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  • RFK Jr. overrules experts to keep hantavirus cruise ship passenger in quarantine


    NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this week refused to release a cruise ship passenger exposed to hantavirus in early May from a quarantine facility in Nebraska, despite a federal medical review that said there’s no need to confine her far from her Florida home.

    The order from Kennedy, one of the nation’s most prominent critics of vaccine mandates, lockdowns and other government public health restrictions, spurred outrage from some advocates and legal scholars, who called it illegal and rooted in politics rather than public health.

    Five weeks after she left the cruise ship, the passenger, Angela Perryman, is still symptom-free. She remained in quarantine as of Tuesday.

    “I want to be able to walk outside and put my feet in the grass,” Perryman said in an interview. “I want to be able to feel fresh air on my face when I want to. I want to be able to see people that are not in full PPE. I don’t want to be dehumanized anymore.”

    Courtney Spencer, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said the state of Florida chose not to comply with federal requirements for how tightly to monitor Perryman if she returned home. Perryman needs to be quarantined to protect both herself and her community, Spencer said.

    Because symptoms of hantavirus have taken as long as 42 days to appear in previous outbreaks, the Americans at the Nebraska facility were to be monitored either there or at home for 42 days — a period set to expire at the end of the day on Sunday, June 21.

    Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert who helped shape current federal quarantine regulations, called the decision to keep Perryman in Nebraska “an egregious violation” of a U.S. citizen’s rights.

    “She’s being held, deprived of her liberty,” Gostin said, adding that a broad medical consensus supports allowing her to complete quarantine at home.

    Kennedy’s order strays from the CDC official’s recommendation

    Kennedy’s order keeping Perryman in Nebraska quarantine came Monday. It followed a medical review earlier this month that was overseen by Dr. Michael Bell of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency within Kennedy’s HHS.

    Bell reviewed testimony from CDC officials and an outside medical expert concerning Perryman’s challenge to an earlier order confining her to the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

    Bell said federal officials insisted that anyone returning home needed daily in-person monitoring and round-the-clock surveillance by local law enforcement or public officials.

    Florida officials refused those conditions — which Gostin called “overkill” and a “waste of resources” — and proposed instead that Perryman simply do once-daily temperature checks and symptom assessments.

    Experts at the meeting agreed that Florida’s proposal was reasonable. Bell recommended Perryman be allowed to go home, according to a June 11 report obtained by The Associated Press. Kennedy signed the quarantine order anyway.

    Perryman says prolonged time in the facility is limiting

    Perryman said life in the facility is like being confined in an airport hotel room. Sometimes she can go to its roof for an hour as armed guards watch. Nurses wearing gloves, masks and face shields deliver meals and take her temperature. She said it feels like a “prison.”

    The 47-year-old learned that she would be required to stay in the facility until June 21 when Kennedy’s order was slipped under her door on Monday.

    “I was appalled,” she said. “I was horrified that the secretary, who is not a physician, would override the doctor and violate the law just to keep me locked up.”

    Perryman said she lives primarily in Ecuador but keeps a permanent home with friends in Florida. She said she wants the chance to cook her own food and spend time in more than one room, either in her home or a rental property.

    Her quarantine was voluntary, until the order came

    Perryman was among 18 Americans aboard the cruise ship who were evacuated to the Nebraska quarantine center on May 11. As of Tuesday, eight of the passengers were still there. The others went home earlier this month, after their states agreed to federal officials’ monitoring plan. They’ll be watched until June 21.

    Hantaviruses usually spread when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings. However, the Andes virus at the center of this outbreak, which killed three people, may spread between people in rare cases.

    At first, Perryman said, a CDC official assured her the Nebraska quarantine was voluntary. At his urging, and at the urging of the facility’s medical director, she agreed to stay until May 22 to protect public health because some medical experts say most people who develop symptoms do so within the first three weeks. She was later told she couldn’t leave on that date.

    Perryman and one other passenger received orders from U.S. health officials requiring them to quarantine at the facility until May 31. Quarantine orders, which can be enforced with fines and prison time, are a rare legal step that can be taken if someone objects to a public health request. The initial orders were signed by the CDC’s acting director, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya.

    Perryman said she was told she could leave after May 31 if Florida accepted the federal monitoring requirements. When the state declined, she was ordered to remain in Nebraska.

    At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kennedy questioned universal government-imposed quarantines and argued that the costs of lockdowns should be debated, saying, “quarantines kill people too.”

    Gostin said the recent decision clashes with Kennedy’s broader “medical freedom” message.

    “This seems to me to drip with hypocrisy,” Gostin said.

    ____

    AP video journalist Shelby Lum in New York and AP writer Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to this report.

    ____

    The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.


  • ICE says relaxed detention standards ‘reduce the burden’ on contractors running its lockups


    Contractors running Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities can rely more heavily on artificial intelligence tools to communicate with detainees while continuing to pay people they hold $1 per day for “voluntary work,” under relaxed detention standards released Monday.

    ICE said the standards, which apply to for-profit contractors and jails that hold detainees, were revised with input from partners to “reduce the burden on our detention operators.” Experts said the changes would help contractors limit legal liability, reduce costs and get more operational flexibility while doing little, if anything, to improve conditions for roughly 60,000 people currently detained.

    “100% it’s going to result in deterioration of already problematic conditions of detention,” said Michelle Brane, a former Department of Homeland Security ombudsman who oversaw immigration detention practices during part of the Biden administration. “It’s consistent with their general practice, which is to eliminate accountability and oversight. They are not concerned with people’s basic rights or safety of detainees.”

    The revisions come as ICE detention facilities are reporting deaths in unprecedented numbers and face accusations of medical neglect, inadequate food and other inhumane conditions. They come as ICE is flush with cash, receiving more than half of the $70 billion immigration enforcement spending bill signed by President Donald Trump last week.

    Dr. Sanjay Basu, a public health researcher who has studied ICE custody deaths, said the changes include “genuine improvements” to suicide prevention standards and mental health care. But he said the overall trajectory is “toward weaker standards governing a growing share of the detained population.”

    ICE said the changes streamline its rules and move toward more relaxed standards used by the U.S. Marshals Service to hold pretrial federal inmates in jails. The agency said it considered input from operators “alongside operational, legal and policy requirements when making a final decision.”

    Dr. Homer Venters, an expert on correctional health care, said the changes could curtail access to language assistance by eliminating mandates that required in-person and telephone interpretation and translation services.

    New standard allows use of AI

    The revised standard says facilities can use artificial intelligence tools such as machine-learning-based translation or generative AI for “noncritical communication” or “informal interactions with detainees.” That communication could include giving and receiving information to or from detainees during intake, having conversations with detainees in housing units and responding to a detainee’s grievance or other concerns, it says.

    Venters called the changes alarming because grievances often include “very urgent or even emergent information such as when a patient has been denied lifesaving care.” He said the rule also leaves unclear whether health assessments, crucial to flagging medical and mental health conditions, could be conducted through AI.

    ICE said the standards ensure contractors provide interpretation and translation services “at no cost to the detainees.”

    Several experts said they were concerned by a change that bars facility operators from refusing to admit any detainee ICE sends them.

    The change means facilities may not be able to immediately refer severely ill or disabled detainees whom they cannot accommodate to hospitals or other settings for care — but it could reduce their liability for subsequent deaths. A related rule change requires facilities to request that ICE transfer detainees they cannot serve elsewhere, but that might not happen for several days after they are admitted.

    A favor to contractors

    New language making clear that detainees who participate in voluntary work programs are not employees and therefore not entitled to wages and benefits “is a favor” to ICE’s for-profit contractors, said Dora Schriro, former director of ICE’s Office of Detention Policy and Planning during the Obama administration.

    For years, advocates for detainees have argued in lawsuits that these programs, in which detainees have received a minimum stipend of $1 per work day, amount to forced labor. The lawsuits have sought millions of dollars in unpaid wages from ICE contractors like GeoGroup and CoreCivic, and now they could face tougher odds of success by strengthening their legal defenses, Schriro said.

    Another change bars facilities from paying above the longtime $1-per-day minimum stipend, which was allowed under the previous standard and an argument that had been used against contractors in court, said Carmen Iguina Gonzalez, an immigration detention expert at the American Civil Liberties Union. She said the work can include cleaning dormitories, cutting hair and other tasks that keep facilities running.

    Claire Trickler-McNulty, a former DHS and ICE official who is an expert on detention standards, said ICE could use its increased budget to improve conditions instead of “lowering standards across the board.” She recalled that under prior administrations, she pushed ICE facilities to add soccer fields and other recreation and visitation improvements with leftover money.

    “Their goal is to make it easier for the jail operators,” she said. “No longer are they trying to make sure the focus is on the detainees and their care and the experience in custody.”


  • ‘We’re American. We don’t take s—.’ US says Pochettino instilled strong mentality for World Cup


    IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — Although the cheers are still ringing in the Americans’ ears after their impressive World Cup-opening victory, this U.S. team says it’s prepared for the physical and mental challenges of the weeks ahead — including what’s likely to be a physical meeting with Australia on Friday.

    Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter gives credit for this tenacity to coach Mauricio Pochettino, who has taken over a team that repeatedly flopped on the international stage and infused it with a stronger mentality grounded in a few core beliefs.

    “I think one is that we’re American. We don’t take s—-,” Berhalter said Tuesday.

    “I think that’s something that (Pochettino) really put in,” Berhalter continued. “Even though he’s Argentinian, he has that mindset of, like, ‘Look, this is what we do, and this is who we are, and this is what America is about.’ So I think he just, you know, even from an outside perspective, he showed us Americans what we’re about. He really drilled that into us, and I think that’s something that has helped us this last cycle.”

    That mentality was partly forged last October when the U.S. faced Australia in what turned into a scrappy 2-1 friendly victory in Colorado. Pochettino lambasted his team at halftime, imploring the players to stand up for themselves after the Socceroos delivered physical tackles and punishing play while U.S. midfielder Christian Pulisic left with an injury.

    “Watching that game last year, you could see they were up for it,” said Berhalter, whose father, Gregg, coached the U.S. team before Pochettino. “They were putting in challenges, and I think that’s one of the reasons Mauricio had that halftime rant, and said, ‘These guys can’t kick us around.’ I think he was right.”

    The players heard their coach’s pleas, and they responded with an increased physicality in a game that ended with a combined 19 fouls and two yellow cards.

    The Americans have largely kept it up since then, playing with a confidence and assertiveness that manifested throughout their 4-1 victory over Paraguay last Friday in Inglewood, California. Although they haven’t racked up a string of impressive victories since Pochettino took over, the team’s improvements in temperament and tactics have been obvious, and the World Cup could be the place where everything blossoms.

    “That game in Colorado was fun,” winger Tim Weah said with a grin. “That experience was fun. It was aggressive. I think from that game, we’ve changed a lot. We’ve gotten a bit more aggressive as well.”

    Pulisic’s health is again a concern for the Americans after he was forced to work out on his own for the second straight training session Tuesday because of the calf injury that limited him to the first half against Paraguay. The team described its playmaking attacker as “day to day” for Friday’s match in Seattle.

    Even if Pulisic is limited again, the Americans believe they can go toe-to-toe with Australia again. Berhalter could play an important role after he made his World Cup debut by replacing Pulisic for the second half against Paraguay.

    “It’s going to be a physical game, but a fun game, and we’re excited,” Berhalter said. “(The Socceroos) are going to fight. We like teams that have that brotherhood, you know? We like teams that you can see they’re hungry, they want to fight.”

    ___

    AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup


  • About Mike DeWine, the Republican Ohio governor who has called for an end to the death penalty


    COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday used his bully pulpit to call for an end to the death penalty in Ohio.

    The 79-year-old Republican cited his expertise on the issue as a former county prosecutor, member of both chambers of Congress and Ohio attorney general, as well as his seven years as governor.

    But DeWine’s support for a policy change is far from assured to make waves, even in a state controlled by his own party. That is because DeWine is more moderate than many younger Republicans in the state, whose political aspirations rely on endorsements from President Donald Trump, a staunch death penalty supporter.

