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  • Shooter kills 1 and injures 10 in Texas days after firing at a police officer, officials say


    A man who opened fire in the West Texas city of Midland in an attack Friday morning that left one person dead and 10 injured had shot at a police officer just days earlier during a chase, authorities said.

    The suspect, 45-year-old Victor Mata Villarreal, already was being sought by authorities when he began firing at police and bystanders in Midland on Friday before barricading himself in an abandoned veterinary clinic, where he was eventually found dead, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

    Police have provided limited details about how the shooting unfolded. Police arrived in the area after receiving reports of an active shooter, and Mata Villarreal started firing at officers, said Midland Police Chief Greg Snow. Several officers were pinned down behind their patrol cars and had to be rescued by an armored vehicle, Snow said, but no officers were shot.

    Police then got everyone out of the area. “We moved to deny more targets for this active shooter,” Snow said.

    A few hours after the shooting began, authorities used robot and drone footage from inside the building to confirm the shooter was dead, Midland Mayor Lori Blong. Police did not say how he died.

    A spokesperson for the city identified a man killed in the shooting as Ed Scott, a father and husband who worked in solid waste for Midland. He also did a lot of work with local and regional softball organizations, according to the city.

    Friends mourning his death described him in social media posts as a softball umpire and volleyball official who was known for his kindness and jokes.

    Mata Villarreal, of nearby Odessa, was wanted for attempted capital murder of a peace officer after firing multiple times at a Midland police officer on Wednesday, the state’s public safety agency said.

    The officer, who wasn’t injured, fired back after initially trying to pull over Mata Villarreal, who drove away, investigators said. His vehicle was found empty a short distance away, they said. Police have not said why the officer tried to stop Mata Villarreal.

    Friday’s standoff happened about a half-mile (1 kilometer) from where the shots were fired at the police officer Wednesday.

    Police have not said why Mata Villarreal began shooting on Friday or provided any details about the victims, including who they were, how they were shot or the conditions of those still hospitalized.

    Midland Memorial Hospital said four people who were brought there underwent surgery and that five had been treated and released.

    Calls to numbers listed for some relatives of Mata Villarreal in Texas went unanswered Friday or appeared to be lines that had been disconnected.

    Mata Villarreal had several previous encounters with law enforcement, including some arrests, records show.

    He was convicted on a 2009 charge of unlawfully carrying a firearm in San Angelo, according to Texas criminal history records.

    He was charged in 2003 and 2004 for unlawfully carrying a weapon and unlawful possession of a prohibited weapon, but both cases appear to have been dismissed as part of a plea. He also pleaded no contest to a domestic violence charge in 2008 that was later dismissed.

    As police responded to Friday’s shooting, dozens of squad cars and law enforcement vehicles descended along what’s normally a busy roadway lined with hotels and auto businesses a few miles west of Midland’s downtown.

    Andrea Mendias said she heard what sounded like a small explosion at the closed veterinary clinic next to the auto body shop where she works and saw a number of heavily armed police officers rush into the parking lot. Some appeared to go inside the building.

    Mendias said she earlier heard what sounded like at least 40 gunshots.

    Video from Mendias showed officers pouring out of the back of an armored police vehicle and police deploying robots into the area.

    The city with about 140,000 residents sits in the heart of the state’s oil and gas region and was near the site of a deadly shooting rampage in 2019.

    In that shooting, a gunman who had been fired from his oil services job killed seven people and wounded two dozen others while firing at random as he drove around the Odessa and Midland areas. The two cities are more than 300 miles (482 kilometers) west of Dallas.

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    Associated Press reporters Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia and Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas, contributed.


  • Visa denial sidelines Thomas Partey for Ghana’s World Cup opener against Panama in Toronto


    TORONTO (AP) — Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey will not play in his team’s World Cup opener Wednesday after Canada denied his visa application while he awaits trial in London on multiple charges of rape.

    FIFA said Friday in a statement that the 32-year-old Partey won’t be able to travel from his team’s base camp in Smithfield, Rhode Island, for Ghana’s opening match with Panama in Toronto.

    “His visa application has been refused by the Canadian government,” the governing body of world soccer said. “FIFA is not involved in the immigration processes of host countries, including the adjudication of visas. As with previous FIFA events, the host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and is admitted into the country.”

