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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration is planning to impose tariffs on European steel and aluminum imports after failing to win concessions from the European Union, a move that could provoke retaliatory tariffs and inflame trans-Atlantic trade tensions. U.S. and European officials held last-ditch talks in Paris on Thursday to try to avert a deal, though hopes are low and fears of a trade war are mounting. “Global trade is not a gunfight at the OK Corral,” France’s finance minister quipped after meeting U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. “It’s not about who attacks whom, and then wait and see who is still standing at the end.” The tariffs are likely to go into effect on the EU with an announcement before Friday’s deadline, according to two people familiar with the discussions. The administration’s plans could change if the two sides are able to reach a last-minute agreement, said the people, who spoke only on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Ross told Le Figaro newspaper that the announcement would come Thursday, likely after markets close. Trump announced in March that the United States would slap a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum, citing national security interests. But he granted an exemption to the EU and other U.S. allies; that reprieve expires Friday. “Realistically, I do not think we can hope” to avoid either U.S. tariffs or quotas on steel and aluminum, said Cecilia Malmstrom, the European Union’s trade commissioner. Even if the U.S. were to agree to waive the tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, Malmstrom said, “I expect them nonetheless to want to impose some sort of cap on EU exports.” Malmstrom is meeting U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in Paris on Thursday among other international trade chiefs. If the U.S. moves forward with its tariffs, the EU has threatened to impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. orange juice, peanut butter and other goods in return. Fears of a global trade war are already weighing on investor confidence and could hinder the global economic upturn. European officials argue that tit-for-tat tariffs will hurt growth on both sides of the Atlantic. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire called the U.S. tariffs “unjustified, unjustifiable and dangerous.” “This will only lead to the victory of those who want less growth, those who don’t think we can develop our economies across the world. We think on the contrary that global trade must have rules in a context of multilateralism. We are ready to rebuild this multilateralism with our American friends.” Tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to the U.S. can help local producers of the metals by making foreign products more expensive. But they can also increase costs more broadly for U.S. manufacturers who cannot source all their needs locally and have to import the materials. That hurts the companies and can lead to more expensive consumer prices, economists say. “Unilateral responses and threats over trade war will solve nothing of the serious imbalances in world trade. Nothing,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in an impassioned speech Wednesday. In a clear reference to Trump, Macron added: “These solutions might bring symbolic satisfaction in the short term. … One can think about making voters happy by saying, ‘I have a victory, I’ll change the rules, you’ll see.'” But Macron said those “who waged bilateral trade wars … saw an increase in prices and an increase in unemployment.” Besides the U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs, the Trump administration is also investigating possible limits on foreign cars in the name of national security. Ross criticized the EU for its tough negotiating position. But German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier insisted the Europeans were ready to negotiate special trade arrangements, notably for liquefied natural gas and industrial goods, including cars. ___ Charlton reported from Paris. Alex Turnbull in Paris and Paul Wiseman and Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report.

PARIS (AP) — The Latest on the car that drove into the sidewalk outside a pizza restaurant in France (all times local): 10:11 p.m. French officials say the driver who steered into patrons of a pizza restaurant east of Paris clearly acted intentionally, but they have no reason so far to suspect a terrorist motive. A judicial official said Monday night that the Paris prosecutor’s office, which oversees French terrorism investigations, was not involved in the case because there was no proof of terrorism at this stage. A security official said there is no evidence of a political or Islamic extremist motive. But both officials say authorities view the driver’s actions as intentional. They were not authorized to be publicly named. An 8-year-old girl and at least five others were injured in the attack in Sept-Sorts, a town about 65 kilometers (40 miles) east of Paris. — By Angela Charlton in Paris. ___ 10:00 p.m. French police say an 8-year-old girl was killed and at least five people were injured when a driver slammed his car into the sidewalk cafe of a pizza restaurant in a small town east of Paris. An official with the national gendarme service said the driver was arrested soon after the incident Monday night in the town of Sept-Sorts. The official said it is unclear whether the act was deliberate. The official was not authorized to be publicly named according to police policy. An Algerian man drove his car into a group of French soldiers last week, and a truck attack in the French city of Nice left 86 people dead a little more than a year ago. Several other countries have seen cars used as weapons in recent years.

Decisions by most of the world’s elite golfers to skip the PGA Tour’s stop in West Virginia have been a boost for younger players like Xander Schauffele. Schauffele had a one-stroke victory over Robert Streb at The Greenbrier resort last season, which ended with the 24-year-old from San Diego winning the Tour Championship and earning Rookie of the Year honors. This year, nearly all of the two dozen rookies on the tour are in the field at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, which starts Thursday on the Old White TPC in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Chances are good that one or more of them could be near the top of the leaderboard. Four of the tournament’s seven champions have been first-time winners, including three rookies. Schauffele likes his chances, too. He is part of the successful high school class of 2011 that includes Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Daniel Berger. Schauffele pointed out that Spieth won the John Deere Classic in 2013 and 2015, Thomas won in Malaysia in 2015 and 2016, and Berger at the St. Jude Classic in 2016 and 2017. “I feel like I want to join that group,” Schauffele said Wednesday. But Schauffele has missed the cut in three of his last four tournaments after finishing tied for second at The Players Championship. At No. 24 in the world, he’s among five players ranked in the top 30 at The Greenbrier. The others are Bubba Watson (No. 13), Phil Mickelson (No. 20), Webb Simpson (No. 21) and Brian Harman (No. 26). Five from the top 15 in the FedEx Cup are competing. Watson, a three-time winner this season, and Mickelson own vacation homes at The Greenbrier Sporting Club. The Greenbrier Classic, typically held around Independence Day, was renamed last month in honor of the nation’s active and past members of the military, who are being given free admission. “It would be a huge accomplishment to win here in front of my home crowd,” Watson said. “What a dream that would be, my dad was in the military so now we’ve got the name of the tournament. It just would mean a lot for my family to honor my late dad.” It’s the first tournament for Mickelson since the U.S. Open, when he intentionally violated golf rules by hitting a moving ball on the 13th green in the third round. He later apologized, saying his anger and frustration got the best of him. The West Virginia stop could see a change when the PGA Tour reveals its full schedule this month for the next FedEx Cup season. The tournament at Sam Snead’s former playground in White Sulphur Springs is under contract through 2021. Watson, for one, wouldn’t mind seeing a schedule change. From a business standpoint, he said the Fourth of July holiday always is a hectic time at The Greenbrier, so moving the tournament to later in the year, especially with the area’s spectacular fall foliage on display, would give the resort yet another busy week. “I’ve always thought that the fall would be great,” he said. Up for grabs this week are four spots in the British Open at Carnoustie starting July 19. Those will go to players not already exempt among the top 12 finishers in West Virginia. All past winners are in the field. So is Abraham Ancer, who was tied for the lead entering the final round of last week’s Quicken Loans National. He finished tied for fourth. Nineteen-year-old Norman Xiong is playing in his first tournament as a professional. He won the Haskins Award as the nation’s top college golfer during his sophomore year at Oregon, earning him an exemption at The Greenbrier. “It’s pretty low-key here, so my mind’s pretty settled and I’m just trying to prepare the best I can for the upcoming week,” Xiong said. “It’s a different stage. It’s kind of a new beginning. I don’t know too many guys out here. Hopefully soon I can make some friends.”

You hear it whenever someone gets sick or dies soon after losing a spouse: Was it because of a broken heart? Stress might not be to blame for former President George H.W. Bush’s hospitalization a day after his wife’s funeral, but it does the body no favors, and one partner’s health clearly affects the other’s. A sudden shock can trigger a heart attack or something like it called broken heart syndrome . Some studies also have found that people are more likely to die soon after losing a longtime spouse. But often the timing is mere coincidence, and “broken heart” speculation just fuels a neat narrative when the problem is unsurprising in an older person with underlying health issues. In any case, the death of a loved one is a dangerous time for the surviving spouse, said Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a cardiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center and an American Heart Association spokeswoman. “It’s really important to have a lot of other support around you,” she said. “When people are depressed after something like this happens, they may not be eating, they may ignore symptoms and want to be stoic. They’re certainly stressing and may not be getting enough rest. All of these things can set the stage for life-threatening conditions.” ABOUT BUSH Bush, who will turn 94 in June, has been hospitalized since Sunday with an infection that’s spread to his blood. Stress weakens the immune system and can make infections harder to fend off, said several doctors not involved in his care. But Bush needs a wheelchair because of a form of Parkinson’s disease and has been hospitalized before for pneumonia and other infections. It’s possible he ignored early signs of infection during the flurry of preparations for Barbara Bush’s funeral, said James Giordano, a Georgetown University neurologist and expert on stress’s effects on the body. “It could be something as simple as that; inattention led to an escalation of signs and symptoms,” he said. “He’s old, there’s no good way to put it,” so medical problems and risks are magnified by stress. Stress has three stages, Giordano said: alarm, when the body releases “fight or flight” chemicals that can do damage; a resistance stage, like “calling out all the troops” to deal with the stress; and then fatigue or a letdown stage, when some of the body’s defenses may crash from the strain. Even if a partner’s death is anticipated — as Barbara Bush’s was after she decided to focus on comfort care — “facing and going through the reality of the event” is stressful, he said. JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS Stress and a broken heart sometimes may get too much blame, though, when people are grieving. Country music star Johnny Cash died four months after his wife, June Carter Cash, did in 2003. She was 73 and died of complications following heart valve surgery. He was 71 when he died of problems related to diabetes and had a neurological disease for years before that. “Broken heart” was widely speculated when Debbie Reynolds died a day after her actress-daughter, Carrie Fisher, did in 2016. An autopsy later showed that Reynolds, 84, died of a blood vessel that ruptured and caused bleeding in her brain — a kind of stroke. She also had high blood pressure and other serious medical problems for several years before that. ___ Marilynn Marchione can be followed on Twitter: @MMarchioneAP ___ This Associated Press series was produced in partnership with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

HELSINKI (AP) — In a story Dec. 10, The Associated Press reported that the fire-bombing of a synagogue in Goteborg was the second anti-Jewish attack in Sweden in as many days. The story should have clarified that the first incident was a pro-Palestinian demonstration Friday in Malmo where protesters yelled anti-Jewish slogans but no one was attacked. Share this: Facebook Twitter Google Reddit Pinterest

CAIN ALTO, Puerto Rico (AP) — After months of darkness and stifling heat, Noe Pagan was overjoyed when power-line workers arrived to restore electricity to his home deep in the lush green mountains of Puerto Rico. But to his dismay, instead of raising a power pole toppled by Hurricane Maria, the federal contractors bolted the new 220-volt line to a narrow tree trunk — a safety code violation virtually guaranteed to leave Pagan blacked out in a future hurricane. Pagan said “I asked the contractors if they were going to connect the cable to the post and they just didn’t answer.” After an eight-month, $3.8 billion federal effort to try to end the longest blackout in U.S. history, officials say Puerto Rico’s public electrical authority is almost certain to collapse again when the next hurricane hits.

BEDMINSTER, N.J. (AP) — As President Donald Trump remained out of sight and silent, pressure mounted from both sides of the aisle for him to explicitly condemn white supremacists and hate groups involved in deadly, race-fueled clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia. Trump, who has been at his New Jersey golf club on a working vacation, was set to make a one-day return to Washington on Monday to sign an executive action on China’s trade practices. But he will likely be unable to escape questions and criticism for his initial response to the Saturday’s violence, for which he blamed bigotry on “many sides.” The White House tried to stem the damage on Sunday. Senior aides were dispatched to the morning news shows, yet they struggled at times to explain the president’s position. A new White House statement on Sunday explicitly denounced the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi groups, but it was attributed to an unnamed spokesperson and not the president himself. Vice President Mike Pence, traveling in South America, condemned “these dangerous fringe groups” and said they “have no place in American public life and in the American debate.” Trump said nothing, save for a few retweets. One was about two Virginia state policemen killed in a helicopter crash while monitoring the Charlottesville protests, another about a Justice Department probe into the violence. In the hours after a car plowed into a group of anti-racist counter-protesters on Saturday, Trump addressed the violence in broad strokes, saying that he condemns “in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides.” Speaking slowly from his New Jersey golf club while on a 17-day working vacation, Trump added: “It’s been going on for a long time in our country. Not Donald Trump. Not Barack Obama. It’s been going on for a long, long time.” The White House statement Sunday went further. “The president said very strongly in his statement yesterday that he condemns all forms of violence, bigotry and hatred and of course that includes white Supremacists, KKK, neo-Nazi and all extremist groups.” It added: “He called for national unity and bringing all Americans together.” The White House did not attach a name to the statement. Usually, a statement would be signed by the press secretary or another staffer; not putting a name to one eliminates an individual’s responsibility for its truthfulness and often undercuts its significance. Trump’s national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, said Sunday that he considered the attack to be terrorism. On Saturday, Trump had not responded to reporters’ shouted questions about terrorism. “I certainly think anytime that you commit an attack against people to incite fear, it is terrorism,” McMaster told ABC’s “This Week.” ”It meets the definition of terrorism. But what this is, what you see here, is you see someone who is a criminal, who is committing a criminal act against fellow Americans.” The president’s homeland security adviser, Tom Bossert, defended the president’s initial statement by suggesting that some of the counter-protesters were violent, too. When pressed during a contentious interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” he specifically condemned the racist groups. The president’s daughter and White House aide, Ivanka Trump, tweeted Sunday morning: “There should be no place in society for racism, white supremacy and neo-nazis.” Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, said he spoke to Trump in the hours after the clashes and that he twice told the president “we have to stop this hateful speech, this rhetoric.” He said he urged Trump “to come out stronger” against the actions of white supremacists. Republicans joined Democrats in criticizing the president for not specifically calling out white nationalists. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo. said on NBC Sunday that “This isn’t a time for innuendo or to allow room to be read between the lines. This is a time to lay blame.” The president did not have any public events on Sunday. White House staff did not share any information on his activities except that he and his staff were monitoring the aftermath of the violence in Virginia. White nationalists had assembled in Charlottesville to vent their frustration against the city’s plans to take down a statue of Confederal Gen. Robert E. Lee. Counter-protesters massed in opposition. Alt-right leader Richard Spencer and former Ku Klux Klan member David Duke attended the demonstrations. Duke told reporters that the white nationalists were working to “fulfill the promises of Donald Trump.” Trump’s initial comments drew praise from the neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer, which wrote: “Trump comments were good. He didn’t attack us. He just said the nation should come together. Nothing specific against us. … No condemnation at all.” The website had been promoting the Charlottesville demonstration as part of its “Summer of Hate” edition. Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer, a Democrat, slammed Trump’s stance toward hate groups, saying on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he hopes Trump “looks himself in the mirror and thinks very deeply about who he consorted with.” “Old saying: when you dance with the devil, the devil doesn’t change, the devil changes you,” Signer said. In Cartagena, Colombia, Pence responded to a reporter’s question about the violence in Charlottesville and said, in part: “We have no tolerance for hate and violence, white supremacists or neo-Nazis or the KKK. These dangerous fringe groups have no place in American public life and in the American debate, and we condemn them in the strongest possible terms.” Trump, as a presidential candidate, frequently came under scrutiny for being slow to offer his condemnation of white supremacists. His strongest denunciation of the movement has not come voluntarily, only when asked, and he occasionally trafficked in retweets of racist social media posts during his campaign. His chief strategist, Steve Bannon, once declared that his former news site, Breitbart, was “the platform for the alt-right.” ___ Follow Lemire on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@JonLemire

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue is taking a leave of absence from the team to address health issues that have included chest pains and loss of sleep. Lue said Monday in statement that tests have offered no conclusion about what the issue is and offered no timetable for his return. The coach said he feels he needs to step away “and focus on trying to establish a stronger and healthier foundation” from which to coach the rest of the season. “While I have tried to work through it, the last thing I want is for it to affect the team. I am going to use this time to focus on a prescribed routine and medication, which has previously been difficult to start in the midst of a season,” Lue said. “My goal is to come out of it a stronger and healthier version of myself so I can continue to lead this team to the championship we are all working towards.” The Cavaliers also didn’t say who would lead the team in Lue’s absence, though that responsibility could fall to associate head coach Larry Drew. LeBron James said he was informed of Lue’s decision Monday morning at shootaround, saying it was “probably well overdue.” “I knew he was struggling, but he was never not himself. He was just dealing with it the best way he could,” James said. “Once he leaves the gym and goes home, there’s things we don’t know, but he was the same every single day even though he was going through what he was going through.” A stress-filled season for the Cavs has taken a toll on the 40-year-old Lue, who led them to the 2016 NBA championship after taking over for David Blatt midway through that season. They are just 40-29, third in the Eastern Conference, and have endured roster shake-ups, injuries and other distractions as they try to return to the NBA Finals. Now they will play without their coach. “We all want great players, we all want the best teams, but with that comes a lot of pressure as well. And what Ty Lue has had to go through this year with that team, with the trades and the injuries and the pressure, it’s unrelenting,” Denver coach Michael Malone said. “So I hope that he gets healthy and is able to get back in time for the playoffs and help that team win as many games as possible.” Lue spent the second half of Cleveland’s victory in Chicago on Saturday in the locker room because of an illness, the second time this season he left a game because he wasn’t feeling well. The former NBA guard also sat one out against Chicago at home in December. Drew coached the second half of Saturday’s game, the finale of a six-game, 11-day road trip. Cleveland is back home to host Milwaukee on Monday. “We know how difficult these circumstances are for Coach Lue and we support him totally in this focused approach to addressing his health issues,” general manager Koby Altman said. Charlotte coach Steve Clifford also left his team to address his health this season. He took six weeks off. Medical tests revealed that the 56-year-old Clifford did not have any internal problems, but the doctor’s diagnosis was the coach was suffering from severe sleep deprivation. Just as the Cavaliers are nearing the return of All-Star forward Kevin Love from injury, they will have to go an undetermined length of time without Lue. James was asked how his absence would impact the team. “We’re going to find out,” he said. “It’s tough. It’s like losing one of your best players, a guy that’s pretty much the captain of our ship who has run the team the last three years. Everyone had to step up. We have coaches in place who are ready for that challenge. We have to do our jobs as players as well.” ___ AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report. ___ More NBA basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police say R&B singer Trey Songz has been arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence for punching a woman at a Los Angeles party. LAPD spokesman Officer Drake Madison says Songz, whose real name is Tremaine Neverson, turned himself in at a Hollywood police station Monday morning. Jail records show the 33-year-old was released about two hours later on $50,000 bail. Andrea Buera said at a news conference last week that she was the woman Songz had assaulted. Buera said he punched her repeatedly because he was upset she was talking to another man at a party Feb. 18. Songz attorney Shawn Chapman Holley did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Songz tweeted Monday that he was being lied about and falsely accused for someone else’s personal gain.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on Roseanne Barr (all times local): 11:50 a.m. President Donald Trump has broken his silence on the cancellation of “Roseanne.” In a tweet, Trump noted that Robert Iger, who is chief executive of ABC’s parent Walt Disney Co., called Valerie Jarrett to say the network wouldn’t tolerate Roseanne Barr’s racist tweet about the former Obama adviser. Trump wrote that Iger never called him to apologize for “the HORRIBLE statements” that have been said about him on ABC. Tweeted Trump: “Maybe I just didn’t get the call.” The president reveled in the show’s success this spring, especially after Barr’s character came out as a supporter of his policies. 2 a.m. Roseanne Barr shows no signs she will remain quiet about her firing from her popular ABC series and has highlighted supporters’ tweets criticizing the network. Barr engaged in a series of tweets Tuesday night, hours after ABC announced it was canceling the rebooted “Roseanne” over a racist tweet by the comedian attacking Valerie Jarrett, an adviser to former President Barack Obama. Barr’s post-firing tweets included an apology to those who lost their jobs because of her words, but her choice of retweets struck a defiant tone. They included one post that juxtaposed an image of Jarrett with an image of a “Planet of the Apes” actor — a comparison that led to her firing. She later tweeted that people should not defend her.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Retail sales rose a seasonally adjusted 0.4 percent last month, slowing down from a solid 1 percent gain in December, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. Overall sales likely pulled back from a December bump in holiday shopping online and at auto dealers, while Americans spent more than normally expected last month at clothiers, department stores, electronics outlets and sporting goods retailers. The gains were solid, but they show that improving consumer sentiment after President Donald Trump’s presidential election, especially among Republicans, has done little to boost retail sales. “Sales are growing at a decent clip, but the surge in consumers’ confidence since the election is yet to translate into stronger spending,” said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics. Higher gas prices drove a 2.3 percent sales increase at service stations last month. Gasoline prices climbed 7.8 percent between January and December, according to a separate Labor Department report released Wednesday. The retail sales report does not adjust its figures for prices. Purchases at restaurants and bars climbed 1.4 percent. Building materials stores saw a slight 0.3 percent gain. But sales at auto dealers slipped 1.2 percent, a sharp pull back after jumping 2.9 percent in December. Sales at non-store retailers such as internet outlets were flat in January, although they have climbed 12 percent over the past year as more Americans prefer to shop via their computers and phones. Over the past 12 months, total retail sales have risen a solid 5.6 percent. The greater spending likely reflects the improving job market. Employers added 227,000 workers in January, while the unemployment rate ticked up slightly to 4.8 percent because more people started looking for jobs and were counted as unemployed.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — As Southern California enters its second week engulfed in flames, fire officials anticipate more growth and danger due to continued strong wind gusts, no rain and decades-old dry vegetation. A powerful flare-up on the western edge of the largest and most destructive wildfire sent residents fleeing Sunday, as wind-fanned flames ripped down hillsides toward coastal towns northwest of Los Angeles. New evacuations were ordered as the fire sent up an enormous plume near Montecito and Carpinteria, seaside areas in Santa Barbara County. “The winds are kind of squirrely right now,” said county fire spokesman Mike Eliason. “Some places the smoke is going straight up in the air, and others it’s blowing sideways. Depends on what canyon we’re in.” Southern California’s gusty Santa Ana winds have long contributed to some of the region’s most disastrous wildfires. They blow from the inland toward the Pacific Ocean, speeding up as they squeeze through mountain passes and canyons. Gusts of up to 40 mph (64 kph) are expected through Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Containment increased Sunday on other major blazes in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego counties. Resources from those fires were diverted to the Santa Barbara foothills to combat the 270-square-mile (699-sq. kilometer) fire that started Dec. 4 in neighboring Ventura County. As of late Sunday, the Thomas Fire had destroyed 790 structures and damaged 191. Fires are not typical in Southern California this time of year but can break out when dry vegetation and too little rain combine with the Santa Ana winds. Though the state emerged this spring from a yearslong drought, hardly any measurable rain has fallen in the region over the past six months. “This is the new normal,” Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown warned Saturday after surveying damage from the deadly Ventura fire. The governor and experts said climate change is making wildfires a year-round threat. High fire risk is expected to last into January. The air thick with acrid smoke, even residents of areas not under evacuation orders took the opportunity to leave, fearing another shutdown of U.S. 101, a key coastal highway that was closed intermittently last week. Officials handed out masks to residents who stayed behind in Montecito, the wealthy hillside enclave that’s home to celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Bridges and Rob Lowe. “Our house is under threat of being burned,” Ellen DeGeneres tweeted at midday Sunday. “We just had to evacuate our pets. I’m praying for everyone in our community and thankful to all the incredible firefighters.” Ojai experienced hazardous levels of smoke at times and officials warned of unhealthy air for large swaths of the region. The South Coast Air Quality Management District urged residents to stay indoors if possible and avoid vigorous outdoor activities. In San Diego, which is 130 miles (209 kilometers) to the south, the Lilac Fire was 75 percent contained. The flames erupted suddenly Thursday in the Fallbrook area, known for its avocado groves and horse stables in the rolling hills. The fire swept through the San Luis Rey Downs training center, where it killed more than 40 elite thoroughbred race horses, and destroyed more than 100 homes — most of them in a retirement community. Three people were burned trying to escape the fire that continued to smolder Sunday. Despite the size and number of wildfires burning in the region, there has only been one confirmed death: A 70-year-old woman, who crashed her car on an evacuation route, is attributed to the fire in Santa Paula, a small city where the Thomas Fire began. Most of last week’s fires were in places that burned in the past, including one in the ritzy Los Angeles neighborhood of Bel-Air that burned six homes and another in the city’s rugged foothills above the community of Sylmar and in Santa Paula. ___ Associated Press writers Elliot Spagat in Fallbrook and Brian Melley and Robert Jablon in Los Angeles contributed to this report. ___ Follow Weber at https://twitter.com/WeberCM . ___ For complete coverage of the California wildfires, click here: https://apnews.com/tag/Wildfires.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Gun deaths have fallen in California over a 16-year period ending in 2015, driven largely by a decline in gang violence and black homicides a recent and rare scientific study of firearm violence has found. Researchers at the University of California, Davis published their findings in the May issue of the journal Annals of Epidemiology after reviewing 50,921 firearm deaths recorded in California between 2000 and 2015. The University provided the study results on Monday. The report found 24,922 firearm homicides during that period and 23,682 suicides by gun. Researchers say the number of firearm homicides dropped from 4.19 per 100,000 people in 2000 to a low of 3.13 per 100,000 in 2014 before ticking up slightly in 2015. Researcher Veronica Pear attributed the decline in gun homicides to a reduction of gang violence, particularly in Los Angeles County. The study also showed a big drop in the number of black men being killed by guns. Pear said the number of gun homicides of black men dropped 32 percent from the peak in 2005 at 47 per 100,000 people to 31 per 100,000 in 2015. The homicide rate for Hispanic men was 6.7 per 100,000 in 2015, a 38 percent decline from its peak of 10.8 per 100,000 in 2005. The homicide rate of White and Asian men held steady throughout the period at roughly the same level of roughly 3 homicides per 100,000 annualy. Pear said she hopes the new research will be used by others studying the cause and effects of gun violence. “We also hope it can serve as a template for researchers in other states to create similar profiles,” she said. For the last 30 years, the federal government has largely abandoned gun-violence studies after the National Rifle Association prevailed on Congress to significantly restrict funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevent to do the research. The NRA said it does not oppose gun research but is against research that it calls biased, flimsy or aimed at advocacy. A few private foundations and California have recently stepped up funding of gun violence studies. California became the first state to publicly support the research when lawmakers voted to fund U.C. Davis’ Violence Prevention Research Program with $5 million over five years. The Kaiser Permanente health care consortium announced earlier this month it would spend $2 million to study gun violence among its 12 million members.

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — Actor Harrison Ford had a potentially serious run-in with an airliner at a Southern California airport, NBC-TV reported Tuesday. Ford, 74, was told to land his single-engine plane on a runway at John Wayne Airport in Orange County on Monday, but he mistakenly landed it on a parallel taxiway, passing over an American Airlines jet holding nearby, NBC reported (http://nbcnews.to/2kHo2iu ). “Was that airliner meant to be underneath me?” Ford is heard asking air traffic controllers in a recording, NBC reported. American Airlines Flight 1456, with 110 passengers and six crew, departed safely for Dallas a few minutes later. Ford’s publicist, Ina Treciokas, declined comment Tuesday afternoon. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor couldn’t confirm that Ford was piloting the Aviat Husky that overflew the Boeing 737, but he said the pilot received and had read back the proper landing instructions. He didn’t indicate how high the plane was when it flew over the jetliner. The FAA is investigating, Gregor said. Ford collects vintage planes and has a long and good record as an aviator. But he has had several close calls. In March 2015, Ford was seriously injured when his World War II-era trainer crashed on a Los Angeles golf course when it lost power shortly after takeoff. In 1999, Ford crash-landed his helicopter during a training flight in which he and an instructor were practicing auto rotations in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles. Ford and the instructor were unhurt. Ford was flying a Beechcraft Bonanza in 2000 when wind shear forced him to make an emergency landing at Lincoln Municipal Airport in Nebraska. Ford and his passenger were uninjured when the plane clipped the runway, but its wing tips were damaged, officials said.

TORONTO (AP) — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is encouraged by pace-of-play changes that have limited mound visits and reduced the time between innings at major league games this season. Speaking in Toronto on Tuesday before the Blue Jays hosted the Boston Red Sox, Manfred said the new rules have sped up games without any disruption. Mound visits without pitching changes averaged 3.79 per game through Sunday, down from 7.41 for the 2017 season. “Whenever you change a rule in baseball, people predict all sorts of dire outcomes, and we have avoided even the smallest of incidents related either to the mound visit rule or the shorter inning breaks,” Manfred said Tuesday. “Secondly, I’m positive about them because they’ve been effective. We are way down in terms of mound visits, I think down about 50 percent, and our inning breaks are significantly shorter. I take both of those as positives in an ongoing effort to make sure that we’re producing an entertainment product with as little dead time as possible.” Manfred is a proponent of the pitch clocks currently in use in the minor leagues, but said he was “not in a position where I’m going to say for certain whether or not we’re going to have pitch clocks at the big league level.” The players’ association refused to agree to pitch clocks, and Manfred backed off of his threat to unilaterally implement them this year. The commissioner also spoke about the number of games postponed by poor weather so far. Games in Baltimore and Pittsburgh were rained out on Tuesday, bringing the total postponements this season to 28, the most related to weather through April since the commissioner’s office started keeping those records in 1986. “This has really been a unique April for us,” Manfred said. “We’ve set a record for the number of games that have been canceled and, probably more troublingly, we’ve played a lot of games in really tough weather. I think we have 12 cities that have been more than 10 degrees below their average temperature for the month of April.” Still, Manfred said the solution isn’t as simple as scheduling early-season games in domes and warm-weather cities. “No teams are going to want to start the season on the road for a couple of weeks,” Manfred said. “In fact, the Basic Agreement prohibits a trip that long. Equally important, the domed and warm-weather markets don’t want that many games early in the year. Whether you have a dome or it’s warm weather, until school gets out they are tougher dates. We will do everything possible to try to schedule in a way that minimizes weather damage. It’s in our interest to do that. But there are real limitations in the schedule.” Manfred’s schedule in Toronto included a meeting with Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro and separate sessions with representatives of team owner Rogers Communications Inc., including chairman Edward Rogers. Renovations to Rogers Centre, Toronto’s home since June 1989, were among the items on Manfred’s agenda. “Given the passage of time, the building is probably out of date in terms of the amenities that are available in many of our ballparks,” Manfred said. “While the building is fundamentally sound, I think it needs an update to make it as economically viable as possible.” Manfred tries to visit as many big league teams as he can each season and, having not been to Toronto last year, was eager to come early this season. The timing of his trip was unrelated to Monday’s deadly attack in Toronto, in which 10 people were killed and 14 injured when a driver deliberately struck pedestrians with a van along a busy sidewalk. “All of us at Major League Baseball were devastated,” Manfred said. “You were in our thoughts all day yesterday and will remain there for some time. I hope that maybe our game tonight will provide a little bit of the beginning of a healing process that will be important for this city.” A blue banner reading #TORONTOSTRONG was hung from the second deck in center field before Tuesday night’s game, Toronto’s first since the deadly incident. Similar signs were hung on the wall behind home plate, and the team honored the victims and first responders who helped at the scene of the attack before the first pitch. ___ More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

BEIJING (AP) — Most Asian stock markets rose Tuesday after U.S. benchmarks hit new highs and Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen said the U.S. central bank could raise interest rates as soon as next month. KEEPING SCORE: Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index rose 1 percent to 19,437.98 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng jumped 1.1 percent to 24,961.29. Sydney’s S&P-ASX 200 gained 0.9 percent to 5,809.10. Seoul’s Kospi added 0.5 percent to 2,083.86. The Shanghai Composite Index slipped 0.2 percent to 3,208.31. Benchmarks in New Zealand and Taiwan rose, while Southeast Asian markets declined. WALL STREET: U.S. stock indexes hit new highs, boosted by bank stocks on hopes of bigger profits ahead. General Motors jumped 4.8 percent following news that France’s PSA Group, maker of Peugeot and Citroen cars, is exploring a deal to buy Opel, GM’s money-losing European business. Cynosure, which makes devices used in laser body contouring, hair removal and skin care, soared after agreeing to be bought by medical device maker Hologic for $1.57 billion. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 0.4 percent to 2,337.58 for its sixth straight day of gains. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.5 percent to 20,504.41. The Nasdaq composite rose 0.3 percent to 5,782.57. FED WATCH: Yellen told a Senate committee the central bank could raise interest rates as soon as next month. Bond yields jumped and fed through to shares of banks, which can benefit from higher rates by charging more for loans. Yellen said little to alter most investors’ expectations. The Fed raised interest rates in December for just the second time in a decade, and Yellen said the strengthening job market and a modest move higher in inflation should warrant continued, gradual increases. ANALYST’S TAKE: Yellen’s comments were “the main catalyst for overnight markets, evidently surprising on the hawkish side,” said Jingyi Pan of IG in a report. “While the market had expected a strong rhetoric on improving economic conditions, the push to hasten the next rate hike had been unexpected.” Based on history, markets put the likelihood of a policy change out of the Fed’s March meeting at 34 percent, Pan said, “but that had not stopped the U.S. dollar and equity markets from ticking up.” CHINA INFLATION: Chinese consumer and wholesale inflation ticked higher, fueling concern the central bank might hike rates or tighten access to credit. Analysts said they saw no sign the People’s Bank of China would change course but money market rates should be elevated this year. Policymakers have indicated a “tightening bias” for policy since late last year but December and January data on credit “clearly show that there has been no meaningful monetary and credit tightening at the macro level,” said UBS economists in a report. CURRENCY: The dollar gained to 114.38 yen from Tuesday’s 114.31 yen. The euro edged up to $1.0577 from $1.0571. ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude sank 35 cents to $52.85 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained 27 cents on Tuesday to $53.20. Brent crude, used to price international oils, lost 27 cents to $55.70 in London. It advanced 38 cents the previous session to $55.97.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Chris James has waited long enough to take a handoff at Wisconsin. The running back sat out a year after leaving Pittsburgh to move to Madison, looking for a better backfield opportunity. That moment has finally arrived. James is part of this year’s crop of Division I transfers who could make immediate impacts with their new teams. “It’s been such a long time coming,” the eager James said. The Badgers have had recent success with transfers, a run that started when quarterback Russell Wilson arrived from North Carolina State to lead the Badgers to the Rose Bowl in 2011. “Biggest thing is, are they a fit? It goes back to Russell,” said Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst, who was the team’s offensive coordinator in 2011. “We spent a lot of time … with Russell getting to know him. Is this a good fit?” James certainly hopes so. The 5-foot-10, 219-pound junior ran for 437 yards and four scores on 87 carries as a freshman at Pitt in 2014. His workload decreased the following season, after Chryst left for Wisconsin. Now James could be in line for the starting job at Camp Randall Stadium with the top two rushers from last season. James is competing with sophomore holdover Bradrick Shaw. A look at other transfers — outside of quarterbacks — with the potential to make big impacts in FBS: NICK NELSON, CB, Wisconsin Teammates have raved about Nelson’s potential as a cover corner. A junior who previously played at Hawaii, Nelson is poised to take over for four-year starter Sojourn Shelton at one of the cornerback positions. Nelson spent his redshirt season last year learning under secondary coach Jim Leonhard — now the defensive coordinator. JEFF BADET, WR, Oklahoma Just what the Sooners needed: a speedster on the outside for quarterback Baker Mayfield. Badet, a graduate transfer from Kentucky, also adds veteran experience and leadership to the locker room. He caught 31 passes for 670 yards last season for the Wildcats, including seven touchdowns. “He’s a guy that’s able to track the ball really well, which is something you’re either born with or you’re not,” Mayfield said. AARON COCHRAN, OL, Oklahoma State An already-experienced Cowboys offensive line added a graduate transfer from California who has 16 career starts and protected productive quarterbacks Jared Goff and Davis Webb. Listed at 6-foot-8, 350 pounds, Cochran has already impressed coach Mike Gundy after arriving at camp, having lost 30 pounds, 10 more than what the coach had requested. “And when we talk about experienced players, we’re talking about guys that have played on the road in tough spots when it’s hot and loud and everything is going against you, and they’ve still found ways to be successful,” Gundy said. DARREN CARRINGTON, WR, Utah The Utes are going up-tempo this year under new offensive coordinator Troy Taylor. Carrington, a graduate transfer from Oregon, has just the kind of experience that makes him a good fit in Salt Lake City. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound receiver had 43 catches for 606 yards and five touchdowns last season as a junior with the Ducks. He was dismissed by new Oregon coach Willie Taggart earlier this year after a DUI arrest. “He creates separation. He’s got big hands, huge hands. Incredible ball skills. He’s a special guy,” Taylor said. SUNNY ODOGWU, OL, UCLA At 6-foot-7, 315 pounds, the graduate transfer from Miami gives the Bruins a potential anchor on a rebuilt offensive line. The Bruins are trying to boost what was the FBS’ second-worst running game last year. Odogwu started five games last season with the Hurricanes before being sidelined by a lower leg injury. CARSON WISE, K, North Carolina State Wise is moving from Division II Carson Newman, though he’s worthy of mention since kickers don’t often have the potential make a quick impact as a graduate transfer. The Wolfpack had a chance to beat eventual national champion Clemson last year on the road but missed a 33-yard field goal as time expired. Wise was 21 of 31 at Carson Newman with a career long of 49 yards. ___ More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_Top25

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The U.S. Navy on Saturday commissioned its newest warship, the USS Omaha, a futuristic, $440 million vessel named for the Nebraska hometown of billionaire Warren Buffett, who was on hand for the ceremony. The Omaha, a 218-foot-long littoral combat ship, was commissioned at its new home port in San Diego. Buffett’s daughter, Susie Buffett, who was designated as the ship’s sponsor, gave the traditional order for officers and crew: “Man our ship and bring her to life.” “Aye, aye, ma’am,” they replied and ran to the ship as a band struck up “Anchors Aweigh.” The aluminum-clad Omaha is designed for missions close to shore. It has high-tech computer capabilities and can be reconfigured for various missions, including anti-submarine warfare and anti-mine operations. “She is a beautiful ship,” said Cmdr. Michael Toth, the commanding officer. “To be at her helm is more akin to flying an aircraft with a pilot and a co-pilot than to conning a traditional warship.” Other dignitaries at the ceremony included Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert and former Nebraska Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey, a Navy veteran and Medal of Honor winner. “I am proud to share our name, our heritage and our community values with USS Omaha and its commander, and we wish you safety on your missions,” Stothert said. Ricketts, whose state is landlocked, issued what he said was a unique honor in designating the entire crew collectively as “an admiral in the great Navy of the state of Nebraska.” The ship is the fourth to carry the Omaha name since 1869. The last vessel was an attack submarine that was decommissioned in 1995. “She represents the strength and the fortitude of her city and her state,” U.S. Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer said at the ceremony. “This ship is ready to deliver the fight tonight.”

NEW YORK (AP) — The arrest of a Bangladeshi immigrant accused of making a homemade pipe bomb and setting it off in the New York subway system has led to discussion of the nation’s immigration system, with President Donald Trump repeating his refrain that it needs to be overhauled in favor of more restrictions. What you should know: ___ THE BOMBING SUSPECT Authorities have identified the bombing suspect as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah. Originally from Bangladesh, he arrived in the United States in 2011 and was living in Brooklyn. The Department of Homeland Security says he’s a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. ___ HOW HE GOT HERE: Ullah came to the U.S. on an F43 visa, issued to him through his family connection to an American citizen. The American immigration system allows citizens to apply for certain relatives — spouses, children, parents, siblings and their spouses and minor children — to be allowed to come and live in the U.S. The visas fall under different preferences, or categories; siblings of U.S. citizens come in the fourth preference, the F4, and their children come under F43s. ___ WHAT’S THE HISTORY? Since a law change in 1965 loosened what had been a very restrictive system, America’s immigration policy has been based around giving preference to people with advanced education or skills or those with family ties to U.S. citizens. What that has meant is that as immigrants from places like Asia and Latin America started coming to the U.S. in larger numbers and became citizens, they applied for their family members to join them. Once naturalized, those brought in were able to then sponsor their own relatives. ___ WHAT’S THE CONCERN? Those who favor restrictions on immigration are in strong opposition to that kind of linked migration. It’s an issue that’s been brought up in proposed immigration reform legislation before. U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, of Arkansas, and U.S. Sen. David Perdue, of Georgia, both Republicans, have most recently proposed the RAISE Act, which would limit the number of permanent-resident visas and do away with the ability of citizens to bring over relatives other than spouses and minor children. Immigrant advocates have called the bill an attack on immigrants. ___ WHAT TRUMP SAYS Trump has made who’s allowed into the United States a centerpiece of his presidency, in the form of banning residents from certain countries from traveling to the U.S., calling for the construction of a wall along the Mexican border and limiting the number of refugees allowed in. After Monday morning’s subway explosion, which seriously injured Ullah but no one else, Trump issued a statement saying, “America must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country. Today’s terror suspect entered our country through extended-family chain migration, which is incompatible with national security.” Trump, a Republican, has voiced his support of the RAISE Act. ___ Deepti Hajela covers issues of race, ethnicity and immigration for The Associated Press. Follow her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dhajela. For more of her work, search for her name at https://apnews.com

PHOENIX (AP) — Southern Baptists on Wednesday formally condemned the political movement known as the “alt-right,” in a national meeting that was thrown into turmoil after leaders initially refused to take up the issue. The denomination’s annual convention in Phoenix voted to “decry every form of racism, including alt-right white supremacy as antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ” and “denounce and repudiate white supremacy and every form of racial and ethnic hatred as a scheme of the devil.” Tuesday night, Southern Baptist officials who oversaw the resolutions had refused to introduce a different repudiation of the “alt-right,” which emerged dramatically during the U.S. presidential election, mixing racism, white nationalism and populism. Barrett Duke, who leads the resolutions committee, had said the original document contained inflammatory and broad language “potentially implicating” conservatives who do not support the “alt-right” movement. Introducing the new statement Wednesday, Duke apologized “for the pain and confusion that we created,” but said the committee had been concerned about potentially giving the appearance of hating their enemies. Duke said the committee members “share your abhorrence of racism” and were grateful for the chance to “speak on ‘alt-right’ racism in particular and all racism in general.” The resolution was adopted after a short but emotional discussion. “We are saying that white supremacy and racist ideologies are dangerous because they oppress our brothers and sisters in Christ,” said the Rev. Russell Moore, who leads the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the Southern Baptist public policy arm. “If we’re a Jesus people, let’s stand where Jesus stands.” Charles Hedman of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in South Bend, Indiana, said far-right groups had been distributing racist material outside the convention hall Tuesday night. He said some pastors had told him they would have to leave the denomination if the convention failed to denounce white supremacy Wednesday. “We must stand strong,” Hedman said. “We must all issue an apology that we didn’t not act on this yesterday.” The initial proposal that Southern Baptists originally rejected came from a prominent black Southern Baptist pastor, the Rev. William McKissic of Arlington, Texas. His resolution repudiated “retrograde ideologies, xenophobic biases and racial bigotries of the ‘alt-right’ that seek to subvert our government.” After McKissic made an unsuccessful plea for reconsideration from the floor of the Phoenix meeting late Tuesday, pressure began building online and at the convention for the Southern Baptists to say something. Several Southern Baptists were panicked, contending that silence would be misinterpreted as support for white supremacy. The denomination was formed in the 19th century in defense of slaveholders and has been trying to overcome its racist history. A late-night call went out for convention participants to return to the assembly hall, where Steve Gaines, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention, won approval to consider a new resolution on the topic Wednesday. “It shows we’re willing to bring issues to the floor, real issues,” said Mark Croston, national director of black church partnerships for the Southern Baptist-affiliated Lifeway Christian Resources. “We’re not intimidated or afraid to speak out, even though it brings up dirty laundry from the past.” The Southern Baptist Convention, based in Nashville, is the largest Protestant denomination in the country, although its membership has been shrinking, most recently dropping to 15.2 million members. Leaders have been trying to diversify, repeatedly condemning racism in formal resolutions from past meetings, rejecting display of the Confederate flag and electing more black officers. As of 2014, the denomination was about 85 percent white, according to the Pew Research Center. The vote also underscored ongoing tensions among Southern Baptists whether Donald Trump, a thrice-married casino and real estate mogul, was morally fit to be president. Moore vehemently condemned candidate Trump. At the same time, several prominent Southern Baptists, including former presidents of the denomination, signed on as evangelical advisers to the Republican’s campaign. They remain among the president’s most steadfast supporters. When Trump won with 80 percent of the white evangelical vote, Moore faced a backlash within the denomination. That landslide support for Trump left black evangelicals feeling alienated and disappointed given their concerns about Trump’s past treatment of blacks, his rhetoric about Mexicans and his promised policies. ____ Zoll reported from New York.

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Accompanied for the first time by his wife of more than 50 years, Bill Cosby walked into a courthouse Tuesday morning ahead of closing arguments in his sexual assault retrial. Camille Cosby had been absent from the courtroom as prosecutors called a series of women to the stand who testified her husband drugged and sexually assaulted them, but she was by his side Tuesday for the trial’s conclusion. The jury that will start deliberating Cosby’s fate has heard the comedian described over the past two weeks both as a “serial rapist” and a con artist’s victim. They have seen a half-dozen accusers testify that the man once revered as “America’s Dad” had a sordid secret life that involved preying on women for his own sexual gratification. And they have heard from a witness who says his chief accuser talked about framing a high-profile person to score a big payday. Now, seven men and five women who have been kept in a suburban Philadelphia hotel, away from family, friends and daily routines, will get to have their say in the first big celebrity trial of the #MeToo era. “You now have all of the evidence,” Judge Steven O’Neill told them after Cosby’s lawyers rested on Monday without calling the 80-year-old comedian to the stand. “Try to relax, so that you’re on your game tomorrow.” Jurors could be in for a marathon. Before going off to deliberate, they will hear both sides rehash the case in lengthy closing arguments, and they will get O’Neill’s instructions in the law. Cosby is charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault — all stemming from Andrea Constand’s allegations that he knocked her out with three pills he called “your friends” and molested her at his suburban Philadelphia mansion in January 2004. Each count carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Cosby has said he gave Constand 1½ tablets of the over-the-counter cold and allergy medicine Benadryl to help her relax before what he called a consensual sexual encounter. The jury in Cosby’s first trial weighed the evidence for more than 52 hours over six days without reaching a verdict. This time, both sides have given the retrial jury much more to consider. Prosecutors were able to call five additional accusers who testified that Cosby also drugged and violated them — including one woman who asked him through her tears, “You remember, don’t you, Mr. Cosby?” Cosby’s new defense team, led by Michael Jackson lawyer Tom Mesereau, countered with a far more robust effort at stoking doubts about Constand’s credibility and raising questions about whether Cosby’s arrest was even legal. The defense’s star witness was a former colleague of Constand who says Constand spoke of leveling false sexual assault accusations against a high-profile person for the purpose of filing a civil suit. Constand got a civil settlement of nearly $3.4 million from Cosby. Both juries also heard from Cosby himself — not on the witness stand, but via an explosive deposition he gave in 2005 and 2006 as part of Constand’s civil suit against him. In it, Cosby acknowledged he gave the sedative quaaludes to women before sex in the 1970s. Cosby’s lawyers devoted the last two days of their case to travel records they say prove he could not have been at his suburban Philadelphia home in January 2004. They argue that any encounter there with Constand would have happened earlier, outside the statute of limitations. Cosby’s private jet records and travel itineraries produced by Cosby’s lawyers do not show any flights in or out of the Philadelphia area in January 2004, but they have large gaps — a total of 17 days that month in which Cosby was not traveling, performing or taping TV appearances. District Attorney Kevin Steele noted that the records do not account for other ways Cosby could have gotten to Philadelphia. “You can’t tell us whether he got on a commercial flight,” Steele said, questioning a defense aviation expert. “You can’t tell us whether he got on a train. You can’t tell us whether he got in a car and drove to Philadelphia.” The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Constand has done. ___ This story has been corrected to show that jury deliberations in the first trial took place over six days, not five. ___ Follow Mike Sisak at https://twitter.com/mikesisak . ___ For more coverage visit https://www.apnews.com/tag/CosbyonTrial .

BEDMINSTER, N.J. (AP) — Even as he seeks Beijing’s help on North Korea, President Donald Trump is poised to seek a trade investigation of China for the alleged theft of American technology and intellectual property. Trump is expected to sign an executive order Monday asking his trade office to consider the probe. In the midst of a 17-day vacation, Trump plans to leave his New Jersey golf club and return to Washington to sign the order. There is no deadline for deciding if any investigation is necessary. Such an investigation easily could last a year. In a phone call Friday, Trump praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for backing the recent U.N. vote to impose tougher sanctions on North Korea, and the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. But Trump also told Xi about the move toward a possible inquiry into China’s trade practices, according to two U.S. officials familiar with that conversation. They were not authorized to publicly discuss the private call and spoke on condition of anonymity. China announced Monday it will cut off imports of North Korean coal, iron and lead ore and other goods in three weeks under U.N. sanctions imposed against Pyongyang. Trump wants government officials to look at Chinese practices that force American companies to share their intellectual property in order to gain access to the world’s second-largest economy. Many U.S. businesses must create joint ventures with Chinese companies and turn over valuable technology assets, a practice that Washington says stifles U.S. economic growth. Trump’s action amounts to a request that his trade representative determine whether an investigation is needed under the Trade Act of 1974. If an investigation begins, the U.S. government could seek remedies either through or outside of the World Trade Organization. While Beijing has promised to open more industries to foreign companies, it also has issued new rules on electric car manufacturing, data security, internet censorship and other fields. An administration official who confirmed that Trump would sign the order contended it was unrelated to the showdown with North Korea. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the order before Trump’s formal announcement. As the crisis involving North Korea has unfolded, Trump has alternated praising China for its help and chiding it for not ratcheting up pressure on its Asian neighbor. “I think China can do a lot more,” Trump told reporters Thursday. “And I think China will do a lot more.” China, the isolated North’s main trading partner, has been reluctant to push leader Kim Jong Un’s regime too hard for fear it might collapse. But Beijing is increasingly frustrated with Pyongyang and supported a U.N. Security Council ban on Aug. 5 on coal and other key goods. The Chinese customs agency said Monday that it will stop processing imports of North Korean coal, iron and lead ores and fish at midnight on Sept. 5. “After that, entry of these goods will be prohibited,” said an agency statement. Trump has escalated his harsh criticism of North Korea for days, tweeting Friday that the U.S. had military options “locked and loaded.” Xi, in his phone conversation with Trump, urged calm, the officials said. Trump, in the past, has tied trade policy to national security, leading to speculation that raising the possibility of a probe — without committing to one — could be a negotiating tactic to get China to step up its assistance with North Korea. The forced sharing of intellectual property with Chinese firms has been a long-standing concern of the U.S. business community, with reports suggesting that losses stemming from it could total hundreds of billions of dollars annually that cost the U.S. economy millions of jobs. Trump has requested similar inquiries on trade, but the reports haven’t been delivered on deadline. Trump made addressing the U.S. trade deficit with China a centerpiece of his campaign last year and has suggested raising tariffs on goods from China. ___ Boak reported from Baltimore. Associated Press writer Gillian Wong in Beijing contributed to this report. ___ Follow Boak on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@JoshBoak and Lemire at http://twitter.com/@JonLemire

We ask…is it ok to sit around your house in your underwear? Kelly can’t believe that this is something guys do on a regular basis. Share this: Facebook Twitter Google Reddit Pinterest

PARIS (AP) — The Latest on the climate summit taking place in Paris (all times local): 9:55 a.m. Top world officials have opened a climate summit in Paris by saying investors and the entire global financial system need to shift faster toward energy and businesses that don’t worsen climate change. The prime minister of the island nation of Fiji said “we are all in the same canoe,” rich countries and poor. Opening the summit, Frank Bainimarama said “financial pledges need to flow faster through more streamlined systems and make a difference on the ground.” Japan’s Foreign Minister Taro Kono described ways Japan is investing in climate monitoring technology and hydrogen energy, but acknowledged “we have to do more and better.” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Tuesday’s summit is aimed at making efforts to cut emissions more “credible.” The summit, co-hosted by the U.N., World Bank and French President Emmanuel Macron, is being held on the second anniversary of the Paris climate accord, ratified by 170 countries. ___ 9:50 a.m. Activists pretending to represent a massive wave of oil are holding a protest in Paris at the start of an international climate summit. A few hundred protesters demonstrated Monday in front of the domed Pantheon monument on Paris’ Left Bank as hundreds of world leaders, financiers and others gathered across town for the summit. The protesters unfurled a massive sheet and carried a huge banner reading “Not one more euro for energies of the past.” CEOs of banks and energy companies are joining more than 50 heads of state at the summit, which is aimed in part at speeding up investment in energy that doesn’t damage the climate. French President Emmanuel Macron hosted leading world philanthropists Tuesday morning to encourage more climate-related investment. ___ 8:15 a.m. More than 50 world leaders are gathering in Paris for a summit that President Emmanuel Macron hopes will give new momentum to the fight against global warming, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s rejection of the Paris climate accord. Some 3,100 security personnel are fanned out around Paris for Tuesday’s event, including extra patrol boats along the Seine River. Macron will accompany the visiting leaders to the summit site on a river island by boat. Sean Penn, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Elon Musk are among prominent figures joining the world leaders at the summit, which marks the second anniversary of the Paris accord. Participants are expected to announce billions of dollars’ worth of projects to help poor countries and industries reduce emissions. Macron, who’s also using the event to raise his international profile, did not invite Trump.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is expected to ask a judge to move up his criminal trial to start in two weeks, more than a month earlier than scheduled. Attorneys for the Republican governor at a St. Louis Circuit Court hearing Monday also said they anticipate asking for a bench trial. Greitens was indicted in February on felony fourth-degree invasion of privacy for allegedly taking an unauthorized partially-nude photo of a woman with whom he was having an affair in 2015, before he was elected. Greitens has admitted to the affair but denied criminal wrongdoing, accusing Democratic Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner of a politically motivated investigation. A jury trial is currently slated to start May 14. Defense attorneys said they anticipate asking that the case be moved up to April 3. “This needs to be heard,” Edward L. Dowd Jr., one of Greitens’ attorneys, said after the hearing. “The governor is innocent and is entitled to have his case heard and get it over with.” Dowd cited the high amount of publicity the case has received in the request for a bench trial. The circuit attorney’s office opposes both moves, spokeswoman Susan Ryan said. “We believe the citizens of St. Louis, where the crime occurred, should have the opportunity to hear the evidence and make a decision on this case,” Ryan said. The circuit attorney’s office had opposed even the May 14 date as too early, saying at previous court hearings that more time was needed to prepare. Prosecutors initially requested a trial date in November. Defense attorneys said they will file a second motion to dismiss the case, accusing prosecutors of misleading the grand jury over instructions of law. Attorney John Garvey did not elaborate. The first such motion has not been ruled on. Chief Trial Assistant Robert Dierker called the claim “patently without merit.” Greitens’ lawyers also filed a motion Sunday asking the court to disqualify Harvard professor Ronald Sullivan Jr. from the prosecution team. Sullivan was brought in earlier this month as a special assistant prosecutor. The motion claims that the hiring of Sullivan violates a state law that forbids private attorneys from assisting elected prosecutors. It also notes that Sullivan represents parties other than the state of Missouri as a defense attorney in violation of state statutes. Ryan said the circuit attorney’s office has frequently hired special prosecutors over the years. She said Sullivan is a defense attorney for a client in a federal case in Connecticut, but state law allows him to work as a prosecutor as long as he isn’t simultaneously acting as a defense attorney in Missouri. ___ This story has been corrected to show that the first motion to dismiss has not been ruled on. It hasn’t failed.

LONDON (AP) — HSBC says the U.S. Department of Justice will ask a court to dismiss deferred criminal charges against the London-based bank in recognition of its efforts to strengthen safeguards against money laundering. The bank says it has lived up to all of its commitments under a five-year deferred prosecution agreement that has now expired and U.S. authorities will file a motion to dismiss the charges deferred by that deal. The move marks a significant step for the global bank, which signed the agreement to avoid charges for allegedly laundering millions of dollars from Mexican drug barons and countries facing U.S. sanctions. HSBC Chief Executive Stuart Gulliver says the bank is better able to fight financial crime “as the result of the significant reforms we have implemented over the last five years.”

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The chairman of South Korea’s Asiana Airlines has apologized for inflight meal service disruptions and a reported suicide at a meal supplier. Park Sam-koo, chairman of the country’s second-largest air carrier, said he felt a moral responsibility after the boss of the company that had been supplying the meals killed himself, according to media reports citing police. The apology came as criticism mounted following the reports, which linked the apparent suicide to pressure from Asiana on its caterer. Asiana Airlines said 114 out of 310 flights had left South Korea without meals since Sunday. Most were short-haul flights to Asian destinations. The problems arose after the airline tried to change its meal catering service.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia has deployed a cruise missile in violation of a Cold War-era arms control treaty, a Trump administration official says, a development that complicates the outlook for U.S.-Russia relations amid turmoil on the White House national security team. The Obama administration three years ago accused the Russians of violating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty by developing and testing the prohibited cruise missile, and officials had anticipated that Moscow eventually would deploy it. Russia denies that it has violated the INF treaty. U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that the missile became operational late last year, said an administration official, who wasn’t authorized to publicly discuss the matter and demanded anonymity. The deployment may not immediately change the security picture in Europe, but the alleged treaty violation may arise when Defense Secretary Jim Mattis attends his first NATO meeting in Brussels on Wednesday. It also has stirred concern on Capitol Hill, where Sen. John McCain, the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, called on the Trump administration to ensure U.S. nuclear forces in Europe are ready. “Russia’s deployment of nuclear-tipped ground-launched cruise missiles in violation of the INF treaty is a significant military threat to U.S. forces in Europe and our NATO allies,” McCain, R-Ariz., said in a statement Tuesday. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin was “testing” Trump. Trump’s White House is in a difficult moment, with no national security adviser following the forced resignation Monday night of Michael Flynn. He is accused of misleading Vice President Mike Pence about contacts with a Russian diplomat while President Barack Obama was still in office. Meanwhile, a U.S. defense official said Tuesday that a Russian intelligence-collection ship has been operating off the U.S. east coast, in international waters. The official was not authorized to discuss an intelligence matter and so spoke on condition of anonymity. The ship had made a port call in Cuba prior to moving north, where it has been monitored off the coast of Delaware, the official said. The New York Times, which was first to report the missile deployment, said the Russians have two battalions of the prohibited cruise missile. One is at a missile test site at Kapustin Yar and one was moved in December from the test site to an operational base elsewhere in the country. The State Department wouldn’t confirm the report. It noted that last year it reported Russia was in violation of its treaty obligations not to possess, produce or flight-test a ground-launched cruise missile with a range of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers, or to possess or produce launchers for such missiles. “The administration is undertaking an extensive review of Russia’s ongoing INF treaty violation in order to assess the potential security implications for the United States and its allies and partners,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said. John Tierney, executive director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, said strategic stability on the European continent is at stake. “If true, Russia’s deployment of an illegal ground-launched cruise missile represents a very troubling development and should be roundly condemned,” Tierney said. Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, sees little reason for the U.S. to continue adhering to the INF treaty, in light of Russia’s violations. He has recommended building up U.S. nuclear forces in Europe, which currently include about 200 bombs that can be delivered by aircraft. The U.S. withdrew land-based nuclear-armed missiles from Europe as part of the INF deal. The treaty has special significance in the recent history of arms control agreements. Signed in December 1987 by President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, it has been credited with helping accelerate an end to the Cold War and lessening the danger of nuclear confrontation. It stands as the only arms treaty to eliminate an entire class of U.S. and Russian weapons — nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles of intermediate range. The Obama administration had argued for maintaining U.S. compliance with the treaty while urging the Russians to halt violations. At the same time, the Pentagon developed options to counter Russian cruise missile moves, some of which would have involved bold military action. At his Senate confirmation hearing in February 2014, Ash Carter, who headed the Pentagon until last month, said disregard for treaty limitations was a “two-way street,” opening the way for the U.S. to respond in kind. He called Russia’s violations consistent with its “strategy of relying on nuclear weapons to offset U.S. and NATO conventional superiority.”

NEW YORK (AP) — It was one of New York City’s most enduring mysteries: A sandy-haired, 6-year-old boy who vanished on his way to school. A fruitless search that scared a generation of parents. A family that fought for years to hold one man accountable, only to be told someone else was to blame. Some questions remain in the 1979 disappearance of Etan Patz, but a jury decided Tuesday that it had enough evidence to convict a former convenience store clerk of luring the boy into a basement and killing him, after a first trial ended with a hung jury. Pedro Hernandez confessed several years ago to choking Etan, but his lawyers said that admission was the false imagining of a troubled man whose mind blurred the boundary between reality and illusion. During Hernandez’s first trial in 2015, that argument won over a lone juror, who wouldn’t budge and forced a mistrial. This second time around, the jury was unanimous, finding Hernandez guilty of murder and kidnapping after nine days of deliberations. “We decided he has an illness … but that didn’t make him delusional,” said juror Michael Castellon. “We think that he could tell right from wrong. He could tell fantasy from reality.” Hernandez, 56, didn’t react visibly as the verdict was read. Sentencing was set for Feb. 28. His lawyers said he planned to appeal. “In the end, we don’t believe this will resolve the story of what happened to Etan back in 1979,” said lawyer Harvey Fishbein. Etan’s disappearance during his morning walk to the school bus helped end an era where parents felt comfortable letting their children roam. He became one of the first missing children ever pictured on milk cartons. The anniversary of his disappearance has been designated National Missing Children’s Day. His parents lent their voices to a campaign to make missing children a national cause, and it fueled laws that established a national hotline and made it easier for law enforcement agencies to share information about vanished youngsters. For decades, though, the investigation into what happened to him went nowhere. A body was never found. Unlike today’s New York City, there was no network of security cameras to check for clues. For years, some detectives and the Patz family thought the killer was Jose Ramos, a convicted Pennsylvania child molester who knew a woman who had sometimes walked Etan home from school. Etan’s parents even sued Ramos, winning a wrongful death judgment by default in 2005 when he stopped cooperating with the legal proceedings — though he continued to deny having anything to do with the crime. Stan Patz sent Ramos annual messages saying, “What did you do to my little boy?” Hernandez wasn’t a suspect until 2012. Amid renewed news coverage of the investigation, a brother-in-law came forward and told police that, decades earlier, Hernandez had confessed to a prayer group that he’d killed a child in New York. Authorities would later learn that Hernandez had made similar remarks to a friend and his ex-wife. After police went to his home in Maple Shade, New Jersey, Hernandez confessed, saying he’d offered Etan a soda to get him into the store basement and then choked him. “Something just took over me,” Hernandez said in one of a series of recorded confessions to police and prosecutors. He said he’d wanted to tell someone, “but I didn’t know how to do it. I felt so sorry.” Hernandez told authorities he’d shoved Etan’s body, still living, in a trash bag, then put it in a box and dumped it with some garbage. The boy’s body was never found, nor was any trace of his clothing, nor the tote bag loaded with toys that he’d slung over his shoulder when he left his loft. And while prosecutors presented a theory that Hernandez had killed Etan after sexually abusing him, the suspect himself never gave an explanation. In the end, the confessions were enough for the jury. And they were enough for the Patz family, too. “We’ve finally found some measure of justice for our wonderful little boy, Etan,” said Stanley Patz, choking up, after the verdict was announced. His wife Julie, who didn’t attend the trial except to testify, cried when she heard the verdict. “I am truly relieved,” Stan Patz said. “And I’ll tell you, it’s about time. It’s about time.” ___ Associated Press writers Larry Neumeister and Karen Matthews contributed to this report.

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Thursday: 1. HIGH-STAKES DIPLOMACY PLAYING OUT A senior North Korean official arrives in New York in the highest-level official visit to the United States in 18 years, as President Trump and Kim Jong Un try to salvage their on-again, off-again nuclear summit. 2. ‘I’M STILL ALIVE’ Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko walks into a news conference a day after police said he had been assassinated. Authorities say his death was staged to foil a plot on his life by Moscow’s security services. 3. GRAND JURY INDICTS HARVEY WEINSTEIN The indictment on rape and criminal sex act charges furthers the first criminal case to arise from a slate of sexual misconduct allegations against the former movie mogul. 4. WHICH CONSPIRACY THEORY IS BEING DEBUNKED There’s no evidence that the FBI planted a “spy” on Trump’s 2016 campaign, a senior House Republican says, despite the president’s repeated assertions. 5. IN MIDEAST, AN UNEASY TRUCE With a cease-fire declared, Israel and Hamas appear to have avoided — for now — a fourth war after a day of intense rocket fire and airstrikes. 6. WHY DRUG COMPANY ISN’T TAKING BLAME The maker of Ambien says that “racism is not a known side effect” after Roseanne Barr cited the insomnia drug in explaining the tweet that led ABC to cancel her show. 7. WALMART WORKERS GET COLLEGE ON THE CHEAP America’s largest private employer is offering its employees a new perk: affordable access to a college degree. 8. WHAT’S FUELING TRADE TENSIONS Europe braces for the U.S. to announce restrictions on imported steel and aluminum, a move that could provoke retaliatory tariffs. 9. BELTWAY ABUZZ OVER MELANIA’S WHEREABOUTS The first lady tries to tamp down speculation about why she’s not been seen in public in nearly three weeks, tweeting that she’s “feeling great.” 10. WHOSE CAUSE REALITY TV STAR IS CHAMPIONING Kim Kardashian West visits the White House to advocate on behalf of a woman serving a life sentence for drug offenses.

PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Montenegro’s ruling party has nominated its leader, who took the tiny Balkan country into NATO in defiance of Russia, to be its candidate in next month’s presidential election. The Democratic Party of Socialists’ leadership announced the decision to put forward Milo Djukanovic after a meeting Monday. Djukanovic has previously served as Montenegro’s prime minister and president in several mandates since the early 1990s. Djukanovic was premier during a tense October 2016 parliamentary election when authorities said they thwarted an attempted pro-Russian coup to prevent the Adriatic country from joining NATO. The 56-year-old Djukanovic, who took a back seat in politics after his party won the parliamentary vote, had long been rumored to make another comeback in the April 15 presidential election. Montenegro joined NATO last June despite strong Kremlin opposition.

MADRID (AP) — An indefinite strike by workers handling carry-on baggage checks at Barcelona’s airport is having a more limited impact on passengers after police have been deployed to help. Public Works Minister Inigo de la Serna said the Civil Guard’s presence Monday had brought El Prat Airport back to normal after weeks of flight delays. He said it was necessary to guarantee security at the airport given that Spain was on high alert in case of a terror attack. Passenger queues of less than 30 minutes were reported Monday, down from several hours in recent weeks. The baggage screeners voted to intensify their strike action Sunday on rejecting a pay-rise offer from their company. The government has also decreed that they provide 90 percent of regular service during the stoppage.

BALTIMORE (AP) — The CEO of Baltimore-based sports apparel company Under Armour is responding to criticism he received after calling President Donald Trump “an asset to the country.” Kevin Plank wrote an open letter to Baltimore published as a full-page advertisement in The Baltimore Sun Wednesday. He wrote that his choice of words during an interview with CNBC last week “did not accurately reflect my intent.” Three celebrities the company sponsors — basketball star Stephen Curry, actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and ballerina Misty Copeland — were among those voicing concerns about his praise of Trump. Plank says the company stands for equal rights and job creation and believes “immigration is a source of strength, diversity and innovation for global companies based in America.” He says the company opposes the president’s travel ban.

A Florida man found out that you should NOT pick up random items you find floating in the ocean. You can catch the daily update at 8:05am with Bud and Broadway. Share this: Facebook Twitter Google Reddit Pinterest

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo has been banned for five games after shoving a referee following his red card during Real Madrid’s 3-1 victory over Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup on Sunday. The Spanish football federation said on Monday that Ronaldo has been suspended for one game for the red card and four games for pushing referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea in the back. Ronaldo will miss Wednesday’s return leg of the Spanish Super Cup in Madrid plus the first four matches of the Spanish league season.

AMRITSAR, India (AP) — In the 70 years since India and Pakistan were created from the former British Empire, there has never been a venue focused on the stories and memorabilia of those who survived that chaotic and bloody chapter in history — until now. A new museum on the Partition of the Indian subcontinent opens this week, as the two South Asian giants mark seven decades as independent nations. The exhibitions are housed in the red-brick Town Hall building in the north Indian border city of Amritsar. They include photographs, newspaper clippings and donated personal items meant to tell the story of how the region’s struggle for freedom from colonial rule turned into one of its most violent episodes.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on the explosion in Manhattan in an underground passageway (all times local): 9:55 a.m. Police have identified the 27-year-old man who detonated an explosive device strapped to his body in the New York City subway. Police say Akayed Ullah intentionally exploded the crude device in a passageway under Times Square during the morning rush hour Monday. They say he is in custody. They say the device is a crudely-made pipe bomb. Authorities called the incident an attempted terrorist attack. Three others suffered minor injuries, including headaches and ringing in the ears. The suspect had burns on his abdomen and also to his hands. Law enforcement officials say he was inspired by the Islamic State, but had apparently not had any direct contact with the terror group. ___ 9:45 a.m. Police Commissioner James O’Neill says the device that exploded in the New York City subway was a terror-related incident. A 27-year-old man had a crude pipe bomb strapped to him and it went off in a passageway from Seventh and Eighth Avenues near Times Square. Three people suffered minor non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect was also injured and was taken into custody. Mayor Bill de Blasio says the device that exploded in the New York City subway was an attempted terrorist attack. He says it’s lucky the suspect didn’t achieve his ultimate goals. Law enforcement officials say he was inspired by the Islamic State, but had apparently not had any direct contact with the terror group. ___ 9:40 a.m. A photo published by the New York Post from the scene of the Manhattan subway explosion shows a bearded man crumpled on the ground with his shirt apparently blown off and a police officer holding the man’s hands behind his back. Soot covers the man’s bare midriff. The Fire Department of New York says four people, including the suspect, have been hurt following the pipe bomb explosion at the height of the morning rush hour Monday. None of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening. A law enforcement official tells The Associated Press that a man had a pipe bomb strapped to him when it went off. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the incident. ___ 9:30 a.m. The Fire Department of New York says four people, including the suspect, have been hurt following a pipe bomb explosion in a New York City subway at the height of the morning rush hour. Fire officials say Monday none of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening. Police say the pipe bomb explosion inside the subway happened in an underground passageway between Seventh and Eighth Avenues on 42nd Street. A law enforcement official tells The Associated Press that a man had a pipe bomb strapped to him when it went off. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the incident. ___ 9:15 a.m. Police say the pipe bomb explosion inside the New York City subway happened in an underground passageway between Seventh and Eighth Avenues on 42nd Street. The explosion filled the passageway with smoke while it was crowded with throngs of Monday morning commuters. A law enforcement official tells The Associated Press that a man had a pipe bomb strapped to him when it went off. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the incident. The person was arrested and has non-life-threatening injuries. Another person on the platform sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The Port Authority Bus Terminal, the nation’s largest bus hub, was shut down, along with the eight subway lines and all streets around Times Square. ___ 8:45 a.m. A law enforcement official tells The Associated Press that a man had a pipe bomb strapped to him when it went off on a New York City subway platform. The explosion happened around 7:30 a.m. Monday. Details were still developing. The person was arrested and has non-life-threatening injuries. Another person on the platform sustained non-life-threatening injuries The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the incident. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders has tweeted that President Trump has been briefed on the explosion. ___ 8:40 a.m. New Jersey Transit buses headed to the Port Authority Bus Terminal are diverting to other locations following an explosion in New York City. NJ Transit says buses are taking passengers to Secaucus and Hoboken. From there, they can take trains or PATH into the city. Trains, PATH, light rail and ferries are honoring bus tickets into New York. The explosion happened around 7:30 a.m. Monday. Details were still developing. Passengers were evacuated as a precaution from the subway line where the explosion happened, near 40th Street and Eighth Avenue. A person was arrested and has non-life-threatening injuries. ___ 8:25 a.m. A law enforcement official says what is believed to be an explosive device has been set off on Manhattan subway platform. The explosion happened around 7:30 a.m. Monday. Details were still developing. A person was arrested and has non-life-threatening injuries. There was no immediate word of any other injuries. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the incident. Passengers were evacuated as a precaution from the subway line where the explosion happened, near 40th Street and Eighth Avenue. — Associated Press writer Colleen Long ___ 8 a.m. The New York Police Department says it is responding to a report of an explosion near Times Square. The response is centered in the area of the Port Authority bus terminal. It’s led to delays along some of the subway lines that pass beneath the bus terminal. Some passengers have been evacuated as a precaution. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

MOSCOW (AP) — The Latest on the reported slaying in Ukraine of a Russian journalist: (all times local): 5:25 p.m. Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko, who had been reported shot and killed in the Ukrainian capital Tuesday, has shown up at a news conference very much alive. Vasily Gritsak, head of the Ukrainian Security Service, told a news conference on Wednesday the agency faked Babchenko’s death to catch those who were trying to kill him. Kiev and national police had said Babchenko, a strong critic of the Kremlin, was shot multiple times in the back at his apartment building and found bleeding by his wife. He showed up at Gritsak’s new conference on Wednesday and thanked everyone who was mourning his death. Babchenko, 41, one of Russia’s best-known war reporters, spoke and wrote year about leaving the country because of repeated threats that he and his family would be harmed. ___ 2:35 p.m. A top lawmaker says Russia is willing to help Ukraine investigate the murder of a Russian journalist. Arkady Babchenko, who was scathingly critical of the Kremlin, was gunned down in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, on Tuesday. Babchenko fled Russia last year, fearing for his life, and settled in Ukraine. He had served in the Russian army during the two wars in Chechnya in 1990s and became one of Russia’s best-known war reporters. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the State Duma, told Russian news agencies Wednesday that Russia would be happy to help with the investigation if Ukrainian authorities requested it. Ukrainian authorities have said they think Babchenko was killed because of his work. Several Ukrainian politicians blamed the Kremlin for the killing. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed those comments as cynical.

LONDON (AP) — Big Ben will fall silent next week in London as a major restoration project gets underway. The bongs of the iconic bell will be stopped on Aug. 21 to protect workers during a four-year, 29-million-pound ($38 million) conservation project that includes repair of the Queen Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben and its clock. Steve Jaggs, keeper of the Great Clock, said Monday that the mechanism will be dismantled piece by piece and its four dials will be cleaned and repaired. Big Ben has been stopped several times since it first sounded in 1859, but the current restoration project will mark the longest period of silence for the bell. It will still sound on big occasions, such as Remembrance Sunday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — After nearly three weeks out of sight, Melania Trump tried to put to rest speculation about her health and even her whereabouts as she continues to recover from medical treatment for a kidney condition. It didn’t completely work. Mrs. Trump tweeted Wednesday that she’s “feeling great” and is at the White House working hard for children and American families. But she still didn’t make a public appearance, leaving some skeptics still wondering about her condition and plenty more. The first lady’s tweet landed while her husband was participating in a White House event that seemed tailor-made for a first lady, as famous athletes joined President Donald Trump and his daughter and senior adviser Ivanka Trump on the South Lawn to promote youth sports and fitness. “I see the media is working overtime speculating where I am & what I’m doing,” Mrs. Trump said on Twitter. “Rest assured, I’m here at the @WhiteHouse w my family, feeling great, & working hard on behalf of children & the American people!” The first lady’s absence from public view has spawned all sorts of wild theories on social media and elsewhere: Has she moved back to Trump Tower in New York City? Is she cooperating with the special counsel’s Russia investigation? Is her health in jeopardy? Has she entered the witness protection program? And so on. Mrs. Trump has not appeared in public since the wee hours of May 10, when she accompanied the president to a military base in Maryland to welcome home three Americans who had been released from detention in North Korea. Four days later, the White House announced that the 48-year-old first lady had successfully undergone an “embolization” procedure to treat a benign kidney condition, and that there were no complications. She spent five nights at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in nearby Bethesda, Maryland. Some doctors familiar with the procedure but not involved in her care said people treated with embolization typically are sent home the same day or the next. First ladies are under no obligation to make their medical histories public, and the White House has said nothing more about Mrs. Trump’s condition. On Friday, the president tried to assure reporters that his wife was doing fine. Asked about the first lady’s health before he boarded the presidential helicopter on the South Lawn, Trump pointed to the second floor of the White House and said: “She’s doing great. Right there. She’s doing great. She’s looking at us, right there.” Despite Trump’s assurances, reporters didn’t see any sign of the first lady watching from above. Mrs. Trump is often viewed as a reluctant first lady, but her lengthy absence from public view comes after what was probably her most high-profile period in the role to date. In April, she alone represented the administration at the Houston funeral of former first lady Barbara Bush. She joined the president to host the Japanese prime minister for talks at the Trumps’ estate in Florida. That was followed by the French president’s three-day state visit to the White House, which included the first state dinner planned under her watch for more than 100 guests. Mrs. Trump capped it off in early May with a splashy Rose Garden rollout for her “Be Best” campaign to teach kindness to children. Trump watched from the audience. Her popularity is rising, according to a recent CNN poll that found 57 percent of those surveyed saying they have a favorable impression of her, up from 47 percent in January. A week after the first lady announced “Be Best,” she was in the hospital. She’s been heard from — including tweets about the Texas school shooting, the newest Medal of Honor recipient and Memorial Day — but not seen since. The first lady’s longtime friend, Paolo Zampolli, thinks “she wanted to spend some quality time with her family.” Her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said the first lady has been meeting with her staff on the “Be Best” initiative and working on upcoming projects like the annual White House picnic for members of Congress in June and Fourth of July festivities. Grisham said the first lady would like to be “out and about promoting her initiatives” but “her health comes first.” Jean Harris, who teaches political science and women’s studies at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, said people so far seem to be giving the first lady “her space for a whole bunch of reasons.” But Harris said Mrs. Trump could end up being hurt by the fact that she made the long-waited announcement about her initiative — and then disappeared. “If there’s not that follow-up, I think people will begin to be a bit more critical than they have been,” Harris said. ___ Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Veterans who say they responded to a 1966 accident involving U.S. hydrogen bombs in Spain and then became ill from radiation exposure asked a federal appeals court on Monday to allow a class action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Yale Law School students in Connecticut filed the request with the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims on behalf of veterans who sought disability benefits from the VA but were denied. The students represent Air Force veteran Victor Skaar, of Nixa, Missouri, and want to include other veterans who believe they deserve VA benefits. VA officials did not immediately return messages seeking comment Monday. The motion names Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin as the defendant. On Jan. 17, 1966, a U.S. B-52 bomber and a refueling plane crashed into each other during a refueling operation near the southern Spanish village of Palomares, killing seven of 11 crew members but no one on the ground. At the time, the U.S. was keeping nuclear-armed warplanes in the air near the Soviet border as the Cold War was in full swing. The midair collision resulted in the release of four U.S. hydrogen bombs. None of the bombs exploded, but the plutonium-filled detonators on two went off, scattering 7 pounds (3 kilograms) of highly radioactive plutonium 239 across the landscape. The 1,600 servicemen who were sent to the crash site area to recover the weapons and clean up the contamination were exposed to dangerous levels of radiation daily for weeks or months at a time, according to the court motion filed Monday. Many of the servicemen later developed various forms of cancer, blood disorders, heart and lung dysfunction and other sicknesses but were denied disability benefits by the Department of Veterans Affairs. “This class action seeks to compel the VA to acknowledge that veterans at Palomares participated in a radiation-risk activity that would make any radiogenic conditions they developed presumptively service-connected,” said Derek Mraz, one of the Yale students working on the case. “The VA acknowledges this service connection for many other atomic veterans.” Skaar, the Air Force veteran, said he suffers from a blood disorder and developed melanoma and prostate cancer, which were successfully treated. He said he believes his ailments were related to his service in Palomares. Skaar, 81, said he and other military members responded quickly to the Palomares accident and did not wear protective clothing or masks as they determined the scope of the contamination and “cleaned” it up. The cleanup involved removing topsoil in some areas and hosing down buildings with water. Skaar said he and his fellow servicemen did what they were ordered to do without complaint at Palomares and now feel betrayed by their government. “It’s absolutely ridiculous to see how we have been treated,” he said. “We’re all hurt. We were ignored, absolutely ignored.” The Yale students said they believe this is the first federal appeals court case involving Palomares veterans. The Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, which hears appeals of VA denials of benefits, only recently was given authority to hear class action cases, they said. The law school students also sued the Department of Defense in October on behalf of veterans groups seeking to compel it to release records relating to the Palomares accident, including environmental testing data and urine testing results. A department spokesman said he could not comment on pending litigation. The Yale students said original testing showed that many Palomares veterans were exposed to dangerously high levels of radiation, but a 2001 report commissioned by the VA concluded those results were “unreasonably high.” And in 2013, VA officials used the 2001 report to conclude the veterans’ exposure to radiation wasn’t high enough to qualify them for free VA medical care and other benefits. The students said the report and the 2013 conclusion are flawed. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, said the VA needs to take another look at the veterans’ claims. “These veterans were exposed to dangerous radiation while they faithfully served our nation in the clean-up of the hydrogen bomb accident,” he said in a statement. “They deserve a fair and consistent process for determining veterans benefits related to such exposure.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — An operative for a political committee that supports Democrats has been charged with assault following a confrontation with a staffer for Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke outside a congressional hearing. Capitol Police charged Wilfred M. Stark, 49, of Falls Church, Virginia, with simple assault following a confrontation with Heather Swift, a spokeswoman for Zinke. Stark works for American Bridge 21st Century, a group that supports Democratic candidates. According to a police report, Stark approached Zinke after a House hearing Thursday and started yelling at him. Zinke continued walking out of the hearing room at the Longworth House Office Building and Stark “used his full body to push” Swift as she tried to leave the room, the report said. Swift told police that Stark had been removed from an elevator two days earlier as he tried to force his way onto an elevator with Zinke and his staff. Swift said she decided to press charges to help obtain a “stay-away order” against Stark, the report said. In a statement Monday, Swift called the incident “terrifying” and thanked police for their quick response. “He is a big guy. He came up behind me fast, aggressive and very physical,” Swift said. “Who knows what this lunatic was thinking?” Swift, who also served as Zinke’s press secretary when he represented Montana in Congress, said that since joining the Trump administration a year ago, she has received harassing and threatening tweets, emails, phone calls and letters. “But being physically targeted and assaulted brings it to another level,” she said. “This violent action only strengthens my desire to serve my president and my country.” “Democrats claim to support women but they allow their operatives to assault women,” she added. “They need to immediately denounce this type of violent behavior.” American Bridge said in a statement Monday that Stark “adamantly denies” the allegations. “We are gathering all the facts and information surrounding this event,” the statement said. Stark was also arrested in October and charged with creating a disturbance during a parade in suburban Virginia. Stark was videotaping GOP gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie for ShareBlue Media, an affiliate of American Bridge. He was found not guilty of resisting arrest, but convicted of disorderly conduct, the Fairfax County, Virginia, Times reported. Stark faces a March 30 hearing in D.C. Superior Court in the current case. American Bridge, which says it is “committed to holding Republicans accountable,” first noted an Interior Department contract worth nearly $139,000 to upgrade three sets of double doors in Zinke’s office. Zinke said at Thursday’s hearing that he has negotiated a significantly lower price for the project by “manipulating” contract terms to lower the cost to about $75,000. He did not provide details.

HONG KONG (AP) — The strange case of a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist who claimed mainland Chinese agents stapled his legs as a warning has taken another twist after police arrested him Tuesday on suspicion of providing false information. Howard Lam made waves last week with his eye-catching allegations, which rekindled fears about Beijing interfering in Hong Kong despite promising it considerable autonomy since the 1997 handover from Britain. But police said his story didn’t check out. “The victim’s reports about his activities on that day and the investigation’s results do not match,” police said in a statement, “At this time, there’s no evidence that anyone was illegally detained in Hong Kong.” Lam, 42, had intended to send a signed photo of Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi to Liu Xia, the widow of late Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, and posted his plans on Facebook. He said received a call early last week from an acquaintance on the mainland warning him not to send the photo. Lam said that on Thursday, unknown Mandarin-speaking men abducted him from a busy street in Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong and rendered him unconscious. He said they beat him and warned him not to follow through on his plan. He said they also stapled Xs into his thighs because he is Christian. He displayed his wounds to reporters at a press conference Friday, flanked by members of his Democratic Party, before filing a police report and going to a hospital. Police said Tuesday that they arrested Lam on suspicion of providing false information to mislead police after carrying out an investigation, including checking surveillance footage from cameras in the area. Lam’s case stirred concerns that Beijing is tightening its hold on Hong Kong, following other recent cases including the secret detention of a group of Hong Kong booksellers and a Chinese-Canadian tycoon whose whereabouts are unknown. In both cases, mainland security agents are suspected of taking them across the border, in violation of Hong Kong’s constitution. ___ Follow Kelvin Chan: www.twitter.com/chanman

Reality hit Scott Frost upon his return to Nebraska as head coach. The Cornhuskers, physically, looked every bit like the 4-8 team it was in 2017. His conclusion after his first spring: “We’re taking the first baby steps here, and nothing that we’re doing right now is where I want it to be and where the coaching staff wants it to be.” Frost, the Cornhuskers’ national championship quarterback in 1997, returned to his alma mater after orchestrating one of the great turnarounds in recent college football history at Central Florida. When he showed up in Lincoln in December, he didn’t recognize the place. A program that had been physically dominant during its 1990s heyday under Tom Osborne had become soft. Frost’s priority has been to toughen up the team. Practices moved at a fast pace, there was more live tackling, and players were told if they were going to make a mistake, they should make it at full speed. Mike Riley’s pro-style offense has been replaced by the no-huddle spread-option that put up huge numbers at UCF last year. The 3-4 defense will stay, but an attitude adjustment and some tweaks by new coordinator Erik Chinander should make the unit better than the one that ranked among the worst in the nation. “We have to be patient as coaches to teach lessons as problems arise, continue to develop, get guys in better shape, get guys stronger and get guys more familiar,” said Frost, the only new coach in the Big Ten. “Sometimes you get impatient as a coach and think that it’s going to happen overnight — and it’s not.” Things to know coming out of spring across the Big Ten: ___ OHIO STATE QB RACE The defending conference champion Buckeyes are looking for a successor to J.T. Barrett. The candidates are redshirt sophomore Dwayne Haskins Jr., senior Joe Burrow and redshirt freshman Tate Martell. Haskins replaced an injured Barrett to key the win over Michigan last season. Burrow was Barrett’s backup in 2016 but broke his hand in preseason and was displaced by Haskins. Martell was a five-star recruit coming out of high school. Coach Urban Meyer has said he’ll try to give each QB a post-spring assessment. Burrow is on track to graduate this spring and could play immediately at another school, with two years of eligibility, if he chooses to leave. OTHER QB QUESTIONS Michigan is awaiting the NCAA ruling on transfer Shea Patterson. He left Mississippi in the wake of an NCAA investigation that landed the Rebels on probation and has appealed for immediate eligibility. If he can’t play this fall, coach Jim Harbaugh will choose among Brandon Peters, who played in six games last year, Dylan McCaffrey and Joe Milton. … The biggest question at Northwestern is how much time Clayton Thorson will miss. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the Music City Bowl. He did some throwing this spring, but TJ Green, Aidan Smith and Andrew Marty took the practice snaps. … Redshirt freshman Tanner Morgan has the inside track at Minnesota after throwing for 272 yards and two touchdowns in a spring game that had QBs taking hits. … Rutgers brings back seven-game starter Gio Rescigno, but freshman Artur Sitkowski threw for 280 yards in the spring game and could challenge. … Tyrrell Pigrome and Kasim Hill are both coming off torn ACLs. One of them is expected to be the starter in first-year coordinator Matt Canada’s pro-style offense. … Purdue’s David Blough (dislocated ankle) and Elijah Sindelar (ACL tear) continue to rehab, leaving redshirt freshman Nick Sipe and true freshman Jack Plummer to take most of the practice snaps. FINALLY, MILES’ TURN Penn State’s Miles Sanders was rated the No. 1 running back in the country coming out of high school. Until now, the junior has been overshadowed by Saquon Barkley. Limited to 56 carries for 375 yards through two seasons, Sanders takes over as featured back. “I can’t imagine that there is a better player for Miles to come up under than Saquon Barkley,” coach James Franklin said. “Maybe he could have went to some other schools and played as a true freshman, but I don’t know if his development would have been to the point where it is now.” SPARTAN ‘D’ RATES AN ‘A’ Michigan State, which was second nationally in rushing defense and seventh in total defense, appears set to have another strong unit. The Spartans brought back 19 of 22 starters. Coach Mark Dantonio praised the spring performances of defensive linemen Mike Panasiuk, Raequan Williams and Kenny Willekes. Dantonio called Willekes, who had a team-leading seven sacks, a “force.” “Hopefully they are going to get pressure and that’s going to be a staple for our football team,” he said. POSITION CHANGE FOR DEITER? West Division champion Wisconsin, as usual, has an embarrassment of riches on the offensive line. That could allow Michael Deiter, who missed the spring with a leg injury, to go back to his preferred guard spot after playing left tackle in 2017. Deiter projects as an interior lineman in the NFL. Patrick Kasl or Cole Van Lanen would be in line to take over at left tackle. ___ AP Sports Writers Dave Campbell, Tom Canavan, David Ginsburg, Larry Lage, Mike Marot, Andrew Seligman and Mitch Stacy contributed. ___ More AP college football at www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25 .

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — The Latest on incidents related to violent clashes between white supremacist groups and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, that left three dead (all times local) 8:30 p.m. A close friend of the woman who was killed when a car plowed into peaceful protesters in Charlottesville says she cared about people and stood up for equality. Marissa Blair said Sunday night at a vigil where the crash happened that Heather Heyer’s death was “an act of terror.” She says it’s a hate crime and should be treated as such. Blair says she was with Heyer when the crash happened. She says the driver “barreled down,” and she could hear the wheels as he accelerated. She says the driver “deserves everything he gets and more.” Twenty-year-old James Alex Fields Jr. is charged with second-degree murder and other counts in the car crash. He could also face federal charges, depending on the outcome of an FBI investigation. ____ 7:25 p.m. A Nevada college student who was photographed marching in Virginia before a deadly white supremacist rally says he’s not an “angry racist.” KTVN-TV interviewed 20-year-old Peter Cvjetanovic after he was identified online in a photo showing white nationalists marching through the University of Virginia campus carrying torches Friday. On Saturday, a car plowed into a crowd of counter-protesters as tensions turned violent at a related rally. Cvjetanovic says he didn’t expect the photo to spread but that he’s a white nationalist who cares for all people and wants to “preserve what we have.” Republican Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada, after a recent photo of the two reportedly surfaced, condemned the events and said he didn’t know Cvjetanovic. The University of Nevada, Reno, also denounced the movement as corrosive to society. ___ 6:15 p.m. A former teacher of the man accused of plowing his car into counter protesters at a white nationalist rally in Virginia says the suspect had a keen interest in military history, Hitler and Nazi, Germany. Derek Weimer on Sunday said that he taught social studies to 20-year-old James Alex Fields Jr. during his junior and senior years in Kentucky, calling him an average student. Weimer recalled that school officials had singled out Fields in 9th grade for his political beliefs and that he had made comments that alerted his social studies teacher at the time to “deeply-held, radical” convictions on race and Nazism. Weimer said Fields was a big Trump supporter because of what he believed to be Trump’s views on race. Trump’s proposal to build a border wall was particularly appealing to Fields, Weimer said. ___ 3:55 p.m. A Charlottesville hospital says many of the patients injured after a car drove into a crowd of protesters at a white nationalist rally are improving. A spokeswoman for the University of Virginia Health System said in a statement Sunday afternoon that nine of the patients the hospital treated have been released. Ten others are in good condition. A day earlier, the hospital said five patients were in critical condition, four were in serious condition, six were in fair condition and four were in good condition. The statement also says the hospital treated additional patients related to Saturday’s events but that the hospital can’t give an exact number. ___ 3:35 p.m. Virginia State Police say the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are assisting in the investigation into a fatal helicopter crash that claimed the lives of two state troopers. The helicopter crashed shortly before 5 p.m. Saturday in a wooded area while assisting in law enforcement activities related to the clash between white nationalists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville. The pilot, 48-year-old Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen of Midlothian, and 40-year-old Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates of Quinton, died at the scene. White nationalists were in Charlottesville on Saturday to protest the planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. ____ 2:40 p.m. The man who organized a rally in Charlottesville that sparked violent clashes between white supremacist groups and counter-protesters tried to hold a news conference a day after the deadly event, but a crowd of several hundred booed him and forced him away from the lectern. Jason Kessler is a blogger based in Charlottesville, and as he came out to speak Sunday afternoon near City Hall, he was surrounded by cameras and people. Some people chanted and made noises with drums and other instruments. Among the chants: “You’re wearing the wrong hood,” a reference to the Ku Klux Klan. Kessler mimicked looking at his watch and indicated he’d wait to speak. A few people approached, crossing the line of TV cameras. One man pushed Kessler. A woman tackled him. Kessler asked officers on the scene for help. Eventually they escorted him off. No arrests were reported. ___ 12:55 p.m. A friend of the woman killed when a car rammed into a group of protesters in Charlottesville says she’s no different than a casualty of war. Felicia Correa said Sunday that her friend Heather Heyer died standing up for people of color. Correa says Heyer and other counter protesters put their lives on the line to confront hateful bigotry. She says she doesn’t see the difference between Heyer or someone who died in the Sept. 11 attacks. She says the vehicle that plowed into a group of peaceful protesters was a terrorist attack as well. Correa says she grew up with Heyer, who was 32. She says she was a sweet person. She has set up a fund to raise money for Heyer’s family. ___ 12:30 p.m. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is calling on President Donald Trump to more strongly condemn the bigotry and violence that happened in Charlottesville, Virginia, this weekend. Democrat McAuliffe told reporters at First Baptist Church in Charlottesville on Sunday that angry political rhetoric needs to stop. He says the Republican president “needs to come out stronger” against the actions of white supremacists. The governor says “they are Nazis and they are here to hurt American citizens, and he needs to call them out for what they are, no question.” McAuliffe spoke to Trump on Saturday about the violence in downtown Charlottesville. He says “twice I said to him we have to stop this hateful speech, this rhetoric.” The governor says protesters were “emboldened to walk around our streets with weapons and to spew hatred.” ___ 12:05 p.m. The man accused of ramming a car into a crowd of protesters in Charlottesville was photographed that morning holding a shield with the emblem of a white supremacist group. Vanguard America denies that James Alex Fields Jr. is a member of its group and says it handed out shields to anyone in attendance who wanted them. The Anti-Defamation League says Vanguard America believes the U.S. is an exclusively white nation, and uses propaganda to recruit young white men online and on college campuses. Vanguard America confirmed via Twitter account that members were in Charlottesville on Saturday morning, part of what’s believed to be the largest group of white nationalists to come together in a decade, to rally against plans to remove a Confederate statue. Hundreds of others came to protest against the racism. In the photo, taken by the New York Daily News , Fields stands with a handful of men, all dressed similarly in the usual Vanguard America uniform of khakis and white polo shirts. The men hold white shields with a black-and-white logo of two axes. The Confederate statue of Robert E. Lee is in the background. The Daily News says the photo was taken about 10:30 a.m. Charlottesville officials say the car crashed into the crowd, killing one, at 1:42 p.m. ____ 10:15 a.m. Federal law enforcement authorities have started a civil rights investigation into a deadly car crash in Charlottesville that left one protester dead and several others injured. The FBI said in a statement late Saturday that it is collecting facts and evidence in an ongoing investigation. Heather Heyer died when a car rammed into a group of people who were protesting the presence of white supremacists who had gathered in the city for a rally. The car’s driver, James Alex Fields Jr. was charged with second-degree murder and other counts. He could also face federal charges, depending on the outcome of the FBI’s investigation. ___ 9:30 a.m. Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer called the killing of a 32-year-old woman and the injury of others by a vehicle at a rally in the city a “terrorist attack with a car used as a weapon.” He made the comments in an interview Sunday with NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Heather Heyer died when a car rammed into a group of people who were protesting the presence of white supremacists who had gathered in the city for a rally. The car’s driver, James Alex Fields Jr. was charged with second-degree murder and other counts. The rally’s purpose was to condemn a decision by the city to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. ___ 7:23 a.m. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe will visit two Charlottesville churches and speak to congregants following violent clashes in the city between white supremacist groups and counter-protesters that left three dead. The governor’s office says in a release that Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam will join McAuliffe at both Sunday services. McAuliffe and Northam are scheduled to visit Mount Zion First African Baptist Church and First Baptist Church. Three were killed and dozens were injured amid what is believed to be the largest group of white nationalists to come together in a decade to protest the city’s decision to remove a Confederate monument. A car rammed into a crowd of protesters, killing a 32-year-old woman, and a state police helicopter crashed into the woods, leaving two troopers onboard dead. President Donald Trump criticized the violence and called for a return to law and order. But his critics say his racially-tinged rhetoric has exacerbated the nation’s political tensions and emboldened racists. 2:21 a.m. The mayor of Charlottesville blamed the nation’s intensifying political divisions for the violent clashes between white supremacist groups and counter protesters that left three dead. Mayor Michael Signer on Saturday bemoaned the “very sad and regrettable coarseness in our politics.” Three were killed and dozens were injured amid what is believed to be the largest group of white nationalists to come together in a decade to protest the city’s decision to remove a Confederate monument. A car rammed into a crowd of protesters, killing a 32-year-old woman, and a state police helicopter crashed into the woods, leaving two troopers onboard dead. President Donald Trump criticized the violence and called for a return to law and order. But his critics say his racially-tinged rhetoric has exacerbated the nation’s political tensions and emboldened racists. __ This story corrects the name of the church in the second entry to “First Baptist Church.”

BEIRUT (AP) — Islamic State media outlets are reporting that the son of the group’s leader has been killed fighting Syrian government forces. The announcement of the death of the young son of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appeared on the group’s social media accounts late Tuesday. It included a picture of a young boy carrying a rifle and identified him as Huthaifa al-Badri. The statement did not specify when he was killed. It said he was an elite fighter who was killed while fighting Syrian and Russia troops at a power station in the central Homs province. Al-Baghdadi has been reported killed or wounded on a number of occasions but is widely believed to still be alive. IS has been driven from nearly all the territory it once controlled in Syria and Iraq.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s young crown prince has an ambitious list of to-dos: modernize his conservative kingdom, weaken Iran’s hand across the Mideast and, this week, rehabilitate his country’s image in the eyes of Americans. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, son of King Salman and heir to the throne, is opening a marathon tour of the United States with a stop in Washington, where he plans to meet President Donald Trump on Tuesday. He’ll hold separate meetings with a long roster of influential U.S. officials, including the secretaries of defense, treasury and commerce, the CIA chief and congressional leaders from both parties. The visit comes as the United States and much of the West are still trying to figure out Crown Prince Mohammed, better known by his initials MBS, whose sweeping program of social changes at home and increased Saudi assertiveness abroad has upended decades of traditional rule in Saudi Arabia. The 32-year-old crown prince also has big economic plans, and over three weeks in the U.S. he will meet businessmen in New York, tech mavens from Google and Apple Inc. in San Francisco, and entertainment bigwigs in Los Angeles. Other stops include Boston and Houston. “This is not the real Saudi Arabia,” MBS said when asked by CBS News about the repressive version of Islam many outsiders associate with the kingdom. He said he was restoring the more tolerant, egalitarian society that existed before Saudi Arabia’s ultraconservatives were empowered in 1979. “We were victims, especially my generation that suffered from this a great deal.” It’s a message that has earned MBS admirers in the United States, as he allowed women to drive and opened movie theaters shuttered since the 1980s. MBS is turning “Saudi Arabia into a normal country in which normal people lead normal lives,” Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters Monday. Yet Democrats and Republicans have approached some of the crown prince’s other bold steps with trepidation, particularly as they pertain to his anti-Iran efforts. One bill in Congress proposes scaling back U.S. military assistance to a Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen. MBS, in particular, has been closely identified with the three-year-old war in the Arab world’s poorest country, which started while he was defense minister. The Saudis and their allies are fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels, but international organizations have harshly criticized the coalition’s airstrikes and blockading of Yemeni ports for contributing to thousands of civilian deaths and a humanitarian catastrophe. It’s not the only regional mess the Saudis are in. In November, U.S. officials voiced unease when Lebanon’s prime minister unexpectedly resigned while in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia was accused of attempting to bring down Lebanon’s government, which is strongly influenced by Iranian proxy Hezbollah. Prime Minister Saad Hariri later reversed his resignation. The Saudis are working aggressively to change perceptions. They’ve cast themselves as essential partners against Islamist extremist groups and, especially since Trump’s maiden overseas voyage last year, touted their lavish purchases of high-tech goods from job-creating American companies. In Yemen, the kingdom says it is improving military targeting, opening up ports and pledging $1.5 billion in new aid. “The concerns expressed there are reflective of deep concerns by the American public at large,” said Lori Plotkin Boghardt, a Gulf scholar at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “The Saudis are very sensitive to this. They’re certainly communicating with elite circles to discuss the measures they’re taking to try to get humanitarian assistance in to Yemen.” In MBS, Trump will find a sympathetic ear for his calls to crack down on Iran, Saudi Arabia’s archenemy, and strengthen a 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran that former President Barack Obama and world powers brokered. Trump has threatened to pull out of the agreement unless there are changes by May. Last week, Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, an advocate of staying in the accord, choosing Mike Pompeo, the current CIA director and nuclear deal critic, as a replacement. MBS could dangle a huge carrot in front of Trump for his support. Stock exchanges in New York and elsewhere are vying for the international listing of Aramco, the Saudi oil behemoth expected to go public soon. Saudi concerns with New York include a post-9/11 law that could jeopardize assets in the United States if victims’ families claim Saudi Arabia helped the al-Qaida attackers and sue for compensation. Although the U.S. has welcomed MBS’s determination to purge pervasive corruption in Saudi Arabia, including by royals, the Trump administration hasn’t endorsed his tactics. Last year, more than 150 high-level princes, ministers, military officials and businessmen were abruptly rounded up and detained at the Ritz-Carlton hotel. They eventually paid settlements that Saudi Arabia says exceeded $106 billion. Al-Jubeir, the foreign minister, said the tough tactics were needed after past anti-corruption campaigns failed. “It didn’t work,” he said. “So now you do something dramatic.” ___ Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP

WASHINGTON (AP) — Don’t expect designer babies any time soon — but a major new ethics report leaves open the possibility of one day altering human heredity to fight genetic diseases, with stringent oversight, using new tools that precisely edit genes inside living cells. What’s called genome editing already is transforming biological research, and being used to develop treatments for patients struggling with a range of diseases. The science is nowhere near ready for a huge next step that raises ethical questions — altering sperm, eggs or embryos so that babies don’t inherit a disease that runs in the family, says a report Tuesday from the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Medicine. But if scientists learn how to safely pass alterations of the genetic code to future generations, the panel said “germline” editing could be attempted under strict criteria, including that it targets a serious disease with no reasonable alternative and is conducted under rigorous oversight. “Caution is absolutely needed, but being cautious does not mean prohibition,” said bioethicist R. Alta Charo of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “This committee is not saying we will or should do germline — heritable — editing. What we are saying is that we can identify a set of strict conditions under which it would be permissible to do it,” Charo added. “But we are far, far away from being ready to try.” Genome editing should not go beyond healing the sick and enhance traits such as physical strength, what’s commonly called “designer babies,” the panel stressed. But the public should get involved in these debates now, to say what might one day be acceptable. The long-awaited report offers advice — the prestigious academies cannot set policy. But it is considered a step toward creating international norms for responsible development of this powerful technology. The U.S. National Academies and its counterparts in Britain and China have been holding international meetings with the hope of doing just that. “Genome editing is a new tool for gene therapy and it has tremendous promise,” Charo said. But, she added, it has to be pursued in a way that promotes well-being and is responsible, respectful and fair. Genome editing is essentially a biological version of cut-and-paste software, allowing scientists to turn genes on or off, repair or modify them inside living cells. There are a few older methods but one with the wonky name CRISPR-Cas9 is so much faster, cheaper and simpler to use that it has spurred an explosion of research. Under development are ways to treat a range of diseases from sickle cell and hemophilia to cancer. In lab experiments using human cells or animals engineered with humanlike e disorders, scientists are unraveling how gene defects fuel disease — and are even trying to grow transplantable human organs inside pigs. That kind of research is very promising, is adequately regulated today and should continue at full speed, the National Academies panel concluded. When it comes to the more sci fi-sounding uses, it’s quite possible scientists will learn how to perform germline editing in five to 10 years, said panel co-chair Richard Hynes of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Safety is one reason for caution, he said, as scientists will have to learn whether editing one gene has unwanted downstream effects. Some critics argue that families plagued by inherited diseases already have other alternatives — adopt, use donated eggs, or undergo in vitro fertilization and discard resulting embryos that inherit the bad gene. But Charo noted that sometimes parents carry two copies of a lethal gene, guaranteeing any children inherit it. Others oppose the discarding of embryos for religious reasons. For some families, “you can see there would be strong arguments for doing it” if the other criteria are met, said Robin Lovell-Badge of Britain’s Francis Crick Institute. Some countries prohibit any germline editing research. Others, such as Britain, allow laboratory research with genome editing in embryos, not for pregnancy but to understand human development. In the U.S., scientists can perform laboratory embryo research only with private, not government, funding. Any attempt at pregnancy would require permission from the Food and Drug Administration, which is currently prohibited from using federal funds to review any such request. “The bottom line is there is no planetary government with enforcement power,” Charo noted Tuesday.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The nation’s most restrictive abortion law is headed for a showdown before a federal judge only hours after it was signed by Mississippi’s governor. U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves late Monday scheduled arguments Tuesday morning over whether he should immediately block the law after a request by the state’s only abortion clinic and a physician who works there. Republican Gov. Phil Bryant signed House Bill 1510 on Monday, immediately banning most abortions after 15 weeks of gestation. How quickly will the effects of the law be felt in Mississippi? Dr. Sacheen Carr-Ellis of the Jackson Women’s Health Organization stated in court papers that a woman 15 weeks or more pregnant is scheduled for a Tuesday afternoon abortion. The law and responding challenge set up a confrontation sought by abortion opponents, who are hoping federal courts will ultimately prohibit abortions before a fetus is viable. Current federal law does not. Some legal experts have said a change in the law is unlikely unless the makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court changes in a way that favors abortion opponents. “We are saving more of the unborn than any state in America, and what better thing can we do?” Bryant said in a video his office posted on social media. The law’s only exceptions are if a fetus has health problems making it “incompatible with life” outside of the womb at full term, or if a pregnant woman’s life or a “major bodily function” is threatened by pregnancy. Pregnancies resulting from rape and incest aren’t exempted. Mississippi previously tied with North Carolina for the nation’s strictest abortion limits at 20 weeks. Both states count pregnancy as beginning on the first day of a woman’s previous menstrual period. That means the restrictions kick in about two weeks before those of states whose 20-week bans begin at conception. “We’ll probably be sued in about half an hour,” Bryant said to laughter from supporters as he signed the bill. “That’ll be fine with me. It’ll be worth fighting over.” Bryant’s prediction was accurate. The state’s only abortion clinic and one of the physicians who practices there sued in federal court within an hour, arguing the law violates other federal court rulings saying a state can’t restrict abortion before a child can survive on its own outside the womb. The Jackson Women’s Health Organization, in a lawsuit handled by the Center of Reproductive Rights, argued the measure is unconstitutional and should immediately be struck down. “Under decades of United States Supreme Court precedent, the state of Mississippi cannot ban abortion prior to viability, regardless of what exceptions are provided to the ban,” the suit states. The suit says the clinic performed 78 abortions in 2017 when the fetus was identified as being 15 weeks or older. That’s out of about 2,500 abortions performed statewide, mostly at the clinic. Carr-Ellis, in a sworn statement, says she’ll have to stop providing abortions to women past the 15 week ban, or else lose her Mississippi medical license, as House Bill 1510 requires. She says women shouldn’t be forced to carry their pregnancies to term against their wills or leave the state to obtain abortions. “A woman who is pregnant should have the ability to make the decision that is best for her about the course of her pregnancy, based on her own values and goals for her life,” Carr-Ellis said in the statement. Republican legislative leaders Lt. Gov Tate Reeves and House Speaker Philip Gunn both attended Bryant’s private signing ceremony “The winners (today) are those babies that are in the womb, first and foremost,” Gunn said. “Those are the ones we’re trying to protect.” When asked if the state is prepared to bear the cost of a lawsuit, Gunn said, “Absolutely.” “I don’t know if you can put any value on human life,” Gunn said. “We are all about fighting to protect the unborn. Whatever challenges we have to take on to do that, is something we’re willing to do.” Opponents, though, predicted the attempt to allow states to restrict abortion before viability would fail. “We certainly think this bill is unconstitutional,” said Katherine Klein, equality advocacy coordinator for the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi. “The 15-week marker has no bearing in science. It’s just completely unfounded and a court has never upheld anything under the 20-week viability marker.” The bill was drafted with the assistance of conservative groups including the Mississippi Center for Public Policy and the Alliance Defending Freedom. “We believe this law should be a model for the rest of the country,” Jameson Taylor, acting president of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, said in a statement. Both Republican-controlled chambers passed the bill overwhelmingly in early March, by a vote of 35-14 in the Senate and 76-34 in the House. The U.S. Senate failed to pass a 20-week abortion ban bill in January. With 60 “yes” votes required to advance, the bill failed on a 51-46 vote. ___ Follow Jeff Amy at: http://twitter.com/jeffamy . Read his work at https://www.apnews.com/search/Jeff_Amy .

HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — North Korea has announced a detailed plan to launch a salvo of ballistic missiles toward the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam, a major military hub and home to U.S. bombers. If carried out, it would be the North’s most provocative missile launch to date. Here’s a closer look at Guam and its role in the U.S. and North Korea’s ongoing war of words. THE LATEST Senior U.S. national security officials said Sunday that a military confrontation with North Korea’s is not imminent, but they cautioned that the possibility of war is greater than it was a decade ago. CIA Director Mike Pompeo and Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, President Trump’s national security adviser, tried to provide assurances that a conflict is avoidable, while also supporting Trump’s tough talk. They said the United States and its allies no longer can afford to stand by as North Korea pushes ahead with the development of a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile. “We’re not closer to war than a week ago, but we are closer to war than we were a decade ago,” McMaster said, adding that the Trump administration is prepared to deal militarily with North Korea if necessary. But he stressed that the U.S. is pursuing “a very determined diplomatic effort” led by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that’s coupled with new financial sanctions to dissuade North Korean leader Kim Jong Un from further provocations. GEOGRAPHIC BASICS The strip of land in the western Pacific Ocean is roughly the size of Chicago, and it’s just 4 miles (6 km) wide at its narrowest point. It is about 2,200 miles (3,500 km) southeast of North Korea, much closer than it is to any of the United States. Hawaii is about 4,000 miles (6,500 km) to the east. Its proximity to China, Japan, the Philippines and the Korean Peninsula has long made the island an essential possession of the U.S. military. U.S. RELATIONSHIP Guam was claimed by Spain in 1565 and became a U.S. territory in 1898 during the Spanish-American War. Japan seized it for about 2½ years during World War II. In 1950, an act of Congress made it an unincorporated organized territory of the United States. It has limited self-government, with a popularly elected governor, small legislature and non-voting delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives. Residents do not pay U.S. income taxes or vote in the general election for U.S. president. Its natives are U.S. citizens by birth. MILITARY HISTORY The U.S. keeps a Naval base and Coast Guard station in the south and an Air Force base in the north that saw heavy use during the Vietnam War. While already taking up 30 percent of the island, the American military has been seeking to increase its presence by relocating to Guam thousands of Marines who are currently based in Okinawa, Japan. Protecting the island is the U.S. Army’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, which is used to shoot down ballistic missiles. While there has been some resistance and displeasure from the people of Guam over the U.S. military’s presence, it is also essential to the island’s economy, second only to tourism in importance. PEOPLE AND GOVERNMENT The island was first populated about 4,000 years ago by the ancestors of the Chamorros, still the island’s largest ethnic group. Now, about 160,000 people live on Guam. Its capital city is Hagatna and its largest city is Dededo. Its chief languages are English and Chamorro. It has seen various popular movements pushing for greater self-government or even U.S. statehood, most notably a significant but failed effort in the 1980s to make it a commonwealth on par with Puerto Rico. MILITARY INSTALLATIONS AND THIER SIGNIFICANCE There are two major bases on Guam: Andersen Air Force Base in the north and Naval Base Guam in the south. They are both managed under Joint Base Marianas. The tourist district of Tumon, home to many of Guam’s hotels and resorts, is in between. The air base was built in 1944, when the U.S. was preparing to send bombers to Japan during World War II. Today, Naval Base Guam is the home port for four nuclear-powered fast attack submarines and two submarine tenders. Andersen Air Force Base hosts a Navy helicopter squadron and Air Force bombers that rotate to Guam from the U.S. mainland. It has two 2-mile (3-kilometer) -long runways and large fuel and munitions storage facilities. Altogether, 7,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed on Guam. GUAM AND NORTH KOREAN THREAT The U.S. military began rotating bombers — the B-2 stealth bomber as well as the B-1 and B-52 — to Andersen in 2004. It did so to compensate for U.S. forces diverted from other bases in the Asia-Pacific region to fight in the Middle East. The rotations also came as North Korea increasingly upped the ante in the standoff over its development of nuclear weapons. In 2013, the Army sent the THAAD missile defense system to Guam. A THAAD battery includes a truck-mounted launcher, tracking radar, interceptor missiles and an integrated fire-control system.

MIAMI (AP) — The brother of the teen charged with killing 17 people at a Florida school was arrested Monday afternoon for trespassing at the same school, authorities said. Zachary Cruz, 18, was arrested at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and charged with trespassing on school grounds, a Broward Sheriff’s Office report said. The teen was recorded by security cameras riding his skateboard at the school around 4:30 p.m. though he had received prior warnings from school officials to stay away from the campus, the report said. Zachary Cruz told the arresting deputy that he was there to “reflect on the school shooting and to soak it in,” according to the report. It added that the teen had “surpassed all locked doors and gates and proceeded to ride his skateboard through school grounds.” The youth’s brother, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, has been charged with 17 counts of first-degree murder in connection with the Feb. 14 shooting. The Associated Press reported Sunday that documents show some officials recommended in September 2016 that Nikolas Cruz be involuntarily committed for a mental evaluation, though the recommendation was never acted upon. Such a commitment would have made it more difficult, if not impossible, for Cruz to have legally obtained a gun such as the AR-15 assault-style rifle used in the shooting. Jail records didn’t immediately list an attorney for Zachary Cruz.

MIAMI (AP) — Derek Jeter says that when his ownership group took over the Miami Marlins in October, he thought Giancarlo Stanton would be with the team in 2018. Jeter says the Marlins traded Stanton because the National League MVP didn’t want to be part of the franchise’s rebuilding and instead wanted to move on. Jeter says the deal with his former team, the New York Yankees, was the best one available to the Marlins, giving them much-needed financial flexibility while helping a weak farm system. The Marlins’ new CEO made his comments Monday shortly before Stanton held a news conference at baseball’s winter meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, to discuss a trade being celebrated in New York but panned by beleaguered Miami fans. ___ More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A deal between the United States and Qatar for F-15 fighter jets and a visit by two American warships to Doha are showing the vital military links Washington maintains to the country now at the center of a dispute with Arab nations. Qatar has signed what it described as a $12 billion for the fighter jets. In November, the U.S. military announced a similar fighter jet deal for $21.1 billion. It’s unclear if they are the same deal. Meanwhile, Cmdr. Bill Urban of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet told The Associated Press that the USS Chinook, a coastal patrol ship, and U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Baranof both were in Doha for “a routine port visit” on Thursday. Qatar is home to 10,000 American troops and a major U.S. military base.

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona governor on Monday set the dates for special elections to fill the vacancy created when U.S. Rep. Trent Franks resigned over sexual misconduct allegations, setting off a Republican scramble to win a rare open congressional seat. Two Republicans immediately announced they would run in the Feb. 27 primary: Bob Stump, a former utility regulator and state Sen. Steve Montenegro. Both are painting themselves as conservatives, with Montenegro vowing to back President Donald Trump and Stump touting the expertise he developed as a regulator. More well-known GOP candidates are expected to join the race in the heavily Republican 8th Congressional District, which spans much of the northwestern Phoenix suburbs. The winner of the primary would move ahead to the April 24 general election, which was scheduled by Gov. Doug Ducey. Three Democrats had already filed to run when Franks resigned Friday. Two relatively unknown Republicans also had filed with the Federal Election Commission, but with Franks out, they will likely be dwarfed by new GOP candidates with established name identification and fundraising ability. Others said to be interested in the race include state Sen. Kimberly Yee and state Sen. Debbie Lesko. Maricopa County Supervisor Clint Hickman said he’s considering a run, and former state Rep. Phil Lovas, a Trump appointee to the Small Business Administration, is being lobbied to run. Lovas resigned from the agency Monday without explanation. Campaign consultant and friend Brian Seitchik returned a call for Lovas and said he would have more to say about his future later in the week. State Treasurer Jeff DeWit said “he would be a great choice for the voters of CD8.” Lovas ran Trump’s Arizona campaign operations, while DeWit was chief operating officer of the national campaign. Sitting lawmakers will likely need to resign to enter the race, which is what Montenegro plans to do, his campaign consultant said. That would leave them without incumbent status if they lose the congressional race and hope to recapture a legislative or statewide seat in the regular election set for next November. The unusual timing of Franks’ resignation would surely trigger Arizona’s “resign to run” law, said elections lawyer Tim La Sota, a former state Republican Party general counsel. That’s because a Jan. 10 deadline for filing nomination petitions is less than a year before the current legislative terms end on Jan. 14, 2019. The Arizona secretary of state’s office declined to weigh in, referring a question about the voter-approved law to the attorney general’s office. A spokesman, Ryan Anderson, said the office is reviewing state laws, the Arizona Constitution and previous court rulings. An official opinion is expected later in the week. Franks submitted his resignation Thursday, saying he had discussed surrogacy with two female staffers. A day later, he made the resignation immediate, and a former aide told The Associated Press that he pressed her to carry his child and offered her $5 million to be a surrogate.

One in three older Americans with Medicare drug coverage is prescribed opioid painkillers, but for those who develop a dangerous addiction there is one treatment Medicare won’t cover: methadone. Methadone is the oldest, and experts say, the most effective of the three approved medications used to treat opioid addiction. It eases cravings without an intense high, allowing patients to work with counselors to rebuild their lives. Federal money is flowing to states to open new methadone clinics through the 21st Century Cures Act, but despite the nation’s deepening opioid crisis, the Medicare drug program for the elderly covers methadone only when prescribed for pain. Joseph Purvis, a former heroin and prescription painkiller user, said he went into a depressive tailspin because he initially feared he might have to stop methadone treatment when he went on Medicare at 65. “I was terrified that I might have to leave the program. There’s no way I wanted to go back to addiction on the streets,” said Purvis, 66, of Gaithersburg, Maryland. Methadone doesn’t meet the requirement of Medicare’s Part D drug program because it can’t be dispensed in a retail pharmacy. Instead, in the highly regulated methadone system, patients first are assessed by a doctor, then show up daily at federally certified methadone clinics to take their doses of the pink liquid. Or, like Purvis in Maryland, they prove through repeated urine screens that they have earned the right to weekly take-home doses. In Congress, legislation has been introduced in the House and Senate, and a White House commission on the opioid epidemic also recommended the change. The epidemic is “affecting all populations, including our seniors,” said Rep. George Holding, R-North Carolina, a sponsor of the House bill. “Medicare beneficiaries have among the highest and fastest growing rate of opioid use disorder, but they don’t currently have coverage for the most effective treatment.” An estimated 300,000 Medicare patients have been diagnosed with opioid addiction, and health officials estimate nearly 90,000 are at high risk for opioid misuse or overdose. Buprenorphine, a more expensive and slightly less regulated treatment drug, is covered by Medicare but few doctors who accept new Medicare patients have obtained federal waivers to prescribe it. A recent study of Medicare claims found prescriptions for buprenorphine for only 81,000 patients. More evidence that the crisis affects seniors: Opioid overdoses killed 1,354 Americans ages 65 and older in 2016, about 3 percent of the 42,000 opioid overdoses that year. Medicare’s policy means clinics often scramble to keep older patients in treatment if they’ve had commercial insurance that covered their care before turning 65, said counselor Angela Caldwell of Montgomery Recovery Services in Rockville, Maryland. A national organization for methadone clinics says the clinics now have 25,000 Medicare beneficiaries who are either paying out of pocket (about $80 per week) or getting care through state-run Medicaid or block grant programs. Mark Parrino, president of the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence, thinks more people would seek methadone treatment if Medicare covered it. Many older patients rely on surprisingly high doses of opioids for pain relief, which can turn into addiction, said Dr. Anna Lembke, an addiction specialist at Stanford University School of Medicine. One of her addiction patients, a woman in her mid-70s, was referred to her because her daily dose of opioids had climbed over the years to many times more potent than that of a typical heroin user, Lembke said. “She’s had a gradual development of tolerance over many decades and now is on an astronomical dose,” Lembke said. “If you took any random person and gave them (that much) they would die.” Lembke said she normally wouldn’t consider methadone for this patient because of the stigma associated with the clinics. But Medicare coverage might make them more acceptable, Lembke said, and her patient “might actually do better with methadone.” In Maryland, Purvis remained on methadone treatment because his income is low enough that he qualifies for the state-federal Medicaid insurance coverage for the poor and disabled. Medicaid covers methadone treatment in Maryland and about 35 other states. Purvis, who used heroin for more than a decade in his youth, later took opioids prescribed by specialists for back pain. After his pain doctor’s office was shut down for overprescribing, he started methadone treatment. “Some people think of methadone as a crutch for addiction but it’s not,” Purvis said. “It’s a tool that allows people to live a somewhat normal life.” ___ AP writer Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar in Washington contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP Medical Writer Carla K. Johnson on Twitter: @CarlaKJohnson ___ The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

HOUSTON (AP) — A security researcher disclosed a gaping security hole at the outfit that manages Georgia’s election technology, days before the state holds a closely watched congressional runoff vote on June 20. The security failure left the state’s 6.7 million voter records and other sensitive files exposed to hackers, and may have been left unpatched for seven months. The revealed files might have allowed attackers to plant malware and possibly rig votes or wreak chaos with voter rolls during elections. Georgia is especially vulnerable to such disruption, as the entire state relies on antiquated touchscreen voting machines that provide no hardcopy record of votes, making it all but impossible to tell if anyone has manipulated the tallies. The true dimensions of the failure were first reported Wednesday by Politico Magazine . The affected Center for Election Systems referred all questions to its host, Kennesaw State University, which declined comment. In March, the university had mischaracterized the flaw’s discovery as a security breach. Logan Lamb, a 29-year-old Atlanta-based private security researcher formerly with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, made the discovery last August. He told The Associated Press he decided to go public after the publication last week of a classified National Security Agency report describing a sophisticated scheme, allegedly by Russian military intelligence, to infiltrate local U.S. elections systems using phishing emails. The NSA report offered the most detailed account yet of an attempt by foreign agents to probe the rickety and poorly funded U.S. elections system. The Department of Homeland Security had previously reported attempts last year to gain unauthorized access to voter registration databases in 20 states — one of which, in Illinois, succeeded, though the state says no harm resulted. It also emboldened Lamb to come forward with his findings. Lamb discovered the security hole — a misconfigured server — one day as he did a search of the Kennesaw State election-systems website. There, he found a directory open to the internet that contained not just the state voter database, but PDF files with instructions and passwords used by poll workers to sign into a central server used on Election Day, said Lamb. “It was an open invitation to anybody pretending to even know a little bit about computers to get into the system,” said Marilyn Marks, an election-transparency activist whose Colorado-based foundation participated in a failed lawsuit that sought to bar the use of paperless voting machines in next week’s election. The directory of files “was already indexed by Google,” Lamb said in an interview — meaning that anyone could have found it with the right search. Lamb said he notified the center’s director, Merle King, who assured him the hole would be patched and who asked to keep his discovery to himself. Politico reported that the center never notified the secretary of state’s office, which oversees elections and contracts with Kennesaw State to manage the technology part. The Associated Press left a phone message and sent email to King seeking comment but he did not immediately respond. Lamb said he decided not to disclose the problem at the time — mostly because he “didn’t want to needlessly escalate things” prior to the Nov. 8 general election. But in March, a security colleague Lamb had told about the flaw, checked out the center’s website and discovered that the vulnerabilities had only been partially fixed. “We were both pretty floored,” said Lamb. The researcher, Chris Grayson, said he, too, was able to access the same voter record database and other sensitive files in a publicly accessible directory. Grayson contacted a friend who is a professor at Kennesaw State. Two days later, the FBI was called in to investigate. It did not bring charges against either researcher, finding no evidence of illegal entry . “At the end of the day we were doing what we thought was in the best interest of the republic — informing the parties that needed to be privy to this sort of issue,” said Grayson. The special election next Tuesday will fill the seat vacated by Republican Tom Price after he was named Health and Human Services Secretary. It has attracted national attention, including that of President Donald Trump, for whom it could be a bellwether. First-time candidate Jon Ossoff is a Democrat with a national security background. His GOP opponent is former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Court records say a man accused of buying high-powered rifles used in the San Bernardino terror attack has agreed to plead guilty to federal criminal charges. The documents released Tuesday say Enrique Marquez Jr. has agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and one other charge. Prosecutors say Marquez acknowledged plotting with Syed Rizwan Farook in 2011 and 2012 to massacre college students and gun down motorists on a gridlocked freeway. Those attacks never occurred. Authorities said Marquez purchased the guns used by Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, in the Dec. 2, 2015, attack in which 14 people were killed at a public health agency event before the suspects died in a gunfight with police.

NEW YORK (AP) — They’re homeless, but a group of men and women from Texas has made it to Carnegie Hall. The storied New York City concert hall is the venue Wednesday evening for a performance by the Dallas Street Choir,,all singers recruited from urban streets and homeless shelters that has been performing since 2015. About 20 members of the choir were to be joined by 17 residents of a Manhattan homeless shelter. The singers include Michael Brown, who lives under a bridge in Dallas when it rains and on a hilltop in sunny weather. “We may be homeless, but we’re not voiceless,” he said at a rehearsal Tuesday, “so let’s use our effort to remind people that we still have hope and it will never die.” Dallas Street Choir conductor Jonathan Palant has also brought in some world-class luminaries for the performance: mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, soprano Harolyn Blackwell, composer Jake Heggie and composer Stephen Schwartz, who wrote the Broadway hits “Godspell,” ”Pippin” and “Wicked.” Palant said he got the idea for the choir a few years ago while volunteering with a homeless services organization. It started out as a Christmas event — a big meal at a homeless shelter with entertainment by a group of singers that rehearsed with Palant for just a few hours. But that inspired Palant to start a weekly musical session open to anyone who wanted to sing. Members of the choir come and go frequently. They don’t always produce perfect sounds, and there are moments of slight cacophony, “but our members sing with heart like no other choir I’ve ever worked with,” said Palant. Never in its 126-year history has a musical ensemble of homeless performers appeared at Carnegie, said the hall’s archivist, Gino Francesconi. Brown got his first shower and haircut in weeks for the tour. Normally, he survives going to soup kitchens, and aims to get a job as a waiter. He’s an energetic, bright-eyed choir member, while some others are physically frail; one woman relies on a walker, another uses a cane. In Dallas, they rehearse each Wednesday morning, learning melodies by rote, with printed lyrics. They leave with snacks and a public transportation voucher. The evening at Carnegie Hall, starting at 8 p.m., is titled “Imagine a World — Music for Humanity.” Von Stade will premiere Heggie’s new setting of Hub Miller’s “Spinning Song,” with Heggie at the piano. With the choir, Schwartz will perform “For Good” from “Wicked,” along with Blackwell and von Stade. Rounding out the evening will be the homeless choir offering Broadway songs, capped by personal stories. Tickets are $25 for any Carnegie seat, with proceeds going to organizations that support the homeless. The New York City Department of Homeless Services has donated some tickets so members of the homeless community can attend. The choir is also performing Thursday at Washington National Cathedral in Washington D.C. About $200,000 needed for the New York and Washington trips came from previous concerts in Texas, plus a private grant. Carnegie’s Weill Music Institute pulled in the homeless singers from Manhattan. The New Yorkers are members of a community choir and will sing two numbers on the program. At least while they’re in New York, the singers have a roof over their heads — a hotel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side near the Valley Lodge shelter where the local performers live. “This is serious, man — Carnegie Hall in New York City,” says Brown. “We have to show people that we didn’t come from Texas for no reason.” ____ Dallas Street Choir: https://www.dallasstreetchoir.org

NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton hit a three-run homer, CC Sabathia pitched six effective innings, and the New York Yankees beat the Atlanta Braves 6-2 on Wednesday. Aaron Judge added his 24th homer of the season in the seventh inning. He’s now homered in three of his past four games. Rookie second baseman Gleyber Torres left the game in the top of the fifth inning because of tightness in his right hip and will be placed on the 10-day disabled list with a right hip strain. Catcher Kyle Higashioka also homered for the Yankees, becoming the ninth player since 1920 whose first three hits were home runs. Colorado’s Trevor Story homered for his first four big league hits on April 4-6, 2016. Sabathia (6-3) worked out of a couple of jams for the Yankees, who have won six of their past eight after getting swept in three games at Tampa last weekend. National League East-leading Atlanta loaded the bases with two outs in the first, but the 37-year-old struck out 20-year-old phenom Ronald Acuna Jr. on an 88 mph cutter. The Braves have lost their past two games. New York took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on Greg Bird’s RBI single off Atlanta starter Julio Teheran (6-6), who lasted just five innings, allowing five hits and five runs. He walked four and struck out 10. The Yankees got to Teheran again in the third. With a runner on first and two outs, Aaron Hicks walked. Stanton then fell behind 0-2 before hitting a line drive to the right field bleachers for his 21st homer of the season to make it 4-0. After retiring the first two batters in the fourth, Teheran fell behind 2-0 against Higashioka before the 30-year-old rookie connected to the left field stands, extending the lead to 5-0. The Braves cut the deficit to 5-1 on an RBI grounder from Danny Santana with one out in the fifth. Johan Camargo hit his ninth home run of the season with two outs in the sixth that made it 5-2. But Sabathia limited the damage by retiring Dansby Swanson on a grounder to second with a runner aboard. Atlanta failed to take advantage in the seventh inning against reliever Chad Green when its first two batters reached on a pair of singles. Green then got three fly outs to end the threat. PUT ME IN COACH With New York set to play 11 games in 10 days, beginning Friday at Toronto, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he wanted to be “greedy” with Thursday being their only day off, and held Austin Romine out of the starting lineup for the fourth consecutive day. Higashioka started for the fourth straight time behind the plate. The Yankees have been short-handed at catcher since Romine left the game on June 29 against Boston in the seventh inning because of a tight left hamstring. Gary Sanchez has been on the 10-day disabled list since June 25 because of a strained right groin. GET OUT AND VOTE New York has one of the best records in baseball but it only has one player, Aaron Judge, among the eight leading vote getters on the American League squad for the All-Star Game that will be played July 17 at Washington. The starters for the Midsummer Classic will be revealed on Sunday. Boone believes that Judge, the 2017 Home Run Derby champion, will have company to make the trip to the nation’s capital. “I mean you look around the league — and I haven’t looked at the voting lately — but we were actually talking about guys that might make off our team or guys that are certainly on that conversation and we have a number of those players,” Boone said. “Hopefully we’ll be well represented. We certainly have deserving guys.” TRAINER’S ROOM Braves: 1B Freddie Freeman, who was hit by a pitch in the third inning, left the game after the fourth because of a contusion in his right upper arm. WELCOME BACK LHP Luiz Gohara, the No. 3 prospect in the Atlanta organization, arrived about 90 minutes before the first pitch after he was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett for the second time this season. RHP Evan Phillips, who threw 2 1/3 innings Tuesday night, was sent down to Triple-A. UP NEXT Braves: Max Fried (1-2, 2.55 ERA) starts the opener of a four-game series at NL Central-leading Milwaukee on Thursday. Fried struck out 11 over 6 2/3 scoreless innings in his previous start against St. Louis. Yankees: Sonny Gray (5-6, 5.44) gets the nod for the first of three games at Toronto as New York heads out on an 11-game, three city trip. Gray has lost his past two starts, giving up 10 runs and 13 hits in nine innings. ___ More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer advocates reported some glitches Monday in the final days for “Obamacare” sign-ups, although the Trump administration largely seemed to be keeping its promise of a smooth enrollment experience. In Illinois, some consumers who successfully completed an application for financial assistance through HealthCare.gov got a message saying they would likely be eligible to buy a health plan, “but none are available to you in your area.” That information was incorrect because every county in the nation currently has at least one health insurer offering plans under the Affordable Care Act for next year. Friday is the last day to enroll for subsidized private coverage in 39 states served by the federal HealthCare.gov website. Consumer interest has remained brisk, even as the Trump administration cut the sign-up season in half, reducing it from roughly from 90 days to 45 days. President Donald Trump came into office looking to dismantle Barack Obama’s health care law, but it survived. Now the administration is facing a crush of customers trying to enroll for 2018. Stephani Becker of the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law in Chicago said the “no plans” glitch was reported by consumer counselors starting late last week, and again on Monday. It also surfaced in other states, she said. Trained counselors know enough about the program to question the accuracy of the message, but “the average consumer might just walk away,” Becker said. An administration official said the issue has been resolved, and HealthCare.gov is reaching out to the consumers affected to encourage them to complete their applications. However, Becker said advocates had gotten a similar response from the administration last week, and the problem continued. For millions of consumers eligible to enroll time runs out on Dec. 15. Thursday and Friday are expected to be the heaviest days. That could slow the HealthCare.gov website, and lead to long hold times at the federal call center. For most people, this is the last opportunity to secure coverage for 2018, or switch from an existing plan. One exception: People living in hurricane-affected areas can get an extension to sign up by Dec. 31 by contacting the HealthCare.gov call center. That could make a difference in states such Florida, Texas, and Georgia. Enrollment fluctuates in the course of the year, but it’s estimated that 9 million to 10 million people currently have coverage through the ACA’s marketplaces. The markets cater to people who don’t have access to a job-based plan, and participation is expected to dip somewhat next year. In a twist, many people eligible for financial help may actually be able to pay lower premiums in 2018. Although list price premiums for the most popular plans went up sharply, so did taxpayer-provided subsidies that limit how much individuals actually have to pay. In many communities, bare-bones “bronze” plans are available for no monthly premium to those eligible for subsidies. Deadline hour for enrollment will remain the same this year — midnight Pacific time. That means consumers on the East Coast will have until 3 a.m. on Saturday morning to enroll. Although the Trump administration slashed the advertising budget, HealthCare.gov has been sending out targeted emails to people potentially eligible. Example: — “FINAL DEADLINE: Enroll in a 2018 health plan before December 15 or risk going without Marketplace coverage.” During the Obama years, officials allowed a grace period for consumers who started an application, but were unable to finish by the deadline. It’s unclear if the Trump administration will allow such extensions, or whether it will strictly enforce the deadline hour. Previous extensions allowed hundreds of thousands of consumers to enroll. Failure to provide extensions this year would be a mistake, said Andy Slavitt, who oversaw HealthCare.gov under Obama. “It really would not be fair to people, particularly if there are technology challenges with the last minute surge as there have been every year,” Slavitt said. While Dec. 15 is the deadline for states served by HealthCare.gov, that’s not the case everywhere. Most states that run their own health insurance websites are providing an extended period for consumers to enroll. In California and New York, for instance, the deadline remains the same as last year — Jan. 31. Other states have deadlines spanning from late December to mid-January.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia is set to end a yearslong partisan battle and expand Medicaid after the state Senate voted Wednesday to approve a budget that expands the program’s eligibility to about 400,000 low-income adults. The Senate passed Medicaid expansion by a 23-17 vote with four Republicans joining Democrats for passage. The budget still needs final approval from the House and Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam. But that’s expected to happen with little difficulty. Virginia will become the 33rd state to approve Medicaid expansion, according to a tally from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Wednesday’s vote marked the end of a more than four-year battle over whether Virginia should expand the publicly funded health care program for the poor. A fight over Medicaid expansion led to a standoff over the state budget in 2014 and again this year. Sen. Ben Chafin, a Republican lawmaker from Virginia’s economically depressed southwest coal country, announced his support for expansion on the Senate floor. He said his rural area needed expansion to help bolster its hospitals and provide care for constituents in need. “I came to the conclusion that no just wasn’t the answer anymore,” Chafin said. But several Republican senators remained strongly opposed, saying Medicaid costs would eventually overwhelm the rest of the state’s budget needs for schools and public safety. “This is raising the cost of health care and will do nothing to help the people of Virginia,” said GOP Sen. Mark Obenshain. Expanding Medicaid to cover more low-income families was a key provision of the Affordable Care Act advanced by former President Barack Obama. Virginia Democrats have pushed for years to expand Medicaid, saying their state should not pass up the roughly $2 billion in extra federal funding the program would bring to the state. Republicans had previously blocked past expansion efforts, saying the long-term costs were unsustainable. President Donald Trump has sought to negate his predecessor’s health law — but ironically, his administration’s embrace of work requirements for low-income people on Medicaid prompted lawmakers in some conservative states to resurrect plans to expand health care for the poor. A federal-state collaboration originally meant for poor families and severely disabled people, Medicaid has grown to become the largest government health insurance program, now covering 1 in 5 people. Obama’s health care overhaul gave states the option of expanding Medicaid to cover more low-income adults. The GOP-controlled General Assembly’s support for Medicaid comes despite Trump administration rejections. Virginia saw its state legislature reshaped by an anti-Trump wave last year, as Democrats made unexpectedly large gains in the state House. And a failure by the GOP-led Congress to repeal and replace the health law helped spur several of Virginia’s Republican state legislators to flip positions. Democrats campaigned heavily on expanding Medicaid last year and some House Republicans are eager to take the issue off the table for next year’s election, when both House and Senate seats are up.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tom Brady was a mere mortal in Miami. Again. The five-time Super Bowl champion wins just about everywhere, just about every week. But games at Miami have been a struggle more times than not for the longtime New England star, and Monday night was yet another entry on that list. Brady was intercepted twice, probably should have had at least one other pass picked off, and the Patriots lost to the Dolphins 27-20 — denying New England a chance to clinch the AFC East. Brady finished 24 of 43 for 233 yards and a touchdown. He’s now 7-9 in his career when visiting the Dolphins, with a passer rating of under 90 in 10 of those 16 games. His rating Monday: 59.5, his lowest in a regular-season game since 2013. “We’ve had a lot of good nights this year,” Brady said. “And this was a bad night.” It wasn’t all on him, not by a long shot. The Patriots couldn’t run the ball whatsoever, finishing with 10 yards on 25 carries — and that came after running for at least 191 yards in each of their last two games. New England had given up an average of 11.9 points in its last eight games; it gave up 27 to the Dolphins. And the Patriots, in the stat that might be most surprising, were a staggering 0 for 11 on their third-down chances. The last time they were 0-for-anything on third downs? 1991, when Phoenix — that’s what the Cardinals were called then — beat the Patriots. “That was pretty bad,” Brady said. “Can’t get any worse than that.” The result was an end to the Patriots’ 14-game road winning streak, hardly a great springboard into what’s a short week before a showdown in Pittsburgh on Sunday that will likely go a long way toward deciding the top seed in the AFC playoffs. “They did a good job tonight,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said of the Dolphins, before the rest of his postgame availability became mostly a collage of short, mumbled answers. “They obviously did a better job than we did. We just weren’t really good enough in any area, consistent enough in any area to win the game. We all need to do a better job and hopefully we’ll be able to do that. This wasn’t good enough tonight, across the board.” Brady didn’t have his first completion until the second quarter, after missing on his first four throws — one of which was intercepted. The Dolphins went after him all night, never letting him get into rhythm. With no running game and no Rob Gronkowski, serving a one-game suspension over an unnecessary hit he doled out last week, the Patriots needed Brady to be exceptional. “I’ve got to throw the ball better,” Brady said. “That’s where it starts.” The Patriots being the Patriots, they nearly pulled off a comeback from a 27-10 third-quarter deficit anyway. Brady connected with James White for a 3-yard scoring throw early in the fourth, and the Patriots got to the Miami 1 in the final moments. But a pair of penalties pushed them back to the 16, and Stephen Gostowski’s 33-yard field goal with 53 seconds left got New England within a touchdown. That left an onside kick to decide matters. The low-percentage play didn’t work, and Belichick was asked afterward what happened. “They recovered it,” Belichick said, then shrugging. On a night where the Patriots had few answers, at least that one was succinct. “I wish we played better,” Brady said. “But we didn’t.” ___ More AP NFL: http://pro32.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

PARIS (AP) — Two teenage boys have been rescued after three days underground in the skeleton-lined labyrinth of the Catacombs of Paris. Paris police said they alerted firefighters early Wednesday that the boys, aged 16 and 17, were missing. Police said teams of rescuers, including climbers and sniffer dogs, set out to search for the youths and found them beneath southern Paris a few hours later suffering from slight hypothermia. It was unclear how the boys got lost. Sometimes people sneak into the catacombs after the official museum is closed and venture into areas normally off-limits, even organizing special parties or adventure games. Some 20 meters (66 feet) below Paris, the catacombs hold the remains of 6 million people, transferred there starting in the 1700s as public graveyards were closed.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Ronny Jackson, President Donald Trump’s pick to be secretary of Veterans Affairs (all times local): 9:20 a.m. The White House is standing behind Ronny Jackson, President Donald Trump’s choice to be Veterans Affairs secretary amid growing questions about his qualifications. Spokesman Hogan Gidley is praising Jackson, who is Trump’s White House doctor and a Navy rear admiral, for serving as a physician to three U.S. presidents, both Republican and Democrat. He says Jackson has a record of “strong decisive leadership” and is “exactly what’s needed at the VA.” Senators have been discussing plans to delay Jackson’s confirmation hearing, saying more time may be needed to review whether Jackson can manage a massive agency of 360,000 employees serving 9 million veterans. The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. ___ 1:46 a.m. Senators are discussing plans to delay the confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump’s pick to be Veteran Affairs secretary over growing questions about the nominee’s ability to manage the government’s second-largest department. The hearing for Ronny Jackson, Trump’s White House doctor, is scheduled for Wednesday. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal says some Republicans have told him that they think the hearing should be postponed, which he says deserves consideration. Blumenthal says he thinks there may well be a need for more time, in fairness to Jackson, so that he and the administration have an opportunity to answer these questions fully and fairly. Blumenthal declined to discuss why more time might be needed. White House and VA officials are also discussing a delay with key allies outside the administration.

NEW YORK (AP) — Curtis Granderson opened a five-run eighth inning with his 300th homer, a tiebreaking shot that helped the New York Mets rally past the Chicago Cubs for a 9-4 victory Wednesday night. Injury replacement Lucas Duda added a three-run homer off Hector Rondon, and T.J. Rivera capped the outburst with an RBI single for his third hit. With sluggers Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto on the bench to begin the game, the resurgent Mets came back from a 4-1 deficit and took two of three from the defending World Series champions despite losing second baseman Neil Walker to a left leg injury. Granderson received a standing ovation and came out for a curtain call after connecting in the eighth off Carl Edwards Jr. (2-1). Jerry Blevins (4-0) struck out three of his four batters to earn the win. Juan Lagares hit a tying triple with two outs in the sixth, the start of a meltdown by Chicago’s bullpen that allowed New York to bail out starter Matt Harvey. The right-hander gave up three home runs in four innings, including Anthony Rizzo’s latest leadoff shot and a mammoth drive by Kyle Schwarber. Batting leadoff Tuesday for the first time in his career, Rizzo homered on Zack Wheeler’s second pitch to spark a 14-3 rout by the Cubs. The 240-pound slugger did himself one better this time, connecting on the first pitch from Harvey and prompting excited high-fives from giddy teammates in the dugout. Chicago rookie Ian Happ, who hit a grand slam the previous night, followed with his seventh home run and the Cubs had a 2-0 lead after seven pitches. Schwarber’s 467-foot shot over the Shea Bridge, a walkway for Citi Field fans above and beyond the bullpens in right-center, made it 4-1 in the fourth. With the bases loaded in the bottom half and the Mets short on the bench, manager Terry Collins sent up pitcher Steven Matz to pinch hit for Harvey. Matz came through with an RBI infield single off starter Mike Montgomery, and Lagares trimmed it to 4-3 with a sacrifice fly. Addison Reed retired Rizzo with the bases loaded for the final out. TRAINER’S ROOM Cubs: 2B-OF Ben Zobrist (left wrist) was out of the lineup for the second consecutive game but available to pinch hit, manager Joe Maddon said. After a day off Thursday, the team hopes Zobrist can start Friday night in Pittsburgh. If not, the disabled list could become a consideration. … RHP Kyle Hendricks (hand tendinitis) was scheduled to have a second MRI. Mets: Cespedes received a scheduled rest but is expected to start the next three games against division-rival Washington, Collins said. Cespedes, who recently returned from a strained hamstring, singled as a pinch hitter in the eighth and was immediately removed for a pinch runner. … Conforto (stiff back) was held out of the starting lineup for the third consecutive night but said he felt great. “It tightened up a few days ago and I think we’re pretty sensitive to those kinds of things lately,” Conforto said. “We’re just being really cautious.” Conforto struck out as a pinch hitter in the sixth. “I think what (Collins) really wants is for me to be 100 percent for this weekend,” Conforto said. … One day after double-play partner Asdrubal Cabrera (thumb) went on the 10-day disabled list, Walker pulled up lame trying to beat out a bunt in the third inning. The team announced he has a left leg injury and will have an MRI on Thursday. Duda entered in the fourth at first base, with Rivera shifting from first to second to replace Walker. And it appears the Mets once again will hold off on calling up hot-hitting shortstop prospect Amed Rosario from Triple-A Las Vegas. Second baseman Gavin Cecchini was scratched from the 51s lineup after Walker got hurt. … LHP Josh Smoker was placed on the 10-day DL with a strained left shoulder and RHP Rafael Montero was recalled from Las Vegas. Smoker threw 81 pitches in long relief Tuesday night — 33 more than his previous career high in the majors. UP NEXT Cubs: Begin a three-game series Friday night in Pittsburgh with RHP Eddie Butler (3-2, 4.03 ERA) on the mound against Pirates rookie RHP Trevor Williams (3-3, 5.13). Mets: With the Mets using a six-man rotation during a long stretch between days off, rookie RHP Robert Gsellman (5-3, 4.95 ERA) gets another start Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series against NL East-leading Washington. Gsellman threw 6 2/3 shutout innings Saturday in Atlanta and has won a career-best three straight outings. After making two relief appearances, he is 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA in four starts since returning to the rotation. He faces Nationals LHP Gio Gonzalez (5-1, 2.91), who is 9-1 with a 1.62 ERA in 14 starts at Citi Field — including a 3-1 win over Jacob deGrom on April 22 during Washington’s three-game sweep. ___ More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

NEW YORK (AP) — Several people have hung a banner emblazoned with a message about abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement from the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty and have been arrested. National Park Service spokesman Jerry Willis says at least six people were taken into custody Wednesday. He says federal code of regulations prohibits hanging banners from the monument. The large banner said “Abolish I.C.E.” ICE is a division of the Department of Homeland Security whose officers arrest and deport unauthorized immigrants inside the U.S., among other duties. Activists with the group Rise and Resist say they hung the banner to protest U.S. immigration policy. They oppose President Donald Trump’s administration and advocate ending deportations and family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said the president’s immigration policy is a step forward for public safety.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Floyd Mayweather Jr. said Wednesday he will come out of retirement to face UFC star Conor McGregor in a boxing match on Aug. 26. Mayweather, who retired in September 2015 after winning all 49 of his pro fights, will face a mixed martial arts fighter who has never been in a scheduled 12-round fight at the MGM Grand arena. The fight that will take place in a boxing ring and be governed by boxing rules. “It’s official,” Mayweather said on his Instagram account next to a video poster of both fighters. “THE FIGHT IS ON,” McGregor tweeted several minutes earlier, posting a picture of himself next to one of Mayweather’s father, Floyd Sr. Mayweather will fight at the relatively advanced age of 41 in a bout that McGregor has been pushing for months. It finally came together over the last few days, and Nevada boxing officials on Wednesday approved the date for a Mayweather Promotions bout. Though Las Vegas oddsmakers have made Mayweather a heavy 10-1 favorite, the thought of the fight has excited many in the MMA world. It has also intrigued some in boxing, though most dismiss McGregor’s chances under boxing rules against one of the greatest defensive fighters in history. Even if the actual bout may not shape up as a great matchup, the run-up to the fight will. Both fighters are noted for their ability to sell their fights, and both have exchanged in trash talking and more to promote their bouts. The fight will be televised on pay-per-view on Showtime and would likely gross tens of millions of dollars. It comes less than a month before Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez meet in a highly anticipated fight that could rival it for pay-per-view buys.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Thursday it released an American university student over “humanitarian” reasons in its first official comment since he was returned to his home state of Ohio in a coma. The state-run Korean Central News Agency said Otto Warmbier had been serving hard labor but didn’t comment on his medical condition or how the country negotiated his release with the United States. “Warmbier, who had been in hard labor, was sent back home on June 13, 2017, on humanitarian grounds according to the adjudication made on the same day by the Central Court of the DPRK,” the agency said in the one-sentence report, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The 22-year-old Warmbier, a University of Virginia undergraduate, was convicted and sentenced in a one-hour trial in North Korea’s Supreme Court in March 2016. He got 15 years in prison with hard labor for subversion after he tearfully confessed that he had tried to steal a propaganda banner. He was medically evacuated from North Korea and arrived in Cincinnati late Tuesday. His father, Fred Warmbier, told Fox News that his son was “terrorized and brutalized” and has been in a coma for more than a year. The U.S., South Korea and others often accuse North Korea of using foreign detainees to wrest diplomatic concessions. Three Americans remain in custody in North Korea over accusations including alleged “hostile acts” and spying.

WASHINGTON (AP) — More Republicans are telling President Donald Trump in ever blunter terms to lay off his escalating criticism of special counsel Robert Mueller and the Russia probe. But party leaders are taking no action to protect Mueller, embracing a familiar strategy with the president — simply waiting out the storm. Trump blistered Mueller and his investigation all weekend on Twitter and started in again Monday, questioning the probe’s legitimacy with language no recent president has used for a federal inquiry. “A total WITCH HUNT with massive conflicts of interest!” Trump tweeted. Mueller is leading a criminal probe into whether Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign had ties to Russia and whether there has been obstruction of justice since then. Trump was told to cut it out on Sunday by such notable Republicans as Trey Gowdy, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, and Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Then on Monday he was told that firing Mueller would be “the stupidest thing the president could do” by Orrin Hatch, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. But Hatch, on CNN, also said he didn’t see any need for legislation to protect Mueller. And that sentiment was widely echoed by GOP leaders. In recent months, bills to protect the special counsel have stalled, and Republican leaders have stuck to muted statements endorsing Mueller or denying he is in trouble. So far, that tactic has worked for them as Trump has lambasted the Russia investigation on Twitter but allowed Mueller to continue his work. Democrats say legislation is needed. “Immediately,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. And Arizona Republican Jeff Flake, a frequent Trump critic, said, “If you don’t pick this fight, then we might as well not be here.” But GOP leaders saw no reason to leap to stop a firing they don’t think is in sight. “I don’t think that’s going to happen so I just think it’s not necessary, and obviously legislation requires a presidential signature,” said Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate. “I don’t see the necessity of picking that fight right now.” Still, Cornyn said there would be “a number of unintended consequences” if Mueller were to be removed, and lawmakers had communicated that message to Trump “informally and formally.” White House lawyer Ty Cobb issued a statement Sunday tamping down the speculation, saying Trump is not “considering or discussing” Mueller’s removal. White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said Trump has “some well-established frustration” about the probe but insisted there is no internal discussion about removing Mueller. Separately, Trump’s legal team has provided documents to Mueller summarizing their views on key matters being investigated, according to a person familiar with the situation. That person insisted on anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. The records were given as Trump’s lawyers negotiate with Mueller’s team about the scope and terms of a possible interview with the president. Also, Trump added a new lawyer. Joseph diGenova, a former U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, will join his team later this week. DiGenova has been outspoken in his defense of Trump, talking of a “brazen plot” to exonerate Hillary Clinton in an email investigation and to “frame” Trump with a “falsely created crime.” Multiple White House officials said Monday that they believe Trump is now acutely aware of the political — and even legal — consequences of taking action against Mueller. For now, they predicted, Trump will snipe at Mueller from the outside. His sniping is getting more pointed. Trump challenged the probe’s existence over the weekend and strongly suggested political bias on the part of Mueller’s investigators. The tweets ruffled some GOP lawmakers. South Carolina’s Gowdy admonished the president’s lawyers, saying that if Trump is innocent, “act like it.” But House and Senate leaders remained quiet, and decidedly unruffled. “As the speaker has always said, Mr. Mueller and his team should be able to do their job,” said AshLee Strong, spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan. A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell referred to comments that McConnell made in January saying he wasn’t worried that Mueller would be ousted. Two bipartisan Senate bills introduced last summer, when Trump first started criticizing Mueller’s probe, would make it harder to fire a special counsel by requiring a judicial review. But Republicans backing the bills have not been able to agree on the details, and Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley has shown little interest in moving them. McConnell has said he thinks they are unnecessary. Still, some of the White House officials acknowledged that Trump did once flirt with removing Mueller. That came last summer, when Trump’s legal team — then led by New York attorney Marc Kasowitz — was looking into potential conflicts of interest with Mueller and his team and planning to make a case to have him removed, according to people familiar with the strategy. Those people spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversations. As that strategy was being formulated, Trump directed White House counsel Don McGahn in June to call Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to raise the perceived conflicts and push for Mueller’s removal, according to one of the people familiar with the matter. McGahn put off making the call because he disagreed with the strategy, the person said. When Trump persisted in pressing the issue, McGahn told other senior White House officials he would resign if Trump didn’t back off. Trump let the matter drop, the person said. Trump cannot directly fire Mueller. Any dismissal, for cause, would have to be carried out by Rosenstein, who appointed the counsel and has continued to express support. Trump has fumed to confidants that the Mueller probe is “going to choke the life out of” his presidency if allowed to continue indefinitely, according to an outside adviser who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations with the president. Likely contributing to Trump’s sense of frustration, The New York Times reported last week that Mueller had subpoenaed the Trump Organization for Russia-related documents. Trump had said Mueller would cross a red line with such a step. “Why does the Mueller team have 13 hardened Democrats, some big Crooked Hillary supporters, and Zero Republicans?” he tweeted Sunday. Some of Mueller’s investigators indeed have contributed to Democratic political candidates including Hillary Clinton, but Justice Department policy and federal service law bar discrimination in the hiring of career positions on the basis of political affiliation. Mueller is a Republican. ___ Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Darlene Superville and Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump spoke with three more potential Supreme Court candidates on Tuesday as a key senator privately aired concerns about one of the contenders. As Trump weighs his options, he has heard from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has expressed reservations about one top potential nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, according to a person familiar with the call but not authorized to publicly disclose details of it. The activity around Kavanaugh was an early glimpse of the frenzied jockeying around the short list of candidates in the run-up to Trump’s July 9 announcement. With a narrow 51-49 GOP majority in the Senate, losing any Republican senator could begin to doom a nominee. Paul’s objections echo those made by outside conservative groups over Kavanaugh, who is seen as a top contender for the vacancy but who activists warn is too much of an establishment-aligned choice. Trump has said he’ll choose his nominee from a list of 25 candidates vetted by conservative groups. Top contenders include federal appeals judges Kavanaugh, Raymond Kethledge, Amul Thapar and Amy Coney Barrett — all of whom spoke with Trump on Monday. “These are very talented people, brilliant people,” Trump said Tuesday during an appearance in West Virginia. “We’re going to give you a great one.” The White House says Trump has spoken to seven candidates. There were the four interviews Monday, as well as a conversation with Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, who is not regarded as a top contender but who is being pushed by key conservatives. Trump has also spoken with Thomas Hardiman, who has served with Trump’s sister on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, according to a person familiar with the conversation who also was not authorized to publicly discuss it. Another candidate considered a top contender is Joan Larsen, who serves on the federal appeals court in Cincinnati. Trump’s choice to replace Kennedy — a swing vote on the nine-member court — has the potential to remake the court for a generation as part of precedent-shattering decisions on abortion, health care, gay marriage and other issues. Recognizing the stakes, many Democrats have lined up in opposition to any Trump pick, and Republicans lawmakers and activists are seeking to shape the president’s decision. For his part, Trump has sought advice from White House counsel Don McGahn, outside advisers like Leonard Leo, on leave from the Federalist Society, and has been making calls to lawmakers, including Paul. Paul has told colleagues that he may not vote for Kavanaugh if the judge is nominated, citing Kavanaugh’s role during the Bush administration on cases involving executive privilege and the disclosure of documents to Congress, said the person familiar with Paul’s conversations who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The senator has more than once threatened to withhold his vote on key Trump priorities citing ideological disagreements, most recently the nomination of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. But Paul has repeatedly yielded to Trump’s personal lobbying to back his nominees and legislation, often citing unspecified concessions from the president. Paul’s office did not respond to requests for comment. His concerns mirror comments from some conservatives who view Kavanaugh as a more establishment-aligned pick on abortion and issues related to the Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures. Some also raised concern about his approach to the Affordable Care Act. “Trump’s list is full of great nominees, but Kavanaugh raises several concerns among libertarian and pro-life activists at a time when we need to be united,” said Wesley Denton, communications director for the Conservative Partnership Institute, an organization that works closely with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. The president also spoke by phone with Lee on Monday, as first reported by the Deseret News and later confirmed by the senator’s office, which characterized it as an interview. Asked about the call, White House spokesman Raj Shah said only, “Yesterday, the President spoke on the phone with Sen. Mike Lee.” Lee is the only lawmaker on Trump’s list of potential justices. There have also been lobbying efforts around other candidates. Some conservatives have pointed to Kethledge as a potential justice in the mold of Gorsuch; both once served as law clerks to Kennedy. Kethledge, a Michigan Law graduate who has been a Michigan-based appellate court judge for the past decade, would add academic diversity to a court steeped in the Ivy League. “The court could use some perspectives that were forged in different kinds of regions of the country and different kinds of academic backgrounds,” said former Michigan Sen. Spence Abraham, who hired Kethledge as a young staffer in the 1990s. Since Trump said his short list includes at least two women, speculation has focused on Barrett, a former law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia and a longtime Notre Dame Law School professor who serves on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Conservative groups rallied around Barrett after her confirmation hearing last year featured questioning from Democrats over how her Roman Catholic faith would affect her decisions. Former House speaker and Trump ally Newt Gingrich tweeted Monday: “Judge Amy Coney Barrett would make an outstanding Supreme Court Justice. Her clarity and intellectual strength in the Senate hearings for her current judgeship showed an intellect and a depth of thought that would be powerful on the Supreme Court.” But her short tenure on the bench may work against her. And Democrats claim that Barrett — like the other picks — would favor overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that affirmed a woman’s right to abortion, and would weaken President Barack Obama’s 2010 health care law. Since the start of his 2016 campaign, Trump has embraced anti-abortion groups and vowed to appoint federal judges who will favor efforts to roll back abortion rights. But he told reporters Friday that he would not question potential high-court nominees about their views on abortion, saying it was “inappropriate to discuss.” Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has said she would oppose any nominee she believed would overturn Roe v. Wade, stressing she wants to back a judge who would show respect for settled law such as the Roe decision. ___ Associated Press writer Zeke Miller contributed to this report.

Technology companies led U.S. stocks modestly higher in late-afternoon trading Monday. Health care companies also helped lift the market, outweighing losses among industrial firms, banks and makers of packaged foods and other consumer goods. Energy stocks rose along with the price of crude oil. Traders had their eye on bitcoin futures, which made their market debut. KEEPING SCORE: The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 5 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,657 as of 3:12 p.m. Eastern time. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 26 points, or 0.1 percent, to 24,356. The Nasdaq composite added 29 points, or 0.4 percent, to 6,869. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks fell 1 point, or 0.1 percent, to 1,520. The stock market has risen on a weekly basis the past three weeks. CENTRAL BANK WATCH: Investors have their eye this week on the Federal Reserve, which is scheduled to issue an interest rate policy update on Wednesday. The Fed is expected to lift rates by 0.25 percent. That would be the third interest rate hike by the central bank this year. THE QUOTE: “The market is kind of in a holding pattern, just sort of waiting for the Fed meeting,” said Randy Frederick, vice president of trading & derivatives at Charles Schwab. “The Fed sees enough strength in the overall economy, despite the lack of inflation, to still go ahead and continue to hike rates.” TECH SWELL: Gains among technology companies helped lift the market. Symantec rose $1.32, or 4.7 percent, to $29.30. Apple was up 1.7 percent after the website Apple Insider said the company is delivering new iPhones to customers at a faster pace. Apple also made news after it agreed to acquire the Shazam music-identification service for an undisclosed amount. The stock added $2.87 to $172.24. BITCOIN: Trading in bitcoin futures declined slightly Monday from their overnight high following the virtual currency’s debut Sunday on the Chicago Board Options Exchange. The contract that expires in January was trading at $18,250. The price had risen as high as $18,850, according to data from the CBOE. The CBOE futures allow traders to make bets on the future direction of bitcoin. The price of an actual bitcoin has soared since it began the year below $1,000 and on Friday was at $17,052 on the private exchange Coindesk. Overstock.com, which accepts bitcoin, surged $8.61, or 19.1 percent, to $53.68. ENCOURAGING RESULTS: Drugmaker bluebird bio surged 18.2 percent after it reported results from an early study of a cancer treatment that the company is developing with Celgene. Shares in bluebird gained $31.22 to $202.37. Celgene added $1.83, or 1.7 percent, to $107.92. UNAPPETIZING: Several packaged food and beverage stocks were trading lower. Tyson Foods slid $1.12, or 1.3 percent, to $82.51. FINANCIALS SLIDE: Shares in banks and other financial companies declined. Zions Bancorporation shed 79 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $50.14. BONDS: Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.39 percent from 2.38 percent late Friday. ENERGY: Oil and gas prices rose. Benchmark U.S. crude gained 63 cents, or 1.1 percent, to settle at $57.99 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, the international standard, added $1.29, or 2 percent, to close at $64.69 per barrel in London. Wholesale gasoline picked up 1 cent to $1.73 per gallon, while heating oil gained 2 cents to $1.95 per gallon. Natural gas rose 6 cents, or 2 percent, to $2.83 per 1,000 cubic feet. The pickup in oil prices helped boost energy sector stocks. Chesapeake Energy added 14 cents, or 3.9 percent, to $3.83, while Range Resources climbed 63 cents, or 3.9 percent, to $16.70. CURRENCIES: The dollar edged up to 113.52 yen from 113.51 yen late Friday. The euro rose to $1.1786 from $1.1768. METALS: Gold slipped $1.50 to settle at $1,246.90 per ounce, while silver fell 4 cents to $15.79 per ounce. Copper added 3 cents to $3.01 per pound. MARKETS OVERSEAS: In Europe, Germany’s DAX slipped 0.2 percent, while the CAC 40 in France fell 0.2 percent. Britain’s added 0.8 percent. Earlier in Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock index climbed 0.6 percent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index gained 1.0 percent. The S&P ASX 200 in Australia edged 0.1 percent higher. South Korea’s Kospi picked up 0.3 percent. India’s Sensex rose 0.2 percent. Shares in Southeast Asia also rose.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Outgoing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is meeting with CIA Director Mike Pompeo, the man President Donald Trump has chosen to replace him. A State Department official says that Tillerson and Pompeo were sitting down at the department’s headquarters in Foggy Bottom. The official wasn’t authorized to comment by name and demanded anonymity. It’s the first known meeting between the two men since Trump fired Tillerson on Twitter and announced he was nominating Pompeo to replace him. Pompeo also plans to meet Monday with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker of Tennessee. Corker’s committee will eventually vote on whether to confirm Pompeo before his nomination goes to the full Senate. Tillerson has already handed over all authorities to his deputy but remains secretary in name only until March 31.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons shined again in front of rapper Meek Mill, and the dominant duo ushered the nightmares-into-dreams Process of the Philadelphia 76ers into the second round with a 104-91 win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night. The 76ers, winners of 10 games just two seasons ago, are in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2012. They await the winner of Milwaukee-Boston. The Celtics lead the series 3-2. The Sixers won the series 4-1 and turned the Wells Fargo Center into the wildest house party in the city. Embiid had 19 points and 12 rebounds, Simmons had 14 points and 10 boards, and the entire team had rappers, politicians, actors and kids dancing along for the ride. Mill made a dramatic return hours after Pennsylvania’s highest court ordered him freed while he appeals decade-old gun and drug convictions. He was taken from prison by helicopter to Philadelphia, where he rang the ceremonial bell at the start of Game 5. “Welcome home Meek Mill,” was about all that was heard from the public address announcer as wild cheers drowned out the rest. Mill sat courtside next to actor and noted Sixers fan Kevin Hart and Sixers co-owner Michael Rubin. Hart grabbed the mic after the game and yelled, “Let’s give it up for Joel Embiid!” Before the game, Mill visited privately with the Sixers in their locker room. Hart talked trash, wandered onto the edge of the court to rile up fans and palled around with Mill as the young and gettin’ it Sixers proved they just might be the team to beat in the East. They’ll have plenty of time to rest and recover — Embiid again played in a black mask to guard a face injury — with the other Eastern Conference playoff series expected to stretch into the weekend. The 76ers were buzzing once Mill’s release made headline news in the city. Rubin had organized prison trips with Embiid, Simmons and Markelle Fultz, and the rapper’s songs played in the locker room and during warmups. Simmons called Mill’s presence “amazing.” “Just having someone that looks out for us, all of us here, it would just mean a lot for him to be back in Philly, in the city of Philadelphia with the fans, especially with a game like that tonight,” Simmons said. Mill breezed into the locker room about 45 minutes before tip and hugged some of the Sixers. Mill was met with a crush of media and celebrity fans as he tried to take his courtside seat. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and retired boxing great Bernard Hopkins sat near Hart and Mill, and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf joined them in the second half. The national champion Villanova Wildcats posed for pictures with Mill in the locker room. What they saw was just the latest beatdown from a franchise whose maligned rebuild has morphed into the one of the trendiest terms in sports. The Sixers outscored the Heat by 14 in the third quarter to snap a tie game and had fans belting “Trust the Process!” Goran Dragic was whistled for a technical after slapping Simmons on the backside of his head, and that got the crowd howling early in the third. Simmons kept his cool — the rookie is rarely rattled — and made the Heat pay. JJ Redick sank the free throw off the technical, and Simmons kicked the ball out to Robert Covington on the possession for a 3 and a 54-48 lead. Redick followed with his third 3, and Philly was litty again. Redick, who scored 27, sank the dagger late in the fourth that sent confetti flying, team flags waving and put a late-night celebration on deck. TIP-INS Heat: Josh Richardson played with a sprained left shoulder. He picked up three fouls in his first 2 minutes. … James Johnson was hit with personal and technical fouls late in the fourth that ended a 10-0 Miami run. … Dwyane Wade is considering retirement. … Justise Winslow led the Heat with 18 points. 76ers: Redick was whistled for a technical foul in the first half. … Missed 10 of 12 3s in the first half. ___ For more AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

WASHINGTON (AP) — On the day that gunfire shattered the morning calm of suburban Washington, dozens of family members of those killed by past gun violence had gathered in the capital to lobby against Republican-backed legislation to make it easier to buy gun silencers. The lobbying effort and a related hearing were canceled in the aftermath of the shooting. But gun control advocates aren’t going far. They’re plodding ahead, hopeful for action but pragmatic enough to know that the latest shooting doesn’t dramatically alter the dynamics of their uphill battle. “Anytime there’s a tragedy, it just once again amplifies the problem with gun violence in our country,” said Lucy McBath, whose son, Jordan Davis, was shot to death four years ago in a dispute over loud music. Wednesday’s shooting at a congressional baseball practice marked the first high-profile test of Trump-era gun politics: Republican control of Congress and the White House has all but eliminated talk of tightening federal gun laws. President Donald Trump won election in part by making clear his opposition to new restrictions on gun purchases. Gun control advocates, already on the defensive, insist they’re not abandoning their efforts in Congress or state legislatures. But after Wednesday’s shooting of Republican Rep. Steve Scalise and several others, they did not immediately land on a new strategy to challenge Trump and the Republican-led Congress. “It is frustrating. These kinds of tragedies happen every single day,” said McBath. “Americans should be able to play baseball and dance in a nightclub or attend religious services without the fear of being gunned down. Americans can do better and we deserve better.” As gun control advocates eyed the challenging political reality, the powerful National Rifle Association made clear it was not backing off. NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch praised the Capitol Hill police, saying that “good guys with guns kept this from getting worse.” She said the organization would continue pushing for gun-friendly legislation at the state and federal level, arguing that new gun-control measures are not the answer. “Evil is real, evil exists and it makes no sense that the good cannot protect themselves against evil,” said Loesch. “Those policies have failed where they have been implemented.” Echoing those sentiments, the Republicans who control Washington dug in. Trump ally Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., who has a permit to carry a gun, vowed to keep his weapon close: “On a rare occasion I’d have my gun in the glove box or something, but it’s going to be in my pocket from this day forward,” Collins told a Buffalo ABC affiliate. Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., argued that tougher gun laws aren’t the answer. He noted the shooter had a criminal record and was from Illinois, which already has strict gun laws, “yet he was still able to access a firearm somehow.” The shooter was identified as James T. Hodgkinson, a 66-year-old home inspector from Illinois who had several minor run-ins with the law in recent years and belonged to a Facebook group called “Terminate the Republican Party.” Officers in Scalise’s security detail wounded Hodgkinson, who was taken into custody and later died. Many gun control groups spent the immediate aftermath of the shooting privately contemplating their strategy. Most decided to proceed with caution, issuing public statements that avoided the gun control debate altogether. “This shooting is an attack on all who serve and on all who participate in our democracy,” said former Rep. Gabby Giffords, the only other member of Congress shot in the last four decades. Giffords said in a statement that she was “heartbroken” for Scalise and the other victims. A group connected to the Newtown, Connecticut, school massacre said the latest shooting showed that “more conversations are needed.” “This is not about more guns, which we know would not have prevented this event in spite of the presence of Congressman Scalise’s armed detail,” said the group Sandy Hook Promise. “This is about prevention and education, about knowing the signs of someone who might commit an act of violence and how to stop it from happening in the first place.” They’re pushing ahead in a harsh environment. Trump, who has offered strong support for the NRA, appeared at the group’s convention in April and told members: “The eight-year assault on your Second Amendment freedoms has come to a crashing end.” In one early sign of the new pro-gun environment, Congress in February passed a resolution to block a rule that would have kept guns out of the hands of certain people with mental disorders. Trump quickly signed it. Gun control groups hope to defeat an NRA-backed effort to enact a national “concealed-carry reciprocity” law that would require all states to recognize other states’ concealed carry permits. They helped beat back such proposals in Congress repeatedly during Obama’s presidency, but face a far steeper challenge in the Trump era. In the face of it all, McBath said simply: “I have hope.” ___ AP writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Some elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan are showing interest in peace talks, the top U.S. commander in Kabul said Wednesday, citing “off stage” contacts involving what he described as mid- and high-level leaders of the insurgency. “A number of channels of dialogue have opened up between the various stakeholders in the peace process,” Nicholson told reporters at the Pentagon. Speaking from his office in Kabul, Nicholson said he could not name names because the contacts are being pursued confidentially to improve the chances of advancing toward actual peace talks. “What you’re seeing right now is a lot of the diplomatic activity and dialogue is occurring off the stage, and it’s occurring at multiple levels,” he said. “So you see mid-level, senior-level Taliban leaders engaging with Afghans.” He added that unspecified international organizations, foreign governments and other interested parties also are involved. U.S. officials have talked up the prospects for peace many times over the course of the 17-year war in Afghanistan, only to be disappointed. When President Donald Trump announced last August that he was committing to winning the war with a revamped strategy, he said the goal was to compel the Taliban — with help from Pakistan and other interested nations — to seek peace. However, a U.S. government watchdog agency recently reported that it saw few signs that this strategy was working, while acknowledging that the Afghan security forces are getting better training. Inside the Taliban, Nicholson said, there is a “robust dialogue” underway with regard to whether and how to end the war. He asserted there are “many points of intersection” between Taliban and Afghan proposals for pursuing peace. “This is what, you know, leads me to the conclusion that there’s tremendous potential to advance the reconciliation dialogue,” he said. “And, again, I don’t want to go any further. My diplomatic colleagues are the ones that are involved in this, and their ability to be successful depends in part upon the confidentiality of the process.” Nicholson, who has commanded U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan since March 2016, is due to leave his post this summer. The Pentagon on Tuesday announced that Trump nominated Army Lt. Gen. Scott Miller to succeed Nicholson. While speaking hopefully of peace prospects, Nicholson also told reporters that U.S. rocket artillery struck a gathering of Taliban commanders on May 24 in the Musa Qala district of Helmand province, killing “dozens.” His spokesman, Lt. Col. Martin O’Donnell, said earlier that more than 50 were killed but that an exact count has not yet been established. Nicholson said the Taliban commanders had assembled upon returning from the western province of Farah, where their fighters had attacked multiple security checkpoints and briefly taken control of the provincial city of the same name. Nicholson said 50 of these commanders had been tracked to Musa Qala and targeted by U.S. rocket artillery. While saying the U.S. attack had disrupted the Taliban network in Helmand province, including its drug trafficking, Nicholson stopped short of saying the killing of dozens of insurgent commanders would have a decisive impact on the war. “I would not call it strategic significance, but it definitely has a significant local significance in terms of the fight in southern Afghanistan,” he said.

TORONTO (AP) — Details have begun to emerge about Alek Minassian, who was charged Tuesday with 10 counts of first-degree murder and 13 of attempted murder for driving a van into a crowded sidewalk in Toronto. Here is a look at the 25-year-old suspect in one of the worst mass killings in Canada’s modern history. ___ A YOUNG MAN FROM SUBURBAN TORONTO, AND A STUNNED FAMILY Minassian lived with his family in the Toronto suburb of Richmond Hill, on a street of sizeable, well-tended brick homes. Police say he had no criminal record before Monday. His father, Vahe Minassian, wept and seemed stunned as he watched as his son, showing little emotion, make a brief court appearance Tuesday and be ordered held without bail. When his father was asked later whether he had any message for the families of the people killed and injured, he said quietly: “I’m sorry.” ____ A “SOCIALLY AWKWARD” STUDENT Minassian attended Seneca College, according to his LinkedIn profile; a spokeswoman for the Toronto-area school didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry about him Tuesday. Another student, Joseph Pham, told The Toronto Star that Minassian was in a computer programming class with him just last week. Pham described Minassian as a “socially awkward” student who kept to himself: “He didn’t really talk to anyone.” Before college, Minassian attended Thornlea Secondary School in Richmond Hill, graduating in 2011. A Thornlea classmate, Ari Blaff, told CBC News he recalls Minassian was “sort of in the background,” not the center of any particular group of friends. “He wasn’t overly social,” Blaff told the news broadcaster. Both Thornlea and Seneca declined to discuss him Tuesday. ____ A STINT IN THE MILITARY Minassian joined the Canadian Armed Forces last year, but his stay was brief. The Department of National Defence says he was a member of the military from Aug. 23 to Oct. 25, but didn’t complete his recruit training. He asked to be voluntarily released after 16 days, the department said. ___ A BITTERNESS TOWARD WOMEN? Shortly before Monday’s attack on a crowded Toronto street, a chilling post appeared on Minassian’s now-deleted Facebook account saluting Elliot Rodger, a community college student who killed six people and wounded 13 in shooting and stabbing attacks near the University of California, Santa Barbara, before apparently shooting himself to death in 2014. Calling Rodger “the Supreme Gentleman,” the Facebook post declared: “The Incel Rebellion has already begun! We will overthrow all the Chads and Stacys!” The 22-year-old Rodger had used the term “incel” — for involuntarily celibate — in online posts raging at women for rejecting him romantically. Like-minded people in internet forums sometimes use “Chad” and “Stacy” as dismissive slang for men and women with more robust sex lives. Monday’s Facebook post mentions that “Private (Recruit) Minassian” is speaking, and Facebook confirmed that the post was on an account that belonged to the suspect. The social networking site took down his account after the attack, saying in a statement Tuesday, “There is absolutely no place on our platform for people who commit such horrendous acts.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Questions about the Trump administration’s ties to Russia are hardly going to disappear with the firing of national security adviser Michael Flynn. Investigations are underway, and more are likely by the new administration and on Capitol Hill. U.S. agencies, including the FBI, have been probing Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. And three congressional committees are conducting their own investigations that include looking at contacts between Russian officials and members of the Trump campaign and administration. This isn’t the first time Trump has distanced himself from an adviser in light of a relationships with Moscow. In late August, Paul Manafort resigned as Trump’s campaign chairman after disclosures by The Associated Press about his firm’s covert lobbying on behalf of the former pro-Russian ruling political party in Ukraine. The New York Times reported late Tuesday that members of Trump’s campaign, including Manafort, had repeated contacts with Russian intelligence officials during the year before the election. The U.S. knew about these contacts through phone records and intercepted calls, the Times said. Reached late Tuesday, Manafort told The Associated Press he has not been interviewed by the FBI about these alleged contacts. “I have never knowingly spoken to Russian intelligence officers and I have never been involved with anything to do with the Russian government or the Putin administration or any other issues under investigation today,” Manafort said. Officials who spoke with the Times anonymously said they had not yet seen any evidence of the Trump campaign cooperating with the Russians on hacking or other attempts to influence the election. Trump’s own ties to Russia have been questioned in light of his friendly posture toward the long-time U.S. adversary and reluctance to criticize President Vladimir Putin, even for Putin’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region in 2014. “This isn’t simply about a change in policy toward Russia, as the administration would like to portray. It’s what’s behind that change in policy,” said California Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, one of the congressional bodies investigating. Schiff said there are continuing questions about the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia and whether anyone assisted Moscow in hacking. “It’s not just that an administration official was caught lying. It’s that the national security adviser to the president was caught lying and on a matter of central importance. So this is big,” Schiff said. The Obama administration said Russia interfered in the 2016 election with the goal of electing Trump. Trump has acknowledged that Russia hacked Democratic emails but denies it was to help him win. The investigations and the unusual firing of the national security adviser just 24 days into his job have put Republicans in the awkward position of investigating the leader of their party. Senior GOP lawmakers continue to deny Democrats’ requests that an independent panel be established to carry out the Russia investigation. So the congressional probes are ultimately in the hands of the Republican chairmen, and the executive branch’s investigation has been overseen ultimately by Trump appointees. On Tuesday, Republican leaders focused on the idea that Flynn misled Vice President Mike Pence about the nature of his contacts with the Russian ambassador — not on any questioning of the relationship between Flynn and the ambassador. Democrats say a key issue is whether Flynn broke diplomatic protocol and potentially the law by discussing U.S. sanctions with Moscow before Trump’s inauguration. The Justice Department had warned the White House late last month that Flynn could be at risk for blackmail because of contradictions between his public depictions of the calls with the Russian ambassador and what intelligence officials knew about the conversations. “You cannot have a national security adviser misleading the vice president and others,” said Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. Daniel Jones, a former lead investigator on the Senate intelligence committee, said it’s important that Congress investigate Flynn’s ties to Russia and make sure that doesn’t get lost in a broader probe into Russia and the 2016 election. “This is a checks-and-balances issue,” Jones said. “This shouldn’t be a political issue.” On the other hand, California Rep. Devin Nunes, chairman of the House intelligence committee, said he was concerned Flynn’s rights were violated in the interception of his conversations with the Russian ambassador. “I’m just shocked that nobody’s covering the real crime here,” Nunes said. “You have an American citizen who had his phone call recorded and then leaked to the media.” Nunes said he intended to ask the FBI “what the hell’s going on here.” The FBI has wide legal authority to eavesdrop on the conversations of foreign intelligence targets, including diplomats, inside the U.S. Flynn did not concede any wrongdoing in his resignation letter, saying merely that he “inadvertently briefed the vice president elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian ambassador.” Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, a member of the Senate intelligence committee which is already investigating Russia and the 2016 election, said Flynn’s resignation raises more questions. For example, he said, there are open questions about how many conversations Flynn actually had with the Russians and whether other people knew he was having them. While North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr, chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, said much of the panel’s investigation will occur behind closed doors, Wyden said he planned to push to make the findings and hearings public. Republican Lindsey Graham, who is leading a Senate judiciary subcommittee investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, echoed Wyden’s concerns about whether Flynn was acting alone and without direction in his contacts. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump did not direct Flynn to discuss U.S. sanctions with the Russians. “No, absolutely not,” Spicer said. “I think most Americans have a right to know whether or not this was a General Flynn rogue maneuver, or was he basically speaking for somebody else in the White House,” Graham told CNN Tuesday. ___ Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Erica Werner, Richard Lardner, Chad Day and Deb Riechmann contributed to this report.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Rapper Meek Mill walked out of prison Tuesday after Pennsylvania’s highest court ordered him freed while he appeals decade-old gun and drug convictions. Following a five-month campaign by his supporters to get him out, the state Supreme Court directed a Philadelphia judge who had jailed him to immediately issue an order releasing him on unsecured bail. Mill was sentenced in November to 2-4 years in prison for probation violations. Television coverage showed him being taken from the prison by helicopter. Earlier, scores of people gathered outside the prison near Philadelphia in hopes of seeing him walk free. A team of lawyers and public relations consultants had waged an all-out battle to get him freed, leveling fierce criticism at the judge as a stream of high-powered figures and celebrities visited him in jail outside Philadelphia, including actor Kevin Hart just hours before the Supreme Court ruling. Mill issued a statement saying the past months had been “a nightmare,” and thanked his many supporters and visitors, who included Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. “Although I’m blessed to have the resources to fight this unjust situation, I understand that many people of color across the country don’t have that luxury and I plan to use my platform to shine a light on those issues,” Mill said. He said he would now focus his attention on getting his convictions overturned, and that he looks forward to resuming his music career. Earlier this month, in a major victory for Mill, prosecutors said they agreed with his lawyers that he should get a new trial because of questions raised about the arresting officer. The now-retired officer was among a list of police officers the prosecutor’s office has sought to keep off the witness stand in cases across the city because of credibility questions. A spokesman for District Attorney Larry Krasner said late Tuesday that the Supreme Court’s decision on Meek Mill’s release was consistent with the position taken by their office. Mill’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, thanked the high court. “Meek was unjustly convicted and should not have spent a single day in jail,” Tacopina said. In an opinion earlier this month, Judge Genece Brinkley, who sent Mill to prison for the probation violations, strongly defended herself against accusations by the defense she was waging a vendetta against the rapper. She said the court “has impartially and without prejudice presided over numerous proceedings in this matter since 2008.” The Supreme Court denied a defense request to move the case to another judge, but said the presiding judge could opt to remove herself.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — As a big league umpire, Dale Scott saw maybe 1 million pitches from the field. His final call, it turned out, was the easiest of all. Rather than risk yet another concussion, Scott has decided to retire at 58. “I’m done,” he told The Associated Press. The veteran crew chief missed nearly the entire 2017 season after a foul ball off the bat of Baltimore slugger Mark Trumbo in Toronto on April 14 caught him hard in the mask, causing Scott’s second concussion in nine months and fourth in five years. Within a few days, while undergoing treatment for head, neck and shoulder injuries, Scott realized it was the end of a major league career that began in 1985 and included three World Series assignments, three All-Star Games and 91 postseason games. “In fact, it was pretty easy,” he said. “I wasn’t planning on this year being the last one. But I thought, this is a sign.” Especially when he asked three doctors about the possible long-term effects if he got jarred again. “They said, ‘We just don’t know,'” Scott said. “But they told me that the more times you get hit, the more probability that you’ll have issues.” This summer, he saw Bruno Mars and Green Day in concert, watched Fourth of July fireworks from a boat near his home in Portland, Oregon, and enjoyed more time with husband Michael Rausch. They’ve been together since 1986 and were married in November 2013 in Palm Springs, California, by the city’s mayor. Scott came out as gay after the 2014 season. The next spring training, Reds outfielder Marlon Byrd gave Scott a big hug while trotting to the dugout. “You’re free, brother. I’m so proud of you,” Byrd told him. Says Scott: “I did feel free. I am who I am.” Scott’s decision will resonate, said Billy Bean, Major League Baseball’s vice president for social responsibility and inclusion. Bean came out as gay after his big league career ended in 1995. “He has achieved everything in his umpiring career, and has carried himself with integrity and garnered the respect of his peers and MLB players,” Bean said. “I am filled with pride as I reflect on all of his accomplishments. He’s a pro’s pro, who’s been a wonderful example to the LGBT community and all sports fans.” “Years ago, Dale reached out to me after my personal story went public,” he said. “If we had been able to have that conversation when I was still playing, I know it would have changed the course of my career. Dale’s legacy will undoubtedly continue to inspire others to pursue their dreams, and I hope we see the results around MLB soon.” Scott worked 3,897 regular-season games and was a crew chief for 16 seasons, half his career. “I was fortunate enough to have Dale as my crew chief for 10-plus years. A gifted umpire and true professional, he ran the crew with a smile as he mentored many of today’s most successful umpires,” fellow ump Dan Iassogna said. “The courage that he showed in coming out while still working on the field is as much of an accomplishment as his many World Series and postseason assignments,” he added. Scott acknowledged his decision to retire might have been more difficult if his circumstances were different — say, he was 40 and hadn’t worked the World Series. Now, he walks away with his health intact. And if there were any doubts, he keeps the video of that last violent concussion on his cellphone. MLB provides long-term disability for umpires who cannot work because of concussion effects, the same as it does for other permanent injuries. Scott wonders about umpires who are cleared as part of the concussion protocol and then face the choice of continuing to work and risk further injury, or leaving the game. “That needs to be addressed,” he said. “Maybe my situation can be a catalyst for that.” His future will include rooting like crazy for the Oregon Ducks and, having been a Top 40 AM radio DJ in high school, perhaps some voice work. Scott also can look back on all the games he did: Among them, he was the plate umpire for Scott Erickson’s no-hitter, he worked a season-opening series in Australia, and was the last umpire to eject hot-tempered manager Billy Martin. And there was that game at old County Stadium in 1986, when a big crowd turned out to welcome the hugely popular Gorman Thomas back to the Milwaukee Brewers. The first time Thomas batted, Scott called strike three. The fading slugger went 0 for 4 and when he got rung up in his last at-bat, it was more than Thomas could take. “It’s my night,” he pleaded with the rookie ump, “not yours!”

HIGASHISHIRAKAWA, Japan (AP) — The Latest on a U.S. veteran returning a fallen Japanese soldier’s flag to the man’s relatives (all times local): 11:30 a.m. A U.S. World War II veteran has returned to a fallen soldier’s family a Japanese flag he took from the man’s body 73 years ago. Marvin Strombo knew the calligraphy-covered flag was more than a keepsake of the war. It was a treasure that would fill a void for the dead man’s family. The flag he handed over Tuesday to Sadao Yasue’s siblings is the first trace of their brother. The Japanese authorities only gave them a wooden box containing a few rocks, a substitution for the remains that have never been returned. Strombo has said he also plans to explain to Yasue’s relatives how their brother died.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Dylan Hatfield got one last chance to see his brother and five other crewmen on the Destination, a 98-foot crab boat missing and presumed sunk in the Bering Sea. The Destination was tied up Thursday in the Aleutian Islands port of Dutch Harbor, preparing to leave. Hatfield, 29, had just come in from the Bering Sea on a different boat. He had worked on the Destination off and on for seven years, and when he left, his older brother, 36-year-old Darrik Seibold, replaced him. “We went down to the boat, brought a case of beer, said hello to everybody, gave everybody big hugs, told stories and had laughs,” Hatfield said. Afterward, they all went out for pizza at the Norwegian Rat Saloon.” “I got to tell the fellas I loved them, I got to hug my brother and tell him that I loved him, and then they left,” Hatfield said. Early Friday, the Destination left for St. Paul Island, one of the tiny Pribilof Islands in the vast Bering Sea. On Saturday morning, Hatfield got the call: the Destination was missing 2 miles off another Pribilof Island, St. George. The Coast Guard had received an emergency location radio transmission from a device that transmits when it hits saltwater. Searchers rushed to the scene. They found an oil slick, a life ring and buoys. They emergency location beacon was floating in the slick. The lack of debris, the failure to make a mayday call, the absence of lifeboats or mariners in survival suits pointed to a sudden tragedy. “In my mind, they rolled over,” Hatfield said. “I’m almost positive that those boys are still on the boat.” Commercial fishing is inherently dangerous, and crab fishing in the Bering Sea is notoriously so. Fishermen work winters in icy, heaving platforms handling heavy, unforgiving equipment. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health notes that fishermen drop crab pots, each weighing 750 to 850 pounds empty, rigged to hundreds of feet of coiled line and buoys used to recover them from the ocean bottom. Just getting to the fishing grounds is dangerous. Vessels stack the heavy pots on their main deck in three to five tiers high as they travel in shallow ocean that sees big waves, high wind and icing that can make a boat top-heavy. In the 1990s, 73 people died in the Bering Sea crab fishery as the result of capsizing, sinking, falling overboard or an industrial accident. Two factors, however, have dramatically lowered that rate of nearly eight deaths annually. The Coast Guard and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in 1999 instituted an upgraded inspection program with an emphasis on stability and safety. Vessels found lacking were not allowed to leave port. Federal managers also changed the fishery. Before 2005, boats rushed out from ports “derby style,” trying to catch as much crab as possible until a quota was met, even if it meant fishing in dangerous conditions. That was replaced with “crab rationalization,” in which most of the catch was guaranteed to boat owners. That meant they could use fewer boats, take longer to catch their quota and sit out dangerous conditions. It also meant hundreds of crew members lost their jobs. However, safety improved. From October 1999 through last year, 10 lives have been lost, according to the national institute. The Destination was on its way to St. Paul and planned to drop off bait on the island before heading out for a week or two to fish. The boat was carrying 200 crab pots and probably about 15,000 pounds of bait, Hatfield said. The boat had just rounded the northeast quarter of St. George Island, an area known for turbulent water, when it went down. “You get the shelf shallowing-up there, and lots of tide,” Hatfield said. “It’s always really cold around those islands.” A number of factors probably led to a capsizing, he said. The boat may have iced up from sea spray freezing in 20-degree temperatures. An alarm in the engine or steering room may have malfunctioned. The boat had three tanks for holding crab. Pumps keep water circulating to them. If a pump shut off, it could cause a tank go slack — partially emptied of water that provides stability, Hatfield said. When a big wave hits, and the boat rolls in one direction, a slack tank makes it harder to recover. “It’s never the first one,” Hatfield said. “They probably took a big one, laid ’em over, and they didn’t recover. Then they took another one, and another one, until she probably just rolled over.” The vessel owners, F/V Destination, Inc., have not released name of the six crewmen. Spokesman Mike Barcott said the company has not contacted all families to make sure they want the names public. He agreed that whatever happened probably came on suddenly. A half hour before the boat disappeared, it was in calm water on the lee of St. George Island, Barcott said by email. “If there was a problem at that time they easily could have pulled into the harbor so we assume all was good then,” he said. Seibold leaves a 3-year-old son. The cause of the tragedy likely will never be known, Hatfield said. “The only people who know what happened are on the bottom of the ocean,” he said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is now estimating the Republican tax bill will generate about $1.8 trillion in new tax revenue over 10 years by boosting economic growth. But that’s a lot more than nonpartisan congressional analysts have projected. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that growth stimulated by the anticipated tax cuts will generate some $409 billion in additional tax revenue over 10 years. President Donald Trump and Republican leaders in Congress have promoted the massive tax plan by promising the tax cuts will boost the economy. The $1.5 trillion House and Senate tax bills combine steep tax cuts for corporations with modest reductions for individuals. The new Treasury Department analysis out Monday says about half the expected increase in economic growth likely will result from tax benefits for corporations.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Now slugging for the Bronx Bombers, Giancarlo Stanton. The New York Yankees announced Monday they’d acquired Stanton from the Miami Marlins, getting the NL MVP and cash from Miami for Starlin Castro and two minor leaguers, right-hander Jorge Guzman and infielder Jose Devers. Stanton was to be introduced later in the day at Major League Baseball’s winter meetings. The 28-year-old outfielder is still owed $295 million over the final decade of his record $325 million, 13-year contract. The Marlins, with former Yankees star Derek Jeter as their new CEO, will send $30 million to the Yankees if Stanton doesn’t exercise his right to opt out of his contract and become a free agent after the 2020 season: $5 million each on July 1 and Oct. 1 in 2026, 2027 and 2028. Under a change in baseball’s new labor contract, that money will be prorated for the luxury tax and Stanton will count as $22 million annually. Stanton led the majors with 59 home runs and 132 RBIs last season. Once he puts on the pinstripes, Stanton will pair with Aaron Judge, the 6-foot-7 rookie who was second in the majors with 52 homers. “I wouldn’t say sad day,” Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said. “It’s a win-win for both sides. … I know Giancarlo made it clear midway through the 2017 season he didn’t want to be part of a rebuild.” The Yankees topped baseball with 241 home runs last season. The prospect of the daunting duo together in the lineup — and putting on batting practice shows — raised thoughts of their previous powerful 1-2 punches, such as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, along with Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. Shortly after the Yankees and Marlins agreed to the deal last weekend, Judge, the unanimous AL Rookie of the Year, sent a tweet to Stanton showing a clip from the movie “Step Brothers” with Will Ferrell saying, “Did we just become best friends?” The Yankees came within one win of the World Series in October, losing the final two games of the AL Championship Series at Houston. The deal is sure to get a legion of fans that already dislike the Yanks railing against Jeter sending Stanton to his old team. Stanton had a no-trade clause in his contract and last week turned down prospective deals to St. Louis and San Francisco. There was speculation he wanted to play close to home with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but clearly the Yankees were to his liking. The Yankees haven’t had a losing record since 1992. The Marlins haven’t had a winning season since Stanton made his big league debut for them in 2010. Jeter is expected to reduce payroll by at least 20 percent to $90 million or less. The Marlins shed $38 million of salary through 2020 by trading two-time All-Star second baseman Dee Gordon to Seattle last week for three prospects. Castro is due $10 million in 2018 and $11 million in 2019, plus a $16 million club option for 2020 with a $1 million buyout. The Yankees’ payroll for purposes of baseball’s luxury tax was about $209 million this year, and owner Hal Steinbrenner has vowed to reduce it below next year’s $197 million threshold, which would reset the team’s base tax rate from 50 percent to 20 percent in 2019. That would put the Yankees, under new manager Aaron Boone, in better position for next offseason’s free agent class, which includes Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and possibly Clayton Kershaw. Under baseball’s previous labor contract, the money the Marlins pay the Yankees would be included “in the contract year in which the cash consideration is paid.” However, under the new deal Article XXIII (C) (2) (ii) was changed to have it count “on a pro-rata basis over the remaining guaranteed years of the assigned contract.” The 27-year-old Castro was an All-Star last season, hitting .300 with 16 homers and 63 RBIs. There’s speculation the Marlins will try to trade him to the New York Mets. The 21-year-old Guzman was 5-3 with a 2.30 ERA in Class A Staten Island. The 18-year-old Devers hit .245 in the Dominican Summer League and the rookie Gulf Coast League. ___ AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report. ___ More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — It looks like a perfectly staged assassination, straight out of the pages of a spy novel: North Korean royalty Kim Jong Nam, the estranged, exiled half-brother of leader Kim Jong Un, falls ill at a Malaysian airport, complains of being sprayed with some sort of chemical, and drops dead. But, as with many things about the alleged motives of cloistered North Korea, the unknowns currently far outweigh the certainties. A look at what officials are trying to piece together as they work to reconstruct one of the most audacious, mysterious assassinations in recent Asian history: ___ WHY NOW? This is the big one: Motive. Kim Jong Nam, a jovial, overweight gambler and playboy, had embarrassed Pyongyang before — he tried to sneak into Tokyo Disney; he criticized his half-brother — but he’s been generally seen more as an annoyance than an existential threat to North Korea’s stability. Why would Kim Jong Un go through the massive logistical trouble — and potential embarrassment — of staging the risky assassination of a blood relation on foreign soil? Without elaborating, South Korea’s spy service told lawmakers Wednesday that the North had been trying to kill Kim Jong Nam for five years. Spy officials offered a single, shaky motive for the death: Kim Jong Un’s “paranoia” over his estranged brother. But the South’s National Intelligence Service has a long history of botching intelligence on North Korea and has long sought to portray the North’s leadership as mentally unstable. Some in Seoul wonder if Kim Jong Un might have become enraged when a South Korean newspaper reported last week that Kim Jong Nam tried to defect to the South in 2012. South Korea’s spy service denied this, but it’s still an open question: Could public speculation that a member of the exalted Kim dynasty wanted to flee to the hated South have pushed Kim Jong Un to order his brother’s assassination? ___ WHY THE AIRPORT IN MALAYSIA? There would seem to be easier, less public places to kill such a high-profile target. A possible explanation might be found in another nugget provided by South Korea’s spy agency: China had long protected Kim Jong Nam and his family in their home base of Macau. Analysts have seen Beijing as looking to Kim Jong Nam as a potential leader should North Korea’s regime collapse. With security, presumably overseen by China, tight in Macau, could there have been a security gap in Malaysia that offered North Korean assassins an opportunity they couldn’t have gotten elsewhere? ___ WHO ARE THE MYSTERY WOMEN? The details of the attack itself are a tangled mess as of now. Kim told medical workers that he’d been sprayed with a chemical, which brings to mind past attacks with poison-tipped pens linked to North Korean assassins. South Korea’s spy agency says two women believed to be North Korean agents attacked Kim. They then reportedly fled. Japanese media quoted the government in Tokyo as saying those women may now be dead. None of this has been confirmed yet. Still, finding out who these women are and who hired them could go a long way to unlocking the mystery. ___ WHAT NEXT? North Korea has said nothing officially about the death, but that’s not unusual. The country’s propaganda specialists are masters at reporting only details that lionize the Kim family as paragons of virtue. This clearly doesn’t do that. China may be angry at the killing of a close North Korean contact, so there could be some sort of reaction, possibly back-channel, from Beijing. But a more concrete punishment could come from Washington. Cheong Seong-Chang, a South Korean analyst, said the assassination might convince the U.S. Congress to relist North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism, further isolating the already widely shunned country. ___ Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — The business of the House was resuming a day after a rifle-wielding attacker opened fire on Republican lawmakers practicing for a charity baseball game, critically wounding House GOP Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and hitting aides and Capitol police. The assailant, who had nursed grievances against President Donald Trump and the GOP, fought a gun battle with police before he, too, was shot and later died. Colleagues said Scalise, who had been fielding balls at second base, dragged himself away from the infield, leaving a trail of blood before they rushed to his assistance. He was listed in critical condition Wednesday night at a Washington hospital, which said he will require several more operations. The shooter was identified as James T. Hodgkinson, a 66-year-old home inspector from Illinois who had several minor run-ins with the law in recent years and belonged to a Facebook group called “Terminate the Republican Party.” Capitol Police officers who were in Scalise’s security detail wounded the shooter, who was taken into custody. He later died of his injuries, Trump told the nation from the White House. “Everyone on that field is a public servant,” Trump said, his tone somber, America’s acrimonious politics set aside for the moment. “Their sacrifice makes democracy possible.” After visiting Scalise Wednesday evening at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Trump tweeted: “Rep. Steve Scalise, one of the truly great people, is in very tough shape – but he is a real fighter. Pray for Steve!” Lawmakers noted their good fortune in having armed protectors on hand — “Thank God,” they exclaimed over and over — and said otherwise the shooter would have been able to take a huge deadly toll. Across the Potomac River in Washington, the shocking events left the Capitol horrified and stunned, and prompted immediate reflection on the current hostility and vitriol in American politics. Lawmakers called for a new dialogue on lowering the partisan temperature, and Trump urged Americans to come together as he assumed the role of national unifier for one of the first times in his presidency. Proceedings were canceled for the day in the House, and instead Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California issued their own calls for unity. “An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us,” Ryan said, to prolonged applause. On Thursday House proceedings were to resume as usual, and lawmakers were returning to the Capitol in search of some semblance of normalcy. Shortly after the shooting, Bernie Sanders, the former candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, said on the Senate floor that the shooter apparently was a volunteer for his campaign last year. Sanders said he denounced the violence “in the strongest possible terms.” Scalise, 51, the No. 3 House Republican leader, was first elected in 2008. The popular and gregarious lawmaker is known for his love of baseball and handed out commemorative bats when he secured the job of House whip several years ago. Texas Rep. Roger Williams said that one of his aides, Zack Barth, was shot but was doing well and expected to fully recover. Two Capitol Police officers sustained relatively minor injuries. A former congressional aide was hospitalized. The shooting occurred at a popular park and baseball complex in Alexandria, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, where Republican lawmakers and others were gathered for a morning practice about 7 a.m. They were in good spirits despite the heat and humidity as they prepared for the congressional baseball match that pits Republicans against Democrats. The popular annual face-off, which raises money for charity, is scheduled to go forward as planned Thursday evening at Nationals Park in Washington. Hodgkinson has been in the area since March, living out of his van, said local FBI Special Agent In Charge Tim Slater. Democratic former Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille said he had spoken often with the man on recent mornings at the nearby YMCA. Hodgkinson’s apparent Facebook page included strong criticism of Republicans and the Trump administration. But Slater said authorities were still working to determine a motive and had “no indication” Hodgkinson knew about the ball practice ahead of time. The GOP lawmakers’ team was taking batting practice when gunshots rang out and chaos erupted. Scalise was fielding balls at second base when he was shot, according to lawmakers present. Rep. Mo Brooks, an Alabama Republican, said his colleague “crawled into the outfield, leaving a trail of blood.” “We started giving him the liquids, I put pressure on his wound in his hip,” Brooks said. The gunman had a rifle and “a lot of ammo,” said Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, who was at the practice. Texas Rep. Joe Barton, still in his baseball uniform, told reporters that Scalise’s security detail, Capitol Hill police and then Alexandria police returned fire in a battle that lasted as long as 10 minutes and included dozens of shots. “The security detail saved a lot of lives,” he said. “It was scary.” Lawmakers took cover in the dugout. Barton said his son, Jack, got under an SUV. Texas Rep. Mike Conaway described what sounded like an explosion, then lawmakers scattering off the field as police roamed in search of the gunman and engaged him. “The guy’s down to a handgun, he dropped his rifle, they shoot him, I go over there, they put him in handcuffs,” Conaway said, adding that if the shooter had “gotten inside the fence, where a bunch of guys were holed up in the dugout, it would have been like shooting fish in a barrel.” Rep. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina said he had just left the practice and encountered the apparent gunman in the parking lot before the shooting. The man calmly asked which party’s lawmakers were practicing and Duncan told him they were the Republicans. The man thanked him. The wounded Capitol Police officers were identified as David Bailey, who was treated for a minor injury, and Crystal Griner, who was shot in the ankle. Also wounded was former congressional aide Matt Mika, who now works for Tyson Foods in its Washington office. Mika’s family said the lobbyist was shot multiple times and was in critical condition following surgery. The event raised questions about the security of members of Congress. While the top lawmakers, including Scalise, have security details, others do not and they regularly appear in public without protection. The last time a lawmaker was shot was when Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords of Arizona was hit in the head and grievously injured while meeting with constituents at a supermarket parking lot in 2011. Following the Giffords shooting, lawmakers have held fewer open town halls and have been advised to increase security at such events. ___ Associated Press reporters Eric Tucker, Matt Barakat, Meghan Hoyer, Sarah Brumfield, Michael Biesecker, Mary Clare Jalonick, Ken Thomas, Vivian Salama, Stephen Ohlemacher, Alan Fram and Andrew Taylor in Washington and Alexandria, and Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California would set standards for organic marijuana, allow pot samples at county fairs and permit home deliveries under legislation set to be considered by lawmakers Thursday as the state prepares for next year’s start of legal marijuana sales. Lawmakers and Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration are working to merge California’s new voter-approved recreational pot law with the state’s longstanding medical marijuana program. They have settled on an array of regulations to protect consumers and public safety while ensuring taxes are collected. The provisions were tucked into the state budget agreement between Brown and top legislative Democrats announced this week following months of negotiations with businesses operating illegally or in the legal medical marijuana field and investors who want to enter the nation’s largest legal marijuana market. “One of the biggest challenges we have is taking a multi-billion-dollar industry out of the dark and now into the light,” said Sen. Mike McGuire, a Democrat whose district includes much of Northern California’s prime marijuana growing region. By 2018, state officials must have crafted regulations and rules governing the emerging legal marijuana market with an estimated annual sales value of $7 billion — ranging from where and how plants can be grown to setting guidelines to track the buds from fields to stores. Full legal sales are expected to roll out later in the year. In general, the state will treat cannabis like alcohol, allowing people 21 and older to legally possess up to an ounce of marijuana and grow six marijuana plants at home. The budget agreement includes $118 million to pay for startup costs for the newly regulated industry, including technology and staff to work on regulations and issue licenses. The state will open a tax office in the remote region north of San Francisco so marijuana businesses can pay their taxes in cash without having to drive long distances with thousands of dollars. Because marijuana remains illegal under federal law, pot businesses generally cannot open bank accounts, conduct credit card transactions or otherwise use the federally regulated banking system. The legislation outlines baseline rules for marijuana businesses and was crafted to promote a new artisanal industry in a state that has embraced craft beer and small wineries. It would require state regulators to come up with rules for marijuana producers to call their goods organic — an important designation for California consumers that cannot be used on pot under federal rules. The state would also create standards for official marijuana varietals and growing regions, known as appellations, so craft producers can distinguish their products based on the unique strain and growing conditions like winemakers do. With temporary licenses from the state, businesses would be allowed to sell pot and provide samples at county fairs, regional agricultural associations and cannabis festivals. Growers would be allowed to form agricultural cooperatives without running afoul of antitrust laws. Businesses would be able to legally grow, distribute and sell their own product, though firms performing safety tests will have to be independent, with no financial ties to growers or retailers. Keeping an open container of marijuana in a vehicle would be illegal like it is for alcohol in California, except for people with a medical card or doctor’s note. Brown and lawmakers agreed to allow sellers with no public storefronts to deliver marijuana directly to customers. “There are thousands of businesses currently engaged in this type of commerce,” Hezekiah Allen, executive director of the California Growers Association. “The more of them that can get licensed, the better off the state is going to be, the faster we’ll be able to get rid of the criminal element and the faster we’ll be able to make sure the product is safe and tested.”

TOKYO (AP) — Shares were mostly lower in Asia on Tuesday as investors stepped back after several days of advances, erasing early gains. Markets are awaiting the Federal Reserve meeting on Wednesday and the outcome of a major Chinese planning conference. KEEPING SCORE: Japan’s Nikkei 225 index lost 0.3 percent to 22,866.17 while South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.5 percent to 2,458.56. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong shed 0.2 percent to 28,894.58. The Shanghai Composite index shed 0.7 percent to 3,300.24. The S&P ASX 200 added 0.3 percent to 6,013.20, but India’s Sensex dropped 0.4 percent to 33,314.89. Other regional markets were mostly lower. WALL STREET: Technology and health-cre companies led U.S. stocks modestly higher Monday, driving the market to another set of milestones, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 index and Dow Jones industrial average finishing at new highs. The S&P 500 index rose 0.3 percent to 2,659.99. The Dow gained 0.2 percent to 24,386.03 and the Nasdaq composite added 0.5 percent to 6,875.08. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks slipped 0.1 percent to 1,519.84. ANALYST VIEWPOINT: “The market is kind of in a holding pattern, just sort of waiting for the Fed meeting,” said Randy Frederick, vice president of trading & derivatives at Charles Schwab. “The Fed sees enough strength in the overall economy, despite the lack of inflation, to still go ahead and continue to hike rates.” FEDERAL RESERVE: The Fed is expected to lift short-term interest rates by 0.25 percent on Wednesday, the third interest rate hike by the central bank this year. While inflation has remained low, the central bank has seen a path to gradually raise rates as the economy and labor market have strengthened. CHINA: Investors are watching for details from an annual economic planning conference in Beijing that will set the pace for reforms and growth in the world’s second-largest economy. The state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Friday that President Xi Jinping told fellow leaders that the focus should shift to quality of life and improve innovation and competitiveness. Worries over possible moves to curb property market speculation were overshadowing trading on Tuesday. BITCOIN: Bitcoin futures rose on their first day of trading on a major U.S. exchange, with the first-ever futures contract gaining 20 percent to close at $18,545, according to data from Cboe Global Markets. The price of an actual bitcoin has soared since it began the year below $1,000 and was at $16,502.25 as of 06:20 GMT Tuesday, according to Coindesk. ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude gained 43 cents to $58.42 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It advanced 63 cents, or 1.1 percent, to settle at $57.99 per barrel on Monday. Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 86 cents to $65.55 per barrel. It added $1.29, or 2 percent, to close at $64.69 per barrel in London. CURRENCIES: The dollar edged down to 113.44 Japanese yen from 113.55 yen late Monday. The euro rose to $1.1744 from $1.1770. ___ AP Business Writer Alex Veiga in Los Angeles, California, contributed.

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) — The gunman who shot a top GOP congressman and several other people Wednesday at a baseball practice outside the nation’s capital had a long history of lashing out at Republicans and recently frightened a neighbor by firing a rifle into a field behind his Illinois home. James T. Hodgkinson, 66, wounded House Rep. Steve Scalise before he was fatally shot by police who had been guarding the House majority whip. In the hours after the attack in Alexandria, Virginia, a picture began to emerge of a shooter with a mostly minor arrest record who worked as a home inspector and despised the Republican Party. On Facebook, Hodgkinson was a member of a group called “Terminate the Republican Party,” a fact that seemed to take on chilling new meaning in light of an account from South Carolina Rep. Jeff Duncan. He said he was preparing to leave the baseball field when a man politely asked him whether it was a Democratic or Republican team before quietly walking off. Until recently, Hodgkinson ran a home-inspection business out of his house in southern Illinois. His Facebook page shows that he was a fan of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who last year made an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. Sanders acknowledged Wednesday that Hodgkinson had apparently been among many volunteers on his 2016 campaign. Authorities believe Hodgkinson had been in the Alexandria area since March, living out of a cargo van and not working, FBI agent Tim Slater said. An online search of newspapers shows that he frequently wrote letters to his local newspaper, the Belleville News-Democrat, which published nearly two dozen of them between 2010 and 2012. Many included complaints about the same theme: income inequality. Hodgkinson, who spent most of his life in the community of 42,000 just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, compared the economic conditions of the time to those that preceded the Great Depression and excoriated Congress for not increasing the number of tax brackets and adopting other tax-reform measures. On May 14, 2010, he wrote: “I don’t envy the rich; I despise the way they have bought our politicians and twisted our laws to their benefit.” Less than a year later, on March 4, 2011, he wrote that Congress should rewrite tax codes to ease the tax burdens of the middle class. “Let’s get back to the good ol’ days, when our representatives had a backbone and a conscience,” he wrote. Later that year, in October 2011, he applauded the Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York and Boston, writing that the demonstrators “are tired of our do-nothing Congress doing nothing while our country is going down the tubes.” Hodgkinson had arrests in his background for a series of minor offenses and at least one more serious matter. Court records show that his legal trouble started in the 1990s with arrests for resisting police and drunken driving. In April 2006, Hodgkinson was charged with misdemeanor battery after he stormed into a neighbor’s house in an attempt to force home a teenage girl who, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, was under guardianship of Hodgkinson and his wife. Witnesses told deputies that Hodgkinson burst into the home and told his daughter “to get your stuff. It’s time to come home,” the report said. The daughter refused and locked herself in a bedroom before Hodgkinson again forced his way in and “became violent,” grabbing her by her hair and throwing her on the floor, according to the report. The confrontation spilled outside as the daughter and a friend tried to flee in a car. Hodgkinson used a pocket knife to cut the friend’s seat belt and punched that woman in the face. The teenager’s mother entered the fray, hitting her daughter, pulling her hair to get her out of the car and threatening to put her back into foster care, the report said. After Hodgkinson retreated to his home, he was confronted by the boyfriend of the woman he punched. According to the report, Hodgkinson struck that man in the head with the wooden stock of a 12-gauge shotgun before firing off a round as that man fled. A judge later returned the teen to the custody of Illinois welfare officials and awarded guardianship to the Hodgkinsons’ neighbor, the Post-Dispatch reported. Battery charges against Hodgkinson and his wife were later dismissed. Three years earlier, Hodgkinson served as an independent contractor on a county weatherization program. He was banned from the program after he was apparently caught rummaging through someone’s desk in search of a check, according to Mark Kern, the St. Clair County board chairman. Though no other legal problems are listed in St. Clair County, which includes Belleville, since 2011, Hodgkinson did come to the attention of local law enforcement as recently as late March. That’s when Bill Schaumleffel recalled hearing shots being fired outside his house, which stands about 500 feet behind Hodgkinson’s home. When he went outside, he saw Hodgkinson shooting a rifle into a cornfield. He was squeezing off five or six rounds at a time and, according to the report, fired about 50 shots in all. “I yelled, ‘Quit shooting toward the houses,'” Schaumleffel said. When Hodgkinson refused to stop, Schaumleffel called the sheriff’s department. St. Clair County Sheriff Rick Watson said Wednesday that Hodgkinson showed the deputy all required firearms licenses and documentation for the high-powered hunting rifle, which he said he was simply using for target practice. The deputy cautioned Hodgkinson about shooting around homes, given that the rounds can travel up to a mile. No charges were filed. “He said, ‘I understand,’ and said he needed to take the gun to a range to shoot it, Watson said. “There was nothing we could arrest him for, and there was no indication he was mentally ill or going to harm anyone. “The only thing I was concerned about was that it was such a high-powered gun, and that somebody could possibly get hurt.” Watson said the deputy on Wednesday recalled Hodgkinson being “very cordial.” The incident happened March 24, according to sheriff’s officials. If the FBI is correct that Hodgkinson had been in Virginia since March, he must have left Illinois shortly after he was seen with the rifle at his home. Over the last several weeks, Hodgkinson spent time at a YMCA near the site of the shooting, sitting with a computer in the lobby or at a table in an exercise area that overlooked the baseball field. Stephen Brennwald, an attorney who said he saw the man every time he visited the facility recently, said he never recalled him talking to anyone. “I would try to chat him up and say stuff, but he never looked back at me,” Brennwald said. Brennwald thought it was odd that Hodgkinson was never exercising or wearing workout clothes. He thought about asking a staffer about the man but never did, he said. “Looking back with 20/20 hindsight, I can see how the guy was troubled, but at the time I thought he was working,” Brennwald said. The office of Republican Rep. Mike Bost, whose district includes Belleville, said it had a record of 10 contacts with Hodgkinson between June 2016 and last month. The contacts were made via phone calls and emails. Spokesman George O’Connor described them as “negative in nature on a variety of legislative issues, but not threatening.” Bost in 2014 became the first Republican since World War II to hold southern Illinois’ 12th District seat. Dale Walsh, 65, of Belleville, said he was a lifelong friend of Hodgkinson’s. He said Hodgkinson never talked politics with him, but he was a passionate person who occasionally got into fights. “He was the type of person that if you challenged him, he wouldn’t back off.” ___ Babwin reported from Chicago. John O’Connor in Springfield; Jim Suhr in Kansas City, Missouri; Alanna Durkin Richer in Richmond, Virginia; and Jake Pearson in Washington also contributed to this report.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board says two players accused of involvement in spot-fixing in the Pakistan Super League tournament will face maximum punishments if they confess. Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif arrived in Lahore on Wednesday and were scheduled to appear before the PCB’s head of anti-corruption unit Col. Mohammad Azam. “If they confessed there’s no need to form a tribunal, but we will hand them maximum punishment so that nobody could do this thing in future,” PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan told reporters. Shaharyar said the players will be handed the charges and the PCB will give them around 14 days to respond. “We will give evidence to them which we have against them … it’s necessary to give them a chance,” Shaharyar said. Shaharyar said the PCB was aware of the fact that bookmakers were targeting players in the PSL and that was the reason players were briefed before the inaugural match between Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi on Feb. 9 in Dubai. Both accused players were part of the defending champions Islamabad United. Sharjeel played in the first match, which was under the scrutiny of the PCB’s anti-corruption unit while Latif was rested. PCB provisionally suspended both Sharjeel and Latif while another former test opener Nasir Jamshed was also provisionally suspended on Monday — the day he was arrested and then released on bail in England. “Jamshed and another man, Yusuf, were arrested by the National Crime Agency,” a PCB official told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The PCB official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the issue. Britain’s National Crime Authority released an earlier statement saying two men in their 30s had been arrested on Feb. 13 and released on bail until April in connection with bribery offences as part of an ongoing investigation into international cricket match spot-fixing. A third Islamabad United player is also under investigation and a player from each of the Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators franchises was questioned by the PCB’s anti-corruption unit in the United Arab Emirates, where the Super League is being staged. All three players were allowed to continue playing in the tournament. “We know what we are doing,” PSL chairman Najam Sethi said late Tuesday. “We have all the evidence and we knew this for a while. We had information, but we cannot talk about stuff right now, a charge sheet will be given to players soon.” Sethi said the PCB’s anti-corruption unit had information about spot-fixing before the PSL began on Feb. 9. “We had identified a few players and then at final stages we knew the ICC had some information as well,” he said. “When we compared it, the information was the same and then we decided to act on this.” “We have these players’ phones in which there is more information — who they were in touch with, what they talked about.” Sethi said the cricket board’s anti-corruption unit had infiltrated gambling operations in Pakistan ahead of the tournament. It’s not the first time Pakistan cricketers have been embroiled in corruption controversies. In 1999 Salim Malik and Ataur Rehman were banned for life following a match-fixing investigation. In 2010 three players — Mohammad Amir, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif — were suspended for five years for their involvement in the bowling of deliberate no-balls at pre-determined times during a test match in England.

NEW YORK (AP) — Watching NFL football games on your phone used to be mainly limited to Verizon customers. Soon anyone will be able to watch football games on the go for free on Yahoo’s app, now that Verizon owns Yahoo. But people who want to watch football through online-TV services like Sling will have more problems. An NFL game on ESPN will still be blocked on the Sling app on a phone — and starting next season, on tablets, too. Verizon apps will have the exclusive rights on phones and tablets. Verizon bought Yahoo in June and is trying to build a digital ad business to rival Facebook and Google. Verizon’s multi-year deal with the NFL takes effect in January. Playoffs will stream on Yahoo, Verizon’s app go90 and the NFL’s own app.

STERLING, Va. (AP) — President Donald Trump wished America a happy Fourth of July holiday Wednesday and reserved special praise for the “American heroes” whose sacrifice he said helped the nation win her independence 242 years ago. Trump tweeted a short video that included well wishes from him and first lady Melania Trump. The Trumps were hosting a White House picnic for military families later Wednesday, followed by a concert and viewing of the fireworks on the National Mall. “Our freedom has been earned through the blood and sweat and sacrifice of American heroes,” Trump said. Trump left the White House on Wednesday morning clad in a white short-sleeved shirt, dark slacks and a cap and was driven west across the Potomac River in the direction of the private golf club he owns in Northern Virginia. The White House did not immediately confirm that Trump is at the club. Reporters were not allowed to accompany him to his destination, as is the case with virtually all presidential travel. Trump got into the Independence Day spirit a day earlier by celebrating active-duty service members during a military tribute Tuesday night in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. At the “Salute to Service” charity dinner, Trump praised “Americans of every generation” who have served in the armed forces. ___ Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap

SYDNEY (AP) — A hotel valet had a lucky escape — but the luxury sports car he was trying to park did not. Australian media say the valet drove the soft-top Porsche Carrera under another vehicle Thursday outside the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Sydney. Emergency workers cut the driver out from the Porsche as a crowd watched. Matthew Talbot, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. the valet was “embarrassed and a little bit shocked” but was OK. The larger vehicle was propped up and its wheels were anchored while the vehicles were separated. The black Porsche, its hood and front bumper crunched and dented, was then backed onto a tow truck. Witness Jonathan Bayle said he thought a television show or movie was being shot. The hotel said in a statement it was investigating.

STOCKHOLM (AP) — An American scientist who shared this year’s Nobel Prize for medicine bluntly criticized political developments at home in his address at the awards’ gala banquet, saying that U.S. scientists are facing funding cutbacks that will hurt research. Michael Rosbash, who was honored for his work on circadian rhythms — commonly called the body clock — expressed concern that U.S. government funding such as that received by him and Nobel colleagues Jeffrey Hall and Michael Young is endangered. “We benefited from an enlightened period in the postwar United States. Our National Institutes of Health have enthusiastically and generously supported basic research … (but) the current climate in the U.S. is a warning that continued support cannot be taken for granted,” Rosbash said in a short speech Sunday night at Stockholm’s ornate city hall. The 2018 federal budget proposed by President Donald Trump calls for cutting science funding by billions of dollars. “Also in danger is the pluralistic America into which all three of us of born were born and raised after World War II,” Rosbash said. “Immigrants and foreigners have always been an indispensable part of our country, including its great record in scientific research.” Literature laureate Kazuo Ishiguro of Britain expressed concern about increasing tensions between social factions. “We live today in a time of growing tribal enmities of communities fracturing into bitterly opposed groups,” said Ishiguro, who was born in Japan. He said Nobel prizes can counterbalance such animosity. “The pride we feel when someone from our nation wins a Nobel prize is different from the one we feel witnessing one of our athletes winning an Olympic medal. We don’t feel the pride of our tribe demonstrating superiority over other tribes. Rather it’s the pride that from knowing that one of us has made a significant contribution to our common human endeavor,” he said. In the Norwegian capital of Oslo, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima compared her struggle to survive in 1945 to the objectives of the group awarded this year’s Nobel’s Peace Prize. Setsuko Thurlow, who was 13 when the U.S. bomb devastated her Japanese city during the final weeks of World War II, spoke as a leading activist with the Nobel-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. Thurlow said the Hiroshima blast left her buried under the rubble, but she was able to see light and crawl to safety. In the same way, the campaign to which she belongs is a driving force behind an international treaty to ban nuclear weapons, she said after ICAN received the Nobel prize it won in October. “Our light now is the ban treaty,” Thurlow said. “I repeat those words that I heard called to me in the ruins of Hiroshima: ‘Don’t give up. Keep pushing. See the light? Crawl toward it.'” The treaty has been signed by 56 countries — none of them nuclear powers — and ratified by only three. To become binding it requires ratification by 50 countries. ICAN Executive Director Beatrice Fihn, who accepted the prize along with Thurlow, said that while the treaty is far from ratification “now, at long last, we have an unequivocal norm against nuclear weapons.” “This is the way forward. There is only one way to prevent the use of nuclear weapons — prohibit and eliminate them,” Fihn said. The prize winners were announced in October. All except the peace prize were awarded in Sweden on Sunday. The other laureates were American Richard Thaler for his work in behavioral economics; American physicists Kip Thorne, Rainer Weiss and Barry Barish for confirming the existence of gravity waves; and Jacques Dubochet of Switzerland, American Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson of the United Kingdom for advances in electron microscopy. ___ Heintz reported from Moscow.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Just six days into his presidency, Donald Trump was informed his national security adviser had misled his vice president about contacts with Russia. Trump kept his No. 2 in the dark and waited nearly three weeks before ousting the aide, Michael Flynn, citing a slow but steady erosion of trust, White House officials said. Flynn was interviewed by the FBI about his telephone conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., a sign his ties to Russia had caught the attention of law enforcement officials. But in the White House’s retelling of Flynn’s stunning downfall, his error was not that he discussed U.S. sanctions with the Russian before the inauguration — a potential violation of a rarely enforced law — but the fact that he denied it for weeks, apparently misleading Vice President Mike Pence and other senior Trump aides about the nature of the conversations. White House officials said they conducted a thorough review of Flynn’s interactions, including transcripts of calls secretly recorded by U.S. intelligence officials, but found nothing illegal. Pence, who had vouched for Flynn in a televised interview, is said to have been angry and deeply frustrated. “The evolving and eroding level of trust as a result of this situation and a series of other questionable incidents is what led the president to ask General Flynn for his resignation,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Tuesday, one day after the president asked Flynn to leave. Flynn, in an interview with The Daily Caller News Foundation, said Monday “there were no lines crossed” in his conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. The explanation of the episode left many questions unanswered, including why Trump didn’t alert Pence to the matter and why Trump allowed Flynn to keep accessing classified information and taking part in the president’s discussions with world leaders up until the day he was fired. White House officials also struggled to explain why Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway had declared the president retained “full confidence” in Flynn just hours before the adviser had to submit his letter of resignation. Later Tuesday, The New York Times reported that U.S. agencies had intercepted phone calls last year between Russian intelligence officials and members of Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign team. Current and former U.S. officials who spoke to the Times anonymously said they found no evidence that the Trump campaign was working with the Russians on hacking or other efforts to influence the election. The White House shakeup, less than one month into Trump’s tenure, marked another jarring setback for a new administration already dealing with tensions among top aides and a legal fight over the president’s travel ban order. Flynn’s firing also heightened questions about the president’s friendly posture toward Russia. Democrats called for investigations into Flynn’s contacts, and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Congress needed to know whether he had been acting with direction from the president or others. Trump initially thought Flynn could survive the controversy, according to a person with direct knowledge of the president’s views, but a pair of explosive stories in The Washington Post in recent days made the situation untenable. As early as last week, he and aides began making contingency plans for Flynn’s dismissal, a senior administration official said. While the president was said to be upset with Flynn, he also expressed anger with other aides for “losing control” of the story and making his young administration look bad. Pence spokesman Marc Lotter said Pence became aware that he had received “incomplete information” from Flynn only after the first Washington Post report Thursday night. Pence learned about the Justice Department warnings to the White House around the same time. The officials and others with knowledge of the situation were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and requested anonymity. Ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration, Pence and other officials insisted publicly that Flynn had not discussed sanctions in his talks with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. On Jan. 26, Acting Attorney General Sally Yates contacted White House counsel Don McGahn to raise concerns about discrepancies between the public accounting and what intelligence officials knew to be true about the contacts based on routine recordings of communications with foreign officials who are in the U.S. The Justice Department warned the White House that the inconsistencies would leave the president’s top national security aide vulnerable to blackmail from Russia, according to a person with knowledge of the discussion. The president was informed of the warnings the same day, Spicer said. Flynn was interviewed by the FBI around the same time, according to a U.S. official who was briefed on the investigation. It was not immediately known what questions the FBI asked of Flynn or what he told law enforcement officials. McGahn, along with chief of staff Reince Priebus and strategist Steve Bannon, also questioned Flynn multiple times in the ensuing weeks, a White House official said. Top aides also reviewed transcripts of Flynn’s contacts with the ambassador, according to a person with knowledge of the review process. At the same time, the official said Trump aides began taking steps to put some distance between the president and Flynn. CIA Director Mike Pompeo and retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, a top Flynn aide, started taking part in Trump’s daily security briefings. Top Trump advisers quietly met with Vice Admiral Robert Harward last week and spoke with the former Navy SEAL again Monday, the White House official said. Harward is seen as the top contender for the job, though former CIA Director David Petraeus and Kellogg, who has temporarily stepped into the role, are also under consideration. Spicer said other “questionable incidents” had contributed to Flynn’s firing. According to one person with knowledge of the matter, those incidents included Flynn seeking a security clearance for his son during the transition. At the time, it was Pence who was again put in the position of defending Flynn on television, saying he had not sought a clearance for the retired general’s son. A U.S. official told The Associated Press that Flynn was in frequent contact with Kislyak on the day the Obama administration slapped sanctions on Russia for election-related hacking, as well as at other times during the transition. Spicer said Flynn was not discussing sanctions at the president’s behest. Before he resigned Monday night, Flynn told the investigative news nonprofit affiliated with the website The Daily Caller that he and Kislyak spoke only generally about the Russian diplomats expelled by President Barack Obama as part of the previous administration’s response to Moscow’s interference in the U.S. presidential election. “It wasn’t about sanctions. It was about the 35 guys who were thrown out,” Flynn said. “It was basically: ‘Look, I know this happened. We’ll review everything.’ I never said anything such as, ‘We’re going to review sanctions,’ or anything like that.” ___ Associated Press writers Jonathan Lemire, Eric Tucker, Ken Thomas, Jill Colvin, Erica Werner and Catherine Lucey contributed to this report. ___ Online: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3461508-Michael-Flynn-Resignation-Letter.html Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC and Vivian Salama at http://twitter.com/vmsalama

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese telecommunications, internet and solar company SoftBank Group Corp. is buying U.S. investment company Fortress Investment Group for $3.3 billion. The deal was announced by both sides Wednesday. New York-based Fortress, which manages global investments, said its senior professionals will stay to keep up its fund performance. Tokyo-based SoftBank has been aggressive in global acquisitions. Chief Executive Masayoshi Son was recently seen with President Donald Trump, who praised his promise to invest and create jobs in the U.S. SoftBank owns the U.S. wireless company Sprint Corp. and Britain’s ARM Holdings. ARM is known as an innovator in the “internet of things,” and in technology used in smartphones. It has set up a $25 billion private fund for technology investments that it says may grow to $100 billion.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greeks “need to see a light at the end of the austerity tunnel,” the European Union’s financial affairs chief said Wednesday during a visit to discuss the country’s slow-moving negotiations with its international bailout creditors. Pierre Moscovici said he was “hopeful” about Greece’s prospects, as he met with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. He noted Greece’s economy had grown modestly recently. Tsipras’ left-led government hopes to conclude much-delayed negotiations by Monday’s meeting of eurozone finance ministers on spending cuts and reforms demanded by European creditors and the International Monetary Fund. Without a deal, it can’t get the next batch of rescue loans. Moscovici told Tsipras he believed efforts were required “from all sides” to reach an agreement, but that he was optimistic. The European commissioner met earlier with Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos. An agreement between Greece and its creditors would also make the country eligible for the European Central Bank’s bond-buying stimulus program. That would lower Greece’s government borrowing rates and ease its way to tapping bond markets again later this year. But Athens refuses to introduce new austerity measures, and next week’s meeting of eurozone finance ministers is not expected to provide a full breakthrough in the talks. Greece has depended on international bailouts since 2010. In return for billions of euros in rescue loans, successive governments have had to overhaul the economy, imposing repeated tax hikes and slashing spending, including salaries and pensions. The crisis has wiped more than a quarter off the Greek economy, and left unemployment hovering at 23 percent.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A fake Michael Flynn Twitter account has fooled two top House Democrats who cited a series of tweets in condemning President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser. Flynn was forced to resign Monday over discussions he had with Russian officials before Trump took office. At a news conference Tuesday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., complained that Republicans in Congress were not adequately investigating Flynn’s actions. In doing so, they cited a tweet purportedly from Flynn that said, “I feel it is unfair that I have been made the sole scapegoat for what happened.” CUMMINGS: “Madam leader, just this morning, Flynn tweeted, and this is a quote, ‘scapegoat,’ end of quote. Scapegoat. He basically described himself as a scapegoat.” PELOSI: “I have a tweet, I’m going to make, I’m telling my staff right now — It’s not scapegoat, its stonewall, and that’s exactly what the Republicans in Congress are doing.” THE FACTS: That wasn’t Flynn tweeting. Flynn had a different verified Twitter account during the campaign, but it is no longer active, and his own son, Michael Flynn Jr., tweeted in his account that the purported tweet from his father was fake. Cummings mentioned the tweets at the news conference and Pelosi picked up on the theme. Both offices later acknowledged the mistake. Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill acknowledged that Pelosi inadvertently cited tweets from a fake account. Cummings issued his correction on Twitter: “Yes, sorry, to correct the record — just learned like many others that the Flynn tweet this morning was fake.” The New York Times cited tweets from the unverified account in a story about Flynn’s resignation. Later, the newspaper removed the references and corrected its story. ___ Find all AP Fact Checks here: http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd ___ Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephenatap EDITOR’S NOTE _ A look at the veracity of claims by political figures

TOKYO (AP) — Shares fell in Europe and Asia on Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve pushed ahead with its latest interest rate hike. Greece was meeting with European creditors to discuss further relief of its debt load. KEEPING SCORE: Germany’s DAX fell 0.6 percent to 12,727.14 while the CAC40 of France sank 0.8 percent to 5,202.60. The FTSE 100 of Britain dropped 0.4 percent to 7,474.40. U.S. shares looked set to open lower, with Dow futures down 0.3 percent and S&P futures off 0.5 percent. GREECE DEBT: Athens hopes to secure more bailout funds to meet a summer debt repayment hump and to force a debt relief deal at a meeting Thursday of finance ministers from the 19-country eurozone. The main obstacle to an agreement is a difference of opinion between the eurozone and the International Monetary Fund over Greece’s long-term debt outlook. RATE HIKE: The Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the third time since December, something investors had widely expected based on the Fed’s recent statements. Fed leaders, including Chair Janet Yellen, suggested they still expect to raise rates again later in the year. ANALYST VIEWPOINT: “Against the backdrop of mixed economic performances, Fed Chair Yellen had unexpectedly stuck to a more optimistic view on economic conditions,” Jingyi Pan of IG said in a commentary. “Notably, however, the Fed’s inflation outlook (was) lowered, reflecting a more moderated outlook that is expected to invite more scrutiny on their upcoming decisions.” HONG KONG: The Hong Kong Monetary Authority raised interest rates after the Fed’s move, to help keep the territory’s currency at a stable rate against the U.S. dollar. That spurred selling of real estate developers’ shares. ASIA’S DAY: Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock index fell 0.3 percent to 19,831.82 and South Korea’s Kospi sank 0.5 percent to 2,361.65. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong dropped 1.2 percent to 25,565.34, but Shanghai’s Composite index rose 0.1 percent lower to 3,132.49. The S&P ASX 200 in Australia tumbled 1.2 percent to 5,763.20. Shares in Southeast Asia were mostly lower. ENERGY: Oil futures had plunged overnight after the U.S. government said oil supplies shrank only slightly last week while gasoline stockpiles grew. Benchmark U.S. crude fell another 15 cents to $44.58 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It fell $1.73, or 3.7 percent, to settle at $44.73 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, fell 6 cents to $46.94 a barrel. CURRENCIES: The dollar rose to 109.75 from 109.57 yen. The euro dropped to $1.1160 from $1.1217.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — The Latest on violent protesting in Virginia and related developments around the nation (all times local): ___ A judge has denied bond for an Ohio man accused of plowing his car into a crowd at a white nationalist rally. Judge Robert Downer said during a bond hearing Monday he would appoint a lawyer for James Alex Fields Jr. Fields is charged with second-degree murder and other counts after authorities say he drove into the crowd, fatally injuring one woman and hurting 19 others. The rally was held by white nationalists and others who oppose a plan to remove from a Charlottesville park of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Fields has been in custody since Saturday. A high school teacher said Fields was fascinated with Nazism, idolized Adolf Hitler and had been singled out by school officials in the 9th grade for his “deeply held, radical” convictions on race. ___ 9:45 a.m. A group that hosts a ceremony every year to re-dedicate an Atlanta monument depicting a Confederate soldier vows that it will be repaired after protesters spray-painted it and broke a chunk from it. John Green, past commandant of the Old Guard of the Gate City Guard, said Monday it appears his group must now raise money to repair the 105-year-old statue damaged during a Sunday protest after the deadly weekend violence in Virginia. City officials haven’t commented on any plans for repairs or whether city funds would be used for that. Green said removing the statue from Piedmont Park, a city park, is not an option. He said the angel standing over the soldier represents peace, and it was created to help bring the nation back together after the Civil War. ___ 7:40 a.m. A prominent white nationalist website that promoted a Virginia rally that ended in deadly violence Saturday is losing its internet domain host. GoDaddy tweeted late Sunday night that it has given the Daily Stormer 24 hours to move its domain to another provider because the site has violated GoDaddy’s terms of service. GoDaddy spokesman Dan Race tells the New York Daily News that the Daily Stormer violated its terms of service by labeling a woman killed in an attack at the event in Charlottesville “fat” and “childless.” Heather Heyer was killed Saturday when police say a man plowed his car into a group of demonstrators protesting the white nationalist rally. Shortly after GoDaddy tweeted its decision, the site posted an article claiming it had been hacked and would be shut down. ___ 7:25 a.m. Protesters spray-painted and broke a chunk off a statue depicting a Confederate soldier at an Atlanta park after they marched through the city to protest the weekend violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that a lone policeman at Piedmont Park on Sunday night was surrounded by black-clad protesters shouting “pig” as demonstrators used chains to try and destroy the Peace Monument. The statue depicts a winged angel standing over a Confederate soldier. Video from local news outlets showed red spray paint covering much of the monument following the demonstration. The Atlanta protest was among several around the nation over the weekend that were organized after a chaotic white supremacist rally in Virginia ended with deadly violence. ___ 7:25 a.m. The German government is condemning the white nationalist rally in Virginia that turned violent Saturday, expressing solidarity with peaceful counter-protesters. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters Monday that it was an “absolutely repulsive scene at this extreme-right march.” He said “there was outrageous racism, anti-Semitism and hate in its most despicable form to be seen, and whenever it comes to such speech or such images it is repugnant.” He added that it’s “completely contrary to what the chancellor and the German government works for politically, and we are in solidarity with those who stand peacefully against such aggressive extreme-right opinions.” Seibert says Merkel also regrets the death of a counter-protester and sent her sympathies to those injured. ___ 3 a.m. An Ohio man accused of plowing his car into counter-protesters at a white nationalist rally in Virginia is set to make his first court appearance. Col. Martin Kumer, superintendent at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail, says 20-year-old James Alex Fields Jr. has a bond hearing Monday morning. Fields is charged with second-degree murder and other counts after authorities say he drove into the crowd, fatally injuring one woman and hurting 19 others. Fields has been in custody since Saturday. Jail officials told The Associated Press they don’t know if he’s obtained an attorney. A high school teacher said Fields was fascinated with Nazism, idolized Adolf Hitler and had been singled out by school officials in the 9th grade for his “deeply held, radical” convictions on race.

DENVER (AP) — Chad Bettis drew a standing ovation when he took the mound for the first time since cancer treatment, then threw seven impressive innings Monday night as the Colorado Rockies beat the Atlanta Braves 3-0. Bettis scattered six hits, walked none and struck out two. He hadn’t pitched in the majors since being diagnosed with testicular cancer in November. Bettis had surgery for the condition, but tests in March showed the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes. He later underwent chemotherapy. The crowd at Coors Field gave Bettis a big cheer as he went out to pitch the first inning. The Braves’ best chance to score against him came when Ender Inciarte led off with a triple, but he was thrown out trying to stretch it to an inside-the-park home run. The 28-year-old Bettis led Colorado in starts (32), wins (14) and innings (186) last season. He left for a pinch-hitter in the seventh with the game still scoreless. Colorado scored three times in the eighth off Rex Brothers (2-3), who relieved starter Julio Teheran. The Rockies began the tied with Arizona for the top NL wild-card spot. Mike Dunn (5-1) got the win and Greg Holland closed for his 35th save. Holland, who had blown his previous two save chances, gave up a single and walk in the ninth before getting the last out. Teheran allowed four hits and struck out eight in seven innings. Charlie Blackmon led off the Colorado eighth with a triple. After an intentional walk, Gerardo Parra singled through the drawn-in infield to put the Rockies ahead. Carlos Gonzalez’s two-run single off Jason Motte gave Colorado some insurance. TRAINER’S ROOM Braves: OF Matt Kemp (right hamstring strain) did some running and is scheduled to do more Wednesday. He will take Thursday off but could play Friday against Cincinnati. Rockies: OF/1B Ian Desmond (right calf strain) did some hitting and running on Colorado’s recent road trip. CRISIS AVERTED The Rockies got a scare Sunday when All-Star 3B Nolan Arenado, who leads the majors with 100 RBIs, left the game in Miami after being hit on the left hand with a pitch. He and the team feared he suffered a broken bone but X-rays showed only a bruise. “I was a little surprised. I thought I broke it,” Arenado said Monday. “It got super tight right after. Last time I broke my finger, and I’ve broken bones before, it gets super tight and it usually comes out broken.” He didn’t start but he pinch-hit in the seventh, fouling out to first. “I’m good to go. It hurts but I’ve dealt with worse pain,” he said. “It’s not as swollen as we thought it was going to be. It’s just pain tolerance.” BAYLOR TRIBUTE Before the game, the Rockies honored Don Baylor, the club’s first manager, with a video tribute and a moment of silence. Baylor, who managed Colorado in the first six seasons, passed away Aug. 7 at age 68 after a 14-year battle with multiple myeloma. The Rockies hung his jersey in their dugout. UP NEXT Braves: LHP Sean Newcomb (1-7, 4.45) will make his 12th start of the season on Tuesday. Rockies: LHP Kyle Freeland (11-7, 3.70) will return from a left groin strain to make his first career start against Atlanta on Tuesday.