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  • Charles hosted Prince Harry and family for first time in years as they try to repair a family rift


    LONDON (AP) — King Charles III hosted Prince Harry and met with his family for the first time in years Friday as they try to repair a rift that has persisted since his youngest son and wife quit royal life and moved to America six years ago.

    Harry, Meghan and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, met with the king and Queen Camilla at Highgrove House, a country estate west of London, Buckingham Palace confirmed.

    The Duke of Sussex had arrived Monday in his homeland for a number of charity events that were overshadowed by speculation of whether he would meet with his father.

    British tabloids and news broadcasts were filled with speculation about whether Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, would accompany him and, more importantly, whether they would bring their two children so they can finally get to know Grandpa Charles.

    However, the monarch’s schedule is often years in the making, with events penciled in long before they take place. An opportunity to hold such a meeting would have been fleeting, particularly because the children would need to return to school in the fall and because they live in California.

    The wish to seize the moment fueled tensions between Harry and royal officials earlier this week. That was highlighted by embarrassing scenes when royal officials first invited Harry to stay at Buckingham Palace, then rescinded the offer after the prince didn’t accept it in a timely manner.

    Harry’s visit also coincided with him losing his final lawsuit in his quest to tame the British tabloids. A judge ruled that he failed to prove his privacy invasion claims against the publisher of the Daily Mail.

    His legal battles have been a source of friction with his family, however. Harry has said he wants to reconcile with his 77-year-old father, who is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer.

    Harry and Charles met briefly for a cup of tea in September during a short visit in London, the first time they’d seen each other in well over a year.

    But the prince has also wanted his children to see the monarch, whom they first met during celebrations for the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

    The royal children, Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, are now old enough to remember meeting their grandfather, and will certainly hope for pictures with the king, though the event was deemed private and no images will be publicly released.

    Tensions within the House of Windsor have heightened ever since Harry and Meghan gave up their royal duties and moved to California to pursue lucrative media deals, free from the pressures of royal life in London.

    They reached a new low after Harry published an explosive memoir that included unflattering depictions of the royal family and damning allegations of a toxic relationship between the monarchy and the press.

    Harry’s description of royals leaking information about other family members in exchange for positive coverage of themselves is just one of the tawdry allegations in his book, “Spare.” The prince was especially scathing about Camilla, accusing her of feeding private conversations to the media as she sought to rehabilitate her image after her longtime affair with Charles when he was heir to the throne.

    After losing a court battle over his security issue last year, Harry said he hoped to rebuild relations with his family, even as he suggested that the royals had sought to prevent him from receiving police protection to punish him for walking away from royal duties.

    “I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore,” Harry told the BBC. “I don’t know how much longer my father has.”

    The visit Friday is a step toward mending those fences.


  • Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs agree on 5-year extension that could top $250M, AP source says


    Victor Wembanyama has signed what will be the richest contract in San Antonio Spurs history, a five-year extension that could exceed $250 million if the player option in the final season is picked up, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said Friday.

    The person spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the financial figures were not disclosed by either side. The Spurs, who went to the NBA Finals this past season behind the All-NBA center and unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, announced that Wembanyama had signed, simply saying the sides agreed on “a multi-year contract extension.”

    “Spurs family, I’m here to stay,” Wembanyama wrote on social media Friday. “Whatever it takes.”

    The agreement comes at a discount; Wembanyama could have agreed to a deal that would have topped $300 million over five years — but chose a lesser amount to help give the Spurs flexibility going forward with their young core and in anticipation of the contracts some of those budding stars will be eligible for in coming years, the person said.

    And that was the only detail really for the sides to hammer out. The 22-year-old Wembanyama is already considered one of the game’s most dominant players, and it was a no-brainer that the Spurs would offer an extension. The only question was whether Wembanyama would accept a deal that starts with him making 25% of the salary cap figure, or if he’d hold out to see if he could initially make 30% of the cap.

    ESPN first reported the agreement.

    Wembanyama will make about $16.8 million this coming season, the last under the terms of his rookie contract. The newly signed deal kicks in for 2027-28 and will start with a salary of around $43.5 million, then keep rising from there. The 7-foot-4 center from France would have a $57.5 million option for 2031-32.

