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  • Feds turn over evidence in Renee Good and Alex Pretti killings to Minnesota after months of delay


    Federal prosecutors turned over key evidence long sought by Minnesota investigators in their ongoing probe into the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti during pitched protests against an immigration enforcement crackdown earlier this year, state prosecutors announced Monday.

    The progress came as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a motorist in Maine on Monday, and Houston prosecutors complained the administration was still withholding critical information in their investigation into a fatal shooting by an ICE officer last week.

    Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the evidence turned over by U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Daniel Rosen’s office included previously withheld hard drives containing statements, police body camera video and other materials in the Minnesota killings. Federal prosecutors also turned over Good’s badly damaged SUV, she said.

    “The wonderful thing now is we have all the evidence,” Moriarty said. “Any time the government is responsible in whatever way of taking the life of a community member we need to have a full and thorough investigation.”

    Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot and killed in her vehicle while leaving an anti-immigration enforcement protest in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.

    Her death and that of Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse shot and killed days later during a Jan. 24 protest, sparked outrage across the country and calls to rein in immigration enforcement.

    The Minneapolis immigration crackdown, dubbed “Operation Metro Surge,” ended in February after being billed as the largest immigration enforcement operation ever.

    At least nine people have been killed nationwide since the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign began last year. No one has been charged in connection with the deaths, and the federal government has suggested state prosecutors don’t have jurisdiction to investigate federal officers.

    Lawyers for Good’s family said the transfer of evidence represented “an important and meaningful step towards justice and accountability.” The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which took custody of the evidence, declared that “great strides have been made” to ensure a “thorough and complete review” of the shootings.

    But a lawyer for Pretti’s family said Rosen’s office, in a meeting Monday afternoon, wouldn’t confirm any cooperation agreement between state and federal agencies.

    “No family should be required to beg federal authorities to do their job,” Steve Schleicher said in a statement. “Without a public commitment by federal authorities to cooperate with the state, it is difficult — if not, impossible — to pursue justice that holds the individuals accountable for Alex’s death.”

    Spokespersons for Rosen’s office, as well as ICE and the federal Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration enforcement, didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment Monday.

    Legal wrangling in another ICE-related shooting may have led to evidence release

    Moriarty on Monday declined to provide details on what prompted the federal government to turn over the evidence.

    But documents recently filed in a lawsuit brought by state and local officials suggest the breakthrough came after federal officials sought evidence state investigators gathered in the investigation of ICE agent Christian Castro.

    Castro, 52, was charged with assault and falsely reporting a crime in connection with the Jan. 14 nonfatal shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. Prosecutors say Castro fired through a Minneapolis home’s front door and shot Sosa-Celis in the thigh while in pursuit of another man.

    State and local prosecutors said they would provide evidence in Castro’s case as soon as the federal government agreed to share its evidence in the shootings of Pretti and Good.

    “We are willing to share evidence with you if the exchange is reciprocal,” Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans wrote in a legal filing to federal officials.

    Moriarty and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison later amended their lawsuit to add details about the federal government’s refusal to share the evidence collected in the fatal shootings.

    Days later, they said in a court filing that the FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Office and state officials “have recently re-engaged in discussions about the prospect of mutual information sharing.”

    Ellison, in a statement Monday, said he remains “deeply troubled” it took more than half a year for federal officials to hand over the materials.

    “It should never have taken this long,” he said. “I hope that this is the beginning of a major course correction on the part of the federal government.”

    Moriarty added that she’s not yet prepared to drop the lawsuit against the Trump administration, which seeks access to evidence in the three shootings.

    Houston investigators complain feds are leaving them in the dark

    Prosecutors in Houston, meanwhile, echoed similar concerns about obtaining critical information from federal officials as they look into last week’s death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national who had lived in the U.S. for decades.

    DHS has acknowledged officers stopped Salgado Araujo while looking for someone else, but maintains the homebuilder rammed an ICE vehicle while attempting to leave the scene. The agency says that prompted an officer to open fire in self-defense, though it has yet to provide evidence to back up that claim.

    Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said Monday that his office doesn’t even know the identities of the ICE officers involved or where they are nearly a week later.

    “The federal government has not invited us in,” Teare said. “The federal government is not collaborating with us with this investigation.”