    The Ghana soccer association did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

    Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said in a statement that every person wanting to come to Canada is assessed individually “based on the facts available and the law that applies.”

    “Canada is proud to be a host country for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is working to facilitate a successful event while maintaining the safety and security of Canadians,” the IRCC said in the statement. “Canada has been consistent that hosting major events does not change Canada’s immigration laws.”

    Partey was traveling back to Ghana’s base camp in Rhode Island after his visa denial. He will be able to play June 23 when Ghana plays England in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Ghana concludes group play June 27 against Croatia in Philadelphia.

    Partey is scheduled to stand trial in November or later on allegations dating to his time with English club Arsenal from 2020-25. Partey, who now plays in Spain for Villarreal, has pleaded not guilty.

    A second World Cup player, Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi, is awaiting trial on similar charges in Paris.

    Ghana is making its fifth appearance in the last six World Cups.

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


  • From the Mayor’s Desk: Natchez Day of Unity Happening Monday!

    From the Mayor’s Desk: Natchez Day of Unity Happening Monday!

    This Monday, June 15, at 5:30 p.m., we will be celebrating something truly special – our Sixth Annual Natchez Day of Unity. Begun in 2020, this event has become one of my favorites of the year. And this year we are taking it to the next level – a free Ice Cream Social at the Natchez Civic Center featuring live music by the Big Muddy Inn’s Amy Allen and the sounds of artists ranging from Marvin Gaye to Jimmy Buffet orchestrated by WTYJ’s one and only DJ Buz! Hosted by our First Lady, Marla Gibson, this will truly be a great time – fun for our children and a time for friends and family to simply enjoy being together.

     

    Since the beginning of our administration, the promotion of unity has been our top priority, and with it two other key words, community and opportunity. Being a city of love is more than a noble ideal – it is obedience to the great commandment “to love one another”. And one of the things I love most about Natchez is that we are a community that knows how to come together. Through good times and challenging times alike, our strength has always been found in our people. We may come from different backgrounds, neighborhoods, churches, and walks of life, but at the end of the day, we are all part of the same city: One Natchez.

     

    Monday is going to be a special day, but truly, every day should be a day of unity. In today’s world, it can be easy to focus on the things that divide us. Social media, politics, and daily headlines often emphasize our differences. But events like this remind us that there is far more that unites us than separates us. And in Natchez we have the opportunity to be something truly special – a city that models love and the art of getting along.

     

    As with every celebration of unity, there is no agenda for Monday’s event other than coming together. Sometimes the most important conversations don’t happen in meeting rooms or government buildings. They happen when neighbors gather, when families spend time together, and when children laugh and play. Friendships can be formed and strengthened over something as simple as a scoop of ice cream.

     

    As your mayor, I believe our future depends not only on the things we build or the investments we attract, but also on the relationships we strengthen. A strong community is built when neighbors know one another, respect one another, and work together toward common goals.

     

    Nothing is required for Monday but to show up and share in the spirit of love that makes Natchez special. And enjoying refreshments together, along with music and fun, is bound to create an opportunity for residents of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy an evening of fellowship.

     

    I want to thank our First Lady and all those who have worked to organize this special event. I encourage every family in Natchez and Adams County to come out, enjoy the music, share some ice cream, and celebrate all that we, together, can accomplish as we move our city forward.

    Because Natchez Deserves More.

  • Judge rules Trump can stage UFC fights on the White House’s South Lawn this weekend


    WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge ruled on Friday that the White House is allowed to stage a UFC show this weekend in an elaborate ring already built on the South Lawn to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary — on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.

    U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta rejected a legal advocacy group’s request to block organizers from using the White House lawn as the venue for Sunday’s planned UFC mixed martial arts event.

    Mehta concluded that the plaintiffs likely don’t have legal standing to challenge the event and have failed to prove that they would suffer irreparable harm by the event going forward as planned. The judge also cited the plaintiffs’ “unreasonable delay” in suing to challenge an event that’s been in the works for months.

    “In the context of an emergency application — and coupled with the fact that the UFC fight date was long ago known — it is fair to say Plaintiffs unreasonably delayed bringing suit, undercutting their claims of irreparable harm,” Mehta wrote.

    Attorneys from the nonprofit Public Integrity Project sued to challenge Trump’s “UFC Freedom 250” event on behalf of an activist and a Vietnam War veteran. The two plaintiffs also asked the court to block organizers from building anything for the event on White House grounds, including a 92-foot-tall, 600-ton steel structure called The Claw.

