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  • Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Kneeland had early stage CTE at time of death


    AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, who died by suicide in November 2025 after a high-speed chase with police, had early stage chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain abnormality linked to repeated head trauma, his family announced Tuesday.

    The Boston University CTE Center, which investigates the long-term consequences of repetitive brain trauma in athletes and others, analyzed Kneeland’s brain tissue after his death. Researchers determined Kneeland, who was 24, was in stage one of four of CTE.

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    EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

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    CTE is a degenerative brain disease that has been found in athletes in contact sports, combat veterans and others who experience repetitive blows to the head. It has been known to cause violent mood swings, impulsive behavior and depression. It can be diagnosed only after death.

    “While this diagnosis does not change the tragedy of his passing, it provides important context about some of the struggles he may have been facing. We share this information to help people understand what NFL and other high contact sport athletes might be struggling with,” Kneeland’s family, including his girlfriend, Catalina Mancera, said in a statement issued through the Concussion and CTE Foundation.

    “Raising awareness is important to us. We continue to remember Marshawn with compassion for the person he was, rather than defining him by the final moments of his life. One Love,” the family said.

    The abnormality has also been linked to deaths in the National Football League, as well as in hockey and soccer.

    Kneeland shot himself after evading authorities in his vehicle and fleeing a car crash on foot.

    The chase happened after police said Kneeland didn’t stop for Texas Department of Public Safety troopers over a traffic violation. Authorities lost sight of the vehicle before locating it crashed minutes later.

    As authorities were looking for Kneeland after he fled the crash site on foot, a dispatcher told officers that people who knew him had received a group text from Kneeland “saying goodbye,” indicating he might be suicidal.

    Dr. Chris Nowinski, CEO of the Concussion & CTE Foundation, noted Kneeland’s diagnosis comes even amid a modern era of concussion protocols in professional and college athletics and better safety equipment.

    Kneeland started playing tackle football when he was 7 years old. He played at Western Michigan University before he was selected by the Cowboys in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft.

    “We have no reason to believe the current generation is at a lower risk of CTE than previous generations. Concussion protocols do not prevent CTE, because CTE is caused by repeated head impacts, not just concussions,” Nowinski said. “If we want to reduce CTE risk, we must implement CTE prevention protocols and aggressively reduce the number and strength of head impacts at every level of the game.”

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


  • What’s offside? And all your other World Cup questions, answered


    This World Cup has prompted some questions we simply can’t answer for you.

    Can anyone stop Messi? Did Merlin the duck like wearing that jersey? What would have happened if the Congo’s statue fan had to sneeze?

    That said, if you’re a first-time soccer watcher still confused by all this footie, we’re here to help! Free kicks, hydration breaks, stoppage time, the situation with Folarin Balogun … there’s a lot to know. We put out a call for your burning World Cup questions — and we’ll keep answering them if you have more. We’re compiling answers to your FAQs below.

    Now to some new questions…

    Has what happened with Balogun ever happened before at a World Cup?

    Not for 64 years. Back then, in the 1962 World Cup and at a time when there were no physical red cards in soccer, Brazil midfielder Garrincha was sent off the field by the referee in the semifinals for kicking a Chilean opponent away from the ball. However, Garrincha escaped a ban for the final — a scenario Brazil officials feared — as a result of the intervention of host nation Chile’s president, who argued that Garrincha should be allowed to play. The Balogun case differs slightly in the sense that his ban for the red card was placed on suspension for one year.

    How are World Cup referees chosen and vetted?

    Brazilian ref Raphael Claus — the match official President Donald Trump described as “a little bit suspect” in light of the red card for Balogun — was one of 52 referees selected for the tournament based on their “quality and consistency of performances” over the previous three years in international and domestic competitions, FIFA says. They’ve been monitored, attended seminars and even received support from mental specialists. “The very best in the world,” is how FIFA referee chief Pierluigi Collina put it.

    Who are the kids accompanying players at the beginning of matches?

    Lucky souls, aren’t they? Those children holding hands and sometimes talking with the best soccer players in the world before games are officially called “player escorts” — even though many would describe them as “mascots.” One of FIFA’s sponsors is food company Quaker, who has teamed up with dozens of community organizations to give kids “from underserved communities” the chance to walk players onto the field.

    Why do Americans call it ‘soccer’?

