Drivers heading along Christiana Road (Route 273) where it crosses over Interstate 95 should be prepared for some delays today.
A painting operation currently underway in the area is causing intermittent lane closures on the roadway. The closures are expected to remain in effect until 5 p.m.
Motorists are encouraged to use caution when passing through the area and to budget extra time for their commute if their route takes them through that stretch of road.
Travelers along Prettyman Road should be prepared for intermittent lane closures currently in effect between Old Woods Drive and Pettyjohn Road.
The closures are being caused by construction activity in the area and are expected to remain in place until 12:00 p.m.
Drivers are encouraged to allow extra travel time or consider using an alternate route to avoid potential delays.
You’ve probably been told since you were a kid: leave that bug bite alone, or you’ll make it worse. But if scratching feels so satisfying, why is it such a bad idea? Scientists now have a much clearer answer.
Itchiness can stem from many causes, including some serious medical conditions. Doctors have long cautioned that excessive scratching damages skin, but researchers have now uncovered exactly why even a minor itch can trap you in a frustrating cycle — one that gets worse the more you scratch.
To figure this out, scientists turned to an unlikely tool: tiny versions of the cone-shaped collars that veterinarians put on dogs and cats after surgery. By fitting mice with these miniature “cones of shame,” researchers could observe what happens at the cellular level when an itch is scratched versus when it’s left alone.
The study was led by Dr. Daniel Kaplan, a dermatologist at the University of Pittsburgh whose laboratory focuses on how the immune system responds in the skin. His team was investigating a common type of itch known as allergic contact dermatitis — the kind triggered by things like poison ivy or the nickel found in jewelry.
Researchers applied a rash-causing irritant to the ears of mice. The normal mice scratched, and inflammatory immune cells flooded to the area, causing increased swelling. Mice that had been bred with faulty itch-sensing nerve cells, however, developed far milder rashes. But researchers needed to confirm it was the scratching — not something else — driving the difference.
That’s where the tiny collars came in. Normal mice fitted with the cones could still feel the itch but were physically unable to scratch. Those mice also showed significantly less swelling and fewer inflammatory cells — confirming that the act of scratching itself was making things worse.
Kaplan said the findings align with what most people have experienced firsthand. Leave a mosquito bite alone and the itch typically fades within five or ten minutes, he said. “But if you start scratching it, it’s your friend for a week,” he added, getting itchier and more inflamed as time goes on.
To understand the underlying biology, Kaplan’s team examined immune cells called mast cells, which are among the body’s first responders. When activated, mast cells release various compounds — some that battle germs or toxins, and others, like histamine, that set off itchy allergic reactions.
It’s been known for some time that allergens can activate mast cells. But pain can also trigger them. And as Kaplan pointed out, when people scratch, “we tend to scratch until it starts to hurt.” Pain-sensing nerve cells release a chemical signal called substance P. In research published last year, Kaplan’s team found that substance P activates mast cells through a completely different molecular pathway than allergens do — creating a double effect that explains why scratching inflames itchy skin even further.
So why does scratching feel good at all? One longstanding theory is that it helps animals rid themselves of parasites like fleas or mites. Kaplan’s team also explored findings from other labs suggesting mast cells can fight off a common skin bacterium called Staphylococcus aureus. When they repeated the cone experiment on mice infected with that germ, the mice that scratched did show lower levels of the bacteria on their ears — possibly due to the extra inflammation or another mast cell compound.
Even so, that small potential upside doesn’t change the medical advice.
“Ultimately, scratching is deleterious,” Kaplan emphasized. “You should avoid scratching” — though he acknowledged that’s “easier said than done.”
Treatment for an itch depends on its cause, and researchers say better options are still needed. Currently, antihistamines and certain medications for hives can reduce mast cell-related itching. Pharmaceutical companies are also testing a new class of drugs called MRGPRX2 blockers that target the same pathway Kaplan’s team connected to scratching. He hopes a deeper understanding of that pathway could eventually lead to better treatments for conditions like chronic eczema.
For the summertime itches that come with bug bites, poison ivy, and other forms of contact dermatitis, dermatologists suggest anti-itch products such as hydrocortisone cream, calamine lotion, or oatmeal baths.
Kaplan also offered one clever trick: creams containing menthol can temporarily trick the skin into feeling cold rather than itchy. If you can hold off long enough without scratching, he said, “you break that itch-scratch cycle.” He called it “a cheat code.”
Motorists traveling along Summit Bridge Road (Route 896) should be aware of an active trash operation affecting both the northbound and southbound shoulders and median.
The work is taking place between Red Lion Road (Route 71) and Pulaski Highway (Route 40), with crews occupying the shoulder and median areas during the operation.
The activity is expected to continue until 4 p.m. Drivers are encouraged to use caution when passing through the area and allow extra time if traveling this route.
Japan was hit hard Saturday as two powerful tropical storm systems struck at the same time, bringing deadly landslides, rising floodwaters, and widespread damage, according to media reports and government officials.
The two storms, named Mekkhala and Higos, unleashed heavy rainfall across the country during Japan’s typical rainy season, washing out roads and creating hazardous conditions throughout the region.
In Yamaguchi Prefecture, a man in his 70s lost his life after a landslide caused a house to collapse on Friday. Three additional people sustained injuries in the same incident, according to Japan’s Kyodo News Agency.
News footage out of Kyoto captured the Kamo River surging with fast-moving, muddy water. Authorities issued flooding alerts for portions of Kyoto, Osaka, and several other communities across western Japan.
The country’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency reported that more than 30 homes were flooded in the Nara and Hiroshima areas on Friday. The severe weather also caused disruptions to train service and airline flights throughout the affected region.
WASHINGTON (AP) — For decades, holiday gatherings and milestone moments have carried the weight of an empty chair. Certain days on the calendar meant visits to gravesites, standing before stone markers that bore the names of people who gave their lives for a cause.
They are a scattered few, living in different corners of the country, yet connected by a shared and painful history: each lost a family member to violence during the fight for voting and civil rights. Their loved ones fell along a long, bloody road that seemed to reach its destination when the nation appeared to finally live up to its founding ideals.
Now, 61 years later — as the United States nears its 250th birthday — those sacrifices are being called into question. Through a series of rulings over the past 12 years, including one handed down this past April, the Supreme Court has effectively gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the very law those family members died trying to bring into existence.
“My mother’s blood is on that bill. We were always proud of that, and now it’s gone,” said Anthony Liuzzo, whose mother, Viola Liuzzo, was killed on an Alabama highway between Selma and Montgomery in 1965 while transporting civil rights marchers.
Those who have criticized the law argue that the country has moved forward — a point the Chief Justice made in a 2013 ruling that marked the first significant rollback of the law’s protections.
But the families of those who died see things differently. They point to how quickly Republican-controlled state legislatures moved to eliminate majority-Black congressional districts following the court’s April ruling, which severely weakened the section of the law that had shielded minority communities’ voting rights. Though filled with sorrow and fury, these survivors say they have no intention of giving up the fight.
Lisa McNair entered the world on September 19, 1964 — born just days after the death of her older sister, Denise, who was killed in the September 15, 1963, bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. That church had served as a key gathering place for civil rights organizing.
The explosion took the lives of Denise McNair, age 11; Addie Mae Collins, 14; Carole Robertson, 14; and Cynthia Morris Wesley, 14. Close to two dozen other people were wounded. Three members of the Ku Klux Klan were eventually convicted for the crime.
One of Lisa McNair’s earliest memories connected to her sister involves a box their grandmother kept from the funeral home — inside were Denise’s shoes, a purse, and a chunk of concrete the size of a rock that had been lodged in Denise’s skull.
The attack thrust the civil rights movement into the national spotlight and drew outrage from Democratic President John F. Kennedy.
The era was turbulent, McNair recalled, but it felt as though the country was moving toward something better. For most of her life, she said, “I’ve seen advances” — on television, in advertising, in interracial marriages, and in civil rights and voting rights — “a plethora of rights that we got over the greater part of my lifetime.” That sense of progress, she said, has now reversed.
McNair, 61, described feeling “physically sick” over the Supreme Court’s ruling and the actions that followed from lower courts and state legislatures.
“I am constantly working to pray my way through it, so I can get up and go to work in the morning and do what I need to do. But I just want to ask every white person I see, What more do you want?” she said. “Why do you hate us so?”
Michael Schwerner — known as Mickey — grew up in a family where standing up for human rights and pushing back against social injustice were simply expected. In 1964, he traveled to Mississippi as part of Freedom Summer. That June, he disappeared along with Andrew Goodman and James Chaney while the three were looking into a bombing at a Black church.
Their remains were discovered weeks later, buried inside an earthen dam in a remote part of Neshoba County. Schwerner was 24 and Goodman was 20; both were white. Chaney, who was Black, was 21.
Stephen Schwerner, who passed away earlier this year and had been a social activist in his own right, told The Associated Press in a 2023 interview that from the moment the family learned his younger brother and the others had gone missing, they knew the men were dead.
“Our family was very out front in the media that the only reason there was international attention was two of the young men were white,” said Stephen’s daughter, Cassie Schwerner. “Had all three of those young men been Black, they would have ended up absent from our history and our narrative.”
Cassie Schwerner, who serves as executive director of Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility, said her family has tracked the voting rights struggle through its highs and lows — including the 2013 Supreme Court decision that allowed states and counties with histories of discriminatory voting practices to change their election rules without first obtaining approval from the Department of Justice.
The court’s ruling this past April, she said, stirred rage “and a good deal of sadness — not for me and my family, but for this country.” There remains, she added, much work to be done across many areas.
Tamara Orange said that when she heard about the Supreme Court’s latest Voting Rights Act decision, one of her reactions was unexpected: relief. “Relief that my dad is not here to see that; that Jimmie Lee Jackson is not here to see it; that Viola Liuzzo is not here to see it,” she said. “I’m relieved for them because to me, it’s as though the sacrifices that were made were done in vain.”
Her father, James Orange, had been working with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to organize voting rights demonstrations in Marion and Perry County, Alabama, in 1965. After young people joined the effort, he was arrested on a charge of contributing to the delinquency of minors. Word spread that he might be taken from the jail and lynched.
A protest aimed at preventing that outcome ended with Jackson — a 26-year-old Black church deacon — being shot in the stomach by a state trooper as he tried to protect his mother and grandfather.
Jackson’s death became the spark that ignited what would become the Selma to Montgomery march and the events of “Bloody Sunday.”
James Orange remained active in the movement throughout his life and died in 2008, his daughter said. Even after the Voting Rights Act was signed into law, she recalled him warning: “Be careful or we’re going to lose it.”
Anthony Liuzzo had just celebrated his 10th birthday when his mother, then 39, left their middle-class Michigan neighborhood and made her way to Selma, Alabama. She had been moved to tears watching footage from “Bloody Sunday” on television.
Viola Liuzzo took part in a portion of the second march and then spent time ferrying other civil rights workers through the Black Belt region of the state. On March 25, 1965, while transporting one protester along the highway between Selma and Montgomery, a car pulled up beside her and shots were fired into the vehicle.
The call came close to midnight. Anthony Liuzzo recalls the person on the line asking his father whether his wife was Viola, then saying, “We got bad news for you. She’s been shot.” When his father asked if she was okay, the caller replied, “No, she’s dead” — and hung up.
An FBI informant quickly identified members of the Ku Klux Klan as the killers. The three men charged avoided conviction in state court but were later found guilty in federal court.
Anthony Liuzzo and his siblings grew up carrying the absence of missed birthdays and life events that their mother never got to share. His solace had been knowing that the voting rights she died for had become the law of the land. But the Supreme Court’s April ruling — and the rapid response from Republican-led legislatures in several Southern states to eliminate congressional districts represented by Black lawmakers — left him furious and heartbroken.
Still, he said, he remains proud that his mother had the courage to go to Selma “when others sat in their pretty little houses.”
The inscription carved at the base of Vernon Dahmer Sr.’s tombstone says it plainly: “If you don’t vote, you don’t count.”
Those words capture both the mission of his life and the circumstances of his death.
Even after Democratic President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law, not every state rushed to put it into practice. In Mississippi, the law came paired with a poll tax set at $2. That may sound small, but as Dahmer’s son, Dennis Dahmer Sr., explained, when a farmworker might earn only $5 a day, it was a meaningful barrier.
The elder Dahmer, who was 57 at the time of his death, had built a successful business — owning a store, a sawmill, and a farm near Hattiesburg. He was also a civil rights leader and served as NAACP president in Ford County. He offered to cover the $2 poll tax for Black residents who wished to register to vote.
He had long been a target of the local Ku Klux Klan. There was harassment, threatening phone calls, and the windows of his store were shot out — but no one confronted him directly, because his sons were always nearby and armed.
That intimidation seemed to fade after Johnson signed the law into effect.
“The Klan quit calling,” Dennis Dahmer said. “They quit shooting out the windows, so my family thought that all of this was behind us.”
That sense of safety shattered in the early morning hours of January 10, 1966, when two carloads of Klan members arrived. They firebombed the house and the neighboring grocery store and opened fire on the home. The elder Dahmer fought back, drawing on his substantial supply of weapons to hold off the attackers.
His wife and the three children who were home that night survived, but he suffered devastating injuries from breathing in smoke and toxic fumes from the fire. He died later that same day.
Dennis Dahmer, then 12 years old, stood at his father’s hospital bedside wondering why anyone would want his father dead simply for helping Black people exercise their right to vote.
A former Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, Sam Bowers, was convicted in 1998 for ordering the attack and received a life sentence.
Like the other families in this story, Dennis Dahmer’s family has watched the Voting Rights Act be taken apart piece by piece over the years.
“Finally, they basically turned it into a relic,” he said.
His response now is to speak out, push for massive voter participation, and make sure people understand the cost that certain families paid so that all Americans could have the right to vote and be represented by someone of their own choosing.
“We’re living in a time when America has a lot of the same characteristics of the 1960s that I grew up in,” he said. “People say, are we going back? Hell, we’re already there.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has always been many things to many people: murky and peaceful, occasionally smelly, a gathering spot for protests and celebrations, a favorite backdrop for sunrise photography, and a setting made famous by the film “Forrest Gump.”
What it has rarely been, however, is a tightly policed area with strict enforcement.
While wading into the pool has technically been against the rules all along, the typical response from law enforcement was simply asking someone to step out of the water. That relaxed approach has now given way to something far more serious.
The shift followed President Donald Trump’s claim last weekend — made without supporting evidence — that vandals had deliberately damaged the pool’s liner, which he connected to his broader renovation efforts. Trump had previously blamed past presidents for allowing the pool to fall into disrepair. Court documents filed this week reveal that the National Park Service reported to the U.S. Park Police a June 9 incident in which the pool’s new liner appeared to have been sliced with a sharp knife or razor blade.
In response, National Guard members and Park Police officers have been stationed around the pool’s perimeter. The Associated Press confirmed that one individual was arrested after making contact with paint that was already peeling from a surface. The man said he simply wanted to get a closer look at the new coating, briefly touching a loose piece before letting go — and did so shortly after a park worker told him to stop. Earlier this week, crews were also observed installing fencing near the site, which the administration said was related to preparations for July Fourth festivities.
The increased security stands in contrast to the pool’s long history as an irresistible attraction. During the Poor People’s Campaign of 1968, visitors waded in to escape the oppressive summer heat. In colder months, the frozen pool has occasionally transformed into an impromptu ice skating rink.
Today, the scene looks very different. Mobile surveillance towers now stand watch over the area, law enforcement officers patrol on foot in greater numbers, and the sound of nanobubblers fills the June air.
Drivers heading southbound on Interstate 95 near Newark should use caution as a trash removal operation is currently active along the shoulder of the highway.
The work is taking place between Mile Marker 5 and the Newark Toll Plaza. Crews are expected to remain on the shoulder until 4 p.m.
Motorists are advised to slow down and move over when approaching the work area, as required by Delaware’s Move Over law.
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh is facing a defining stretch early in his tenure, with a high-stakes Supreme Court decision expected and an upcoming appearance at a prestigious international economic gathering in Portugal both set to influence how his leadership of the U.S. central bank takes shape.
The Supreme Court, now in the final week of its current term, could rule as soon as Monday on whether Fed Governor Lisa Cook can keep her position. President Donald Trump announced last August that he was dismissing Cook, but she has remained on the Fed’s Board of Governors while lower courts — which found she was likely to prevail — allowed her legal challenge to proceed all the way to the nation’s highest court.
Federal Reserve governors are protected from dismissal except “for cause,” a standard that has never been clearly defined or tested through the judicial system. Trump became the first president to attempt to remove a sitting Fed governor, claiming that what he described as inaccuracies on Cook’s home mortgage application warranted her removal.
The move was widely interpreted as an attempt to undermine the Fed’s independence from political influence, with Trump reportedly seeking to place his own picks on the board after growing frustrated that current Fed officials refused to meet his calls for significant interest rate reductions.
During earlier hearings, Supreme Court justices appeared doubtful of the Trump administration’s legal arguments. While the court has permitted the administration to remove officials from other independent agencies, prior rulings suggested the Fed holds a unique legal standing — a signal that legal experts read as an indication the court may move to shield the central bank’s policymakers from being fired without cause.
A ruling that allows Cook to stay in her position would relieve a significant burden for Warsh, eliminating the possibility that his time leading the Fed could be marked by a series of politically motivated dismissals — including potentially his own removal. At the same time, such a ruling would also highlight the limits of Trump’s ability to steer Fed policy, including on interest rates, by protecting Warsh and his colleagues from the threat of being fired.
Recent economic data has complicated the picture further. A key inflation measure for May came in at more than double the Fed’s 2% target, leading investors to increasingly expect the central bank may raise rates in the months ahead — the opposite of what Trump has publicly called for.
Despite that tension, both Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have been notably less combative toward Warsh than they were toward his predecessor, former Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Powell’s refusal to cut rates earned him a mocking nickname from Trump, along with what was later dropped as a criminal investigation and repeated calls for his ouster. Powell continues to serve on the Fed’s board.
“Kevin is fantastic, and I want him to do whatever he wants,” Trump said during an appearance on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” earlier this month. “I don’t want to have a big influence on him.”
Warsh’s own style may be helping to manage expectations. The new Fed chairman has indicated he intends to avoid as much as possible any public “forward guidance” — statements hinting at whether interest rates will go up or down on a particular schedule — keeping his personal outlook away from both public view and the president’s attention.
This preference is not new for Warsh. He has long been critical of central banks steering financial markets through guidance during ordinary economic times, arguing that investors should be reacting to actual economic conditions rather than central bank signals.
He moved quickly to put that philosophy into action, overseeing a new policy statement that stripped out forward guidance language and reinforcing the point during his first press conference as Fed chairman following the central bank’s June 16-17 meeting.
“Your question sounded like an encouragement for me to give forward guidance. We’ve dropped forward guidance,” Warsh said when asked about the conditions that might prompt a rate increase. “I can’t give any forward guidance about what we’re going to do next. The good news is, we’ll be meeting in six weeks” and releasing an updated policy statement.
On Wednesday, Warsh is scheduled to appear at the European Central Bank’s annual forum held at a hilltop resort in Sintra, Portugal. It will be his first opportunity to test his low-guidance approach before an audience of global central banking leaders, including ECB President Christine Lagarde, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey, and Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem. The four will participate together in a question-and-answer panel.
While Lagarde has also stepped back from forward guidance, the Bank of England continues to offer fairly detailed assessments of how the economy may evolve under various scenarios. Because the U.S. dollar serves as the world’s primary reserve and trading currency, unexpected shifts in American interest rates can send ripples through global markets — making the Fed’s communication approach a matter of international concern.
Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, who is stepping down as the International Monetary Fund’s chief economist next week to return to academia, offered his perspective in an exit interview with Reuters on Friday. He said strong forward guidance had received “really bad press” because it locked central banks into future actions regardless of how the economy actually developed — pointing to how it slowed the Fed’s response to the inflation surge following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“So I think moving away from these strong forms of forward guidance is entirely appropriate. Saying there is no forward guidance, I don’t think that is actually the case ever. You do it explicitly, or implicitly, the market is going to form a view,” Gourinchas said.
Rome is rolling out the red carpet this week for one of Italy’s most iconic inventions — the Vespa scooter — as it marks 80 years since its debut.
The Italian capital is hosting “Vespa Roma 2026 – 80 Years of an Icon” from June 25 through June 28. The four-day celebration is centered at the Foro Italico and the Stadio dei Marmi, which has been transformed into a “Vespa Village” featuring exhibitions, racing events, parades, and club gatherings.
The Vespa was introduced in 1946 by Piaggio and quickly became a powerful symbol of Italy’s recovery following World War Two. Affordable enough for a country still rebuilding from the war, yet stylish enough to capture the world’s imagination, the scooter became a fixture on the narrow streets of Naples, Milan, and Rome.
The scooter’s cultural reach extended well beyond Italy’s borders. It gained international fame through appearances in films, advertisements, and travel brochures — perhaps most memorably in the classic film “Roman Holiday,” in which Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn rode through the streets of Rome together.
Over the past eight decades, the Vespa has never stopped rolling off production lines. The design has gone through approximately 160 updates, and close to 20 million units have been sold globally — with just over two million of those sold in the last ten years alone.
Today, the scooter is available in around 100 countries, with its strongest markets in Europe and Southeast Asia. It is currently manufactured at three facilities located in Italy, Vietnam, and India.
Students attending public schools in Texas will be required to read passages from the Bible and study how Christianity shaped the state’s history, under newly developed reading lists and social studies curriculum set for approval on Friday.
The updated educational standards represent a notable change in the approach Texas takes toward religion in its public school classrooms, weaving biblical texts and Christian history directly into required coursework.
One hundred and fifty years after the Battle of Little Bighorn, Native American youth converged on the site of the famous conflict to commemorate the anniversary of what stands as a landmark victory in their history.
The gathering served as both a remembrance of the battle and a celebration of the lasting resilience of Native American cultures, as the next generation honored the significance of the moment at the very ground where it unfolded.
A lawsuit targeting pollution in an Oklahoma watershed has been grinding through the courts for nearly two decades, with no resolution in sight.
The case centers on contamination in the Illinois River Watershed, which Oklahoma has attributed to the poultry industry. Legal experts say the outcome of this prolonged battle could have far-reaching consequences, potentially setting a precedent that other states might look to when dealing with their own agricultural pollution cases.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Saturday that Ukraine carried out a strike on a large industrial facility in the Russian city of Volgograd, even as a Russian drone attack claimed the life of a man in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region overnight.
The attack is part of a broader Ukrainian effort to intensify long-range strikes against Russian military production sites and energy infrastructure. The strategy is designed to cut into Moscow’s war funding and bring the reality of the conflict home to Russian citizens. The war is now entering its fifth year.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy stated that FP-5 Flamingo missiles struck the Titan-Barrikady facility in Volgograd, located in southwestern Russia. He described the site as a “major industrial complex” where Russia “produces artillery systems and specialized military equipment, including components for missile launch systems.”
Ukraine’s General Staff added that the facility is responsible for manufacturing equipment tied to missile systems, including self-propelled launchers and transport-loading vehicles used with the Iskander-M missile system — which they described as “the same system Russia regularly uses to strike Ukrainian cities.”
The regional governor of Volgograd, Andrei Bocharov, acknowledged that a business in the Krasnooktyabrsky district had been hit, reporting that 10 people were injured and transported to the hospital. He noted that production areas at the site sustained damage but declined to name the company involved.
The Volgograd strike followed what appeared to be one of Ukraine’s largest drone offensives since Russia launched its full-scale invasion more than four years ago. That major overnight assault targeted approximately a dozen Russian regions, Russian-held Crimea, and nearby waters. Russia’s Defense Ministry said Friday that its air defenses shot down 660 Ukrainian drones during the attack.
Earlier in the week, Zelenskyy said Thursday that he had ordered “a 40-day influence operation” — widely interpreted as a planned escalation of attacks — with the goal of “compelling (Russia) to end the war” following a year of U.S.-led peace efforts that produced no significant results.
On the Ukrainian side, regional head Oleh Hryhorov reported Saturday that a 66-year-old man was killed overnight when a Russian drone struck a private home in the Sumy region.
ROME — The streets around the Colosseum and Roman Forum were filled with the familiar putt-putt of more than 10,000 Vespas on Saturday as riders from around the world gathered to mark eight decades of the legendary Italian scooter.
Riders made their way to Rome from all corners of the globe. The Associated Press spoke with attendees from countries across continental Europe, northern England, San Francisco, Australia’s Gold Coast, the Philippines, and beyond. For one day, the mighty Ferrari and Ducati took a back seat as the humble little Vespa stole the spotlight on Rome’s ancient cobblestone streets.
“The passion for Vespa is for the Italian style, freedom, the ’60s,” said Natalie Dunand, a retired woman from France who was also celebrating her own 61st birthday that day. “I love it.”
The scooter first captured the world’s imagination through the 1953 film “Roman Holiday,” in which Gregory Peck gave Audrey Hepburn a romantic ride through the city. Since then, Vespas have appeared in other well-known films, including “The Talented Mr. Ripley” and the more recent animated feature “Luca.”