    The man killed Monday in Maine was from Colombia. Federal officers claimed he tried to use his vehicle as a weapon against officers pursuing him for deportation. The shooting took place in Biddeford, a coastal city of about 23,000 people roughly 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of Portland.

    ____

    Associated Press reporter John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, contributed to this story.


  • 12 states challenge Paramount’s takeover of Warner, say merger would ‘extinguish competition’


    NEW YORK (AP) — Twelve states sued to block Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery on Monday, arguing that the $81 billion merger would “extinguish competition” in Hollywood and lead to fewer choices for consumers across the U.S.

    “Audiences on every sofa and in every movie (theater) seat would feel the impact of this unlawful merger,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is leading the case, said in a news conference from Los Angeles. He said the deal would result in higher prices, fewer movies and TV shows and lower quality of content overall.

    A Paramount-Warner combo would bring together two of Hollywood’s last five legacy studios. It would also mean putting Warner’s HBO Max, libraries filled with fan favorites like “Harry Potter” and even CNN under the same roof of Paramount-owned CBS and the Paramount+ streaming service.

    In Monday’s complaint, the states said such a tie-up would also “inflict substantial harm” on movie theatres and basic cable distributors. Bonta’s office said the states are asking Warner and Paramount to not close this merger “until after the judicial process concludes.” And if the companies do not agree, the coalition would then file a temporary restraining order.

    Paramount said Monday’s lawsuit “distorts settled antitrust law” and maintained that its merger would instead create a “stronger competitor against dominant streaming and technology platforms who have harmed the market for theatrical exhibition and jobs in the entertainment industry.”

    The company, which was bought by Skydance just last year, vowed to “vigorously defend” the transaction.

    Warner deferred to Paramount for comment. Beyond California, states joining Monday’s lawsuit include Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Washington.

    Where Paramount’s takeover of Warner stands

    Monday’s antitrust case arrives at a pivotal time for the Paramount-Warner transaction — which, after months of what became a very public bidding war with Netflix, received shareholders’ stamp of approval in April and then a blessing from President Donald Trump’s administration just last month.

    The companies have hoped to close their deal sometime in the third quarter of this year, recently signaling an effort to complete the process in the coming weeks. The states’ lawsuit could throw a wrench in those plans, at least for now.

    The clock is ticking. Paramount also pledged to give shareholders some compensation if that process isn’t complete by Sept. 30 — in the form of a 25-cent per share “ticking fee” for every quarter past that date. And it’s agreed to a regulatory termination fee of $7 billion.

    Beyond the U.S., Paramount has touted additional regulatory clearances it says it’s received in a handful of other countries, including China, Canada and Australia. Meanwhile, other reviews remain in progress, including in the European Union and the U.K. — which has separately suggested it may intervene.

    Including debt, Paramount’s proposed purchase of Warner is valued at nearly $111 billion (or $31 per share) based on current outstanding shares.

    Critics decry merger

    Warner and Paramount argue that merging will be good for growth in the industry and give consumers access to more content, especially if HBO Max and Paramount+ libraries are combined. But critics have decried what further consolidation could mean in an industry already controlled by just a few major players.

    Monday’s lawsuit from the states pointed to movies that make their way into theaters and the wider TV landscape — noting that a combined Paramount-Warner could control nearly a third of both the theatrical film distribution market as well as basic cable programming.

    Such a combination would create “a massive company with unprecedented power and influence over news and entertainment across the globe,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is among those challenging the deal. Beyond consumer impacts, she also said the merger would “put jobs and businesses nationwide at risk.”

    Thousands of actors, directors, writers and other industry professionals have already voiced “unequivocal opposition” to the deal. Monday’s challenge garnered applause from groups like the Writers Guild of America, who warn that consolidation would result in “fewer jobs, lower wages for entertainment workers, less variety of programming, and higher prices for consumers”

    Paramount argued on Monday that delaying the merger “will only harm entertainment workers who have already suffered over recent years as technology has disrupted their livelihood.”

    The company added that the states’ case would “shield” larger streaming rivals like Netflix from meaningful competition.

    Political questions

    Throughout Paramount’s quest for Warner, questions of political influence have also piled up — with criticism falling largely along party lines in Washington. No Republicans signed on to the states’ case on Monday.