    First of all, it’s not just Americans — looking at you, fallen brethren in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada. While all the teams that call it “soccer” and not “football” may have been knocked out, England — the birthplace of the sport — is hanging in there in the quarterfinals and still flies the “it’s called football!” flag. That’s despite the word “soccer” actually being coined in Britain, perhaps as far back as the 1880s. The exact date it was first used is not known, but it is widely believed “soccer” was derived from “association football,” which was the first official name of the sport. “Soccer” is not a commonly used term in Britain these days and some Brits often roll their eyes when they hear others use the word instead of “football.” But given the U.S. has its own version of football, surely it’s OK to use “soccer” as a differentiator, right?

    What does it take to rain out or delay a game?

    Soccer isn’t like cricket or tennis or baseball — it can be played through heavy rain. If it gets too heavy, though, the referee has the authority to bring a halt to, or abandon, a match owing to poor weather conditions that affect the field or the surrounding areas. Storms have been an issue at this World Cup — one caused a delay of around two hours during the group game between France and Iraq — and a rule used by FIFA pauses games for 30 minutes if lightning is detected within 8 miles (up to 13 kilometers). Each strike resets the clock. World Cup regulations state that if a match was to be abandoned after it had kicked off, it restarts “at the minute at which play was interrupted rather than being replayed in full, and with the same scoreline.”

    What happens if teams are still tied after five penalty kicks?

    In that case, the shootout then goes to the forebodingly named “sudden death.” That means the teams take extra rounds of penalties — one attempt each — until one scores and one doesn’t. On some occasions, even the goalkeepers end up taking a penalty. The shootout can go on for quite some time, like in the Israeli third-tier promotion playoff between F.C. Dimona and Shimshon Tel Aviv in 2024, when 56 shots were needed before Dimona prevailed 23-22.

    Can you drink alcohol at the soccer games?

    Yes! Unlike at the Paris Olympics venues or the Qatar World Cup stadiums, alcoholic beer is available at World Cup venues. Michelob Ultra and Budweiser are the official sponsors. Stadiums can also offer cocktails and hard seltzers for sale.

    How does the size of a soccer pitch compare to an NFL field? And why is it called a pitch, anyway?

    Put simply, NFL fields are longer and narrower. According to the NFL rule book, “the game shall be played upon a rectangular field, 360 feet in length and 160 feet in width.” In yards, that’s 120 x 53.3, or in meters, 110 x 49. The recommended dimensions of a soccer field in yardage, FIFA says, is 115 x 74 yards (345 x 222 feet, 105 meters x 68 meters), though they can vary slightly. As for the widely used “pitch,” that’s just a term the English use for a field. Some say it’s because goalposts were pitched into the ground for matches in the 19th century.

    Here’s our previous round of No Dumb Questions…

    OK, let’s start with the real basics: What does ‘offsides’ mean?

    Well, first off, it’s “offside,” per the AP Stylebook. Secondly, this is a common question — and one that can make you appear a soccer aficionado if you know the answer. Essentially, a player is offside if he or she is closer to the opponent’s goal line than the ball and second-to-last opposition player (the goalkeeper is usually the last) the moment the ball is passed by a teammate. There are various caveats — for example, you cannot be offside inside your own half — but that is the gist. It can be confusing and a source of great debate.

    When a team loses a player due to a red card, does it play with just 10 men the following match?

    No, the team only plays short-handed for the rest of the current match.

    A red card, which is handed out by an official when a player does something naughty like intentionally striking another player, means the player has been ejected and must leave the pitch. From that point on, the team would play a “man down,” meaning it can only field 10 players instead of 11. In some cases, teams have had two red cards in a single game and had to play with nine.

    The player must serve a one-game suspension for the following match. However, the team itself is not penalized, and can return to its full starting strength of 11 players.

    How many players are at this World Cup in total? How many of them are first timers?

    Each of the 48 teams were allowed 26 players on their roster, so 1,248 players. Of those, more than half — 891 to be exact — are participating for the first time.

    Why are World Cup tickets so expensive?

    A lot people would like to know that. FIFA came under scrutiny about a month before the tournament for their high-price tickets and sales tactics, leaving some fans upset. That caused demand for the tickets to drop, while other fans had to make tough financial sacrifices.

    Why isn’t it free to watch on TV?

    They are free — if you have a subscription to Fox or Telemundo through a cable provider or streamer. Every single game of the World Cup is fully televised on Fox and FS1. Matches can also be streamed live on the FOX One app.

    How are the teams selected and groups determined?