    Here’s a closer look at DeWine and his place in Ohio’s political landscape:

    Fifty years of experience with the death penalty

    DeWine was first elected to public office in 1976, when he became prosecuting attorney in Greene County, where he grew up. He still lives in the historic home there where he and his wife, who had eight children, hosted a summer ice cream social each year to encourage and celebrate GOP candidates and officeholders. The event ended its 50-year run just last weekend.

    When DeWine was elected to the state Senate in 1980, Ohio had no death penalty law. The old one had been declared unconstitutional, and DeWine was instrumental in writing the new one, which cleared both legislative chambers with overwhelming bipartisan majorities. It has been in effect now since 1981.

    He said Tuesday that he always believed the moral justification for the death penalty was its potential to deter violent crime.

    During his four terms in the U.S. House, DeWine supported federal legislation signed by President Ronald Reagan that expanded the number of crimes eligible for the death penalty. As a U.S. senator, he backed a bill signed by President Bill Clinton that attempted to speed up the review of capital cases in federal courts.

    In between those positions, DeWine was lieutenant governor of Ohio under storied Republican Gov. James Rhodes.

    He took a brief break from politics after losing a Senate reelection bid to Democrat Sherrod Brown in 2006, before being elected Ohio attorney general in 2010. In that role, he said Tuesday, he “vigorously” carried out the state’s death penalty law.

    Since he became governor in 2019, problems obtaining lethal injection drugs have led to an unofficial moratorium on executions in the state, which last conducted one in 2018.

    Uneven relationship with fellow Republicans

    DeWine may be the titular head of the Ohio Republican Party, but that doesn’t mean his party always listens to him. Particularly in the Trump era, he has presided over a party rife with internal divisions.

    Clashes became particularly fierce during the COVID-19 pandemic, when DeWine and then-state Health Director Amy Acton — now the Democratic nominee for governor — presided over one of the most rigorous virus responses in the country in early 2020. Within months, a faction of Republicans had mutinied against DeWine’s mandates, particularly over business closures, threatening to pass a bill limiting his powers or even to impeach him.

    In 2023, after DeWine struck down a ban on gender-affirming care and transgender athletes participating in girls’ sports, the Republican-dominated state Legislature easily overrode his veto.

    The divisions have also been seen in this year’s critical elections.

    DeWine had tried to position popular former Ohio State Buckeyes football coach Jim Tressel as a potential successor, appointing the moderate Republican as lieutenant governor last year. But the state GOP rushed to back Trump-endorsed biotech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy in the race in May 2025, before Tressel had even made up his mind whether to run. DeWine endorsed Ramaswamy in January.

    DeWine said Tuesday that he had not shared his decision to call for an end to the death penalty with Ramaswamy, now the GOP gubernatorial nominee. The recent effort by the Trump administration to take on Medicaid fraud has found DeWine defending his administration’s work on the issue, even as Ramaswamy, Ohio-born Vice President JD Vance and GOP lawmakers take aim at Ohio’s existing fraud-fighting efforts.

    Other Republican voices come to DeWine’s side

    Among proponents of DeWine’s push to end the death penalty in Ohio were a host of fellow Republicans, including some staunch conservatives.

    “For many years, I was a proponent of the death penalty,” former congresswoman and current state Rep. Jean Schmidt said in a statement. “My views changed because of the risks of executing an innocent person, the exorbitant costs, and my belief in the sanctity of life. The death penalty is no longer a policy worth preserving.”

    Former Ohio Auditor and Attorney General Jim Petro cited wrongful convictions among the flaws that make the death penalty no longer tenable.

    Former Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, the great-grandson of President William Howard Taft and grandson of “Mr. Republican” Sen. Robert A. Taft Sr., also sided with DeWine.

    DeWine “has been thoughtful and given this issue the careful consideration it needs,” Taft said.


  • Brewers shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt called up ahead of series with Guardians


    MILWAUKEE (AP) — Cooper Pratt has reached the major leagues 2 ½ months after the Milwaukee Brewers signed the shortstop prospect to an eight-year, $50.75 million contract.

