A Heat Advisory has been issued by the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey, beginning Monday, July 14 and lasting through Tuesday, July 15 at 8:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time.
During a Heat Advisory, conditions are expected to be hot and potentially dangerous, particularly for vulnerable populations including the elderly, young children, and those with certain medical conditions. Residents are urged to drink plenty of water, avoid strenuous outdoor activity during the hottest parts of the day, and seek air-conditioned spaces when possible.
If you do not have access to air conditioning at home, consider visiting a public cooling center such as a library or community center. Never leave children or pets unattended in parked vehicles, even briefly, as temperatures inside a vehicle can rise to life-threatening levels within minutes.
Check on elderly neighbors, friends, and family members during this advisory period to make sure they are staying cool and safe.
The Pittsburgh Penguins made it official Tuesday, inking veteran forward Nick Robertson to a two-year deal worth $6.5 million.
Robertson arrived in Pittsburgh on July 1 after the team acquired him from Toronto in exchange for a 2028 fourth-round draft pick. The signing comes after Robertson turned in the best offensive season of his career, recording 16 goals and 16 assists across 78 games with the Maple Leafs last year.
Originally selected by Toronto in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft, Robertson spent parts of six seasons with the Maple Leafs, tallying 48 goals and 40 assists over 234 regular-season appearances.
The California native also has postseason experience, having suited up for 13 Stanley Cup playoff games and contributing two goals and one assist during that time.
Travelers on Oakwood Road are facing intermittent lane restrictions this afternoon as construction crews work in the area.
According to traffic officials, the lane closure is in effect between Bybrook Road and Thomas Road and is expected to remain in place until 5 PM.
Drivers in the area should allow extra travel time and remain alert for construction workers and equipment near the roadway. An alternate route is recommended if possible.
When Bijan Robinson entered the NFL in 2023 as the first running back selected in the top 10 of the draft in five years, expectations were already sky-high. He has since lived up to every bit of that hype.
After making an immediate impression with the Atlanta Falcons, Robinson elevated his game even further last season, finishing as the league leader in yards from scrimmage and earning All-Pro honors at his position. Now, he has another accolade to add to his resume — the Associated Press has named him the best running back in the NFL.
A group of eight AP pro football writers ranked the top five running backs heading into the 2026 season. First-place votes carried 10 points, while second through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2, and 1 points, respectively.
Robinson dominated the balloting, collecting three first-place votes and one second-place vote. Notably, he was the only player to appear on all eight ballots, finishing with 41 total points. San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey came in second with 33 points after receiving two first-place votes, while Baltimore’s Derrick Henry also earned two first-place votes and landed in third place with 30 points.
The remaining first-place vote belonged to Saquon Barkley, who finished fourth overall. Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs rounded out the top five. Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor and Buffalo’s James Cook also appeared in the voting.
Robinson, who was the eighth overall pick in 2023, is widely regarded as one of the premier dual-threat backs in the game. Last season he rushed for 1,478 yards — good for fourth in the NFL — while also hauling in 820 receiving yards. That combination made him just the second player in NFL history to post at least 1,400 rushing yards and 800 receiving yards in the same season, joining Steven Jackson, who accomplished the feat back in 2006. Robinson finished the year with an NFL-best 2,298 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns.
McCaffrey, meanwhile, has carved out a reputation as the most dangerous pass-catching back in the league and remains a centerpiece of San Francisco’s passing attack. While his rushing numbers dipped somewhat last season — 1,202 yards at just 3.9 yards per carry — he more than compensated with 102 receptions for 924 yards. That performance nearly made him the first player ever to record two seasons with at least 1,000 yards both rushing and receiving. He also generated an NFL-high 119 first downs, matching the most by any player in the past 15 seasons.
Henry, now in his 30s, continues to defy expectations of a decline. He has surpassed 1,500 rushing yards in each of the last two seasons since turning 30, giving him five such seasons in his career — tying Barry Sanders for the most in NFL history. Last season Henry ranked second in the league with 1,595 rushing yards and now sits 10th on the all-time rushing list with 13,018 career yards. He also set a record with his seventh career 200-yard game and has tied the record with four seasons of at least 15 rushing touchdowns.
Barkley, who set the all-time record with 2,504 combined regular season and playoff rushing yards in 2024, took a step back last season as Philadelphia’s offense was less productive. He still managed 1,140 rushing yards and nine total touchdowns, which was enough to earn him votes in this poll.
Gibbs has been a touchdown machine since joining the league alongside Robinson in 2023, when he was selected four picks later at 12th overall. His 49 career touchdowns before turning 24 years old are the most in NFL history, surpassing the previous mark of 47 held by Detroit Lions legend Barry Sanders. Last season, Gibbs rushed for 1,223 yards, added 616 receiving yards, and scored 18 total touchdowns.
A Tyrannosaurus rex fossil known as “Gus” has shattered auction records, fetching $50.1 million at a sale held Tuesday in New York — making it the priciest dinosaur fossil ever sold at auction.
The auction house Sotheby’s announced the sale, noting that the 67-million-year-old specimen surpasses the previous dinosaur auction record of nearly $45 million, which was set in 2024 when a nearly complete stegosaurus sold through the same auction house. Before that, the record had been held by a T. rex nicknamed “Stan,” which went for close to $32 million back in 2020.
“Gus is not only an exceptional find, but a specimen that’s been excavated, documented, prepared, and cared for with real excellence,” said Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s vice chair, following the sale. “The market responds when great specimens are taken care of in the right way.”
The fossil is displayed in an upright pose with its tail stretched out and its right foot lifted slightly off the ground. As an adult specimen, “Gus” stands roughly 12½ feet tall — about 3.8 meters — and stretches 38 feet, or 11.5 meters, in length.
Sotheby’s describes the fossil as approximately 63% complete. Among its notable features is an “exceptionally preserved” skull with a wide-open jaw full of powerful teeth, two well-preserved feet, and several rarely found bones, including a furcula — commonly known as a wishbone.
The fossil was unearthed in 2021 on a ranch in South Dakota. It was named “Gus” in tribute to the property owner, Gary Licking, who passed away during the approximately five-year process of excavating, restoring, and mounting the specimen.
Seven prospective buyers competed for the fossil, with the mystery winner prevailing after a 10-minute bidding battle, according to Sotheby’s.
At one point during the live and online auction, auctioneer Phyllis Kao urged the bidders to go bigger: “Try a bigger bite. It’s a T. rex, after all.”
Requests for more information about the winning bidder and their intentions for the fossil went unanswered. Ahead of the sale, experts had estimated “Gus” would bring in somewhere between $20 million and $30 million.
Prior to the auction, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology — an organization representing scientists, scholars, and students — called for fossils of this significance to be placed in museums or research institutions where they can remain accessible to the public and to future researchers.
“The discovery of an important fossil is only the beginning of its scientific story,” said Kristina Curry Rogers, the society’s vice president, in a prepared statement. “Many of the most significant advances in paleontology have come years or even decades after a fossil was collected, as new analytical methods and technologies allowed scientists to ask entirely new questions of specimens already housed in museum collections.”
The previous record-holder, the stegosaurus known as “Apex,” is currently on extended loan to the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. “Sue” the T. rex — the first dinosaur ever auctioned, sold by Sotheby’s in 1997 — is now a featured exhibit at the Field Museum in Chicago. “Stan,” meanwhile, is on display at the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, posed in a dramatic scene alongside another fossilized T. rex over the remains of a triceratops.
The Tyrannosaurus rex, whose name roughly translates to “King of the Tyrant Lizards,” dominated the top of the food chain during the late Cretaceous period. With its powerful jaws and notably short arms, it has become the most iconic and recognizable of all dinosaurs, appearing in everything from children’s television like Barney the purple T. rex to the long-running “Jurassic Park” film franchise.
According to Sotheby’s, these massive creatures once roamed what is now western North America, during an era characterized by warm climates, elevated sea levels, and fertile coastal floodplains — conditions that supported the large plant-eating dinosaurs, such as the triceratops, that T. rexes preyed upon.
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel’s parliament has passed a pair of laws that essentially put a stop to the drafting of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men into the nation’s armed forces. The move is widely viewed as a last-minute attempt by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition to secure support from religious political parties before elections this fall.
During a lengthy legislative session spanning Monday and Tuesday, lawmakers voted to both suspend the arrests of ultra-Orthodox men who avoid the draft and to formally recognize Jewish religious study as a “foundational value” of the Israeli state.
Both measures represent major concessions by Netanyahu’s Likud party to ultra-Orthodox politicians who have long pushed to officially codify their community’s existing, informal exemption from military service — a service that is mandatory for most Jewish men and women in Israel.
The Israeli military is already dealing with a shortage of troops, and public frustration has been growing over the decades-old arrangement that has allowed ultra-Orthodox men to sidestep service. According to a parliamentary committee, roughly 13,000 ultra-Orthodox men turn 18 — the conscription age — each year, yet fewer than 10% actually join the military.
The legislation arrives after nearly three years of conflict spanning Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran, and just before the Knesset heads into its summer recess. Parliament is set to reconvene only days before the next national elections on October 27, a vote that will also serve as a public judgment on Netanyahu’s leadership during wartime.
Netanyahu, who has held office longer than any other prime minister in Israel’s history, is actively working to court ultra-Orthodox voters — also known as Haredim — in the upcoming election cycle.
Shlomit Ravitsky Tur-Paz, who leads the religious and state program at the Israel Democracy Institute think tank, offered this assessment: “Netanyahu is trying to ensure that Haredim are going to negotiate only with him after the next elections.”
Ravitsky Tur-Paz also noted that Netanyahu is facing significant pushback — not only from opposition figures but from within his own party and even from the military’s top commander.
Military chief Eyal Zamir sent a letter to Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz in which he condemned the bills, saying they were “clearly and unequivocally inconsistent” with the military’s needs, according to local media reports. “It is inconceivable that the military system under my command, which demands unprecedented sacrifice from its personnel, would be party to granting mass exemptions from prosecution,” Zamir wrote.
The roots of the ultra-Orthodox exemption stretch back to Israel’s founding in 1948, when a small group of students were allowed to pursue Jewish scholarship in an effort to rebuild a tradition nearly wiped out during the Holocaust.
Israel’s Supreme Court has since ruled those exemptions to be illegal. Legal experts say the new law formalizing Torah study — Judaism’s central religious text — gives the government a legal foundation to push back against the court’s rulings.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid was blunt in his condemnation, calling the law “an utter desecration of God’s name” that amounts to “spitting in the face” of Israeli soldiers.
Ultra-Orthodox lawmaker Moshe Gafni, who sponsored the legislation, took a very different view, calling its passage a historic moment. “For thousands of years, Torah study was the force that preserved the Jewish people throughout their diaspora and all generations,” he said, adding that the law “will be a compass for the values of the state.”
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Caribbean leaders sat down with high-ranking members of the Church of England on Tuesday as momentum builds behind the push for slavery reparations, with activists also demanding independence for British, French, Dutch, and U.S. territories across the region.
The reparations commission representing Caricom, a Caribbean trade organization, was also scheduled to meet with British lawmakers during a four-day official visit to the United Kingdom — the second such trip since November. The group says it is now developing a formal framework to begin negotiations, arguing that the time for action on reparatory justice has long passed.
“We in the Caribbean remain the most colonized part of the world, and this has to stop,” said Hilary Beckles, who chairs Caricom’s reparations commission and serves as vice chancellor of the University of the West Indies.
The London meetings follow growing frustration among Caribbean leaders after a U.K. lawmaker recently suggested that Britain’s former colonies should repay it for past investments. The commission pointed out that the Caribbean includes at least 20 territories with ongoing ties to Britain, France, the Netherlands, and the United States.
Beckles also weighed in on the role of the British monarchy, saying, “I am quite sure the people of the Caribbean … will be looking to see whether their king … is going to advance this conversation about sovereignty, decolonization and reparatory justice for these crimes that have been committed.”
Barbados’ ambassador to Caricom, David Comissiong, reinforced that message, emphasizing that the first step in any reparations process must be the restoration of national sovereignty and self-determination.
Comissiong described the session with three senior Church of England clergy as a “productive meeting,” calling the church a “possible ally” in the effort. He also acknowledged King Charles III for expressing “personal sorrow at the suffering of so many” and recognizing “slavery’s enduring impact” in recent years.
At the same time, Comissiong and fellow commission members criticized the United Kingdom for abstaining from a United Nations resolution passed in March that called for reparations and labeled the trafficking of enslaved Africans “the gravest crime against humanity.” All 27 European Union member nations also abstained, while Argentina, Israel, and the United States voted against the measure.
Comissiong acknowledged that some European governments have offered apologies, built memorials and museums, and worked to preserve slavery-related sites along Africa’s west coast.
“These are some preliminary gestures that we appreciate,” he said. “But those gestures are not negotiations. … The damage that was done and that still exists today was so consequential, so deeply rooted, that it goes way beyond, way beyond gestures of memorialization.”
Historians estimate that approximately 12 million Africans were forcibly removed by European nations between the 16th and 19th centuries. Those who survived the brutal voyage across the Atlantic were enslaved on Caribbean plantations and elsewhere under horrific conditions.
Commission members addressed reporters in London ahead of their meeting with parliamentarians. One key question raised was whether the commission would establish clear guidelines on who would be eligible to receive reparations — a question that remains unresolved for the Caribbean region.
Ron Daniels, who leads the National African-American Reparations Commission, noted that discussions in the United States have focused on land, economic development, and rebuilding or expanding communications and healthcare infrastructure. “Reparations is proceeding quite effectively in the United States as a blueprint,” Daniels said.
Among the items Caricom leaders are seeking: a formal apology, improvements in education and public health, development initiatives for Indigenous communities, opportunities for repatriation and resettlement, debt cancellation, and monetary compensation, among other demands.
In early September, Jamaica’s government is expected to submit a formal petition asking King Charles III to refer legal questions surrounding slavery reparations to the Privy Council, which serves as the island’s highest court of appeal.
DES MOINES, Iowa — A senior Senate Democrat has accused Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of breaking federal law after he reportedly made phone calls encouraging third-party candidates to withdraw from two Iowa congressional races.
Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat and the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, submitted a formal complaint to the U.S. Office of the Special Counsel on Monday. He is asking investigators to determine whether calls Kennedy made in June violated the Hatch Act — a law dating back to 1939 that places restrictions on political activities by federal government employees. Wyden argued that Kennedy misused his official position to interfere in elections where the Trump administration wants Republican candidates to prevail.
“Kennedy has spent sixteen months using his official position to undermine the health and well-being of his fellow Americans, and now he is using his official position to undermine the integrity of democratic elections too,” Wyden said in a written statement.
The allegations come at a time when Kennedy has been traveling to competitive congressional districts across the country as a prominent surrogate for the administration, promoting its efforts to encourage healthier eating habits and physical activity. But the complaint focuses on a separate role Kennedy allegedly took on — contacting Libertarian candidates and pushing them to exit races where they might draw votes away from Republican contenders. Control of Congress hangs in the balance during this midterm election cycle, where every seat could influence federal policy for the next two years.
Spokespeople for Kennedy and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not respond when asked for comment.
According to the complaint, Kennedy spoke with Marco Battaglia, a Libertarian running in Iowa’s 3rd congressional district, on June 8, and with Rick Stewart, a Libertarian running in Iowa’s 2nd congressional district, on June 11. Both districts are among the most competitive in the nation. In recent election cycles, Libertarian candidates in Iowa have pulled in roughly 2 to 3 percent of the vote. Republicans challenged the ballot paperwork of both Battaglia and Stewart. Battaglia was removed from the general election ballot, while Stewart remains on it. Both cases are currently being contested in district court.
“They don’t want our people in there. They feel we are spoilers,” said Stephanie Berlin, chair of the Libertarian Party of Iowa. “This is just another example of the major two parties trying to strangle us out of ballot access.”
Berlin was present when Kennedy spoke with Stewart and was the person who recorded that conversation. She said she viewed Kennedy’s words as an implied quid pro quo, even though she acknowledged he “skirted the line.”
A recording of the call, shared with The Associated Press, shows Kennedy did not make any direct request or specific offer to Stewart. Kennedy told Stewart he could serve as his “liaison with the White House” and suggested Stewart could, as Kennedy himself had done, “make an agreement that puts me in a position where I can make a real difference in people’s lives.”
“I can’t go into specifics because, you know, there’s legal prohibitions about that,” Kennedy said in the recording. “If it’s something that you want to work on together … if there’s other ways that you think you might be effective, you know, like I said, I will be your advocate.”
The Washington Post had previously reported on the recorded conversation between Kennedy and Stewart.
Stewart told the AP that it was obvious Kennedy wanted him to step aside, though he added that he believes Kennedy “did his best to stay on the correct side of the law.”
“That’s how all politics works,” Stewart said. “Everybody does their best to avoid breaking the rules, but they also do their best to go around the rules.”
Wyden took a stronger stance, contending that Kennedy’s suggestion of federal employment for Stewart constituted an illegal exchange and that Kennedy must be held responsible for his actions.
Battaglia also told the AP last month that Kennedy called him to encourage him to withdraw from the race, though he said he did not have a recording of that conversation.
Donald Sherman, president of the nonpartisan government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said the recording contains multiple instances of Kennedy referencing his official role and responsibilities as health secretary. Sherman described the situation as a “clear violation” of the Hatch Act that warrants investigation by the Office of the Special Counsel.
In the call with Stewart, Kennedy also said: “I don’t want to be fighting subpoenas for the next two years instead of improving America’s health. So for me, there’s an immediate, pragmatic reason for this phone call.”
Sherman noted that Kennedy could have made a political call without violating the Hatch Act — but only if he had used a personal phone, called from a personal location, and avoided any reference to the government or his government role.
“Invoking the White House specifically, referring to his official duties and his official role as HHS secretary, is where he blurs the line between whether he’s calling as a government employee or as a private citizen,” Sherman said. “That’s where the problem comes in.”
Hatch Act complaints against senior government officials are not uncommon. During the first Trump administration, the Office of the Special Counsel issued 15 warning letters to senior officials for potential violations. Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was also found to have violated the law during the Biden administration for referencing “MAGA Republicans” at official briefings. However, actual penalties for Hatch Act violations are rare, and the Office of the Special Counsel did not recommend any punishment for Jean-Pierre.
Trump has moved during his second term to exert greater authority over independent agencies, including the Office of the Special Counsel — a dynamic that could affect whether the office takes action on Wyden’s complaint. Trump fired the head of the office early in his second term, and the Supreme Court recently ruled that the president can remove members of independent agency boards without cause.
Craig Holman, a lobbyist for the watchdog group Public Citizen who has filed his own Hatch Act complaints against Trump administration officials, said he does not expect the office to act in this case, even though he views Kennedy’s conduct as a violation.
“RFK using his official position, citing his official position, in his phone call and his connection to the White House and his ability to get the White House to provide favors – all of that would constitute a direct violation of the Hatch Act,” Holman said.
Holman added that the Office of the Special Counsel has the authority to recommend Kennedy’s removal from his position, but said, “I am not expecting that.”
The phrase ‘weaponized vehicle’ has become a go-to term for federal officials during the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration enforcement push, appearing regularly at press conferences and in official statements.
Federal authorities first used that language earlier this week when briefing state officials on the actions of a driver from Maine who was fatally shot by immigration officers. Department of Homeland Security officials later adjusted their public description, saying agents fired into the vehicle because they were ‘fearing for public safety.’
It marked the second time within a single week that federal immigration officers shot and killed someone who was seated behind the wheel of a car, with authorities initially claiming the driver had tried to ram into immigration agents.
While labeling a car a weapon is frequently cited as grounds for using deadly force against a driver, legal experts point out that the actual legal definition is anything but clear.
Courts at both the state and federal level have recognized that a vehicle can qualify as a weapon when it is deliberately used to cause harm. However, most of those legal decisions have centered on whether more serious charges — such as aggravated assault with a deadly weapon — can be brought after someone has already been injured or killed by a vehicle.
Many state statutes dealing with vehicle-related assault are structured to add weight to charges like manslaughter when someone was breaking traffic laws or driving recklessly. Court rulings have generally focused on negligence, road rage, drunk driving, and in rare cases, deliberate attacks where a driver intentionally drove into a group of people.
Far fewer cases have tackled the question that law enforcement officers actually face in the field: at what point does a moving vehicle become a dangerous weapon, and does that justify opening fire?
Many law enforcement agencies place significant weight on the risk of unintended harm when training officers on when it is appropriate to shoot at a moving vehicle.
Department policies frequently advise officers to get out of a vehicle’s path rather than fire at it, given the danger that stray bullets or a driverless, out-of-control vehicle could pose to innocent bystanders.
Standard policies typically hold that a fleeing suspect alone does not provide sufficient justification for deadly force. Some agencies require evidence of an additional threat — such as someone in the vehicle brandishing a firearm — before deadly force is considered warranted.
Exceptions do exist in many use-of-force guidelines for scenarios that have become tragically familiar — someone deliberately driving into a crowded public area to cause mass casualties. But experts warn that those exceptions have been invoked in situations where the level of threat did not actually rise to that standard.
Experts say that when evaluating whether deadly force was appropriate, officers and juries alike should weigh multiple factors: how fast the vehicle was traveling, whether large numbers of people were present nearby, and what prompted the police encounter in the first place. As one example, a driver fleeing the scene of an armed bank robbery may represent a significantly greater danger than someone who sped away from a routine traffic stop.
An Extreme Heat Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service out of Mount Holly, New Jersey, signaling a dangerous stretch of hot weather for the area.
The warning went into effect on Monday, July 14 at 3:06 PM Eastern Time and is set to expire on Tuesday, July 15 at 8:00 PM Eastern Time.
Extreme Heat Warnings are issued when conditions are expected to be life-threatening. Residents should take steps to stay cool, stay hydrated, and check on vulnerable neighbors, the elderly, and young children during the duration of this warning.
If you do not have air conditioning at home, local cooling centers may be available in your area. Avoid strenuous outdoor activity during the hottest parts of the day, and never leave people or pets in parked vehicles.
The Boston Fleet have locked up their reigning Rookie of the Year, signing defender Haley Winn to a one-year contract extension that will keep her with the team through the 2028-29 season.
The club made the announcement on Tuesday — a date that happened to fall on Winn’s 23rd birthday.
Winn had an impressive campaign in 2025-26, finishing as a finalist for PWHL Defender of the Year after posting 19 points — five goals and 14 assists — across 30 games. Selected second overall in the 2025 draft, she led the entire league in average ice time at 26 minutes and 45 seconds per game.
Beyond her club success, Winn also played a key role on the international stage. She contributed a goal and three assists in seven games as the United States claimed a gold medal at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
A broad coalition of public health groups, pediatricians, and parents took the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to court Tuesday, challenging a recently issued policy that permits certain manufacturers to sell vaping products and nicotine without the government authorization required by law.
