Authorities in Southern California on Friday were racing to figure out how to prevent the explosion of a storage tank that has been leaking a hazardous chemical used to make plastic parts, as some 40,000 people were under evacuation orders in the area.

A storage tank holding between 6,000 and 7,000 gallons (22,700 and 26,500 liters) of methyl methacrylate overheated Thursday and began venting vapors into the air at an aerospace plastics facility in Garden Grove, a city in Orange County, the local fire authority said.

The tank could fail and crack, releasing the chemical onto the ground, or it could explode, Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey said Friday.

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This thing is going to fail, and we dont know when, Covey said. Were doing our best to figure out when or how we can prevent it.

Officials ordered residents in Garden Grove to leave and expanded evacuation orders Friday to some residents of five other Orange County cities Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park and Westminster after being unable to stop the leak overnight on the tank at GKN Aerospace, which makes parts for commercial and military aircraft.

No injuries or deaths have been reported, authorities said.

In an update later Friday, Covey said authorities have been able to maintain the tank's temperature, buying time to figure out how to fix it.

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Garden Grove is about 38 miles (61 kilometers) south of downtown Los Angeles and next to Anaheim, home to Disneylands two theme parks, which were not under evacuation orders Friday.

Danny Pham said he was deep in a dream when his roommate banged on his door around 7 a.m. Friday morning and told him he needed to leave immediately. Pham had been working late the night before at a Vietnamese restaurant and had not seen the news.

It was shocking to me, said Pham, who lives only a couple blocks from the plastics plant. I didnt know how serious it would be. I never knew that a thing like this could happen.

He left minutes later, grabbing only his wallet and passport, and took shelter at a friends restaurant in a neighboring city.

By late Friday afternoon, Pham was still trying to figure out where he would stay the night and worrying that he had only the clothes on his back, possibly for days to come.

Covey said crews have created containment barriers with sandbags in case there is a chemical spill from the tank to prevent the toxic chemical from getting into storm drains or reaching creeks or the nearby ocean.

Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, the county health officer, said if the chemical heats up, it can release a vapor that is harmful to peoples health. It can cause respiratory issues, itching and burning eyes, nausea and headaches.

Crews were initially successful and were able to neutralize one of two damaged tanks, but Covey said they determined Friday morning that the remaining tank was in the biggest crisis.

GKN Aerospace said specialized hazardous material teams are assessing the situation.

There are no reports of injuries at this time and our priority remains the safety of our employees, responders, and the surrounding community, a spokesperson said in an emailed statement. We will provide verified updates as soon as more information becomes available.

Kim Yen, a retiree in Garden Grove, was settling in for the night Thursday when she heard a sirenlike sound coming from her phone. An alert told her she needed to leave her home, which was just two blocks from the chemical leak.

As Yen drove to her daughters house in Seal Beach, she worried that others in the local Vietnamese community might ignore or not understand the evacuation alert because it was in English.

They are family, she said. Im hoping they stay alert and listen to the news and the authorities. This is scary.

Yen, who is originally from Vietnam and has lived in Orange County since 1980, quickly stopped by her house Friday morning to grab important documents and medications. By then her neighborhood was a ghost town, and she was comforted to see police officers going door to door to make sure everyone had evacuated.

We understand that this is frightening, Garden Grove Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein said. But the evacuation orders are in place for your safety.

Local Vietnamese television stations translated updates from officials and urged residents to take the situation seriously.

When Dev Shah won the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2023 and Faizan Zaki took the title last year, they posed for remarkably similar photos on the confetti-strewn stage. Standing next to them, beaming, was a bespectacled man in an aloha shirt, holding up a copy of his book Words of Wisdom.

For Scott Remer, the champion spellers' coach, posing for a picture was more than just a celebration. It was a business necessity.

While nearly every National Spelling Bee champion over the past 15 years has worked with a coach, the 32-year-old Remer is the country's only full-time, professional tutor for elite spellers. Most coaches are former spellers who are still in college or even high school.

When the field of 247 spellers at this year's bee which begins Tuesday and concludes Thursday in Washington is cut down to 10 or so finalists, it's all but inevitable the group will include multiple Remer students.

Hes probably one of the most influential figures in spelling over the past 10 years, said Shah, now 17.

Remer has coached five national champions, and since the bee emerged from the pandemic disruptions of 2020 and '21, he has scaled up the coaching profession. He claims 34 spellers as his students this year and has worked with no fewer than 29 during each of the past four bees.

He charges more than other coaches: up to $180 for an hourlong private lesson. If spellers finish in the top 10 and earn a cash prize, he receives up to 10% of their winnings, which he called a performance-based bonus.

Many spellers and their families believe Remer is worth it despite, or perhaps because of, the intense personality that emerges during his lessons.

Always earnest and gregarious on any spelling-related topic, Remer describes coaching as a passion that grew out of his disappointing fourth-place finish in 2008, his final year as a speller. He says he's motivated by sharing his knowledge, helping kids reach their potential and the challenge of discovering spelling bee-worthy words.

This is really about the love of language and the love of the competition. Part of it is once you're stung by the bee, there's kind of no going back, Remer said. I'm not going to deny that it pays well, because it does. But I don't know that there's anything wrong with that.

The last two champions he coached say he was crucial to their victories.

Even though his classes are more expensive, it's definitely worth it, Faizan said. I saw results.

Faizan's father, Zaki Anwar, said he negotiated a reduced rate of $120 an hour for Remer's services because Faizan was already an accomplished speller. Remer took home 7% of the champion's prize haul of $52,500 a bonus of $3,675.

After winning, it doesn't really matter, Anwar said.

Expensive and demanding, Remer is not for everyone

Remer drills his students on roots, language patterns and the exceptions to those patterns. He seeks to instill a deep understanding of languages that will allow spellers to figure out a word even if they have never seen or heard it before, as Shah did with rommack in 2023.

But Remer's pricing, and his coaching style, have led some spellers to seek help elsewhere.

I found it prohibitively expensive, said Navneeth Murali, a University of Pennsylvania student who competed through 2020 and now coaches spellers, charging roughly $50 for an hourlong lesson. It wasn't a realistic option for me.

Grace Walters, who coached 2022 champion Harini Logan, charges $75 an hour. She and Murali take a handful of students each year.

I'm very much quality over quantity. It's really important to me that I'm able to get to know each speller as a whole person, not just as a speller, and tailor my curriculum to them as individuals, said Walters, a graduate student in linguistics at the University of Kentucky. But I have to give credit where it's due: If everyone was doing it like me, there wouldn't be enough coaches for all the spellers out there.

Sree Vidya Siliveri was coached by Remer before her 60th-place finish in 2024 but didn't respond well to his methods, said her father, Sreedhar Siliveri. She found a new coach and finished 10th in 2025.

We were looking for alternatives and found some of the fresh, like, high school students who can be friendlier and charge less, Sreedhar Siliveri said.

Even spellers and their parents who swear by Remer say he can be brusque and demanding of his middle school-age pupils. Simone Kaplan, who finished runner-up to the octo-champs of 2019, appreciated Remer's tough coaching but said it's not for everyone.

Scott is a true logophile, a master of languages. He pushes his students to keep up with him, Kaplan said. That can inspire some spellers to learn and succeed, but it can also leave a student feeling like they've disappointed him if they don't spell every word right. And that's difficult for a kid.

Remer said his goal is to be supportive while giving spellers the feedback they need to avoid repeating mistakes.

I try to be tough but fair, and I also try to modulate my teaching methods, based on the kids' needs and the kids' personalities, he said. Whether I'm always successful at that is I guess an open question.

From the Ivy League to full-time spelling coach

Remer graduated from Yale in 2016 and earned a master's degree from Cambridge a year later. His first study guide, Words of Wisdom: Keys to Success in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, was published in 2010, when he was a teenager. That was also the year he coached his first champion, Anamika Veeramani.

He has published three other books and has worked for the Council on Foreign Relations and as the communications coordinator for an LGBTQ-friendly synagogue in New York. Since 2020, he has been a full-time spelling coach while also offering tutoring in Chinese, Spanish, writing and standardized test prep. Born and raised in the Cleveland suburbs, he now lives in Mexico City.

Remer has written an op-ed about the bee for the Guardian every year since 2019. He emails out lists of his students and sends updates on their progress, calling them my spellers even if they have multiple tutors. (Faizan had three coaches last year.) During bee week, Remer is a constant presence, giving lessons on-site and sitting with spellers' families while the television cameras roll.

He knows he has to market himself, but he says he doesn't enjoy it.

I think I'm trying not to be particularly self-aggrandizing in general, Remer said, so if the question is, does it come naturally to me to do that sort of promotional and marketing work, the answer is no.

Scripps, the Cincinnati-based media company that has run the Bee for a century, does not endorse coaching, but Corrie Loeffler, the Bee's executive director, described the practice as inevitable, given the intensity of the competition.

Loeffler gently pushed back at the idea that any coach should claim credit for a speller's success.

It's hard work, it's study ethic, it's perseverance, she said. These kids are doing pretty incredible things at a really high level, especially at a young age, and I want them to be able to take credit for that themselves, knowing that it's a community and they've had so much support along the way.

Kyle Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications, according to a statement released by his family.

Dakota Hunter, vice president of Kyle Busch Companies, said in a news release the family received the medical evaluation on Saturday.

Busch, a two-time NASCAR champion, died at 41 on Thursday, a day after passing out in a Chevrolet simulator.

RELATED STORY | NASCAR's Kyle Busch was short of breath, coughing up blood day before his death, 911 call reveals

Sepsis is considered a life-threatening medical emergency that occurs when the body has an extreme, overactive response to an infection, causing the immune system to damage its own tissues and organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Typically the immune system releases chemicals to fight off pathogens like bacteria, viruses or fungi, but with sepsis the response goes into overdrive. The results can cause widespread inflammation, form microscopic blood clots and make blood vessels leak.

Busch was thought to have had a sinus cold while racing at Watkins Glen on May 10 and radioed in to his team saying that he needed a shot from a doctor after the race.

Busch, who was preparing to race Sunday at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.

RELATED STORY | 2-time NASCAR champion Kyle Busch dead at 41 after battling severe illness

During the emergency call placed late that afternoon, an unidentified caller calmly told the dispatcher: Ive got an individual thats (got) shortness of breath, very hot, thinks hes going to pass out, and is producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood.

The caller said Busch was lying on the bathroom floor inside the complex and told dispatch he is awake, according to audio provided by the Cabarrus County Sheriffs Office. The man then gave directions on where emergency responders should go and asked that they turn off any sirens upon arrival.

Busch won 234 races across NASCARs top three series, more than any driver in history.

All 39 drivers in the field for Sundays race will race with a black No. 8 decal on their car to honor Busch.

Iran on Saturday signaled narrowing differences in negotiations with the U.S. after Pakistans army chief held more talks in Tehran and the United States weighs a new round of attacks on the Islamic Republic.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told journalists in India that theres been some progress made" and there may be news later today.

Iran has rebuilt military assets after weeks of war and then a fragile ceasefire, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said after the meeting with Field Marshal Asim Munir, state TV reported.

Qalibaf, the lead negotiator in historic face-to-face talks with the U.S. last month, also said the result would be more crushing and more bitter than at the start of the war if U.S. President Donald Trump resumes attacks.

Separately, Irans official IRNA news agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei as saying that nuclear issues are not part of the current negotiations, as Tehran first seeks to end the war before discussing its nuclear program that has long been at the heart of international tensions.

Baghaei said the sides are trying to finalize a memorandum of understanding and positions have moved closer in recent days.

Over the past week, the trend has been toward narrowing differences, he said. We will have to wait and see what happens over the next three or four days.

Rubio said that "even as I speak to you now there is some work being done. There is a chance that whether its later today, tomorrow, in a couple days we may have something to say.

Rubio repeated the U.S. stance that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and must turn over its highly enriched uranium, and the Strait of Hormuz must be open.

Trump earlier said he was holding off on a military strike against Iran because serious negotiations were underway, and at the request of allies in the Middle East. Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.

RELATED STORY | Good signs in Iran negotiations but US weighing backup plans

The U.S. and Israel sparked the war with attacks on Feb. 28, cutting short talks with Iran. Tehran retaliated by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for the regions oil, natural gas and fertilizer, causing global economic pain.

The U.S. then blockaded Iranian ports, and the U.S. Central Command on Saturday said U.S. forces had turned away more than 100 commercial vessels and disabled four since the blockade began April 13.

There was progress in the talks between Pakistans army chief and Irans leadership, two officials in Islamabad said, describing the discussions as moving in the right direction. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media on the record.

Munir also met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials, the two officials said, adding that Islamabad continues efforts to arrange a second round of direct negotiations.

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It was not clear whether Pakistan's army chief met with Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, who heads Irans paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, has become a major player in formulating Irans tough stance in talks.

Matthew Perry paid Kenneth Iwamasa $150,000 a year to be his live-in personal assistant. His role for the Friends star would expand to drug messenger, addiction enabler and de facto doctor, according to court filings.

Iwamasa injected Perry with the doses of ketamine that would prove fatal on Oct. 28, 2023, and then left the actor to run errands. He returned to find Perry dead in the Jacuzzi.

The ex-assistant became the first to reach a plea deal of five people indicted in connection with Perry's death. On Wednesday, he'll become the last to be sentenced. Prosecutors are asking for a prison term of three years and five months. That's more than the 2 1/2-year sentence of the doctor who sold Iwamasa ketamine and taught him to inject it into Perry, but far less than the 15-year sentence of the admitted drug dealer who sold Iwamasa the final doses.

RELATED STORY | Drug counselor who gave Matthew Perry fatal ketamine gets 2 years in prison

Iwamasa, 60, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death and became the cases most important witness in the indictments of his four co-defendants. That is virtually certain to lead to a lighter sentence.

Family members blame the assistant above all others

I have no sympathy for Kenny Iwamasa, Perry's younger sister Caitlin Morrison wrote in a letter to the judge. I wasnt there the night my brother died. I cannot read Kennys thoughts. I will never know if the lethal dose of ketamine was only lethal by accident. But I know that when Kenny left the house, he was doing one of two things. He was either escaping from something he knew he had done or he was willfully abandoning a vulnerable person in a dangerous situation.

Perry's mother Suzanne Morrison wrote that her son and the family had known Iwamasa for decades, and that relatives were relieved when Perry, who'd had recurring struggles with addiction throughout his life, hired the assistant in 2022.

Mathew trusted Kenny. We trusted Kenny. Kennys most important job by far was to be my sons companion and guardian in his fight against addiction, she wrote. We trusted a man without a conscience, and my son paid the price.

Iwamasa's lawyers argued that he was an employee doing the bidding of his boss.

In a presentencing filing, they said Iwamasa had a particular vulnerability to the relationship dynamic which he fell into with the victim. In short, he could not 'simply say no.' That inability had tragic consequences.

Suzanne Morrison said Iwamasa knew he could call any family member should Perry start making drug demands, and his job would be safe.

Family disgusted by Iwamasa's behavior following Perry's death

Perry's mother wrote, When he had killed my son, he kept a sharp eye on me. He sent me songs, he drew a little map to help me find my way around the cemetery. If he saw a rainbow one of Matthews favorite things he would call me. He insisted on speaking at Matthews funeral. He clung to me and the family as if he was somehow the good guy who tried to save Matthew.

She said Iwamasa expected a financial payout, and when it was clear he wouldn't get one, he threatened legal action.

RELATED STORY | 'Ketamine Queen' gets 15 years in prison for selling Matthew Perry the drugs that killed him

Iwamasa did speak at the funeral, which would later leave the family disgusted.

The person responsible for my brothers death stood up and addressed the people who loved him most, another sister, Madeline Morrison, wrote. That is like a cruel joke I still struggle with. He didnt just take my brothers life he tainted our final memories of saying goodbye.

Truth about the ketamine was slow to come out

The LA County Medical Examiner found that ketamine, a surgical anesthetic that has become widely used for other purposes both legal and illegal, was the primary cause of Perry's death. Drowning was a secondary cause.

On the day of Perry's death, Iwamasa gave police a list of all the medications Perry was taking, but he left off ketamine and said nothing about the injections, prosecutors said.

After investigators served a search warrant on the house in January 2024, that began to change, and he would slowly admit his role in Perry's death. Iwamasa said he had been giving Perry six to eight injections of ketamine per day in the last days of his life, and that Perry had told him, Shoot me up with a big one on the day he died.

Iwamasa said he had worked with middleman Erik Fleming, who was sentenced to two years in prison May 13, to get drugs from dealer Jasveen Sangha.

In his first text to Fleming, Iwamasa said, Alfred here batmans butler. He said I can text you directly.

Madeline Morrison wrote that when the truth emerged, It felt like my brother died all over again. Everything I believed about the day he diedeverything Kenny told uswas a lie. I had to relive Matthews death from an entirely new and devastating perspective.

Iwamasa pleaded guilty in August 2024 before the case became public. Wednesday will be his first court appearance since.

Perry, who died at 54, became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing on Friends, NBCs culture-changing sitcom that ran from 1994 to 2004.

He was my Matso, my Manew, his mother wrote. He was, in spite of all we went through, my heart and my soul.

Hooters says it wants to rebrand into a family friendly restaurant.

Longtime CEO Neil Kiefer says the restaurant chain initially started as a beach-themed, family style restaurant, and now he will make sure the famous servers wear the original uniform instead of the now iconic short shorts.

He says some locations under different ownership implemented clothing that was more revealing and too sexualized.

Kiefer also says some restaurant locations used the wrong wing sauce, and he promises to go back to the original recipe.

Kiefer, who started as an attorney for the chain in 1983, became CEO in 1992.

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The brand sold its rights to private equity in 2001, which took over management of some locations as Hooters of America. The chain experienced some financial struggles through 2008 and the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

Hooters of America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2025. Kiefer and other original co-owners reacquired the rights and announced plans to return more than 100 locations to the brand's original roots.

Foreigners in the U.S. who want a green card will need to leave and apply in their home country, the Trump administration announced Friday, in a surprise change to a longstanding policy that sowed confusion and concern among aid groups, immigration lawyers and immigrants.

For over half a century, foreign nationals with legal status have been able to apply for and complete the entire process for permanent residence in the United States including individuals married to U.S. citizens, holders of work and student visas, and refugees and political asylum seekers, among others.

The announcement from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is the latest step by the Trump administration making legal immigration more difficult for foreigners already in the U.S. and for those hoping to come here.

The changes comes on top of steps the administration has already taken to restrict and limit entry for people from dozens of countries. In some cases, there are outright bans on travel from those countries, while people from others face pauses in visa processing. Experts and attorneys warned that forcing people from those countries to return home to apply for a green card would result in them being barred from coming back.

RELATED NEWS | Judge dismisses human smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia

If families are told that the non-citizen family member must return to his or her country of origin to process their immigrant visa, but immigrant visas are not being processed there, its a Catch-22. These policies will effectively create an indefinite separation of families, wrote World Relief, a humanitarian and refugee resettlement organization.

In the announcement, USCIS said foreigners who are in the U.S. temporarily and who want to apply to become lawful permanent residents, or green card holders, have to return home and apply there, except in extraordinary circumstances," without elaborating. USCIS officers would decide whether applicants meet those.

Nonimmigrants, like students, temporary workers, or people on tourist visas, come to the U.S. for a short time and for a specific purpose. Our system is designed for them to leave when their visit is over. Their visit should not function as the first step in the Green Card process," the agency said in a statement.

The USCIS announcement did not say whether individuals would be required to remain in another country throughout the entire process, or whether the policy impacts foreigners whose green card applications are already underway.

The agency did not respond to emailed questions about how many people would be affected or criticism of the news.

MORE ON IMMIGRATION | Judge bans most arrests by federal agents in immigration courts in New York

NASCAR driver Kyle Busch experienced shortness of breath, felt he was overheating and was coughing up blood the day before his death, according to a 911 call obtained Friday by The Associated Press.

Busch died Thursday at age 41. No cause of death has been given, though his family said earlier he had been hospitalized with a severe illness three days before he was to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Busch was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told the AP.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because details have not been disclosed by Buschs team or family.

During the emergency call placed late that afternoon from the General Motors training facility, an unidentified caller calmly told the dispatch: Ive got an individual thats (got) shortness of breath, very hot, thinks hes going to pass out, and is producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood.

Busch was lying on the bathroom floor inside the complex and the caller told dispatch He is awake," according to audio provided by the Cabarrus County Sheriffs Office.

The man then gave directions on where emergency responders should go and asked that they turn off any sirens upon arrival.

NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell is scheduled to speak at a news conference later Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The news of Busch's death sent shockwaves across the motorsports world on one of racing's biggest weekends, which also features the Indianapolis 500.

The NHL's Carolina Hurricanes honored Busch with a moment of silence on Thursday night prior to their conference final game against the Montreal Canadiens.

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Even Vice President JD Vance took to social media, saying I had the opportunity to meet Kyle, one of NASCARs greatest racers, on the campaign trail in 2024. Usha and I are praying for him and his family. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.

Richard Childress Racing, who Busch has raced for the last four seasons, announced it plans to suspend use of Busch's No. 8 Cup Series car and will run the No. 33 instead beginning on Sunday at the Coca-Cola 600 and moving forward.

RCR said the No. 8 will now be reserved for Busch's son, Brexton, to use when is he ready begin NASCAR racing.

Brexton Busch is 11 years old, but is already known for his racing exploits.

Kyle Busch was instrumental in the design of RCR's stylized No. 8 and it has become synonymous with Kyle and an important symbol for fans and the NASCAR community, RCR said on X. No one can carry it forward to the level that he did.

Meanwhile, gloomy, gray skies hung over the track on an unseasonably cool day in Concord, which seemed a fitting background for the in memoriam photo of Busch on the videoboard.

Christopher Bell is among the drivers planning to run in the NASCAR Trucks Series race on Friday night, one that Busch had been scheduled to compete in.

Busch won last week's Trucks race at Dover the final win of his career giving him 234 victories across NASCAR's three national series, the most of any driver.

He finished 17th in the All-Star race on Sunday.

It's going to be very strange to be out there without Kyle in the field, Bell said. It's going to take a long time before things feel back to normal.

Bell called Busch's death a gutwrenching feeling."

He said he spoke to Busch prior to the last Trucks Series race and said he seemed normal, like completely normal.

On Monday, Busch posted a happy birthday message to his son Brexton on Instagram saying Your mom & I are so proud who youre turning out to be!

The father and son spent Tuesday night in Durham, North Carolina, with the Andretti family at the opening of a go-kart facility.

I guess it is a very stark reminder of how fragile life can be, Bell said.

A human smuggling case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation helped galvanize opposition to President Donald Trump's immigration policies, was thrown out on Friday.

Abrego Garcia's deportation to El Salvador last year became an embarrassment for Trump officials when they were ordered to return him to the U.S. Abrego Garcia claimed that both the timing of the criminal charges and inflammatory statements about him by top Trump officials demonstrated that the prosecution was vindictive.

U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw, ruling from Nashville, granted Abrego Garcia's motion to dismiss for selective or vindictive prosecution."

Without Abrego Garcias successful lawsuit challenging his removal to El Salvador, the government would not have brought this prosecution, said Crenshaw, dismissing claims of new evidence against him.

RELATED STORY | Judge rules immigration authorities can't re-detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia

In earlier court filings, Crenshaw wrote he had found some evidence that the prosecution against Abrego Garcia "may be vindictive. The judge said many statements by Trump administration officials raise cause for concern. He cited a statement by then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that seemed to suggest the Justice Department charged Abrego Garcia because he won his wrongful-deportation case.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Rob McGuire had resisted requests to provide documents and testimony to Abrego Garcia from senior Justice Department officials including Blanche. McGuire insisted that he was the decision-maker in the case and that his motivations were the only relevant ones.

Abrego Garcia was charged with human smuggling and conspiracy to commit human smuggling, with prosecutors claiming that he accepted money to transport within the United States people who were in the country illegally.

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The charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee for speeding. Body camera footage from a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer shows a calm exchange with Abrego Garcia. There were nine passengers in the car, and the officers discussed among themselves their suspicions of smuggling. However, Abrego Garcia was eventually allowed to continue driving with only a warning.

A Department of Homeland Security agent testified at an earlier hearing that he did not begin investigating the traffic stop until after the U.S. Supreme Court said in April 2025 that Trump's Republican administration must work to bring Abrego Garcia back from El Salvador. The deportation violated a 2019 immigration court order granting him protection from deportation to his home country, after the judge found he faced danger there from a gang that targeted his family.

Abrego Garcia is a Salvadoran citizen with an American wife and child who has lived in Maryland for years although he immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager. The 2019 order allowed him to live and work in the U.S. under Immigration and Customs Enforcement supervision, but he was not given residency status.

Meanwhile, Trump administration officials have said Abrego Garcia cannot remain in the U.S. They have vowed to deport him to a third country, most recently Liberia.

Mahmoud Khalil will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review his deportation case, after a lower court denied a request to re-hear it.

Lawyers for Khalil, a Palestinian activist and former Columbia University graduate student, said Friday they would seek Supreme Court review and ask the court to stay an earlier appeals court order that put Khalil at risk of detention or deportation.

RELATED NEWS | Immigration board denies Mahmoud Khalil's appeal, bringing activist one step closer to deportation

"We hope the Supreme Court will recognize how dangerous the Third Circuits decision was, not just for Mahmoud but for other non-citizens the administration has its vengeful sights upon," said Baher Azmy, legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, in a statement released Friday. "That ruling greenlights holding someone in prolonged, brutal detention conditions without access to meaningful judicial review in order to punish them and deter others from dissenting from U.S. foreign policy."

Khalil is also appealing to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, seeking a reversal of the Board of Immigration Appeals order to remove him. His attorneys allege the judge in that case failed to consider certain evidence and "improperly sustained false, after-the-fact charges that the Trump administration brought in retaliation for Mr. Khalils speech."

Khalil was released from ICE detention in Louisiana in June of 2025. He was arrested in March 8 of that year when the Trump administration cracked down on campus protests over the war in Gaza.

What started as a widely backed proposal to locate a new Smithsonian American Women's History Museum on the National Mall devolved into a partisan fight Thursday after Republicans revised the legislation to ensure no transgender people are included in the exhibits.

The House rejected the bill, 204-216, an outcome that leaves the next steps uncertain. The revised bill also would ban a "diversity" of views and give President Donald Trump the final say on where the museum would be located.

"It was a simple bill. You kind of ruined it with your trans obsession and your culture wars," Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, a Democrat from New Mexico and chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus, said earlier in the week.

But Republicans argued it was Democrats who were overreacting to the changes and now threatening progress toward establishing the long-sought women's museum in the nation's capital.

Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York, the bill's chief sponsor, said "it's a disgrace" that Democrats would be standing in the way of the bill's passage.

"Perhaps the party that is opposing a women's history museum on the National Mall because they want to have transgender exhibits maybe they are the ones who are trans obsessed," Malliotakis said.

In the final tally, a handful of Republicans voted against the bill, joining Democrats who led the opposition. The chamber came to a standstill as GOP leaders scrounged for support from their ranks.

Among the Republican opponents, some conservatives simply disapproved of a museum focused on women at all.

"We say we need to unite this country, but then we isolate every group," said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., who was among several from the conservative Freedom Caucus who voted against it.

Future of museum is now uncertain

The turn of events puts at risk the long effort to open a museum in Washington dedicated to women. Legislation authorizing the museum was approved during Trump's first term, in 2020, and this latest bill would secure its location on the National Mall. Trump has taken interest in reshaping the capital's cultural institutions, from the Kennedy Center to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

At the start of the year, the bill had secured some 230 sponsors, a rare show of bipartisanship in the split House, where Republicans hold a slim majority. But because of the changes to the bill, the Democratic Women's Caucus opposed the final version, and Democratic leaders encouraged a no vote.

"A museum about women, fought for and supported by women, should not be controlled by one man," the leaders of the women's caucus said in a statement. "Republicans traded the representation of women for Trump's gain and ego. It's as embarrassing as it is disappointing."

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the changes shouldn't be controversial, but his effort to pass the bill with Republicans alone over the objections of Democrats failed.

"Why are they backing out? Simply because the bill reinforces an objective truth that a museum for women, get ready, should showcase only women," said Johnson, R-La.

On Thursday, Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., said she brought her young daughter, Augusta, to the chamber to see history being made.

"Biological women deserve to have their stories told," Cammack said, holding her child during her speech.

But Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, said the Republicans ditched the bipartisan bill for one favored by Trump's White House.

Changes to the bill angered Democrats

Initially presented as a step toward securing the museum's location, the legislation was revised during a committee vote last month in several ways.

One change added a mission scope that states, "The Museum shall be dedicated to preserving, researching, and presenting the history, achievements, and lived experiences of biological women in the United States."

It also adds a prohibition which states, "The Museum may not identify, present, describe, or otherwise depict any biological male as a female."

Another change added specific detail about where the museum would be located on the mall near 14th Street Southwest and Jefferson Drive, "except that the President may designate an alternative site for the Museum within 180 days of the date of the enactment of this subsection."

Democrats said that the provision change gives Trump the authority to decide where the museum would ultimately go. "And we do not agree with that," said Leger Fernandez.

But Republicans argued that the provision is simply a fail-safe in the event there's any problem with the proposed site to ensure the museum can move ahead.

An additional revision this week removed the word "diversity," saying instead the museum's organizing council should ensure a "range" of political viewpoints and experiences.

"I just think it's ridiculous that we are arguing over this," said Malliotakis.

She said it's bothering Democrats that it will be Trump who breaks ground on the museum, "but that's the reality."

Daniel Coleman, the creator and star of the popular childrens YouTube show Danny Go!, shared heartbreaking news Friday: his 14-year-old son, Isaac, has died after battling mouth cancer.

Announcing Isaacs death on Instagram, Coleman posted a heartfelt message to his son.

"Oh my sweet boy. Theres so much I want to say, but I dont know how yet. I already miss you so much, and the pain in my heart is far more than I can process," Coleman wrote. "But looking through thousands of pictures and videos this past week, Im also filled with tremendous pride."

Coleman said Isaac met every challenge with grit and joy, adding that he takes comfort in remembering how full of life his son was.

"Being your dad was the honor of a lifetime," Coleman wrote. "Im so proud of you and I love you forever. Rest peacefully, son."

Coleman had documented Isaacs cancer journey on social media.

In January, he shared that Isaac had undergone surgery to remove the cancer. However, Coleman said the disease had spread further than scans initially showed, and doctors were not optimistic they had removed it all.

In a February update, Coleman revealed Isaac had stage 3 cancer and was on the edge of stage 4 because of the speed and aggression of the spread. He said the family had treatment options but was also weighing Isaacs quality of life.

In April, Coleman said Isaac was receiving radiation treatment but that the family had shifted to a more comfort-focused approach to his care. He added that a hospice team had joined Isaacs care team to help manage symptoms.

Danny Go! is a popular childrens show on YouTube that combines music and educational lessons. It encourages kids to learn while staying active.

Frances Pasteur Institute said it has fully sequenced the Andes strain of the hantavirus detected in a French passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship and found that it matched viruses already known in South America, with no evidence so far of new characteristics that would make it more transmissible or more dangerous.

The analyzed virus corresponds to the viruses already known and monitored in South America, Health Minister Stphanie Rist said Friday on X. At this stage, no element suggests the emergence of a form of the virus that could be more transmissible or more dangerous, she said.

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Pasteur said genomic analysis confirmed that the virus found in the French passenger matched the virus detected in other cases aboard the ship and closely resembled known Andes virus samples circulating in South America.

This sequencing work allows us to better understand the virus and to ensure close health monitoring, Rist said. She added that the data would be shared with the international scientific community.

Pasteur said the viruses detected in patients from the ship were identical to each other and about 97% similar to some Andes viruses circulating in South America, including those identified in rodents. Jean-Claude Manuguerra, who heads Pasteurs Environment and Infectious Risk unit, said the remaining variation appeared to reflect natural viral variation and did not seem to affect the characteristics of the virus detected among travelers.

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The French passenger tested positive after traveling aboard the MV Hondius and has been treated in Paris. French authorities previously said she was in serious condition.

The outbreak on the ship has reached 11 cases, nine of which have been confirmed. Three people on the cruise died, including a Dutch couple who health officials believe were the first exposed to the virus while visiting South America.

Someone paid more than $9 million to have lunch with basketball player Stephen Curry and Warren Buffett, and the legendary investor also promised to match the winning bid so both their favorite charities will benefit.

The auction on eBay was intended to revive an event that Buffett hosted for more than two decades that raised $53 million for the GLIDE Foundation homeless charity in San Francisco. This year's auction that wrapped up Thursday night also raised month for Curry's Eat.Learn.Play. Foundation that he established with his wife, Ayesha.

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The anonymous winner paid $9,000,100 to win a private lunch with Buffett and the Currys in the 95-year-old investor's hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, next month.

"Were overwhelmed with gratitude for this opportunity, which reflects a shared belief that when different generations and institutions come together with purpose, we can create deeper and more lasting impact for the people who need it most, the Currys said in a statement.

The Buffett auctions started in 2000 and continued every year until the pandemic prompted a couple years off. Starting in 2008, every winning bid for lunch with the investing giant topped $1 million. He discontinued the event after someone paid $19 million for a lunch in 2022.

A follow-up auction in 2024 raised $1.5 million for a lunch with software titan Marc Benioff, but that version of the event didn't last.

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Buffett reached out to the Currys earlier this year to ask them to join the lunch auction this year. Curry missed 27 games this year before returning to help the Golden State Warriors down the stretch.

Buffett stepped down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway in January after six decades of leading the conglomerate. He remains chairman, but just sat through his first annual shareholder meeting sitting in the audience instead of leading the event from stage.

The NFL schedule traditionally gets plenty of attention. However, there has been more scrutiny as the league has carved out games for streaming services.

Of the 272 regular-season games next season, 22 will on a streaming service as the primary network (one more than announced last season), and 14 will be primarily on cable.

That leaves 236 games that will be on CBS, Fox, NBC or ABC, meaning 87% of the schedule will be on broadcast television, the same percentage as last year. All games in a teams home market air on a broadcast network.

President Donald Trump recently weighed in with his dissatisfaction with the costs for fans who want access to all the games while investigations by the Federal Communications Commission and Department of Justice proceed.

You have people that live for Sunday. They cant think about anything else, and then all of a sudden, theyre gonna have to pay $1,000 a game? Its crazy, Trump said while being interviewed on Full Measure last weekend.

While fans are not paying $1,000 per game to watch at home, trying to view everything with the "NFL Sunday Ticket, a cable or satellite package, and streaming subscriptions could total nearly $1,000 for the season.

Even with greater scrutiny of its distribution models, the league stuck to the same plan, according to Hans Schroeder, the NFLs executive vice president of media distribution.

Our focus is on getting the best games into the best windows," Schroeder said. "And even with the additional games that went to Netflix, we think were expanding the reach of those games.

We love our model. Broadcast has been an incredible home to deliver our focus of reach. We also want to be on these platforms with a limited amount of our games where we know our fans are already.

More broadcast windows, more problems?

The league was able to create new standalone windows after getting back four games that had been part of Monday night doubleheaders in previous seasons. Two went to Netflix (Thanksgiving Eve and the Saturday early game in Week 18), one to Fox (one of the international games ) and one to NBC (a Saturday game in Week 17).

CBS and Fox were able to add Saturday games in Week 15 that were Sunday regional games in past seasons. Fox also has a Christmas Day game for the first time since 2023.

While the league and ESPN thought having two Monday night games some weeks would benefit viewers, it often divided them because one game started at 7 p.m. and the other at 8:15 p.m.

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It wasnt working as we intended. We could take these games and find a better home and broader distribution for them, Schroeder said.

The games on Netflix should also draw a large audience, given its reach. The streamer has 81.4 million U.S. subscribers compared to 60 million for ESPN. Netflix will also be able to distribute its five-game package globally.

There will be 10 Monday night games simulcast on ABC this season. ESPN will also air the Super Bowl for the first time, while ABC will air it for the first time since 2006.

Tim Reed, ESPNs vice president of programming and acquisitions, said he thought moving away from the doubleheaders helped Monday Night Football have a more complete schedule.

The ability to streamline and simplify the schedule just helps. I assume it helped the league and makes it easier to land all the games, he said.

With 10 broadcast windows to fill Thanksgiving week, there will be only six 1 p.m. games on Sunday, with three each on CBS and Fox. Seattle at San Francisco gets the late afternoon spotlight on Fox.

Christmas week will have 11 windows Christmas Eve, three on Christmas Day, two on Dec. 26 on NFL Network, the CBS Sunday doubleheader plus an early game on Fox, NBC Sunday night, and ESPN Monday night. There likely will be six 1 p.m. Sunday games. San Francisco at Kansas City is the featured late-afternoon game on CBS.

Were probably stretched, arguably as thin as we can be, for Sunday afternoon," said Mike North, the NFL's vice president of broadcast planning. "One of the things we liked about this schedule was the fact that I think were still OK for CBS and Fox on Sunday afternoon. Were still going to be able to make a half-decent map out of the 1 p.m. window.

CBS, Fox happy with results

Despite all games being available to all networks, Fox still leans heavily into the NFC and CBS to the AFC to build their brands.

Theres still some pride of ownership for Fox with the NFC. They still have more appearances of the Cowboys, Packers and Eagles than anybody else," North said. "And certainly for CBS with all those young quarterbacks, Theyre not eager to see all the Baltimore, Buffalo and Kansas City games elsewhere.

CBS, which had its best regular season in 2025, has the Chiefs four times and the Cowboys twice in its Sunday 4:25 p.m. doubleheader window.

Its best lineup looks to be Week 15, with Bears-Bills on Saturday, Dec. 19, at 8:20 p.m., followed by Steelers-Ravens on Sunday at 1 p.m., and Cowboys-Rams at 4:25 p.m.

That will be a great scene in Buffalo for us, and then you go from that game to Sunday and a monster doubleheader with Ravens-Steelers early, a legendary black-and-blue game, and then having the Cowboys in LA against the Rams, said Dan Weinberg, CBS Sports EVP of programming.

CBS also has the Cowboys in Week 3 against the Ravens, which will be played in Brazil.

By carrying the Patriots-Lions game in Munich on Week 10, Fox will have its first tripleheader since Week 8 in 2016. After the Sunday morning game, it will also feature Vikings-Packers as a showcase game at 1 p.m., followed by 49ers-Cowboys in the late afternoon slot.

Tom Brady makes his first return to Foxborough, Massachusetts, as a broadcaster when the Patriots face the Packers in Week 9.

Sunday is still the core of the football experience and always will be. I think the league is mindful of not undermining the brand and power of Sunday football," said Mike Mulvihill, Fox Sports president, insight and analytics.

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U.S. and Nigerian forces killed a leader of the Islamic State group in Nigeria in a mission carried out Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump said.

Trump announced the joint operation in Africas most populous country in a late-night social media post that offered few details. He said Abu Bakr al-Mainuki was second-in-command of the Islamic State group globally and thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing.

Al-Mainuki was viewed as the key figure in IS organizing and finance, and had been plotting attacks against the United States and its interests, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share sensitive information.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu confirmed the operation and said Al-Mainuki was killed alongside several of his lieutenants, during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin."

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According to the spokesperson for the Nigerian military task force that carried out the operation, the operation was a "highly complex precision air-land operation" and was carried out during three hours of darkness early Saturday without any casualties or loss of assets.

His elimination represents the single most consequential counterterrorism outcome" in the region since the inception of the operation in 2015, Sani Uba, the spokesperson for the task force, said in a statement.

Born in Nigeria's Borno province in 1982, al-Mainuki took the helm of the IS branch in West Africa after the groups previous leader in the region, Mamman Nur, was killed in 2018, according to the Counter Extremism Project, which tracks militant groups.

Al-Mainuki was based in the Sahel area, the monitoring group said, adding that it is believed that he fought in Libya when IS was active in the North African nation more than a decade ago. He was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2023.

Questions over Al-Mainuki's exact status in IS

Trump, in his social media announcement, said Al-Mainuki was second in command globally, hiding in Africa, a claim that some analysts say is off the mark. The Nigerian military, in a statement, also said intelligence shows that earlier this year, Al-Mainuki might have been elevated to the position of Head of the General Directorate of States, placing him the second most senior leader within the ISIS global hierarchy.

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There is no way to verify his position within IS independently. Analysts say Al-Mainuki was the deputy to Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the leader of the Islamic State West African Province who was reported to have died in 2021. He is regarded as one of the central proponents of the formation of ISWAP, after its split with Boko Haram in 2016.

If confirmed, the killing of Al-Mainuki is huge because this is the first time a security agency has killed someone this high in the ranking of ISWAP, Malik Samuel, a senior researcher at Good Governance Africa who specializes in insurgent groups in Nigeria, said.

The potential to cause chaos within the group is also there because the operation must have been carried out in the heart of ISWAPs fortified base, which is very difficult to access.

Trump in December directed U.S. forces to launch strikes against the Islamic State group in Nigeria, though he released little detail then about the impact.

US and Nigeria step up joint operations

The Nigerian military said the operation was a result of recently formed U.S.-Nigeria partnership and intelligence-sharing efforts. Samalia Uba, the military spokesperson, said in a statement that the operation has also disrupted a violent terrorist network that endangered Nigeria and the broader West African region.

Nigeria has been battling multiple armed groups, including at least two affiliated with IS, as it has grappled with a multifaceted security crisis. IS affiliates in Africa have emerged as some of the continent's most active militant groups following the collapse of the so-called IS caliphate in Syria and Iraq in 2017.

The U.S. in February sent troops to the West African nation to help advise its military, and in March, the U.S. also deployed drones there after Trump alleged that Christians are being targeted in Nigerias security crisis.

The Friday night operation was the latest instance in a string of covert missions abroad that Trump has announced this year, starting with the stunning overnight raid in January to capture and remove Venezuela's then-leader Nicols Maduro and whisk him to the U.S., followed nearly two months later by the launch of strikes that kicked off the war with Iran.

Workers on New Yorks Long Island Rail Road are on strike, union officials said early Saturday, paralyzing the busiest commuter rail system in North America.

Labor unions representing about half the systems workers announced the walkout after negotiations with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority ended Friday without a new contract. The five unions, which represent about half the systems 7,000 workers, including locomotive engineers, machinists and signalmen, weren't legally allowed to go on strike until 12:01 a.m. Saturday.

Kevin Sexton of the National Vice President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen said no new negotiations have been scheduled.

Were far apart at this point," Sexton said. We are truly sorry that we are in this situation.

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Janno Lieber, the MTA chairman, said the agency gave the union everything they said they wanted in terms of pay and that to him it was apparent the unions always intended to walk out.

The strike will force the roughly 250,000 people who ride the system each weekday to find alternative routes into New York City from its Long Island suburbs or to work from home. That means more cars on traffic-choked highways and longer work commutes.

Its gonna be such a nightmare trying to get in, said Rob Udle, an electrician who takes the LIRR at least five days a week into Manhattan.

The strike could make it challenging for some sports fans to get into Manhattan to watch the NBAs New York Knicks playoff run or see the baseball rivals the New York Yankees battle the crosstown Mets this weekend.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has urged LIRR riders to work from during the walkout as the MTA plans to provide free but limited shuttle buses during the work day rush hours geared toward essential workers.

In a statement she blamed the strike on union leadership.

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Commuters are dealing with unnecessary dysfunction and thousands of union LIRR workers are being forced to go without a paycheck because of decisions made by a small group of union leaders," Hochul said. "I stand with LIRR riders and will fight to preserve the long term stability of the MTA.

Dispute over wages

Both sides said the fight was over wage increases and health care premiums.

Details on exactly where each side stood late Friday weren't released, but the union had gone into the talks demanding a total raise of 16% over four years, saying it was needed to help workers keep up with inflation.

The MTA has argued that the unions initial demands would lead to fare increases. Lieber said that while the MTA had met the pay demands, it had asked for new hires to the LIRR to pay higher health care premiums to offset some costs. The union rejected that idea.

Commuters brace for the worst

Susanne Alberto, a personal trainer from Long Island, said she has already made plans with her Manhattan clients to hold virtual sessions in the event of a shutdown.

She said the union likely has the upper hand.

The MTA is going to cave, and they know that, Alberto said. Why dont they just do it now instead of waiting until virtually millions of people get inconvenienced?

Udle, the electrician, said he will likely use his vacation days rather than navigate the nightmare of commuting into Manhattan if the rail service shuts down.

A union member, he sympathized with the unions affordability concerns, but he said he didnt agree with their strong-arm tactics.

I get it, the cost of living is going up and stuff like that, Udle said while waiting at Penn Station for a train home. But they shouldnt hold everybody hostage to do it. Theres a better way. Youre affecting a lot of other people."

A strike was temporarily averted in September when President Donald Trumps administration agreed to help with negotiations. Those efforts ended without a deal, giving both sides 60 days ending 12:01 a.m. Saturday to again try to resolve their differences before the union is legally allowed to go on strike or the agency could lock out workers.

LIRR workers last went on strike in 1994, for about two days.

Workers on the commuter rail system connecting Manhattan to New Jersey, New Jersey Transit, went on strike last year. It lasted three days.

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected Virginias bid to restore a congressional map that would have given Democrats a chance to pick up four seats in the closely divided House of Representatives.

The courts order, issued without any noted dissent, is the latest twist in the nations mid-decade redistricting competition. It was kicked off last year by President Donald Trump urging Republican-controlled states to redraw their lines and was supercharged by a recent Supreme Court ruling severely weakening the Voting Rights Act that opened up even more winnable seats for the GOP.

In recent days, the justices have sided with Republicans in Alabama and Louisiana who hope to redo their congressional maps to produce more GOP-leaning seats following the courts voting rights decision.

But the Virginia situation was different, stemming from a 4-3 ruling by the Virginia Supreme Court that struck down a constitutional amendment that voters narrowly passed just last month.

The state court found that the Democratic-controlled legislature improperly began the process of placing the amendment on the ballot after early voting had begun in Virginias general election last fall.

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The Supreme Court typically doesnt intervene in state court proceedings unless they present an issue of federal law. Virginia Democrats had hoped to persuade the justices that the Virginia court misread federal law and Supreme Court precedent that hold that, even if early voting is underway, an election does not happen until Election Day itself.

Virginias amendment had been intended as a response to Republican gains in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio, and to blunt a new map in Florida that just became law. Once the Virginia amendment passed, it briefly turned the nationwide redistricting scramble into a draw between the two parties.

That was unraveled by the Virginia Supreme Courts decision.

Its possible Democrats could use the high courts rejection of their bid, while also blessing Republican efforts in Alabama and Louisiana, in election-year messaging about a partisan Supreme Court.

The states top Democrats disagreed about whether it was even too late for help from the Supreme Court. Time grows short, but it is not yet too late, lawyers for the Democratic leaders of the legislature as well as the state told the justices in a brief filed Friday.

A day earlier, the office of Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger already had confirmed that the state will hold this years elections under the current districts established in 2021. Last month, Virginia Commissioner of Elections Steve Koski said a court order was needed by this past Tuesday to set the district lines for primary elections on Aug. 4.

The leader of the state's Republican party said the justices made the right call. Wisely, the Supreme Court of the United States has confirmed the judgment of the Supreme Court of Virginia, state party chairman Jeff Ryer said. This should once and for all put to rest the Democrats effort to disenfranchise half of Virginia.

Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee announced Friday that he is ending his bid for reelection, his career upended by the redistricting battles that are sweeping the country after last month's Supreme Court decision.

Republicans in Tennessee this month enacted a new U.S. House map that carves up a Cohen's majority-Black district, reshaping it to the GOPs advantage as part of President Donald Trumps strategy to hold on to a slim majority in the November midterm elections.

I dont want to quit. Im not a quitter. But these districts were drawn to beat me, Cohen told reporters in his Washington, D.C., office.

Cohen is challenging the states redistricting effort in court and said he would reenter the race if that lawsuit succeeded in restoring his old congressional district.

He lamented that Tennessee would likely shift to an entirely Republican congressional delegation after the next election, warning that it could also leave the state out of the loop once Democrats are able to regain the White House.

RELATED STORY | Rapid redistricting reshapes US political map ahead of 2026 midterms

Redistricting targeted Cohen's district

Tennessee was the first state to pass new congressional districts after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that significantly weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minorities. But more Southern states could follow. Republicans in Louisiana, Alabama and South Carolina also have taken steps toward redistricting.

Cohen has represented his Memphis-based district for about two decades, among the last of the white Democrats representing the South. He has been a longtime member of the House Judiciary Committee and has focused on strengthening voting access and civil rights.

Its unique in America that an African-American majority district has elected a white guy, and that weve got a great relationship, great amount of support, said Cohen, who is also the first Jewish person to represent Tennessee in Congress.

He was facing a primary challenge from state lawmaker Justin Pearson, a Black progressive who represents much of Memphis in the state's General Assembly.

"The status quo is failing us, Pearson told The Associated Press Friday. Its time for new energy, new voices, and new ideas to meet this present moment, and thats why I started to run in the first place.

Pearson said he still intends to run in Tennessees redrawn 9th Congressional District, which now includes multiple rural counties that backed Trump by double-digit margins.

Were going to win. Its going to be harder, but as an ancestor once said, if the mountain was smooth, you couldnt climb it, said Pearson. He said his message would not change, but argued his agenda had some appeal to rural, working-class, white conservatives.

But Cohen predicted it would be nearly impossible for Tennessee Democrats to win a seat in Congress with the new districts. He added there was a chance the redistricting effort could backfire on the Republicans but that would require an unbelievable registration effort among Democrats and a massive vote turnout.

Cohen vows to oppose Trump

Sitting in his congressional office with staff looking on, Cohen pointed to photos of Memphis and local projects that he had championed during his career and expressed worry that Memphis voters would no longer have a voice in Washington. He also recounted how he had worked with the state's Republican leaders to win funding during the Biden administration for a larger bridge to cross the Mississippi River into Memphis.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement that Cohen was a powerful champion for civil rights and that the City of Memphis, the Congress and the nation are better because of Steves commitment to making a difference.

Cohen said the Republican's redistricting effort was being done for Donald Trump to get one more vote, he thinks, to stop him from being impeached.

Still, he vowed to use his remaining time in Congress to try to mount opposition to Trump, calling the president the greatest threat to democracy and to decorum and grace that weve ever seen.

Like many lawmakers, Cohen has often attracted attention with colorful outbursts during congressional debates and hearings. During Trumps first term, in 2019, Cohen brought a bucket of fried chicken to a House Judiciary Committee hearing at which then-Attorney General William P. Barr was a no-show.

The message is Attorney General Bill Barr is not brave enough to answer questions from a staff attorney and members of the Judiciary Committee, he said in a statement at the time.

While Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress tried to certify the results of the presidential election, Cohen screamed angrily at his Republican colleagues to Call Trump. Call your friend. Tell him to do something.

Cohen was among the first Democrats to join impeachment efforts for Trump in his first term, and he has signed on to articles of impeachment against Trump this year as well.

Memphis activists respond to new map

Meanwhile, Memphis activists grappled with the new political realities after the Republican-led legislatures decision to divide the citys longtime congressional district into three neighboring districts.

Advocates said they believed they could work with and pressure any lawmaker who will represent the city.

Things are going to change. Were aware of that, said Tierney Macon, an activist with The Equity Alliance, a local civil rights group.

Macon, who protested at the Tennessee statehouse for days following the unveiling of the redrawn maps, said activists aimed to hold the citys new representatives in Congress accountable no matter their party.

We just have to be engaged, Macon said.

Demonstrations in the statehouse included chants accusing lawmakers of resurrecting Jim Crow, a system of state and local laws that for decades enforced racial segregation and disenfranchisement across the South.