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  • Chiefs lock in Patrick Mahomes through 2033 with a $504.75M reworked deal, AP source says


    KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes is set to be the quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs well into the next decade.

    The Chiefs and the two-time MVP agreed to a restructured contract Wednesday that adds two years to his deal and pushes the total compensation past a half-billion dollars, a person familiar with the terms told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Chiefs do not disclose financial terms of their contracts.

    The Chiefs later posted a photo of Mahomes signing his extension on social media.

    Mahomes signed a 10-year, $450 million contract in 2020 that set a benchmark not only for the quarterback position but for any football player. The latest extension ties the two-time MVP to the Chiefs through the 2033 season, when Mahomes will be 38, and it comes in at $504.75 million, with incentives and escalators that could push the value $522.25 million.

    “Over the last decade, Patrick has become one of the most iconic, beloved sports figures of all time,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said. “He has helped lead our franchise to five Super Bowl appearances and three championships, he has been instrumental in shaping the Chiefs brand and putting Kansas City on the world stage, and on top of it all he has been an outstanding role model.

    “Patrick is a generational talent and an elite human being and I’m so excited he will continue to lead our team into the future.”

    The Chiefs and Mahomes regularly rework his contract in the offseason, giving the team the financial flexibility to surround him with enough talent to compete for championships. The latest deal, though, includes a massive pay increase after recent deals done for other quarterbacks — among them Dak Prescott, Jordan Love, Joe Burrow and Josh Allen — had reset the QB market.

    Prescott’s four-year deal included a league-leading average of $60 million per year. Mahomes will now average $63.1 million.

    “The magic continues,” his agency, Equity Sports, and its chief executive Chris Cabott wrote on social media Wednesday.

    Mahomes underwent season-ending surgery last December after tearing ligaments in his left knee in the waning minutes of a loss to the Chargers. He has spent the entire offseason rehabbing the injury in Kansas City, and he has been on the field for the entirety of the Chiefs’ offseason program, which concludes Thursday with the final day of their mandatory three-day minicamp.

    “I like what I’ve seen. He’s working hard,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said earlier in offseason workouts. “This is good for him, I mean getting out there and throwing. It’s good rehab as he continues to rehab, so he keeps the feel with the wide receivers. Or he’s doing partial practice and — but it’s important that he keeps his timing up. He’s busting his tail to put himself in this position.”

    Mahomes has insisted ever since his injury that his goal was to be ready for Week 1 of the coming season.

    The Chiefs play their preseason opener against the Rams on Aug. 15, but their regular-season opener is not until Sept. 14, when they face defending AFC West champion Denver in a marquee Monday night matchup at Arrowhead Stadium.

    “I want to be out there with my guys,” Mahomes said recently, “but I know that’s still a long ways away, and so all I can do is execute the day and do whatever I can do to be better that day. We’ve done that up until now, and we’ve set these checkpoints and these goals of where I want to be at, and I’ve gotten to those. So now I just have to continue to do that at the right pace.”

    Mahomes has been shattering records ever since the Chiefs made him their starter for the 2018 season. He has thrown for nearly 36,000 yards, earned six Pro Bowl nods and won three Super Bowl titles in five trips to the championship game.

    The Chiefs had been to three straight Super Bowls before finishing a disappointing 6-11 last season. Mahomes was on injured reserve for the final three games, all of them losses, while the Chiefs turned their attention toward the coming season.

    “As a competitor and as a football player, I want to be there,” Mahomes said. “I can’t predict the future. All I can do is be great today and then continue to be great tomorrow, but I’ve gotten to where I’ve gotten to because of that mindset and the goal at the end — the very far end — is to be ready and to be able to go out there and play with the guys Week 1.”

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


  • Serena Williams’ doubles campaign at Queen’s Club in jeopardy after Victoria Mboko injury


    LONDON (AP) — Serena Williams’ doubles campaign at Queen’s Club could be over after one match.

    Victoria Mboko, the American star’s doubles partner, retired from her singles match against Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday after sustaining a knee injury in the second set.

    Williams and Mboko had won their opening doubles match Tuesday — in the 44-year-old Williams’ return to professional tennis after nearly four years away from the sport — and are scheduled to play again Thursday.

    As of Wednesday night, Mboko and Williams remained on Thursday’s schedule to face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarterfinals. It’s set to be the last match of the day at the HSBC Championships.

    While trying to return a shot against Pliskova, the 19-year-old Canadian slipped behind the baseline and immediately grabbed her left knee. Mboko had lost the first set 6-2 and was up 4-3 in the second against the 2021 Wimbledon runner-up, who was facing a break point.

    Mboko got up on her own but then told a physiotherapist there was “no stability right now.”

    She walked gingerly to her bench and put a towel to her face as she sat down. Minutes later, she retired from the match.

    Williams had previously announced that she will also play doubles at the Berlin Open next week.

    On Tuesday, Williams and Mboko beat third-seeded duo Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6 (2), 6-2 in Williams’ first professional match since the 2022 U.S. Open.

    Mboko is ranked No. 9 in singles.

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


  • Prosecutors paint Palisades Fire suspect as a premeditated arsonist in opening statements


    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prosecutors in the federal trial of the man accused of sparking last year’s deadly Palisades Fire laid out a narrative for jurors Wednesday of a premeditated arsonist who tried to cover his tracks, while his attorneys offered an alternate story of a man who tried his best to stop the blaze.

    Attorneys presented opening statements in the trial of Jonathan Rinderknecht, who has pleaded not guilty to starting what became one of the most destructive wildfires in California history. Whether prosecutors can prove to jurors that Rinderknecht, 29, started a fire in Los Angeles on Jan. 1, 2025, and that it then turned into the Palisades Fire will be at the center of the trial.