The federal lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland and takes direct aim at FDA guidance released in May. That guidance stated the agency would not make enforcement a priority against specific unauthorized e-cigarettes and nicotine pouch products, as long as the companies involved have marketing applications currently under review.
Among those bringing the lawsuit are the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, Truth Initiative, and Parents Against Vaping. A pediatrician and a parent — whose children developed nicotine addictions after using flavored e-cigarettes — are also named as plaintiffs.
The groups argue the FDA’s new stance illegally allows products to stay on store shelves without the marketing authorization that the Tobacco Control Act requires. They also contend that the policy could open the door for thousands of unauthorized products — including flavored e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches that are especially appealing to young people — to be sold with no clear end date.
Additionally, the plaintiffs allege the FDA failed to follow required public notice and comment procedures under the Administrative Procedure Act and did not adequately explain the reasoning behind the policy change.
The lawsuit also challenges the FDA’s stated intention to publish a list of products it does not plan to pursue for enforcement violations, with plaintiffs arguing such a list would essentially help facilitate the sale of products that were never legally approved.
The case will be heard in the same Maryland court that overturned a prior FDA policy back in 2017 — a policy that had similarly allowed numerous e-cigarettes to remain available to consumers without proper authorization.
The FDA had not responded to a request for comment at the time this report was filed.
ABUJA — Nigeria is preparing to assume a larger role in managing humanitarian efforts within its own borders, moving away from a framework that has long been driven by international donors and United Nations agencies, officials announced Tuesday.
The announcement came during a joint transition workshop held in the capital city of Abuja, where representatives from the Nigerian government and the United Nations opened discussions on handing over greater authority for planning, coordination, and funding of humanitarian operations to Nigerian national institutions.
Nigeria’s humanitarian minister Bernard Doro described the change not as a retreat of international involvement, but rather a shift toward a government-led coordination model that would still receive technical support from the U.N. and other partner organizations.
U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Mohamed Fall echoed that sentiment, saying the goal is not to reduce aid, but to build a new approach that draws more heavily on government and private-sector resources to power humanitarian response efforts.
The transition comes as donor funding faces mounting strain worldwide. Nigeria is seeking to strengthen its capacity to handle a range of crises, including armed conflict, displacement of people, food insecurity, flooding, climate-related disasters, and public health emergencies.
The United Nations has reported that close to 35 million Nigerians face the threat of hunger this year, a situation worsened by the collapse of global aid budgets.
Minister Doro said his ministry intends to work alongside federal and state governments, aid organizations, and affected communities to coordinate preparedness, response, and recovery efforts across the country.
He added that Nigeria aims to take the lead in developing its own humanitarian plan for 2027, with technical guidance from OCHA and the broader U.N. system.
Inter Miami have added a promising young defender to their roster, announcing Tuesday the loan signing of 18-year-old Ecuadorian Fricio Caicedo from Costa Rica’s FC Moravia FCM.
The loan agreement runs through the 2027 season and includes an option for Inter Miami to purchase the player outright. Caicedo is also eligible to fill a U22 Initiative roster spot with the defending MLS Cup champions.
Inter Miami sporting director Alberto Marrero expressed enthusiasm about the addition. “Fricio is a young player with tremendous potential and a bright future,” Marrero said. “We’re very pleased to welcome him to the project. We believe this is the ideal environment for him to continue developing, grow as a player, and gradually showcase his full potential. He stands out for his physicality, his strength in the air, and his pace when competing for loose balls.”
The 6-foot-4 center-back made no secret of one of his biggest motivations for joining the club. “My goals are to play, earn minutes, become a starter and win many trophies,” Caicedo said. “I came to Miami because my dream was to play alongside (Lionel) Messi, who is without a doubt the best player in the world. I’m here to make history and show what I can do.”
Messi is an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and one of the most celebrated players in soccer history.
Inter Miami are currently on a FIFA World Cup break and are scheduled to return to action on July 22, when the Chicago Fire come to town.
ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) is expressing strong support for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee after it voted to advance the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), a bipartisan measure focused on maintaining and upgrading the country’s inland waterways infrastructure.
The NGFA recognized Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), and other committee members for working across party lines to push the bill forward.
“A reliable and efficient inland waterways system is essential to the competitiveness of U.S. agriculture and our ability to move grain and other agricultural products safely and efficiently to domestic and international markets,” said NGFA President and CEO Mike Seyfert. “Congress’s longstanding commitment to passing a bipartisan WRDA bill every two years provides critical certainty for planning and investing in the infrastructure that supports farmers, agribusinesses and rural communities.”
The grain and feed industry depends on a connected transportation network — including roads, railroads, and waterways — to get agricultural goods where they need to go. Every year, roughly 650 million tons of U.S. grain travel from farms to storage by truck, 160 million tons move by rail, and 80 million tons are carried by barge. Keeping all three systems running smoothly is considered key to a stable agricultural supply chain and to keeping American farmers competitive at home and abroad.
The NGFA says it strongly backs ongoing investment in the nation’s inland waterways, which offer a cost-effective way to transport hundreds of millions of tons of farm commodities annually. The group argues that upgrading locks and dams, tackling long-delayed maintenance, and improving navigation reliability are all necessary to keep U.S. agriculture competitive globally. The NGFA also noted its appreciation that the bill does not challenge the role of the Columbia River System and Lower Snake River dams, which it says are critical to U.S. agricultural exports.
“NGFA urges the full House to act swiftly on WRDA and looks forward to working with Congress to ensure final bipartisan legislation is enacted this year,” Seyfert added.
A diarrhea-causing parasite known as cyclospora is spreading at an alarming rate across the country, with 2026 shaping up to be the worst year on record for reported infections in the United States.
Data from individual states shows infection totals have already surpassed the previous national record of roughly 4,700 cases set in 2019, with more than 30 states reporting illnesses this year. While the condition is rarely life-threatening and can typically be treated with antibiotics, health officials are working to track down the source.
So far, no definitive cause has been identified nationwide. However, officials in Michigan — where more than 3,300 infections have been reported — say their early findings point toward lettuce or salad greens as a possible source of the outbreak.
After completing more than 1,000 patient interviews, Michigan health department chief medical executive Natasha Bagdasarian said that “early information has shown lettuce as a common product that regularly comes up during the investigation.”
Based on that pattern, and given that produce has been linked to cyclospora outbreaks in the past, Michigan officials are urging shoppers to purchase whole heads of lettuce, remove and throw away the outer leaves, and thoroughly wash what remains. They are also recommending that people steer clear of bagged lettuce and ready-made salad kits.
On Tuesday, Taco Bell released a statement announcing it had “voluntarily and temporarily removed limited ingredients at select restaurants as a precautionary measure,” adding that the chain would “continue to closely monitor the situation and follow the guidance of public health authorities.”
Cyclospora is a tiny, round parasite that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes as commonly causing watery diarrhea “with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements.” Cases tend to cluster in the late spring and summer months.
The parasite thrives in warm conditions, targets the intestines, and is spread through feces. Past infections have been traced to fruits and vegetables that came into contact with irrigation water contaminated by fecal matter.
The illness, known medically as cyclosporiasis, is less frequently seen than foodborne diseases caused by germs like salmonella and E. coli. For many years, few outbreaks were reported in the U.S., and a large number of cases were never connected to a specific food source. That began to change about a decade ago, with a significant jump in cases occurring in 2018 and 2019.
Public health experts believe cyclospora has long been underreported, partly because many standard food poisoning tests are not designed to detect it. The upward trend in cases is being attributed to both climate change and improved detection methods.
While the CDC maintains official national tallies, those figures typically trail the real-time numbers published by local and state health departments. On Tuesday, the CDC issued a formal health alert stating that since May 1, the agency has confirmed 1,645 domestic cases and is reviewing more than 5,100 additional reports to determine whether those infections were acquired within the United States. Reports have come in from 34 states.
The federal alert did not break down case counts by state, but other figures have emerged from individual jurisdictions. Michigan has reported more than 3,300 cases, officials in northwest Ohio have tallied more than 1,100, New York City has counted more than 400, and Illinois has reported more than 200.
Authorities do not believe all of these cases share a single common source. In Illinois, for instance, more than half of those infected reported traveling internationally, suggesting at least some may have contracted the parasite abroad.
Michigan officials, however, believe a significant portion of their state’s cases are likely connected to a domestic outbreak tied to a shared source.
CAIRO — A ceasefire that brought Yemen’s devastating civil war to a halt in 2022 is now under serious strain, with fresh fighting between Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia raising fears that one of the world’s poorest nations could be dragged back into full-scale conflict.
Yemen’s civil war, which began in 2014, eventually became a proxy struggle between Iran-backed Houthi forces and a Saudi-led coalition backing the country’s internationally recognized government. While a broader conflict involving Iran that erupted on February 28 has reignited regional rivalries across the Middle East, the Houthi-Saudi truce had largely held — until this past Monday.
On that day, the Houthis announced they had fired missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport. The rebel group said the attack was retaliation for Saudi airstrikes that hit Sanaa International Airport earlier the same day. No deaths or injuries were reported, but the exchange marked the most serious direct confrontation between the two sides in years.
The flashpoint was an Iranian aircraft carrying a Houthi delegation to Tehran for a meeting with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of attempting to block the plane from reaching Yemen when it tried to return. The aircraft was forced to divert and ultimately landed safely at a different airport.
Saudi Arabian officials did not respond when asked to comment on the airstrikes.
Rashad al-Alimi, who heads Yemen’s internationally recognized government, said his administration had rejected Iran’s request to allow the Houthi delegation to return. He accused the rebel group of trying to receive the Iranian flight outside of what he called “the legal and sovereign frameworks governing civil aviation.”
On Tuesday, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree announced via Telegram that the group had shot down a Saudi reconnaissance drone over Al Bayda province in central Yemen at dawn. He made clear the Houthis are ready to respond to any violation of Yemeni airspace.
Ahmed Nagi, a senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group, said Monday’s exchange of fire was about far more than a single flight. He explained that the Saudi-led coalition imposed an air and sea blockade on Yemen back in 2015 to pressure the Houthis. By attempting to allow a direct international flight to land without coalition approval, the Houthis were trying to establish their own authority over Yemen’s airspace and challenge what they call a blockade of Sanaa’s airport.
“The Houthis were testing a new red line. If they succeeded, they could become more emboldened, raise their demands, and seek to cross additional red lines,” Nagi said.
Farea al-Muslimi, a research fellow at the Chatham House think tank in London, noted that Saudi Arabia has largely stayed on the sidelines during the broader U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. However, he said the kingdom is far less likely to remain passive when it sees its influence in Yemen — which shares a southern border with Saudi Arabia — being challenged.
Whether Monday’s confrontation will spiral into further fighting or prove to be an isolated incident remains unclear.
Abdel-Bari Taher, a political analyst based in Yemen, warned that the country’s weak security situation and battered economy make it a prime setting for renewed conflict and outside interference.
“The region now is in a state of an all-out confrontation,” he said. “Yemen provides a conflict-prone environment because it’s divided with militias fighting each other and lacks full control over its maritime and airspace.”
The risks extend beyond Yemen’s borders. The Iran-backed Houthis have launched repeated missile strikes against Israel throughout the ongoing regional conflict and have a well-documented history of attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea, creating major disruptions to international trade.
Taher also warned that Iran may attempt to use its Houthi allies as leverage in negotiations with the United States. With an interim ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran described as being on life support — and both sides competing for control of the Strait of Hormuz — the danger of a return to all-out war continues to grow.
Nevada’s governor found himself pulled over by a Las Vegas police officer on May 15 after allegedly failing to stop at a red light before making a right turn — but he drove away without a ticket after quickly telling the officer who he was.
Body camera footage obtained by the Associated Press shows the officer approaching the passenger side of a light-gray Ford pickup truck and greeting the driver with, “hello, how are you doing, sir?” As the officer began explaining the reason for the stop, the governor cut in with a simple introduction: “I’m Joe Lombardo.”
Gov. Joe Lombardo was behind the wheel, with his wife Donna Lombardo seated beside him in the passenger seat. The officer responded, “I’m aware,” then finished describing the alleged violation — that he hadn’t seen Lombardo come to a complete stop at the red light before turning right.
“Come on, man,” Lombardo replied.
The officer then told him, “You’re good to go, sir. Appreciate ya. Have a good day,” and walked away. The entire exchange took up roughly 15 seconds of a one minute and ten second video.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department — the same agency Lombardo led as sheriff for eight years before becoming governor — confirmed he was not issued a citation, though officials did not offer a specific reason. Law enforcement representatives noted it is standard practice to let drivers go with a warning for minor violations.
Lombardo’s campaign said the governor and his wife were on their way to the airport at the time of the stop. In a statement released Tuesday, the campaign said: “Governor Lombardo spoke with the officer, fully complied with all instructions, and was promptly on his way. He remains grateful for the professionalism of the officer involved and for the service of law enforcement officers across Nevada.”
Steve Grammas, president of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, downplayed the significance of the stop. He said officers frequently pull drivers over, explain the situation, and send them on their way without a ticket.
“It really is a big nothing in my opinion,” Grammas said.
Grammas, whose union had endorsed the Republican governor, rejected the idea that Lombardo received any preferential treatment. He explained that while officers typically ask for a driver’s license to confirm identity, that step wasn’t necessary here since the officer already recognized the governor. He also noted that given Lombardo’s background, there was little reason to run a records check.
“Being that it is the governor, the former sheriff, odds are he doesn’t have warrants, does not have a suspended driver’s license, and so there’s no need to run that person,” Grammas said.
Grammas also pointed out that the governor didn’t announce his title — he simply gave his name.
Edward Obayashi, a deputy sheriff and policy adviser who teaches an ethics and policing course in California, said neither the governor nor the officer did anything wrong.
“We let motorists off with a warning all the time,” Obayashi said.
Obayashi added that the officer likely already knew who he had pulled over after running the license plate, and that the governor introducing himself was simply a common courtesy.
NEW YORK — A New York man found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend while she pushed their baby in a stroller has been handed a sentence of 25 years to life behind bars, according to prosecutors.
A jury convicted Isaac Argro in May for the 2022 killing of Azsia Johnson. According to prosecutors, Argro shot Johnson on a Manhattan street near a playground after convincing her to meet him so he could hand over belongings for their 3-month-old daughter.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg issued a statement saying, “Azsia Johnson was a loving parent who left an abusive relationship and began to rebuild her life. Her dreams of moving forward were brought to a horrific end” by Argro.
A message left for Argro’s attorney seeking comment had not been returned. Argro is 26 years old.
Prosecutors stated that Argro had subjected Johnson, who was 20 years old, to both physical and emotional abuse throughout their relationship. After she left him, the D.A.’s office noted in a statement earlier this spring that Johnson was “determined to give co-parenting a try.”
Johnson agreed to meet Argro on June 29, 2022, to pick up the supposed baby items, and she informed a family member via text message about the planned meeting, prosecutors said. Argro reportedly waited for her on the street and shot her point-blank in the temple. Their infant daughter was not harmed.
Argro was taken into custody two days after the shooting.
Then-Mayor Eric Adams, along with other city officials, attended a vigil held in Johnson’s honor the day following the shooting. Supporters continue to place her photo at the location of the shooting each year on the anniversary of her death.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Darline Graham, sister of the late South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, was officially sworn into the U.S. Senate on Tuesday afternoon — just three days after her brother passed away suddenly.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham on Monday to serve out the remaining months of her brother’s current term. A special election is scheduled for next month to choose a new Republican nominee for the general election, as Lindsey Graham had been seeking a fifth Senate term at the time of his death.
Darline Graham, who will be South Carolina’s first female senator, has never held elected office. Her career background includes work as an optician and positions at several state agencies, among them the South Carolina Commission for the Blind and the Department of Employment and Workforce. Though she is married to Larry Nordone, she will serve in the Senate under her legal name, Darline Graham.
Speaking Monday, she reflected on her bond with her older brother, who raised her after the deaths of their parents. “And now, I will be there for him,” she said.
Lindsey Graham, 71, died unexpectedly on Saturday in Washington. A preliminary medical examiner’s report indicated he suffered an aortic dissection — a tear in the aorta. He had been one of President Donald Trump’s closest allies in the Senate, serving as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and set to become the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee in the next Congress.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., remarked before Tuesday’s swearing-in that he believes Darline Graham “will carry on Lindsey’s tireless service to South Carolina.”
Lindsey Graham, who never married and had no children, shared an especially close relationship with his sister. He became her legal guardian when he was 22 and she was 13, following their parents’ deaths. She was a regular presence at his campaign events, appeared in speeches and ads on his behalf, and was by his side when he filed reelection paperwork earlier this year, accompanied by her children and grandchildren.
At the announcement of her appointment, Darline Graham addressed her late brother directly: “To Lindsey, I miss you more than I can even put into words. But I’m going to do this. I got it.”
Gov. McMaster recalled that the two had spoken “in the wee hours of Sunday morning” following Graham’s death, when he asked her to step into the role. “I had wondered what you would say, and I was humbled by your quickness to see the duty that you had to serve,” McMaster said. He also noted that President Donald Trump “thought it was a great idea” when informed of the selection, and Trump had publicly announced his support for her appointment earlier Monday.
Under South Carolina law, a one-week filing period for the special primary election begins on the second Tuesday following a candidate’s death — in this case, July 21. The special primary itself would then be held on August 11, with any needed runoff two weeks later on August 25. The eventual nominee would then have just over two months to campaign ahead of the November 3 general election.
Several Republicans are reportedly considering entering the race, including Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Republican Representatives Russell Fry, Nancy Mace, and Ralph Norman.
A federal judge has dismissed a proposed class action lawsuit accusing Apple of doing too little to stop child sexual abuse material from spreading through its iCloud data storage service, ruling that a federal law broadly protects the company from such claims.
U.S. District Judge Noël Wise, based in San Jose, California, sided with Apple in a ruling issued late Monday. The judge agreed that Apple is shielded from liability under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a federal law passed in 1996 that protects online platforms from being held responsible for content posted by their users.
The plaintiffs, who used the pseudonyms Amy and Jessica, filed the lawsuit in 2024 on behalf of a proposed class of 2,680 individuals with similar allegations. They claimed that images documenting their sexual abuse as children continued to be stored and shared on Apple’s iCloud platform years later. The lawsuit sought compensatory damages estimated at up to $32.8 billion, as well as a court order requiring Apple to make changes to iCloud.
Judge Wise determined that the lawsuit was essentially asking Apple to be held accountable for not removing or blocking content that its users had created — a type of claim that falls squarely within Section 230’s protections. She also noted that no federal law currently requires Apple to proactively use existing or new technology to detect and report child sexual abuse material on its cloud platform.
“Lawmakers can fix this problem that is contributing to the exploitation of children,” Wise wrote. “This Court cannot.”
The case was dismissed with prejudice, which means it cannot be brought again in its current form.
James Marsh, an attorney representing Amy and Jessica, said the plaintiffs are weighing an appeal and looking into whether other legal avenues may be available. Though they disagree with the judge’s interpretation of the law, Marsh said they share her broader concern about the issue.
“We agree with her conclusion that Congress should do more to protect children online and address the skyrocketing harms from online exploitation,” Marsh said.
Apple did not immediately provide a comment in response to a request from reporters.
The lawsuit alleged that Apple was aware of the child sexual abuse material problem on iCloud but chose not to deploy widely available technology to identify and report it. According to court filings, Apple announced in 2021 that it planned to roll out a program called NeuralHash to detect such material — but by 2022, the company reversed course and said it would not move forward with the tool. Around that same time, Apple introduced end-to-end encryption for iCloud data, which the lawsuit said made it nearly impossible for law enforcement or Apple itself to detect child sexual abuse material stored there.
Apple has maintained that it has worked diligently to combat the spread of child sexual abuse material on its devices, and said in court filings that it chose alternative methods to NeuralHash in order to better protect user security and privacy.
Judge Wise had previously dismissed an earlier version of the complaint but allowed the plaintiffs an opportunity to revise and refile it. This latest dismissal with prejudice ends that process.
Apple is also facing a separate but similar lawsuit brought by West Virginia’s attorney general. That case has been described as the first of its kind filed by a government agency targeting the distribution of child sexual abuse material on Apple’s data storage platform.
ARLINGTON, Texas — France is making some key adjustments to their starting lineup for Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final showdown with Spain, while the Spanish side will take the field with the exact same players who got them this far.
Bradley Barcola has been brought back into France’s attacking unit, joining Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, and captain Kylian Mbappe up front. That move pushes Desire Doue to the bench for this crucial match.
Also returning for France is midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, who had been sidelined for the team’s previous two matches due to injury. He will line up alongside Adrien Rabiot in the middle of the park.
On the other side, Spain’s manager Luis de la Fuente made no changes to his squad. Fabian Ruiz will once again partner Rodri and Dani Olmo in midfield, with Pedri remaining among the substitutes. Up front, Alex Baena will start alongside Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal.
Whoever advances from this match will meet either Argentina or England in the World Cup final.
Full Lineups:
France: Mike Maignan; Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba, Lucas Digne; Aurelien Tchouameni, Adrien Rabiot; Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola; Kylian Mbappe (captain).
Spain: Unai Simon; Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella; Rodri (captain), Fabian Ruiz, Dani Olmo; Lamine Yamal, Alex Baena, Mikel Oyarzabal.
ATLANTA — With England and Argentina set to clash in the World Cup semi-finals, Reuters went in search of the people who were actually there — inside the stadiums — when some of the most talked-about moments in soccer history unfolded.
Over six decades, these eyewitnesses experienced the anger, shock, joy, and heartbreak of matches that helped build one of the sport’s most intense rivalries.
1966 — The Rattin Incident
Rex Gowar, who grew up in Argentina and completed his schooling in England, attended the 1966 World Cup quarter-final at Wembley with two friends. Getting tickets, he said, was surprisingly simple.
“We just wrote away for tickets, it was so easy and so cheap back then,” Gowar recalled. “We knew England would be playing, but when we bought them we weren’t certain it would be against Argentina.”
The match’s pivotal moment came in the first half when Argentine midfielder Antonio Rattin was sent off by the referee — but refused to walk off the field, bringing the game to a standstill for several minutes.
“We were all so surprised by what happened,” Gowar said. “Rattin was haranguing the referee all the time, asking for explanations of why he kept blowing against Argentina for fouls.”
Gowar and his friends were positioned behind the goal near the team tunnel, giving them a close-up view as Rattin finally made his way off. “When Rattin eventually sauntered off, he passed in front of us before going down the tunnel,” he said.
“The abiding memory of that match was the English manager Alf Ramsey calling the Argentines animals, and there’s a picture of him stopping one of his team changing shirts with an Argentine player.”
Geoff Hurst netted the only goal as England claimed a 1-0 victory, eventually going on to win the entire tournament.
1986 — The Hand of God
Twenty years later, the two nations met again in another quarter-final, this time at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. The match carried extra weight — it came just four years after Argentina and Britain had fought a war over the islands known to the British as the Falklands and to Argentines as the Malvinas.
