LUY-Development

Category: AP News Feed

  • Can’t afford sky-high tickets to see the Knicks in person? Trump says ‘watch it on television’

    ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — President Donald Trump confirmed he will attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday at Madison Square Garden, but said he doesn’t have much sympathy for ordinary basketball fans who can’t afford sky-high ticket prices to do the same.

    “They can watch it on television,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Friday as he flew to Wisconsin for an event with farmers, after he was asked about tickets that have climbed as high as $8,000 each when the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs square off in Manhattan for the first time in the series.

    “It’s sorta semi-free to watch it on television,” the president added. “That’s the way life goes.”

    Trump further noted that if the Knicks weren’t successful — as they haven’t been most seasons since last advancing to the finals in 1999 — “you could go very easily.”

    The president of course doesn’t have to purchase tickets to attend major sporting events. Trump has been to a lot of them in his second term, including the 2025 Super Bowl, Daytona 500 and Ryder Cup.

    But a centerpiece of his reelection campaign was a promise to tame inflation and bring down the price of groceries and other cost-of-living essentials. He has increasingly come under pressure to make good on that pledge as November midterm elections draw nearer — and as the war in Iran has caused gas prices to spike and global commodities markets to wobble, raising new fears about inflation and the strength of the U.S. economy.

    A longtime Knicks fan, Trump said on Air Force One that he watched Game 1, which New York won 105-95 in San Antonio. “I think the Knicks have an amazing team the way they played,” he said.

    “Started off slow and it just got stronger and stronger,” Trump said of Game 1. He pointed to Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns when asked to name his favorite player on the team.

    Trump was also asked about Spurs star Victor Wembanyama having stood with his arms crossed for the national anthem before Game 1. That touched off a conservative firestorm online, even though Wembanyama is French, meaning his country’s anthem wasn’t being played.

    Trump was complimentary of Wembanyama, saying that he “looks like he’s gonna be a great player.” But he ducked a chance to weigh in on the national anthem controversy, suggesting he’d not seen Wembanyamba’s crossed arms.

    “Is that what he did? What did he mean by that?” Trump asked, before recommending that reporters seek the answer from Wembanyama himself.

    Trump confirming his attendance for Game 3 follows NBA Commissioner Adam Silver saying on Wednesday that a presidential appearance at a finals game might be unifying in “our increasingly divided society.”

    “It creates a sense of connectivity among people,” Silver said. “It creates a sense of belonging, and I feel that every day.”

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    Weissert reported from Washington.

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    An earlier version of this story said the Knicks were last in the NBA Finals in 1994. The last year the team competed in the Finals was 1999.

  • Remaining 3 ’60 Minutes’ stars say they’re staying at CBS show, don’t want to see it die


    NEW YORK (AP) — Saying “We don’t want to see ‘60 Minutes’ die,” the three remaining correspondents at the turmoil-plagued CBS News program have decided to stay, for now.

    A memo from Lesley Stahl, Jon Wertheim and Bill Whitaker to fellow staffers expressed anger — and grief — over the recent firings at the show, and said the three had had “a hard time” deciding whether to remain.

    “Here’s why we are staying: We don’t want to see ‘60 Minutes’ die,” the three wrote in the joint memo obtained by The Associated Press on Friday.

    They expressed their regret over the recent firings of colleagues implemented by Bari Weiss, the new CBS News editor-in-chief, and the executive producer she installed last week, Nick Bilton. He replaced Tanya Simon, who was let go after a 30-plus year tenure with the show. Also dismissed were correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, among other top staffers. Scott Pelley was then fired this week after a tense confrontation with CBS News bosses.

    “We want to express how sorry we are that these principled, fair and honest journalists were treated so shabbily, with such indecency,” the three correspondents said in their memo. But they said they were “working to build trust” with Bilton, their new boss, and left open the possibility that they could leave later, if need be.

    “If we can continue doing the work that made this show what it is — committing acts of independent, fearless journalism and storytelling — we’re here for it,” the three wrote. “If not, we leave.”