With its graceful curves that evoke a simpler time and its uncanny ability to make passersby smile, the Vespa — whose name means “wasp” in Italian — holds a place in two-wheeled transportation similar to what the Volkswagen Beetle holds in the car world.
The scooter’s birth was something of a happy accident. After World War II, as Italy worked to rebuild itself from the destruction, aircraft manufacturer Piaggio found its Pontedera factory in ruins from wartime bombings. Forced to reinvent itself, the company shifted its focus dramatically and began producing scooters instead.
According to Davide Zanolini, Piaggio’s executive vice president of marketing, women were among the first target customers, since the scooter’s design allowed them to ride while wearing long skirts without exposing their legs.
“The shape, the elegance. This very charming attitude of Vespa is much more of a lady than a man,” Zanolini told the Associated Press.
The little scooter helped breathe life back into Italy’s recovering economy, and before long Vespas were everywhere. A 1950 AP article described the sound of Rome’s downtown streets as resembling the Indy 500 due to the scooters’ constant “staccato exhaust racket.”
“There probably isn’t a noisier scooter in all the world,” the article noted. “Scooters darting loudly around Rome are said to impress motor-minded Americans as strongly as St. Peter’s or the Colosseum. The scooter quickly teaches visitors to look four ways at once at street crossings.”
Those kinds of scenes returned to Rome starting Thursday, as Vespa fans began flooding the city’s streets, many traveling in groups and wearing matching T-shirts to show their club colors.
Outside Rome’s Stadium of the Marbles, row after row of Vespas spanning eight decades were on display — like a motorcycle rally, but with considerably more charm. Some of the scooters were decorated with flowers and stuffed animals.
Dunand’s West Highland terrier rode along behind her, its fur trimmed short to handle the heat. A man who had traveled from Tokyo brought his 8-year-old daughter along for the ride and exchanged his hometown club’s banner with an Italian one. Riders swapped stickers with one another. And one German man had the Vespa logo tattooed on his left calf, alongside three words in flowing cursive: “La Dolce Vita” — The Sweet Life.
Many riders talked about the nostalgia the brand stirs up, even among those who weren’t around during the Vespa’s heyday. A number of them also mentioned trading in larger, heavier motorcycles for the lighter, automatic Vespa, which features an accelerator on the hand grip.
“You get on, twist, go. Doddle. Easy,” said Andrew Walton, a 59-year-old truck driver who purchased his first Vespa nearly 20 years ago and never looked back. He had just completed an eight-day journey from Newcastle, taking a ferry to Rotterdam and then following the Rhine River through Germany to Austria’s “Romantic Road” before heading down along Italy’s coastline to reach Rome.
Once Rome’s mayor cut the ribbon at the Stadium of the Marbles, the crowd poured in — singing, chanting, and waving flags. Many rushed straight to the gift shop, which offered everything from Vespa jackets and hats to blankets, water bottles, and umbrellas. The hottest item, though, was a limited-edition helmet with “80 Years of an Icon” printed on the side.
A photo exhibit showcased the Vespa through the decades — couples enjoying picnics in flower-filled fields, seaside getaways, and sun-drenched road trips — as well as some surprising moments, like explorer Soren Nielsen’s 1963 journey to the Arctic Circle on a Vespa.
Piaggio also displayed an immaculate collection of vintage Vespas, which drew nearly as much admiration as the classical sculptures housed nearby.
Since the Vespa first rolled off the production line in 1946, Piaggio has sold roughly 20 million of them worldwide. Today the scooter is available in 110 countries, Zanolini said. In the United States, it’s most popular in Florida and California and is gaining ground in cities like Austin — though it remains a niche product overall.
Burke Sandman, whose family runs a 108-year-old car dealership in Indiana, told the AP he fell for Vespas about two decades ago after spotting one with a sidecar. Realizing there were no local dealers nearby, he reached out to Vespa directly and got into the business. He has since sold around 1,000 Vespas across the country — and kept 15 for himself.
“No one ever says anything bad about a Vespa. You know, it’s crazy,” Sandman said from inside the Vespa Village. “Everyone that trades other brands for a Vespa, they never go back. It’s just something about it. And everyone likes Italian stuff. I get a lot of people that come back from Europe, and they’ve got the bug.”
BEIJING — Witnesses described a startling scene on Friday when a small aircraft, roughly the size of a car, collided with the tallest building in Beijing — an unusual event in China’s capital, where the airspace is subject to strict controls.
The following is a timeline of notable small aircraft and helicopter crashes in Beijing over the past two decades, drawn from aviation authority records and Chinese state media reports.
On July 6, 2022, a tourist helicopter went down during a flight between Beijing’s Changping and Fangshan districts, claiming the lives of both pilots aboard.
On July 30, 2018, a civilian helicopter came down in a parking lot in a village located in Beijing’s Chaoyang district. Investigators attributed the crash to pilot error, and four people on board were injured.
On June 6, 2015, a small training helicopter plunged into Miyun Reservoir, resulting in the deaths of two people.
On April 10, 2014, another small training aircraft went down into a river near Miyun Reservoir. One pilot was killed and the other was injured in the crash.
On August 17, 2011, a police helicopter crashed into Miyun Reservoir while making its way back from a search-and-rescue training exercise. Four of the five crew members on board lost their lives.
On July 12, 2008, a helicopter operating in the remote Pinggu district struck a high-voltage power line while spraying pesticides, causing the aircraft to crash and catch fire. The pilot was killed.
President Donald Trump’s temporary agreement to halt the conflict with Iran is taking a toll on his approval numbers and drawing fire from across the political aisle — including from many of his own supporters.
Reuters conducted interviews with 18 Americans who cast their ballots for Trump in 2024 — a group the outlet has checked in with each month since he returned to the White House — and found that most have serious reservations about the deal. The agreement has reopened the Strait of Hormuz, temporarily removed U.S. oil sanctions on Iran, and established a $300 billion fund designated for Iran’s reconstruction.
“We need to truly weaken the Iranian regime instead of this, ‘beat them up a little bit and then step back and let them rebuild,’” said Terry Alberta, 65, a pilot from Michigan.
Nationally, just one in four Americans believes the war with Iran was worth the price paid, and most are doubtful that the ceasefire with Tehran will hold, according to the most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Several members of the group worried that Trump’s unpopular concessions to Iran could jeopardize Republican control of Congress in November’s midterm elections. However, those most sharply critical of the deal had already begun losing confidence in the president before the war started. Six members of the group still believe Trump has undisclosed plans to topple the Iranian government.
In the early stages of the conflict, the group largely backed the military campaign, viewing U.S. strikes as necessary to deplete Iran’s long-range missile stockpile and cripple its nuclear capabilities.
Now, nearly four months later, with Iran appearing politically strengthened and much of its military capacity still in place, 14 of the 18 voters took issue with various elements of the memorandum of understanding announced on June 14. Most expressed doubt that Tehran would follow through on any agreement, and many were troubled by the idea of providing billions of dollars for Iran’s rebuilding efforts.
The $300 billion reconstruction fund is structured as a private investment vehicle rather than a government-funded program, though the full details have yet to be made public.
Juan Rivera, 26, said Trump “criticized his predecessors about negotiating with terrorists, and he’s basically done the same exact thing.”
Rivera said he still plans to vote for mostly Republican candidates in the midterms. But he noted that while volunteering to canvass Latino voters near his community in the San Diego area, he found many fellow Trump supporters so let down by the president’s handling of the war — among other grievances — that they had little motivation to turn out for his party in November.
“A lot of people say: ‘Why should I vote when the president’s not doing what he promised?’” Rivera recalled.
When asked to respond, a White House spokesperson told Reuters that Trump’s achievement “on the battlefield and at the negotiating table is nothing short of remarkable and will strengthen American security for many years.”
Steve Egan, 65, a promotional product distributor based in Tampa, had already turned against Trump in early 2025 after tariff-driven price increases hurt his business. He was skeptical of the war’s justification from the beginning and frustrated that it drove up the cost of gasoline and other goods.
“Right now it doesn’t seem like it’s been worth it to go through all that,” he said, pointing out that the stated objective of regime change “didn’t happen.” His view of the president has dropped so low that Egan said Trump’s endorsement would be “the kiss of death” for any candidate he’s considering in the midterms.
Brandon Neumeister, 37, a Pennsylvania state corrections worker and former National Guardsman, said the conflict appeared to have done little more than benefit oil companies. Even before the war broke out, he said, he was unlikely to vote in November due to his deep frustration with politics in general.
Robert Billups, 35, of Washington state, said he was cautiously hopeful the peace agreement would hold, but felt the war had generated more resentment toward the United States rather than making the country more secure. His confidence in Vice President JD Vance — who led U.S. negotiations with Iran — has declined, and Billups said he no longer feels a strong pull toward Republican candidates. In November, he said, “whoever has a better strategy this time, I’m gonna vote for them regardless of their party.”
Despite Trump’s stated commitment to ending the war, six of his more loyal supporters said they still hope he has secret plans to bring Iran under control.
Kate Mottl, 63, a secretary at a municipal office in the Chicago suburbs, said that “destroying” the regime in Tehran seemed like the only way to prevent future conflict. She said it would be “very disappointing” if Trump chose not to pursue further military action, adding that she believes “there’s a bigger plan here.”
Rich Somora, 62, an engineer in North Carolina, agreed that Trump likely has more aggressive moves in mind. “I can’t imagine that he would have gone through all this and not found out a way to get rid of those mullahs,” he said. Diplomats and analysts, however, say the war has actually tightened the grip of Iran’s clerical leadership. If they remain in power for another month, Somora said, he’ll start to grow concerned.
Joyce Kenney, a 74-year-old retiree in Prescott, Arizona, said she supports lifting the sanctions and believes restoring Iran’s access to international trade would give its leaders reason to honor the ceasefire. But she drew the line at the reconstruction fund: “That’s not our responsibility,” she said.
The United States was already facing a demographic challenge — an aging population gradually trending toward decline. Now, following a Supreme Court ruling that expanded President Trump’s authority to deport hundreds of thousands of foreign migrants, experts are warning that population decline in the country could speed up significantly.
The high court’s decision confirms the administration’s power to carry out large-scale deportations, a move that analysts say could have long-term consequences for the country’s population numbers and overall workforce.
Demographers and other experts had already been sounding the alarm about the direction of U.S. population trends before this ruling. With immigration serving as a key driver of population growth in recent decades, a major reduction in the number of migrants living in the country could push those trends in a more dramatic direction.
When Mauricio Pochettino took over as head coach of the U.S. men’s national soccer team, he arrived with more name recognition than any coach the program had ever brought on board. The transition wasn’t without its rough patches, but the results are now speaking for themselves.
The U.S. squad topped Group D in the 2026 FIFA World Cup and now finds itself in an enviable position heading into the knockout rounds. The team’s path forward gives them a real shot at a deep run in the tournament.
Up next for the Americans is a Round of 16 matchup against Bosnia and Herzegovina, set to take place Wednesday in Santa Clara, California. The players, who weren’t always fully on board during the rebuilding process, appear to have completely rallied behind their coach heading into the high-stakes elimination phase of the competition.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Adam Martin hauled a box of Panini stickers and World Cup albums to a Formula 1 race back in May, not long after his shop had received a fresh shipment and well before the tournament kicked off. His original plan was simple — hand them out to friends who had kids.
What happened instead caught him completely off guard.
“When I walked in with this box of cards,” Martin recalled, “hundreds of people of all creeds and cultures said something: ‘Where did you get those? How can I get some?’ Those Panini stickers are just that iconic collectible that goes beyond sports collectors.”
Panini World Cup stickers have been a global tradition since 1970, when four Italian brothers spent $1,000 to secure the rights to produce the images. More than half a century later, fans everywhere — young and old — are not only buying the packs but trading duplicates with one another to fill their keepsake albums.
This year’s album is the biggest in the product’s history, driven in part by an expanded 48-team tournament field. It contains 980 unique stickers. Demand has been so intense that store shelves are bare across the country, and backorders may not be fulfilled until after the tournament has already declared a winner.
“We’ve sold an unbelievable amount of the stickers,” said Martin, one of the owners of Dave and Adam’s Card World, which operates shops in New York and Europe.
“We thought the order we placed months ago would be enough to tide us over,” Martin added. “We’ve had to reorder twice.”
Panini had manufactured more than 2 billion packs — each holding seven stickers — before the tournament even began, according to Jason Howarth, the company’s senior vice president of marketing and athlete relations for Panini America. That’s a remarkable output given that the full tournament field wasn’t finalized until April 1.
Most individual stickers carry little monetary value on their own, though older editions — including the debut stickers of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo — can sell for hundreds of dollars. The real draw is the challenge of completing the entire album.
“In European and South American culture, completing the sticker album is something almost every child does at some point,” said Matt Blazey, from Milton Keynes, England, whose YouTube channel covering cards and collectibles has drawn more than 62,000 subscribers.
“Most rediscover it in adulthood,” Blazey said, “when they realize they have adult money, which brings back all of those memories of bringing stickers into school, showing them off to your mates and swapping them to complete the album.”
Accessibility is a big part of the appeal — each pack runs just about $2, or roughly 1.50 euros.
Starting with the last World Cup held in Qatar, Panini introduced limited-edition variations featuring special colored borders that are far harder to come by. Stickers with red, purple, or orange edges quickly became highly sought after. The rarest of all — black-bordered, one-of-a-kind stickers featuring stars like Messi, Ronaldo, and Lamine Yamal — have collectors offering enormous sums to track them down.
Some industry insiders believe the black Messi sticker alone could bring in $200,000 at auction.
“We’re tracking and following through social media who pulls the black 1-of-1s,” Howarth said. “Neymar, Leo, Ronaldo — this is probably their last World Cup. What do those stickers sell for? That’s going to be a new high mark for the category.”
For Sammi Kaewsawang, a content creator from Long Beach, California, this was his first time experiencing the World Cup album tradition. He set out to see just how long it would take to peel and place all 980 stickers into the album by hand.
By the time he finished with Panama — the last of the 48 teams — he had spent roughly 7 hours and 47 minutes on the task.
“Now I’m on my second one, helping my fiance’s nephew complete his,” Kaewsawang said. “What made the experience so memorable was the people I met along the way. Trading stickers brought me together with fans of all ages.”
That sense of community is a major part of what makes Panini stickers special. Even though a digital version of the collection exists, there’s something uniquely nostalgic about swapping duplicate stickers with strangers — not unlike the way American kids have traded baseball cards for generations.
Many retailers host swap meets to bring collectors together. Panini itself has a truck stationed at Rockefeller Center in New York, where thousands of fans have gathered in the evenings to trade. Online message boards connect collectors from around the world, and approximately 8,000 fans recently turned out at a stadium in Santiago, Chile, for a large-scale swap event.
“I’ve made genuine new friends through this hobby,” Kaewsawang said, “and that means more than completing the collection itself.”
Despite the stickers being more popular than ever — a partnership with Coca-Cola even places them under certain bottle labels — the Panini era is drawing to a close. After the 2030 World Cup, set to be held in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, the rights to produce World Cup cards, stickers, and other FIFA collectibles will transfer to the Fanatics brand Topps. Whether the U.S.-based company will offer a similar sticker album experience remains uncertain.
“It is a real bittersweet moment,” Blazey said. “From my side, and for probably 90% of collectors at the moment — more so outside the U.S., where Panini is a household name — it’s a very sad moment for this to be the end. So many people grew up collecting them, and it’s synonymous with their childhood, so the loss of the license is very much seen as sacrilege.”
Still, some collectors hold out hope that Fanatics — which recently took over the license for the Premier League as well — can bring fresh ideas to a sticker product for the 2034 World Cup, making it less of an ending and more of a reinvention.
“We’re very privileged to be a significant partner with both Panini and Fanatics. We try not to pick sides,” Martin said. “I think Fanatics will do an amazing job with World Cup products, but I’m not sure they’ll be able to capture the cultural impact.”
Chinese officials announced Saturday that a small aircraft that struck a building in Beijing the previous day had claimed the life of the pilot and left 13 people injured.
Authorities in the Chaoyang district — a bustling commercial hub in the city — said the two-seat light sport plane hit a high-rise at 5:55 p.m. Friday, resulting in the casualties.
A brief statement posted on WeChat by local authorities did not name the building or the pilot involved. However, the global flight tracking service Flightradar24 reported Friday that the aircraft struck the CITIC Tower, also referred to as China Zun. The tower stands more than 1,700 feet — or 528 meters — tall and is located just east of a major ring road amid a cluster of skyscrapers.
The 108-story CITIC Tower, which is designed in the shape of an ancient Chinese wine vessel, is widely considered one of Beijing’s most iconic skyscrapers and holds the distinction of being the tallest building in the city.
What caused the crash remains unclear, particularly given that Beijing enforces strict controls over its airspace, including a recently implemented ban on drones. Authorities confirmed that an investigation into the incident has been launched.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A naval maritime authority overseen by the U.S. Navy announced Saturday that a shipping lane running through the Strait of Hormuz, near the coast of Oman, is being widened to accommodate vessels traveling in both directions.
The declaration by the Joint Maritime Information Center adds to growing pressure on Iran, signaling that the United States is actively working to restore full access through the strategically vital waterway.
Iran has taken an aggressive stance, demanding that ships comply with its instructions and threatening to impose transit fees on vessels passing through the strait — a passage that once carried one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supply.
The United States and Gulf Arab nations have flatly rejected Iran’s demands. While the strait runs through the territorial waters of both Iran and Oman, it is widely recognized internationally as a global waterway open to all nations.
The maritime developments unfolded on the same day Iran launched a drone assault against Bahrain, while a separate vessel in the Strait of Hormuz came under attack — moves widely viewed as Tehran’s retaliation for overnight U.S. airstrikes.
The flare-up across the Persian Gulf underscores the fragile and dangerous nature of the ongoing conflict, even as Iran and the U.S. have reached a temporary agreement intended to pave the way for a permanent resolution.
The U.S. airstrikes were themselves a response to an Iranian drone attack Thursday on a ship attempting to exit the strait — the latest in a series of incidents that have strained an already shaky ceasefire.
Iran’s choice to target Bahrain appeared deliberate. The small Gulf kingdom has been among Iran’s most vocal critics and serves as the home base for the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. Bahrain had just hosted U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio for a gathering of Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers, which concluded with a unified call for Iran to halt its attacks and allow unrestricted passage through the strait.
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement confirming that “a number of Iranian drones” had struck the country, describing the assault as “a flagrant threat to the security of citizens and residents.”
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard released a statement earlier Saturday through the state-run IRNA news agency, claiming it had struck multiple locations belonging to “the U.S. terrorist army in the region,” though it did not specify which sites were hit.
Separately, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported that a tanker was struck Saturday while in the strait. Officials said the crew was unharmed and no environmental damage occurred. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the tanker attack, though suspicion quickly turned toward Iran.
NOGALES, Arizona — More than 100 Catholic bishops, nuns, priests, and churchgoers took part in a border procession Friday evening, calling on the U.S. government to treat migrants with dignity and respect.
The march began in Nogales, Arizona, and crossed into its sister city in the Mexican state of Sonora. Organizers timed the event to coincide with celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Tucson Bishop James Misko led a Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Nogales, which sits overlooking the U.S.-Mexico border fence. “We want to be well together. This is what the Church is all about,” he said during the service.
After Mass concluded, clergy and parishioners formed a line and prayed the rosary together as they walked across the border, where they were met by their Mexican counterparts.
Sister Eileen McKenzie, a Franciscan nun who works with migrants in the Ambos Nogales area, described the extreme conditions. “The heat is terrible, the heat is actually deadly,” she said, as temperatures climbed to 96 degrees Fahrenheit.
She called the procession a powerful moment of solidarity, adding: “We realized, there are people crossing the desert right now, and they don’t have any (respite). It puts perspective on it. There are more and more people who are going farther and farther out. They are more desperate and they are still crossing.”
Catholic leaders across the United States, along with Pope Leo, have spoken out against Trump-era immigration policies, specifically criticizing mass deportations, conditions inside detention facilities, and enforcement raids — actions they say are causing fear and suffering among migrant communities.
The criticism comes as the Supreme Court issued two rulings Thursday allowing the Trump administration to turn away asylum seekers at the border and remove deportation protections from hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian immigrants.
In November, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released a statement expressing sadness over what it called “the vilification of immigrants,” while also raising concerns about conditions in detention centers and limited access to pastoral care.
Bishop Mark Seitz, who leads the Diocese of El Paso, Texas, said he has been closely monitoring the situation at the Camp East Montana detention center at nearby Fort Bliss. He said religious chaplains have sometimes been turned away from visiting detainees there.
“Most of these people that are being detained right now, they’re not elderly people. They’re not generally sick people. And yet they’re dying. And, there are many emergency calls from there to people who are suffering mightily,” Seitz said.
He added that Catholic priests have only been permitted to celebrate one Mass per week — on Sundays — with space for roughly 100 worshippers, a small fraction of the more than 1,000 people being held at the facility.
“These are people, 80% of which are probably Catholic and, and many of which, because of their circumstances, are even more needing God in their lives. It’s so unfortunate that we can’t serve them,” Seitz said.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security previously told Reuters that “ICE is always looking at ways to improve (its) detention facilities,” pointing to a change in how the facility’s contract is managed following three deaths there between December and January.
Federal officials waved the bishops and faithful across the border into Mexico, where they continued praying the rosary and followed a banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Bystanders smiled as the procession made its way to the Church of the Immaculate Conception, where the local Nogales bishop welcomed the group.
Dylan Corbett, executive director of the HOPE Border Institute in El Paso and a member of a Vatican group that advocates for migrant rights, said Friday’s Mass was part of a broader, ongoing effort by Catholics worldwide.
“In Central America, the exodus that we’ve seen from Venezuela, and (in) Haiti, the Church is there providing humanitarian support, standing up structures to be able to reintegrate those who have been deported, providing witness and also advocacy to advance policies that are more humane and will result in a more human and compassionate treatment of migrants,” he said.
On July 4th — the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence — Pope Leo is scheduled to celebrate Mass in Lampedusa, an Italian island where hundreds of thousands of migrants have arrived over the years after fleeing war and poverty in parts of Africa and the Middle East.
PARIS — France announced Saturday that it is weighing potential reciprocal actions following Burkina Faso’s decision to cut all diplomatic ties with the country.
On Friday, the West African nation officially ended its relationship with its former colonial ruler, a move that came after years of deteriorating relations stemming from disagreements over security, national sovereignty, and accusations of foreign meddling.
The French foreign ministry issued a sharp response, stating: “France regrets this hostile and unfounded decision, which illustrates the worrying drift of the Burkinabe authorities.”
French officials also issued a warning to their citizens currently living in Burkina Faso, calling on them “to exercise heightened vigilance” amid the diplomatic fallout.
Burkina Faso has spent years struggling against a violent Islamist insurgency that originally spread from neighboring Mali. The conflict has claimed thousands of lives and forced millions of people to flee their homes across the region over the past decade.
Burkina Faso’s Communications Minister Gilbert Ouedraogo confirmed the break in relations took effect Friday. He accused France of backing “subversive networks” and “terrorists” — allegations that France has repeatedly and firmly denied.
Cruising along the coastlines of France and Italy, Orient Express has unveiled its first large-scale luxury yacht — and the target clientele is a new generation of billionaires minted by the tech industry.
Orient Express, now operated as a joint venture between French hotel company Accor and LVMH, the parent company of Louis Vuitton, was created to breathe new life into the storied 19th century travel brand. The newly launched yacht is the first of two planned vessels aimed at the ultra-wealthy. The venture also includes a collection of upscale hotels and a historic art deco train that has yet to begin service.
Accor serves as the operational head of Orient Express, and its Chief Executive Sebastien Bazin told Reuters the company is counting on a fresh wave of billionaires emerging from the artificial intelligence industry to help push the brand further into the luxury experience market.
“When you are getting rich, very rich, money hasn’t got the same meaning,” Bazin said. “The only thing that has a meaning is recognition. Have you become someone?”
According to a Bain study released this week, spending on premium experiences is projected to grow between 9% and 11% this year — far exceeding the 1% to 4% growth expected for traditional luxury goods.
That surge is being driven in part by a technology boom in the United States and beyond, swelling the ranks of so-called ultra-high net worth individuals who are turning to private jets, yachts, and high-profile events like Formula One racing as ways to display their status.
“When people are very rich and they have seven homes, and 12 cars, and 17 watches… they still have a bucket list of things they promised themselves to do before dying. It’s not to have an 18th watch,” Bazin said in a recent interview with Reuters.
Bazin also confirmed that Accor and LVMH hold mutual options to purchase each other’s stake in the venture in the years ahead — offering the clearest picture yet of a partnership designed to capitalize on growing appetite for experiences at a time when the broader luxury goods sector is struggling with sluggish demand for items like handbags, clothing, and watches.
Neither company has publicly disclosed the joint venture’s operating profit or overall value, though Orient Express’s high-end assets are estimated to be worth approximately 1 billion euros, or about $1.07 billion.
Should either partner choose to exercise its buyout option, analysts suggest an acquisition by LVMH would be the more probable outcome. Accor faces pressure from investors to improve returns, as its core hotel chains have seen flat performance for several years. LVMH, by contrast, is a far larger luxury powerhouse with more than ten times Accor’s sales and significant resources available for acquisitions.
The Orient Express yacht has already been making appearances at high-profile gatherings, including the Cannes film festival and the Formula One race in Monaco, venues where social status is on full display.
“If you’ve been to a Monaco Formula One, if you want to go around, you need badges everywhere. Certain people would have certain badges,” said Estelle Dinh, a professor at Switzerland-based hospitality school Gilon and an industry advisor.
Guests booking a four-day cruise can expect to pay approximately €25,000 for a suite. Throughout the vessel, LVMH brands are prominently featured — from a Guerlain beauty salon to bottles of Hennessy cognac placed on display in the most expensive penthouse suites.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced Saturday that Ukrainian-made Flamingo missiles struck a defense manufacturing facility in Russia’s Volgograd region during an overnight attack.
The targeted facility, known as the Titan-Barrikady plant, produces artillery systems and components used in missile launch systems. Zelenskiy reported on the Telegram messaging app that the strikes ignited a fire at the plant’s premises.
Separately, Ukraine’s SBU security service announced that its drones carried out an attack on the “Vtorovo” oil pumping station located in Russia’s Vladimir region — the second such strike on that facility this month. According to the SBU’s Telegram post, the station serves as a critical logistics hub used to transport petroleum products to Russian consumers at home and abroad.
Zelenskiy framed the strikes as part of Ukraine’s broader strategy of applying sustained pressure deep inside Russian territory. “The reach of Ukraine’s long-range sanctions continues to expand,” he said. “It is precisely our pressure, day after day, that lays the groundwork for a dignified peace in the end.”
In recent months, Ukraine has stepped up mid- and long-range drone attacks targeting Russian oil infrastructure and weapons production, a response to Russia’s devastating strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.
The conflict, now in its fifth year, continues along more than 1,200 kilometers of frontline territory, with Russia launching hundreds of drones in near-nightly attacks against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
Ukraine’s energy company Naftogaz reported that its production facilities in the northeastern Poltava and Kharkiv regions sustained damage following Russian missile and drone attacks over the previous two days.
Zelenskiy also disclosed that Russia launched nearly 1,400 drones and 19 missiles during attacks last week that targeted 15 Ukrainian regions. He emphasized that securing air defense supplies and strengthening drone cooperation with allied nations remain top priorities for Kyiv.
Tensions between the United States and Iran escalated sharply on Saturday as Iran announced it had struck targets connected to American forces, calling the action a response to what it described as U.S. airstrikes on its southern coastline. Both countries continue to blame each other for breaking a ceasefire agreement that was reached just last week, aimed at ending a four-month conflict.
Iran’s foreign ministry declined to reveal the specific locations of what it called “defensive” strikes, but said the attacks were a direct answer to what it characterized as “the barbaric air strikes” carried out by the U.S. against coastal surveillance facilities. Iran also claimed the American strikes violated the United Nations Charter.
Shortly after, Bahrain — which serves as the home base for the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet — announced it had been targeted by an Iranian drone attack. Bahraini officials called the incident a blatant violation of the country’s sovereignty and a direct threat to its security, stating the nation reserves the right to protect itself.
The White House did not immediately issue a response to Iran’s claims of hitting American-linked targets — a strategy Iran has used during the conflict in an effort to weaken U.S. allies across the region.
U.S. military officials said their Friday airstrikes were carried out in response to an Iranian drone attack on a cargo vessel traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that plays a critical role in global energy supplies.
In a separate but related development, Israel and Lebanon reached an agreement to halt fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Both parties described the deal as a first step, which would require Hezbollah to disarm and Israel to pull its troops out of Lebanon. However, questions remain about how the agreement would be enforced, and Hezbollah stated it would not cooperate.
Iranian state television reported that the country’s Revolutionary Guards delivered what it called “a decisive response” after U.S. forces struck a communications tower in the port city of Sirik. Iran’s Mehr news agency reported the port was functioning normally, with no damage to facilities or equipment.
Bahrain said Iran’s ongoing attacks, despite efforts by regional and international parties to reduce tensions, were threatening peace and stability in the area. Officials also accused Tehran of violating U.N. Security Council Resolution 2817 and the June 17 Islamabad memorandum of understanding.
Following a Thursday strike on a cargo ship near Oman’s coast — which Iran did not claim responsibility for — Tehran asserted its authority over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran stated that vessels must follow routes designated by Tehran, warned Gulf nations against aligning with Washington, and claimed that a recent interim agreement with the U.S. granted it control over ship traffic through the strategically vital waterway.
Ebrahim Azizi, who leads the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, said Saturday that any ship failing to follow Iran’s directions through the strait would face a decisive reaction.
U.S. Central Command called Iran’s Thursday strike “unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping” and said the U.S. would continue providing “safe passage coordination and support” to commercial vessels moving through the strait — which serves as the conduit for one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, before the U.S. and Israel launched the war on February 28.
Vice President JD Vance, who was once considered skeptical of U.S. military involvement in Iran but has since become a key point of contact for President Donald Trump on the conflict, insisted that the United States has upheld its side of the ceasefire deal.
“Iran signed a ceasefire agreement. We have honored it. If they have disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone. But violence will be met with violence,” Vance posted on X.
Before the latest round of violence broke out, oil prices dropped roughly 3% on Friday, putting them on pace for significant weekly losses as oil tankers have been leaving the Strait of Hormuz. However, Saudi Aramco resumed crude oil loading at its Ras Tanura terminal — the world’s largest oil port — after a nearly four-month stoppage, according to shipping data. Fertilizer shipments through the strait have also picked back up, helping to ease fears of a spike in global food prices.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, wrapping up a tour of Gulf nations to reassure regional partners about the interim agreement, joined with the Gulf Cooperation Council in issuing a statement calling for “free, unconditional, and unrestricted navigation” through the strait, with no tolls or efforts to assert control over it.
Iran’s foreign ministry countered that the strait should be governed jointly by Iran and Oman. Meanwhile, Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, warned U.S. allies in the Gulf that their continued survival depended on Tehran’s goodwill.
Whether you embrace or resist generative AI chatbots, they are increasingly showing up in people’s romantic lives.
It’s no surprise that many people are skeptical about technology’s role in dating. Even so, a rising number of individuals are treating AI as an informal dating coach or relationship advisor. People are using these tools to get help crafting dating app profiles, figure out what messages from potential partners mean, write responses, and get general advice about romance.
The results, however, can be hit or miss. Knowing how to use a chatbot effectively — and where its limits are — can make a real difference. Here’s what experts have to say.
Logan Ury, the director of relationship science at the dating app Hinge, said she understands why people feel uneasy about AI in dating, but no matter how we go about finding love, “what we’re searching for stays the same.” Hinge offers AI-powered tools to help users build their profiles and keep conversations flowing more naturally.
Ury said AI is best used as a wingman rather than a ghostwriter, because “when you show up on that date, it’s very important that who your match meets is the person who they’ve been talking to online.”
In her view, good uses of AI include getting feedback on your profile or brainstorming first date ideas based on your match’s interests. What she doesn’t recommend: copying and pasting chatbot-written messages or using AI to alter or generate photos of yourself.
Dating coach Erika Ettin takes an even more cautious approach. She advises limiting chatbot use to tasks like proofreading your profile or messages. Ettin encourages people seeking relationships to aim for authenticity rather than a polished, AI-crafted image.
“All I ask is for people to put their own thought and critical thinking in first, and then if they’re going to use AI to check something, it’s after they have already formulated an opinion,” Ettin said.
Jules White, director of Vanderbilt University’s initiative on the future of learning and generative AI, pointed out that many users give chatbots “way too little and then expecting it to read their minds.”
The usefulness of the advice you get depends heavily on how you phrase your questions. Vague prompts tend to produce generic answers, while specific, well-structured questions lead to more personalized responses. But White noted that effective prompting isn’t just about choosing the right words — it’s about learning how to “yield this computational thought effectively to solve problems.”
One method White recommends is asking the chatbot to interview you before giving advice. You might say something like, “Here’s what I’m trying to do. I want you to ask me questions one at a time until you have enough information to do that thing,” White explained. This allows the chatbot to refine its questions based on your answers, producing more relevant guidance.
Matt Shumer, a general partner at investment firm Shumer Capital and a well-known figure in the AI world, said the most useful prompts are ones that push you to think more deeply. He advises telling a chatbot not to hand you an answer outright, but instead to “help me get there on my own.” In a dating context, that might mean sharing messages from someone you’re trying to understand and asking the chatbot to help you think through the situation the way a dating coach might.
“Help me understand the nuance, how they might be thinking about it, what the right way to respond is, but don’t give me the answer,” Shumer said.
While many people turn to AI expecting a neutral, unbiased take, the advice a chatbot gives is only as reliable as the information you provide. And many chatbots are designed to be agreeable — meaning they’re more likely to side with you when you’re describing a conflict or disagreement.
If you only share your own perspective during an argument, the chatbot won’t be able to offer a truly balanced view.
Liesel Sharabi, director of the Relationships and Technology Lab at Arizona State University, said sharing information from both sides of a situation can help, but it still won’t fully overcome a chatbot’s tendency to flatter the user.
“Hopefully, if you were having a problem in your relationship you wouldn’t make all of your decisions based on what one friend told you, right? Don’t do that with AI either — use it as one data point among many,” she said.
America’s 250th birthday celebration is keeping George Washington reenactors and historical interpreters busier than they have been in years, with events drawing new and larger audiences eager to connect with the nation’s founding era.
Revolutionary War encampments and historical demonstrations have been popping up across the country as part of the milestone anniversary, giving performers who portray the first president a packed schedule of appearances.
At one recent event, a reenactor playing George Washington greeted attendees at the Thomas Baird Homestead in Millstone Township, New Jersey, on May 30. The gathering recreated a Revolutionary War encampment as part of the America 250 celebrations.
Beyond the pageantry, those who bring Washington to life say there is a deeper message worth sharing. They believe Washington’s experiences and leadership offer valuable lessons that speak directly to the political divisions Americans are grappling with today.
A light aircraft collided with a high-rise building in the Chaoyang district of Beijing on Friday, resulting in one fatality and 13 injuries, according to a statement released by the district government on Saturday.
The announcement was posted to the district government’s official social media account, which noted that all injured individuals are currently receiving comprehensive medical attention. Authorities are actively working to determine the cause of the crash.
No additional details about the circumstances of the incident were immediately available as the investigation remains ongoing.
PARIS — A devastating heatwave has gripped France this week, described as one of the worst ever recorded, pushing city residents to abandon their sweltering apartments and check into hotels in search of air conditioning and cooling pools.
On Wednesday, temperatures in Paris climbed to 40.9 degrees Celsius — that’s nearly 106 degrees Fahrenheit — setting a new record for the month of June. This came just one day after France logged its hottest day since weather records began nearly 80 years ago.
The crisis has been made worse by the fact that very few private apartments in France are equipped with air conditioning, especially in the densely packed capital. Adding to the problem, roughly three-quarters of Paris rooftops are covered in zinc, a metal known for absorbing and retaining heat.
The result has been a surge in hotel bookings, both in major cities and in surrounding rural areas.
In the historic western French city of Tours, air-conditioned hotels were nearly completely booked earlier this week. Resident Veronique Savoye, who said the heat in her own home left her unable to think clearly, decided to check into a local hotel for a four-night stay running through Friday.
“It’s about being more comfortable, and — above all — being able to sleep,” she said.
Matthieu Evrard, CEO of hotel group Les Hotels (tres) Particuliers, described the demand as unlike anything he had seen before. “It is a quite extraordinary phenomenon. Every day, I have between five and ten people contacting me personally through various connections to get rooms in our hotels,” he said. “With the heatwave, everything has filled up in just two weeks.”
His group runs Les Maisons de Campagne, a countryside hotel brand with two properties located in the Yvelines department, about 45 minutes outside of Paris — the Chateau de Villiers-le-Mahieu, which sits within a 12-hectare park, and the Maison du Val in Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
Both properties are now completely booked, despite the fact that neither offers air conditioning. Instead, they rely on ceiling fans and the natural cooling effect of their thick stone walls. The appeal for Parisians, many of whom have children whose schools closed due to the heat, also includes outdoor pools and access to the surrounding countryside.
Savoye acknowledged that not everyone has the financial flexibility to book a hotel stay, but said she made the decision to put part of her vacation budget toward the room. “It was what you’d call a staycation. For me, it was worth it,” she said.
Federal highway safety regulators announced Saturday that they have officially closed their investigation into power steering failures in certain Tesla electric vehicles, citing a recall the automaker completed earlier this year.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the probe covered approximately 376,241 Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles from the 2023 model year. The investigation had been classified as an engineering analysis at the time it was closed.
The agency first opened a preliminary evaluation back in July 2023 after Tesla owners reported trouble turning their steering wheels or noticed that significantly more effort was required to steer their vehicles.
By early 2024, regulators had elevated the investigation to a more detailed engineering analysis to dig deeper into the reported steering defect.
Tesla then moved to recall approximately 376,000 of its U.S. vehicles in early 2025, citing a failure of the power steering assist system that made the cars more difficult to control — especially at lower speeds — and increased the risk of a crash. The company, however, stated that the recall was not a direct response to the federal investigation, which was still open at that point.
As part of the recall, Tesla deployed an over-the-air software update intended to stop overvoltage breakdown and reduce stress on motor drive components located on the vehicle’s printed circuit board — the root cause of the increased steering effort.
With the recall now in place, the NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation determined there was no longer a need to continue its engineering analysis and formally closed the case.
A drone loaded with explosives struck a camp belonging to an Iranian Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq, just outside the city of Erbil, security sources reported to Reuters on Saturday.
Fortunately, no one was hurt in the attack. Security sources indicated the camp had been cleared out prior to the drone strike, preventing any casualties.
DELMARVA — President Trump signed an executive order Friday elevating regenerative agriculture as a national priority. At a White House event Thursday, the President directed his administration to fast-track programs on soil health, farm resilience, and food security — aimed at giving farmers and ranchers more resources for American crop production.
A University of Maryland Extension researcher is bringing precision weed technology to Delmarva fields. Travis Ford, an agriculture and natural resources agent for Caroline County, presented his findings Wednesday at a weed management field day in Queenstown. Ford is using AI-powered drone mapping software called Agremo to target weeds precisely, reducing herbicide use compared to traditional blanket spraying. In one trial, he achieved a 99.9% weed kill rate. Ford says a strong pre-emergence program is critical to getting the most from the technology.
Grain futures settled mixed Friday. July corn closed at $4.12¾, down 2 cents. July soybeans settled at $11.26¼, off 1¼ cents. July Chicago wheat dropped 12¾ cents, closing at $5.78¼. At Laurel Grain Company in Laurel, Delaware, December corn bids stand at $4.57/bu, with November soybeans at $11.07/bu.
Showers and thunderstorms are likely Saturday, with a high near 80°F. Drought conditions across Delmarva keep fire risk elevated. Sunday brings a chance of rain showers, with a high of 81°F.
This article is based on the Delmarva Farm Report Update Morning Edition, June 27, 2026. Hosted by Tom Bradley.
All southbound lanes on Route 141 at Faulkland Road are currently closed following a crash, according to traffic officials.
Motorists traveling through the area are advised to avoid the location and plan for alternate routes until the roadway is cleared. The closure is in effect while crews work at the scene.
No further details regarding the crash, including the number of vehicles involved or any injuries, have been made available at this time. Drivers should monitor traffic updates for the latest information on when lanes are expected to reopen.
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (AP) — The military government ruling Burkina Faso has officially cut all diplomatic ties with France, the West African nation’s former colonial ruler and one-time key security partner, in a dramatic breakdown of relations between the two countries.
In a statement released Friday, the junta announced the break was effective immediately, charging France with harboring “blatant neo-colonial ambitions and active support for subversive networks and terrorists.” No supporting evidence was offered for those accusations.
France’s Foreign Ministry pushed back quickly. Spokesman Pascal Confavreux described the move as a “hostile and unfounded decision, which illustrates the worrying drift of the Burkinabè authorities,” adding that the country deeply regrets the action.
Confavreux also noted that “necessary reciprocal measures are currently under review” and said France is keeping a close watch on the safety of its government personnel and citizens currently in Burkina Faso, urging them to remain on high alert.
Burkina Faso’s Communications Minister Pingdwende Gilbert Ouedraogo explained the decision in a separate statement, saying, “The conditions essential for fostering relations based on mutual respect, reciprocal trust, and respect for the principle of non-interference in internal affairs and national sovereignty are no longer met.”
The nation of 23 million people has endured years of brutal violence carried out by extremist groups with ties to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Government forces have also repeatedly faced accusations of extrajudicial killings. The broader Sahel region where Burkina Faso is located holds the grim distinction of being the deadliest area in the world for extremist activity.
The rift between Burkina Faso and France has been building for years. In 2023, the junta demanded France recall its ambassador and declared the United Nations’ resident and humanitarian coordinator in the country unwelcome. The following year, in 2024, three French diplomats were expelled on allegations of engaging in subversive activities.
Before a 2022 coup, France had served as Burkina Faso’s primary security partner, with hundreds of French troops deployed to help fight extremist groups. After the coup, the junta dismissed those forces. Despite the military government’s promises to restore order, analysts say the violence has only grown worse since then.
A recent report from Human Rights Watch found that in the two years following the coup, Burkina Faso’s own forces allegedly killed twice as many civilians as the extremists did. The report attributed at least 1,200 of the 1,837 civilians killed between January 2023 and August 2025 to government forces.
It remains unclear what the formal end of diplomatic relations will mean in practice, including what happens to the French embassy currently operating in Burkina Faso.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has officially closed its preliminary investigation into 441,002 Honda vehicles following the automaker’s decision to recall certain Odyssey models, the agency announced Saturday.
The federal regulator launched the probe in October of last year, targeting approximately 441,000 units of the 2018-2022 Honda Odyssey minivan. The investigation was triggered by consumer complaints that side airbags were deploying without warning while vehicles were being driven — in some cases, the unexpected deployments were tied to hitting potholes.
The investigation came to a close after Honda issued a recall in April aimed at addressing the problem of unintended side airbag deployment.
In Honda’s recall filing with the safety agency, the company reported that between January 24, 2017 and April 2, 2026, it had received 130 warranty claims and 25 injury reports connected to the issue. No deaths were reported in connection with the problem.
The recall applied to select 2018-2022 Honda Odyssey models, and Honda reached out to affected customers in late May of this year.
Iran declared on June 27 that it launched strikes against targets with ties to U.S. forces, framing the action as retaliation for American airstrikes carried out along the country’s southern coastline.
According to a statement released by Iran’s foreign ministry, the U.S. airstrikes were a violation of the United Nations Charter as well as a war-ending memorandum that had been reached between the two countries.
Iran provided no additional details about what was hit or where the targeted locations were situated.
The Chicago White Sox turned Friday night into a historic offensive showcase, pounding out 23 hits and crossing the plate 22 times to crush the visiting Kansas City Royals by a final score of 22-1.
The big blow came in the third inning, when Chicago erupted for 10 runs — the best single-inning output the team has had all season. Miguel Vargas and Jacob Gonzalez both connected on three-run home runs during that frame, blowing the game wide open.
Tristan Peters added a grand slam and finished with six RBIs on the night. Kyle Teel chipped in three RBIs and also went deep, as did Andrew Benintendi. Chase Meidroth collected four hits, while Gonzalez and Vargas each finished with three hits and five RBIs. Sam Antonacci added three more hits to the pile.
On the mound, starter David Sandlin — called up from Triple-A Charlotte earlier in the day — delivered a quality performance, earning the win (2-1) by allowing just one run on three hits over six innings. The rookie right-hander struck out six, walked three and got two double plays.
Kansas City’s Carter Jensen singled to extend his hitting streak to 17 consecutive games, and Jac Caglianone tripled and drew a walk. The Royals managed only four total hits. Designated hitter Bobby Witt Jr., returning from a six-game absence due to a knee sprain, went 0-for-3 but drew a walk and scored a run.
Brewers 6, Cubs 2
Milwaukee topped visiting Chicago as Garrett Mitchell and William Contreras each hit two-run home runs. Starter Jacob Misiorowski (9-3) was dominant, allowing just two hits and one run over six innings while striking out eight. He set a major league record for starters with a first-inning fastball clocked at 105.5 mph and pushed his major league-leading strikeout total to 146, while maintaining his majors-best ERA of 1.45. For Chicago, Seiya Suzuki homered and added a sacrifice fly. Starter Colin Rea allowed one run on five hits over five-plus innings.
Red Sox 6, Yankees 1
Boston’s Payton Tolle was nearly untouchable over seven innings, retiring the first 16 batters he faced before rookie Spencer Jones broke it up with a sixth-inning single. Tolle (4-5) struck out seven and allowed only three baserunners total. Willson Contreras hit a two-run homer and Conor Wong drove in a pair as Boston secured the series win. New York’s Will Warren (7-3) gave up five runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings and issued three walks without recording a strikeout. Tensions flared after Contreras’ homer when he and Warren exchanged words, prompting both benches and bullpens to empty, though no further incident occurred.
Reds 6, Pirates 4
Noelvi Marte delivered his first career pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning to lift Cincinnati over Pittsburgh on the road. Marte’s two-run blast off reliever Mason Montgomery (2-3) snapped a three-game losing streak for the Reds and came on the heels of a Sal Stewart single that ended a streak of 13 straight Cincinnati batters retired by Pittsburgh pitching. The loss was Pittsburgh’s eighth straight when ace and reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes takes the mound.
Tigers 8, Astros 0
James Outman belted a three-run homer to back seven strong innings from Keider Montero as Detroit shut out Houston at home. Kerry Carpenter added a two-run homer — his 11th of the year — and Colt Keith went deep as well. Kevin McGonigle reached base three times, stole two bases and scored twice. The Tigers snapped a three-game skid, while Houston’s three-game winning streak came to an end. Starter Spencer Arrighetti was roughed up for eight runs and five hits in just over three innings. Jose Altuve was the only Astros player with multiple hits, and Houston went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position while stranding six.
Orioles 3, Nationals 1
Baltimore returned home and opened a three-game series with a win over Washington. Trevor Rogers pitched into the seventh, working 6 1/3 innings and allowing just one run on five hits with no walks, earning his fifth win of the season (5-7) and his third since April 1. Coby Mayo doubled twice and drove in a run, Blaze Alexander knocked in two and Taylor Ward went 3-for-4. The Orioles were playing at home for the first time after going 4-5 on a nine-game West Coast trip. Washington has now dropped four straight. No National had more than one hit, and the team was held to one run for the third time this month. Starter Andrew Alvarez (1-1) was pulled after 4 1/3 innings, charged with two runs on six hits.
Phillies 2, Mets 1
Zack Wheeler delivered seven strong innings for Philadelphia in a tight road win over struggling New York to open a three-game series. Trea Turner delivered the go-ahead RBI single in the seventh, and Bryce Harper had three singles including a run-scoring hit in the first. Wheeler improved to 8-1, allowing one run on four hits. The Phillies have now won four straight and six of their last seven. The Mets dropped their seventh consecutive game on a turbulent day — hours before the first pitch, the club fired manager Carlos Mendoza and named farm director Andy Green as interim replacement. Jared Young tied the score in the fourth with an RBI single for New York. Rookie left-hander Zach Thornton recovered from a shaky first inning to throw six innings of one-run ball.
Rangers 5, Blue Jays 4
Nathan Eovaldi was dominant for Texas, striking out nine over seven scoreless innings to help the Rangers hold on and beat Toronto. Eovaldi (8-7) allowed five hits and a walk before exiting with a 5-0 lead. Justin Foscue hit a two-run homer and drove in three, while Wyatt Langford had three hits. Jacob Latz worked around a walk in the ninth to earn his 16th save. Toronto mounted a late charge with Kazuma Okamoto hitting a two-run homer as part of a four-run eighth, but it wasn’t enough. The Blue Jays have now lost four in a row. Former Ranger Patrick Corbin (2-4) gave up five runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Mariners 3, Guardians 1
Seattle got the go-ahead run in the seventh on an infield single by J.P. Crawford, then added insurance in the eighth on an RBI hit from Julio Rodriguez to beat Cleveland on the road. Rookie Colt Emerson hit a solo homer in the third, and Luis Castillo (3-6) pitched six innings of one-run ball for his first win as a starter since May 14. Andres Munoz closed it out with a clean ninth for his 15th save in 20 opportunities. Seattle’s pitchers retired the final 15 batters. Cleveland’s only run came in the first inning when rookie Kahlil Watson doubled home Kyle Manzardo. Watson, who started his career 0-for-12, now has seven RBIs over his last four games. Tim Herrin (0-3) walked two batters upon entering and then gave up Crawford’s decisive hit.
Rays 6, Diamondbacks 1
Junior Caminero hit a three-run homer and Cedric Mullins added a solo shot as Tampa Bay beat Arizona at home in St. Petersburg. Nick Martinez (7-2) pitched into the sixth, allowing one run on six hits over 5 2/3 innings. Yandy Diaz went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs and an RBI for the Rays. Arizona’s Geraldo Perdomo homered, Corbin Carroll went 2-for-4 with a triple and Gabriel Moreno had two hits. Starter Zac Gallen (3-7) gave up five runs on four hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Marlins 4, Cardinals 0
Max Meyer continued his remarkable unbeaten start to the season, allowing just two hits over seven innings as Miami blanked host St. Louis. The win gave Meyer a 9-0 record on the season, tying a Marlins franchise record. He remains the only qualified starting pitcher in the major leagues without a loss this year. Michael Petersen and Calvin Faucher each threw a scoreless inning in relief as Miami won its third straight and improved to a major league-best 17-5 in June. The Cardinals have lost three straight and six of their last eight. St. Louis starter Michael McGreevy was strong, holding Miami to five hits over six scoreless innings, but the Marlins broke through in the eighth against George Soriano (3-2) on a Graham Pauley RBI double.
Twins 9, Rockies 8 (10 innings)
Minnesota survived a dramatic late collapse to beat Colorado in 10 innings, with Royce Lewis delivering the winning RBI single. The Twins had built a seven-run lead before Colorado rallied, but couldn’t be caught in the end. Lewis and Byron Buxton each had three hits for Minnesota, with Kody Clemens and Brooks Lee both going deep. Trevor Larnach added two hits. For Colorado, Jake McCarthy homered and finished with three hits, Hunter Goodman also went deep and TJ Rumfield had two hits, but the Rockies’ late-game surge fell short.
Athletics 9, Angels 3
Jeff McNeil and Henry Bolte each laced two-run singles during a seven-run fifth inning to power Oakland past Los Angeles in the opener of a three-game series in Anaheim. Nick Kurtz went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored, and Shea Langeliers had two hits, an RBI and a stolen base. Max Muncy also contributed two hits and a run as the Athletics won their second straight. Starter J.T. Ginn (6-4) allowed three runs on eight hits over six innings. For the Angels, Jo Adell homered, and Denzer Guzman and Josh Lowe each had two hits. Starter Walbert Urena (5-6) retired the first 12 batters he faced before unraveling for seven runs on six hits over 4 1/3 total innings.
Padres 7, Dodgers 1
Walker Buehler beat his former team for the first time, pitching 5 1/3 solid innings as San Diego topped Los Angeles at home. Buehler (5-3) allowed three hits and one run, walking three and striking out five in a 74-pitch outing before four relievers finished the job. Ty France provided the big blow with a three-run homer. Los Angeles starter Roki Sasaki (3-5) lasted only four-plus innings, walking five and allowing three hits and three runs. The Dodgers’ only run came on a Mookie Betts leadoff homer in the second — his 10th of the season.
Braves 3, Giants 1
Ozzie Albies drove in two runs and Reynaldo Lopez combined with five relievers on a seven-hitter as Atlanta opened a three-game road series with a win over San Francisco. Lopez, making his first start since April 21, held the Giants to one run and four hits before being pulled after three innings and 57 pitches. Reliever Dylan Lee (4-0) threw 1 2/3 innings of one-hit ball to earn the win, and Raisel Iglesias worked a clean ninth for his 16th save. All three Atlanta runs came against Giants starter Trevor McDonald (2-6), who gave up seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. San Francisco had four doubles but was out-hit 8-7 and has now lost five of its last seven games.
A federal notice has been issued signaling that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service intends to seek an extension of approval for an existing information collection process.
The collection in question is tied to the importation of swine hides, bird trophies, and deer hides into the United States.
The request is being made in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, a law that governs how federal agencies gather and manage information from the public.
Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis has gone under the knife for shoulder surgery and will likely be sidelined when next season tips off, the defending Stanley Cup champions’ general manager Eric Tulsky announced late Friday.
The 24-year-old Jarvis paced the Hurricanes with 32 goals during the regular season, but the shoulder issue actually dates back to the 2023-24 campaign. Tulsky told reporters after the first round of the NHL draft that Jarvis faces a recovery window of “probably four to six months.”
The surgery addressed a torn labrum and rotator cuff — an injury that Jarvis had been managing for years while Carolina made extended playoff runs. He also suited up for Team Canada in international play during that stretch.
Tulsky explained the long delay in getting the surgery done: “Shoulders are tough. Once it goes, you can keep aggravating it and limit what you can do… Eventually, it needs to be repaired. You can strengthen it and try to get through it, and he did that for a while.”
The general manager added that timing played a major role in the decision to wait. “Last year, we had a deep run (Eastern Conference finals) — if we had missed the playoffs last year, he probably would have had this last summer, I would guess,” Tulsky said. “But we had a deep run, and he started looking at the timeline and didn’t want to miss a big chunk of the season. Then we got to this year and had another deep run, and at some point, you just need to do it. You can’t be limited for the rest of your career. You start thinking, ‘Maybe we’re going to have deep runs every year,’ just bite the bullet and get it done.”
Over 71 regular-season games this past year, Jarvis put up 66 points — 32 goals and 34 assists — along with a plus-6 rating, 23 penalty minutes, 27 blocked shots, and 81 hits. In the postseason, he contributed 11 points (four goals, seven assists) and a plus-3 rating across 19 games as Carolina advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, where the team beat the Vegas Golden Knights in six games.
Through his career, Jarvis has accumulated 279 points (128 goals, 151 assists), a plus-62 rating, 83 penalty minutes, 199 blocks, and 431 hits in 327 regular-season contests. He has also posted 54 points (23 goals, 31 assists) in 74 career playoff games. Carolina originally selected him 13th overall in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft.
Tulsky also disclosed that forward Eric Robinson, 31, underwent a knee procedure but is anticipated to return within six to eight weeks — putting him on track to be ready for training camp in September. Robinson had a solid regular season with 18 points (12 goals, six assists), a plus-7 rating, and 90 hits across 67 games, then added eight points and 43 hits in 19 playoff outings. Over his career spanning stints with the Columbus Blue Jackets (2017-24), Buffalo Sabres (2024), and Hurricanes (2024-present), Robinson has tallied 141 points in 455 regular-season games.
SAN DIEGO — Walker Buehler spent the better part of a decade making life difficult for the San Diego Padres. On Friday night at Petco Park, he turned that same competitive edge against his former employer.
Pitching for the first time against the Los Angeles Dodgers since joining San Diego, Buehler delivered a standout performance in the Padres’ 7-1 victory over the reigning World Series champions. He held the Dodgers to just three hits, struck out five, and surrendered only one run before being pulled in the sixth inning.
Despite the significance of the matchup, Buehler was quick to downplay any notion of a grudge against the team that helped make him a star.
“I have no bad blood against that organization,” Buehler said. “They treated me very well for a long time, and I think in some way, I did to them as well. My last pitch there was the last out of a World Series. I don’t really know how else I would have gone out any better than that. So yeah, I want to beat everyone, especially in the division, and especially a team that has been so successful against the organization I’m with now. I want to be a part of turning that around.”
Buehler earned two All-Star selections and two World Series rings during his time with Los Angeles. His final moment in Dodger Blue came in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, when he entered in relief and recorded the final out in the clinching win over the New York Yankees. Against the Padres specifically, he was nearly untouchable, posting a 6-1 record with a 1.80 ERA across 12 starts.
After injuries hampered his final seasons with the Dodgers and the team chose not to retain him, Buehler signed with the Boston Red Sox. His first outing against Los Angeles came last year at Fenway Park — a rough start that mirrored much of his difficult tenure in Boston. The Red Sox released him less than a month after that appearance. Following a brief stop in Philadelphia, he signed with San Diego last February.
“I think the first one in Boston was a lot bigger emotional load, for lack of a better word,” Buehler said. “It’s a team in our division. I’m going to have to pitch against them, and it was good to get the first one in this uniform at home, and we’ll see what happens on the road. I haven’t thrown at Dodger Stadium yet, which will be kind of a different thing, but (it’s) nice to have something to fall back on in terms of having some success.”
Now 31 years old and carrying two Tommy John surgeries in his past, Buehler has found renewed success in San Diego. He improved to 5-3 on the season and has given up just five runs over five June starts covering 26 1/3 innings. He has quietly become the most dependable arm in a rotation hit hard by injuries.
The Padres have managed Buehler carefully, keeping his workload in check. He has not yet recorded an out in the seventh inning this season, but he says San Diego’s strong bullpen has made that transition easier to accept.
“I think I’ve changed from trying to throw 120 pitches and owning the game to just kind of trying to get through the five, six innings and hand it off to our bullpen,” Buehler said. “Obviously we have a lot of super-talented guys back there, so I feel good about it.”
Friday’s exit after just 74 pitches still didn’t sit well with Buehler in the moment, but manager Craig Stammen said the pitcher has handled the new approach professionally. The bullpen backed him up with 3 2/3 scoreless innings, navigating two bases-loaded situations to preserve the win.
“In the moment, he likes to let me know he’s not happy on the mound,” Stammen said. “And then when I get back to the dugout, he’s already cooled off. So he’s handled it really well. He’s been a very professional pitcher in that regard. He knows that he’s pitching well and he can get a lot of guys out, but he also knows we’ve got a really good bullpen that can finish a game and get him a win.”
NYANZA, Rwanda — At the King’s Palace Museum in Nyanza, Rwanda, a flute plays softly and verses of poetry fill the air — all for the benefit of a herd of cattle.
These are no ordinary animals. The Inyambo cows, recognized by their long, crescent-shaped horns, are considered living symbols of Rwanda’s royal history. They graze at the museum and at the estates of some of the country’s wealthiest citizens, including President Paul Kagame.
The Inyambo are descended from the Ankole cattle breed of East Africa and can also be found in neighboring Uganda and Burundi. Historically, they were kept in royal courts where they represented wealth, power, and prestige.
“They’re not for milk, they’re not for meat. They were just used as decorations around the palaces,” said museum curator Bigira Junior.
Although Rwanda’s monarchy no longer exists, President Kagame has continued the age-old tradition of gifting these cattle to other leaders. A local publication, The New Times, once described this practice as “Inyambo diplomacy.”
As Rwanda works to grow its tourism industry, it has been investing significantly in sites like the King’s Palace Museum, where the Inyambo serve as the centerpiece attraction.
Caretakers recite melodious poetry to the animals, praising their appearance and addressing them by name. This practice is believed to soothe the cattle before major events or traditional ceremonies.
“You have beautiful horns. Move your head so that we can see your beautiful neck and body. You are the most beautiful cow among others,” one caretaker sings during the ritual.
The cattle are also regularly brushed, another calming technique used by their handlers.
“Remember, they are to be loved and cherished, and you can’t love something from afar. You have to get close to it,” Junior explained.
Across Rwanda and several other African nations, cattle carry deep social and economic meaning. The size and uniqueness of a person’s herd often determines their standing in the community. In 2004, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa purchased a special breed of Ankole cattle from Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni.
The Inyambo have also shaped Rwanda’s traditional dance culture. Women perform graceful movements, extending their arms to imitate the shape of the cattle’s distinctive horns.
“The dance is more or less a way to portray the beauty of the royal cows,” Junior said.
The Inyambo were reintroduced to the museum grounds in the early 2010s as part of a conservation effort, though the exact number remaining is not known. Caretakers oversee breeding programs aimed at preserving the animals’ signature traits — including their long horns and rich brown coloring, a shade associated with royalty, maturity, and stability.
For younger visitors encountering the breed for the first time, the Inyambo represent a direct connection to Rwanda’s past.
“We educate them to take this information to others and keep the culture alive,” Junior said.
LONDON (AP) — Britain appears ready for a change in leadership style, swapping out an unpopular and reserved Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the well-liked and personable Andy Burnham.
However, despite his charm and broad public appeal, Burnham may find it difficult — especially in the early days — to separate himself from the policies already put in place by the outgoing leader.
Burnham, who previously served as mayor of Greater Manchester, was sworn into Parliament just hours after Starmer announced Monday that he would be stepping down. He will be bound by the platform on which the center-left Labour Party won election in 2024, a victory that ended 14 years of Conservative Party governance. If he takes the top job, he would become the seventh prime minister in just ten years.
Exactly how he plans to work within those constraints while putting his own stamp on British politics remains to be seen. He is scheduled to deliver a speech next week laying out his economic priorities.
Matthew Flinders, a politics professor at the University of Sheffield, offered both praise and a word of caution. “At the moment, Andy Burnham is being almost hailed and held up as a folk hero that will save British politics,” Flinders said. “The tide is changing and the big issue for Andy Burnham is that when the world suddenly moves against him and he becomes a folk devil, will he sustain the pressure?”
As of now, Burnham is the only person in the running to lead the Labour Party and the country. If no other candidates enter the race, he is expected to officially take over on July 17. His return to the House of Commons follows roughly a decade at the helm of the region surrounding the U.K.’s third-largest city — the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution — which experienced an economic resurgence under his leadership.
His biggest task will be tackling what Starmer could not: delivering meaningful economic growth, restoring deteriorating public services, and bringing down the cost of living for ordinary Britons.
Burnham pointed to those concerns — along with housing and creating pathways for young people — in a social media post following Starmer’s announcement that he was leaving office.
“The country expects stability, seriousness and a continued focus on the issues that matter most and that is what it will get,” he wrote on X.
Burnham is generally considered to sit to the left of Starmer within the Labour Party. He has pledged to reinvigorate a sluggish economy while staying within the existing government’s spending and borrowing limits. That commitment has helped calm financial markets still rattled by the 2022 episode in which Prime Minister Liz Truss unveiled unfunded tax cuts, then reversed course — a crisis that contributed to her record-short 49-day tenure as Britain’s leader.
Mark Goodwin, a politics lecturer at Coventry University, said Burnham’s position on the left side of the party could invite market anxiety. “If you are a Labour prime minister from the soft left of the party, the markets don’t need that much invitation to panic,” Goodwin said. “They will start from a position of skepticism. So he’d have to be very, very careful.”
Goodwin added that Burnham faces the challenge “to convince people that this is something different, without the markets reading that as ‘This is too different.’”
Burnham is associated with a governing philosophy sometimes called “Manchesterism” — a business-friendly approach rooted in socialist values that emphasizes attracting private investment for large-scale projects and pushing decision-making power away from the national government and into local communities, particularly around housing, utilities, transportation, and education.
In what may be an early signal of that philosophy in action, he is reportedly considering relocating part of the prime minister’s operation closer to his home base — roughly 200 miles north of 10 Downing Street, the official London residence and office of the U.K.’s leader.
Burnham has said he will not raise taxes on workers, honoring a pledge made by Starmer. He has also floated the idea of reducing the tax load on businesses and potentially rolling back a rise in a payroll tax that employers pay to fund pensions, public health care, and welfare programs.
Jill Rutter, a senior fellow at the Institute for Government think tank, said the central question is how Burnham plans to pay for programs, whether he will eliminate existing priorities, and how he will respond to growing demands for increased defense spending.
Starmer’s government had committed to reaching a NATO target of spending 3.5% of the country’s GDP on defense by 2035. That commitment was thrown into question this month when the defense secretary resigned, citing frustration that Starmer was not moving quickly enough toward that goal.
On the international stage, Burnham’s limited experience could prove to be a liability — particularly when it comes to managing the relationship with the United States after President Donald Trump turned against Starmer.
Trump this week referred to Burnham as a “town” mayor and said he had heard Burnham was “extremely liberal” and likely would not push for expanded North Sea oil drilling — a recurring criticism Trump had of Starmer.
Starmer had worked to maintain a civil relationship with Trump despite their political differences, ultimately securing a U.S.-U.K. trade deal. But that effort came at a cost, alienating parts of Labour’s more liberal voter base. The relationship with Trump eventually deteriorated after Starmer criticized Trump’s ambitions regarding Greenland and chose not to participate in the Iran conflict.
Burnham himself has not always spoken favorably about Trump. Following the January 6, 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters, Burnham posted on X that “any politician who gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed right now.”
While Starmer earned recognition for his role on the world stage — particularly in rallying European backing for Ukraine — he was also criticized for spending too much time on foreign affairs, according to Rutter. She does not anticipate Burnham taking the same approach, and suggested he could delegate some of those responsibilities by appointing a seasoned diplomat as foreign secretary.
“I don’t think Andy Burnham will want to be ‘never-here Andy’ in succession to ‘never-here Keir,’” Rutter said, referencing the nickname Starmer earned for his frequent international travel.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Wednesday that she had spoken with Burnham about policy matters and reported that “he’s 100% behind our unwavering support for Ukraine” and “is a fundamental believer in NATO and in our shared deterrence and in the multilateral partnerships that we have.”
Political analyst Flinders said one of Burnham’s most pressing early tasks will be developing a clear and compelling message about where he wants to lead the country — something Starmer consistently struggled to do.
That challenge plays directly to Burnham’s strengths as a communicator. He has built his public image as a relatable northern Englishman who favors casual clothing over formal attire, enjoys playing soccer, and is known for DJing music from the 1990s.
For now, Burnham appears to be managing expectations carefully and avoiding any grand promises. But if he can demonstrate solid leadership and retain public confidence through the roughly three years remaining before a general election must be called, he may have the opportunity to pursue a more ambitious agenda in his own right.
Burnham has spoken about broader political reforms, including replacing the House of Lords with an elected senate and shifting to a proportional voting system. He has also expressed a personal desire to see the U.K. rejoin the European Union during his lifetime — though he softened that stance while campaigning in a constituency that voted two-to-one in favor of Brexit.
“My sense is that he will take some time, sensibly, to build up his team, his narrative, his story and his connections in order to then try to secure a public mandate and the next general election to then approach the more radical phase that he wants to deliver, which is exactly what Margaret Thatcher did in the ’80s,” Flinders said.
When temperatures soar, it’s not just people who struggle — birds and other wildlife are also at serious risk from extreme heat and humidity, experts say.
Birds play a vital role in ecosystems around the world. They pollinate flowers, keep pest populations in check, spread seeds, and can even act as early warning indicators of environmental problems. Protecting them during dangerous heat events matters.
David Bird, an emeritus professor of wildlife biology at McGill University, noted that birds are a remarkably diverse group and are often well-equipped to handle extended stretches of hot weather. Their body temperatures naturally run higher than those of mammals — some birds maintain temperatures around 38 degrees Celsius, or about 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and some run even warmer.
To stay cool, birds can adjust their feathers and increase airflow through a complex internal system of air sacs. They also change their behavior in response to heat.
Still, every bird has a limit. Aimee Van Tatenhove, a postdoctoral fellow at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, explained that this threshold varies depending on the species. “This level differs by species, and as you can imagine, species that live closer to the poles are often much more susceptible to heat than species that live closer to the equator,” she said. “Prolonged intense heat like Europe is experiencing right now is likely pushing many species toward their maximum heat tolerances, putting them at risk of heat illness or death.”
Unlike humans and some other mammals, birds don’t sweat. Instead, they rely on other natural cooling methods. Some species — including common backyard birds — will open their beaks and pant, similar to how a dog cools itself. Others flutter the loose skin on their throat in a behavior called “gular fluttering.” Birds also frequently seek out shade and cool off in birdbaths, fountains, and shallow ponds.
There are several things people can do to help birds during a heat wave. In the near term, setting out shallow containers of fresh water in safe locations — away from predators — can make a real difference. Experts do caution that these water sources need to be kept clean.
Keeping bird feeders stocked is another way to help, giving birds an easy meal so they don’t have to forage in the blazing sun. This is especially important because insect populations — a primary natural food source for many birds — have declined sharply in recent years, partly due to climate change and pollution.
For those with more space, Professor Bird suggested planting layered vegetation over time, such as small shrubs and larger trees, to create shaded areas in yards.
That said, sometimes the best option is simply to leave birds alone. Jack Kottwitz, an assistant professor at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, pointed out that birds are often capable of finding their own comfort. “These birds know better than what we do about what is comfortable for them,” he said. Birds will naturally seek out cooler spots, lower perches, or even areas near fans.
The same general advice applies to other wildlife. Experts warn against offering wild animals unfamiliar food or water, or attempting to bring them inside. Signs of heat stress in wild animals can look similar to symptoms of diseases that those animals may carry.
The best course of action when encountering a sick or injured wild animal is to contact a local wildlife rehabilitator, who has the training and tools to provide proper care.
Lisa Duke, sanctuary grounds manager at the W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary, which is affiliated with Michigan State, summed it up simply: “The best thing for wildlife is to let them be wild. They know what to do with their bodies.”
The Oklahoma City Thunder are holding onto one of their most important frontcourt players. According to an ESPN report released Friday evening, the team has reached an agreement on a new three-year contract with center Isaiah Hartenstein worth $75 million.
The new deal will keep the 28-year-old big man in Oklahoma City through the 2028-29 season. When combined with his previous contract, Hartenstein will have earned a total of $134 million guaranteed across five seasons with the Thunder, per the report.
Hartenstein originally came to Oklahoma City as a free agent in 2024, signing a three-year deal valued at $87 million that included a third-year team option. The 7-foot center proved to be a crucial part of the Thunder’s championship-winning squad in 2024-25, making 99 starts in 104 regular-season games and appearing in 35 of 38 playoff contests over the past two seasons.
According to the report, the newly agreed-upon contract comes with a maximum 15% trade kicker. It also includes a mutual option that gives both Hartenstein, his agents, and the team the ability to restructure the agreement before the contract’s final season.
This past season was a difficult one for Hartenstein health-wise, as injuries held him to just 47 games — 46 of which he started. During those appearances, he averaged 9.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 24.2 minutes per game. Across his entire eight-year NBA career — which has included stops with the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, and Thunder — he has averaged 7.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 20.0 minutes per game in 426 games, with 160 starts.
Guard Jose Alvarado is staying with the New York Knicks, agreeing to a three-year deal worth more than $14.5 million, according to a report from ESPN published Friday.
Alvarado, who served as an important reserve for the reigning NBA champions, had opted out of a $4.5 million player option for the upcoming season, according to multiple reports.
The Brooklyn native took to social media Friday to announce his return, writing “I’m Home” on X and finishing the post with a string of orange and blue hearts — the Knicks’ team colors.
The 28-year-old joined New York from the New Orleans Pelicans ahead of the NBA trade deadline in February. During the regular season, he appeared in 28 games — starting three — and put up averages of 6.6 points, 3.8 assists, 1.0 steals and 16.9 minutes per game.
That trade also included forward Latavious Williams heading to New York, while the Pelicans received guard Dalen Terry, cash, a 2022 second-round draft pick — which was later used to select Jaron Pierre Jr. — and a 2027 second-round pick.
In the postseason, Alvarado contributed off the bench in 18 playoff games, averaging 4.2 points, 1.2 assists and 9.4 minutes per contest as the Knicks claimed their first NBA championship in 53 years.
Alvarado went undrafted out of Georgia Tech and has built his career with the Pelicans from 2021 to 2026 and the Knicks. Across 296 career games and 37 starts, he averages 8.0 points, 3.2 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 20.0 minutes per game.
DALLAS — When thousands of Argentine soccer fans arrived in Texas for the World Cup, a spirited argument was bound to follow — and it had nothing to do with goals or goalkeepers. The real debate? Whose beef reigns supreme.
It turns out two of the planet’s most celebrated cattle-raising regions have strong opinions about each other’s steaks. Texas holds the top spot in U.S. beef production, and the United States ranks second in the world behind Brazil, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Argentina comes in sixth globally.
So who grills it better?
Carlos Eduardo Barahona, a 64-year-old Argentine chef who has called Texas home since 1998 and has worked in restaurants across Argentina, Uruguay, and Texas, didn’t hesitate with his answer.
“Argentine beef is simply unbeatable. The savory texture, the style of the cut — there is no competing with it,” Barahona said.
He argued that even the cheapest Argentine cuts outshine premium American options. “You can make an (Argentine) asado with the cheapest cut in our country and you will enjoy it. Here, you can use the best meat, like tenderloin, and depending on its source, it can turn out tough, inedible or tender. But our beef has a completely different flavor profile,” he said.
The difference comes down to how the cattle are raised. Argentine beef cattle typically graze freely on open pastures and are mostly grass-fed, which takes longer but produces leaner meat with deep, earthy flavors. American beef — particularly in Texas — is predominantly grain-fed, resulting in more marbling, the streaks of fat within the muscle that keep meat juicy and tender, and a somewhat sweeter taste.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller had no trouble picking a side.
“There’s no better beef than U.S. beef, particularly Texas beef,” Miller said — though he did acknowledge that Argentine beef is also quite good. He credited Texas, in part, for that improvement.
Miller said his agency launched a marketing office more than a decade ago to connect Texas cattle producers with ranchers in South America, including Argentina.
“I don’t want to disparage our friends in Argentina, but we have helped them improve,” he said. “Their genetics were lacking. We do have them up to pretty high quality. We sold them a lot of semen, embryos, and breeding stock.”
“Their herds have American genetics in them, so they should be good,” Miller added.
Not every Argentine fan was ready to pick a fight over the matter. Gonzalo Herrera, visiting from Argentina, was browsing packaged meat at a Walmart in Arlington, Texas, after watching Messi net two goals in a win over Austria. Loading four T-bone steaks into his cart — and wincing at the $45 price tag — he shrugged at the whole debate.
“Honestly, I don’t see a massive difference,” Herrera said. “The key is knowing exactly which cuts to buy and finding the equivalent of what we eat in Argentina.” He did note, however: “Prices are higher here.”
Much of the rivalry also comes down to cooking style rather than the meat itself. At Corrientes 348 Argentinian Steakhouse in Dallas, assistant manager Emmanuel Tobon said steaks are prepared with nothing more than salt and mesquite charcoal.
“There’s a big difference. Texans use a lot of pepper, they use butter, they use a little barbecue (sauce),” Tobon said. “(Argentines) like to bring all the flavor of the steak by only using salt.”
With Argentina still set to play at least one more match in Dallas on Saturday, Argentine fans have been filling the restaurant, looking for a familiar taste while away from home.
“They have been enjoying the Texas culture,” Tobon said. “(But) it has been a great pleasure to have all of them, to make them feel like home.”
He described how Argentines hold their steak traditions as almost sacred — recipes handed down through generations, and the grill master at a family cookout treated with deep respect.
Fernando Garcia Morillo, an Argentine originally from Buenos Aires who now lives near Miami, said he appreciates both countries’ beef. But old habits die hard when he orders steak in the U.S.
“I order just salt, no pepper, just plain,” Morillo said. “Sometimes they use a lot of sauce.”
As for any real rivalry between the two nations over beef? Morillo wasn’t buying it.
“Maybe there’s a rivalry as usual against Brazil, our neighbor,” he said. “I love the U.S. meat.”
A deadly combination of aging infrastructure, poor construction practices, and dangerous terrain left countless Venezuelan neighborhoods defenseless against the powerful earthquakes that struck the country this week.
Engineers and experts described Wednesday’s back-to-back quakes as among the most powerful to hit Venezuela in over a century. The twin earthquakes leveled buildings and claimed more than 900 lives, with that number expected to climb. Video footage and satellite images reviewed by The Associated Press showed dozens of multi-story structures had completely collapsed.
Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab used satellite imagery to assess damage in Catia La Mar, located in La Guaira state along the Caribbean coast — one of the cities hit hardest by the disaster. Using artificial intelligence-based damage models, Microsoft determined that roughly one-third of the city’s nearly 30,000 structures sustained damage.
Experts pointed to several reasons so many buildings were at risk. In northern Venezuela, some housing complexes were thrown up rapidly during oil boom periods, and builders may have cut corners on safety measures designed to reduce earthquake damage.
Structures built in the 1950s and 1960s — constructed before modern earthquake safety standards were established — likely were never upgraded to withstand violent ground shaking, engineers said. On top of that, many buildings sit on soft soils and unstable terrain that make earthquake damage significantly worse.
David Cocke, a structural engineer based in California and a former president of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, explained that a mix of soft ground, tall towers, and older concrete construction drove the widespread devastation — especially in cases where buildings pancaked, meaning they collapsed floor by floor.
“They just don’t have the more modern reinforcing steel connections that we put in those kinds of buildings today,” Cocke said.
Engineers have understood since the 1970s that concrete structures are especially vulnerable during earthquakes, and modern construction incorporates steel reinforcement to reduce that risk. Wealthier nations have often required property owners to either upgrade or demolish unsafe buildings, but many lower- and middle-income countries have struggled to enforce such requirements while dealing with other pressing challenges.
“Some of the more advanced countries like Japan and New Zealand and the U.S. have made those changes, but some of the other countries have not,” Cocke said. “It’s a very typical kind of construction all over the world.”
Other experts highlighted additional design flaws that contributed to building collapses. Some structures featured heavy brick non-structural walls, while others had what engineers call “soft stories” — ground floors made up of open spaces like garages. Both conditions increase the likelihood of a pancake-style collapse.
“Soft stories are a huge problem everywhere in the world,” said Eduardo Miranda, a civil and environmental engineering professor at Stanford University. “And in Venezuela, they are particularly prevalent, and if you combine softer soils with a soft story, buildings can collapse.”
Marcos Ferreira, a geophysicist and researcher at the Geological Survey of Brazil, said the destruction was made worse by the fact that two major quakes struck back-to-back — a phenomenon known as a doublet. A similar sequence struck Turkey and Syria in 2023, killing nearly 60,000 people.
“It is as if I am screaming and then someone starts screaming, too,” Ferreira said. “That amplifies the vibration and adds to the potential hazard.”
Venezuelan officials did update building codes after a deadly earthquake in 1967, but it remains unclear how many existing buildings were ever brought into compliance with those new rules.
In late 1999, after floods and landslides destroyed housing across northern Venezuela — including along the coast — the government launched a major construction push to replace lost homes and shelter displaced residents, according to Juan Carlos Vielma, a Venezuelan civil engineer who leads academic affairs in the civil engineering school at Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso in Chile. That construction boom came during former President Hugo Chávez’s first year in office.
Troublingly, some of those newer buildings also appear to have collapsed in this week’s earthquakes.
“Something that leaves me perplexed is the fact that, among the collapsed buildings, more than one was recently designed and built in accordance with current standards,” Vielma said. “We need to embark on a process not only of reconstruction, but also of reviewing the applicable standards, since something might have gone wrong within our engineering processes, too.”
Three days after a devastating pair of earthquakes rocked Venezuela, the race to find survivors is becoming more urgent by the hour. Families have been digging through mountains of rubble with their own hands, desperate to reach loved ones buried beneath collapsed homes and apartment buildings, as the window for finding people alive grows smaller.
On Friday night, officials announced they would restrict entry into La Guaira — the area hardest hit by the disaster — citing growing chaos and traffic congestion that has been interfering with rescue operations. Anyone wishing to enter the area will now need to obtain an official permit, though authorities offered little clarity on who would qualify.
With government rescue teams seen by many as too few and too slow, residents took matters into their own hands. The death toll from Wednesday’s twin quakes has risen to at least 920, with more than 51,000 people reported missing. Those missing figures are tracked on independent digital databases and may include people simply cut off from communication due to damaged cell networks, with some entries potentially counted more than once.
Emergency aid organizations typically consider the first 48 to 72 hours after a disaster to be the most critical period for rescuing survivors alive, though that window can stretch longer if trapped individuals have access to food and water.
Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, expressed both hope and sobering honesty about the situation. “Each person saved is a miracle,” he said. “We are not going to hide absolutely anything about the magnitude of this tragedy.”
In La Guaira state, just north of the capital city of Caracas, a woman named Nazareth Jimenez broke down in tears as she watched neighbors hack through concrete slabs with hammers and power tools at a building reduced to rubble. She was waiting anxiously to learn whether her siblings, nephews, nieces, and friends had survived.
“My God, how are we going to get them out of there?” Jimenez said quietly through her grief. She also made a direct appeal for help: “We’re making a call for help to the government and countries across the world. There are still people alive in there,” she said, urging authorities to bring in heavy machinery capable of moving the debris.
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said her government was mounting a full response during what she called “critical hours for rescuing people alive.” Government forces have been distributing food and water to survivors in La Guaira, and she said the area has been placed under military control with additional help on the way. She also welcomed the arrival of international rescue teams and humanitarian aid, though many residents say what has arrived so far is just a fraction of what is needed.
The disaster presents an enormous challenge for Rodríguez, the former vice president who assumed the presidency in January following the capture and removal of then-President Nicolás Maduro by the United States. Venezuela has been mired in economic turmoil for over a decade, and a significant portion of the population does not recognize the legitimacy of the political movement she leads.
By midday Friday, more than 3,300 people had been reported injured, and authorities confirmed that 243 individuals had been rescued. The International Organization for Migration estimated that as many as 6.76 million people could be affected by the disaster, including roughly 2 million in Caracas alone. Experts noted the destruction was worsened by the rapid back-to-back nature of the shallow quakes.
Loyce Pace, the International Red Cross’ regional director for the Americas, noted that “people are still terrified to reenter what were their homes.” Many continued sleeping outdoors in the streets.
One man, Omar Reyes, said approximately 20 family members perished in the quakes. Walking through the rubble where two of his children were buried, he said simply, “I’ve been left alone in this life.”
In the city of Maiquetia, residents lined up outside stores and pharmacies, which were serving customers one at a time through closed doors. At one point, a woman in the crowd threw herself on top of a package of diapers to shield it from others, unwilling to give up what little she had managed to obtain.
Search efforts were repeatedly disrupted by heavy traffic and crowds of motorcyclists. Mexican soldiers and volunteers asked repeatedly for silence so they could listen for signs of life beneath the debris, but motorcycles — both civilian and military — continued honking and revving engines, frustrating first responders.
In the area of Catia La Mar, near the country’s main airport, some people began taking basic goods such as food and toilet paper from stores. A civilian pickup truck handing out bread and water was swarmed until a soldier stepped in to restore order. A nearby pharmacy parking lot had been transformed into a makeshift shelter, with tarps, hammocks, and tents set up across the lot.
A short distance away, 28-year-old Yuleidy Cadenas stood across the street from a collapsed public housing building, hoping her son, mother, and brother would be pulled from the wreckage alive. She had fled another building barefoot as it came down on Wednesday, only to discover that her mother’s 12-story apartment tower had completely pancaked.
“I got on top of the rubble and told them to yell back, and nobody did, not my brother, nor my son or my mother,” Cadenas said.
Venezuelan authorities reported Friday that 861 volunteers from Mexico, the United States, El Salvador, Switzerland, Colombia, and other nations were on the ground, with more on the way. Acting President Rodríguez said she spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, and both reaffirmed their commitment to send rescue teams and aid equipment to Venezuela.
NEW YORK — One of horse racing’s most storied venues is about to go dark. Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York City’s last remaining horse racing track, will hold its final live races this weekend after more than 130 years of operation.
The closing event is scheduled for Sunday at 5:44 p.m., with the final race carrying the fitting name “It Was a Good Run.” While live racing will end, the track will continue to host betting on televised races — known as simulcasting — through September 7.
The “Big A,” as it’s affectionately known, sits adjacent to John F. Kennedy International Airport and has witnessed some of the greatest moments in thoroughbred racing history. Legendary horses including Seabiscuit, Man O’ War, and Secretariat all competed there during the sport’s golden era.
“There’s a lot of history here. Just so many good horses,” said David Donk, a veteran horse trainer, speaking between races at Aqueduct earlier this month. “It’s had its use. But, you know, times change. Everything changes in life.”
The track’s closure reflects a broader trend in the horse racing industry, which has faced mounting pressure from competing forms of gambling. Slot parlors, casinos, state lotteries, and the more recent rise of legalized online and sports betting have all chipped away at the sport’s once-dominant appeal.
According to the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, an industry trade group, there are now roughly 75 thoroughbred tracks operating across the country — a dramatic drop from the more than 300 facilities that offered some form of horse racing during the sport’s peak in the late 1800s. Other major tracks that have shut down in recent years include Arlington Park in Illinois, which was purchased by the NFL’s Chicago Bears for a potential new stadium, and Golden Gate Fields in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“For over 100 years, thoroughbred racing was one of very few sports outlets you could legally bet on,” said Tom Rooney, the association’s president. “With the expansion of sports gambling, our sport will naturally condense and coalesce around a more pragmatic number of marquee tracks and locations, similar to other sports.”
A significant portion of Aqueduct’s sprawling property has already been converted into a Resorts World casino. The gambling venue, which earlier this year began offering live table games such as blackjack, poker, and craps after receiving a state license to operate a Las Vegas-style resort, has plans for a massive multibillion-dollar expansion. The site also holds a notable place in religious history — in 1995, a crowd of 75,000 gathered there to celebrate Mass with Pope John Paul II.
About 9 miles east, just beyond the New York City limits on Long Island, the renowned Belmont Park racetrack — home to the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown — is scheduled to reopen in September following a roughly $550 million renovation. State funding for that project came with a condition: the New York Racing Association, which manages the tracks, had to return Aqueduct’s more than 100 acres to the state for future redevelopment and shift all thoroughbred racing to Belmont and Saratoga Race Course upstate.
“We couldn’t have gotten the money to rebuild Belmont and continue to race at Aqueduct. You have to make these choices,” said Andy Serling, the track’s longtime television analyst and race handicapper. “I don’t think you’ll find anybody here that’s not gonna tell you they’re gonna miss Aqueduct, but we’re also incredibly excited to be opening this beautiful new building at Belmont.”
Aqueduct first opened in 1894, taking its name from an old aqueduct that once carried fresh water from Long Island into New York City. The facility remained a modest operation until a major overhaul in 1959 that brought a dedicated subway stop, air-conditioned restaurants and lounges, and a grandstand seating roughly 35,000 fans — complete with escalators, elevators, and other modern amenities. The Associated Press at the time called the revamped venue “the world’s most modern and luxurious horse plant.”
The track has been home to some of racing’s most memorable milestones. Triple Crown champion Secretariat won the very first race of his career at Aqueduct in 1972, then returned the following year for a farewell appearance. Seattle Slew used a strong 1977 Aqueduct performance as his final tune-up before sweeping the Triple Crown later that year. And in 1994, Cigar launched a historic 16-race winning streak at the track.
Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, 54, reflected on what Aqueduct meant to his career during a recent Friday afternoon at the track. The Puerto Rico native said it took weeks of competing against some of the sport’s top riders before he finally claimed his first career win there. He has since recorded more than 6,700 victories and holds the record for the most purse earnings of any jockey in North America.
“This is where I developed my craft, where I learned everything that I know,” Velazquez said after winning his first race of that afternoon. “The years that I spent here made me the jockey that I am today.”
Inside the massive grandstand, longtime bettor Roy Brown, a 68-year-old retiree from Queens, shared a fond memory of his biggest score at the track. Originally from Jamaica, Brown said he won around $60,000 on a “pick-six” bet in the late 1980s — a challenging wager that requires correctly picking the winner of six consecutive races. Flush with winnings and enthusiasm, he used some of the money to purchase two horses. But his brief foray into horse ownership didn’t pan out for him or the animals.
“It’s best to bet on them, not own them,” Brown said with a laugh. “If you’re really passionate about it, it’s your best two minutes. Nothing’s sweeter than seeing your horse coming down the stretch or coming from behind and at the wire, knowing you got it.”
JUNEAU, Alaska — An Alaska judge has determined that a man who shares both a name and party affiliation with Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan has the right to appear on the state’s August primary ballot.
Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews issued the ruling Friday, reversing a June 15 decision by Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher, who had moved to bar the challenger from the ballot. The ruling remains subject to appeal before the state Supreme Court.
State attorneys have indicated that Tuesday represents the final deadline for a ruling to be in place so that ballots for the August 18 primary can be sent to print.
Judge Matthews found that the Division of Elections’ move to exclude Dan J. Sullivan on the grounds that his candidacy lacked “good faith” had no basis in the state Constitution, Alaska law, or the Division’s own rules. “Instead, the decision was based upon a new, previously unstated, ‘good faith’ criteria,” the judge wrote.
The situation involving the two Dan Sullivans has drawn attention to the high stakes surrounding the incumbent senator’s reelection bid. Alaska’s Senate race is among roughly half a dozen contests across the country expected to be fiercely contested this fall, and it represents a seat Democrats are hoping to capture as part of their push to reclaim a Senate majority.
The senator, along with supporters including the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has spoken out against the challenger’s entry into the race, arguing it risks confusing voters. Under Alaska’s election rules, the top four finishers in the primary — regardless of party — advance to a ranked choice general election in November.
Sen. Sullivan has accused the challenger of working in concert with Democrats and the campaign of Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola — widely seen as the senator’s primary competition — in an effort to muddy the waters and improve Peltola’s prospects. Peltola’s campaign, state Democrats, and the challenger himself have all denied those claims.
Sen. Sullivan and Peltola are the most prominent figures in the crowded field and the only candidates who have reported raising campaign funds.
Director Beecher had concluded that the challenger’s filing was not made in good faith and was instead intended to mislead voters. She pointed to the fact that he had been registered to vote as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. and switched his party affiliation to Republican when he filed for the race. She also noted similarities between his campaign website and the senator’s, along with his use of a political consultant who has worked with Democratic clients. She did not cite any direct evidence of coordination with the senator’s opponents.
In their effort to uphold the disqualification, state attorneys rejected the idea that ballot design could adequately address any confusion created by two candidates with identical names and party labels running for the same office. “The Constitution does not require States to place a sham candidate on the ballot and then attempt to mitigate the damage through design choices,” wrote attorney Rachel Witty of the Alaska Department of Law, along with outside attorneys Christopher Murray and Michael Francisco.
Attorneys representing the challenger countered that the U.S. Constitution sets out only three qualifications for Senate candidates — age, citizenship, and residency — and argued that Director Beecher had no legal authority to remove their client from the ballot.
The challenger Sullivan, a 69-year-old retired teacher and former U.S. Forest Service employee, has acknowledged that having the same name and party as the sitting senator gave him “an instant megaphone.” He has said, however, that he had been considering a run for some time and had grown increasingly dissatisfied with the senator’s performance in office.
When the candidate list was initially published, the challenger appeared as Dan J. Sullivan, while the incumbent was listed as Dan S. Sullivan with a notation identifying him as the current officeholder.
Across the United States, state governments are pushing back against the powerful companies that manage prescription drug benefits for health insurers, hoping to drive down the cost of medications for everyday Americans.
These companies, known as pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, play a major role in determining what drugs are covered and how much pharmacies get paid. Some of them also own their own pharmacies — and at least one of those companies has poured millions of dollars into fighting new state regulations.
With drug affordability shaping up as a major issue heading into this year’s midterm elections, lawmakers in at least a dozen states passed new laws this year designed to limit how much these companies can earn, set minimum payment amounts to pharmacists, and force the companies to be more transparent with clients, state governments, and the public.
A new law in Tennessee will prohibit pharmacy benefit managers from also running retail pharmacies, effective July 1, 2028. CVS Health Corp. has responded by filing a federal lawsuit, seeking to avoid being forced to shut down its 136 pharmacies in that state.
The financial pressure on patients is real. A poll conducted earlier this year by KFF, a nonprofit focused on healthcare research, found that roughly 6 in 10 American adults were at least somewhat worried about being able to pay for their prescriptions. About 4 in 10 said that cost concerns had caused them to deviate from their prescribed medications in the past year — whether by taking smaller doses, buying over-the-counter alternatives, or skipping refills altogether.
CVS and two other large pharmacy benefit managers handle the vast majority of prescription drug claims in the United States.
Lawmakers in at least 26 states introduced more than 120 bills this year targeting PBMs, according to an Associated Press review using the bill-tracking software Plural. About a quarter of those bills advanced through at least one legislative chamber.
These companies manage pharmacy claims on behalf of health insurers and negotiate with drug manufacturers over pricing and coverage decisions. Even critics acknowledge that the sheer size of the largest PBMs gives them bargaining power that individual health plans simply couldn’t match on their own.
The PBMs themselves argue that they are the only part of the drug supply chain specifically designed to push costs lower, and they point to the widespread use of generic drugs — now accounting for 90% of U.S. prescriptions — as evidence of their impact.
Prem Shaw, president of the CVS Health division that oversees its pharmacy and PBM operations, defended the industry in a recent interview: “If PBMs already didn’t exist, you’d need to invent one. Blaming PBMs for high drug prices is like blaming umbrellas for the rain.”
Drug companies, PBMs, and their allies have collectively spent at least $24 million on broadcast and digital advertising since the beginning of 2025 to shape public opinion on the issue, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact. CVS alone spent $4 million this year on ads opposing Tennessee’s new law.
CVS also sued Arkansas last year after that state passed similar legislation, and a federal judge blocked that law from taking effect. Additionally, CVS settled three lawsuits brought by Louisiana accusing the company of unfair trade practices and deceptive conduct in its lobbying efforts against legislation there last year. CVS agreed to pay $45 million in that settlement without admitting any wrongdoing.
In its Tennessee lawsuit, CVS — which operates 9,000 pharmacies across the country — claims the law amounts to “naked protectionism” by lawmakers who themselves own independent pharmacies, including the bill’s lead sponsor, state Sen. Bobby Harshbarger, and co-sponsor Sen. Shane Reeves.
In Knoxville, a CVS pharmacy manager named Seth White faces the prospect of losing his job if the Tennessee law survives legal challenges. He also expressed concern about the hundreds of customers who would need to find a new place to fill their prescriptions.
Nearly 900 miles away in Coldwater, Kansas, Lisa Gales and her husband run the Main Street Pharmacy — and she sees things very differently. Gales said she depends heavily on sales of non-pharmacy products to make up for the low reimbursements she receives from pharmacy benefit managers. By her own calculations, she lost money on 86% of the prescriptions she filled last year.
A new Kansas law will require PBMs to pay a $10.50 dispensing fee per prescription. Gales called it a “great win,” though she added, “It’s still way under what it’s costing us.”
Louisiana has enacted a similar measure, setting an $11.81 dispensing fee per prescription. A separate Louisiana law requires PBMs to act in the best interests of the health insurers they serve and the patients enrolled in those plans.
Opponents of these mandatory fees call them an added “pill tax” that will ultimately raise costs for consumers. Supporters push back, arguing the laws also cap what PBMs can charge health plans for the medications themselves — often keeping those prices well below wholesale.
PBMs negotiate significant discounts from drug manufacturers, but have faced criticism for pocketing a portion of those savings rather than passing them on. Some states are now requiring that all such discounts be forwarded directly to health plans and patients.
The ongoing squeeze on independent pharmacies worries consumers in smaller communities, who fear they could lose access to local pharmacies if reimbursement rates become too low to keep those businesses open.
In southeastern Kansas, 79-year-old retired nursing home administrator Faith Sanders said the pharmacy in her hometown of Cedar Vale is essential — without it, residents would need to drive 35 miles to find another option. “We get to the point where it’s hard for us to get out of town,” she said, speaking of her elderly neighbors.
Even some critics of PBMs have questioned whether states are the right level of government to address the problem. During a Tennessee legislative debate, state Rep. Robert Stevens, a Republican from the Nashville area, told his colleagues that regulating PBMs “needs to be done by Congress and not by us.”
Congress did take action in February, passing new PBM regulations that include a provision preventing these companies from keeping any rebates they negotiate on drug prices for health plans that supplement federal Medicare coverage for Americans over the age of 64.
BATON ROUGE, La. — President Donald Trump’s chosen candidate for a Louisiana U.S. Senate seat is hoping to lock up the Republican nomination Saturday, adding another chapter to the president’s ongoing effort to replace GOP members who have defied him with candidates loyal to his agenda.
U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, who carries Trump’s endorsement, is squaring off against state Treasurer John Fleming in the runoff election. The two advanced past two-term Sen. Bill Cassidy in the May 16 primary after Trump publicly turned against Cassidy, who had voted to convict the president following his 2021 impeachment trial.
Should Letlow prevail, it would represent the latest in a string of primary victories for Trump’s preferred candidates. Last month, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, Texas Sen. John Cornyn, and five Indiana state senators all lost their reelection races to challengers Trump had supported.
Letlow entered the House of Representatives in 2021 following the death of her husband, Luke Letlow, who had won the same congressional seat but passed away before he could be sworn in. She secured Trump’s endorsement before formally joining the Senate primary race in January.
In the May primary, Letlow came out on top with nearly 45% of the vote. Fleming trailed with roughly 28%, while Cassidy received close to 25%.
“We have a chance to send a clear message that Louisiana stands with President Trump,” Letlow said during an online rally with the president on Thursday. “He endorsed me because he knows I will stand with him.”
Letlow enters the runoff with several advantages, including her first-place finish in May, strong campaign spending on her behalf, and backing from prominent Republican figures. She also has the support of Gov. Jeff Landry, who consulted with Trump last year about her potential Senate candidacy, as well as U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
In last month’s primary, Letlow won parishes ranging from the rural northern part of the state to the New Orleans region in the southeast. She even carried six of the 13 parishes that Fleming once represented in Congress, including Caddo Parish, home to Shreveport.
Fleming, who was a founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus during his time in Congress, later served in Trump’s first administration. He has made a point of reminding voters that he did not step down following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters.
Fleming has positioned himself as a true believer in the president’s “Make America Great Again” movement, arguing that his voting record is more conservative than Letlow’s. His campaign ads have described him as MAGA “long before it was cool.”
Fleming has also told voters that White House allies of Gov. Landry blocked him from getting through to Trump to seek his endorsement. He says he eventually managed to reach the president by phone and reminded him of their history together.
“I said nobody has been more loyal to you than me,” Fleming recalled during a June campaign appearance. “He said, ‘You’re fantastic! Why didn’t you call?’”
Louisiana political consultant Mary Patricia Wray, who works with both Republican and Democratic candidates, said she expects Fleming to do well in rural areas, but believes Letlow holds the overall advantage.
“Higher-information voters in more populous areas are going to fall into that Letlow camp,” Wray said. “She is the more institutional-looking candidate.”
Both campaigns have spent roughly $1 million each on advertising. However, a super PAC backing Letlow has outspent everyone, pouring in $4 million since the primary, according to ad-tracking firm AdImpact.
Fleming has run ads targeting Letlow’s past public support for diversity, equity and inclusion policy — something Trump has worked to eliminate. Letlow, a former college administrator, acknowledged supporting DEI when she was interviewing for the presidency of the University of Louisiana-Monroe in 2020, but says she now opposes it.
Fleming also reposted an AI-generated video on the social platform X this month that falsely depicted Letlow saying she had backed DEI because she “didn’t know any better.” The fabricated video also made reference to her late husband, who died from COVID-19 complications.
