Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton sustained a right shoulder contusion during Friday night’s game and will undergo further evaluation on Saturday to determine the extent of his injury.
The star outfielder was hurt when he collided with the outfield wall while making a spectacular leaping catch, forcing him to leave the contest just half an inning later.
“I think we’ll see how he is tomorrow,” Minnesota manager Derek Shelton said after the Twins’ 5-3 win over the Kansas City Royals in Minneapolis. “That’s the biggest thing. The fact that he jammed the same shoulder that he had the issue with before, there’s always concern there. But how he comes in tomorrow, I think, will be a good indicator.”
The injury occurred when Buxton pursued a deep fly ball hit by Carter Jensen to start the third inning in straightaway center field. He made a spectacular backhanded catch before slamming face-first into the padded outfield barrier. Despite appearing to be in significant pain, Buxton initially stayed in the game after being checked by the team’s medical staff.
However, when it was time for his turn at the plate in the bottom half of the inning, the team opted to use pinch hitter Tristan Gray in his place.
The 32-year-old Buxton, who has earned two All-Star selections and a Platinum Glove award, is currently hitting .257 this season with a team-best 18 home runs and 28 RBIs across 55 games.
Throughout his career spent entirely with Minnesota, Buxton has compiled a .248 batting average with 188 home runs and 464 RBIs over 953 games.
The New York Knicks had little reason to feel confident during the closing minutes of Friday’s Game 2 of the NBA Finals in San Antonio.
However, after watching a comfortable 14-point advantage slip away, the Knicks managed to escape with a narrow 105-104 victory over the San Antonio Spurs when the final horn sounded.
The victory gives New York a substantial 2-0 advantage in the best-of-seven championship series, with Game 3 scheduled for Monday.
A weary Jalen Brunson supported himself against his teammates following the victory, managing only a tired grin. His crucial steal with 9.5 seconds remaining and the ensuing free throw became the game-winning sequence in a physical battle where persistence ultimately triumphed.
“We could have folded a few times, but our guys just kept fighting,” New York coach Mike Brown said. “They kept fighting, and you work on connectivity throughout the course of the year for moments like these.
“No matter what run (San Antonio) went on, no matter what time of the game, our guys just kept uplifting one another. It’s an amazing feeling as a coach to know how mentally tough your team is no matter what the situation is in front of them.”
Brunson opened the game by netting New York’s initial five points but then struggled offensively, reaching the fourth quarter with only 13 points while shooting 4-of-16 from the field.
San Antonio forced the Knicks’ star point guard to battle for every opportunity, leaving him physically drained and collapsing onto the bench during New York timeouts in the final minutes as he searched for energy to push his team across the finish line.
“We have to do a good job of staying composed in those situations,” said Brunson, who ended with 20 points and just as many bruises. “Not (folding) in situations like that is key to winning games like this. At this stage of the season, things aren’t going to be pretty. It’s going to be ugly. It’s going to be grinded out. It’s simple as that.”
The path to victory proved challenging. San Antonio trailed 97-83 with 6:04 remaining before unleashing a 14-0 run that culminated with Dylan Harper’s floater knotting the score at 2:59.
The Spurs grabbed their first lead at 104-102 when Victor Wembanyama completed a three-point play with 57.3 seconds on the clock. Brunson answered immediately, sinking a fadeaway jumper with 39.3 seconds left to tie the contest.
After Brunson’s missed jumper with 13.5 seconds remaining, Wembanyama secured the rebound. The Spurs center attempted to find Stephon Castle with a pass, but Castle wasn’t prepared, and the ball deflected off his back directly to Brunson. Wembanyama’s subsequent foul on Brunson created the opportunity for the decisive free throw.
“That’s the most frustrating thing, to throw it away after putting in all this work,” said Wembanyama, who also misfired on a 20-foot attempt in the closing seconds. “I messed up. We didn’t play great as a team. We needed to win that game. This game was ours.
“But at this point, it’s done. Yes, am I going to regret it? Yes, of course. Am I going to use that to fuel me and to fuel us next game? Absolutely.”
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson emphasized that his team must maintain the same energy throughout entire games that they displayed during their fourth-quarter rally. With an inexperienced roster experiencing their first Finals appearance, maturity and closing ability remain essential elements.
“We showed tremendous desperation, urgency and competitive response (late in the game),” Johnson said. “We don’t feel like we played well, or up to our standard at least, in the last two games. New York has played very well, and that’s a part of that.
“But we’re going to go into Game 3 — if we play our brand of basketball up to our standard, we’ll be just fine.”
While San Antonio may possess the league’s emerging superstar as the foundation for a promising young roster, New York counters with Brunson and a championship-tested group that continues finding ways to win.
The Knicks extended their postseason winning streak to 13 games, placing them second in NBA history for consecutive playoff victories behind the Golden State Warriors’ 15-game streak in 2017.
“I don’t know if you could say it was a rough shooting night (for Brunson),” said New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, who paced the team with 21 points and 13 rebounds. “I see ‘Captain Clutch’ doing what he’s always been doing since I got here. When it comes down to winning the game, No. 11 can’t be messed with.”
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — This weekend marks Kosovo’s third parliamentary election within an 18-month span as citizens grow increasingly frustrated with an ongoing governmental stalemate in the small Balkan nation seeking closer ties with the European Union and NATO.
Sunday’s early election became necessary when Kosovo’s leading political parties could not reach consensus on a successor to former President Vjosa Osmani, whose term concluded in late March.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s center-left Vetevendosje party has maintained a solid parliamentary majority following December’s early election. However, presidential selection in Kosovo requires support from at least 80 members of the 120-seat Parliament, a threshold neither Kurti nor opposition forces could achieve.
As political leaders point fingers at one another for the crisis, their failure to find common ground has deepened frustration among Kosovo’s approximately 2 million voters, who prefer their government concentrate on economic issues and improving living conditions.
Vlora Kryeziu, a businessperson from the capital Pristina, laments that “the same scenario is being repeated.”
“We will for sure have the same result,” Kryeziu, 52, said. “As a citizen, I have a lot of dissatisfaction, and I think that we as a society are not doing enough to change these things.”
An inconclusive February 2025 election initially left the nation without effective governance for most of the previous year, necessitating December’s second vote.
Kosovo ranks among Europe’s newest and most economically challenged nations. The country, with a predominantly ethnic Albanian population, proclaimed independence from Serbia in 2008 after a 1998-99 conflict that concluded with NATO airstrikes compelling Serbian withdrawal.
While the United States and most EU nations have acknowledged Kosovo’s independence, Serbia and its allies Russia and China have not. Both Pristina and Belgrade have been instructed they must repair their relationship to advance their respective EU membership applications.
European Council President Antonio Costa this week urged Kosovo to end the political stalemate and unite over the goal of EU integration.
“The European Union can support Kosovo, but it cannot do Kosovo’s own homework,” he said in Pristina. “Kosovo needs strong, stable and functioning institutions capable of delivering reforms and seizing the opportunities the European Union offers.”
Prime Minister Albin Kurti has urged voters to give him another chance at Sunday’s ballot. He accused the opposition parties of creating an “artificial crisis” and forcing repeated elections despite “the strong and clear will of the people.”
Two opposition parties, the Democratic Party of Kosovo and the Democratic League of Kosovo, in turn have accused Kurti of seeking to impose complete control over all political institutions in the country.
Ex-president Osmani is now running on the LDK party list against Kurti, her former ally, after he refused to back her for a second term in office.
Political analyst Artan Muhaxhiri still does not expect a “tectonic change” compared to the previous election, when Kurti’s party won more than 50% of votes.
The political deadlock will also resume, Muhaxhiri predicted as “there are no indications that political leaders are willing to change their actual stances and narrow the existing gap.”
The prolonged crisis already has affected Kosovo’s economy that has been hit hard with the global energy crisis and rising fuel prices. The institutional vacuum also has delayed access to the EU and other international funds available for the country.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Following Friday night’s conclusion of Game 2 in the NBA Finals, Victor Wembanyama characterized his mental state in an uncommon manner.
“Very blurry,” Wembanyama stated.
However, the San Antonio Spurs’ predicament is crystal clear. They face significant difficulties. Major difficulties. Wembanyama directed the blame entirely toward himself.
San Antonio experienced both a remarkable rally and a catastrophic collapse within the same final period, losing to the New York Knicks 105-104 — following a conclusion that Wembanyama will likely remember for years to come. San Antonio trailed by 14 points at the midpoint of the fourth quarter, then mounted a 14-0 scoring surge to even the contest, subsequently taking a brief advantage when Wembanyama converted a three-point opportunity with less than 60 seconds remaining.
With approximately 14 seconds left and the game deadlocked, it became a matchup between elite talents: New York’s Jalen Brunson versus Wembanyama, the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year.
Brunson attempted a shot from roughly 16 feet away. The 7-foot-4 Wembanyama extended his arm upward, forcing the Knicks’ guard to add extra arc to clear the Frenchman’s elevated reach. The ball struck the back iron. Wembanyama secured the rebound. The crowd grew excited. He spotted Spurs teammate Stephon Castle and delivered a pass in his direction. The issue was that Castle wasn’t paying attention and the ball deflected off him. Brunson recovered possession and Wembanyama committed a foul.
“I need to have more poise,” Wembanyama stated. “More control over the game.”
Castle explained: “I was looking at him when he first got the rebound. I just started to take off to try to give him some space to dribble up the court. I didn’t see him throw it to me.”
The mistake was significant but not decisive. Brunson converted only one of two free throws, giving New York a single-point advantage. San Antonio requested a timeout. The final possession featured a pick-and-roll play, with De’Aaron Fox locating Wembanyama for a jump shot from essentially the identical position on San Antonio’s side of the court where Brunson had attempted his shot moments before.
“He’s made that shot a thousand times,” Castle commented. “He has a game-winner with that shot this year. Yeah, I’ll take that shot every day.”
However, the attempt was unsuccessful.
The contest concluded. New York players rushed onto the court in triumph. Wembanyama walked toward the far tunnel, questioning how everything went awry.
“I threw that one away. I messed up,” Wembanyama acknowledged. “We didn’t play great as a team. We needed to win that game. This game was ours. But at this point, it’s done. Am I going to regret it? Yes, of course. Am I going to use that to fuel me and to fuel us next game? Absolutely.”
San Antonio will require all available motivation moving forward. The Spurs are down 2-0 and will travel Saturday to New York for Game 3 on Monday and Game 4 on Wednesday. They must capture one of those contests to extend their season, and they’ll need to secure two victories at Madison Square Garden before the series concludes if they hope to claim the championship.
Historical precedent suggests this outcome is unlikely.
San Antonio established an early advantage and even employed the Hack-a-Mitch approach — deliberately fouling New York’s Mitchell Robinson, who posted the league’s worst free throw percentage (among players with at least 100 attempts) during the regular season and has performed even more poorly in the playoffs — during the opening quarter, attempting to disrupt New York’s offensive flow.
Even this tactic proved ineffective. Robinson had converted just one of his previous 10 free throws before Friday’s game; he made 3 of 6 attempts during the Hack-a-Mitch sequence in the first half, which likely felt like bonus scoring for New York.
Those three points proved valuable at night’s end. Robinson was also the defender who contested Wembanyama’s final attempt, an ironic development in the view of Knicks coach Mike Brown.
“It started with Mitch and it ended with the other four guys boxing out,” Brown commented. “So just a heck of a job by Mitch guarding the most iconic player in the world.”
While Wembanyama leads all scorers in these finals, his performance hasn’t been commanding. He’s posting 27.5 points per game while shooting just 41%. From beyond the arc, he’s connected on 4 of 15 attempts, or 27%. Though he’s recorded seven blocks, New York hasn’t hesitated to attack him directly. He managed a sluggish opening half Friday evening, attempting only four shots in the first two periods.
Monday will demand more. San Antonio’s top performer must establish himself as the court’s premier player if the Spurs hope to re-enter this series.
This reality is unmistakable.
“We don’t feel like we played well or up to our standard at least in the last two games,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson stated. “New York has played very well and they’re a part of that. But we’re going to go into Game 3 (and) if we play our brand of basketball up to our standard, we’ll be just fine.”
Samira Bou Saab anticipated witnessing the execution of her son’s killer, who received a death sentence. However, the convicted individual may walk free under Lebanon’s proposed comprehensive amnesty legislation, which highlights the nation’s intricate web of allegiances and disputes.
Parliament is expected to pass Lebanon’s most extensive prisoner amnesty since the conclusion of the devastating 1975-90 civil war within the coming weeks, pending presidential approval.
The proposed legislation would eliminate death penalties, shorten life sentences, and ultimately result in the freedom of convicted extremists and narcotics traffickers. However, it excludes offenses including sexual assault, human trafficking, corruption, terrorism financing, and first-degree murder. Individuals found guilty of murdering Lebanese military personnel may receive shortened prison terms.
Despite Israel’s current military operation in Lebanon targeting the Iranian-supported Hezbollah militant organization delaying legislative elections, parliament members indicate they’re moving forward with the amnesty due to prison overcrowding.
More than 3,000 inmates from nearly 8,600 total detainees would gain freedom, including individuals imprisoned without trial for a minimum of 14 years.
However, opposition to the amnesty exists within Lebanon. Families of deceased soldiers recently demonstrated by arranging numerous empty military boots outside parliament in Beirut.
Bou Saab’s son George, an army first lieutenant, was among 18 military personnel killed during confrontations with supporters of extremist Sunni Muslim cleric Ahmed al-Assir in the southern city of Sidon in 2013.
Bou Saab questioned whether al-Assir, who has completed 11 years under a death sentence, would gain the right through the amnesty to visit his children and family “while my son is buried under the sand and his children don’t know him.” Should the legislation pass, his death sentence would be eliminated and he would serve 10 additional years.
Al-Assir’s wife criticized the amnesty, claiming her husband is an innocent casualty of a conspiracy organized by the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah, which she alleged sparked conflicts between the cleric’s followers and the Lebanese military.
“He is being executed slowly,” Amal Shamseddine stated regarding her husband’s sentence, adding, “Had there been justice in our country, they (detainees) would have been released and gone home long time ago.”
Lebanon’s previous major amnesty occurred in 1991, designed to promote reconciliation following the civil war that claimed 150,000 lives. The conflict involved numerous militias, many religiously motivated, plus Palestinian groups. Syria’s military became involved, and an Israeli invasion in 1982 reached Beirut.
Following that amnesty, most militia commanders joined Lebanon’s governing elite who were subsequently held responsible for decades of corruption and poor governance that led to economic collapse in 2019.
During the drafting of the current amnesty legislation, the nation’s profound sectarian splits became evident in the legislature. Sunni representatives demanded freedom for Islamists, while Shiite members sought release for drug dealers primarily from Lebanon’s eastern, cannabis-growing Baalbek area.
Christian lawmakers requested amnesty for hundreds of citizens who escaped to Israel following its military withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000. Many maintain connections to the Israeli-supported South Lebanon Army militia that disbanded when Israel departed.
“The draft law has entered the road of political bargains,” said lawmaker Nabil Badr, a strong supporter of the amnesty, adding that many legislators are using it to make political gains.
Maryam Younnes was 5 when she escaped with her family to Israel in 2000. She hopes the amnesty will enable her return to Lebanon, where she can reunite with her grandmother and visit her father’s grave. He had served as an SLA commander and his remains were transported to his hometown for burial after his death in 2013.
However, political factors persist.
“We will return once Lebanon is cleared of (Hezbollah), illegal weapons, and once there is peace between Lebanon and Israel,” Younnes said. Hezbollah, which formed in southern Lebanon in 1982 responding to Israel’s invasion, was permitted to retain its weapons after the civil war to combat Israeli occupation forces.
Following Israel’s withdrawal, hundreds of SLA members remained in Lebanon and received prison sentences, with some subsequently freed.
The proposed amnesty legislation states Lebanese citizens residing in Israel would be handled according to a 2011 law indicating members of the pro-Israel militia will be detained upon arrival in Lebanon and provided “a fair trial.”
But Younnes declared: “Our people are no criminals.”
As Lebanon and Israel conduct their first direct negotiations in over three decades while a new conflict develops, Younnes hopes for an eventual peace agreement with open borders.
“I am confident the situation will change and I want to return to my country,” she said.
At the Mpondwe crossing between Uganda and Congo, merchant Leah Masika watched helplessly as her plantain shipment began deteriorating in a miles-long line of stalled trucks. Water was seeping from her produce, which would become worthless within hours without movement through the checkpoint.
The businesswoman found herself waiting for official approval to move cargo through the border facility on Thursday, after authorities blocked vehicle passage as part of intensified efforts to halt Ebola’s spread across international boundaries.
“Our things are here rotting,” she said.
Following Congo’s announcement of an Ebola outbreak in eastern Ituri province on May 15, Uganda shut down its western frontier on May 28, citing mounting concerns about disease transmission. Officials permitted limited exceptions for emergency situations, including outbreak response activities, humanitarian missions, freight transport, or security operations.
However, as the epidemic in eastern Congo has seemingly accelerated beyond containment efforts, local authorities in Uganda’s border district of Kasese have imposed even stricter controls.
Business operators express irritation with the sluggish pace of truck processing. Several merchants at the Mpondwe crossing told The Associated Press that while they understand the harsh restrictions stem from Ebola concerns, they believe delaying cargo movement is unnecessarily severe.
Clearing agent Sylvia Asiimwe gestured toward a truck line extending more than a mile on Uganda’s side of the border. No fewer than seven vehicles carried fish imported from China, bound for the Congolese municipalities of Beni and Butembo.
Asiimwe emphasized that those Congolese destinations lie within North Kivu province, not Ituri where the Ebola outbreak is centered. “The fish is going to spoil,” she said. “So much money.”
The Uganda-Congo frontier spans several hundred miles and includes numerous informal crossing paths beyond official checkpoints. Commerce typically thrives along the route leading to Mpondwe, and family connections exist between the Bakonzo community on Uganda’s side and the Banande people across the border.
Mpondwe serves as Uganda’s primary checkpoint for unofficial exports, which reached an estimated value of $131 million in 2023, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics.
Following the recent border shutdown, some businesses closed their doors while unemployed young men sat dejectedly on stools, unable to find temporary work.
“The situation is bad,” said Ismail Mumbere, who typically sells roadside snacks on Uganda’s side. “A lot of people earn from here, in many businesses. But now the government has told us there is Ebola. Ebola has wasted our work.”
The ongoing Congo outbreak is believed to have affected more than 1,000 individuals. Confirmed case numbers remain significantly lower because many suspected patients die outside medical facilities without definitive Ebola diagnosis.
The World Health Organization declared the current outbreak a public health emergency of international concern while discouraging border shutdowns. However, the U.N. organization also recognized that adjacent countries face elevated contamination risks.
“With movement of cargo, and maybe trucks, is mobility of people, and we want to reduce that,” said Arafat Bwambale, a surveillance officer for Kasese, justifying the protective measures.
Authorities were working to prevent Congolese citizens from entering Uganda through more than two dozen footpaths along the Mpondwe frontier, he explained.
Existing vaccines and treatments for Ebola prove ineffective against patients infected with the uncommon Bundibugyo strain circulating in Congo, making this outbreak particularly concerning.
Uganda has documented 15 Ebola cases, all connected to the neighboring country’s outbreak after some Congolese individuals sought medical care in Uganda’s capital of Kampala before the epidemic was publicly known.
Health officials believe the disease had been transmitting for days or weeks before the May 15 outbreak declaration.
Uganda has experienced several Ebola outbreaks since 2000, when the illness claimed more than 200 lives.
Ebola, named after a Congo River tributary, was initially identified in 1976 during concurrent outbreaks in Congo and what is now South Sudan. Epidemics typically begin when the virus jumps from infected animals like fruit bats to humans. These species-crossing infections frequently occur when people handle and consume wild game, according to health experts.
After infecting an initial person, the virus spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from ill or deceased patients, including sweat, blood, feces, or vomit.
Contact tracing and isolation are considered essential for controlling Ebola transmission, along with providing healthcare workers appropriate protective gear.
Bwambale, the surveillance officer, noted that the closest major hospital in Kasese maintains an isolation facility and laboratory capable of processing test samples within six hours. Recently, specimens from 41 individuals in the Kasese region tested negative for Ebola, which presents as hemorrhagic fever.
Nevertheless, officials appeared to be considering additional limitations.
An upcoming local Ebola task force meeting would likely produce “a more restricted way on how both the cargo or the trucks get into the country in a systematic way,” Bwambale said.
This prospect worries merchants who depend on the Mpondwe crossing for their livelihood.
Masika, the plantain trader, indicated she would halt new orders from Congo until the current epidemic ends. However, she faces financial ruin if her current shipment fails to reach various destinations in and around Kampala, where the fruits, whether deep-fried or boiled, are breakfast staples at local restaurants.
Masika said she cannot afford losing 50 bags, each valued at approximately $44.
“We are begging them to help us and open (the border),” she said. “We will not go back to Congo.”
Pope Leo XIV is currently conducting a seven-day journey through Spain, visiting a nation where Catholic influence has significantly diminished and political turmoil has recently engulfed the governing Socialist Party.
During his travels, the pontiff is anticipated to emphasize themes of solidarity during times of division, peace while conflicts persist globally, compassion for immigrants, and optimism for Spain’s youth navigating the artificial intelligence age.
Demonstrating that clerical sexual abuse scandals remain a persistent concern during papal visits, Vatican officials announced Friday evening that Leo would conduct meetings with abuse survivors throughout his stay. Spain’s Catholic leadership is finally confronting years of abuse incidents and institutional concealment in this historically Catholic nation.
The papal journey from June 6-12 marks the first such visit to Spain in a decade and a half, featuring three separate segments across Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands, with each location having distinct objectives.
However, Leo won’t be the sole celebrity creating traffic disruptions in Madrid this weekend. Puerto Rican music sensation Bad Bunny is performing two concerts as part of his 10-show series in Spain’s capital during the pope’s presence.
The most significant moment of Leo’s Madrid visit will occur June 8 when he delivers remarks to both legislative chambers of Spain’s parliament. Despite St. John Paul II’s five visits to Spain and Pope Benedict XVI’s three trips, no pontiff has previously spoken before Las Cortes Generales, the parliament’s official designation.
These parliamentary addresses are uncommon occurrences and frequently become defining moments of a pope’s tenure. The most recent instance of a pope speaking to a foreign legislative body occurred in 2015, when Pope Francis addressed the U.S. Congress in joint session.
Leo will encounter a deeply divided legislature, where Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s ruling Socialist Party faces intense scrutiny from multiple corruption allegations, while far-right organizations like Vox severely condemn the Socialists’ immigration policies.
The pope will also conduct meetings with Spanish royalty and lead a prayer gathering for young people, echoing the previous papal visit to Spain in 2011, when Madrid served as the host city for World Youth Day under Benedict’s leadership.
Leo’s arrival in Barcelona coincides with the June 10 centennial commemoration of renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí’s death.
The pope will conduct Mass within Gaudí’s incomplete architectural marvel, the Sagrada Familia, and will officially open its main spire, the Tower of Jesus Christ, which has elevated the basilica to become the globe’s tallest church structure.
Although Catalonia’s cherished native son is progressing toward potential sainthood, officials expect no canonization declarations during this visit.
Leo will additionally visit Our Lady of Montserrat abbey, another spiritually significant location for Catalans, situated on the sacred mountain beyond the city.
Through his journey to the Canary Islands, Leo is honoring Pope Francis’s desire to serve the numerous migrants who reach the Spanish island chain after endangering their lives traveling from Africa to Europe.
Leo will remain two days in the Canary Islands, which lie geographically closer to Africa than mainland Spain, touring two of the seven islands and meeting with immigrants and humanitarian groups providing assistance.
Spain’s Socialist-controlled government has defied prevailing European and American trends by declaring plans to provide legal documentation to potentially hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants currently living and working within the country. Sánchez has emphasized legal migration’s economic advantages for Spain, citing the nation’s aging population and declining birth rates.
Immigrant arrivals to the Canary Islands reached their highest point in 2024 at approximately 47,000, but have declined significantly, with slightly more than 2,000 individuals arriving during the initial four months of 2026.
The American pontiff Pope Leo XIV has arrived in Spain for what marks a historic week-long journey to a nation where Catholicism once dominated but now faces significant challenges in a increasingly secular society.
The papal visit commenced Saturday in Madrid, where King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia provided an official welcome. Leo’s opening day concluded with a prayer service featuring young attendees, many experiencing their first encounter with a pope visiting Spanish territory.
Vatican officials announced Friday that Leo will conduct meetings with abuse survivors during his stay, highlighting how sexual misconduct scandals within the clergy continue to cast shadows over papal journeys. Spain’s Catholic leadership is now confronting years of abuse cases and institutional cover-ups in what was historically a deeply religious nation.
This marks the first papal visit to Spain in a decade and a half, representing Leo’s renewed focus on European Christianity’s traditional strongholds. His predecessor Pope Francis typically avoided established European Catholic centers, choosing instead to visit smaller faith communities in distant regions.
Leo’s European tour includes the Spain visit alongside planned trips to Monaco in March, San Marino in August, and France in September. These journeys aim to deliver messages about peace, unity and human worth to a continent dealing with Russia’s conflict in Ukraine, consequences from the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran, and concerns about artificial intelligence.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni outlined the trip’s focus, explaining that Leo’s Spanish message would particularly target young people to help them “envisage the future, even in an age of strongmen, where the church seeks to foster holy men.”
Leo’s most significant moment will occur Monday when he becomes the first pope ever to address Las Cortes Generales, Spain’s Parliament. Previous popes St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI visited Spain multiple times but never spoke before the legislative body.
These parliamentary addresses are uncommon events that frequently become defining moments of a papal tenure.
However, Leo will encounter a deeply divided legislature where Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s ruling Socialist party faces intense scrutiny over multiple corruption allegations. Opposition groups including the Popular Party and far-right Vox are demanding Sánchez’s resignation ahead of 2027 elections while criticizing his administration’s immigration approach.
Madrid has embraced the papal visit with extensive promotional displays. Leo’s image appears throughout subway systems, on billboards, and in metro station advertisements across Spain’s capital. Souvenir stores feature papal memorabilia including posters and magnets, while bakeries offer special pope-themed cakes and pastries.
The pontiff will share Madrid’s spotlight with Puerto Rican music sensation Bad Bunny, who is performing two concerts as part of his 10-show series during Leo’s visit.
Despite anticipated protests and the visit’s 15 million euro ($17.2 million) price tag, Leo’s parliamentary speech represents a significant achievement for Spain’s Catholic Church. The institution has struggled with credibility issues following decades of clergy abuse revelations and cover-up scandals, while also bearing historical scars from anticlerical violence during the country’s 1936-1939 civil war.