    Prosecutors say the Jan. 1 fire burned undetected deep in root systems before flaring back up on Jan. 7. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt O’Brien told jurors that security camera footage shows where and when the fire ignited atop a hill, and investigators were able to place Rinderknecht nearby because he called 911 for help 16 times in quick succession on the evening of Jan. 1.

    O’Brien said that Rinderknecht was the only person there that evening. He said that after firefighters arrived, Rinderknecht followed them up the hill to take videos of them putting out the blaze. Investigators later seized a barbecue lighter from his car that he admitted to having with him on the trail.

    Defense attorney Steve Haney said Rinderknecht was on the hilltop near the fire’s ignition that night, but only to watch the fireworks after dropping off Uber passengers nearby. Haney said multiple witnesses as well as first responders will testify that they heard fireworks in the area around the time the fire ignited.

    “When all the evidence is in, there will be one thing missing: proof that Jonathan Rinderknecht started that fire on Jan. 1,” Haney told jurors.

    The Palisades Fire ultimately killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes as it incinerated hillside neighborhoods in Pacific Palisades and the city of Malibu. Rinderknecht faces at least five years in prison if convicted of charges that also include malicious destruction by means of a fire.

    O’Brien, in his opening, painted a picture for the jury of a troubled young man who was lonely and angry at the world after a recent breakup.

    “He wanted revenge — revenge against society because he blamed society for all his troubles,” he said.

    O’Brien also showed jurors a prompt that Rinderknecht had entered into ChatGPT six months earlier. “So on the far left, we’re going to have a burning forest and then you have a bunch of people running away from that,” the prompt began.

    Haney reminded jurors it didn’t matter if they liked his client or “approve of the way Jonathan uses his computer.” He said Rinderknecht’s behavior after the fire, from calling 911 to cooperating with investigators, demonstrated his innocence.

    Haney played an audio recording of Rinderknecht’s conversation with a 911 operator during which he reported a fire in the Pacific Palisades.

    When federal investigators knocked on Rinderknecht’s door, he didn’t hide or refuse to answer, Haney said. Rinderknecht even agreed to drive back to the Palisades to help investigators pinpoint the start of the fire.

    “It’s the voice and actions of a man who was trying to stop the fire,” Haney said.

    Leading up to the trial, Haney has argued that Rinderknecht is being made as a scapegoat for the Los Angeles Fire Department’s failure to fully extinguish the Jan. 1 blaze.

    Judge Anne Hwang has ruled that the defense can’t introduce evidence or arguments about alleged negligence by the Fire Department, saying it was irrelevant and could confuse the jury. Defense attorneys had planned to include testimony from a firefighter that the fire was visibly smoldering when first responders left before it reignited days later.

    Prosecutors began presenting their case by calling witnesses with California State Parks and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to establish that the fire affected areas with federal jurisdiction.

    They also called Special Agent Michael Montevidoni with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, one of the lead investigators in the case.

    Montevidoni spent hours on the stand explaining to jurors how investigators gathered evidence and interviewed more than 100 of Rinderknecht’s friends, family and acquaintances.

    Prosecutors also introduced a multitude of digital records into evidence obtained from his phone, email, Uber, OpenAI and various social media accounts.

    Montevidoni said he reviewed thousands of conversations between Rinderknecht and ChatGPT, during which Rinderknecht lamented wealth disparity and climate change in the world and his inability to do anything about it.

    These conversations led up to early hours of Dec. 31, 2024, during which Rinderknecht sent angry messages to a woman that he had a prior romantic relationship with. At the same time, he vented to ChatGPT, Montevidoni said.

    “It was consistently showing anger and frustration,” Montevidoni said.


  • Letter: NC State looking into potential legal claims against LSU tied to coach WIll Wade’s exit


    RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — N.C. State is investigating potential legal claims against LSU tied to men’s basketball coach Will Wade leaving for a second stint coaching the Tigers. That includes whether LSU violated a North Carolina state law.

    N.C. State vice chancellor and general counsel Allison B. Newhart wrote to LSU counterpart Carlton Jones last week about the matter, a development first reported by WRAL in Raleigh. The letter was later obtained by The Associated Press in a records request.

    According to N.C. State, it has received three email messages from LSU asking the school to “sign a release of claims” against LSU in the Wade matter.

    Letter cites a state law with potential financial damages

    Newhart’s letter from last Thursday states the school “has not agreed — and does not agree now — to release LSU from any liability” tied to Wade’s departure after one season with the Wolfpack in March.

    “Instead, N.C. State is investigating whether LSU improperly induced Coach Wade to breach his Employment Agreement, induced Coach Wade to terminate his Employment Agreement, and interfered with the timing of termination of the Employment Agreement to result in lower liquidated damages – all to N.C. State’s detriment,” Newhart wrote.

    That includes whether LSU violated the state’s Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act; violations can result in financial damages and attorney fees.

    Reached by the AP on Wednesday, N.C. State spokeswoman Lauren Barker said the school had no additional comment beyond the letter’s contents. LSU spokesman Michael Bonnette declined comment to the AP.

    The timing of Wade’s buyout payment is a key factor

    LSU hired Wade on March 26, two weeks after Wade publicly stated he was determined to win big at N.C. State in Year 2.

    The buyout in Wade’s contract was for $5 million, but was scheduled to drop to $3 million after April 1. At the time, athletic director Boo Corrigan said the school agreed to lower that to $4 million to close the matter and not delay the search for a successor that landed former Wolfpack player and Tennessee assistant Justin Gainey in less than a week.