    The 48 teams in this year’s World Cup qualified through regional tournaments. (Host countries — in this case the U.S., Canada and Mexico — receive automatic bids.)

    As for how the 12 groups are determined, the 48 teams are divided into four, 12-team “pots” based primarily on the FIFA World Rankings. The first pot includes the host nations and then the top nine highest-ranked teams. The next 36 highest-ranked teams are divided into sequential pots of 12. Teams are then drawn at random, meaning that every group contains exactly one team from each of the four pots.

    Can some qualify to play for a country without being a citizen?

    A player doesn’t necessarily have to be born or raised in the country to play for the team. But there are some restrictions to prevent countries from stacking their rosters. If a player has a biological parent or grandparent who was born in the territory of the country, or if they have established residency in the country for at least five years, they would be allowed to play.

    Why is there only one official on the field, given that the pitch is bigger than in American football?

    There are actually four officials for every World Cup match, although they may not be as prominent as in an American football game. The head referee controls the match and enforces the rules of the game, while two assistant referees manage offside calls, throw-ins, and goal kicks. A fourth oversees substitutions, team benches, and indicates stoppage time.

    How do teams decide which uniform to wear during games?

    In World Cup play it’s FIFA that determines uniform combinations, not the teams. The governing body’s primary objective is to ensure strong visual contrast on the pitch so players, referees and television viewers can easily tell the teams apart. So basically, you will never see teams wearing two shades of blue in the same match.

    And if you missed our first round of No Dumb Questions…

    Why doesn’t the clock stop for penalties and injuries?

    Unlike American football, basketball or hockey, the clock never stops in soccer. If there are delays for such things as injuries, blatant time-wasting or the aftermath of goals, those seconds or minutes are added on at the end of each half in a period called “stoppage time.” There’s an extra twist in this World Cup: hydration breaks. These three-minute stoppages in the middle of each half have been introduced to help players deal with the summer heat in the United States, Canada and Mexico (they’re also a convenient spot for extra TV ads). Those three-minute blocks must also be added to the overall stoppage time, meaning there is typically at least five minutes of extra play in each half of this World Cup.

    What’s the difference between a free kick and a penalty kick?

    Well, both are dead-ball situations and given after fouls. The key difference is that a penalty kick is awarded after a foul inside the penalty area — the big rectangle drawn near the opposing goal — and a free kick is awarded outside the penalty area. A penalty is a free shot at goal — from the designated spot, which is central and 12 yards (11 meters) out — with just the goalkeeper able to stop the shot. A free kick can be defended against by a whole team and is taken from where the offense occurred.

    What was the tiebreaker if teams ended up with the same number of points in the group stage?

    Starting from this World Cup, head-to-head results between two or more teams tied on points were the first tiebreaker — instead of overall goal difference. The second tiebreaker was goal difference in the games between the teams concerned, followed by the highest number of goals scored in those games. Only then — as a fourth tiebreaker — did overall goal difference come into play.

    What’s the deal with the 5-second throw-in rule?

    It’s another new measure being implemented at this World Cup with the intention of speeding up play and stopping time-wasting. If referees deem a player is taking too long on a throw-in, they can start a visual five-second countdown. If it reaches five seconds, the throw-in will be awarded to the opposing team. And it has already happened, with Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Sead Kolašinac giving up a throw-in for taking too long against Canada.

    Off the pitch … are Heinz bottles really taped over at stadiums? Why are logos being covered?

    Yes, eagle-eyed reporters and fans have noted that logos on bottles of condiments — such as ketchup from Heinz — have been taped over inside stadiums. This is a directive of FIFA, the soccer governing body always very careful to protect its official partners and sponsors and give them exclusive visibility at stadiums. For the same reason, stadiums named after a sponsor — such as Gillette Stadium near Boston — have been renamed for the tournament by FIFA, which is instead using generic names.

    So how much annual PTO do Europeans get anyway?

    Wondering how fans of these top European soccer nations can be spending so many weeks in North America, are you? Well, the Europeans do love their soccer and this supersized tournament will have been in the diary for years. The amount of vacation days employees get vary from country to country. In the U.K, for example, most workers receive at least 28 days of paid annual leave per year. In France, they get a minimum of 30 working days. In Spain, it’s 22.

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    See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here


  • Naomi Osaka overpowers Aryna Sabalenka to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals


    LONDON (AP) — When power meets power, getting in the first blow can sometimes be the key.