    The Brewers called the 21-year-old Pratt up from Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday before opening a three-game series with the Cleveland Guardians. They made room for Pratt by designating third baseman Luis Rengifo for assignment.

    Brewers officials showed their faith in Pratt when they signed him on April 3 to an eight-year deal that includes club options for 2034 and 2035. The $50.75 million contract includes escalators that could raise the value by $10 million if he repeatedly finishes high in MVP voting and the team exercises those two options.

    Pratt won a Gold Glove as the top shortstop in the minor leagues in 2024 and has continued to play outstanding defense ever since. His hitting is more of a work in progress.

    Pratt was hitting .241 with a .349 on-base percentage, six homers, 32 RBIs and 17 steals in 58 games with Triple-A Nashville this season. He batted .238 with a .343 on-base percentage, eight homers, 62 RBIs and 31 steals in 120 games with Double-A Biloxi last year.

    “We believe in the bat,” Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said when Pratt signed his contract. “We believe in the glove, certainly. This guy is really toolsy, too. He’s very athletic. He’s a big, physical kid, so we think there’s a chance to grow into some power. And he can really run. When you have that kind of athletic foundation, it’s a really good thing.”

    The Brewers can afford to be patient with Pratt’s bat as long as he fields the way he did in the minor leagues.

    Milwaukee has received little offensive production from the left side of its infield all season, yet the Brewers still entered Tuesday leading the NL Central by 4 ½ games over St. Louis as they chase their fourth straight division title. The versatile David Hamilton had been splitting time with Joey Ortiz at shortstop and with Rengifo at third base.

    Hamilton is batting .231 with a .316 on-base percentage, .320 slugging percentage, three homers, 11 RBIs and 14 steals in 58 games. Ortiz is hitting .207 with a .299 on-base percentage, .262 slugging percentage, one homer, 14 RBIs and five steals in 60 games.

    Rengifo was hitting .205 with a .280 on-base percentage, .254 slugging percentage, no homers, 19 RBIs and three steals in 57 games.

    Pratt was one of two Brewers prospects to sign a lucrative long-term deal this year while still in the minors. Luis Lara, a 21-year-old outfielder playing for Nashville, signed a seven-year deal worth $31 million last week.

    ___

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


  • African and Commonwealth nations in Kenya urge quick execution of a key treaty protecting oceans


    MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — African and Commonwealth nations called Tuesday for a swift implementation of a landmark treaty protecting the high seas, warning that despite record commitments to marine conservation, much of the world’s ocean protection still exists only on paper.

    The call to action was issued at the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, the first time an African nation has hosted the major annual event, which focuses on addressing critical ocean issues, including climate change, biodiversity and pollution.

    Hundreds of delegates from Africa, the United States, the European Union, and climate-vulnerable Caribbean and Pacific island nations are taking part in the conference, where leaders have sought to position Africa as a driving force in global ocean governance.

    Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in his opening remarks at the Commonwealth Ocean Ministers’ Roundtable that the High Seas Treaty, which came into effect in January after ratification by 60 countries, marked a historic turning point by creating, for the first time, a legal mechanism to establish protected areas in international waters.

    But he warned that progress remained too slow.

    “We have 10% of the ocean under protection this year,” Kerry said. “That is worth marking. But only 3% is highly or fully protected, and the rest of the protections are, unfortunately, just lines on a map.”

    Kerry said that industrial fishing fleets continue to exploit the oceans, with some vessels operating thousands of miles from home and using massive nets that indiscriminately catch marine life.

    “Ratify it if you haven’t, and move immediately to implementation,” he urged countries, noting that key decisions on the future of the treaty will be taken next year.

    The treaty, formally known as the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, aims to help countries achieve a global target of protecting 30% of the world’s land and oceans by 2030.

    The Kenyan Cabinet secretary of maritime affairs, Hassan Joho, said that governments must now shift from promises to tangible action.

    “The purpose of this roundtable is not to restate ambition, but to convert such pledges into measurable results for our communities, our economies and our oceans,” Joho said.

    Joho noted that since 2014, the One Ocean Conference has generated more than 2,900 pledges worth more than $169 billion. The challenge, he said, is to turn them into effective management of marine ecosystems.