Spain experienced dramatic religious transformation following Gen. Francisco Franco’s death in 1975, which ended his dictatorship that concluded the civil war. Franco, a devout Catholic, considered his rule a religious campaign against Spain’s anticlerical anarchist, leftist and secular movements.
During Spain’s democratic transition, Catholic identification among Spaniards dropped from 90% in the 1970s to 55% in 2025, based on data from Spain’s state opinion agency. Among current Catholics, only 19% report regular Mass attendance.
Nevertheless, sociologist Narciso Michavila Núñez, who leads the GAD3 consulting firm and studies young people’s faith perspectives, observes growing spiritual interest across various traditions, particularly among young Spaniards.
Recent polling indicates renewed faith engagement among Spanish Gen Z individuals, Michavila noted. He and other researchers point to Spanish pop artist Rosalía’s spiritually-themed new album “Lux” as evidence of this trend.
“The truth from a common view is not that God is in fashion. What is new in this moment, in this visit of the pope, is that God in the Spanish society is not a tattoo anymore,” he explained.
Following Madrid, Leo will travel to Barcelona midweek for Mass at the Sagrada Familia basilica, commemorating the centennial of renowned architect Antoni Gaudí’s death. While Catalonia’s beloved figure is being considered for possible sainthood, Bruni indicated no canonization announcements are expected during this trip.
Leo will dedicate the basilica’s towering central spire, the Tower of Jesus Christ, during the June 10 Mass. This addition, installed earlier this year, has made Sagrada Familia the world’s tallest church structure.
The papal visit will conclude with a two-day stop in the Canary Islands, fulfilling a goal of Francis. This Spanish island chain sits closer to Africa than mainland Spain and serves as a primary destination for West African migrants.
Leo plans to meet with migrants and humanitarian groups supporting them. He will place a flower wreath in the ocean to honor migrants who died during dangerous Atlantic crossings, performing this tribute from the Las Palmas port that gained the “Dock of Shame” designation in 2020 when thousands of migrants slept outdoors for weeks during an arrival surge.
Francis prioritized migrant and refugee outreach throughout his papacy, and Leo continues this emphasis by advocating for respectful migrant treatment, especially in his native United States.
“For those of us who are immigrants and find ourselves in this situation of having family far away, someone like the Pope — who is an important figure for the entire world — coming here is truly something that makes me say ‘wow,’” said Constantina Nchama, an immigrant from Equatorial Guinea in Madrid before Leo’s arrival.
“It’s something that happens once in a lifetime,” she continued. “I’m very, very excited about that, truly.”
Spain’s Socialist-led government has diverged from European and U.S. trends by announcing plans to provide legal status to potentially hundreds of thousands of unauthorized immigrants currently living and working in the country. Sánchez emphasizes legal migration’s economic benefits for a nation facing workforce aging and declining birth rates.
Stadium employees at SoFi Stadium have given their union the green light to call a strike just days before the venue is set to host World Cup soccer matches.
UNITE HERE Local 11, which represents over 2,000 stadium staff members, held the authorization vote on Friday. The union membership, primarily made up of food service employees, backed the potential work stoppage by an overwhelming margin.
Contract talks between the union and Legends Global, the company that operates the stadium, have reached an impasse. The workers’ current contract has already run out, and several rounds of bargaining sessions failed to produce a replacement deal.
Eight World Cup games are set to take place at SoFi Stadium. Among these are two group-stage contests featuring the United States team – one against Paraguay on June 12 and another versus Turkey on June 25. The venue will also host three elimination round games, including a quarterfinal scheduled for July 10.
In a Friday statement, the union announced the results of their vote: “SoFi Stadium cashiers, dishwashers, cooks, bartenders, concessions workers, and food attendants have voted 96 per cent in favor of authorizing a strike, meaning workers could walk off the job at any moment if their demands are not met. Negotiations are scheduled to continue Monday ahead of the USA vs Paraguay match on June 12th.”
Should contract discussions remain unsuccessful, a worker committee from the union will decide the timing of any potential strike action.
According to The Athletic, the union has already informed FIFA about the potential disruption. FIFA mandates background screenings for all stadium personnel during the tournament, meaning any substitute workers brought in during a strike would lack the required clearance.
The union has also requested that FIFA prohibit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel from entering the stadium during World Cup events, citing worker safety concerns.
The union’s statement emphasized this point: “Workers must have the right to walk off the job if federal immigration enforcement enters the stadium and creates a reasonable fear for their safety — no worker should have to choose between their job and their freedom.”
NEW YORK moved one step closer to their first NBA championship in five decades Friday night, defeating San Antonio 105-104 in a thrilling Game 2 that came down to the final seconds in San Antonio.
With 9.5 seconds on the clock, Jalen Brunson intercepted an errant pass and sank the decisive free throw that put the Knicks ahead for good. Victor Wembanyama’s 20-foot attempt fell short as time ran out, giving New York a commanding 2-0 series advantage in the best-of-seven championship round.
The victory marked the Knicks’ 13th consecutive postseason win, surpassing the 1999 Spurs for the second-longest playoff streak in league history. New York also extended their road winning streak to eight straight games.
Brunson finished with 20 points and recorded his fifth theft of the game when Wembanyama’s pass deflected off teammate Stephon Castle near midcourt. Though Brunson made just one of two free throws after being fouled, it proved enough for the one-point triumph.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Mikal Bridges also contributed 20 points. OG Anunoby chipped in 17 points and Landry Shamet added 13 for New York, which nearly let a 14-point fourth-quarter lead slip away.
For San Antonio, Wembanyama posted a game-high 29 points along with nine rebounds and four blocks. De’Aaron Fox contributed 20 points, while Dylan Harper provided 15 points off the bench. Castle and Devin Vassell each scored 14 points in the losing effort.
The series now shifts to New York for Game 3 on Monday, with Game 4 scheduled for Wednesday at the same venue.
San Antonio appeared poised for a dramatic comeback after Wembanyama’s three-point play with 57.3 seconds left gave the Spurs their first second-half lead at 104-102. Brunson quickly responded with a jump shot to level the score at 39.3 seconds, setting up the dramatic finish.
New York connected on 41.6% of their field goal attempts and made 15 of 38 three-point shots for 39.5%. San Antonio shot slightly better at 47.4% overall and went 11 of 29 from long distance for 37.9%.
The Spurs mounted a furious rally after falling behind by 14 points midway through the final quarter, scoring 14 unanswered points to tie the game at 97. Fox scored five consecutive points during that surge, and Vassell connected on a straight-on three-pointer to cut the deficit to two. Harper’s short jumper with 2:59 remaining completed the comeback and knotted the score.
The Knicks entered the fourth quarter with an 84-75 lead that quickly grew to 12 points after Shamet’s three-pointer. San Antonio responded with seven straight points to close within 87-82, but Shamet’s second three-pointer sparked a 10-1 New York run.
Brunson added a driving score, Miles “Deuce” McBride hit an open three-pointer, and Anunoby dunked over Wembanyama’s defense to push the Knicks’ advantage to 97-83 with 6:04 remaining.
Towns dominated the first half with 17 points and seven rebounds as New York took a 56-52 halftime lead. Fox paced San Antonio with 12 first-half points. After the Spurs built an early 12-point advantage, the Knicks claimed their first lead on Shamet’s basket for a 49-48 edge with 3:39 left in the second quarter.
LOS ANGELES — Baseball history was quietly on display Friday evening when Jen Pawol took her position behind home plate for the matchup between the Angels and Dodgers.
Pawol broke new ground last season when she became the first female umpire to officiate major league games. During Friday’s contest, Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani acknowledged her presence with his typical greeting to the home plate umpire as he stepped into the batter’s box to start the bottom of the first inning.
The 49-year-old official participated in spring training for her third consecutive year but was not selected for a permanent position on MLB’s umpiring staff. She currently serves on the league’s call-up roster.
Earlier this season on April 17, Pawol officiated her first contest featuring the new automated balls and strikes challenge technology when the Giants played the Nationals.
Her groundbreaking debut in the major leagues occurred on Aug. 9, 2025, and she completed five games at the highest level during that season. The previous year marked another milestone when she became the first woman to work big league spring training contests since Ria Cortesio accomplished the feat in 2007. Pawol has officiated minor league baseball since 2016 and advanced to Triple-A level in 2023.
Friday’s game featured some early excitement that could have led to more historic moments for Pawol.
Angels pitcher Reid Detmers kept the Dodgers without a hit through three complete innings before Freddie Freeman broke through with a single in the fourth frame.
On the other side, Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki maintained his no-hitter through four innings until Nick Madrigal connected for a double in the fifth inning.
Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Armenia will serve as a referendum on the country’s international alignment as current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan pursues stronger connections with the European Union and United States while facing criticism for distancing the nation from its traditional Russian ally.
Political experts predict Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party will likely maintain parliamentary control, though numerous opposition groups campaigning on pro-Moscow platforms have made the Caucasus nation’s global positioning a central campaign issue.
Leading up to the vote, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Moscow officials have cautioned Armenia that European Union membership could result in severe economic harm by severing trade relationships with Russia and its partner nations.
“These are the first elections in Armenia’s history where geopolitical orientation has become a decisive issue,” Mikayel Zolyan, an analyst and former member of the Armenian Parliament, told The Associated Press from Yerevan. “Until now, Armenia has remained within Russia’s sphere of influence, and this was taken for granted, but now, for the first time, this is being called into question.”
The relationship between Moscow and Armenia deteriorated in 2023 following Azerbaijan’s seizure of the complete Karabakh region. Ethnic Armenian forces supported by Armenia had maintained control over the mountainous territory for decades as part of an ongoing dispute between the two neighboring nations.
Armenian leaders blamed Russian peacekeepers stationed in the area for not preventing Azerbaijan’s offensive. Moscow, occupied with the Ukrainian conflict, has dismissed these claims, stating its forces lacked authority to intervene.
“It turned out that Russia’s image as a guarantor of Armenian security was not based in reality, and it all collapsed after the Karabakh war,” said Alexander Iskandaryan, director of the Caucasus Institute in Yerevan.
Pashinyan has gradually distanced his country from Moscow, becoming a member of the International Criminal Court in 2023 and halting participation in the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization in 2024.
Armenia has also formally announced its EU membership goals and served as host for the European Political Community summit in Yerevan during early May.
A decisive parliamentary victory would provide Pashinyan with the authority to advance this direction and complete negotiations with Azerbaijan.
Western countries have demonstrated potential benefits of strengthened relationships.
During August, U.S. President Donald Trump brought together Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev to execute an agreement ending their multi-decade conflict and establishing provisions for a new transit route connecting Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan territory. A February agreement could enable a U.S. company to construct a nuclear reactor in Armenia.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has also stated that Europe stands prepared to fund Armenia’s energy sector and its “booming digital scene.”
Trump has supported Pashinyan, describing him as a “great friend” and a leader making his nation “strong, wealthy, and very secure!”
Armenia’s opposition remains largely controlled by pro-Russia factions, with many opposing normalized Azerbaijan relations. Leading opposition voices have demanded Pashinyan’s resignation following the Karabakh loss.
Nineteen political entities, comprising two blocs and 17 parties, are participating in the elections.
Pashinyan’s primary challenger is the Strong Armenia Party, which seeks enhanced business connections with Russia and claims Pashinyan is trying to provoke conflict with Moscow. Armenian-Russian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan leads the party while facing trial for allegedly inciting government overthrow, charges he disputes.
Additional competitors include former President Robert Kocharyan, who heads the Hayastan bloc and has accused Pashinyan of “seriously undermining” Russian relations.
Russia, maintaining a military installation in Armenia, has warned that Yerevan’s Western shift could bring severe political and economic repercussions.
Putin has drawn comparisons between Armenia’s path and Ukraine’s in barely concealed warnings, suggesting Russia’s Ukrainian conflict began with EU membership attempts.
Recently, Russia has imposed new limitations on Armenian products citing health violations, prohibiting Armenian flowers, specific cognac and wine varieties, eggplants, potatoes, dried fruits, fish and additional items.
Armenia’s participation in the Eurasian Economic Union, a Russian-controlled customs alliance, faced formal examination during a Kazakhstan meeting in May, with threats of complete suspension by December.
At the Kazakhstan gathering, governments of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan also required Armenia to conduct a referendum on remaining in their organization or pursuing EU membership. Pashinyan has dismissed the necessity for such a referendum.
Armenian government data indicates 38% of Armenia’s exports traveled to Eurasian Economic Union countries in 2025, with most destined for Russia. Comparatively, only 8% of trade reached the EU.
The Russian actions led von der Leyen to announce Thursday that the 27-member bloc would provide 50 million euros ($58 million) to assist Armenia. In her statement, she said Russia is “weaponizing” economic relationships and its import prohibition represents “nothing short of economic coercion.”
Russia maintains additional leverage over Armenia through its control of substantial portions of the country’s energy and infrastructure while providing affordable gas.
“It’s completely unrealistic to say that Armenia can somehow overcome Russian influence in a short period of time,” analyst Zolyan said.
Armenia’s civil society has also expressed concerns about what they characterize as Russian-supported disinformation efforts before the election. Moscow denies any meddling.
Daniel Ionnisyan, head of the Union of Informed Citizens, an independent election watchdog, told the AP that his organization has documented instances of Russian interference through social media campaigns, cyberattacks, vote buying and bribery of journalists.
These findings align with observations from a Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe delegation that visited Yerevan in May, reporting foreign interference including illegal political funding, cyberattacks, economic pressure and direct electoral manipulation attempts.
“These hybrid tactics aim not only to sway public opinion but to secure long-term geopolitical leverage over Armenia,” the delegation said.
NEW DELHI (AP) — A satirical political movement known as the Cockroach Janata Party, which started as an internet joke but has gained millions of followers throughout India, faces its most significant challenge on Saturday when its creator is expected to spearhead a demonstration in New Delhi.
The demonstration, organized at Jantar Mantar in India’s capital city, represents the movement’s initial venture into on-the-ground political action following weeks of controlling social media platforms and capturing news attention, drawing millions of digital supporters and extensive backing from India’s youth.
Participation numbers remain uncertain. However, the demonstration will serve as an initial indicator of whether the movement can transform its digital success into wider community backing amid increasing dissatisfaction among India’s young people regarding education, employment and financial opportunities.
Abhijeet Dipke, who created the digital movement, is set to reach the capital from the United States on Saturday for the demonstration. Authorities positioned metal barriers at New Delhi’s international airport arrival areas.
The Cockroach Janta Party, known as CJP, started just three weeks earlier and became an unexpected platform for dissatisfaction among supporters who embrace the “cockroaches” label.
India’s Chief Justice Surya Kant compared critics and certain jobless young people to cockroaches during a May court session, creating anger among dissatisfied young Indians. Dipke, who studies political communications strategy at Boston University, transformed the slight into motivation for a satirical political organization. Within seven days of creating a website and social media presence, CJP’s Instagram account had gathered over 15 million followers.
The organization has transformed the cockroach into a sardonic symbol of persistence and political expression. Content and internet humor mocking joblessness, corruption and governmental failures have received millions of online views. Satirical CJP profiles have also embraced the cockroach as their political emblem, utilizing internet humor, fake campaign messages and comedic analysis.
The movement’s ironic approach combines self-mocking comedy with governmental critique. Followers jokingly characterize themselves as jobless, constantly online and excluded from significant power. Under the comedy exists wider criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration, with CJP followers claiming that regular Indians, especially younger citizens, face diminished prospects.
India’s youth represent over one-fourth of the nation’s population but encounter restricted employment options, increasing joblessness and growing disappointment with established politics. Many younger voters also criticize Modi’s governing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, expressing worries about increasing religious division, expanding inequality and growing financial strain.
The movement’s doubters, especially Modi’s party supporters, reject the occurrence as merely a social media stunt. They contend the movement’s digital success might not convert to street organizing and that its quick growth will probably be temporary.
The organization’s emergence reflects a comparable pattern throughout South Asia where youth movements created through social media have central positions in anti-government demonstrations, including uprisings in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and disturbances in Nepal.
CJP leaders utilized social media during the week to gather supporters for Saturday’s march, calling for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. The request originated from an exam irregularity dispute in May that rapidly became a wider platform for dissatisfaction regarding India’s educational system and restricted employment prospects.
Attendees received encouragement to carry India’s national flag and a book, which leaders stated represented educational rights and equal opportunities for everyone. Leaders also encouraged demonstrators to stay peaceful and prevent any conflicts with authorities.
“Time to turn this tiny joke into a revolution,” the official CJP account on X posted Friday.
The movement continues to encounter substantial obstacles. During the last ten years, Indian officials under Modi have attempted to eliminate protests opposing his administration, including demonstrations against disputed citizenship laws and year-long farmers’ protests.
Certain protest movements have also encountered legal proceedings against leaders and activist detentions, which represents part of what critics characterize as a wider attempt by officials under Modi to silence opposition.
While the former president won’t appear on ballots this November, three key figures from his administration are seeking gubernatorial seats in what could serve as a measure of his political influence two years after departing office amid declining approval ratings.
Two former Cabinet officials — ex-Interior Secretary Deb Haaland from New Mexico and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra from California — won their primary elections this week. They’re joined by Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former senior adviser, who claimed the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in Georgia last month.
These campaigns unfold as tensions flare among the former president’s supporters, including former White House staff, regarding the Biden family’s return to public attention just months before crucial midterm elections. The former president’s son has been active on social media engaging with both supporters and detractors, while the former first lady discusses the previous presidential campaign in her new book. The former president also plans to release his own memoir later this year.
Whether these White House connections will benefit or damage the Democratic candidates remains uncertain as they transition to general election campaigns.
“I will put my experience to work for the people of our state,” Haaland declared to enthusiastic supporters while accepting her party’s nomination.
However, she omitted any reference to the former president while outlining her background as a single mother, congressional service, and Interior Department leadership.
Former White House staffer Rodericka Applewhaite indicated that some Democrats running this fall are deliberately avoiding requests for campaign assistance from the former president.
Applewhaite has joined other Democratic strategists in publicly criticizing the Biden family’s recent public appearances, particularly the former first lady’s book promotional tour.
“The Bidens are burning a lot of good will that they built up over a very long time in what seems to be days,” she stated, directing a sharp recommendation to the former president and his family. “Step aside and let us have the battles that we need to have today.”
Across California, Georgia and New Mexico, former Biden administration members are handling their White House associations differently.
While Haaland and Becerra emphasize President Donald Trump in their campaign messaging, neither mentioned the former president in their primary victory addresses. Their official campaign websites also exclude his name from their biographical sections.
The former president didn’t publicly endorse candidates in New Mexico or California before Tuesday’s primaries. Democrats have concentrated on attacking Republicans regarding Trump’s presidential tenure.
“It’s laughable that Republicans have become so desperate to avoid talking about Donald Trump that they are now trying to go after our candidates for advocating for their states and getting results when they served in the executive branch,” stated Kevin Donohue, a spokesperson for the Democratic Governors Association. He said Democrats “are focused on affordability” while “Republicans are all in on Trump’s cost-raising agenda.”
Republicans aren’t deterred from emphasizing both candidates’ former supervisor.
Republican strategists plan to highlight Democrats’ Biden administration connections as vulnerabilities in coming weeks, according to Kollin Crompton of the Republican Governors Association.
“Deb Haaland turned her back on New Mexico to push Biden’s failed policies and the Green New Scam. New Mexico deserves a leader, not a career politician who forgot where she came from,” Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, who leads the campaign organization, declared.
Georgia presents a different scenario.
Lance Bottoms features her Biden administration service on her campaign website. She sought and obtained his formal endorsement before Georgia’s primary, sharing it extensively across her campaign’s social media channels. She also expressed willingness to have the former president campaign alongside her this fall. “As I am moving around this state, people are missing Joe Biden more and more each day,” she told CNN.
Bottoms became the first of two candidates the former president has endorsed since leaving office, and he contacted her with congratulations following her May 19 primary victory.
Yet even Bottoms hasn’t emphasized her administration tenure during campaign events. Her standard speech references her mayoral service in Atlanta and prosecutorial background before shifting to topics like affordability and Trump administration policies.
“I spoke with him this morning, so he called to congratulate me,” Bottoms said regarding the former president after her primary win. She then quickly changed subjects. “At the end of the day, we all want the same things. We want to live in great neighborhoods, we want great schools, we want access to health care.”
Public opinion polling showed Americans held less favorable views of the former president’s tenure when he left office compared to the conclusions of Trump’s first term or Barack Obama’s second presidency, according to The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Approximately one-quarter of American adults described him as a “good” or “great” president at that time, with fewer than one in ten considering him “great.”
This data highlighted how damaged his legacy had become, with many from his own party viewing his Democratic presidency as simply adequate.
Americans showed similar likelihood to characterize both him and Trump as “poor” or “terrible” — roughly half applied these descriptions to each president’s service — but about three in ten called the former president “average,” while fewer than two in ten said this about Trump.
The Biden family has encountered renewed examination recently, sometimes from former staff members.
The former president’s son faced criticism for recently appearing on a podcast hosted by far-right conspiracy theorist Candace Owens. He has drawn attention through online posts about his addiction struggles and media critiques.
Former first lady Jill Biden has surprised some Democrats with remarks made during promotional events for her memoir, “View from the East Wing,” released Tuesday. She told CBS News she felt “frightened” by her husband’s performance during the notable debate against Trump. The aftermath ultimately led to his withdrawal from the race.
In her book, she reveals that his senior staff “insisted he needed to run” for reelection. The memoir recounts her husband’s decision to end his candidacy and the family’s response to the former president’s cancer diagnosis last year.
During her book tour, she has fielded difficult questions about the former president’s health and mental capabilities while in office, plus her influence in encouraging his reelection bid despite widespread public doubts.
She called it “heartbreaking” that the Democratic Party turned away from her husband during an appearance on ABC’s “The View.”
“That’s why Joe had to decide to get out, because he had lost the support of the Democratic Party,” she explained.
These statements have triggered disputes among supporters, particularly after former Biden spokesperson Andrew Bates questioned to the New York Post “why that painful conversation for the party needed to be publicly re-opened now.”
The former first lady responded sharply, “I want to say to Andrew, call me up and say it to my face.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — In an unexpected private meeting, OpenAI’s chief executive reached out to Sen. Bernie Sanders this week for discussions about artificial intelligence ownership.
The conversation occurred shortly after the Vermont lawmaker unveiled his proposal requiring the American public to hold a 50% ownership share in AI corporations like OpenAI, with those stocks funding a public wealth program to distribute profits from major AI companies.
During their discussion, the OpenAI leader expressed his own support for public equity in artificial intelligence firms. While the executive indicated he couldn’t back Sanders’ proposed 50% ownership level, he showed interest in collaborating on the broader concept, sources familiar with the talks revealed.
The almost hour-long discussion in Sanders’ Senate office this week, initiated by the OpenAI chief, underscored growing friction between artificial intelligence giants and lawmakers as citizens face mounting costs from AI development while questioning its direct advantages. The situation has also formed unusual political partnerships driven by populist sentiment, with figures ranging from Sanders to President Donald Trump supporting public participation in AI profits.
During remarks to media aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump outlined a possible collaboration “where the American people can benefit from the success of AI” and announced that top AI company leaders would meet at the White House “probably next week” to explore this concept.
“There’s something very interesting about it, where it almost becomes a partnership with the American public,” Trump, a Republican, stated Friday.
When journalists mentioned to Trump that Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, had suggested public ownership of AI firms, he highlighted similarities between their supporter bases. The economic perspectives of Trump supporters and those who backed Sanders for president, Trump noted, “aren’t that far apart.”
Trump has supported government investment in private enterprises during his second term, reshaping his party’s political stance. His administration previously obtained a 10% ownership in the struggling Silicon Valley firm Intel, and explored a government acquisition of Spirit Airlines earlier this year, though the airline couldn’t finalize an agreement and eventually shut down.
The stances taken by prominent leaders like Trump and Sanders emerge as AI concerns spread well beyond Washington.
In Michigan, Democrats recently disagreed over Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s public appearance with the OpenAI executive at a major data center construction site. Political candidates such as New York Democratic House candidate Alex Bores have also campaigned on AI oversight by addressing voter concerns about the technology.
“This is a real change to society,” the OpenAI leader told media this week. “I think it’s possible both that people can use AI a lot and like using it and also have anxiety about what it’s going to do for the future.”
Data center developments nationwide have faced resistance from communities worried about power usage, water needs and environmental effects. Some states previously eager to welcome these facilities, including Ohio and Virginia, have begun reconsidering tax benefits.
“We need to pass legislation right now that says there’s not going to be any further data center development until they agree to pay for their own electricity, build their own grids and pay for their own water supply,” Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, a prominent Republican critic of Big Tech, told The Associated Press.
Prior to his Washington visit, the OpenAI executive traveled to Michigan on Monday to join Whitmer, a Democrat, at the construction location of a 1.65 million-square-foot data center. Whitmer’s administration stated the development would generate over 2,500 union construction positions.
However, the project also faced criticism from local advocates and some Democrats, including Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who described the project as “disgusting.” She expressed being “so disappointed” in Whitmer.
“It’s a very controversial topic right now and it’s coming from the ground up,” Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat, said regarding the grassroots opposition. “People feel very strongly about it.”
Whitmer, however, told reporters following the event that “one thing’s very clear, everyone has a cellphone in our pocket.”
“We are all, more and more, consuming technology and data and these data centers are going to get built. So, my thought is if we can hold them to a high standard and do it in Michigan, that’s the best way to do it,” she said.
The disputes go beyond data centers. At university campuses, graduation speakers have faced interruptions and criticism when addressing artificial intelligence topics. Approximately 70% of college students view AI as threatening their employment opportunities, based on a 2025 survey by the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School.
The OpenAI executive recognized these worries. He noted that while “the impact on jobs has been less than many people in our field expected,” he comprehends “that college students have a lot of anxiety about the future.”
The belief that AI’s growth cannot be stopped is increasingly accepted by officials across political divisions, despite sharp disagreements about oversight approaches.
This understanding was central to the OpenAI leader’s Washington meetings. Beyond Sanders, he met with Trump administration figures such as Michael Kratsios, the White House’s chief science and technology adviser, and legislative leaders from both parties.
Sanders’ staff stressed that the two did not reach consensus on the senator’s key points presented to the OpenAI executive, including the 50% ownership requirement to ensure public decision-making authority. Sanders also voiced opposition to increasing election expenditures by the AI sector.
“Unfortunately, Sam Altman did not commit to any of those,” said Sanders’ spokesperson Jeremy Slevin.
The OpenAI leader, following their discussion, characterized it as “great,” noting that the two “obviously don’t agree on everything.”
Congress this week unveiled a bipartisan plan that would create the first comprehensive federal AI regulation approach while temporarily overriding numerous state laws.
Anthropic, one of OpenAI’s main rivals, has suggested methods for coordinating development halts on advanced AI if systems become too powerful.