    The plaintiffs’ alleged “aesthetic harms,” the judge noted, are temporary since The Claw will be disassembled starting Monday morning and staging equipment at the Lincoln Memorial must be removed before then. “The President’s musings about permanency of the Claw does not move the dial in the face of a White House official’s clear representation,” the judge wrote.

    The White House called the lawsuit a baseless attempt to prevent Trump from hosting an event that’s no different from many others routinely hosted at public forums in the nation’s capital.

    Trump’s administration can’t issue permits for sporting events on the South Lawn or at the Lincoln Memorial, where UFC fighters planned to hold a press conference in front of fans on Friday, according to plaintiffs’ attorneys. They noted that the event is a privately organized, for-profit business venture, with VIP packages costing millions of dollars.

    “The President’s administration is granting the UFC an extraordinary business opportunity it may not lawfully grant, and in exchange the UFC is throwing an event at which its leadership, fighters, advertisers, and various celebrities will all pay tribute to the President on his birthday,” plaintiffs’ attorneys wrote.

    Public Integrity Project attorney Brendan Ballou said the plaintiffs were disappointed in the judge’s decision but respect it and intend to “keep bringing cases to raise the cost of corruption in America.”

    “This isn’t a case about a sporting event, it’s about corruption, as a handful of people and companies stand to profit from our public monuments,” Ballou said in a statement.

    The National Park Service and the Interior Department are named as defendants in the lawsuit.

    In 2019, during his first term in office, Trump became the first sitting president to attend a UFC show. Trump, a Republican, is a friend of UFC president and CEO Dana White.

    Mehta was nominated to the bench by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. Mehta has presided over other Trump-related cases, including civil litigation accusing Trump of inciting a mob of his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, after he lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden, a Democrat.


  • Trump’s name poised to be removed from Kennedy Center after court denies last-minute move to keep it


    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Kennedy Center was running out of options Friday evening to keep President Donald Trump’s name on the facade of the iconic performing arts venue.

    A judge earlier in the afternoon rejected a request to pause a court-ordered deadline of Friday to remove references to Trump from the building and other aspects of the Kennedy Center’s operations. The institution appealed that ruling, an effort that was also rebuffed Friday evening.

    Scaffolding was erected around a section of the building that includes Trump’s name but the Kennedy Center sought a short extension to complete the work. Shortly after midnight, the Kennedy Center asked a judge to extend the deadline until noon Eastern Time on Saturday because of storms that had swept through the Washington area Friday, causing a delay. Some of the thunderstorms included lightning.

    In the filing, the Kennedy Center offered assurance that the “removal work is presently ongoing” and would “conclude in the early hours of the morning.”

    Dozens of people spent hours on the plaza in front of the Kennedy Center taking pictures and cheering occasionally as they broke into chants of “take it down.” Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex-officio board member who sued to have Trump’s name removed from the building, was spotted at one point on the plaza as well.

    After ignoring the Kennedy Center for much of his first term, Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his return to office. Just a month into his second term, he ousted the center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a board of trustees that named him chairman. Trump’s name was quickly added to the building.

    In his ruling that only Congress could make changes to the Kennedy Center’s name, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper also blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations that had been planned to start in July and last for two years.

    The Kennedy Center’s leadership argued in its appeal Friday that the renovation was badly needed and accused the lower court, in terms that seemed similar to Trump’s speech patterns, of interfering in the effort.

    “The District Court is not allowing us to close in order to properly fix up and repair the Building, including potentially life threatening structural damage like beams and parking garage ceilings that are rusted, and in serious danger of falling onto people below,” according to the appeal. “Indeed, total collapse!”

    Even as the Kennedy Center has fought efforts to remove Trump’s name from the building, it has taken steps to comply with Cooper’s initial ruling.

    A June 4 memo to staff from the Kennedy Center’s Office of General Counsel said email signatures, letterhead and other documents must reflect the name as “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” or “Kennedy Center.”

    The Kennedy Center’s website has dropped Trump’s name. And an earlier email sent to members offering ticket packages for the June 28 Mark Twain Award for American Humor ceremony came from the Kennedy Center without including Trump’s name.

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    Associated Press journalists Anna Johnson, Mark Sherman and Emily Wang in Washington and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.


