, according to legal counsel involved in the cases.
Federal agriculture officials have verified the presence of the New World screwworm fly in southern Texas, marking the first detection in nearly six decades of the parasite whose flesh-consuming larvae pose a significant danger to the nation’s livestock sector.
The case was identified in a three-week-old calf located in LaPryor, Texas, approximately 50 miles from the Mexican border, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Wednesday. In response, Texas State Veterinarian Bud Dinges has implemented a 12-mile quarantine perimeter that restricts movement of all warm-blooded creatures, including household pets, without proper inspection.
While no additional detections have occurred within U.S. borders, Rollins emphasized that although the larvae present dangers to livestock operations, they do not contaminate food products. She noted that with appropriate treatment, even the affected calf is expected to make a full recovery.
For over a year, agriculture officials and cattle industry representatives have been raising public awareness about the fly’s spread throughout Mexico, driven by historical memories of the pest causing tens of millions in economic damage before its elimination in the 1970s.
This marks the initial confirmed occurrence in Texas since 1966, according to Rollins.
Extensive prevention measures have involved releasing millions of sterilized screwworm flies in the region to breed with wild females, employing the same successful strategy used during the previous eradication campaign. Rollins expressed confidence in the preparedness efforts, stating the USDA believes “there is no threat of mass infestation.”
“There is no reason to believe this incursion will result in establishment of the pest in our country,” Rollins stated.
The confirmation came just one day following Rollins’ online press briefing highlighting the approaching danger, with confirmed cases in Mexico detected as near as 25 miles from the border, while outlining the department’s combat strategies.
The New World Screwworm fly represents a tropical species that historically infected cattle during warm seasons throughout the southern United States, but remained confined to Panama until the end of 2024.
Female flies deposit eggs within open wounds or mucous membranes, which develop into flesh-consuming larvae that differ from typical fly species and can affect livestock, wild animals, pets, and humans. Without treatment, infestations may prove fatal.
In August 2025, federal health authorities verified a case involving a Maryland resident who had visited El Salvador, though the individual recovered and officials discovered no parasite transmission. The previous outbreak occurred in the Florida Keys during September 2016, primarily affecting wild deer, and was successfully contained by early the following year.
Female flies reproduce only once during their multi-month lifespan, and mating with sterile flies prevents egg hatching, eventually eliminating the population. Previous eradication success led the U.S. to close sterile fly breeding facilities, maintaining only one in Panama for decades.
This situation is now changing. The USDA allocated $21 million to transform a fruit-fly breeding facility in southern Mexico for screwworm fly production, established a new distribution center for sterile flies in southern Texas, and began constructing a $750 million screwworm fly facility there. The Mexican breeding operation should begin functioning next month, Rollins reported.
Officials have also positioned 8,000 fly traps along the U.S.-Mexico border, with the USDA examining over 58,000 fly specimens and 19,000 wild animals.
Rollins additionally suspended U.S.-Mexico livestock imports from Mexico last year, a choice she supported during Tuesday’s press conference. While the fly can also travel with people, pets, and wild animals, Rollins stressed Wednesday evening that it cannot fly long distances independently.
Dinges emphasized that ranchers and pet owners must respect the quarantine boundaries.
“Please help us prevent any further movement of this pest by staying put,” he stated.
Green Bay’s star defensive player Micah Parsons informed reporters on Wednesday that his return to the field is still months away, despite earlier hopes of rejoining the team during the season’s opening weeks. The All-Pro edge rusher said he remains four months from receiving medical clearance to practice.
The 27-year-old underwent ACL reconstruction surgery on Dec. 29 following a season-ending injury suffered during a Dec. 14 game against the Denver Broncos. Parsons disclosed Wednesday that doctors also performed a meniscus procedure during the same surgery.
The five-time Pro Bowl defender is expected to begin the season on the physically unable to perform list, automatically sidelining him for the team’s first four contests.
“The goal for me is to complete the season — not no relapse — and playoffs and pushing towards a championship,” Parsons explained. “The goal isn’t for me to go out there and rehurt myself trying to force myself to get back the first few games. The goal has always been (to be available for the) playoffs, and I think we’re all on the same page.”
Should Parsons start the season on the PUP list, he could return to practice before Green Bay’s Week 5 home game against division rival Chicago Bears on Oct. 11. The Packers then welcome Parsons’ previous team, the Dallas Cowboys, the following Sunday.
“We have a pretty good strong nine-month rule,” Parsons said regarding the team’s approach. “Through the research and the data, there’s no good outcomes with players coming back early from an ACL, especially if you had other things that had to get fixed up. It’s just all about completing the rehab to the best of our ability and then seeing where we’re at from there.”
Prior to Parsons’ injury, Green Bay had compiled a strong 9-3-1 record, but the team collapsed with four consecutive losses to end the regular season and suffered a first-round playoff elimination at the hands of the Bears.
During his debut campaign with the Packers, Parsons tallied 12.5 sacks, 41 tackles, 27 quarterback hits and two forced fumbles, earning All-Pro first team honors for the third time in five seasons.
The Packers obtained Parsons from Dallas in a blockbuster Aug. 28, 2025 trade, subsequently signing him to a four-year, $186 million extension running through 2029. Green Bay surrendered Kenny Clark and two first-round selections to complete the transaction.
Since Dallas selected him 12th overall in the 2021 draft, Parsons has accumulated 65.0 sacks across 77 games (76 starts). He captured NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2021.
The world’s leading contract semiconductor manufacturer expressed strong confidence in its future expansion prospects during Thursday’s annual shareholder gathering, citing sustained demand for artificial intelligence technology and high-performance chips.
Speaking at the company meeting held in Hsinchu, a northern city in Taiwan, Chief Executive C.C. Wei noted that clients remain optimistic about the artificial intelligence sector’s trajectory.
“We continue to see increasing adoption of AI models across consumer, enterprise and sovereign AI applications. This trend is driving demand for greater computing power, which in turn supports strong demand for advanced semiconductor chips,” Wei stated.
The island nation has become a focal point this week as it hosts the yearly Computex technology conference, drawing top executives from major global tech firms including companies like Nvidia and Intel, who have highlighted Taiwan’s crucial position in worldwide supply chains.
Back in April, the chipmaker, which serves as a key supplier to Nvidia, increased its yearly revenue projections and announced plans to boost capital investments this year to satisfy overwhelming product demand.
Aviation officials from South Korea and China have finalized their first flight expansion deal in seven years, marking another positive development in the relationship between the neighboring countries, according to Seoul’s transport ministry announced Thursday.
During bilateral aviation discussions held in Seoul from May 27 to 28, both nations agreed to boost passenger flight allowances by 56 weekly flights, bringing the total from 608 to 664. Cargo flight permissions will also grow by 14 weekly flights, increasing from 54 to 68, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport reported.
According to ministry officials, the expanded flight rights will facilitate additional service on popular travel corridors like Incheon to Shanghai and Incheon to Guangzhou, where current flight allocations have reached capacity for both countries.
The agreement will also open new pathway options connecting South Korea’s smaller airports, including those in Busan and Cheongju, to 10 destinations across China including Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Chongqing and Xian, ministry representatives stated.
Travel between the two countries has already rebounded strongly, with first-quarter passenger numbers hitting approximately 4.39 million – surpassing the pre-pandemic figure of 4.14 million, the ministry’s data shows.
Lee So-young, who serves as the ministry’s aviation policy chief, expressed optimism about the timing of the flight expansion coinciding with increased bilateral exchanges.
“We expect this agreement to help promote visits to South Korea by Chinese tourists, improve convenience for our citizens travelling to China and for import-export companies, and contribute to revitalising the economy by further boosting Korean airlines’ entry into the Chinese market,” Lee said.
The ministry indicated it will distribute the additional flight rights to South Korean carriers during the latter half of this year.
The US dollar maintained its position near a two-month peak Thursday as renewed tensions in the Gulf region drove oil prices upward and reduced investor willingness to take on risk, while Japan’s currency stayed close to critical levels that have market watchers anticipating possible government action.
Attacks by Iranian forces on Kuwait resulted in airport damage and dozens of injuries Wednesday, while American military forces conducted operations near the Strait of Hormuz, putting additional strain on an already fragile ceasefire and reducing prospects for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
European currencies showed little movement in Asian trading, with the euro holding at $1.1604 and the British pound remaining at $1.3424.
The Australian dollar, which typically reflects market risk sentiment, stayed unchanged at $0.7132, while New Zealand’s currency gained 0.2% to reach $0.5872, recovering from its lowest point in a week.
The dollar index, which tracks the American currency’s performance against multiple international currencies including the yen and euro, edged slightly higher to 99.47, following its strongest showing since April 7 during the previous trading session.
“The USD’s safe haven status appears to be strengthening again” with oil prices and global yields rebounding on geopolitical tensions, said Sim Moh Siong, FX strategist at OCBC.
“There is no strong case for a bearish USD,” he said, adding the bank stays neutral and expects a firm but rangebound greenback.
Economic data released Wednesday revealed that price pressures faced by American service sector companies surged to their highest point in nearly four years during the previous month, reinforcing expert predictions that the Federal Reserve will maintain current interest rates well into the following year.
Japan’s currency traded at 159.91 against the dollar, pulling back from Wednesday’s lows that pushed it beyond the significant 160-per-dollar threshold for the first time since April 30, prompting cautionary statements from government officials.
Market participants widely view the 160 level as a critical boundary that could prompt official government action.
Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda indicated the central bank needs to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of increasing interest rates if inflation concerns become more significant than economic downturn risks, suggesting a strong possibility of a rate increase this month.
“He did as much groundwork as possible at this stage” despite stopping short of explicitly signalling a hike at the June meeting, wrote Naohiko Baba, head of Japan research and chief Japan economist at Barclays.
“The hawkish tone has strengthened further, including a clear expression of concern about behind-the-curve risk. We stick to our June rate hike call.”
Cryptocurrency markets saw significant declines, with Bitcoin dropping to a four-month low and falling 2.8% to $63,119.5, while ether reached a similar four-month bottom at $1,786.
Motorists traveling on northbound Route 1 should expect delays due to ongoing construction work that has closed lanes overnight.
The right travel lane and right bicycle lane are currently shut down between Admirals Road and 3 R’s Road. The lane closures are scheduled to remain in effect until 3AM.
Drivers are advised to use caution when traveling through the work zone and allow extra time for their commute.
A leading dairy industry organization has responded to federal agriculture officials’ confirmation that New World screwworm has made its way back to American soil, marking the pest’s return after being wiped out years ago.
In a statement, the organization’s President and CEO Gregg Doud called the development “a disappointing milestone” while noting that dairy producers have spent more than a year preparing for this scenario alongside the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agricultural sectors. Doud emphasized that “this development has no effect on food safety” and highlighted that proven methods to fight the screwworm and prevent its spread are already established.
“We appreciate the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s proactive efforts to prepare for this moment, and we stand ready to work with the department to address any ongoing challenges,” Doud stated.
Following the USDA’s official confirmation of the screwworm’s presence, dairy farmers and livestock producers are committing to work closely with federal, state and local authorities, as well as producer groups, to minimize negative impacts and teach farmers protective measures for their animals. The organization has been developing educational materials to help farmers respond appropriately and plans to keep members updated on significant developments related to the screwworm situation.
The statement also called on officials to base decisions regarding animal transportation and regulatory actions on scientific evidence to prevent economic damage that might exceed the harm caused by the screwworm itself. Additionally, the organization requested sufficient funding to address the problem, noting that it causes animal suffering and poses risks to agricultural producers.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un revealed a new nuclear fuel production facility on Thursday, declaring his intention to strengthen the nation’s atomic weapons capabilities “at an exponential rate.”
According to the official Korean Central News Agency, the plant employs “more sophisticated technology,” though no additional specifics were shared regarding its location or when operations commenced. Images released by state media displayed what looked like an extensive centrifuge hall, suggesting the facility’s purpose is enriching uranium for weapons use.
This revelation aligns with Kim’s ongoing promises to expand the nuclear weapons program in response to what he describes as growing military threats led by the United States.
KCNA reported that Kim toured the nuclear installation on Wednesday to examine its operational metrics and future production strategy.
The news agency quoted Kim as stating that the need to strengthen the country’s nuclear war deterrent, in both quality and quantity, has intensified due to confrontations with “the most ferocious enemies,” seemingly referring to the United States and South Korea. Kim pointed to additional unidentified threats and crises as justification for enhancing North Korea’s nuclear capabilities, according to the report.
Kim asserted that North Korea’s production capacity for weapons-grade nuclear materials has more than doubled from five years ago, KCNA stated. Independent verification of this assertion is virtually impossible.
Following a meeting at the site, Kim announced that he and other senior officials “confirmed the order of priority for implementing the ambitious future plan designed to beef up our state’s nuclear forces at an exponential rate,” KCNA reported.
State media photographs depicted Kim moving through narrow pathways surrounded by densely packed rows of metallic tubes and pipes, appearing to be within a centrifuge facility. A separate image captured him discussing matters with high-ranking officials in a conference room, where a blurred diagram showing a cone-shaped item was visible on a table. The nature of the diagram, whether depicting a warhead design, remained unclear.
The facility’s announcement follows less than two years after North Korea revealed another hidden uranium-enrichment plant in September 2024, marking the first public acknowledgment of such a facility since displaying one at the primary Yongbyon nuclear complex to visiting American academics in 2010.
Kim conveyed a comparable message during his 2024 visit to that facility, demanding an increase in centrifuge numbers to “exponentially” grow the country’s nuclear stockpile and pushing for the creation of more advanced centrifuge systems.
Last September, South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young stated that North Korea was running four uranium enrichment facilities in total, including the Yongbyon complex, and that they operated daily.
Nuclear weapons can be constructed using either highly enriched uranium or plutonium, and North Korea maintains facilities to produce both materials at Yongbyon.
North Korea has concentrated on expanding and modernizing its nuclear arsenal since Kim’s high-stakes diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump fell apart in 2019. Kim has subsequently rejected U.S. and South Korean proposals to resume diplomatic talks.
In April, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi informed reporters that his organization had verified “a rapid increase” in activities at nuclear facilities in North Korea.
A federal court case filed this week in Honolulu targets a program that has provided one of Hawaii’s most significant benefits for Native Hawaiians for over a century: access to land at virtually no expense.
The legal challenge argues that the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act violates the Constitution by restricting land access to individuals with at least 50% Native Hawaiian ancestry. The Pacific Legal Foundation submitted the case on Monday representing a non-Hawaiian plaintiff described as a longtime Hawaii resident. The action represents another attack on Native Hawaiian programs during the current administration’s opposition to diversity and inclusion initiatives.
These homestead areas throughout Hawaii have served as foundations for economic independence and preservation of Native Hawaiian customs and heritage. Qualifying individuals can obtain 99-year land leases for just $1 annually. Currently, approximately 29,000 people remain on waiting lists for residential or farming lease opportunities.