The Trump administration has also started building its own monitoring framework, issuing an executive order to create a review process for national security threats from advanced AI systems before public launch.
Sanders noted the administration’s action was significant after years of warnings that regulation might hinder American innovation.
“Even these guys are beginning to catch on that there are legitimate concerns that have to be dealt with,” Sanders said.
As warm weather draws boat enthusiasts to the water, rising fuel costs are forcing many to reconsider their summer plans on lakes and waterways across the nation.
Brothers Malik Amine and his sibling faced this reality recently while preparing their family’s pontoon boat at Portage Lake in Michigan. Standing on a narrow wooden dock with their boat’s 52-gallon tank to fill, they had to decide how much gasoline to purchase with prices significantly higher than last year.
Boat owners nationwide are experiencing the same financial pressure affecting drivers at gas pumps. According to motor club AAA, regular gasoline averaged 34% more per gallon on Friday compared to the same time last year, while diesel fuel prices have jumped 53% annually. The conflict involving Iran has contributed to these elevated costs.
Marine fuel presents an even greater expense. Ethanol-free gasoline, preferred by many boat operators, classic car enthusiasts, and lawn equipment users, costs between 20 cents and $1 more per gallon than standard fuel, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores. Near Portage Lake, located 60 miles west of Detroit, one gas station is charging $7 per gallon for ethanol-free fuel.
Amine decided against filling his boat’s tank completely before Memorial Day weekend. “The cost is going to be a lot more than it was last year,” Amine said. “I think it’s probably a little bit smarter to do what you need and fill it as much as you need, because who knows when this conflict’s going to end.”
The National Marine Manufacturers Association reports that 100 million Americans participate in boating annually, supporting a $230 billion industry. The trade organization, representing boat manufacturers, marine engine producers, and equipment suppliers, indicates that while most boaters still intend to enjoy the water this season, fuel costs are influencing their activities.
“There were a number of people within that who said, ‘I am going to have to change my behavior’,” said Ellen Bradley, the association’s chief brand officer. “I may not go as far. I may not as fast. I may spend more time anchored and swimming. I may spend more time at the dock.”
Neil and Kathleen Donohoe have made boating their lifestyle, selling their Colorado home to live aboard their 50-foot diesel vessel named Granuaile, after the Gaelic name for Grace O’Malley, a 16th century Irish sea captain known as Ireland’s pirate queen. For seven years, they’ve navigated the East Coast and traveled to the Bahamas.
While boat maintenance typically represents their largest expense, Neil Donohoe explains that fuel costs have become shocking. Their vessel holds 1,500 gallons, and they now research other boaters’ recommendations and use marine applications to locate the most affordable fuel options.
“It’s not driving us not to cruise, but it’s making a difference,” he said.
This summer, the couple plans to remain in the Chesapeake Bay region rather than traveling further north. Having previously visited Maine and Canada, they don’t feel compelled to return while fuel prices remain elevated.
“It seems a little gross to spend that kind of money when so many people are struggling,” Kathleen Donohoe said.
Marine businesses are also feeling the impact. The Seattle Sailing Club, offering instruction, chartered excursions, and rentals, reports a 10.7% increase in fuel expenses since the conflict began.
Lindsey Brown, the club’s office manager, explains that while their 30-boat fleet primarily uses wind power, all vessels have gasoline or diesel backup engines. In April, the marina charged $6.50 per gallon for diesel, rising to $7.99 per gallon by late May.
“We are just heading into our busy season, so we may see a more dramatic effect on our business if the price of fuel doesn’t change or continues to increase,” Brown said. Brown, who resides on a sailboat at the marina, noted that her wastewater pumping service recently added a fuel surcharge.
The busy season is also beginning for Melissa Kunnert, owner of NautiMi On the River, an ice cream and gift shop near Portage Lake. She operates a tiki-themed pontoon boat for parties and conducts three-hour evening cruises for $50 per person starting after Memorial Day.
Despite higher fuel costs for her pontoon, Kunnert chose not to increase prices this summer. She speculates whether elevated gas prices affecting all travel might actually help her business by encouraging potential customers to stay closer to home.
“I’m interested to see if we’ll have the same amount as previous years (or) if we will have more because people don’t want to use their gas, they want ours,” Kunnert said.
In Traverse City, Michigan, several hours north of Portage Lake, Robert Hinds added a $50 fuel surcharge to fishing excursions offered through his business, Central Coast Angling. As owner and operator, he transports his 22-foot boat between Lake Michigan ports depending on fishing conditions, requiring fuel for both his truck and boat.
Hinds reports multiple trip cancellations as customers calculate their own gas expenses. One regular customer from Nebraska skipped their usual spring visit.
“It’s really tough. People do want to get out and I still believe people will,” he said. “But everybody comes from different walks of life.”
Hinds recently canceled his own fishing trip to Wisconsin after calculating $400 in diesel fuel costs for his truck.
As Major League Baseball faces potential labor tensions, President Donald Trump expressed strong support for team owners on Friday by endorsing the implementation of a salary cap system.
During remarks made while traveling on Air Force One, as reported by USA Today, Trump commented on MLB’s situation, saying “If you don’t have a salary cap, you don’t have a sport, because they can’t help themselves. Football has a salary cap. (MLB) should have done it a long time ago.”
The president also referenced the 1994-95 work stoppage, when team owners previously attempted to establish salary restrictions, stating “It’s shocking, frankly, that they didn’t put a cap on many years ago. They had a chance to do a cap but they blew it.”
The league’s current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire on Dec. 1, while the MLB Players Association maintains strong opposition to any salary cap proposal.
Team owners recently revealed their negotiating position, which includes a proposed $245.3 million salary cap combined with a $171.2 million salary floor. USA Today reports that while the proposed cap falls below the current payrolls of eight teams, the floor exceeds the present spending levels of 12 franchises.
Trump brings personal experience as a former team owner, having operated the New Jersey Generals in the USFL from 1983-85, a franchise that included prominent players such as Herschel Walker and Doug Flutie.
Seattle Mariners infielder J.P. Crawford has been listed as day-to-day following an injury to his right hand after being struck by a pitch during Friday’s matchup with the Detroit Tigers.
The shortstop was hit by a 96-mph sinker thrown by Detroit’s starting pitcher Framber Valdez during the third inning. Crawford remained in the game initially after being hit, but was substituted by Patrick Wisdom in the bottom half of the inning following his turn on the basepaths. Colt Emerson shifted from third base to shortstop to fill Crawford’s position.
The substitution enabled Crawford to receive x-rays on his wrist, which returned negative results, according to manager Dan Wilson’s postgame comments to media following Seattle’s 7-3 defeat.
Crawford had also seemingly suffered a leg injury earlier in the contest, showing signs of discomfort while returning to the dugout after a feet-first collision with Tigers backstop Dillon Dingler during a slide at home plate that produced the game’s first run in the opening frame.
Any time missed would come at an inopportune moment for Crawford, who has posted a .333 batting average (14-for-42) over his previous 11 contests, including four home runs during that stretch.
The 31-year-old Crawford is batting .228 this season with 10 home runs and 23 RBIs across 55 games.
Cuba’s leadership announced plans to allow Cuban nationals to take over hotel management operations after major international hospitality companies decided to pull back from the Caribbean nation.
The policy shift comes in response to Spanish hotel company Melia’s announcement on May 26 that it would end operations at 15 of its 34 Cuban properties. This decision followed new U.S. sanctions and continued energy restrictions that have worsened the island’s economic struggles. Cuban officials have attributed widespread power outages, water shortages, supply chain disruptions, healthcare system problems, and daily life challenges to the U.S. blockade.
Other international hotel operators, including Canadian company Royalton and Spain’s Iberostar, have made similar decisions to reduce or halt their Cuban operations, creating significant challenges for the crucial tourism industry that has declined sharply since reaching its highest point in 2018.
In a televised interview with a Spanish reporter aired Friday on the government’s presidential channel, President Miguel Díaz-Canel outlined the new approach.
“There will be hotels that we will have to operate more with Cuban management than with shared management with foreign entities,” Díaz-Canel said. “We are proposing different business models. We are open to Cubans who want to invest and manage hotels.”
“We have also offered these business opportunities to Cubans residing abroad,” he added.
The Melia withdrawal occurred following U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order that broadened sanctions against Cuba. The measures primarily focused on Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A., a business conglomerate run by the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, citing national security concerns.
The executive order also impacts foreign companies by freezing assets, seizing U.S.-based accounts, and banning travel for shareholders, investors, and staff members, effectively cutting off access to the U.S. financial system.
GAESA, established in the 1990s as a Cuban business conglomerate, controls various enterprises including vehicle rentals, retail outlets, and transportation services. The organization partners with Meliá in hotel operations through its subsidiary company, Gaviota.
Meliá represented a major tourism partner for Cuba, managing approximately 14,000 hotel rooms before reducing its presence.
Cuban tourism, which peaked at 4.3 million visitors in 2019, experienced a sharp decline in early 2024 visitor numbers, dropping 48% compared to the same timeframe in 2025.
Government statistics show only 298,000 tourists visited Cuba from January through March, compared to 573,300 international arrivals during the corresponding months the previous year.
During the interview, Díaz-Canel criticized Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio for characterizing Cuba’s government as ineffective while simultaneously strengthening the existing embargo, calling their approach “cynical.”
The Cuban leader suggested the U.S. actions might aim to pressure Cuba enough to “provoke a social explosion that would give (Trump) a pretext for humanitarian aid to intervene in the country.”
Alternatively, he said the measures could seek to “pursue a coercive dialogue with Cuba, employing maximum pressure to economically occupy the country,” or potentially prepare for military action.
Despite earlier discussions between U.S. and Cuban representatives this year, relations have deteriorated. In late May, former President Raúl Castro faced charges in a U.S. legal filing related to his suspected involvement in the 1996 destruction of two civilian planes operated by Miami-based exiles in Cuban territorial waters.
The San Diego Padres placed outfielder Ramon Laureano on the 60-day injured list Friday following surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right hip, effectively ending his season.
The injury represents another setback for San Diego’s offense, which entered Friday’s games ranked dead last in Major League Baseball with a .216 team batting average and just 235 runs scored.
Laureano had been dealing with hip discomfort throughout the season while posting career-low offensive numbers, batting just .203 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs across 53 games.
“It’s a big loss,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said Friday. “It was a guy we were counting on a lot coming into the season, and the guy that we had batting leadoff for a while. He’s been in a little bit of (an offensive) funk lately. Maybe that’s a reason for it, but unfortunate that he had to go have surgery and have it taken care of.”
The outfield loss marks the second for San Diego this week, though for different circumstances. The team also officially released struggling veteran Nick Castellanos on Friday after placing him on waivers earlier in the week.
The 31-year-old Laureano has compiled a .236 batting average with 16 home runs during 103 games over his two seasons with San Diego. Throughout his major league career, he has maintained a .250 average with 113 homers and 349 RBIs while playing for the Athletics (2018-23), Cleveland Guardians (2023-24), Atlanta Braves (2024), Orioles (2025) and Padres.
The injury may signal the end of Laureano’s time in San Diego. Acquired from Baltimore at last season’s trade deadline, he becomes a free agent when the current season concludes.
A high-ranking American diplomat urged Taiwan on Saturday to make more strategic investments in its military capabilities, emphasizing the importance of drone technology in maintaining defense balance against China.
Taiwan’s legislature, controlled by opposition parties, recently approved just two-thirds of the $40 billion additional defense funding requested by President Lai Ching-te last month. The administration has made unmanned aircraft and other asymmetric defense systems central to its military upgrade efforts.
Officials are now working to secure approval for the rejected funding, which was designated for domestically produced systems including drones and missiles, as part of efforts to strengthen deterrence against China, which considers the democratic island part of its territory.
The United States has expressed strong support for Lai’s defense spending proposals.
At a conference in Taipei, Raymond Greene, director of the American Institute in Taiwan, emphasized America’s interest in continued military investments.
“It is critical that Taiwan not only spend more on its own defence but also spend smarter. And there is no smarter way Taiwan can deliver deterrence right away than by investing in unmanned systems,” he stated.
“The conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have demonstrated that drones are changing the character of warfare, offering enormous opportunities for Taiwan to re-establish the cross-Strait military balance,” Greene added.
America has historically served as Taiwan’s primary international supporter and weapons provider, despite the absence of official diplomatic relations.
However, U.S. President Donald Trump has created uncertainty for Taiwan following his recent meeting with China’s Xi Jinping in Beijing last month, stating he remains undecided about proceeding with a proposed $14 billion arms package for Taipei.
The United States, legally obligated to provide Taiwan with defensive capabilities, has maintained its policy toward the island remains unchanged, a position Greene reinforced.
“Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is absolutely critical for the economic well-being of the United States, Taiwan, and the entire world,” he declared.
“The United States has made clear that we oppose any forced, compelled, or coercive change to the status of Taiwan,” Greene continued.
Taiwan’s administration disputes Beijing’s territorial claims, maintaining that only the island’s residents have the authority to determine their political future.
Soccer icon Lionel Messi is on the mend from a left hamstring injury and may take the field during Argentina’s exhibition games leading up to the World Cup.
Team manager Lionel Scaloni provided an update Friday on the star player’s health status before Argentina’s upcoming friendlies – Saturday’s match against Honduras in College Station, Texas, and Tuesday’s contest versus Iceland in Auburn, Alabama.
“Leo is doing well,” Scaloni stated. “Leo trained for a part (of the Friday practice) with the group, which is important. He’s not fully separated. He’s coming along. He may be part of the friendly matches, getting some minutes in these two friendlies. We’ll see if it’s the one (Saturday) or the next one. But he’s doing a lot better and that gives us tranquility.”
The 38-year-old Messi sustained his injury during Inter Miami’s May 24 game, which was the team’s final contest before Major League Soccer paused for two months because of the World Cup.
Argentina holds the current World Cup title, with Messi earning the Golden Ball award as the tournament’s top performer at the 2022 competition in Qatar.
In 14 appearances for Inter Miami this season, Messi has netted 12 goals while contributing eight assists. On Friday, he earned selection to the MLS All-Star squad for the July 29 game in Charlotte featuring top talent from Mexico’s Liga MX.
Messi’s international career spans 198 appearances for Argentina, during which he has scored 116 goals – the second-most in global competition history. Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo leads with 143 international goals.
Messi holds the record for most World Cup appearances at 26 games, surpassing Germany’s Lothar Matthaus by one. Both Messi and Ronaldo will participate in their sixth World Cup, establishing a new record.
At the upcoming World Cup, Argentina will compete in Group J with games against Algeria on June 16 in Kansas City, Missouri; Austria on June 22 in Arlington, Texas; and Jordan on June 27 in Arlington.
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson departed during the third inning of Friday’s road matchup with the Miami Marlins due to what team officials described as left thumb discomfort.
This marked the second occasion this week that Simpson had to exit a game prematurely. Earlier on Monday during Tampa Bay’s contest with the Detroit Tigers, Simpson suffered an unusual injury while attempting to steal second base with a headfirst slide. His batting helmet came loose during the play, bounced off the ground and struck him in the face.
The impact caused Simpson’s lower lip to split open, requiring a trip to the hospital where he received stitches. Despite the injury, he returned to action the following day and participated in all remaining games of the Detroit series.
During Friday’s game, Simpson managed no hits in two at-bats before Victor Mesa Jr. took his place in the lineup. The performance continued Simpson’s recent offensive struggles, as he has collected just one hit in his last 21 at-bats across six games.
The 25-year-old Simpson is currently hitting .276 through 59 games this season. Known for his speed on the basepaths, he has successfully stolen 14 bases this year after recording 44 steals during his rookie campaign last season. His four triples lead all American League players.
Simpson wasn’t the only Rays player dealing with injury issues this week. Shortstop Taylor Walls also departed Monday’s game due to hamstring tightness. After missing the remainder of the Tigers series, Walls returned to Tampa Bay’s starting lineup on Friday.
The NBA has conducted interviews with Kawhi Leonard as part of its continuing probe into allegations that the Los Angeles Clippers violated league salary cap regulations to compensate their star player, according to ESPN’s Friday report.
ESPN also reported that interviews have been conducted with Leonard’s uncle and business adviser Dennis Robertson, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, additional team executives, and leaders from the now-closed company Aspiration.
ESPN contributor Pablo Torre obtained documentation that allegedly bears Kawhi Leonard’s signature from when he joined the Clippers as a free agent. The paperwork indicates the six-time NBA All-Star was set to collect $28 million in cash payments from Aspiration across four years spanning 2022 through 2025, contingent upon his continued employment with the Clippers.
Torre’s investigation revealed that Ballmer provided $50 million in financial backing to the sustainability company Aspiration in 2021. The business has been accused of fraudulent practices, and its co-founder Joseph Sanberg entered a guilty plea in August for deceiving multiple investors. Additionally, the Clippers established a $300 million partnership with Aspiration in September 2021, designating the company as the “first founding partner” of the Intuit Dome.
The league’s investigation has been underway since September, with NBA commissioner Adam Silver stating Wednesday evening before Game 1 of the NBA Finals that the inquiry is approaching a stage where it must be concluded.
Both Ballmer and the Clippers organization have repeatedly rejected any allegations of misconduct.
The NBA’s existing collective bargaining agreement outlines potential sanctions for teams found guilty of salary cap violations, which may include monetary penalties reaching $7.5 million, forfeiture of draft selections, contract nullification, and suspensions for involved team staff members.
ESPN’s reporting suggests other franchises would likely object if the NBA penalizes the Clippers without clear evidence of wrongdoing.
“I certainly hear and read things all the time about the perception of what really happened or didn’t happen here, and I think my only reaction is: I wouldn’t be doing my job if ultimately I issued a determination based on perception,” Silver said Wednesday.
“My job is to follow the facts. What essentially happens here is that the factual report, together with findings, will be made by this independent firm. That’s presented to me. It’s then, ultimately, my role to determine what the appropriate discipline, if any, should be meted out based on their findings.”
A traffic accident has forced authorities to shut down all northbound lanes of Interstate 95 just south of the welcome center.
The complete closure is causing major delays for motorists traveling north on the busy interstate corridor. Traffic officials are working to clear the scene and reopen the roadway.
Drivers are advised to seek alternate routes or expect significant delays while emergency crews respond to the incident.
Motorists traveling on southbound DE-896 should expect altered traffic conditions this morning due to an active lane shift.
The lane adjustment affects the stretch of roadway between Welsh Tract Road and Ramp H, with the modified traffic pattern scheduled to remain in place until 7AM.
Drivers are advised to use caution and allow extra travel time when navigating through the affected area.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager broke out of a career-worst 0-for-29 hitting drought with a two-run home run in his return to action Friday night, marking his first game back after missing 19 contests due to lower back inflammation.
The five-time All-Star’s sixth-inning blast against Cleveland rookie Parker Messick followed a double by Wyatt Langford, who was also returning from the injured list. Seager’s eighth home run of the season gave Texas a 3-2 advantage.
Langford, playing left field, had been absent for 39 games since landing on the injured list April 22 with a right forearm strain. The duo occupied the first two spots in the batting order against the Guardians, and their back-to-back extra-base hits occurred during their third plate appearances of the contest.
Prior to the series opener against Cleveland, Seager was mired in an 0-for-27 stretch that featured 11 strikeouts. The two-time World Series MVP had gone hitless across his last seven games, also a career-high drought, dating back to an RBI single on May 6 at Yankee Stadium following a home run earlier in that same contest.
“I’m excited to see, really for the first time in some time, our group together. Still missing (second baseman) Josh Smith, but beyond that, we have not had our group together in a long time,” Chris Young, the team’s president of baseball operations, said before the game.
“Look at the past week, 10 days, and there have been a lot of positives with the way we’ve played,” Young said. “And now getting Corey and Wyatt back in this lineup, I think will be very big for us. I’m excited to see what that does for everybody.”
Prior to a defeat at St. Louis on Wednesday, the Rangers had compiled a five-game winning streak that represented their longest of the season.
Utility man Cody Freeman and outfielder Alejandro Osuna were sent to Triple-A Round Rock to create roster space. Utility player Sam Haggerty was designated for assignment after being activated from the bereavement/family medical emergency list.
Both Langford and Seager participated in two rehabilitation games together this week at Double-A Frisco. Langford had previously appeared in two contests with Round Rock.
“Definitely feel great. I feel like I’m in a really good spot,” Langford said before the game.
Seager, who was not available to reporters in the clubhouse before the game, had not appeared in a major league contest since May 13. At that time, the 32-year-old shortstop had started 42 of the Rangers’ initial 43 games. He indicated then that physically he felt “completely fine” after participating in all 24 games during a 27-day period.
The Rangers had a scheduled day off following that stretch and intended for Seager to receive additional rest by sitting out the series opener at Houston. However, he missed the entire series after experiencing back spasms upon waking one morning.
When Seager was placed on the IL, his batting average stood at .179 with seven homers and 20 RBIs. His 50 strikeouts represented 27.5% of his 182 plate appearances. He had managed just 6 hits in 61 at-bats (.098) with 23 strikeouts over his final 16 games.
During his initial rehab appearance Tuesday night, Seager recorded one hit in two at-bats with a single and handled two ground balls at shortstop. He went hitless in three at-bats on Wednesday.
Langford had posted a .238 batting average with one homer and four RBIs across 20 games for Texas before his injury designation. He went 2 for 10 with five walks during four rehab appearances.
HONG KONG (AP) — Humanoid robots manufactured in China are capturing attention with their capabilities to perform backflips, manage traffic control, and prepare coffee beverages, as manufacturers seek methods to grow and control the marketplace.
Chinese robot manufacturers report receiving thousands of purchase orders from government agencies and private companies for humanoids capable of tasks like package sorting at mail facilities, as the nation addresses challenges from an aging workforce and increasing labor expenses. Nevertheless, industry analysts suggest that consumer interest in humanoids falls behind manufacturing capabilities.
Both China and the United States lead research in what Morgan Stanley projects as a $5 trillion humanoid robotics industry.
In certain areas, America maintains advantages in creating artificial intelligence systems for advanced computational functions, or the “brains” of these machines. However, as the global manufacturing hub, China excels in large-scale production abilities, hardware component supply, and data collection for robot training purposes.
Matrix Robotics, a Shanghai-based company, produces AI-powered humanoid robots. Their primary model, called the “MATRIX-3,” measures approximately 5.6 feet (1.7 meters) in height and features hands capable of precise movements. Each unit sells for roughly $99,000.
Buyers for the company’s approximately 1,000 orders include coffee shop chains and hospitality businesses, according to founder and CEO Allan Zhang, a former Tesla employee, speaking at a robotics exhibition in Macao.
Matrix has manufactured only several hundred robots thus far, although the company states it can deliver 5,000 units this year based on order volume.
EngineAI, a company located in Shenzhen in southern China, reports its full-size humanoid robots serve as security personnel and museum tour guides. The robots also entertain through dance and boxing demonstrations.
Their basic humanoid model costs 180,000 yuan ($26,600). “The next step will be to move into more real-life scenarios,” said Issac Li, EngineAI’s head of brand and marketing.
Many humanoid robots remain demonstration-focused rather than practical, unable to operate effectively in chaotic, unpredictable settings, according to Samm Sacks, a senior fellow at the New America think tank focused on Chinese technology.
“The use cases of these robots are still so limited,” said Chibo Tang of the venture capital firm Gobi Partners, which invests in technology startups including robotics companies. “Without the demand and without that scale from the market, these companies are not able to really go into mass production.”
China operated more than 140 humanoid robot manufacturers producing over 330 models in 2025, per the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The Chinese government issued public warnings last year about potential industry speculation given slow commercialization and application progress.
Research institutions and corporate laboratories purchase humanoid robots for study purposes. In China, much of the more than 2 billion yuan ($295 million) in orders during 2025 originated from government-owned companies for deployment in power facilities, data centers, or entertainment venues, Morgan Stanley reported.
“The economics are tough: humanoid robots remain expensive to produce, fragile in operation, and dependent on highly structured environments to function,” Sacks explained. There’s “a long way to go to get to a level of functionality where people will actually feel comfortable having them in their homes providing care for elderly or children,” she said.
Industrial and logistics environments offer more realistic commercial opportunities, Sacks noted. However, numerous factories in China and other countries already utilize non-humanoid robotic arms for repetitive individual tasks and may not require additional humanoid robots.
Humanoid robot companies in Japan and the United States also face difficulties locating industrial and workplace customers.
Despite these challenges, real-world humanoid robot deployment in China has gained momentum over the past year.
Chinese citizens are comparatively “used to this rapid change in terms of technology,” said Ye Tian, an ex-Apple engineer and founder and CEO of the Chinese startup RoboScience, which focuses on developing the systems behind AI-powered robots.
With technological advancement, humanoids may handle heavy lifting and routine tasks in storage facilities, manufacturing plants, and shipping ports, according to Lian Jye Su, with the technology research group Omdia.
Humanoid robots can also address gaps in dangerous or repetitive work environments, Matrix’s Zhang explained. He envisions a “very large household market” for managing domestic tasks in hundreds of millions of Chinese homes.
In Beijing, freelance social media content creator Yang Ning recently tested a cleaning service featuring a helper robot with mechanical arms and hands. The machine handles basic tasks like shoe organization, clothing folding, and trash bag replacement, but works alongside a human cleaner.
Observing the robot arrange shoes at her entrance was “amazing,” she reported. However, she found the helper robot inefficient and “a bit too big and difficult to move around in a small house.”
Chinese humanoid robots represented approximately 85% of global production last year, per a recent Barclays research analysis.
Chinese companies benefit from substantial government backing, consistent with the ruling Communist Party’s 2026-2030 five-year strategy targeting technological frontiers, including humanoid robot development.
Among the more than 13,000 humanoid robots delivered in 2025, AGIBOT and Unitree, two leading Chinese robotics firms, each shipped over 5,000 units, while American competitors like Figure AI and Tesla shipped several hundred or fewer, according to Omdia.
Morgan Stanley anticipates China’s humanoid sales will more than double this year to approximately 28,000 units. Omdia predicts annual advanced robot shipments could exceed 1 million units by the early 2030s.
Several robot manufacturers claim profitability. Unitree reported 1.7 billion yuan (around $250 million) in revenue last year, earning over 278 million yuan ($41 million) in profit.
Manufacturers contend that increased humanoid robot production will reduce costs. Greater use of domestically produced components has made Chinese robots 20% or more less expensive than international alternatives on average, Morgan Stanley noted. The firm estimates average pricing could decrease to approximately $21,000 by 2050, down from $46,000 last year.
Some Chinese humanoid robots carried price tags below $6,000.
A Mercator Institute for China Studies report stated that while Chinese humanoids cost less than foreign-made versions, they remain “far too expensive for widespread deployment.”
Manufacturers face another obstacle in gathering sufficient quality data for robot training.