    Wembanyama was the Most Valuable Player of the Western Conference finals this past season, finished third behind Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver’s Nikola Jokic in the overall MVP voting for the season, and has led the league in blocks per game in all three of his NBA seasons so far.

    He averaged 25 points and 11.5 rebounds this past season, leading San Antonio to a 62-20 record, the No. 2 seed in the West and a berth in the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks. The Spurs lost that series in five games.

    “It’s painful. It’s painful,” Wembanyama said a few minutes after the finals ended. “But I’m not running away from that. I’m using it to fuel me. … I’m not satisfied with not winning. But as I said, this is the biggest lesson of my life. As a team, there’s no better experience than what we just lived.”

    ___

    AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba


  • Meta appeals landmark jury verdict that found it to blame for social media addiction for young users


    Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, has appealed the verdict of a landmark social media addiction lawsuit in Los Angeles, challenging the jury’s determination that the company designed its platforms to hook young users without concern for their well-being.

    Lawyers representing Meta filed a notice of appeal Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The lawyers will provide their arguments related to the appeal in subsequent court filings.

    The case centered on a 20-year-old woman who said she became addicted to social media as a child and that it worsened her mental health struggles. The jury found that negligence by both Meta and Google-owned YouTube, which was also a defendant in the case, was a substantial factor in causing harm to the young woman, identified in court only by her initials, KGM, and her first name, Kaley.

    The jury awarded her $3 million in damages and recommended an additional $3 million in punitive damages. Her lead attorney, Mark Lanier, said in a statement Friday that the legal team is expecting the appellate court to “continue the careful application of the law to this case, affirming the verdict of the trial court.”

    A notice of appeal starts what can be a lengthy process. A Meta spokesperson provided a statement Friday that they also gave when the jury returned the verdict in March, saying that teen mental health is “profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app.”

    José Castañeda, a spokesperson for Google, said in a statement Friday that YouTube plans to appeal and that “these are standard motions for this case to move forward.”

    Meta and Google had each filed post-trial motions for judgment notwithstanding the verdict — a routinely filed motion by defense lawyers asking a judge to toss out the jury’s verdict — and for a new trial. The trial judge, Carolyn B. Kuhl, denied those motions in early June.

    Tech companies like Meta and YouTube are shielded from legal responsibility for content posted by third parties, based on Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. To get around those protections, the plaintiffs focused on the design features of the platforms like “infinite scroll,” or the endless nature of feeds on the platforms, and autoplay functions.

    Questions about encroaching into content-related territory were the subject of many objections from the defendants throughout the five-week trial.

    The verdict in this case came during a time of legal woes for Meta. A jury in New Mexico returned a verdict finding that Meta’s platforms harm children’s mental health and safety just one day before the California jury reached its decision. The New Mexico jury, siding with state prosecutors who brought the case, landed on a penalty of $375 million. Meta has said the company disagrees with the verdict and will also appeal in that case.

    “We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement at the time of the verdicts and again on Friday.

    Kaley’s case was a first-of-its-kind lawsuit, and the verdict could influence the outcome of thousands of similar lawsuits accusing social media companies of deliberately causing harm. TikTok and Snapchat parent company Snap Inc. were also initially named as defendants in the case, but each settled for undisclosed sums before the trial began.


  • Family of Mississippi teen who died after July 4 trip call for transparency and deeper investigation


    NEW YORK (AP) — The family of a Mississippi 18-year-old who was found dead after a July 4 boat trip with friends to an island off the Gulf Coast called for a thorough and transparent investigation during a news conference Friday with the Rev. Al Sharpton, saying many of the details they’re discovering don’t add up.

    Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who was retained by the family of Nolan Xavier Wells earlier this week, has said the family has concerns about the investigation and planned to conduct an independent autopsy. Wells travelled by boat to Horn Island, Mississippi, on July 4 with a group of friends, but did not make the return trip with them that afternoon. His body was found early Monday morning, more than a day later.

    While Jackson County Sheriff’s Office officials said investigators don’t suspect foul play in the Black college student’s death, the sheriff has asked for any witnesses or people with video from the popular beach island about 7 miles (11.27 kilometers) off the coast of Mississippi to come forward to help shed light on the moments before Wells’ disappearance and death.