    The Commonwealth’s 56 member states collectively account for 36% of the world’s ocean jurisdiction and nearly half of its coral reefs, giving the bloc a unique responsibility in protecting marine resources.

    Africa, meanwhile, is increasingly setting itself as a leader in ocean conservation.

    Kerry praised African countries for championing transboundary marine protection and pointed to commitments by eight Gulf of Guinea nations to sustainably manage all of their waters by 2030.

    “A region long described as a victim of ocean exploitation is now choosing to lead instead,” he said.

    The East African nation has adopted integrated coastal management plans, expanded marine protected areas and stepped up efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Its 640-kilometer (400-mile) coastline and vast exclusive economic zone support fisheries, tourism and other sectors that sustain millions of livelihoods.

    As negotiations continue in Mombasa, delegates say the coming months will be critical in determining whether the new treaty becomes a transformative tool for ocean conservation or another set of international promises that fail to materialize.

    ___

    The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. ___

    This story has corrected the dateline to Mombasa, not Nairobi.


  • Noah Lyles runs a world-best 14.67 seconds to win the 150 meters at Golden Spike meet


    OSTRAVA, Czech Republic (AP) — Olympic champion Noah Lyles set the world best time in the rarely contested 150 meters at the Golden Spike meet on Tuesday.

    The 28-year-old American sprinter clocked 14.67 seconds to beat a field of runners including Australia’s sprint sensation Gout Gout.

    Lyles, who won the 100 at the Paris Games and is four-time world champion in the 200, capitalized on a fast start before using his speed to cruise to the finish line.

    He beat the previous best set by Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson at 14.92 in April at Miramar, Florida.

    Sinesipho Dambile of South Africa finished second Tuesday in 14.78, also beating the previous best, and Gout was third in 14.96.

    The 18-year-old Gout set the under-20 world record time in the 200 that was faster than Usain Bolt’s best at that age in winning the Australian open title in 19.67 seconds in April.

    ___

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


  • Tom Holland appears to confirm he and Zendaya are married


    NEW YORK (AP) — Tom Holland has apparently confirmed that he and his longtime love Zendaya have already tied the knot.

    The actor may have ended months of speculation triggered by Zendaya’s stylist Law Roach’s claim in March that the couple had already held a wedding. In a very 2026 twist, artificial intelligence played a role in the reveal.

    When Holland was asked by Esquire U.K. whether he had to inform family members about AI images that appear to show him and Zendaya at their wedding, the actor replied, “No, because they were all there.”

    “That’s all you’ll get on that,” he said of the matter.

    Elsewhere, in the story published Tuesday, Holland gushed about how the couple supported each other behind the camera.

    “Our business can present very stressful situations and it’s really nice to have a bedrock of a relationship that will stand the test of time,” he said.

    “So, for me, I found my person. She’s my best friend, and I’m the happiest I ever have been when I’m with her, but I also have never felt so supported and safe, ever. Period.”

    Holland and Zendaya first met when they co-starred in the 2017 movie “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” They star together in big movies this summer: “The Odyssey” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”


  • US forward Christian Pulisic practices on his own in calf injury rehab, team says he is ‘day to day’


    IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — Christian Pulisic worked out on his own again Tuesday during the U.S. team’s World Cup practice session while he rehabilitates his calf injury.

    A team spokesman described Pulisic as “day to day” after his second straight day doing individual workouts while his teammates practiced at the U.S. training base in Orange County. The Americans’ next game is against Australia in Seattle on Friday.

    Pulisic was limited to one half of action in the Americans’ World Cup-opening 4-1 victory over Paraguay last Friday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

    The AC Milan forward was stellar in the first match of his second World Cup. He recorded an assist on Folarin Balogun’s first goal, and he caused an own-goal by Paraguay with his playmaking from relentless runs down the left side of the U.S. attack.

    Pulisic was kicked in the back of his left calf during training last week, and he was removed from the win over Paraguay at halftime when he felt stiffness. The U.S. was already ahead 3-0 after its highest-scoring half in a World Cup match.

    Coach Mauricio Pochettino described the decision to shorten Pulisic’s appearance as precautionary.