    Democrats have long expressed skepticism about whether regulators working under Trump would scrutinize the deal as heavily. Several attorneys general joining Monday’s lawsuit took aim at the Justice Department’s decision to not challenge the deal — pointing in particular to the president’s close relationship with the billionaire family of Paramount CEO David Ellison.

    “Something happened and perhaps that something had to do with a mega-billionaire named Ellison,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes told reporters on Monday. “We are seeing more and more instances where the Trump DOJ is just rolling over for corporate consolidation,” she added.

    Last month, DOJ leadership released a lengthy statement in support of the deal — maintaining a Paramount-Warner combo would “increase competition across the media and entertainment ecosystem, with benefits for American consumers and workers.” The Justice Department had maintained that politics would not play a role in its review.

    Trump himself previously made public comments about Warner’s future, despite backpedaling on what he once suggested his personal role would be in approving a merger.

    Many eyes are on CNN, a network that has long attracted ire from Trump and his allies.

    Paramount’s CBS has already seen significant turmoil and shifts in editorial leadership since coming under Skydance ownership last year — and if Warner merger goes through, the reach of that could grow. Several Trump administration officials have also been far from shy from sharing their hopes for CNN under Paramount ownership, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth telling reporters in March that “the sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.”

    ___

    Mikella Schuettler contributed from Phoenix.


  • Judge says Trump IRS lawsuit was filed for ‘improper purpose,’ refers lawyer for possible discipline


    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over his leaked tax returns was filed for an “improper purpose,” a judge said Monday as she referred one of his lawyers for potential disciplinary action and characterized the $10 billion complaint as an exercise in self-dealing.

    U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams accused Trump and his lawyers in a scathing ruling of having manipulated the court system when he sued a federal agency under his control, bypassing a requirement that parties in a lawsuit must have adverse interests. The lawsuit ended in a settlement that granted the president immunity from tax audits and established a $1.776 billion fund to compensate Trump allies who believe they have been unjustly persecuted.

    The judge stopped short of explicitly voiding the deal shielding Trump from tax scrutiny but said the government cannot claim in official proceedings that the agreement was the result of a legitimate legal process.

    “Whether Executive Branch actors can privately agree to give themselves and their former clients blanket immunities and billions of dollars in tax monies for legally undefined grievances was never an issue advanced to this Court,” said Williams, an appointee of President Barack Obama. “The question is whether the Parties could do so by claiming to be adverse and engaging the legitimacy of a court proceeding. The answer is a resounding ‘no.’”

    The ruling comes just ahead of a key confirmation hearing

    Though the practical impacts of the ruling may be limited since the lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed months ago and the administration has already abandoned the $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” that came out of it, the order nonetheless amounts to a scathing rebuke and tees up a politically uncomfortable line of questioning for Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche as he faces the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

    “The nature of the suit itself and the conduct of the Parties and counsel from its filing make plain that this was an attempt to use the Court to provide some legitimacy to an agreement to confer immunity to people and entities affiliated with the President and to earmark billions of dollars from American taxpayers to redress grievances not defined in the law,” Williams wrote in her ruling.

    She added: “Ensuring that our courts are used only for the express purpose created by the Constitution is the obligation of every judge and an obligation that this Court must discharge in light of the matter before it.”

    The $10 billion suit against the IRS and Treasury Department in January accused the agencies of a failure to prevent a leak of the president’s tax information to news outlets between 2018 and 2020.

    In May, however, the administration announced that it was settling the case and creating a fund to compensate people who believe they’ve been mistreated by the criminal justice system. The fund was quickly shelved amid bipartisan backlash, though the Trump administration has said it intends to proceed with a separate element of the deal affording Trump and family members protection from tax audits.

    From the start, the judge had appeared skeptical of the complaint and assigned a group of attorneys to determine whether there was a conflict in the case since, as sitting president, Trump was suing “entities whose decisions are subject to his direction.”

    Even after the settlement was revealed, she directed Trump attorneys to lay out their positions on whether the parties in the case were truly adverse to each other, whether the dismissal of the lawsuit was premised on deception and whether the case should be reopened.