Photographer Gary Hershorn was covering his first-ever World Cup when the game took place.
“It was in everybody’s mind that there was a bigger geopolitical scale to this game than any other we covered during that World Cup,” Hershorn said.
Diego Maradona struck twice in rapid succession early in the second half. His first goal — later dubbed the “Hand of God” — was punched in with his fist, though the referee allowed it to stand. Hershorn, however, was at the wrong end of the stadium to witness it.
“Unfortunately, I was at the opposite end to where it happened,” he said. “So I didn’t get to see it or photograph it. In the moment when it happened, I wasn’t aware of it, not until after the game when I went back into our dark room did I have a sense that something big had happened.”
Gowar, covering the match as a Reuters reporter, was in the press box and also missed the handball in real time.
“I was way up in the press box and I missed it,” Gowar said. “I mean, I could have seen it, I was looking in that direction. It was all so quick. But a colleague beside me said ‘that was with his hand’. I think some people saw it straight away, but it was so sudden.”
For Hershorn, not capturing the moment remains a lingering regret. “I had a terrific run with Maradona,” he said. “I took a lot of really nice pictures of him over the course of the World Cup, but that one play was always a regret for me having actually not had anything.”
It was Gowar who ended up transmitting Maradona’s famous explanation to the world. An Argentine colleague passed him the quote from the locker room, and Gowar rushed it to his editors.
“There was some excitement about the quote — ‘a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God’ — in our newsroom, but the extent to which it would become a sort of ongoing narrative, I don’t think I thought that at the time,” Gowar said.
Argentina won the match 2-1 and went on to claim the World Cup title.
1998 — Beckham Sees Red
England reserve goalkeeper Nigel Martyn was on the bench in St Etienne when the two sides squared off in the round of 16. He remembers the team being locked in on the task at hand.
“I remember it just being a really important game that we were focused on winning,” Martyn said. “I think the feeling of rivalry was being more whipped up by the media.”
The first half finished level at 2-2, but shortly after the break, David Beckham was shown a red card for kicking out at Diego Simeone. England ultimately fell on penalty kicks, and much of the public fury was directed squarely at Beckham.
“I felt that it was unjust because there really wasn’t much in it, certainly not enough for a red card,” Martyn said. “I think it was very harsh some of the things that were said and written. He cared about the team and was crestfallen by getting sent off and us getting knocked out of the tournament.”
When the teams met again four years later, England had the last word. Argentina failed to advance from the group stage, and Martyn still savors the memory.
“The 2002 World Cup game against them felt a lot more of a grudge match,” he said. “And beating them 1-0 with a Beckham penalty felt like revenge.”
Writer E. Jean Carroll has received more than $5.6 million in damages from President Trump, three years after a jury determined he was liable for sexually abusing and defaming her.
The payment marks the conclusion of a long legal battle stemming from that jury verdict, which found Trump responsible for both the sexual abuse and the defamation of Carroll.
Sussex County officials are once again opening their doors to residents seeking relief from the heat, as another dangerous stretch of hot weather is set to move into the area.
On Tuesday, July 14, county officials announced that a number of facilities will serve as designated cooling stations through Friday, July 17. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Sussex County that remains in effect until 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 15. During that time, temperatures are expected to climb toward 100 degrees, with humidity making it feel as hot as nearly 110 degrees. While this heat event is not expected to be as severe as what hit the region over the July Fourth weekend, it is still considered dangerous. Some relief may arrive by the weekend, when scattered showers and thunderstorms could bring temperatures back down into the low 90s.
Air-conditioned county facilities are open to the public during regular business hours. Those locations include:
County Admin Building 2 The Circle, Georgetown, DE 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday
South Coastal Library 43 Kent Ave., Bethany Beach, DE Monday, Tuesday: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Wednesday, Thursday: 10 a.m.–7 p.m.; Friday: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
In addition to these county sites, 11 independent community libraries throughout the area are also available as cooling stations during their normal hours of operation.
The State of Delaware has also opened cooling stations at select state buildings. For more information on those locations, residents can call 2-1-1 or visit the State’s website.
Sussex County paramedics will make periodic visits to county cooling station locations, as their schedules allow, to answer any heat-related questions or concerns. Free individual bottles of water will also be provided to visitors. Anyone stopping by a cooling station is encouraged to bring any medications or specialty items they may need.
A map of all designated cooling stations in Sussex County is available at https://tinyurl.com/bde2v3mv. For the latest updates on cooling station availability, residents can call (302) 855-1969.
Officials are urging everyone to stay indoors as much as possible, particularly during the peak heat hours of approximately 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Those who do need to go outside should take frequent breaks and drink plenty of water.
Hot Weather Safety Tips:
Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing, as lighter fabrics reflect sunlight rather than absorbing heat the way dark materials do. Stay in well-ventilated spaces and avoid heavy physical activity during the hottest part of the day. Drink plenty of water and avoid alcoholic beverages.
It is important to recognize the warning signs of heat-related illness. Heat cramps can cause muscle pain and spasms following physical exertion. Moving to a cooler area, gently stretching the muscle, and sipping water can help. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are far more serious conditions. Heat exhaustion may present as a pale or flushed appearance, headache, or nausea. Heat stroke symptoms include a rapidly rising body temperature, loss of consciousness, a rapid or weak pulse, and quick, shallow breathing. Seek immediate medical attention if heat stroke is suspected.
Residents are also reminded to check in on elderly neighbors, friends, and family members, as well as young children, who may be especially vulnerable to extreme heat. Don’t forget pets — make sure they have extra water, access to shade, or a cool indoor space.
Conserving Electricity During the Heat Wave:
With temperatures and humidity expected to spike over the coming days, power demand will rise significantly. Sussex County Emergency Management is asking all residents and businesses to help prevent outages by reducing electricity use where possible.
Homeowners can help by setting air conditioners to 80 degrees or using fans as an alternative, and by minimizing how often refrigerators and freezers are opened. Turning off non-essential lights and appliances, and waiting until after 8 p.m. to run high-energy devices like washing machines and dryers, can also make a difference. Preparing lighter meals that don’t require heavy cooking — or using an outdoor grill or microwave instead of an electric range — is another helpful step. Keeping window shades, blinds, or curtains closed during the hottest part of the day will help block heat from entering the home. Moving lamps, televisions, and other heat-generating items away from air conditioner thermostats can prevent the system from running longer than necessary. Clearing furniture and other objects from in front of central air conditioning vents will allow cool air to flow more freely through rooms.
Businesses can also do their part by raising thermostat settings and switching off any lighting or equipment that is not in use.
Sussex County is also encouraging residents to take advantage of the county’s free Smart911 service by creating a Safety Profile for their household. These profiles can include details about a property, any special medical needs, and family contacts — information that could be critical for first responders during an emergency. Profiles can be created at www.smart911.com.
Sussex County Emergency Management will continue tracking conditions and will provide updates as needed. For the latest information, follow the county’s emergency management pages on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SussexCountyPublicSafety and on X at www.x.com/SussexCtyDE_EM.
The Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) Board of Trustees is set to convene on July 28, 2026, at 9 a.m. The meeting will be held via teleconference.
Agenda items for the session are expected to include general board business matters.
Anyone with questions, comments, or concerns regarding the meeting is encouraged to contact Michelle Cable, Executive Director of the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation, by email at [email protected] or by phone at (410) 841-5719.
WASHINGTON — The family of an American seismologist who has been held in China for close to two years without facing trial has decided to speak out, according to a Washington-based advocacy group that has been working with them.
Youlin Chen, who lives in Boston and was born in China, was taken into custody by Chinese state security agents in November 2023 while on a personal trip to visit his parents in Beijing. He has since been charged with espionage, according to Global Reach, a nonprofit organization focused on bringing wrongfully detained Americans back home.
The family came forward this week after seeing no indication that Chinese authorities planned to free Chen — even following a meeting in Beijing in May where President Donald Trump raised Chen’s case directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Global Reach said.
Chen’s wife, Yufang Rong, released a statement through the organization expressing deep concern for her husband. “I have not been able to speak with my husband for over 600 days and am concerned for his health and well-being,” she said.
Rong also expressed confidence that the current administration would secure her husband’s release. “President Trump has taken a personal interest in freeing Youlin. Since taking office, he has already freed 106 people and I know that he and his team will bring Youlin home to us,” she said.
Global Reach noted that Chen is the only American citizen that the State Department has officially designated as wrongfully detained in China. That classification places his case among the highest diplomatic priorities and can trigger significant efforts to secure a detainee’s freedom. The previous administration secured the release of three wrongfully detained Americans from China in 2024.
A White House spokesperson responded to questions about Chen’s situation, saying: “President Trump has been clear that he wants every American detained abroad to return home, and he has reunited over 100 individuals with their families since taking office this term.”
Eric Lebson, a Global Reach adviser working with Chen’s family, said the case could “figure prominently” in a potential meeting between Trump and Xi expected to take place in Washington in September. He said the family chose to speak publicly now because Chinese officials do not appear to be following through on any commitment Xi may have made to Trump when the president raised the matter in May.
Chen had worked as a contractor for the U.S. government, including for the State Department and the Air Force Research Lab. Much of his work involved partnering with Chinese colleagues to study seismological data. Global Reach suggested his arrest is “likely an effort by Chinese officials to learn about the techniques the U.S. uses to detect nuclear tests using seismic data.”
U.S. Embassy staff have been permitted to visit Chen on several occasions, but they are not allowed to discuss the details of his case with him, according to Global Reach. Secretary of State Marco Rubio formally designated Chen as a wrongful detainee in March. The State Department had not responded to a request for comment at the time of this report.
NEW YORK (AP) — Writer E. Jean Carroll has received more than $5.6 million from President Donald Trump, fulfilling a jury’s award in her sexual abuse and defamation case against him, according to court records and her legal team.
The funds — representing the original $5 million jury verdict plus accumulated interest — were transferred Monday from an escrow account where they had been held since the 2023 jury ruling. Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, confirmed the transaction took place on Tuesday.
“We are pleased to report that she has received the damages payment,” Kaplan said in a prepared statement.
Trump had placed the money into an escrow account shortly after the jury ruled against him. The U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to overturn the civil verdict, allowing Judge Lewis A. Kaplan to authorize the release of the funds.
Attorneys representing Trump had sought an emergency court order to block the transfer, but that request was denied. The one-sentence ruling denying the request placed no restrictions on how Carroll may use the money. Her legal team indicated in court filings that she intends to place the funds into a retirement account.
Trump’s legal team has since filed an additional appeal aimed at stopping or reversing the payment.
The jury determined that Trump assaulted Carroll in 1996 inside the dressing room of a luxury New York department store, and later defamed her after she publicly described the incident in a memoir published in 2019, during Trump’s first term in office.
Trump denied any sexual encounter with Carroll, now 82, a former advice columnist. In a 2019 interview, Trump claimed she was “totally lying” and “not my type.” He also stated he did not know her, dismissed a 1987 photograph showing the two of them alongside their then-spouses at a social gathering, and accused her of having political motivations and using him to boost book sales.
Trump did not appear at the trial, during which Carroll testified that a chance, friendly encounter at the department store turned into a violent attack.
Carroll brought the lawsuit after New York enacted legislation giving sexual abuse survivors an extended window to file civil claims for incidents that occurred in the past.
In a separate legal matter, Trump is also appealing an $83 million defamation judgment awarded to Carroll by a different Manhattan jury following a 2024 trial at which Trump briefly took the stand.
The Associated Press generally does not identify individuals who allege they have been sexually abused. Carroll has consented to being named publicly.
Writer E. Jean Carroll has successfully collected nearly $5.63 million from Donald Trump, following a 2023 jury verdict that found the U.S. president liable for sexually abusing and defaming her, according to court records.
Despite objections from Trump, the funds were released to Carroll’s law firm on Monday — five days after U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan approved the release of money held in a court-supervised account.
The total payment includes the original $5 million civil verdict along with accumulated interest.
This marks the first time Trump has actually been required to hand over money to Carroll. In total, she has won $88.3 million in civil verdicts against the president over the seven years since he first denied sexually assaulting her around 1996 in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan.
Trump has consistently denied Carroll’s allegations, calling them a hoax, claiming he did not know her, and accusing her of fabricating the assault story to boost sales of her memoir. He has also described her legal case as “weaponization and lawfare.” Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court turned down Trump’s appeal of the $5 million verdict.
Following Judge Kaplan’s ruling, a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team repeated an earlier statement: “The American People stand with President Trump as they demand an immediate end to all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded travesty of the Carroll Hoaxes.”
Prior to the disbursement, Trump’s attorney had urged a federal appeals court to halt the release of funds, warning that the president would face “irreparable harm” if Carroll followed through on her stated plan to donate the money, since it would likely be unrecoverable. The lawyer argued that Carroll’s assurance that she would instead place the funds in an interest-bearing retirement account was not sufficient, since she could still choose to give the money away.
The $5 million verdict was based on a denial Trump made in 2022, though jurors in that case did not conclude that Trump had raped Carroll. A separate jury in 2024 ordered Trump to pay Carroll $83.3 million, stemming from his original 2019 denial during his first term in the White House. Trump is expected to appeal that larger verdict to the Supreme Court.
Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan — who is not related to the judge — issued a statement saying: “Three years ago, a unanimous nine-person jury found President Trump liable for sexually assaulting and defaming E. Jean Carroll. We are pleased to report that she has received the damages payment the jury awarded her.”
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings has announced a major settlement with the bankruptcy trustee for the genetic testing company 23andMe, addressing a significant data breach that occurred in 2023.
The breach compromised the genetic data of approximately 6.9 million customers around the world, raising serious concerns about the protection of some of the most personal information a person can share.
AG Jennings joined forces with 42 other attorneys general from across the United States to secure the agreement. Together, the coalition obtained $150 million in allowed claims on behalf of the states involved in the settlement.
Global oil markets showed signs of growing anxiety Tuesday as escalating tensions between the United States and Iran pushed the price of near-term Brent crude futures to a one-month high compared to contracts set for delivery six months out.
The gap between the first-month and sixth-month Brent contracts reached $8.92 per barrel — the widest spread seen since June 10. When oil for immediate delivery costs more than oil for future delivery, it is called backwardation, a market condition that typically signals tight near-term supplies.
The shift follows a sharp increase in hostilities between the U.S. and Iran, including fresh military strikes and attacks on vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, rekindling fears about the safety of oil shipments out of the Middle East.
Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, described the move as a warning sign: “The return to backwardation signals that the market expects crude availability to remain constrained in the weeks ahead.”
The current market structure stands in stark contrast to conditions seen in early July, when near-term Brent prices were actually lower than future prices — a situation called contango, which typically reflects plentiful short-term supplies. At that time, recovering exports through the strait had calmed supply worries.
Neil Crosby, head of research at Sparta Commodities, offered a cautious interpretation of the latest move: “For the moment, this is largely a paper move, with investors likely pouring back into the market following the latest escalation.”
Crosby also flagged a developing concern in physical shipping: “We are seeing flows out of Hormuz slow, which could … impact the physical market incrementally over the coming weeks if disruptions persist.”
Other Middle Eastern oil benchmarks — Oman, Dubai, and Murban — also flipped from trading at discounts to premiums, another indicator of growing supply unease.
Data from Kpler released Monday showed that oil and gas tanker traffic through the region had fallen to its lowest point since May 25.
LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been presented with the Legion of Honour — France’s most prestigious national award — by French President Emmanuel Macron during a ceremony in Paris. The honor was given in recognition of Starmer’s efforts to strengthen European security in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Starmer, who is expected to step down from his role on July 20 following a loss of confidence within his own Labour Party, worked alongside Macron throughout the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Among their joint efforts was the creation of the Coalition of the Willing, a group of nations committed to supporting Ukraine.
The British prime minister received the award on Monday, following his attendance at what will be his final meeting of that coalition. The following day, Tuesday, he participated in Bastille Day festivities in France — an occasion that saw British military personnel march alongside French forces in the parade for the first time in over two decades.
Speaking at the ceremony, Macron expressed his appreciation for Starmer’s leadership. “Prime minister, dear Keir, I wanted to reiterate my gratitude and the gratitude of the French people, obviously for your years as a prime minister,” Macron said, according to a statement from Starmer’s office. “But I have to say, beyond that, for your personal leadership and your commitments for obviously your country, but the security of our Europe, Ukraine, the bilateral relationship, your decency.”
A new state program designed to breathe new life into Delaware’s commercial districts is now underway. Governor Matt Meyer joined Division of Small Business Director CJ Bell to officially launch the Delaware Commercial Corridor Initiative, known as DCCI.
The program is aimed at helping existing brick-and-mortar small businesses make physical improvements to their storefronts, buildings, and day-to-day operations — while also giving a facelift to the commercial corridors where those businesses are located.
Through the initiative, the Division of Small Business will put $4.5 million in state Strategic Fund dollars toward property upgrades and equipment improvements for qualifying small businesses across Delaware.
The DCCI is structured to pair that state grant funding with additional capital from lending institutions, creating a combined investment approach intended to produce visible results in Delaware’s downtowns and commercial areas.
Delaware health officials are stepping in to help residents cope with a stretch of dangerous heat hitting the First State this week. The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) has announced it will open cooling centers beginning Wednesday, July 15 and running through Friday, July 17, as temperatures are expected to exceed 90 degrees for multiple consecutive days.
The cooling centers will be open each day from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., giving residents a place to find relief during the hottest parts of the day. The announcement was made from New Castle ahead of the anticipated heat event.
Officials are encouraging anyone who needs a break from the heat — particularly those without air conditioning at home — to take advantage of the available locations during this period of extreme temperatures.
Singapore’s High Court has ordered Bloomberg News and one of its reporters to pay S$460,000 — roughly $355,734 U.S. dollars — in damages after finding that an article published by the outlet defamed two government ministers. The ruling was released Tuesday.
Both Bloomberg and reporter Low De Wei are each required to pay S$230,000 to the two ministers. That figure breaks down into S$170,000 in general damages and an additional S$60,000 in aggravated damages per minister, according to the court’s judgment.
Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait expressed disappointment with the decision, saying the company continues to support its reporter and newsroom. In an email to Reuters, he stated: “We argued at trial that our reporting was accurate and served an important public interest, and we continue to believe that the ministers have imposed an extremely strained meaning on what was a solid story.” Micklethwait did not indicate whether Bloomberg intends to appeal the ruling.
The legal team representing the ministers did not respond to requests for comment.
In her written judgment, Justice Audrey Lim concluded: “The dominant purpose behind the article was to publish a story about the claimants, in particular about their (good class bungalow) transactions. The broader narrative of how wealthy individuals in Singapore use non-caveated transactions and trust structures to keep their dealings secret or ‘off-radar’ was the cover devised to carry that story.”
The lawsuit was brought by Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng, who sued Bloomberg and Low De Wei over a December 2024 story that examined secrecy surrounding high-end property deals. The article referenced transactions connected to both ministers.
Bloomberg had defended its coverage as a look at broader trends in luxury real estate transactions, arguing that the two ministers were simply newsworthy examples. The outlet maintained that the article never accused either minister of wrongdoing.
Attorneys for the ministers pushed for aggravated damages, arguing that Bloomberg had acted with malice. They pointed to the news organization’s decision to remove the paywall on the article after receiving a correction order issued under Singapore’s Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act.
A Bloomberg editor, in a sworn statement, said the paywall was lifted specifically so readers could view the correction notice, which was displayed at the top of the article on Bloomberg’s website. That notice appeared alongside a statement in which Bloomberg said it “respectfully disagrees” with the correction order while standing behind its reporting.
Justice Lim found that Low had been reckless and inaccurate in characterizing local government property records as opaque for non-caveated bungalow transactions. The judge noted that such records are in fact publicly accessible and searchable through the Singapore Land Authority’s Integrated Land Information Service — a resource Low himself had used while conducting research for the story.
“I find that Bloomberg’s conduct in removing the paywall pertaining to the article also demonstrates malice,” the judge wrote.
GENEVA — The top human rights official at the United Nations is sounding the alarm over the renewed conflict between the United States and Iran, calling it a major blow to civilian populations in the region and warning of serious consequences for the global flow of essential goods.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk issued a statement Tuesday saying the fighting “undermines peace efforts and deepens instability, with grave risks for human rights across the entire region.”
“The return to wider hostilities in the Middle East between the US and Iran is a huge setback for civilians in the region and beyond,” Turk added, calling on all parties to exercise restraint.
The latest round of overnight strikes saw the United States carrying out five hours of attacks on Iranian targets in a battle over control of the Strait of Hormuz — a critical shipping passage that Iran has claimed to have closed. This marked the third consecutive night of American military strikes against Iran.
On Tuesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that it had launched ballistic missiles at a U.S. air base in Jordan. The escalating violence has cast serious doubt on whether a memorandum of understanding signed between the two nations last month will result in a lasting ceasefire.
Turk expressed particular concern about what the potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz could mean for people around the world.
“It is a vital lifeline on which millions are reliant. Disruptions to the flow of food, medicines, and other necessary commodities have severe socio-economic and humanitarian consequences, both regionally and globally,” he said.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been nowhere to be found at his own stadium during the World Cup — and the tournament has hosted a record nine matches there. But the billionaire NFL owner is finally ready to make his first appearance.
Jones plans to attend the upcoming semifinal matchup between France and Spain on Tuesday at AT&T Stadium, which FIFA has temporarily renamed Dallas Stadium for the tournament. It will be his first World Cup game of the summer.
Chad Estis, the Cowboys’ executive vice president of business operations, offered some insight into why Jones stayed away for so long. “I think first and foremost, he’s just a big event guy,” Estis said. “He loves the NFL. He loves the Dallas Cowboys. But he has a passion for events as much as anybody that I know. He very much wanted to ensure that the stadium was operating well.”
The Jones family does have a suite at the stadium and has been making use of it — just without Jerry. Each year between the end of Cowboys offseason workouts in June and the start of training camp in California in late July, Jones and some family members typically head out on his yacht.
That means Jones missed some truly memorable moments in person. He wasn’t there for Argentina superstar Lionel Messi’s record-setting performances, nor for Japanese fans who twice cleaned up entire sections of the stadium after themselves, nor for the final World Cup appearance of Portugal star and all-time men’s international scoring leader Cristiano Ronaldo.
Those are exactly the kinds of historic moments Jones had in mind when he designed and built the stadium, which opened in 2009 and within just over five years had already hosted a Super Bowl and NCAA championship games in both football and men’s basketball.
Jones also drew on personal experience, having toured European stadiums before incorporating large standing-room viewing areas on three levels at each end of the venue.
The stadium also features an impressive art collection, highlighted by a stainless steel sculpture by Anish Kapoor — known as “sky mirror” — on the east plaza. Kapoor is the same artist behind the famous “bean” sculpture in Chicago.
To get ready for the World Cup, the Cowboys invested an additional $350 million into the stadium, which originally cost $1.2 billion to build. While the massive video board looks largely the same, upgrades were made to its internal systems, along with new carpeting, furniture in premium areas, and a renovated fan shop.
“I cannot tell you how many people come to our stadium and say, ‘I can’t believe this is 17 years old,’” Estis said. “People think it feels new. The whole thing’s been great, but it feels like it culminates in this phenomenal match tomorrow.”
Hosting the World Cup did come with some trade-offs for Jones. FIFA took control of the venue, which meant the governing body got to hang curtains over the large sliding glass doors on the west end — something Jones has always refused to do for NFL games, even when the setting sun has caused problems for players. Jones has consistently insisted that coaches and players simply adjust their game plans accordingly.
For Tuesday’s match between Spain and France, the sun won’t be an issue given the time of day the game is scheduled.
Jones had hoped to land the World Cup final at his stadium, but instead received the consolation of hosting the most games of any venue, including one of the two semifinal matches. The final will be held at the home of the New York Jets and Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The other semifinal, between Argentina and England, takes place Wednesday at the home of the Atlanta Falcons.
Dan Hunt, co-chair of the local organizing committee and son of the late Lamar Hunt — one of Jones’ rivals as owner of the Kansas City Chiefs — reflected on what this moment means for the Cowboys’ owner.
“It’s just another great moment in an unbelievable sports legacy,” Hunt said. “He’s been a world champion. He’s a Pro Football Hall of Famer. He’s hosted Super Bowls, hosted almost everything you can at AT&T Stadium. And this is just another moment.”
Jones also had to give up his personal suite at the 50-yard line. FIFA decided it was the ideal spot for a VIP area.
“We’re like, ‘Wait a minute. Are you serious?’” Estis said with a laugh. “I mean, I understand it. That’s why Jerry’s suite is there. It’s the prime spot.”
Rather than his usual prime location, Jones will watch from a different suite — a small price to pay for what is arguably the biggest single global sporting event to visit his venue.
“I think I could imagine him being a little emotional about it,” Estis said. “To see him in design meetings and his attention to detail and his care for what the stadium looked and felt like to people, what it looked like from different angles walking up to it. He just was so involved in the creation of what it is.”
After missing every match so far, Jones is finally about to experience the World Cup energy at his own stadium firsthand.
The leader of Major League Baseball’s players’ union took aim at league management on Tuesday, sharply criticizing an advertising campaign pushing for a salary cap and calling its message damaging to the very fans baseball depends on.
Bruce Meyer, who stepped into the union’s top role after Tony Clark was pushed out in February, made clear he believes the sport is doing well — not poorly as management has suggested.
“The supposed stewards of the game have spent an inordinate amount of time trying to convince those same fans that they don’t have hope or they shouldn’t have hope or that the product that they’re paying to consume in record numbers is somehow broken,” Meyer said. “I think it’s perverse.”
The numbers appear to back Meyer up. Average attendance this season has reached 29,230 per game, a 1.2% increase over last year’s comparable figure of 28,895. At this pace, MLB is on track for its best attendance numbers since 2017.
Management put forward a salary cap proposal back in May — something players have flatly rejected and say they will never accept. MLB’s campaign, called “Level the Field,” promotes the idea that fans want a salary cap, a concept baseball players have historically opposed.
“I believe that this system is bad for players and would be for generations to come,” Meyer said.
The current five-year labor agreement between players and management runs out on December 1. A lockout is widely anticipated to follow immediately, which would mark the sport’s tenth work stoppage since 1972. The last time games were actually lost was during a 7½-month strike in 1994-95, which resulted in the World Series being canceled for the first time in 90 years.
Meyer also pushed back on the idea that teams can’t afford to compete without a salary cap structure.
“Teams in every market across the league can afford to compete,” he said. “Many of them are choosing not to.”
He also pointed to other major sports leagues as cautionary examples, saying players in the NFL, NBA, and NHL only agreed to caps under pressure.
“In one way or other they were broken or forced into it,” Meyer said.
A test tsunami warning was issued by the National Weather Service National Tsunami Warning Center on July 14, active from 12:33 PM EDT through 1:33 PM EDT.
This was a test alert only, and no actual tsunami danger existed during this period. The warning was issued and expired within a one-hour window.
Long before he became one of Hollywood’s most celebrated directors, Christopher Nolan was a kid staring up at massive screens at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, watching nature documentaries in IMAX and imagining what it would be like to make a major movie that way.
With his new film “The Odyssey,” that childhood dream has become reality. The film is the first feature ever to be shot entirely on IMAX film — a landmark achievement in cinema history.
The road to that milestone wasn’t simple. For years, Nolan had been incorporating IMAX cameras into his films, but the cameras were far too loud to use during scenes with dialogue. After completing “Oppenheimer,” the time was finally right to push for the development of a camera silencing device, which the team calls “the blimp.” The newly developed IMAX camera was named The Keighley, in honor of longtime IMAX executives Patricia and David Keighley. Tragically, the film is dedicated to David, who passed away just three weeks after completing his work on “The Odyssey.”
The new setup came with significant technical hurdles. With the blimp attached, the camera tipped the scales at 300 pounds. The film also had to be reloaded every two-and-a-half to three minutes. A special mirror system was also required so that actors could see each other around the massive camera while filming. All of it was done in pursuit of one goal — giving audiences something they can’t get anywhere else.
“They’re looking for something new and exciting, and that’s what we’re trying to offer,” Nolan said.
When “The Odyssey” hits theaters this Friday, audiences will face a dizzying array of viewing options: IMAX 70mm, standard 70mm, IMAX digital, 35mm, Dolby Cinema, and more. In a 2023 interview with The Associated Press, Nolan took the time to walk moviegoers through his favorite formats so they wouldn’t need a film school education just to pick a theater.
“You rarely get the chance to really talk to moviegoers directly about why you love a particular format and why if they can find an IMAX screen to see the film on, that’s great,” Nolan said. “It really is just a great way of giving people an experience that they can’t possibly get in the home.”
Nolan’s three most recent films — “Dunkirk,” “Tenet,” and “Oppenheimer” — were all shot on large-format film stock, combining IMAX 65mm and Panavision 65mm, the same approach used for epic films like “Lawrence of Arabia,” and then projected in 70mm.
“The sharpness and the clarity and the depth of the image is unparalleled,” Nolan said. “The headline, for me, is by shooting on IMAX 70mm film, you’re really letting the screen disappear. You’re getting a feeling of 3D without the glasses. You’ve got a huge screen and you’re filling the peripheral vision of the audience. You’re immersing them in the world of the film.”
Nolan first began using IMAX cameras with “The Dark Knight,” which opened with a shot filmed in IMAX 70mm.
“Every time we screened that, we would get a gasp,” he recalled. “It’s just a helicopter shot. But the format is truly stunning. And it was truly something no one had seen before.”
To put the technical difference in perspective: IMAX film resolution is nearly 10 times greater than a standard 35mm projector. Each frame contains roughly 18,000 pixels of resolution, compared to just 1,920 pixels on a home HD television screen.
The slight size difference between 65mm and 70mm film comes from an era when the extra space was needed for a soundtrack. With digital sound now standard, that space is used purely to improve the visual experience, Nolan explained.
Beginning with “The Dark Knight,” Nolan’s team developed what they call “center punching the action” — a careful framing approach that ensures nothing important is lost when the film is shown in different theater formats.
“We have to plan very carefully because by shooting an IMAX film, you capture a lot of information,” Nolan said. “Your movie is going to translate very well to all the formats because you’re getting the ultimate amount of visual information. But there are different shapes to the screen — what we call aspect ratios. What you have to plan is how you then frame your imagery so that it can be presented in different theaters with equal success.”
Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema also keeps a close eye on the frame lines for different theater types while looking through the camera during production.
On the largest IMAX screens — those with a 1.43:1 aspect ratio — the screen essentially vanishes and the image fills your entire field of vision. On smaller formats like 35mm, digital, and CinemaScope, portions of the top and bottom of the image are cropped.
“From a creative point of view, what we’ve found over the years is that there’s no compromise to composition,” Nolan said.
His top recommendation for the best possible viewing experience is IMAX 70mm film. However, these screenings are rare — only 32 theaters across the United States and Canada are showing the format. High-demand locations like the AMC Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles and the AMC Lincoln Square in New York are nearly sold out for weeks. Other venues offering the format include the Cinemark 17 in Dallas, the Regal King of Prussia near Philadelphia, and the Esquire IMAX in Sacramento.
“The fascination of IMAX for me was always that it was the best that celluloid film ever got. The real reason for its high quality is it’s a massive film negative. It’s a huge roll of film that runs through the projector at hundreds of miles an hour,” Nolan said.
Standard 70mm prints — which Nolan called “a fabulous presentation” — are also being distributed to theaters around the world. “The two formats are sort of different and I love them both,” he said.
For most North American moviegoers, digital presentations will be the most accessible option. These range from IMAX digital — which may feature laser projection or a retro-formatted screen — to large-format systems developed by individual theater chains, such as Regal RPX, Cinemark XD, and Cineplex UltraAVX. A quick tip: if you see an “X” in the format name, it’s likely a premium large-format option.
Even so, Nolan reassured audiences that digital presentations will still deliver an impressive experience. His team spends months converting the original film for digital formats to ensure quality across every screen type.
“This is the exciting thing about shooting an IMAX film: When you scan it for the digital format, you’re working with the absolute best possible image that you could acquire, and that translates wonderfully to the new projector formats like the laser projectors in a lot of IMAX locations, the Dolby Cinema locations, which have a wonderful, high-contrast laser projector,” Nolan said.
He also noted that the widespread influence of IMAX over the past two to three decades has pushed theaters across the board to invest more in quality projection and sound — something he called “great for filmmakers.”
As for where to sit, Nolan has a clear preference depending on the theater type. “When I’m in a theater that’s CinemaScope ratio, I like to be right near the front, middle of the third row,” he said. “When I’m in a stadium, IMAX 1.43:1, then I actually like to be a little behind the center line right up at the middle. So, a little further back.”
LONDON — British counterterrorism authorities announced Tuesday that former politician and reality television personality Ann Widdecombe, 78, was the victim of a deliberate, targeted killing, though investigators say the motive has not yet been established.
A 28-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of murder and terrorism-related offenses is still being held as the investigation moves forward.
Laurence Taylor, who leads National Counter Terrorism Policing, spoke directly to reporters about the case. “It is clear that this was a targeted attack,” he said. “We are still working to understand the extent of any planning or preparation, and the motivation that sits behind that attack.”
Widdecombe’s death sent shockwaves through British political circles. A former member of Parliament, she had been a prominent and outspoken figure in public life for decades, widely recognized for her socially conservative positions on issues including abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.
Counterterror investigators took over the case on Monday after new evidence came to light. Initially, Devon and Cornwall Police had stated they did not believe the killing was terror-related or politically motivated.
Authorities believe Widdecombe was attacked on a Wednesday afternoon. She had been scheduled for a television interview that day but never showed up. Her body was discovered the following day at her secluded home in a rural village in southwest England.
Police have not disclosed how she died, stating only that she had suffered “serious injuries.”
The suspect was taken into custody on Saturday in South Yorkshire, a county in northern England — more than 200 miles from the village of Haytor, located on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, where Widdecombe’s body was found. He was initially arrested on murder suspicion, but after new evidence emerged while he was already in custody, authorities re-arrested him on suspicion of committing, preparing, or inciting acts of terrorism. He has not been formally charged and therefore has not been publicly identified.
Widdecombe served in the House of Commons from 1987 to 2010, holding positions that included prisons minister under Prime Minister John Major’s Conservative government in the 1990s.
Following her time in Parliament, she became a familiar face on television through appearances on reality programs including “Strictly Come Dancing” and “Celebrity Big Brother.”
She later aligned herself with the Brexit Party and briefly held a seat in the European Parliament before the United Kingdom departed from the European Union in 2020. More recently, she had become associated with the anti-immigration Reform UK party, frequently appearing in media as a spokesperson for the group.
The killing has reignited concerns about the safety of politicians in the United Kingdom. Security for public officials was previously heightened following the murders of two sitting members of Parliament — Labour lawmaker Jo Cox, who was shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right extremist, and Conservative David Amess, who was stabbed in 2021 by an attacker motivated by the Islamic State group.
MANILA, Philippines — Philippine police say a well-known American marine biologist was shot and killed by three masked men who forced their way into his home in the central Philippines on Sunday night.
Kent Carpenter, 73, was at a residence in the coastal town of Sibulan, in Negros Oriental province, with his Filipina companion when the intruders broke in. According to what his companion told police, one of the men pulled out a firearm and shot Carpenter in the head, killing him immediately.
National police spokesperson Col. Allen Rae Co told reporters that the attackers stole a laptop, a backpack, and an undisclosed amount of cash before fleeing the scene.
Regional police spokesperson Lt. Col. Joem Malong told The Associated Press that Carpenter’s companion suffered injuries and was receiving medical treatment. Investigators are working to establish a motive and track down those responsible.
Malong confirmed that Carpenter had been working as a lecturer at Silliman University in Dumaguete City, also in Negros Oriental province.
The U.S. Embassy in Manila had not responded to a request for comment as of the time of reporting.
Regional police director Brig. Gen. Romano Cardiño issued a statement promising accountability. “We assure the victim’s family, the community and our foreign visitors that this case is being treated with utmost urgency and no effort will be spared until justice is served,” he said.
Carpenter had served as a biological sciences professor at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, since 1996. University officials said his research centered on the Philippines and the Coral Triangle — the waters lying between the Indian and Pacific oceans — and that his work had influenced conservation efforts across the globe. He had been in the Philippines on an extended research trip and was reportedly planning to retire in September.
Old Dominion President Brian Hemphill released a statement mourning the loss. “He dedicated his career to expanding our understanding of the world’s bodies of water and protecting some of its most vulnerable ecosystems,” Hemphill said, calling the killing sad and devastating. “His scholarship and passion impacted and inspired many individuals locally, nationally, and internationally.”
On his university webpage, Carpenter described his research as focused on evaluating the extinction risks facing fish species and aquatic plants. In a 2010 interview with the AP, he warned that uncontrolled global warming could wipe out all of the world’s coral reefs within a century.
“You could argue that a complete collapse of the marine ecosystem would be one of the consequences of losing corals,” he said at the time. “You’re going to have a tremendous cascade effect for all life in the oceans.”
According to a 2007 Old Dominion University newsletter, Carpenter’s deep connection to the Philippines began during a Peace Corps assignment there in the 1970s.
Multiple Philippine environmental and biodiversity organizations expressed grief over his death. Silliman University called him an exceptional scientist and noted that he had partnered with the institution on marine research since 1976. “Dr. Carpenter made ground-breaking contributions that transformed global understanding of Philippine marine biodiversity,” the university said in a statement.
Mahmoud Khalil has taken legal action against the federal government and a number of private organizations, claiming they worked together in a coordinated effort to silence those who speak out against Israel by exposing their identities online, imprisoning them, and pursuing their deportation.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court on Tuesday and targets senior officials within President Donald Trump’s administration, leadership at the Heritage Foundation, and two online surveillance organizations known as Canary Mission and Betar. All three private groups had not responded to requests for comment as of Tuesday.
Khalil’s legal team argues that this alleged “public-private partnership” — which first came to light during a separate trial last year — may be in violation of the Ku Klux Klan Act. That law, dating back to the Reconstruction era, was designed to prevent the government from coordinating with vigilante groups.
Khalil, 31, is a former graduate student at Columbia University who rose to prominence as a spokesperson and organizer for student demonstrators protesting Israel’s actions in Gaza. He is a legal permanent resident and is married to a U.S. citizen.
In March 2025, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Khalil inside his campus apartment. He quickly became a central figure in the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists on college campuses.
Khalil was held for 104 days in an immigration detention facility in Louisiana, during which time his first child was born. A federal judge in New Jersey ultimately ordered his release.
His deportation case has moved through the executive-branch-controlled immigration court system at a notably fast pace and may eventually be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Khalil has consistently rejected any suggestion that his involvement in pro-Palestinian protests constitutes antisemitism. In a previous interview with The Associated Press, he explained his position plainly: “My beliefs are not wanting my tax money or tuition going toward investments in weapons manufacturers for a genocide. It’s as simple as that.”
NEW YORK — A gold trader who admitted to conspiring with a Turkish bank to help Iran sidestep U.S. sanctions by exchanging oil revenue for gold will walk free, a federal judge announced Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman indicated at a court hearing that he intends to sentence Reza Zarrab to the time he has already spent behind bars. Federal prosecutors praised Zarrab for delivering “truthful, complete and reliable” assistance to American investigators. That cooperation included testimony that he paid millions of dollars in bribes to Turkish officials to carry out the sanctions-evasion scheme.
Zarrab entered a guilty plea in 2017 on charges of conspiracy, bank fraud, and money laundering. Before he agreed to work with U.S. prosecutors in New York, he had been looking at the possibility of spending decades in federal prison.
The conclusion of Zarrab’s sentencing closes out a long and dramatic legal saga that put a serious strain on diplomatic ties between Washington and Ankara, and was followed closely by people throughout Turkey.
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, publicly dismissed the corruption allegations as an American scheme to “blackmail” Turkey, and pushed the administrations of three U.S. presidents to shut the case down.
Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, both Democrats, chose not to step in. President Donald Trump — who has maintained a friendly relationship with Erdogan — let the case proceed during his first term. However, this year Trump’s Justice Department abandoned its long-running effort to prosecute Halkbank, a state-owned institution that was indicted in 2019 on allegations it helped Iran move $20 billion in sanctioned oil revenue.
Zarrab was born in Iran but moved to Turkey as a toddler with his family. He was first arrested in 2013 as part of a broad anticorruption investigation led by Turkish law enforcement — but was released quickly. Many of the officers involved in that probe were subsequently removed from their positions after Erdogan claimed the investigation was a foreign plot engineered by the U.S. government.
Three years later, Zarrab was taken into custody in Miami after arriving in the United States with his then-wife, Turkish pop star and television personality Ebru Gundes, and their then-4-year-old daughter for a vacation to Disney World.
Before agreeing to cooperate with federal authorities, Zarrab brought on former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey to pursue a diplomatic resolution to the case. Erdogan openly called for Zarrab’s release.
Then, in 2017, the case took a dramatic turn: Zarrab quietly pleaded guilty to the charges and then emerged as an unexpected witness at the U.S. trial of Halkbank executive Mehmet Hakan Atilla.
On the stand, Zarrab testified that he had paid millions in bribes to government and banking figures in Turkey to help Iranian interests evade U.S. sanctions. He also stated that Erdogan, while serving as Turkey’s prime minister in 2012, had personally approved two Turkish banks’ participation in fraudulent gold trades designed to give Iran access to its oil and gas income.
Atilla, who insisted he was not guilty, was ultimately convicted and received a 32-month prison sentence. Erdogan responded to the verdict by calling it “scandalous.”
Zarrab was released from jail following the trial after reporting that a fellow inmate had threatened to kill him with a knife for cooperating with U.S. authorities.
In documents submitted to the court ahead of sentencing, Zarrab’s legal team said his life had undergone major changes since the trial. He divorced Gundes in 2021 and remarried last year, wedding a former Turkish national swimmer.
His attorneys described Zarrab as “destitute and heavily in debt” in the wake of his guilty plea and cooperation, noting that both his assets and his family’s assets had been seized by the Turkish government, resulting in “many tens of millions of dollars in lost rental income” for his family’s businesses.
Following his guilty plea, Zarrab also forfeited a $288,000 boat and $88,000 in cash to the U.S. government. He has claimed he is $50 million in debt.
“Reza at long last should be allowed to rebuild his life,” his attorneys wrote in the filing. They noted that the prosecution and Turkey’s characterization of him as a traitor continue to follow him, disrupting his attempts to establish a horse farm in the United States and to move through public spaces without being identified and exposed on social media.
KANSAS CITY, Missouri — England captain Harry Kane is brushing aside suggestions that there is any friction between manager Thomas Tuchel and star midfielder Jude Bellingham, saying the media turned a brief post-game exchange into something it was not following England’s World Cup quarter-final victory over Norway.
The speculation began after Tuchel publicly stated that England had been fortunate in their 2-1 win over Norway and that he was unhappy with the team’s performance “in every sense.” When Bellingham was asked about the manager’s criticism shortly after the final whistle, the 23-year-old’s reaction appeared less than enthusiastic.
Bellingham, who scored two goals for the second game in a row, responded to being told Tuchel had labeled the performance “sloppy” by saying: “Yeah, well, whatever. Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those conditions against Erling Haaland, Odegaard, (Antonio) Nusa, (Alexander) Sorloth. That’s not an easy team to play against.”
That reaction sparked widespread speculation about unrest within the England camp ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final against defending champions Argentina in Atlanta. But Kane was quick to put that narrative to rest.
“When you are playing a game like that and to be asked a question five minutes after the final whistle, and he didn’t really know what had been said, what do you want Jude to say?” Kane told BBC Sport.
“We had just been through a battle. It is easy to try and create this division. It seems like an English thing to do at these major tournaments. But it is the complete opposite,” Kane added.
“The group is where we are because of our complete togetherness — not just the players, the coach and the staff. Things sometimes get made out to be more than they are.”
Kane also defended Tuchel’s straightforward communication style, saying the players respect and appreciate it.
“He wears his heart on his sleeve and people appreciate that,” Kane said. “When he talks, it is never scripted. That is what makes him who he is. When it just comes natural you believe in that, you believe in what he is saying, you believe in his approach.”
“He is one of the best managers in the world for a reason. We understand it. Over the past two years we have got to know him and know what makes him happy,” Kane concluded.
Golf superstar Rory McIlroy is urging the sport’s governing bodies to expand the window in which major championships are held, saying the current schedule feels too rushed for both players and fans.
The major season currently runs over a four-month span — a compressed timeline that came about seven years ago when the PGA Championship was moved from August to May. McIlroy, who is chasing a seventh major title this week at the final major of 2026 at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, says that change has hurt the sport’s public profile.
“I’d like to see the major season spread out a little bit longer,” McIlroy said. “The Masters is always going to have the build-up, but I think then PGA into US Open, US Open into here, it just seems like it’s very, very quick.”
He acknowledged there are benefits from a player’s standpoint when things are close together, but said the bigger picture matters more.
“From a player perspective, if you get on a bit of a run, it’s nice to be playing well and go from one straight into the next,” he said, “but for the sport as a whole and for, I guess, the general interest in the game, obviously I can see the positives in the major season being stretched out a little bit longer.”
McIlroy, the reigning back-to-back Masters champion, won his only Open Championship title 12 years ago. While he considers St Andrews his top choice on the Open rotation, he says Royal Birkdale — where he tied for fourth place back in 2017 — remains a course that fits his game well, even following a recent redesign of the layout.
“I’ve always liked this course. I first played here in the Amateur Championship and then played an Open back here in 2017 and did OK,” he said.