Wang Xiaogang, co-founder of Chinese AI software company SenseTime and chairman of ACE Robotics, said his organization collects extensive human-centered data from manufacturing, retail, and office environments to guide advanced robots in performing complex tasks.
For humanoid robots to master multiple functions, data from diverse scenarios in public and private locations with appropriate difficulty levels is required, explained Eric Guo, founder and CEO of Shenzhen-based AI² Robotics. However, massive scaling could require years to achieve.
“The mass production capability in (the) robotic area is still at the very early stage,” Guo said.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected sea trials of a newly repaired naval vessel and promised to rapidly expand his nuclear-armed maritime forces, according to state media reports Saturday. The military demonstration occurred just before Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to the country.
According to North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency, Kim visited the 5,000-ton destroyer Kang Kon on Thursday during capability testing operations. Images distributed by the agency showed him joined by his increasingly visible teenage daughter, who South Korean officials believe may be named Kim Ju Ae and could be preparing for a future leadership role.
Kim Jong Un urged “rapidly developing” maritime forces that could enhance the nation’s nuclear deterrent capabilities and deliver a “deadly blow at the enemy any moment under the water or on the water,” according to KCNA. He described naval expansion as a central component of a new five-year defense strategy endorsed at a ruling party congress this year, which involves constructing larger 10,000-ton-class destroyers and creating unspecified “underwater secret weapons.”
The news agency did not include any direct statements from Kim regarding Washington or Seoul despite ongoing tensions surrounding his nuclear programs and stalled diplomatic efforts. The announcement followed confirmation from North Korean and Chinese state media that Xi would arrive in North Korea on Monday, demonstrating Beijing’s continued efforts to strengthen relationships with its nuclear-armed ally. Recently, Kim has emphasized connections with Russia, particularly by providing troops and military equipment to assist Moscow’s conflict in Ukraine.
Xi’s visit was revealed one day after North Korea displayed what South Korea’s military identified as a new uranium-enrichment facility for nuclear bomb fuel production. During Kim’s visit to the undisclosed location, he promised to grow the country’s nuclear arsenal “at an exponential rate,” which analysts believe demonstrates his goal to solidify North Korea’s nuclear weapons status before Xi’s arrival.
Kang Kon represents the second destroyer North Korea revealed last year, following the Choe Hyon, whose construction Kim praised as significant progress toward extending his nuclear-armed military’s operational reach and preemptive strike abilities. State media reported these vessels are equipped to carry various weapons systems, including anti-aircraft and anti-ship armaments plus nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles, although some analysts doubt their combat readiness.
Kang Kon suffered damage during a failed launching ceremony in May last year at the northeastern port of Chongjin, prompting an angry response from Kim, who described the incident as “criminal.” North Korea announced Kang Kon was relaunched in June following repairs, but international experts question whether the vessel is completely operational. Kim has requested construction of two additional 5,000-ton-class destroyers.
President Donald Trump issued a presidential pardon Thursday for former U.S. Representative Stephen Buyer, who had received a 22-month prison sentence for insider trading violations.
Buyer’s conviction stemmed from illegal stock transactions he conducted in 2018 while serving as a consultant to T-Mobile US Inc during the company’s $23 billion acquisition of Sprint.
The White House made the pardon announcement on Friday.
A former world championship silver medalist in the 100 meters has been handed a 12-year ban from competition following his third violation of anti-doping regulations, according to an announcement Friday from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
Marvin Bracy-Williams, the 32-year-old American who earned silver at the 2022 World Championships, was penalized for three instances where he failed to properly report his whereabouts to testing officials. These violations took place on July 1, 2025, February 24, 2026, and April 1, 2026.
Anti-doping whereabouts rules mandate that athletes provide authorities with information about where they can be located for at least one hour each day to allow for surprise drug testing outside of competition.
Initial violations of whereabouts requirements typically result in suspensions lasting one to two years, with the exact length determined by how much fault the athlete bears. Since this marked the American runner’s third offense, he faced enhanced penalties ranging from eight years to a lifetime ban from the sport.
The 12-year suspension will begin after Bracy-Williams completes a 45-month penalty for separate anti-doping violations that he agreed to in November 2025.
USADA officials said Bracy-Williams informed the organization Friday that he plans to retire from competition. His suspension will remain in effect indefinitely unless he decides to return from retirement and complete the remaining portion of his penalties.
All competitive results achieved by Bracy-Williams on or after April 1, 2026, have been invalidated, resulting in the loss of any medals, points, and prize money earned during that period.
The American sprinter participated in the Enhanced Games earlier this year, a competition that permits athletes to use performance-enhancing substances prohibited in traditional events. He placed third in the 100 meters at the first Enhanced Games held last month in Las Vegas.
Milwaukee has placed southpaw pitcher DL Hall on the 15-day injured list following a left pectoral strain, announcing the move Friday along with other roster changes.
The 27-year-old Hall was among two Brewers relief pitchers who sustained injuries during Thursday’s 12-9 defeat to the San Francisco Giants at home.
During the fifth inning, Hall was seen hopping after delivering his 27th pitch of the contest. Following a consultation with Brewers manager Pat Murphy and Milwaukee’s medical staff, the southpaw was removed from the game.
This season, Hall has posted a 2.03 ERA across 24 outings, including one starting assignment. According to Murphy, Hall’s expected recovery period ranges from four to six weeks.
The second player hurt Thursday, Grant Anderson, who was struck by a line drive on his right forearm, received negative X-ray results and was observed participating in pregame activities before Milwaukee’s Friday contest in Colorado.
Milwaukee also placed right-hander Jake Woodford on waivers, while promoting left-hander Brian Fitzpatrick and right-hander Craig Yoho from Triple-A Nashville.
The 29-year-old Woodford has registered a 6.94 ERA through 16 outings. Fitzpatrick, 26, has made four big league appearances in his career, all during this season, posting a 1.59 ERA. Yoho, 26, previously pitched for Milwaukee last year, recording a 7.27 ERA across eight contests.
LOS ANGELES — During their annual Pride Night celebration on Friday, the Los Angeles Dodgers revealed a lasting tribute to two pioneering LGBTQ+ athletes, Glenn Burke and Billy Bean, who made history as the first Major League Baseball players to publicly acknowledge being gay.
The unveiling ceremony included family members of both former players and took place on the team’s 13th Pride Night, just before the Dodgers faced off against the Los Angeles Angels in their crosstown rivalry matchup.
“It’s brave of them in this day and age to spotlight someone in our community when other organizations are trying to erase us,” said Greg Baker, Bean’s husband.
Family members gasped with delight and clapped as organizers pulled away a blue covering to reveal the memorial beneath the left-field stands close to the team’s bullpen area. The tribute features both players’ uniform numbers — Burke’s No. 3 and Bean’s No. 40 — displayed on framed jerseys against a colorful rainbow backdrop. Burke’s section includes a colored image of his baseball card plus an action shot in black and white, while Bean’s portion shows two color photographs. Information panels detail their playing careers and lasting impact on the sport.
“He would be smiling, he would be so happy, he probably would be giving a high-five,” said Joyce Burke Henderson of Vallejo, California, one of Burke’s three sisters present at the event.
Burke broke barriers in 1982 when he became the first MLB athlete to reveal his homosexuality, making the announcement following his retirement. His professional career spanned from 1976 to 1979 with the Dodgers and Oakland Athletics. Burke and former Dodgers player Dusty Baker are commonly recognized for creating the high-five celebration after their hand-slapping gesture during a 1977 game.
Burke Henderson remembered how her brother initially concealed his sexual orientation before eventually deciding “he just didn’t care.”
“Nowadays the world is different and we need to conform to what’s going on,” she said. “As long as everybody is safe, they’re healthy, we don’t have the right to tell people how to live their lives. That’s up to them, but just respect that decision.”
Burke passed away in 1995 at 42 years old due to complications from AIDS.
Bean followed Burke’s example four years later, becoming the second major league player to disclose his homosexuality after retiring from professional baseball for four years. In 2014, Bean received an appointment as MLB’s inaugural ambassador for inclusion and eventually advanced to serve as the league’s senior vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion.
Bean received a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia in 2023 and died the next year at 60 years old.
“It never stops being emotional,” said Baker, who became visibly moved while speaking to attendees. “It’s so well-deserved. I’m so proud of him.”
Baker continues maintaining relationships with Bean’s relatives, including his mother and father Ed and Linda Kovac and three siblings who were present.
Baker expressed little surprise that more professional athletes haven’t publicly come out.
“I still think there’s a lot of work to do and I think that work is not necessarily like within the sports community. I think it’s within our community as a whole,” he said. “There’s always going to be homophobia, just hopefully there’s going to be less and less of it.”
Family members alternated taking pictures in front of the memorial wall and capturing their own photographs of the display.
“We still love him,” Burke Henderson said. “We just appreciate the Dodgers honoring him and Billy Bean, too. We knew Billy Bean. They were both great guys.”
CHICAGO (AP) — Third baseman Matt Chapman put together a historic offensive performance Friday, driving in eight runs to match an elite group of San Francisco baseball legends including Willie Mays.
The 33-year-old veteran delivered his fourth career grand slam along with a three-run blast and a sacrifice fly, setting a personal record for RBIs in San Francisco’s commanding 18-3 victory over the struggling Chicago Cubs. Chapman’s eight-RBI showing matched the franchise record for the San Francisco era, a mark first achieved by Mays on April 30, 1961, following the team’s move from New York in 1958.
Five other Giants players have reached the eight-RBI milestone: Orlando Cepeda in July 1961, Brandon Crawford in July 2019, Joc Pederson in May 2020, and Wilmer Flores in May 2025.
“I feel like I’ve been doing a good job with runners in scoring position and I’ve been having a lot of opportunities with guys on base,” said Chapman, who is in his 10th major league season and third with the Giants.
Chapman’s grand slam came during San Francisco’s six-run fourth inning rally, connecting off Edward Cabrera despite light rain conditions. The ball just cleared Wrigley Field’s left-center basket.
His sacrifice fly contribution came in the fifth inning.
The second home run highlighted San Francisco’s explosive seven-run sixth inning. Chapman connected on Ethan Roberts’ sweeper down the middle, launching the ball 432 feet to left field where it collided with an electronic advertisement sign above the bleachers.
The grand slam marked San Francisco’s second in consecutive games and sixth of the season — all coming within the team’s most recent 18 contests. According to the organization, the Giants became just the sixth MLB franchise in history to record six grand slams within a 20-day span or shorter.
Chapman noted that his two homers at Wrigley completed his quest to homer in every major league stadium.
“I got Sacramento (the Athletics’ temporary home) in Triple-A, so we’ll count it,” he said. “But this was my last one, so that’s cool.”
Willy Adames and Casey Schmitt also contributed two home runs each, while Jonah Cox added a solo shot after coming in as a pinch hitter. The Giants secured their third consecutive victory with a 19-hit offensive explosion, following Thursday’s 20-hit performance in a 12-9 triumph at Milwaukee.
Chapman’s season statistics now include four home runs and 31 RBIs with a .241 batting average. His career-best campaign came in 2019 with the Athletics when he earned All-Star honors with 36 homers and 91 RBIs.
“I haven’t been doing anything different over the last week,” Chapman said. “We went to Milwaukee and I hit that home run (on Monday) and then got a few more hits yesterday, so I felt like I was starting to feel more comfortable in the box.
“I feel like I’m on time, getting good swings off and then today just showed up and just kept trying to repeat it and, you know, the power showed up a little bit.”
Despite the offensive surge, San Francisco remains at 26-38 and sits deep in the NL West division standings.
“We didn’t have many guys swinging the bat early and it seems like everybody’s kind of come alive at a similar time,” Chapman said. “The quality of at-bats have been really good.”
BOSTON (AP) — A federal court judge ruled Friday in favor of 20 Democratic states, temporarily blocking the Trump administration’s attempt to require states to meet various new conditions in order to receive billions in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program dollars.
U.S. District Judge Myong Joun issued a preliminary injunction in the case that contested the funding requirements. The contested conditions include limitations concerning “gender ideology,” “immigration,” and “fair athletic opportunities” for women and girls.
The judge indicated he would release a written explanation of his ruling at a later time.
The states contended in their legal challenge that the Agriculture Department has “thrown unconstitutional and unlawful roadblocks between the programs created by Congress and the States that rely on them, threatening critical nutrition support, vital agricultural research, and the safety of our national food chain and communities.”
Government attorneys fought against the preliminary injunction, stating in their legal documents that “these new requirements would help promote the sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars, strengthen USDA’s control and oversight of obligated funds, and ensure that grant recipients comply with federal laws, regulations, and policies.”
SNAP serves as a crucial component of America’s social safety net, providing grocery assistance to approximately 39 million Americans, roughly 1 in 9 people. Recipient numbers dropped by almost 4.3 million between January 2025 and January 2026, based on preliminary government statistics from the Agriculture Department. Analysts attribute the decline primarily to new requirements established by a comprehensive tax and spending reduction measure that Republicans advanced through Congress last summer.
Ukrainian officials reported that five civilians lost their lives during three separate Russian strikes in the southern Kherson region on Friday.
Regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin announced on Telegram that a bombardment targeting a district within Kherson city resulted in the deaths of three elderly residents in their 70s and 80s, whose remains were discovered inside their damaged residences.
According to Prokudin, another assault on a fuel station located north of the city claimed one life and left seven others wounded. Additionally, an evening drone attack in a village also situated north of Kherson resulted in the death of one man.
The Kherson region represents one of four territories that Russia claimed as its own six months following its 2022 military invasion of Ukraine.
During the initial phase of the invasion, Russian military forces seized control of large portions of the region, though Ukrainian troops later regained significant territory, including Kherson city itself. Areas under Ukrainian control face regular Russian bombardment.
Across the border in Russia’s western Belgorod Region, which frequently experiences Ukrainian strikes, local authorities reported that a Ukrainian drone hit a vehicle close to the border, resulting in the driver’s death.
Independent confirmation of these incidents by Reuters was not possible. Both Russia and Ukraine maintain they do not intentionally target civilian populations.
A 44-year-old man has been charged with murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of veteran Hollywood actor James Handy, according to prosecutors who filed the charges on Friday.
Michael Gledhill, who was taken into custody on Wednesday, could face up to 26 years behind bars if found guilty, officials with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.
According to law enforcement, Gledhill approached police officers near the crime scene in Los Angeles’ Tarzana neighborhood on Wednesday and informed them he was the person they were seeking.
The incident began when authorities received an unusual 911 emergency call from a man who stated: “I am the son of man. I just killed the man of sin.”
When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered an 81-year-old man lying unconscious on the front yard of his girlfriend’s residence with a stab wound to his chest. Medical personnel later declared him dead at a local hospital, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Authorities noted that Gledhill resided at his mother’s residence.
The deceased was subsequently confirmed to be Handy, a well-known character actor who built an extensive filmography with supporting parts in “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” “Arachnophobia,” “Jumanji,” “Unbreakable” and “Logan.”
His most recent film role was portraying an elderly bartender named Jimmy in a establishment visited by military fighter pilots in the 2022 Tom Cruise blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick.”
Throughout his career spanning back to the 1970s, Handy made appearances in numerous television productions, frequently taking on roles as law enforcement officers or figures of authority.
Authorities characterized the incident as isolated but have not revealed any potential reasons behind the attack. Gledhill was scheduled for his initial court hearing on Friday, though it remained unclear if he had secured legal counsel.
This killing represents the second notable celebrity stabbing death in Los Angeles within a six-month period. In December, actor-director Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer-producer Michele Reiner, were killed at their Brentwood mansion. Their younger son, Nick Reiner, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder for their slayings.
A federal court has stopped the Department of Agriculture from cutting off billions in federal funding to states that won’t follow Trump administration policies on immigration enforcement and transgender issues.
U.S. District Judge Myong Joun issued a preliminary injunction on Friday after attorneys general from 20 states and Washington D.C. challenged the funding requirements. The judge, who was appointed to the Boston federal court by President Joe Biden, said he will release a detailed explanation of his decision later.
“These grants are a lifeline — I’ll always fight to protect food assistance for families,” Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell wrote on her Bluesky social media account following the court victory.
Neither the Justice Department nor the Department of Agriculture provided immediate responses when asked for comment.
This court decision represents another legal setback for the Trump administration’s efforts to tie federal grant money to the Republican president’s policy agenda.
The coalition of states and the capital district argued that the new Trump requirements threatened Congressional funding designed to provide meals for low-income families and support agricultural producers. States receive over $74 billion each year from the Department of Agriculture.
Late last year, the Department of Agriculture announced that states would need to verify compliance with federal “policies” to continue receiving funding. The attorneys general claimed this requirement was unclear and would force states to follow unrelated directives from Trump executive orders addressing “gender ideology,” immigration matters, transgender athletes, and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
According to the plaintiffs, the Department of Agriculture’s new conditions could impact nutrition assistance including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the food stamp program, school meal programs, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. They argued the Department of Agriculture exceeded its authority by imposing these new requirements, which they claim violate the Constitution’s Spending Clause and were implemented without following proper legal procedures.
The Trump administration maintains that since states must follow federal antidiscrimination laws and regulations to receive funding, the same principle should extend to other “policies.”
The lawsuit is titled Commonwealth of Massachusetts, et al., vs. U.S. Department of Agriculture, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts under case number 1:26-cv-11396.
Legal representation for the states includes Nita Klunder from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, Vikas Didwania from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, and Brian Bilford from the California Department of Justice. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is represented by Michael Fitzgerald from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
The American League Most Valuable Player race has been completely transformed following an injury to New York Yankees star Aaron Judge that will keep him out of action for an extended period.
Judge, who has claimed AL MVP honors in each of the past two seasons, is dealing with a stress fracture in his right rib. Though doctors expect him to return before the season ends, the injury effectively eliminates any chance of capturing a third consecutive MVP award.
Houston Astros power hitter Yordan Alvarez has emerged as the new betting favorite, with BetMGM listing him at +140 odds. Through Friday’s games, Alvarez was posting a .316 batting average alongside 21 home runs and 44 RBIs, while accumulating a 3.1 WAR. His 1.077 OPS currently tops all of Major League Baseball.
Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. holds the second-best odds in the race. Even as the Royals have struggled through a difficult first half, Witt has maintained a .281 average with nine home runs, 26 RBIs and an impressive 3.8 WAR, while also providing exceptional defense.
Both Alvarez and Witt lead the MVP conversation despite their teams’ poor records. Kansas City entered Friday with the AL’s second-worst mark at 25-38, while Houston sat just slightly better at 28-36.
Judge’s Yankees teammate Ben Rice has emerged as another strong candidate, hitting .300 with 17 homers, 44 RBIs and a 2.6 WAR. His 1.030 OPS ranks second in the majors behind only Alvarez. Rice benefits from playing for one of the American League’s top teams and will likely see increased opportunities with Judge sidelined.
BetMGM has Rice listed at +300 odds, with Athletics second-year first baseman Nick Kurtz following at +850. Kurtz has built on his impressive rookie campaign by hitting .284 with 11 home runs, 43 RBIs and a 2.3 WAR across 61 games.
Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez rounds out the top contenders with +2200 odds.
San Antonio faces a challenging situation following their collapse from a 14-point advantage in the opening game of the NBA Finals.
Rather than holding a 1-0 series lead and being championship favorites, the Spurs dropped the contest, surrendered their home-court edge, and now trail as series underdogs.
Despite this setback, they enter Game 2 as a consensus 6.5-point favorite at home Friday evening. A victory would send San Antonio to New York with the series even. A defeat would put the Spurs at risk of not bringing the series back home for Game 5.
BETTING LINES & PATTERNS
DraftKings shows nearly even moneyline wagering, with San Antonio receiving 52% of total bets. Meanwhile, New York as 6.5-point underdogs has attracted 58% of spread betting.
BetMGM opened the spread at 5.5 but moved it up a full point with New York drawing 60% of bets and 84% of the money. The Knicks’ +190 moneyline has also captured 75% and 60% of the action, respectively.
PLAYER BETTING OPTIONS
Knicks guard Josh Hart Under 11.5 Points (-120 at BetMGM) stands as the most popular player wager at the sportsbook, with Hart producing just 3 points in Game 1. This followed a 6-point effort in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, though he averaged 14.3 points during the four-game Cleveland sweep.
Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama 25+ Points (-203 at DraftKings) reflects expectations for a strong bounce-back performance from Wembanyama, who scored 26 points while shooting just 28.6% from the field in Game 1. He averaged 27.3 points during the seven-game Oklahoma City series and 26.4 points per game at home this season.
GAME DEVELOPMENTS
Jalen Brunson carried New York’s offense in Game 1, recording 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter. Brunson continued playing despite suffering right knee and left ankle injuries during the first half.
The Knicks closed Game 1 with an 11-0 surge to stun the Spurs on their home court.
San Antonio managed just 6-of-21 field goal shooting and turned the ball over five times while being outscored by 10 points in the final quarter.
While the Spurs roster includes many players experiencing their first NBA Finals, coach Mitch Johnson rejected the idea that inexperience caused their late-game struggles.
“Old teams make bad decisions, too, at the end of games,” Johnson said. “It’s looking at a picture, understand if you see that moving forward, whatever that pattern is, whatever led to that situation, if you can recognize it and make a better decision next time or understand maybe where there’s a better opportunity to look for an advantage, we’ll try to help them with that.”
Wembanyama’s 6-of-21 shooting performance perhaps best symbolized their downfall. The French star also turned the ball over six times.
He insisted the pressure of his first appearance on basketball’s biggest stage didn’t affect him. Wembanyama also received a message from legendary director of basketball operations Gregg Popovich regarding his performance.
“In the big lines, it was that I’ve been bad and I’m better than this,” Wembanyama said of what Popovich’s message entailed.
Wembanyama still managed 26 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots.
San Antonio guard De’Aaron Fox struggled significantly, scoring seven points on 3-of-13 shooting while frequently defending Brunson.
Fox acknowledged Thursday that his shooting must improve while emphasizing that Wednesday’s result represents just one loss.
“We know it’s a long series,” Fox said. “Obviously you want to win every game that you have on your home court, but it’s not the way it happens every day. We try to go in and fix the things we need to fix. Obviously we want a different outcome.”
OUTLOOK
The foundation exists for a compelling series, but only if San Antonio can recover to win Game 2. It would be challenging for them to perform worse than their collapse from 14 points ahead to a 10-point defeat Wednesday night. Prediction: Spurs 107, Knicks 103.
The former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has secured his position on California’s gubernatorial ballot for the November general election. Despite millions of votes remaining to be tallied, his identity as the top finisher has been confirmed.
The November opponent for Becerra remains undetermined as ballot counting continues across the state.
Argentine health officials announced Friday they are broadening their investigation into a deadly hantavirus outbreak that occurred on a cruise vessel last month, deploying research teams to capture and examine rodents in Mendoza province while awaiting laboratory findings from the southern city of Ushuaia.
Officials from Argentina confirmed that biologists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will participate in next week’s research mission in Mendoza.
The unusual outbreak aboard the MV Hondius resulted from the Andes hantavirus, an illness transmitted by rodents native to Argentina and Chile and considered the sole hantavirus strain capable of human-to-human transmission under certain circumstances.
Tracing the transmission pathway presents significant challenges, and Argentine officials acknowledge they may never determine precisely where the initial known patients — a Dutch couple who perished in April — became infected before joining the cruise in Ushuaia. However, specialists believe understanding this outbreak will provide crucial insights into how this uncommon virus spreads and offer important guidance for future disease management.
While repatriated cruise passengers from over 20 nations have disembarked and entered specialized isolation facilities, disease investigators are analyzing the 11 confirmed hantavirus infections, including the movements of the three fatalities, to gain better insight into the transmission sequence.
Argentine researchers are attempting to trace the Dutch travelers’ journey, suspecting the shipboard virus originated from the man’s contact with rodent waste during their months-long journey through Argentina and Chile prior to the vessel’s departure. The standard incubation time before symptoms manifest is approximately three weeks but may last up to eight weeks.
Following news of the outbreak, Argentina’s Health Ministry identified Ushuaia as a potential infection source and dispatched investigators from the Malbran government research facility last month to gather rodent specimens from various forested locations surrounding the city.
Local officials in the tourism-reliant city of Ushuaia, known for its position at “the end of the world,” have strongly contested claims that the virus began there. Although the Andes hantavirus affects several dozen individuals annually in Argentina’s northern Patagonian areas, it has never been found in Ushuaia or the broader Tierra del Fuego archipelago.
The Health Ministry stated Friday that laboratory results from those examinations are still pending to establish whether the couple became infected in that location.
Ministry officials announced Friday that experts from Malbran, working alongside U.S. colleagues from the CDC, are preparing to examine rodents for hantavirus in Malargüe, Mendoza from June 8-12.
A representative from the Malbran Institute verified that the Dutch couple traveled through Malargüe while driving across the wine-producing Mendoza region toward the northeastern Misiones province during their final portion of travel in Argentina.
Malbran’s director, Claudia Perandones, conducted meetings with CDC investigators in Argentina on Friday regarding the operation, which she explained will require teams wearing extensive protective gear to collect blood specimens from deceased rodents and transport samples to the primary laboratory in Buenos Aires for analysis. Officials indicated test results may require up to one month.
The World Health Organization has emphasized that due to limited transmission risk, the hantavirus will not develop into a pandemic concern.
Nevertheless, the Andes hantavirus has generated worldwide alarm because of its fatality rate, reaching as high as 30%, and the present absence of treatments and preventive vaccines.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Xavier Becerra has secured his position in California’s general election for governor on Friday, following a campaign where he promoted his extensive background as the best choice to govern the country’s largest state by population and take over from the current Democratic governor.
Drawing upon his extensive career spanning more than three decades in government roles — including positions as the state’s top legal officer and federal health secretary — Becerra made the case that his qualifications surpassed those of other candidates in the competitive race.
“I am ready to lead the fight to uphold California’s promise to make sure we have the governance worthy of our gifts,” he stated during his election night remarks.
The identity of Becerra’s opponent in the upcoming general election remains uncertain. His primary competition included Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News commentator who received backing from President Donald Trump, and Democrat Tom Steyer, a wealthy environmental advocate who invested $215 million of his personal funds into his bid.
Initially, Becerra’s political effort struggled to build momentum in its early stages. However, circumstances shifted when a leading Democratic candidate, Rep. Eric Swalwell, faced allegations of sexual misconduct and withdrew from the contest, creating space for Becerra to unite Democratic voters behind his candidacy.
Becerra has pledged to continue California’s role as a primary opponent to President Donald Trump’s policies. In his previous role as attorney general, he initiated over 120 lawsuits against Trump’s first presidency, challenging policies ranging from immigration enforcement to environmental regulations.
Throughout the campaign, opponents questioned his performance as health secretary during the coronavirus outbreak and the crisis involving unaccompanied migrant children in 2021, when his department oversaw facilities housing these minors. Critics pointed to substandard conditions at some locations and inadequate screening of potential guardians for these children.
Should he win the election, Becerra has announced plans to issue emergency declarations targeting expensive energy costs and housing availability while implementing a moratorium on home insurance rate increases.
Despite California’s reputation as one of America’s most ethnically diverse states, nearly every previous governor has been a white male. Becerra’s election would mark the first time a Latino has held this position since the 1800s.
Current Governor Newsom cannot run again due to constitutional term restrictions preventing a third consecutive term.
California Democratic Rep. Doris Matsui has secured her position on the November general election ballot following a primary contest against a younger member of her own party.
The 81-year-old representative successfully defended her congressional seat after being challenged by Mai Vang, a Sacramento City Council member. Matsui has served in Congress since 2005, when she took over the Sacramento-area district following the death of her husband, former Rep. Bob Matsui.
Her primary battle represents part of a broader pattern this election cycle, with several veteran Democratic lawmakers facing challenges from younger candidates seeking to unseat them. The identity of her November opponent remains undetermined as vote counting continues.
The California primaries are playing a crucial role in shaping the upcoming fight for control of the House of Representatives, while also measuring whether Democrats can capitalize on five potential seat gains following successful redistricting efforts last year.
Democratic leaders promoted the redistricting initiative as a response to Republican map-drawing strategies in GOP-controlled states like Texas, where boundaries were redrawn to favor conservative candidates.
Prior to Tuesday’s voting, Democrats expressed concern that California’s unique primary system could backfire on them. The state’s format advances the two highest vote-getters to the general election regardless of party affiliation, raising fears that Democrats might be excluded from districts they specifically designed to favor their candidates.
Those worries proved unfounded in one key race, as San Diego City Councilwoman Marni von Wilpert successfully advanced to face Republican Jim Desmond, a San Diego County supervisor, in a suburban San Diego district. However, Democrats still face the possibility of being shut out in another district located in Sacramento’s surrounding areas.
In a separate redrawn district spanning Orange and Riverside counties in Southern California, Republicans maintain an advantage. GOP Rep. Ken Calvert has earned his spot in the November election for the 40th District, though his opponent has yet to be determined. Calvert endured a challenging primary battle against fellow Republican Rep. Young Kim, who was placed in a new district containing areas Calvert previously represented due to Democratic redistricting efforts.
San Francisco saw a different outcome, where a well-funded progressive candidate failed to secure one of the top two positions for retiring Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s seat. State Sen. Scott Wiener and San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan will compete to succeed the former House speaker.
In the Central Valley region, Republican Rep. David Valadao, considered among the most at-risk House Republicans, awaits word on whether he will face centrist Democrat and Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains or progressive political science professor and school board member Randy Villegas this fall.
Multiple contests remain undecided due to California’s characteristically lengthy vote-counting process, where mail-in ballots from traditionally Democratic areas are tallied later, often reducing early leads held by conservative candidates on election night.
Trump previously used the extended counting period to make unfounded fraud allegations and repeated those claims Thursday, stating his Justice Department would launch an investigation into the state’s procedures. A federal prosecutor visited Los Angeles’ primary vote-counting facility on Friday.
The NCAA revealed on Friday that four members of Alabama State’s 2024-25 men’s basketball roster violated sports betting integrity rules.
Amarr Knox, Shawn Fulcher, Corey Hines and Tony Madlock participated in game fixing during their December 5, 2024 matchup against Southern Miss, where the Hornets lost 81-64 despite Southern Miss being favored by six points.
According to NCAA enforcement interviews with Knox, Fulcher connected the four teammates with known gamblers through a group chat. Madlock told the bettors he was hurt and wouldn’t participate in the contest. The gamblers then offered the quartet $2,000 collectively to manipulate the outcome, which the players agreed to and received payment for.
The Hornets actually held a 33-30 advantage at the break, but managed just 23 successful shots out of 71 attempts (32.4%) throughout the contest, while Southern Miss connected on 30 of 60 shots (50%).
Alabama State went on to win seven of their last eight regular season contests, claimed the SWAC tournament championship and beat Saint Francis in the 2025 NCAA Tournament’s First Four round.
Knox scored the decisive basket with one second left on the clock, securing the program’s first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament win.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania indicted the bettors in January 2026 on wire fraud and sports bribery charges. Hines and Fulcher, who refused to cooperate and gave false statements to enforcement officials, also face federal indictments.
Madlock, whose college playing career had ended, refused to speak with enforcement personnel.
All four players sat out last season from college basketball. Without help from an NCAA institution, Hines, Fulcher and Knox are permanently barred from reinstatement.
American military forces targeted Iranian surveillance installations on Saturday after intercepting unmanned aircraft that Tehran had directed toward the Strait of Hormuz, according to military officials, marking another escalation in the ongoing regional conflict.
Military officials believe the four unmanned aircraft were aimed at shipping vessels in the area, a U.S. official confirmed to Reuters. U.S. Central Command announced on X that American forces subsequently targeted Iran’s monitoring facilities located in Goruk and Qeshm Island, both positioned along the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States and Iran have been conducting mostly indirect diplomatic talks aimed at reaching a temporary agreement to end the three-month conflict, with more complex issues like Iran’s nuclear program set aside for future discussions.
Under any potential agreement, Tehran seeks access to billions in petroleum revenues, relief from crude export sanctions, removal of American port restrictions, and control over the strategic waterway. Iran has effectively shut down the strait, which previously handled approximately one-fifth of global oil shipments before hostilities began.
U.S. President Donald Trump faces increasing domestic pressure over rising fuel costs to conclude the unpopular conflict. He informed NBC that although most of Iran’s drone and missile production capabilities have been eliminated, Iranian forces retain access to roughly one-fifth of their missile arsenal.
“They have some missiles, they have some drones. I would say percentage wise, maybe 21%-22% of their missiles. It’s a lot of missiles, but it’s not what it was when we first attacked,” Trump told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” program, according to excerpts released by the network on Friday.
When questioned about why Iranian leadership hasn’t been more willing to negotiate despite their reported desperation, Trump responded:
“Because they are strong. They’re proud. There are things they never thought they’d be doing that they’re going to have to do, they’ve got no choice, and it takes a little while.”
Israel and the United States initiated the conflict with military strikes against Iran in late February.
In related fighting in Lebanon, the Iran-backed militant organization Hezbollah announced Friday that it had conducted two operations against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, including near the recently seized Beaufort Castle, while Lebanese security officials reported Israeli air attacks on multiple southern Lebanese communities.
Iran has renewed its backing for Hezbollah while insisting that Israel pull back from southern Lebanon. Tehran has established a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah as a prerequisite for any peace agreement with Washington to resolve the regional conflict, now in its fourth month, and resume maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
The current round of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel began in early March, two days following the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. Hezbollah stated its operations were conducted in solidarity with Tehran.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem this week turned down a U.S.-mediated agreement between Israel and the Lebanese government to end the Lebanese fighting. The proposal failed to include Israeli withdrawal provisions and Hezbollah had been excluded from the diplomatic process.
Israel has continued its operations in southern Lebanon, declaring that its forces would not retreat or suspend activities in the country despite growing tensions with the United States.
Lebanon’s parliament speaker and Hezbollah ally Nabih Berri stated Friday he would support the organization’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon provided Israeli troops simultaneously departed territory they control in the country.
Beyond Lebanon, civilians in Gaza, northern Israel and Kuwait have all experienced attacks this week, despite U.S.-arranged ceasefires that Trump described as involving “shooting in a more moderate manner”, rather than a complete cessation of hostilities.
A former cabinet secretary from the Democratic party, Xavier Becerra, is expected to qualify for California’s November gubernatorial election following this week’s primary voting, according to projections from U.S. news organizations announced Friday.
The projection comes after Tuesday’s primary election results in California, with media outlets analyzing the vote totals to determine which candidates will advance to the general election in the fall.
Federal agriculture officials have verified a second instance of the dangerous screwworm parasite in Texas on Friday, discovered just miles away from the initial case that marked the first U.S. detection in decades.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the parasite was found in Zavala County at a cattle operation located 5.6 miles from where the original case was identified on Wednesday.
News outlets had reported the second confirmation earlier Friday through industry sources before the USDA officially announced the infection involved a one-month-old calf.
During a Friday press briefing, Rear Admiral Michael Schmoyer, associate administrator for USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, had initially stated that only one affected animal had been found.
This latest discovery comes after the original identification occurred near La Pryor, a community located approximately 30 miles northeast of the Mexican border. The development represents a concerning turn for cattle producers who have been bracing for the parasite’s potential arrival as it has spread northward through Mexico during the past year.
The screwworm consists of parasitic flies that lay eggs within open wounds or mucous membranes of animals with warm blood. Once the eggs develop into larvae, they burrow into living tissue where they consume the host, potentially resulting in death without proper treatment.
Prior to Carolina’s dramatic rally, prior to Vegas needing a clutch goal with just over a minute remaining to force overtime, and prior to Seth Jarvis finding the net in the extra period, Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final was marked by an eerie quiet.
The enthusiastic fans who had been thunderous at the series opener sat in shocked silence as their cherished team was held scoreless through 40 minutes for the first time since mid-January. With under 15 minutes on the clock, they faced the possibility of a devastating 2-0 deficit that historically only five teams out of 55 have managed to overcome for championship glory.
The wild sequence that unfolded concluded with Carolina claiming victory in thrilling style, transforming this matchup into a genuine battle between two elite NHL franchises. The third contest takes place Saturday evening in Las Vegas.
Should it mirror the opening pair of games, fans should prepare for more surprises ahead.
“It’s obviously a new series, a five-game series now,” said defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who leads the Hurricanes with three points so far in the final. “A lot of emotions throughout the games, too. For almost 50 minutes there it’s kind of low, and then kind of even, then really high, then low again, and then high. It’s a roller coaster for sure.”
This championship round is developing into something resembling a seesaw, featuring dramatic shifts in momentum. This marks the first Cup final in NHL history where both opening contests included comeback victories of multiple goals.
Carolina has become the first squad in 82 years to claim victory in a final game when trailing by multiple goals inside the last 10 minutes of regulation time. That achievement also makes Vegas — which trailed by two in the series opener — the first franchise since 1944 to surrender such an advantage.
“The sport of hockey is funny that way,” Golden Knights center William Karlsson said Friday. “I think that’s why we all love it. It can go either way at any times …. But it’s hockey. It’s a game of mistakes, and it’s bound to happen.”
The Hurricanes, who dominated their first three playoff rounds with 12 victories and only one defeat, have encountered a worthy opponent in Vegas, which became apparent in the opening game. What has also emerged is that neither squad will allow themselves to be overwhelmed for a complete evening, despite periods where one team controls play.
“It’s going to be hard to play your best game — that’s the point,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “It would be great if you could do it for the whole 60 minutes. But it’s probably not going to be that way because they’re a very, very good team.”
Counterpart John Tortorella emphasized that again before he and his team flew home, insisting he likes where Vegas is at two games into its biggest challenge yet this postseason. The Golden Knights have stolen home-ice advantage and get to play the next two on The Strip, where Tortorella can better control matchups.
“There’s no difference,” Tortorella said. “We’re going to play. We know how to play. We know how we want to play.”
Carolina understands their approach as well, which they demonstrated during the closing moments of Game 2. Logan Stankoven ignited the rally, Mark Jankowski maintained the momentum, and Jordan Staal converted on a power play following Tortorella’s unsuccessful goaltender interference challenge that became a pivotal moment.
Naturally, Vegas’s control for most of the opening two periods and early in the third demonstrated why they have been so dominant since Tortorella assumed control in late March. Brind’Amour recognized the atmosphere surrounding his squad was more positive than it might have been without the comeback, though neither team should expect to feel overly confident for extended periods in such a series.
Players are welcoming this as part of the excitement.
“This is exciting,” Jarvis said. “This is what playoff hockey’s all about is tight games and momentum swings, and you never really know what’s going to happen next. I don’t think you can ask any more of a playoff series.”
President Donald Trump stated Friday that he remains open to speaking directly with Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, despite China’s public warnings against such contact with the leader of the island nation that Beijing considers its territory.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump initially floated this possibility last month following his meeting with President Xi Jinping in Beijing. He mentioned wanting direct communication with Lai while considering whether to approve a $14 billion weapons package for Taipei that received congressional authorization earlier this year.
When questioned Friday about his plans to contact Lai, Trump responded, “I’ll always talk to him,” indicating the phone conversation remains under consideration.
A direct conversation between current American and Taiwanese presidents would represent the first such communication in many decades, prompting Beijing to discourage Trump from pursuing this course of action.
In a statement to the Associated Press this week, the Chinese embassy in Washington warned that such contact could damage progress in the sensitive U.S.-China relationship. They called on the Republican administration to “handle the Taiwan question with utmost prudence” and “avoid sending wrong signals” to leaders of the democratically governed island that China considers a breakaway province.
Trump previously angered China when he accepted a congratulatory phone call from Taiwan’s then-President Tsai Ing-wen following his 2016 election victory but before assuming office.
While Trump has discussed potential direct contact with Lai, he has shown more caution regarding the major weapons package for Taiwan after hearing Xi’s concerns during their Beijing meeting. Although Congress approved the arms deal in January, it still requires Trump’s final authorization.
Last month, the president described arms sales with Taiwan as a “negotiating chip” in his administration’s Pacific region strategy.
During their recent Beijing summit, Xi cautioned Trump that the “Taiwan question” represents the most critical issue in China-U.S. relations, warning that the two countries will “have clashes and even conflicts” without careful management of this matter, according to Chinese officials.
Trump’s discussions with Xi regarding Taiwan arms sales appeared inconsistent with U.S. policy guidelines known as the Six Assurances. These non-binding principles, established in 1982 under President Ronald Reagan, have helped shape the U.S. relationship with Taipei, according to policy experts.
The second principle of the Six Assurances declares that the U.S. “did not agree to consult with the People’s Republic of China on arms sales to Taiwan.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers during congressional hearings earlier this week that the United States’ Taiwan policy remains unchanged.
However, Trump’s statements have introduced uncertainty into the U.S.-Taiwan relationship, according to Craig Singleton, a China expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
“Trump’s comments about Taiwan arms sales as a negotiating chip, combined with uncertainty around a possible Lai call, have created more ambiguity than Taipei would like,” Singleton explained. “The real test is not the rhetoric. It is whether the pending arms package moves, and on what timeline.”
Should the phone call occur, Lai has indicated he would stress to Trump that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are vital for global security, while arguing that China acts as the “destroyer” of the strait’s peace.
Lai also said he would inform Trump that Taiwan’s growing defense spending responds to threats, and that purchasing U.S. weapons would be essential for maintaining strait stability.
Washington severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979 as part of recognizing the People’s Republic of China, and the Chinese have responded forcefully to other high-level U.S. engagements with Taiwan’s leadership.
Following an August 2022 visit to Taipei by then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and five other Democratic lawmakers, China conducted extensive military exercises that included firing short-range ballistic missiles over the island.
Under the “One China” policy, the United States acknowledges the Chinese position that Taiwan belongs to China, while maintaining informal U.S. relations with the self-governing island.
Simultaneously, the U.S. has committed to ensuring Taipei has defensive capabilities, though Washington maintains strategic ambiguity about how far it would go militarily to counter Beijing if it chose to take Taiwan by force.
Following Trump’s Friday remarks, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington restated its position that it plans to “maintain close contact” with the U.S. on arms sales and other matters.
“We will leave it up to the U.S. to announce if there’s any arrangements for President Trump to speak with President Lai,” the office stated.
China would consider a phone conversation between Trump and Lai more provocative than proceeding with the proposed arms sale to Taiwan, said Edgard Kagan, a former U.S. ambassador to Malaysia and senior State Department official handling East Asia policy issues under Trump and President Joe Biden.
Kagan noted the significance of Trump continuing to publicly suggest such a call remains possible after China warned the U.S. administration against a Trump-Lai engagement.
If Trump decides against phoning Lai, he might create opportunity to advance new arms sales for Taipei while reducing backlash from Beijing, said Kagan, who now serves as the China Studies chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
“This could give him the room to announce an arms sale, defuse the criticism that the U.S. is turning its back on Taiwan, and do it in a way that leaves the Chinese feeling there was some respect for their views,” Kagan explained.
WASHINGTON — American forces destroyed four Iranian drones heading toward the Strait of Hormuz on Friday before launching retaliatory strikes against the Islamic Republic’s coastal radar installations, military officials announced.
According to U.S. Central Command’s social media statement, “The attack drones posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic.” The military action is part of ongoing enforcement of a blockade targeting Iranian ports as Tehran maintains control over the critical waterway used for worldwide oil and natural gas transport, causing energy costs to surge.
The incident represents the most recent exchange in a series of escalating attacks that have put pressure on the fragile ceasefire currently in place and complicated efforts to negotiate an extension of that temporary peace agreement.
Just days ago, Iranian drone strikes caused significant damage to a passenger facility at Kuwait’s primary airport, resulting in one fatality and injuring dozens of people while temporarily shutting down airport operations.
Even as these attacks fuel growing fears that the ceasefire might fall apart, Trump maintained his confidence this week that his administration remains positioned to bring the conflict to a successful conclusion.
“We’re going to win one way or another,” Trump stated to reporters Thursday in the Oval Office.
The administration has also highlighted the recent ceasefire agreement reached this week between the Lebanese government and Israel following negotiations facilitated by the United States in Washington. However, the Iranian-supported Hezbollah militant organization has refused to accept the deal, and both parties have continued launching new attacks.
The ongoing conflict in Lebanon, where Israeli military units have taken control of substantial portions of southern territory, also poses challenges to efforts aimed at ending the Iran conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has insisted that any permanent ceasefire must include Lebanon in its scope.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles announced Friday they have launched “multiple election fraud investigations” concerning California’s ongoing election process and dispatched a prosecutor to observe the county’s ballot counting facility.
These actions followed President Donald Trump’s unfounded allegations of widespread fraud in California’s extended vote tallying from Tuesday’s primary election. Mail-in ballots that typically favor Democratic candidates were still being processed, reducing vote margins for the president’s endorsed candidates seeking the governor’s office and Los Angeles mayor positions.
The statement from U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, who was appointed by Trump as the chief federal prosecutor for Los Angeles, along with the visit to the county’s ballot processing facility, represents an intensification of the president’s efforts against the Democratic-controlled state. California’s traditionally lengthy counting process has frequently attracted election conspiracy theories. Trump reiterated his concerns Friday during a roundtable event in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, making unsubstantiated claims that Democrats were manipulating the election.
“You look at what’s happening — it’s getting tighter and tighter and tighter,” he said. “And the people who were supposed to win, bad things are happening. It’s a crooked state.”
Trump has frequently characterized shifts in vote counts as late ballots arrive as evidence of fraud, though these changes simply reflect the ongoing counting of additional ballots.
Trump announced Thursday that his Department of Justice was examining the California counting process. By Friday morning, Essayli posted on X regarding active investigations without offering specifics, stating only that California’s elections contain “serious structural vulnerabilities.”
A federal prosecutor arrived at the primary ballot processing facility Friday morning, according to Mike Sanchez, a spokesman for Los Angeles County’s Registrar-Recorder. The attorney “was provided an overview of the public observation program, and participated in a walkthrough of the ballot processing operations,” Sanchez said.
He noted that “election officials routinely host observers representing a wide range of interests.”
This marks the second time Trump’s Justice Department has focused on California’s electoral process. Last fall, federal observers monitored polling locations in five counties, including Los Angeles, during the special election regarding changes to California’s congressional districts.
Republican Steve Hilton, Trump’s preferred gubernatorial candidate, also called Friday for major reforms to California’s election procedures, including restricting mail ballots to only voters who specifically request them instead of automatically sending them to all registered voters. He also proposed requiring Election Day delivery rather than the current seven-day acceptance period for ballots postmarked by the voting deadline.
Hilton acknowledged in an interview that federal prosecutors might possess information his campaign lacks, though his team has monitored the count without observing anything appearing unlawful.
“We certainly haven’t seen anything of that nature that would warrant legal action,” Hilton said.
Nevertheless, Hilton characterized the slow counting process as making California “a national and international laughingstock.” He suggested the state deploy emergency teams of government workers to California’s 58 counties to accelerate vote tallying.
Jesse Salinas, president of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officers, said he appreciated Hilton’s willingness to assist but deemed the proposal ineffective.
“It’d be more disruptive than helpful at this point,” said Salinas, who also serves as clerk and registrar for Yolo County.
Any individual handling ballots or counting equipment would require training from the same personnel working intensively to process mail ballots received Tuesday. Additionally, Salinas explained, his vote-counting facility has reached capacity with no space for extra personnel.
Hilton, endorsed by Trump, is competing against two Democrats for one of two positions on the November ballot. Reality television star Spencer Pratt, another Trump-backed candidate, is similarly vying with City Councilwoman Nithya Raman for the opportunity to face Mayor Karen Bass in the November election.
Since Democrats typically vote by mail and retained their ballots unusually late in this crowded primary, their votes are frequently counted after those of Republican-leaning voters who may have voted earlier. This pattern means Republican candidates often reach their peak performance in initial election night results, only to watch their advantages diminish over subsequent days or weeks as election workers finish processing late-arriving mail ballots.
World Cup attendees in the United States and Canada will now be permitted to bring one factory-sealed disposable water bottle into stadiums, FIFA announced on Friday. The announcement came just days after the soccer governing body stated that reusable bottles would be banned for safety reasons.
According to FIFA, spectators may bring one soft plastic bottle containing up to 20 ounces (590 ml) into the venues. However, the organization maintained that hard-sided and reusable bottles will continue to be forbidden.
FIFA Chief Operating Officer Heimo Schirgi explained that the restrictions stem from safety and security concerns, noting that bottles are among several items that could create hazards if hurled during matches.
The updated policy follows FIFA’s revision of its Stadium Code of Conduct earlier this week, which overturned previous guidelines that had permitted empty, clear reusable plastic bottles inside stadiums.
The initial ban had generated worry among fans about maintaining proper hydration during games, especially at locations where temperatures are projected to surpass 25 degrees Celsius.
FIFA announced that host cities will implement heat-reduction strategies around stadium areas, including water stations, misting zones and air-conditioned tents. The organization also stated that beverage costs within venues will match prices typically charged at other events hosted at these stadiums.
The World Cup begins on Thursday when Mexico faces South Africa at the Azteca Stadium.
Drivers traveling westbound on Lighthouse Road should expect lane restrictions today as construction crews have closed the right shoulder between Grays Lane and Laws Point Road.
The shoulder closure is part of ongoing construction activities in the area and is expected to remain in place until 3 PM today.
Motorists are advised to use caution when traveling through the work zone and allow extra time for their commute.
A food distributor has pulled a popular pancake and waffle mix from Puerto Rico stores after discovering the product contains milk and soy ingredients that weren’t listed on the package label.
Ballester Hermanos announced the voluntary recall of a limited number of 5.99-ounce bags of Pearl Milling Company Original Pancake & Waffles Complete mix distributed throughout Puerto Rico.
The company issued the recall because the pancake mix contains undeclared milk and soy, which could trigger serious reactions in consumers who have allergies or severe sensitivities to these ingredients.
People with milk or soy allergies who consume products containing these undeclared ingredients face potential health risks ranging from mild reactions to severe allergic responses.
Israel’s security cabinet chose not to proceed with a vote on a ceasefire proposal Thursday following public opposition from Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informing ministers that “at the moment there is no agreement.”
The framework, which emerged from Israel-Lebanon discussions in Washington, calls for creating security zones in Lebanon free of Hezbollah presence and mandates the organization’s withdrawal from territories south of the Litani River.
Meeting participants reported that Netanyahu informed ministers Israel remained waiting for Hezbollah’s formal acceptance of the framework before presenting it to the government for consideration.
“At the moment there is no agreement,” Netanyahu stated, according to those present at the meeting. “Hezbollah opposes it, and therefore I am not bringing it for a decision. If it agrees, I will bring it for your approval.”
Cabinet members decided against voting on the framework after becoming aware of Qassem’s dismissal.
The Hezbollah leader had condemned both the plan and the negotiation process that created it earlier Thursday.
“The result of the direct, humiliating and disgraceful negotiations is rejected by broad parts of the Lebanese people,” Qassem stated.
He additionally criticized the framework, declaring, “The Washington declaration conditions the basic principles that America and Israel want, toward the subjugation of Lebanon to the Greater Israel project.”
The cabinet session occurred while fighting continued in southern Lebanon. Ministers learned during their meeting about the death of Capt. Eitan Shmuel Lamberg, an Armored Corps officer killed in southern Lebanon.
Reports from Ynet indicated that news of Lamberg’s death strengthened some ministers’ resistance to the ceasefire framework during their discussions.
Meanwhile, Ynet reported that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich contended that securing a ceasefire under present conditions would constitute a major achievement.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir participated in just the beginning of the cabinet session and offered limited comments, according to officials with knowledge of the proceedings who spoke to Ynet.
Israeli military officials confirmed Friday that they eliminated Abed Harb, the leader of Hezbollah’s engineering operations, during a military strike in Lebanon.
Israeli forces stated that Harb supervised the engineering division and participated in operations directed against Israel Defense Forces personnel deployed in southern Lebanon.
Military officials explained that Harb led the engineering division responsible for creating and positioning explosive devices designed to injure Israeli soldiers operating in southern Lebanon.
Israeli forces also disclosed that their air force targeted a rocket launcher that Hezbollah had used to attack troops in southern Lebanon. Military officials released video documentation of the mission and confirmed the attack took place during nighttime hours.
These military actions followed a Thursday meeting of Israel’s security cabinet to review a framework developed during diplomatic discussions between Israel and Lebanon in Washington. The proposed agreement would create security areas in Lebanon free of Hezbollah presence and mandate the organization’s retreat from regions south of the Litani River.
Cabinet members did not proceed with a vote on the framework following its rejection by Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem.
Meeting attendees reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed ministers the framework would not advance for approval without Hezbollah’s formal acceptance.
Netanyahu stated, according to meeting participants: “At the moment there is no agreement. Hezbollah opposes it, and therefore I am not bringing it for a decision. If it agrees, I will bring it for your approval.”
Earlier Thursday, Qassem criticized both the framework and the diplomatic process that created it.
Qassem declared: “The result of the direct, humiliating and disgraceful negotiations is rejected by broad parts of the Lebanese people.”
During the cabinet session, ministers received notification of the death of Capt. Eitan Shmuel Lamberg, an Armored Corps officer killed in southern Lebanon.
According to Ynet, news of Lamberg’s death increased resistance among certain ministers to the ceasefire framework being considered.
The session ended without any vote, as Israeli military actions in Lebanon persisted.
An annual religious gathering in Jerusalem proceeded as planned despite concerns it might need postponement due to regional conflicts and travel disruptions.