  • Tortorella’s confidence unshaken as Golden Knights face elimination game in Stanley Cup Final


    RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — John Tortorella has never worried about how his Vegas Golden Knights handle tough situations in pushing to the Stanley Cup Final.

    That won’t change now, with the Golden Knights facing their first elimination game and dealing with an injury to center William Karlsson.

    The Golden Knights lost 4-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes in Thursday’s Game 5, moving the Hurricanes within a victory of claiming the Stanley Cup. The series shifts to Las Vegas for Sunday’s Game 6, with the Golden Knights aiming to force a Game 7 back here Wednesday.

    “They’ve been through it all,” Tortorella said in a Zoom news conference Friday morning. “They know what’s at stake here. We need to win one game. They’ll be ready to play.”

    Vegas — featuring numerous holdovers from the team that raised the Cup in 2023 — had only gained momentum since the abrupt firing of coach Bruce Cassidy in late March to hire Tortorella.

    The Golden Knights won seven of eight to close the regular season. They faced 2-2 playoff series in Round 1 against Utah and Round 2 against Anaheim, and won Games 5 and 6 to close out each. They swept the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche. And they held a 2-1 lead on Carolina after a double-overtime victory in Game 3.

    But the Hurricanes have gradually begun to turn the series.

    Since trailing 4-0 entering the third period of Game 3, the Hurricanes have doubled up the Golden Knights (13-6) while finding a spark with Brandon Bussi taking over in net. In Game 5, the Hurricanes got two more power-play goals from a unit that had sputtered through the Eastern Conference playoffs while also reversing Vegas’ second-period dominance.

    Vegas had compounding mistakes like getting a kill only for Brayden McNabb to immediately go to the box for cross-checking Jackson Blake in the second period. Or there was Mark Stone’s high stick on Jalen Chatfield in the third, leaving Chatfield bleeding from a cut above his right eye for a double-minor penalty.

    Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov scored after both, coming amid a postseason of questions as to when he and fellow top-liner Sebastian Aho would get rolling.

    “Anytime you give the other team’s best players the opportunity to be on the ice on the power play and feel good about themselves … you stack that up and it definitely can be challenging and tire guys out,” center Nic Dowd said afterward.

    Svechnikov’s scores pushed the Hurricanes to 6 of 16 (37.5%) on the power play this series, coming after they were at 12.5% (7 of 56) in a 12-1 push through the Eastern Conference playoffs.

    “One of the areas that we’ve lost a little bit is special teams, a couple of power-play goals last night,” Tortorella said Friday. “Like I said after the game, I thought at times we were killing, we had some good times as far as moving, being aggressive with our penalty kill, and are doing the job. Other times, not so good.”

    Then there’s Karlsson, who missed nearly six months with a lower-body injury before returning for his playoff debut to start the Anaheim series. He had three goals and six assists through 14 playoff games to elevate the Golden Knights, including goals in Games 1 and 4 against Carolina.

    But Karlsson appeared to injure his left arm or shoulder after getting knocked into the boards by Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker midway through the second. He got medical attention on the bench briefly, skated off and never returned.

    Tortorella said Thursday that Karlsson was “not going to be with us, probably” and Vegas needed a collective effort to replace him. He offered no additional details Friday morning.

    Still, he has defiantly promised the series would “be back here” for a Game 7.

    “We know what we have to do to beat this team,” McNabb said Thursday night. “It’s a matter of going home and winning one game. That’s all it is, and hopefully we’re back here for Game 7.”

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    AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl


  • Iran war is straining African airlines, industry body warns


    NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The war in Iran is driving up jet fuel prices and worsening supply strains for African airlines, forcing carriers to review routes and raising fresh concerns about the stability of the continent’s aviation network.

    The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) says the crisis has exposed its heavy dependence on imported refined jet fuel, leaving airlines vulnerable to global shocks.

    African carriers were already paying about 17% more for jet fuel than the global average before the Iran war, according to AFRAA. The new price pressures are adding to already thin margins across the sector.

    “The impact is dire and a major shock for our members,” AFRAA Secretary-General Abderahmane Berthe told The Associated Press. “Fuel represents between 30% and 40% of airlines’ operating costs. Any increase directly affects their balance sheets.”

    The aviation industry is closely watching the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy corridor through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil and fuel flowed before Iran effectively closed it for shipping at the start of the war in February.

    For African airlines, the effects are amplified by structural constraints, including higher procurement costs and a weaker ability to absorb shocks.

    Berthe said some carriers have introduced fuel surcharges, but most cannot pass on the full increase to passengers, forcing them to absorb losses.

    “They cannot pass these costs to passengers as this will affect demand,” he said.

    Supply disruptions have also raised concerns at major hubs including Nairobi, Kenya, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where consistent jet fuel availability is critical to regional and international operations, Berthe said.

    Some airlines have already begun adjusting networks, cutting frequencies and reviewing routes to manage rising costs and fuel uncertainty, he said.

    The crisis has renewed calls for Africa to strengthen domestic refining capacity and reduce reliance on imported jet fuel.

    “We need African solutions,” Berthe said. “Many African countries produce oil, but we still depend on non-African suppliers for refined jet fuel.”

    Attention is increasingly turning to projects such as Nigeria’s Dangote Refinery, which is expected to play a growing role in supplying refined fuel across the region, including to countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa.

    “We have seen hubs like Addis (Ababa) turning to Dangote for supply,” Berthe said. “This is expected to ease pressure on fuel supply chains during this period.”

    Despite the pressures, demand for air travel in Africa remains strong. AFRAA projects passenger growth of about 6% annually, outpacing many global markets.

    But Berthe warned that sustained shocks could weigh heavily on profitability and connectivity.

    “If this continues, the impact on African airlines will be very severe,” he said. “If Africa wants a resilient aviation sector, it must secure its own fuel future.”

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    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.


  • Serena Williams’ doubles partner Victoria Mboko to miss Wimbledon with knee injury


    LONDON (AP) — Rising star Victoria Mboko will miss Wimbledon because of a knee injury sustained during a match this week at Queen’s Club, where the Canadian teenager was in the spotlight as the doubles partner of Serena Williams.

    The 19-year-old Mboko, who is ranked No. 9, slipped and appeared to strain her knee during a match against Karolina Pliskova at the HSBC Championships. She retired from the match and later pulled out of the doubles event.

    “Unfortunately, my fall on Wednesday caused an injury to the MCL on my left knee, which sadly means I will miss the remainder of the grass season. This unfortunately means Wimbledon too, a tournament I had been so looking forward to playing this year,” Mboko wrote on Instagram.

    Williams and Mboko had won their opening doubles match Tuesday — in the 44-year-old Williams’ first professional match since the 2022 U.S. Open.

    While trying to return a shot in the second set against Pliskova, Mboko slipped behind the baseline and immediately grabbed her left knee. She told a physiotherapist there was “no stability” in it.

    In her Wimbledon debut last year, Mboko reached the second round where she lost to Hailey Baptiste.

    Mboko gave a special thanks Friday to Williams “for giving me this incredible opportunity to play alongside you. I learnt so much from you and am so sorry our tournament came to an end prematurely, but I hope we can play together again soon and finish what we started.”

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


  • Appeals court upholds FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s fraud conviction


    NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld the conviction of cryptocurrency entrepreneur and FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, finding that the 2023 trial that led to his 25-year prison sentence was not unfair.

    The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said Friday the government’s evidence against the once high-profile player in the cryptocurrency industry was “conservatively stated, robust.”

    A jury found that Bankman-Fried defrauded customers and investors of billions of dollars while he operated FTX, once the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange.

    The appeals court said the evidence proved that Bankman-Fried reassured FTX customers while also transferring billions of dollars for his own use and falsifying business records to conceal transactions.

    “While he was publicly reassuring customers, investors, and regulators that FTX customer funds were safe, he was simultaneously using FTX as his own personal piggy bank, spending customer funds on real estate, political contributions, and investments,” the appeals court wrote.

    The 2nd Circuit, which heard oral arguments in November 2025, rejected the defense’s argument that his trial was unfair because of a series of rulings by the judge that limited the evidence he could present. Judge Barrington D. Parker wrote the three-judge panel’s opinion.

    Bankman-Fried, 34, was convicted of fraud and conspiracy in 2023 after a meteoric rise and then dramatic fall in the cryptocurrency universe, where his company once advertised during the Super Bowl. Bankman-Fried testified before Congress and enjoyed celebrity endorsements from stars like quarterback Tom Brady, basketball point guard Stephen Curry and comedian Larry David.

    FTX collapsed in November 2022, leaving customers, investors and lenders short over $11 billion.

    At Bankman-Fried’s sentencing, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan criticized the entrepreneur’s trial testimony, saying he repeatedly committed perjury on the witness stand in testimony that was “often evasive, hair-splitting, dodging questions.”

    Kaplan also said Bankman-Fried should not be credited because some investors and customers might recover some money. He noted that customers lost about $8 billion, investors lost $1.7 billion and lenders were shorted by $1.3 billion.

    A request for comment was sent to Bankman-Fried’s lawyer. A prosecutor’s spokesperson declined comment.


  • What Elon Musk’s trillion means in real terms


    NEW YORK (AP) — Catapulted by the market debut of his rocket company SpaceX, Elon Musk is now the world’s first trillionaire.

    That level of wealth, all owned by just one person, was once unfathomable. Before Friday, the trillion-dollar mark was reserved for measures like the GDP (or staggering debt ) of a handful of major economies — and, in the last decade alone, the value of some of the biggest companies to ever trade on the stock market.

    Musk’s new title arrives amid a wider acceleration for the richest of the rich. Year after year, his former (although now very distant) billionaires club has reaped a growing number of members — from tech titans to celebrities. All the while, more and more people worldwide are struggling to pay their everyday bills. Many have decried the arrival of the first trillionaire as the latest and most alarming example of that wealth gap.

    The number “one trillion” is hard in itself for the human mind to comprehend. One trillion dollars is a thousand times greater than $1 billion. And a million times more than $1 million.

    According to Forbes, Musk’s net worth actually hit $1.1 trillion on Friday, after SpaceX soared in its market debut. Most of that money is in stock. Still, here are some ways to think about how far one trillion could go.

    To the moon and back, over 200 times

    Thinking about what $1 trillion looks like is almost as astronomical as the interplanetary — and at this point, still far from realized — goals SpaceX has laid out for itself.

    In terms of physical cash, one trillion U.S. dollar bills laid end to end would stretch nearly 97 million miles (or almost 156 million kilometers). That would account for the distance of more than 200 round-trip journeys to the moon — which NASA says sits an average of 238,855 miles (nearly 384,400 kilometers) away from Earth. It would also surpass the roughly 93 million miles (about 150 million kilometers) between Earth and the sun.

    $122 for every person on Earth

    There are nearly 8.2 billion people living on Earth today, per the latest numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau. If $1 trillion was divided among the entire population, each person would receive almost $122.

    Double the GDP of South Africa

    One trillion dollars is more than double the annual GDP of South Africa, the country where Musk was born. According 2026 numbers from International Monetary Fund, the nation’s output of goods and services stands at nearly $480 billion.

    Only about 21 countries in the world have a GDP over the trillion-dollar mark today. The U.S. and China lead the pack at more than $32.38 trillion and $20.85 trillion, respectively, but that is far ahead of most other economies.

    2.5 million homes in the US

    Houses sold in the U.S. have a median sales price of about $403,200, per the latest numbers from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. With $1 trillion, you could buy nearly 2.5 million homes at that cost.

    243 billion gallons of gas

    At current U.S. gas prices — which averaged at nearly $4.11 a gallon Friday per AAA — $1 trillion could buy more than 243 billion gallons of regular fuel.

    To help put that in context, that far surpasses the nearly 137 billion gallons Americans used on finished motor gasoline all last year. And prices at the pump were much less expensive in 2025. Steep oil prices, spanning from the U.S. and Israel’s ongoing war against Iran, propelled the national average above $4 a gallon for the first time in four years.

    Over $700 billion ahead the world’s second richest person

    According to Forbes, the second-richest person in the world today is Google co-founder Larry Page — who carried a net worth of nearly $294 billion as of midday Friday. That’s $706 billion under the trillion dollar mark.

    In fact, the combined net worth, as of Friday, of the four men following Musk on Forbes’ richest list — which, beyond Page, includes fellow Google co-founder Sergey Brin ($271 billion), Amazon’s Jeff Bezos ($249 billion) and Oracle’s Larry Ellison ($232 billion) — amounted to about $1.05 trillion.

    Those fortunes can oscillate by tens of billions of dollars by the day, or even a matter of hours. Musk’s own net worth has rapidly ballooned in value. Just last year, his net worth sat at $342 billion per Forbes — up from $195 billion in 2024.