    She made clear in her ruling that she was not satisfied by the lawyers’ answers.

    “After a review of the record, and the Parties’ statements, the Court declines to adopt or accept the credulous exercise of divorcing President Trump’s current job title from an understanding of what happened here,” she wrote.

    The ruling also raises the possibility of disciplinary actions

    The judge referred Trump attorney Alejandro Brito, who filed the case, for possible disciplinary action before the state bar in Florida and said another lawyer, Daniel Epstein, will not be granted permission to file within the Southern District of Florida for up to a year.

    A spokesman for the Trump legal team responded to a request seeking comment from Brito with a statement that blamed the IRS for allowing the president’s tax returns to be leaked.

    The judge also ordered that her ruling be sent to the state bars in New York and the District of Columbia, where ethics complaints have been filed against Blanche and Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward.

    Williams pointed to Blanche’s congressional testimony in early June in which he revealed that the fund was no longer moving forward. Though nothing had been filed in court, Blanche appeared confident in his testimony that he “could speak for, and bind, both sides of this matter,” Williams said.

    “Acting Attorney General Blanche’s apparent capacity to speak for both Plaintiffs and Defendants, sign a ‘settlement’ document on behalf of all Parties to this action, and then repudiate part of that agreement, demonstrates that there was only one party whose interests were being represented throughout this case,” the judge wrote.

    The judge also raised ethical concerns about Blanche and Woodward’s involvement in the settlement given Blanche’s past representation of Trump as well as Woodward’s previous defense of Jan. 6 defendants and a co-defendant in Trump’s classified documents case.

    “Instead of either recusing because of their previous representations or vigorously defending this lawsuit as required to do so by DOJ policies and procedures, these lawyers agreed to a ‘settlement’ involving a staggering amount of money potentially benefitting former clients,” she said.

    Blanche denied in a CNN interview last spring that he had developed the settlement terms, saying, “The president has outside counsel, and their counsel, the Department of Justice, not me.”

    ___

    Associated Press writers Fatima Hussein and Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.


  • Natchez Observes First Official Julyteenth

    Natchez Observes First Official Julyteenth

    NATCHEZ, Miss. — The City of Natchez officially recognized July 13 as “Julyteenth Day” Monday, with Mayor Dan Gibson issuing a proclamation commemorating the day Union troops arrived in Natchez in 1863 to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and bring freedom to thousands of enslaved people in the region.

    Speaking from the front steps of City Hall, Gibson described July 13 as “one of the most important days in the history of our city,” saying many residents may not fully understand the significance of the date.

    The ceremony opened with a prayer by Rev. Clifton Marvel of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church before Gibson reflected on a weekend of community events that culminated with Monday’s proclamation. Activities included historical presentations, discussions on healing and reconciliation, a wreath-laying ceremony at Forks of the Road, and educational programs highlighting Natchez’s role in American history.

    Front row: Thelma Newsome (Dr. Banks’ House Museum); Alderwoman Valencia Hall, Mayor Dan Gibson, Vel Robinson (City of Natchez Community Liaison)
    Second row: Jeff Mansell (Historian, Natchez National Historical Park), Norma West (Trustee Pro Tempore, Zion Chapel AME Church, Julyteenth Organizing Committee member, past president of The Downtown Natchez Alliance board of directors); The Rev. Clifton Marvel (need name of his church – Macedonia); Chesney Doyle (Executive Director, Downtown Natchez Alliance).
    Third row: Joe Smith, Founder, blacknatchez.org; Dr. Roscoe Barnes, Director of Cultural Heritage, Visit Natchez.

    Why July 13?

    The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln, took effect on Jan. 1, 1863, declaring that enslaved people in Confederate-held territory were to be free. However, enforcement depended on the advance of Union forces during the Civil War.

    According to the City of Natchez proclamation, Union troops entered Natchez on July 13, 1863, enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation locally and bringing freedom to thousands of enslaved men, women and children in the area. Because of that historical event, city leaders say July 13 holds special significance in Natchez’s history.

    The date is distinct from Juneteenth, observed nationally on June 19 each year. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger announced in Galveston, Texas, that enslaved people there were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021.

    The Natchez proclamation notes that July 13, 1863, occurred nearly two years before the events traditionally commemorated by Juneteenth in Texas.