    Newhart’s letter states the N.C. State received a $4 million wire from LSU on May 8 for Wade’s buyout. But she also writes that N.C. State considers the issue resolved “only as to Coach Wade’s personal obligations” and that the payment “does not absolve LSU from potential legal exposure.”

    Specifically, the letter states N.C. State “has reason to suspect “LSU may have influenced efforts to avoid or delay” notifying the school of the pursuit to trigger the lower buyout payment from after April 1.

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    AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this report.

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    AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball


  • Congressional funds in the works for Canal Street bridge

    NATCHEZ, Miss. — The city’s congressional lobbyist said legislation is “in the hopper” for the U.S. Congress to give Natchez about $2.4 million to rebuild the Canal Street bridge. Noting “it’s not a done deal yet,” Gregg Harper said the allocation still has more steps to take before the House and Senate send it to the president for his approval.

    The mid-1900s bridge is deteriorating and projected to have only about four years left of life.

    While Congress and the Mississippi Legislature earlier this year provided Natchez $2.5 million to replace the bridge, about $3.3 million more is needed, according to estimates provided to city officials. The old bridge is near the Natchez visitors center on Canal Street, a key transportation artery for the city. 

    Meeting Tuesday with Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson and Board of Aldermen, Harper expressed hope Congress will provide the additional dollars.

    A former U.S. congressman who represented Natchez for 10 years, Harper has been the city’s hired legislative lobbyist since leaving the House in 2019. He’s helped the city get funds from both Congress and the state Legislature. That includes the $2 million Congress appropriated in February and the $500,000 the Legislature earmarked in April for the Canal Street bridge. “I think there’s more to come,” Harper said Tuesday.  

    Repairs to the old bridge a year ago restored its capacity for buses and fire trucks, but Natchez officials continue to ban 18-wheelers from the span. All large vehicles were prohibited from crossing the much-traveled bridge in December 2023, when inspectors discovered corroded undergirdings that rendered it unsafe for heavy weight.

    “The bridge is expected to last another four years while we raise remaining funds, “ Gibson said in April.

  • Climate change makes once-rare coastal floods more likely, study says


    Extreme floods that once swamped coastal communities only rarely are becoming far more common as climate change caused by humans pushes sea levels higher, according to new research published Wednesday. Experts say the findings are crucial for making plans about floods and coastal infrastructure as the planet warms.

    These big coastal floods happen when high tides and storm surges — the amount above normal tide level — combine with seas that are already rising. Those pile on top of natural climate patterns and other human influence.

    Climate change has strengthened storms like Hurricane Ian, which caused significant flooding in 2022, scientists say. Flooding threatens hundreds of millions of people each year in low-lying coastal areas across the globe. It also causes billions of dollars in damage and can be deadly.

    Floods that historically had a 1% chance of striking a coastline in a year are now about 12 times more likely, on average, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change on Wednesday. Those events have become about four times more likely due to human-driven climate change, the research shows.

    Researchers looked at how often extreme sea level events — which cause coastal flooding — happen by considering long-term records from tide gauges at more than 100 sites, as well as using climate modeling. The study looked at the increase from 1900 to 2005. It was limited through 2005 because after that, there weren’t enough models that could point to instances of human-driven climate change. The researchers said their findings likely understate today’s risk, because human contributions to changes in coastal extremes have only increased since then.

    Researchers looked at which changes were caused by human activity, natural forces or shifts in the landscape. Although sea level changes earlier in the 20th century could mostly be chalked up to natural forces, the scientists found that since the 1960s, human-caused warming was the main reason sea levels are going up.

    A separate study published in the journal Science Advances on Wednesday also supports the idea that extreme ocean heights come from climate change, specifically around 58% of the days with big floods from 2000 to 2018. Climate change has also, on average, nearly tripled the number of days where the sea tops extreme flood levels since the 1970s, according to that study.

    “Essentially every coastal flood today has human fingerprints on it through climate change,” said Ben Strauss, chief scientist at Climate Central and a co-author of the Science Advances study. “Without the extra bit of sea level rise caused by global heating, most of these events would not have reached the status of flood.”

    The research in Nature Climate Change didn’t fully examine individual human factors, said Sönke Dangendorf, the lead author, but he noted greenhouse gases — the result of burning fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal — are the most significant.

    “Since the 1970s, it’s by far the dominating factor, and this is of course not good news,” said Dangendorf, also an associate professor at Tulane University. He said the threat is growing, and communities need to do more to prepare.

    Jeff Williams, a retired United States Geological Survey oceanographer who wasn’t part of either study, said the research shows that planners need to take the growing threats into account. They should also think about how much money they’ll need to increase coastal protection, he said, and figure out who pays for it.

    The current protections for New Orleans, for instance, “will likely not be adequate beyond the next couple decades,” Williams said.

    Nations across the globe are increasingly using renewable energies like solar and wind. Last year, clean power generation exceeded overall global electricity demand growth, and the share of renewables hit more than one-third of the world’s electricity mix for the first time.

    Even in the United States, where the Trump administration has boosted fossil fuels, solar is growing as coal power declines. As such, scientists have recently said the world is no longer on track for the worst case scenario for warming — but it’s also not on track to the best case, either.

    “The impacts, even of a relatively little sea level rise, can be pretty impactful on our coasts,” Dangendorf, the Tulane author, said.

    “There is a silver lining because we have control about how much we emit, right?” he said. “So we can stop that development, at least to some degree.”

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    Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at ast.john@ap.org.

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    Read more of AP’s climate coverage.