    “Here’s to Season 59!” the note ended.

    Persuading the three to remain was a crucial step in Bilton’s task of getting the show back on track for the next season, which launches in September.

    The show is suddenly down four correspondents. In addition to the three dismissed, Anderson Cooper — whose primary job is on-air work for CNN — said earlier this year he was leaving of his own accord after two decades.

    Turmoil had been evident at “60 Minutes” for more than a year. Much of it came after President Donald Trump sued the show over its editing of a 2024 interview with then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

    That became part of a broader shake-up at CBS News after Weiss was named to the new role of editor-in-chief by parent company Paramount late last year following David Ellison’s arrival as the network’s corporate leader.

    Ellison’s company, Skydance, merged with CBS parent company Paramount, which later settled the Trump lawsuit for $16 million. That upset some at “60 Minutes” and many believe it indirectly led to the departure last month of popular longtime CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert, who had called the settlement “a big fat bribe.”

    CBS News has been at the center of the American broadcast-news ecosystem since its radio days before the dawn of television, though Weiss earlier this year announced the shutdown of CBS News’ radio operation. The network’s nightly newscast was seen for decades as one of the most widely trusted institutions in the nation under longtime anchorman Walter Cronkite.

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    Noveck covers the intersection of media and entertainment for The Associated Press.


  • Carlos ‘Indio’ Solari, a legend of Argentina’s rock scene, dies at 77


    BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Carlos Alberto Solari, the Argentine singer-songwriter known as “the Indio” who led Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota, one of the country’s most popular and influential rock groups, died Friday. He was 77.

    Solari, who had struggled with Parkinson’s disease for at least a decade, was found dead near an indoor pool at his house in the provincial town of Ituzaingó, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) west of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, authorities said, without identifying a cause of death.

    His family confirmed his death on social media, saying they would hold a public funeral to allow people to bid farewell to the rock legend. Fans began gathering at his home, with some bearing flowers and wearing T-shirts printed with his nickname. Crowds filled a large plaza in downtown Buenos Aires to mourn, commune and sing Solari’s hit songs. People wept. Strangers hugged.

    Eros Ruarte, 19, said he woke up Friday to his mother breaking the bad news.

    “’I said, no, mom, you can’t say that.’ I couldn’t believe it, that the Indio had died. … He is the biggest idol in the world. I grew up listening to him,” he said from the impromptu wake. “I heard his songs from my mom, my uncle.”

    As the lead singer of Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota — known more simply as “Los Redondos” — Solari became a countercultural icon for disaffected Argentines coming of age as their country transitioned from a bloody military dictatorship to a democracy characterized by newfound freedoms but also instability and hyperinflation in the 1980s.

    During the consumerist frenzy that gripped Argentina the 1990s, under the free-market policies of then-President Carlos Saul Menem, Solari’s classic rock anthems, punchy dance tunes and cryptic lyrics gave voice to a spirit of rebellion against the excesses of capitalism and influences of foreign powers. Los Redondos released 10 studio albums, eschewing major record labels to maintain artistic independence.

    The band broke up in 2001, but Solari found continued success as a solo artist, releasing five more albums under his own name that mixed mainstream rock and electronic influences and drawing hundreds of thousands of fans to parks and stadiums across Argentina.

    At a massive concert in 2016, he announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. “Mr. Parkinson is nipping at my heels. But here I am,” he said. The crowd went wild. He later retired from touring, speaking candidly in interviews about the debilitating effects of the disease.

    Tributes poured in from politicians, artists and soccer stars across the country.

    The Argentine Soccer Association said Solari’s voice “became a popular rallying cry” and “echoed in the stands” of the soccer-crazed country.

    The Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, a prominent activist group which sought to find relatives who had been killed or “disappeared” by the 1976-83 dictatorship, said the singer “inspired society as a whole to doubt, to question and to think critically.”

    Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Argentina’s former president who is serving a corruption sentence under house arrest, posted one of his famous lyrics on social media, popularized as a call to live courageously: “Just living costs you your life.”