During his service as Hawaii Territory’s congressional delegate, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana’ole advocated in 1920 for providing Indigenous Hawaiians with land access to assist those who were “landless and dying” due to illness, mixed marriages, and property losses following the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom by American business interests.
Agricultural business owners resisted the proposal and preferred limiting eligibility to full-blooded Hawaiians, anticipating eventual elimination of that population, explained Robin Puanani Danner, senior adviser to the Sovereign Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations. Her organization works to safeguard the legislation Congress approved in 1921. Congressional lawmakers ultimately established the 50% Hawaiian ancestry requirement, she noted.
This represents typically the sole situation where Hawaiians consider blood-quantum measurements, which determine ancestral percentage calculations.
“That was not our measurement,” stated Danner, who holds a homestead on the island of Kauai while also waiting for agricultural land. “That was the white man’s measurement.”
Native Hawaiians maintain distinct federal government relationships compared to Native American and Alaska Native communities. Hawaii contains no tribal nations. Beyond Hawaii’s borders, the nation’s 575 tribal governments employ various combinations of blood quantum, family lineage, and additional standards for determining tribal membership eligibility.
A separate legal action by Students for Fair Admissions — headed by Edward Blum, a prominent affirmative action opponent — targets Kamehameha Schools, a selective private educational system that prioritizes Native Hawaiian student admissions.
Hawaii’s governor and attorney general pledged to contest the lawsuit challenging Hawaiian homelands qualification requirements.
The U.S. Department of Interior, named as a defendant, refused to discuss ongoing litigation, as did the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, the state agency overseeing the trust managing roughly 200,000 acres (81,000 hectares) of property.
“We do not seek to take anything from anyone,” stated Caleb Trotter, an attorney with Pacific Legal Foundation. “All we seek to do is to make sure that this program is available to everyone on equal footing, regardless of their blood quantum. So whether you are 100% Native Hawaiian or zero percent, a successful lawsuit would result in everyone having the same chance of qualifying.”
The legal team anticipates an unfavorable decision from the U.S. district judge in Hawaii, though better prospects may exist with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Trotter expressed confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court will determine that government classifications based on ancestry or race violate constitutional principles.
The complainant Eric Ryan tried applying for a lease online but faced rejection during pre-qualification after responding “no” when asked whether he possessed at least 50% Hawaiian heritage, according to court documents.
“This explicitly ancestry-based requirement establishes a permanent government mandate for state officials to engage in outright racial discrimination, perpetuates stereotypes, and limits housing opportunities for most Hawai’i residents,” the legal filing argued.
The substantial waiting list demonstrates Native Hawaiian persistence, said Sanoe Marfil, who was raised on a homestead in Nanakuli in west Oahu: “Our people are still here.”
The program also offers hope for Hawaiians who departed Hawaii due to extremely expensive living costs that they might return when receiving lease awards, she explained.
Marfil, who satisfies the blood-quantum criteria, now holds her own nearby lease. Hawaiians must oppose this lawsuit, she emphasized, ensuring their future generations can flourish on Hawaiian territories.
“We don’t have any plans to go anywhere,” she declared.
WASHINGTON — Two individuals died Wednesday when American military forces struck a vessel suspected of transporting narcotics in the eastern Pacific Ocean, marking the latest action in an ongoing campaign against alleged drug smugglers throughout Latin America.
Since September, when the current administration launched its offensive against what it terms “narcoterrorists,” military boat strikes have resulted in the deaths of at least 207 people, according to official counts.
U.S. Southern Command reported that Wednesday’s operation targeted suspected narcotics traffickers operating along established smuggling corridors, following the pattern of most military announcements regarding strikes in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea regions. Military officials did not present proof that the targeted vessel contained illegal drugs. Social media footage displayed a speeding boat that suddenly erupted in flames.
President Donald Trump has declared the United States to be engaged in “armed conflict” with Latin American cartels, defending these military actions as essential measures to reduce drug trafficking into America and prevent overdose deaths among U.S. citizens. However, the administration has provided minimal evidence to validate its assertions about eliminating “narcoterrorists.”
Opponents have challenged both the legal foundation for these boat attacks and their practical value, noting that fentanyl responsible for numerous fatal overdoses typically enters the U.S. through overland routes from Mexico, where it’s manufactured using chemicals obtained from China and India.
Democratic legislators and military law experts have subjected these operations to intense examination. The military’s initial September strike has generated particular concern among lawmakers and legal scholars.
During that early incident, two individuals initially survived an attack that claimed nine other lives and were holding onto debris when their vessel was hit a second time, killing them both. The White House defended the subsequent strike, claiming it was conducted “in self-defense” to ensure complete vessel destruction and complied with armed conflict regulations. However, legal experts argued that a second attack targeting survivors would violate international law under any circumstances.
The Pentagon’s inspector general announced in May plans to examine whether military forces adhered to proper targeting procedures during these strikes. The review will focus specifically on the six-phase Joint Targeting Cycle framework rather than the operations’ legal justification, according to the inspector general’s office.
Military officials announced Wednesday that American forces conducted an operation against a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean that resulted in two deaths.
The U.S. Southern Command confirmed through a social media post that intelligence had verified the targeted vessel “was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.”
These types of military operations have been frequently conducted during the Trump administration.
Ohio State University’s board of trustees approved a massive $100 million settlement Wednesday with 279 former students who alleged they were sexually abused by a campus physician decades ago, according to the university and attorneys representing the survivors.
The financial agreement addresses claims against Richard Strauss, who served on the university’s medical and athletic department staff for nearly twenty years. The alleged misconduct spanned from 1978 through 1998, when Strauss left his faculty position.
Strauss took his own life in 2005, seven years after leaving the university.
“The mediation and its confidentiality are continuing as the parties work to finalize the details of the settlements, and additional information will be shared as appropriate,” representatives from both the university and survivor advocates stated jointly.
This latest settlement brings the total number of resolved cases to 304 survivors, with combined payouts exceeding $60 million when including eight additional agreements reached in February.
An investigative report released in 2019 documented that Strauss had sexually violated at least 177 men, primarily students, through inappropriate touching and fondling during what appeared to be routine medical examinations. The investigation also revealed that university personnel who were aware of the misconduct failed to take action.
Following the publication of these findings, more than 500 individuals filed lawsuits against Ohio State, claiming they suffered sexual abuse at the hands of Strauss and that the institution demonstrated willful negligence in addressing the situation.
Professional basketball player Terry Rozier is challenging an arbitration decision that permits the NBA to retain the majority of his $26.6 million salary following allegations of his involvement in an illegal betting operation.
Court documents filed Wednesday by Rozier’s legal representative disclosed details of the arbitration decision and outlined the player’s efforts to modify his criminal case release terms.
The current release conditions have placed him “in breach of his contractual obligation to play.” Modified terms could enable Rozier to challenge the arbitration outcome once more and pursue free agency opportunities this summer for a new contract, although it’s uncertain if any teams would be willing to sign him.
Rozier faced indictment in October for his suspected participation in an illegal gambling operation. Following the indictment, he was released on a $6 million bond with conditions that prohibited him from communicating with current or former staff members of the Charlotte Hornets or Miami Heat.
During the time of the alleged offenses — conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering — Rozier was a Charlotte player, and subsequently spent one and a half seasons with Miami.
The 32-year-old player sat out the entire 2025-26 season following his arrest. Miami released him in April.
An arbitrator originally determined in February that Rozier should receive his salary, but this decision was reversed in a May 20 ruling when the arbitrator sided with the NBA.
Federal prosecutors filed two additional charges against Rozier in late May. However, the government simultaneously permitted Rozier to resume communication with Miami personnel while maintaining the restriction regarding Charlotte. Jim Trusty, representing Rozier, contends this arrangement is inadequate.
“With forced inactivity, Mr. Rozier is facing a potential second season of non-participation despite being entitled to a presumption of innocence,” Trusty stated in his motion. “Under the current ruling of the arbitrator, an inability to play for or against the Charlotte Hornets would constitute a ‘failure to perform services’ by Mr. Rozier and substantially diminish or eliminate any chance of being contracted by an NBA team.”
The allegations against Rozier involve informing gamblers that he planned to exit a game early while competing for Charlotte in March 2023. The gamblers subsequently placed substantial bets on the “under” projections for Rozier’s statistical performance in that game.
During the 2024-25 season, Rozier posted averages of 10.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists across 64 games (including 23 as a starter) for Miami. Throughout his 10-season NBA career with Boston, Charlotte and Miami, his career statistics include 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
The parent company of Facebook and Instagram has formally accused Australia of breaking its free trade agreement with the United States over a proposed tax targeting major technology platforms.
Meta claims Australia’s plan to impose a 2.25% tax on tech companies that refuse to strike payment deals with local news organizations violates international trade commitments and could spark diplomatic tensions between the allied nations.
The proposed levy would apply to all Australian revenue generated by these platforms, not just income tied to social media activities. Meta described this approach as “indefensible” in a blog post released Thursday.
“The tax plainly violates the commitments Australia and the United States made in their bilateral Free Trade Agreement, which commits Australia to grant American companies ‘treatment no less favourable’ than Australian peers,” the company stated.
Meta argued the tax structure goes beyond similar digital service taxes that have already prompted the U.S. government to consider trade retaliation against other countries.
“We encourage any government considering a similar approach to look carefully at what this model actually represents,” the company added.
Officials from Assistant Treasurer Dan Molino’s office, which would oversee the tax implementation, did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
The conflict over requiring social media platforms to compensate news publishers for content that generates user traffic has been ongoing since 2021. That year, Australia became the first nation to enact legislation forcing these companies to negotiate payment agreements or face government-imposed arbitration.
Following a brief period where Meta blocked all news content in Australia, the company eventually reached agreements with most major news outlets. However, in 2024, Meta announced it would cease making payments for news content. Rather than appointing an arbitrator, Australia’s government decided to implement the tax-based system instead.
The government also broadened the scope of affected companies, expanding from Meta and Google to include TikTok as well. While Google had previously negotiated deals under the original framework, the company has expressed opposition to the proposed tax structure.
Under the current administration, Australia’s efforts to regulate predominantly U.S.-based technology companies have become a source of tension. A congressional committee has requested that Australia’s internet regulator testify about what lawmakers characterize as restrictions on American free speech rights.
The regulator has not yet indicated whether she will comply with the request.
A California technology company backed by investment giant Blackstone announced Wednesday that it successfully raised $437 million through its debut on the U.S. stock market, as the summer season brings increased activity in new public offerings and encourages more businesses to gauge investor interest.
The Redwood City, California-based firm distributed 19 million shares at $23 each, surpassing its initial target range of $20 to $22 per share.
Based on the shares disclosed in its public offering documents, the company received a valuation of $3.83 billion.
This market debut occurs during a difficult period for software companies, as many have experienced reduced investor excitement due to concerns about how artificial intelligence might change competition and future profits.
Nevertheless, strong stock markets and several successful recent offerings have energized IPO activity, creating conditions for what could be one of the most active summers for new listings in recent years.
The business was created when Blackstone merged two of its portfolio companies, Liftoff and Vungle, in 2021. The combined entity offers mobile application developers marketing and monetization solutions to gain users, increase engagement and create revenue.
The mobile advertising technology industry operates at the heart of the application economy, delivering software that assists developers in attracting users, tracking advertising effectiveness and producing income.
Interest in these solutions has increased as businesses invest more to differentiate themselves in competitive app marketplaces, though the sector has needed to adjust to stricter privacy rules from platform operators and swift changes in digital advertising influenced by AI.
The company will begin trading on the Nasdaq Thursday using the ticker symbol “LFTO”.
Goldman Sachs, Jefferies and Morgan Stanley served as the primary underwriters for the stock offering.
Construction crews are working overnight on eastbound Route 26, forcing authorities to close a section of the roadway until the early morning hours.
The affected area spans from Tree Top Lane to Bayberry Circle on the eastbound side of Route 26. Officials say the closure will remain in effect until 3 AM.
Motorists traveling in the area should plan alternate routes or expect delays during the overnight construction period.
Motorists should expect delays on Vines Creek Road due to ongoing construction work that has closed an eastbound lane and shoulder.
The road work is affecting the stretch of roadway between Main Street and Armory Road, with crews scheduled to wrap up operations by 1:00 AM.
Drivers are advised to use alternate routes or allow extra travel time when navigating through the construction zone.
Legal analysts are sounding the alarm that a recent Supreme Court ruling involving Alabama’s electoral maps could trigger additional disorder in the redistricting process nationwide.
The high court’s rejection of a lower court’s ruling represents just the most recent instance where the justices have influenced congressional boundary modifications across Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, and California.
Experts worry this pattern of judicial intervention in redistricting matters could create more uncertainty as states work to finalize their electoral maps.
Motorists traveling eastbound on Capitol Trail are facing lane restrictions due to ongoing construction activities.
The right lane is currently blocked between Red Mill Road and Brewster Drive, with the closure expected to remain in effect until 5 a.m.
Drivers are advised to allow extra travel time and use caution when navigating through the construction zone.
Drivers traveling westbound on Capitol Trail should expect delays due to ongoing construction work affecting traffic flow in the area.
The left lane is currently blocked between E. Green Valley Circle and Harmony Road as crews perform construction activities. The lane restriction is scheduled to remain in place until 5 AM.
Motorists are advised to use caution when traveling through the work zone and allow extra time for their commute.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Speaking before Wednesday night’s NBA Finals tipoff, Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed that the league’s ambitious plan to establish an independent European basketball circuit by late 2027 remains on target.
The initiative — developed through a partnership between the NBA and FIBA, basketball’s international governing organization — has been under development for several years and is approaching reality during an optimal period for European basketball enthusiasm, particularly with San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama’s meteoric rise to stardom.
The player who earned unanimous Defensive Player of the Year honors this season has guided the Spurs to the championship round, and despite 2:30 a.m. tipoff times in his homeland of France, fans there are still organizing viewing events and celebrations for Wembanyama’s inaugural NBA Finals appearance.
“We are very much on schedule,” Silver said. “It is our hope and anticipation that that league will launch in the ’27-28 season in Europe. We are on track. Final bids from franchises are due at the end of this month, at the end of the month in June. We’ve seen record interest and we’re very excited about the ongoing opportunity and working closely with FIBA, our federation.”
Next season, Wembanyama will return to his home continent when the Spurs face the New Orleans Pelicans in two regular-season contests — first in Paris on January 14, followed by Manchester, England on January 17. Both Paris and Manchester are among the cities being considered for the proposed European league.
Earlier this year in January 2025, Wembanyama and the Spurs competed in a pair of Paris games against the Indiana Pacers, with tickets selling out rapidly. While the NBA’s European expansion ambitions predate Wembanyama’s entry into the league, his emergence as a superstar has undoubtedly heightened NBA interest across that continent.