    Wells’ death has galvanized the Black community. Actor and producer Tyler Perry is helping pay for Wells’ funeral, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is helping pay for his independent autopsy and filmmaker Spike Lee showed up to the news conference to show support for Wells’ family.

    Wells, who would have turned 19 next month, attended Southwest Mississippi Community College, where he played wide receiver on the football team. His family members have raised concerns, saying they’ve seen video of a fight allegedly involving their son, and saying that as an elite athlete he was able to swim.

    Wells was left without his phone or keys, lawyers say

    Attorneys said Friday that the friends who left Wells on the island took his phone and keys when they departed. Crump said Wells’ family used an app to track his phone, and a friend went to where it was on land to pick it up.

    “What teenager would leave their phone behind if they’re going to stay on this island? What teenager wouldn’t take their phone? It’s not adding up at all,” Crump said.

    He added that the family believes text messages from social media apps had been deleted from his phone when they got it back, and they plan to employ experts to try to retrieve all the data they can.

    A photo posted to social media, allegedly from the boat ride to the island, shows Wells with his arms around three white, male friends. Speculation and suspicion about the teen’s death have been rampant online, as people grapple with the state’s history of racial tension and what it means to be a Black person in a majority white space.

    Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, looked to the sky several times as lawyers spoke Friday, to hold back tears. When she spoke, she said this was not how she wanted the world to know her son.

    Wonsley said they had taught him about history, but he was a peacemaker who didn’t like division, and wanted everyone to be included.

    “We just wanna know what happened,” she said, through tears. “And why our baby didn’t come home.”

    Family demands thorough investigation into Wells’ death

    Crump called for a thorough investigation, saying to law enforcement, “They want to know that you have not taken the path of least resistance.”

    “If the roles were reversed and you had three young Black men on a boat with a young white man and that young white man ended up dead, what kind of investigation would be conducted by the Mississippi law enforcement officials? How many times would those three young Black men be interrogated?” he added.

    It’s the second case that Crump has taken on in the state in recent months. He also was recently retained by the family of a Mississippi 1-year-old who was killed when police fired into a moving car.

    Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said earlier this week that Wells’ mother had called to report him missing around midnight into the morning of July 5. Crews from multiple local and state agencies began an extensive search Sunday of the island and surrounding waters. His body was recovered early Monday, family members confirmed.

    An official autopsy was conducted Tuesday, though officials have said it could be weeks before results are released. Ledbetter said Wells’ friends were cooperating with the investigation.

    “From the people we’ve talked to, it sounds like he chose to stay on the island with the assumption that he was going to ride back to the mainland with someone else,” Ledbetter told The Associated Press earlier this week.

    Crump and Wells’ family said some of those details didn’t seem to add up either, saying from the videos they had seen Wells was one of, if not the only, Black person on the island where there were around 200 people celebrating the holiday. They said the girl the friends said Wells was speaking to gave a different story about him leaving with those friends. They raised questions about why no one would have given him a ride home if he chose to stay.

    “If he’s drowning, nobody sees him drown? Nobody offers assistance? Nobody tries to help? I mean, obviously he stands out. I think he’s the only Black person I saw when I’m looking at the videos,” Crump said.

    ___

    AP reporter Jake Offenhartz contributed to this report.


  • Mikel Merino stars again as Spain edges Belgium 2-1 in the World Cup quarterfinals


    INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Mikel Merino is Spain’s World Cup hero once again, and even he finds it hard to believe.

    A mere four days after Merino scored a clutch goal as a substitute in injury time to beat Portugal, he found himself in the right spot again in the quarterfinals when Belgium’s backup goalkeeper spilled the ball into his path.

    Merino booted it home in the 88th minute, sending Spain to a 2-1 victory Friday and into a titanic semifinal showdown with tournament favorite France.

    “I’ve done this again, and it’s happened to me again, so it would seem that coincidence exists,” a smiling Merino said. “If you’re ready and you try, I guess it can happen for you.”

    Already a versatile contributor in any role he can get as a depth player for his country or English club Arsenal, the multi-positional Merino has transformed into the ultimate super-sub while providing exactly what Spain needed to survive two knockout matches against top opponents.

    Merino has scored two goals in his first World Cup — and they’re both historic.