    Solari is survived by his wife, Virginia Mones Ruiz, and 25-year-old son Bruno.


  • Hurricanes thriving in high-pressure playoff settings as Stanley Cup Final shifts West for Game 3

    RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes have spent months regrouping quickly after losses and they have proven unshaken by the challenge of playing in hostile arenas or in next-goal-wins extra time.

    Those responses in the most pressure-packed of scenarios helps explain why they’re back to even in the Stanley Cup Final after losing the opener to the Vegas Golden Knights heading into Saturday’s Game 3 on the road. If anything, they seem to be thriving on it with a perfect record in overtime and road games in the postseason, along with avoiding consecutive losses since mid-January.

    “It’s a special time of year, and it’s a really cool opportunity and experience we all get to have,” goaltender Frederik Andersen said Friday. “And if we weren’t enjoying it as well, it would be a big shame, right?”

    The Hurricanes improved to 13-2 in the playoffs in dramatic fashion Thursday, rallying from a two-goal deficit in the third period to win 4-3 in overtime and split the first two games of the best-of-seven series. The thriller ended with Seth Jarvis hammering a one-timer past Carter Hart from the left side with the man advantage, a moment the Hurricanes are hoping is a breakthrough moment for their regular-season goals leader and the power-play unit after both have sputtered in the postseason.

    The story is just as much about the Hurricanes’ ability to navigate through turbulence. The win marked marked Carolina’s 13th straight win when coming off a loss, a run that started after consecutive losses at Detroit and St. Louis on Jan. 12 and 13.

    “It goes to talking about belief,” forward Andrei Svechnikov said. “I think we believe in the group. We’re confident in what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. We believe in our system, and we just try to go there and play our game, and that’s what we’ve kind of been doing.”

    Carolina’s first postseason loss came in the Eastern Conference Final against Montreal, with the Hurricanes emerging from an 11-day between-rounds break — the longest in the playoffs in more than a century — and giving up four first-period goals in a 6-2 loss.

    They responded with four straight wins, twice in overtime and then two in romps by a combined 10-1 margin to close out the series.

    Coming off a 5-4 loss in Game 1 to Vegas, Carolina responded again, though it looked grim facing a 2-0 deficit and being outplayed in a second period that coach Rod Brind’Amour admitted was “kind of a dud.”

    The Hurricanes scored three unanswered goals in a span of roughly five minutes in the third period, the last being captain Jordan Staal’s deflection from the top of the crease on the power play.

    Then Carolina shook off Vegas scoring an OT-forcing goal with 1:21 left in regulation to cash in for a second straight time on a power play with Jarvis banging in the winner. That came on a well-executed sequence with Shayne Gostisbehere — who assisted on Staal’s score — working up top.

    Gostisbehere sold that he might shoot the puck enough to heighten the attention of the Golden Knights’ defenders packed in the middle, while Nikolaj Ehlers even hopped in the slot as though jumping over a shot. That kept Hart locked an extra beat in the middle as Gostisbehere instead passed to Jarvis on the left side for the winner.

    Before those scores, Carolina’s power play stood at 7 for 60 (11.7%) in the playoffs after ranking fourth in the regular season (24.9%).

    Now Carolina is 6-0 in overtime in the playoffs, including in all four Game 2 home wins, and a 6-0 on the road.

    “For almost 50 minutes there (emotions are) kind of low, and then kind of even, then really high, then low again, and then high,” Gostisbehere said. “It’s a roller coaster, for sure. But it’s just managing them. We’re still human beings. We’re going to be nervous out there and have emotions, but the more you do it, the more you do anything, you get used to it.”

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    AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

  • Yankees put Aaron Judge on injured list with rib stress fracture, recall Spencer Jones from Triple-A

    NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees placed Aaron Judge on the 10-day injured list Friday, a day after announcing the slugger has a stress fracture in one of his ribs that will keep him off the field indefinitely.

    The three-time AL MVP will rest and have limited activity before getting re-evaluated and having additional imaging in about four to six weeks. The Yankees said in a statement that Judge is expected to return “at some point this season.”

    They recalled Spencer Jones from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre for his second stint with the team to replace Judge.

    Jones went 4 for 24 on May 8-21 after being called up to replace Jasson Domínguez, who injured the AC joint in his shoulder while crashing into the left-field fence on a catch against Brandon Nimmo on May 7 against Texas.

    Judge underwent a CT scan on Thursday and had an MRI earlier in the week when he met with a specialist. The Yankees initially said Judge had shoulder soreness before clarifying the injury was to a rib on his right side, which was first revealed when Judge underwent testing on Monday, the team’s off day.

    Including a stint on the COVID-19 injured list in July 2021, Judge is on the IL for the 10th time since debuting Aug. 13, 2016. He missed 45 games with a fractured right wrist in 2018, 54 games with a strained left oblique in 2019 and 42 games with a fractured toe in 2023 after crashing into a wall while making a catch at Dodger Stadium.

    Judge has a rib injury for the second time in his career.

    He was diagnosed with a stress fracture in one of his right ribs in March 2020. The injury occurred when he dived for a ball in September 2019, but Judge didn’t miss any time because of the 2020 season being delayed by the pandemic.

    The 34-year-old is hitting .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs. But he has just one homer in his last 18 games since May 10 and ended an 11-game homer and RBI drought with a game-ending, two-run drive on May 24 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

    Judge entered the game against Tampa Bay in a 1-for-24 slump that dropped his batting average to .246. He was hitless in 15 at-bats before singling in the first inning.

    Judge won the batting title last season, when he hit a career-high .331 with 53 homers and 114 RBIs in 152 games. He missed 10 games from July 26-Aug. 4 with a flexor strain in his right elbow that he sustained on a throw to home July 22 in Toronto. He underwent a plasma-rich injection and did not require offseason surgery.

    Giancarlo Stanton played 17 games in the outfield when Judge was hurt last season. Stanton has been out since April 24 with a strained right calf and started taking live at-bats on the field Wednesday, though he was ruled out for New York’s upcoming road trip.

    José Caballero started the first two games against Cleveland and has made four starts in right field since being acquired from Tampa Bay at the July 31 trade deadline. Max Schuemann made his first career start in right field Thursday and made a diving catch on Steven Kwan in the second along with a leaping catch on Brayan Rocchio in the seventh.

    Judge had started 52 games in right field. Jones made four starts in right field before getting sent down May 22 and Cody Bellinger has started two games.

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    AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

  • Ned Jarrett, NASCAR Hall of Famer, 2-time Cup Series champion and longtime broadcaster, dies at 93

    NEWTON, N.C. (AP) — Ned Jarrett, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and longtime broadcaster, died Thursday of natural causes in his home, his family announced. He was 93.

    Jarrett was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011 after 50 career wins on the sport’s top circuit, including championships in 1961 and 1965. He was part of the second five-member NASCAR Hall of Fame class.

    Jarrett, known as “Gentleman Ned” for his demeanor, may have been better known by younger NASCAR fans for his broadcasting career. One of his signature moments in the booth came in the 1993 Daytona 500 when he didn’t try to restrain from rooting as his son, Dale Jarrett, held off Dale Earnhardt for the win.

    Dale Jarrett won the Cup Series in 1999. The Jarretts became the second father-son combination to win Cup Series championships, following Lee and Richard Petty. Bill Elliott and his son, Chase, later completed the father-son achievement.

    NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell said Ned Jarrett was a racing legend.

    “Despite his calm demeanor, ‘Gentleman’ Ned Jarrett was as fierce a competitor as NASCAR has ever seen,” O’Donnell said in a statement. “His on-track accomplishments speak for themselves with wins and championships across several NASCAR divisions.

    “But it was his off-the-track persona that separated Ned from his peers. He was as kind as his nickname indicated. And his endearing personality helped him excel in his second career as a broadcaster. Ned was an outstanding ambassador for the sport for more than six decades and he will be dearly missed.”

    Jarrett’s family described him as “a devout Christian and a devoted, loving family man.”

    “He was a friend to everyone he met and NASCAR’s oldest living champion,” Jarrett’s family said in a statement. “By all accounts, he was a true NASCAR legend. While we mourn his passing, we celebrate the remarkable life of an amazing man and truly the best father anyone could have wished for. Rest in Peace, Dad.”

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    AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

  • National Park Service ranger dies after falling into a crevasse on Alaska’s Mount McKinley

    DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE, Alaska (AP) — A ranger in Alaska died after falling into a crevasse on North America’s tallest mountain, the National Park Service said.

    Robin Pendery of Enumclaw, Washington was a seasonal mountaineering ranger assigned to Denali National Park and Preserve. She fell Thursday while on climbing patrol on Mount McKinley, and died despite immediate rescue efforts, the park service said.

    The death is under investigation. It comes only a week after three climbers from a Latvian mountaineering expedition died after falling near a treacherous pass on McKinley. A fourth climber was rescued. They were part of a seven-person team traversing a route known for its exposed sections, where many climbers have died or been injured over the years.

    McKinley stands at about 20,310 feet (6,190 meters), and Pendery fell near what’s known as the 14,000-foot (4,328-meter) camp.

    “Our mountaineering rangers dedicate themselves to serving visitors and helping others in one of the most challenging environments in the world,” Denali Superintendent Brooke Merrell said in a statement Friday. “Today, we mourn the loss of a valued colleague, friend and teammate.”

  • Bears say they are moving forward with Northwest Indiana location for new stadium


    CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears are looking to build a stadium in Northwest Indiana after a proposal to provide financial incentives for the NFL team to build its new home in Illinois stalled in the state legislature.

    The Bears’ board of directors voted Thursday to move forward with a stadium development project in Hammond, Indiana. The team had been doing its due diligence on a tract of land near Wolf Lake, but it said Friday that an exact site had not been selected.

    “We believe a world-class stadium project in Hammond will transform the region, connecting Northwest Indiana to the South Side of Chicago through the Loop and across neighborhoods and suburbs stretching north of the city,” the Bears said in a statement that the team attributed to chairman George McCaskey and team president Kevin Warren. “It will bring Chicagoland together and deliver new opportunities to its residents and businesses.”

    Indiana Gov. Mike Braun welcomed the team’s announcement. A committee in the Indiana House of Representatives passed a bill in February that established a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to finance, construct and lease a stadium.

    “We look forward to building a partnership as strong as the ’85 Bears defense, creating opportunities and economic growth that will benefit our state and the Bears organization for decades to come,” Braun said in a statement. “An NFL franchise in Northwest Indiana will be an economic boost to the entire region like we haven’t seen before.”

    The Bears, a charter NFL franchise, have played in Illinois since the team’s founding in 1920 as the Decatur Staleys. They moved to Chicago in 1921 and called Wrigley Field home before they started playing at Soldier Field in September 1971.

    The Bears’ lease runs through 2033, but they can pay a fee to break the lease early. Soldier Field is about 40 miles south of Halas Hall — the team’s headquarters in Lake Forest, Illinois — and Hammond is about 20 miles south of the team’s lakefront stadium.

    Matt Hill, a spokesperson for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, said the governor “remains open to a sensible solution that protects taxpayers.”

    “The Bears have built a storied legacy in Illinois for over 100 years but have spent the last six years, and especially the last few months, shifting their position on a stadium location,” Hill said in a statement. “That has hindered their progress. Today appears to be another instance of that after Illinois leaders have been working with the Bears in good faith.”

    The Bears also had been considering Arlington Heights — about 30 miles northwest of Chicago — as a potential location for their new stadium.

    The Illinois Senate passed a bill early Monday morning that would have cleared the way for Arlington Heights and Chicago to create local stadium authorities, creating a pathway for the Bears to avoid paying property taxes on a new stadium in Illinois. But the House adjourned without taking up the measure on the last day of the state’s spring legislative session.

    State Rep. Kam Buckner, whose district includes Soldier Field, posted on social media that he spoke with Warren on Friday morning.

    “He ended the conversation by committing to continue discussions around their pursuit of a new stadium in Illinois,” Buckner said.

    While the Bears said as recently as May 21 that Hammond and Arlington Heights were the only sites under consideration, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has been lobbying for the team to stay in the city.

    The mayor’s office issued a statement that said the city “will continue to engage in discussions grounded in the interests of our residents.”

    The Bears still have to secure NFL approval for the location of their new stadium. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the team has kept the league apprised of all developments.

    The Bears have been pursuing a new home for years, but the process has been hampered by repeated twists and turns.

    The team announced in September 2021 that it had signed a purchase agreement for 326 acres of land in Arlington Heights. The $197 million deal with Churchill Downs Incorporated was finalized in 2023.

    In September 2022, the team unveiled a nearly $5 billion plan for Arlington Heights that called for an enclosed stadium that could host Super Bowls and Final Fours. The conceptual illustrations also provided for a year-round entertainment district with restaurants and shopping.

    But the Bears shifted their focus toward building a new stadium next to Soldier Field after Warren was hired as team president in January 2023, replacing the retiring Ted Phillips. The plan to transform Chicago’s Museum Campus got an enthusiastic endorsement from Johnson and a tepid reception from Pritzker and state legislators when it was announced in April 2024.

    The team switched gears again in May 2025, announcing it had made “significant progress” with local leaders in Arlington Heights.

    Amid lingering efforts to secure tax incentives in Illinois, along with as much as $855 million in public money for infrastructure at the Arlington Heights site, the Bears began to take a closer look at possible options in Northwest Indiana.

    Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said the Bears decided on Hammond because it’s “a successful city of opportunity and possibility, an excellent choice for such a significant investment.”

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    AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL


  • Energy Department says advanced nuclear reactor first to reach critical milestone


    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Energy Department says a small nuclear reactor under development at a national lab has reached a crucial milestone that could allow it to produce electricity within a few years.

    The microreactor being developed by Antares Nuclear Inc. at the Idaho National Lab reached “criticality” on Thursday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said. The milestone occurs when a nuclear reactor achieves a self-sustaining chain reaction capable of producing a steady release of energy.

    Antares is the first private company to bring an advanced reactor to criticality under a pilot program begun last year by the Trump administration meant to supercharge nuclear energy production in the U.S. The demonstration was conducted in partnership with the Energy Department and other contractors with support from the U.S. Army.

    “We are very excited by this news today,” Wright said Friday on a call with reporters. “I think June 4th will be a historic day in the American nuclear renaissance.”

    Antares and its partners “have shown America can do bold things,” Wright added. “America has great technology, great entrepreneurs that are ready to drive energy innovation to power our future, lower energy costs and make our country more powerful.”

    Trump administration pushing to ramp up nuclear power

    The achievement shows that the Trump administration’s push to remove regulatory barriers is helping to advance new nuclear technologies, Wright said.

    President Donald Trump signed executive orders in May 2025 intended to speed up the development of nuclear power, including steps that grant Wright authority to approve some advanced reactor designs and projects. Trump’s orders limit some authority of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the independent safety agency that has regulated the U.S. nuclear industry for five decades.

    Skeptics warn that nuclear energy poses risks and say microreactors may not be safe or feasible and have not proved they can meet demand for a reasonable price.

    While the Antares system is years away from commercial use, achieving criticality is a notable step. The California-based company, which is initially targeting military applications, said it expects to begin producing electricity by late 2027 and see its systems deployed in the field by the end of 2028, CEO Jordan Bramble said Friday.

    “Nuclear in America has been defined for too long by delays, by companies that said they would and then didn’t,” Bramble said in a written statement.

    At a briefing on Friday, Bramble said achieving criticality “is the first step on a roadmap toward producing electricity ahead of deploying this technology for customer sites.”

    “Microreactors are a technology that’s here today,” he added. “2026 is the year where microreactors are becoming real. We’re months to years out from being able to start deploying this technology to military installations.”

    July 4 goal for test reactors

    The Trump administration has set a goal of achieving the criticality milestone in at least three test reactors by July 4 — the nation’s 250th anniversary.

    Officials have selected 11 advanced reactor projects, including Antares, to move their technologies toward deployment.

    In February, the Pentagon and the Energy Department for the first time airlifted a small nuclear reactor from California to Utah, demonstrating what they say is the country’s potential to quickly deploy nuclear power for military and civilian use. The nearly 700-mile flight transported a 5-megawatt microreactor manufactured by Valar Atomics in southern California to Hill Air Force Base in Utah.

    The reactor — which did not have nuclear fuel — eventually will be able to generate up to 5 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 5,000 homes, said Isaiah Taylor, CEO of Valar Atomics. The company hopes to start selling power on a test basis next year and become fully commercial in 2028, he said.

    Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the transport flight, which attracted significant news coverage, was little more than a publicity stunt.

    He offered a similar response to the claims by Antares and Wright.

    “This stunt is a rudimentary first step that has absolutely no bearing on whether the Antares reactor will be safe or commercially viable,” Lyman said in an email Friday.

    The Energy Department’s statement that the test “confirms that the reactor can operate safely” is false, Lyman said, adding that more testing of the reactor is needed.

    The administration has not resolved how nuclear waste will be disposed, although Wright has said the Energy Department is in talks with Utah and other states to host sites that could reprocess fuel or handle permanent disposal. States including Tennessee, Nebraska and Idaho have expressed interest in handling nuclear waste.


  • Sick and sleepless Arnaldi pulls out of French Open semifinal after night of vomiting

    PARIS (AP) — Having spent a large part of the night vomiting and deprived of sleep, Matteo Arnaldi was in no shape to fight for a spot in the French Open final.

    The 104th-ranked Arnaldi withdrew before the first all-Italian men’s Grand Slam semifinal against Flavio Cobolli on Friday at Roland Garros.

    Arnaldi believed he caught a virus and said he could not play competitive tennis.

    “I think it’s a virus because I was feeling pretty cold,” he said. “I had a fever. I just know that I can’t move, and I can’t eat, and I can’t drink.”

    His withdrawal handed Cobolli a place in Sunday’s final against second-seeded Alexander Zverev.

    Arnaldi said he felt fine during practice on Thursday, until he had dinner.

    “I started to feel so-so with my stomach,” he told a press conference also attended by Cobolli, who sat at the other end of the interview desk.

    “I was, like, ‘All right, just didn’t digest very well.’ But then I woke up at 1 a.m. and I started vomiting. Then I tried to sleep. I couldn’t sleep at all. At 6, 7 a.m. I vomited again. This time was pretty bad.”

    He summoned a doctor to his room and took medicine.

    “I was hoping that it would just be something from dinner or something like that, but then throughout the day I couldn’t eat,” Arnaldi said. “Every time we did something or would drink, I would go back to the bathroom.”

    He reached the semifinals after countryman Matteo Berrettini retired in their quarterfinal due to a hip injury before the end of the second set. Arnaldi spent a total of 19 hours, 42 minutes on court, more than any other player has taken to make the semifinals at any major tournament since the ATP Tour began recording match times in 1991.

    “It’s tough, because for how the tournament was, for how many hours I spent on court, I was feeling actually very good,” Arnaldi said.

    “To have to withdraw from the first slam semifinal is not something that you wish to anybody. I tried to get ready and tried to stay as much as I could here and tried to see if I could go on court, but every time I get up, I feel dizzy, and I don’t feel like the best. I’m pretty sure if I eat again, I’m not going to feel, like, good. That was the right decision for me to take.”

    Cobolli said he was saddened by the news.

    “When he came to me almost one hour ago, I almost cried,” he said. “Matteo is a big inspiration for all of us.”

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    AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis