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WASHINGTON (AP) — After an earlier pullback, consumers picked up their spending in June despite anxiety over tariffs and the state of the U.S. economy.

Retail sales rose a better-than-expected 0.6% in June after declining 0.9% in May, the Commerce Department said Thursday. Sales in April fell 0.1%, pulled down by a steep drop in auto sales, after Americans ramped up their car-buying in March to get ahead of President Donald Trump’s 25% duty on imported cars and car parts.

Excluding autos and automotive parts, sales rose 0.5%, according to the Commerce Department.

There was broad-based strength across the board. Clothing and accessories sales rose 0.9%, while health and personal care sales saw a 0.5% bump. Restaurants sales rose 0.6% , while online retailers recorded a 0.4% gain. Autos and automotive parts dealers rebounded with a 1.2% increase.

There were a few weak spots like electronics and appliance retailers and department stores, both of which had sales declines.

Heather Long, the chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, noted that layoffs remain low and consumers are still confident enough that the economy is chugging along.

“Don’t count the American consumer out yet,” said Long in a statement. “There’s still a lot of trepidation about tariffs and likely price hikes, but consumers are willing to buy if they feel they can get a good deal. The word of the summer for the economy is resilient.”

The retail sales report arrives amid a whipsaw frenzy of on and off again tariffs have that jolted businesses and households. For businesses, that has made it harder to manage supply and inventories. Americans are focusing more on necessities, when they do shop.

The latest government report showed that inflation rose last month to its highest level since February as Trump’s sweeping tariffs push up the costs of everything from groceries and clothes to furniture and appliances.

Consumer prices rose 2.7% in June from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Tuesday, up from an annual increase of 2.4% in May. On a monthly basis, prices climbed 0.3% from May to June, after rising just 0.1% the previous month.

Trump insists that the U.S. effectively has no inflation as he has attempted to pressure Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell into reducing short-term interest rates.

Yet the new inflation numbers make it more likely that the central bank will leave rates where they are. Powell has said that he wants to measure the economic impact of Trump’s tariffs before reducing borrowing costs.

Americans have continued to spend, which is what the Fed had hoped to curtail a little bit with rate hikes.

One big litmus test was Amazon’s four-day Prime event along with competing retail sales from the likes of Walmart and Target that kicked off last week. Adobe Digital Insights, which tracks online sales, reported that the sales events drove $24.1 billion in online spending, a 30.3% increase compared with the same period last year.

Still, those that were buying prioritized essentials like dish soap and paper products over big-ticket purchases, according to consumer data provider Numerator, based on its analysis of Amazon Prime orders.

Deborah Weinswig, founder and CEO of Coresight Research, said she’s becoming more optimistic about the financial health of the consumer after the Amazon Prime events. She said inventories are at a healthy level, and she didn’t see big fire sales.

”People aren’t buying things that they don’t need,” she said. “I think it’s a healthier retail environment.”

Retailers are now turning their attention to the back-to-school shopping season, which is the second largest consumer rush after the winter holidays. Coresight Research estimates that total U.S. back-to-school spending will increase by 3.3% year compared with the year-ago period, to $33.3 billion. And it predicts that shoppers will do a big chunk of their shopping before August to get ahead of tariffs.

Economists will also dissect quarterly financial reports next month from major retailers like Walmart, Target and Macy’s, both for consumer behavior and to gauge how businesses are navigating a chaotic period of global trade due to fluid U.S. policies.

Levi Strauss & Co. said last week that it was cutting back on making styles that aren’t selling and making targeted price increases as it moves production away from China due to tariffs.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — With record temperatures hitting the U.S., pet owners have to protect their four-legged family members from dangers like heat stroke and dehydration.

But keeping an animal the size of a small car cool isn’t as easy as bringing it inside to the air conditioning. That’s why Alicia Grace, owner of Pink Flamingo Stables, has to take extra steps to keep her horses safe and healthy in South Florida’s hot and humid climate.

Blazing saddles

Grace cares for eight full-size horses and three ponies on her Lake Worth Beach property. South Florida has a large equestrian community, especially in Palm Beach County with the National Polo Center located in Wellington. But the climate isn’t ideal for horses, which generally do better in drier, cooler environments, Grace said.

“Not only do we have the heat, but we also have all the humidity,” Grace said. “And with that comes the bugs — flies and mosquitoes — which can actually breed in their cuts and cause all sorts of issues.”

Grace said it’s important to keep the horses hydrated and out of the sun during the hottest parts of the day. All paddocks have shaded areas, and barns are equipped with large fans.

“They always have constant access to water,” Grace said. “We bathe them daily, and we have cooling blankets that you can actually put on after a ride.”

While cats and dogs can be brought inside to cool, conditioned air on especially hot days, that’s not as easy for horses and other large animals.

“They actually do now make air conditioning units for horses, but they are quite expensive,” Grace said. “It is definitely a different animal and definitely requires a lot more care.”

Besides concerns about overheating or dehydration, horses are also vulnerable to algae and fungus that thrive in the South Florida climate.

“We get a lot of flooding during our rainy season, and if the horses are out in that and their hooves get saturated, they can get abscesses, which are pus pockets, and get a lot of problems with their feet,” Grace said.

Hot dogs … and cats

Cats, dogs and other house pets are easier to keep cool, but pet owners still have to remain vigilant during the summer, Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control spokeswoman Arielle Weinberger said. Just like horses, any cats and dogs kept outside need shade and water.

Officials are especially concerned about pet owners leaving dogs and cats inside vehicles. Local laws might vary throughout the state, but it’s illegal to leave animals unattended in vehicles for any amount of time in Palm Beach County, Weinberger said. During hot weather, she said the temperature inside a vehicle can increase 20 degrees in just 10 minutes.

“We want to make sure that no animals are left unattended, and that includes even if the window is cracked, even if the A/C is on,” Weinberger said. “Animals cannot be unattended in a vehicle, it is for their safety.”

Dog owners especially need to check pavement, Weinberger said. Concrete and asphalt can reach temperatures of up to 125 degrees (52 degrees) during the summer months, so finding grass or dirt for pets to walk on is ideal. If that’s not practical, pet owners might need to invest in booties or paw wax.

“If it’s too hot for you to touch with a bare foot or a bare hand, it’s too hot for your pets, as well,” Weinberger said.

People who don’t actually own pets can also help to keep animals safe, whether it’s community cats or local wildlife, by leaving water outside, Weinberger said. Animal control officers will respond to pets and livestock suffering from signs of dehydration or heat stroke, but Weinberger said residents should call local wildlife rescue facilities if they see a raccoon or other wild animal in bad shape.

If an animal seems overheated, it can be cooled down with water on their head, stomach and feet. But if they start to experience symptoms like diarrhea, lethargy, dizziness and vomiting, it’s time to seek medical attention, Weinberger said.

“We want to take them to the vet as soon as possible, because heat stroke can lead to organ failure, and we want to make sure that it doesn’t get to that,” Weinberger said.

Dog days of summer

Matthew Puodziukaitis, 19, of Wellington, regularly brings his mini goldendoodle, Hazel, to the Okeeheelee Park dog area. He said he always brings a bottle of cold water and a bowl for Hazel and any other dogs who might need it.

“The last thing you want is a dog passing out or something bad happening to them out here,” Puodziukaitis said. “They’re basically like a little kid. You want to make sure they’re okay.”

A coalition of funders, including the Gates Foundation and Ballmer Group, will spend $1 billion over 15 years to help develop artificial intelligence tools for public defenders, parole officers, social workers and others who help Americans in precarious situations.

The funders announced Thursday that they will create a new entity, NextLadder Ventures, to offer grants and investments to nonprofits and for-profits to develop tools for those who often manage huge caseloads with few resources.

“The solutions that we’re investing in, the hundreds of entrepreneurs that are going to bring forward solutions that incorporate leading edge technologies, are going to do it by coming alongside people who are living through some of the struggles in the economy,” said Brian Hooks, CEO of Stand Together, a nonprofit started by Kansas-based billionaire Charles Koch.

The other funders include hedge fund founder John Overdeck and Valhalla Foundation, which was started by Inuit cofounder Steve Cook and his wife Signe Ostby. Ballmer Group is the philanthropy of former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie. The funders declined to reveal the exact financial commitments made by each of the contributors.

The point of investing in these AI tools is to spur economic mobility, a focus all the funders share, they said. The funders believe there are many ideas for how AI technologies could help match people with resources after a disaster or an eviction, for example, or help a parole officer close out more cases for people who have met all of the criteria but are waiting for the paperwork to be processed.