    “Honestly, it’s crazy to be able to help the team once again,” he said. “This time in a different way, but at the same time to believe and trust that the opposing goalkeeper could make a mistake and to stay alert. … I prepare for when the moment comes, and hopefully they keep coming.”

    Merino is the first to admit he also needed luck, and Belgium keeper Senne Lammens provided it after he was forced into his first World Cup match in the 71st minute by an injury to starter Thibaut Courtois.

    Merino came on in the 86th minute and scored on his second touch of the match, charging into the box and pouncing after Lammens lost control of Pau Cubarsí’s long shot.

    Fabián Ruiz scored a rebound goal in the 30th minute for Spain, but Belgium forward Charles De Ketelaere evened it with the first goal allowed by the Spanish team in the entire World Cup in the 41st minute.

    Merino’s clutch goal against an upset-minded Belgium sent La Roja to the semifinals for the first time since they won the World Cup in 2010. A powerhouse matchup with France has been anticipated since the draw was announced late last year, and Spain was grateful to secure its spot.

    “We came here for this, to play against the best teams in the world,” Merino said. “We are confident in our possibilities, at the same time respecting the opposition. This is one of those games that you dream of when you’re a kid, and now we have the chance to compete against a massive rival. Hopefully we’ll get the win.”

    Spain and France will meet Tuesday in Arlington, Texas, in a matchup anticipated for years. Neither team has lost at this year’s World Cup.

    “It will be a clash of giants,” Spain coach Luis De La Fuente said through a translator. “We are capable of winning this game — and not just now, but I would have said this a few weeks ago as well. They are a great giant of football, but I trust our team.”

    Courtois made four saves, but the Real Madrid keeper went down to the grass in the second half after a long kick. He received treatment during the hydration break, but broke down in tears when coach Rudi Garcia removed him moments later.

    Only Germany’s Manuel Neuer has played more World Cup matches than Courtois’ 21. Lammens, the capable Manchester United keeper, was forced to become the first goalkeeper other than Courtois to play for Belgium in the last four World Cup tournaments — and he wasn’t able to make the play that would have kept it level.

    “We were on equal footing with Spain, and we have nothing to feel bad about,” Garcia said. “In the first half, they only had one chance, but they were very efficient. Unfortunately, to beat a team of this caliber, you need luck on your side as well, and it was too much for us to get into the semifinals.”

    Belgium desperately pressed for an equalizer in the final minutes with substitute forward Romelu Lukaku leading the effort, but Aymeric Laporte acrobatically volleyed the best chance out of the box in the second minute of injury time.

    “We knew how we could hurt them, and I think we did this today,” Belgium defender Brandon Mechele said. “It’s a pity that it ended like this, but I think we can be proud of the tournament we played.”

    Spain remained unbeaten in 37 straight competitive matches since March 2023, while Belgium’s streak of 18 consecutive unbeaten matches across all competitions ended.

    Spain didn’t allow a goal in its first five matches at this year’s tournament, and goalkeeper Unai Simón hadn’t conceded in a World Cup-record 650 minutes dating to Qatar.

    The streaks abruptly ended when De Ketelaere muscled past Cubarsí and headed home a cross from Timothy Castagne for Belgium’s tying goal.

    Belgium hadn’t generated anything close to a strong scoring chance before the latest big moment for De Ketelaere, the Atalanta forward who scored two goals in Belgium’s 4-1 rout of the co-host U.S. on Monday.

    Belgium captain Youri Tielemans was removed from the starting lineup after getting injured during warmups. He joined injured defender Amadou Onana on the sidelines.

    ___

    See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here


  • Defense tries to sow doubt about evidence in Charlie Kirk’s killing


    PROVO, Utah (AP) — Lawyers for the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk tried to sow doubt about the case on Friday, while a prosecutor countered that authorities have “overwhelming” evidence including DNA tests and apparent confessions by the defendant.

    Judge Tony Graf said he will decide if the case against Tyler Robinson should advance to trial after hearing again from the two sides on Sept. 1.

    Kirk, a 31-year-old confidant of President Donald Trump, was killed as he spoke to a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. Robinson is charged with aggravated murder and could face the death penalty.