    Proclamation recognizes city’s past and continued remembrance

    The proclamation also acknowledges Natchez’s place in the history of American slavery, noting that the city was home to Forks of the Road, one of the nation’s largest slave markets.

    “Slavery was a profound moral evil that denied the God-given dignity of human life,” the proclamation states.

    It further recognizes that the arrival of freedom transformed Natchez into a destination for formerly enslaved people seeking liberty and describes how Forks of the Road later became a place where newly freed men enlisted in the United States Colored Troops.

    “As we commemorate Julyteenth, we honor the resilience, determination, and enduring spirit of those who endured unimaginable hardship,” the proclamation states. “We also reaffirm our responsibility to remember this history, educate future generations, and continue striving for understanding and reconciliation in order to better achieve equality and opportunity for all.”

    The proclamation concludes by encouraging residents “to pause to remember the sins of the past, to celebrate the remarkable progress together that we as a community have made, and to recommit ourselves to the work that still lies ahead.”

    Community leaders reflect on the observance

    During his remarks, Gibson credited the late Ser Seshsh Ab Heter-C.M. Boxley, known locally as Ser Boxley, with helping preserve the history of Forks of the Road and promoting recognition of July 13’s significance.

    “If it were not for his efforts, Forks of the Road would have been forgotten,” Gibson said. “It is Ser Boxley who brought about the remembrance that July 13 was the day that freedom arrived in Natchez.”

    The mayor also recognized the work of the National Park Service, including former Natchez National Historical Park Superintendent Kathleen Bond and park ranger Jeff Mansell, along with community volunteers who organized the weekend’s commemorative events.

    Ward 1 Alderwoman Valencia Hall shared that members of her family, Henry Cole Sr. and Henry Cole Jr., served in the 58th United States Colored Troops Regiment.

    “I’m grateful for my relatives who served as members of the U.S. Colored Troops 58th Regiment here in Natchez,” Hall said, adding that she was thankful their service continues to be remembered.

    Gibson also announced that the Mayor and Board of Aldermen were expected to consider awarding a contract during Tuesday’s meeting for a memorial park honoring the United States Colored Troops. The proposed park would be located on the Natchez bluff where soldiers once assembled before formations.

    A growing “Freedom Season”

    Downtown Natchez Alliance Executive Director Chesney Doyle said the recognition of Julyteenth further defines what she describes as Natchez’s local “Freedom Season.”

    According to Doyle, the season begins with Memorial Day and continues through several commemorative dates, including the city’s Day of Unity on June 14, Independence Day on July 4, Juneteenth, and now Julyteenth on July 13.

    Looking ahead

    Mayor Gibson said he hopes the proclamation will remain on display at City Hall as a reminder of an important chapter in Natchez’s history.

    “We as a people need to come together now more than ever before to realize those dreams of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” Gibson said before closing the ceremony. “May God bless Natchez.”

  • Struggling Athletics dismiss pitching coach Scott Emerson following 9th straight loss entering break


    WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The struggling Athletics on Monday dismissed pitching coach Scott Emerson.

    The team announced bullpen coach Dan Hubbs will serve as interim pitching coach for the remainder of the season.

    Sunday’s 9-1 loss at the Chicago White Sox left the Athletics with a nine-game losing streak entering the All-Star break. The Athletics’ 5.21 ERA ranks next to last in the major leagues, ahead of only Colorado’s 5.44.

    At 41-55, the Athletics are fourth in the AL West.

    Emerson joined the Athletics in 2014 as bullpen coach and was promoted to pitching coach in 2017.

    ___

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


  • Ryan Blaney is only 65 points out of NASCAR’S points lead following dominant weekend in Atlanta


    HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — His thick moustache wasn’t the only feature that made Ryan Blaney look like Richard Petty in a dominant performance at EchoPark Speedway.

    Blaney drove like NASCAR’s King while ruling the Cup Series race from qualifying through every stage in a weather-delayed victory which left the Team Penske Ford driver in contention for the points championship.

    Blaney won every stage after starting on the pole and led 171 laps in his win. The race was delayed 3 hours, 9 minutes by rain and lightning and ended at 1:45 a.m. on Monday.