McIlroy also praised Birkdale’s reputation for fairness among links-style courses, noting that it rewards good shots in a way not all links venues do.
“One of the common things you hear about Birkdale is it’s very fair for a links golf course,” he said. “The fairways aren’t overly undulating, so when you land the ball in the fairway here, it seems like it stays on the fairway and there’s not a ton of blind shots.”
He added that if players were surveyed, Birkdale would rank among the most popular Open venues on the circuit.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has suspended the use of vehicle stops as part of immigration enforcement operations, according to two sources familiar with the decision. The halt came after agents fatally shot two men in separate incidents just six days apart — one in Texas and one in Maine.
The policy change was announced one day after an ICE officer shot and killed a driver in Biddeford, a coastal Maine town located roughly 15 miles south of Portland.
Nearly 12 hours after the shooting, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a statement saying the officer opened fire on the driver — who was attempting to flee agents trying to pull him over — out of concern for public safety. However, officials offered no explanation of how the driver posed a specific threat.
Some video footage has surfaced showing the scene after the shooting, but no public video has emerged capturing the moment the shot was fired. Maine Senator Angus King, an independent who aligns with Democrats, told reporters that the agents involved were not wearing body cameras, leaving many questions about the circumstances of the shooting unanswered.
Protests broke out on Monday, with more demonstrations planned for Tuesday.
Immigration advocates identified the man killed as a 26-year-old Colombian national who held legal work authorization in the United States.
According to internal ICE data shared with Reuters, immigration arrests in Maine have more than quadrupled since early June, climbing to approximately 70 per day by early July.
The Biddeford shooting, combined with a separate killing the previous week in Houston, brings the total number of people shot dead during immigration enforcement operations to at least seven since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025 and began a large-scale deportation campaign.
Chinese memory chip manufacturer ChangXin Memory Technologies, known as CXMT, is looking to pull in roughly 57.9 billion yuan — equivalent to about $8.55 billion — through an initial public offering on Shanghai’s technology-focused STAR Market, according to a filing released Tuesday.
The massive stock offering is set to become the largest IPO in Asia so far in 2026 and the biggest-ever semiconductor share sale on China’s A-share market, topping a similar offering by chipmaker SMIC back in 2020.
If an over-allotment option is fully exercised, total proceeds could climb to approximately 66.6 billion yuan, the filing indicated. CXMT set its IPO price at 8.66 yuan per share.
Two individuals with knowledge of the situation said the company is expected to begin trading on the Shanghai Stock Exchange on July 27.
The final fundraising target represents a doubling of the company’s original goal of 29.5 billion yuan, or roughly $4.35 billion.
Neither CXMT nor the Shanghai Stock Exchange responded to requests for comment ahead of publication.
CXMT ranks as the world’s fourth-largest maker of DRAM — dynamic random-access memory — chips, holding about a 7.7% share of the global market as of 2025. The company has experienced explosive growth during the current industry upcycle.
DRAM chips are essential components in servers used to run cloud computing systems, large databases, and artificial intelligence applications.
The massive offering arrives at a time of growing volatility in global memory chip stocks. Some analysts have raised concerns that it could also put pressure on liquidity in China’s stock market, where a recent surge in technology shares appears to be running out of momentum.
However, other analysts pushed back on those concerns, arguing the offering would not significantly drain market liquidity.
Donnie Teng, a Greater China semiconductor analyst at Nomura, pointed to strong AI-driven demand as a reason for optimism. “Memory supply is still not enough,” he said. He added that as long as AI demand remains structurally strong and major tech companies continue investing heavily in infrastructure, the broader market should be able to absorb any liquidity impact from the IPO.
CXMT has historically been viewed as trailing behind global industry leaders Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix in terms of technology. SK Hynix’s U.S.-listed shares surged 14% when they debuted on Nasdaq last Friday following a $26.5 billion share sale, though some of those gains have since faded.
The Hefei-based company stated in its prospectus that proceeds from the listing will go toward upgrading its manufacturing lines and advancing its technology capabilities.
The head of the country’s largest bank is taking aim at federal regulators, accusing them of manipulating the numbers when it comes to how much money big banks must keep on hand to cover potential losses.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon made the remarks Tuesday during a quarterly earnings call, escalating his ongoing criticism of proposed capital rules that he says unfairly single out his bank and other large, diversified financial institutions — while giving an advantage to major Wall Street trading firms.
“They should not do the numbers in a false way to make the number higher,” Dimon said. “The number should be the number. If they think we should have more capital, they should ask us… I’m not happy to have these numbers falsely done.”
Dimon has argued that the proposed changes to how banks calculate required financial reserves are “unfair” and hit broad-based banks harder than their competitors. JPMorgan has previously stated it would face roughly a 4% increase in capital requirements under the new proposals, while rival institutions would see an average reduction of about 4.8%.
The Federal Reserve is leading the rulemaking effort alongside two other federal banking regulators. A Fed spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on Dimon’s criticism.
The proposals were unveiled in March and are considered significantly more favorable to the banking industry than an earlier 2023 draft put forward under Democratic regulatory leadership — a version that stalled amid industry opposition and the change in presidential administration. Still, Dimon has been one of the loudest voices against the current proposals, particularly regarding how a special capital surcharge applied to the nation’s largest and most systemically important banks is calculated.
On Tuesday, Dimon again called on the Fed to update the surcharge’s formula to fully account for economic growth since the central bank first imposed it in 2015. Doing so, he argued, would reduce how large banks appear relative to the broader economy on paper, thereby lowering the resulting charge.
The Fed has also proposed reducing the weight given to banks’ reliance on short-term wholesale funding in that surcharge calculation — a change that is expected to benefit firms that rely heavily on such funding, as opposed to banks with large customer deposit bases.
JPMorgan Chief Financial Officer Jeremy Barnum echoed those concerns on the same call, warning that the current direction of the rules could hurt everyday Americans.
“I don’t understand why you would want that as a policy outcome, because it is disproportionately damaging the ability of banks to serve Main Street,” Barnum said. “If that’s not what they want, then they shouldn’t let it happen by accident.”
Despite the regulatory friction, JPMorgan reported record profits for the second quarter, fueled by a surge in investment banking fees — the highest since 2021 — driven by a wave of major IPOs and corporate deal activity, along with strong performance from its trading operations during a period of market volatility.
Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman has indicated she hopes to have the rule-writing process completed before the end of this year. The agencies are working to finalize several capital-related proposals, including rules governing how banks weigh different types of risk and the surcharge applied to the country’s most critical financial institutions.
A journalist from The New Yorker is raising serious concerns about what he found inside the largest detention facility operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Writer Jonathan Blitzer reports that thousands of people are currently being held in tent structures in the desert near El Paso, where he says the living conditions have deteriorated to a point that many would describe as inhumane.
According to Blitzer, those harsh conditions are not simply the result of overcrowding or neglect — he reports they are being deliberately used as a form of pressure to push detainees into accepting deportation.
The report, published in The New Yorker, brings renewed attention to the treatment of migrants held in federal immigration custody and raises questions about the standards being applied at the nation’s largest ICE detention site.
A growing and troubling pattern has emerged involving federal agents fatally shooting civilians, with deadly incidents now reported in Maine, Texas, and Tennessee.
The family of one man who was killed by federal agents during a response to a 911 call is now coming forward, saying they want answers about what happened to their loved one. The family spoke with NPR about their search for accountability.
The deaths have raised serious questions about the use of deadly force by federal agents responding to emergency calls.
A fire erupted Tuesday at a building undergoing renovation in the heart of Brussels, Belgium, sending two workers to the hospital with serious burns and leaving six others missing. Officials confirmed that charred remains were discovered inside an elevator at the scene.
According to Brecht Speybrouck, a spokesman for the Labor Audit Office, the blaze began on the second floor of the structure, which is located in a major shopping district. The flames then traveled up into a lift shaft. Speybrouck said approximately 250 workers were evacuated from the building before the fire was brought under control.
Two of those workers sustained severe burns and were transported to a hospital, while six remained unaccounted for. Speybrouck confirmed that burned bodies were found inside one of the elevators, though he declined to specify how many and could not confirm whether those victims were among the six reported missing.
Emergency crews faced significant challenges reaching the elevator shaft. Brussels Mayor Philippe Close told The Associated Press that thermal imaging cameras and trained sniffer dogs were deployed to help locate victims.
Mayor Close credited the rapid response of emergency personnel, saying “firefighters, rescue workers and police were there immediately. Everyone knew what they had to do and that probably helped to avoid a greater tragedy.”
Belgium’s King Philippe visited the site several hours after the fire broke out.
Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin expressed his distress over the incident, saying he was “shocked” by what had happened. In a social media post, Quintin added: “My thoughts go out to the victims, their loved ones, and everyone still in uncertainty. A sincere thank you to our fire department and all emergency services for their dedication.”
BIDDEFORD, Maine — Immigrant rights organizations are calling for answers and organizing additional protests following the fatal shooting of a Maine driver by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer during an enforcement operation in the city of Biddeford on Monday.
The incident marks the second time within a single week that ICE has used deadly force, and at least the ninth fatality since President Donald Trump launched his immigration enforcement crackdown.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated that an ICE officer, “fearing for public safety,” shot and killed the driver while agents were conducting surveillance on a home belonging to someone they believed was in the country illegally and had received a final order of removal from the United States.
In a post on X, the department explained that when ICE attempted to stop a vehicle leaving the home, the driver tried to flee and the officer discharged his weapon.
That explanation came several hours after Maine Sen. Angus King revealed that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told him the officer fired after the man attempted to use his vehicle as a weapon against ICE agents. King also said Mullin indicated the officers were attempting to serve an arrest warrant — but not for the person who ended up being shot.
Because none of the officers involved were equipped with body cameras, numerous questions remain unanswered about what exactly happened in this coastal community located south of Portland, Maine’s largest city.
Key details are still unknown, including how close the officer was to the vehicle when shots were fired, whether the driver was ordered to stop, and in what way the public was believed to be in danger.
DHS did not respond to a request for clarification about the events leading up to the shooting.
The Maine attorney general’s office, which has opened its own investigation, said early statements suggest the motorist was moving toward the agent when attempting to flee. The office also confirmed that the officer responsible for the shooting has been placed on administrative leave.
Immigrant rights groups identified the man killed as a 26-year-old originally from Colombia. The Colombian Embassy said it is in communication with U.S. authorities regarding the man’s death and is offering support to his family.
Maine’s other senator, Republican Susan Collins, said Mullin informed her that DHS’s Office of Inspector General is conducting an investigation in cooperation with the FBI.
Security camera footage from a nearby business, obtained by the Associated Press, shows a white vehicle approaching an intersection at a slow pace before making several gradual circles. A law enforcement SUV then blocked the vehicle’s path, and two officers opened the driver’s door and pulled out a limp body. The footage does not make clear when the shots were actually fired.
A witness named Daniel Boucher said he looked out his third-floor window after hearing what he described as a “pop, pop, pop” sound. He observed the white vehicle moving down the street until the law enforcement SUV struck it.
“His face was bloody. His head was bloody,” Boucher said, his voice breaking. “I clearly heard the victim say, ‘I tried to stop.’”
Boucher also recounted a moment when the agent who fired approached the scene. “I was emotional and I just let him have it, and he looked at me and said, ‘He tried to run me over,’ or something to that effect,” Boucher said. “I don’t remember his exact words.”
Two advocacy organizations — the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and Presente! — said the man who was killed had authorization to work in the United States.
A nearby resident named Mary Hayes said the man had lived close to the scene with his wife and daughter. “I watched a wife fall to her knees looking at her husband’s dead body on the ground,” Hayes told the AP while holding a sign reading “No ICE Stop ICE.”
Just last week in Texas, an ICE officer fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo of Houston after federal agents in unmarked vehicles followed him while he was transporting his construction crew to a job site.
Both shootings are occurring as the Trump administration pushes forward with its mass deportation agenda. In just five days at the end of June, ICE arrested more than 10,000 people. The data suggests that while the administration has moved away from targeting specific cities, arrests are climbing sharply. The administration’s enforcement efforts drew widespread criticism last winter following the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota.
OMAHA, Neb. — For the first time, legendary investor Warren Buffett has left the Bill Gates Foundation out of his yearly charitable donations, a move that comes after documents surfaced revealing the Microsoft co-founder’s connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Buffett announced Tuesday that he will direct approximately $6 billion to four foundations linked to his own family, making no mention of the Gates Foundation in his statement.
Buffett also revealed a new timeline for distributing his remaining wealth. He now wants all of his Berkshire Hathaway stock — currently valued at more than $140 billion — donated to charity no later than December 31, 2034. Previously, the plan had been for his three children to distribute whatever remained within a decade of his death.
“Of course, mortality is unpredictable, but my remaining shares will be donated to the four foundations one way or the other by December 31, 2034,” Buffett said in a statement. “The goal is to have the grants grow annually to each of the three foundations managed by each of my children and the annual grant to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation grow at a somewhat greater rate.”
Neither Buffett nor the Gates Foundation responded immediately to questions Tuesday. CNBC reported that Buffett was scheduled to sit down for an exclusive interview with the network Wednesday morning on the subject.
Since Buffett first announced his plan to give away his fortune back in 2006, the Gates Foundation has received the lion’s share of his charitable contributions — more than $61 billion in total. He has regularly donated blocks of Berkshire Hathaway stock to the Gates Foundation alongside the four foundations operated by his children.
This year, Buffett plans to give approximately $4.5 billion in stock to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, with another $500 million in shares going to each of three other foundations — the Sherwood Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and the Novo Foundation — all run by his children.
The total giving announced Tuesday is comparable to the roughly $6 billion Buffett donated last summer, though his family foundations are receiving noticeably larger shares than in prior years — amounts that appear to make up for the money that previously would have gone to the Gates Foundation.
Gates has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities and has not been accused of any wrongdoing himself. He has said his meetings with Epstein were motivated by a belief that Epstein could help him raise funds for charitable work.
Epstein, who faced accusations of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, was found dead in a New York federal detention facility in August 2019. New York City’s medical examiner later ruled his death a suicide.
Buffett had already signaled in 2024 that he intended to stop donating to the Gates Foundation after his death and leave his three children in charge of distributing the rest of his estate. Tuesday’s announcement moves that plan forward significantly.
Buffett and Gates were once among the closest of friends — frequently talking, playing bridge online together, and even vacationing as a pair. Gates served on the board of Buffett’s conglomerate for years, and Buffett himself sat on the board of the Gates Foundation. But Buffett told CNBC in March that the two had not spoken in months, with their last contact coming before the Epstein-related files were released in the fall of 2025.
Buffett had previously defended Gates publicly. Three years ago, at a Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting, Buffett cut off a man named Peter Flaherty who was presenting a resolution questioning Gates’ character over his Epstein ties. Flaherty was arrested that day for trespassing, despite having received prior approval to make his presentation. The charge was eventually dropped, but the incident sparked a lawsuit that remains unresolved in the courts.
Speaking to CNBC, Buffett expressed disbelief at Epstein’s ability to manipulate so many successful people. “It is astounding to me that anybody could be that successful as a con person,” he said, adding that Epstein appeared to find and exploit the vulnerabilities of those around him. While Buffett declined to speak directly about Gates’ involvement, he made clear he wants no part of anything that could come under scrutiny later.
The Gates Foundation recently held discussions with its staff about Gates’ history with Epstein. Justice Department documents released as part of its investigation into Epstein include email exchanges between Gates and Epstein about philanthropic matters, calendar entries recording times the two met, and photographs of Gates at events they both attended.
The foundation announced in March that it brought in an outside reviewer to evaluate its past dealings with Epstein and to update its policies for vetting future charitable partnerships. Gates and the foundation’s board are expected to receive a report on that review sometime this summer.
Buffett also shared a broader observation with CNBC about the scope of Epstein’s reach among the wealthy and powerful. “I mean, it, here you had a guy that was a convicted guy, a sensational con man, and the percentage of people that he knocked off,” Buffett said. “I mean, whether it was, he found their weakness. It might have been sex. It might be power, it might be, whatever it might be. And I don’t see how anybody could have pulled that off.”
Buffett said he is relieved that Epstein never made his way to Omaha, where Buffett has lived for more than six decades. Buffett stepped down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway in January after leading the company for 60 years, though he continues to serve as chairman and remains its largest shareholder. Greg Abel has taken over as the company’s chief executive.
Boeing announced Tuesday that it handed over 64 jetliners to customers in June, up from 60 deliveries in both May and June of last year.
For the first six months of 2025, Boeing delivered a total of 314 aircraft — a 12% jump compared to the same period in 2024 and the strongest first-half delivery figure the company has posted since 2018.
Even with that momentum, Boeing remains behind its European competitor Airbus, which turned over 89 jets in June and a total of 351 aircraft through the first half of the year.
Looking ahead, Boeing’s delivery numbers are expected to climb further in the second half of the year as production of its top-selling 737 MAX ramps up. The company is currently boosting monthly 737 output from 42 jets to 47.
June’s deliveries included 42 737 MAX jets and 13 of the wide-body 787 model. Among those 787s were five aircraft that had been stuck in a backlog due to seat certification delays — those jets were ultimately delivered to startup carrier Riyadh Air.
Boeing also delivered three 777 freighters and five 767s during the month. Three of the 767s are headed for conversion into KC-46 aerial refueling tankers through Boeing’s defense division.
On the orders front, Boeing took in 121 new orders in June while absorbing eight cancellations, resulting in a net gain of 113 orders for the month.
A notable shuffle also took place involving Canadian carrier WestJet, which canceled orders for six 737s. At the same time, Aviation Capital Group placed an order for six 737s that it plans to lease back to WestJet.
Boeing’s 737 MAX has now surpassed the previous record held by the older 737 Next Generation model. The MAX has accumulated 7,206 total orders, edging past the Next Generation’s all-time total of 7,159.
Through the end of June, Boeing has recorded 408 net orders after accounting for cancellations and conversions.
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh is promising that financial markets and Congress will have plenty of warning before any changes are made to the central bank’s balance sheet policies.
Appearing before the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee, Warsh acknowledged that his personal views on the Fed’s sizable balance sheet are already well documented. However, he said he did not wish to get ahead of decisions that a newly formed Fed balance sheet task force will ultimately be responsible for making.
Warsh emphasized that the Fed’s balance sheet is a component of monetary policy and expressed his desire for the central bank to avoid straying into fiscal policy territory.
“I want to assure you that if there were a change in balance sheet policy, that we would preview it, explain it, debate it, and no changes in balance sheet policy would happen without good advance notice to the likes of this committee and broadly financial market,” Warsh told committee members.
The Fed chair’s remarks signal a cautious, transparent approach to any future adjustments at the nation’s central banking institution.
An American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts lifted off Tuesday from Kazakhstan, heading to the International Space Station in a mission that brought together the top officials from both NASA and Russia’s space agency in a rare joint appearance.
Astronaut Anil Menon, along with cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, departed from the Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard Russia’s Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft at 10:47 a.m. Eastern time. The journey to the ISS took approximately three hours.
The trio will serve as the station’s 75th rotation crew, with a stay expected to last around eight months. The mission also marked the return of crewed launches from a launchpad that had recently undergone repairs.
Michigan health officials announced Tuesday that the number of cyclosporiasis cases tied to an ongoing outbreak has climbed to 3,309 — a jump of 669 cases from the previous day’s count.
According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the outbreak had resulted in 44 hospitalizations as of July 9. So far, no fatalities have been connected to the illness.
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal infection caused by the cyclospora parasite. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that the illness is typically contracted by eating raw fruits and vegetables, or by drinking water that has been contaminated with feces.
The infection can cause diarrhea, nausea, and a range of other gastrointestinal symptoms. Children, older adults, and individuals with compromised immune systems face a greater risk of developing serious complications.
As of July 9, the CDC reported that 843 people across 31 states had been infected with the parasite, with 86 of those individuals hospitalized. At that point, the agency noted that more than 1,500 additional cases were still under review and awaiting confirmation.
The current outbreak, which began on May 1, is concentrated in Michigan, though Ohio and New York have also reported significant numbers of cases. Infections have been rising steadily across the country in recent months.
Federal health officials have not yet pinpointed the source of the contamination. Investigators are tracing foods connected to confirmed cases back through the supply chain — potentially all the way to the farm level — using genetic sequencing tools when necessary.
JERUSALEM — Israel’s security cabinet has given the green light to a budget of 1.3 billion shekels — roughly $434 million — to build 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, right-wing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced Tuesday. The decision adds further strain to an already tense situation over land widely considered essential to any future Palestinian state.
The United Nations, Palestinian leaders, and the vast majority of nations around the world consider Israeli settlements to be illegal under international law — a position Israel disputes. Many also view the settlements as one of the biggest barriers to achieving lasting peace in the region.
Smotrich, who leads the Religious Zionism party and has long stood against the creation of a Palestinian state, draws significant political support from settler communities. His party is preparing to compete in an upcoming legislative election scheduled for October 27.
With these 34 settlements, the total number established during Smotrich’s four-year term in office would reach 103. He also announced that an additional 1.075 billion shekels would be allocated to build roads connecting the new communities. The funding plan had been referred to the security cabinet by government ministers the previous month.
Smotrich described the cabinet’s vote as a landmark moment and called it a “day of celebration for Israel and settlements,” expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his backing. Current opinion polls suggest Netanyahu could lose his position in the October election.
“We are strengthening the security of the State of Israel, killing the idea of establishing a terrorist state in the heart of the country, and strengthening our hold on the homeland in Judea and Samaria,” Smotrich said in a written statement, referring to the West Bank by its biblical name.
The announcement comes amid a recent surge in violence by settlers against Palestinians and their property in the region.
Approximately 700,000 Israeli settlers currently live alongside 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. While Israel has not formally claimed sovereignty over the occupied West Bank, it continues to push back against international criticism of the settlements, arguing that the territory is disputed land where Jewish people have had a presence for thousands of years.
WASHINGTON — A new experimental medication may offer a different path to slowing early-stage Alzheimer’s disease by reducing levels of a brain protein known as tau, according to findings shared by researchers on Tuesday.
Tau is one of two key proteins believed to drive Alzheimer’s, alongside the better-known amyloid. While previous attempts to develop drugs targeting tau have come up short, two existing treatments — lecanemab and donanemab — work by clearing amyloid buildup and can modestly slow the progression of memory loss.
New data on Biogen’s drug diranersen suggests it did more than just reduce tau levels in the brain. A study involving roughly 400 participants found indications that it also slowed cognitive decline — and in one smaller group, the effect was comparable to what has been seen with amyloid-targeting therapies. The results were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London. Biogen has announced plans for a larger follow-up study to more definitively establish the drug’s benefit.
Jessica Langbaum of the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute in Phoenix, who had no involvement in the Biogen study, called the results encouraging. “This is really quite promising if it were to hold up” in the next phase of testing, she said.
Dr. Reisa Sperling of Mass General Brigham, also unconnected to the research, urged caution but expressed optimism. “This is early days,” she said, adding, “I think it will reinvigorate interest and investment in lots of tau mechanisms, and the field needs that.”
Diranersen is among several novel strategies being explored in the fight against Alzheimer’s, a disease that robs people of their memory and cognitive function. Other approaches include a potential tau vaccine, an experimental heart medication that may also benefit people at high genetic risk for Alzheimer’s, and new techniques to help drugs cross the so-called blood-brain barrier more effectively.
The exact cause of Alzheimer’s remains unclear. The disease affects more than 7 million Americans and tens of millions of people around the world. Scientists believe that sticky amyloid plaques begin forming in the brain roughly two decades before symptoms emerge, but amyloid alone is not thought to be sufficient to cause the disease. Many researchers believe that amyloid buildup eventually triggers an abnormal version of tau to form tangles inside neurons, which then sets off the disease’s symptoms.
Diranersen belongs to a class of drugs called antisense oligonucleotides. Rather than attacking existing tau buildup, it works by instructing the gene responsible for producing tau to make less of the protein.
Dr. Cath Mummery of University College London, who led the study, explained the logic: “If you lower tau production, you are lowering the amount of the abnormal tau that needs to be cleared by the microglia, by the clearance mechanism in the brain. And so you are enabling the normal clearance mechanism to have more capacity to clear the tau.”
Current anti-amyloid drugs are delivered through the bloodstream by infusion or injection. Diranersen, by contrast, is injected into the fluid surrounding the spinal cord — a more direct route to the brain.
Participants in Biogen’s study had either mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer’s and were randomly assigned to receive different doses of diranersen or a placebo. Back in May, Biogen and its partner Ionis Pharmaceuticals announced that the lowest dose — administered every six months — produced the strongest results. That unexpected outcome meant the study did not achieve its original goal of demonstrating that higher doses led to greater benefits.
Despite that, scientists were eager to see the detailed results. Dr. Mummery reported that five out of six different cognitive tests showed that patients on diranersen still experienced a worsening of memory and thinking abilities, but at a slower rate than those who received placebo shots. In one test using the lowest dose, the slowdown translated to a 26% reduction in cognitive decline — “approximately the same” effect seen in earlier trials of amyloid-targeting drugs, she said.
Side effects included pain at the injection site and a temporary period of confusion that could begin a few days after the shot and last roughly a week. Importantly, there were no signs of brain inflammation — a side effect that can occur with anti-amyloid drugs.
Separately, the University of California, San Francisco, recently launched a first-of-its-kind research initiative called the Alzheimer’s Tau Platform. Supported by the National Institutes of Health, the program will test various experimental anti-tau treatments both on their own and in combination with existing amyloid therapies. The first therapy being evaluated is a vaccine called AADvac1, designed to train the immune system to recognize and combat a specific problematic segment of the tau protein, according to UCSF’s Dr. Adam Boxer.
Dr. Boxer said the platform will eventually expand to sites across the country, allow additional tau-targeting drugs to be added to the lineup, and include participants who carry Alzheimer’s-related protein buildup but have not yet developed symptoms.
Researchers also told the Alzheimer’s conference that an experimental cholesterol-lowering drug called obicetrapib may have benefits beyond heart health. Scientists are investigating whether the drug might also reduce the buildup of Alzheimer’s-related proteins in people who carry a genetic risk factor for the disease.
The connection lies in a gene called APOE4, which influences both Alzheimer’s risk and how the body handles cholesterol. The drug’s maker, NewAmsterdam Pharma, is planning to launch a study to determine whether obicetrapib’s cholesterol-related effects might also help reduce Alzheimer’s risk in people carrying one or two copies of the APOE4 gene.
Meanwhile, some companies are working on ways to get Alzheimer’s drugs into the brain more quickly and in larger amounts by finding ways through the brain’s protective lining. Denali Therapeutics’ CEO Ryan Watts described the approach as “hitching a ride” with iron, which naturally passes into the brain. His company is developing drugs targeting both tau and amyloid using what he calls a “transport vehicle” technology.
WASHINGTON — Todd Blanche is facing one of the biggest tests of his career this week as he seeks official confirmation as attorney general, with several key Republican senators still on the fence about whether to support him.
To move his nomination forward, Blanche needs every Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee to vote in his favor. He has been leading the Justice Department in an acting role since April.
When he appears before the committee Wednesday, Blanche is expected to be questioned sharply on several fronts — including the department’s investigations into President Donald Trump’s political opponents, a disputed settlement tied to Trump’s IRS lawsuit, and the department’s controversial management of records related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Here is a breakdown of the major issues likely to take center stage at the hearing:
Political Prosecutions and Loyalty to Trump
Blanche first gained widespread public attention as the lead defense attorney for Trump during his hush money trial in New York. The close bond the two developed during that case — and the steadfast loyalty Blanche has demonstrated since joining the Justice Department — will likely be a focal point of Wednesday’s hearing.
Trump has made no secret of his wish to use the Justice Department to go after those he considers political enemies. Blanche has ramped up investigations into perceived opponents of the president, particularly after his predecessor was removed following a failure to produce criminal cases against Trump’s rivals.
Democrats have argued that Blanche is behaving more like Trump’s personal lawyer than the nation’s top law enforcement official.
Blanche has firmly pushed back on those accusations. In a February interview with ABC, he stated that “there’s not a whiff of political partisanship in what we’re doing.”
Traditionally, the Justice Department has maintained a careful separation from White House influence when it comes to deciding which cases to pursue. But Blanche has said he sees nothing wrong with the president taking an interest in departmental matters and has denied feeling any pressure to satisfy Trump.
“We have thousands of ongoing investigations and prosecutions going on in this country right now,” Blanche said during a May press conference. “And it is true that some of them involve men, women and entities that the president in the past has had issues with and believes should be investigated. That is his right, and indeed it is his duty to do that.”
When asked at that same event about his possible nomination for attorney general, Blanche said that if Trump chose someone else, his response would be: “Thank you very much. I love you, sir.”
January 6 and the Capitol Riot Pardons
Blanche’s past statements about the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol are also expected to come under fresh scrutiny.
Blanche has said he was not consulted before Trump issued sweeping pardons to roughly 1,500 people charged in connection with the riot, including individuals convicted of assaulting police officers. During his earlier confirmation hearing for deputy attorney general, Blanche said that anyone who commits violence against law enforcement “should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
When senators asked whether he would counsel the president against pardoning violent offenders in the future, Blanche told lawmakers that “violence against law enforcement is never something that should be tolerated.”
However, at a May appearance before the Conservative Political Action Conference, Blanche celebrated the January 6 pardons as a victory for the administration. Speaking to a cheering crowd, he said, “by 5 p.m. on Jan. 20, every one of them was either pardoned or had their sentence commuted.”
“So when folks say we’ve done nothing, I say ‘you have a very short memory,’” Blanche added.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina — whose vote is considered essential for Blanche’s nomination — has said he will not back any attorney general candidate who hedges on what happened on January 6. Tillis recently indicated, however, that he currently has no concerns about Blanche’s record on the matter.
With the death of South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who had been a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the panel now consists of 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats. A single Republican “no” vote could be enough to derail Blanche’s nomination entirely.
The $1.776 Billion Compensation Fund
Perhaps the most turbulent chapter of Blanche’s time running the Justice Department has been the controversy surrounding a $1.776 billion fund intended to compensate individuals who felt they were treated unfairly by the criminal justice system and who are allies of the president.
Blanche served as the public face of the initiative, which grew out of a settlement of Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns. The fund immediately drew bipartisan opposition from Congress, including a heated closed-door meeting during which Republican lawmakers reportedly confronted Blanche loudly over the proposed payouts.
Weeks after that confrontation, Blanche announced the plan was being abandoned, telling a hearing, “We are not moving forward with the fund, period.”
Still, Democrats are expected to press Blanche on whether the fund is truly dead, particularly since Trump has continued to express support for compensating his supporters and since the Justice Department has resisted a judge’s demand that it put in writing that the fund will not be revived.
Sen. Tillis has also been outspoken in his criticism of a separate element of the IRS settlement — a provision that grants Trump and his family members protection from future audits. Blanche has repeatedly confirmed that this audit immunity agreement remains in place, an issue that is expected to generate pointed questions from both parties. A federal judge on Monday stopped short of voiding the audit immunity deal but raised serious doubts about its legal standing.
The Epstein Files Controversy
Blanche was serving as deputy attorney general during the summer of 2025 when the Justice Department found itself engulfed in a crisis over how it was handling records from the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation. Questions have persisted even after the department released what it described as more than 3 million pages of documents from the probe of the late financier.
Blanche is certain to face tough questioning on this topic, especially after his predecessor told lawmakers in a private meeting following her dismissal as attorney general that Blanche had been the department’s lead official overseeing the release of the Epstein documents.
The controversy began in February 2025, when the then-attorney general presented far-right influencers at the White House with white binders she claimed contained the Epstein files — materials that turned out to consist largely of documents already available to the public.
The situation deteriorated further last July when the department issued an unsigned statement declaring it would release no additional records, only to reverse course after a wave of criticism from across the political spectrum and after Congress passed legislation requiring the documents to be disclosed.
The release itself was plagued by serious errors, including redaction mistakes that left exposed nude photographs showing the faces of possible victims. Some names, email addresses, and other identifying details were either left unredacted or not adequately obscured.
Blanche has also drawn scrutiny for personally traveling to a Florida prison to interview Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for recruiting teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein. Following that visit, Maxwell was transferred from a low-security federal prison in Florida to a minimum-security prison camp in Texas.
AUBURN, Wash. — It was a prehistoric showdown at Emerald Downs on Sunday, as participants suited up in puffy inflatable T-Rex costumes to compete in the T-Rex World Championship Races in Auburn, Washington.
The lighthearted annual event has an unlikely origin story — it began in 2017 as a team-building exercise organized by a local pest control company. What started as an office activity has since grown into a full-blown championship race that draws competitors and spectators alike.
Images from the event were curated by AP photo editors, capturing the colorful and comedic spectacle of dinosaur-clad racers waddling their way to the finish line.
Salisbury University’s football program is marking a significant milestone this coming fall, announcing plans to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its 1986 football team with a special reunion event.
The celebration is scheduled for September 26th, which also happens to be the Sea Gulls’ third home game of the season. Salisbury will take on The Catholic University of America that day, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. at Sea Gull Stadium.
The reunion brings together the legacy of the 1986 squad with a live game-day atmosphere, giving former players and supporters a chance to reconnect while cheering on the current team.
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s government has launched a legal offensive against the United States, filing criminal complaints with state-level prosecutors over the deaths of Mexican citizens who died while in U.S. immigration custody or during enforcement operations, according to the country’s foreign ministry.
The announcement, made Tuesday, also revealed that Mexico has sent cease-and-desist letters to U.S. detention facilities where Mexican nationals lost their lives, the ministry said in an official statement.
President Donald Trump announced Monday that the United States will impose a 20% charge on all cargo traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, positioning America as what he called the “Guardian” of the vital waterway after a ceasefire with Iran fell apart.
The breakdown stems from a dispute over Iran’s push to maintain control of the strait — a narrow, 34-kilometer (21-mile) passage that serves as the primary route for roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply, along with other critical goods including fertilizers. Iran shut down the strait after the U.S. and Israel attacked the country on February 28, triggering a global energy shock.
Here is a closer look at how the situation developed, how Trump’s position compares to Iran’s, and what it could mean for the rest of the world.
HAS THE U.S. CHANGED ITS POSITION ON CHARGING HORMUZ FEES?
As recently as June 25, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Gulf states that charging for the use of international waterways was something “no country on Earth has the right” to do, and that shipping fees would never be included in any agreement with Iran.
However, Trump had already hinted at the possibility of U.S.-imposed tolls if negotiations with Iran collapsed. In a June 20 social media post, he wrote: “There will be NO TOLLS in the Hormuz Strait for 60 days during the Cease Fire Period, and there will be NO TOLLS after the 60 day period has expired, unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America, should the deal not be completed, for services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East for purposes of both past, present, and future reimbursement of costs.”
With the ceasefire now in ruins, Trump appears to have returned to that earlier position. In a social media post Monday, he stated: “The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT’, but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped.”
Trump has offered no explanation of how such a fee would be collected or what legal authority he would rely on to enforce it.
HOW DOES TRUMP’S TOLL DIFFER FROM WHAT IRAN IS DEMANDING?
Iran’s top priority in negotiations has been securing lasting control over the Strait, whose waters it shares with Oman. Tehran views that control as its most powerful strategic tool and its best protection against future military strikes.
Iran believes the wording of last month’s interim agreement supported its position. That deal stated Iran “will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days only.”
The United States, however, interpreted that language differently — viewing it as simply requiring Iran to allow safe passage without using force to restrict ships, not as granting Iran any broader authority over the waterway.
During the conflict, Tehran established what it calls the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which it says all vessels must coordinate with before transiting the strait. Iran has also insisted ships travel only along the Iranian side of the waterway and has targeted vessels that attempted to pass near the Omani shore without its permission. Iran has suggested it may eventually charge fees for passage but has not provided specifics.
IS IT LEGAL FOR ANYONE TO CHARGE FEES FOR USING THE STRAIT?
The Strait of Hormuz runs through the territorial waters of both Iran and Oman, with the maritime boundary down the middle.
The UNCLOS maritime convention — the widely recognized framework for international sea law — states that countries bordering straits cannot charge fees simply for allowing ships to pass through. They are, however, permitted to collect limited fees for specific services such as piloting, towing, or port-related assistance, provided those charges are not applied more heavily to vessels from certain countries.
Neither Iran nor the United States has signed UNCLOS, but the convention is broadly accepted as the standard for international maritime law, and the Hormuz Strait is widely recognized as an international waterway.
A 1968 agreement between Iran and Oman, arranged through the International Maritime Organization, established traffic lanes through the middle of the Strait for large vessels. However, Iranian mine-laying during the recent conflict has rendered those lanes unsafe, according to the IMO.
WOULD THE WORLD ACCEPT THESE FEES?
Shipping industry officials say there is no modern precedent for any country unilaterally demanding payment for passage through a strait.
Oman has been in talks with Iran on the matter and issued its own guidance last month for ships transiting through its portion of the Strait — guidance that does not include any fee requirement.
Gulf states are particularly worried, as the Strait is their primary outlet to international waters for energy exports. Major importers of Gulf oil and fertilizers could also face significant consequences, especially under Trump’s proposed 20% surcharge, which analysts warn could drive global oil prices sharply higher.
DAKAR — Former Senegalese President Macky Sall is scheduled to travel to Senegal on Friday, marking his first public appearance in the country since he left office. The trip comes as he actively campaigns for the position of United Nations secretary-general.
Sall continues to be a polarizing figure back home. His attempt to delay the 2024 presidential election sparked deadly protests before Senegal’s Constitutional Council stepped in and blocked the move.
Adding to the controversy, Senegal’s Court of Auditors concluded that his administration had underreported the country’s debt and deficit numbers, suggesting roughly $7 billion in undisclosed borrowing. That figure was later revised upward, with S&P Global Ratings estimating the hidden debt at approximately $13 billion as of last July — equivalent to about one quarter of Senegal’s $40 billion economy. Sall has denied any wrongdoing.
According to posts on X, Sall plans to meet with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye before departing Dakar. He described the visit as being “part of the consultations and visits I have undertaken in connection with my candidacy.”
He also expressed hope of “having the opportunity to return to Dakar on another occasion to meet with activists and supporters.” Sall currently resides in Morocco.
The United Nations is expected to select its 10th secretary-general this year, with the chosen candidate beginning a five-year term on January 1, 2027. Sall is one of five people who have put their names forward for the role.
Should he be selected, Sall would take over from Antonio Guterres and become only the third African to hold the secretary-general position, following Egypt’s Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Ghana’s Kofi Annan.
During his presidency, which ran from 2012 to 2024, Sall guided Senegal through its emergence as an oil- and gas-producing nation.
The City of Salisbury has formally issued a notice of investigation in connection with a structural fire that occurred on Monticello Avenue, according to an official announcement from the city.
City officials have opened an investigation into the fire, though specific details regarding the cause, the extent of structural damage, or any potential injuries were not provided in the release.
Residents in the area are encouraged to follow updates from the City of Salisbury as the investigation continues. No further information was immediately available at the time of this report.
Walker Stuns Philly Crowd to Claim Home Run Derby Title
Jordan Walker pulled off a stunning comeback in front of a hostile Philadelphia crowd, belting six consecutive home runs on his final swings to overtake Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber and claim the Home Run Derby championship. Schwarber had put up 11 home runs during his 15-swing turn in the final round, sending the hometown crowd into a frenzy. But as Walker’s decisive blast sailed over the left field wall, those same fans went quiet and began heading for the exits. The 24-year-old Walker, who endured loud booing throughout the evening, appeared unfazed by the hostile atmosphere, making history as the first Cardinals player ever to win the event.
France vs. Spain: One World Cup Semifinal Spot Remains
Two of the tournament’s most dominant teams are set to collide Tuesday in Arlington, Texas, as France and Spain meet in the first of two World Cup semifinal matchups. Neither team has been behind on the scoreboard at any point this tournament. France has outscored its opponents 14-2, with Kylian Mbappé tying Lionel Messi’s tournament-leading eight goals. Spain has outscored opponents 10-1, with substitute Mikel Merino delivering the decisive goal in each of the past two matches. Teenage standout Lamine Yamal has been a key figure for Spain throughout the competition. This marks the first World Cup since 1990 where all four remaining teams are former champions. Defending champion Argentina and England face off in the other semifinal.
MLB Players Push Back on Salary Cap Proposal
Major League Baseball is edging closer to a potential work stoppage as players and management remain far apart on a new labor agreement. The current contract expires December 1, and a lockout is widely anticipated. Management’s proposal includes a salary cap intended to close the gap between high- and low-spending teams, but prominent players including Juan Soto, Bryce Harper, and Paul Skenes have voiced strong opposition. They contend the cap would suppress earnings and shrink opportunities for younger players. Negotiations started in May and are expected to resume following the All-Star break. Players are pushing for broader free agency and arbitration rights, and concern is mounting that the 2027 season could be shortened or lost entirely.
Harper Says FanDuel Used His Video Without Permission
Philadelphia Phillies All-Star Bryce Harper is speaking out after learning that a personalized video he created through the Cameo platform was used by FanDuel SportsBook without his knowledge or approval. According to a report from the Philadelphia Inquirer, the video was sent as a reward to a fan named Terry Thompson, who had placed $18.5 million in wagers with FanDuel. The video had FanDuel’s logo attached to it. Harper stated the company had “no right” to use its branding on his content, and said he had no idea about FanDuel’s plans or Thompson’s gambling situation. He raised the issue publicly on social media Monday, just hours before the Home Run Derby got underway.
Rams Lineman Gets Chance to Avoid Domestic Violence Charge
Los Angeles Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson, who was taken into custody on June 9 on suspicion of felony domestic violence, may be able to sidestep a criminal charge. A spokesman for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office confirmed to the Associated Press that Jackson’s case has been directed toward a pre-filing diversion program open to qualifying individuals. This type of hearing serves as an alternative to misdemeanor criminal prosecution. While no charges are being filed at this time, the case has not been closed and could be revisited if new developments arise.
Spieth Returns to Royal Birkdale Chasing Major Magic
Jordan Spieth is back at Royal Birkdale this week, the site of his British Open victory nine years ago, hoping to rediscover the form that made him a champion. He claimed the claret jug at just 23 years old, at a time when he already had three legs of the career Grand Slam in hand. Today, Spieth remains stuck at three major titles and has managed only two PGA Tour wins since that breakthrough. He has said the Open victory gave him a clear picture of what his best golf looks like, and he still believes he can return to that level. The challenge, he says, has been waiting for the results to follow.
Jazz Guard Alexander Stretchered Off Court in Summer League
Utah Jazz guard Trey Alexander was removed from the court on a stretcher Monday night after suffering an apparent injury during an NBA Summer League contest against the Chicago Bulls in Las Vegas. Alexander, who had signed a two-way contract with Utah just last week, made contact with Bulls player Caleb Wilson while driving to the basket. After releasing the ball toward the hoop, he moved behind the basket clutching his side or abdomen before collapsing to the floor in visible pain. The 23-year-old was carried out of the Thomas & Mack Center on a stretcher. The Jazz had not issued a statement on the nature of his injury as of Monday night.
Schwarber to Lead Off for NL in All-Star Game
Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber will bat leadoff for the National League in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game, stepping into the designated hitter role after Shohei Ohtani withdrew from the event to undergo a knee procedure before the second half of the season. On the American League side, New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice, outfielder Cody Bellinger, and Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene all earned starting spots due to injuries to other selected players. Rice, who ranks third in the majors with 29 home runs, will start at first base after Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. opted out to rest a bad back. Guerrero’s initial replacement, the Athletics’ Nick Kurtz, was also unavailable after spraining his thumb.
Mattingly Finds Himself in Awkward All-Star Spot
Don Mattingly admits he felt a bit of an odd situation when he was invited to serve as a coach under Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts at this year’s All-Star Game. Mattingly had previously served as bench coach for manager John Schneider with the Toronto Blue Jays before stepping away after the World Series, in which the Blue Jays fell to the Dodgers in seven games. He has since taken over as interim manager of the Philadelphia Phillies and has the team back in playoff contention. Tuesday’s All-Star Game is being played at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies’ home stadium, meaning Mattingly will be coaching against Schneider and the Blue Jays staff on his own team’s home field.
AP Writers Tab Josh Allen as NFL’s Best Quarterback
Josh Allen has been named the top quarterback in the NFL heading into the 2026 season, according to a preseason survey conducted by Associated Press pro football writers. Allen, who won the 2024 AP NFL Most Valuable Player award, edged out Patrick Mahomes, who had held the top spot in each of the three prior surveys. A panel of eight AP writers ranked their top five quarterbacks, with first-place votes worth 10 points and subsequent rankings worth 5, 3, 2, and 1 points respectively. Allen collected five of the eight first-place votes.
The Houthi movement is pointing the finger at Saudi Arabia following airstrikes Monday on Sanaa International Airport, promising consequences while Yemen’s internationally recognized government offered a very different account of events.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree was quick to respond once initial reports surfaced, declaring: “In an unjust aggression, the Saudi enemy carried out several airstrikes against Sanaa International Airport.”
Saree went on to say the strikes had effectively ended what had been a period of de-escalation between the two sides, and that Saudi Arabia would be held accountable for the alleged attack.
A separate, more pointed warning came from senior Houthi official Hazem al-Assad, who directed his message squarely at the Saudi capital. “The Saudi regime will discover that it has dug its own grave,” al-Assad said.
Saudi Arabia’s government communications office had not issued any response to the allegations at the time of reporting.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government told a different story. Its Defense Ministry stated earlier Monday that its armed forces had struck the Sanaa airport runway specifically to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing there. A military spokesman added that the plane ultimately touched down safely at Hodeidah airport, a facility under Houthi control.
In a further move, the aviation authority of Yemen’s internationally recognized government announced the closure of all airports across the country to air traffic, effective immediately and until further notice.
The episode marks a significant escalation. Saudi Arabia had largely stepped back from direct confrontation with the Houthis since 2022, following years of Saudi-led airstrikes throughout Yemen and retaliatory Houthi attacks targeting Saudi oil infrastructure.
Syria’s newly established People’s Assembly convened for the first time on Sunday, electing constitutional law scholar Dr. Abdul Hamid al-Awak as its speaker. Mustafa Moussa and Dr. Madona Suhail Bashara were chosen as deputy speakers during the historic opening session — the first gathering of a Syrian legislative body since the collapse of former President Bashar Assad’s government, and the beginning of Syria’s transitional legislative period.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa attended the session, during which 206 lawmakers took the constitutional oath before choosing the assembly’s leadership and establishing a temporary legal committee to guide parliamentary procedures.
The 210-seat body is made up of 140 elected members and 70 members appointed by the president. Four seats remain unfilled — three set aside for Suwayda province, where elections could not take place, and one for Idlib following the death of a member.
Al-Awak, who hails from Hasakah province, is considered one of the most significant legal figures to emerge during Syria’s transitional period. A constitutional law professor and former judge who broke from the previous government, he led the committee that drafted Syria’s constitutional declaration guiding the transition. He has long championed the separation of powers and stronger oversight by the legislature.
However, what captured the most attention among Syrians was not the leadership election or President al-Sharaa’s remarks — it was what was missing. For the first time in more than fifty years, a Syrian president delivered a speech to parliament without being greeted by prolonged, orchestrated applause. During the presidencies of both Hafez and Bashar Assad, lawmakers had routinely stood and clapped for extended periods before the president spoke, often followed by speeches pledging loyalty and backing government policies.
Many Syrians saw the silence as a meaningful signal of a changing political atmosphere within the new legislature. The moment quickly spread across Syrian social media, with many users calling it a break from decades of parliamentary tradition, while others argued the assembly should ultimately be judged by its laws and actions rather than its opening ceremony.
The session also featured several historic firsts, including the presence of the first Kurdish woman and the first veiled woman to serve in the assembly. Dr. Bashara’s election as second deputy speaker also placed a woman in one of the legislature’s top leadership roles.
Following the session, President al-Sharaa posted on X, calling the launch of the People’s Assembly
A new era is taking shape for Goldey-Beacom College women’s soccer as the program looks ahead to the 2026 season with a new head coach and a boosted sense of belief within the squad.
The Lightning have released their 2026 schedule, which features a demanding slate of opponents as the team pursues what has so far been an elusive goal — a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference title. The program has yet to claim a CACC championship, and that hunger is expected to fuel the team’s approach to the upcoming season.
With new leadership guiding the program, the combination of a fresh coaching perspective and a motivated roster sets the stage for what could be a memorable run in 2026.
SOUTHPORT, England — When David Howard was just 7 years old, he received a diagnosis that would shape the rest of his life: cystic fibrosis. As a teenager, long before modern medicine had made the strides it has today, he stumbled across information online suggesting he likely wouldn’t survive past his mid-20s.
Today, Howard is 27 years old — and he’s teeing it up at the British Open at Royal Birkdale, preparing to compete against the finest golfers on the planet.
“Here I am, as healthy as ever and playing at the Open. It’s just nuts,” Howard said with a grin after completing his first practice round alongside former champions Padraig Harrington and Shane Lowry near the 18th green. “Yeah, I’d like to think I’m an inspiration.”
Howard is anything but a typical major championship participant. He’s a qualified car mechanic ranked No. 1,456 in the world amateur golf standings, and he earned his spot in golf’s oldest major by coming through one of four local qualifying events.
What he carries in his golf bag sets him apart as well. Alongside his clubs, Howard packs his daily medication — up to 30 tablets taken each day to fight off infection and help his body properly digest food.
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic condition that causes thick, sticky mucus to accumulate throughout the body, which can result in serious damage, blockages, and infections in the lungs and other organs. There is no cure, and the condition requires lifelong management — but newer treatments have dramatically improved quality of life for people like Howard.
He speaks openly about his past hardships. During his late teenage years, believing he “wasn’t going to be here much longer,” he turned to alcohol. Later, during the pandemic, he experienced what he described as “manic episodes and psychosis,” going weeks without being able to get out of bed or speak to anyone.
But Howard has rebuilt his life. At the end of 2023, he stepped away from full-time work as a mechanic — though he still tinkers with cars for family members — and committed himself entirely to golf.
That shift has also brought health benefits. “As a mechanic, working in dusty garages probably wasn’t ideal for me,” he said. “Being in the fresh air, around the coastlines with salty air, it’s really good. Hot weather is also good for CF, but there’s just a few things you need to keep on top of.”
Every time he eats, Howard takes digestive enzymes to break down fatty foods, meaning he’ll go through plenty of them during each round at Birkdale. Walking the course beside him will be his father, John, who is serving as his caddie. The cystic fibrosis unit at his local hospital in Cork, Ireland, provides him with a daily health plan and ongoing guidance.
He can still fall ill — air travel is particularly hard on his body — but instead of being admitted to the hospital two or three times a year, he can now typically manage with a two-week round of antibiotics.
“It’s great we are living longer with CF compared to before,” Howard said. “Loads of positives to take from it — living adulthood is the next challenge, but that’s a great thing to have to worry about.”
Howard’s golf résumé is already building. He’s won the East of Ireland championship and has represented Ireland in home international competitions. Later this year, he plans to attend qualifying school in a bid to turn professional on the European tour.
Since punching his ticket to the Open last month, Howard has heard from children with cystic fibrosis and their families, many of whom have told him they see him as “someone to look up to.”
“It’s a big thing,” he said. “Growing up with CF, it’s a lonely enough thing — you don’t meet other people with CF and really chat to them about it. So you’re figuring it out all on your own.
“It’s good to show that not everything is negative and there are positives to take from it. That you can follow your dreams and get at it.”
The Ebola crisis in eastern Congo is moving faster than health workers can contain it, according to the World Health Organization’s emergencies chief, who delivered a sobering assessment on Tuesday following a visit to Bunia, in Ituri province — one of the hardest-hit areas of the outbreak.
“Perhaps the most alarming finding is that many of the newly reported deaths are people who died in their communities without ever reaching a health facility and without receiving care,” said Chikwe Ihekweazu. “And as of today, 80% of new cases are outside our contact lists and so are coming to us from unknown chains of transmission.”
Congo has been fighting this outbreak of a rare strain of Ebola since May, with no approved treatment or vaccine available. Last week, the Africa Centre for Disease Control described it as the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever recorded on the continent.
Congolese health authorities reported that as of Monday, at least 1,926 people have contracted the disease and 702 have lost their lives across three provinces. The rare Bundibugyo virus is responsible for the outbreak, and cases have also been confirmed in neighboring Uganda.
Adding to the concern, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last week that a U.S. citizen employed by a humanitarian organization in Congo has tested positive for the Ebola virus. No additional details were provided.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Ihekweazu described his visit to Bunia as “quite encouraging on many fronts, but also deeply concerning on many fronts.” He noted that treatment capacity in the area has grown to nearly 800 beds, with more being added weekly, and that laboratory capacity has expanded from just one facility to 14. Other areas of the response have also seen improvement.
Still, Ihekweazu acknowledged that despite “our best efforts … we have not caught up in the race.”
The response has been slowed by a shortage of funding, violent attacks on health centers, an ongoing armed conflict in eastern Congo, and deep mistrust among local communities toward health workers.
On Monday, dozens of workers at an Ebola treatment center in northeastern Congo walked off the job to protest unpaid wages and bonuses.
According to the WHO, Congolese authorities officially declared the new Ebola outbreak on May 15, though the disease had already been spreading for weeks before being detected.
In a promising development, clinical trials for potential treatments got underway last week when researchers launched a long-awaited study aimed at finding an effective way to fight the virus.
Two Supreme Court justices are preparing for an unusual trip to Capitol Hill on Tuesday morning. Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett are scheduled to appear before Congress at 10 a.m. ET — a rare occurrence that comes just weeks after the conclusion of a historic court term. The justices are expected to field a broad range of questions as the court pursues millions in additional funding to strengthen security, amid a growing number of threats targeting the judiciary.
Meanwhile, just down the street from the Capitol, President Donald Trump is set to welcome Iraq’s newly installed Prime Minister, Ali al-Zaidi, to the White House. Trump had been a strong supporter of al-Zaidi’s rise to power, despite the prime minister’s limited political background. The visit comes as Iraq faces mounting pressure to disarm Iran-backed militia groups that have carried out attacks on American military bases and diplomatic facilities following the outbreak of war involving the U.S. and Israel against Iran.
The U.S. military launched fresh strikes against Iran in the early hours of Tuesday, just hours after Trump announced plans to reinstate a naval blockade of Iranian ports. Under the plan, ships would be charged 20% of their cargo for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by striking targets in Bahrain and Jordan, as well as attacking three tankers passing through the strait — effectively collapsing the existing ceasefire agreement and raising the specter of a full-scale war.
U.S. Central Command confirmed the strikes, stating forces targeted “coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites and maritime capabilities.” Iranian officials acknowledged the attacks but did not immediately provide details on casualties or damage.
“These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” the U.S. military said in a statement.
Shortly after the military’s announcement, Trump took to social media, calling it “another major attack” and confirming the U.S. was “putting the blockade back.”
U.S. Central Command announced on social media that enforcement of the blockade against vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas would begin Tuesday at 4 p.m. EDT. The command added it would “support traffic flow through regional waters for all vessels not violating the blockade.”
A maritime notice issued Monday by the U.S. military warned that force could be used against ships that fail to comply, while also specifying that humanitarian shipments would be permitted through.
Defending the blockade and the 20% cargo toll, Trump said the U.S. deserves compensation for its role in protecting the region. “We’re protecting a very rich portion of the world,” he said. “We’re spending money. And so, what we’ve done is, we are going to be reimbursed for protection.”
When asked whether the military would actually be collecting those tolls, U.S. Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins declined to answer directly and directed reporters to the White House for comment.
Trump also announced via social media that he plans to deliver a nationally televised address at 9 p.m. EDT on Thursday. The post, in which Trump appeared to refer to himself in the third person, offered no specific details about the speech’s content.
In a radio interview with Hugh Hewitt, Trump downplayed the significance of the address. “It’s just going to be a speech like a lot of my speeches,” he said, without elaborating further. The announcement follows his recent declarations about blocking Iranian shipping and imposing the 20% transit fee through the Strait of Hormuz.
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh delivered written testimony to Congress Tuesday pledging to make high inflation “a thing of the past,” while deliberately avoiding any clues about the central bank’s next policy move.
In his prepared remarks ahead of a 10 a.m. Eastern appearance before a House committee, Warsh stated that Fed policymakers “have no tolerance for persistently elevated inflation” and added, “We share a resolute commitment to restoring price stability.”
Despite the strong language, the Fed’s interest rate-setting committee remains deeply split. Roughly half of its 19 members anticipate the Fed will need to raise its key interest rate before the year is out to get inflation under control, while nearly the other half expect rates to hold steady or even decline. That internal divide presents a significant challenge for Warsh as he tries to chart a course through a rapidly shifting economic landscape.
Consistent with his stated preference for offering less forward guidance, Warsh’s testimony gave no indication of whether rate increases would be needed to fight inflation, which currently sits at 4.1% — far above the Fed’s 2% goal — according to the central bank’s preferred measurement. He was set to face questions from House Financial Services Committee members following his opening statement.
Adding complexity to the inflation picture, the resumption of the Iran war has pushed oil prices back up after they had pulled back close to pre-conflict levels. Gas prices, which had dropped roughly 20% from their peak, have climbed again over the past week and remain about 35% higher than they were when the U.S. launched its attack on Iran on February 28.
A fresh government report released Tuesday offered some relief, showing that prices fell 0.4% in June compared to May — the steepest single-month drop in four years. On an annual basis, inflation slipped to 3.5%, down from 4.2% year-over-year in May and lower than most economists had anticipated.
Still, some Fed officials argue that core inflation — even when gas prices are stripped out — remains too high and may require higher borrowing costs to bring down.
Another potential inflation driver in the months ahead is the massive surge in artificial intelligence infrastructure spending by major technology companies, including Google parent Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta Platforms. The explosive demand for memory chips and processors has sent semiconductor prices sharply higher, triggering price increases for consumer electronics like laptops, tablets, and video game consoles.
Warsh described AI investment Tuesday as “the most striking feature of the economy right now” and said the Fed is “monitoring the implications” for both inflation and employment.
While Warsh has pulled back on offering policy signals, other Fed officials have stepped up to fill the void. Fed Governor Christopher Waller said Monday that another strong inflation reading Tuesday would force the Fed to consider raising rates “in the near term.”
Taking a different view, John Williams, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, said last week that if core inflation holds at a monthly pace of 0.2% for the remainder of the year, the Fed could sidestep any rate hikes altogether — suggesting a wait-and-watch approach while new economic data rolls in.
BRUSSELS — A deadly fire erupted Tuesday at a construction site in Brussels, killing several people and prompting an ongoing search for six workers who remain unaccounted for, according to local officials.
Bodies were recovered from one of two elevators at the site, which is part of a large-scale renovation project located on the central Place de Brouckere. A spokesman for the local labour inspection service confirmed the discovery but said it remains uncertain whether those found account for all six missing workers.
The local fire brigade reported that more than 200 workers were on the job when the fire broke out early Tuesday morning. Three individuals were transported to a hospital for treatment.
NEW YORK — Frontier Airlines announced Tuesday that it plans to offer in-flight Wi-Fi powered by SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, with installation across its fleet set to begin in early 2027.
The Denver-based carrier holds the distinction of being the first ultra-low-cost U.S. airline to partner with Elon Musk’s Starlink. The company is currently competing against Amazon’s Kuiper to sign up airlines as customers for in-flight internet service.
Across the airline industry, carriers are increasingly adding premium features to stand out from the competition. For Frontier, the Starlink announcement comes on the heels of other upgrades, including the addition of first-class seating and changes to its loyalty program — both aimed at attracting travelers who spend more.
“We’re continuing to invest in the products and services that matter most to our customers,” said Chief Executive Officer Jimmy Dempsey in a written statement.
The airline did not reveal the financial details of the agreement. Installing Starlink technology can be a significant expense, potentially reaching into the hundreds of millions of dollars for airlines with large fleets.
Frontier is one of five airlines in the Indigo Partners portfolio that plan to equip more than 1,000 aircraft combined with Starlink.
However, not every budget airline is on board with the idea. Ryanair and EasyJet have both raised concerns about the costs of in-flight connectivity, underscoring an ongoing debate about whether premium offerings can bring in enough extra revenue to make the investment worthwhile for low-cost carriers.
Starlink’s network relies on thousands of satellites in low-Earth orbit, which typically deliver faster speeds and lower lag times compared to older geostationary satellite systems.
Drivers traveling along Cherry Road should be aware of intermittent lane closures currently in effect between Ivy Lane and Ridge Drive.
The closures are the result of active construction work in the area and are expected to continue until 3:30 PM.
Motorists are encouraged to use caution when passing through the construction zone and to allow additional travel time if their route takes them through this stretch of road.
A disturbing trend is emerging across the country involving federal agents fatally shooting civilians during emergency response situations, with incidents now reported in Maine, Texas, and Tennessee.
The family of one man who lost his life after federal agents responded to a 911 call is now speaking out, saying they want answers about what happened. The family shared their concerns with NPR, calling for accountability in the wake of the deadly encounter.
The shooting is among several similar incidents that have drawn growing scrutiny toward the use of deadly force by federal agents responding to emergency calls.
Westbound travelers on Whiteleysburg Road are facing a right lane closure between Wolfpit Ridge and Murffs Road due to active construction in the area.
The lane restriction is expected to remain in place until 5 PM. Drivers are encouraged to use caution when passing through the work zone and to allow additional time for their commute.
No detour information was provided. Motorists should stay alert for construction crews and equipment in the area.
A conservation organization has secured one of the largest remaining undeveloped tracts of land in Calvert County’s Parkers Creek Watershed, adding another chapter to its four-decade mission of protecting natural resources in the region.
The American Chestnut Land Trust, known as ACLT, completed the purchase in June 2026. With this addition, the organization now oversees more than 3,500 acres of permanently protected land within the watershed.
The newly acquired 90-acre property sits less than two miles from the Chesapeake Bay and features a mix of forest types, from younger pine stands to older-growth deciduous woodlands. These forests provide critical habitat for Forest Interior Dwelling Species — wildlife that can only survive within large, unbroken stretches of forested land.
A BGE power line right-of-way cuts through the property, creating open meadow habitat that supports a range of birds, insects, and mammals that thrive in early successional environments.
Beyond its wildlife value, the property protects a first-order stream that flows directly into Parkers Creek, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, helping to safeguard water quality in the broader watershed.
ACLT also has plans to open the land to the public by constructing a 2.5-mile hiking trail across the property. That trail will serve as a long-awaited link between a 156-acre parcel ACLT preserved in 2022 — which had previously been cut off from the rest of the trail network — and the organization’s existing system of public trails and preserved properties. Each year, roughly 65,000 visitors use ACLT’s trail network.
ACLT Executive Director Autumn Phillips-Lewis expressed appreciation for the former landowner’s role in making the deal possible. “ACLT is grateful to George Helfrich, the former owner, for his dedication to conserving this beautiful property,” she said. “It is always an occasion to celebrate when we permanently protect natural places, and the ecological and recreational value of this property makes it especially exciting.”
Funding for the purchase came in part from the Maryland Rural Legacy Program, which compensated ACLT for placing a conservation easement on the land to protect its natural values in perpetuity. Southern Maryland Resource Conservation and Development facilitated the transaction and now co-holds the conservation easement alongside the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The remainder of the funding came from donations made by community supporters. As a nonprofit, ACLT relies on public generosity to carry out its land preservation work. Those wishing to contribute can visit acltweb.org/donate.
The American Chestnut Land Trust is a nationally accredited nonprofit whose mission is to preserve and conserve the natural and cultural resources of the Parkers Creek and Governors Run Watersheds for the benefit of current and future generations. More information is available at www.acltweb.org.
WASHINGTON (AP) — American consumers got a break from inflation last month as prices for gasoline, clothing, and used cars all fell, but that relief may be short-lived as conflict in the Middle East escalates.
According to the Labor Department, prices fell 0.4% in June compared to May — the steepest single-month drop in four years. Looking at the bigger picture, the yearly inflation rate came in at 3.5%, a notable improvement from the 4.2% year-over-year rate recorded in May and better than most economists had predicted.
However, oil prices surged Monday after the United States launched renewed attacks on Iran and President Donald Trump announced a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — a critical shipping corridor that handles roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply. The ongoing conflict adds uncertainty to the economic outlook, and years of elevated inflation have left many Americans feeling pessimistic about the economy, which could spell trouble for Trump and Republicans heading into the upcoming midterm elections.
When food and energy costs are set aside, so-called core prices held flat in June — a welcome sign that deeper inflation pressures may be easing. Core inflation on a yearly basis came in at 2.6%, down from 2.9% the month before, though it still sits above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.
Minutes from the Fed’s June 16-17 meeting reveal that policymakers are sharply divided on what to do next. Roughly half of the committee’s members favor raising interest rates before the year ends to put the brakes on borrowing, spending, and price increases. The other half prefer to hold off and wait for further evidence that inflation is continuing to fall, particularly as gas prices decline — though those minutes were written before the latest escalation of violence in the Middle East.
In his first appearance before Congress on Tuesday, Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh vowed to make high inflation “a thing of the past,” but stopped short of signaling what the central bank plans to do next. Of the 19 members on the Fed’s rate-setting committee, about half anticipate a rate increase will be needed by year’s end, while nearly the other half have indicated they expect either no change or even a rate cut. Warsh faces the difficult task of uniting a divided committee while managing a rapidly evolving economic landscape.
SRN News brings listeners a daily feature called “Global Landscape,” a compact two-minute audio segment designed to keep audiences informed on the most important religion-focused news stories happening around the world.
The feature offers a concise snapshot of significant events, cultural changes, and key developments at the crossroads of faith and global affairs. Each edition is crafted to give listeners timely and relevant insights in an easy-to-follow format.
For the full audio segment, visit SRN News online.
Drivers heading northbound on Pennsylvania Avenue should plan for a lane restriction currently in place due to construction activity.
The right lane is closed along the northbound stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue from North Union Street to Riverview Avenue. The closure is expected to remain in effect until 5 p.m.
Motorists are advised to allow extra travel time or consider alternate routes while construction crews are working in the area.
The National Guard deployment ordered by President Trump to Washington, D.C., will remain in place until the next presidential inauguration in January 2029, according to new reports.
The military presence in the nation’s capital has been extended on several occasions since it was first put in place, with the latest extension pushing the mission’s end date all the way to Inauguration Day 2029.
Members of the Army National Guard have been seen patrolling prominent landmarks throughout Washington, including areas around the National Mall.
When back-to-back earthquakes nearly destroyed her grandmother’s home in Caracas last month, 18-year-old Alessandra Izaguirre felt compelled to act from thousands of miles away.
“Seeing my grandma and all these people affected made me feel like I had to do something, even if it was from the U.S.,” said Izaguirre, who has spent the past few weeks preparing meals for fellow volunteers at a nonprofit’s headquarters in Doral, Florida.
Izaguirre is among thousands of people who have joined what has grown into an unusually large grassroots relief effort based at the nonprofit Global Empowerment Mission, known as GEM. Fueled by donations from across the United States and beyond, the operation remains in full swing nearly three weeks after the disaster struck.
Every day, hundreds of volunteers continue arriving at GEM’s warehouses in Doral — a community where roughly half the residents are of Venezuelan descent. They sort through donated goods tailored to the most current needs on the ground, then prepare those items for daily flights to Caracas.
The U.S. State Department has helped facilitate GEM’s operation, giving members of the Venezuelan diaspora and other supporters a reliable channel to deliver assistance. That’s particularly important given widespread concerns about theft and corruption among Venezuelan officials intercepting aid.
“Whatever we can get to the Venezuelan public is what counts,” Izaguirre said.
The relief effort also highlights a dramatic shift in the relationship between the United States and Venezuela. President Donald Trump ordered the capture of then-Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in an early morning raid on January 3. With U.S. military personnel now operating in the country, America has taken on a response role that would have been unthinkable just months earlier, when Trump declared the U.S. would “run” Venezuela and took control of its oil exports.
GEM founder and president Michael Capponi described the current situation as unlike anything he has seen before. He was previously turned away at the border when attempting to deliver aid under Maduro’s rule — a government that long refused humanitarian assistance, calling it foreign interference.
“This is a whole different animal,” Capponi said. “We land a private plane, it gets unloaded by U.S. soldiers, it goes in a truck we pay for and to a warehouse that we completely control. It doesn’t touch the hands of the Venezuelan government.”
The two earthquakes — measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude — struck just 39 seconds apart on June 24. At least 4,500 people were killed, with thousands more still unaccounted for. More than 850 buildings were destroyed or heavily damaged, leaving 17,000 people displaced and crippling essential infrastructure including electricity, clean water, and sanitation systems.
GEM’s facility quickly became a drop-off point for donations. Capponi said some early donors were hesitant, worried that aid would be stolen or diverted by a notoriously corrupt government. But after GEM completed its first successful distribution, the response snowballed into one of the largest relief efforts he has witnessed in decades of humanitarian work.
Major corporations including Goya, Walmart, and Amazon have contributed supplies, and professional sports teams have donated money. Still, a large portion of the aid comes from everyday people making small contributions.
“They’re going to Walmart with their credit card, buying 15 cans of food and bringing it in a shopping bag,” Capponi said. “It doesn’t sound like a lot, but when it’s 2,000 people… it’s an enormous amount of aid.”
At times, the lines of people dropping off donations stretched so long that police had to help direct traffic. Supplies have poured in from across North America — two brothers drove a U-Haul loaded with goods all the way from Canada, another group came from Mexico, and trucks have arrived from Nevada, Texas, and California.
Up to 1,000 volunteers work across three warehouses, sorting items and assembling individual care packages — each containing enough food and hygiene products to sustain two people for roughly five days. Many packages also include handwritten notes of encouragement. One reads: “Te queremos Venezuela” — “We love you, Venezuela.”
GEM’s goal is to deliver at least 100,000 care packages per month over the next three to six months, while also planning for longer-term needs such as housing.
Billy Richardson, director of U.S. logistics, said some volunteers have taken time off work just to put in hours at the warehouse, while others come straight from their jobs at the end of the day. “We almost have to kick them out at the end of the day,” he said.
Mariela Vila, 25, was moved to volunteer after remembering what it felt like when Hurricane Maria devastated her home island of Puerto Rico in 2017. “The Latino community in general gathered together to help Puerto Rico, and that made me feel really well,” said Vila, who has worked full-day shifts at GEM since the effort launched. “So I felt the need to help Venezuela.”
Close to one million pounds — roughly 454,000 kilograms — of supplies have been sent from GEM’s Florida headquarters to warehouses the organization recently leased in Caracas. GEM works with local nonprofits and trusted community contacts to run distributions in the hardest-hit areas, often twice a day.
The U.S. State Department plays a key role by coordinating with the Venezuelan government, allowing GEM to function independently and even receive support from U.S. military forces. Last Saturday, U.S. Marines used an amphibious landing craft to reach a Venezuelan beach and unload GEM packages, which were then handed directly to 2,000 people waiting in line for aid.
A State Department spokesperson told the Associated Press that partnerships with GEM and other nonprofits allow the U.S. to tap into existing donation and logistics networks, and that the GEM effort draws on “the Venezuelan American diaspora and private partners who want to donate.”
Several other U.S.-based relief organizations told the Associated Press they have also been able to work in Venezuela without interference from government officials, with some relying on partnerships with established local nonprofits.
Despite the scope of U.S. involvement, some critics argue the Trump administration should be doing more — particularly since it controls billions of dollars in Venezuelan oil revenue.
“There are a lot of transparency questions that linger on the use of that fund in a moment in which Venezuelans really need that money to be used for the protection of Venezuelans,” said Laura Cristina Dib, Venezuela program director at the human rights organization Washington Office on Latin America.
John M. Barrett, U.S. charge d’affairs for Venezuela, told reporters last week that the interim government has been “fully compliant in terms of our requests to advance this massive humanitarian response” and that oil revenue currently under U.S. Treasury control is being made available for relief efforts.
When pressed for more specifics, the State Department spokesperson said that the State and Treasury departments are “supporting the Venezuelan interim government’s budgetary operations, improving Venezuela’s liquidity and access to capital during the recovery.” The spokesperson added that the U.S. has separately contributed more than $386 million to earthquake relief, apart from any oil revenue.
In the coastal city of Maiquetía last week, a man named Yoniel Reyes sat inside a tent going through a GEM care package he had just received — packed and sealed more than 1,300 miles away in Doral. Inside were instant meals, bottled water, canned food, hydration powder, and hygiene products.
“I never imagined I would be receiving aid from the U.S.,” Reyes said. “We Venezuelans are thankful, very thankful.”
Jaime Hodnett has become a recognizable advocate for the future of agriculture, lending her voice to conversations about what farming looks like for the next generation of producers.
Through her ongoing efforts, Hodnett has worked to elevate the concerns and aspirations of young people involved in the agricultural sector, helping to bridge the gap between established farming traditions and the needs of those just entering the industry.
Her work continues to draw attention to the vital role that emerging agricultural voices play in shaping the direction of farming for years to come.
IBM shares took a significant hit before Tuesday’s opening bell after the technology company released early second-quarter financial results that came in below what Wall Street had anticipated.
International Business Machines reported it expects to post an adjusted quarterly profit of $2.93 per share, with revenue coming in at $17.2 billion. Those figures fall short of analyst forecasts compiled by FactSet, which had projected earnings of $3.01 per share on revenue of $17.86 billion.
The company’s stock dropped more than 23% during premarket trading.
In a letter addressed to investors, CEO Arvind Krishna explained that the company’s software and infrastructure divisions underperformed during the quarter, largely because clients redirected their spending toward servers, storage, and memory products ahead of expected price hikes. He also noted that cybersecurity concerns created additional distractions for the business.
Krishna took direct responsibility for the company’s stumble, stating: “These conditions require our teams to execute perfectly, and this quarter we faltered. We did not adapt and move quickly enough, and numerous large deals failed to close on the timelines we expected, driving the majority of our shortfall.”
Hundreds of firefighters spent Tuesday battling two separate fires burning in the Fontainebleau forest, located south of Paris, as local authorities reported that the blazes had scorched nearly 2,000 hectares — roughly 4,900 acres — and forced approximately 1,000 residents to leave their homes.
While larger fires have been tearing through areas of southern France, the Fontainebleau fires stand out because of how close they are to the heavily populated region surrounding the French capital.
In an unprecedented move for the Paris area, water-dropping aircraft made repeated passes over the Seine River to collect water and drop it on the flames. The regional fire chief confirmed this marked the first time such planes had ever been deployed to fight fires in the Paris region.
Heavy smoke hung over the treetops throughout Tuesday as emergency crews worked to bring the situation under control. So far, no deaths or injuries have been reported.
Across the border in Spain, judicial authorities announced late Monday that they have identified 10 of the 13 people killed in a wildfire that devastated a remote expat community in southern Spain four days ago. Biological samples were used to make the identifications.
All of the victims were adults, and the majority were foreign nationals. Among those identified were five British citizens — including one woman who passed away in the hospital — three Belgian nationals, a French woman, and one Spanish national, according to a statement from judicial authorities. Ten people are still unaccounted for.
The fire, known as the Los Gallardos fire, burned through approximately 70 square kilometers — about 27 square miles — of forest and farmland, an area that exceeds the size of Manhattan.
Spain is currently enduring extreme heat, and when combined with strong winds and a lack of rainfall, those conditions are allowing small wildfires to rapidly grow out of control.
According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe is warming faster than any other continent on Earth, with temperatures rising at twice the global average rate since the 1980s.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A British legal oversight body announced Tuesday that it is standing by its decision to suspend the International Criminal Court’s troubled chief prosecutor, who is facing serious allegations of sexual misconduct.
The ruling by the British Standards Board means Karim Khan remains prohibited from practicing law in his home country, even as the ICC’s governing body prepares to vote later this month on whether to remove him from his post entirely.
Khan, who is 56 years old, has been at the center of a scandal involving alleged sexual misconduct against a female aide — a controversy that has stretched on for more than two years. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
The board first suspended Khan back in June, a step the regulator said is reserved for “very serious and urgent cases,” following a formal complaint. After holding a hearing last week, the bar association decided to keep the suspension in place while disciplinary proceedings continue.
Just days before the British action, the executive committee of the ICC’s oversight body had already concluded that Khan was guilty of serious misconduct and recommended his removal from office.
The ultimate decision now falls to the Assembly of States Parties — the body responsible for overseeing the ICC — which will convene a special session on July 24 at United Nations headquarters in New York.
The allegations against Khan were first brought to the court’s independent watchdog more than two years ago. An Associated Press investigation found that Khan allegedly identified the woman while she was working in a different ICC department and had her transferred to his office. She later became a frequent presence on his official international travel, according to whistleblower documents.
During one overseas trip, Khan allegedly asked the woman to lie down with him on a hotel bed and then “sexually touched her,” the documents stated. Other alleged incidents described in the documents included Khan locking his office door and placing his hand in her pocket without consent. He also reportedly asked her on multiple occasions to join him on a personal vacation.
The controversy surrounding Khan’s future at the ICC comes at a particularly difficult time for the court, which is also facing pressure from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, a longtime critic of the institution.
On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States was launching a “sweeping campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the International Criminal Court to U.S. sovereignty.”
The Trump administration has already imposed sanctions on Khan and approximately a dozen other ICC staff members in connection with warrants related to Israel and investigations involving American personnel in Afghanistan.
TOKYO (AP) — SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son pushed back hard Tuesday against growing fears that the surge in artificial intelligence spending is an unsustainable bubble, calling such concerns outdated and comparing AI skeptics to people who questioned the value of automobiles and aircraft.
“To ask whether AI is a bubble is a foolish question,” Son told company executives gathered at an annual event in Tokyo. “AI will transform our lives completely, and do so in a way that generates profits.”
He went further, saying: “Those who refuse to evolve are closing down their world. Those who condemn AI are themselves spitting upward.”
His comments come as financial markets have grown increasingly uneasy over the rapid climb in share prices for companies like Nvidia and the enormous sums being poured into data centers — with some investors questioning whether those expenditures will ever generate returns that justify the hype surrounding AI technology.
Son built SoftBank from the ground up more than four decades ago and has long been a driving force in Japanese technology investment. He was an early champion of AI and has committed tens of billions of dollars to companies working in the field.
According to Son’s estimates, the world will need to spend close to $5 trillion every year to support AI growth — covering the expansion of data centers, ramped-up production of computer chips, and the development of energy systems and other critical infrastructure.
Looking further ahead, Son projected that “in 2040, approximately 20% of the world’s GDP will be replaced by AI-related industries, the world of superintelligence.”
SoftBank manages a wide-ranging portfolio of companies through its Vision Funds, with additional holdings in telecommunications and energy sectors.
The Tokyo-based company recently announced that profits for the fiscal year ending in March jumped nearly five times compared to the previous year, reaching 5 trillion yen — roughly $32 billion — largely driven by returns on its AI investments.
SoftBank has put $34.6 billion into OpenAI and previously sold off its stake in chip manufacturer Nvidia to free up capital for further AI and data center investments.
The company has also launched a new battery business in Japan aimed at developing next-generation electric power infrastructure, anticipating a major rise in electricity consumption as AI technology becomes more widespread.
MOSCOW (AP) — NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman made his way to a scheduled Tuesday launch of a combined American and Russian crew headed to the International Space Station, demonstrating that space cooperation between Washington and Moscow continues even amid friction over Russia’s military operations in Ukraine.
Isaacman’s journey to the Russia-leased Baikonur cosmodrome, located in Kazakhstan, represented the first time a NASA administrator had set foot at the facility in eight years.
During a crew meeting on Monday, Isaacman expressed gratitude to Russia’s state space agency, Roscosmos, for its preparation efforts ahead of the mission. He noted that “the integrated work performed over the past several months reflects the professionalism and dedication of everyone involved.”
Isaacman also sat down with Roscosmos director Dmitry Bakanov ahead of the launch. The crew heading to the station includes NASA astronaut Anil Menon alongside Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina. The three were set to launch aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft for an eight-month stay on the International Space Station.
For Menon, the mission marks his first trip to space. Dubrov and Kikina are each making their second spaceflight.
Once aboard the station, the trio will link up with NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, and Chris Williams, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev, and Andrei Fedyaev.
The United States and Russia, once fierce competitors during the Cold War’s space race, have long worked together on the International Space Station and other projects. That partnership grew strained after Russia sent military forces into Ukraine in 2022, but both nations have continued to collaborate, with crews from each country traveling to the orbiting station on their respective spacecraft.
Larger cooperative plans, including potential Russian participation in NASA’s Artemis lunar research program, have since collapsed. As Russia has grown more dependent on China for energy exports and critical technology imports due to Western sanctions, Roscosmos has begun working with China on its own planned lunar mission.
Drivers heading northbound on Interstate 95 in Delaware should be aware of a litter removal operation taking place in the median between Mile Marker 22 and the Delaware-Pennsylvania state line.
The cleanup crew is working along that stretch of highway with the operation scheduled to conclude by 3 p.m.
Motorists are advised to remain alert and use caution when passing through the area while workers are present in the median.
Motorists traveling southbound on Route 1 between Christiana Mall and Middletown should be aware of a right shoulder closure currently in effect.
The closure is the result of a trash operation taking place in that stretch of roadway. Drivers are advised to use caution while passing through the affected area.
The right shoulder is expected to remain closed until 3 PM. Commuters are encouraged to plan accordingly and allow extra time if traveling through that corridor.
Citigroup delivered a standout financial performance in the second quarter, announcing a 45% surge in profit and its highest quarterly revenue in a decade on Tuesday. The gains were fueled by strong trading income amid turbulent global markets and a wave of lucrative investment banking activity.
Global markets have been rattled by the U.S.-Iran war, which has sent oil prices and other assets swinging sharply. That volatility has prompted investors to reposition their holdings and adjust how much risk they’re taking on — conditions that typically translate into higher trading revenues for major banks.
Meanwhile, a lighter regulatory environment under the Trump administration has given corporate executives more confidence to pursue mergers and acquisitions. The race to secure AI-related assets has also added fuel to dealmaking activity across the board.
Global merger and acquisition volumes have already topped $3 trillion so far this year. Citigroup advised on deals valued at more than $300 billion, according to data from Dealogic. Among those was a role as an underwriter for SpaceX’s record-breaking $75 billion IPO, as well as advising on the $44.8 billion combination of Unilever and McCormick’s food businesses.
Investment banking revenues at the firm climbed 44% during the quarter to $1.55 billion. Total banking revenues rose 34% to reach $1.92 billion, even as corporate lending revenue declined.
Trading desks across Wall Street have been cashing in on the volatility, which has also extended to AI-related stocks that have seen significant rallies this year. The spike in oil prices tied to the U.S.-Iran conflict has reignited inflation concerns, causing investors to rethink their expectations for the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decisions.
Citigroup’s equities trading revenues jumped 45% compared to the same period last year, while fixed-income trading rose 7%. Rates and currency trading edged up 1%, and other fixed-income revenue — including commodities — came in 25% higher.
The bank released its results on the same day as several other major U.S. lenders, whose earnings collectively paint a picture of economic health. JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America all reported strong quarters with across-the-board profit increases.
The impressive results come as Citigroup works through a major internal transformation. CEO Jane Fraser has set higher profitability targets as part of a wide-ranging overhaul aimed at streamlining the bank — including selling off consumer businesses, reducing management layers, and strengthening risk and compliance functions.
The bank posted a net income of $5.8 billion for the quarter, or $3.15 per share. Its return on tangible common equity came in at 13%, landing at the upper end of the 11% to 13% target the bank has set for 2027 and 2028. Total revenue for the quarter was $24.8 billion, up 14% from a year ago.
Citigroup’s stock has risen 20.6% so far this year, outpacing many of its Wall Street rivals as its restructuring efforts gain traction.
American consumers have shown remarkable resilience in the face of high borrowing costs, supported by a solid job market and wage growth — though lower-income households are feeling more pressure from rising living expenses. Persistently high interest rates have continued to boost net interest income at major banks. Citigroup’s net interest income — the gap between what it earns on loans and what it pays out on deposits — rose 13% in the quarter. The bank’s credit card division saw revenue grow 1%, while net income in that unit climbed 12% to $852 million.
Last month, Citigroup passed the Federal Reserve’s annual stress test, which evaluates whether large banks could withstand a severe economic downturn. Clearing that hurdle allowed the bank to join its peers in raising dividends.
Citigroup has been working to expand its wealth management operations, aiming to build a steadier stream of fee-based revenue to balance out the unpredictability of trading income. CEO Fraser has repeatedly said the bank will grow that business organically rather than through acquisitions, even as the unit remains smaller than those of several competitors. The wealth division brought in $3.18 billion in revenue during the quarter, up 13% from a year earlier, helped by a broad market recovery that has lifted asset values. Its return on tangible common equity was 14.4%, still trailing behind rival firms.
Bank executives are also keeping a close eye on upcoming regulatory changes, including a proposed overhaul of risk-based capital requirements under the Basel framework. If enacted, those changes could free up billions of dollars in capital, giving banks more room to increase shareholder payouts or invest in growth.
New Castle County Division of Police officers were called to the 100 block of Pleasantville Court on Sunday, July 12, 2026, around 2:15 p.m. after a report came in of an attempted robbery that had just taken place.
Investigators determined that the victim was inside a residence along with other individuals when the incident occurred. The investigation led to an arrest and the recovery of a loaded firearm.
Additional details from the full investigation were not immediately available, but authorities confirmed the arrest was made in connection with the attempted robbery on Pleasantville Court in the 19720 zip code area of New Castle.
Twelve U.S. states have gone to court to stop the planned merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, arguing the deal would hurt local movie theaters that are still working to recover ticket sales lost during the pandemic.
California’s Attorney General made the case at a Monday news conference held in front of the Hollywood sign, warning that the merger would hit consumers in the wallet. “While ticket prices will most likely go up, theaters will be forced to cut back on investments that make the experience better for audiences: comfier seats, expanded concessions, and premium screens,” he said.
If the deal goes through, it would bring together two of the country’s five major film distributors and consolidate ownership of several cable television networks. The states argue the combined company would gain unfair bargaining power over both theater owners and pay-TV providers.
With one fewer major film distributor in the marketplace, studios could more easily pressure theater owners into giving up a larger cut of ticket sales, according to the complaint filed by California and 11 other states, including Oregon, New York, and Minnesota.
Cable TV customers could also feel the pinch. “Your cable bill is going to go up because those cable companies that distribute the channels will have less negotiating power,” the California Attorney General said.
Under the proposed merger, the complaint states that Paramount’s combined market share in both the movie theater distribution and basic cable sectors would exceed 27% in each area.
Paramount, led by CEO David Ellison, fired back with a statement accusing the states of distorting established antitrust law and mischaracterizing the competitive landscape of the entertainment business. “Delaying this transaction will only harm entertainment workers who have already suffered over recent years as technology has disrupted their livelihood and cost California tens of thousands of entertainment jobs,” the company said.
There are also financial stakes for Paramount in getting the deal done quickly. Ellison has agreed to pay Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders a 25-cent-per-share “ticking fee” — roughly $650 million in cash every quarter — if the merger isn’t finalized before October.
Cinema United, a trade organization representing theater owners that has been lobbying against the deal, praised the lawsuit. “The ramifications of further movie studio consolidation will be significant and lasting, not just in Hollywood, but on Main Streets across this nation where local movie theaters serve as cultural and financial cornerstones for communities of all sizes,” said Cinema United President and CEO Michael O’Leary.
An executive at an independent theater chain, who asked not to be identified out of concern about damaging their relationship with Paramount, expressed worry that a merged Paramount and Warner Bros. could increase the rental fees theaters pay to screen major blockbuster films. Traditionally, studios and theaters have split ticket revenue roughly in half, though studios can claim as much as 60% of proceeds for highly anticipated releases. “Theaters will have no recourse,” the source said.
As studios take a bigger slice of box-office revenue, theater owners may be left with little choice but to raise ticket prices or cut back on facility upgrades, the lawsuit alleges. In recent years, many theaters have been investing in improvements — such as more comfortable seating and expanded food and beverage options — to draw audiences away from streaming services.
Box office receipts in the U.S. and Canada have reached $5.1 billion so far in 2026, which is 10.6% ahead of last year but still 16.3% below where things stood in 2019, before the pandemic, according to Rentrak data.
The California Attorney General pointed to the 2019 acquisition of Fox’s entertainment assets by Walt Disney as evidence that past media mergers have already hurt the industry. Between 2015 and 2018, Disney and Fox together released 112 wide-release films. That figure dropped to just 54 between 2022 and 2025, according to the lawsuit.
The complaint also argues that cable TV providers would be weakened by the merger, since Paramount and Warner Bros. would no longer be competing against each other to sell their networks. The combined company would control a wide range of popular channels, including CNN, TNT, Food Network, and HBO, giving it significantly more leverage in negotiations with distributors. TV providers would have “little choice” but to accept whatever terms the new company offered, the suit contends.
Notably, the states’ complaint does not challenge Paramount’s plan to merge its Paramount+ streaming platform with Warner Bros.’ HBO Max.
Northbound Edgemoor Road is closed between Philadelphia Pike and Governor Printz Boulevard as construction crews work in the area.
The closure is expected to remain in effect until 5 p.m. Motorists traveling through the area are advised to allow extra time or find an alternate route to avoid delays.
A newly released AP-NORC survey shows that American Jews hold widely differing views on where the line falls between political protest and anti-Semitism. About half of Jewish adults surveyed said that protests directed at Israel do not qualify as anti-Semitism, while around 40 percent believe they do. When it comes to criticizing Israel’s military conduct, two-thirds of Jewish adults said that does not constitute anti-Semitism either. However, those with a strong personal or emotional bond to Israel were more inclined to view such criticism as anti-Semitic. Despite these divisions, very few American Jews consider it anti-Semitic to criticize Israel for “any reason.”
In New Hampshire, two teenage boys who had sought to compete on girls’ sports teams have pulled back their legal challenge. The withdrawal follows a Supreme Court ruling in June that upheld states’ authority to ban males from participating in female school sports. The boys had initially challenged a presidential executive order that threatened to cut federal funding from schools allowing boys to join girls’ teams, later shifting their legal target to New Hampshire’s own state ban. Across the country, a growing number of states have enacted similar laws barring males from female athletic teams, restrooms, and locker rooms.
French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a forceful condemnation of rising anti-Semitism in his country during remarks on Sunday at the unveiling of a statue honoring Captain Alfred Dreyfus. Dreyfus was wrongfully convicted in a case that laid bare deep anti-Jewish prejudice in France, and the ceremony marked 120 years since his name was officially cleared. Earlier that day, authorities evacuated roughly 300 people from a neighborhood near a synagogue after a suspicious vehicle containing a military-grade weapon was discovered. France has experienced a significant increase in anti-Semitic incidents since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7th sparked the ongoing war in Gaza. Macron urged the public to remain vigilant against targeting individuals based on their identity.