    Friday’s proceedings capped a week of preliminary testimony and brought an emotional moment for Kirk’s family: The court played surveillance video that prosecutors said showed Robinson on the rooftop where he allegedly fired a single bullet that hit Kirk in the neck.

    Kirk’s widow, Erika, clutched a tissue and watched intently as a person said to be Robinson ran across the roof. When the figure dropped to a crawl near the roof’s edge, she turned and embraced Kirk’s mother, Kathryn, who was crying. They held each other and kept their heads down until the video was almost over.

    Defense questions reliability of evidence

    Prosecutors this week presented a recorded interview with Robinson’s former roommate, who said the 23-year-old defendant expressed remorse for the shooting before turning himself in. Lawyers from the Utah County Attorney’s Office also offered DNA analysis that investigators said linked Robinson to both the suspected murder weapon and a tool he allegedly used to etch messages onto bullet cartridges.

    Robinson’s team did not offer alternative theories for Kirk’s death. But one of his attorneys, Michael Burt, repeatedly questioned the reliability of DNA tests and other evidence from prosecutors.

    “If you had a lot of DNA on your hand, we shook hands and I went to pick up an exhibit, a gun, and I touched the trigger of it, your DNA could be on that trigger, right?” Burt asked Caitlin Oliver, a forensic biologist with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a federal law enforcement agency.

    “It is possible. Yes,” Oliver replied.

    The defense attorney noted that government policies don’t allow analysts to say that DNA evidence is “infallible” or that it has a “zero error rate.”

    Experts say the science behind DNA testing is sound.

    Chief Deputy Utah County Attorney Chad Grunander questioned the relevance of bringing in Oliver as a witness. He suggested prosecutors met the burden of proof needed to advance the case to trial.

    “Your honor’s heard four days of testimony now. The evidence is overwhelming. It’s devastating,” Grunander said.

    Robinson did not testify at the hearing. One of his attorneys told the judge they had advised him not to. He has not entered a plea.

    Kirk family thanks supporters

    Kirk’s family released a statement Friday expressing gratitude for the support and prayers they’ve received.

    “We pray that truth will continue to be heard through a process that is fair, transparent, and grounded in the facts,” the statement said.

    The video that prosecutors said showed Robinson running across a roof at Utah Valley University was played for the court gallery at the request of Kirk’s family. Portions of the recording were zoomed in to better show the figure on the roof, and red circles were added to some images to direct the viewer’s attention.

    An unaltered version of that video was shown earlier.

    Prosecutors on Thursday aired portions of an April 20 interview with Robinson’s roommate, Lance Twiggs, who also was his reported romantic partner. The day after Kirk was shot in the neck, Robinson allegedly cried and told Twiggs “he wishes he hadn’t done it,” a recording played in court revealed.

    Later that same day — and only about an hour before turning himself in — Robinson posted “it was me at UVU yesterday,” in a chat room on the Discord instant messaging platform, according to investigators and messages shown by prosecutors.

    Defense attorneys unsuccessfully fought the public release of Twiggs’ statements and the chat room messages. They argued prosecutors would characterize the material as a confession, undermining Robinson’s right to a fair trial.

    Roommate: Robinson never talked about Kirk

    Prosecutors contend the shooting endangered others at Kirk’s campus event — an aggravating circumstance that could make the crime punishable by death under Utah law. Robinson also faces possible sentence enhancements based on claims by prosecutors that he targeted Kirk because of his political views.

    Twiggs said in the April interview with prosecutors and investigators that Robinson sometimes talked about politics, including Trump. But Twiggs said he never heard Robinson talk about Kirk before the shooting. The defendant also did not talk much about gender issues or LGBTQ rights, Twiggs said.

    The weeklong preliminary hearing attracted intense media coverage and spectators who lined up — sometimes overnight — for one of 14 seats in the courtroom reserved for the public.

    Preliminary hearings typically don’t last so long. Legal experts said the slow pace reflects a cautious approach by Graf and the large volume of evidence.

    Conjecture over that evidence has fueled unsubstantiated conspiracy theories that there might have been a second shooter or that Kirk’s death was staged.

    “I think that the prosecution wanted to dispel those theories by putting out into the public record the overwhelming case that it possesses against Robinson,” said Paul Cassell, a law professor at the University of Utah and former federal judge.

    ___

    Brown reported from Billings, Montana.