Israeli lawmaker Ohad Tal had doubts about whether the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast could take place just two weeks before the scheduled event. Fresh intelligence reports from a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee session highlighted ongoing regional tensions and severely limited flight availability into Israel.
The yearly religious conference typically attracts Christian delegations and political figures from multiple countries who come to show solidarity with Israel. This year’s gathering faced the same unpredictable circumstances affecting daily life throughout Israel.
Despite the challenging conditions, international visitors managed to reach Jerusalem for the event, which was held in a parliamentary auditorium. The gathering maintained its traditional focus on faith-based support for Israel, though this year’s message carried additional weight given the current regional climate.
Flight restrictions and security concerns had threatened to prevent many international participants from attending, but organizers ultimately succeeded in bringing together the diverse group of Christian leaders and government officials for the prayer event.
The United Arab Emirates has unveiled a sweeping national program aimed at transforming how the country handles its enormous textile waste challenge, as officials seek to prove whether a nation synonymous with shopping centers and rapid consumption can build a functioning circular clothing system.
The program, called Naseej or the National Initiative for Textile Circularity, was established following directives from President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The effort comes as the UAE produces an estimated 220,000 metric tons of textile waste annually. Officials hope to establish a comprehensive national framework for gathering, reusing, recycling, and minimizing textile waste by connecting government departments, companies, researchers, recyclers, community groups, and shoppers.
Systems designed for circular textiles work to maintain clothing and materials in active use as long as feasible through reselling, repairing, redistributing, upgrading, recycling, and waste reduction.
While that objective sounds straightforward, implementing it proves far more complex. Throughout the UAE’s sustainable fashion and textile recovery network, business leaders and advocates generally praise Naseej as a significant national initiative. However, they caution that recycling by itself cannot resolve the issue unless the nation establishes convenient collection networks, promotes reselling and repair services, curtails excessive consumption, and develops domestic capabilities to process materials that currently have limited disposal alternatives.
Yet, information made public thus far leaves major uncertainties unresolved: whether Naseej will result in permanent community collection locations, mandatory goals, brand responsibilities, sustained funding, enforcement tools, or industrial-scale recycling plants.
Naseej unites the National Projects Office, the Ministry of Economy and Tourism, Emirates Foundation, Tadweer Group, researchers, companies, and community partners to address collection, recycling, consumer patterns, regulation, and circular business approaches. In concrete terms, the program is anticipated to support national initiatives, enhance collection and recycling infrastructure, advance trial projects, and help establish markets for circular textile solutions.
Development of the program started during COP28 and included agreements with partners throughout the textile industry, including fashion companies, manufacturers, recyclers, research organizations, and community groups. Its initial public event, “The Fabric of Possibility,” is planned for June 5 to 7 at Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi before comparable events spread to other regions of the country.
For Jennifer Sault, founder and managing director of Thrift for Good, the emergency is already apparent in the amount of unwanted clothing flowing through the UAE.
“An estimated 220,000 [metric] tons of clothing is going into landfill currently in the UAE. This is by a recent report that just came out on Naseej, the National Initiative for Textile Circularity,” Sault told The Media Line.
Sault explained that fast fashion has worsened the issue by promoting increased production and making clothing simpler to treat as throwaway. According to the UN Environment Programme, 92 million metric tons of textile waste are generated worldwide annually. The organization has also referenced Ellen MacArthur Foundation research showing that clothing production increased twofold from 2000 to 2015, while garment usage duration decreased by 36%.
“Clothing sustainability has become a growing concern, not just in the UAE, but globally, as producers and consumers shift more to fast fashion,” Sault said.
The environmental issue, she explained, involves not only the amount of thrown-away clothing but also the materials used to make that clothing. Man-made materials like polyester come from fossil fuels, release microplastics, and can remain in the environment for decades or more, depending on circumstances. The European Parliament has referenced estimates that textile manufacturing accounts for roughly 20% of global clean water contamination, primarily from dyeing processes.
“What’s more disturbing is that clothing is being produced much more cheaply, which means that the resources that go into it are not as good for the environment,” Sault said.
She expressed worry about microplastics and chemical exposure.
“Plastics are leaching off into waterways in our systems, into our food chains,” she said. “So it’s not just the environment, but our health as well.”
The difficulty, those active in the industry explained, is that collection and recycling infrastructure have not matched consumption levels. Sault noted that Thrift for Good has developed an approach that maintains nearly all clothing it obtains in circulation through reselling, repairing, redistributing, stain removal, redesigning, upgrading, or recycling. However, the organization’s scope is minimal compared with the nationwide challenge.
“We have figured out how to be 99% circular with our clothing,” she said.
Nevertheless, she noted, the country lacks systems for many materials other than cotton.
“The cottons we can do here in the UAE, Landmark Recycling Center, does a great job and has a fair amount of capacity to take this,” Sault said. “But there’s still no system in the UAE for anything that’s not cotton. So polyester blends, other materials, those that are greatly soiled, shoes, bags, accessories, etc.”
That constraint reflects a broader worldwide challenge. Textile recycling proves technically challenging because many garments consist of mixed fabrics, which must be sorted and separated before their fibers can be reused. A cotton shirt, a polyester dress, and a mixed-fiber garment may each need different sorting, processing, and end markets. Recycling facilities also frequently demand strict fiber quality standards, and collection systems remain fragmented even in nations with sophisticated waste infrastructure.
Sault reported that Thrift for Good handles approximately 12 tons of clothing monthly. About one ton enters recycling, and roughly 400 kilograms will likely end up in landfills.
“We’re quite small in terms of the scale of what’s needed in the UAE,” she said. “We’re just a scratch on the tip of an iceberg.”
Circular fashion systems require investment before they minimize waste. Collection, sorting, transport, storage, repair, quality control, fiber separation, recycling technology, and markets for recovered materials all need funding. If resale profits are narrow and recycling cannot cover its costs, circularity can become reliant on subsidies, charity, or policy action.
Muhammad Virji, director of Universal Clothing and founder of Fashion Rerun and Efaar, praised Naseej as progress toward a more structured circular textile industry.
“It is an important step toward building a stronger circular textile industry and encouraging more sustainable use of clothing and textiles across the country,” Virji told The Media Line.
Virji’s efforts concentrate on the worth that continues in clothing after its initial use. He explained that discarded garments should not be automatically considered waste when they can still be reused, resold, upcycled, recycled, or sorted for different purposes.
“Many clothes and textiles still have value after their first use,” he said.
The practical obstacles, he explained, are awareness, convenience, and collection. Many shoppers may wish to make better decisions but do not know where to bring unwanted clothing or what occurs after they get rid of it.
“Making collection and recycling easier can help increase participation,” he said.
Virji noted that responsibility must be distributed among consumers, retailers, brands, policymakers, recyclers, and reuse companies. Consumers can maintain garments and use resale or recycling alternatives. Retailers and brands can educate customers and support circular programs. Government can connect partners and help establish the systems that allow those efforts to expand.
The UAE already has companies and community groups operating in resale, upcycling, recycling, sorting, and textile recovery, he explained. The following step involves linking them into a larger network.
“The opportunity now is to continue connecting these efforts so more textiles stay in use for longer,” Virji said.
His companies function across different phases of that network. Universal Clothing sorts and grades textiles so they can be directed to suitable uses. Fashion Rerun concentrates on resale. Efaar transforms existing textiles into new products through reworking and upcycling.
Araceli Gallego, founder of GoShopia.com and Fashion Revolution UAE country coordinator, described Naseej as a positive development because it acknowledges textile waste as a national concern. But she noted that circular fashion’s success will depend on whether the program moves beyond recycling and supports the community-level work that modifies behavior.
“The launch of Naseej is a very positive step for the UAE and an important recognition of the need to address textile waste at a national level,” Gallego told The Media Line. “At Fashion Revolution UAE, we believe circularity goes far beyond recycling.”
Gallego explained that Fashion Revolution UAE operates through clothes swaps, repair and mending sessions, styling masterclasses, workshops, and community events. The objective, she noted, is to extend garment lifespan and keep textiles out of landfills while providing consumers practical alternatives to purchasing new items.
“We also work closely with sustainable fashion designers, upcyclers, thrift shops, and stylists to promote more conscious ways of producing and consuming fashion,” she said.
Community programs remain small, but Gallego noted they are helping establish a culture around repair, reuse, and sustainable design. Each April, Fashion Revolution UAE conducts Fashion Revolution Week. In May, the group participated in Rooted at Alserkal Avenue, a community-led cultural program that combined art, creativity, and sustainable fashion through exhibitions, talks, and workshops.
“The UAE has a small but growing ecosystem of people and organizations contributing to textile circularity,” she said.
That challenge becomes more acute due to the UAE’s retail approach. The country’s malls make fast fashion highly visible, convenient, and accessible, while sustainable labels frequently lack comparable reach. High retail costs can favor large brands, keeping smaller sustainable businesses outside prime shopping areas.
“The UAE is home to some of the world’s most impressive malls, making fast fashion incredibly convenient and accessible,” Gallego said. “However, high retail rents often mean that only large brands can secure space, leaving many sustainable labels without a presence in these prime locations.”
Repair, resale, rental, and upcycling are growing, she noted, but they still lack the scale and convenience of purchasing something new.
The fast-fashion issue, the interviewees explained, is not whether people should stop enjoying clothing, but whether the system can make better choices simpler. Price, convenience, variety, climate, children outgrowing clothing, and limited access to affordable, sustainable alternatives all help explain why consumers continue purchasing fast fashion even when they understand the environmental costs.
That market reality is not exclusive to the UAE. Fast fashion remains dominant not simply because consumers ignore sustainability concerns, but because it offers price, access, variety, and convenience. Kristen Classi-Zummo, an apparel industry analyst at Circana, made a similar point in comments to The Washington Post about fast fashion and sustainability. Consumers often care about environmental benefits when other factors are equal, she noted, but a large price gap or lack of convenience can quickly change the decision.
“If they’re then seeing a big price difference or it is not convenient, then they won’t buy,” Classi-Zummo told the newspaper.
Gallego noted that consumers should be encouraged to purchase fewer but higher-quality items, extend garment life, support responsible brands, and make resale and repair part of ordinary shopping behavior.
“The solution is not necessarily to stop people from enjoying fashion, but to encourage more conscious consumption,” she said.
Virji described the same concept as product life extension.
“The focus should be on extending the life of clothing,” he said. “Supporting collection, resale, reuse, upcycling, and recycling helps ensure garments stay in use for longer and reduces unnecessary waste.”
Sault noted that consumers have influence through daily purchasing decisions, but she also emphasized that companies and policymakers must act where market incentives fall short.
“I truly believe that our dollar is our vote for the world we want to live in,” she said. “The companies we support are the legacies that we fuel and build.”
Government has a function, Sault explained, because recycling frequently does not cover its costs and cheaper products can push out more ethical alternatives.
“Companies, of course, should be responsible. They should offer fair, equitable products,” Sault said. “And policymakers, I think, have the responsibility to protect against consumers just going for the cheapest prices, and protect that there has to be a bare minimum of ethics in the products that we have available.”
Sault noted that fabric recycling is technically feasible but requires public support, financing, and systems that make economic sense.
“But recycling, it doesn’t really pay,” she said. “So I think there’s also a lot of space for governments to foster innovation, to fund recycling, to set up systems that make sense, to curb clothing from landfill long-term.”
Naseej appears designed to address some of these gaps by placing policy, research, collection, public outreach, and business innovation within one national framework. The more difficult test will be whether that framework becomes visible in daily life: collection points in neighborhoods, repair and resale options that can compete with malls, sorting facilities that can handle mixed textiles, and recycling capacity that extends beyond cotton.
Collectively, the interviewees noted that progress will depend less on slogans than on infrastructure: neighborhood collection points, sorting facilities, non-cotton recycling capacity, repair and resale options, and markets for recovered materials. Sault pointed to the need for recycling centers for non-cotton fabrics, shoes, and bags. Virji noted that success should be measured by how many textiles remain in circulation. Gallego emphasized that the first goal should be preventing waste before it is created.
Gallego also warned against depending on exports as a convenient outlet for unwanted clothing.
“Shipping waste elsewhere simply shifts the problem rather than addressing it,” Gallego said. “Instead, we should focus on building local capacity to manage, recover, and reduce the waste we generate within the UAE.”
Gallego noted that no single organization can solve a waste problem of this magnitude.
“We need collaboration between government entities, brands, retailers, recyclers, charities, educational institutions, communities, cultural organizations, and consumers,” she said. “In my humble opinion, the most successful solutions will be those that combine infrastructure, education, innovation, and community engagement.”
Virji described the same challenge as a value-chain problem.
“Strong partnerships are essential across the textile value chain,” he said. “Government provides leadership, private companies contribute expertise and infrastructure, community organizations support collection and awareness, and consumers participate.”
The UAE’s textile waste problem reflects a broader global contradiction. Fashion remains a major cultural and economic force, but its current consumption model produces waste that is increasingly difficult to ignore. Naseej gives the UAE a national platform to address that contradiction. The work of local actors such as Thrift for Good, Universal Clothing, Fashion Rerun, Efaar, GoShopia.com, and Fashion Revolution UAE shows that pieces of the circular model already exist.
The question now is whether those pieces can be connected, scaled, and made convenient enough to move circular fashion beyond committed consumers and into the habits of ordinary residents.
The next stage will show whether Naseej can turn awareness into infrastructure. Without that, Naseej risks becoming another sustainability campaign. With it, the country could move closer to a textile system in which clothing is not simply bought, worn, and forgotten, but kept in use long enough to retain its value.
Authorities in New Castle County have activated a Gold Alert as they search for a missing 46-year-old man from Middletown.
Police say Robert Ives disappeared from his home in the Bayberry community early Saturday morning. According to the New Castle County Division of Police, Ives was last observed departing his residence on the 200 block of North Bayberry Parkway at around 8:30 a.m. on June 5, 2026.
Investigators report that Ives left the area driving a gray vehicle, though the search notice appears to contain incomplete information about the vehicle description.
A Gold Alert is typically issued for missing adults who may be in danger due to age, health conditions, or other circumstances that make them vulnerable.
Anyone with information about Robert Ives’ whereabouts is urged to contact the New Castle County Division of Police immediately.
Former NFL superstar Randy Moss continues to make impressive catches, though now they’re happening on the water rather than the football field.
The legendary wide receiver, who holds the second-highest touchdown reception record in NFL history, has discovered his true calling after football involves pursuing freshwater bass from a fishing boat.
“That’s my passion right now. That’s my hobby. That’s my getaway. That’s my therapy,” Moss said.
After spending approximately nine months primarily at home receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatments to fight cancer, Moss gained a renewed appreciation for outdoor activities. Following the completion of his medical treatment last fall, his uncommon cancer type — located in the bile duct connecting the pancreas and liver — was declared to be in remission. Since then, Moss has frequently been found with fishing equipment in hand.
This longtime interest has evolved into what could be considered Moss’s third professional pursuit, alongside his return to ESPN as an NFL commentator for the 2025 season.
“I’m just excited to be able to showcase my talent and go out there and show people that I have something else other than football that I love,” Moss said.
World Bass Enterprises recruited Moss to work as an ambassador for “The Champions” competition scheduled for this fall in Hendersonville, Tennessee. This debut five-day tournament, located near Nashville, aims to crown a definitive champion in a sport currently split between two rival circuits. WBE was established this year by Brian Bird, a Texas entrepreneur and recreational fisherman who has become Moss’s fishing companion.
Meanwhile, Moss and his business associate, Andrew Grein, have been producing a documentary series called “Chasing 10.” The show features Moss fishing alongside famous guests as they hunt for the coveted 10-pound largemouth bass while sharing techniques and personal stories. Each season, he auctions a specially designed boat to support the Children’s Cancer Research Fund in Minnesota.
“I had to take a year off to be able to get myself back right, but my health is great,” Moss said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. “I still have my quarterly checkups every four months, my scans, but I just think that now that I’m back outside, this is one of the things that I couldn’t wait to see. I have the bass waiting on me, so I’m just a kid in the candy store having fun, man.”
The Champions tournament features a record-breaking $3.25 million total prize pool, with the victor earning $1.25 million from a field of 50 competitors — the top 25 from each of the sport’s two major organizations.
The Bass Anglers Sportsman Society — abbreviated as B.A.S.S. — operates the Bassmaster Elite Series. Major League Fishing manages the more recent Bass Pro Tour. For seven years, similar to the PGA and LIV divisions in golf, the world’s elite anglers have been separated into two competing groups. Moss has joined Bird’s mission to help reunify the sport and bring it to a broader audience.
“We both are trying to bring something that’s really positive to the sport of bass fishing,” said Bird, who sold his electrical construction services company three years ago and has invested his own money into the launch of the tournament. “It’s a good way for a family to spend time out in nature.”
The initial episodes of Chasing 10 were released on YouTube this week, featuring an energetic trip with the Kelce brothers and a gathering of former Minnesota Vikings receivers including Cris Carter and Jake Reed. During another filming session with Bird at a Texas lake, Moss excitedly landed the prized 10-pounder, likening the nervousness he experienced to the anticipation before a football play when he expected to receive the ball.
Moss initially learned fishing techniques while growing up in West Virginia alongside his older half-brother, Eric Moss, who passed away in 2019. Shortly after beginning his NFL journey in Minnesota in 1998, he met professional angler John Laub, who taught him bass fishing on the St. Croix River near the Wisconsin border.
“My first actual bass experience, I caught 20!” Moss said. “John, he was glowing. That’s the man who showed me bass fishing, and I haven’t looked back since.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott voiced alarm Friday about delays in launching a new facility designed to produce sterile New World screwworm flies, warning that waiting more than a year to begin operations could devastate the nation’s $113 billion cattle sector as flesh-eating larvae pose an escalating threat.
Abbott promised that Texas would assist the U.S. Department of Agriculture in fast-tracking construction of the $750 million production facility located outside Edinburg, Texas, approximately 20 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. He declared Texas is prepared to allocate state funds to ensure construction continues “24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Speaking at a news conference in the state capital of Austin, Abbott warned that without increased sterile fly production, “We cannot make it through a second summer.”
Federal agriculture officials this week verified an outbreak of New World screwworm fly larvae in a 3-week-old calf located in La Pryor, Texas, roughly 100 miles southwest of San Antonio and 50 miles from the Mexico border. This marks the first confirmed case in Texas since 1966.
The Texas facility represents the larger of two fly-production plants receiving USDA funding.
Additionally, the USDA allocated $21 million to modify a facility in southern Mexico, converting it from fruit fly breeding to screwworm fly production. That plant is scheduled to begin operations next month, ultimately generating 100 million flies weekly.
The Texas facility will span an area equivalent to two Costco stores, according to Rear Admiral Michael Schmoyer, a member of the USDA’s screwworm response team. The plant is designed to generate up to 300 million flies per week.
Authorities believe both facilities are essential to eliminate the fly from the U.S., Mexico and Central America.
Schmoyer noted that federal officials have already compressed the planning and construction schedule significantly — completing design work in months rather than a full year. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins indicated the USDA anticipates the facility could become operational ahead of its scheduled November 2027 launch date.
However, Abbott emphasized that Texas is committed to accelerating construction even further.
“This is going to spread over the course of the summer,” he said regarding the fly.
While untreated New World screwworm fly larvae infestations can be fatal to animals, a dozen government-approved treatments are now available for livestock. Federal and state authorities have emphasized that the fly’s larvae — which consume living tissue — do not contaminate meat or fruit.
“There’s a food production issue, but not a food safety issue,” Abbott stated.
Derrell Peel, a professor of agribusiness at Oklahoma State University, said beef supplies likely won’t be impacted unless authorities impose broader cattle movement restrictions or unless outbreaks occur in feedlots or other concentrated cattle operations. He doesn’t anticipate either scenario.
“It’s probably not a major market issue,” he said.
Consumers are facing record beef prices due to limited cattle availability, and Peel projects prices will climb higher when ranchers remove heifers from the supply chain to rebuild herds. However, he said the screwworm’s appearance in Texas “doesn’t change the supply fundamentals.”
Screwworm outbreaks in Mexico beginning in 2024 led U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to halt U.S. imports of Mexican cattle in May 2025. Mexican imports previously totaled approximately 1.2 million animals annually and declined roughly 80% last year, based on industry data.
But Peel noted that Mexican imports represented only about 3% of the U.S. cattle supply.
“It’s been just one more thing on top of others,” he said, not a primary price driver.
The New World screwworm fly plagued U.S. cattle ranchers annually during warm weather from at least the 1930s through the 1960s.
However, breeding sterile flies and releasing swarms from aircraft eliminated it from the U.S. by the early 1970s, except for a brief outbreak among deer in the Florida Keys in 2016 and a case confirmed in a Maryland man who traveled to El Salvador last year. Until an outbreak in Panama in 2023, the fly had been considered eliminated outside its remote, southernmost region bordering Colombia.
Females mate once during their monthslong lifespans, and when they breed with sterile males, their eggs fail to hatch after being deposited in open wounds and mucous membranes of warm-blooded animals, including cattle, wild mammals, household pets and humans.
After the U.S. and other countries eliminated the fly previously, they closed fly-breeding facilities until only one remained in the Western Hemisphere, located in Panama. It can generate approximately 117 million flies weekly.
However, previous elimination campaigns required roughly 500 million flies per week, said Schmoyer during Abbott’s news conference.
Schmoyer calculated that the USDA has already released 130 million flies in Texas since January, primarily from aircraft, with current drops totaling about 4 million weekly. The agency is also releasing another 4 million weekly on the ground as pupae, which are flies in the developmental stage between larvae and adult.
Despite deploying millions of flies, the USDA must carefully target where to release them, Schmoyer explained to reporters. Federal and state officials are utilizing scientific models to forecast the fly’s movement patterns.
“In essence, it’s not where the flies are today, but where they could be weeks from now,” he said.
The scientific approach includes trap deployment, and Texas State Veterinarian Bud Dinges said they’ve positioned traps up to 120 miles from La Pryor to track the fly’s movement.
Federal health authorities warn that the current Ebola crisis in Central Africa may balloon to 20,000 infections or higher, based on how effectively health workers can isolate sick individuals to prevent further transmission, according to fresh analysis from American disease experts.
On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released computer-generated projections showing potential outcomes ranging from 10,000 infections up to more than 20,000. Should the dire predictions prove accurate, the worst-case numbers could rival the most devastating Ebola crisis on record — the 2014-2016 West African epidemic that produced over 28,000 documented infections and claimed more than 11,000 lives.
“Without strong public health interventions, the modeling work suggests an outbreak of that scale is possible,” said Dr. Satish Pillai, incident manager for the CDC’s Ebola response, in a briefing with reporters.
Jennifer Nuzzo, director of Brown University’s Pandemic Center, said the modeling “affirms what we have worried about since the beginning: This outbreak is following dangerous trajectory” if more is not done to stop the spread of Ebola.
However, she warned that forecasting outbreak patterns can be exceptionally challenging. “I wouldn’t read too much into the specific numbers. It’s really hard to make an accurate projection when you have limited data,” she added.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday that approximately 400 confirmed infections have occurred, resulting in 63 fatalities. Health experts believe additional cases likely exist that remain undiagnosed or unreported.
The pathogens responsible for Ebola disease transmit through contact with bodily fluids such as vomit, blood and semen. No targeted treatments or vaccines exist for the Bundibugyo virus driving the current crisis. The illness frequently proves deadly.
The World Health Organization classified the outbreak as a global health emergency in May. Some specialists think infections may have begun in February, though health workers initially conducted tests for a different Ebola strain.
Response efforts have faced complications from armed conflict between Congo’s government and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, plus attacks by the Islamic State-affiliated group the Allied Democratic Force. The fighting has triggered massive population displacement in affected regions, authorities report.
Earlier this week, Nuzzo indicated the threat to the United States appears minimal. “I don’t think it’s a scenario that it’s going to come here and spread broadly,” she told reporters. The CDC supported that evaluation in Friday’s published analysis.
This assessment stems partly from U.S. government choices to prohibit entry of non-passport holders, plus green-card holders who visited Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the preceding 21 days. Additionally, American passport holders who traveled to those nations undergo health examinations and processing through four designated airports.
The CDC’s modeling study seeks to forecast potential developments based on various factors — including existing infection and death totals, plus response team effectiveness in rapidly identifying and isolating infected individuals before transmission to others occurs.
Assuming roughly 50 fatalities had occurred with about 20% of infected persons successfully isolated by late May, most simulations indicate at least 20,000 cases and 4,000 deaths will happen in Africa over three months.
Pillai noted the actual isolation rate remains unknown but is believed to fall “on the lower end of the scenarios” that CDC modeled.
Improved isolation rates of 50% or 70% might reduce case numbers closer to 10,000, CDC representatives stated. However, if actual May death counts exceeded current recognition, outcomes could worsen, CDC officials explained.
Some CDC projections during the major West African Ebola outbreak proved wildly inaccurate. The CDC released modeled figures in 2014, as the epidemic spiraled beyond control and international health authorities rushed to organize response measures.
The CDC predicted that in a worst-case scenario with no intervention, as many as 1.4 million people could become infected. That estimate exceeded actual results by more than 50 times.
Five FBI intelligence analysts were terminated Friday for their involvement in developing a controversial 2023 report that warned about potential violent threats from certain Catholic groups, according to three sources with knowledge of the dismissals.
The terminated employees included four intelligence analysts and one supervisory analyst, sources said. All sources requested anonymity since they were not permitted to publicly discuss personnel decisions. The FBI refused to provide comment on the matter.
The intelligence report was produced by staff at the FBI’s Richmond, Virginia office in January 2023 and quickly became a source of political controversy. Congressional Republicans frequently referenced the document as evidence supporting their claims that the FBI under the previous administration was unfairly targeting conservative Americans.
Former director Chris Wray consistently rejected those accusations, and the bureau stated the report was rapidly withdrawn while an internal investigation was initiated. The attorney general under President Joe Biden, Merrick Garland, stated he was “appalled” by the document.
These dismissals represent part of extensive staff changes implemented by Director Kash Patel, a Trump administration ally who has removed dozens of personnel over the past year. Those dismissed either participated in investigations involving the president or were viewed as incompatible with current administration priorities. The Justice Department has conducted similar widespread terminations of prosecutors since Trump assumed office last year.
In February, the FBI dismissed several counterintelligence agents who had worked on the investigation examining President Donald Trump’s possession of classified materials at his Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach, Florida.
The Richmond document, which originated from a domestic terrorism inquiry, attempted to analyze potential connections between “Radical Traditionalist Catholic” beliefs and extremists motivated by racial and ethnic hatred. The report warned about possible violence and identified what authors characterized as “new avenues for tripwire and source development.” FBI leadership swiftly criticized these conclusions after the document became publicly known.