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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.


  • The Latest: US military says it fired on a tanker trying to transport oil from Iran


    The U.S. launched airstrikes Wednesday against Iran, and President Donald Trump said more are coming, as Tehran fired back at countries in the region. The U.S. military said it had fired on a tanker trying to transport oil from Iran in violation of its blockage on Iranian ports, the eighth merchant vessel disabled in the waters off Iran. Trump wouldn’t say if he planned to follow through on threats he made earlier in the war to attack bridges and utility plants in Iran. He urged Iran to sign a deal with the U.S.

    The president signed a $70 billion bill to fund immigration enforcement aimed at ensuring uninterrupted funding for the administration’s deportation agenda through the end of his term.

    Nevada, South Carolina and North Dakota hosted primary elections Tuesday, but much of the political world was focused on Maine’s high-stakes U.S. Senate contest. In South Carolina and Nevada, where Trump endorsed his favored candidates, his clout within his party was tested. Democrats hoped to build momentum in Nevada as part of a broader push to reclaim key governor’s seats.

    The Latest:

    Rubio to attend World Cup opening ceremony and US-Paraguay match in LA

    The State Department says the secretary of state will travel to Los Angeles for Friday’s U.S. opening ceremony of the World Cup 2026 soccer tournament and Team USA’s first match against Paraguay that night.

    The department said in a statement that Rubio would lead the U.S. delegation to the opening and be accompanied by Secretaries of Transportation and Homeland Security Sean Duffy and Markwayne Mullin.

    In addition to attending the World Cup events, Rubio will also meet with Paraguayan President Santiago Peña in Los Angeles.

    US says it has boosted Ebola response funding by another $20 million

    The State Department says that the Trump administration has contributed another $20 million toward efforts to counter the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in Africa, bringing the total U.S. contribution to more than $220 million since the outbreak began last month.

    The department said the new funds would go to assist the most affected countries – Congo and Uganda – as well as Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and South Sudan, to help them prepare for an outbreak and prevent its spread. That will cover support for national emergency operations centers, surveillance, testing and border screening, and infection prevention and control, as well as assistance in managing potential victims of the virus.

    The announcement came a day after Secretary of State Marco Rubio told EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that Europe needed to step up its response to Ebola.

    Hegseth says, ‘We are taking back our hemisphere’ to US troops in Cuba

    Speaking to American troops in Cuba on Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. is “defending the homeland. And we are taking back our hemisphere.”

    Hegseth cited the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine, which is often invoked to justify U.S. intervention in the Western Hemisphere. He also mentioned the “Donroe Doctrine” to reference Trump’s aggressive focus on Latin America and drug cartels.

    Trump has been trying to bring about regime change in Cuba with a punishing oil blockade on the island nation and federal charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro. Trump has also threatened military intervention while pointing to the U.S. capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.

    UN chief warns escalating attacks and rhetoric risk ‘full war’ in Iran and Gulf region

    Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that the ceasefire in the Gulf region “is more like a lesser fire,” as the world has witnessed in the last 48 hours, with the downing of a U.S. helicopter, U.S. retaliatory attacks on Iranian targets, and the Iranians firing at U.S. bases and facilities in the Gulf.

    “The world needs to see a complete ceasefire, with navigational rights and freedoms restored … and serious negotiations on the nuclear issues – ensuring that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful,” he said.

    Guterres also called for full implementation of the ceasefires in Lebanon and Gaza and an end to settler violence in the West Bank, now averaging six attacks a day.

    He said, “It’s time to get serious about the only credible way forward” – moving toward a two-state solution where Israel and Palestine live side-by-side in peace.

    GCC condemns Iranian strikes on Gulf states and Jordan

    The Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC, condemned Iranian air attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan on Wednesday, saying the “new heinous Iranian aggression” doesn’t create stability or build relations.

    “The Council affirms that these hostile acts do not serve any understanding or rapprochement, but rather distance people from one another, undermine the foundations of trust, sow discord, and close the doors of dialogue to which the GCC states have always called,” the GCC said in a statement on the sidelines of a meeting it held in Bahrain’s capital of Manama.

    The GCC blamed Iran for destabilizing the region and impacting international navigation and energy supplies through these “hostile acts.”

    The ministerial council said GCC states remain committed to diplomacy and good-neighborly relations, but questioned how future ties could be built while the attacks continue.

    Treasury sanctions Chinese and Hong Kong-based people and companies for supporting Iran

    The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on nine people and firms allegedly associated with supporting Iran’s weapons procurement program.

    Among those hit with sanctions is Hong Kong‑based firm Mustad and its leadership, who are accused of acting as an intermediary to facilitate transactions that would help Iran procure weapons.

    Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement that his agency is “disrupting the foreign procurement networks that support the Iranian military’s efforts to acquire weapons.”

    Speaker Mike Johnson says Pulte is coming ‘short term’ to renovate and downsize intelligence office

    The Republican leader spent another morning with Trump at the White House and said the president is “working very hard” to name a more permanent pick to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence – perhaps even by the time Pulte takes over June 19.

    Johnson called it a “good faith gesture” from Trump that Democrats should accept as part of an agreement for a short-term extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA. The spy tool expires on Friday if Congress fails to act, but lawmakers object to Pulte in the role, saying he is unqualified.

    Trump made it very clear, Johnson said, that Pulte will serve a “very short term – a sort of renovation role” to help the office of the Director of National Intelligence be “renovated and downsized.”

    US military disables merchant vessel trying to transport oil from Iran

    The U.S. military disabled an eighth merchant vessel in the waters off Iran on Tuesday, U.S. Central Command announced in a social media post on Wednesday.