  • Suki Waterhouse finds a new version of herself on her latest album, ‘Loveland’


    New York (AP) — Suki Waterhouse started working on “Loveland,” her third record, immediately after she finished her 2024 sophomore album, “Memoir of A Sparklemuffin.”

    “I was looking for, like, a personal revolution,” Waterhouse said. Putting the words together for “Loveland,” the album’s wistful penultimate track, helped her get there. “It’s always amazing to me how, you kind of write the album and you become it. You become somebody new from it.”

    True to that spirit, Waterhouse worked with new collaborators on the project — including songwriter Amy Allen and producer Aaron Dessner, a member of the rock band The National and a frequent collaborator of pop-crossover artists including Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams and Noah Kahan. Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac put down a drum track for “Morals” — a fun twist after Waterhouse acted in the limited series “Daisy Jones & the Six,” based on a Taylor Jenkins Reid novel widely considered to be inspired by the band’s origins.

    “Maybe that’s what made me think to reach out,” Waterhouse, said. “I thought, you know, maybe he’s seen the show. It might help me get in the door.”

    Waterhouse spoke to The Associated Press about making “Loveland” and exploring the evolution she has felt since welcoming her daughter with partner Robert Pattinson. She also teased future projects. Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.

    AP: When announcing the album, you wrote that this project was “born in the space between who I was and who I’m becoming.” How did you attempt to capture the emotions of that experience in the album?

    WATERHOUSE: A revelation I’ve had for myself recently is that there is inherently a friction there, that I think has been really deepened by becoming a parent. I think before I had much more of a kind of wild abandon, where my whole life was my work and my artistic life. And now that I have this beautiful gift that’s been given to me — my daughter and this responsibility, and also how present I feel in her life, and want to be — I had a lot of insecurity and fear and doubt about how I was going to still have these two things exist at once. So it’s funny, I don’t think the record is like a record, really, about me, you wouldn’t listen to it and be like, “Oh, this is a ‘she’s just become a mum’ record” but it’s the things I know about it that are laced deep within it. There are certain songs where I address that very rawly, I think in the song “Weirdo” especially.

    AP: On songs like “Weirdo,” or “Notting Hill,” how do you navigate interrogating your personal experiences and emotions, while also maintaining your privacy?

    WATERHOUSE: When I’m writing I don’t really think about that much at all because I also know that not everything that I write has to go on an album and be released into the public. There’s things that you can write that can just be for yourself, and kind of like help you externalize a feeling that’s unexplainable.

    It’s interesting, it’s like two different parts of my brain: The part that doesn’t care what anybody thinks and is just writing so freely, and then, later on, when you’re like choosing the singles, or choosing what’s going to be on the record, this other voice comes in and it’s not a purist. It’s much more like, I want people to like this and I want to be loved. You’ve got the two different voices warring with each other, and it’s hard to get them to speak to each other, or know which voice should succeed.

    I’m always mining from my own past in a way, and “Notting Hill” was really about mourning a place, but also memorializing it. I sold my apartment and never really said goodbye to it because I had a baby in America. And I, you know, fell in love in that apartment, had some of the worst nights of my life, some of my best. And then suddenly you outgrow somewhere so quickly and you’re having a baby in a different country, and it’s a walk-up and you’d never be able to get a stroller in there, and it’s like full of everything in your 20s. It’s giving its flowers to this place that raised me.

    AP: I saw that Mick Fleetwood played drums on “Morals.” I’m curious how that came to be.

    WATERHOUSE: That was a fun way to collaborate. When we got a response from Mick Fleetwood, I was kind of amazed. We struck an agreement that he would drum on “Morals” — I got like a billion videos of him in a studio in Hawaii playing all these incredible takes and I was just blown away that the whole thing was happening. And then I recorded a song for his record, that is with Amy Allen. He’s been working on a record for quite some time. I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say about it, but it was a very cool thing to have happened.

    AP: When we last talked, you were preparing to bring your daughter, then 6 months old, with you on tour. Has she heard the new album?