An internal FBI examination detailed in a 2023 congressional letter, based on interviews with 26 individuals, “found that all individuals involved in the creation, review and approval of the product failed to adhere to analytic tradecraft standards and failed to recognize that the product, as drafted, equated the subjects’ interest in their self-described form of religion with racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist (RMVE) ideology without sufficient evidence or articulable support.”
The failure to follow proper standards, including correct domestic terrorism terminology, “created the appearance that the FBI conducts investigative activity based on religious affiliation,” the letter stated. “One of the FBI’s most fundamental principles is that investigative activity may not be based solely on the exercise of rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.”
A Justice Department inspector general report from 2024 summarized the previous FBI examination by noting that while there were violations of proper analytical procedures, “no evidence of a malicious intent or an improper purpose” were discovered.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump released a directive Friday instructing the nation’s military and security agencies to rapidly expand their artificial intelligence capabilities while emphasizing the importance of safeguarding constitutional rights and ensuring human oversight of autonomous weapons.
The directive emerges during a period of heightened concern about AI’s role in American life, spanning from workplace displacement fears to its application in military target identification. While the Trump administration pushes to harness AI’s potential for defense purposes, military officials and Pentagon contractors have expressed caution and advocated for protective measures.
The presidential directive was distributed to key Cabinet members, including the defense secretary, homeland security secretary, attorney general, and national intelligence director.
The order mandates an updated policy on autonomous weapons to address AI’s rapidly advancing capabilities. It instructs the Department of Defense “to ensure the deliberate adoption of AI systems that respect the chain of command and operational authorities.”
The existing policy, established in 2023 during the Biden administration, requires such weapons to be designed “to allow commanders and operators to exercise appropriate levels of human judgment over the use of force,” as documented by the Congressional Research Service.
The new directive also prohibits using AI to “censor free speech, embed ideological bias, or conduct unlawful surveillance against the American people.”
“The use of AI by the national security enterprise must always be consistent with United States civil liberties and protections afforded by the Constitution and laws and regulations safeguarding the privacy of American citizens,” the directive states.
The Pentagon has already been expanding AI implementation in recent years. The technology assists in reducing target identification and engagement timeframes while supporting routine operations like equipment maintenance scheduling, supply chain management, and logistics coordination.
However, civil liberties protection and human control over autonomous weapons have generated increasing concern. These issues became central to a conflict that developed this year as the Pentagon attempts to utilize American technology companies to enhance military AI capabilities.
Anthropic requested contractual guarantees that the military would not employ its technology for fully autonomous weapons or domestic surveillance. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated the company must permit any Pentagon uses deemed lawful.
Anthropic filed a lawsuit after Trump attempted to ban all federal agencies from using the company’s chatbot Claude, and Hegseth moved to classify the company as a supply chain risk, a designation designed to prevent foreign adversaries from compromising national security systems.
Military AI concerns intensified during Israel’s conflict with militants in Gaza and Lebanon, where American tech companies quietly supported Israeli target tracking efforts. The substantial civilian casualty count raised fears that these technologies contributed to innocent deaths.
Military leaders speaking at a special forces conference in Tampa, Florida, discussed AI benefits alongside the necessity for human safeguards.
Adm. Frank Bradley, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, told conference participants that forces “have to be very careful about how we come to (AI’s) employment and its inspiration into the delivery of lethality.”
Bradley described envisioning a future where AI selects targets but emphasized that “we, as humans, have to have the confidence that … it’s going to deliver violence only where we intend it to be delivered.”
The aerospace giant Boeing is examining whether it can push production of its popular 737 MAX aircraft to an unprecedented 70 units per month, company CEO Kelly Ortberg revealed during a Friday interview with CNBC.
“We’ll look at that to understand where our constraints are, what the resilience is of the supply chain, but that’s a study activity right now,” Ortberg said.
The aircraft manufacturer is currently in the process of boosting monthly production from 42 to 47 planes, while working toward its established target of 63 aircraft per month.
According to The Air Current trade publication’s Thursday report, Boeing is developing plans and evaluating whether its network of suppliers could handle the increased demand for the single-aisle aircraft at 70 units monthly.
Ramping up 737 MAX manufacturing is essential for Boeing’s path to financial stability following losses exceeding $30 billion in recent years and accumulating record-high debt levels.
The company has carefully increased production since resuming 737 manufacturing in December 2024. Following a door panel failure on a nearly new 737 MAX that exposed significant quality control and safety issues, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration imposed a production ceiling of 38 aircraft monthly. This restriction was removed in October 2025.
“We’ve made sure that we’re not moving (the rate up) until the production system is stable,” Ortberg said.
Following discussions with the FAA, Boeing announced in May its intention to increase monthly production to 47 units during the mid-summer period.
Ortberg informed CNBC that the company plans to begin work on the first aircraft at its new 737 manufacturing facility in Everett, Washington, on July 6.
This new production line plays a crucial role in the company’s strategy to advance 737 manufacturing to the subsequent phase of 52 aircraft monthly, according to Ortberg.
During an April first-quarter earnings call, Ortberg noted that suppliers will need to expand their capacity to accommodate Boeing’s increased manufacturing goals.
Meanwhile, European competitor Airbus has maintained its objective of producing 75 A320neo-family aircraft monthly but has repeatedly postponed this target due to supply chain limitations. The company anticipates reaching 70 to 75 units per month by late 2027, with intentions to maintain steady production at 75 units afterward.
Pope Leo departed Saturday for a seven-day journey to Spain, marking his inaugural visit to a European Union nation beyond Italy’s borders. The pontiff will dedicate a new tower at Barcelona’s renowned Sagrada Familia basilica and engage with migrants who endured perilous Atlantic crossings to reach European shores.
The Catholic Church’s first American leader is anticipated to attract substantial crowds during his June 6-12 journey, which encompasses destinations in Madrid, Montserrat Monastery, and the Canary Islands, a Spanish island chain located off Africa’s western coastline.
During his final destination, Leo, who previously drew criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump for condemning his immigration stance, will engage with migrants and organizations committed to assisting them.
According to Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican’s press office, the migrant situation holds deep significance for the pope. “These are people, and their stories must touch us,” Bruni stated.
Leo, who has recently adopted stronger rhetoric regarding global leadership trends, has scheduled over 20 speeches and will make history as the first pope to speak before the Spanish parliament.
Bruni indicated that during his Spanish visit, Leo will likely condemn ongoing global conflicts and advocate for dialogue to address increasing political and social division.
Before assuming the papacy last May, Leo served for decades as a missionary and bishop in Peru, and plans to deliver most speeches in Spanish during the visit.
However, when meeting migrants on Tenerife island, he intends to communicate in French since many originate from Francophone Africa.
Unlike many prominent Western nations, particularly Trump’s United States, Socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez’s administration has launched a comprehensive amnesty initiative, enabling approximately 500,000 immigrants to seek legal recognition.
According to the NGO Caminando Fronteras, over 3,000 individuals perished in 2025 attempting to reach the Canary Islands, frequently using improvised boats.
While Sanchez has received international praise for criticizing Trump, he faces domestic pressure from multiple corruption accusations targeting his party.
Following his Saturday morning arrival in Madrid, Leo will meet King Felipe and Queen Letizia at the Royal Palace and speak to diplomats and civic leaders.
On the same day, he will gather with young people in the plaza outside the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Real Madrid soccer club’s home venue, and visit a Catholic organization serving homeless individuals.
A Palestinian infant just seven months old died Friday evening after being struck by gunfire from Israeli forces in the Tel Rumeida section near Hebron in the West Bank, according to Palestinian health officials.
Health ministry officials named the child as Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, stating he died at the location of the incident. Both of his parents sustained injuries in the same shooting and are reported to be in moderate condition.
According to the child’s grandmother, the family’s vehicle had come to a stop after spotting Israeli military personnel and equipment ahead near Checkpoint 17. She described how gunfire was directed at their car, which the family first thought might be warning shots.
“One bullet struck my grandson, traversed his face and crossed his head, striking his mother’s cheek where it lodged,” she said, adding that the bullet had also grazed the father’s finger, and that the mother was in hospital.
Israeli military officials stated that during operations in the Hebron region on Friday, troops believed a vehicle was speeding in their direction, prompting one soldier to discharge individual rounds at the car. Military sources confirmed three Palestinians sustained wounds and received medical care.
A preliminary military investigation determined those hurt were “uninvolved civilians”, according to military statements, which noted the matter remains under examination with results to be forwarded to appropriate officials.
The Tel Rumeida neighborhood of Hebron, where Israeli settlers reside under significant military security alongside Palestinian families, has historically been a site of recurring tensions in the Israeli-controlled West Bank.
According to a European Union assessment from 2024, more than 700,000 settlers reside in East Jerusalem and the West Bank among a Palestinian population exceeding 3 million.
Marvell Technology will be added to the prestigious S&P 500 index, according to an announcement Friday from S&P Dow Jones Indices, causing the semiconductor company’s stock to jump 6% in after-hours trading.
The chipmaker will officially become part of the benchmark index later this month after successfully meeting a crucial profitability requirement amid a surge driven by artificial intelligence demand.
Starting before trading opens on June 22, Marvell will take the place of PoolCorp, a distributor of swimming pool equipment, in the index.
The inclusion became possible after Marvell achieved GAAP profitability during its December quarter and across its last four quarters combined, a standard the company had previously been unable to reach, which had prevented its inclusion in the index.
Shares of the company have increased more than threefold this year, benefiting from widespread gains in semiconductor stocks as investors anticipate explosive growth in AI-related demand.
Just this week, the stock climbed approximately 29%, partially driven by comments from the CEO of Nvidia, Jensen Huang, who described the chipmaker as the “next trillion dollar company.”
Both Marvell and its bigger competitor Broadcom specialize in creating customized chips for cloud computing companies’ particular data center requirements, a sector that has expanded quickly as major technology firms seek alternatives to Nvidia’s expensive and hard-to-obtain AI processors.
During its latest quarterly earnings report, Marvell projected that its custom chip division would exceed $10 billion in revenue by fiscal 2029.
The addition demonstrates how the artificial intelligence surge is transforming major U.S. stock indices, with semiconductor and data center infrastructure firms gaining larger representation as investors anticipate continued demand from cloud service providers and AI applications.
Joining the benchmark index will automatically generate purchases from index funds and exchange-traded funds that mirror the S&P 500, since passive fund managers must maintain holdings that match their benchmark allocations.
Delaware State Police’s Sex Offender Apprehension and Registration Unit (SOAR) has released public notifications regarding homeless and wanted sex offenders in the state.
Wanted Sex Offenders
SOAR is actively searching for several wanted sex offenders who have failed to register or re-register at their current address. Authorities are seeking information on the whereabouts of these individuals and ask anyone with knowledge of their location to call (302) 739-5882. Tips can also be submitted to Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) 847-3333. The individuals listed represent only a partial list of currently wanted sex offenders, with the complete roster available on the Delaware Sex Offender Registry website.
The wanted individuals include Shane Engelhardt, Charles Fulton, Christopher Gartner-Hunter, Tori Lied, and Michael Viscount. Complete profiles for each individual can be accessed by visiting the Delaware Sex Offender Registry website.
Homeless Sex Offenders
Additionally, authorities have issued notifications for homeless sex offenders who are not wanted for registration violations. These individuals have recently been reported as homeless, and police are requesting information if anyone knows they are residing at a specific address. The same contact numbers apply: (302) 739-5882 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) 847-3333.
The homeless sex offenders recently reported include Angel Burgos and Nikolai Ibach. These individuals represent only a portion of the current homeless sex offenders, with the full list available on the Delaware Sex Offender Registry website.
Citizens can access complete profiles and additional information about all listed individuals through the state’s online sex offender registry system.
The office of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued sharp criticism Friday against U.S. Vice President JD Vance following his remarks connecting immigration to the stabbing death of a British university student who was placed in handcuffs while dying from his wounds.
Eighteen-year-old Henry Nowak lost his life after Vickrum Digwa stabbed him in Southampton, England last December. Digwa, a Sikh man, gave false statements to authorities claiming Nowak, who was white, had launched a racist attack against him. Responding officers initially viewed the injured victim as a perpetrator before discovering his wounds and attempting life-saving measures.
The 23-year-old Digwa received a murder conviction for fatally stabbing Nowak with an 8-inch Sikh dagger and was given a life sentence this week requiring at least 21 years behind bars.
Anti-immigration groups and political figures have used the incident for their causes, though both Nowak and Digwa held British citizenship. Violence erupted Tuesday in Southampton when demonstrators, including far-right participants, threw chairs, cans, stones and flares at police officers during a protest regarding Nowak’s killing.
In a Friday post on social media platform X, Vance declared there should be “righteous anger” about the murder, attributing it partially to “the mass invasion of migrants, many of whom despise the West and the people who love it.”
Starmer’s office responded by condemning those “trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets.”
“The Nowak family are grieving after Henry’s horrific murder. They have said they do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension. We should be respecting their wishes,” the Downing Street statement read. “Our politics should bring people together even in the most terrible of circumstances. That is who we are as a country.”
Ed Davey, who leads the centrist opposition Liberal Democrats, stated “we all need to resist attempts like this to politicize Henry Nowak’s death and divide our country — whether they come from MAGA politicians like Vance or their cronies here in the U.K..”
Various politicians, including Nigel Farage who heads the hard-right Reform UK party, have argued the police handling demonstrates “two-tier” law enforcement that discriminates against white individuals within Britain’s justice system.
The U.S. State Department repeated the “two-tier” policing accusation in a Thursday X post, offering sympathy to Nowak’s family while stating that “Ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are glaring symptoms of civilizational decline.”
British officials dismissed the “two-tier” claims, which lack support from statistical data.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct, responsible for investigating police misconduct allegations, is examining how officers responded to Nowak’s stabbing incident.
Mark Nowak, the victim’s father, has emphasized the case involves neither racism nor religion, expressing his desire for his son’s death to promote street safety rather than generate “further division, hatred or tension.”
MEXICO CITY — Various activist organizations across Mexico are strategically timing their demonstrations to coincide with upcoming FIFA World Cup festivities, aiming to amplify pressure on government officials while the world’s attention turns to the country.
Members of the nation’s educators’ union, CNTE, have shut down major roadways throughout Mexico City this week, paralyzing downtown areas as they push for improved workplace conditions. The demonstrators toppled statues depicting World Cup football stars, forced entry into a government facility, and organized an impromptu soccer game on a blocked roadway Friday. Meanwhile, international tourists have started arriving in large numbers ahead of the competition beginning June 11.
“The proximity of the World Cup places a lot more pressure on the government,” explained Abel Escalante, a 52-year-old special education psychologist who journeyed from the southern state of Chiapas to demonstrate. He was among those blocking traffic near the city’s famous Angel de la Independencia monument Friday.
These demonstrations are occurring mere days before Mexico City welcomes the tournament’s opening ceremony for the competition jointly hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada. Beyond launching the event, the Mexican capital will share hosting duties with Guadalajara and Monterrey for multiple matches.
Additional social advocacy groups have seized upon the World Cup timing to intensify demands on Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration during a period when officials want to project a welcoming image internationally.
“This isn’t an event for the Mexican people. Tons of people are going to come, but they’re going to be people with all this disposable income. It’s for the elites. The few average people who do go will have to scrape together all the money they have to live off of,” Escalante continued.
Sheinbaum addressed the escalating demonstrations Friday morning, stating that “the door is open” for educators to enter negotiations regarding their requests for enhanced retirement benefits.
However, she noted that protester factions who had forcibly entered a government structure Thursday were attempting to provoke an aggressive response from officials, which she pledged would not occur. She guaranteed that Mexico’s central plaza, the Zocalo, which teachers attempted to occupy for a demonstration at May’s end, would stay accessible for World Cup activities.
Advocacy organizations have criticized Sheinbaum’s administration for emphasizing World Cup festivities over urgent social issues, including rising living expenses partly driven by international tourism and the nation’s crisis of forced disappearances.
Additional groups have scheduled demonstrations in upcoming weeks as celebrations prepare to begin. This builds upon Mexico City’s strong tradition of public protest, where labor unions and advocacy organizations frequently occupy public areas for demonstrations.
Demonstrations by families seeking their vanished relatives and rural educators demanding improved working conditions have intensified as local authorities have launched efforts to enhance the city’s appearance.
Municipal workers have painted bridges in vivid purple, planted orange Mexican marigolds throughout the city, and covered streets with cartoon images of axolotls, an endangered animal that has become Mexico City’s unofficial symbol.
During the previous weekend, families searching for missing loved ones posted photographs of disappeared individuals across the city and spray-painted messages beside one of the newly painted purple bridges.
“Mexico, champion of disappearance,” the graffiti stated.
The Pentagon made a major announcement Friday regarding religious recognition for military personnel, cutting the number of officially acknowledged faith traditions to 31 from a previous total exceeding 200 options.
Among the religious groups no longer appearing on the updated roster are atheists, Unitarian Universalists, pagans and Wiccans, who previously had separate designations available to service members.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell explained the rationale behind the changes in an official statement. “This decrease in religious affiliation codes is not designed to make any claims on the legitimacy of any faith or religious belief, nor is it intended to provide a list of ‘officially approved’ religions,” Parnell said. “Rather, it is designed to allow chaplains to quickly look at the religious composition of their units and determine how they structure resources to best provide for warfighters of all faith groups.”
Parnell emphasized that the department continues to support religious freedom and that chaplains help service members “ability to freely exercise their religion of choice, or no religion at all.”
The condensed roster groups various Christian denominations into broader categories such as Baptist, Presbyterian, and Methodist, without breaking down specific branches within these traditions that may have vastly different theological perspectives.
Military personnel retain options to select “no religion,” “other religions” or agnostic as their preference. The streamlined list continues to recognize Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, the Baha’i faith and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Unitarian Universalist Association expressed concerns about being excluded from the revised list. “This may make it more difficult for our uniformed UUs to access the spiritual care that they need,” the organization stated, adding that it’s developing plans to assist UU military members.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has openly incorporated his evangelical Christian beliefs into his Pentagon leadership, organizing worship gatherings for staff and frequently characterizing America as a Christian nation.
Hegseth initially revealed plans for these modifications in December, citing the unwieldy nature of managing such an extensive list of faith categories.
The Rev. Paul Raushenbush, a Baptist minister leading the progressive Interfaith Alliance, criticized the decision. “Secretary Hegseth is not ‘streamlining’ anything. He is elevating one narrow religious worldview from the top of the chain of command,” Raushenbush stated. “The First Amendment does not allow the government to create a hierarchy of faiths, and it certainly does not allow the Pentagon to decide which beliefs are worthy of recognition.”
Military demographics show religious diversity among personnel, with approximately 70% identifying as Christian based on a 2019 congressional analysis. Nearly 25% of service members fell into other, unclassified or unknown categories.
Irene Glasse, who practices paganism and served as a Marine Corps veteran, voiced concerns about the impact on minority faiths. “As a member of a minority religion, I think it’s really important that we be counted,” Glasse said. “It erases us, and so many of us have served so proudly, so well, and so honorably.”
WASHINGTON — The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has begun filling with water following renovations completed under President Donald Trump’s direction, which featured coating the pool’s interior in a darker hue Trump described as ‘American flag blue.’
The refilling process marks the completion of the renovation project that transformed the appearance of the iconic memorial pool.
America is preparing for a major celebration to mark its 250th anniversary this summer. However, the coordination efforts between two organizing groups have become heavily influenced by political tensions.
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is once again filled with water after completing an expensive renovation project ordered by President Trump to paint the basin “American flag blue.”
The weeks-long undertaking, which reportedly required millions of dollars to complete, involved resurfacing and repainting the entire pool structure before workers began the refilling process on Friday.
However, many tourists visiting the iconic Washington D.C. landmark are questioning whether the final results justify the significant expense, with several noting that the changes appear quite understated.
WASHINGTON – The leading Democrat on the U.S. Senate Banking Committee has raised serious questions about alleged bias and outside meddling at a key federal financial regulator.
Senator Elizabeth Warren sent a letter Friday to Michael Selig, the chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, expressing alarm over recent New York Times coverage that detailed claims of improper interference and preferential treatment for cryptocurrency and prediction market businesses.
Warren’s correspondence to Selig, who became chairman in December and currently serves as the only active commissioner on the typically five-person panel, referenced Times reporting and other coverage suggesting agency officials stepped in to help firms connected to Trump allies while retaliating against employees who resisted such efforts.
The CFTC did not provide an immediate response to requests for comment Friday. When contacted by The Times previously, the White House stated that President Trump has no conflicts of interest in these matters.
Under Trump’s leadership of the CFTC, cryptocurrency firms and prediction market operators have seen significant benefits, including the withdrawal of enforcement cases against these sectors and the development of regulations designed to encourage industry expansion.
However, lawmakers are increasingly examining the prediction market industry over potential insider trading violations.
The agency’s workforce has declined dramatically from last year to levels not seen since the 2008 financial crisis, while enforcement actions have similarly decreased.
“Taken together, these are concerning signs of a CFTC beholden to political pressures and interests of the wealthy insiders, unbound by the rule of law and failing to protect investors and market integrity,” Warren wrote.
A Danish pharmaceutical company announced Friday that its experimental weight-loss medication demonstrated better tolerability in clinical testing, potentially offering patients a more comfortable alternative to current obesity treatments on the market.
Zealand Pharma shared new data about its drug petrelintide, developed in partnership with Swiss company Roche, at the American Diabetes Association meeting in New Orleans. The results showed promising signs for patients who struggle with side effects from existing obesity medications.
Key findings from the mid-stage trial include:
• Just 1.5% of patients receiving weekly injections of petrelintide stopped their treatment because of stomach-related problems
• Digestive side effects that did occur were generally mild, with 19.6% experiencing nausea and 3% reporting vomiting, compared to 6.2% nausea in patients receiving placebo
• Less than 7.5% of participants in both treatment and placebo groups experienced diarrhea or constipation
• The medication also showed benefits for heart health, reducing inflammation markers, waist measurements, and triglyceride levels beyond what placebo achieved
Zealand previously announced in March that petrelintide helped patients lose up to 10.7% of their body weight over 42 weeks in a study involving 493 participants. However, those weight-loss results disappointed investors and caused the company’s stock value to drop significantly, particularly after a competing drug from Eli Lilly demonstrated up to 20.1% weight loss in similar testing.
The Danish company is working to establish itself in the profitable obesity treatment market by positioning its medications as having milder side effects than current leading treatments Zepbound and Wegovy, manufactured by market leaders Lilly and Novo Nordisk respectively.
Petrelintide works differently than existing blockbuster drugs. While Wegovy and Zepbound target the GLP-1 hormone to suppress appetite, amylin-based medications like petrelintide activate brain receptors and slow stomach emptying, potentially causing less severe side effects while better preserving muscle mass.
Roche obtained rights to petrelintide through a collaboration and licensing agreement worth up to $5.3 billion that was finalized last year.
A massive initial public offering from SpaceX is scheduled for next week, representing a crucial test for the ongoing U.S. stock market surge as investors remain cautious about potential market overheating.
Market indices dropped on Friday following robust employment figures that sparked concerns about aggressive monetary policy, while semiconductor stocks plummeted after their recent strong performance. The primary S&P 500 index recorded a weekly drop following nine consecutive weeks of increases.
Despite the decline, the S&P 500 remained approximately 8% higher in 2026, including a 16% recovery from its late-March yearly low.
“Nothing has stuck in terms of pessimism in the last two months,” stated Mark Hackett, chief market strategist for Nationwide. “There is just this underpinning of momentum, this insatiable appetite for tech holdings and just the technical buying spree that is really dwarfing almost all other inputs.”
During the upcoming week, market participants will examine new information regarding consumer and producer pricing, following the employment report that sparked worries the Federal Reserve might concentrate on controlling inflation, possibly resulting in interest rate increases. The approaching week also features earnings announcements from major technology sector companies, which has powered the market’s recent climb despite a negative week ending.
Several investors have been preparing for a halt, if not a decline, following the steep rally. Potential risks include the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran and the possibility of renewed energy price surges if Middle East conflicts escalate.
The space company led by Elon Musk plans to collect $75 billion, representing the largest amount ever sought in an IPO, through a transaction that would establish its worth at $1.75 trillion. Price setting is anticipated on June 11, with market trading beginning on the Nasdaq the following day.
The enterprise operates an uncommon and varied collection of businesses, encompassing rockets, satellite communications and AI computing. Including Musk’s involvement — the leader of Tesla and the globe’s richest individual — makes SpaceX’s worth challenging to determine, reaching extremely high levels according to certain measurements. The business recorded a net deficit of $4.94 billion in 2025, while revenue increased 33% to $18.67 billion.
The public offering might attract considerable attention from individual investors and offer another prominent method to access the AI market.
“We’ve got one of the biggest IPOs in history coming … which I think is the focus of everybody’s interest,” commented Jason Pride, chief of investment strategy and research at Glenmede. “The question mark surrounding it is whether it’s an indication of market froth.”
The SpaceX launch is anticipated to precede other large-scale IPOs in upcoming months from Anthropic and OpenAI, two leading AI companies. Anthropic, creator of the Claude chatbot, announced this week it has privately submitted documents for a U.S. IPO.
The SpaceX public offering represents “an important benchmark,” according to Matt Wittmer, a portfolio manager at Allspring Global Investments, noting that “the company itself will be playing in some of those key areas that people are looking for to find new secular growth opportunities.”
The May Consumer Price Index, scheduled for Wednesday, will reveal how increasing oil and gasoline costs are impacting inflation. A primary concern involves the degree to which elevated energy prices might affect other CPI elements, Pride noted, before the Federal Reserve’s meeting this month.
“The Federal Reserve is going to be watching this like a hawk,” Pride explained. “They’re going to want to see those pieces continue to remain stable and not increase as a pass-through from the energy and food prices.”
Following the energy price increase, futures markets are calculating a higher probability the Fed will raise interest rates this year instead of reducing them, after markets had expected equity-favorable rate decreases at 2026’s beginning.
Additional economic information next week includes Thursday’s producer price report.
Quarterly earnings from technology firms Oracle and Adobe will also receive attention. Technology has historically controlled the U.S. stock market, but the sector’s recent superior performance elevated it to over 39% of the S&P 500’s market value this week, representing its highest portion ever recorded.
The financial results will examine the technology trade’s durability and the software industry’s recovery, which suffered significantly early in the year due to AI disruption concerns. Oracle shares have risen more than 9% this year, while Adobe has declined 28%.
“Getting more data points from some of the AI value chain is going to be important,” Wittmer stated.
Marine scientists have completed an extraordinary year-long study tracking the movements and behavior of a whale shark they’ve named Larry, offering new insights into the lives of these gentle ocean giants.
The research, conducted by the Blue World Research Group, documented Larry’s journey through Gulf waters over the course of 12 months. Dr. Larry Spetka, a physician who serves as the shark’s namesake, was photographed swimming alongside the massive creature during a May 2025 encounter.