    According to U.S. Central Command, U.S. forces disabled Palau-flagged M/T Settebello, which they say was trying to transport oil from Iran, after their crew failed to comply with their directions. “A U.S. aircraft fired precision munitions into the ship’s engine room,” the statement said.

    In a black-and-white video accompanying the statement, a small object can be seen slamming into the back of the ship before a large explosion erupts. Afterwards, the video zooms out, and the ship is seen floating, but with smoke billowing from the back.

    Trump seems to suggest the US is ferrying oil out of the Strait of Hormuz

    The U.S. president seemed to say that “millions of barrels of oil” have been secreted past Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz, helping to ease energy price pressures.

    “Do you know, we’ve been taking out millions of barrels of oil?” Trump said. “Nobody knows it. You know who doesn’t know about it? Iran. Until right now. We took out the other night, 22 ships late at night with no lights, because they don’t have any radar, because we blasted the crap out of it.”

    The president said that U.S. forces have been removing millions of barrels of oil on a nightly basis, and he had previously “wanted to say it so badly.”

    Inflation just climbed to 4.2% annually, and Trump calls those numbers ‘great’

    As affordability concerns hurt his popularity, the U.S. president declared that he loves the figures in the latest consumer price index report, which showed inflation hitting 4.2%, the highest level since April 2023.

    “I love it,” Trump said without irony. “The numbers were great.”

    The president said that he thought the numbers were good because he believes that they’ve been driven by higher energy costs tied to the Iran war, suggesting that inflation would ease “as soon as this war is over.”

    Inflation has worsened under Trump’s watch, initially because of last year’s tariffs and now because of a conflict that has blocked oil and natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

    Trump piles on about Platner, saying ‘he’s just an outright pig’

    The president continued his sharp criticism of Platner in subsequent comments, saying, “He’s like a pig.”

    “I watched him a couple of times,” the president said. “He’s like a pig. That’s what he reminds me of.”

    Trump added, “You know, I come up with good names for people. I don’t want to stick him with that one, although I think pigs would be very upset,” drawing laughter from Republican lawmakers in the Oval Office with him.

    Trump has used “pig” or variations of it as insults before against reporters and political opponents.

    Trump signs $70 billion immigration enforcement bill

    Trump has signed a bill into law that gives his immigration and deportation agenda a nearly $70 billion boost for the rest of his time in the White House.

    The bill provides $38 billion for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and $26 billion for the Border Patrol. An additional $5 billion would cover unforeseen costs, according to the White House.

    Trump signed the legislation in the Oval Office on Wednesday, a day after House Republicans pushed the measure through by a 214-212 vote over the objections of Democrats. His signature ended a nearly six-month fight over Department of Homeland Security funding that began with the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, in January during federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis.

    Trump says he doesn’t want to renew trade pact with Canada and Mexico

    The U.S. president told reporters that he’s “not looking to renew” the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a trade deal that, without a commitment by July 1, would face annual reviews of its status and possibly expire in 2036.

    “I’m not looking to renew it,” Trump said, even though he originally negotiated the pact to replace an earlier trade deal for North America.

    Trump said that the earlier agreement was worse than the USMCA. Still, he was displeased with the results.

    “You know, with Mexico and Canada, we have trade deficits,” Trump said. “We should have surpluses with them. We don’t need their cars. We don’t need their lumber. We don’t need their energy. We don’t need anything that they have.”

    Trump says Maine’s Collins is ‘not my best friend,’ but he’s backing her

    Trump said that Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine has his backing in her reelection campaign this year, even though she voted in 2021 to convict him of impeachment for the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

    After repeatedly insulting Collins’ Democratic opponent, Graham Platner, Trump said he was backing Collins “because she’s a sane woman.”

    “She’s not my best friend at all,” the president added.

    Trump said that Collins has “maybe a little different ideology than me,” but she’s “a respected person” and a better choice than Platner.

    Iran says the US bombed two of its water reservoirs

    Water supply to thousands of residents have been cut off on Wednesday after two reservoirs in the city of Sirik were damaged by a U.S. strike, according to Hashem Amini, the head of the state-owned National Water and Wastewater Engineering Company, and the head of the local water company.

    Iran’s state media published a video of what it said was a damaged water reservoir in southern Iran. The Associated Press could not immediately verify the footage or the claims.

    U.S. Central Command had no immediate comment. Central Command said earlier Wednesday that it had “struck Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz.” Sirik is at the eastern end of the strait.

    Trump announces more strikes against Iran

    Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the U.S. would be striking Iran again on Wednesday after a helicopter collision with an Iranian drone.

    “We’re going to hit them again hard today,” Trump said. He wouldn’t say if he planned to follow through on threats he made earlier in the war to attack bridges and utility plants in Iran.

    He urged Iran to sign a deal with the U.S., saying “we were really close to a deal but they keep tapping us along.”

    Trump says of Platner: ‘He’s worse than any human being that’s run for office probably’

    The president spoke at length about Democrat Graham Platner, who clinched Maine’s Democratic Senate nomination on Tuesday.

    Trump said Platner “is a thug. He’s a cheap, no-good person.” He also called him “fake” and “phony.”

    The president mentioned the numerous accusations against Platner and wondered what would happen if Republicans had a candidate like that.

    Trump himself has faced numerous accusations about his past treatment of women, including being found liable for sexual abuse. The president also has endorsed Senate hopeful Ken Paxton, a Texas Republican with a checkered public past.

    Trump also, unprompted, mentioned Jeffrey Epstein, faulting Democrats for fixating on Epstein while still backing Platner.