“Presumably, we will be in position in the fall to award franchises,” Silver said.
During his traditional pre-finals press briefing Wednesday, Silver addressed several additional topics:
Regarding the NBA’s previously announced exploration of expansion into Seattle and Las Vegas, Silver indicated that “discussions are ongoing.”
According to Silver, several ownership groups have expressed interest in establishing teams in those markets. However, no specific timeline exists for potential expansion, though Silver maintains his commitment to reaching a decision by the conclusion of 2026 — a deadline he has referenced repeatedly.
“It’s not a foregone conclusion that we will expand … but what we’ve told all interested parties is our board will make a decision by the end of this calendar year,” Silver said.
NEW YORK — Former NFL quarterback Russell Wilson made his retirement from professional football official Wednesday, announcing through a social media video that he will be joining CBS Sports as a broadcast analyst.
The ten-time Pro Bowl signal-caller’s confirmation followed reports from earlier this week that he was completing negotiations to become part of CBS’s Sunday NFL pregame show.
“As I enter this next chapter with CBS Sports and ‘The NFL Today,’ I’m so blessed to continue doing what I love most — being around the greatest game in the world,” he said in the video.
Wilson’s professional career spanned 14 seasons after Seattle selected him in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft following his college career at N.C. State. During his decade with the Seahawks, he guided the franchise to its first Super Bowl title in the 2013 season. Following the 2021 campaign, he was dealt to Denver, where he struggled through two difficult seasons with the Broncos before spending single seasons with Pittsburgh and the New York Giants.
Throughout his career, Wilson accumulated 46,966 passing yards while throwing 353 touchdown passes against 114 interceptions.
Wilson joins an exclusive group alongside Peyton Manning and Dan Marino as the only quarterbacks to record at least 20 touchdown throws in each of their opening three seasons. He also stands among just seven quarterbacks selected to 10 Pro Bowls.
The retiring quarterback holds the unique NFL distinction of achieving at least 30 touchdown passes while throwing fewer than 15 interceptions across four consecutive seasons. Additionally, he recorded three campaigns with both 30-plus touchdown passes and 500 rushing yards, setting an NFL record.
During his approximately three-minute announcement video, Wilson expressed gratitude to teammates, friends and family while offering particular recognition to former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.
“Thanks for taking a chance on a young, 5-11 Black kid from Richmond, Virginia, that was told he was too small to ever make it in the NFL,” Wilson said.
Wilson holds the record as the shortest starting quarterback to capture a Super Bowl championship.
Wilson will step into the role previously held by Matt Ryan, who departed the broadcast booth after two seasons on “The NFL Today” to become president of football for the Atlanta Falcons. Wilson had contemplated returning for a 15th playing season, revealing to the New York Post last month that he was considering an offer from the New York Jets to serve as backup to Geno Smith.
The retirement video showcased career highlights and included footage of Wilson’s visits to patients at Seattle Children’s Hospital. The announcement concluded with Wilson expressing appreciation to his wife, Ciara, and the sport that defined his career.
“I thank you, football. … I am forever grateful,” he said.
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez dominated through another four innings without allowing a run Wednesday evening against San Diego, pushing his remarkable scoreless streak to 48⅔ consecutive innings and claiming third place on the all-time list.
Only Orel Hershiser of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who achieved a record 59 straight scoreless innings in 1988, and Don Drysdale with 58 in 1968 stand ahead of Sánchez on the record books dating back to 1920’s Live Ball Era beginning.
The left-handed pitcher struck out Fernando Tatis Jr. and retired San Diego’s batters in order during the first inning Wednesday evening, surpassing Carl Hubbell to become the all-time leader among southpaws.
Sánchez recorded strikeouts against Xander Bogaerts in the second frame and Jase Bowen in the third, maintaining the scoreless contest.
The 29-year-old hurler also moved past Sal Maglie, Zack Greinke, and Bob Gibson on the shutout streak rankings since 1920. He topped Gibson’s 47 consecutive scoreless innings from that same 1968 campaign as Drysdale, known as the year of the pitcher.
Sánchez — featuring a changeup that averages 86.5 mph while limiting opposing batters to a .153 batting average — hasn’t faced significant danger of surrendering a run since giving up two runs in the opening frame of Philadelphia’s 3-2 victory over the Giants on April 30.
In his previous outing against San Diego, he completed seven scoreless frames to surpass Philadelphia’s franchise mark of 41 innings, established in 1911 by Grover Cleveland Alexander.
“You don’t get to see things like this very often,” Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said before Wednesday’s contest. “It’s one of those things that’s not happened very often. It’s hard to categorize it. I don’t know if I’ve seen anything that’s really been better than this.”
Sánchez took the mound against San Diego carrying a 6-2 record and baseball’s lowest 1.47 ERA. He has delivered at least seven shutout innings across five consecutive starts.
“At some point this year, he’s going to give up a run,” Mattingly said. “I’d love to see him break the record. He’s pitching great, he’s handling it.”
Earlier Wednesday, Sánchez received recognition as NL pitcher of the month for May. During that span, he compiled a 4-0 record and struck out 45 batters while issuing just three walks across 39 innings.
“It’s pretty cool what he’s doing,” Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper said before the game. “Lot of punch-outs, as well, so that helps us on defense.”
He finished as the NL Cy Young Award runner-up in 2025 after posting a 13-5 record with a 2.50 ERA and 212 strikeouts over 202 innings. Sánchez originally signed with the Tampa Bay Rays as an international free agent in 2013 before being dealt to Philadelphia six years later for infielder Curtis Mead in an overlooked offseason deal. He reached the major leagues in 2021.
“I remember they were talking about releasing him in 2020,” Harper said. “I’ve seen it from the jump, just kind of the way he approaches it. Just super special.”
Drysdale recorded six consecutive complete-game shutouts during his streak spanning May 14 through June 8, 1968. Hershiser delivered six scoreless outings in September 1988 while establishing his record-setting run. Hershiser, currently working as a Dodgers broadcaster, expressed last week that he would welcome Sánchez breaking his mark.
“I’m pulling for anybody to have a life-changing moment,” Hershiser said.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Nearly 40 demonstrators facing federal criminal charges for disrupting a Minnesota worship service in January will avoid additional state prosecution, a local prosecutor announced Wednesday.
St. Paul City Attorney Irene Kao declared in a statement that “current evidence is insufficient to meet that standard for criminal charges under Minnesota state statutes,” a decision that drew sharp criticism from the lead pastor at Cities Church, where the demonstration took place.
“This decision should not be interpreted as an endorsement of unlawful behavior or public disorder,” Kao stated. “The right to peacefully protest is protected, as is the right to exercise one’s religious beliefs. Balancing these equally important rights is paramount to our decision today.”
Federal authorities filed civil rights charges against 39 individuals, including former CNN journalist Don Lemon and another independent journalist, following a livestreamed incident on Jan. 18. The group disrupted church services by shouting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good.” Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, died after being shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis during heightened federal immigration enforcement activities.
The demonstrators had discovered that one of the church pastors also served as an ICE official supervising the intensive operation in Minnesota.
“According to the St. Paul City Attorney’s logic, it is perfectly fine for agitators to invade a mosque, a cathedral, or a temple, intimidate the families and children inside, and shut down their religious gathering. Just call it a ‘protest,’” Cities Church lead pastor Jonathan Parnell wrote in a statement.
While violence, property damage and public safety threats remain serious issues, Kao noted that none of these occurred during the demonstration.
Church attorneys argued that the absence of broken windows or damaged property doesn’t mean laws weren’t violated.
This year, at least four states — Idaho, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Kansas — passed legislation criminalizing disruptions of worship services.
Mundane responsibilities such as handling bills, ending subscriptions and responding to neglected emails are becoming the foundation for social gatherings known as “admin dates” among friends, couples, roommates and others.
These relaxed meetups happening at coffee shops, welcoming bars and homes transform boring adult duties that people often put off into productive social time. Working through personal task lists with others serves dual purposes – accomplishing necessary errands while strengthening relationships.
“You can have both — getting things done and connecting with people,” said Thema Bryant, a psychology professor at Pepperdine University and former president of the American Psychological Association. “At the gym, if I’m taking a group exercise class, I’m less likely to stop in the middle of other people. … In the same way, admin dates can help with accountability, motivation and connection.”
Couples or business partners seeking alignment, along with club members or volunteers working on major projects, may also benefit from admin dates. Professionals generally recommend avoiding these gatherings with workplace colleagues, particularly supervisors, since it could create unwanted pressure or self-consciousness that defeats the purpose of tackling inbox problems.
Experts explain why admin dates have gained popularity on social media and offer guidance for organizing successful sessions:
For 21-year-old roommates Alexia Ruvalcaba, Sami Hawkins and Mandi Bluth at Northern Arizona University, socializing with friends is central to college life, but their hangouts frequently center on daily tasks made more pleasant with iced white mochas topped with cinnamon.
“Being together helps us get things done,” explained Ruvalcaba, a junior studying hotel and restaurant management. She noted they seek locations where others are working, typically among Flagstaff, Arizona’s numerous coffee shops.
“There’s not a single person here that doesn’t have a laptop,” Ruvalcaba observed from inside Foxtail Coffee Co., a local franchise of the Florida-based company. “I don’t know them, I haven’t talked to them, but all the people here are working or studying.”
Managing numerous unfinished tasks can overwhelm some individuals, but tackling them alongside trusted companions or even strangers focused on their own devices can reduce mental clutter and build community feelings, said Bryant, who wrote “Matters of the Heart: Healing Your Relationship with Yourself and Those You Love.”
Admin dates boost productivity partly through modeling, a behavioral psychology concept involving learning through observation and imitation, she explained. Watching others complete agenda items motivates us similarly, Bryant noted.
“In some ways, the reward is in community. That social support is a big protector of our mental health,” she said. “On the flip side, it can cultivate a sense of joy and connection. So it can be inherently rewarding to be in the company of people that we enjoy, even if we’re not doing a fun activity per se, but that presence in and of itself can be healing.”
Before beginning group tasks, experts recommend discussing meeting frequency and duration, desired social interaction levels, and types of pending work. The latter influences admin date locations. Some people need relative quiet, while certain tasks become noisy or require specific locations, such as grocery shopping or home repairs.
Building emotionally secure and mutually beneficial environments also determines guest lists – supervisors typically make poor choices – and may require establishing ground rules. While admin dates “are intended to be helpful to everyone,” self-driven participants sometimes end up mentoring others rather than addressing their own responsibilities, Bryant observed.
Participating in admin dates may demand mental preparation from everyone involved. Self-criticism about being disorganized or unproductive creates stress that makes overcoming overwhelm or breaking procrastination cycles harder, said Dr. Aditi Nerurkar, a Harvard Medical School physician specializing in mental health.
Nerurkar, author of “The 5 Resets: Rewire Your Brain and Body for Less Stress and More Resilience,” explained that for people with harsh self-judgment, having reasonable task lists for admin dates plus group support can quiet unhelpful thoughts and make the experience more manageable.
The objective, she said, involves creating mental space for focus so lists “empower you instead of overwhelm you.”
Task prioritization matters since admin dates’ social components can excuse procrastination. Experts also warn against comparing yourself to other participants, emphasizing the goal is drawing motivation from watching friends pursue similar objectives.
“This is not about a competition. This is very much a collaboration,” Nerurkar said.
Food and drinks typically feature in admin dates, so deciding whether to share them and cost-splitting arrangements require consideration. Organizers should also determine participants’ comfort with consuming beer, wine or cocktails during events mixing personal matters with socializing.
Since admin dates emphasize community, concentrating solely on tasks requiring intense focus or silence can diminish the social aspects that make them attractive initially. Despite lengthy to-do lists, remember allowing space for conversation, life updates and laughter.
To maintain enjoyment, experts urge admin daters to celebrate themselves and each other. Resume updated? Money saved? Take breaks acknowledging accomplishments or treat yourselves at the coffee shop. This approach increases motivation and confidence, experts say.
Bluth mentioned her college group previously wrote everyone’s tasks on whiteboards and congratulated each other when items were completed.
Sometimes the students become distracted having excessive fun, but “by the end of the day, what we need to do gets done,” Hawkins said.
Motorists traveling northbound on Route 1 should expect delays as the left lane remains blocked at the Appoquinimink River Bridge due to police activity.
Traffic officials are advising drivers to use caution in the area and allow extra travel time while authorities handle the situation.
No additional details about the nature of the police activity have been released at this time.
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has appeared in only 23 contests during the last four seasons and is no longer considered among the NFL’s elite pass catchers.
However, the 33-year-old veteran is grateful for a fresh start with the New York Giants, the team where he flourished during his initial five NFL campaigns from 2014-18.
“God has given me one more opportunity to play,” Beckham stated following Wednesday’s practice session with the Giants, just two days after the team signed him. “Whatever I do with that, is that. I’m not saying this is my only year, I’m not saying I’ve got five more for you. I’m looking at it like this is my opportunity now, and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
During his tenure with the Giants, Beckham surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in four out of five seasons and recorded 25 touchdown receptions in his initial three years. He earned Pro Bowl honors each of those seasons.
However, a serious ankle injury at the start of the 2017 campaign derailed his trajectory, and his relationship with New York deteriorated the next year. Following a trade to the Cleveland Browns, he reached 1,000 yards in 2019, marking the final time he exceeded 600 yards in a season. Subsequently, he has moved between three different franchises.
Currently, he faces no guarantees beyond an opportunity. He’s neither the team’s featured player nor considered a guaranteed starter. Yet if he can recapture his previous excellence, the Giants offer a platform to contribute meaningfully.
“It has always been about proving it to myself,” Beckham explained. “There’s always a little bit of you want to prove it to everybody else. Deep down inside to me, it was about proving to me, believing in me, believing in what God had given me and my abilities.
“I like it this way. I feel like it’s going to elevate me, it’s going to bring me up to have to earn it.”
Beckham suited up for the Baltimore Ravens in 2023 under John Harbaugh, who joined the Giants as head coach in January.
Beckham and Harbaugh engaged in conversations during the early offseason, and the Giants evaluated Beckham in April without offering a contract. Harbaugh and Beckham maintained their dialogue, and the coach recently became convinced that Beckham had achieved adequate conditioning despite missing last season.
After Beckham impressed during a group receiver evaluation on Monday, the Giants moved quickly to secure his services.
“I think the biggest thing is him being in really, really good shape,” Harbaugh commented. “We talked about this, he would tell you this. You can’t be just OK. You’re Odell Beckham. You’ve got to come out here and you have to be performing at a high level in workouts, you’ve got to be performing at a high level in practice. You got to be a guy capable that we can see would have a chance to make a difference in NFL games. You have to be that kind of player.”
This return to his roots evokes memories for Beckham, who became famous for dramatic sideline outbursts and spectacular catches during his original stint in New York.
“At the end of the day, like I said, I never wanted to leave here,” Beckham reflected. “I just wanted us to have a better team, better people, better players. I sound like a Papa John’s commercial. I just wanted to be great. I care about it that much.
“As far as regrets, I’m kind of one of those people, for better or worse, never regret anything, because at one point in time it was exactly what you wanted. I don’t hang my hat on it. I learn from it.”
Throughout his career, Beckham has accumulated 575 catches for 7,987 yards and 59 touchdowns across 119 games (97 starts) with five different teams.
The University of Delaware women’s tennis team has achieved its third straight ITA Year End Northeast Regional Ranking, according to an announcement made Wednesday by the organization.
In addition to the team recognition, Blue Hens players Maryia Hrynashka and Paulina Jurkowska received Northeast Doubles Pair Rankings for the second consecutive year.
The rankings mark another successful season for the Delaware women’s tennis program, which continues to build on its recent achievements at the regional level.
SANTIAGO, Chile — A lethal virus carried by rodents infected cruise ship passengers with no available treatments or vaccines to help them, highlighting a critical gap in medical preparedness.
The outbreak involved hantavirus, part of a virus family that scientists have studied for decades and believe exists worldwide. Unlike the novel coronavirus that sparked the pandemic, this pathogen has been recognized for years.
Research groups across Chile, Argentina and the United States have worked extensively to create medications and vaccines. However, because these viruses occur infrequently and rarely transmit person-to-person, governments, global health organizations, and pharmaceutical companies haven’t provided sufficient ongoing funding for comprehensive safety and effectiveness studies required for approval.
Nevertheless, recent developments offer hope. Scientists published findings Wednesday suggesting that a medication for autoimmune conditions might help hantavirus patients combat the most severe complications.
Researchers believe the cruise ship incident — along with concerns that hantavirus cases may increase as climate change brings more human-rodent contact — could generate fresh support for their work.
“I hope this situation will help us continue our research and strengthen the collaboration between healthcare workers, the community, and the necessary resources,” said Dr. Fernando Tortosa of the National University of Río Negro in Patagonia, Argentina, the study’s lead author.
These viruses typically transmit when people breathe in contaminated particles from rodent waste. Different hantavirus species exist globally, each with distinct traits and symptoms.
The Andes virus, responsible for the cruise ship cases, draws particular research attention because it’s the only hantavirus believed capable of human-to-human transmission in certain situations. Though infections remain uncommon, they prove extremely lethal.
“That is why it is a public health problem,” said María Inés Barría, a virologist at the Universidad San Sebastián in Chile who studies hantaviruses.
Among the 13 probable cruise ship cases, three resulted in fatalities. Additionally in Chile, the Ministry of Health has confirmed 15 deaths and 42 cases this year. Argentine authorities have documented 32 deaths and 102 cases since June 2025. In the U.S., 35% of hantavirus cases have proven fatal since monitoring began in 1993, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Argentine researchers are examining whether tocilizumab, a rheumatoid arthritis treatment, could combat hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a serious infection from both the Andes virus and Sin Nombre virus found in North America.
Tocilizumab suppresses IL-6, a molecule that causes harmful inflammation in autoimmune and other conditions. IL-6 also appears involved in the inflammatory response to infection, which can quickly cause lung fluid buildup and failure.
Five patients at an Argentine hospital survived after receiving tocilizumab alongside standard hantavirus pulmonary syndrome care, the research team reported in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
This report documents the first patients treated with tocilizumab in an ongoing “compassionate use” study, allowing doctors to administer it to qualifying patients. Five other eligible patients who received only standard treatment died. Two deteriorated too rapidly, while the hospital lacked supplies for the others, researchers noted.
The research team emphasized that the five patients who didn’t receive the drug were older and sicker than those who did. Still, they concluded tocilizumab deserves additional study.
Barría’s team, including Chilean scientists, U.S. National Institutes of Health Rocky Mountain Laboratories researchers, and Robert Koch Institute scientists from Germany, pursues a different strategy — using cloned antibodies from hantavirus survivors to prevent infections. The team published 2018 research showing animal success, but couldn’t secure funding for human trials, partly because resources shifted to coronavirus pandemic response.
“We are truly at the forefront, at a very important stage of moving to the next phase,” Barría said.
Multiple other groups, including teams at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Vanderbilt Center for Antibody Therapeutics, also develop antibody treatments.
Vaccines against Old World hantaviruses have been created and utilized, though the World Health Organization states no currently licensed hantavirus vaccines exist. New vaccines are under development, including ones targeting the Andes virus. A team led by Jay Hooper of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases works on a vaccine that successfully produced antibodies against the virus in early human trials, according to their 2020 study.
Dr. Paul Bollyky, an infectious disease physician and researcher at Stanford Medical Center in California, explained that securing sustained support for rare disease vaccines and treatments like hantavirus proves extremely challenging.
Laboratories typically lack what Bollyky describes as necessary equipment to test and validate vaccines and treatments for uncommon infections. Additionally, because hantavirus outbreaks occur sporadically and unpredictably, studying this virus proves much more difficult than researching common germs like influenza that circulate regularly.
“That also makes clinical trials in this space super difficult because of the number of people you would have to immunize to protect against one infection,” he said. “It’s just impractical.”
This also means limited or inconsistent markets for vaccines or treatments, since predicting exposure timing and populations proves difficult.
Still, researchers and physicians feel frustrated knowing potential treatments could help people now with sufficient sustained investment.
“What happened was a tragedy, but it can happen not only with this but also other diseases,” Tortosa said, referring to the cruise ship outbreak.
Cardinal Robert McElroy, the Catholic archbishop serving Washington, D.C., announced Wednesday his decision to dismiss a prominent priest from exorcist duties following controversial public statements connecting UFO encounters to demonic forces.
The archbishop also announced the archdiocese would end its relationship with the St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal, a Washington nonprofit organization led by Monsignor Stephen Rossetti.
According to McElroy, Rossetti’s public remarks “linking UFOs to demonic presence and the Center’s recent use of social media gravely undermine the Church’s very precise teaching on the devil, demons and exorcism.”
In a Facebook video posted May 29 discussing UFO encounters and potential extraterrestrial life, Rossetti warned of spiritual dangers. “There’s a danger here,” Rossetti stated in the video. “As an exorcist I wanted to raise that danger. And that is that demons like to hide. … They don’t want us to know what they’re doing because they’re more effective when we don’t realize it.”
“They can kind of get into your head, you know, and manipulate things in the world to influence us to do evil,” he continued.
“It’s my personal belief that probably many if not most of these UFO sightings are in fact demons,” Rossetti added.
The priest did acknowledge that Catholics could maintain their faith while believing in extraterrestrial life, though he personally doubts life exists beyond Earth.
Responding through a statement on his center’s website, Rossetti expressed disappointment with the archdiocese’s decision.
“I ask forgiveness for any ways that I have not been faithful to the teachings of the Church’s Magisterium, particularly in the cited video on ‘aliens and the demonic,’” he stated. “I believe it is of the utmost importance to be obedient to the Church and I will continue to endeavor to subject all that I do and the Center to be thus obedient.”
The dismissed priest, who maintains more than 148,000 Instagram followers, works as both a psychologist and exorcist. His organization focuses on providing spiritual support to clergy facing personal challenges.
Last year, Rossetti spoke with The Associated Press about growing public interest in demonic possession and exorcism practices.
MANILA, Philippines — A political standoff that forced the Philippine Senate to close for two straight days came to an end Wednesday when opposition lawmakers secured enough members to reopen the legislative chamber.
The upper house had been paralyzed since Monday when Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano and 10 supporting senators refused to attend sessions. Their absence came after two of Cayetano’s allies faced legal troubles, reducing the 24-seat chamber to 22 functioning members.
Cayetano defended his group’s boycott as a form of “protest” designed to block opposing senators from seizing leadership of the chamber. The 11 lawmakers who oppose Cayetano condemned his actions and demanded his resignation.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged the missing senators to return immediately to their duties, warning that the legislative gridlock would block critical laws needed to address an energy crisis triggered by Middle Eastern conflicts affecting the impoverished nation.
The stalemate broke when Sen. Francis Escudero, who had previously supported Cayetano, appeared at the Senate to establish the minimum attendance required for official business before lawmakers begin a scheduled multi-week break.
“The current impasse in the Senate is untenable and unacceptable,” Escudero stated, noting that “political divisions” had “become too extreme” for the chamber to operate effectively.
Writing on Facebook, Cayetano insisted he continues to hold the Senate presidency and declared that he and his remaining supporters would reject any committee leadership changes implemented by opposing senators on Wednesday.
The Marcos administration issued a statement backing Sen. Win Gatchalian, whom anti-Cayetano senators named as temporary Senate leader. “What happened in the Senate…was based on the law and the rule of law,” the administration declared.
Cayetano’s opponents accused him of desperately supporting two missing allies — Ronald dela Rosa and Jinggoy Estrada — to preserve his narrow majority leadership.
Dela Rosa, who previously served as national police chief, has gone into hiding following an International Criminal Court arrest warrant naming him as a co-conspirator with former President Rodrigo Duterte, who faces trial in The Hague for alleged crimes against humanity. Both men deny authorizing extrajudicial executions.
Estrada was taken into custody at the Senate on Monday on corruption allegations connected to a flood control project. He maintains his innocence and remains jailed pending trial.
Cayetano maintains ties to the former president, whose daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, has blamed Marcos and his government for the “kidnapping” of her father by police and his transfer to the international court.
Senate leadership control carries significant weight as the chamber prepares to begin the July trial of Sara Duterte, who was impeached as vice president last month by the House of Representatives, which is controlled by Marcos supporters.
The vice president, who has announced plans to run for president in 2028, faces impeachment on criminal allegations including unexplained wealth and publicly threatening to assassinate the president — charges she denies but has declined to address comprehensively.
Motorists traveling on southbound Interstate 95 should be aware of an ongoing mobile operation taking place between the toll plaza and the welcome center.
The operation is expected to remain active until 5:00 AM, according to traffic officials.
Drivers are advised to use caution when traveling through the area during this time period.
Canada’s federal government has ordered its telecommunications regulator to abandon a controversial decision that would have significantly increased financial obligations for American streaming platforms like Netflix to fund Canadian programming, according to an announcement Wednesday from the country’s culture minister.
Culture Minister Marc Miller announced that instead of implementing the fee structure, the government plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars directly into the entertainment industry.
The policy reversal follows intense lobbying from the Motion Picture Association, which represents major streaming companies, urging Canadian leadership to reconsider the approach. U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra had also pressed for the policy to be withdrawn.
The about-face occurs during ongoing negotiations between Canada and the United States regarding potential renewal of the trilateral trade pact that includes Mexico.
In May, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission — Canada’s counterpart to America’s Federal Communications Commission — announced it would mandate major streaming platforms contribute 15% of their Canadian earnings to domestic content production. The requirement was part of implementing the Online Streaming Act.
When questioned about whether the reversal represented another compromise to American interests, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday that officials were considering the financial impact on Canadian consumers.
“It is another step to reinforce affordability for Canadians. This is not the time to raise the costs for Canadians,” he stated.
U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra praised the government’s decision on social media.
“American firms want to invest in Canada’s creative sector, and a fair, nonburdensome framework makes that possible,” Hoekstra wrote online.
Culture Minister Miller told media in Ottawa that American identification of the Online Streaming Act as a trade concern was not the sole factor behind the government’s request for the CRTC to reverse direction.
“We’re impatient to make sure that the (streaming) sector stays vital and stays supported, and that’s why we’re making that investment of $600 million Canadian (US$432 million) into the industry,” Miller explained.
The policy change has drawn criticism from some quarters.
Kyle Irving, chair of the board of the Canadian Media Producers Association, expressed concern in a statement, saying the board was still analyzing the development but “we are concerned that the federal government has sold out Canadian culture in favor of big U.S. tech interests.”
Irving questioned whether American streaming services, which earn “tens of billions” from Canadian subscribers, should be obligated to support Canadian storytellers producing domestic content.
WASHINGTON — A man who was found guilty of participating in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot has been appointed to a position within the Pentagon’s policy division by the Trump administration, according to government officials and internal documentation.
Acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez defended the hiring decision in a social media statement this week, saying “Mr. Elias Irizarry is a qualified, patriotic young professional, and we are proud to have him as a political appointee.”
The Washington Post initially broke the story of Irizarry’s appointment. He was found guilty in 2023 on a misdemeanor trespassing count following the attack on the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump. Court records indicate he expressed remorse during his 2023 sentencing, which resulted in a two-week jail term.
According to internal Pentagon documentation shared with The Associated Press, Irizarry has been placed within the office of the undersecretary of defense for policy. This department is responsible for delivering national security guidance and assistance regarding military strategy and planning to the defense secretary.
Valdez’s statement did not specify the duration of Irizarry’s employment, and the Pentagon refused to share additional details.
Sen. Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, expressed outrage on social media, writing: “This administration thinks a convicted Jan. 6 rioter should be doing that kind of work?????”
Court documentation reveals that Irizarry was 19 years old and attending his freshman year at the Citadel military college in South Carolina as a Civilian Air Patrol cadet when he participated in the Capitol attack. The records indicate he entered through a damaged window, went into a conference room, carried a metal pole throughout the Capitol building, and photographed the scene before departing.
In a court document, prosecutors stated: “Because of his training, Irizarry was undoubtedly aware of the safety threat posed by a mass of angry rioters to the Congressional members and staff inside the building.”
Irizarry entered a guilty plea to the misdemeanor trespassing charge in October 2022. In March 2023, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan imposed a 14-day jail sentence.
During his sentencing hearing, Irizarry addressed the judge, saying he brought “great shame upon myself, my family and even my country,” according to court transcripts.
“The idea of Americans being willing to fight other Americans and tear down the very institutions that millions of other Americans sacrificed and built and protect is horrible. It is something I have to live with being a part of,” he stated.
Irizarry is not alone among January 6 riot participants who have secured positions in the Trump administration.
Former FBI agent Jared Wise, who faced charges for joining the crowd, was brought on at the Justice Department last year as an adviser to the department’s pardon attorney.
Wise was undergoing trial in Washington when Trump resumed office in January and issued pardons, reduced sentences, or ordered case dismissals for nearly all 1,600 individuals charged in connection with the attack. Wise’s case was dropped before jury deliberations concluded.
In April, he posted on social media about his resignation from the department, explaining: “I returned to Washington to fully expose the abuses by the FBI and DOJ against J6 defendants, but it became clear that this will only happen from outside of government. So I left and will do so.”
A suspect linked to multiple homicides of women whose remains were discovered in the Portland, Oregon region faced his fifth murder charge during a Wednesday court appearance.
Jesse Calhoun’s legal representative entered a plea of not guilty during the Portland hearing, which was attended by relatives of the victims. Calhoun did not speak during the proceedings, which followed his indictment the previous week on the latest second-degree murder charge related to the 2023 death of Ashley Real, 22.
The defendant now faces five second-degree murder charges for five victims, plus four charges for abuse of a corpse. The discovery of the victims’ remains over several months in early 2023 raised fears that a serial killer was targeting young women in the area.
Previous indictments connected Calhoun to the deaths of Kristin Smith, 22; Charity Perry, 24; Bridget Webster, 31; and Joanna Speaks, 32.
Calhoun continues to be held at the Multnomah County Detention Center. His legal team did not immediately return requests for comment.
The bodies of Real, Perry, Webster and Smith were discovered in northwestern Oregon, while Speaks was located near an abandoned barn in southwestern Washington. All remains were found within approximately 100 miles of each other, including in forested locations and in a culvert.
Ashley Real’s father, Jose Real, became emotional while addressing reporters following the court session. He shared memories of watching his daughter mature and spending time with her sibling.
“I never thought or imagined that my family would experience something like this,” he stated through a Spanish interpreter. “She had a heart of gold.”
Ashley’s sister, Masciell Real, also spoke through tears.
“I think being in that courtroom today and being able to see him, and know that he is behind bars now, it takes the weight off my shoulders knowing that he isn’t around and free to cause any harm to any other women out there,” she said. “But it also doesn’t take away the fact that my sister isn’t here anymore.”
Family members of other victims also attended the hearing.
“We’ve all experienced the worst thing that could ever happen to you, and it’s incredibly hard to see one of the other families hurt the way we do,” said Melissa Smith, mother of Kristin Smith.
Jose Real had previously informed The Associated Press that he contacted authorities in November 2022 after his daughter arrived at his Portland residence in distress, claiming Calhoun had strangled her. She bore throat injuries, he reported, and he transported her to a medical facility.
Real explained that while an initial police report was filed, the case was subsequently transferred to another jurisdiction, making it challenging to communicate with those handling the investigation. The Oregonian/OregonLive first reported details of the assault.
His daughter’s remains were discovered in May 2023 by someone fishing in a pond southeast of Portland.
Calhoun’s arrest occurred in June 2023 on separate parole violations, followed by indictments in 2024 and 2025 for the other four women’s deaths. The first indictment came shortly before Calhoun’s scheduled release from state prison, where he had been returned in 2023 to complete a four-year sentence for assaulting a police officer, attempting to strangle a police dog, burglary and other offenses.
He had been released early in 2021, one year ahead of schedule, due to his participation in wildfire suppression efforts in 2020 through a prison firefighting program. Gov. Tina Kotek revoked the commutation in 2023 when police began investigating him in connection with the deaths.
A trial date has not been scheduled.
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security will extend the training period for new Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers starting next month, Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced Wednesday during a congressional hearing.
When questioned about reports of shortened training programs for ICE recruits, Mullin stated the department would restore training from the current 42 days back to 72 days.
“July 1st. We bring it back up. We had to rewrite the curriculum. All training starting July 1st will be back up to the regular standards,” Mullin said. The secretary did not explain the reasoning behind the timing of this change or respond to criticisms about the current training schedule.
The agency had modified its training procedures as part of an effort to rapidly recruit and prepare an additional 10,000 deportation officers, funded by billions of dollars allocated by Congress last summer. The agency previously employed approximately 6,500 deportation officers.
These changes sparked accusations that the department was compromising training quality to deploy officers more quickly, which both Homeland Security and ICE officials consistently disputed.
In February, Ryan Schwank, a former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement attorney who oversaw training for new deportation officers, criticized the agency’s preparation program as “deficient, defective and broken.”
Speaking at a Democratic-sponsored forum, Schwank alleged that the department had dismantled the training curriculum for new deportation officers, reducing its length while being dishonest about their actions.
“DHS told the public the new cadets receive all the training they need to perform their duties, that no critical material or standards have been cut,” he said. “This is a lie. ICE made the program shorter, and they removed so many essential parts that what remains is a dangerous husk.”
Both ICE and Homeland Security officials have disputed claims that new recruits were receiving inadequate preparation. Responding to Schwank’s statements, Homeland Security emphasized that officers received firearms training, learned “de-escalation tactics” and received constitutional instruction. Officials also maintained that no training hours were reduced.
During an August visit to the ICE training facility in Georgia with media representatives, acting ICE director Todd Lyons acknowledged the agency had implemented changes to make the process more efficient but rejected suggestions that standards were lowered.
Department officials explained they expanded training at the federal facility to six days weekly, incorporated additional instruction before and after recruits’ arrival at the facility, and eliminated a Spanish language requirement.
VICTOR, Iowa — A freight train collided with a semi-truck in eastern Iowa Wednesday afternoon, resulting in one death and leaving another person seriously hurt, law enforcement officials reported.
The collision happened where a state highway crosses the Iowa Interstate Railroad tracks in a rural location approximately 70 miles east of Des Moines, Poweshiek County Sheriff Matt Maschmann confirmed.
“One person in the semi-truck died and another was transported with serious injuries,” Maschmann stated in an official release.
The impact caused seventeen rail cars and two locomotive engines to leave the tracks, resulting in “significant damage” to the railroad infrastructure, the sheriff reported. Photos from the crash site revealed a large pile of overturned train cars with smoke rising from the wreckage.
Iowa State Patrol spokesman Sgt. Alex Dinkla confirmed that no dangerous materials were released during the incident.
Motorists traveling on southbound Route 72 should expect delays this morning as construction crews have closed the right lane between Bellevue Road and Brook Hill Drive.
The lane closure is expected to remain in effect until 7:00 AM today. Drivers are advised to use caution in the area and allow extra travel time.
No additional details about the nature of the construction work were immediately available.
Motorists traveling on the southbound ramp from Route 896 to Interstate 95 southbound should be aware of an ongoing lane shift that will continue through early June.
According to DelDOT traffic information, the lane configuration change on the Route 896 southbound ramp onto I-95 southbound is scheduled to remain in effect until June 5, 2025.
Drivers are advised to exercise caution when navigating through the work zone and allow extra travel time when using this route.
Lebanon and Israel have reached a ceasefire agreement following diplomatic talks in Washington, the State Department announced Wednesday in a joint statement involving the United States.
The breakthrough came after negotiations between the two nations were facilitated by American officials in the nation’s capital.
Southbound traffic on Route 1 has come to a complete standstill at the Appoquinimink River Bridge as police activity has forced the closure of all lanes in that direction.
Delaware Department of Transportation officials report the roadway blockage is the result of an ongoing police situation in the area.
Motorists are advised to seek alternate routes while authorities work to resolve the incident and reopen the roadway.
Steel shipments from the European Union to the United States have dropped by 34% following Washington’s decision to raise tariffs to 50%, according to the steel industry association Eurofer, which released the findings Thursday.
The decline occurred over three quarters after the Trump administration increased import duties on steel and aluminum from 25% approximately one year ago, bringing total shipments down to 1.94 million metric tons.
European Union manufacturers sent 3.4 million tons to the United States in 2025, a decrease from 4.1 million tons in 2024 and 4.7 million tons in 2017, according to Eurofer’s data.
The industry group emphasized the importance of fully implementing the trade agreement reached between the EU and US last July.
The deal, negotiated at President Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf course in Scotland, outlines that the EU would eliminate duties on most American goods imports in exchange for a comprehensive 15% US tariff on EU exports.
The agreement also calls for discussions between both parties regarding potential tariff-free steel and aluminum quotas and collaboration to tackle global overcapacity issues.
“The U.S. needs to fulfil its commitment to work with the EU to find a solution,” said Axel Eggert, Eurofer director general.
EU manufacturers have also encountered difficulties with US tariffs on ‘derivative’ products, where the metal components were initially hit with a 50% tariff. Trump expanded the scope of affected products one month following the Turnberry agreement.
The Trump administration has subsequently reduced several tariff rates, with Monday’s proclamation lowering rates to 15% for certain EU products. However, items such as refrigerators, lawn mowers, and rail components still face a 25% rate.
The EU may withdraw certain concessions if the rate doesn’t decrease to 15% by year’s end.
Motorists traveling on Route 72 northbound should expect delays this morning as construction crews have closed the left lane between Brook Hill Drive and Bellevue Road.
The lane closure is part of ongoing construction activities in the area and is expected to remain in effect until 7:00 AM today.
Drivers are advised to use caution when traveling through the work zone and to allow extra time for their commute during the morning rush hour period.
The University of Delaware men’s tennis team has received recognition in the ITA Year-End Northeast Regional Rankings, with three team members earning honors according to an announcement made Wednesday.
The rankings were released by the organization from Tempe, Arizona, highlighting the Blue Hens’ performance during the season.
This recognition caps off what appears to have been a successful campaign for the Delaware men’s tennis program in regional competition.
Milwaukee southpaw Rob Zastryzny found himself back on the 15-day injured list Wednesday after spending only three days on the active roster, as the Brewers sidelined him due to a left trapezius strain.
The roster move was made retroactive to Sunday, which was the same date the 34-year-old pitcher was brought back from the 60-day injured list following a left shoulder strain he suffered during spring training.
To fill the roster spot, Milwaukee brought up southpaw Robert Gasser from Triple-A Nashville, with the team announcing he would take the mound for Wednesday evening’s home matchup against the San Francisco Giants.
During his brief stint on Milwaukee’s active roster, Zastryzny did not appear in any games. Last season with the Brewers, he posted a 2-1 record alongside a 2.45 ERA across 22 innings in 26 outings, including one start.
Throughout his major league career, Zastryzny has compiled a 6-1 record with a 3.84 ERA, recording 41 walks and 74 strikeouts across 89 innings in 80 appearances (six starts) while playing for the Chicago Cubs (2016-18), New York Mets (2022), Los Angeles Angels (2022), Pittsburgh Pirates (2023) and Brewers (2024-present).
Gasser, who celebrated his 27th birthday on Sunday, has struggled this season with an 0-1 record and 6.48 ERA, allowing six walks while striking out seven batters in 8 1/3 innings across two starts.
Since making his major league debut on May 10, 2024, he holds a 2-3 record with a 3.43 ERA over 42 innings in nine starts.
Hunting for NBA Finals tickets? The New York Knicks are putting two prime celebrity row seats up for auction — the same area where stars like Ben Stiller and Spike Lee watch games.
The team is offering these exclusive seats for Game 3 at Madison Square Garden, marking the first time the NBA Finals have come to New York since 1999.
With the league’s largest market finally competing in the championship series, ticket costs have surged dramatically. Seats at the Garden have become so difficult to obtain that Knicks supporters have purchased tickets in Atlanta, Philadelphia and Cleveland to follow their team during the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Monday night game seats are positioned in section VIP 10, row AA, seats 25 and 26, which the organization describes as directly off center court. The typical price for these seats remains unknown since the franchise doesn’t normally sell them. These spots are typically reserved for celebrity supporters like Tracy Morgan and Timothée Chalamet who regularly attend games courtside.
Bidding starts Thursday at noon through knicks.com/celebrityrowauction, with all proceeds supporting the Garden of Dreams Foundation, an organization that partners with MSG’s companies to help children in need throughout the tristate area.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred expressed deep concerns that ownership’s latest salary cap proposal might trigger a work stoppage reminiscent of the devastating 1994-95 strike that led to the World Series cancellation, while defending the plan as necessary due to the failure of the current luxury tax framework that has been in place since 2003.
Team ownership presented their first salary cap proposal since 1994 last week, marking a return to the contentious issue that sparked a 7½-month strike and resulted in the first World Series cancellation in nine decades. During those earlier negotiations, Manfred served as a junior attorney on ownership’s bargaining team.
The players’ union has pledged unwavering opposition to any cap implementation. When questioned about potential parallels to the 1994-95 crisis, Manfred acknowledged his fears, stating: “Of course I do.”
“We’re open to whatever ideas people have, but we need a realistic framework that addresses the fans’ concerns about competitive balance and you just can’t ignore that financial penalties have not gotten it done for us,” Manfred explained during Wednesday’s press conference at an ownership meeting.
The current luxury tax framework began with the 2003 season, with subsequent negotiations increasing penalty rates and adding additional surcharges over the years.
“We have tried mightily over several rounds of bargaining to use a competitive balance tax to address competitive concerns and sometimes you got to admit you failed,” Manfred acknowledged.
Recent seasons have seen increased willingness among franchises to exceed tax thresholds, culminating in a record nine teams facing penalties in both 2024 and 2025. The Dodgers alone received a $169.4 million penalty bill. Overall tax collections jumped dramatically from $78.5 million in 2022 to $222.8 million the next year, then to $311.3 million in 2024 and $402.6 million in 2025.
“We never thought about the CBT as a revenue-generating device,” Manfred explained. “And when you see more and more tax getting paid, you realize that it is not the kind of speed bump that would help on the issue of competitive balance.”
The current five-year collective bargaining agreement, finalized in March 2022 following a 99-day lockout, reaches its expiration on December 1. Industry observers anticipate management will implement a lockout, effectively freezing all free-agent signings and trade activity.
Manfred declined to discuss publicly whether ownership believes a work stoppage would justify achieving their salary cap objectives.
“I’m not going to speculate about work stoppages,” he stated. “I think that the proposal we’ve made is grounds for constructive dialogue and back and forth with the MLBPA about how we can address the number one concern of our fans and that is a lack of competitive balance in the game.”
Under the ownership proposal, spending would be capped at $245.3 million beginning in 2027, calculated using luxury tax payroll figures that incorporate $20.1 million for benefits and the pre-arbitration bonus pool. The plan also includes a spending floor of $171.2 million, requiring some franchises to increase their payrolls. For comparison, the Dodgers operated with a $415.2 million payroll on opening day this season.
The players’ association has countered with demands for expanded free agency and salary arbitration eligibility, nearly doubling the major league minimum wage, and enhanced revenue sharing arrangements.
Since 1972, baseball has experienced nine work stoppages, with the most recent being the 99-day lockout that caused a brief delay to the 2022 season.
Other major professional sports leagues have operated under salary cap systems for years, including the NFL since 1994, the NBA since 1984-85, and the NHL since 2005-06.
SANTIAGO, Chile — Violent confrontations erupted between law enforcement and thousands of demonstrators in Chile’s capital city Wednesday as crowds gathered to oppose President José Antonio Kast’s proposed education budget reductions and cost-cutting policies.
The ultraconservative leader, who assumed the presidency on March 11, has committed to slashing approximately $6 billion from government expenditures within an 18-month timeframe to strengthen the nation’s financial position. His administration’s sweeping austerity strategy includes implementing close to a 3% reduction in funding for every government department.
These policies have faced opposition not just from rival political parties, but also from certain groups within Kast’s own governing alliance.
The demonstration was coordinated by the Confederation of Chilean Students with backing from various groups, including the Teachers’ Union, secondary school student associations, and feminist groups.
While the protest started without incident, the situation deteriorated when confrontations erupted between demonstrators and law enforcement. Police deployed water cannons and tear gas to break up the crowds, as some participants hurled stones and other projectiles. Traffic was disrupted on numerous streets and several subway stations shut down operations.
“The government sought to provoke this, to create this situation to justify repression,” Mario Aguilar, president of the Chilean Teachers’ Union, said.
Participants also voiced opposition to the administration’s National Reconstruction bill, an extensive legislative package designed to decrease government expenditures, stimulate investment and strengthen Chile’s economic performance.
The legislation, referred to as the “mega-reform” bill, received approval from the Chamber of Deputies in late May and will now move to Senate consideration.
“They want to silence us, but we are not going to stop,” said Magdalena Correa, a 21-year-old student. “They’re taking away our resources and rights, and we have to fight back.”
Neither police nor government representatives have issued statements regarding the confrontations. Nevertheless, Associated Press reporters witnessed no fewer than twelve arrests and multiple injuries throughout the disturbances.
Canada’s federal government has given the green light to relocate the final group of captive marine mammals from a closed Ontario theme park to facilities in the United States and Spain, potentially preventing the animals from being euthanized.
Thirty-four marine mammals remain at the former Marineland attraction in Niagara Falls, Ontario — consisting of 30 beluga whales and four dolphins. The park was listed for sale in early 2023 and shut its doors to visitors during late summer 2024, though no buyer has been announced.
Since closing, the former entertainment venue has been working to relocate its remaining animal population while attempting to sell the extensive grounds located near Horseshoe Falls.
In 2024, Marineland faced conviction under Ontario’s animal cruelty statutes in connection with the treatment of three black bears.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has approved initial permits for the whale transfer and plans to issue additional authorization documents as the relocation approaches in the coming months. Recent permits were granted under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known as CITES permits.
“I think this is a positive step forward,” said Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson. “There’s still more work to be done, but it’s a step forward.”
Since 2019, twenty marine mammals have perished at Marineland — including 19 beluga whales and one killer whale — based on provincial records obtained through freedom-of-information requests and official announcements.
Thompson’s department stated it is working alongside the Canada Border Services Agency, Health Canada and other government branches to “ensure all requirements are met for a safe and timely transfer.”
The park stated it remains “fully committed to the safe and timely relocation of our beluga whales, and we want to be clear: this is our top priority.”
“Relocating these animals is an extraordinarily complex undertaking,” the facility said in its statement.
Officials have not determined whether taxpayer funding will support the whale relocation effort.
The marine mammals are destined for five different facilities: Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, SeaWorld locations in San Antonio and San Diego, and Oceanografic Valencia.
Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, which received five beluga whales from Marineland in 2021, will assist with the current transfer, according to the American consortium.
John Holer, who founded Marineland, passed away in 2018. His widow, Marie Holer, assumed control of park operations and listed it for sale in 2023 before her death in 2024.
The estate has been working to dismantle the attraction, which included roller-coasters and various amusement rides.
A toddler has died from wounds suffered when powerful winds launched a bouncy castle into the sky during a church gathering at a Montreal park over the weekend.
The 3-year-old girl was among eleven people hurt when strong gusts sent the inflatable structure and a tent flying through the air on May 31 at Parc Ouellet in LaSalle, a southwestern Montreal borough, according to emergency medical officials. Six of those injured required hospitalization.
Weather officials from Environment Canada reported wind speeds reached 50 kilometers per hour (31 miles per hour) during Sunday afternoon’s church event.
Coroner Martine Lachance will examine what led to the fatal incident.
Cathy Denis, who owns a Quebec-based inflatable rental business, explained she refuses to set up or operate bounce houses when weather forecasts predict winds above 38 kilometers per hour (24 miles per hour).
“That limit is important because inflatables present a large surface area and sudden gusts can move the structures, even when they are properly installed,” she said.
This tragedy follows a pattern of similar fatal incidents worldwide. A fair in Mislata, near Valencia, Spain claimed the life of an 8-year-old girl in 2022 when winds hurled a bouncy castle several meters high, also injuring eight other children who needed medical care.
Tasmania’s Hillcrest Primary School in Devonport witnessed an even deadlier accident in 2021 when wind gusts lifted a jumping castle approximately 10 meters (33 feet) into the air during an end-of-year event, killing six children and seriously injuring three others.
A 2017 incident in Caldes de Malavella, northeastern Spain, resulted in one 6-year-old girl’s death and six other children’s injuries when an inflatable structure broke free from its anchors and became airborne. Authorities investigated whether faulty anchoring or equipment failure caused that accident.
Health Canada recommends that inflatable structure operators properly secure their equipment to prevent movement, tipping, or becoming airborne.
Research from the Public Health Agency of Canada documented 674 inflatable attraction injuries reported through the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program from 1990 to 2009. Children ages 2 through 9 suffered the majority of injuries, with fractures making up more than one-third of all reported cases.
Additional research conducted by Toronto Metropolitan University scholars found that inflatable structures caused 42% of amusement ride injuries recorded in a U.S. injury tracking database during 2010 — exceeding any mechanical ride category.
Study lead researcher Kathryn Woodcock supported Health Canada’s operator guidelines while emphasizing that inflatable structures should remain unused when weather conditions, including strong winds, surpass manufacturer safety standards.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton is positioning California as a state filled with untapped promise that has been mismanaged by Democratic control as he campaigns to become the first GOP governor in over a decade and a half.
“We have a responsibility to revive California so it is once again that symbol of everything that is great about our nation: energy and optimism and ambition,” he declared Tuesday during an election night address in Southern California.
By Wednesday, Hilton expressed confidence about advancing to the November general election while ballots were still being tallied. California’s primary system places all contenders on one ballot regardless of party affiliation, with the top two vote-getters moving forward to the general election.
As of Wednesday afternoon, The Associated Press had not declared a winner in the primary race. Early results showed Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra in the lead, with Democrat Tom Steyer trailing close behind. California typically sees significant ballot updates following Election Day as mail-in and drop-off votes arrive and get processed, sometimes altering election results.
Hilton, who lacks experience in elected positions, has vowed to shake up the state’s established political system, which he claims has abandoned Californians who cannot afford living costs in the notoriously pricey state. The candidate is relatively new to both California politics and California itself. He relocated to the state in 2012 from the United Kingdom, where he served as an advisor to Conservative Party leaders including former Prime Minister David Cameron. He hosted a Fox News program from 2017 to 2023 and obtained U.S. citizenship in 2021.
Should Hilton make it to November, he confronts significant challenges in a state that last elected a Republican governor when Arnold Schwarzenegger departed office in 2011. Currently, Democrats represent 45% of registered voters while Republicans account for just 25%. Despite these statistics, Hilton maintains he can overcome the odds.
“When people say, ‘How are you going to win in California as a Republican?’ My question is, how will a Democrat win based on the record that they are putting before the people?” he questioned reporters outside the state Capitol on Wednesday.
His campaign platform includes commitments to reduce costs across sectors from gasoline to housing, cut income taxes, establish a loan program for first-time homebuyers, and maintain current in-state tuition rates at public universities.
Another potential hurdle in attracting voters outside the typical Republican base comes from President Donald Trump’s backing.
“I know Steve — He is a hard driving WINNER, and he will turn California around, quickly — and the Federal Government will be there, with him, to help!” Trump wrote in a social media post.
Though Trump’s endorsement likely strengthened Hilton’s Republican primary support, it may prove problematic in November given the president’s low approval ratings in a state he frequently criticizes. Throughout primary debates and campaign events, Hilton has downplayed Trump’s endorsement since receiving it in April. However, he indicated enthusiasm about potentially having a cooperative federal partner if elected.
“It’s about, what does that endorsement mean for the practical things we can get?” Hilton explained Wednesday, noting he would collaborate with federal authorities to attempt lowering gas prices and eliminating government waste to enable tax reductions.
Hilton’s pledge to restore the state to an undefined era when conditions were better for most residents echoes Trump’s familiar “Make America Great Again” message.
During the primary campaign, Hilton competed against Republican Chad Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff, for GOP support.
In the campaign’s closing phase, Hilton cautioned about the potential for Becerra and Steyer to both advance to the general election, eliminating Republican representation. Becerra highlighted his extensive political background as evidence of his leadership capabilities, while Steyer emphasized his progressive advocacy record to show how he would support struggling families.
However, Hilton argued that neither opponent would change the established order following years of Democratic governance.
“The progressive experiment in governance — we can see the results. It’s a disappointment all around,” he stated. “I don’t know how much longer we have to wait for this experiment to actually work.”
NEW YORK (AP) — When Harry Reasoner launched CBS News’ “60 Minutes” on September 24, 1968, alongside correspondent Mike Wallace, he described the program as “kind of a magazine for television.”
“We do think this is sort of a new approach,” he declared.
Over five decades and 58 seasons later, CBS News leader Bari Weiss is using that identical phrase — “new approach” — to justify dramatic overhauls at television’s most celebrated news program. Her changes include dismissing the executive producer and two correspondents, while bringing in a new leader without television broadcast background. Most recently, one of the program’s most recognizable personalities, Scott Pelley, was terminated following a heated clash with executives.
“We realize, of course, that new approaches are not always instantly accepted,” Reasoner observed during that 1968 debut. Weiss’ transformation has sparked sharp criticism from various quarters. The internal chaos has itself become a major news story, with conflicting accounts emerging — all unfavorable to CBS News.
The crucial question emerging Wednesday: What direction will “60 Minutes” take moving forward? Can the program cease being the subject of headlines, return to its core mission, and preserve its reputation for investigative journalism and legendary dominance in television news? Or is its iconic ticking clock, as some worry, actually counting down to its end?
According to one respected television news expert, something fundamental appeared to have already disappeared Wednesday — perhaps the long-standing belief that “60 Minutes,” which combines traditional values with aggressive reporting, was essentially immune to such upheaval.
“My first response is, it started in 1968 — not a bad run,” said Robert Thompson, director of Syracuse University’s Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture. “Because it really does look like this is systematically deconstructing what (the show) was.”
However, he immediately clarified: “I don’t think we’re writing the obituary of ’60 Minutes.’ I think there’s just too much value and voltage built into that brand.”
Nevertheless, he identified troubling indicators. The program has suddenly lost four correspondents. Three received terminations, including Pelley, while Anderson Cooper departed voluntarily. Additionally, disturbing allegations have emerged from Pelley. “New management has instructed me to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story,” the correspondent and former evening news anchor claimed in a Tuesday statement. “I’ve been told to include assertions that are unverified.”
According to Jeff Fager, former executive producer of “60 Minutes” and author of a book about the show, losing Pelley represents a significant blow.
“I can’t imagine running ’60 Minutes’ without Scott,” said Fager, author of “Fifty Years of 60 Minutes: The Inside Story of Television’s Most Influential News Broadcast.”
“His is the most remarkable body of work in the history of the broadcast,” Fager stated. “It’s hobbled without him.”
A chaotic week of public exposure of internal conflicts continued Wednesday with Weiss addressing staff about Pelley’s termination — followed by Pelley’s response to her comments. In a transcript obtained by The Associated Press, Weiss opened a morning editorial call by stating she was “only interested in working in a newsroom that is built on trust and mutual respect.”
“That foundation was broken on Monday, and despite our attempts to engage with Scott Pelley and to find a way back, unfortunately we weren’t able to do so, and so we had to part ways,” Weiss explained during the call. “We did not want that to happen, but that’s the path that he chose.”
Pelley quickly responded with his own detailed account of their meeting. “Bari Weiss knows what she said is not true,” he stated in a response published by New York Times media reporter Ben Mullin. “In the meeting on Tuesday, in which I was effectively fired, there was no effort to ‘find a way back.’”
Unrest at “60 Minutes” had been apparent for over a year, following President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the show regarding its editing of a 2024 interview with then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. This became part of broader changes at CBS News after Weiss received the new position of editor-in-chief from parent company Paramount late last year, following David Ellison’s appointment as the network’s corporate leader.
Ellison’s company, Skydance, merged with CBS parent company Paramount, which subsequently settled the Trump lawsuit for $16 million, frustrating some at “60 Minutes” — and indirectly causing the departure last month of popular CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert, who had characterized the settlement as “a big fat bribe.”
Internal disagreements at the show became public last Thursday, when Weiss and CBS News President Tom Cibrowski announced their modifications intended for “building a show that thrives in the 21st century.”
They appointed Nick Bilton, a former technology columnist and documentarian, as executive producer, replacing Tanya Simon, a 30-year veteran of the show who had held the top position for approximately one year. Also dismissed were correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi, whose segment about Trump administration deportees in a Salvadoran prison had been suddenly withdrawn by Weiss before airing a month later, and Cecilia Vega.
Four days afterward, a Monday morning staff meeting erupted into hostility when Pelley challenged Bilton, arguing he lacked relevant experience for the role. When Bilton told the meeting that “Bari loves this institution,” Pelley responded, according to accounts of recordings: “She’s murdering ’60 Minutes.’ She does not love this place. She was brought in to kill it and she’s doing exactly that.”
This prompted Weiss, Bilton and others to summon Pelley for the Tuesday meeting, which resulted in his termination. Weiss and Bilton did not respond to interview requests Wednesday.
However, reactions spread throughout the media industry. “This is David Ellison’s ’60 Minutes’ now,” CNN media critic Brian Stelter wrote in his newsletter Wednesday.
What does the program’s future hold? During her staff call Wednesday, Weiss commended some of Pelley’s work on recent “unforgettable stories” and promised Bilton would deliver similar work “in season 59 with the amazing team that’s still there and hopefully from some new people that are going to be joining us.”
No information was provided about those additions. A much broader question concerned whether the confusion at “60 Minutes” would ultimately prove more political in nature — Pelley and others have accused the new leadership of attempting to curry favor with the Trump administration — or represent more of a generational disagreement. Weiss and Bilton have characterized the changes as essential for evolving with contemporary times.
Fager, among others, expresses concern about that explanation. The show, he argued, has successfully adapted over time.
“It hasn’t been running in place — that’s such a misunderstanding of the broadcast,” he explained. “We adapted on a regular basis. Every time there’s been a new leader, there has been significant evolution.”
He recognized that some modification and growth remains always necessary. But observing the past week’s “new approach” develop, he continues worrying about the show’s overall prospects.
“I worry about it,” he said. “I’ve always thought it’s fragile, and I don’t take it for granted.”
The head of the National Football League has turned down a request to appear before lawmakers next week regarding the organization’s television contracts and its growing trend of placing games behind streaming service paywalls.
Roger Goodell refused the invitation to attend a House Judiciary Committee session scheduled for June 10 because of “ongoing litigation related to the topic of the hearing,” according to a Wednesday letter from the organization’s general counsel, Ted Ullyot, addressed to committee chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.
