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Marius Borg Høiby, the eldest son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, was sentenced to four years in prison Monday after being convicted of rape.
He was found guilty of two of the four rape charges he was facing and acquitted of the other two.
He was also convicted of assault and abuse in a close relationship. In addition to the prison sentence, Høiby was ordered to pay compensation to the victims.
Høiby was not present in court on Monday because of health reasons. He watched the reading of the verdict via a video link from prison.
Høiby’s lawyers told Norwegian media on Monday, after visiting him in prison, that he will appeal the convictions of rape and domestic abuse. The lawyers will also seek Høiby’s temporary release.
Høiby is “satisfied” with the relatively extensive acquittals, defense lawyer Petar Sekulic said in an email to Swedish news agency TT, but would appeal the parts of the verdict concerning the two rapes and the abuse in a close relationship.
Høiby, 29, had been charged with sexually assaulting four women who were asleep or otherwise unable to resist between 2018 and 2024.
He faced a total of 40 criminal charges including some for lesser offenses, such as assault, drug-related crimes and violations of a restraining order.
Høiby had denied the rape allegations but admitted to several of the lesser offenses.
Prosecutors had asked Oslo District Court to sentence him to seven years and seven months in prison, while defense lawyers had argued that he should be acquitted of the rape allegations and receive no more than 18 months for offenses he had admitted to.
The six-week trial concluded in March after testimony from multiple accusers and presentation of evidence, including messages, images and videos from Høiby’s cellphone.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of sexual assault. If you or someone you know needs help, please call 1-800-656-4673 for the national sexual assault hotline in the U.S. or +47 800 57 000 for the helpline for victims of sexual abuse in Norway.
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The case has generated intense international attention because of Høiby’s connection to the royal family. Although he holds no royal title and has no official duties, he’s the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a relationship before her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, the heir to Norway’s throne, and he grew up in the household with the future king.
Interest has intensified in recent days as Mette-Marit’s health has deteriorated. The crown princess, who has pulmonary fibrosis and is awaiting a lung transplant, has been at the center of legal arguments over whether her son should be granted temporary release from custody before the verdict. Appeals courts ruled that Høiby should remain detained while awaiting judgment.
The trial has also unfolded amid renewed scrutiny of the royal family following disclosures about Mette-Marit’s past contacts with Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased sex offender. She has publicly apologized for the association and said she exercised poor judgment in maintaining contact with him. She isn’t accused of any wrongdoing.
MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) — Yasin Ayari scored twice and Sweden showed it belonged at the 2026 World Cup, pounding Tunisia 5-1 on Sunday night to move atop Group F.
Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres each had a goal and an assist, and Mattias Svanberg also scored for Sweden, which entered ranked 39th in the world and missed the 2022 World Cup after reaching the quarterfinals eight years ago in Russia.
Omar Rekik scored for 45th-ranked Tunisia, which is playing in its seventh World Cup but has never advanced beyond the group stage.
The higher-ranked teams in the group, the Netherlands and Japan, played to a 2-2 draw earlier Sunday at Arlington, Texas.
Ayari bookended the scoring for the Swedes at Estadio BBVA with long-range goals in the seventh minute and in second-half stoppage time. He was muted in his celebration of the first goal, raising his hands out of respect for the country where his father was born.
Isak scored his 18th international goal in the 30th minute when Gyökeres found the Liverpool striker — who was sidelined much of last season with a broken leg — on a counterattack. Isak cut inside and fired a low shot past the hands of Tunisian goalkeeper Mouhib Chamakh, who struggled all night.
Isak said he and Gyökeres and “have quite different qualities which is very beneficial for the team,” adding: “We can bring different types of attacks.”
After Rekik stalled Sweden’s momentum with his goal in the 43rd minute, Isak and Gyökeres put Sweden back in control. Isak stole the ball and found Gyökeres for a one-on-one against Chamakh that the Arsenal striker won easily for his 16th goal in his last 15 appearances for Sweden and 21st overall.
Sweden coach Graham Potter said Isak and Gyökeres have strong chemistry.
“Behind them, they needed a team that functioned well. I’m pleased for the players tonight that we took a step forward in that,” Potter said.
Svanberg scored in the 84th minute, a goal that was awarded after a lengthy video review.
Sweden will play the Netherlands at Houston on Saturday, while Tunisia will remain in Monterrey and face Japan the same day.
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Ethan Wilcox is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Carolina spent the first part of the Stanley Cup Final surviving, finding ways to overcome deficits and play a high-scoring game that didn’t fit the Hurricanes’ typical style.
But when it came down to doing what it takes to win the Cup, the Hurricanes’ defense put its stamp on this series, shutting down the Vegas Golden Knights and not letting up.
The Hurricanes held Vegas to five total goals in Games 4 and 5 and used a suffocating defense in a 3-0 shutout Sunday night in Game 6 to win their first championship in 20 years.
“That’s a lot of years,” said Carolina center Jordan Staal, who received the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. “It’s amazing. This is something I’ve been going after ever since we got the first one. You want to win it again and again and again. “
Brandon Bussi, whose entrance late in Game 3 helped turn around the series, had his first career playoff shutout in stopping 22 shots. Jackson Blake had a goal and assist, and Taylor Hall scored just 3:47 into the game to set the tone. Nikolaj Ehlers added an empty-netter.
“Your mind wanders the last couple of days and wonder what it may be like out here (on ice after winning) and it’s better than I could have expected,” Hall said.
The Golden Knights struggled badly to muster any kind of offense in Game 6 and went 18:37 between shots on goal in the second and third periods. Playing in their third Cup final, this is the first time they have been shut out.
This final game was what many observers expected the series to be like between the defensive-minded teams, but each side watched leads of two-plus goals disappear in the first three games.
Now, the Cup belongs to the Hurricanes, led by coach Rod Brind’Amour, who also captained Carolina to its 2006 title.
“It’s just as awesome,” Brind’Amour said. “But as a player, it was a little different. I worked and dreamt of winning the Cup my whole life, so that was like a piano came off my back. This time around, I wanted it for the group.”
This was the first game of the series that Vegas goalie Carter Hart didn’t allow four goals in a game. He finished with 20 saves.
The Hurricanes began to assume control of the series after falling behind by the score of 4-0 in Game 3. They came back force overtime, and though the Canes lost, they outplayed the Golden Knights from there on out.
Reflecting the do-or-die situation for the Golden Knights, they made several lineup changes, with Brett Howden replacing the injured William Karlsson at second-line center. Mitch Marner could have moved there, but remained at right wing.
Original Golden Knight Reilly Smith made his Cup final debut at third-line right wing, and Braeden Bowman made his playoff debut at fourth-line right wing. Kaedan Korczak replaced Dylan Coghlan on the third defensive pairing.
“This is tough to be on this side of it,” Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb said. “But on the other side, these chances don’t come around very often. So it stings.”
This title is a testament to Carolina’s resilience as a franchise that kept coming close to winning the Eastern Conference, but couldn’t quite get through until now.
Brind’Amour made sure the Hurricanes kept getting back up after losing in the conference final twice in the past three years and three times in their current eight-year playoff run. The talent was clearly there, but there was always a stumbling block.
Not anymore.
After dispatching Montreal in five games to make the final, the Hurricanes then faced perennial power Vegas and took care of business there, too. Now, Brind’Amour will get his name on the Cup for the second time.
So will 37-year-old Staal, who also won the title in 2009 with Pittsburgh. He planted himself in front of Hart and dared the Golden Knights to knock him out of the way. Staal scored in each of the first five Cup final games, the first time that has happened.
The Hurricanes got off to a fast start with a goal just 25 seconds into Game 1, only to lose 5-4 on a late goal from Tomas Hertl. And the Golden Knights were on the verge of taking complete control as minutes ticked down in Game 2 while holding a 2-0 lead and appearing as if they would take a two-game advantage back home.
Then, it all changed. Carolina showed a fight that not only brought the Hurricanes back into the series by rallying to win 4-3 in overtime on Seth Jarvis’ one-timer, but would serve as their signature throughout the series.
That was especially true the following game when the Golden Knights took a 4-0 lead into the third period and the Canes seemed to have no answers. Brind’Amour even appeared to wave the white flag by removing goalie Frederik Andersen and replacing him with Bussi.
But the Hurricanes weren’t simply trying to get to Game 4. They sent a message, going on a remarkable rally to force overtime. Though Carolina lost, it was inflection point, with Bussi backstopping a team that was only growing stronger. Carolina then went on to win the next two games and moved within a victory of the championship.
The Hurricanes got it done against the Golden Knights team that was on a heater after John Tortorella replaced Bruce Cassidy with eight games left in the regular season. Vegas then went from third in the Pacific Division to first, knocked off Utah and Anaheim in six games apiece in the playoffs and shockingly swept Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado to win the West.
“I am very proud to be a part of this organization, very proud to lead this team, very proud to play with every single guy that steps into our locker room,” Vegas captain Mark Stone said. “This feeling sucks. I never want to have it again.”
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump emerged from the Oval Office first, then fighters from around the globe followed straight into the fight cage, in part for the president’s 80th birthday celebration and to bring a sport long on the fringe of mainstream acceptance into a main event on the White House South Lawn.
For a president who revels in winners, Trump had to enjoy crowning two champions on a big fight night staged closer to the Rose Garden than Madison Square Garden in the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250.
American lightweight Justin Gaethje capped his unification championship victory in the main event over Ilia Topuria with a backflip off the top of the cage. He crouched near Trump for a celebratory chat and the betting underdog draped the American flag over one shoulder — and the 155-pound title belt over another. Trump later stepped into the cage to congratulate Gaethje.
“Hey, I’m from America, 250 years ago we were way more than 6-1 underdogs,” Gaethje said. “I know that was absolutely legendary because I cannot even believe it.”
Topuria and Gaethje made their walkouts from the Oval Office as fireworks exploded overhead during Bruce Buffer’s introductions. Gaethje — who appeared to skim the copy of the Declaration of Independence on his way out — mustered some scattered “USA!” chants against the Spanish-Georgian Topuria, though not even the main event could stop the trend of mostly quiet fights.
It took the gory sight of a bloodied Topuria — his back to Trump in a white “USA” hat as he peered through the wire-mesh cage — nearly having the fight waved off to get a “let them fight!” chant going. The fight continued, and the 37-year-old Gaethje won eventually via corner stoppage in the fourth round.
“Hard work, baby,” Gaethje said. “I am made for these moments. This sport is made for me.”
Earlier, Ciryl Gane hammered Alex Pereira with a series of elbows and fists to the head and won via TKO in 1:27 of the second round to claim the interim heavyweight belt for a second time and set up a rematch with heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall.
Like the bulk of the fighters who had their hands raised in victory, Gane thanked Trump.
The White House was a most improbable all-American setting for a fight promotion that long ago shed the “human cockfighting” tag and decades later became entwined with the emboldened right-wing “ manosphere ” that soaks up UFC fights and threw its support behind Trump in two elections.
Trump and UFC boss Dana White, the tempestuous tag-team that rallied the fight company to the nation’s capital, walked from the Oval Office to the Blue Room Balcony to chants of “USA! USA!” to kick off the fight card jacked up by a dose of high-octane patriotism on a blustery night for cage fighting.
This was no Easter egg roll.
The Marine Band jazzed up the festivities and played fighter entrance music in front of the White House and Zac Brown sang the national anthem — never performed before normal UFC fight cards because of the mix of nationalities fighting inside the Octagon. The Navy’s Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds zipped overhead as part of a flyover to celebrate Trump’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing.
The 4,000-plus fans — Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison among them — on the South Lawn who sat under the claw, the flying saucer-like, open-air structure that housed the cage, mostly sat on their hands until the fighters used theirs to deliver punishing blows and a true fighting spirit that got everyone on their feet.
Bo Nickal delivered the red, white and boom when the three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion at Penn State earned the TKO win over middleweight Kyle Daukaus and immediately bolted the Octagon for a cage-side chat with Trump. Nickal met Trump in 2019 during a ceremony at the White House for collegiate national champions.
The first blight of the night for Trump came when American heavyweight Derrick Lewis lost his fight after he got a personal invitation from the president. Trump proclaimed himself a fan of Lewis and his unconventional celebrations and asked White to add him to the card. Josh Hokit instead improved to 10-0 when he flattened Lewis by TKO.
Sean O’Malley celebrated his walk-off KO win with a salute, and Mauricio Ruffy and Diego Lopes won their fights earlier in the night.
“That was sexy,” O’Malley said to cheers. “I felt the energy in here. I truly felt the energy in here.”
More than $60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labor were poured into building the arena, according to a court filing from the National Park Service, which oversees the South Lawn, and the looming threat of rain that threw White into a tizzy each time a miserable forecast was raised never materialized over the early portions of the card.
The constant headaches over the weather, the site and the cost — UFC said it was footing the $60 million tab — made the Freedom 250 a one-time show.
“It will never happen again,” White said. “I can’t afford it. I’ll never do the Sphere again and we’ll never do this again.”
White said he and Trump discussed the possibility of holding a “fight for the troops card” at an unspecified site at some point next season.
“He wanted it this year,” White said. “I said, ‘Sir, I need a year to recover financially for the White House fight, so give me a year.’”
Fight night came hours after the United States and Iran reached an agreement to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, offering relief to the global economy more than three months after the war began.
The rare UFC outdoors event marked the pinnacle of the relationship between White and Trump that has yielded personal, political and financial dividends for both parties. White’s first card as UFC president came in 2001 at an event held at Trump Taj Mahal.
Trump attended fights throughout the decades from New York to New Jersey to Florida while White introduced Trump at two Republican National Conventions.
Trump got a home game for this one, making the short walk from the Oval Office to the Octagon, much like the fighters who made the walk down West Wing halls covered with presidential portraits and were flanked by first responders and medal of honor recipients, among other individuals who served.
Thousands more outside the White House lawn watched the fights on big screens from the nearby Ellipse, though not everyone was able to get tickets.
Even one of UFC’s champions.
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland was escorted out of the Ellipse event by a group of police officers.
U.S. Park Police said in a statement that Strickland’s presence drew enough attention from attendees that it resulted in disorder. He wasn’t cited or arrested, they said. Instead, he was taken to his hotel and told not to come back to the venue.
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AP MMA: https://apnews.com/hub/mixed-martial-arts
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Hours before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, Rod Brind’Amour praised Brandon Bussi while also expressing some measure of relief that the Carolina Hurricanes did not need to turn to their backup goaltender during this playoff run.
“Haven’t had to use him, (and) to be honest, I hope we don’t because something’s gone wrong,” Brind’Amour said.
Turns out the late-blooming goaltender came out of the bullpen after all and backstopped the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup.
“I thought they were really good tonight, Vegas,” Hurricanes wing Jackson Blake said. “If it wasn’t for Bus, there’s no way we’re winning that game.”
After Frederik Andersen was in net for every minute of the first three rounds and the start of the final, Bussi came in during Game 3 and finished out the series. He stopped 81 of the 87 shots he faced against Vegas as Andersen’s status was shrouded in mystery; the veteran from Denmark did not dress from Game 4 on because of a knee injury that was only revealed after the final was over.
“Freddie battled,” Brind’Amour said. “He got a little nicked up, wasn’t 100%. I felt for him, but he got us here and then Bus took over. This is a team.”
Bussi and Andersen embraced after Game 6 ended Sunday night. Andersen, at 36 the second-oldest player on the team, was the first player captain and playoff MVP Jordan Staal handed the Cup to after getting it from Commissioner Gary Bettman.
“It’s disbelief, really,” Andersen said. “I did not expect that. It really beat every emotion I could think of or what I’ve been feeling.”
Bussi, a 27-year-old from Long Island, was not an unknown quantity for the Hurricanes because he played in nearly half their games this season, winning 31 of his 39 starts to help Carolina earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference. He got a three-year extension at a bargain-basement $5.7 million price in February.
Before the past several months, he was on track for the career of a journeyman.
Going undrafted, he spend several years in the Boston Bruins’ farm system with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL and Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League. Liking what they saw, the astute back-to-back champion Florida Panthers signed him last summer to be their third goalie behind Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov.
Trying to get him to the AHL in Charlotte, the Panthers lost Bussi when Carolina claimed him off waivers. He and fiancée Mary Raclawski were 10 hours into a drive from from South Florida to North Carolina when his agent called to tell him the Hurricanes had claimed him.
“The next thing you know, the following day I’m in Raleigh and I’m on the opening night roster,” Bussi said. “It’s crazy.”
Injuries to Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov thrust him into an important role for a top contender.
Bussi was even more needed in the final. He entered at the second intermission in Game 3 with the Hurricanes down 4-0. He stopped all 18 shots to allow a stirring comeback, and the only goal he allowed was the Golden Knights’ winner in double overtime when the puck took a bad bounce off the end boards behind him and Bussi inadvertently kicked it in.
In the Game 6 clincher, Bussi denied playoff-leading goal-scorer Brett Howden, who got in all alone in the first period. He stopped Tomas Hertl on a 2-on-1 rush in the second, much to the joy of family members watching from the stands. Then Bussi robbed Hertl and Mark Stone on quality scoring chances in the final few minutes of regulation.
“Their goalie gives them a really good opportunity in the second part of the series to give them the opportunity to win the Stanley Cup,” Golden Knights coach John Tortorella said.
Hurricanes fans in Las Vegas chanted “Buss-i! Buss-i!” on the way to his third career shutout. A journeyman no more, Bussi is now a Stanley Cup champion. So is Andersen.
“This is something everyone dreams of,” Andersen said. “You don’t really know what it feels like until you try it, and now we’re here.”
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Whyno contributed from New York.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Daichi Kamada and his Japanese teammates were minutes away from a World Cup -opening loss that wouldn’t have been unexpected considering the opponent.
His tying goal will be remembered for a long time in his homeland, especially if the country with some soccer momentum reaches the round of 16 again.
Kamada scored when a header by teammate Koki Ogawa deflected off his head into the Dutch goal in the 88th minute, sending the Samurai Blue fans into a frenzy and giving Japan a 2-2 draw with the higher-ranked Netherlands on Sunday.
While the Dutch extended their unbeaten streak to 17 games in group play, the orange-clad Oranje supporters were stunned by the late goal that left them with 21 wins, two losses and 11 draws in group play at the World Cup.
“Our players managed to be tenacious but at the same time be patient and just keep calm and finding and seizing an opportunity,” Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said through an interpreter. His team reached the round of 16 for the fourth time in 2022 in Qatar.
Virgil Van Dijk and Crysencio Summerville scored off each post for the Netherlands early in the second half, while Keito Nakamura had a goal between those as part of a three-goal flurry in just 14 minutes.
A mostly uneventful first half changed quickly after the break for a crowd evenly split at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys with the retractable roof that offered relief from the muggy Texas heat, and the giant video board that fans had a hard time keeping their eyes off.
Summerville gave the eighth-ranked Dutch the lead in the 64th minute, and Japan was running out of hope until a Ogawa’s perfectly timed header off a corner kick. The ball glanced off Kamada’s head and past goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, who got his hands on it with a sprawling dive but couldn’t keep it from going in.
Van Dijk sent a header toward the far post on the right in the 50th minute, bending forward from inside the penalty area as he stared at the ball before it caromed in for the Dutch captain’s 13th international goal.
Nakamura answered seven minutes later for 18th-ranked Japan, turning and rifling a shot past Verbruggen from the left side of the arc after taking a pass from Takefusa Kubo.
Another seven minutes later, Summerville took a pass from Ryan Gravenberch and sent a left-footed shot to the far left post past Zion Suzuki, where it caromed in again.
“It’s disappointing now because obviously conceding the lead is never good,” said Van Dijk, the second-oldest Dutch goal scorer in a World Cup at 34 years, 341 days, behind Giovanni van Bronckhorst at 35 and 151 against Uruguay in 2010. “It’s extra disappointing that we conceded from a set piece so late on.”
The Dutch’s most recent loss before the elimination round came the last time the World Cup was in the United States in 1994, when a group play defeat was followed by a quarterfinal loss to Brazil at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
The pressure is always on the Netherlands to reach the elimination round, in part because it’s the only country to reach the final three times without winning the World Cup.
A draw to open Group F, which includes Sweden and Tunisia, won’t ease that pressure on coach Ronald Koeman, who faced several pointed questions about strategy and shot back with cryptic replies.
The Dutch beat Japan in their only other World Cup meeting in 2010.
“I’m disappointed that we didn’t win, but that’s because we were ahead twice,” Koeman said through an interpreter. “Many people underestimated Japan, but for the 100,000th time, if you underestimate them, that’s your problem. You think Japan’s strength was overexaggerated before the match? Let’s wait until the end of the tournament to see who’s right.”
The Netherlands plays Sweden on Saturday in Houston, while Japan goes to Monterrey, Mexico, to face Tunisia on Saturday.
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This story has been corrected. A previous version reported incorrectly that Kamada scored on a header off Ogawa’s corner kick.
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Ah, the serenity of fishing.
Just an angler, a fishing pole and maybe thousands of dollars worth of sonar equipment offering an exact image of what that walleye or bass is doing in the watery depths below.
It’s called forward-facing sonar, and the hot-selling products are not only helping anglers increase their catch, they are raising questions about why people go fishing in the first place and whether fish populations can survive the new technology.
“You’ve got people that are concerned about what’s going to happen to the sport of fishing,” said Gary Korsgaden, who has written about the sport for decades.
Fish-finding sonar is typically mounted on the bow or back of a boat, sending out sound frequencies that are converted into a picture on a screen based on the time it takes the pings to hit the bottom and return. Earlier products would show where fish were located, but advancements now enable anglers to see images of fish in real time.
“With forward-facing sonar, you can attach it to a trolling motor and you can look around the water under you and you could find exactly, pinpoint where that fish exactly is at any given time,” said Dave Dunn, a sales executive at Garmin, a company that manufactures the equipment.
Dunn notes the equipment, which costs about $2,500 for a full setup, enables anglers to even see their lures and cast directly to fish. It does have a learning curve.
For Minnesota angler Terry Rehm, the new technology is invaluable. Rehm said he doesn’t get a lot of lake time due to his work and kids’ schedules and forward-facing sonar ensures he makes good use of his time plying the waters.
“It’s just nice to be able to hone in on them a little quicker and find them quicker and catch more fish when I’m out here,” he said.
Tens of millions of people fish recreationally each year, making it one of the nation’s top activities.
But people fish for different reasons and those who care most about the tranquility and beauty of being on a lake can find it puzzling that other anglers eagerly hunch over their screens, watching as fish swim by below.
Still, the use of the technology is growing dramatically, with surveys in Minnesota finding about 30% of anglers now use forward-facing sonar. Surveys of anglers on several Minnesota lakes found the user rate as high as 63% on one lake last fall, Walleye Alliance spokesperson Nate Blasing said.
Much of the debate around forward-facing sonar plays out on social media, but also podcasts, online fishing forums, trade shows and tournaments.
“It’s much like politics now. It tends to get personal. You can agree to disagree,” Blasing said.
Criticisms and reactions go back and forth on social media, said Korsgaden, the fishing writer. He said tournament anglers have banned him from their Facebook pages for even raising the topic.
“I think the unfortunate reality is fishing has gotten to be more about, shall we say, success or numbers or quantity, that type of thing, instead of the actual enjoyment of the engagement and making decisions on your own,” Korsgaden said.
Even as anglers say the equipment helps ensure they will actually catch fish, some studies indicate it hasn’t led to overfishing.
Wisconsin researchers conducted a controlled experiment last year with two teams of anglers fishing for smallmouth bass, one with forward-facing sonar, the other without. Halfway through the summer, the teams switched.
The team without the technology had higher catch rates, though the team using it caught slightly longer fish, said Greg Sass, fisheries research team leader with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Office of Applied Science. The sonar users searched more for fish before even fishing, while the other team spent more time actively fishing.
Sass said he is reluctant to apply the study to all fish species and water bodies, but the findings “would be counterintuitive to what I’m hearing in the bait shops or from other people that are on both sides of the fence with technology,” he said. More studies are ahead, including for the muskie, a prized predator fish.
Eric Sanft, a fisheries specialist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said an analysis of lakes across the state didn’t find “negative impacts” from the use of forward-facing sonar in fishing.
Surveys by wildlife officers in Minnesota found people using forward-facing sonar ended up catching similar numbers and variety of fish as anglers who cast their lines the old-fashioned way.
“To some degree, it can get scapegoated a little bit, and people’s perceptions of what other people are doing is often different than what the reality is,” said Marc Bacigalupi, a regional fisheries supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
The department has proposed reducing the daily walleye limit from six fish to four, partially because of advancements in fish-finding technology, among other factors such as a boom in ice fishing, attention on hot spots from social media and lower limits in surrounding states.
For Daren Schneider, a lifelong angler from Bismarck, North Dakota, forward-facing sonar has changed everything he thought he knew about fishing.
When seeking walleye, for example, he thought you needed to catch them on or near the lake bottom, but after watching on sonar, he found “they do all kinds of things that you never thought a walleye would do.”
The technology has enhanced his understanding of fish and his enjoyment of fishing, Schneider said.
“Fishing isn’t necessarily about catching fish and getting your limit or whatever,” he said. “It’s about being out there and making memories, and if it’s making memories with forward-facing sonar, why is that such a bad thing?”
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Iranian Americans are torn over Iran’s participation in the World Cup, as some community members plan to watch Monday’s match and others plan to protest outside the stadium where the team will play.
A rally is planned for outside the stadium near Los Angeles, home to the largest Iranian community outside Iran. Many of Southern California’s Iranian Americans arrived after the Islamic Revolution, and a hub of eateries, shops and markets about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the stadium is known as “Tehrangeles.”
Rally participants plan to wear lion-and-sun T-shirts and wave the country’s flag from before the 1979 Islamic Revolution in protest of Tehran’s deadly January crackdown on dissent.
Ali Javahery, a 59-year-old consultant who was born in Iran and lives in California’s Orange County, said he will be outside protesting Iran’s opening match against New Zealand, not inside watching it. He said soccer and politics are intertwined, and though he loves the sport, he says the national team’s players are under pressure to adhere to the Iranian government’s positions.
“This is not ‘Team Melli,’” as the national team is known in Persian, Javahery said. “This is Team Islamic Republic.”
Iran’s participation in the tournament has been fraught with conflict because of the country’s war with U.S. and Israeli forces. The team moved its training base to Mexico from Tucson, Arizona, and some of the country’s key soccer officials had not been granted visas to enter the United States. Many in the diaspora have mixed feelings over how to show their support of the Iranian people, but not the government, through their love of soccer.
“We play for every Iranian, be it in the diaspora or in Iran. People have different opinions, but we are here to unite people and we will try to bring joy to all Iranians wherever they live,” team captain Mehdi Taremi said at a press conference Sunday. “We are here to bring joy to Iranian people. We do not get involved in politics. We are here to play football.”
Reza Garajedaghi, 57, said he will watch the game with his 96-year-old father in San Diego. He said he didn’t buy tickets for the game, partly because of the sky-high pricing. But he said he supports the team, politics aside, while respecting the wide range of views shared by Iranians in the diaspora.
“I’m a football die-hard, and the boys, they’re representing all Persians, Iranians around the world,” said Garajedaghi, who left Iran when he was 10 years old. “To me, it has nothing to do with whatever government they have in Iran.”
Watch parties are planned to cheer on the team in Southern California, and when Iran was assigned last year to play in LA, many bought tickets. But in recent months some said they have sold off their tickets in anger, following January’s brutal repression.
Some Iranian American soccer fans have also said the team is currently tied up in politics. In the past, Iranian athletes have faced serious consequences for speaking out. In 2022, a prominent former member of the national team was arrested for allegedly protesting against the country’s leadership, and star striker Sardar Azmoun wasn’t selected for the World Cup squad this year, reportedly because of a social media post that angered authorities.
Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei called Azmoun an “excellent player” and said he wished he were with the team.
“I am just happy that they are coming to watch us and I hope that they will pray for us and I hope that they will encourage us,” Ghalenoei said Sunday when asked about the sizable diaspora. He added that he hoped the team would pay back that loyalty by playing a good game.
Some Iranian Americans are also upset about FIFA’s rule barring political flags from being flown. They want to fly the pre-revolution lion-and-sun flag, which is not the official flag of Iran. The Iranian American Institute for Voices for Liberty said it filed a lawsuit last week in California to challenge FIFA’s flag rule.
During Friday’s opening ceremony in Los Angeles, members of the mostly American crowd booed when Iran’s flag was brought onto the field.
Late Sunday, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. had reached a deal with Iran to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz. The war launched by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28 has rattled the region and virtually shut down oil and natural gas shipments from the Persian Gulf. Details of the deal, expected to be signed Friday, weren’t available.
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AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham contributed to this report.
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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
Many Asian American and Pacific Islander adults have experienced or witnessed some degree of upheaval because of the Trump administration’s heightened immigration policies, a new AP-NORC/AAPI Data poll finds, while most say the U.S. is no longer the land of opportunity for immigrants.
A new poll released Monday from AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows about half of AAPI adults say they — or someone they know — have been detained or deported within the last year, started carrying proof of immigration status or U.S. citizenship, upended travel plans or significantly changed their routines because of immigration status.
The findings come after more than a year of immigration crackdowns. The poll indicates that the Trump administration’s aggressive approach, which has resulted in multiple clashes between protesters and enforcement officers and led to the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis earlier this year, may be changing the way some people in immigrant-heavy communities see the U.S. itself.
AAPI adults are one of the country’s fastest-growing demographic, and most AAPI adults in the U.S. were born outside the country. The survey found a majority of AAPI adults — about 6 in 10 — believe the U.S. used to be a great country for immigrants but is not anymore. Only about 3 in 10 AAPI adults say America is a great place for immigrants, while a few, 5%, say it was never a great place for immigrants.