    Trump to sign immigration funding bill

    Reporters were allowed into the Oval Office shortly before 11:20 a.m. to accompany Trump for his signing of a bill to fund immigration agencies through the end of his presidency.

    Several Republican lawmakers are in attendance, including Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. A frequent Trump nemesis, he chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which is one of the panels with jurisdiction over immigration.

    “Boy oh boy, it’s nice to have Rand,” Trump remarked Wednesday as he kicked off the event.

    Trump asks Congress for short-term FISA extension

    As reauthorization of a critical national security law remains snarled in Congress, the president is asking lawmakers to send him a short-term extension to avoid a lapse in surveillance authorities.

    Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act expires this Friday. Democrats are now balking at an extension because of the president’s surprise appointment of Bill Pulte as his director of national intelligence.

    Pulte has no apparent background in national security and is seen primarily as a Trump loyalist. Yet Trump has not backed down from temporarily appointing Pulte.

    “FISA 702 is very important to our Military, and keeping the American People safe, especially during the World Cup and America250 Celebrations,” Trump wrote on social media on Wednesday. A short-term extension will “provide time for the selection and confirmation of a permanent Head of the Agency,” he wrote.

    Hegseth says US military is prepared as he visits American sailors at base on Cuba

    Speaking to sailors at a U.S. Navy base in Cuba Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said American forces will be prepared to do whatever the president decides regarding the island nation that Trump has repeatedly threatened with military intervention.

    Hegseth said the Pentagon will be “postured for any possible contingency” as the Trump administration pressures Cuba’s leadership to stand down with an oil blockade, charges against former Cuban President Raul Castro and repeated threats of force.

    The U.S. has maintained a Navy base on the island despite diminished relations with Cuba following its revolution in the 1950s. Cuban leaders recently told The Associated Press that the Trump administration’s pressure campaign is “pretext” for trying to persuade the American people to support a military intervention.

    US households and businesses stung by higher energy prices

    Prices have now risen faster than wages for several months, pressuring many Americans’ finances and causing consumers to take a decidedly dim view of the economy. Families are dipping into savings and falling behind on their credit card bills. Large retailers have noticed changes in customer behavior, like buying smaller amounts of gas at the pump.

    Inflation is now well above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, and economists note that child care and many other services are still rising much more quickly.

    New Fed chair Kevin Warsh will preside over his first policy meeting next week. The central bank is expected to keep its key interest rate unchanged but will likely remove a suggestion that its next move could be to lower rates. With inflation proving stubborn, financial markets expect it could instead raise rates by the end of the year. That could make mortgages, auto loans, and business borrowing even more expensive.

    David Flippo wins Nevada GOP congressional primary with Trump’s backing

    Retired Air Force Lt. Col. David Flippo has won the Republican primary in Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District after securing Trump’s endorsement in the closing weeks of the campaign.

    Democrats had hoped for a Flippo victory, thinking it would make it easier for former majority floor leader Teresa Benitez-Thompson to win over less-partisan voters in November.

    Tuesday’s primary also set the general election contest for governor, with state Attorney General Aaron Ford defeating a progressive candidate and moving on to face Republican Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo. Ford would be Nevada’s first Black governor if elected.

    UN human rights chief urges ‘rethink’ of US immigration policy ahead of World Cup

    Issues around “racial profiling, surveillance and immigration enforcement” were cited by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk even before the 48-nation, 39-day tournament starts Thursday.

    Iran’s team was moved to a training camp in Mexico, some Iranian officials were denied U.S. entry visas, Africa’s top referee from Somalia was refused entry in Miami and images circulated of a Senegal player being frisked on an airport tarmac. Fans who spent thousands of dollars on flights, hotels and tickets for the most expensive World Cup ever have had their travel documents denied or revoked.

    “I really hope that there is a massive rethink of how immigration enforcement is respecting human rights and human dignity,” Türk told reporters. He called for a “dignified and safe environment, for the teams that compete but also for the supporters, for the whole society and frankly for the world.”

    ▶ Read more

    22 nations call on Iran to stop targeting people in other countries

    The U.S., Britain and 20 other nations said Iranian security groups must stop plotting to kill, kidnap and harass people in Europe, North America and Australia.

    Britain’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office said Wednesday that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Intelligence Organization, Quds Force and Ministry of Intelligence and Security have targeted Iranian dissidents, journalists and Jewish and Israeli communities and interests. The countries also condemned attacks claimed by a group named Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya.

    “We stand united in our determination to protect our countries and our people against these threats,’’ the statement said. “The Islamic Republic of Iran must halt these actions now.’’

    The statement was backed by Albania, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal and Sweden.

    US national parks visitors slam Trump administration for censoring history

    The Trump administration asked national park visitors last year to report any displays or exhibits saying “negative” things about Americans. Instead, most people who responded criticize the effort itself.

    The Associated Press analyzed 35,000 comments that were recently made public through a Sierra Club lawsuit. One visitor called the administration’s efforts “un-American.” Another derided the idea of “having Americans call in and snitch on each other.”

    “Hey Donald Trump!” wrote another — “Trying to erase history doesn’t mean it didn’t still happen!”

    But considering that the National Park Service logged some 323 million visits last year, the initial public comments were a tepid response. And a watchdog group calling itself Save Our Signs has documented at least 59 historical references being removed or modified as a result of Trump’s order.

    ▶ Read more


  • FBI seizing evidence at California plant where chemical tank overheated and forced evacuations


    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal authorities served a search warrant on Wednesday at a Southern California aerospace facility where a chemical tank overheated last month, forcing 50,000 residents to evacuate because authorities feared a catastrophic explosion.