    The 171 laps led are the most at a drafting-style track since Petty led 184 of 200 laps for his first Daytona 500 win in 1964.

    As a result, Blaney is third in the NASCAR points race, only 65 behind leader Denny Hamlin. Tyler Reddick is second.

    Even Blaney was shocked to learn he is in the thick of the championship race heading into Sunday’s race at North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

    “Really?” Blaney asked when told he is only 65 points out of the lead. “Wow! Wow!”

    It was a race to remember for Blaney and Team Penske. Blaney’s dominance began when he won the pole while joined by Team Penske teammate Joey Logano on the front row. He then survived the long weather delay to answer every challenge while winning Stage 1, Stage 2 and then surviving a three-wide battle on the final lap.

    “I couldn’t ask for a better weekend,” Blaney said. “Sat on the pole, won both stages and won the race.

    “My car was incredibly fast, leading. I could defend moves without having to throw, like, low-percentage blocks. I just never really did that.”

    Blaney knew he had the speed to recover if he briefly lost the lead.

    “Some moves are kind of unbeatable to defend as the leader,” he said. “I would just let people get to my inside. If they passed me, great, I think I can probably develop a run to get them back.”

    Blaney’s crew chief, Jonathan Hassler, made the crucial decision to keep the No. 12 Ford on the track after Blaney brushed the wall with 29 laps remaining. Blaney worried he felt a “terrible” vibration following the contact with the wall but Hassler was able to quickly determine there was no serious damage.

    “We were able to get some pictures really quick, see that the damage wasn’t too bad,” Hassler said. “Obviously we saw there was a little bit. … We looked at it, there were 30 cars on the lead lap, not a lot of laps left. Our chance to win was to stay out, take a little bit of a risk. Fortunately it worked out for us.”

    Blaney fought off challenges from Bubba Wallace and Christopher Hill, who finished second, on the final lap. Carson Hocevar and Ty Gibbs rounded out the top four. Wallace was penalized for passing below the double yellow lines and finished 29th instead of second.

    Blaney said he didn’t have the best-handling car but enjoyed being able to rely on his superior speed with the race on the line.

    “That was kind of a fun dynamic of my car is really fast, handles a little worse than theirs,” Blaney said. “Their car handles better but isn’t quite as quick down the straightaway. Fun how all that played out.”

    Now Blaney will continue to chase the Toyotas of Hamlin and Reddick for the points lead. Blaney’s strategy is simple: “Just keep doing what we’re doing.”

    Asked if he can win the championship, Blaney said “I don’t think it’s out of the question.

    “We just have to keep doing what we’re doing. That surprises me we’re that close. I think before San Diego I was like 160 out. It shows you how quick things can kind of ebb and flow. … Never know when we can get there or not.”

    ___

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


  • Hundreds of economists say ‘we must act now’ on AI’s economic impact and job displacement risks


    SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Hundreds of economists say in an open letter that institutions “must act now” to address how artificial intelligence could transform the economy and could put many people out of work.

    The statement released Monday was signed by top economists, along with computer scientists and some executives at tech companies including Anthropic, Google and OpenAI.

    “AI may become radically more powerful over the next 10 years,” says the letter organized by Stanford University’s digital economy lab. “This could drive an unprecedented transformation of our economy, larger than the Industrial Revolution, but unfolding over a vastly shorter time frame. It could bring risks, including large-scale job displacement, as well as opportunities such as major gains in living standards.”

    The letter, which has only four sentences, says leaders must “build the incentives, guardrails, and institutions needed to steer AI in a direction that complements humans and benefits society.”

    The Stanford lab says the letter has so far been signed by more than 200 economists and AI researchers, including 16 winners of a Nobel Prize.

    Computer scientist and AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio was among the signatories and said in a separate statement that based on the trajectory of AI development, “it is highly plausible that AI will drastically transform our economies.”

    “We must be intentional and make collective, democratic choices, rather than letting market forces play out and risking leaving most citizens behind,” wrote Bengio, a professor at the University of Montreal.


  • Jay-Z show at Yankee Stadium delayed for hours after fans without tickets rush entrances


    NEW YORK (AP) — A Jay-Z concert at Yankee Stadium was delayed for hours Sunday night after hundreds of fans without tickets tried to push their way into the show, forcing the iconic New York City stadium to temporarily close entrances before the rapper could take the stage after midnight.

    After the long holdup, Jay-Z started the show at 12:17 a.m. Monday and told the audience that “somebody rushed the door” and that he didn’t want to start performing and have “people get trampled” on their way in.

    “Really sorry for the inconvenience, but I had to make sure everybody was OK,” he told the crowd before thanking them for their patience and promising a “good time tonight.”

    In a statement, the Yankees, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and Live Nation said hundreds of people in large groups without tickets “stormed over peaceful ticketholders, and in some cases, breached security” and the stadium had to shutter entrances for an extended period of time before being able to cautiously reopen.

    Video from outside the stadium showed a large crowd of people standing around an entrance. A different video from inside the stadium showed people rushing inside through an open door before several security guards were able to stop additional people from entering.

    A spokesperson for the New York Police Department said it did not have information about arrests at the stadium over the incident.


  • Aortic tear blamed in Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sudden death is a fast-killing emergency


    The aortic tear that likely caused the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham is a medical emergency that can rapidly kill.

    The aorta is our largest artery, like a highway that arches up from the heart and then curves back down through the abdomen — carrying oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body as other arteries branch off from it.

    What doctors call an aortic dissection happens when a tear in its inner lining lets blood rapidly leak between its other layers, according to the American Heart Association. That reduces blood flow to vital organs, and sometimes can lead to a rupture that pours blood into surrounding tissues. It often can be caused by an aortic aneurysm, a weakened spot on the artery that can bulge like a balloon.

    Risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol that in turn stiffens arteries — called atherosclerosis — and smoking. It’s more common in older people but also can be caused by certain genetic conditions in younger people.

    A preliminary medical examiner’s report shared by Graham’s office said the aortic dissection was related to artery hardening.

    Symptoms tend to be sudden, with severe stabbing-like pain, often in the chest or back but sometimes in the neck, jaw or abdomen depending on where in the aorta the tear happened. According to the heart association, people also may suddenly lose consciousness, have clammy or sweaty skin, experience stroke-like symptoms such as sudden weakness on one side of the body, or show signs of shock, including rapid heart rate or confusion.

    Fast treatment improves the chances of survival. Depending on where the tear occurred and its extent, surgeons may try to repair it or patch the torn section of the aorta.

    —-

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


  • ICE officer who fatally shot driver in Maine was ‘fearing for public safety,’ agency says


    BIDDEFORD, Maine (AP) — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot a motorist in Maine on Monday, the second time in a week that ICE has used deadly force and at least the ninth death since President Donald Trump began his immigration crackdown.

    The man who was killed in Biddeford was identified as a 25-year-old native of Colombia. The Colombian Embassy said it was in contact with U.S. authorities about the Colombian national’s death and “is providing the necessary consular assistance to his family.”

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, said in a post on X that agents were surveilling an address for a person with a final order of removal from the country. When ICE tried to stop a vehicle driven by someone coming from that address, the “vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon,” the department said.

    Prior to the brief ICE statement on the incident, Maine U.S. Sen. Angus King said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told him the officer opened fire after the man tried to use his vehicle as a weapon against ICE agents in Biddeford, a coastal city roughly 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of Portland. The agents involved didn’t have body cameras, he said.

    When asked about the contrasting statements, King told CNN that that’s what the investigation is all about.

    “Did this young man actually try to run over an ICE agent or was he in danger of running over other people in the street?” he said. “Was there a reasonable expectation of bodily harm or deadly force to justify this shooting?”

    DHS did not immediately respond to an email seeking clarity on what led to the shooting.

    King, an independent, said Mullin also told him the officers were in Biddeford to serve an arrest warrant but that it was not for the person who was shot. King said Mullin told him that earlier information that the man was the target of an enforcement action was incorrect.

    U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, said Mullin told her the Homeland Security Department’s Office of Inspector General is investigating in cooperation with the FBI.

    Messages seeking comment were left for the inspector general’s office and the Maine Department of Public Safety.

    The Maine attorney general’s office, which is also investigating, said initial statements suggest the motorist was trying to flee in the direction of the agent. The office said the agent who killed him has been placed on leave.