Whale sharks are the world’s largest fish species, known for their distinctive spotted patterns and filter-feeding behavior. Despite their enormous size, these creatures remain mysterious to scientists, making long-term tracking studies like this one particularly valuable for understanding their migration patterns and habitat preferences.
The comprehensive study provides researchers with crucial data about seasonal movements, feeding behaviors, and the environmental factors that influence whale shark activities throughout the year. Such information proves essential for conservation efforts aimed at protecting these magnificent marine animals and their ocean habitats.
A decade-old murder case in New Castle County remains open as investigators continue searching for leads in the death of a young man.
Twenty-four-year-old Jalan Hudson became the victim of a fatal shooting on June 5, 2014, in the Claymont area. Police officers were dispatched to the 700 block of Peachtree Road at around 9:20 that evening, where they discovered Hudson on the ground with injuries.
The incident occurred in the Fieldcrest Apartments community in the 19703 zip code area. Despite the passage of ten years, the case remains active as authorities seek information that could lead to an arrest.
Anyone with information about this cold case homicide is encouraged to contact local law enforcement.
A vehicle accident has forced authorities to shut down all southbound lanes of Route 1 at Silicato Parkway, according to traffic officials.
The complete closure is causing significant delays for drivers traveling in that direction. Motorists are advised to find alternative routes until the roadway can be cleared and reopened.
No additional details about the crash have been released at this time.
Authorities have released the identity of the teenager who lost their life in Thursday morning’s deadly single-vehicle accident in Bridgeville. Delaware State Police identified the victim as Kensley Ramirez-Ramirez, 17, from Lewes, Delaware.
Investigators with the Delaware State Police Troop 7 Collision Reconstruction Unit are still working to determine what caused the crash on Oak Road. Officials are urging anyone who saw the accident or has relevant details to reach out to Sergeant A. Mitchell at (302) 703-3269. Tips can also be submitted through a private message to the Delaware State Police Facebook page or by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) 847-3333.
Those affected by crime, sudden loss, or who witnessed traumatic events can access support through the Delaware State Police Victim Services Unit and Delaware Victim Center. Help is available around the clock by calling the toll-free crisis line at 1-800-VICTIM-1 (1-800-842-8461) or emailing [email protected].
NEW YORK — The final three correspondents at CBS’s embattled ’60 Minutes’ program have announced their decision to remain with the show, declaring they refuse to let the iconic broadcast disappear.
In a staff memo, Lesley Stahl, Jon Wertheim and Bill Whitaker revealed they struggled with whether to continue at the network following recent dismissals, but ultimately chose to stay put.
“Here’s why we are staying: We don’t want to see ’60 Minutes’ die,” the trio stated in their joint message, which The Associated Press obtained on Friday.
The correspondents voiced frustration about recent staff cuts ordered by Bari Weiss, CBS News’s new editor-in-chief, and Nick Bilton, the executive producer she brought in last week. Bilton took over from Tanya Simon, who was dismissed after more than three decades with the program, along with correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega and other senior staff members. Scott Pelley was subsequently terminated this week following a heated exchange with CBS News leadership.
“We want to express how sorry we are that these principled, fair and honest journalists were treated so shabbily, with such indecency,” the three correspondents wrote. However, they indicated they are “working to build trust” with Bilton and kept the door open for potential future departures if necessary.
“If we can continue doing the work that made this show what it is — committing acts of independent, fearless journalism and storytelling — we’re here for it,” they stated. “If not, we leave.”
“Here’s to Season 59!” their message concluded.
Convincing the three to remain represents a vital achievement for Bilton as he works to stabilize the program ahead of its September season premiere.
The broadcast now faces a shortage of four correspondents. Beyond the three who were let go, Anderson Cooper — whose main role involves on-air duties at CNN — announced earlier this year he would depart voluntarily after two decades.
Challenges at “60 Minutes” have been mounting for over a year. Many stem from President Donald Trump’s legal action against the program regarding its editing choices in a 2024 interview with then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
This controversy became part of wider changes at CBS News after Weiss received her new editor-in-chief position from parent company Paramount late last year, following David Ellison’s emergence as the network’s corporate chief.
Ellison’s company, Skydance, combined with CBS parent company Paramount, which subsequently resolved the Trump legal matter for $16 million. This decision frustrated some at “60 Minutes” and indirectly contributed to last month’s exit of popular longtime CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert, who had described the settlement as “a big fat bribe.”
CBS News has served as a cornerstone of American broadcast journalism since its radio era before television existed, though Weiss announced earlier this year the end of CBS News’s radio operations. The network’s evening newscast was regarded for decades as among the nation’s most trusted institutions under longtime anchorman Walter Cronkite.
A U.S. Senate candidate in Maine is pushing back against allegations of physical aggression toward former romantic partners, claiming the recent negative coverage demonstrates his campaign’s growing strength.
Graham Platner is rejecting the accusations detailed in The New York Times report, stating that this controversy and others surrounding his candidacy indicate his campaign is gaining traction. The Democratic candidate is expected to challenge incumbent Sen. Susan Collins in the general election for Maine’s Senate seat.
The allegations come as Platner continues his bid for the Democratic nomination in the Maine Senate race, where he has positioned himself as the likely nominee to face the Republican incumbent in November.
SALISBURY, MD — Officials in Salisbury are alerting drivers about upcoming traffic disruptions as contractors perform camera inspection activities on Naylor Mill Road scheduled for Monday, June 8, 2026, and Tuesday, June 9, 2026.
The inspection zone will span from Mall Drive South to an area just north of Mall Drive North. Motorists traveling through this section should prepare for temporary lane closures and possible traffic backups during the work period.
City officials are asking drivers to exercise caution, slow down, and stay vigilant for work crews and construction equipment when passing through the affected area.
Officials note that the inspection schedule depends on weather conditions and may be adjusted if necessary.
Salisbury city officials expressed gratitude for residents’ understanding and patience while the camera inspection project is underway.
The Carolina Hurricanes have demonstrated an exceptional ability to bounce back from setbacks and remain composed when facing challenging road environments or sudden-death overtime situations during their playoff run.
These qualities under intense pressure help explain their current position in the Stanley Cup Final, having evened the series with the Vegas Golden Knights after dropping the opening game. The team appears to flourish in these high-stakes moments, boasting flawless records in both overtime situations and away games throughout the postseason, while successfully preventing back-to-back defeats since mid-January.
“It’s a special time of year, and it’s a really cool opportunity and experience we all get to have,” goaltender Frederik Andersen said Friday. “And if we weren’t enjoying it as well, it would be a big shame, right?”
Carolina enhanced their playoff record to 13-2 through spectacular circumstances on Thursday, overcoming a two-goal third-period disadvantage to secure a 4-3 overtime victory and even the best-of-seven championship series. The dramatic finish featured Seth Jarvis delivering a powerful one-timer past Carter Hart from the left wing while on the power play, potentially serving as a pivotal moment for both the team’s top regular-season scorer and their struggling man-advantage unit.
Equally impressive is Carolina’s capacity to handle adversity throughout their campaign. Thursday’s victory extended the Hurricanes’ remarkable streak to 13 consecutive wins following defeats, a stretch that began after back-to-back setbacks in Detroit and St. Louis on Jan. 12 and 13.
“It goes to talking about belief,” forward Andrei Svechnikov said. “I think we believe in the group. We’re confident in what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. We believe in our system, and we just try to go there and play our game, and that’s what we’ve kind of been doing.”
The Hurricanes’ initial postseason defeat occurred during the Eastern Conference Final against Montreal, when Carolina emerged from an unprecedented 11-day layoff between rounds and surrendered four opening-period goals in a 6-2 defeat.
Their response was emphatic: four consecutive victories, including two in overtime and two dominant performances with a combined 10-1 scoring advantage to eliminate Montreal.
After falling 5-4 in the series opener against Vegas, Carolina again demonstrated their resilience, despite facing a daunting 2-0 deficit and struggling through what coach Rod Brind’Amour described as a second period that was “kind of a dud.”
The Hurricanes netted three consecutive goals within approximately five minutes of the final period, culminating with captain Jordan Staal’s deflection from close range during a power play opportunity.
Carolina then overcame Vegas tying the contest with 1:21 remaining in regulation, capitalizing on their second consecutive power play when Jarvis scored the decisive goal. The winning sequence featured excellent execution from Shayne Gostisbehere, who had assisted on Staal’s earlier score.
Gostisbehere effectively feinted a shot attempt, drawing the attention of Vegas defenders positioned in the middle, while Nikolaj Ehlers even jumped in the slot as if avoiding a shot. This deception kept Hart focused centrally for an extra moment as Gostisbehere instead found Jarvis on the left side for the championship-clinching goal.
Prior to these crucial scores, Carolina’s power play had struggled at 7 for 60 (11.7%) during the playoffs after finishing fourth in regular-season efficiency (24.9%).
The Hurricanes now stand 6-0 in overtime playoff situations, including victories in all four Game 2 home contests, and maintain a perfect 6-0 road record.
“For almost 50 minutes there (emotions are) kind of low, and then kind of even, then really high, then low again, and then high,” Gostisbehere said. “It’s a roller coaster, for sure. But it’s just managing them. We’re still human beings. We’re going to be nervous out there and have emotions, but the more you do it, the more you do anything, you get used to it.”
President Donald Trump announced Friday that he plans to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday at Madison Square Garden, while offering little compassion for basketball fans unable to afford the expensive ticket prices to see the game in person.
Speaking to reporters while traveling on Air Force One to Wisconsin for a farming event, Trump addressed questions about ticket costs that have soared to $8,000 per seat for the matchup between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs in Manhattan.
“They can watch it on television,” Trump responded when asked about the high prices. “It’s sorta semi-free to watch it on television. That’s the way life goes.”
The president also mentioned that if the Knicks weren’t performing well — noting their lack of success since their last finals appearance in 1994 — “you could go very easily.”
As president, Trump doesn’t need to buy tickets for major sporting events. During his second term, he has attended numerous high-profile games, including the 2025 Super Bowl, Daytona 500 and Ryder Cup.
However, his comments come as he faces growing scrutiny over campaign promises to reduce inflation and lower costs for everyday necessities like groceries. With November midterm elections approaching and ongoing conflict in Iran driving up gas prices and destabilizing global markets, concerns about inflation and economic stability continue to mount.
Trump, a long-time Knicks supporter, revealed he watched Game 1, which New York won 105-95 in San Antonio. “I think the Knicks have an amazing team the way they played,” he commented.
“Started off slow and it just got stronger and stronger,” Trump said about the opening game. When asked about his preferred players, he highlighted Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Reporters also questioned Trump about Spurs player Victor Wembanyama’s decision to stand with crossed arms during the national anthem before Game 1. The gesture sparked controversy among conservatives online, despite Wembanyama being French and not hearing his own country’s anthem.
While praising Wembanyama as someone who “looks like he’s gonna be a great player,” Trump avoided commenting on the anthem situation, claiming he hadn’t witnessed the crossed-arms gesture.
“Is that what he did? What did he mean by that?” Trump responded, directing reporters to ask Wembanyama directly for clarification.
Trump’s confirmation of his Game 3 attendance follows comments from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Wednesday, who suggested a presidential presence at finals games could help unite “our increasingly divided society.”
“It creates a sense of connectivity among people,” Silver explained. “It creates a sense of belonging, and I feel that every day.”
NEW YORK — The New York Yankees have officially placed star outfielder Aaron Judge on the 10-day injured list following Friday’s announcement that the slugger is dealing with a stress fracture in one of his ribs, an injury that will sideline him for an indefinite period.
The three-time AL MVP will undergo a period of rest with limited physical activity before doctors re-evaluate his condition and conduct additional imaging studies in approximately four to six weeks. According to a Yankees statement, Judge is anticipated to return “at some point this season.”
To fill Judge’s roster spot, the team has brought back Spencer Jones from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre for his second call-up with the club.
During his previous stint from May 8-21, Jones posted a .167 batting average, going 4 for 24 after being summoned to fill in for Jasson Domínguez, who suffered an AC joint injury in his shoulder after colliding with the left-field wall while making a catch against Brandon Nimmo during a May 7 matchup with Texas.
Judge received a CT scan on Thursday and had undergone an MRI earlier in the week during a consultation with a medical specialist. The Yankees initially described Judge’s condition as shoulder discomfort before correcting the diagnosis to reveal the rib injury on his right side, which was first discovered during testing conducted on Monday during the team’s scheduled day off.
This marks Judge’s 10th trip to the injured list since making his major league debut on Aug. 13, 2016, including a previous placement on the COVID-19 injured list in July 2021. His injury history includes missing 45 games due to a fractured right wrist in 2018, sitting out 54 games with a strained left oblique in 2019, and being sidelined for 42 games with a fractured toe in 2023 after colliding with a wall while making a defensive play at Dodger Stadium.
This represents Judge’s second career rib injury.
He previously received a diagnosis of a stress fracture in one of his right ribs in March 2020. That injury resulted from diving for a ball in September 2019, though Judge avoided missing game time due to the pandemic-related delay of the 2020 season.
The 34-year-old is currently batting .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs this season. However, he has managed just one home run over his last 18 games since May 10 and snapped an 11-game streak without a homer or RBI with a walk-off, two-run blast on May 24 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Prior to the Tampa Bay game, Judge was mired in a 1-for-24 slump that had dropped his batting average to .246. He had gone hitless in 15 consecutive at-bats before recording a single in the first inning of that contest.
Last season, Judge captured the batting title with a career-best .331 average along with 53 home runs and 114 RBIs across 152 games. He was absent for 10 games from July 26-Aug. 4 due to a flexor strain in his right elbow sustained while making a throw to home plate on July 22 in Toronto. He received a plasma-rich injection and avoided the need for offseason surgery.
When Judge was injured last season, Giancarlo Stanton appeared in 17 outfield games. Stanton has been unavailable since April 24 with a strained right calf and began taking live batting practice on the field Wednesday, though he has been ruled out for New York’s upcoming road series.
José Caballero has started the first two games against Cleveland and has made four starts in right field since his acquisition from Tampa Bay at the July 31 trade deadline. Max Schuemann made his first career start in right field Thursday, recording a diving catch on Steven Kwan in the second inning and a leaping catch on Brayan Rocchio in the seventh.
Judge had started 52 games in right field this season. Jones made four starts in right field before being optioned on May 22, while Cody Bellinger has started two games at the position.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Carlos Alberto Solari, the celebrated Argentine musician nicknamed ‘the Indio’ who fronted Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota, one of Argentina’s most beloved and impactful rock bands, passed away Friday at the age of 77.
Officials report that Solari, who had been battling Parkinson’s disease for more than ten years, was discovered deceased beside an indoor swimming pool at his residence in Ituzaingó, a provincial community located approximately 30 kilometers (18 miles) west of Buenos Aires. Authorities have not released details regarding the cause of death.
The musician’s family announced his passing through social media channels, stating they plan to organize a public memorial service so admirers can pay their final respects to the rock icon. Following news of his death, supporters started congregating outside his residence, with many bringing floral tributes and donning shirts displaying his famous moniker.
‘We will grieve appropriately, play his music and, most importantly, look after each other, just as he showed us how to do,’ the family’s public statement declared.
Leading Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota — commonly called ‘Los Redondos’ — Solari emerged as a countercultural figure for alienated young Argentines during their nation’s shift from a violent military regime to a democratic system marked by new liberties but also economic turmoil and extreme inflation throughout the 1980s.
Throughout Argentina’s materialistic surge in the 1990s, driven by the market-oriented policies of then-President Carlos Saul Menem, Solari’s powerful rock songs, energetic dance numbers and mysterious lyrics expressed a rebellious attitude toward capitalist excess and foreign influence. Los Redondos produced 10 studio recordings while avoiding major record companies to preserve their creative freedom.
Following the group’s dissolution in 2001, Solari maintained his popularity as a solo performer, creating five additional albums under his own identity that blended traditional rock with electronic elements and attracting massive audiences to venues and arenas throughout Argentina.
During a huge performance in 2016, he revealed his Parkinson’s diagnosis to the audience. ‘Mr. Parkinson is nipping at my heels. But here I am,’ he declared. The audience erupted in cheers. He subsequently stepped away from live performances, openly discussing the devastating impact of his condition in media interviews.
Honors flooded in from government officials, entertainers and football personalities nationwide.
The Argentine Soccer Association stated that Solari’s music ‘became a popular rallying cry’ and ‘echoed in the stands’ throughout the football-obsessed nation.
The Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, a notable advocacy organization that worked to locate family members killed or ‘disappeared’ during the 1976-83 military rule, described the performer as someone who ‘inspired society as a whole to doubt, to question and to think critically.’
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Argentina’s former president currently serving a corruption sentence under house arrest, shared one of his well-known lyrics on social media, widely recognized as an encouragement to live boldly: ‘Just living costs you your life.’
Solari leaves behind his spouse, Virginia Mones Ruiz, and their 25-year-old son Bruno.
WASHINGTON — Federal government attorneys told a court Friday that judicial intervention cannot halt the ongoing construction of a White House ballroom, citing both the project’s advanced status and security considerations the facility is designed to address.
During arguments before the U.S. Appeals Court, attorney Yaakov Roth told Judge Patricia Millett that only Congress possesses the authority to stop the $400 million construction project. The administration is seeking court permission to continue building the ballroom without legislative approval.
The dispute stems from an April 16 ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, who ordered the administration to cease above-ground construction on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom. Leon, appointed by Republican President George W. Bush, permitted underground work to proceed on bunker facilities and other security infrastructure at the location.
Friday’s hearing focused on questions of legal standing to challenge government actions after they’ve commenced and whether such standing supersedes national security interests.
When Millett, who was appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama, presented hypothetical scenarios, Roth acknowledged that even if the government demolished iconic structures like the Statue of Liberty and the White House, affected parties would lack legal standing to challenge such actions after completion.
Millett questioned Roth about when the ballroom construction became irreversible.
“Was it when you started doing the underground work, which is now totally completely integral and connected and inseparable from a massive ballroom on top?” she inquired. “When did it become impossible for courts to stop this project?”
Roth responded: “I think it would have been improper to enjoin it even on Day One.”
This exchange was among many during the two-hour session before the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The judges concluded the hearing without issuing a ruling.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed their lawsuit in December, one week after the White House completed demolition of the East Wing to create space for a ballroom designed to accommodate 999 people.
Predicting the judges’ decision remains difficult. While Roth faced extensive questioning about the administration’s authority and evolving explanations for proceeding, plaintiff attorney Tad Heuer also encountered significant judicial scrutiny.
The panel pressed Heuer regarding legal standing and how aesthetic concerns might outweigh national security considerations.
“We have never opposed the underground construction of the bunker, which is where the government until recently has said the national security concerns lay,” Heuer stated. He argued that construction should pause pending congressional review.
“Congress can allow ballrooms to be built — it’s its property,” Heuer said.
Administration lawyers maintain the project incorporates vital security elements designed to counter various threats, including drones, ballistic missiles and biological hazards.
“These upgrades, alterations, and improvements are essential to protecting the President, his family, and his staff, as well as the White House itself, and the entire project flows from them,” they stated in court documents.
A seasonal mountaineering ranger has died after plunging into a crevasse while conducting patrol duties on Mount McKinley, Alaska’s towering peak, according to the National Park Service.
Robin Pendery from Enumclaw, Washington, was working as a seasonal ranger at Denali National Park and Preserve when the fatal accident occurred Thursday. Park officials say she died despite immediate efforts to rescue her from the crevasse.
Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding Pendery’s death. The tragedy follows another deadly incident just seven days earlier when three members of a Latvian climbing expedition perished after falling near a dangerous pass on the mountain. A fourth member of that group survived the fall and was successfully rescued. The Latvian team was among a seven-person expedition attempting to navigate a route notorious for its dangerous exposed areas, where numerous climbers have lost their lives or suffered serious injuries throughout the years.
The accident happened close to the 14,000-foot camp on Mount McKinley, which rises approximately 20,310 feet above sea level, making it the continent’s highest peak.
“Our mountaineering rangers dedicate themselves to serving visitors and helping others in one of the most challenging environments in the world,” Denali Superintendent Brooke Merrell said in a statement Friday. “Today, we mourn the loss of a valued colleague, friend and teammate.”
CONAKRY, June 5 (Reuters) – The coalition supporting Guinea’s President Mamady Doumbouya has secured a commanding majority in the West African nation’s parliament, according to election officials who announced results Friday. The victory strengthens the former coup leader’s control over the mineral-rich country.
While final seat allocations for Guinea’s 147-member legislature remain under review, preliminary data shows the Generation for Modernity and Development (GMD) coalition and its supporters captured no fewer than 100 seats, decisively defeating competing parties.
The electoral success is expected to reinforce Doumbouya’s authority as the nation’s leader. The former special forces officer took control through military action in 2021 before securing a seven-year presidential mandate in December, though his electoral victory faced challenges from political rivals.
Election participation reached 52.87% for the parliamentary races and 58.51% for municipal contests, which occurred concurrently on Sunday for local governing positions.
The nation’s chief electoral officer, Aminata Toure, announced Thursday that political organizations have an eight-day window to contest specific outcomes, with appropriate court systems handling any disagreements.
Official final tallies will be released once all challenges are addressed.
Key opposition movements were prohibited from Sunday’s voting process. Organizations linked to former President Alpha Conde and opposition figures Cellou Dalein Diallo and Sidya Toure faced dissolution.
Diallo, currently living abroad, issued a March appeal for “direct resistance” against Doumbouya following the administration’s decision to disband his party along with 37 additional political groups.
Government officials justified the dissolutions by citing the organizations’ failure to fulfill required legal duties, including submitting mandatory financial documentation.
Two key figures in President Donald Trump’s administration made a trip to a Tennessee nuclear research facility this week as part of preparations for potential negotiations with Iran, according to a source with knowledge of the visit.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner visited Oak Ridge National Laboratory on Thursday to meet with specialists who could contribute to future nuclear discussions with Iran, the source revealed Friday.
The source, who confirmed details from an Axios report, did not elaborate further on the specifics of the meeting.
The Trump administration has made clear that any agreement to resolve the conflict with Iran must include guarantees that Tehran will abandon nuclear weapon development efforts.
Intelligence estimates suggest Iran currently holds approximately 900 pounds of highly enriched uranium at facilities that were targeted in U.S. airstrikes last year. Iranian officials continue to insist they need uranium enrichment capabilities while rejecting claims they are pursuing weapons development.
The National Basketball Coaches Association announced Friday that Paul Westhead will be the recipient of its 2026 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award.
During his distinguished 38-year career, Westhead served as either a head coach or assistant across multiple levels including the NBA, WNBA, NCAA, and international basketball. He holds the unique distinction of being the sole head coach to capture titles in both the NBA and WNBA.
His NBA head coaching experience included stints with the Los Angeles Lakers from 1979-82, the Chicago Bulls in 1982, and the Denver Nuggets between 1990-92. In the WNBA, he led the Phoenix Mercury during the 2006-07 seasons.
Westhead’s championship victories came with the Lakers in 1980 and with the Mercury in 2007.
His collegiate coaching resume features tenures at La Salle from 1970-79, Loyola Marymount from 1985-90, and George Mason from 1993-97. He also coached the Oregon women’s basketball program from 2009-14. His international experience included coaching Wakayama in Japan’s National Basketball League.
“I am thankful for all the coaches who worked with me during my NBA coaching career,” Westhead said in a statement. “From Jack McKinney, who gave me my start with the LA Lakers, to P.J. Carlesimo who hired me for my last job (as an assistant coach) with the Seattle SuperSonics.”
Westhead gained recognition for creating high-speed offensive systems that pushed both teams into rapid-fire gameplay that challenged scoring records.
“Coach Westhead’s impact on the game extends far beyond wins and championships,” said NBCA president J.B. Bickerstaff, who also is the head coach of the Detroit Pistons. “He challenged conventional thinking, introduced ideas that were ahead of their time, and influenced generations of coaches across every level of men’s and women’s basketball.”
Past honorees of the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award include Don Nelson (2025), Rudy Tomjanovich (2024), Rick Adelman (2023), Mike Fratello (2022), Larry Brown (2021), Del Harris (2020), Frank Layden (2019), Doug Moe (2018), Al Attles and Hubie Brown (2017), K.C. Jones and Jerry Sloan (2016), Dick Motta (2015), Bernie Bickerstaff (2014), Bill Fitch (2013), Pat Riley (2012), Lenny Wilkens (2011), Jack Ramsay and Tex Winter (2010), and Tommy Heinsohn (2009).
State transportation officials have announced plans to reopen key highway ramps in New Castle County next summer.
The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) says the northbound I-95 exit ramps leading to both directions of SR 896 are scheduled to reopen around June 11, 2026. The reopening date depends on weather conditions.
Officials are directing residents to visit 95896improvements.com where they can register for text and email notifications about construction-related road closures in the area.
The Chicago Bears have decided to pursue building their new stadium in Northwest Indiana following the failure of Illinois lawmakers to approve financial incentives that would have kept the NFL franchise in their home state.
On Thursday, the team’s board of directors approved moving ahead with a stadium development in Hammond, Indiana. While the Bears have been evaluating property near Wolf Lake, they clarified Friday that no specific site has been chosen yet.
In a joint statement from Chairman George McCaskey and team president Kevin Warren, the organization said: “We believe a world-class stadium project in Hammond will transform the region, connecting Northwest Indiana to the South Side of Chicago through the Loop and across neighborhoods and suburbs stretching north of the city. It will bring Chicagoland together and deliver new opportunities to its residents and businesses.”
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun expressed enthusiasm about the Bears’ decision. Earlier this year, an Indiana House committee approved legislation creating a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority with powers to finance, build and lease a stadium facility.
“We look forward to building a partnership as strong as the ’85 Bears defense, creating opportunities and economic growth that will benefit our state and the Bears organization for decades to come,” Braun stated. “An NFL franchise in Northwest Indiana will be an economic boost to the entire region like we haven’t seen before.”
The Bears represent one of the NFL’s original franchises, having operated in Illinois since their 1920 establishment as the Decatur Staleys. The team relocated to Chicago the following year and played at Wrigley Field before moving to their current home at Soldier Field in September 1971.
While the Bears’ current lease extends through 2033, the team has the option to terminate early by paying a penalty fee. Soldier Field sits approximately 40 miles south of the team’s Lake Forest, Illinois headquarters at Halas Hall, while Hammond would be roughly 20 miles south of their current lakefront venue.
Matt Hill, speaking for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, indicated the governor “remains open to a sensible solution that protects taxpayers.”
“The Bears have built a storied legacy in Illinois for over 100 years but have spent the last six years, and especially the last few months, shifting their position on a stadium location,” Hill commented. “That has hindered their progress. Today appears to be another instance of that after Illinois leaders have been working with the Bears in good faith.”