    The warrant signed by a federal judge last week approved the seizure of documents and records related to the “storage, use, or disposal” of methyl methacrylate, the chemical inside the affected tank.

    “Samples of the substance within any tank, tote, drum, vat, vessel, or container suspected of containing or having previously contained methyl methacrylate and/or any hazardous substance” were also sought, according to the warrant.

    The warrant also orders agents to seize records related to “any cooling equipment or other equipment used to control or regulate the temperature of methyl methacrylate.”

    The FBI confirmed its agents were searching GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems in the Orange County city of Garden Grove. Multiple vehicles and several federal agents were seen outside the facility Wednesday morning.

    Company says it’s cooperating with authorities

    GKN Aerospace makes cockpit windows, canopies and windshields. The tank that overheated contained 6,000 to 7,000 gallons (22,700 to 26,500 liters) of methyl methacrylate, which is highly flammable. The liquid is used in the manufacturing of plastics and coatings, such as Plexiglas and dental prosthetics.

    Exposure to the chemical can cause serious respiratory problems, neurological issues and irritation to the skin, eyes and throat, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

    The chemical that overheated is still in the holding tank, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency, which is leading the site cleanup and waste removal efforts.

    The agency had planned to pump the neutralized methyl methacrylate from the storage tanks into sealed trucks for transport and disposal starting at the end of last week, according to a press release on the agency’s website. But on Friday, they said the removal didn’t happen “due to unavailable resources.”

    Once a new date is confirmed, they will provide advance notice to the community.

    Responding to a request for comment on the FBI investigation, a GKN spokesperson told the AP on Wednesday morning: “We are cooperating with authorities at our Garden Grove facility and will continue to do so.”

    GKN Aerospace’s Steve Carlin spoke at a community meeting Tuesday evening. He thanked the firefighters and local leaders who responded to the incident at the plant that employs more than 500 people, and apologized to the community.

    “On behalf of GKN and the Garden Grove plant I want to say that I’m sorry that this event and this incident occurred. I understand and I realized sitting here tonight what a disruptive event it was and how unsettling it is to the greater community. Particularly unsettling to us at GKN because of the long history that we have with Garden Grove and how connected we are to this community.”

    Garden Grove city leaders and residents urged GKN Aerospace to consider moving these tanks of methyl methacrylate off of the Garden Grove plant, so the chemical would be far away from residents and businesses. But Carlin said it is very early in the investigation into what happened, so it is too soon to decide what the company might do in response to the incident. He promised to be transparent with the community about the investigation.

    Overheating tank risked a catastrophic explosion

    The incident was reported on May 21 and evacuations began the next day. The tank overheated because a valve on the cooling system that kept it at 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) failed, officials said.

    Crews sprayed water on the tank until the interior temperature stabilized to 92 F (33.3 C), down from 100 F (37.7 C). A sprinkler system was used to douse the tank, and the company said its technical specialists and firefighters removed insulation from the tank to help cool it.

    A crack that formed by chance on the tank relieved pressure and helped avert a catastrophic explosion, allowing most evacuees to return home over the Memorial Day weekend. Authorities announced they were lifting the final orders after the temperature on the tank remained stable for four hours without intervention from sprinklers.

    Separately, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office also is conducting a criminal investigation into the GKN Aerospace plant, according to DA spokesperson Kimberly Edds.

    “We have sent a preservation letter to GKN directing them not to modify or destroy any evidence, which the company’s outside counsel confirmed receipt,” Edds told The Associated Press in an email.

    Lawyers in federal lawsuits welcome the FBI’s involvement

    About a dozen people and businesses that were among the 50,000 evacuated during the chemical emergency have filed lawsuits against the company. Some residents reported strong odors, respiratory irritation, headaches and dizziness. They question why the chemical plant was allowed to operate so close to homes.

    Lawyer Rickard McCune represents Big Rob’s Pizzeria and Fruit Caboose Concessions in a federal lawsuit claiming GKN Aerospace and parent company Melrose Industries were negligent and put the surrounding communities at risk. He said they’re pleased the federal government is investigating. The FBI’s involvement will help bring justice to those who were harmed, he said.

    Another lawyer, Alex Wheeler, represents Dinh Tran and Drippys Gourmet Ice Cream Sandwiches and said they’re relieved that the FBI is using its resources to investigate potential criminal acts.

    “As more information becomes public, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that the risk to our community posed by GKN’s operation of the Garden Grove facility may require a long term and lasting solution,” Wheeler said.

    GKN did not immediately respond to the allegations in the lawsuits.

    Orange County health officials assured residents that no contamination or fumes were released, and that they would keep monitoring the air for several months and checking the sewer and storm drains.

    The California incident was the first of two major hazardous chemical emergencies on the West Coast within a week of each other. Five days after the GKN Aerospace situation began, a large tank containing a corrosive chemical at a Longview, Washington paper mill ruptured and imploded, killing 11 people.

    ___

    Bellisle reported from Seattle. Associated Press journalist Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed.


  • Glenn Close will get an Oscar at last – honorarily. So will Ridley Scott and animator Floyd Norman


    Glenn Close will finally get her hands on an Oscar.

    Long considered among the best actors to never win one, the eight-time nominee will get an honorary Academy Award along with director Ridley Scott and animator Floyd Norman at the annual Governors Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday.

    “Throughout her extraordinary body of work, Glenn Close’s unparalleled emotional range has brought to life some of the most complex characters in cinema,” the academy said in a statement. “Floyd Norman is the legendary animator who has broken barriers and inspired generations of artists over his remarkable career. Sir Ridley Scott is a true visionary whose decades-long legacy has left an immeasurable impact on global cinema and culture.”

    Nominations for the 79-year-old Close date back to 1983, when she got her first nod for “The World According to Garp.” She was also nominated for her blockbuster turn as a rabbit-slaying stalker in 1987’s “Fatal Attraction” and was most recently up for a statuette for 2020’s “Hillbilly Elegy.”

    Her eight nominations tie her with Peter O’Toole for the most for an actor without a win.

    She has won virtually every other major award within reach, including three Emmys, three Tonys, three Grammys and three Golden Globes.

    The Governors Awards often go to artists with extraordinary careers, but no competitive Oscar. Tom Cruise, a recipient last year, is a case in point.

    Scott, the 88-year-old director of “Alien,” “Blade Runner” and “Gladiator” whose epic decades of work have blended popular success and prestige like few others, has also never won despite four nominations, including best director nods for “Thelma & Louise” and “Black Hawk Down.”

    Norman’s 65-year career began in 1956 when he became the first Black animator for Walt Disney Animation Studios, contributing to “Sleeping Beauty,” “Mary Poppins,” “The Jungle Book” and Robin Hood.” Decades later, he would work on “Mulan,” “Toy Story 2” and “Monsters, Inc.”

    Producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler will get the academy’s Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, presented to “a creative producer whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production,” the academy said.

    Vachon and Koffler co-founded the New York-based indie production hub Killer Films in 1995. Their credits as producers include “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” One Hour Photo” and “May December.” Both were nominated for best picture Oscars for “Past Lives” in 2024. Killer Films’ output includes “Velvet Goldmine,” “Happiness,” “Boys Don’t Cry,” “Far from Heaven” and “Carol.”

    The academy statement says the two “play a central role in American independent cinema, championing bold, ambitious and distinctive storytelling.”

    All the winners will be honored at a ceremony on Nov. 15 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood, the same complex that hosts the main Oscars ceremony. Along with luminaries who worked with the honorees, the event has been increasingly packed with young stars as it has become the unofficial kickoff to Hollywood’s award season campaigning.

    The Governors Awards, named for the academy’s board of governors and not the leader of the state, honor “extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences in any discipline, or for outstanding service to the Academy.”


  • Guadalajara ramps up security and promises safe World Cup after cartel violence scare


    GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — With the World Cup about to begin, heavily armed police and National Guard officers are patrolling the streets of Guadalajara as authorities try to reassure visitors and residents that security won’t be an issue in a city that was rocked by cartel violence earlier this year.

    Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state, will host four World Cup matches including South Korea against Czech Republic on the opening day Thursday. Mexico is co-hosting the tournament with the United States and Canada.

    Local officials say visitors have nothing to worry about despite the outbreak in violence in February following the Mexican military’s killing of the country’s most powerful cartel boss. The operation and waves of violence killed 70 people as cartel gunmen set fire to cars to block streets and fought with Mexican forces.

    “It’s important to remember that normalcy returned to the state in less than 48 hours after what happened in February,” Alfonso Briseño, the security coordinator in Jalisco told The Associated Press in the run-up to the World Cup. “I invite all tourists, all citizens of other countries, especially those who will be playing here in Guadalajara… They will be welcome. The Mexican government and the state of Jalisco guarantee their safety.”

    Briseño stressed that Jalisco has not faced any security issues recently and that a resurgence of trouble was not expected. He said local authorities were prepared to react quickly if anything happened again.

    Nearly 15,000 security personnel have been deployed in the region, including National Guard officers with assault rifles and vehicle-mounted machine guns near the stadium where the games will be played.

    “We are feeling very safe. We are not concerned about the same issues that we had a few months ago,” said Rodolfo Valencia, a 22-year-old resident of Guadalajara. “You can see a lot more police on the streets and there is a sense that there won’t be any problems around here. Having the World Cup here has helped because the authorities had to take action and make sure that everything goes well.”

    Jalisco state is the central hub of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, whose leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, or “El Mencho,” was killed in a capture attempt by the military in February.

    Security in Guadalajara will be a special concern for the June 26 match between Spain and Uruguay, when Spain’s King Felipe VI is expected to attend.

    Mexico has stepped up security countrywide

    More than 100,000 soldiers, marines, National Guard and police officers were expected to be deployed across the three Mexican host cities — Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey — as well as in major tourist destinations during the World Cup.

    Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday the “the opening ceremony is guaranteed” and “the World Cup will be enjoyed.”

    Anti-drone teams, surveillance-camera networks, special crowd management units and military and police patrols will operate during the duration of the tournament at Mexican stadiums, fan fests, airports, national-team camps and other strategic facilities in coordination with FIFA.

    Cartel violence may be less of an issue than street protests by groups trying to capitalize on the World Cup spotlight to cause unrest, traffic disruptions and bringing central parts of the city to a standstill.

    Demonstrators recently knocked down figures of World Cup soccer players, broke into a government building and even played a soccer match on a blockaded street.

    Teachers, families of Mexico’s 130,000 missing people, animal rights groups and a range of other social movements in Mexico were trying to put pressure on authorities and make demands.

    The U.S. Embassy on Tuesday reiterated its travel advisory for Americans to reconsider going to Jalisco. It also advised visitors to exercise extreme caution in Mexico City and Nuevo León, where Monterrey is located.

    Briseño dismissed concerns about security in the region.

    “We are prepared for any contingency,” he said in Guadalajara. “We are going to be the best venue, the most Mexican, the most hospitable, and the safest.”

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    Associated Press writer María Verza in Mexico City contributed to this report.

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