At the same time, AAPI adults are more likely than Americans overall to see the mixing of culture and values from around the world as central to the country’s identity.
“America’s success story has depended critically on the role of Asian Americans, but also immigrants in general,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder and executive director of AAPI Data. “When you have people who are already in this country, have been here for decades saying, ‘I’m not really sure that this is the best country anymore,’ that’s a warning sign.”
Even some immigrants with legal status have been affected by the Trump administration’s policies. One policy that would have hiked fees for certain types of visas was shot down in federal court this month. Another judge struck down a policy that “categorically barred” immigrants from 39 Asian, African, Latin American and Middle Eastern countries from receiving final decisions on asylum, work permit, green card and citizenship applications.
Khoa Tran, 27, of San Antonio, Texas, came to the U.S. from Vietnam in 2015 at age 15. He gained citizenship four years later. In 2023, he sponsored his wife from Vietnam.
Last year, Tran became concerned when his social media feed kept bringing up posts about how essential it was that even legal immigrants carry documentation. It had not occurred to the couple that his wife should have her green card with her at all times.
“It seemed like we needed to do it. It’s literally become like a second form of identification in addition to the driver’s license,” Tran said.
He has also seen how international students in his community have put off trips to visit family in Asia due to concerns about student visas.
“They’re just scared. They don’t know the law around that,” Tran said. “Better safe than sorry.”
About half of South Asian adults — compared to about 4 in 10 AAPI adults overall — know someone who started carrying proof of legal status or citizenship over the last year. South Asian adults are much more likely than East Asian or Southeast Asian American adults to have been born outside the U.S., according to the survey. Many of those immigrants may have green cards or be naturalized citizens, Ramakrishnan said, yet feel “like their presence and their status in this country is under question.”
AAPI adults are likelier to say their family’s ancestry or country of origin is “extremely” or “very” important to their personal identity, compared to being an American.
Just over half of AAPI adults say their family’s ancestry or country of origin is important to who they are, while 44% say this about their American identity. That extends to AAPI adults who were born in the U.S. About 6 in 10, 59%, U.S.-born AAPI adults say their family’s heritage is important to their personal identity, while 47% say this about being an American.
A separate AP-NORC survey conducted in April found that 55% of U.S. adults say being an American is important to who they are, while only 37% said that about their family’s ancestry.
Abigail Jeyaraj, 22, of South Hadley, Massachusetts, was born in Texas. Her Indian parents’ decision to build a new life in the U.S. is something she never takes for granted. When she describes her nationality, she identifies herself as not just “American” but South Asian American.
“Especially as a South Asian woman, I’m very sensitive to the fact that I have opportunities that my mother and my grandmother, all the women before that didn’t,” Jeyaraj said. “I really try to honor that culture. I try to maintain really strong connections to my family in India.”
Soonho Kwon, 30, of La Mirada, California, was born in Korea. His family settled in New Jersey when he was 8 years old.
“I think I still feel more Korean. I came right around the age where I had very solid memories from growing up in Korea. My immediate family’s back there now,” Kwon said. “I’m a naturalized citizen. I’m committed to living here, but identity is a different question.”
The vast majority, 73%, of AAPI adults say the mixing of cultures and values from around the world is “extremely” or “very” important to the U.S.’s identity as a nation, compared to only 55% of U.S. adults in the April AP-NORC poll.
Jeyaraj grew up around Dallas and Houston — cities where she was “able to interact with people of so many different races and different cultures that weren’t my own.” She credits that experience with making her more empathetic.
Restrictions on immigration and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives leave her feeling conflicted about celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary this year.
“I’m proud we made it this far as a country,” Jeyaraj said. “You have recent actors who are trying to undo that progress. They maybe view it as restoring an ideal, but it’s removing so much work that powerful and influential people made to bring us toward an ideal of equality and justice.”
The anniversary feels arbitrary to Tran, a math teacher.
“I don’t think this country is ‘founded’ at some point in time. It just changes from one form to another,” Tran said. “Even the Native Americans (were) a long time here. I’m pretty sure that was more than 250 years.”
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The poll of 1,075 U.S. adults who are Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders was conducted April 20-28, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based Amplify AAPI Panel, designed to be representative of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. This poll is part of an ongoing project exploring the views of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, which are usually not highlighted in other surveys because of small sample sizes and lack of linguistic representation.