    WATERHOUSE: She knows now what I do, it’s funny. I was reading to her the other night and there was a “choose, what would your world be like? and where would you live? the mountains?” and we were kind of like picking things and there were a bunch of jobs and I said, “Which one does mommy do?” and she pointed to the woman with the guitar. So it’s kind of crazy. She’s almost 2 1/2 now, so she’s really switched on, like knows what we’re doing, I can explain it to her much better. I’m just like in heaven with her, just enjoying her so much and I feel so deeply grateful that I get to bring her with me.


  • SK Hynix rises nearly 13% in debut on Wall Street as demand for memory chips soars amid AI frenzy


    NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of South Korean memory chipmaker SK Hynix rose 12.8% as they made their debut on Wall Street, at a time when demand for chips is surging thanks to the frenzy around artificial intelligence.

    The company is already one of the largest in South Korea, along with Samsung Electronics, and is a member of the Kospi index. Even with a recent pullback, the country’s Kospi index is up 77% so far this year and SK Hynix shares have more than tripled.

    SK Hynix priced its American depositary receipts, or ADRs, at $149 each Thursday. They opened Friday at $170 and closed at $168.01. The offering of 177.9 million ADRs raised proceeds of $26.5 billion, making it the biggest-ever initial share sale in the U.S. by a foreign company. An ADR is issued by a bank or broker and is a simplified way for U.S. investors to own foreign stocks through the U.S. markets.

    SK Hynix is going public in the U.S. amid a surge in IPO proceeds. There were 48 IPOs raising a total of $104.8 billion during the second quarter, according to Renaissance Capital. It is the biggest quarter for deal proceeds in five years, in large part because of SpaceX raising $75 billion. Many of the companies going public are capitalizing on the demand for all things AI.

    SK Hynix has a dominant position globally for high bandwidth memory, which is essential for the development of advanced AI technology. The company recently entered a partnership with Wall Street’s most valuable company, Nvidia, for advanced memory chips as AI infrastructure expands globally.

    Increasing demand for AI has been driving a surge in profits for chipmakers. Memory chips have become more expensive as demand outpaces supply along with the advancement of artificial intelligence technology. Technology giant Apple recently announced an increase in prices for Macs and iPads because of the jump in price for memory chips.

    The U.S. is SK Hynix’s largest market, accounting for 68.8% of its revenue last year. It is planning an expansion that includes building its first U.S. production facility, located in Indiana. Overall, the company had revenue of just under $65 billion in 2025. That helped profits double to about $28 billion.

    The company recently joined with Samsung and the government in announcing plans to invest a combined 800 trillion won ($518 billion) in building a new computer chipmaking hub in South Korea’s southwest region, part of national efforts to expand investment beyond the greater Seoul metropolitan area, the country’s economic center and heart of its semiconductor sector.

    The promise of growing profits has catapulted stock prices within the tech sector, particularly for chipmakers. Micron Technology’s stock value more than tripled in 2025 and is on pace to more than triple again in 2026. Nvidia’s stock had similar growth several years ago and notched more relatively modest gains in 2025.

    Big chipmakers have become the most valuable and influential companies on Wall Street. Their high stock values give them outsized influence over Wall Street and major indexes have been setting records mostly because of the tech sector.

    Shares in SK Hynix traded in Seoul slipped 0.3% on Friday.


  • US stocks rise as Wall Street shows it’s still hungry for AI winners


    NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks ticked higher Friday after Wall Street showed its appetite is still big for winners of the artificial-intelligence boom.

    The S&P 500 rose 0.4% to close out its fourth winning week in the last five. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 149 points, or 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.3%.

    SK Hynix, a giant South Korean maker of memory chips, shone in the debut of its stock trading on the Nasdaq. After raising roughly $26.5 billion by selling American depositary shares at a price of $149 each, it jumped immediately after trading began in the midday hours and finished with a gain of 13.1%.

    SK Hynix’s stock in Seoul has already surged 634% over the last year thanks to euphoria around AI. The boom has created real profits due to surging demand for computer memory. But it’s also raised worries that AI stock prices have shot have too high and that all the world’s spending on chips and data centers won’t be able to produce enough productivity and profit growth to make it worth it.

    That’s led to sharp recent swings for AI stocks, which have grown into some of Wall Street’s most influential because of their huge sizes.

    Nvidia was the strongest single force lifting the S&P 500 Friday after rising 4%.