    In a matchup of two of the hardest hitters on tour, that was Naomi Osaka’s strategy against top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the most highly awaited matchup of Wimbledon so far this year.

    Sabalenka had beaten Osaka in all three of their previous matches this year — including at the same stage of the French Open last month.

    “On the clay courts I felt like she was pushing me back a lot. I just tried to do it to her first,” Osaka said.

    The tactics worked, and Osaka outslugged Sabalenka 6-2, 7-6 (2) to reach the quarterfinals at the All England Club for the first time on Sunday.

    Osaka’s pace and flat groundstrokes overwhelmed Sabalenka.

    “Obviously we’re big ball strikers. It’s not like I’m going to start running around the court trying to draw an error from her. I can only focus on my strengths,” Osaka said.

    “I just tried to serve really well, because it’s grass. I also tried to get the upper hand in the rallies first.”

    Osaka’s power had an even bigger impact than usual as her balls flew through the air faster on the warmest day of the tournament so far: The temperature during the match reached 28 degrees Celsius (82 Fahrenheit).

    “She overpowered me,” Sabalenka said. “I felt like it was incredible level from her.”

    Besides Paris, Sabalenka also beat Osaka in Indian Wells, California, and Madrid this year.

    “That really sucked,” Osaka said. “So I wanted to turn it (around).”

    When it was over, Osaka performed a few fist pumps, let out a brief smile and then placed her racket over her head and spun around in delight to celebrate her first career win on Centre Court.

    “It’s been a long time since I’ve had so much fun on the court,” Osaka said. “And to do it here, it really means a lot.”

    Mental health and maternity

    It was Osaka’s first win over a No. 1 player since beating Ash Barty in Beijing in 2019. That was before Osaka, a former No. 1 herself, took breaks from the tour to manage her mental health in 2021 and for maternity leave that resulted in her missing all of 2023.

    Osaka’s daughter turned three on Thursday.

    After getting routed by Iga Swiatek at the Italian Open in May, Osaka said she “shut everyone out” on her team and “literally just got on a plane back home.

    “It wasn’t the most professional thing to do,” she said. “I felt really ashamed about what I did. So then after that I just told myself, ‘Hey, I’m nearing 30, I really got to enjoy the time that I have.’ Also, obviously tennis is very, very important to me, but I have a life outside of that. I have to treasure tennis in the way that I can, which is not putting too much importance on it.”

    Sabalenka to ‘forget about tennis’

    It’s the second straight Grand Slam in which Sabalenka has failed to reach the latter stages. After a stunning meltdown against Diana Shnaider in the French Open quarterfinals last month, Sabalenka said she “just want to quit tennis.”

    This time, Sabalenka said she wanted to “get completely drunk, forget about tennis, and try to get in better shape.”

    Sabalenka and Osaka have each won four Grand Slam titles. All their major trophies have come on hard courts — at the Australian Open and U.S. Open.

    Osaka is coming off her first grass-court final. She had to retire against Karolina Muchova in Bad Homburg, Germany, last weekend because of a foot injury.

    She’ll now get a rematch with Muchova, who beat 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.

    Kimono walk-on fashion

    Before the match, Osaka came out in the white kimono she’s been wearing for her walk-ons at Wimbledon — which was inspired by a character in a Quentin Tarantino movie.

    Unlike at the French Open, when the designer for Osaka’s walk-on outfits “was sewing things immediately after I won,” the kimono was designed in Japan, so “it’s not like (the designer) can make a brand-new thing every time.”

    Instead, Osaka is using variations on the same outfit. For her past two matches, she’s employed “the free-robe vibe” inspired by an anime called Bleach.

    Aces and winners

    Osaka saved the only two break points she faced and put 87% of her first serves in play — compared to 69% for Sabalenka.

    Osaka also led 8-5 in aces and 21-15 in winners in the match, which lasted less than 1 ½ hours.

    “What could I do if the person is acing and hitting the lines, just going for her shots without any fear?” Sabalenka said. “She was just going for it.

    “Level-wise, today,” Sabalenka added, “I wasn’t world No. 1.”

    Coco breaks through

    Coco Gauff reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time by overcoming Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 just before the 11 p.m. curfew.

    Gauff will next meet fellow American Jessica Pegula, who beat Iva Jovic — another American — 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.

    Djokovic edges Federer

    Earlier on Centre Court, Novak Djokovic beat 132nd-ranked qualifier Roman Safiullin 7-6 (6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 for a record 106th match victory at the All England Club.

    Djokovic will next play third-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime, who beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-1.

    Top-ranked Jannik Sinner beat Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki 6-3, 7-6 (0), 6-3 and will next meet Jan-Lennard Struff, who advanced when Hubert Hurkacz retired while trailing 4-2 in the fifth set due to a strained abdominal muscle.

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    This story was first published on July 5, 2026. It was updated on July 7, 2026 to correct the score of Coco Gauff’s victory over Belinda Bencic.

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


  • Former mayor of Mississippi’s capital city pleads guilty in bribery scheme


    JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The former mayor of Mississippi’s capital city and the former City Council president have pleaded guilty in a bribery scheme one week before they were set to face trial.

    Former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and former Jackson City Council President Aaron Banks pleaded guilty Monday to one count of conspiracy. Their pleas came after Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens pleaded guilty last week and resigned. All three are Democrats.

    Two other people — Angelique Lee, the Democratic former vice president of the Jackson City Council, and Sherik Marve Smith, a businessman and relative of Owens — had already pleaded guilty to bribery charges.

    A November 2024 indictment accused Owens of taking at least $115,000 from two FBI agents posing as real estate developers and facilitating more than $80,000 in bribe payments to Banks, Lumumba and Lee in exchange for their help greenlighting a development project.

    Lumumba, Banks and Owens could be sentenced to up to five years in prison. Their sentencing hearings are set for Oct. 15.

    Lumumba, who previously called the charges a political prosecution, lost his reelection bid last year. His lawyers did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ requests for comment.

    The National Conference of Black Lawyers, which has supported Lumumbat throughout his prosecution, has raised concerns about whether the FBI and prosecutors unjustly targeted Black elected officials.

    “Our history tells us that it is necessary for us to have a very healthy skepticism about who, how and why certain people, certain geographical areas are focused upon,” said Mawuli Davis, an attorney with the NCBL. “We’ve never not been targeted.”

    Davis said the NCBL intends to attend Lumumba’s sentencing hearing and advocate for the judge to consider Lumumba’s contributions to the community.

    Banks’ lawyer declined to comment.


  • Donovan Mitchell agrees to 4-year, $273 million extension with Cavaliers, AP source says


    CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell has agreed to a four-year, $273 million contract extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

    The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the extension had not been announced. Tuesday was the first day that the Cavaliers could offer Mitchell the extension. The seven-time All-Star had two seasons remaining on his contract and could have waited to re-sign until next summer, when he would be eligible for a five-year supermax deal worth $350 million.

    The extension includes a $76 million player option for the 2030-31 season and a full trade kicker, the person said.

    “I love it here. I don’t know how else to say it. I have no doubt these guys can get there. We have unfinished business,” Mitchell said on May 25 after the Cavaliers were swept by the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals.

    For now, it is the fourth-biggest contract in terms of total value in NBA history behind the $314 million contract Boston gave to Jayson Tatum, the $285 million deal that the Celtics gave to Jaylen Brown — who now plays for Philadelphia — and the $276 million deal that Nikola Jokic currently has with Denver.

    That assumes Mitchell will pick up a player option worth nearly $76 million for 2030-31. The average annual value of just over $68 million is, for now, an NBA record, barely passing the $67.9 million average value of the deal that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has with Oklahoma City.

    “When we have a superstar of his caliber that wants to be in Cleveland, that’s our best ambassador, that’s our best recruiter. There’s guys that are here that wouldn’t be here without him, quite frankly,” Cavaliers’ president of basketball operation Koby Altman said about Mitchell and an extension on May 29. “So I think the bigger question is, the one that’s been answered is, does he want be here and does he want to be here long term? And I think he’s answered that.”

    The 29-year-old Mitchell led the Cavaliers this past season to their first conference final since 2018. He averaged 27.9 points, 5.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds during the regular season, along with 26 points in the playoffs.

    Mitchell is averaging 26.7 points in four seasons with Cleveland since he was traded by the Utah Jazz in 2022.

    Mitchell’s extension is the first in what is likely to be a series of moves for the Cavaliers. There is the possibility LeBron James could return to his hometown franchise, which he led to its first championship in 2016. James Harden — whom the Cavaliers acquired at the trade deadline — also is considering a new deal to remain with Cleveland after turning down his player option for 2026-27.

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    AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.

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


  • US launches new strikes against Iran after three ships were hit in Strait of Hormuz


    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military launched a series of strikes against Iran early Wednesday, hours after three merchant ships were struck in the waters off Oman in the Strait of Hormuz.

    The renewed attacks from both sides threaten the interim deal reached last month, with the U.S. and Iran both saying the strikes violate that initial agreement. The fresh assaults will add to the difficulty of the negotiations aimed at fully reopening the strait, rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear program and reaching a permanent end to the war launched Feb. 28.

    In a statement posted to social media, U.S. Central Command said American forces launched the strikes “to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”

    “Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire,” the command said in their statement.

    The latest exchange followed a similar spate of Iranian attacks on shipping and U.S. retaliation that occurred late last month.

    Hours after the three tankers were struck by projectiles, and the United States revoked a license that had authorized the sale of Iranian oil as part of the interim deal to end the fighting between the U.S. and Iran.

    The new assaults in the fuel-shipping waterway were the most in a single day since late April, according to the U.N. International Maritime Organization. The fresh attacks threatened to choke off the flow of traffic in the strait just as countries hoped to restore normal shipping practices and ease the global economic strain of the war.

    A U.S. official said the license was revoked because Iran’s actions in the strait were unacceptable and needed to be met with consequences. The official spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to share insight into the reasoning behind the move.

    The Iranian mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    One tanker caught fire after getting hit

    One tanker was traveling off the coast of Oman when it was hit and caught fire, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. Iranian state television said the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings but did not directly claim the assault.

    The other two ships sustained some damage, but no one was injured, and both continued on their way, the U.K. maritime agency said.

    Tehran, which has repeatedly declared that only its approved route through the strait is safe, is suspected of attacking other ships that have used another route close to the Omani shore.

    Location details provided by the U.K. agency showed that all three attacks occurred off the coast of Oman or the neighboring United Arab Emirates, making it likely that the ships were using the route near Oman.

    Talks between US and Iran are on hold

    The U.S. is eager to press ahead with negotiations with Iran aimed at fully reopening the strait, rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear program and reaching a permanent end to the war launched Feb. 28.

    Previous attacks in the strait have sparked retaliatory strikes by the U.S. Iran then attacked Gulf Arab states.

    In peacetime, a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed through the channel.

    The license issued by the U.S. authorized the production, delivery and sale of Iranian oil through Aug. 21. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said at the time that lengthy talks with senior Iranian officials in Switzerland created a “good foundation for a successful final deal” to end the war.

    U.S. sanctions on the purchase of Iranian oil had been in place since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. After the U.S. and Israel launched the war, and after the closure of the strait, the U.S. had authorized the temporary sale of Iranian oil at least twice as an incentive toward a deal.

    Meanwhile, talks between Iran and the U.S. appeared to be on hold until after the burial of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the beginning of the war.

    Qatar calls attack a violation of international law

    One tanker was carrying liquid natural gas south through the strait near Limah, Oman, when a projectile hit the left-side engine room and sparked a fire, the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations center said.

    Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said the Qatari tanker Al Rekayyat was targeted in an “unacceptable attack” on international navigation and global energy security. He called it a “serious and explicit violation” of international law.

    In a post on X, he said Qatar holds Iran “fully legally responsible.”

    Later Tuesday, the U.K. maritime agency reported that an oil tanker was hit on its left side as it exited the strait near the Omani-Emirati border. A third tanker was struck by a drone off Oman, the agency said.

    The Joint Maritime Information Center, a multinational body overseen by the U.S. Navy, told shippers Monday that the route around Oman “has been expanded and remains available for all traffic.”

    Ships going to the north on the Iranian route must register with Tehran. Those going south work with Oman and the U.S.

    Iran and the United States agreed as part of an interim deal to allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days. But Tehran insisted it must control the vessels’ routes and later charge fees for passage, which would upend decades of practice in the waterway.

    The U.S. and many Gulf Arab states say they will not agree to Iran charging for passage through the strait.

    The data firm Kpler reported that at least 108 ships crossed through the strait last weekend using various routes.

    Mourners gather in Qom for Khamenei’s funeral

    Authorities flew Khamenei’s body to the Shiite seminary city of Qom, where mourners honored him Tuesday.

    Iranian state television aired live images of hundreds of thousands of people walking toward Jamkaran Mosque, just south of Qom, for the funeral service. Shiites believe the mosque once hosted Muhammad al-Mahdi, the 12th and last Shiite imam, who disappeared in the 9th century and is supposed to one day reappear to bring justice to the world.

    Khamenei’s son, Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has yet to make an appearance at the ceremonies, which began Saturday in Tehran. He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the airstrike that killed his father.

    Khamenei’s body arrived late Tuesday in Najaf, Iraq, where it was received by senior officials from both countries. Processions are planned for Wednesday in Najaf and Karbala, the two holy cities of Iraqi Shiism. Iraq has a sizable Shiite population and is home to major Shiite religious sites and centers of learning.

    Khamenei, who was 86, will then be returned to Iran to be buried Thursday at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.

    ___

    Hussein reported from Washington. Associated Press Writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Najaf, Iraq, contributed to this report.


  • ‘Being Heumann,’ about a disability rights activist, to open Toronto film festival


    NEW YORK (AP) — “Being Heumann,” director Siân Heder’s film about the late disability rights activist Judith Heumann, will open the 51st Toronto International Film Festival.

    Festival organizers announced Tuesday that “Being Heumann,” starring Ruth Madeley as Heumann, will make its world premiere on the opening night of the Canadian festival Sept. 10. The festival runs through Sept. 20.

    Heumann, who died in 2023, has been called the “mother of the disability rights movement” for her longtime advocacy and for lobbying for what eventually led to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Heumann, who lost the ability to walk at age 2, was also a central figure in the Oscar-nominated 2020 film “Crip Camp.”

    “Being Heumann” is Heder’s follow-up to the 2021 film “CODA,” which won best picture at the Academy Awards. The win marked a milestone for the deaf community and signaled the first time a streamer, Apple, won Hollywood’s top award. Apple is also releasing “Being Heumann.”

    “We’re thrilled to open this year’s Festival with Siân Heder’s inspiring follow-up to her Oscar winning ‘CODA,’” Cameron Bailey, chief executive of TIFF, said in a statement. “’Being Heumann’ features an electric performance from Ruth Madeley in the story of Judy Heumann, a world-changing advocate for accessibility.”

    The festival, one of the premiere launching pads of fall movies, also announced gala world premieres of Susanna White’s legal thriller “Prima Facie,” starring Cynthia Erivo, and of Hur Jin-ho’s Korean thriller “The Assassin(s).”

    ___

    The story has been updated to correct that the film “Crip Camp” was from 2020, not 2000.


  • Tracee Ellis Ross is making her Broadway debut and completing a bucket-list item


    NEW YORK (AP) — Tracee Ellis Ross is starting to notice the small things that bring her happiness: The satisfying click of a curling iron, say, or the taste of olives. It’s sort of her job right now.

    The actor and producer is making her Broadway debut starting Tuesday in “Every Brilliant Thing,” one of the more uplifting and joyful plays this summer, even if it delves into the subject of depression.

    It’s the story of a narrator who compiles a list of the things to prove to his or her depressed mother that life is worth living — like ducklings, spaghetti Bolognese and dancing in public. No. 999,996 is: “Peeling off a sheet of wallpaper in one intact piece.”

    “What is incredible when you start doing this is that you really do start to notice things that you never thought of before,” says Ross. “They’re everywhere and that’s why this piece is so beautiful: It changes the way you see the world.”

    Ross will convince audience members to join in

    Ross steps into the Broadway role originated by Daniel Radcliffe and then held by Mariska Hargitay. It’s a solo show, but the audience helps, with some asked to read items from scraps of paper and others pretend to drive a car, craft a sock puppet or act as the narrator’s parent.

    Ross will be helping select and convince audience members to join her in the show, wandering the aisles to chat as patrons first file in. She’ll be looking for kindness — and even some resistance.

    “It is a sense of being of service to the material and a little bit of reluctance is actually a special quality in the roles that we need to cast,” she says.

    Written by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe, “Every Brilliant Thing” allows its narrator to ad-lib and changes some of the brilliant things to fit their background. So “wearing a cape ” for Radcliffe can be turned to “tutus” in Ross’ case.

    “The list has to feel authentic to them,” says Macmillan. “What they would have found brilliant at different stages of their life, that’s changed from person to person.”

    The play gets a rewrite for the new performer and is adjusted according to their age and background — a favorite cereal or cartoon — who they may have had a crush on as a teen and what movies they might have found brilliant along the way.

    “They have their own personal reasons for connecting with material, but they are also incredibly funny, open, generous, humble people that we root for,” Macmillan says.

    The play runs only 70 minutes, but Ross never takes a break, does crowd work and she’s basically been asked to memorize a 40-page monologue during just a three-week rehearsal period.

    “It felt like I was swallowing a whale and learning how to digest it through my fingers and through my body and through my voice and through my heart,” she says.

    Ross has had Broadway on her bucket list

    Ross, who graduated from Brown University and studied acting at The William Esper Studio, started her career auditioning for theater, films and TV. She’s become best-known for roles in shows like “black-ish” and “Girlfriends.”

    Broadway was always on her bucket list, but she says starring in a play that connects with other people in a hopeful way hits “my sweet spot.”

    “It’s a story that is about something real that so much of us are struggling with, but yet it is told through the lens of the lifeline of what makes life worth living — just everything that could be on a bucket list for me,” she says.

    “Sometimes hope can feel like a daunting idea in the face of feelings and also facts, but I do think that having the ability and the map to reach for other things can balance out those moments in a way that gives you an opening to the next.”

    She resisted the temptation of watching Radcliffe or Hargitay in the role: “It’s hard for me once I get somebody else’s performance or idea in my head.”

    Asked for one more personal brilliant thing and Ross, one of five children, is quick with an answer: “That moment when you and your siblings glance at each other because you know exactly what’s happening and only the five of us know but nobody else does.”


  • AI stocks sink and drag markets lower worldwide


    NEW YORK (AP) — The roller-coaster ride for AI stocks snapped back down on Tuesday and dragged Wall Street lower.

    The S&P 500 fell 0.4% even though the majority of stocks within the index rose. The drops for stocks in the artificial-intelligence industry dragged the Nasdaq composite down 1.2%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 130 points, or 0.2%, from its record.

    The weakness began in Asia, where Samsung Electronics tumbled 6.9% in Seoul. The tech giant gave a preliminary look at its performance for the second quarter, and the numbers were strong. Samsung Electronics said it expects to report its operating profit surged roughly 1,800% from a year earlier.

    Analysts called the numbers surprisingly good, but they still weren’t enough for investors after Samsung Electronics’ stock had come into the day having well more than doubled in the year so far.

    On Wall Street, AI stocks have been under similar pressure in recent weeks on worries that their prices shot too high and that AI may not produce enough productivity and profits to make all the investments in chips and data centers worth it.

    Drops of 6.5% for Advanced Micro Devices, 9.7% for Intel and 4.7% for Micron Technology were the heaviest weights on the market.

    SpaceX, which owns the xAI business, fell 6.8% in its first trading after getting included in the Nasdaq 100 index.

    Outside of tech, Vertex Pharmaceuticals slipped 1.4% after saying it agreed to buy Crinetics Pharmaceuticals for $85 per share in cash. Crinetics, which develops therapeutics for endocrine diseases, soared 98.7%.

    Rivian Automotive dropped 18.1% after the electric vehicle company said it’s selling 75 million shares of its stock, a move that dilutes the ownership stakes of earlier shareholders.

    All told, the S&P 500 fell 33.58 points to 7,503.85. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 130.76 to 52,925.15, and the Nasdaq composite sank 302.47 to 25,818.69.

    Stocks also felt pressure from a rise in oil prices after the British military said three tankers were struck by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz. The United States later revoked a license that had authorized the sale of Iranian oil as part an interim deal to end the fighting between the U.S. and Iran.

    That hurt hopes that the Strait of Hormuz may fully reopen to oil tankers carrying crude to customers worldwide from the Persian Gulf.

    Brent crude, the international standard, rose 3% to settle at $74.16 per barrel.

    Higher oil prices put upward pressure on inflation, and Treasury yields climbed in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.54% from 4.48% late Monday and from just 3.97% before the war with Iran began.

    High yields worldwide have been rattling investors since the war sent oil prices bursting above $100 per barrel in March. The worry is that high inflation may force the Federal Reserve and other central banks to hike 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, South Korea’s Kospi tumbled 4.9% because Samsung Electronics by itself makes up more than a quarter of the index.

    Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 2.1%, and Germany’s DAX lost 1.4% for two of the world’s bigger moves.

    ___

    AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.


  • Gracie Vinson

    [vc_single_image image=”1514″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_single_image image=”1515″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][headerText widget_name=”Birthday and Anniversary Cakes Provided By Dairy Queen” level=”h3″ url=”” el_class=””]

    Happy Birthday to Gracie Vinson!

    Birthday Cake winner 7/7/26