“As we traded notes on where we were making investments and where we saw broader gaps in the sector, it was readily apparent that there was a real opportunity to come together as a group of cofunders and cofounders to establish a new kind of investment organization,” said Kevin Bromer, who leads the technology and data strategy at Ballmer Group. He will also serve as a member on NextLadder’s board, which will include three independent board members and representatives from the other funders.

NextLadder will be led by Ryan Rippel, who previously directed the Gates Foundation’s economic mobility portfolio. The funder group has not yet determined if NextLadder will incorporate as a nonprofit or a for profit organization but said any returns they make from investments will go back into funding new initiatives.

Jim Fruchterman, founder of Tech Matters and author of the recent book “Technology for Good,” said he expects NextLadder to mostly fund nonprofits if they want to accomplish their mission of reaching the poorest people and places. He said he was optimistic about their focus on serving frontline workers rather than trying to replace them.

“The nonprofit sector is about humans helping humans,” Fruchterman said. “And if instead of inflicting the AI on poor people, or people in need, we’re saying, ‘Hey, you’re a frontline worker. What’s the crappiest part of your job that is the least productive?’ And they’ll tell you and if you work on that, you are likely to be more successful.”

NextLadder will partner with AI company Anthropic, which will offer technical expertise and access to its technologies to the nonprofits and companies it invests in. Anthropic has committed around $1.5 million annually to the partnership, said Elizabeth Kelly, its head of beneficial deployments, which is a team that focuses on giving back to society.

“We want to hand-hold grantees through their use of Claude with the same care and commitment we provide to our largest enterprise customers,” Kelly said, referencing Anthropic’s large language model.

Hooks, of Stand Together, said philanthropy can reduce the riskiness of these types of investments and offer organizations more time to prove out their ideas.

“If we’re successful, this will be the first capital to demonstrate what’s possible,” Hooks said.

Suzy Madigan, who is the Responsible AI Lead at Care International UK, has researched the risks and benefits of using AI tools in humanitarian contexts. She said she’s seen a rush to explore how AI technologies might fill in gaps as funding has been cut.

“The rise of artificial intelligence being deployed in more sensitive contexts brings some really important new ethical and governance questions because it can actually exacerbate increasing inequalities, even when there were good intentions behind it,” said Madigan.

The key to not harming vulnerable communities is to involve them in every step of developing, deploying and assessing AI tools and to ensure that those tools do not replace frontline workers, she said.

Researchers like those at the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in humanitarian action have studied some of the risks associated with using AI tools when interacting with sensitive populations or handling high-stakes interactions, for example, in humanitarian contexts.

They recommend assessing whether AI is the best tool to solve the problem and, crucially, if it works reliably and accurately enough in high-risk settings. They also recommend assessing tools for bias, considering privacy protections and weighing the cost of potential dependence on a specific provider.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology also emphasizes that trustworthy AI systems should be accountable to users and that it should be possible to explain or trace how a tool arrived at a certain conclusion or decision.

Hooks emphasized that any AI tools NextLadder invests in will be shaped by the needs and feedback of these frontline workers. Tools that don’t work for them, won’t succeed, he said. Even with the potential risks of AI tools, he said it’s imperative that groups that are struggling to move up the economic ladder have access to new technologies.

“The idea that we would deprive those who are struggling in our country from the benefits of the leading edge solutions is unacceptable,” Hooks said.

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Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

PepsiCo reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue in the second quarter and expressed confidence that new and revamped products can boost its lagging North American sales in the second half of this year.

In a conference call with investors Thursday, PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta said the company plans to introduce protein-enhanced versions of snacks like Pop Corners in the next few months and will eventually make high-protein versions of some of its biggest sellers. Protein beverages are also going on sale later this year.

“Consumers are adopting protein solutions in their diets at a pace that was not the case in a few years back,” Laguarta said. “We can provide democratized solutions at large scale. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

Laguarta said a relaunch of Lay’s potato chips and Tostitos tortilla chips without artificial colors or ingredients is also coming later this year. PepsiCo said in April that it was accelerating a planned phase-out of artificial colors and ingredients after U.S. health officials called on companies to make that shift.

But Laguarta didn’t say whether PepsiCo is planning a shift to real sugar in its U.S. sodas. Late Wednesday, President Donald Trump said in a social media post that Coca-Cola had agreed to use real cane sugar in its flagship product in the U.S. instead of high-fructose corn syrup. Coke didn’t confirm the change but promised new offerings would be shared soon.

“If the consumer is telling us that they prefer products that have sugar and they prefer products that have natural ingredients, we will give the consumer products that have sugar and have natural ingredients,” Laguarta said. “So this is a journey of following the consumer, trying to be maybe one step ahead of the consumer but not too many steps.”

Sales of Frito-Lay and other snacks fell 1% in North America during the April-June period, PepsiCo said Thursday, while beverage sales slid 2% in the region.

Years of double-digit price increases from PepsiCo and changing consumer preferences has weakened demand for the company’s drinks and snacks, the company said in February. It said Thursday that it’s trying to combat perceptions that its products are too expensive by expanding distribution of value brands like Chester’s and Santitas.

Sales rose in some other regions, including Latin America and Asia. PepsiCo said low- or no-sugar versions of its trademark Pepsi saw strong sales globally.

Revenue rose less than 1% to $22.7 billion in the April-June period. That was higher than the $22.3 billion Wall Street forecast, according to analysts polled by FactSet.

PepsiCo’s net income fell 59% to $1.3 billion. Adjusted for one-time items, including impairment charges related to its Rockstar and Be & Cheery brands, PepsiCo earned $2.12 per share. That was also higher than the $2.03 analysts had forecast.

PepsiCo shares rose nearly 6% in morning trading Thursday.

PepsiCo lowered its full-year earnings expectations in April, citing increased costs from tariffs and a pullback in consumer spending. The company reaffirmed that guidance Thursday.

Its tariff costs have risen since then. In June, the Trump administration hiked the tariff on imported aluminum from 25% to 50%.

LONDON (AP) — Smartphones, laptops, headphones and other electronic devices are essential for work and play in our daily lives. But all that time spent typing, scrolling or listening also means our devices gradually accumulate grime that needs to be cleaned off.

You might not give much thought to cleaning your devices but there are reasons you should, says Logitech, which makes keyboards, webcams and other computer peripherals.

“Regular cleaning and proper maintenance not only keeps your gadgets looking pristine, and wins you hygiene points, it also helps them perform better and last longer,” the company says. “In the case of devices like earbuds, the accumulated bacteria and debris may even cause health issues or discomfort.”

Here are some pointers on cleaning your tech:

Getting started

Always check if the manufacturer has any specific guidelines for cleaning.

Assemble some basic equipment and material for cleaning, which should include a soft and lint-free cleaning cloth, like a microfiber cloth; cotton swabs; a soft-bristled brush like a toothbrush, paintbrush or makeup brush; compressed air and isopropyl alcohol.

Isopropyl, or rubbing alcohol, is a non-toxic cleaning solvent that’s antiseptic and antibacterial. It’s popular for cleaning electronics because it doesn’t leave any residue and dries quickly. But you might want to wear gloves to avoid skin irritation. Drip some of it on a cloth instead of pouring it directly onto your device. Also heed some of the more specific warnings below.

Water and mild soap can be useful for cleaning dirty surfaces, but isopropyl alcohol is recommended for cleaning the internals of a device, said Alex Diaz-Kokaisl, senior technical writer at electronics repair company iFixit.

“While there isn’t a hard-and-fast rule for cleaning electronics, we generally use high-concentration isopropyl alcohol (more than 90%) because it evaporates quickly,” he said. “The faster a liquid evaporates, the less likely it is to affect any components that conduct electricity.”

For whatever device you’re cleaning, disconnect or power it off first. Remove any cases, plugs, covers and accessories.

Computers and laptops

When using a computer, the keyboard and mouse are the parts that are touched most often and therefore need the most frequent cleaning. And all those crevices between a keyboard’s keys are sure to catch crumbs.

To remove any loose debris, iFixit’s official in-house cleaning guide recommends using a can of compressed air. Run the spray back and forth across the keys to blow out any bits. If possible, hold the keyboard upside down so the debris falls out.

If you don’t have compressed air, Logitech suggests using a hair dryer on the cold air setting. Some social media users also recommend a handheld balloon pump.

Next, dampen a cleaning cloth with water and gently wipe down the keyboard and mouse.

Logitech says you can also use rubbing alcohol but recommends you test it first on an inconspicuous spot to make sure it doesn’t cause discoloration or scrub the lettering off the keys.

Anti-bacterial baby wipes can also work on devices like a mouse, Diaz-Kokaisl said.

“There shouldn’t be enough liquid to seep through cracks in the shell, and their residue typically evaporates faster than just using soap and water,” he said.

For laptop screens or external monitors, use a dry microfiber cloth to gently wipe away fingerprint smudges.

If there are more stubborn spots — like food stains or sneezy spatters — dampen the cloth with distilled water or a 50/50 solution of distilled water and vinegar.

Computer maker Lenovo says the “gentle acidity of vinegar can help break down oils and fingerprints.” Avoid using household glass cleaners, which can contain ammonia that could damage the screen. The same goes for paper towels, which can scratch the screen. HP also warns against using rubbing alcohol.

AirPods and earphones

A lot of people listen to music or podcasts through their earbuds, but that also means they’ll need regular cleaning to remove any earwax, natural skin oils or other grungy buildup.

If the earbuds have silicon tips, remove them. Cleaning procedures vary depending on your brand and model. Logitech and Bose recommend using soapy water. But Sony warns against water or wet wipes because they can speed deterioration, and, instead, advises using a dry cloth.

Use a cotton swab to wipe the earbud nozzles clean.

Owners of Apple AirPods need to follow a much more elaborate procedure to clean the mesh. You’ll need a child’s toothbrush, two small cups, a paper towel, distilled water, as well as micellar water — typically used as a facial cleanser.

Pour some micellar water into a cup, dip the toothbrush, brush the AirPod’s various mesh parts, and then blot them dry with the paper. Repeat twice. Then repeat that procedure but using the distilled water to rinse off the micellar water. Finally, let the AirPods dry for at least two hours.

To clean the rest of the AirPod’s body, use a damp cloth. And don’t forget about the charging case. Apple recommends brushing out any debris and then wiping with a dry cloth. If needed, dampen it with isopropyl alcohol.

What about over-the-ear headphones? Bose says you should wipe them down at least once a week, especially after working out, to remove any dirt and bacteria hiding in the nooks and crannies. Remove the pads and use a cloth dampened with soapy water to clean them.

Smartphones

Apple has issued specific instructions on its website for cleaning various iPhone models. Samsung has posted similar guidelines for its Galaxy lineup.

They both advise using a soft, lint-free cloth, such as a lens cleaning cloth, to gently wipe the outside of the phone. Apple warns against using any cleaning products, which could erode the oil-repellent coating that most iPhones come with.

Both companies say it’s OK to use disinfectants such as rubbing alcohol to gently clean the exterior, but avoid bleach or hydrogen peroxide.

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Is there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech Tip.

WASHINGTON (AP) — American companies in China are reporting record-low new investment plans for this year and declining confidence in their profitability, with uncertainty in U.S.-China relations and President Donald Trump’s tariffs their top concerns, according to a survey released Wednesday.

The companies are also challenged by China’s slowing economy, where weak domestic demand and overcapacity in local industries are eroding profitability for the Americans.

“Businesses in China are less profitable now than they were years ago, but risks, including reputational risk, regulatory risk, and political risk, are increasing,” said Sean Stein, the president of the U.S.-China Business Council, a Washington-based group that represents American companies doing business in China, including major multinationals.

The survey, conducted between March and May and drawing from 130 member companies, came as the two countries clash over tariffs and non-tariff measures, including export controls on critical products such as rare-earth magnets and advanced computer chips. Following high-level talks in Geneva and London, U.S. and Chinese officials agreed to pull back from sky-high tariffs and restrictions on exports, but uncertainty persists as the two sides are yet to hammer out a more permanent trade deal.

Kyle Sullivan, vice president of business advisory services at the USCBC, said more than half of the companies in the survey indicated they do not have new investment plans in China “at all” this year.

“That’s a record high,” Sullivan said, noting that it is “”a new development that we have not observed in previous surveys.”

Around 40% of companies reported negative effects from U.S. export control measures, with many experiencing lost sales, severed customer relationships, and reputational damage from being unreliable suppliers, according to the survey. Citing national security, the U.S. government has banned exports to China of high-tech products, such as the most advanced chips, which could help boost China’s military capabilities.

Stein argued that export controls must be very carefully targeted, because businesses from Europe or Japan, or local businesses in China would immediately fill the void left by American companies.

Silicon Valley chipmaker Nvidia won approval from the Trump administration to resume sales to China of its advanced H20 chips used to develop artificial intelligence, its CEO Jensen Huang announced on Monday, though the company’s most powerful chips remain under U.S. export control rules.

While 82% of U.S. companies reported profits in 2024, fewer than half are optimistic about the future in China, reflecting concerns over tariffs, deflation, and policy uncertainty, according to the survey.

Also, a record high number of American businesses plan to relocate their business operations outside of China, Sullivan said, as 27% of the members indicated so, up from 19% the year before.

In a departure from past surveys, concerns over China’s regulatory environment, including risks of intellectual property misuse and lack of market access, didn’t make it to the top five concerns this year. That’s likely a first, and not for a good reason, Stein said.

“It is not because things got dramatically better on the Chinese side, but the new challenges, often coming from the U.S., are now posing as much of a challenge,” Stein said.

Almost all the American companies said they cannot remain globally competitive without their Chinese operations.

A survey from the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China in May found that European companies were cutting costs and scaling back investment plans in China as its economy slows and fierce competition drives down prices.

Disneyland is celebrating 70 years of being “The Happiest Place on Earth.”

The summerlong festivities in southern California include the opening of “Walt Disney – A Magical Life,” a show featuring a lifelike animatronic of the company’s founder that debuts Thursday and also marks Disneyland’s official anniversary.

Walt Disney’s vision of creating a getaway for families revolutionized the amusement park industry with immersive attractions featuring robotic figures and holographs, and shows and characters appealing to children.

The park’s emphasis on storytelling and attention to detail is still evident today in theme parks across the world.

Disneyland now ranks as the world’s second-most visited theme park, closely behind Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Florida, which opened in 1971. According to the Themed Entertainment Association, Disneyland drew more than 17 million people in 2023, bouncing back from an unprecedented 13-month closure during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The park was built on what was once orange groves in Anaheim, just outside Los Angeles. It opened on July 17, 1955 — a year that also saw Ray Kroc start his first McDonald’s restaurant and Jim Henson introduce his original version of Kermit the Frog.

Disneyland’s first day was famously a disaster, all broadcast on a live television special. The park opened just a year after its groundbreaking and simply wasn’t ready for its big day.

Attractions broke down, there weren’t enough restrooms, food and drinks were in short supply, traffic backed up for miles and the shoes of the first guests sank into freshly paved asphalt.

Among the original rides still around today are the Mad Tea Party, Peter Pan’s Flight and Jungle Cruise.

The cost to get in that first year was $1 for adults and 50 cents for children, although tickets for most rides were an additional 10 to 50 cents.

Today, a one-day ticket starts at more than $100 and on some days can double that.

Over the years, the park has hosted U.S. presidents, kings and queens, and countless celebrities. A few even got their start at Disneyland — actor Kevin Costner was a skipper on the Jungle Cruise and comedian Steve Martin worked at a magic shop where he learned about being a performer.

The Walt Disney Co. now has six resorts with a dozen theme parks worldwide. The parks have become one of its most successful and important business segments.

The resort in Anaheim now includes Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney, a shopping and entertainment district.

While Disneyland still features many of the touches Walt Disney oversaw himself, the original park is ever-evolving, sometimes to the dismay of its loyal fans.

Some of the moves have been made to keep up with a changing society, while others have been made to introduce more thrilling attractions with the latest technology to keep up with competitors.

Just last year, Disney received approval to expand its Southern California theme parks. A new parking structure and transit hub are the first steps in its plans to open more space for new attractions.

CHICAGO (AP) — Protests and events against President Donald Trump’s controversial policies that include mass deportations and cuts to Medicaid and other safety nets for poor people are planned Thursday at more than 1,600 locations around the country.

The “Good Trouble Lives On” national day of action honors the late congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis. Protests are expected to be held along streets, at court houses and other public spaces. Organizers are calling for them to be peaceful.

“We are navigating one of the most terrifying moments in our nation’s history,” Public Citizen co-president Lisa Gilbert said during an online news conference Tuesday. “We are all grappling with a rise of authoritarianism and lawlessness within our administration … as the rights, freedoms and expectations of our very democracy are being challenged.”

Public Citizen is a nonprofit with a stated mission of taking on corporate power. It is a member of a coalition of groups behind Thursday’s protests.

Major protests are planned in Atlanta and St. Louis, as well as Oakland, California, and Annapolis, Maryland.

Honoring Lewis’ legacy

Lewis first was elected to Congress in 1986. He died in 2020 at the age of 80 following an advanced pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

He was the youngest and last survivor of the Big Six civil rights activists, a group led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1965, a 25-year-old Lewis led some 600 protesters in the Bloody Sunday march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Lewis was beaten by police, suffering a skull fracture.

Within days, King led more marches in the state, and President Lyndon Johnson pressed Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act that later became law.

“Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and redeem the soul of America,” Lewis said in 2020 while commemorating the 1965 voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

Chicago will be the flagship city for Thursday’s protests as demonstrators are expected to rally downtown in the afternoon.

Betty Magness, executive vice president of the League of Women Voters Chicago and one of the organizers of Chicago’s event, said the rally will also include a candlelight vigil to honor Lewis.

Much of the rest of the rally will have a livelier tone, Magness said, adding “we have a DJ who’s gonna rock us with boots on the ground.”

Protesting Trump’s policies

Pushback against Trump so far in his second term has centered on deportations and immigration enforcement tactics

Earlier this month, protesters engaged in a tense standoff as federal authorities conducted mass arrests at two Southern California marijuana farms. One farmworker died after falling from a greenhouse roof during a chaotic raid.

Those raids followed Trump’s extraordinary deployment of the National Guard outside federal buildings and to protect immigration agents carrying out arrests on Los Angeles. On June 8, thousands of protesters began taking to the streets in Los Angeles.

And organizers of the June 14 “No Kings” demonstrations said millions of people marched in hundreds of events from New York to San Francisco. Demonstrators labeled Trump as a dictator and would-be king for marking his birthday with a military parade.

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Williams reported from Detroit.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Trump administration revoked federal funding for California’s high-speed rail project on Wednesday, intensifying uncertainty about how the state will make good on its long-delayed promise of building a bullet train to shuttle riders between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The U.S. Transportation Department announced it was pulling back $4 billion in funding for the project, weeks after signaling it would do so. Overall, a little less than a quarter of the project’s funding has come from the federal government. The rest has come from the state, mainly through a voter-approved bond and money from its cap-and-trade program.

President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy both have slammed the project as a “train to nowhere.”

“The Railroad we were promised still does not exist, and never will,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This project was Severely Overpriced, Overregulated, and NEVER DELIVERED.”

The loss marks the latest blow to California by the Trump administration, which has blocked a first-in-the-nation rule to phase out the sale of new gas-powered cars, launched investigations into university admission policies and threatened to pull funding over transgender girls being allowed to compete in girls sports.

It also comes as rail project leaders are seeking private investment to help pay for its estimated price tag of more than $100 billion.

Voters first approved the project in 2008 and it was supposed to be operating this decade. But cost estimates have consistently grown and its timeline pushed back.

State officials are now focused on building a 119-mile (192-kilometer) stretch connecting the Central Valley cities of Bakersfield and Merced that is set to be operating by 2033. The California High Speed Rail Authority is slated to release a report this summer to state lawmakers with an updated funding plan and timeline for the project.

Authority officials wrote in a letter earlier this month that the Trump administration made up its mind about revoking funding before thoroughly reviewing the project. They noted that more than 50 structures have already been built, including underpasses, viaducts and bridges to separate the rail line from roadways for safety.

“Canceling these grants without cause isn’t just wrong — it’s illegal,” authority CEO Ian Choudri said in a statement Wednesday. “These are legally binding agreements, and the Authority has met every obligation, as confirmed by repeated federal reviews, as recently as February 2025.”

The authority has asked potential private investors to express their interest by the end of the month.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state will keep “all options on the table” to fight the revocation of federal funds.

“Trump wants to hand China the future and abandon the Central Valley. We won’t let him,” he said in a statement.

The state has “no viable plan” to complete even the Central Valley segment, said Drew Feeley, acting administrator of the transportation department’s Federal Railroad Administration, in a report released last month. He called the project a “story of broken promises” and a waste of taxpayer dollars.

California Democrats also have criticized project spending. Democratic Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan said at a budget hearing earlier this year that her constituents “overwhelmingly believe” high-speed rail spending “has been irresponsible.”

Newsom plans to extend the state’s cap-and-trade program, a key funding source for the project which is set to expire at the end of 2030, through 2045.

The program sets a declining limit on the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions large emitters can release. Those polluters can buy allowances from the state needed to pollute, and about 45% of that money goes into what’s known as the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, according to the Independent Emissions Market Advisory Committee, a group of experts that reviews the program.

The fund helps pay for climate and transportation projects, including high-speed rail.

The bullet train project receives 25% of the money from the fund, which ends up being a little less or a little more than $1 billion annually, depending on the year. Newsom in May proposed guaranteeing $1 billion a year for the project from the fund, but lawmakers have not agreed to that.

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Austin is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on X: @sophieadanna

A U.S. Army veteran who was arrested during an immigration raid at a Southern California marijuana farm last week said Wednesday he was sprayed with tear gas and pepper spray before being dragged from his vehicle and pinned down by federal agents who arrested him.

George Retes, 25, who works as a security guard at Glass House Farms in Camarillo, said he was arriving at work on July 10 when several federal agents surrounded his car and — despite him identifying himself as a U.S. citizen — broke his window, peppered sprayed him and dragged him out.

“It took two officers to nail my back and then one on my neck to arrest me even though my hands were already behind my back,” Retes said.

Massive farm raids led to hundreds being detained

The Ventura City native was detained during chaotic raids at two Southern California farms where federal authorities arrested more than 360 people, one of the largest operations since President Donald Trump took office in January. Protesters faced off against federal agents in military-style gear, and one farmworker died after falling from a greenhouse roof.

The raids came more than a month into an extended immigration crackdown by the Trump administration across Southern California that was originally centered in Los Angeles, where local officials say the federal actions are spreading fear in immigrant communities.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke on the raids at a news conference Wednesday, calling Trump a “chaos agent” who has incited violence and spread fear in communities.

“You got someone who dropped 30 feet because they were scared to death and lost their life,” he said, referring to the farmworker who died in the raids. “People are quite literally disappearing with no due process, no rights.”

Retes was taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, where he said he was put in a special cell on suicide watch and checked on each day after he became emotionally distraught over his ordeal and missing his 3-year-old daughter’s birthday party Saturday.

He said federal agents never told him why he was arrested or allowed him to contact a lawyer or his family during his three-day detention. Authorities never let him shower or change clothes despite being covered in tear gas and pepper spray, Retes said, adding that his hands burned throughout the first night he spent in custody.

On Sunday, an officer had him sign a paper and walked him out of the detention center. He said he was told he faced no charges.

Retes met with silence when seeking explanation

“They gave me nothing I could wrap my head around,” Retes said, explaining that he was met with silence on his way out when he asked about being “locked up for three days with no reason and no charges.”

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, confirmed Retes’ arrest but didn’t say on what charges.

“George Retes was arrested and has been released,” she said. “He has not been charged. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is reviewing his case, along with dozens of others, for potential federal charges related to the execution of the federal search warrant in Camarillo.”

A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to halt indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests without warrants in seven California counties, including Los Angeles. Immigrant advocates accused federal agents of detaining people because they looked Latino. The Justice Department appealed on Monday and asked for the order to be stayed.

The Pentagon also said Tuesday it was ending the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles. That’s roughly half the number the administration sent to the city following protests over the immigration actions. Some of those troops have been accompanying federal agents during their immigration enforcement operations.

Retes said he joined the Army at 18 and served four years, including deploying to Iraq in 2019.

“I joined the service to help better myself,” he said. “I did it because I love this (expletive) country. We are one nation and no matter what, we should be together. All this separation and stuff between everyone is just the way it shouldn’t be.”

Veteran pledges to sue federal authorities for his ordeal

Retes said he plans to sue for wrongful detention.

“The way they’re going about this entire deportation process is completely wrong, chasing people who are just working, especially trying to feed everyone here in the U.S.,” he said. “No one deserves to be treated the way they treat people.”

Retes was detained along with California State University Channel Islands professor Jonathan Caravello, also a U.S. citizen, who was arrested for throwing a tear gas canister at law enforcement, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli posted on X.

The California Faculty Association said Caravello was taken away by agents who did not identify themselves nor inform him of why he was being taken into custody. Like Retes, the association said the professor was then held without being allowed to contact his family or an attorney.

Caravello was attempting to dislodge a tear gas canister that was stuck underneath someone’s wheelchair, witnesses told KABC-TV, the ABC affiliate in Los Angeles.

A federal judge on Monday ordered Caravello to be released on $15,000 bond. He’s scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 1.

“I want everyone to know what happened. This doesn’t just affect one person,” Retes said. “It doesn’t matter if your skin is brown. It doesn’t matter if you’re white. It doesn’t matter if you’re a veteran or you serve this country. They don’t care. They’re just there to fill a quota.” ___ Associated Press writer Jamie Ding contributed from Los Angeles.