    Beyond the uncertainty about AI, the focus on Wall Street is shifting to the upcoming reporting season for companies’ profits during the spring.

    Delta Air Lines said it was able to absorb higher fuel prices from April through June because of strong demand from customers to fly, including a wide range of corporate travelers. That helped it report profit and revenue for the spring that topped analysts’ expectations, and it gave a forecasted range for upcoming profit in the summer whose midpoint was above analysts’ expectations.

    Delta’s stock fell 1.8%, though, after coming into the day with a strong 28.2% rise for the year so far.

    Companies across industries will need to produce big growth in profits to justify the big moves for their stock prices, which are broadly near records. Next week will feature earnings reports from many of the biggest U.S. banks, including Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo on Tuesday alone.

    Elsewhere on Wall Street, Circle Internet Group rose 5%. The company behind the USDC cryptocurrency, which is supposed to keep the value of $1, said it won U.S. regulatory approval to establish a bank. It will operate under the name Circle National Trust, and CEO Jeremy Allaire said the move “marks a defining step in bringing blockchain technology and digital assets into the core of the U.S. financial system.”

    WD-40’s stock jumped 10.6% after reporting much stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

    All told, the S&P 500 rose 31.75 points to 7,575.39. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 149.60 to 52,367.01, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 74.72 to 26,281.61.

    In the oil market, prices continued to pare jumps from earlier in the week on worries about how the war with Iran will affect the global flow of crude.

    The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, dipped 0.4% to $76.01.

    That’s above its $72 price from the start of the week, but it’s still well below its wartime peak of nearly $120. The worry is that continued fighting could block oil tankers from the Strait of Hormuz and prevent the delivery of crude from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide.

    President Donald Trump said on his social-media platform that he agreed to continue talks with Iran but also that the United States told Iran “that the Cease Fire is OVER!”

    In the bond market, Treasury yields ticked higher. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.56% from 4.54% late Thursday.

    High yields have weighed on financial markets worldwide. Yields have climbed on worries about expensive oil and high inflation, which could push the Federal Reserve and other central banks to raise interest rates.

    Higher rates can keep a lid on inflation, but they also slow the economy and hurt prices for all kinds of investments.

    In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 2.5%, and Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.2% for two of the world’s bigger moves, but stocks fell 1% in Shanghai.

    ___

    AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Matt Ott contributed to this report.


  • Former county administrator Mitzi Conn joins Natchez-Adams County Airport staff

    Just days after concluding her tenure as Adams County administrator, Mitzi Conn is beginning a new chapter at the Natchez-Adams County Airport.

    According to the Natchez Democrat, Conn will start work Monday in an accounting and administrative role at the airport, where she said she is eager to return to a project she helped shepherd during her time in county government.

    “I’m so excited about it. I have my joy back!” Conn told the Natchez Democrat on Friday.

    Conn said she has not yet been given an official job title.

    “I’m just going to be a general helper, doing whatever I am needed to do,” she told the Natchez Democrat.

    A certified public accountant, Conn spent nearly 30 years in financial leadership positions, including serving as chief accounting officer at Callon Petroleum before the company left Natchez. She later worked for Delta Fuel and as a consultant before being hired by the Adams County Board of Supervisors as county administrator. Conn announced her resignation earlier this year, with her final day in the position coming on July 8.

    Prior to becoming county administrator, Conn served on the airport’s board of commissioners and played a significant role in efforts to improve the airport’s finances and operations. She also worked closely with airport officials during the construction of the new terminal and preparations for the launch of commercial air service, which began on July 1st.

    Airport Director Carl Beasley said he is excited to continue working alongside Conn as the airport expands its operations.

    “Mitzi and I have become such best friends through this whole process,” Beasley told the Natchez Democrat. “I’m so excited to have my partner back.”

    Beasley said Conn’s financial expertise will be instrumental as the airport manages its growing responsibilities.

    “Her accounting knowledge and background are so needed,” Beasley told the Natchez Democrat. “We are essentially running three businesses out here — general aviation, commercial air service and a fueling operation. It’s going to take her accounting background to keep these finances straight and bring that money to Natchez.”

    Conn’s hiring comes as the Natchez-Adams County Airport continues to build on the recent launch of commercial passenger service and the opening of its new terminal, marking a period of significant growth for the airport.