By MICHAEL R. BLOOD

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California Democrats’ rush to schedule an emergency election to remake U.S. House districts and counter rival moves by Texas Republicans has created a dilemma for county officials who are being urged to plan for an election that hasn’t been scheduled and might never happen.

Orchestrating an election in a state of nearly 23 million registered voters across 58 counties is a time-consuming and costly endeavor under any circumstances, but Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Democratic-dominated Legislature already have blown past deadlines intended to give local officials adequate time for organizing everything from printing mail ballots in multiple languages to lining up staff and securing locations for in-person voting.

Democrats are considering new political maps that could slash five Republican-held House seats in the liberal-leaning state while bolstering Democratic incumbents in other battleground districts. If Democrats succeed, that could leave Republicans with four House seats in the state among 52 overall.

Those revised maps could be formally unveiled as soon as next week, in advance of a Nov. 4 election.

The office of the state’s chief elections overseer, Secretary of State Shirley Weber, met Monday with local election officials to discuss planning for the pending election. Though an election has not been called, “staff around the state need to begin preparing for the possibility of a special election,” Weber spokesperson Jim Patrick said in an email.

Meanwhile, it’s not known if the state will cover the cost of the potential November election or if counties — many cash-strapped — will be saddled with the bill. A 2021 special election in which Newsom beat back a recall attempt cost over $200 million to conduct.

“We are going to be under some tight time pressures,” said Orange County Registrar of Voters Bob Page, whose office is rapidly planning for the proposed election.

“We really can’t lose all or most of August by waiting” for the Legislature and the governor to act, Page added. “It’s a risk I have to take.”

Los Angeles County Clerk Dean Logan, who oversees elections in the county of nearly 10 million people, warned that “without upfront state funding and a clearly defined calendar, counties can face challenges meeting the demands of an election.”

“Ensuring voters are served accurately, securely, and equitably must remain the top priority, and that takes preparation,” Logan added in a statement.

Texas and California — the two most populous U.S. states — are the leading actors in a back-and-forth push to remake the balance of power in the U.S. House, kicked off when President Donald Trump called for Texas to redraw district lines with the GOP’s fragile House majority imperiled in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections.

The party that controls the White House is typically punished by voters in midterm elections.

“We are entitled to five more seats” in Texas, Trump insisted Tuesday in a CNBC interview. He pointed to California’s existing maps, which are drawn by an independent commission unlike the Texas maps crafted by a partisan legislature: “They did it to us.”

Other states — including New York, Florida and Indiana — could get into the power struggle that’s emerging as a national proxy war for control of Congress.

Newsom has said he would only move forward with the election if Texas succeeds in recasting its own House maps. The Texas push is on hold, after Democrats fled the state to prevent a legislative vote on the Republican redistricting plan.

In an online post, Page wrote that state rules require the governor to issue a proclamation calling a statewide election at least 148 days before the date of the election — that would have been June 9. As part of any action, the Legislature would have to waive that requirement this year.

He warned of a possible enforcement action by the U.S. Justice Department if ballots for members of the U.S. Military and overseas voters are not issued by Sept. 20.

Page said if he waited for the Legislature and the governor to formally call the election, “it would be too late for me to actually conduct the election.”

If it goes through, “We are going to make this work,” Page added.

By DASHA LITVINOVA

Bilateral meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterparts were a regular occurrence early in his tenure.

But as tensions mounted between Moscow and the West following the illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and allegations of meddling with the 2016 U.S. elections, those became increasingly less frequent, and their tone appeared less friendly.

Here’s what to know about past meetings between Russian and U.S. presidents:

Putin and Joe Biden

Putin and Joe Biden met only once while holding the presidency –- in Geneva in June 2021.

Russia was amassing troops on the border with Ukraine, where large swaths of land in the east had long been occupied by Moscow-backed forces; Washington repeatedly accused Russia of cyberattacks. The Kremlin was intensifying its domestic crackdown on dissent, jailing opposition leader Alexei Navalny months earlier and harshly suppressing protests demanding his release.

Putin and Biden talked for three hours, but no breakthroughs came out of the meeting. The two exchanged expressions of mutual respect, but firmly restated their starkly different views on all of the above.

They spoke again via videoconference in December 2021 as tensions heightened over Ukraine. Biden threatened sanctions if Russia invaded Ukraine, and Putin demanded guarantees that Kyiv wouldn’t join NATO –- something Washington and its allies said was a nonstarter.

Another phone call between the two came in February 2022, less than two weeks before the full-scale invasion. Then the high-level contacts stopped cold, with no publicly disclosed conversations between Putin and Biden since the invasion.

Putin and Donald Trump

Putin met Trump met six times during the American’s first term -– at and on the sidelines of G20 and APEC gatherings — but most famously in Helsinki in July 2018. That’s where Trump stood next to Putin and appeared to accept his insistence that Moscow had not interfered with the 2016 U.S. presidential election and openly questioned the firm finding by his own intelligence agencies.

His remarks were a stark illustration of Trump’s willingness to upend decades of U.S. foreign policy and rattle Western allies in service of his political concerns.

“I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today,” Trump said. “He just said it’s not Russia. I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be.”

Putin and Barack Obama

U.S. President Barack Obama met with Putin nine times, and there were 12 more meetings with Dmitry Medvedev, who served as president in 2008-12. Putin became prime minister in a move that allowed him to reset Russia’s presidential term limits and run again in 2012.

Obama traveled to Russia twice — once to meet Medvedev in 2009 and again for a G20 summit 2013. Medvedev and Putin also traveled to the U.S.

Under Medvedev, Moscow and Washington talked of “resetting” Russia-U.S. relations post-Cold War and worked on arms control treaties. U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton famously presented a big “reset” button to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a meeting in 2009. One problem: instead of “reset” in Russian, they used another word meaning “overload.”

After Putin returned to office in 2012, tensions rose between the two countries. The Kremlin accused the West of interfering with Russian domestic affairs, saying it fomented anti-government protests that rocked Moscow just as Putin sought reelection. The authorities cracked down on dissent and civil society, drawing international condemnation.

Obama canceled his visit to Moscow in 2013 after Russia granted asylum to Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor and whistleblower.

In 2014, the Kremlin illegally annexed Crimea and threw its weight behind a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine. The U.S. and its allies responded with crippling sanctions. Relations plummeted to the lowest point since the Cold War.

The Kremlin’s 2015 military intervention in Syria to prop up Bashar Assad further complicated ties. Putin and Obama last met in China in September 2016, on the sidelines of a G20 summit, and held talks focused on Ukraine and Syria.

Putin and George W. Bush

Putin and George W. Bush met 28 times during Bush’s two terms. They hosted each other for talks and informal meetings in Russia and the U.S., met regularly on the sidelines of international summits and forums, and boasted of improving ties between onetime rivals.

After the first meeting with Putin in 2001, Bush said he “looked the man in the eye” and “found him very straightforward and trustworthy,” getting “a sense of his soul.”

In 2002, they signed the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty -– a nuclear arms pact that significantly reduced both countries’ strategic nuclear warhead arsenal.

Putin was the first world leader to call Bush after the 9/11 terrorist attack, offering his condolences and support, and welcomed the U.S. military deployment on the territory of Moscow’s Central Asian allies for action in Afghanistan.

He has called Bush “a decent person and a good friend,” adding that good relations with him helped find a way out of “the most acute and conflict situations.”

Associated Press writer Yuras Karmanau contributed.

A pet cat in Evergreen, Colorado about 30 miles west of Denver has died from the plague, health officials said.

The Jefferson County Public Health Department confirmed the case, noting it is not uncommon to see a few animal cases of plague in Colorado during the warmer months.

Like with this case, sometimes our local veterinarians are the first to see plague when our pets get sick," said Jim Rada, Jefferson County Environmental Health Director. "In many ways, they are a first line of defense both in helping keep our pets safe from fleas that could make our pets sick and in treating them if they are exposed to plague.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Person dies from a case of the plague in northern Arizona

Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and can be contracted through flea bites or direct contact with an infected animal.

While human cases are rare, plague can be life-threatening without prompt treatment, the health department said. It can be effectively treated with antibiotics if caught early.

Health officials offered the following tips to reduce the risk of pets contracting plague:

Stay away from wild animals Never touch sick or dead animals Dont let pets roam freely outside. Talk to your vet about flea prevention for pets

A reboot matching the brilliance of its predecessor? Ugh, as if. But Alicia Silverstone is “confident” Peacock’s upcoming “Clueless” series will do its very best to “honor” the original.

Silverstone, 48, who starred as fashion-forward “virgin who can’t drive” Cher Horowitz in the 1995 film — which celebrated its 30th anniversary last month — is executive producing the streamer series, and told the “Today” show she’s “really excited” for the reboot.

“The goal is to make it honor what everyone loves about ‘Clueless’ and Cher,” she told Savannah Guthrie Thursday, “But also bring something fresh and new to it. … We’re in baby stages right now.”

“Clueless” also previously lived on the small screen with an ABC sitcom that aired from 1996 and 1999, as created by the uber-quotable film’s writer-director Amy Heckerling.

Time hasn’t lessened the impact of Heckerling’s modern cinematic take on Jane Austen’s “Emma” — with enduring fashion and pop cultural nods that include Iggy Azalea’s 2014 music video for “Fancy” and a 2023 Super Bowl commercial with Silverstone reliving some of Cher’s best moments.

Just last month, the L’Ermitage Beverly Hills unveiled a “Clueless” suite, replete with fuzzy pens, a Polaroid camera, a Cher-inspired (mostly) wardrobe and a nearly $2,000 price tag.

The new “Clueless” won’t be NBC-owned Peacock’s first time rebooting a ’90s favorite set in Southern California.

In 2022, the pretty nascent platform re-imagined Will Smith’s beloved “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” sitcom as a present-day drama, “Bel-Air,” executive produced by the Oscar winner. The show’s upcoming fourth season will be its last.

By CHEYANNE MUMPHREY

A big increase in the tax on university endowments is adding to financial uncertainty for the wealthiest colleges in the U.S., leading several already to lay off staff or implement hiring freezes.

Spending more endowment money on taxes could also lead colleges to reduce financial aid, cutting off access to elite institutions for lower-income students, colleges and industry experts have warned. President Donald Trump signed the tax increase into law last month as part of his signature spending bill.

The new tax rates take effect in 2026, but colleges such as Harvard, Yale and Stanford already are citing the tax as one of many reasons for making cuts across their universities. Each will be on the hook to pay hundreds of millions more in taxes, while also navigating reductions in research grants and other threats to funding by the Trump administration.

A tax on college endowments was introduced during Trump’s first administration, collecting 1.4% of wealthy universities’ investment earnings. The law signed by Trump last month creates a new tiered system that taxes the richest schools at the highest rates.

The new tax will charge an 8% rate at schools with $2 million or more in assets for each enrolled student. Schools with $750,000 to $2 million will be charged 4%, and schools with $500,000 to $750,000 will continue to be charged the 1.4% rate.

The tax applies only to private colleges and universities with at least 3,000 students, up from the previous cutoff of 500 students.

“The tax now will really solely apply to private research universities,” said Steven Bloom, assistant vice president of government relations for the American Council on Education. “It’s going to mean that these schools are going to have to spend more money under the tax, taking it away from what they primarily use their endowment assets for — financial aid.”

This small group of wealthy colleges faces a tax increase

The law will increase the endowment tax for about a dozen universities, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from the National Association of College and University Business Officers.

Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Princeton and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are expected to pay the 8% rate next year. The schools facing the 4% rate include Notre Dame, Dartmouth College, Rice University, University of Pennsylvania, Washington University in St. Louis and Vanderbilt University.

Some universities are on the edge of the law’s parameters. Both Duke and Emory, for instance, were shy of the $750,000-per-student endowment threshold based on last fiscal year.

Endowments are made up of donations to the college, which are invested to maintain the money over time. Colleges often spend about 5% of their investment earnings every year to put toward their budgets. Much of it goes toward scholarships for students, along with costs such as research or endowed faculty positions.

Despite the colleges’ wealth, the tax will drastically impact their budgets, said Phillip Levine, an economist and professor at Wellesley College.

“They’re looking for savings wherever possible,” Levine said, which could impact financial aid. “One of the most important things they do with their endowment is lower the cost of education for lower- and middle-income students. The institutions paying the highest tax are also the ones charging these students the least amount of money to attend.”

For example, at Rice University in Houston, officials anticipate the college will need to pay $6.4 million more in taxes. That equates to more than 100 student financial aid packages, the university said, but Rice officials will explore all other options to avoid cutting that support.

How colleges are adjusting to financial pressures

In the meantime, some universities are going forward with staff cuts.

Yale University says it will have to pay an estimated $280 million in total endowment taxes, citing the tax in a campus message implementing a hiring freeze. Stanford University announced plans to reduce its operating budget by $140 million this upcoming school year, which included 363 layoffs and an ongoing hiring freeze. The university spent months trying to determine where to reduce its budget, but said it would continue to support undergraduate financial aid and funding for Ph.D. students.

Research universities are under increasing financial pressure from reductions in funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies.

No university knows this pressure better than Harvard, the country’s wealthiest college. Its $53 billion endowment puts it at the top of the list for the new tax, but it’s also seeing massive portions of research funding under threat in its ongoing battle with the White House.

The federal government has frozen $2.6 billion in Harvard’s research grants in connection with civil rights investigations focused on antisemitism and Harvard’s efforts to promote diversity on campus. But the impact of other administration policies on the university could approach $1 billion annually, Harvard said in a statement.

“It’s not like Harvard is going to go from one of the best institutions in the world to just a mediocre institution. That’s probably not going to happen,” Levine said. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not going to be a bad thing — that there won’t be pain and that students won’t suffer.”

Mumphrey reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writer Sharon Lurye in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Federal prosecutors have issued subpoenas to New York Attorney General Letitia James for records related to a civil fraud case against President Donald Trump and a separate case against the National Rifle Association, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

The two people could not publicly discuss specific details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Geoff Burgan, a spokesperson for the attorney generals office, declined to confirm the subpoenas but issued a statement that said, Any weaponization of the justice system should disturb every American. We stand strongly behind our successful litigation against the Trump Organization and the National Rifle Association, and we will continue to stand up for New Yorkers rights.

In a separate statement, James personal attorney, Abbe D. Lowell, said, If prosecutors carry out this improper tactic and are genuinely interested in the truth, we are ready and waiting with the facts and the law.

RELATED STORY | Coalition of 19 states ask federal judge to reverse deep cuts to US Health and Human Services

Investigating the fraud case Attorney General James won against President Trump and his businesses has to be the most blatant and desperate example of this administration carrying out the presidents political retribution campaign, Lowell said. Weaponizing the Department of Justice to try to punish an elected official for doing her job is an attack on the rule of law and a dangerous escalation by this administration.

James has sued Trump and his administration dozens of times over his policies as president and over how he conducted his private business empire. Trump is appealing the multimillion-dollar judgment she won against him in a lawsuit alleging that he defrauded banks and other lenders by giving them financial statements that inflated the value of his properties, including his golf clubs and penthouse in Trump Tower.

Trump says his financial statements actually understated his wealth and that any mistakes in the documents were harmless errors that played no role in banks lending decisions. He and his lawyers have repeatedly accused James of engaging in lawfare for political purposes a claim she has denied.

The subpoenas were issued as part of an investigation into whether James violated Trumps civil rights, another person familiar with the matter told the AP. The person could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The subpoenas mark an escalation of the Trump administrations ongoing efforts to scrutinize perceived adversaries of the president, including those like James who had investigated Trump before his election win last November.

News of the subpoena comes as the Justice Department advances an investigation into the Trump-Russia probe that shadowed Trump for much of his first term as president and as the administration has engaged in a widespread purge from the workforce of law enforcement officials who had been involved in examining the activities of Trump and his supporters.

By JIM VERTUNO and NADIA LATHAN

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Republicans on Friday warned they would escalate efforts to end a nearly weeklong holdout by Democrats if they don’t return to vote on new congressional voting maps sought by President Donald Trump in a widening battle over redistricting across the U.S.

The dozens of Texas House Democrats who left the state on Aug. 3 have shown no signs of buckling for now: A group of them was headed to California to meet with Gov. Gavin Newsom, who wants to redraw his own state’s lines in retaliation if Texas puts in place redrawn maps for the 2026 midterm elections.

Texas has been the epicenter of Trump’s push to gerrymander congressional maps to shore up Republicans’ narrow House majority before next year. The Texas House of Representatives was set to convene again Friday, and GOP leaders warned they would ratchet up pressure if the holdout continued, including expanding efforts to try to remove Democratic lawmakers from office.

“We have an agenda to pass priorities critical to Texans, and we will get it done. I’ll call special session after special session—no matter how long it takes—until the job is finished,” Abbott posted Friday on the social platform X.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has pledged legal action to try to get the missing Democrats removed from office if they do not return to the House chamber. State Rep. Gene Wu, the chairman of the state House Democratic Caucus faced a Friday deadline to respond to a similar effort filed by Gov. Greg Abbott with the state Supreme Court.

Abbott has threatened to keep calling state lawmakers into special sessions until outnumbered Democrats return to face the redistricting vote, telling them they can’t stay away forever. The current special session ends Aug. 19, and the missing lawmakers already face mounting fines for every day they are gone, and civil arrest warrants issued by the state House.

Friday will mark the third time the 150-member state House has tried to convene since Democrats left the state. The state constitution requires at least 100 members present for the House to do business, and Republicans hold an 88-62 majority in the chamber.

Trump wants five more seats out of Texas to potentially avoid a repeat of the 2018 midterms, when Democrats reclaimed the House and proceeded to thwart his agenda and impeach him twice.

While their minority status allows them only to delay, the Texas holdout has inspired Democrats and progressives around the country.

Newsom wants Democratic gerrymandering in California if Texas proceeds, though voters would have to bypass an independent redistricting commission. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, both of whom have appeared alongside Texas Democrats who relocated to their states, have also declared their intent to push new maps if they are necessary to neutralize Republican maneuvers.

The dynamics could embroil the 2026 midterm campaign in legislative and court battles testing Trump’s power over the Republican Party, Democrats’ ability to mount opposition and the durability of the U.S. system of federalism that balances power between Washington and individual states.

Lathan is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

By JAIMIE DING, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A fast-growing brush fire has forced thousands of people to evacuate in a mountainous area north of Los Angeles.

The Canyon Fire ignited Thursday afternoon and grew to more than 7.6 square miles by 11 p.m., according to the Ventura County Fire Department. At least 400 personnel were battling the blaze along with several planes and helicopters. It remained uncontained late Thursday and was spreading east into Los Angeles County, officials said.

The fire is burning just south of Lake Piru, a reservoir located in the Los Padres National Forest. It’s close by Lake Castaic, a popular recreation area burned by the Hughes Fire in January. That fire burned about 15 square miles in six hours and put 50,000 people under evacuation orders or warnings.

Sunny, hot and dry conditions were expected in the area where the Canyon Fire was burning on Friday, with the daytime high near 100 degrees Fahrenheit  and minimum humidity in the mid-teens, according to the National Weather Service. Winds were expected to be light in the morning and grow from the south to southwest in the afternoon.

In LA County, around 2,700 residents evacuated with 700 structures under an evacuation order, officials said late Thursday. Another 14,000 residents and 5,000 structures were covered by an evacuation warning. Areas within the Val Verde zone had been reduced from an order to a warning.

The evacuation zones in nearby Ventura County were relatively unpopulated, Ventura County Fire Department spokesperson Andrew Dowd said Thursday. Fifty-six people were evacuated from the Lake Piru recreation area.

Dowd called the blaze a “very dynamic situation” caused by hot, dry weather, steep and rugged terrain and dry fuel.

LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the district, urged residents to evacuate.

“Extreme heat and low humidity in our north county have created dangerous conditions where flames can spread with alarming speed,” Barger said in a statement. “If first responders tell you to leave, go—without hesitation.”

The new blaze comes as a massive wildfire in Central California became the state’s largest blaze of the year, threatening hundreds of homes and burning out of control in the Los Padres National Forest.

The Gifford Fire had spread to 155 square miles by Thursday night with 15% containment. It grew out of at least four smaller fires that erupted Aug. 1 along State Route 166, forcing closures in both directions east of Santa Maria, a city of about 110,000 people. It has injured at least four people. The causes of the fires are under investigation.

Wildfire risk will be elevated through the weekend across much of inland California as a heat wave gripping the area intensifies. August and September are typically the most dangerous months for wildfires in the state.

He picked up a yo-yo at 8 years old, and now Hunter Feuerstein is spinning it into a global spotlight.

Feuerstein will compete in this year's World Yo-Yo Championship in Prague.

With a daily grind that hasnt let up in over a decade, the Arizona-based athlete has built a career from string and skill.

He teaches lessons, launches his own signature line and racks up millions of views and fans online.

Watch this fun and inspiring story from the Scripps News Group's Cameron Polom in the video player above.

Melvindale Police Lt. Matthew Furman, who has been the subject of several 7 News Detroit investigations, is now facing criminal charges in connection with three separate incidents.

Watch Ross Jones's video report: Controversial Melvindale Lt. at center of WXYZ investigations facing charges

Furman was arraigned on those charges on Friday morning in district court. He was given a $50,000 personal bond, ordered to surrender any weapons and has to wear a GPS tether.

Watch the arraignment below

Controversial Melvindale Lt. at center of WXYZ investigations arraigned on charges

Also on Friday, Melvindale Police Deputy Chief Nicholas Martinez said that Furman was placed on unpaid administrative leave and his Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) license was suspended.

In a statement, Martinez said,

"The Melvindale Police Department was made aware of an officer complaint against Lieutenant Matthew Furman. An internal investigation was initiated. Due to the nature of the allegations, the Melvindale Police Department determined that the matter needed to be forwarded to an outside agency. The Melvindale Police Department contacted the Michigan State Police Department for an external investigation. On 08/07/2025, the Melvindale Police Department was made aware of criminal charges against Lieutenant Matthew Furman, stemming from their investigation. Lieutenant Matthew Furman was placed on unpaid administrative leave and his Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (M.C.O.L.E.S.) license was suspended. The Melvindale Police Department would like to thank the Michigan State Police Department and the Wayne County Prosecutors Office for their assistance."

The three alleged assaults date back to the last four years. Two of the incidents involve the use of a Taser.

In July 2024, Furman stopped Drakkar Williams for driving around traffic barricades. Williams, who had a suspended license, should not have been driving. After Williams refused to provide his name, Furman moved to arrest him.

While his partner held Williams outside the car, Furman began to tase him repeatedly.

Prosecutors say Furman kicked Williams in the leg and deployed his taser again, striking him in the back.

Watch below: Controversial Melvindale lieutenant fends off claim of excessive force involving Taser

Controversial Melvindale lieutenant fends off claim of excessive force involving Taser

Furman said Williams was uncooperative and that he was fearful he could have been carrying a weapon. After he was handcuffed, Furman would be seen arguing with Williams again.

Acccording to the prosecutor, medics were called to the scene to treat Williams e for his injuries. While being treated, prosecutors say the two began to argue and that Officer Furman grabbed Williams by his shirt and by his hair and pulled him against the fire truck.

Furman was never disciplined by his department, but Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy on Thursday said Furmans use of force crossed the line. He was charged with misconduct in office, felonious assault and assault and battery.

"I told him, 'Youre gonna lose your badge over this.'" Williams said Thursday in an interview with 7 News Detroit.

"(He said) 'No Im not.' He was confident," Williams recalled.

Furman is also being charged in connection to a stop three months earlier in April 2024, when he pulled over a vehicle that was already parked. Alica Cook and her two daughters were sitting outside a school while Cook waited to drop off her 11-year-old at cheerleading practice.

When Cook didnt provide her license and registration, Furman tried to pull her from her vehicle. And after she resisted, he took out his Taser and fired.

Watch below: Melvindale Lt. stopped her over an expired tab, then tased her in front of her children

Melvindale Lt. stopped her over an expired tab, then tased her in front of her children

The charges that would be filed against Cook would be dismissed and now, she is suing Furman and the department for how she was treated.

"I was terrified from you. I was terrified, you scared me. You scared me," she told us.

Furman was not disciplined by the department, but on Thursday, Worthy charged Furman in this case with misconduct in office, felonious assault and assault and battery.

Watch below: Melvindale Lt. sued over rough arrest, most criminal charges dropped after 7 investigation

Melvindale Lt. sued over rough arrest, most criminal charges dropped after 7 investigation

"I am grateful that theyve taken the time to say this persons actions were not okay, were going to do something about this," Cook said Thursday.

She said the events of that day traumatized her and her daughters.

"Now, my daughter that I was taking to schoolshes in a mental hospital today. So his actions caused a lot of pain. But I do forgive him," Cook said.

The other charge stems from a 2021 police chase that 7 News reported on earlier this year. The suspect had stolen a vehicle, police said, after striking an officer. After his vehicle crashed, the man fled on foot before officers surrounded him.

As officers tried to subdue the man, a Dearborn officers body cam caught Furman repeatedly stomping on the mans leg. Another can be heard warning that cameras are rolling.

The Dearborn officer reported Furmans actions to his supervisor. Furman said the man was resisting and he used the stomps as a form of pain compliance. He was not disciplined by his department but was charged by Worthy Thursday.

In that case, Furman has been charged with misconduct in office and and assault and battery.

Furman has previously defended his actions, calling himself a proactive police officer and saying its never been more dangerous to be in law enforcement, as evidenced by the murder of fellow Officer Mohamed Said, just last year.

Related story: Former Melvindale Chief alleges Police Sgt. Matthew Furman 'engaged in repeated acts of police brutality'

"People say well, 'Furman uses too much force, hes too aggressive, hes a robot'" Furman said in January. "Again, my goal is to go home alive."

Melvindale's police chief could not be reached immediately for comment.

In a statement, Worthy said: It is important to remember that the majority of our police officers are bravely placing their lives on the line every day and proudly serving with the utmost integrity. The alleged behavior of this officer is a criminal and does a disservice to the men and women who have taken an oath to protect and serve all of our citizens."

In 2019, Furman was charged with assault and battery and willful neglect of duty after an incident involving a drunk man in February 2019. He pleaded no contest to the charge of willful neglect of duty and given one year probation.

Contact 7 Investigator Ross Jones at ross.jones@wxyz.com or at (248) 827-9466.

By Max Reinhart, The Detroit News

The West Bloomfield School District has been cleared to raze a beloved century-old former elementary school after the Michigan Court of Appeals on Thursday dissolved an order suspending the demolition.

A conservation group called Heart of the Lakes had argued the West Bloomfield school board violated the Open Meetings Act by failing to publicly deliberate other options for the former Roosevelt Elementary School building, located on Cass Lake Road in Keego Harbor, and instead “rubber stamped” a plan for demolition.

But the three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals noted in its 13-page unanimous decision that two board members urged the rest of the board during its March 18, 2024, meeting to reconsider demolition before the board approved project bids by a 4-2 vote.

“Therefore, the Board did deliberate on the bids and did not merely rubber-stamp recommendations. Although the Board did not discuss each of the bids individually … the OMA (Open Meetings Act) does not require a specific level of deliberation,” wrote judges Adrienne Young, Kristina Robinson Garrett and Randy J. Wallace, all appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “Plaintiffs cite no provision of the OMA, or other law, that required the Board to discuss each individual bid before voting.”

The lawsuit, initially filed in Oakland County Circuit Court, alleged that the school district conducted “secret” deliberations outside of public session in a “concerted effort” to destroy the building.

The school board voted in September 2023 to demolish the structure, saying it was no longer safe and that maintaining it would be an irresponsible use of taxpayer funding.

“This was not an easy decision,” West Bloomfield Superintendent Dania Bazzi said in a statement Thursday. “But Roosevelt is no longer a safe or viable space for modern learning. We remain committed to keeping resources focused on students and their futures.”

The nonprofit land conservation group Heart of the Lakes has taken the opposite view, claiming the district’s decision is financially unsound. During the March 2024 meeting, the board declined a $1.7 million offer from an architectural firm that wanted to renovate the building into rental units.

The court decided that the school district had the right to determine the most viable course of action.

“… The public has an interest in maintaining an independent education system, and the School District has the right to manage its property,” wrote the appellate panel.

The 70,000-square-foot former school opened in 1920 and closed in 2022, when students were moved to another building in the West Bloomfield school system.

Parents, historians and elected officials banded together in an effort to save it for future use. Heart of the Lakes sought an emergency court order in March 2024, soon after the board approved bids to level the former school, to stop the demolition.

The following month, the Court of Appeals issued an order putting the teardown on hold and giving activists time to file appeals and argue their case.

But the three-person Appeals Court panel wrote in Thursday’s decision that Heart of the Lakes failed to file its lawsuit within the statutorily required 60 days after the board approved and publicized the minutes from its Sept. 18, 2023, meeting, when they initially approved the demolition.

“The court’s decision reinforces what we have maintained from the start, that our process was transparent and lawful,” Bazzi said.

Messages seeking comment on any further appeal weren’t immediately returned by Heart of the Lakes or its attorney, Derek Howard.

Demolition was initially planned for June 2024 before the court ordered the stay. District officials didn’t say when the leveling may commence now that the court has made its decision.

The cost of the demolition, based on the approved bids, is $558,000 — $93,000 for the asbestos abatement and $465,000 for the teardown. The land has been appraised at $1.2 million, according to a district report, so West Bloomfield schools was poised to make a $650,000 profit.

However, in a court filing, the district said it has been paying more than $4,700 per month to maintain the building — for a total of about $61,000 since the demolition was planned last June.

The district said it “will continue working closely with contractors to ensure all environmental and safety standards are met during demolition.”

ATLANTA (AP) — Two Atlanta transit police officers were shot after they tried to confront a man urinating in a train station, investigators say.

Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority Police Chief M. Scott Kreher tells local news outlets that officials are looking for the man, who got away after shooting at the officers as they tried to arrest him late Thursday.

The shooting happened just before midnight at MARTA’s Five Points station, the downtown transfer point for the system’s trains.

Kreher told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the man became irate and refused to cooperate when officers approached him. Officers decided to arrest the man, but Kreher said he pulled out a handgun and shot over his shoulder at the officer. He grazed a female officer in the knee and struck a male officer in the arm.

The female officer has been released from the hospital but is also reporting hearing loss because she was so close when the gun was fired. Kreher said she is expected to fully recover. The male officer was undergoing surgery Friday for his arm injury.

Cameras show the man then got on a train and rode two stops south, throwing his gun on the roof of the West End station. Police haven’t publicly identified the man but say they know who he is and the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force is looking for him.

The gun has been recovered.

The Five Points station reopened when trains started running Friday morning.

Suspect who ‘ambushed’ two Pennsylvania state troopers in shooting is dead, official says

By ERIC TUCKER and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has subpoenaed New York Attorney General Letitia James as part of an investigation into whether she violated President Donald Trump’s civil rights, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The subpoenas sought records related to the lawsuit James filed against Trump over alleged fraud in his personal business dealings and a separate lawsuit involving the National Rifle Association, according to the people, who could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on Friday on the condition of anonymity.

They mark an escalation of the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to scrutinize perceived adversaries of the president, including those like James who had investigated him before his election win last November.

A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office, Geoff Burgan, declined to confirm the subpoenas but issued a statement that said, “Any weaponization of the justice system should disturb every American. We stand strongly behind our successful litigation against the Trump Organization and the National Rifle Association, and we will continue to stand up for New Yorkers’ rights.”

In a separate statement, James’ personal attorney, Abbe D. Lowell, said “if prosecutors carry out this improper tactic and are genuinely interested in the truth, we are ready and waiting with the facts and the law.”

“Investigating the fraud case Attorney General James won against President Trump and his businesses has to be the most blatant and desperate example of this administration carrying out the president’s political retribution campaign,” Lowell said. “Weaponizing the Department of Justice to try to punish an elected official for doing her job is an attack on the rule of law and a dangerous escalation by this administration.”

A spokesperson for the Justice Department, Natalie Baldassarre, declined to comment.

James, a Democrat, has sued Trump and his Republican administration dozens of times over his policies as president and over how he conducted his private business empire. Trump is appealing the multimillion dollar judgment she won against him in a lawsuit alleging that he defrauded banks and other lenders by giving them financial statements that inflated the value of his properties, including his golf clubs and penthouse in Trump Tower.

Trump says his financial statements actually understated his wealth and that any mistakes in the documents were harmless errors that played no role in banks’ lending decisions. He and his lawyers have repeatedly accused James of engaging in “lawfare” for political purposes — a claim she has denied.

News of the subpoena comes as the Justice Department advances an investigation into the Trump-Russia probe that shadowed Trump for much of his first term as president and as the administration has engaged in a widespread purge from the workforce of law enforcement officials who had been involved in examining the activities of Trump and his supporters.

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By JENNIFER McDERMOTT

Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, the United States has withdrawn from international negotiations and commitments, particularly around climate. But the U.S. is very much involved in treaty talks for a global accord to end plastic pollution.

Nations kicked off a meeting Tuesday in Geneva to try to complete a landmark treaty over 10 days to end the spiraling plastic pollution crisis. The biggest issue is whether the treaty should impose caps on producing new plastic, or focus instead on things like better design, recycling and reuse. About 3,700 people are taking part in the talks, representing 184 countries and more than 600 organizations.

Here is a look the U.S. position:

Why is the US participating in the negotiations?

Hours after he was sworn in to a second term, Trump pulled the U.S. out of the landmark Paris agreement to combat global warming. The United States didn’t participate in a vote in April at the International Maritime Organization that created a fee for greenhouse gases emitted by ships, or send anyone to the U.N. Ocean Conference in June.

Some wondered whether the United States would even go to Geneva.

The State Department told The Associated Press that engaging in the negotiations is critical to protect U.S. interests and businesses, and an agreement could advance U.S. security by protecting natural resources from plastic pollution, promote prosperity and enhance safety.

The industry contributes more than $500 billion to the economy annually and employs about 1 million people in the U.S., according to the Plastics Industry Association.

“This is an historic opportunity to set a global approach for reducing plastic pollution through cost-effective and common-sense solutions and fostering innovation from the private sector, not unilaterally stopping the use of plastic,” the department said in an email.

What does the US want in the treaty?

The State Department supports provisions to improve waste collection and management, improve product design and drive recycling, reuse and other efforts to cut the plastic dumped into the environment.

The international Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development estimates that 22 million tons of plastic waste will leak into the environment this year. That could increase to 30 million tons annually by 2040 if nothing changes.

The OECD said if the treaty focuses only on improving waste management and does nothing on production and demand, an estimated 13.5 million tons of plastic waste would still leak into the environment each year.

What does the US not want in the treaty?

The United States and other powerful oil and gas nations oppose cutting plastic production.

Most plastic is made from fossil fuels. Even if production grows only slightly, greenhouse gas emissions emitted from the process would more than double by 2050, according to research from the federal Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

The U.S. does not support global production caps since plastics play a critical role throughout every sector of every economy, nor does it support bans on certain plastic products or chemical additives to them because there is not a universal approach to reducing plastic pollution, the State Department said.

That’s similar to the views of the plastics industry, which says that a production cap could have unintended consequences, such as raising the cost of plastics, and that chemicals are best regulated elsewhere.

What has the US done in Geneva so far?

On the first day of the negotiations, the United States proposed striking language in the objective of the agreement about addressing the full life cycle of plastics. That idea was part of the original mandate for a treaty. Getting rid of it could effectively end any effort to control plastic supply or production.

Under former President Joe Biden’s administration, the U.S. supported the treaty addressing supply and production.

What are people saying about the US position?

Industry leaders praised it and environmentalists panned it.

Chris Jahn, president and CEO of the American Chemistry Council, said the Trump administration is trying to get an agreement that protects each nation’s rights while advancing effective and practical solutions to end plastic waste in the environment. He said his group supports that approach.

Graham Forbes, head of the Greenpeace delegation in Geneva, said the United States wants a weak agreement and is undermining the idea that the world needs strong international regulations to address a global problem.

Does the US think the world can agree on a treaty that will end plastic pollution?

The United States aims to finalize text for a global agreement on plastic pollution that all countries, including major producers of plastics and plastic products, and consumers, will support, the State Department said in its statement.

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Some residents in northwest Colorado have decided to voluntarily evacuate as two wildfires threaten the small town of Meeker.

The town is home to roughly 2,300 residents and is surrounded by public lands.

On August 2, lightning started two fires: the Lee Fire and the Grease Fire. The two fires eventually merged, and the blaze is now known as the Lee Fire.

It has burned about 45,000 acres and is 0% contained.

Burning roughly 15 miles away is the Elk Fire, which has scorched roughly 14,250 acres. The fire was also sparked by lightning on August 2.

Mandi Etheridge, Meeker town administrator, told the Scripps News Group that the fires have already destroyed property.

A lot of it is Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service property, but there is some private property interspersed through all of that, and our local fire team has done an incredible job at trying to save structures, Etheridge said. There have been some houses saved, some houses not saved.

On Wednesday, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis mobilized the Colorado National Guard to support response efforts for the Lee and Elk Fires.

People who live in the area are no strangers to fires, but these fires have definitely created concern.

I've lived in Meeker for just over 20 years. Obviously, there has been wildfires in our surrounding area in northwest Colorado, but nothing quite this impactful for our community, Etheridge said.

A new report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety provides good news for some Hyundai and Kia owners, while Chevrolet Camaro owners received some unwelcome information.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, software updates to Hyundai and Kia models prone to theft are helping to reduce theft rates. Nearly 8 million vehicles were sold without an immobilizer, a security device that prevents a car from being started without the correct key present, thereby deterring theft by hotwiring.

This situation resulted in numerous lawsuits from consumers and government agencies. Hyundai and Kia ultimately issued a recall to address the issue.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, whole-vehicle theft claims were 52 percent less frequent for Hyundai and Kia vehicles with the upgrade compared to those that have not been updated.

PREVIOUS DATA | Kia, Hyundai, Honda models top list of most stolen vehicles

However, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety pointed out that as of late 2024, fewer than half of eligible Hyundai and Kia models have been upgraded. The organization stated that 2011-2022 Hyundai and Kia models are still being targeted by thieves.

This intervention showed dramatic results right off the bat, offering owners some peace of mind, said Matt Moore, chief insurance operations officer at HLDI and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Owners who still havent gotten the software upgrade should do so immediately, as its the best way to protect their vehicle."

However, for owners of the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and other luxury sports cars, they face some of the highest risks of theft.

The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is 39 times more likely to be stolen than the average vehicle, followed by the Acura TLX 4WD, which is 21 times more likely to be stolen. The standard Chevrolet Camaro is about 12 times more likely to be stolen than a typical vehicle.

We expect powerful and high-value vehicles to be targeted, and these models check both those boxes, Moore said. But it stood out to us that Camaros that were nearly 10 years old had such high claim frequencies.

The list of vehicles least likely to be stolen includes plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles, with three Tesla models topping the list.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety noted that these vehicles are most likely to be parked in garages or near buildings, making them less prone to theft.

The Volvo XC90 4WD was considered the least likely to be stolen among gas-powered vehicles.

A player at MGM Grand Detroit hit a more than $1 million jackpot on a slot machine last month, casino officials said.

The player won $1,075,996 on the Dragon Link slot machine on Saturday, July 19. MGM Grand Detroit said it was the first casino in Michigan to introduced the $1 million high-limit progressive slot machine last year.

In November 2024, a player hit a jackpot worth $1,271,645 on the Dragon Link slot machine, a record for the casino.

The casino said players have won more than $215 million in jackpots this year and more than $28 million in July.

President Donald Trump has ordered an increase in federal law enforcement in Washington, D.C., amid concerns about violent crime.

There will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C., White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. President Trump is committed to making our nations capital safer for its residents, lawmakers and visitors from all around the world.

The operation began at midnight Friday. A White House official told Scripps News the operation will last at least seven days but could be extended if necessary.

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The law enforcement presence will include personnel from multiple agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They will be in marked units and highly visible, the official said.

Although the District of Columbia is locally governed, President Trump has repeatedly criticized its leadership and suggested the federal government should take a greater role in addressing crime there.

The latest initiative follows an attempted carjacking of an employee with the Department of Government Efficiency. Two teenagers were arrested and charged in the attack.

While that incident is among several the administration has cited to justify federal involvement in local law enforcement, carjackings and homicides have declined in D.C. since peaking in 2023.