Fleming said he did not produce the video “but it’s getting passed around Louisiana for a reason.”
Letlow called the sharing of the video “disgraceful and indefensible,” particularly because of the reference to her deceased husband.
Letlow has focused on issues important to social conservatives, including her backing of federal legislation that would prohibit transgender women and girls from competing in school sports.
Fleming built a significant portion of his campaign around opposition to carbon capture and sequestration — a process that involves injecting carbon dioxide underground to cut down on industrial pollution. Plans to expand the technology, including proposed pipelines, have generated strong pushback in rural Louisiana communities and created divisions within the state Republican Party.
Fleming has argued that such projects violate private property rights and that federal subsidies supporting the technology amount to wasteful spending.
On the Democratic side, Jamie Davis, a crop farmer from northeast Louisiana, is facing Gary Crockett, a Navy veteran and business executive. Both candidates have focused on lowering the cost of living and preserving social safety net programs.
Louisiana leans heavily Republican — Trump won the state by 22 percentage points in the 2024 election.
Scorching temperatures, bone-dry air, and powerful winds are driving a rapidly spreading wildfire in Utah, where the governor has declared a state of emergency and placed temporary restrictions on fireworks. The dangerous conditions across the western United States are raising alarms that even the smallest spark could trigger a disaster.
Fire crews on the ground are facing what fire managers and experts are calling unprecedented challenges. On Friday, aircraft including air tankers and helicopters had to be grounded as winds intensified over the Cottonwood Fire, currently the largest active wildfire in the country. Wind gusts reached 45 miles per hour and humidity dropped to single-digit levels, leaving firefighters with almost no tools to slow the blaze as it tore through the treetops.
“We are not expecting the weather to be kind to us for the next couple of days,” said Alyssa Mason, a spokesperson assigned to the fire. “We are seeing extreme fire behavior out there with some crown runs and definitely some spotting.”
Located in a lightly populated stretch of southern Utah, the Cottonwood Fire expanded Friday to more than 112 square miles. Among several major wildfires currently burning in Utah, it has severely damaged the Eagle Point ski resort in Beaver County and triggered evacuations in the area. In the nearby community of Marysvale, thick smoke blocked out the sun Friday while ash fell from the sky.
“We’re looking at a full 48 hours of critical weather that we have not seen in Utah in the last five years,” meteorologist Jason Straub told residents at a community meeting in Beaver County Friday evening.
Straub also warned that a cold front arriving Sunday could shift wind directions and push the fire into new territory before conditions begin to settle down next week.
Most of the smoke has been drifting eastward, which means air quality at well-known tourist destinations like Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks — both located well south of the fire — has not been severely impacted, though some haze has been reported near Bryce Canyon. The massive smoke plume, however, has been visible from great distances, reaching as far as Colorado.
Utah state forester Jamie Barnes said earlier this week that the situation is unlike anything seen in recent memory, acknowledging that fires are now spreading farther and faster “under conditions that defy historical expectations.”
Across the country, close to 3 million acres have burned since January, putting the nation ahead of the 10-year average. The National Interagency Fire Center reported that firefighters are working to contain fires stretching from Alaska all the way to Florida.
Low humidity and strong winds have triggered red flag warnings across a broad region running from Idaho down through southern Arizona and New Mexico. Wind forecasts in some areas call for gusts of 25 to 35 miles per hour, with the harshest conditions expected from northern Arizona through central and southern Utah.
At Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, officials were bracing Saturday for a potential power outage. The local utility provider warned it would likely shut off electricity as a precautionary measure to reduce wildfire risk. Park visitors were advised to download maps and other key information ahead of their visit and to arrive with fully charged devices, since backup power systems may be limited.
Planned power shutoffs have become increasingly common across the West as wildfire danger has grown. Utility companies typically treat them as a last resort, weighing factors like wind speed, available fuel, and the lay of the land before making a decision. Rocky Mountain Power has issued a public safety power shutoff watch and warning for parts of central, southern, and eastern Utah through the weekend.
Tim Brown, a research professor and director of the Western Regional Climate Center, said extreme fire behavior will continue as long as the region stays hot, dry, and windy. He pointed to persistent drought conditions gripping Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico as a major contributing factor.
“I would not be surprised to see a lot of restrictions come out as we get closer to the July Fourth weekend,” Brown said. “People really need to be aware of their surroundings if they’re going to be out in the forested campground areas and grassland areas.”
Gov. Spencer Cox has put fireworks restrictions in place through July 5, noting that “this year is different” as the country prepares to mark its 250th anniversary. Although the cause of the Cottonwood Fire has not been determined, the governor’s order pointed out that humans have been responsible for most of the wildfires in Utah so far this year.
Even in Florida, where multiple brush fires have broken out, officials are urging residents to forgo personal fireworks and leave the displays to professional, carefully organized shows.
Back at fire camp, spokesperson Mason described how Utah’s snowpack and stream flows peaked unusually early in March, creating what she described as extreme dryness across the region. That was followed by wind storms unlike anything previously recorded.
“If anything happens out there, any kind of spark hits fuels,” she said, “it is more than likely going to start a fire and more than likely going to get pretty big pretty quick.”
Retired American track and field star Jenny Simpson is out of the hospital after experiencing a life-threatening cardiac arrest at a community running event in Raleigh, North Carolina earlier this month.
The 39-year-old was serving as a pacer for a mile group at a community track event organized by Sir Walter Running when she suddenly collapsed. Bystanders immediately stepped in to perform CPR until emergency responders arrived.
Her employer, Fleet Feet, announced the news on Instagram Friday, saying: “We’re grateful to share that Fleet Feet Chief Running Officer Jenny Simpson has been discharged from Duke University Hospital and will continue her recovery in North Carolina following the medical emergency she experienced during the Sir Walter Running Pop Up Mile event on June 17.”
Fleet Feet’s statement went on to describe the sequence of events: “During the event, Jenny suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and received immediate lifesaving care, including CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), before being transported to UNC Rex Hospital in Raleigh. She was later transferred to Duke University Hospital.”
Simpson had a decorated career in competitive distance running. She captured gold in the 1,500 meters at the 2011 World Championships, followed by silver medals at the 2013 and 2017 World Championships, and a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She stepped away from competitive running in 2024.
BEIJING — China moved Friday to strip eight high-ranking officials of their seats in the National People’s Congress, the nation’s top legislative body, according to a report from state-run Xinhua news agency.
The removals were announced through a notice issued by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, which offered no explanation for the dismissals. A request for comment sent to China’s defense ministry received no immediate response.
The action represents the latest step in an ongoing anti-corruption drive launched by President Xi Jinping, a campaign that has resulted in the investigation, removal, and purging of dozens of senior government officials and high-ranking military commanders over the years.
Among those removed from the legislature was General Xu Xueqiang, who has led the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission — a powerful military body responsible for overseeing the development, acquisition, and testing of weapons and equipment for the People’s Liberation Army. Xu has also served as commander-in-chief of China’s Manned Space Programme since 2022.
Five additional military figures were also removed: General Li Fengbiao, who previously served as political commissar of the PLA Western Theatre Command; General Guo Puxiao, who held the role of political commissar of the PLA Air Force; Wang Kangping of the Eastern Theatre Command; Zhang Minghua of the Cyberspace Force; and Yin Hongxing of the Army.
Also stripped of their legislative posts were Li Yunze, the former head of a financial regulatory agency, and Ma Xingrui, a Politburo member who had recently come under investigation. None of the removed officials could be reached for comment.
Apple is seeking clearance from the Trump administration to purchase memory chips from a Chinese chipmaker that the Pentagon has designated as a blacklisted entity, according to a report published Friday by the Financial Times.
The company has been lobbying the White House for permission to source chips from ChangXin Memory Technologies, known as CXMT, in an effort to relieve financial strain caused by surging memory chip prices, the FT reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
Reuters reached out to the White House, Apple, and CXMT for comment outside of normal business hours but received no response from any of the parties.
The situation puts a spotlight on a growing problem for major American technology companies: rapidly increasing memory chip costs are running headlong into Washington’s national security restrictions targeting Chinese chipmakers.
According to one source who spoke with the FT, Apple first approached the Commerce Department over a month ago and has since engaged other administration officials and allies in Washington as part of its lobbying campaign.
CXMT holds the distinction of being China’s leading memory chip manufacturer. The Defense Department, under the previous Biden administration, designated the company as a Chinese military firm. The company was subsequently approved by an interagency committee last year to be added to the Commerce Department’s Entity List.
Being placed on the Entity List means U.S. companies are prohibited from sending goods, software, or technology to those firms without obtaining a license — a license that is generally expected to be denied.
Apple moved to raise the prices of its iPad and MacBook products on Thursday, citing its inability to continue absorbing the rapidly climbing costs of memory and storage chips. The company attributed the price surge to the massive expansion of data centers driven by the artificial intelligence industry.
Heavy rainfall battered western Japan on Friday, causing flooding in multiple areas as two tropical storms moved toward the country on top of an already-active seasonal rain front.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, Tropical Storm Mekkhala was positioned off the western coast of Amami, a remote southern Japanese island, late Friday afternoon and was tracking northeast. A second storm, Higos, was traveling in close proximity to Mekkhala.
The JMA warned that both storms are expected to arrive in the Tokyo region by Saturday, bringing heavy rainfall with them.
Earlier Friday, a man was hurt after falling into a waterway in Nara, Japan’s NHK public television reported. Television cameras in Kyoto captured images of the Kamo River running high with murky, mud-filled water. Flooding alerts were put in place for portions of Kyoto, Osaka, and other communities throughout western Japan.
Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency reported that more than 30 residences were flooded in Nara and Hiroshima on Friday. The severe weather also caused disruptions to train service and air travel in the affected areas.
The NHL announced Friday evening that Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin has been named the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year — a historic first for both Guerin personally and for the Wild organization.
Under Guerin’s leadership, the Wild finished the season with a record of 46-24-12 and accumulated 104 points, ranking seventh-best across the entire league. The team advanced past the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference’s first round before ultimately being knocked out by the Colorado Avalanche.
Guerin reflected on the recognition with humility, saying: “You don’t achieve things like this on your own, ever. It does take a village. It takes a strong family.”
The voting results showed strong support for Guerin, who appeared on 37 of 40 ballots and collected 14 first-place votes for a total of 131 points. He finished ahead of the other two first-time finalists: Chris MacFarland of the Avalanche, who received 20 first-place votes and 123 total points, and Pat Verbeek of the Anaheim Ducks, who earned two first-place votes and 29 points.
The award is determined by a vote of NHL general managers along with a panel of league executives and media members, with ballots cast at the conclusion of the playoffs’ first round.
Guerin, 55, made several significant moves to strengthen the Wild’s roster. In December, he pulled off a major trade to bring star defenseman Quinn Hughes over from the Vancouver Canucks. He also brought in forward Nico Sturm through free agency and acquired forward Vladimir Tarasenko via trade during the offseason. Before the 2026 trade deadline, he added forwards Bobby Brink, Nick Foligno, and Michael McCarron, as well as defenseman Jeff Petry.
Among his most notable achievements was locking up star forward Kirill Kaprizov to an eight-year contract extension worth $136 million, set to begin next season.
Guerin first took the reins as Minnesota’s general manager in August 2019 and is now heading into his fourth season serving as both GM and president of hockey operations for the franchise.
The Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award has been presented annually since the 2009-10 NHL season.
Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski made history Friday night when he unleashed a 105.5 mph fastball — the fastest pitch ever thrown by a starting pitcher on record — against Chicago Cubs leadoff hitter Pete Crow-Armstrong in the opening inning.
The blazing heater surpassed Misiorowski’s own previous best of 104.5 mph. It came on an 0-2 count and tracked toward the inside portion of the plate. Crow-Armstrong fouled it off before ultimately striking out to end the at-bat.
Earlier in that same at-bat, Misiorowski’s first pitch registered 103 mph on the stadium radar gun, and his second clocked in at 104 mph.
The right-hander went on to deliver a quality start before leaving the game in the sixth inning. He finished with eight strikeouts, four walks, and allowed just one run — a solo home run by Seiya Suzuki in the fifth inning. His 107th and final pitch of the night was still a scorching 102.8 mph fastball.
Since Statcast began tracking pitch velocity in 2008, only left-handed reliever Aroldis Chapman has thrown a faster pitch. Chapman touched 105.8 mph in 2010 and 105.7 mph in 2016. Ben Joyce also matched Misiorowski’s 105.5 mph mark on September 3, 2024.
Misiorowski currently leads all of Major League Baseball with a 1.45 ERA and 146 strikeouts on the season.
The Atlanta Braves announced Friday that right-handed relief pitcher Robert Suarez has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to tightness in his right forearm, with the move backdated to Tuesday.
To fill the roster vacancy, the Braves recalled right-hander Hurston Waldrep from their Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett. Additionally, veteran right-hander Carlos Carrasco chose to become a free agent in a corresponding roster move.
Suarez, 35, made his most recent appearance on June 19, when he allowed two hits over 1 1/3 scoreless innings during a 3-2 home victory against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Through 31 relief outings this season — his first with Atlanta — Suarez has posted a 4-0 record with four saves, a 0.56 ERA, six walks, and 26 strikeouts across 32 innings of work.
Before joining the Braves, Suarez earned All-Star honors in each of the past two seasons while pitching for the San Diego Padres. He signed a three-year, $45 million deal to come to Atlanta. His 40 saves last season topped all National League relievers.
Over the course of his career, Suarez has compiled a 26-13 record with 81 saves and a 2.60 ERA, recording 245 strikeouts against 69 walks in 242 innings across 237 relief appearances for the Padres (2022-25) and Braves.
Waldrep, 24, had posted a combined 0-0 record with a 3.52 ERA, 11 walks, and 13 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings split across three Atlanta minor league affiliates at the Rookie, Double-A, and Triple-A levels this season.
In his time with the big league club in 2025, Waldrep went 6-1 with a 2.88 ERA, 22 walks, and 55 strikeouts over 56 1/3 innings in 10 games, including nine starts. Since making his major league debut in 2024, he is 6-2 with a 4.41 ERA in 63 1/3 innings across 12 appearances, 11 of which were starts.
The Braves selected Waldrep with the 24th overall pick in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of the University of Florida.
Carrasco, 39, last took the mound for Atlanta on Tuesday, giving up one run on two hits — including a home run — in 1 2/3 innings of a 7-6 extra-inning loss at San Diego. On the season, he finishes with a 0-0 record, a 3.68 ERA, one walk, and six strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings over seven relief appearances.
Across 17 major league seasons dating back to 2009, Carrasco has pitched for four teams and amassed a 112-105 record with two saves, a 4.22 ERA, 1,702 strikeouts, and 469 walks in 1,702 innings over 342 games, including 286 starts.
Canada’s men’s national soccer team held its final practice session in Vancouver on Friday before departing for Los Angeles, where they will face South Africa in the World Cup round of 32. Despite leaving home soil, forward Tani Oluwaseyi made clear that playing in front of an opposing crowd is something the team genuinely welcomes.
“I think we, I wouldn’t say prefer, but we really like a hostile environment,” Oluwaseyi told reporters at the team’s training facility. “We really like an away crowd, because it just gives you that extra motivation to prove all the fans around you wrong.”
Canada’s path to Los Angeles came after a loss to Switzerland in their final group stage game, which dropped them to second place in Group B. That result sent Switzerland to Vancouver for their knockout round match instead.
Oluwaseyi pointed to the team’s shared experience over the past two years as a key reason for their cohesion heading into the elimination round. The squad competed together in both the 2024 Copa America and the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, both held in the United States.
“I think for us, it’s just been over the last two years we’ve been in two tournaments together, so we’ve done Copa together, we did the Gold Cup as well. So I think it’s just growing together and failing together, succeeding together,” Oluwaseyi said. “I think all those things kind of brew together to put us in the position that we’re in now, to head into a knockout game at a World Cup.”
Head coach Jesse Marsch’s squad has built strong chemistry through those competitions, and Oluwaseyi was quick to describe the team’s bond as rooted in genuine unity rather than an us-against-the-world mindset.
“I wouldn’t say it has a lot to do with us against them — I think, for us, it’s always just been us, that’s really all that matters. The guys in the locker room and going to play with those guys,” he said. “The results, they go our way, sometimes they don’t, but at the end of the day, I think it’s just the love that we have being around each other and playing with each other.”
Teammate Tajon Buchanan also expressed enthusiasm about the upcoming trip south, noting that South Africa — who finished second in Group A, five points behind Mexico — will be a worthy opponent.
“Now we’re in a knockout phase of a World Cup, and it’s exactly where we want to be, so, yeah, it’s just about going out there, competing and winning games. We’re all super excited and looking forward to it,” Buchanan told reporters.
Germans were preparing Saturday for dangerously hot conditions as a deadly heatwave sweeping across Western Europe was forecast to push eastward, with temperatures expected to climb close to 40 degrees Celsius — roughly 104 degrees Fahrenheit — in both Germany and Poland.
The heat system already baked Britain, France, and Switzerland in record-breaking June temperatures, and forecasters expected it to challenge more records as it crossed the Rhine River into Central Europe.
According to preliminary official data cited by German public broadcaster ARD, temperatures surpassed 41 degrees Celsius near Saarbruecken — on the border with France — on Friday, setting a new German record.
France has seen some of the worst impacts, with dozens of people — both young and elderly — losing their lives during the heat emergency. Temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius there have thrown rail service into chaos, disrupted power generation, led authorities to ban alcohol sales, shut down schools, and forced the cancellation of outdoor gatherings.
Meteorologist Karsten Brandt of the weather forecasting site Donnerwetter.de warned that conditions would intensify before improving. “The heatwave is going to peak at the weekend, well over 40 degrees in some parts of Germany,” he said.
Even major sporting events have felt the impact. Organizers of the Ironman European Championship long-distance triathlon, scheduled for Sunday in Frankfurt, announced they were shortening both the cycling and running portions of the race because of the extreme heat.
Infrastructure is also under serious pressure. German national rail operator Deutsche Bahn announced it would allow customers to cancel long-distance travel bookings through early next week at no cost. The company noted that sun exposure, combined with the added threat of thunderstorms and wildfires, is putting significant strain on signals, rail tracks, and overhead wires.
Southwestern Germany has already experienced a far hotter June than is typical, and the most intense phase of the heat is expected to begin easing over the weekend, with heavy thunderstorms anticipated on Sunday.
Across Europe more broadly, the heatwave has forced historic cultural sites to close their doors, hurt agricultural production, and pushed some hospitals to their limits.
According to the Reuters Climate Monitor, temperatures have climbed as much as 18 degrees Celsius above seasonal norms. The extreme conditions are being driven by a weather phenomenon called an Omega block, which traps a large mass of hot air over a region for an extended period while pushing cooler air to the edges.
The surge in heat has sent demand for electric fans skyrocketing, while Asian air conditioning manufacturers reported a significant spike in European sales. Much of Northern Europe’s housing was designed to retain warmth rather than release it, making the heat particularly difficult to escape indoors.
The World Meteorological Organisation said the current heatwave will begin shifting toward Central Europe and the Balkans by the end of the month.
Scientists emphasized that this type of extreme heat event would have been nearly impossible without human-driven climate change, which they say has made this week’s nighttime temperatures roughly 100 times more likely than they were just two decades ago.
Motorists traveling northbound on Interstate 95 near Churchmans Marsh are facing lane restrictions following a crash that has shut down two left lanes.
The incident is causing disruptions along that corridor, and drivers should anticipate slowdowns in the affected area. Authorities are on scene managing the situation.
Travelers are advised to allow extra time, stay alert for emergency vehicles, and consider alternate routes if possible until the lanes are reopened.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Los Angeles Angels have shown their general manager the door midway through what has become a sixth straight underwhelming season for the ball club.
The cellar-dwelling Angels tapped former Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak on Friday to serve as interim GM and baseball operations consultant. According to team president Molly Jolly, Mozeliak will handle day-to-day baseball decisions while also helping guide the search for a permanent replacement.
“Perry has been a valued leader who worked tirelessly over the last six years to strengthen our baseball operations department,” Jolly said. “I am grateful for his dedication, insight and many contributions to our organization.”
Minasian stepped into the Angels’ front office role back in November 2020, but the franchise has shown little improvement during his time at the helm under owner Arte Moreno.
The Angels have now endured 10 consecutive losing seasons and 11 straight seasons without reaching the playoffs — both the longest such streaks in Major League Baseball. Their minor league system remains ranked among the worst in the sport, a problem that existed before Minasian ever arrived.
The defining moment of his tenure came when two-time AL MVP Shohei Ohtani departed for the Los Angeles Dodgers following the 2023 season. The Angels failed to trade Ohtani for prospects before he hit free agency, a missed opportunity that proved costly.
The flurry of moves Minasian made around the 2023 trade deadline drew criticism for appearing disorganized. The team held onto Ohtani — a call Moreno played a significant role in — while trading away several prospects in a push for the postseason.
That gamble backfired badly. The Angels went just 8-19 in August 2023, falling so far out of contention that the team placed multiple players on waivers to get their payroll under the luxury tax threshold.
Currently, Los Angeles is tied for last in the American League at 34-48 heading into Friday night’s game against the Athletics at Angel Stadium. The Angels had held the worst record in the majors for much of this season, following a franchise-record 99 losses in 2024 — their first year without Ohtani.
During Minasian’s entire tenure, the Angels never won more than 77 games and never finished better than third in the AL West division.
His time with the organization was also marked by managerial turbulence. Minasian clashed with manager Joe Maddon early on, which ultimately led to Maddon’s dismissal during a brutal losing stretch in the 2022 season. Managers Phil Nevin and Ron Washington each followed but neither lasted more than two seasons. Last fall, Minasian hired Kurt Suzuki — a member of his own front-office staff with no prior managing experience — on a one-year deal, openly acknowledging that their futures with the team were linked. Ray Montgomery has served as interim manager in 2025.
Budget constraints forced Minasian to fill out this year’s roster with bargain-priced players, many of them coming back from significant injuries. That group included pitchers Alek Manoah, Jordan Romano, Drew Pomeranz, Kirby Yates and Brent Suter, along with outfielder Josh Lowe and infielders Yoan Moncada and Adam Frazier.
The results were largely disappointing. Romano and Pomeranz were released outright, while Manoah, Lowe and Moncada failed to deliver.
The biggest free-agent signing of Minasian’s tenure was a three-year, $63 million deal with left-handed pitcher Yusei Kikuchi ahead of the 2025 season. Kikuchi made the All-Star team last year but has been out since late April with a shoulder injury. Minasian also locked up reliever Robert Stephenson to a three-year, $33 million contract before the 2024 season, but Stephenson is also sidelined this year due to an elbow injury.
Jolly and Mozeliak are expected to address the media at a news conference on Saturday.
Minasian got his start in baseball as a clubhouse attendant with the Rangers before working his way up through the front offices of the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays under the mentorship of Alex Anthopoulos. He had never interviewed for a general manager position before Moreno selected him to replace Billy Eppler — part of a pattern in which Moreno has repeatedly hired GMs with little or no prior experience in the role during his more than two decades of ownership.
Mozeliak, meanwhile, departed the Cardinals last fall after 30 years with St. Louis, including the final 18 overseeing baseball operations.
The Anaheim Ducks made a significant move Friday night, shipping center Mason McTavish to the St. Louis Blues in return for two first-round selections in the 2026 NHL Draft — the 15th and 29th overall picks.
St. Louis surrendered both picks, which originally belonged to the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche respectively, in order to bring in the 23-year-old McTavish following his fourth complete season in the league.
McTavish was selected third overall by Anaheim in the 2021 NHL Draft. In the 2025-26 season, he put up 17 goals and 24 assists across 75 games. Over the course of his 304-game NHL career, he has recorded 181 total points — including 77 goals and 104 assists — along with 212 penalty minutes.
With the 15th overall pick in hand, the Ducks selected forward Nikita Klepov, a Russian-American prospect who played for the Saginaw Spirit and earned Rookie of the Year honors in the Ontario Hockey League this past season.
The pristine grass courts typically associated with Wimbledon made an unexpected appearance in the middle of Manhattan on Friday, as tennis greats Andre Agassi and Caroline Wozniacki headlined a pop-up exhibition event at New York’s Central Park.
Agassi and Wozniacki were joined by former American player James Blake and Canadian ex-world number five Eugenie Bouchard for a series of exhibition matches aimed at generating excitement for the upcoming Grand Slam tournament, which gets underway Monday.
The four players competed in singles matches before pairing off for mixed doubles on a Wimbledon-style grass court set up at Wollman Rink at the southern tip of Central Park — surrounded by trees and the iconic Manhattan skyline.
Wozniacki described the experience as unforgettable. “Playing on a grasscourt in the middle of Central Park doesn’t happen every day,” she said. “To be part of this amazing event was something that I won’t forget.”
The grass used for the temporary court was specially cultivated in neighboring New Jersey and was overseen by Mark Ferguson, the head agronomist at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
“I think it’s a fantastic kind of juxtaposition of Wimbledon and New York together,” Ferguson said of the unique setup.
Beyond the on-court action, the gathering gave the former players a chance to weigh in on a major storyline heading into Wimbledon — the surprise singles comeback of 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, who has been away from singles competition for four years.
Wozniacki expressed enthusiasm about seeing Williams return to the court. “I’m very excited to see her back,” she said. “It’s always great to see some of the best players ever come back and play. I’ll be watching, I’ll be supporting and it will be great.”
When asked if she herself might consider returning to professional play, Wozniacki smiled and offered a playful non-answer: “I don’t know. That’s a good question.”
Bouchard acknowledged that Williams faces a steep challenge by jumping straight into Wimbledon without playing any warm-up events first. “I think it’s bonkers — in a good way,” Bouchard said. “The fact that she hasn’t played a singles match in four years is pretty crazy to play the first one at Wimbledon. But if there’s anyone that can handle it, it’s Serena.”
Motorists traveling through the Milford area are being asked to find alternate routes after a crash shut down Harrington Highway (DE-14) at its intersection with Canterbury Road (DE-15).
The roadway is currently closed as a result of the collision. No further details regarding the crash, including the number of vehicles involved or any injuries, have been made available at this time.
Drivers in the area should plan accordingly and allow for extra travel time until the road is reopened. Updates are expected as more information becomes available.
A section of Augustine Cut has been shut down between 18th Street and Alapocas Drive as emergency crews respond to a structure fire in the area.
Motorists traveling through that corridor should plan for the closure and find an alternate route until the road is reopened. The closure is in effect while fire crews work the scene.
No further details about the fire or an estimated time for the road to reopen have been provided at this time. Drivers are urged to use caution and follow any posted detour signs in the area.
HARTFORD, Conn. — A Connecticut judge has released video footage from 2018 showing correctional officers repeatedly striking inmate J’Allen Jones, who was in the middle of a mental health crisis, shortly before his death at a state prison.
The footage was made public Friday by a Hartford state judge overseeing a lawsuit filed by Jones’ family against eight officers and a prison nurse. Both sides agreed to certain portions of the video being edited out before its release, following years of legal proceedings.
The Department of Correction had fought to keep the video sealed since 2019, arguing its release could create security risks by revealing the prison’s physical layout and staffing patterns. However, Jones’ family, the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, and local NAACP officials pushed for the video to be made public, arguing that transparency was essential in understanding how Jones died.
Ron Murphy, an attorney representing Jones’ family, drew a stark comparison in court documents, writing: “The events in the video are as disturbing as the events in the video of George Floyd’s death” — referring to the man killed by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020. “But in some ways, the video of J’Allen’s death is worse.”
Jones, 31, originally from Atlanta, was serving a 10-year sentence for robbery at Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown — approximately 25 miles west of New Haven — when he died on March 25, 2018. At the time, correctional officers were attempting to escort him to the prison’s medical unit for mental health treatment.
Segments of the 52-minute recording show Jones handcuffed behind his back, and later with his legs restrained, as officers struck his legs and torso with their knees and fists after he refused a strip search. At one point, an officer pins Jones face-down on a bed with a knee on his back while other officers hold him in place.
Court documents indicate Jones was experiencing a schizophrenic episode at the time. He can be heard yelling in the video, much of it difficult to understand. He repeatedly shouts, “In the blood of Jesus Christ!” and at one point tells officers, “I command you … to uncuff me now!”
Throughout the video, officers repeatedly instruct Jones to stop resisting and calm down, with one officer telling him they are only trying to help.
Roughly 17 minutes into the footage, Jones appears to begin struggling to breathe after the spit bag is placed over his head and pepper spray is directed at his face. Nearly five minutes later, he appears to lose consciousness as officers struggle to hold him upright and place him in a wheelchair. At approximately the 24-minute mark, an officer asks for a nurse to come check on Jones.
“Right now he’s just being dead weight, and I just want to make sure he’s OK,” the officer says, speaking toward a camera being held by another officer.
Around 28 minutes into the video, a nurse begins performing CPR and an officer radios for someone to call 911. An ambulance does not appear until more than 43 minutes into the recording. Jones was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
In the hours following Jones’ death, the Department of Correction released a brief statement saying Jones had become “non-compliant and combative with staff and then became non-responsive.” The statement made no mention of officers striking Jones and noted there were no immediate signs that excessive force had been used. It said life-saving measures were taken and Jones was transported to a hospital.
The medical examiner’s office concluded that Jones died from “sudden death during struggle and restraint with chest compression and pepper spray exposure in person with hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.” His death was ruled a homicide, though that classification does not automatically mean a crime took place.
In January 2019, a state prosecutor concluded that no crimes were committed in connection with Jones’ death.
An internal Correction Department review also found that excessive force was not used. However, it determined that the eight officers and the nurse violated department policy by failing to recognize for more than seven minutes that Jones was in medical distress — though the report noted this was not intentional.
Department records show all nine staff members received one-day suspensions without pay as punishment. The correctional officers’ union did not respond to a request for comment.
Jones was Black. His attorney noted that eight of the nine defendants are white, and one is Black. In court filings seeking the video’s release, Murphy stated it was important for the public to view the footage and consider “whether his race or schizophrenia played any role in how his cries for help and gasps for air were perceived and handled.”
“I hope everyone who chooses to watch the video does so with an open heart, remembering that J’Allen Jones was a father and a son and that his family grieves every day,” Murphy said in a statement released Friday afternoon, adding that he hoped the footage would lead to improvements within the prison system.
Murphy also urged viewers to be cautious: “I found the video very difficult to watch as it depicts the painful death of another human being. So please take care of yourself while watching and if you experience overwhelming feelings, consider taking a break or reaching out to someone for support. Thank you.”
The Correction Department’s interim commissioner, Sharonda Carlos, responded to questions from The Associated Press about the video and how officers handled the situation. In a statement, she said the agency is continuously working to improve the services it provides to inmates dealing with mental health issues.
“Any loss of life in our facilities is a tragedy that we feel deeply, and our sympathy remains with Mr. Jones’ family and loved ones,” she said.
Carlos added that she appointed a psychiatrist to lead the department’s inmate medical services in May, and that the agency is rolling out significant improvements to its mental health training for staff.
“Behind every individual in our care is a family hoping for their well-being, and we do not take that responsibility lightly,” she said.
Drivers heading northbound on S Dupont Highway at S State Street are facing a left turn lane closure due to ongoing construction work in the area.
The lane restriction is expected to remain in place until 3:00 PM. Motorists traveling through that intersection are encouraged to allow extra time or consider alternate routes to avoid potential delays.
No further details about the nature of the construction were provided. Drivers should remain alert to signage and traffic control in the work zone.
The Los Angeles Angels parted ways with general manager Perry Minasian on Friday, ending his six-year run leading the team’s baseball operations.
To fill the void, the Angels brought in John Mozeliak, signing him as a baseball operations consultant. Mozeliak spent 30 years working in the St. Louis Cardinals’ front office before joining Los Angeles. According to a team news release, he will step into the interim GM role while helping to shape a new baseball operations strategy and assisting in the search for a permanent general manager.
Angels president Molly Jolly spoke highly of the hire. “John is one of the most accomplished and respected baseball executives with a proven track record of building a winning organization,” she said in the release. “For three decades, he constructed one of baseball’s most respected organizations, combining strong leadership with a commitment to player development and organizational excellence. We are thrilled to welcome him to the Angels and look forward to benefiting from his experience and perspective as we continue to shape the future of our organization.”
Mozeliak, 57, got his start with the Cardinals in their scouting department and eventually climbed to assistant general manager before taking over as the team’s GM from 2007 through 2025. During that stretch, St. Louis captured the 2011 World Series title and also appeared in the Fall Classic two years later, falling to the Boston Red Sox.
Minasian, 46, took over as the Angels’ GM in 2020. Despite his efforts, the team never managed to finish higher than third place in the American League West during his tenure.
The Angels head into Friday’s games tied for last place in the American League with a 34-48 record. The franchise now holds the longest active postseason drought in all of baseball, having gone 11 consecutive years without a playoff appearance.
Jolly also offered praise for the departing Minasian. “Perry has been a valued leader who worked tirelessly over the last six years to strengthen our baseball operations department,” she said. “I am grateful for his dedication, insight and many contributions to our organization.”
The Boston Bruins made a significant offensive addition on Friday, acquiring forward JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for their 2026 first-round pick — slotted at No. 23 — and a 2028 first-round selection.
The 2028 pick involved in the deal was originally obtained by Boston when the Bruins sent star forward Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers in 2025. That pick carried top-10 protection.
Peterka, 24, spent just one season with Utah after arriving via a trade from the Buffalo Sabres following the 2024-25 season. To land Peterka, the Mammoth had sent forward Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring to Buffalo last June, then signed the German winger to a five-year contract worth $38.5 million.
His production dipped during his lone season in Utah, falling from 68 points in 2024-25 to 47 points — including 25 goals and 22 assists — across all 82 games last season. A reduction in ice time, dropping from 18 minutes and 11 seconds per game to 15 minutes and 59 seconds, was cited as a factor in the offensive decline.
Originally selected by Buffalo in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft, Peterka has accumulated 197 career points — 92 goals and 105 assists — over 320 games split between the Sabres (2021-25) and the Mammoth. He now joins a Bruins team that finished 10th in the league in goals per game at 3.27 during the 2025-26 season, and he will play for head coach Marco Sturm, who holds the distinction of being the only German head coach in the NHL.
Thousands of residents across New Zealand were still without electricity on Saturday, one day after a powerful low-pressure system moved through the country, bringing with it severe flooding and dangerous landslides.
The utility company Powerco reported more than 3,000 power outages on Saturday following storms that struck central areas of the nation, which has a population of 5.3 million. The capital city of Wellington was among the hardest-hit areas.
The country’s national weather forecasting service, MetService, signaled that the worst had passed, writing on X: “After a very wet and windy 24 hours, the weather is on its way out.”
Despite improving conditions, emergency officials continued to urge caution, warning of debris scattered across roadways, pockets of surface flooding, and a lingering threat of landslides in and around Wellington.
The storm’s impact was felt beyond downed power lines. On Friday, approximately 200 flights were canceled at Wellington’s airport. Officials in Lower Hutt, a city located northeast of Wellington, reported flooded streets and confirmed two separate landslides in the area.
The severe weather serves as a grim reminder of past tragedies. Earlier this past January, heavy rainfall triggered a landslide at a popular campground on the country’s North Island, resulting in the deaths of six people.
The New York Rangers have struck a deal to bring forward Pavel Dorofeyev over from the Vegas Golden Knights, sending multiple draft picks in return — including a first-round selection from the 2026 NHL Draft that got underway Friday.
According to reports from The Athletic and the New York Post, the Rangers gave up the 26th overall pick on Friday night, along with the 92nd overall pick in the third round and a conditional 2028 first-round pick that carries top-10 protection.
Dorofeyev, who is 25 years old, is heading to New York fresh off the strongest campaign of his NHL career. He appeared in all 82 regular-season games for Vegas, setting new personal bests with 37 goals, 27 assists, and 64 total points. He kept up that production into the postseason as well, contributing 12 goals and four assists across 22 playoff games during the Golden Knights’ run.
Originally selected by Vegas in the third round of the 2019 NHL Draft — early in the franchise’s history — Dorofeyev made his league debut with just two games during the 2021-22 season. Over parts of five seasons and 231 career games, he has built up an impressive 149-point total, made up of 92 goals and 57 assists.
Defenseman Brandt Clarke turned down the opportunity to test free agency and instead committed his future to the Los Angeles Kings on Friday, agreeing to a five-year contract worth $37 million.
The deal comes on the heels of Clarke’s strongest offensive campaign to date. In the 2025-26 season, the 23-year-old tallied 40 points, topping his previous career-best of 33 points set in 2024-25. Among Kings defensemen, he ranked second in assists with 32 and fourth overall on the team in points.
Now in his fourth NHL season — all spent with Los Angeles — Clarke averaged 19 minutes and 48 seconds of ice time per game, placing him behind only Drew Doughty and Mikey Anderson among Kings blueliners. He also made his presence felt on defense, recording 185 blocked shots, which ranked third across the entire NHL. In the Stanley Cup playoffs, he contributed one point over four games.
Looking at his career totals, Clarke has accumulated 81 points — 15 goals and 66 assists — across 185 regular-season contests since Los Angeles selected him with the eighth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. In 10 career playoff appearances, he has posted three points, including two goals and one assist.
Pete Buttigieg, a former cabinet official and potential candidate for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, disclosed on June 26, 2026, that his family had been targeted by a false report that brought both police and Child Protective Services to their door.
According to Buttigieg, an anonymous tip prompted investigators to show up at his home to look into claims involving him and his children, Penelope and Gus. The report turned out to be entirely false.
Buttigieg’s husband, Chasten Buttigieg, was also part of the family affected by the incident. The former official chose to speak out publicly about the experience, bringing attention to the use of false reports as a tool of harassment.
The incident is being described as a form of “swatting” — a practice in which someone deliberately files a false emergency or welfare report in order to send law enforcement or child welfare officials to a target’s home.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout announced Friday that a strained right hamstring will most likely keep him out of the All-Star Home Run Derby scheduled to take place in Philadelphia.
Trout, 34, anticipates being healthy enough to play in the July 14 All-Star Game itself, but the injury is expected to prevent him from taking part in the home run competition held the evening before at Citizens Bank Park.
“They asked me when we were in Sacramento last weekend, but I probably won’t do it,” Trout said ahead of the Angels’ matchup against the Athletics. “It would have been cool to do it, but the injury kind of threw things off.”
The three-time American League MVP and 11-time All-Star has repeatedly declined derby invitations throughout his career, citing concerns that the high number of all-out swings required during the event could disrupt his regular hitting mechanics. Despite those reservations, Trout had long said he intended to participate at least once before retiring from the game.
This season appeared to be the perfect opportunity. With All-Star festivities taking place at Citizens Bank Park — roughly 45 miles from his hometown of Millville, New Jersey — Trout seemed poised to finally make his derby debut. He added to that anticipation last weekend when he told USA Today he was “considering” joining the competition.
However, a change of mind came after he landed on the 10-day injured list on June 18. At that point, Trout was batting .234 with 17 home runs and 36 RBIs across 74 games.
“When it came out that the All-Star Game was in Philly, I thought it definitely would have been cool to do,” said Trout, who currently sits second behind Aaron Judge in All-Star voting among American League outfielders. “Then I hurt my leg, so I’m leaning toward not doing it.”
PHOENIX (AP) — A leader of a polygamous religious sect who is already serving a 50-year federal prison sentence for orchestrating sexual abuse involving children has now been convicted on state child abuse charges as well. The verdict came Friday, following a trial centered on the discovery of three young girls trapped inside a sweltering, unventilated trailer he was towing through Arizona.
The incident came to light in 2022 when a passerby spotted small fingers poking through gaps in the trailer doors and contacted authorities. Law enforcement pulled over Samuel Bateman’s vehicle in Flagstaff and found three girls inside, ranging in age from 11 to 14. The enclosed trailer contained only a makeshift toilet, a sofa, and a few camping chairs.
In his separate federal case, Bateman was found guilty of coercing girls as young as 9 years old into sexual acts with him and other adults, as well as plotting to abduct girls from protective custody. That case has been featured in a Netflix documentary series titled “Trust Me: The False Prophet.”
Bateman had previously claimed to have more than 20 so-called “spiritual wives,” at least 10 of whom were under the age of 18. He chose to represent himself during the state trial and took the stand in his own defense, telling jurors he would never hurt those he loves. Under cross-examination, however, he admitted he was aware the girls had been riding in a hot trailer with poor ventilation for an extended period of time.
“I just trusted myself as a driver,” he said. “I ask God to bless me every time we hopped in that vehicle.”
Because Bateman represented himself, he repeatedly brought up his federal conviction during proceedings — even though the judge had specifically barred that information from being presented to jurors. The judge repeatedly ordered those remarks stricken from the record.
The jury took just roughly 40 minutes to return a guilty verdict on all three child abuse counts.
Federal authorities described Bateman as a self-proclaimed prophet who traveled widely across Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and Nebraska while building a splinter group connected to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That sect has historically been centered in the adjoining communities of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah.
Bateman and his followers adhered to the practice of polygamy, which traces its roots to early teachings of the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The mainstream church officially abandoned polygamy in 1890 and now strictly forbids it.
Bateman was known as a close follower of Warren Jeffs, the former leader of the sect, who is currently serving a life sentence in Texas after being convicted of sexually assaulting children.
WASHINGTON — A gay rights activist has taken the Department of Defense to federal court, demanding to see a copy of an agreement between the Pentagon and Scouting America — and to find out whether that deal actually requires the organization to ban transgender members.
James Dale filed his complaint in a New York City federal court on Thursday, arguing that the Pentagon and Scouting America have given the public two very different stories about what was agreed to, while the government refuses to release the actual document.
The Pentagon struck a deal with Scouting America back in February, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announcing that the agreement would steer the organization away from diversity programs and other policies he described as “woke.” Hegseth warned that the military would cut off its long-standing support of the organization if it did not comply within six months — a deadline that falls in late August.
Hegseth placed particular focus on the issue of transgender youth, stating that the organization would require members to be identified by their “biological sex at birth and not gender identity.”
However, Scouting America — formerly called the Boy Scouts of America — said at the time that the agreement did not alter its existing policies on transgender youth and that those members remain welcome in its programs.
“We have transgender people in our program and we’ll have transgender people in our program going forward,” Scouting America President and CEO Roger Krone told The Associated Press in February.
In his court filing, Dale argues that both versions of events “cannot be true, and the stakes are of profound public importance.”
Hegseth had also said in February that he would “vigorously review” any changes Scouting America made, and did not rule out pulling military support.
“We hope that doesn’t happen, but it could,” Hegseth said at the time. “Ideally, I believe the Boy Scouts should go back to being the Boy Scouts as originally founded, a group that develops boys into men. Maybe someday.”
The relationship between the military and the scouting organization runs deep, with the armed forces historically providing logistical assistance for the National Boy Scout Jamboree, hosting scouts on or near military installations, and maintaining close ties with Eagle Scouts — many of whom go on to enlist.
Dale had submitted a Freedom of Information Act request in late March seeking the memorandum of understanding between Scouting America and the Pentagon. That request went nowhere.
“The Department has invoked no exemption, produced no record, and missed every deadline,” his complaint stated. “Mr. Dale brings this action to enforce the public’s right to know, before the Department’s August deadline expires.”
The Pentagon declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying it does not discuss active litigation, and instead pointed to the video Hegseth released in February outlining the changes he said the organization was making. Scouting America did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.
Dale’s complaint also raises a broader legal question: whether the federal government even has the authority to require a private organization like Scouting America to accept or exclude certain members.
Dale’s history with the Boy Scouts goes back decades. In 1990, the organization expelled him — then an Eagle Scout serving as an assistant scoutmaster — after learning he was co-president of Rutgers University’s gay and lesbian organization. He sued in 1992, alleging discrimination, but ultimately lost at the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that the organization had the right to set membership and leadership standards that excluded gay individuals.
“Here, if the Department’s account is true, the federal government has now obtained by contract what the Court once held it could not command by law,” Dale’s lawsuit states. “And if it is not, then the Department has misled the public about what Scouting America has agreed to do.”
Motorists traveling along Vance Neck Road should plan for possible delays as intermittent lane closures are in effect between Apple Tree Lane and Marathon Drive.
The lane restrictions are due to construction activity in that stretch of roadway. Drivers are advised to use caution when passing through the area.
The closures are expected to remain in place until 6 p.m. No additional detour information was provided at this time.
Luxury Retailer Emerges from Bankruptcy with New Name
The parent company of Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Bergdorf Goodman has officially exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company, previously known as Saks Global, announced Friday that it will now operate under the name Exemplar Luxury Group. The restructuring resulted in a nearly 75% reduction in debt and secured $500 million in additional financing. CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck said the company is ready to move forward, noting that the new name reflects the organization’s commitment to delivering exceptional shopping experiences — from high-end merchandise to personalized customer service — supported by its sales team and an extensive database of customer information.
Trump Threatens 100% Tariff on Countries Taxing U.S. Digital Services
President Donald Trump is warning that any country imposing taxes on digital services provided by American companies will face a 100% tariff on all goods exported to the United States. In a Friday social media post, Trump called out European nations he said are moving toward “imminent” implementation of such taxes. “Please let this statement serve to represent that any Country that imposes such a Tax will immediately be met with a 100% TARIFF on any and all Goods sent to the United States of America,” Trump wrote.
Former Meta Executive Sues Company Over Memoir Suppression
A former executive at Meta has taken the company to court, alleging it tried to “silence” her after she published a memoir titled “Careless People” — a tell-all account of her time at the social media company. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court in Northern California, argues that a private arbitration order barring her from discussing Meta or promoting her bestselling book is not legally valid. The suit also contends that the severance agreement she signed upon leaving the company was executed under duress.
OpenAI Restricts New AI Model at Trump Administration’s Request
OpenAI has limited access to its newest artificial intelligence model, GPT-5.6 Sol, following a request from President Donald Trump’s administration. Currently, only a small group of government-approved partners can use the model. The company said Friday the restriction is temporary, with broader availability expected in the coming weeks. The move comes after rival AI firm Anthropic was directed to take two of its models offline under a Trump directive. Concerns about AI tools being exploited by hackers have grown in recent months. Earlier in June, Trump signed an executive order aimed at reviewing national security risks tied to artificial intelligence.
Wall Street Mostly Up, but AI Stock Slump Drags Down the Week
U.S. stock markets ended Friday on a mostly positive note as oil prices retreated to pre-war levels with Iran, but weakness in artificial intelligence stocks weighed on overall performance. The S&P 500 finished the day nearly unchanged, slipping less than 0.1% — marking just its second losing week out of the past 13. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.1%, while the Nasdaq composite fell 0.2%. Markets in South Korea and Japan saw sharp early declines tied to struggles among major AI stocks. Bond market Treasury yields also eased during the session.
Supreme Court Blocks Thousands of Roundup Cancer Lawsuits
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday in favor of the manufacturer of Roundup weedkiller, effectively halting thousands of lawsuits that claimed the company failed to warn consumers the product could cause cancer. The decision is considered a win for the Trump administration, though it may strain relationships with allied nations seeking stricter pesticide regulations. The court found that federal regulatory findings — which determined a cancer connection was unlikely — shield the company from lawsuits filed under state law. Roundup maker Bayer has disputed the cancer allegations but has set aside billions of dollars to settle existing cases. Bayer called the ruling a positive outcome for science and agriculture, while attorneys representing affected individuals said the decision “wrongly slams the courthouse door on Americans sickened by pesticides.”
Apple Raises Mac and iPad Prices, Cites Memory Chip Shortage
Apple announced Thursday that it is increasing the prices of its Mac computers and iPad tablets, pointing to a shortage of memory chips driven by surging demand from the artificial intelligence industry. The Cupertino, California-based company described the situation as an “unprecedented challenge” for the consumer electronics sector. Among the new prices: the entry-level MacBook Neo will now cost $699, up from $599; the 512 gigabyte MacBook Air rises to $1,299 from $1,099; and the one terabyte MacBook Pro climbs to $1,999 from $1,699. On the tablet side, the 128 gigabyte iPad Air now runs $749, up from $599, while the 256 gigabyte iPad Pro Wi-Fi version is now $1,199, up from $999. Industry analysts anticipate iPhone prices could also increase later this year.
Billionaire Investor Subpoenaed After Refusing to Answer Epstein Questions
The House Oversight Committee has issued subpoenas to billionaire investor Leon Black following a contentious voluntary interview Friday about his financial ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Black, who formerly served as chief executive of Apollo Global Management, paid Epstein $158 million between 2012 and 2017 for tax and estate planning services. In his opening remarks, Black denied any criminal wrongdoing and said he was misled by Epstein. However, lawmakers said Black declined to answer certain questions during the session, including those related to non-disclosure agreements. The committee issued subpoenas requiring Black to hand over documents and testify under oath in July.
JPMorgan Chase Names Two New Co-Presidents in Leadership Shakeup
JPMorgan Chase has elevated Doug Petno and Troy Rohrbaugh to co-presidents, positioning both as potential future successors to longtime CEO Jamie Dimon. The move comes as Marianne Lake, previously seen as a leading contender for the top role, announced she will retire at the end of the year. The bank’s board appears to be leaning toward its commercial and investment banking divisions for future leadership. Petno has served in advisory roles, while Rohrbaugh’s background is in trading. Dimon, who has led the nation’s largest bank since 2006, has dealt with health challenges but has indicated he intends to remain in his role.
California Governor Pushes National Billionaires Tax While Opposing State Version
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is advocating for a federal “billionaires’ tax” and is calling for the U.S. government to hold ownership stakes in artificial intelligence companies. Newsom argues that swift action is needed to prevent extreme wealth concentration from threatening democracy. His proposal would establish a minimum tax on individuals with a net worth exceeding $100 million and would close a loophole allowing the ultra-wealthy to borrow against stock holdings without paying taxes. Newsom’s stance aligns him with the progressive wing of his party as he weighs a potential 2028 presidential campaign. Notably, he is simultaneously opposing a similar measure at the state level in California, arguing that a federal approach is more effective since it would prevent billionaires from simply relocating to other states to avoid the tax.
For Jeremy Wright, the perfect Christmas gift for his wife Sarah seemed like a slam dunk: tickets to a World Cup soccer match. Wright turned to the U.S. resale platform StubHub and purchased two seats to watch the Netherlands face Japan on June 14.
That plan quickly fell apart.
After more than ten months of anticipation, the couple drove from Austin to Dallas and gathered with fellow fans at their hotel, ready to celebrate. But just five hours before the opening whistle, an email from StubHub shattered their excitement — their tickets could not be delivered.
The email, which Reuters reviewed, told Jeremy that StubHub had located replacement tickets at no additional charge, citing its “FanProtect Guarantee.” When he tried to follow the steps to claim those seats, however, the only real option presented to him was a refund. After hours of trying to reach StubHub customer support, the couple gave up and made the drive back to Austin in the rain.
The Wrights are far from alone. Dozens of frustrated ticket buyers flooded social media this month after last-minute StubHub cancellations left them empty-handed, often after being told replacement tickets were on the way. The situation represents yet another ticketing headache surrounding the first World Cup held in North America in over three decades — a tournament that has already drawn criticism from fans over FIFA’s decision to use dynamic pricing for the first time.
StubHub is not an official ticketing partner of the World Cup. It operates solely as a resale platform, meaning it does not hold tickets or control prices. A company spokesperson said cancellations happen when sellers fail to deliver. StubHub also pointed the finger at FIFA, claiming the governing body’s ticketing infrastructure was disrupting ticket transfers across all resale platforms.
FIFA pushed back firmly. The organization, which had previously urged fans to use only its own official resale platform, said its ticketing system was running reliably and at scale. “With reference to the reliability of the services available to fans on FIFA’s official ticket platform, FIFA rejects any suggestion that the functional issues being experienced by users of third-party platforms with respect to FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets are the result of FIFA’s ticketing infrastructure,” the organization said in a statement.
FIFA does charge a 30% commission on resale tickets through its official platform, which often makes tickets there pricier than on competing sites. FIFA said those fees are in line with industry norms across North America and that its platform offers a “safe, transparent and secure environment for fans to sell or transfer tickets to other fans.”
Still, some fans found FIFA’s platform too complicated to navigate. Writer and personal stylist Dacy Gillespie was one of them. She purchased four tickets to Argentina’s June 16 match against Algeria as a surprise Christmas gift for her two sons. After driving roughly 250 miles from their home in St. Louis to Kansas City, she received a matchday email from StubHub informing her the seller could not deliver the tickets.
A ticketing expert who previously worked with the Cleveland Cavaliers and now runs the “Ticket Talk Network” — a resource focused on how seats for major sporting events are bought and sold — identified the root cause as a practice called speculative ticketing, sometimes referred to as “ghost tickets.”
“Let’s say (a seller) listed that ticket six months ago for $500. He’s hoping to (buy) that ticket for less than $500 to make a profit and fill the ticket order,” the expert, Scott Friedman, explained. “Just like shorting the stock market.”
Friedman noted that while ticket prices on secondary markets typically drop as an event approaches, World Cup ticket prices kept climbing, leaving speculative sellers unable to fulfill orders without taking a financial loss. Although StubHub’s policies officially ban speculative ticketing, ghost tickets remain widespread because the platform does not require sellers to provide seat numbers when listing tickets.
Wright’s purchase was made on September 6, 2025 — four days before FIFA even opened its first official sales draw — strongly suggesting the tickets were listed by a speculator. A screenshot of his order, reviewed by Reuters, showed only that the seats were listed as “Category 3” with no seat numbers included.
StubHub said it requires sellers to upload tickets or show proof of purchase at the time of listing, and that sellers who misrepresent their inventory face financial penalties and account suspension.
Both the Wrights and Gillespie said they resorted to social media to get any response at all from StubHub. They believe their complaints were only addressed because their posts went viral. StubHub eventually offered the Wrights complimentary seats to a semi-final game and gave Gillespie $3,000 to help offset the cost of replacement tickets she had to purchase on her own.
“We had to raise holy hell to get the attention,” said Sarah Wright. “There’s almost a survivor’s guilt kind of feeling for us — we got (complimentary) tickets, but what about all the other people?”
StubHub said it has since established a dedicated World Cup support team and boosted its ability to find replacement tickets for affected customers. “Getting fans to their matches remains our top priority for the rest of this tournament,” a company spokesperson said.
The fallout could have lasting consequences for StubHub’s reputation. A clinical assistant professor at the NYU Tisch Institute for Global Sport, Marsha-Gaye Knight, warned the issues could cause serious long-term brand damage. She noted that an event as massive as the expanded 48-team World Cup — which set an all-time aggregate attendance record before the group stage even concluded — puts any problems under an intense spotlight.
“For them (StubHub) to be the third party where they’re supposed to provide this service with ease, and they’ve done it before, and they’ve done it with so many people, and they’ve gained that trust, for that trust to now get chipped away is very, very concerning for them,” Knight said. “From a brand perspective, this could be a nightmare for them.”
Adding to StubHub’s troubles, the United Kingdom’s markets watchdog this week ordered StubHub UK to refund more than 50,000 customers and pay a £900,000 fine — equivalent to about $1.19 million — for failing to display the full ticket price upfront.
Some affected fans are now calling on lawmakers and regulators to step in. The National Independent Venue Association, a trade group representing live entertainment venues, along with fan advocacy group Fan Alliance, sent a letter last week to U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson and others urging a ban on the sale of ghost tickets on resale platforms. Johnson’s office had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.
The San Diego Padres have brought in veteran infielder Luis Rengifo on a minor league contract, according to a report published Friday by The Athletic.
Rengifo, 29, was let go by the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, just one week after the team had designated him for assignment.
His time in Milwaukee was a difficult one at the plate. He hit just .205 with no home runs and 19 RBIs across 57 games, making 45 of those starts at third base.
Prior to his brief stint with the Brewers, Rengifo spent seven seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. He put together a strong 2024 campaign, batting .300 with 24 stolen bases in 78 games, and he set a career high with 17 home runs back in 2022.
Should Rengifo earn a promotion to the major league roster, he could fill a need at second base for San Diego. He has 341 career starts at that position. The Padres have been relying on Gold Glove right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr., who has made 37 starts there, while Jake Cronenworth remains sidelined with a concussion and Manny Machado holds down third base.
Across 730 games in the big leagues, Rengifo carries a career batting average of .246 with 62 home runs and 249 RBIs.
The Toronto Maple Leafs made forward Gavin McKenna the first player chosen in the NHL draft Friday night in Buffalo, N.Y., selecting the 18-year-old with the No. 1 overall pick.
McKenna had been widely projected as the top selection following a dominant debut season at Penn State, where he racked up 51 points — 15 goals and 36 assists — across 35 games. He also represented Team Canada at the World Junior Championships, contributing 14 points (four goals and 10 assists) in seven games as Canada earned a bronze medal.
McKenna, who hails from Whitehorse, Yukon, will step into one of hockey’s most scrutinized markets. The Maple Leafs finished just one spot above last place in the Eastern Conference this past season with 78 points, and Friday’s pick marked only the third time in the organization’s history that it held the No. 1 overall selection.
Toronto’s two previous top picks were star captain Auston Matthews, chosen a decade ago, and forward Wendel Clark, drafted first overall back in 1985. Matthews continues to be one of the league’s premier players, while Clark went on to play 15 NHL seasons, 13 of them in a Maple Leafs uniform.
Winning the draft lottery made the decision straightforward for Toronto’s new front office leadership. General manager John Chayka and senior adviser Mats Sundin are heading the organization’s hockey operations, and last week they announced Jim Hiller as the team’s new head coach.
The San Jose Sharks hold the second overall pick as the rest of Round 1 continues Friday evening. Rounds 2 through 7 of the draft are scheduled to take place on Saturday.
NEW YORK (AP) — The luxury retail conglomerate that owns Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Bergdorf Goodman has officially come out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, emerging Friday with a slimmer store count, a dramatically reduced debt load, and a brand-new corporate identity.
The company announced Friday that it will now operate under the name Exemplar Luxury Group. Along with the new name comes a healthier financial picture — including a debt reduction of nearly 75% and an additional $500 million in fresh financing. CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck said the New York-based company is poised to move forward after weathering several difficult years.
“Today is really a brand new day for the organization and a new day where these three iconic banners have the right funding, the right equity and a bright future ahead of them,” Van Raemdonck said in a phone interview with The Associated Press on Friday.
Van Raemdonck explained that the Exemplar name reflects the company’s commitment to delivering an outstanding shopping experience — featuring top-tier merchandise and more personalized attention for shoppers, supported by its sales staff and an extensive database of customer information. He noted that the company has more than 1,500 sales associates who have each sold over $1 million worth of merchandise.
The company had sought bankruptcy protection back in January of this year, weighed down by growing competition and the heavy debt load it took on when it acquired rival luxury brand Neiman Marcus in July 2024.
Prior to the bankruptcy filing, the company operated 33 Saks Fifth Avenue stores and 36 Neiman Marcus locations, along with the flagship Bergdorf Goodman store on Fifth Avenue and approximately 70 Saks Off 5th discount outlets.
The restructured company now runs a total of 49 stores — 15 Saks Fifth Avenue locations, 33 Neiman Marcus stores, and the single Bergdorf Goodman location. Most of the Saks Off 5th discount stores have been closed, with only 12 outlet locations remaining.
A Minnesota man facing charges in one of the largest fraud cases in the state’s history has been apprehended overseas. Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, of Burnsville, Minnesota, was taken into custody Thursday in Mogadishu, Somalia, according to U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen.
Eidleh is among dozens of individuals indicted back in 2022 in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud a federal meals program out of approximately $250 million. Court records do not indicate whether he has legal representation, and he has not yet had the chance to enter a plea.
Prosecutors say Eidleh worked for an organization called Feeding Our Future, which claimed to be distributing millions of meals to children in need during the pandemic through a federal child nutrition program. However, authorities allege that only a small fraction of the federal dollars actually went toward feeding children. The rest, they say, was funneled through shell companies and used to purchase real estate, luxury vehicles, and fund travel.
Specifically, Eidleh is accused of fabricating child nutrition program sites, falsely reporting that thousands of children were being fed there each day, and setting up shell companies that posed as meal vendors at those locations. He faces 31 counts in total, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division described Eidleh as a central figure in what he called “one of the largest fraud schemes in Minnesota history.”
“He not only stole taxpayer dollars, but he also robbed vulnerable children of critical resources they desperately needed. Rather than answer for his crimes in the United States, he fled to Somalia in a futile attempt to evade justice,” McDonald said.
President Donald Trump previously cited this fraud case as part of his reasoning for initiating a large-scale immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota late last year.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced on Saturday that they had struck American military positions somewhere in the region, describing the action as a response to a new U.S. military strike against Iran.
The Guards offered no additional details about which specific U.S. positions were targeted or where those strikes took place.
The announcement came after Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency briefly published what it described as a statement from the Revolutionary Guards warning that the force’s response to a fresh American attack on Iran would be “swift and decisive.” That statement was later deleted by the news agency.
SpaceX and internet provider Charter Communications have reportedly been in executive-level discussions about forming a partnership to offer consumer mobile phone services in the United States, according to a Bloomberg News report published Friday.
Bloomberg cited sources familiar with the matter in its reporting. Reuters, which initially covered the story, said it was unable to immediately verify the claims independently.
Electric vehicles from China’s Lotus brand are expected to land in Canada next month, according to China’s ambassador to Canada, Wang Di, who spoke exclusively with Reuters on Friday.
The Lotus vehicles, manufactured and owned by Geely Holding Group, will be the first Chinese-made cars to enter Canada for sale under a newly established agreement between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping. That deal permits as many as 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles to enter Canada each year at a lower tariff rate, as Carney works to shift Canada’s trade focus away from its reliance on the United States.
“Geely EVs will be arriving in Canada next month and they will be holding a ceremony when the cars are delivered in Montreal,” Ambassador Wang said.
Lotus Cars did not respond to a request for comment, and Canada’s Global Affairs department was also unable to immediately provide details about the anticipated arrival.
Wang noted that other Chinese automakers, including Chery and BYD, are currently working through the required steps with Canadian government agencies before they can begin shipping vehicles to Canada. Canadian officials have previously indicated that some vehicles arrived earlier so manufacturers could test them under Canadian driving conditions.
“I hope in autumn this year, the truly, genuinely other Chinese brand EVs will complete the procedures and get into the Canadian market,” Wang said through an interpreter.
BYD Executive Vice President Stella Li recently told Reuters that her company would likely begin sales in Canada next year. U.S.-based Tesla has already been importing Chinese-manufactured vehicles into Canada.
Beyond vehicle sales, Canada is also looking to draw joint ventures and investment into its domestic electric vehicle supply chain. Wang said Chinese EV manufacturers are open to forming joint ventures, but plan to first establish sales and assess market demand before making such commitments.
Carney’s move to open the door to Chinese EV imports has drawn criticism from some U.S. officials and members of Congress.
TRADE GROWTH EXPECTED TO SURGE
During a visit to China in January, Carney announced that Canada would aim to grow its exports to China by 50% by the year 2030. However, China’s Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi suggested last month that exports could actually double — a 100% increase.
To achieve that doubling, Canadian exports would need to grow at roughly 15% per year over the next five years, Ambassador Wang explained. He added that Canadian exports have already climbed 27.5% in the five months since Carney’s January visit.
“As we continue to move forward, our economic and trade cooperation continues to unleash the potential in our economies and continues to leverage the complementarities that we have, I think maybe we can go beyond the 100%, maybe, we can reach 200%,” Wang said.
On energy, Wang said Canada could potentially supply China with nearly 22 million metric tons of crude oil annually, up from 15.5 million tons last year. He also expressed strong interest in Canada’s liquefied natural gas, though he did not elaborate further.
Wang also highlighted that despite Canada being a major exporter of canola, peas, and beef, it currently accounts for just 2% of China’s agricultural imports — pointing to significant untapped market potential.
“As long as we keep to the right track, at the right pace, towards the right direction, there will be a lot of potential for us to increase our trade,” he said.
China reduced tariffs on certain Canadian products back in March, but maintained a 100% duty on canola oil and a 25% tariff on pork. Tariff relief covering products such as canola meal, peas, and lobster is set to expire at the end of this year, leaving exporters facing uncertainty.
When asked whether China would extend the tariff suspension or lower duties on pork and canola oil, Wang declined to give a direct answer.
“As long as the two countries uphold the principle of mutual respect, equality, reciprocity … there will be nothing that we cannot resolve,” he said.
At the same time, Wang cautioned that the Canadian government must adhere to principles of mutual respect, find common ground, and pursue outcomes that benefit both nations.
“Whenever these principles are not followed, of course, there will be a negative impact,” he warned.
Northbound travelers on Coastal Highway should expect slower-than-normal travel times between Dewey Beach and Lewes, according to traffic reports.
Heavy congestion along that stretch is adding an estimated 10 to 15 minutes to drive times for those heading north through the area.
Drivers are encouraged to allow extra time or look for alternate routes to avoid the backup.
The Buffalo Sabres made a significant move on draft day Friday, trading for defenseman Olen Zellweger from the Anaheim Ducks.
To complete the deal, the Ducks will receive a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the 45th overall pick in that same draft, and 20-year-old forward prospect Anton Wahlberg.
Zellweger, who is 22 years old, is set to become a restricted free agent on July 1. While the Sabres confirmed the trade, no details about a potential contract extension were released.
The young defenseman wrapped up his third professional season this year, appearing in 76 regular-season games for Anaheim and putting up 22 points — seven goals and 15 assists. He also saw action in three playoff games, contributing one goal and one assist for two points.
Over his career with the Ducks, Zellweger has totaled 51 points — 16 goals and 35 assists — across 164 regular-season games. Anaheim originally selected him with the 34th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Wahlberg, meanwhile, was chosen by Buffalo with the 39th pick in the 2023 draft. During the 2024-25 season, he skated for Rochester in the American Hockey League, recording 37 points on nine goals and 28 assists.
The 2026 NHL Draft kicked off Friday evening and is scheduled to continue Saturday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.
Travelers making their way southbound along Coastal Highway are running into significant traffic congestion, with delays of approximately 10 to 15 minutes being reported between Lewes and Dewey Beach.
The slowdown appears to be the result of heavy congestion along that corridor. No specific incident or crash has been cited as the cause — the backup is attributed to traffic volume alone.
Drivers in the area are encouraged to allow extra travel time or consider alternate routes to avoid the delay.
Scottie Scheffler came tantalizingly close to shooting a 59 Friday at the Travelers Championship, ultimately settling for a brilliant 60 that vaulted him to the top of the leaderboard at 16-under par through two rounds at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.
On the par-4 18th hole, Scheffler’s birdie attempt slipped just inches past the cup to the right, leaving him to tap in for par and a round of 60 — still an exceptional score that left him one shot ahead of Viktor Hovland and two clear of Akshay Bhatia, who carded a second-round 62.
“The conditions were really good this morning,” Scheffler said. “Softer golf course, not too much wind. … I’m sure if you looked at today’s round compared to yesterday’s round, I’m sure the ball-striking was pretty similar.”
Scheffler opened his Friday round with a birdie before making a bogey at the second hole, missing a six-foot putt on the par-4. That would prove to be his last significant misstep of the day. Over his final 16 holes, he reeled off 10 birdies, posting matching scores of 30 on both the front and back nines. Combined with his opening 64 on Thursday, Scheffler is now chasing his second Travelers Championship title in three years.
Heavy rainfall softened the greens at TPC River Highlands, contributing to low scoring throughout Friday’s second round — a familiar pattern at this event.
With his 60, Scheffler joins Patrick Cantlay (2011) and Tommy Bolt (1954) in the record books for the best second-round score in tournament history. Jim Furyk holds the all-time single-round record at the event with a 58 in 2016, while Cam Young posted a 59 in the third round two years ago.
Hovland sits at 14-under for the tournament after going 9-under on Friday, highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 13th hole and a 30 on his front nine.
Bhatia had briefly held the lead after finishing his round earlier in the day, but both Hovland and Scheffler surged past him as they completed their rounds. Bhatia and first-round leader Eric Cole are tied at 12-under, four strokes behind Scheffler. Cole, who opened with a 63 on Thursday, posted a second-round 65 after managing just one birdie against eight pars on the back nine.
France’s Ugo Humbert had plenty to celebrate on his 28th birthday Friday, turning in a dominant semifinal performance to advance to the final of the Lexus Eastbourne Open in England. The sixth-seeded Humbert dispatched British player Jack Draper 7-5, 6-3, firing five aces and successfully defending all four break points he faced during the match.
After the victory, the crowd treated Humbert to a chorus of “Happy Birthday” to mark the occasion. He will now pursue his eighth career singles title when he squares off against Belgium’s Zizou Bergs in Sunday’s championship match.
Bergs earned his spot in the final by outlasting Great Britain’s Toby Samuel in a three-set battle, winning 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2. The Belgian had a commanding 11-4 advantage in aces and managed to save 6 of 10 break points throughout the contest. A victory in the final would give Bergs his first career ATP singles title.
Draper, who had strung together three consecutive wins earlier in the week to the delight of the home crowd, was playing in his first tournament since April following a right knee injury. Despite the semifinal exit, his run at Eastbourne marked a positive return to competition.
At the Vanda Pharmaceuticals Mallorca Championships in Mallorca, Spain, second-seeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain rallied from a first-set loss to defeat Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, propelled by seven aces. After dropping the opener, Davidovich Fokina surged to a 5-1 lead in the second set to even things up, then overcame a 4-3 deficit in the third set by taking the final three games of the match.
Davidovich Fokina will also be chasing his first career singles title when he meets American Ethan Quinn in the final. Quinn, 22, cruised into the championship match with a commanding 6-1, 6-2 victory over Portugal’s Nuno Borges. Quinn won 81.5 percent of his first-serve points — 22 of 27 — and converted 4 of 6 break point opportunities. Borges struggled on his second serve, winning just 22.2 percent of those points, going 4 for 18.
La Ceiba Foods Latin Market Inc. has announced a voluntary recall of two cottage cheese products over concerns of possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
The products being pulled from shelves are Requesón Salvadoreño, also known as Salvadoran Cottage Cheese, and Requesón Mexicano, also known as Mexican Cottage Cheese. Both items were sold under the La Colonia and Selectos Latinos brand names.
The recall was announced on June 26, 2026. Listeria monocytogenes is a potentially dangerous bacterium that can cause serious illness, particularly in pregnant women, elderly individuals, and those with weakened immune systems.
Anyone who has purchased these products is encouraged to stop consuming them immediately and to check with the place of purchase for return or refund options. Additional details about the recall are available through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Andre Burakovsky is heading to Ottawa — a city with a special connection to his family. His father once suited up for the Senators organization, and now the 31-year-old winger is joining them after Chicago dealt him away Friday in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round draft pick.
The trade allows the Blackhawks to shed Burakovsky’s $5.5 million salary cap hit heading into next season. For Ottawa, the deal brings in a two-time Stanley Cup champion who previously hoisted the trophy with Washington and Colorado, and also spent time in Seattle before landing in Chicago.
Senators general manager Steve Staios expressed enthusiasm about the acquisition, saying Burakovsky “adds skill and playmaking ability to our forward group.” The family tie runs deep — Burakovsky’s father Robert suited up for Ottawa in 23 games during the franchise’s second NHL season back in 1993-94. Andre is now joining his fifth NHL organization.
Staios had a busy Friday before finalizing the Burakovsky deal. He also acquired goaltender Samuel Ersson’s rights from Toronto, sending a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Maple Leafs. Toronto had received Ersson, along with Emil Andrae, from Philadelphia in a separate cap-clearing deal that sent Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit to the Flyers.
Ottawa also locked up defenseman Jordan Spence on a four-year, $20 million contract. The 25-year-old had a standout season, setting a career high with seven goals and totaling 31 points while averaging nearly 19 minutes of ice time per game across 73 contests. He was a key figure as the Senators dealt with defensive injuries yet still managed to reach the playoffs.
Staios praised Spence’s contributions, saying, “Jordan was an excellent addition to our hockey club and proved to be a valuable asset on our blue line and stepped up when it counted last season. We’re excited to have him as part of our core group.”
In New York, the Rangers made their first offseason move Friday, shipping forward Brett Berard to the Montreal Canadiens in return for defenseman William Trudeau. Berard, who will turn 24 in September, was once viewed as part of New York’s long-term core. Trudeau is about a month younger but has yet to make his NHL debut, having spent his time in the minors, while Berard has appeared in 48 NHL games and recorded 10 points.
Rangers general manager Chris Drury is widely expected to pursue more significant transactions. Center Vincent Trocheck has reportedly been discussed in trade conversations dating back to before the March trade deadline.
The Buffalo Sabres acquired defenseman Olen Zellweger from Anaheim in exchange for the 45th overall pick and forward prospect Anton Wahlberg. Zellweger, who turns 23 in September, helps replenish Buffalo’s defensive depth after the Sabres earlier traded Bowen Byram to Chicago.
The New York Islanders re-signed defenseman Tony DeAngelo to a two-year deal worth $9 million, carrying a $4.5 million annual cap hit through the 2027-28 season. DeAngelo, 30, is back for his second full season with the Islanders after rejoining the NHL in January 2025 following a stint in the Russia-based KHL.
Out in Colorado, the Avalanche re-signed veteran defensemen Brent Burns and Brett Kulak following a season that saw them win the Presidents’ Trophy before falling to Vegas in the conference final.
Burns, 41, inked a deal for next season — his 23rd in the league — at the veteran minimum of $850,000, with the potential to earn up to $3 million through incentives, according to a source familiar with the agreement who spoke on condition of anonymity since financial terms were not officially announced. Burns has played in 1,007 straight regular-season games and needs just 58 more to surpass Phil Kessel for the longest ironman streak in NHL history.
Kulak received a five-year contract reportedly worth $22.5 million. Colorado’s president of hockey operations Joe Sakic is reshaping the roster after reassuming general manager duties when the previous GM departed for Nashville.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jose Alvarado is sticking with the New York Knicks, agreeing to a multiyear contract with the NBA champions, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Friday.
Alvarado chose to opt out of his existing player option and is working toward a three-year agreement with the team, according to the source, who spoke anonymously because the deal had not yet been officially finalized. ESPN was first to report the news, noting that the new contract would be worth more than $14 million — a significant jump from the $4.5 million player option he walked away from.
The guard had originally been traded to New York from New Orleans during the regular season, bringing him back to his hometown. Alvarado, a Brooklyn native who went to Christ the King High School, joined the Knicks on February 5.
He wasted no time expressing his feelings about the new deal. “I’m home,” Alvarado posted on X, adding a string of orange and blue hearts to drive the point home.
While Alvarado served mostly as a backup to All-Star Jalen Brunson throughout the season, he made his presence felt on the biggest stage. In Game 4 of the NBA Finals — a 107-106 Knicks victory over San Antonio — Alvarado shared the floor with Brunson for much of the fourth quarter as New York mounted a historic comeback from 29 points down. Alvarado contributed eight points and three assists in that final period alone.