    Witness says he heard driver say, ‘I tried to stop’

    Daniel Boucher said he looked out his third-floor window after hearing a “pop, pop, pop” sound and saw a small car “turned 90 degrees to the curb” with an SUV behind it. The driver was wounded and the car started moving down the street until the SUV hit it, Boucher said.

    “His face was bloody. His head was bloody,” Boucher said, getting choked up. “I clearly heard the victim say, ‘I tried to stop.’”

    Boucher said he saw an ICE officer bring a medical bag to where the man was lying before an ambulance and fire truck arrived. At one point, Boucher said, the agent who shot the man walked close to him.

    “I was emotional and I just let him have it, and he looked at me and said, ‘He tried to run me over,’ or something to that effect,” Boucher said. “I don’t remember his exact words.”

    Video from a security camera at a nearby business, obtained by the AP, shows a white vehicle approaching an intersection at a modest speed before making several slow circles. A law enforcement SUV blocked its path and two officers open the driver’s door and dragged out a limp body.

    It was not clear from the video at what point shots were fired.

    The man was authorized to work in the US, advocates say

    Two advocacy groups — the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and Presente! — said the man who was killed was authorized to work in the U.S.

    After the shooting, his family contacted the Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, but they weren’t ready to speak publicly about the shooting, said the group’s executive director, Mufalo Chitam.

    Mary Hayes, who lives close to where the shooting happened, said the man lived nearby with his wife and daughter.

    “I watched a wife fall to her knees looking at her husband’s dead body on the ground,” Hayes told the AP as she held a piece of cardboard with “No ICE Stop ICE” written on it. “I watched a little girl crying with a little pink backpack on because she’s never going to see her father again.”

    Sadie Dilboy said the man killed in the shooting regularly came to her laundromat and would bring his daughter, who he’d give quarters to buy candy from the vending machine.

    “He was such a good person,” she said. “He was always cleaning up.”

    Anti-ICE protesters gather near the scene

    Several hundred demonstrators gathered in Biddeford on Monday night to wave anti-ICE signs and call for the agency to be abolished.

    “We will always be a city of immigrants,” said Maine Speaker of the House Ryan Fecteau, a Democrat from Biddeford.

    A handful of pro-ICE and pro-Trump protesters demonstrated across the street.

    Some demonstrators had gathered in the city within hours of the shooting. Amy Goodman arrived with a sign that said “Stop Killing Us” and directed it toward police working at the scene.

    “Sadly, it’s something we’re seeing a whole lot more often lately, and I’m mad about it,” she said.

    A recent uptick in Trump’s immigration crackdown

    On July 7, an ICE officer fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, of Houston, after federal agents driving unmarked vehicles pursued him while he was taking his construction crew to a job site.

    The shootings come amid a Trump administration push to carry out its mass deportations agenda. During the five-day period at the end of June, ICE arrested more than 10,000 people.

    The figures indicate that while the administration is no longer cracking down on individual cities, the arrests are surging. The administration’s enforcement efforts were widely condemned last winter after the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota.

    Hundreds of Maine ICE arrests since Trump’s return

    ICE had a significant presence in Maine earlier this year, which prompted several protests. Immigration officials later said in late January that they had ceased “enhanced operations” in Maine after hundreds of arrests.

    A Homeland Security spokesperson said at the time that some Maine arrests were of people “convicted of horrific crimes” including aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

    Court records show that while some had felony convictions, others had unresolved immigration proceedings or had been arrested but never convicted of a crime.

    ICE arrested 546 people in Maine between the start of Trump’s second term and March 11, 2026, the most recent data available, according to ICE arrest data provided to the University of California, Berkeley Deportation Data Project and analyzed by the AP.

    About 45% of arrested people had criminal backgrounds. During the equivalent 416-day period before Trump took office, roughly 69% of those arrested had criminal backgrounds, the data shows. ___ This story was first published on July 13, 2026. It was updated on July 14, 2026, to correct the age of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero. He was 25, not 26 as the Colombian Embassy previously stated.

    ___

    Willingham reported from Boston and Brook reported from New Orleans. Associated Press reporters Michael R. Sisak in New York, Aaron Kessler in Washington, Kate Brumback in Atlanta and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.