Jordan represents one of multiple lawmakers who have expressed worry about the financial burden placed on supporters trying to view NFL contests and questioned whether the organization’s streaming agreements follow the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, which provided the league with a restricted antitrust exemption.
The legislation covers only broadcast networks. Previous court decisions have determined it excludes other media formats, such as cable, satellite and streaming platforms. Politicians from both parties have shown support for modernizing the statute.
Earlier this year, the Justice Department launched an investigation into the NFL regarding possible anticompetitive behavior connected to its broadcasting agreements.
In his correspondence to Jordan, Ullyot noted that 87% of the organization’s contests will be accessible through over-the-air broadcasts this season, with every match available on broadcast television in the participating teams’ local markets. He mentioned that the growing number of contests on streaming platforms has coincided with a small decrease in games broadcast on cable.
“The NFL’s decision to license a few more games to widely adopted streaming services is simply a reflection that those platforms now offer significantly more reach than the current pay TV ecosystem and that broadcast television remains the foundation of our media distribution,” Ullyot wrote.
A spokeswoman for Jordan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The organization also forwarded a letter to Jordan bearing signatures from 21 members of Congress advocating for careful consideration before modifying the broadcasting statute. Ullyot’s correspondence stated the SBA helps preserve competitive balance by supporting “broad media distribution, substantial revenue sharing among the clubs, and a collectively bargained salary cap.”
“If the league were not to handle media distribution as it has since the passage of the SBA,” the letter said, “the result would be to harm NFL fans through increased cost and confusion and the undermining of the competitive balance that makes NFL games so exciting.”
WASHINGTON — In a historic first, the U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to pass a war powers resolution aimed at stopping military action against Iran, delivering a sharp rebuke to President Donald Trump as several Republicans crossed party lines to join Democrats in ending the three-month conflict that has reshaped domestic and international politics.
House Speaker Mike Johnson had attempted to block an outcome that would demonstrate growing opposition to the war, abruptly halting floor proceedings two weeks earlier when the resolution appeared headed for passage. However, dissatisfaction has continued to mount as the conflict continues and Trump faces challenges in negotiating a peace agreement.
Wednesday’s vote tally stood at 215-208, though what happens next remains unclear. Trump would probably veto any congressional measure aimed at restricting his authority as commander-in-chief. Nevertheless, the count, which saw four Republicans side with Democrats, represented a clear rejection of the president’s military strategy, prompting applause to break out on the House floor.
“This reckless and costly war of choice needs to end today,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York stated earlier this week.
“All we need are a handful of Republicans to join us and we can end this reckless and costly war of choice — a war that has cost the American taxpayer over $100 billion — that’s extraordinary — and left our country in a weaker position relative to Iran.”
This marks the fourth attempt by the House to restrict the U.S. military campaign against Iran. The Senate moved forward with its own war powers resolution last month when several GOP senators broke with the Republican president in an uncommon display of political resistance from within his party.
With each Democratic push for the war powers resolution, vote counts have gradually increased as political discomfort with the U.S. military engagement grows. Trump had run for president pledging to conclude U.S. military involvement overseas and concentrate on domestic priorities, but the conflict has redirected focus back to the Middle East.
Johnson maintained that Trump remains “laser focused” on domestic matters, especially with midterm elections approaching that will decide congressional control.
The speaker revealed he spent three hours at the White House with the president this week as Trump seeks allied assistance to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for commercial traffic, particularly oil shipments.
Following the U.S. decision to join Israel in launching Feb. 28 attacks on Iran, Americans have experienced rising fuel costs, contributing to inflationary pressures on consumer expenses.
Iran has succeeded in disrupting maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for a significant portion of global oil, natural gas and related commodities like fertilizer.
“We’re working on that final piece,” said Johnson, R-La. “The entire world has an interest in the Strait of Hormuz being reopen for commerce. That what he’s working on.”
Although a ceasefire was announced in April, it remains fragile and unpredictable. Negotiations for a more lasting resolution to the hostilities have stalled, made increasingly complex by Israel’s expanding conflict with Iran-supported Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon. At the same time, military exchanges between the U.S and Iran persist.
The House war powers resolution would not immediately halt the conflict, but it would represent a symbolic and potentially legal move against additional military operations.
The measure now moves to the Senate, where four Republican senators last month joined Democrats in advancing similar legislation to limit the U.S. campaign against Iran. The Senate has not yet held a final vote to pass or defeat its own war powers resolution.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned Wednesday during testimony before a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing that Iranians would believe the administration’s “hands are going to be tied” if Congress passed a war powers resolution. He argued they would think “we won’t be able to do anything to them, so why make a deal?”
This isn’t the only national security action Congress is pursuing as Democrats, though in the minority, attempt to gain Republican support for measures extending beyond the Iran conflict.
The House is also voting Wednesday on another Democratic-sponsored initiative that would authorize U.S. assistance for Ukraine’s military operations in its fight against Russia and help rebuild the devastated nation. The House this week is also anticipated to review a war powers resolution to prevent U.S. involvement in Lebanon.
While Congress holds constitutional authority to declare war, the president also possesses commander-in-chief powers to engage in military operations, establishing a legal conflict over which governmental branch has final authority in war and peace decisions.
According to the war powers act, the White House has 60 days to obtain congressional approval for military action. The administration has suggested that since a ceasefire has been declared in the current Iran conflict, hostilities have ended.
A pioneering investment company has made financial history as its flagship exchange-traded fund became the first ETF ever to cross the $1 trillion asset threshold, the firm announced Wednesday.
The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF reached this historic benchmark on Tuesday, marking another significant achievement in the rapid growth of exchange-traded funds. This milestone came fewer than 18 months after the fund surpassed State Street Investment Management’s SPDR S&P 500 ETF in total assets, as investors seeking broad market exposure gravitated toward the most affordable options. The Vanguard product charges just a 0.03% management fee, significantly lower than the 0.09% fee imposed by the State Street fund, which currently ranks third among the top competitors including BlackRock Inc.
The world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock, holds the second position in the S&P 500 ETF market with its iShares Core S&P 500 ETF, which has accumulated $860 billion in assets while also charging 0.03% in fees, according to VettaFi data. Meanwhile, SPY, the groundbreaking fund that helped establish the ETF marketplace when it debuted in 1993, currently holds $785 billion in assets.
Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, emphasized the significance of this achievement. “This is a key milestone,” said Rosenbluth. “Investors continue to turn to low-cost broad market exposure to gain access to the S&P 500 using VOO.”
The chief executive of JPMorgan Chase will lead a conversation about SpaceX’s upcoming stock market debut with thousands of the financial institution’s wealthy clients this week, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday.
Jamie Dimon will conduct a “live interactive discussion” from JPMorgan’s main offices, joined by Mary Callahan Erdoes, who heads the bank’s asset and wealth management operations, according to the report.
Two SpaceX executives – President Gwynne Shotwell and CFO Bret Johnsen – will also participate in the conversation.
The presentation will be broadcast simultaneously to roughly 90 JPMorgan offices spanning 26 states, with over 2,500 bank clients anticipated to participate, the report stated, referencing someone with knowledge of the plans.
On Wednesday, SpaceX announced an IPO share price of $135, a decision that sidesteps conventional Wall Street pricing methods and demonstrates CEO Elon Musk’s approach of establishing his own conditions for fundraising efforts.
The space exploration firm seeks to collect $75 billion through this offering – which would break IPO records – in a transaction that would establish the company’s worth at $1.75 trillion, instantly positioning it among America’s ten most valuable publicly traded corporations.
Several prominent global financial institutions, including Mizuho, Deutsche Bank, UBS and Barclays, have been encouraged to concentrate on attracting affluent individual investors within their respective regions.
Financial institutions frequently organize roadshow presentations for potential investors before stock offerings launch. These roadshows typically allow companies and their banking partners to gauge investor interest and establish pricing ranges for share sales.
Investment professionals have rushed to obtain stakes in this transaction, motivated by Elon Musk’s business history and the opportunity for the deal to produce substantial fee income for Wall Street companies.
JPMorgan serves as one member of the extensive group of banks handling the SpaceX public offering.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un toured a recently opened facility that produces nuclear materials and demanded a dramatic buildup of the nation’s nuclear weapons program, according to state media reports released Thursday.
The leader stated that the facility’s capacity to produce weapons-grade nuclear materials has more than doubled during the past five years, and he directed officials to boost production even further to achieve the country’s long-range strategic objectives.
State media KCNA reported that Kim received briefings about new manufacturing methods that use more sophisticated technology and examined current production goals along with upcoming plans during his facility tour.
The leader justified the weapons expansion by pointing to what he described as increasing security dangers and ongoing confrontation with adversarial nations, while restating the country’s commitment to continuously strengthening its nuclear deterrent capabilities.
According to KCNA, officials held an important strategy session the same day focused on strengthening nuclear capabilities, where Kim provided direction for speeding up both the quality and quantity improvements to North Korea’s nuclear weapons stockpile.
Kim announced that the nation had reached “responsible and significant decisions,” which included establishing the timeline and protective measures for implementing what he characterized as an extensive strategy to boost nuclear capabilities “exponentially.”
The leader declared that North Korea had “set a transformative milestone for the advancement of nuclear capabilities.”
WASHINGTON – As the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square incident approaches, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Wednesday that China’s efforts to suppress information cannot eliminate the historical memory of the 1989 events where peaceful protesters were attacked.
Speaking in advance of the June 4th anniversary, Rubio issued a statement commemorating the date when Chinese Communist Party forces were directed to assault thousands of peaceful demonstrators in the Tiananmen Square area and surrounding locations.
“On June 4, the world marks 37 years since the Chinese Communist Party ordered its troops to attack thousands of peaceful demonstrators in and around Tiananmen Square,” Rubio said in a statement.
The Secretary of State emphasized that attempts to silence discussion of the events would ultimately fail. “No amount of censorship can erase the past. Those who sacrificed to uphold their unalienable rights of free expression and peaceful assembly will be vindicated someday,” Rubio said.
WASHINGTON, June 3 – The U.S. House of Representatives approved a Democratic resolution Wednesday requiring congressional authorization before military action against Iran can proceed, demonstrating increasing legislative unease about the conflict even within President Donald Trump’s own party.
The measure passed by a margin of 215 to 208, with four Republicans crossing party lines to support the Democratic-sponsored war powers resolution. The vote represents another legislative challenge for Trump despite his party holding narrow control in both congressional chambers.
The action carries primarily symbolic weight. For the resolution to take effect, it must also clear the Senate and secure two-thirds support in both houses to override what would likely be a certain presidential veto.
Nevertheless, the vote follows three earlier war powers measures that failed in the House by progressively smaller vote counts. Additionally, the Senate moved forward with a comparable resolution in a procedural vote last month, following seven unsuccessful previous attempts.
Drivers using southbound Interstate 95 are facing traffic delays this morning due to heavy congestion between Frawley Stadium and Churchmans Marsh.
The backup is causing travel delays of 5 to 10 minutes for motorists in the affected stretch of highway.
Traffic officials are monitoring the situation as congestion continues to impact the southbound lanes in this area.
DELMARVA — Delaware has entered a drought watch as water levels continue to decline across the state. Governor Matt Meyer made the declaration Wednesday following recommendations from the state Water Supply Coordinating Council.
Kent and Sussex counties are experiencing the most severe impacts from the dry conditions. DNREC Secretary Greg Patterson said Delaware would need 21 inches of rain over the next 3 months to restore water supplies to typical levels.
Residents are being urged to voluntarily cut back on outdoor water use and conserve water indoors. The state’s open burning ban remains in effect through September 30.
Federal officials confirmed Wednesday that China has started buying new crop soybeans from the U.S. Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden announced the purchases during a Wall Street Journal event, marking a notable development in trade relations.
Cattle futures took significant losses Wednesday at the Chicago Merc. August live cattle dropped $1.80 to close at $347.85. Feeder cattle fell even harder, with August contracts losing $5.80 to close at $342.62.
Locally, corn at Laurel Grain Company is bringing $4.77 a bushel for July delivery. Soybeans there are at $10.94 for July.
Temperatures will hold at 80° this evening under sunny skies with southeast winds at 10 mph. Clear skies tonight with a low near 60°. Thursday looks pleasant with sunshine and a high of 76°. Clear to mostly clear Thursday night with a low around 64°.
This article is based on the Delmarva Farm Report Update Evening Edition, June 3, 2026. Hosted by Tom Bradley.
Drivers heading south on Route 1 near Rehoboth Beach should expect additional travel time due to heavy traffic conditions in the area.
The Delaware Department of Transportation reports that congestion along the southbound lanes between U.S. Route 9 and Delaware Route 1A is causing delays of 5 to 10 minutes for motorists passing through the corridor.
Traffic officials are monitoring the situation as vehicles move slowly through the affected stretch of roadway.
A major Spanish hospitality company has become the latest international business to pull back from Cuba’s struggling tourism market, shuttering nearly half of its island operations amid escalating U.S. economic pressure.
Meliá will end operations at 15 of its 34 Cuban properties, according to the state-run website Cubadebate, delivering another significant setback to the Caribbean nation’s critical tourism industry that has been in steep decline since reaching its highest point in 2018.
The hospitality company cited “a sense of corporate responsibility and external factors that have significantly affected the operation, legality and security of these establishments” as reasons for the May 26 decision, according to Wednesday’s report.
The announcement came just weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order broadening economic restrictions against Cuba. The sanctions primarily focused on Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A., a business conglomerate run by the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, which the U.S. characterized as a national security threat.
The presidential directive freezes foreign company assets, seizes their U.S. accounts and bans travel by their shareholders, investors and staff members, effectively cutting off their access to American financial systems.
GAESA, the Cuban business empire established in the 1990s, controls numerous enterprises ranging from vehicle rental services and retail outlets to transportation firms. The conglomerate partners with Meliá in hotel operations through its subsidiary company, Gaviota.
The Spanish firm represents one of Cuba’s most significant tourism industry allies. Before this partial exit, the company managed approximately 14,000 hotel rooms across the island.
Companies from Spain and Canada represent the largest foreign investors in Cuba’s hospitality industry, according to Lee Schlenker, a research associate at the Quincy Institute’s Global South program, a Washington think tank.
“With the lack of international tourism, the fuel shortages, and just the broader decline since COVID…I’m sure that these companies will be rethinking their operations in Cuba with major implications for the people of Cuba, not just GAESA,” he said. “There are thousands of Cubans who work in these hotels.”
Many of the properties Meliá abandoned in scenic locations including Varadero, Cayo Santa María and Jardines del Rey resort areas “were already closed and inactive due to energy problems and the drop in demand in Cuba,” Cubadebate reported.
Cuban officials have attributed prolonged power outages, water shortages, supply chain issues, healthcare system problems and widespread daily life disruptions to the U.S. energy blockade.
Workers in Cuba’s deteriorating tourism industry expressed dismay over Meliá’s decision.
“It’s going to affect us, our families, and everyone involved in tourism. Our pay and income depend on this,” said Erich López, a driver of a green 1950s Dodge who has been driving for two decades to support his family.
For Carlos Luis Carbonel, a 62-year-old parking attendant who works in front of the giant Meliá Cohiba hotel in Havana, the situation “is going to be a blow.”
“This is terrible for everyone: for tour guides, for parking attendants, for hotel workers, for everyone,” he said.
Additional major hospitality brands including Canadian-owned Royalton and Spain’s Iberostar have reduced or halted their Cuban operations within the past week.
Cuban tourism, which peaked at 4.3 million visitors in 2019, experienced a dramatic decline in first-quarter arrivals this year, dropping 48% compared to the same timeframe in 2025.
Just 298,000 tourists visited Cuba during January, February and March, down from 573,300 international visitors in the corresponding period last year, government statistics show.
On Wednesday, workers removed the massive, recognizable signage from the Royalton Paseo del Prado hotel at Old Havana’s entrance, The Associated Press confirmed during a site visit. The 500-room Iberostar Selection — also called Tower K — the most contemporary and upscale hotel scheduled to debut in 2025, towering more than 150 meters (490 feet) high, has remained shuttered for several days.
Air carriers including World2Fly, Air France and Iberia have scrapped flights to and from Cuba.
Cuba’s Central Bank also announced Wednesday that Visa and MasterCard services on the island would be halted after foreign entities ended their relationships with FINCIMEX S.A., a Cuban financial agency connected to GAESA.
Last month, Canadian mining company Sherritt International Corp. signed a preliminary deal with Gillon Capital LLC, a family office tied to a former Trump adviser, to divest its ownership in a Cuban mining operation.
In late January, Trump warned of potential tariffs against any nation that sells or provides oil to Cuba, as his administration pushes for political and governmental changes. This action has intensified a crisis stemming from seven decades of U.S. economic restrictions.
Despite earlier talks between U.S. and Cuban representatives this year, relations have deteriorated. In late May, former President Raúl Castro faced charges in a U.S. indictment for his alleged involvement in shooting down two civilian planes flown by Miami-based exiles in 1996 over Cuban waters.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. announced Wednesday its intention to go public this month with a stock offering that could reach $75 billion, potentially creating the largest initial public offering in market history and positioning CEO Elon Musk to become the planet’s first trillionaire.
The rocket manufacturer will offer 555.6 million shares priced at $135 each, according to company filings. This public debut would establish a company valuation of $1.77 trillion, placing it among an elite group of corporations. Currently, only six businesses in the S&P 500 exceed this worth, with Nvidia leading at $5.2 trillion.
Beyond the massive scale and anticipated revenue, the company’s updated filing reveals details about Musk’s control structure. Serving as CEO, chief technical officer and chairman, Musk will maintain authority primarily through his 5.22 billion Class B shares, which provide 10 voting rights per share. This arrangement grants Musk 82.4% of the company’s voting control.
Financial publication Forbes currently estimates Musk’s total wealth at $826 billion, with his SpaceX holdings valued at $542 billion.
The projected earnings from this stock market launch would significantly surpass the previous record holder, oil company Saudi Aramco, which raised $26 billion in 2019.
Market performance remains uncertain, though Musk’s vision for the company matches the extraordinary fundraising goals.
The IPO documentation presents an unusually vivid narrative compared to standard offering materials, outlining ambitious plans to use sale proceeds for lunar missions and potential Mars exploration. One portion describes establishing “a permanent human colony” on Mars housing “at least one million inhabitants” to protect humanity from extinction events that could result in “the same fate as the dinosaurs.”
SpaceX isn’t alone in preparing major market entries. Artificial intelligence company Anthropic filed confidential paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this week to begin its own IPO process.
While OpenAI hasn’t yet submitted initial SEC documentation, industry observers widely anticipate a public offering from the ChatGPT developer.
Drivers should expect delays at the intersection of Wescoats Road and Savannah Road due to ongoing construction work that has forced the closure of the right turn lane.
The lane restriction is currently in place and is expected to last until 3 PM today, according to traffic officials.
Motorists are advised to plan alternate routes or allow extra travel time when passing through the area during the construction period.
Growing conflicts in the Middle East combined with investors selling off artificial intelligence and technology stocks created widespread market disruption Wednesday, sending stock and bond values lower while boosting the dollar and oil prices.
Market analyst Jamie McGeever examined why Japan might be benefiting from its foreign exchange interventions, challenging the common belief that the yen’s return to previous intervention levels shows Tokyo’s currency support efforts have failed.
Several major market developments highlighted Wednesday’s volatility across different sectors and regions.
Stock markets showed mixed results globally, with Japan’s Nikkei climbing 2.5% to reach a new peak while Brazil dropped 2%. U.S. markets declined with the Dow falling 1.2% and the Nasdaq down 0.9%.
Within the S&P 500, seven sectors declined while five gained ground. Technology stocks fell 1.5% while energy shares rose 1.4%. Individual company moves included IBM dropping 7%, Nvidia declining 4%, and Walmart advancing 3.5%. Broadcom reached a record high before plummeting 7% in after-hours trading.
Currency markets saw the dollar index achieve its highest U.S. close in two months. The USD/JPY pair touched the 160.00 level considered an “intervention zone” threshold. The New Zealand dollar and Swedish krona both dropped 1%, making them the biggest decliners among major currencies.
Bond markets experienced rising U.S. yields, up 4 basis points at the short end, with increased probabilities for Federal Reserve rate hikes in 2026.
Commodity trading showed oil prices gaining 2% while gold fell 1%. Other precious metals declined between 3% to 5%.
Massive initial public offerings are generating significant discussion on Wall Street. SpaceX’s planned IPO could value the company at $1.75 trillion, while Anthropic and OpenAI listings might each reach $1 trillion valuations. Questions remain about whether markets can handle such large new stock offerings.
Historical data suggests caution regarding major IPOs. Sam Grelck at Truist Advisory Services points to inconsistent performance in the weeks, months, and year following major U.S. listings, with each experiencing significant declines within 12 months of going public.
The Japanese yen fell below 160 per dollar Wednesday, crossing the unofficial threshold many experts believe triggers Tokyo’s foreign exchange market intervention to prevent further currency weakness. The last time the yen dropped below 160 per dollar was April 29, leading Japan to sell a record $73.5 billion. Despite this massive intervention just weeks ago, the currency has returned to similar levels, though the situation may be more complex than simple intervention failure.
Three U.S. economic reports Wednesday all exceeded expectations. Private sector employment in May reached its highest level since January of last year, factory orders in April posted their largest increase in 11 months, and service sector activity in May expanded more rapidly than anticipated. The U.S. economic surprises index now stands at its highest point since October 2023.
Thursday’s potential market-moving events include Middle East developments, Australia’s April trade data, euro zone April retail sales, speeches by European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey, UK May PMI data, U.S. weekly jobless claims, U.S. May job layoffs data, revised first-quarter U.S. productivity and labor costs, and remarks from Federal Reserve officials including Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin, San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly, and Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman.
The San Diego Padres released outfielder Nick Castellanos on Wednesday, ending his brief stint with the team after a disappointing start to the season.
Castellanos joined the Padres in February on a one-year minimum salary contract following his release from the Philadelphia Phillies, who cut him before the final season of his five-year $100 million deal. This season with San Diego, the veteran posted a .191 batting average with four home runs, 20 RBIs and a .560 OPS across 39 games, striking out 34 times while drawing just five walks.
The timing of the release created an unusual situation, as Castellanos was back in Philadelphia when the Padres made their decision. Citizens Bank Park showed a video honoring Castellanos before Tuesday’s contest, though he remained on the bench for that game.
Castellanos’ departure from Philadelphia was partly attributed to his conduct, including multiple confrontations with manager Rob Thomson. In an unexpected turn, Philadelphia dismissed Thomson in late April.
To fill the roster spot, the Padres promoted infielder/outfielder Samad Taylor from their Triple-A affiliate in El Paso.
The 34-year-old Castellanos owns a .270 career batting average with 254 home runs and 940 RBIs across 1,727 games during his 14 seasons with the Detroit Tigers (2013-19), Chicago Cubs (2019), Cincinnati Reds (2020-21), Phillies (2022-25) and Padres.
Taylor, 27, will make his first appearance with the Padres. The utility player has compiled a .205 career average with four RBIs in 38 major league games split between the Kansas City Royals (2023) and Seattle Mariners (2024-25). At El Paso this year, he has posted a .319 average with seven homers and 25 RBIs through 51 games.
A quantum computing company with ties to industrial giant Honeywell completed a massive $1.68 billion stock market debut on Wednesday, signaling growing investor confidence in cutting-edge computing technology.
Quantinuum, headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, successfully sold 28 million shares at $60 per share according to a source with knowledge of the transaction. The company has not yet provided public comment on the offering details.
The stock market launch represents another gauge of how much investors are willing to bet on quantum computing firms, as technological advances fuel speculation that quantum machines may one day surpass traditional computers in handling certain complicated calculations.
Just days before the offering, the company bumped up its expected share price to a range of $53-$55 and expanded the total number of shares being sold to 26.5 million – moves that typically indicate robust demand from investors.
The public offering arrives as the American stock listing market builds fresh momentum, though investor interest continues to focus heavily on technology companies and other rapidly expanding industries.
Trading for Quantinuum shares will commence Thursday on the Nasdaq exchange using the stock symbol “QNT”. J.P.Morgan and Morgan Stanley are serving as the primary underwriters for the deal.
The business emerged in 2021 when Honeywell’s quantum computing division combined with Cambridge Quantum. Although still in early phases of commercial development, Quantinuum has documented increasing order activity in recent months as sector interest grows.
Even with rising investor enthusiasm, quantum computing enterprises across the field still confront obstacles including expensive development costs, technical complexity, and unclear timelines for broad commercial use.
Following completion of the offering, Honeywell – which maintains a market value of approximately $150 billion – will hold roughly 48.1% of the company’s total voting control, according to Quantinuum’s regulatory filing.
Market analysts anticipate Quantinuum’s public debut will significantly influence the quantum computing industry, considering the small number of publicly traded firms operating in this space.
“More quantum names reaching the public markets deepens the universe, improves price discovery, and draws sellside and institutional coverage to a space that has thus far been thinly followed,” analysts at Wedbush said in a note this week.
“We expect Quantinuum’s valuation and early share-price action to set the tone in the first day or two of trading, and to ripple across listed peers, particularly in light of the strong cross correlation of quantum asset prices,” the brokerage said.
Last month, the Trump administration announced plans to acquire $2 billion in ownership stakes across nine quantum-computing enterprises.
Quantinuum creates quantum computers engineered to tackle intricate problems that would require conventional computers thousands of years or more to complete.
The current administration has chosen to grow a federal initiative that was created during the previous presidency, specifically focusing on dismantling human trafficking operations.
This enforcement program, which targets criminal networks involved in smuggling people, represents one area where the new administration has decided to build upon rather than reverse policies established under Biden.
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes’ top goal scorers from the regular season — Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov — have gone ice cold when it matters most in the playoffs.
While other players stepped up during the first three playoff rounds to compensate, this scoring drought has become a critical issue that threatens their Stanley Cup hopes.
Carolina faces a formidable opponent in the Vegas Golden Knights, an experienced team without obvious flaws who captured the series opener 5-4. As Game 2 approaches Thursday evening, the spotlight falls on the Hurricanes’ star players to deliver before time runs out.
“I know we have a better in us, and we’ve got to show it,” Aho said Wednesday. “It’s on us to figure it out.”
Across 14 postseason contests, Jarvis, Aho and Svechnikov have found the net only three times at even strength against opposing goaltenders. The production from Carolina’s second line — featuring Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake — helped the team cruise past Ottawa, Philadelphia and Montreal with just one defeat across those three series.
Vegas presents a completely different challenge, and the opening game revealed growing frustration within the first line.
“This league is weird: You grip your stick a little tight and you get into a weird matchup, and it can look worse than it is,” Hall said. “But things can change on a dime, especially this time of year.”
Carolina has waited almost two months for that turnaround. Coach Rod Brind’Amour had shown patience for weeks, praising Jarvis, Aho and Svechnikov for their defensive contributions that help the team win, despite their lack of offensive production.
His approach has shifted now that the team faces elimination pressure in the championship series.
“They got to play in the other team’s end,” Brind’Amour said. “They’re too much one and done and not even one (scoring chance), and it’s not a lot of time. So, they got to get a little more offensive zone time. Kind of like that last shift they had. That was one of the shifts you could say: ‘OK, there you go. That’s how it needs to look.’ We need them to get going.”
That closing shift occurred with the game tied late in Tuesday’s third period, pinning the Golden Knights in their defensive zone and creating quality scoring opportunities. Jarvis saw one shot blocked, followed by two more saves from Carter Hart, including a spectacular glove stop that led to Tomas Hertl’s game-winner 21 seconds afterward.
This represented a significant upgrade from earlier moments when Jarvis declined an open shooting opportunity while seeking a pass, then later missed an empty net.
“The chances are there,” Jarvis said. “We’ve had our looks. We just have to capitalize now more than ever. We can’t dwell on the past, can’t dwell on the stuff we missed. It’s about the next shift, the next shot.”
That’s easier to accomplish in theory since Vegas will make adjustments as well. Coach John Tortorella has emphasized maintaining their current strategy, and there’s good reason the team has won 20 of 25 games since he assumed control in late March.
“We have thoughts on how to play this team,” Tortorella said. “We need to be patient. In a number of things, how we have to play, I think, requires patience — and when you get a little antsy against that team, they can capitalize. They’re that good. I think we have an understanding of how we have to go.”
Although Jarvis, Aho and Svechnikov have appeared out of sync at times, there’s little indication this stems from insufficient effort. Perhaps they’re pushing too hard.
“It’s not about work ethic or trying harder, but it doesn’t matter at the same time,” Aho said. “There’s also a part that we almost sometimes try to do too much, instead of just letting the game happen and play the game, let the game come to you in a way.”
Fellow players are working to maintain morale and keep those struggling forwards mentally focused. Defenseman Jalen Chatfield emphasizes staying positive.
“Everybody’s giving everything out there,” Chatfield said. “That’s not the question. Sometimes it’s bounces. Sometimes things happen in hockey, but I think as a group, (it is about) leaning on each other to help each other play our best.”
Hall, selected first overall in 2010 and the 2017-18 MVP who has found success with his sixth NHL team at age 34, doesn’t believe he needs to mentor other struggling players. He remains confident that Jarvis, Aho and Svechnikov will break through.
“Those guys are great players,” Hall said. “They had their chances and their looks (in Game 1). Some of the looks didn’t turn into chances. But we know how good they are, and we know how good they can be and it’s only a matter of time.”