    “I’m hoping I’ll be fine the next few days,” Pulisic said after the match. “Just the back of my leg, sort of my calf area. I’m staying positive. I don’t think it’s anything.”

    After traveling to Seattle, the Americans return to Inglewood on June 25 to conclude group play against Turkey.

    ___

    AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup


  • MLB ballparks are a friendly neighbor to the World Cup, bringing fans and soccer energy to The Show


    ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — When St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol saw his team had an unusual Saturday off during the season, and in the middle of a series, he had one question: “Can I make it to the soccer game?”

    Not just any soccer game, a World Cup match.

    The international soccer tournament, held every four years, is ongoing at 16 sites in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Those include 11 markets that are also home to a combined 13 Major League Baseball teams.

    Kansas City, where the Cardinals open a three-game series Thursday, is hosting six World Cup matches at the NFL stadium in the same complex with the Royals’ ballpark. The Cardinals and Royals will be off Saturday, when Ecuador plays Curaçao.

    “That is the goal, yes,” Marmol said when asked if he was going to that match.

    Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and his wife, who played soccer at Old Dominion, plan to be there.

    “It’s strange, but it’s special circumstances,” Pasquantino said. “It’s awesome that Kansas City got access to World Cup games. So, however many years until the United States hosts again, we’ll be all right with some off days like that.”

    World Cup matches are being played in the United States for the first time since 1994.

    Getting their kicks in Texas

    A tournament-high nine matches are being played at AT&T Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys that is adjacent to Globe Life Field. The neighboring Texas Rangers will host two split series, but also have a Monday off between home series on July 6, the day of a round of 16 match.

    Texas is now in a three-game series against Minnesota that will finish Thursday, after a pause Wednesday when powerhouse England plays its Cup opener against Croatia.

    “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson, who played soccer as a kid in California.

    The Rangers completed a road trip Sunday in Boston, with thousands of Scottish fans chanting and singing at Fenway Park the night after Scotland won the opener of its first World Cup appearance in 28 years. That win over Haiti was at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, about 30 miles away.

    Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said the presence of the Tartan Army made it feel like a European soccer game. He and members of his staff now want to attend the World Cup.

    “It was so much fun that on the off day the majority of our staff is trying to find a way to get tickets to go to a game that they know really nothing about because of the atmosphere that was so incredible,” Schumaker said. “The passion was insane.”

    In Philadelphia, the Phillies will be off Friday during their home series against the New York Mets since Brazil plays Haiti at nearby Lincoln Financial Field.

    Like for the Rangers, Royals and Seattle Mariners, the home of the Phillies is next to an NFL stadium hosting some of the 104 matches during the nearly six-week tournament with teams from 48 nations. Those stadiums all have shared parking lots.

    Texas and Kansas City are both off for round of 32 Cup matches on July 3, a Friday. The Rangers will have already opened a series against Detroit, while the Royals wait to start an unusual Saturday through Monday series against the Phillies.

    Not all of the matches are next door

    Either the Mets or Yankees have a home game on each of the eight dates World Cup matches are at MetLife Stadium across the river in New Jersey, including the championship finale July 19, when the Yankees also host Shohei Ohtani and the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Yankee Stadium is about 14 miles from the Meadowlands, with Citi Field about 24 miles away.

    World Cup matches at SoFi Stadium will be about 13 miles from Dodger Stadium and 35 miles from Angel Stadium. Either the Dodgers or Angels play at home on six of the eight match dates in Inglewood. Those other two dates fall on normal off days during a homestand, one for each team.

    With separation between stadiums, Atlanta, Boston, Houston, Miami and Toronto all will play multiple home games that concur with World Cup matches in their markets.

    Mariners and Red Sox almost played two

    There will still be a split series for the Angels when they go to Seattle, with a midweek break July 1 for a round of 16 Cup match.

    The Mariners were originally scheduled to have a home doubleheader Saturday against Boston with the United States playing Australia in Seattle. But when match time at Lumen Field was set at noon local Friday, the Mariners and Red Sox switched to a traditional three-game series with the opener that night, instead of playing MLB’s first scheduled doubleheader in two years.

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    AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup