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By KELVIN CHAN, Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — “Have you seen the cats?”

That’s a common refrain in my household because our two felines, Maple and Juniper, can venture outside through a flap in the backdoor. Like many other London house cats, they’re free to come and go, roaming the surrounding backyards and beyond, equipped with microchips to identify them if they get lost.

If your cat likes to prowl outdoors for long stretches, or your dog has a tendency to run off, it can be distressing when they don’t return as expected.

If you’re worried about your furry friend’s whereabouts, technology can help you keep tabs on them.

How pet tech works

Dedicated pet trackers are collar-worn devices that typically use GPS signals to pinpoint the location of the animal wearing them. They use a 4G cellphone signal or your home Wi-Fi connection to relay the position to a smartphone app.

There are many products on the market. Tractive, Jiobit and Pawfit are among brands that offer trackers for both dogs and cats. Devices for the latter are generally smaller and lighter.

Dog trackers with integrated collars are available from Fi and Whistle. PetTracer is a cat collar that uses both GPS and radio signals from a home base station. FitBark, also for dogs, has an Apple Watch app to monitor location and other activity.

Garmin has a range of GPS dog collars that work with handheld devices resembling walkie-talkies, but they’re pricey and aimed at outdoors enthusiasts like hunters.

Phone signals

Most trackers let you designate a safe zone on a map, usually your house and surrounding area, and alert you if your pet has left it.

They usually operate on the 4G LTE spectrum commonly used by wireless carriers. It typically has the longest range of any cellular signal, said Andrew Bleiman, Tractive’s executive vice president for North America.

That means strong connectivity in most of Europe and North America “unless you’re in a really far flung place like the middle of a national park,” Bleiman said.

What it costs

Exact price depends on brand and model. Most devices sell for less than $100. However, keep in mind you’ll also have to pay a subscription fee for the cell service to function.

While that could cost $100 or more a year, for some pet owners it’s worth the “peace of mind,” Bleiman said.

Battery life

The collars usually have a built-in rechargeable battery but battery life varies. Most will be last at least two to three days before they need charging, and a lot longer in ideal conditions.

One big factor is signal strength. The battery will drain faster if the device has to work harder to pick up the GPS or connect to Wi-Fi. Some save power by not sending coordinates in the safe zone.

Other features

Like fitness watches for humans, pet tracking apps offer health and activity monitoring features. You can see how long your cat or dog has spent resting or exercising on a daily or hourly basis.

But be aware, a tracker is “not going to keep your pet in the backyard,” Bleiman said. It will only “alert you when they leave the virtual fence area that you set up.”

How to use it

This One Tech Tip was inspired by Maple, who once went AWOL for days. It turned out he was hanging out in a backyard 10 doors down the street. We only found out after the residents got hold of a pet microchip scanner to look up our contact details to let us know so we could retrieve him.

Tractive provided a loaner device to try. Using the included breakaway collar, we put it on Maple, who clearly didn’t like it at first. He dashed out the back door and jumped through a hole in the fence.

Over the next day, I used the Tractive app to monitor his movements. It showed his travels back and forth onto various neighboring properties. He came back to rest for a few hours around midnight, went out to prowl again around 3 a.m, then came back after an hour to nap some more.

It was fascinating to see where he was spending his time. According to the app’s “heatmap,” one of Maple’s favorite spots was the same backyard where we had to retrieve him previously.

Losing track

About 24 hours after I attached the Tractive collar on Maple, I noticed he was no longer wearing it. It had somehow come off.

If you can’t find your pet’s exact location, or the device gets lost, Tractive has a “radar” feature to pinpoint it with your phone’s Bluetooth. Other brands have similar features.

On the app’s map, I could see it was in a nearby backyard and that I was getting closer because the circle was getting bigger. But I couldn’t figure out where it was and, not wanting to disturb the neighbors, I gave up.

Bleiman recommends using a harness for cats that don’t like collars, but I’m not convinced.

Microchips

It’s common for cats and dogs to be implanted with microchips, with the details added to a database. That makes it much easier to reunite owners with lost dogs and cats, even if they’ve strayed hundreds of miles away or gone missing for years.

Pet microchips, about the size of a grain of rice implanted just below the skin, are legally required in some European countries. There’s no federal law in the U.S., though some places like Hawaii now require them, so check with state or local authorities.

But there’s some confusion about what microchips can do. Because they don’t have a power supply, they can’t be tracked in real time. Whoever finds your pet would need to take it to a vet or a shelter to can scan the device for contact details.

Air Tags and similar devices are another option

Many pet owners use Bluetooth trackers like Apple’s Air Tags, Samsung’s SmartTags or similar devices from Tile, Cube and Chipolo, which rely on low-power signals relayed by passing smartphones.

Bluetooth trackers have a range of 100 to 500 feet, depending on the model. The batteries last for months if not longer, and there’s no need to pay for a subscription.

However, they’re not specifically marketed for pets. That hasn’t stopped pet owners, judging from many recommendations they’ve posted in online forums.

Chipolo advises that its round plastic trackers are only for “in-house pets like house-trained cats and smaller dogs” and warns against using them on “larger dog breeds and outdoor cats.”

Still, they can be a solution for some pet owners.

“Bluetooth is a totally reasonable solution if you’re in a downtown urban core,” Bleiman said. “But pets move fast. And if you’re in a wooded park, or you’re in a suburban area — let alone a more rural or wilderness area — it’s pretty unlikely your pet is going to be close to a Bluetooth device.”

Is there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech Tip.

By MARK SHERMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Friday revived long-running lawsuits against Palestinian authorities from Americans who were killed or wounded in terrorism attacks in the Middle East.

The justices upheld a 2019 law enacted by Congress specifically to allow the victims’ lawsuits to go forward against the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority.

The attacks occurred in the early 2000s, killing 33 people and wounding hundreds more, and in 2018, when a U.S.-born settler was stabbed to death by a Palestinian assailant outside a mall in the West Bank.

The victims and their families assert that Palestinian agents either were involved in the attacks or incited them.

The Palestinians have consistently argued that the cases shouldn’t be allowed in American courts.

The federal appeals court in New York has repeatedly ruled in favor of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, despite Congress’ efforts to allow the victims’ lawsuits to be heard.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals first ruled in 2016 against the victims of the attacks from 20 years ago, tossing out a $654 million jury verdict in their favor. In that earlier ruling, the appeals court held U.S. courts can’t consider lawsuits against foreign-based groups over random attacks that were not aimed at the United States.

The victims had sued under the Anti-Terrorism Act, signed into law in 1992. The law was passed to open U.S. courts to victims of international terrorism, spurred by the killing of American Leon Klinghoffer during a 1985 terrorist attack aboard the Achille Lauro cruise ship.

The jury found the PLO and the Palestinian Authority liable for six attacks and awarded $218 million in damages. The award was automatically tripled under the law.

After the Supreme Court rejected the victims’ appeal in 2018, Congress again amended the law to make clear it did not want to close the courthouse door to the victims.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.

By MICHAEL CASEY and REBECCA BOONE

BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from withholding billions of dollars in transportation funds from states that don’t agree to participate in some immigration enforcement actions.

Twenty states sued after they said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy threatened to cut off funding to states that refused to comply with President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr. barred federal transportation officials from carrying out that threat before the lawsuit is fully resolved.

“The Court finds that the States have demonstrated they will face irreparable and continuing harm if forced to agree to Defendants’ unlawful and unconstitutional immigration conditions imposed in order to receive federal transportation grant funds,” wrote McConnell, the chief judge for the federal district of Rhode island. “The States face losing billions of dollars in federal funding, are being put in a position of relinquishing their sovereign right to decide how to use their own police officers, are at risk of losing the trust built between local law enforcement and immigrant communities, and will have to scale back, reconsider, or cancel ongoing transportation projects.”

On April 24, states received letters from the Department of Transportation stating that they must cooperate on immigration efforts or risk losing the congressionally appropriated funds. No funding was immediately withheld, but some of the states feared the move was imminent.

Attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin and Vermont filed the lawsuit in May, saying the new so-called “Duffy Directive” put them in an impossible position.

“The States can either attempt to comply with an unlawful and unconstitutional condition that would surrender their sovereign control over their own law enforcement officers and reduce immigrants’ willingness to report crimes and participate in public health programs — or they can forfeit tens of billions of dollars of funds they rely on regularly to support the roads, highways, railways, airways, ferries, and bridges that connect their communities and homes,” the attorneys general wrote in court documents.

But acting Rhode Island U.S. Attorney Sara Miron Bloom told the judge that Congress has given the Department of Transportation the legal right to set conditions for the grant money it administers to states, and that requiring compliance and cooperation with federal law enforcement is a reasonable exercise of that discretion. Allowing the federal government to withhold the funds while the lawsuit moves forward doesn’t cause any lasting harm, Bloom wrote in court documents, because that money can always be disbursed later if needed.

But requiring the federal government to release the money to uncooperative states will likely make it impossible to recoup later, if the Department of Transportation wins the case, Bloom said.

By JOSEPH WILSON

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A group of tourists were sitting at an outdoor table in the Spanish city of Barcelona, trying to enjoy their drinks, when a woman raised a cheap plastic water gun and shot an arc of water at them.

Her weapon of choice — the cheap, squirt-squirt variety — is an increasingly common fixture at anti-tourism protests in the southern European country, where many locals fear that an overload of visitors is driving them from their cherished neighborhoods.

How did the humble water gun become a symbol of discontent?

From refreshing to revolutionary

The phenomenon started last July, when a fringe, left-wing activist group based in Barcelona that promotes the “degrowth” of the city’s successful tourism sector held its first successful rally. Some brought water guns to shoot one another and stay cool in the summer heat.

“What happened later went viral, but in reality it was just kind of a joke by a group of people who brought water guns because it was hot,” Adriana Coten, one of the organizers of Neighborhood Assembly for Tourism Degrowth, told The Associated Press.

Then, some turned their water guns from each other to tourists. The images went around the world, becoming a publicity coup for the anti-tourism cause.

The guns reappeared in April when the same group stopped a tour bus in Barcelona, the Catalan capital.

Guns drawn

On Sunday, around a thousand people marched from a luxury shopping boulevard popular with affluent foreigners before police stopped them from getting closer to Barcelona’s top sight-seeing destination: La Sagrada Familia church.

The marchers spritzed unsuspecting tourists along the way, chanting slogans and carrying protest signs. One read: “One more tourist, one less resident!”

They left a trail of stickers on hotel doors, lampposts and outdoor café tables showing a squirting water gun encircled by a message in English: “Tourist Go Home!”

Still, the number of Barcelona protesters carrying water guns was a minority — and in the gun-toting group, many were only shooting in the air or at each other. One dad was toting his baby in a front-pack, water gun in hand.

Outside the protests, Barcelona locals are not toting water guns or taking aim at tourists. And many in the city still support tourism, which is a pillar of the local economy.

‘A symbol’

Can the water gun really change the minds of tourists, authorities or the businesses that drive the industry? Depends on who you ask.

Protester Lourdes Sánchez and her teenage daughter, each holding a water gun, said the gun “really isn’t to hurt anyone.”

“This is a symbol to say that we are fed up of how tourism industry is transforming our country into a theme park,” Sánchez said.

Another demonstrator, Andreu Martínez, acknowledged it was “to bother the tourists a bit.”

Laurens Schocher, a 46-year-old architect, said he didn’t shoot any suspected tourists but hoped that carrying a water gun would bring more attention to their cause.

“I don’t think the tourists will get it,” he said. “I think this is to send a message to authorities.”

A squirt can hurt your feelings

The marchers had no monster, pump-action water cannons most kids use for backyard battles in the summer. Theirs were the old-school, cheap-o water guns that send a slim jet of water not that far away.

Some tourists who were sprayed took it in stride, even claiming it was refreshing on a day with temperatures pushing up to around 87 Fahrenheit.

But there were moments of tension. When several marchers squirted workers at a large hostel, tempers flared and one worker spat at his attackers as he slammed the hostel door shut.

Nora Tsai, who had just arrived from Taiwan on a short visit, was among those spritzed on Sunday. She said she was a bit frightened and saddened. The “Tourist go home!” chants didn’t help either.

“I still like Barcelona,” she said. “I have met a lot of people who were kind.”

By TOM MURPHY

A small, growing number of employers are putting health insurance decisions entirely in the hands of their workers.

Instead of offering traditional insurance, they’re giving workers money to buy their own coverage in what’s known as Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements, or ICHRAs.

Advocates say this approach provides small companies that couldn’t afford insurance a chance to offer something. It also caps a growing expense for employers and fits conservative political goals of giving people more purchasing power over their coverage.

But ICHRAs place the risk for finding coverage on the employee, and they force them to do something many dislike: Shop for insurance.

“It’s maybe not perfect, but it’s solving a problem for a lot of people,” said Cynthia Cox, of the nonprofit KFF, which studies health care issues.

Here’s a closer look at how this approach to health insurance is evolving.

What’s an ICHRA?

Normally, U.S. employers offering health coverage will have one or two insurance options for workers through what’s known as a group plan. The employers then pick up most of the premium, or cost of coverage.

ICHRAs are different: Employers contribute to health insurance coverage, but the workers then pick their own insurance plans. The employers that use ICHRAs hire outside firms to help people make their coverage decisions.

ICHRAs were created during President Donald Trump’s first administration. Enrollment started slowly but has swelled in recent years.

What’s the big deal about ICHRAs?

They give business owners a predictable cost, and they save companies from having to make coverage decisions for employees.

“You have so many things you need to focus on as a business owner to just actually grow the business,” said Jeff Yuan, co-founder of the New York-based insurance startup Taro Health.

Small businesses, in particular, can be vulnerable to annual insurance cost spikes, especially if some employees have expensive medical conditions. But the ICHRA approach keeps the employer cost more predictable.

Yuan’s company bases its contributions on the employee’s age and how many people are covered under the plan. That means it may contribute anywhere from $400 to more than $2,000 monthly to an employee’s coverage.

How is this approach different?

ICHRAs let people pick from among dozens of options in an individual insurance market instead of just taking whatever their company offers.

That may give people a chance to find coverage more tailored to their needs. Some insurers, for instance, offer plans designed for people with diabetes.

And workers can keep the coverage if they leave — potentially for longer periods than they would be able to with traditional employer health insurance plans. They likely will have to pay the full premium, but keeping the coverage also means they won’t have to find a new plan that covers their doctors.

Mark Bertolini, CEO of the insurer Oscar Health, noted that most people change jobs several times.

“Insurance works best when it moves with the consumer,” said the executive, whose company is growing enrollment through ICHRAs in several states.

What are the drawbacks for employees?

Health insurance plans on the individual market tend to have narrower coverage networks than employer-sponsored coverage.

It may be challenging for patients who see several doctors to find one plan that covers them all.

People shopping for their own insurance can find coverage choices and terms like deductibles or coinsurance overwhelming. That makes it important for employers to provide help with plan selection.

The broker or technology platform setting up a company’s ICHRA generally does this by asking about their medical needs or if they have any surgeries planned in the coming year.

How many people get coverage this way?

There are no good numbers nationally that show how many people have coverage through an ICHRA or a separate program for companies with 50 workers or less.

However, the HRA Council, a trade association that promotes the arrangements, sees big growth. The council works with companies that help employers offer the ICHRAs. It studies growth in a sample of those businesses.

It says about 450,000 people were offered coverage through these arrangements this year. That’s up 50% from 2024. Council Executive Director Robin Paoli says the total market may be twice as large.

Still, these arrangements make up a sliver of employer-sponsored health coverage in the United States. About 154 million people were enrolled in coverage through work last year, according to KFF.

Will growth continue?

Several things could cause more employers to offer ICHRAs. As health care costs continue to climb, more companies may look to limit their exposure to the hit.

Some tax breaks and incentives that encourage the arrangements could wind up in a final version of the Republican tax bill currently under consideration in the Senate.

More people also will be eligible for the arrangements if extra government subsidies that help buy coverage on the Affordable Care Act’s individual marketplaces expire this year.

You can’t participate in an ICHRA if you are already getting a subsidy from the government, noted Brian Blase, a White House health policy adviser in the first Trump administration.

“The enhanced subsidies, they crowd out private financing,” he said.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump honored Juneteenth in each of his first four years as president, even before it became a federal holiday. He even claimed once to have made it “famous.”

But on this year’s Juneteenth holiday on Thursday, the usually talkative president kept silent about a day important to Black Americans for marking the end of slavery in the country he leads again.

No words about it from his lips, on paper or through his social media site.

Asked whether Trump would commemorate Juneteenth in any way, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: “I’m not tracking his signature on a proclamation today. I know this is a federal holiday. I want to thank all of you for showing up to work. We are certainly here. We’re working 24/7 right now.”

Asked in a follow-up question whether Trump might recognize the occasion another way or on another day, Leavitt said, “I just answered that question for you.”

On Wednesday, Black community leaders from across the country, senior Trump administration officials and other individuals met at the White House to discuss improving coordination between the leaders and federal, state and local partners, according to a senior White House official. Housing Secretary Scott Turner and Lynne Patton, director of minority outreach, were among those who attended, said the official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss a private gathering.

The Republican president’s silence was a sharp contrast from his prior acknowledgement of the holiday. Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States by commemorating June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas. Their freedom came more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln liberated slaves in the Confederacy by signing the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War.

Trump’s quiet on the issue also deviated from White House guidance that Trump planned to sign a Juneteenth proclamation. Leavitt didn’t explain the change. Trump held no public events Thursday, but he shared statements about Iran, the TikTok app and Fed chairman Jerome Powell on his social media site.

He had more to say about Juneteenth in yearly statements in his first term.

In 2017, Trump invoked the “soulful festivities and emotional rejoicing” that swept through the Galveston crowd when a major general delivered the news that all enslaved people were free.

He told the Galveston story in each of the next three years. “Together, we honor the unbreakable spirit and countless contributions of generations of African Americans to the story of American greatness,” he added in his 2018 statement.

In 2019: “Across our country, the contributions of African Americans continue to enrich every facet of American life.” In 2020: “June reminds us of both the unimaginable injustice of slavery and the incomparable joy that must have attended emancipation. It is both a remembrance of a blight on our history and a celebration of our Nation’s unsurpassed ability to triumph over darkness.”

In 2020, after suspending his campaign rallies because of the coronavirus pandemic, Trump chose Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the place to resume his public gatherings and scheduled a rally for June 19. But the decision met with such fierce criticism that Trump postponed the event by a day.

Black leaders had said it was offensive for Trump to choose June 19 and Tulsa for a campaign event, given the significance of Juneteenth and Tulsa being the place where, in 1921, a white mob looted and burned that city’s Greenwood district, an economically thriving area referred to as Black Wall Street. As many as 300 Black Tulsans were killed, and thousands were temporarily held in internment camps overseen by the National Guard.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal days before the rally, Trump tried to put a positive spin on the situation by claiming that he had made Juneteenth “famous.” He said he changed the rally date out of respect for two African American friends and supporters.

“I did something good. I made it famous. I made Juneteenth very famous,” Trump said. “It’s actually an important event, it’s an important time. But nobody had heard of it. Very few people have heard of it.”

Generations of Black Americans celebrated Juneteenth long before it became a federal holiday in 2021 with the stroke of President Joe Biden’s pen.

Later in 2020, Trump sought to woo Black voters with a series of campaign promises, including establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday.

He lost the election, and that made it possible for Biden to sign the legislation establishing Juneteenth as the newest federal holiday.

Last year, Biden spoke briefly at a holiday concert on the South Lawn that featured performances by Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle. Vice President Kamala Harris danced onstage with gospel singer Kirk Franklin.

Biden was spending this year’s holiday in Galveston, Texas, where he was set to speak at a historic African Methodist Episcopal church.

Associated Press writer Calvin Woodward contributed to this report.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers organization said Thursday that it asked federal immigration agents to leave the Dodger Stadium grounds after they arrived at a parking lot near one of the gates.

Dozens of federal agents with their faces covered arrived in SUVs and cargo vans to a lot near the stadium’s Gate E entrance. A group of protesters carrying signs against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement started amassing shortly after, local media reported.

“This morning, ICE agents came to Dodger Stadium and requested permission to access the parking lots. They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization,” the team said in a statement posted on X.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement posted on X that its agent were never there.

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said the agents were with Customs and Border Protection and that they were not trying to enter the stadium.

“This had nothing to do with the Dodgers. (Customs and Border Protection) vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement,” she said in an email.

The team said the game against the San Diego Padres later Thursday will be played as planned.

Television cameras showed about four agents remained at the lot Thursday afternoon while officers with the Los Angeles Police Department stood between them and dozens of protesters, some carrying signs that read “I Like My Ice Crushed” and chanting “ICE out of LA!”

Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez arrived at the stadium and said she had been in communication with Dodger officials and the mayor’s office.

“We’ve been in communication with the mayor’s office, with the Dodgers, with Dodgers security, about seeing if they can get them moved off their private property,” she told KABC-TV. “Public property is different. Private property — businesses and corporations have the power to say, ‘Not on my property,’ And so we’re waiting to see that movement happen here.”

Protests began June 6 after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire the following days, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades.

The team has yet to make a statement regarding the arrests and raids. The Dodgers’ heavily Latino fan base have been pushing for the team to make a public statement and ignited a debate online about its stance on the immigration crackdown happening in Los Angeles.

The Trump administration has activated more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines over the objections of city and state leaders. Dozens of troops now guard federal buildings and protect federal agents making arrests.

The demonstrations have been mostly concentrated downtown in the city of around 4 million people. Thousands of people have peacefully rallied outside City Hall and hundreds more protested outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids.

Despite the protests, immigration enforcement activity has continued throughout the county, with city leaders and community groups reporting ICE present at libraries, car washes and Home Depots. School graduations in Los Angeles have increased security over fears of ICE action and some have offered parents the option to watch on Zoom.

By MARIA SHERMAN

NEW YORK (AP) — What makes a great song of the summer? Is it an up-tempo pop banger? Something with an earworm chorus? Does it need to feature the words “summer,” “sunshine,” or another synonym — “California” — in the title? How could anyone attempt a song of the summer after the late, great Beach Boy Brian Wilson composed them so expertly, anyway?

It very well may be subject to the eye (well, ear) of the beholder, but The Associated Press views the song of the summer as the one that takes over those warm months between June and August, the kind that blasts out of car speakers and at beach barbecues in equal measure. And that means many different things for many kinds of listeners.

So here are AP’s 2025 song of the summer predictions across categories, with past victors for reference.

Find your song of the summer and then listen to our Spotify playlist, here.

Song of the summer that inexplicably came out in January: “NUEVAYoL,” Bad Bunny

A song of the summer doesn’t actually have to arrive in summer, or even in spring. History has proved this time and time again, lest anyone forget Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license” hit at the top of the year in 2021. But this summer, like every summer, is about Bad Bunny. On his latest album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio pulls from Puerto Rico’s rich musical history and hybridizes it. He does so from the very opener, “NUEVAYoL,” which samples the fittingly named 1975 salsa hit from El Gran Combo, “Un Verano en Nueva York” (“A Summer in New York”).

Past champion: “Boy’s a Liar PT. 2,” PinkPantheress, Ice Spice (2023)

Song of the summer for the chronically online: “Tonight,” PinkPantheress

An internet hero releases another super hit: PinkPantheress’ “Tonight” is an undeniable good time; all bassline house meets hyperpop vocals with a naughty chorus. The 24-year-old British singer-songwriter has proved she’s got so much more to offer than a few viral hits — but her huge songs that blow up online? They tend to stay. That’s more than can be said about past winners in this category.

Past champion: “Million Dollar Baby,” Tommy Richman (2024)

Breakup song of the summer: “What Was That,” Lorde

Lorde’s first new single in four years recalls the clever synth-pop of her 2017 album “Melodrama,” casting aside the folk detour of 2021’s “Solar Power.” “What Was That” is reserved revelation, introspective electropop that takes a measured look at a relationship’s dissolution. It feels good, and bad, which is the point.

Past champion: “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,” Bee Gees (1971)

Song of the summer for the girls and all those who love them: “Gnarly,” KATSEYE

KATSEYE, the global girl group born out of K-pop development techniques, are “Gnarly,” and they’d like you to be, too. The song is asymmetrical pop with a cheerleading cadence and extensive, expensive product placement. You’re here for the girls, or you’re not. Gnarly!

Past champion: “Bills, Bills, Bills,” Destiny’s Child (1999)

Song for singles ready to mingle this summer: “WASSUP,” Young Miko

Flirting is central to these hot months; no other season has a fling named after it. Puerto Rican rapper Young Miko knows this better than most, and her track “WASSUP” is all about charisma — and it doesn’t hurt that it interpolates “Lollipop” by Lil Wayne featuring Static Major and “Chulin Culin Chunfly” by Voltio featuring Residente.

Past champion: “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’),” T-Pain featuring Yung Joc (2007)

Song of the summer for those who love British boy ballads performed by an American: “Ordinary,” Alex Warren

Last year brought Benson Boone’s glossy soft pop-rock; this year, Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” is inescapable. A big, inoffensive ballad with loosely religious themes, it is meticulously designed to the pull at heartstrings. And it does — the song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Past champion: “Beautiful Things,” Benson Boone (2024)

Song of the summer for when you lose the beef but still have fight left in ya: “Nokia,” Drake

For the last year, Drake has mostly made headlines for his rivalry with Kendrick Lamar, one of the biggest beefs in modern rap music history. He was no victor, but on “Nokia,” he’s certainly a winner. The song is a return to what Drizzy knows best: a massive rap-R&B-pop song for the ages, one that will live inside the minds of listeners for the whole year. Just, you know, replete with the nostalgic sounds of a Nokia ringtone.

Past champion: The difference here, of course, is that Drake won his beef with Meek Mill. But nonetheless: “Back to Back,” Drake (2015)

The TikTok-approved, blast-of-dopamine song of the summer: “Boots on the Ground,” 803Fresh

Social media is the wild west and inevitably sources its own song of the summer. Usually, there’s an element of humor in the track — like 2023’s “The Margarita Song” by That Chick Angel, Casa Di & Steve Terrell. This year is a bit different: 803Fresh’s “Boots on the Ground” is an organic hit that centers a kind of soulful line dance — it’s country-pop with trap hi-hats and fun for the whole family.

Past champion: “The Spark,” Kabin Crew & Lisdoonvarna Crew (2024)

Song of the summer for it girls: “Fame Is A Gun,” Addison Rae

Charli xcx fans, fear not. Addison Rae’s debut album is stuffed with bejeweled, hypnotic pop songs for the post-“BRAT” crowd. Best of all is the Grimes-esque “Fame Is a Gun,” a sunglasses-in-the-club banger with synthetic vocal textures and an unignorable chorus. For fashionable listeners, and those who aim to become more fabulous.

Past champion: “Bad Girls,” Donna Summer (1979)

Song of the summer of revenge: “Manchild,” Sabrina Carpenter

Does it sound strikingly similar to “Please, Please, Please” at times? Sure. But has Sabrina Carpenter cornered the market on country-tinged, satirical pop songs about heterofatalism, an internet neologism for those who find heterosexuality embarrassing and hopeless? Also, yes. But you know, with a wink, vengeance and a danceable quality. Amen, hey men!

Past champion: “Before He Cheats,” Carrie Underwood (from her 2005 debut album, but released as a single in 2006)

Biggest song of the year, and therefore the default song of the summer: “Luther,” Kendrick Lamar and SZA

Is a song released in November too dated to qualify for song of the summer? Perhaps. But here’s the rub: Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther” held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks in 2025 — over half the year so far. Popularity makes the contender. It doesn’t hurt that “Luther” is also one of the best songs of both this year and last, a tender R&B ballad that samples Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn’s 1982 rendition of “If This World Were Mine.” “Luther” has since been dethroned on the charts, but no other song has come close to its run this year.

Past champion: “Last Night,” Morgan Wallen (2023)

Country crossover song of the summer: “What I Want,” Morgan Wallen and Tate McRae

If terrestrial country radio is your leading metric for selecting the song of the summer, then Morgan Wallen’s “I’m The Problem” is likely your pick. But a catchier track with true country crossover appeal is “What I Want” with Wallen and pop singer Tate McRae. It is the first time Wallen has featured a female vocalist on one of his songs. It’s a rare embrace for the chart topper, who historically prefers to buck country duet tradition and double down on his vocal style — warm, muscular, masculine.

Past champion: “You’re Still the One,” Shania Twain (from her 1997 album, but released as a single in 1998)

Song of the summer released half a decade ago: “party 4 you,” Charli xcx

The data doesn’t lie and what is old is new is old is new again. In the year after “BRAT” summer, desire for more Charli xcx is still strong. As a result, fans have dug up a cut from her 2020 album, “How I’m Feeling Now,” and turned it into their own summer anthem … five years later. So much so, in fact, that Charli released a music video for it in May.

Past champion: “Cruel Summer,” Taylor Swift (released in 2019, crowned song of the summer in 2023)

Song of the summer with a canine-themed title: “Mutt,” Leon Thomas

Look, “Mutt” also arrived in 2024, but in 2025 — bolstered by a deluxe release and a recent Chris Brown remix — makes “Mutt” an easy song of the summer pick for some listeners. It’s difficult to hear that chorus and not sing along: “She said, ‘Take your time, what’s the rush?’ / I said, ‘Baby, I’m a dog, I’m a mutt.’”

Past champion: “Bird Dog,” The Everly Brothers (1958)

By MARK SCOLFORO

GARDNERS, Pa. (AP) — Sam Cooper had just trekked 7 miles through a rain-sodden stretch of the Appalachian Trail when he sat down outside a little country store in Pennsylvania to take on its ice cream challenge.

Nearly 40 minutes and 2,500 calories later, the dairy farmer from Chapel Hill, Tennessee, was polishing off the final titanium sporkful of chocolate chip cookie dough on Tuesday and adding his name to the list of “thru-hikers” who have celebrated the trail’s halfway point by downing a half-gallon of ice cream.

By the end Cooper, 32, whose trail name is Pie Top, was calling the experience “pure misery.”

“I don’t think anybody should be doing this,” Cooper said cheerfully. “This is not healthy at all.”

The ice cream challenge is thought to have begun more than four decades ago at the Pine Grove Furnace General Store in Gardners, a few miles north of the current true halfway point on the 2,197-mile trail. Thru-hikers, as they’re known, are the fraction of the trail’s 3 million annual visitors who attempt to walk its entire length in a single, continuous trip.

As they slog their way north through Virginia and Maryland, the ice cream challenge is a regular topic of conversation among thru-hikers at shelters and campfires, said Stephan Berens, 49, a psychiatric nurse from Nuremberg, Germany.

Berens, whose trail name is Speedy, polished off his black cherry and vanilla in about 25 minutes after completing 17 miles on the trail that day — and with seven more to go that afternoon.

‘The most free I’ve ever felt’

Trail experts say hikers can need up to 6,000 calories a day, a practical challenge when food needs to be carried up and down rocky terrain. The slender Berens figures he’s lost about 20 pounds since starting April 8.

“I thought it would be worse, but it’s OK,” said Berens, smiling and patting his stomach after finishing the half-gallon. “Such a crazy idea.”

Zeke Meddock, trail name Petroglyph, didn’t bother timing himself but finished his choice of a quart and a half carton of chocolate chip cookie dough and a pint of strawberry. The diesel mechanic from North Amarillo, Texas, began his hike on March 27, two months after finishing a stint in the U.S. Army.

“You’re basically walking away from life,” said Meddock, 31. “It’s the most free I’ve ever felt.”

So far this year, about 50 thru-hikers have finished the challenge, earning the honor of having their photos posted on a store bulletin board. In a notebook to record their thoughts, Chicken Louise wrote on May 24: “Life choices?” The next day, Seagull weighed in with, “I feel bad,” and Hyena issued a cry for help: “It was very fun for the first 15 minutes. Now, I (and my family) want to die.”

The ice cream challenge record, less than 4 minutes, was set two years ago by a man with the trail name Squirt. Two decades ago, the mark to beat was about 9 minutes.

Thru-hikers who want to attempt the record may only allow the $12 worth of ice cream to start to melt in the sun for a few minutes. They must be timed by a store employee.

“It’s called the half-gallon challenge,” Cooper said. “Very appropriately named.”

Bragging rights and a spoon

Bruce Thomas, a 41-year-old disability support worker from Medicine Hat in Alberta, Canada, passed on the ice cream challenge, opting instead for a breakfast sandwich and another one for the road.

“It’s early morning and I’m pretty sure I cannot do it,” said Thomas, trail name Not Lazy.

Those who do finish in a single sitting are awarded a commemorative wooden spoon — and bragging rights for the rest of their hike. Some people get sick. Others wash down the ice cream with a hamburger.

The ice cream challenge is one of several quirky traditions and places along the trail. There’s a shelter in Virginia where hikers confess their sins in a logbook, a two-hole outhouse in Maine with a cribbage board between the seats and a free canoe ferry across the Kennebec River that’s considered an official part of the trail. And at Harriman State Park in Tuxedo, New York, hikers encounter the renowned “Lemon Squeezer,” a narrow rock formation.

About one in three people who launch a thru hike take the roughly 5 million steps required to go the distance. They most often walk from south to north, starting in Springer Mountain, Georgia, and wrapping up 13 states later at Maine’s Mount Katahdin.

The trek typically takes six months but the current speed record is about 40 days, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Meddock said there’s talk that a man on the trail behind him may be on pace to break it.

There’s also been a lot of discussion among hikers about the extensive damage along the trail in southern states from September’s Hurricane Helene. But mostly they think and talk about walking.

“It’s always hard,” Thomas said. “It’s going to be hard. I never think about quitting. I only think about how I can do it.”

By BILL BARROW, OLIVIA DIAZ and MIKE CATALINI

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (AP) — Abigail Spanberger opened her general election bid for Virginia governor Wednesday using her high school alma mater near Richmond.

“I grew up walking the halls of Tucker High School,” the former congresswoman says as she walks past a bank of lockers in her first ad since securing the Democratic nomination. Later, she notes her experience as a CIA case officer, then in the halls of Congress as a tough-minded, get-things-done lawmaker.

The same kind of message is echoing in New Jersey from Rep. Mikie Sherrill, as she also makes a bid for governor. Both women are selling themselves as Democrats who can rise above the rancor of Donald Trump’s Washington.

For national Democrats who have spent months debating how to counter the president’s aggressive second administration, it’s a reminder of what worked for the party during Trump’s first term. Spanberger and Sherrill were headliners in the 2018 roster of center-left Democrats who helped flip House control from Republicans with balanced appeals to moderates, progressives and even anti-Trump conservatives. Now, they’re leading statewide tickets in races that could offer Democrats a back-to-the-future path forward as they look toward next year’s midterms.

“There are a lot of similarities” in Democrats’ current position and the 2018 campaigns, said Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., who, as a House member, chaired his party’s congressional campaign arm during Trump’s first midterm election cycle.

The 2018 Democratic freshman class yielded a net gain of 40 seats with a lineup that featured record numbers of women and plenty of candidates with national security and business backgrounds. A similar effort yielded a net gain of six governors.

The party’s 2018 winners also included outspoken progressives like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, elected in more liberal, urban districts. But the balance of power shifted on the backs of centrist candidates who carried the nation’s suburbs and improved Democrats’ performance in exurbs and even small-town, GOP-dominated areas.

Among Spanberger’s and Sherrill’s freshman colleagues were Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, another former CIA analyst, who won a suburban Detroit seat before her elevation to the Senate last November; Rep. Jason Crow, a former Army officer, who represents suburban Denver; and Rep. Angie Craig, who flipped a GOP-held seat in greater Minneapolis and now is running for Senate. Crow is now co-chairman of candidate recruitment for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Similar resumes are popping up among new Democratic recruits. In Michigan, for example, Bridget Brink, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, announced her bid for Slotkin’s old 7th Congressional District on Wednesday by leaning into her international experience as a counter to Trump.

Luján said the common thread has been recruiting “real people, regular folks” with “incredible credentials” and an ability to hold “a real conversation with people around economic issues … around the kitchen table” and campaign in any area.

So even as New Jersey’s Sherrill calls her Republican rival Jack Ciattarelli a “Trump lackey” and Spanberger pledges in a fundraising email to “defeat Trump’s agenda at the ballot box,” their wider appeal depends on different arguments.

Sherrill has from the start touted her biography: a Naval Academy graduate, Navy Sea King helicopter pilot, federal prosecutor and mother of four. Her blue and gold yard signs have a chopper hovering above her name. She is also promising an “Affordability Agenda” to address voters’ economic concerns.

Spanberger, part of the Problem Solvers Caucus when she was on Capitol Hill, leans into her deal-making centrism, promises to confront economic gaps and has pledged to campaign in every Virginia congressional district, including where Trump has dominated.

“It’s not the job of the governor of Virginia to cater to President Trump,” Spanberger said in one of her final primary campaign speeches. “It’s not the job of the governor of Virginia to cater to a political party.”

In an Associated Press interview earlier this spring, Spanberger even criticized former President Joe Biden for “posturing” by promising to eliminate student debt — something he could not accomplish by presidential action alone. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” she said.

She also bristled when asked to describe her place on the political spectrum. She instead said she set goals by asking, “How do I impact the most people in the fastest way possible?”

Jared Leopold, a Democratic strategist who worked as a senior staffer for the Democratic Governors Association during the 2018 cycle, said it’s notable that Spanberger and Sherrill avoid getting mired in the internal party tussle among progressives, liberals and moderates.

“Most voters aren’t really thinking about things along a simple left-right political spectrum,” especially in statewide races, Leopold said. “People are looking for politicians who they think understand them and can get things done to help them.”

He pointed to another 2018 Democratic standout: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Now a potential 2028 presidential candidate, Whitmer first gained national attention as a state legislator who spoke out about abortion rights and her experience of being raped as a college student. But she became a juggernaut in the governor’s race with what Leopold called a “brilliant and simple” slogan: “Fix the damn roads!”

Of course, Democrats do not dispute that a candidate’s military and national security experiences help neutralize routine Republican attacks of all Democrats as too liberal or out of touch.

“These credentials for how they’ve served the country — they’re just sharing who they are,” Luján said.

Said Leopold: “It certainly gives a different definition of what the Democratic Party is to some voters.”

In Virginia, Republican nominee and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who like Spanberger would become the first woman to serve in the state’s top elected office, is trying to tie the Democratic nominee to her national party.

Earle-Sears’ social media accounts frequently share pictures of Spanberger and Biden hugging and wearing masks. She accuses Spanberger of effectively rubber-stamping Biden’s legislative agenda while in Congress.

“Part of the challenge,” Spanberger retorts, “is that either my opponent or people who might be running anywhere, who don’t necessarily have things to run on, are going to try and distract.”

Spanberger, Sherrill and Democrats like them hope that most voters assess the GOP attacks and their own branding efforts like Fred Martucci, a retired glazier who voted early in Trenton, New Jersey.

The 75-year-old expressed a visceral distaste for Trump. As for what impresses him about Sherrill, he said: “She was a Navy helicopter pilot. You can’t be a dummy — she’s sharp.”

Olivia Diaz 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.

Barrow reported from Atlanta, Catalini from Trenton, New Jersey.

By SEUNG MIN KIM

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he plans to tap Chad Meredith, a former state solicitor general in Kentucky, for a federal judgeship in the state — and this time, he is facing no objections from Sen. Rand Paul, who opposed his nomination three years ago.

Meredith was the starring player in a bit of judicial nominations drama in the previous administration, when then-President Joe Biden had agreed to nominate Meredith, who was enthusiastically supported by Sen. Mitch McConnell, the former Senate majority leader. It was a curious move at the time, because Meredith had a track record of defending Kentucky’s anti-abortion laws and the nomination would come in the immediate aftermath of the 2022 Supreme Court decision that eliminated a constitutional right to the procedure.

But Paul indicated to the Biden White House at the time that he would block Meredith’s confirmation proceedings from moving forward, so the former president never formally nominated him. Biden’s decision to back off Meredith was also a relief to Democrats and abortion rights groups who had been enraged at the prospect of Biden tapping an anti-abortion lawyer for a lifetime judiciary seat.

This time, Paul recommended Meredith for the judgeship to the White House, and plans to support his confirmation, Paul’s office said Thursday.

In his social media post Wednesday announcing the nomination, Trump called Meredith “highly experienced and well qualified.”

“Chad is a courageous Patriot who knows what is required to uphold the Rule of Law, and protect our Constitution,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday night.

McConnell said in a statement Wednesday that Trump made an “outstanding choice” in choosing Meredith, who also served as chief deputy general counsel for former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin.

“His demonstrated devotion to the rule of law and the Constitution will serve the people of Kentucky well on the federal bench,” McConnell said. “I look forward to the Senate confirming his nomination.”

Three years ago, Paul accused McConnell of cutting a “secret deal” with the White House as a reason why Meredith’s nomination never moved forward under Biden. Paul never made any substantive objections about Meredith himself at the time.

“Unfortunately, instead of communicating and lining up support for him, Senator McConnell chose to cut a secret deal with the White House that fell apart,” Paul said at the time.

Paul had effective veto power over a judicial pick in his home state because the Senate continues to honor the so-called blue slip rule, a decades-old custom that says a judicial nominee won’t move forward if there is opposition from his or her home-state senator. The Biden White House also deferred to that custom, which is why Biden never ended up nominating Meredith.

Though the rule has been eroded in part, namely for appellate court judges whose seat spans several states, the custom has remained intact for district court nominees who are more closely tied to their home states. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, has so far made no indication that he would deviate from that longstanding custom.

Lena Zwarensteyn, senior director of a fair courts program and an adviser at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, criticized Trump’s selection of Meredith given his “disturbing anti-abortion record.”

“The nomination of Chad Meredith to a lifetime judgeship should trouble everyone,” Zwarensteyn said.

By The Associated Press

A SpaceX rocket being tested in Texas exploded Wednesday night, sending a dramatic fireball high into the sky.

The company said the Starship “experienced a major anomaly” at about 11 p.m. while on the test stand preparing for the tenth flight test at Starbase, SpaceX’s launch site at the southern tip of Texas.

“A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for,” SpaceX said in a statement on the social platform X.

It marked the latest in a series of incidents involving Starship rockets. On Jan. 16, one of the massive rockets broke apart in what the company called a “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” sending trails of flaming debris near the Caribbean. Two months later, Space X lost contact with another Starship during a March 6 test flight as the spacecraft broke apart, with wreckage seen streaming over Florida.

Following the back-to-back explosions, one of the 403-foot (123-meter) Starship rockets, launched from the southern tip of Texas, tumbled out of control and broke apart on March 27. SpaceX had hoped to release a series of mock satellites following liftoff, but that got nixed because the door failed to open all the way. Then the spacecraft began spinning and made an uncontrolled landing in the Indian Ocean.

At the time, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk called the launch “a big improvement” from the two previous demos and promised a much faster launch pace moving forward, with a Starship soaring every three to four weeks for the next three flights.

SpaceX said Wednesday night’s explosion posed no hazards to nearby communities. It asked people not to try to approach the site.

The company said it is working with local officials to respond to the explosion.

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US starts evacuating some diplomats from its embassy in Israel as Iran conflict intensifies

Accused killer in drive-by fatal shooting arraigned; was on probation when slaying occurred

By PAUL WISEMAN, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Farmers, cattle ranchers and hotel and restaurant managers breathed a sigh of relief last week when President Donald Trump ordered a pause to immigration raids that were disrupting those industries and scaring foreign-born workers off the job.

“There was finally a sense of calm,’’ said Rebecca Shi, CEO of the American Business Immigration Coalition.

That respite didn’t last long.

On Wednesday, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin declared, “There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine (immigration enforcement) efforts. Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safeguard public safety, national security and economic stability.’’

The flipflop baffled businesses trying to figure out the government’s actual policy, and Shi says now “there’s fear and worry once more.”

“That’s not a way to run business when your employees are at this level of stress and trauma,” she said.

Trump campaigned on a promise to deport millions of immigrants working in the United States illegally — an issue that has long fired up his GOP base. The crackdown intensified a few weeks ago when Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, gave the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a quota of 3,000 arrests a day, up from 650 a day in the first five months of Trump’s second term.

Suddenly, ICE seemed to be everywhere. “We saw ICE agents on farms, pointing assault rifles at cows, and removing half the workforce,’’ said Shi, whose coalition represents 1,700 employers and supports increased legal immigration.

One ICE raid left a New Mexico dairy with just 20 workers, down from 55. “You can’t turn off cows,’’ said Beverly Idsinga, the executive director of the Dairy Producers of New Mexico. “They need to be milked twice a day, fed twice a day.’’

Claudio Gonzalez, a chef at Izakaya Gazen in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo district, said many of his Hispanic workers — whether they’re in the country legally or not — have been calling out of work recently due to fears that they will be targeted by ICE. His restaurant is a few blocks away from a collection of federal buildings, including an ICE detention center.

“They sometimes are too scared to work their shift,” Gonzalez said. “They kind of feel like it’s based on skin color.”

In some places, the problem isn’t ICE but rumors of ICE. At cherry-harvesting time in Washington state, many foreign-born workers are staying away from the orchards after hearing reports of impending immigration raids. One operation that usually employs 150 pickers is down to 20. Never mind that there hasn’t actually been any sign of ICE in the orchards.

“We’ve not heard of any real raids,’’ said Jon Folden, orchard manager for the farm cooperative Blue Bird in Washington’s Wenatchee River Valley. “We’ve heard a lot of rumors.’’

Jennie Murray, CEO of the advocacy group National Immigration Forum, said some immigrant parents worry that their workplaces will be raided and they’ll be hauled off by ICE while their kids are in school. They ask themselves, she said: “Do I show up and then my second-grader gets off the school bus and doesn’t have a parent to raise them? Maybe I shouldn’t show up for work.’’

The horror stories were conveyed to Trump, members of his administration and lawmakers in Congress by business advocacy and immigration reform groups like Shi’s coalition. Last Thursday, the president posted on his Truth Social platform that “Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace.”

It was another case of Trump’s political agenda slamming smack into economic reality. With U.S. unemployment low at 4.2%, many businesses are desperate for workers, and immigration provides them.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, foreign-born workers made up less than 19% of employed workers in the United States in 2023. But they accounted for nearly 24% of jobs preparing and serving food and 38% of jobs in farming, fishing and forestry.

“It really is clear to me that the people pushing for these raids that target farms and feed yards and dairies have no idea how farms operate,” Matt Teagarden, CEO of the Kansas Livestock Association, said Tuesday during a virtual press conference.

Torsten Slok, chief economist at Apollo Global Management, estimated in January that undocumented workers account for 13% of U.S. farm jobs and 7% of jobs in hospitality businesses such as hotels, restaurants and bars.

The Pew Research Center found last year that 75% of U.S. registered voters — including 59% of Trump supporters — agreed that undocumented immigrants mostly fill jobs that American citizens don’t want. And an influx of immigrants in 2022 and 2023 allowed the United States to overcome an outbreak of inflation without tipping into recession.

In the past, economists estimated that America’s employers could add no more than 100,000 jobs a month without overheating the economy and igniting inflation. But economists Wendy Edelberg and Tara Watson of the Brookings Institution calculated that because of the immigrant arrivals, monthly job growth could reach 160,000 to 200,000 without exerting upward pressure on prices.

Now Trump’s deportation plans — and the uncertainty around them — are weighing on businesses and the economy.

“The reality is, a significant portion of our industry relies on immigrant labor — skilled, hardworking people who’ve been part of our workforce for years. When there are sudden crackdowns or raids, it slows timelines, drives up costs, and makes it harder to plan ahead,” says Patrick Murphy, chief investment officer at the Florida building firm Coastal Construction and a former Democratic member of Congress. “ We’re not sure from one month to the next what the rules are going to be or how they’ll be enforced. That uncertainty makes it really hard to operate a forward-looking business.”

Adds Douglas Holtz Eakin, former director of the Congressional Budget Office and now president of the conservative American Action Forum think tank: “ICE had detained people who are here lawfully and so now lawful immigrants are afraid to go to work … All of this goes against other economic objectives the administration might have. The immigration policy and the economic policy are not lining up at all.’’

AP Staff Writers Jaime Ding in Los Angeles; Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas; Lisa Mascaro and Chris Megerian in Washington; Mae Anderson and Matt Sedensky in New York, and Associated Press/Report for America journalist Jack Brook in New Orleans contributed to this report.

Today is Thursday, June 19, the 170th day of 2025. There are 195 days left in the year. This is Juneteenth.

Today in history:

On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War was over and that all remaining enslaved people in Texas were free — an event now celebrated nationwide as Juneteenth.

Also on this date:

In 1910, the first-ever Father’s Day in the United States was celebrated in Spokane, Washington. (President Richard Nixon would make Father’s Day a federally recognized annual observation through a proclamation in 1972.)

In 1953, Julius Rosenberg, 35, and his wife, Ethel, 37, convicted of conspiring to pass U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviet Union, were executed at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York; they were the first American civilians to be executed for espionage.

In 1963, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova completed her historic flight as the first woman in space, landing safely by parachute to conclude the Vostok 6 mission.

In 1964, the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 was approved by the U.S. Senate, 73-27, after surviving a lengthy filibuster.

In 1975, former Chicago organized crime boss Sam Giancana was shot to death in the basement of his home in Oak Park, Illinois; the killing has never been solved.

In 1986, University of Maryland basketball star Len Bias, the first draft pick of the Boston Celtics two days earlier, suffered a fatal cocaine-induced seizure.

In 1987, the U.S. Supreme Court, in the case Edwards v. Aguillard, struck down a Louisiana law requiring any public school teaching the theory of evolution to teach creation science as well.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Hall of Fame auto racer Shirley Muldowney is 85.
• Nobel peace prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is 80.
• Author Tobias Wolff is 80.
• Author Salman Rushdie is 78.
• Actor Phylicia Rashad is 77.
• Rock singer Ann Wilson (Heart) is 75.
• Actor Kathleen Turner is 71.
• Singer-choreographer-TV personality Paula Abdul is 63.
• TV host Lara Spencer is 56.
• Actor Jean Dujardin is 53.
• Actor Robin Tunney is 53.
• Basketball Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki is 47.
• Actor Zoe Saldaña is 47.
• Rapper Macklemore is 42.
• Actor Paul Dano is 41.

By BRUCE SCHREINER

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration has asked a federal judge to strike down a Kentucky regulation that it says unlawfully gives undocumented immigrants access to in-state college tuition.

The U.S. Justice Department’s lawsuit says the regulation violates federal immigration law by enabling undocumented students to qualify for the lower tuition rate at Kentucky’s public colleges and universities, while American citizens from other states pay higher tuition to attend the same schools.

“Federal law prohibits aliens not lawfully present in the United States from getting in-state tuition benefits that are denied to out-of-state U.S. citizens. There are no exceptions,” the suit said.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in a federal court in Kentucky, follows a similar action by Trump’s administration in another red state as part of its efforts to crack down on immigration.

A federal judge blocked a Texas law that had given college students without legal residency access to reduced in-state tuition. That order only applied to Texas but was seen as an opening for conservatives to challenge similar laws in two dozen states. Such laws were intended to help “Dreamers,” or young adults without legal status, to be eligible for in-state tuition if they meet certain residency criteria.

“The Department of Justice just won on this exact issue in Texas, and we look forward to fighting in Kentucky to protect the rights of American citizens,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.

The lawsuits in both states follow recent executive orders signed by Trump designed to stop any state or local laws or regulations the administration feels discriminate against legal residents.

The Texas suit listed the State of Texas as the defendant but did not name the state’s Republican governor as a defendant. The suit in Kentucky names Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear as one of the defendants.

The Kentucky regulation in question appears to have been issued by the state’s Council on Postsecondary Education before 2010, Beshear’s office said Wednesday in a statement that attempted to separate the governor from the legal fight.

Beshear — who was first elected governor in 2019 and is now in his second and last term due to term limits — is widely seen as a potential presidential candidate in 2028.

Beshear spokeswoman Crystal Staley said the governor has no authority to alter the regulations of the education council, or CPE, and should not be a party to the lawsuit.

“Under Kentucky law, CPE is independent, has sole authority to determine student residency requirements for the purposes of in-state tuition and controls its own regulations,” Staley said in the statement.

Beshear in the past has denounced Trump’s anti-immigrant language as dangerous and dehumanizing and has called for a balanced approach on immigration: one that protects the nation’s borders but recognizes the role legal immigration plays in meeting business employment needs. Beshear has said he believes that “Dreamers” should be able to get full American citizenship.

A spokeswoman for CPE, another defendant in the Kentucky case, said Wednesday that its general counsel was reviewing the lawsuit and regulation but had no additional comments.

Kentucky’s Republican attorney general, Russell Coleman, said he has “serious concerns” that CPE’s policy violates federal law and said his office supports the Trump administration’s efforts.

A handful of Republican lawmakers in Kentucky tried to bring up the issue during this year’s legislative session but their bill made no headway in the GOP-supermajority legislature. The measure would have blocked immigrants in the state illegally from claiming Kentucky residency for the purpose of paying in-state tuition at a state college or university.

The Justice Department suit says the regulation is in “direct conflict” with federal law by allowing an undocumented student to qualify for reduced in-state tuition based on residence within the Bluegrass State, while denying that benefit to U.S. citizens who don’t meet Kentucky’s residency requirements.

Students from other states generally pay higher tuition rates than in-state students to attend Kentucky public colleges, the suit says. Exceptions exist when a reciprocity agreement with another state allows for reduced tuition rates for qualifying students from that other state, it said.

The regulation recognizes undocumented immigrants who graduated from Kentucky high schools as Kentucky residents in conflict with federal law, the suit says.

“It directly conflicts with federal immigration law’s prohibition on providing postsecondary education benefits — such as lower tuition rates — based on residency to aliens not lawfully present in the United States that are not available to all U.S. citizens regardless of residency,” the suit says.

DETROIT (AP) — The scheduled game between the Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night was postponed due to the forecast for inclement weather.

Heavy rain hit the Detroit area early Wednesday afternoon, and with heavy storms expected during the evening, the game was called off about two hours before the scheduled first pitch.

The game will be played as a part of a split doubleheader on Thursday, with the first game scheduled for 1:10 p.m. and the second at 5:40 p.m.

Two of baseball’s top starting pitchers — Detroit’s Tarik Skubal and Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes — are scheduled to pitch on Thursday, but will not face each other.

Skubal (7-2, 1.99 ERA) will face Pittsburgh left-hander Andrew Heaney (3-5, 3.33) in the first game. Skenes (4-6, 1.78) will go against a Tigers opener in the nightcap.

— By DAVE HOGG, The Associated Press

By CHRIS MEGERIAN and DARLENE SUPERVILLE

WASHINGTON (AP) — The American flag has long flown from a pole on the White House roof, but that’s always been too small for President Donald Trump, who wants everything to be bigger and more beautiful.

On Wednesday, massive new flagpoles were erected on the North and South Lawns of the White House.

“It’s such a beautiful pole,” Trump said as workers used a crane to install the latest addition to the South Lawn. He returned to the same spot later in the day, saluting as the stars and stripes were hoisted for the first time.

The second pole, on the North Lawn, is close to Pennsylvania Avenue. The two poles are the most notable exterior modification to the White House since Trump returned to the presidency with grand ideas for remaking the building.

He’s already updated the Oval Office, adding gold accents, more portraits and a copy of the Declaration of Independence. Workers have begun paving over the grass in the Rose Garden, and there are plans to construct a new ballroom somewhere on the White House grounds. The changes bring the iconic building more in line with Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private club in Florida.

The president made time to watch one of the flagpole installations despite the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, plus questions of whether the U.S. would become directly involved.

“I love construction,” said Trump, who made his mark as a New York real estate developer. “I know it better than anybody.”

He talked about how the pole went down nine feet deep for stability, and the rope would be contained inside the cylinder, unlike the one at Mar-a-Lago. When the wind blows, “you hear that rope, banging.”

“This is the real deal,” he said. “This is the best you can get. There’s nothing like this.”

President Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that he would likely extend a deadline for TikTok’s Chinese owner to divest the popular video sharing app.

Trump had signed an order in early April to keep TikTok running for another 75 days after a potential deal to sell the app to American owners was put on ice.

“Probably yeah, yeah,” he responded when asked by reporters on Air Force One whether the deadline would be extended again.

“Probably have to get China approval but I think we’ll get it. I think President Xi will ultimately approve it.”

He indicated in an interview last month with NBC that he would be open to pushing back the deadline again. If it happens, it would be third time that the deadline has been extended.

By MARY CLARE JALONICK and JOEY CAPPELLETTI, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of Congress will attend emergency briefings this week after the killing of a Minnesota state lawmaker brought renewed fears — and stoked existing partisan tensions — over the security of federal lawmakers when in Washington and at home.

The suspect in the attack had dozens of federal lawmakers listed in his writings, besides the state lawmakers and others he’s accused of targeting. The man is accused of shooting and killing former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home early Saturday in the northern Minneapolis suburbs and wounding another lawmaker and his wife at their home.

The shootings come after credible threats to members of Congress have more than doubled in the last decade, the troubling tally of an era that has been marked by a string of violent attacks against lawmakers and their families.

In 2011, Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords was shot and wounded at an event in her Arizona district. In 2017, Republican Rep. Steve Scalise was shot and wounded as he practiced for a congressional baseball game with other GOP lawmakers near Washington. In 2022, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, was attacked by a man who broke into their San Francisco home. And in 2024, two men separately tried to assassinate Donald Trump during his Republican presidential campaign.

All four survived, some with serious injuries. But those attacks, among others and many close calls for members of both major political parties, have rattled lawmakers and raised recurring questions about whether they have enough security — and whether they can ever be truly safe in their jobs.

“I don’t have a solution to this problem right now,” said Minnesota Democratic Sen. Tina Smith, a friend of Hortman’s who received increased security after the attack. “I just see so clearly that this current state of play is not sustainable.”

Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said lawmakers are “clearly at the point where we have to adjust the options available to us.”

The U.S. Capitol Police’s threat assessment section investigated 9,474 “concerning statements and direct threats” against members of Congress last year, the highest number since 2021, the year that the Capitol was attacked by Trump’s supporters after he tried to overturn his 2020 presidential election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden. In 2017, there were 3,939 investigated threats, the Capitol Police said.

While members of Congress may be high profile, they do have some resources available that might not be available to state and local lawmakers, said Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, who was a member of the South Dakota state Senate for 10 years before he was the state’s governor. In the state legislature, “it just wasn’t feasible all the time” to have increased security, said Rounds, a Republican.

As threats have increased, members of Congress have had access to new funding to add security at their personal homes. But it is unclear how many have used it and whether there is enough money to keep lawmakers truly safe.

“Resources should not be the reason that a U.S. senator or congressman gets killed,” Murphy said.

Instead of bringing lawmakers together, the Minnesota shootings have created new internal tensions. Smith on Monday confronted one of her fellow senators, Utah Republican Mike Lee, for a series of posts on X over the weekend. One mocked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat who ran for vice president last year. Another post said of the killings, “This is what happens when Marxists don’t get their way.”

Trump said he had no plans to call Walz, describing the Democratic leader as “so whacked out.”

“Why would I call him? I could call him and say, ‘Hi, how are you doing?’” the Republican president told reporters aboard Air Force One during an overnight flight back to Washington. “The guy doesn’t have a clue. He’s a mess. So, you know, I could be nice and call him, but why waste time?”

Friends and former colleagues interviewed by The Associated Press described Vance Luther Boelter, the man accused of killing Hortman and her husband, as a devout Christian who attended an evangelical church and went to campaign rallies for Trump. Records show Boelter registered to vote as a Republican while living in Oklahoma in 2004 before moving to Minnesota, where voters don’t list party affiliation. His attorney has declined to comment.

Smith talked to Lee outside a GOP conference meeting as soon as she arrived in Washington on Monday. “I would say he seemed surprised to be confronted,” she told reporters afterward.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York also called out Lee’s posts on the Senate floor, saying that for him to “fan the flames of division with falsities, while the killer was still on the loose, is deeply irresponsible. He should take his posts down and immediately apologize to the families of the victims.”

Lee’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Lawmakers were already on edge before the shootings, which came less than two days after Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a press conference with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in California. Officers restrained Padilla and put him on the ground.

Angry Democratic senators immediately took to the Senate floor Thursday afternoon to denounce Padilla’s treatment. “What was really hard for me to see was that a member of this body was driven to his knees and made to kneel before authorities,” said New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. “This is a test. This is a crossroads.”

Senate Democrats say at a briefing Tuesday they plan to ask security officials, as well as Republican leadership, about Padilla’s removal from the press conference and their protection against outside threats.

“I certainly hope to hear leadership responding in a profound way,” said New Mexico Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, a Democrat.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., who said she had been informed that her name was also on the suspect’s list, said she wanted to hear recommendations at the briefing on how to improve security.

“And we can take those recommendations,” Baldwin said. “But I think, both with the president and his administration and with members of Congress, that we need to bring the temperature down. There’s no place for political violence ever. And the rhetoric — words matter.”

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he he won’t call Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after the targeted shootings of two state lawmakers because it would “waste time.”

One of the lawmakers and her husband were killed.

The Republican president spoke to reporters early Tuesday aboard Air Force One as he flew back to Washington after abruptly leaving an international summit in Canada because of rising tensions in the Middle East between Israel and Iran. Asked if he planned to call Walz, Trump said the Democratic governor is “slick” and “whacked out” and said, “I’m not calling him.”

Presidents often reach out to other elected officials at times of tragedy to offer condolences.

Trump added, “The guy doesn’t have a clue. He’s a mess. So, you know, I could be nice and call him, but why waste time?”

Walz was the vice presidential running mate for 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, who lost her presidential bid to Trump. During the campaign, Walz often branded Trump and other Republican politicians as “just weird.”

By ROB GILLIES and JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press

KANANASKIS, Alberta (AP) — Six of the Group of Seven leaders are trying on the final day of their summit Tuesday to show the wealthy nations’ club still has the clout to shape world events despite the early departure of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his counterparts from the U.K., France, Germany, Italy and Japan will be joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO chief Mark Rutte to discuss Russia’s relentless war on its neighbor.

World leaders had gathered in Canada with the specific goal of helping to defuse a series of pressure points, only to be disrupted by a showdown over Iran’s nuclear program that could escalate in dangerous and uncontrollable ways. Israel launched an aerial bombardment campaign against Iran on Friday, and Iran has hit back with missiles and drones.

Trump left the summit in the Canadian Rocky Mountain resort of Kananaskis a day early late Monday, saying: “I have to be back, very important.” As conflict between Israel and Iran intensified, he declared that Tehran should be evacuated “immediately” — while also expressing optimism about a deal to stop the violence.

Before leaving, Trump joined the other leaders in issuing a statement saying Iran “can never have a nuclear weapon” and calling for a “de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza.” Getting unanimity — even on a short and broadly worded statement — was a modest measure of success for the group.

At the summit, Trump warned that Tehran must curb its nuclear program before it’s “too late.” He said Iranian leaders would “like to talk” but they had already had 60 days to reach an agreement on their nuclear ambitions and failed to do so before the Israeli aerial assault began. “They have to make a deal,” he said.

Asked what it would take for the U.S. to get involved in the conflict militarily, Trump said Monday morning, “I don’t want to talk about that.“

But by Monday afternoon, Trump warned ominously on social media, “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” Shortly after that, Trump decided to leave the summit and skip a series of Tuesday meetings that would address the war in Ukraine and trade issues.

The sudden departure only heightened the drama of a world that seems on verge of several firestorms. Trump already has imposed severe tariffs on multiple nations that risk a global economic slowdown. There has been little progress on settling the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Trump’s stance on Ukraine puts him fundamentally at odds with the other G7 leaders, who back Ukraine and are clear that Russia is the aggressor in the war.

The U.S. president on Monday suggested there would have been no war if G7 members hadn’t expelled Putin from the organization in 2014 for annexing Crimea.

Trump on Monday demurred when asked if he supported Russia, saying “I only care about saving lives.”

With talks on ending the war at an impasse, Starmer said Britain and other G7 members were slapping new tariffs on Russia in a bid to get it to the ceasefire negotiating table. Zelenskyy is due to attend the summit Tuesday at Carney’s invitation, along with other leaders including Rutte and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Trump declined to join in the sanctions on Russia, saying he would wait until Europe did so first.

“When I sanction a country, that costs the U.S. a lot of money, a tremendous amount of money,” he said.

Trump had been scheduled before his departure to meet with Zelenskyy and with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

On the Middle East, Merz told reporters that Germany was planning to draw up a final communique proposal on the Israel-Iran conflict that will stress that “Iran must under no circumstances be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons-capable material.”

Trump also seemed to put a greater priority on addressing his grievances with other nations’ trade policies than on collaboration with G7 allies. The U.S. president has imposed 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as 25% tariffs on autos. Trump is also charging a 10% tax on imports from most countries, though he could raise rates on July 9, after the 90-day negotiating period set by him would expire.

He announced with Starmer that they had signed a trade framework Monday that was previously announced in May, with Trump saying that British trade was “very well protected’ because ”I like them, that’s why. That’s their ultimate protection.”

Associated Press writers Will Weissert in Banff, Alberta, and Josh Boak in Calgary, Alberta, contributed to this story.

By JOSEPH KRAUSS, JON GAMBRELL and NATALIE MELZER, Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel appeared to be expanding its air campaign against Tehran five days after its surprise attack on Iran’s military and nuclear program, as U.S. President Donald Trump posted an ominous message warning residents of the capital to evacuate.

“IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” Trump wrote Monday night before returning to Washington early from a Group of Seven summit in Canada. “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” he added.

Trump later denied he had rushed back to work on a ceasefire, telling reporters on Air Force One during the flight back to Washington: “I’m not looking at a ceasefire. We’re looking at better than a ceasefire.”

Asked why he had urged for the evacuation of Tehran, he said: “I just want people to be safe.”

Earlier, the Israeli military had called for some 330,000 residents of a neighborhood in downtown Tehran to evacuate. Tehran is one of the largest cities in the Middle East, with around 10 million people, roughly equivalent to the entire population of Israel. People have been fleeing since the hostilities began.

Israel says its sweeping assault on Iran’s top military leaders, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment sites and ballistic missile program is necessary to prevent its longtime adversary from getting any closer to building an atomic weapon. The strikes have killed at least 224 people in Iran and wounded 1,277 since Friday.

Iran has retaliated by launching more than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel and more than 500 wounded. The Israeli military said a new barrage of missiles was launched on Tuesday, and explosions could be heard in northern Israel.

Shops closed, lines for gas in Iran’s capital

Downtown Tehran appeared to be emptying out early Tuesday, with many shops closed. The ancient Grand Bazaar was also closed, something that only happened in the past during anti-government demonstrations or at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

On the roads out of Tehran to the west, traffic stood bumper to bumper. Many appeared to be heading to the Caspian Sea area. Long lines also could be seen at gas stations in Tehran, with printed placards and boards calling for a “severe” response to Israel visible across the city.

Authorities cancelled leave for doctors and nurses as the attacks continue, but insisted everything was under control and did not offer any guidance for the public on what to do.

The Israeli military meanwhile claimed to have killed someone it described as Iran’s top general in a strike on Tehran. Iran did not immediately comment on the reported killing of Gen. Ali Shadmani, who had just been named as the head of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, part of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

Iran has named other generals to replace the top leaders of the Guard and the regular armed forces after they were killed in earlier strikes.

Trump leaves G7 early to focus on conflict

Before leaving the summit in Canada, Trump joined the other leaders in a joint statement saying Iran “can never have a nuclear weapon” and calling for a “de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza.”

French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters that discussions were underway on a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, but Trump appeared to shoot that down in his comments on social media.

Macron “mistakenly said that I left the G7 Summit, in Canada, to go back to D.C. to work on a ‘cease fire’ between Israel and Iran,” Trump wrote. “Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth headed to the White House Situation Room to meet with the president and his national security team.

Hegseth didn’t provide details on what prompted the meeting but said on Fox News late Monday that the movements were to “ensure that our people are safe.”

Trump said he wasn’t ready to give up on diplomatic talks, and could send Vice President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with the Iranians.

“I may,” he said. “It depends on what happens when I get back.”

Israel says it has ‘aerial superiority’ over Tehran

Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Monday his country’s forces had “achieved full aerial superiority over Tehran’s skies.”

The military said it destroyed more than 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers in central Iran, a third of Iran’s total, including multiple launchers just before they launched ballistic missiles towards Israel. It also destroyed two F-14 fighter planes that Iran used to target Israeli aircraft, the military said.

Israeli military officials also said fighter jets had struck 10 command centers in Tehran belonging to Iran’s Quds Force, an elite arm of its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard that conducts military and intelligence operations outside Iran.

Israel’s military issued an evacuation warning for a part of central Tehran that houses state TV and police headquarters, as well as three large hospitals, including one owned by the Guard. It has issued similar evacuation warnings for parts of the Gaza Strip and Lebanon ahead of strikes.

On Monday, an Israeli strike hit the headquarters of Iran’s state-run TV station, sending a television anchor fleeing her studio during a live broadcast. The Israeli military said Tuesday it had hit the station because “the broadcast channel was used to spread anti-Israel propaganda.”

Israel says strikes have set back nuclear program

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli strikes have set Iran’s nuclear program back a “very, very long time,” and told reporters he is in daily touch with Trump.

Iran maintains its nuclear program is peaceful, and the U.S. and others have assessed Tehran has not had an organized effort to pursue a nuclear weapon since 2003. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned that the country has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs should it choose to do so.

So far, Israel has targeted multiple Iranian nuclear program sites but has not been able to destroy Iran’s Fordo uranium enrichment facility.

The site is buried deep underground — and to eliminate it, Israel may need the 30,000-pound (14,000-kilogram) GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a U.S. bunker-busting bomb that uses its weight and sheer kinetic force to reach deeply buried targets. Israel does not have the munition or the bomber needed to deliver it. The penetrator is currently delivered by the B-2 stealth bomber.

No sign of conflict letting up

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, appeared to make a veiled plea Monday for the U.S. to step in and negotiate an end to hostilities.

In a post on X, Araghchi wrote that if Trump is “genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential.”

“It takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like Netanyahu,” Iran’s top diplomat wrote. “That may pave the way for a return to diplomacy.”

The message to Washington was sent as the latest talks between the U.S. and Iran were canceled over the weekend after Israel’s surprise bombardment.

On Sunday, Araghchi said Iran will stop its strikes if Israel does the same.

Melzer reported from Nahariya, Israel. Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi and Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Tara Copp in Washington contributed to this report.

Today is Tuesday, June 17, the 168th day of 2025. There are 197 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On June 17, 1994, after leading police on a slow-speed chase on Southern California freeways, O.J. Simpson was arrested and charged with murder in the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. (Simpson was acquitted of the murders in a criminal trial in 1995, but held liable in a civil trial in 1997.)

Also on this date:

In 1775, the Revolutionary War Battle of Bunker Hill resulted in a costly victory for the British, who suffered heavy losses.

In 1885, the Statue of Liberty, disassembled and packed into 214 separate crates, arrived in New York Harbor aboard the French frigate Isère.

In 1930, President Herbert Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, which boosted U.S. tariffs to historically high levels, prompting foreign retaliation.

In 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Abington (Pa.) School District v. Schempp, struck down, 8-1, rules requiring the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer or reading of biblical verses in public schools.

In 1972, President Richard Nixon’s eventual downfall began with the arrest of five burglars inside the Democratic headquarters in Washington, D.C.’s, Watergate complex.

In 2008, hundreds of same-sex couples got married across California on the first full day that same-sex marriage became legal by order of the state’s highest court; an estimated 11,000 same-sex couples would be married under the California law in its first three months.

In 2015, nine Black worshippers were killed when a gunman opened fire during a Bible study gathering at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. (Dylann Roof, a white supremacist, was captured the following day; he would be convicted on state and federal murder and hate crime charges and sentenced to death.)

In 2021, the Supreme Court, in a 7-2 ruling, left intact the entire Affordable Care Act, rejecting a major Republican-led effort to kill the national health care law known informally as “Obamacare.”

In 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, creating the first new national holiday since the establishment of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Filmmaker Ken Loach is 89.
• Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is 82.
• Musician Barry Manilow is 82.
• Comedian Joe Piscopo is 74.
• Actor Jon Gries is 68.
• Filmmaker Bobby Farrelly is 67.
• Actor Thomas Haden Church is 65.
• Actor Greg Kinnear is 62.
• Olympic speed skating gold medalist Dan Jansen is 60.
• Fashion designer Tory Burch is 59.
• Actor Jason Patric is 59.
• Actor-comedian Will Forte is 55.
• Latin pop singer-songwriter Paulina Rubio is 54.
• Tennis Hall of Famer Leander Paes is 52.
• Tennis star Venus Williams is 45.
• Actor Jodie Whittaker is 43.
• Rapper Kendrick Lamar is 38.
• Actor KJ Apa is 28.

By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge ruled Monday it was illegal for the Trump administration to cancel several hundred research grants, adding that the cuts raise serious questions about racial discrimination.

U.S. District Judge William Young in Massachusetts said the administration’s process was “arbitrary and capricious” and that it did not follow long-held government rules and standards when it abruptly canceled grants deemed to focus on gender identity or diversity, equity and inclusion.

In a hearing Monday on two cases calling for the grants to be restored, the judge pushed government lawyers to offer a formal definition of DEI, questioning how grants could be canceled for that reason when some were designed to study health disparities as Congress had directed.

Young, an appointee of Republican President Ronald Reagan, went on to address what he called “a darker aspect” to the cases, calling it “palpably clear” that what was behind the government actions was “racial discrimination and discrimination against America’s LGBTQ community.”

After 40 years on the bench, “I’ve never seen government racial discrimination like this,” Young added. He ended Monday’s hearing saying, “Have we no shame.”

During his remarks ending the hearing, the judge said he would issue his written order soon.

Young’s decision addresses only a fraction of the hundreds of NIH research projects the Trump administration has cut — those specifically addressed in two lawsuits filed separately this spring by 16 attorneys general, public health advocacy groups and some affected scientists. A full count wasn’t immediately available.

While Young said the funding must be restored, Monday’s action was an interim step. The ruling, when formally issued, is expected to be appealed. The Trump administration didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

While the original lawsuits didn’t specifically claim racial discrimination, they said the new NIH policies prohibited “research into certain politically disfavored subjects.” In a filing this month after the lawsuits were consolidated, lawyers said the NIH did not highlight genuine concerns with the hundreds of canceled research projects studies, but instead sent “boilerplate termination letters” to universities.

The topics of research ranged widely, including cardiovascular health, sexually transmitted infections, depression, Alzheimer’s and alcohol abuse in minors, among other things. Attorneys cited projects such as one tracking how medicines may work differently in people of ancestrally diverse backgrounds, and said the cuts affected more than scientists — such as potential harm to patients in a closed study of suicide treatment.

Lawyers for the federal government said in a court filing earlier this month that NIH grant terminations for DEI studies were “sufficiently reasoned,” adding later that “plaintiffs may disagree with NIH’s basis, but that does not make the basis arbitrary and capricious.” The NIH, lawyers argued, has “broad discretion” to decide on and provide grants “in alignment with its priorities” — which includes ending grants.

Monday, Justice Department lawyer Thomas Ports Jr. pointed to 13 examples of grants related to minority health that NIH either hadn’t cut or had renewed in the same time period — and said some of the cancellations were justified by the agency’s judgement that the research wasn’t scientifically valuable.

The NIH has long been the world’s largest public funder of biomedical research.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

By SOPHIA TAREEN and DORANY PINEDA

CHICAGO (AP) — To Jose Abel Garcia, a Guatemalan immigrant in the Los Angeles area, President Donald Trump’s latest promise to expand deportations in Democratic-led cities doesn’t change much.

The 38-year-old garment worker said Trump’s doubling down on Democratic strongholds while pausing immigration arrests at restaurants, hotels and farms doesn’t spare workers who are simply trying to make rent.

“He just talks,” Garcia said. “The raids keep happening and it’s going to be hard for him to follow through on that because he isn’t acting alone.”

In recent days Trump has vowed to shift immigration enforcement away from political allies and toward political foes, prioritizing deportations in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and cities at “the core of the Democrat Power Center.” At the same time, he’s reversed course and paused arrests in industries that heavily rely on a foreign-born workforce.

Garcia and other immigrants say, either way, fears remain high in their communities, while experts note the Trump administration’s pullback on work site immigration enforcement is a lesson other administrations learned long ago. Meanwhile, Democrats and activists insist Trump’s moves are calculated and something they’ll use as a rallying cry.

Escalating political fight

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has been locked in a widening dispute with the Trump administration, said the motivation behind singling out Democratic cities is clear.

“Incite violence and chaos in blue states, have an excuse to militarize our cities, demonize his opponents, keep breaking the law and consolidate power,” Newsom posted Monday on X. “It’s illegal and we will not let it stand.”

Trump again fixed on New York and Chicago on Monday while pointing to Los Angeles demonstrations against his administration policies, and adding many of “those people weren’t from LA, they were from California.”

“I want to focus on the cities,” he said at the Group of Seven Summit in Canada.

The Trump administration has said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would target at least3,000 arrests daily, up from about 650 daily during the first months of Trump’s second term. Already, the president and his allies have targeted so-called “sanctuary jurisdictions” with splashy live-streamed arrests, lawsuits and summoning mayors and governors to testify at the Capitol.

“It’s clear that Trump is escalating these attacks on Democratic cities because he’s threatened by the mass mobilizations,” said U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, a Chicago Democrat. “I expect Democrats will push back harder.”

In the Los Angeles area, a group of advocates continued community-led patrols to watch for ICE arrests and warn neighbors.

Organizer Francisco “Chavo” Romero said they’re also patrolling Metro rail stations and other public transit hubs.

“They double down, we triple down,” he said.

Worksite arrests

Pulling back on worksite enforcement is new for Trump, but not in recent history.

Going after employers on immigration compliance has been a controversial issue, particularly in industries that rely on immigrant labor. For instance, nearly half of those in meatpacking are thought to be born abroad.

Under a 1996 immigration law, the Clinton administration investigated hiring practices to weed out employees without proper U.S. work authorization and to punish employers. But it didn’t last long. Investigations took months. Workers were afraid to come to work. Some farmers complained their crops were suffering. Elected officials began to intervene.

“It pretty much stopped,” said Doris Meissner, a former commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which was the predecessor to ICE.

Now a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Migration Police Institute, she said other presidential administrations have grappled with the same problem.

“That’s always the conundrum: How do you hold the employer accountable?” she said. “You can go and get the workers and in two weeks there are going to be more workers hired.”

Earlier this month, immigration authorities raided an Omaha meat production plant, angering company officials who said they followed the law. Trump’s first administration saw the largest workplace sting in a decade with arrests at seven Mississippi chicken plants.

That made his shift to pause such operations a surprise. He wrote on Truth Social that the arrests were “taking very good, long time workers” away and it was hard to replace them.

How the pause will play out is unclear. A message left Monday with the Department of Homeland Security was not immediately returned.

Immigrants and activists left baffled

Still, Trump’s approach confused many.

“On one hand, he will stay away from certain industries and at the same time double down on Chicago,” said Lawrence Benito, head of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. “I’m not sure how to reconcile those two comments.”

He said the group would continue to help immigrants understand their rights in the case of ICE arrests.

U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, a Chicago Democrat, accused Trump of trying to silence dissent.

In a lengthy post on his Truth Social site about cracking down on Democratic cities, Trump said, without any evidence, that Democrats were using immigrants living in the country without legal status to steal elections.

For others, the latest policies were simply another thing to worry about.

Jorge Lima, 32, said his immigrant parents from Mexico are only leaving home to go to their jobs as garment workers in California.

“They don’t go out anymore,” he said. “They’re afraid but they have to eat.”

Pineda reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana contributed from Washington.

Today is Sunday, June 15, the 166th day of 2025. There are 199 days left in the year. This is Father’s Day.

Today in history:

On June 15, 1934, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most-visited national park in the United States, was established by Congress.

Also on this date:

In 1215, England’s King John placed his seal on Magna Carta (“the Great Charter”), which curtailed the absolute power of the monarchy.

In 1775, the Second Continental Congress voted unanimously to appoint George Washington head of the Continental Army.

In 1864, Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton signed an order establishing a military burial ground which became Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

In 1895, a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 8.5 earthquake struck the coast of northeastern Japan with waves reaching a height of 125 feet (38.1 meters), killing more than 22,000 people.

In 1904, more than 1,000 people died when fire erupted aboard the steamboat PS General Slocum in New York’s East River; it remained the deadliest individual event in the New York area until 9/11.

In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an act making the National Guard part of the U.S. Army in the event of war or national emergency.

In 1938, Johnny Vander Meer of the Cincinnati Reds became the only baseball pitcher to toss two consecutive no-hitters, leading the Reds to a 6-0 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers in the first night game at Ebbets Field, four days after no-hitting the Boston Bees by a score of 3-0.

In 1991, Mount Pinatubo in the northern Philippines exploded in one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions of the 20th century, killing more than 800 people.

In 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court, with a 6-3 vote in its Bostock v. Clayton County decision, ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects gay, lesbian and transgender people from discrimination in employment.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Baseball Hall of Famer Billy Williams is 87.
• Former MLB player and manager Dusty Baker is 76.
• Actor Simon Callow is 76.
• Singer Russell Hitchcock (Air Supply) is 76.
• Chinese President Xi Jinping is 72.
• Actor-comedian Jim Belushi is 71.
• Actor Julie Hagerty is 70.
• Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs is 67.
• Actor Helen Hunt is 62.
• Actor Courteney Cox is 61.
• Rapper-actor Ice Cube is 56.
• Actor Leah Remini is 55.
• Actor Neil Patrick Harris is 52.
• Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Madison Kocian is 28.

By OLIVIA DIAZ, LEA SKENE, JOEY CAPPELLETTI and CALVIN WOODWARD

WASHINGTON (AP) — There were funnel cakes, stands of festival bling and American flags aplenty. There were mighty machines of war, brought out to dazzle and impress. And there was the spray of tear gas against demonstrators in Los Angeles and Atlanta, and rolling waves of anti-Trump resistance coast to coast.

In scenes of celebration, protest and trepidation Saturday, masses of Americans cheered for a rousing Army parade like none seen in Washington in generations. Masses more rallied across the country against a president derided by his critics as an authoritarian, would-be king.

On Saturday, the U.S. Army turned 250 and President Donald Trump 79. The double birthday bash energized crowds of well-wishers and military families in the capital while others decried the militarization of city streets — in Los Angeles, where a federalized National Guard and U.S. Marines remained deployed against unrest, and in Washington for the parade.

In these times, the fault lines of American life were evident.

“One nation under distress,” read a sign carried in a crowd of 1,000 protesters on the grounds of Florida’s old Capitol in Tallahassee. Forewarned of a heavy state response if the crowd caused any trouble, organizers implored the peaceful protesters to not so much as jaywalk.

Yet, in his Trump 2024 shirt, retired American Airlines pilot Larry Stallard happily lived out “one thing on my bucket list” from his perch on the parade route. Stallard, 82, came from Kansas City for the event. He declared Trump “one of the best presidents in my lifetime” and concluded, “It’s been a long day, but it’s worth it.”

Trump’s remarks, about eight minutes, were brief for him as he capped the showy parade he had longed for in his first term and, early in his second, finally got.

“There is no earthly force more powerful than the brave heart of the U.S. military or an Army Ranger paratrooper or Green Beret,” he told the crowd. From Bunker Hill to the mountains of Afghanistan, the president said, “the Army has forged a legacy of unmatched courage, untold sacrifice.”

Protests unfold across the nation

Spirited “No Kings” protests unfolded in cities and towns across the American republic. But in Minnesota, Gov. Tim Walz asked people to stay away from anti-Trump demonstrations after the assassination of state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, by a gunman still on the loose.

In Los Angeles, epicenter of days-long protests sparked by Trump’s crackdown on immigrants, police on horseback charged a previously calm crowd, firing tear gas and crowd control projectiles. “We weren’t doing anything but standing around chanting peaceful protest,” said Samantha Edgerton, a 37-year-old bartender.

Law enforcement officers in Atlanta deployed tear gas to divert several hundred nonviolent protesters heading toward Interstate 285 in the northern part of the city. In Culpeper, Virginia, one person was struck by an SUV that police say was intentionally accelerated into the crowd as protesters were leaving an event.

In Washington, more than 6,000 soldiers marched in period-by-period uniforms, dating back to the garb of the ragtag Continental Army and the rise of a nation that would become the world’s most potent military power. In the mix: tanks, parachute jumps and flyovers by more than 60 aircraft.

With evening thunderstorms in the forecast, the parade started well ahead of schedule. In the first 40 minutes, it sped through more than 200 years of Army history, from 1775 to 1991.

Vietnam-era helicopters, including the Huey, roared overhead, as did World War II-vintage aircraft. Sherman tanks, used extensively in that war’s European theater, rumbled in the procession along with modern machinery. The Army’s Golden Knights parachute team jumped early, releasing streaks of red smoke across the sky and making the crowd scream with excitement as they floated to the ground.

At the festival earlier, attendees sported apparel celebrating both the Army and Trump. Vendors moved through the crowd, selling Trump-themed merchandise, while others offered gear commemorating the Army’s milestone.

It was all too much for Wind Euler, 62, who flew from Arizona to join the protesters. “My father was a Marine in Iwo Jima, and he was a Republican,” Euler said. “I think he would be appalled by the fascist display this parade shows.”

Opinions as plentiful as the imagery

In a camouflage jacket and Army baseball hat, Army veteran Aaron Bogner of Culpeper, Virginia, decried how he believes Trump is using the U.S. military to advance a personal agenda. “I think it’s shameful,” Bogner said. “It’s just an engineered birthday party. It’s an excuse to have tanks in your streets like North Korea.”

Above all, Bogner said, he came to protest the deployment of U.S. troops in Los Angeles after lawlessness broke out in pockets of the city along with peaceful demonstrations. “I’m struggling to understand when it became unpatriotic to protest,” he said.

In Atlanta, police yelled “unlawful assembly” and “you must disperse” into megaphones as they used tear gas to divert protesters off the road. The tear gas caused the crowd to disperse away from the interstate. Two police helicopters flew above as the crowd moved.

Police in Charlotte, North Carolina, used bicycles to corral marchers. After the main “No Kings” march ended in Charlotte, a second, unpermitted march began, producing a police confrontation.

Officers formed a barricade with bicycles and yelled “move back” as protesters attempted to march through uptown Charlotte. In response, demonstrators chanted “let us walk” as police continued to shift them back. Protesters also shouted “peaceful protest” and “no more Nazis.”

Associated Press writers Mike Stewart in Atlanta; Kate Payne in Tallahassee, Florida; Jake Offenhartz in Los Angeles and Jacques Billeaud in Culpeper, Virginia, contributed.

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI

The assassination of one Democratic Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband, and the shooting of another lawmaker and his wife at their homes, is just the latest addition to a long and unsettling roll call of political violence in the United States.

The list, in the past two months alone: the killing of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C. The firebombing of a Colorado march calling for the release of Israeli hostages, and the firebombing of the official residence of Pennsylvania’s governor — on a Jewish holiday while he and his family were inside.

And here’s just a sampling of some other disturbing attacks before that — the assassination of a health care executive on the streets of New York City late last year, the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in small-town Pennsylvania during his presidential campaign last year, the 2022 attack on the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi by a believer in right-wing conspiracy theories, and the 2017 shooting by a liberal gunman at a GOP practice for the congressional softball game.

“We’ve entered into this especially scary time in the country where it feels the sort of norms and rhetoric and rules that would tamp down on violence have been lifted,” said Matt Dallek, a political scientist at Georgetown University who studies extremism. “A lot of people are receiving signals from the culture.”

Politics behind both individual shootings and massacres

Politics have also driven large-scale massacres. Gunmen who killed 11 worshippers at a synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018, 23 shoppers at a heavily Latino Walmart in El Paso in 2019 and 10 Black people at a Buffalo grocery store in 2022 each cited the conspiracy theory that a secret cabal of Jews were trying to replace white people with people of color. That has become a staple on parts of the right that support Trump’s push to limit immigration.

The Anti-Defamation League found that from 2022 through 2024, all of the 61 political killings in the United States were committed by right-wing extremists. That changed on the first day of 2025, when a Texas man flying the flag of the Islamic State group killed 14 people by driving his truck through a crowded New Orleans street before being fatally shot by police.

“You’re seeing acts of violence from all different ideologies,” said Jacob Ware, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who researches terrorism. “It feels more random and chaotic and more frequent.”

The United States has a long and grim history of political violence, from presidential assassinations dating back to the killing of President Abraham Lincoln to lynchings and violence aimed at Black people in the South to the 1954 shooting inside Congress by four Puerto Rican nationalists. Experts say the past few years, however, have likely reached a level not seen since the tumultuous days of the 1960s and 1970s, when icons like Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated.

Ware noted that the most recent surge comes after the new Trump administration has shuttered units that focus on investigating white supremacist extremism and pushed federal law enforcement to spend less time on anti-terrorism and more on detaining people who are in the country illegally.

“We’re at the point, after these six weeks, where we have to ask about how effectively the Trump administration is combating terrorism,” Ware said.

Of course, one of Trump’s first acts in office was to pardon those involved in the largest act of domestic political violence this century — the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol, intended to prevent Congress from certifying Trump’s 2020 election loss.

Those pardons broadcast a signal to would-be extremists on either side of the political debate, Dallek said: “They sent a very strong message that violence, as long as you’re a Trump supporter, will be permitted and may be rewarded.”

Ideologies aren’t always aligned — or coherent

Often, those who engage in political violence don’t have clearly defined ideologies that easily map onto the country’s partisan divides. A man who died after he detonated a car bomb outside a Palm Springs fertility clinic last month left writings urging people not to procreate and expressed what the FBI called “nihilistic ideations.”

But, like clockwork, each political attack seems to inspire partisans to find evidence the attacker is on the other side. Little was known about the man police identified as a suspect in the Minnesota attacks, 57-year-old Vance Boelter. Authorities say they found a list of other apparent targets that included other Democratic officials, abortion clinics and abortion rights advocates, as well as fliers for the day’s anti-Trump parades.

Conservatives online seized on the fliers — and the fact that Boetler had apparently once been appointed to a state workforce development board by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz — to claim the suspect must be a liberal. “The far left is murderously violent,” billionaire Elon Musk posted on his social media site, X.

It was reminiscent of the fallout from the attack on Paul Pelosi, the former House speaker’s then-82-year-old husband, who was seriously injured by a man wielding a hammer. Right-wing figures theorized the assailant was a secret lover rather than what authorities said he was: a believer in pro-Trump conspiracy theories who broke into the Pelosi home echoing Jan. 6 rioters who broke into the Capitol by saying: “Where is Nancy?!”

On Saturday, Nancy Pelosi posted a statement on X decrying the Minnesota attack. “All of us must remember that it’s not only the act of violence, but also the reaction to it, that can normalize it,” she wrote.

Trump had mocked the Pelosis after the 2022 attack, but on Saturday he joined in the official bipartisan condemnation of the Minnesota shootings, calling them “horrific violence.” The president has, however, consistently broken new ground with his bellicose rhetoric towards his political opponents, who he routinely calls “sick” and “evil,” and has talked repeatedly about how violence is needed to quell protests.

The Minnesota attack occurred after Trump took the extraordinary step of mobilizing the military to try to control protests against his administration’s immigration operations in Los Angeles during the past week, when he pledged to “HIT” disrespectful protesters and warned of a “migrant invasion” of the city.

Dallek said Trump has been “both a victim and an accelerant” of the charged, dehumanizing political rhetoric that is flooding the country.

“It feels as if the extremists are in the saddle,” he said, “and the extremists are the ones driving our rhetoric and politics.”

By AAMER MADHANI and ELLIOT SPAGAT, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration directed immigration officers to pause arrests at farms, restaurants and hotels, after President Donald Trump expressed alarm about the impact of aggressive enforcement, an official said Saturday.

The move follows weeks of increased enforcement since Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff and main architect of Trump’s immigration policies, said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would target at least 3,000 arrests a day, up from about 650 a day during the first five months of Trump’s second term.

Tatum King, an official with ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations unit, wrote regional leaders on Thursday to halt investigations of the agricultural industry, including meatpackers, restaurants and hotels, according to The New York Times.

A U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed to The Associated Press the contents of the directive. The Homeland Security Department did not dispute it.

“We will follow the President’s direction and continue to work to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens off of America’s streets,” Tricia McLaughlin, a Homeland Security spokesperson, said when asked to confirm the directive.

The shift suggests Trump’s promise of mass deportations has limits if it threatens industries that rely on workers in the country illegally. Trump posted on his Truth Social site Thursday that he disapproved of how farmers and hotels were being affected.

“Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace,” he wrote. “In many cases the Criminals allowed into our Country by the VERY Stupid Biden Open Borders Policy are applying for those jobs. This is not good. We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!”

While ICE’s presence in Los Angeles has captured public attention and prompted Trump to deploy the California National Guard and Marines, immigration authorities have also been a growing presence at farms and factories across the country.

Farm bureaus in California say raids at packinghouses and fields are threatening businesses that supply much of the country’s food. Dozens of farmworkers were arrested after uniformed agents fanned out on farms northwest of Los Angeles in Ventura County, which is known for growing strawberries, lemons and avocados. Others are skipping work as fear spreads.

ICE made more than 70 arrests Tuesday at a food packaging company in Omaha, Nebraska. The owner of Glenn Valley Foods said the company was enrolled in a voluntary program to verify workers’ immigration status and that it was operating at 30% capacity as it scrambled to find replacements.

Tom Homan, the White House border czar, has repeatedly said ICE will send officers into communities and workplaces, particularly in “sanctuary” jurisdictions that limit the agency’s access to local jails.

Sanctuary cities “will get exactly what they don’t want, more officers in the communities and more officers at the work sites,” Homan said Monday on Fox News Channel. “We can’t arrest them in the jail, we’ll arrest them in the community. If we can’t arrest them in community, we’re going to increase work site enforcement operation. We’re going to flood the zone.”

By STEVE KARNOWSKI and JOHN HANNA, Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Americans talk constantly about how their country is split down the middle politically. Melissa Hortman lived that every day as a Minnesota House member.

Her unique perspective on politics came from her job as the House’s top Democrat and its unusual challenge. She had to defend liberal priorities in a chamber divided 67-67 between Democrats and Republicans while working to see that the even split didn’t keep the Legislature from funding state government.

She and her husband were shot to death early Saturday in their Minneapolis-area home in what authorities are calling an act of political violence. Another prominent area lawmaker, state Sen. John Hoffman, was shot and wounded, along with his wife, in their home about 15 minutes away.

Hortman had served as House speaker for six years when the 2024 elections cost Democrats their slim majority. She led fellow Democrats in boycotting House sessions for almost a month, starting in mid-January, to prevent the GOP from using a temporary vacancy in a Democratic seat to cement control over the chamber, forcing Republicans into sharing power.

She wanted to protect state health coverage for adult immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, a liberal policy enacted on her watch as speaker in 2023. But when the only budget deal that she could broker included a GOP bill to cut that coverage, she provided the single Democratic vote in the House, securing its passage so that state government would remain funded for the next two years.

“She battled fiercely, but never let it impact the personal bond that we developed serving as caucus leaders,” GOP House Speaker Lisa Demuth said in a statement. “I am beyond heartbroken by her loss.”

The Legislature is sharply divided in politics but united in mourning

The shootings shocked a state that prides its politics as being “Minnesota nice,” even despite higher partisan tensions in recent years.

To outsiders, Minnesota looks blue. The state hasn’t voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1972, and all of its statewide elected officials are Democrats.

Yet the Legislature is now almost evenly split, with Democrats clinging to a 34-33 majority in the Senate. Republicans are still frustrated with how Democrats used their slim majorities in both chambers in 2023 and 2024 to roll over them and enact a sweeping liberal agenda.

In 2023, Democrats had an ambitious wish list and passed practically everything on it, with Hortman a key player. The measures included expanded abortion and trans rights, paid family and medical leave, universal free school lunches, child care credits and other aid for families.

But on Saturday, the mourning for Hortman, Hoffman and their families was bipartisan.

The wounded senator chairs a key committee

Hoffman, 60, is chair of the Senate Human Services Committee, which oversees one of the biggest parts of the state budget. He lives in Champlin, in the northwest part of the Minneapolis area, and owns a consulting firm, and he and his wife, Yvette, had one daughter.

He previously was marketing and public relations director for a nonprofit provider of employment services for people with mental illnesses and intellectual and developmental disabilities and supervised a juvenile detention center in Iowa. He was first elected to the Senate in 2012.

In 2023, Hoffman supported budget legislation that extended the state MinnesotaCare health program to immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, starting this year. On Monday, he voted against a bill to end that coverage for adults on Jan. 1 — a GOP goal that was a key part of the budget agreement that Hortman helped broker.

Last year, Hoffman sponsored a bill designed to prevent courts from blocking people with disabilities from adopting children, and in 2023, he proposed an amendment to the state constitution to create a fund to pay for long-term care by taxing the Social Security benefits of the state’s wealthiest residents.

Hortman had served nine years as Democratic leader

Hortman had served as the House Democrats’ leader since 2017, and six years as speaker, starting in 2019. Under a power-sharing deal, her title became speaker emerita.

She and her husband, Mark, lived in Brooklyn Park, another suburb in the northwest part of the Minneapolis area. They had two adult children.

A lawyer, she twice lost races for the House before first winning her seat in 2004. U.S. Sen. and Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar recalled campaigning door to door that year with Hortman, when Klobuchar was the elected chief prosecutor for Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis.

Klobuchar praised Hortman’s support for free school lunches, women’s rights and clean energy, calling her “a true public servant to the core.”

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, who attended the University of Minnesota’s law school with Hortman, said: “She was smart, savvy, strategic, kind, funny, brave, and determined.”

Hortman’s skills as a legislator are being praised

Hortman became part of the Democrats’ legislative leadership team in 2007, then House minority leader in 2017, before Democrats recaptured a House majority in 2019.

Her proposals included state emission standards like ones imposed in California and a ban on the sale of products containing mercury.

She also proposed studying the feasibility of ending state investments in fossil fuel companies. Demuth, the current Republican House speaker, said Hortman was a nationally recognized expert on energy policy.

“She wasn’t only a leader — she was a damn good legislator, and Minnesotans everywhere will suffer because of this loss,” said Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, a former Minnesota state party chair and a friend of Hortman’s.

Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas.

The post Police say they have recovered writings in a car used by suspect in shooting of Minnesota lawmakers appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump held a lengthy call Saturday to discuss the escalating situation in the Middle East and Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Trump in a posting on his Truth Social platform said they spent the bulk of their conversation focused on Israel’s ongoing blistering attacks aimed at decapitating Iran’s nuclear program and Iran’s retaliatory strikes. But Trump said that he also pressed Putin to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“He feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained, his war should also end,” said Trump, who added the conversation went about an hour.

Putin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said Putin briefed Trump on his recent talks with the leaders of Iran and Israel and reiterated Russia’s proposal to seek mutually acceptable solutions on the Iranian nuclear issue.

“Vladimir Putin, having condemned the military operation against Iran, expressed serious concern about the possible escalation of the conflict,” Ushakov told reporters. He added that Putin raised concerns that escalating conflict between Israel and Iran threatened “unpredictable consequences for the entire situation in the Middle East.”

Putin also emphasized Russia’s readiness to carry out possible mediation efforts, and noted that Russia had proposed steps “aimed at finding mutually acceptable agreements” during U.S.-Iran negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program.

The Russia-Iran relationship has deepened since Putin launched a war on Ukraine in February 2022, with Tehran providing Moscow with drones, ballistic missiles, and other support, according to U.S. intelligence findings.

“Russia’s principled approach and interest in the settlement remain unchanged,” Ushakov said.

Trump described the regional situation as “very alarming,” Ushakov said, but acknowledged the “effectiveness” of Israel’s strikes on targets in Iran.

The leaders did not rule out a possible return to negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program, according to Ushakov.

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff had been set to travel on Sunday to Oman for a sixth round of talks with Iranian officials aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear program — a meeting that was set before Israel launched strikes on Friday. But Oman’s foreign minister, Badr al-Busaidi, said on Saturday that the meeting would not take place as planned.

Putin and Trump also discussed the ongoing exchange of war prisoners between Russia and Ukraine. The two sides traded more prisoners on Saturday under an arrangement brokered during talks between the two sides in Istanbul earlier this month.

“Our president noted that an exchange of prisoners of war is taking place, including seriously wounded and prisoners of war under 25 years of age,” Ushakov said, along with expressing readiness to continue negotiations with the Ukrainians.

Trump said Putin also wished him “a Happy Birthday.” The U.S. leader turned 79 on Saturday.

Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.

The massive military parade commemorating the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army, which coincides with President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday is being staged Saturday in Washington, D.C. The event is expected to include about 6,600 soldiers, 50 helicopters and 60-ton M1 Abrams battle tanks, as well as possibly 200,000 attendees and heightened security to match.

Opponents of the president’s agenda are simultaneously rallying in hundreds of cities nationwide at “No Kings” protests following days of nationwide demonstrations against federal immigration raids, including in Los Angeles, where Trump deployed the National Guard and U.S. Marines against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The Associated Press is providing live video of the parade and “No Kings’ protests. Watch below:

Here’s the latest:

That’s it for the Army’s birthday parade

There have been troop formations, heavy artillery displays, flyovers, musical performances and a presidential address. But now the Army’s birthday parade is drawing to a close.

Fireworks are the last thing on the official schedule.

Another round of tear gas in LA chokes protesters, including families with kids

Officers fired more tear gas at protesters, surprising those who had gathered on the street and sidewalk a few blocks from a police line.

The clouds of gas wafted toward a family-friendly demonstration that has been going for hours outside City Hall. Young children covered their face with their t-shirts as those in the crowd without protective gear choked and coughed.

“We just wanted to come and support our people and we’re getting tear gassed for it,” said Melissa Bran, a 28-year-old pharmacist, as she dabbed her red eyes with a wet cloth.

Lee Greenwood takes the stage

He’s sung the song at hundreds of Trump-related events, and the singer is back performing “God Bless the U.S.A.” to help close out Saturday’s events.

Clad in a blue and white sport coat, tie and dark pants, Greenwood performed the song he’s sung at Trump’s political rallies across the country.

“God bless the United States Army,” Greenwood said, wrapping up.

Trump makes it short and sweet

Trump can be meandering in his big rally speeches, but seemed intent on speaking with breadth—but brevity — with his remarks to celebrate the U.S. Army 250th birthday.

“There is no earthly force more powerful than the brave heart of the U.S. military or an Army Ranger paratrooper, or Green Beret,” Trump said. “They are the best. They are the finest from Bunker Hill to San Juan Hill, from Gettysburg to Guadalcanal, from Yorktown to Shiloh, and from the trenches of the Argonne to the mountains of Afghanistan, the Army has forged a legacy of unmatched courage, untold sacrifice.”

The remarks clocked in at eight minutes.

In an unusual speech, a signature Trump line

“We’re the hottest country in the world right now,” the president said.

Trump rattled off anecdotes from old wars and stuck to script but did sneak in a vintage Trumpism as he boasted of the attention the United States has garnered.

Trump brags about strength of US military

“If you threaten the American people, our soldiers are coming for you.“Trump has been talking up the strength of the U.S. fighting force, saying that enemies that have challenged it have regretted doing so.

Adding that “the U.S. Army has driven bayonets into the hearts of evil empires,” Trump also said U.S. soldiers “fight, fight fight and they win, win win” — a reprise of a line regularly delivered during his 2024 campaign rallies

Trump justifies his big pricy, parade

“Every other country celebrates their victories. It’s about time America did too,” Trump said.

The military says the parade will cost between $25 million and $45 million.

Trump is beginning his parade remarks

It’s the first time during the afternoon and evening celebrations that Trump has spoken, aside from administering the oath to new and re-enlisting soldiers. He walked out to the podium accompanied by his wife, who then went to her seat.

After Trump’s remarks, the celebration-wrapping fireworks are scheduled to go off.

Last protesters in Philadelphia are dispersed

Dozens of lingering protesters in Philadelphia were trailed by police on bicycles and on motorbikes with sirens blaring as officers urged them to move away.

They eventually dispersed a few hours after the scheduled march and speeches had ended. At least three people were detained.

Army parade showcases equipment sent to Ukraine

Some of the equipment on display isn’t just theoretical or historic. The Army has showcased weapons systems being used on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Some of the equipment on display is currently in use on the battlefield in Ukraine. The U.S. military has provided substantial support, including weapons and weapons systems from its own stockpiles, to help the Ukrainians fight a war against Russia.

These are some of the parade weapons that have been sent to Ukraine, along with the number supplied, according to the U.S. State Department.

1. Bradley infantry fighting vehicles (More than 300)

2. Abrams tanks (31)

3. Stryker armored personnel carriers (More than 400)

4. 105mm howitzers (72, along with 1 million 105mm artillery rounds)

5. 155mm howitzers (More than 200, along with more than 3 million 155mm artillery rounds)

6. HIMARS High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (More than 40)

‘Have a great life’

That was Trump’s comment to recruits as he swore them in to the U.S. Army.

“Congratulations, congratulations,” he told them. “Welcome to the United States Army! And have a great life”

Many parade attendees that had been steadily moving through the National Monument lawn froze in their tracks as Trump began giving the oath. Applause and cheers erupted as he finished

Trump swears in 250 new recruits and returning soldiers

Helping bring up the rear of the Army parade were hundreds of future troops, led by the band at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point including members of the Texas A&M Army Corps of Cadets. There were also new enlistees just going through Army initial entry training, cadets from the Virginia Military Institute and cadets from The Citadel in South Carolina.

The final participants include 250 brand new recruits or soldiers who are re-enlisting.

As they reached Trump, they turned toward him and raised their right hands. Standing at a podium, Trump then swore them into service, with soldiers repeating an oath after him.

Dispersal order seems to embolden LA protest

Tensions are escalating on the streets of downtown Los Angeles as police sought to disperse demonstrators, many of whom seemed caught off guard — and enlivened — by the abrupt orders to leave.

As police fired flash bangs and canisters of tear gas, protesters responded with loud fireworks and calls to “hold the line.” Volunteer medics in gas masks roamed the crowd, offering saline solution to those affected by tear gas.

Apache flyover happening in parade

Nine of the aircraft are flying over the parade route. The attack helicopters are designed for combat and ground support.

Modern military hardware on display

Soldiers are showing off the Army’s newest hardware, from modern rifles to vehicles to drones flying overhead.

Earlier, more tanks had rolled through the streets.

LAPD clears protesters with tear gas and crowd control munitions

A previously calm demonstration in downtown LA quickly turned chaotic as police on horseback charged at the crowd, striking some with wood rods and batons as they cleared the street in front of the federal building.

Officers then fired tear gas and crowd control projectiles at the large group, sending demonstrators, hot dog vendors and passing pedestrians fleeing through the street. Some have since regrouped, ignoring an LAPD dispersal order.

“It was a total 100% over-reaction. We weren’t doing anything but standing around chanting peaceful protest,” said Samantha Edgerton, a 37-year-old bartender.

A parade brought to you by Coinbase, Palantir and UFC

The military says the parade will only cost between $25 million and $45 million because several corporations are sponsoring the celebration.

Among those are some tightly connected to Trump. They include the cryptocurrency firm Coinbase, which added Trump’s campaign manager to its advisory council. The technology firm Palantir was founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, who used to employ Vice President JD Vance.

And Ultimate Fighting Championship’s founder, Dana White, is a Trump ally who joined the president at the reviewing stand.

Traditional military contractors like Amazon and Lockheed Martin also sponsored the event.

Army to culminate parade with the machinery it’s counting on in modern warfare

The final war portion of the parade is expected to be a thunderous, 31-minute long procession of all the heavy tanks, artillery and helicopters the Army is counting on for any near-term future conflict. That includes scores of Black Hawk helicopters, all variants of towed and self-propelled artillery, and even the HIMARS High Mobility Artillery Rocket System that has been so coveted by Ukraine as it fights Russia.

The final sections of marching troops represent the Army’s future

The band at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point will lead hundreds of future troops, including members of the Texas A&M Army Corps of Cadets, new enlistees just going through Army initial entry training, cadets from the Virginia Military Institute and cadets from The Citadel in South Carolina.

Last, 250 brand new recruits or soldiers who are re-enlisting will reach the president. As they do, they will turn toward him and raise their right hand, and Trump will swear them into service.

Philadelphia protest still isn’t totally wrapped up

A few hours after the scheduled march and speeches in Philadelphia had ended, a contingent of police officers on bicycles was monitoring and trying to disperse dozens of protesters who were still gathered in one area, and at least three people had been detained.

The small crowd — some of them wearing masks or other partial face coverings — chanted phrases like “Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here” and “Free Palestine,” and some shouted at the officers. They carried signs with phrases including “ICE AN AGENT,” “Healthcare for all” and “The 3rd Impeachment’s the charm!”

Helicopters haven’t been big part of the parade

It was anticipated that there would be dozens of helicopters flying overhead during portions of the parade dedicated to the Gulf War and global war on terror, but that didn’t happen.

Low visibility and lots of clouds in the Washington area seem to have contributed to less of an aircraft presence in the parade. Some Vietnam-era helicopters were part of an earlier portion.

Parade has been underway for an hour

The rain is a slight drizzle in Washington now as the Army birthday parade crosses the one-hour mark.

Organizers had anticipated the parade in total would last about 90 minutes.

1 person arrested over threat to rally in Texas

The Texas Department of Public Safety said one person has been arrested in connection with the threat to Democratic state lawmakers attending a rally at the state Capitol. The threat had caused state police to close the capitol grounds for several hours.

A DPS spokesperson said the person was arrested after a traffic stop in La Grange, about 65 miles (104 kilometers) east of Austin. Officials did not immediately release more details about the threat or the arrest.

Scenes from the parade

Trump stood and saluted during the Gulf War section of the parade and pumped his fist as Hegseth, sitting next to him, gave a thumbs up.

A huge guitar riff blasted over the speakers as the M1 Abrams tanks rolled past.

The crowd included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his wife Jeanette, Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Dana White, CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Along the parade route, a variety of service members are monitoring and protecting the parade — from uniformed members of the U.S. Park Police to Secret Service officers to uniformed Army members.

Troops, helicopters represent Global War on Terror

We’ve reached the Global War on Terrorism phase of the parade, memorializing the most recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Trump has been critical of the U.S. involvement in those wars.

Troops from the 10th Mountain Division deployed more than 20 times to Afghanistan and Iraq as part of the Global War on Terror, following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

As they march past, the160th SOAR will fly overhead in the three helicopter types they operate – the OH-6 “Little Bird,” the MH-60 Black Hawk and the MH-47 Chinook.

US Marines are standing guard outside LA’s federal building, face to face with protesters

It was the first time that the Marines have appeared at a demonstration since they were deployed to city on Friday with the stated mission of defending federal property.

Dozens of Marines stood shoulder to shoulder in full combat gear, hands on their rifles, beside other law enforcement, including Department of Homeland Security officers at the National Guard.

Directly in front of them, hundreds of protesters jeered in English and Spanish, telling the federal troops to go home.

Police say driver intentionally accelerated SUV at Virginia protest

One person was struck by an SUV that police say was driven recklessly through a crowd at a protest Saturday in Culpeper, Virginia.

Police say the 21-year-old driver intentionally accelerated the SUV into the crowd as protesters were leaving the event.

It’s unclear whether there were any injuries. Police haven’t yet identified the person who was struck by the SUV.

The Bradley fighting vehicle has made an appearance

Though it looks like a tank, it’s technically not.

Bradleys have been used since the 1960s and were used extensively during the U.S. wars in Iraq. More recently, the U.S. has given some to the Ukrainian military to assist in its fight against Russia.

Things to know: What makes a weapon system a ‘howitzer’

A howitzer is any type of angled, short barrel gun that is able to launch projectiles high into the air and over long distances.

Gulf War: 100 hours and racing Abrams tanks

America’s lightning-fast 100-hour race across Iraq and defeat of Iraq in February 1991 is being represented by troops whose units led the way – the 1st Infantry Division based at Fort Cavazos, Texas, soon to be renamed Fort Hood.

The armored division may be best remembered for racing across the desert in M1-Abrams tanks – and this will be the first time in the parade we see the massive, 60-ton Abrams roll past.

In the battle of 73 Easting, nine U.S. M1-Abrams tanks led by then-Army Capt. HR McMaster were outnumbered by Iraqi tanks – but prevailed, destroying an estimated 50 Iraqi tanks and vehicles.

This is far from the biggest US military parade

Trump is expected to speak as part of the Army semi-quincentennial that happens to fall on his birthday. There are bipartisan concerns about the cost of the spectacle, which this civilian commander in chief has pitched as a way to celebrate U.S. power.

But with just 6,600-plus troops marching, it’s hardly the biggest to be held in America.

President Andrew Johnson appears to still hold that record, set when his “Grand Review of the Armies” marked the end of the Civil War. That show of force in 1865, meant to salve a war-weary nation, included 145,000 soldiers marching down Pennsylvania Avenue.

Read more about past U.S. military parades

Helicopters to mark the ‘Helicopter War’

The Vietnam War was the first time helicopters were used in massive numbers in combat, leading it to be known as the “Helicopter War.” More than 12,000 helicopters were flown by the U.S. during the war, and seven will fly overhead as U.S. troops representing that conflict march past Trump.

The helicopters include the UH-1 “Huey,” which was used for everything from troop transport to medevac to supplies; the AH-1 “Cobra” gunship; and the OH-1 “Loach” – a daredevil helicopter whose crews scouted out enemy troops.

WWII planes make an appearance

Despite fears that weather would force aircraft to stay on the ground, the parade included a flyover of World War II era planes.

Other innovative Army armor and artillery join the tanks

The artillery and armor were key to that quick Gulf War victory, including eight Bradley Fighting Vehicles, two M109 Paladins – a self-propelled howitzer that weighs about half of what an Abrams does – and six M119 lightweight towed howitzers.

Tanks on the streets of the nation’s capital

The first tanks have appeared. Sherman tanks, which were used extensively in the European theater during World War II, are rolling past Trump.

It’s a lot of saluting for Trump today

Normally the commander in chief salutes when presented with U.S. military troops, and Trump is doing a lot of saluting during the parade.

He’s been seated for much of the parade so far, but at times the president has stood and saluted as troops move by the reviewing stand.

The parade has been moving swiftly, with severe weather predicted for the area. It started slightly early, too.

WWII gave us the Jeep, and six are in the parade

The Army needed a lightweight vehicle to run up and down troop lines and to carry injured soldiers and even letters home. Both Ford and Willys built Jeeps and together manufactured more than 650,000 of them.

Six of the historic jeeps are in formation in the World War II section of the parade.

Sky parade honors Army’s fighter, bomber legacies

As soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell Kentucky and Fort Bragg’s 82nd Airborne Division march, six aircraft will fly overhead, including four P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft, two B-25 Mitchell bombers and one C-47 Skytrain.

The P-51 is one of the most recognizable fighters in the world. It played a critical role in reducing U.S. heavy bomber casualties once the aircraft came online and could escort the aircraft to target.

The B-25 Mitchell was made famous by the Doolittle Raid, where 16 stripped-down-to-the-bones B-25s took off from the carrier USS Hornet to strike Tokyo.

The C-47 Skytrain is known by its three flighting stripes on its wings and body – so painted in the hours before D-Day so U.S. warships wouldn’t shoot at them as the planes flew low and fast toward France with 13,000 paratroopers on board to jump into Normandy.

World War I and the birth of the 82nd Airborne ‘All American Division’

The 150 soldiers wearing period costumes for World War I are from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

The unit was established in August 1917 and was nicknamed the “All-Americans” because soldiers were initially pulled from 48 states to form it.

‘It’s a good time to be proud to be American,’ attendee says

Shelly and John Legg from Oklahoma were standing in the parade’s special guest section with their two sons. John Legg is a retired colonel of 34 years in the Army.

He’s never seen anything like what’s anticipated to come — tanks rolling down the streets of D.C.

“It’s a good time to be proud to be American,” Legg said.

Asked about the notion of military members being deployed to protests in California over immigration, Legg said it’s been done before and is in response to destruction of the city.

Legg said he supports peaceful protest, but violence is not acceptable. “That’s why we serve, so people can speak their mind, but it has to be done in peace.”

Golden Knights parachute team sails though the air

The crowd, with their heads tilted upwards, screams with excitement as the U.S. Army’s official parachute demonstration and competition team glides toward the Ellipse. Red smoke released by the parachuters streaked across the sky.

The paratroopers’ arrival was moved up, likely because of the deteriorating weather. They had been slated for the end of the parade.

Clouds shrouded the Washington Monument as the parade unfolded. The rain remains intermittent, just a few light drops.

Trump is all smiles as the Army birthday celebration begins

Light rain drops begin to fall as Trump walks onto the stage and the National Anthem is sung.

Trump is standing and broadly smiling. He claps as the United States Army Band is introduced.

Next, Trump and dignitaries take their seats as the Old Guard Army Fife and Drum Corps is introduced.

Trump arrives at parade stands

The president and first lady Melania Trump have arrived at the stands where they will review the Army parade.

Trump waves and pumps his fist to the crowd, who cheer and chant “USA!, USA!”

In addition to the military branch’s birthday, Saturday is also Trump’s birthday. The Army is turning 250, while the president is now 79.

It’s now raining along the parade route

Raindrops have begun to fall as the Army birthday parade prepares to kick off.

Trump left the White House nearly 45 minutes earlier than originally expected, and is on his way to the reviewing area.

Larry Stallard, a retired American Airlines pilot who turns 83 next month, traveled from Kansas City for the weekend “to see the military and see Trump.”

Trump supporter says Army celebration is ‘on my bucket list’

Larry Stallard, a retired American Airlines pilot who turns 83 next month, traveled from Kansas City for the weekend.

“I’m going to watch the parade, that’s the main thing,” he said.

He added that it was “hard to believe” people are upset about the cost of the event when “they blow that in 10 seconds on things that we don’t even need.”

Protesters in NYC describe why they’re taking to the streets

Marchers in the crowd in New York had diverse reasons for coming, including anger over Trump’s immigration policies, support for the Palestinian people and outrage over what they said was erosion of free speech rights.

But there were patriotic symbols, too. Leah Griswold, 32, and Amber Laree, 59, who marched in suffragette white dresses, brought 250 American flags to the march to hand out to people in the crowd.

“Our mothers who came out, fought for our rights, and now were fighting for future generations as well,” said Griswold.

Forecasters warn of ‘damaging wind gusts’ during parade

In addition to the flood watch in place until 11 p.m., the National Weather Service says that gusting winds could roll through the Washington area.

The White House has said that the parade goes on rain or shine, but lightning could bring things to a halt.

Red, white and blue punch — and a saber

Those are all festive components of the Army’s birthday party cuisine.

Patriotic punch is being ladled out for attendees of celebrations on the National Mall. There are separate silver bowls with red, white and blue drinks.

It’s handed out alongside slices of the Army’s birthday cake, which was a multi-tier confection that uniformed officials cut into with a saber.

White House specifically asked to add Air Force jets to Army parade, official says

The Air Force is horning in on the Army’s 250th birthday parade — at the request of the White House, a U.S. official confirmed on Saturday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said that the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and F-22 fighter jets were a late addition to the parade schedule. The official said the White House specifically made the request. The jets are scheduled to fly over the National Mall near the beginning of the parade.

It wasn’t clear why they were added, since the 250th birthday festival and parade are solely featuring Army units, vehicles and equipment. But the Army does not have fighter jets — only the Air Force and Navy do.

— By Lolita C. Baldor

A veteran from Texas says he’s in DC to see history in action

Steve Donnelly, a 62 year-old pilot who served in the military from 1986 to 1994, said he traveled from Houston, Texas, “to witness everything going on” in D.C. this weekend, from the protests to the parade itself.

He said he didn’t necessarily agree with the need for the parade, but wanted to see history in action.

Celebrity chefs add flavor to Army celebration

Celebrity chef Robert Irvine, known for his work on the Food Network, and former White House chef Andre Rush attended a festival honoring the Army’s 250th anniversary.

Rush, wearing a camouflage shirt emblazoned with “Chef Rush,” posed for photos with service members inside a tent, while Irvine observed the festivities unfolding on a stage outside.

In New York City, the crowd of protesters stretches for blocks

As a light rain fell, thousands of people marched along Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue from Bryant Park to Madison Square Park, a distance of just under a mile.

“We’ve got to see a change. Our country’s better than what we’re in right now,” said Todd Drake, 63, an artist. Some protesters held signs denouncing Trump. Others banged drums.

“We’re here because we’re worried about the existential crisis of this country and the planet and our species,” said Sean Kryston, 28, of Brooklyn.

Veteran says Army festival is ‘hot and long lines but well worth it’

Doug Haynes, a Navy veteran and self-described “Trump kind of guy” attended the Army’s 250th birthday festival but called the upcoming parade “a little over the top.”

Pointing at a nearby tank, Haynes said having them roll down the street is a “very bold statement to the world, perhaps.”

“I’m a Trump kind of guy, but I think things could have been done a little smoother, with a little more finesse. I’m a little disappointed in that,” said Haynes, who lives in the Baltimore area but works around D.C.

Dancing to the beat in Los Angeles, two blocks from a military force

Thousands have gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles. It’s a boisterous crowd of people waving signs and listening to a Native American drum circle and dance performances.

Signs included “Protesting is not a crime,” “We carry dreams not danger” and “ICE out of LA.”

One demonstrator carried a 2-foot-tall Trump pinata on a stick, with a crown on his head and sombrero hanging off his back.

The City Hall Plaza is around the corner and a block away from the federal building where National Guard troops and U.S. Marines have been deployed.

Protesters flee tear gas in Georgia

In DeKalb County, Georgia, protesters ran away and even climbed over shrubs to escape from police who set off tear gas and detained several people.

It wasn’t immediately clear what prompted officers to set off the tear gas.

‘No Kings’ rally site at Texas Capitol temporarily closed due to threat

The Texas Department of Public Safety said it “identified a credible threat toward state lawmakers planning to attend” the demonstration at the state Capitol later Saturday evening. Officers then closed the building and the surrounding grounds, forcing the public to evacuate.

About two hours before the scheduled start, the grounds remained closed, with some troopers telling people to remain off the grounds.

DPS spokeswoman Ericka Miller did not say if or when the area would reopen, or provide any details about the threat, adding that it was still under investigation.

“DPS has a duty to protect the people and property of Texas and is continuously monitoring events occurring today and their impact on public safety across the state,” Miller said.

Anti-war protesters rally inside the Army festival

Standing in front of military equipment inside the festival, a small crowd with the group Code Pink chanted “Peace not war!” and held bright pink banners with slogans like “Defund War, Refund Communities” and “No Weapons to Israel.”

At the same time, festivalgoers wearing red, white and blue apparel climbed in and out of the nearby tank. For the most part, the protesters were being ignored by both police and festivalgoers.

US Congressional leaders implore Americans to condemn — and end — political violence

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said after the shocking shooting of Minnesota lawmakers: “Such horrific political violence has no place in our society, and every leader must unequivocally condemn it.”

GOP Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota said: “Political violence has no place in our nation.”

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries requested additional security for U.S. lawmakers. “Our country is on the edge like never before,” said Jeffries of New York. “We need leadership that brings America together, instead of tearing us apart.”

Democratic Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, whose husband was brutally attacked in their home in 2022, and Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who was gravely wounded after being shot in 2017 at a congressional baseball game practice, both pleaded for the political violence to end. “There can be no tolerance of political violence and it must be stopped,” said Scalise, R-La.

Georgia officers use tear gas to keep protesters off highway

Law enforcement deployed tear gas to divert several hundred protesters heading toward Interstate 285 in northern Atlanta Saturday. A journalist was seen being detained by officers.

Law enforcement officers yelled “unlawful assembly” and “you must disperse” into megaphones as they used tear gas to divert protesters off the road they marched on. The gas caused the crowd to disperse, and two police helicopters flew overhead as the crowd moved.

While a few demonstrators were equipped with gas masks, most protesters did not have personal protective equipment. The crowd was generally younger and more diverse than other demonstrations around Atlanta. Some held signs and American flags as they marched.

DC protest march pauses at a park north of the White House

The crowd has arrived in a small park near Lafayette Square, the currently fenced-off park across from the White House.

Protesters are listening to people speaking, or milling around and taking breaks in the shade.

Trump-themed merch is on sale outside the festival

Attendees lining up to enter the festival area on the National Mall passed multiple vendors selling flags and MAGA hats.

One standout item is a somewhat outlandish Trump doll that moves and claps brass cymbals. If you touch its head, framed by a shock of yellow hair, his eyes bug out and it says Trumpisms like “We must make our schools great again” and “I will have no choice but to destroy North Korea.”

“I know he looks crazy,” the vendor says proudly.

Asking price: $20 each.

Philadelphia rallygoers get their ‘Rocky’ moment

Marchers shouted “Whose streets? Our streets!” as they approached the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where they listened to speakers on the steps made famous in the movie “Rocky.”

“So what do you say, Philly?” Democratic U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland shouted to the crowd. “Are you ready to fight back? Do you want a gangster state or do you want free speech in America?”

The whole crowd joined in a chant: “No hate. No fear. Immigrants are welcome here,” in response to speaker Lorella Praeli, co-president of the Community Change organization.

A handful of anti-war protesters are at the Army festival

Among the crowds lining up to enter the festival grounds, one group stood out: about a dozen people wearing Code Pink t-shirts with some waving Palestinian flags.

“We’re here to speak out against the war machine,” said Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the Code Pink anti-war group.

Festivalgoers celebrating the Army and Trump mix on the National Mall

A line to enter the festival marking the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary stretches nearly half a block. Attendees are sporting apparel that celebrates both the Army and Trump, whose birthday coincides with the event.

Vendors move through the crowd, selling Trump-themed merchandise, while others offer gear commemorating the Army’s milestone. Outside the festival gates, a large video board promotes careers in the Army, urging onlookers to consider enlistment.

Crowd marches peacefully through downtown Washington

Escorted by police vehicles and officers on bicycles, some of the protest leaders are holding a giant banner that reads “TRUMP MUST GO NOW.”

Marchers are chanting: “Danger, danger, there’s a fascist in the White House. It’s up to us to drive him out.”

Chuck Schumer seeks emergency protection for Minnesota senators

Senate Democratic Leader said he’s asked Capitol Police to “immediately increase security” for Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, both Democrats, following the shootings of lawmakers in Minnesota by a suspect who has not yet been found.

Schumer said he had also asked Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to hold a briefing for senators on member security.

“Condemning violence is important but it is not enough,” Schumer said in a post on X. “We must also confront the toxic forces radicalizing individuals and we must do more to protect one another, our democracy, and the values that bind us as Americans.”

North Carolina college student: It’s about what’s right and wrong

What brought Jocelyn Abarca out to protest in uptown Charlotte’s First Ward Park was a chance to “speak for what’s right.”

But the 21-year-old college student was also motivated by what she views as wrong: mass deportations and the deployment of military forces to the streets of Los Angeles.

“I think that it goes against our Constitution and what we stand for as a nation, because we all come out here peacefully to protest and speak on what’s important,” Abarca said.

Seeing thousands of gather in protest is a “powerful” demonstration of people coming together, she said.

“If we don’t stop it now, it’s just going to keep getting worse,” she said.

One Los Angeles neighborhood braces for violence

The majority of businesses in Little Tokyo are boarded up ahead of the “No Kings” protest in downtown LA.

Ramen spots, bail bonds, gift shops — some put up plywood and others used cardboard or paper to cover their windows. One board had a handwritten message that read “Mexican owned business,” likely trying to signal solidarity. Protest signs and fresh anti-ICE graffiti are already showing up around the area.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene checks out the Army’s CrossFit space

The Georgia Republican stopped by the area on the National Mall where Army members are demonstrating how they train with CrossFit.

She also told former Trump strategist Steve Bannon on his “War Room” show that she sees their methods as “the best way to train.”

As Greene spoke, troops could be seen behind her riding stationary bikes and doing team lifting exercises, with the National Monument in the background.

Greene previously owned a CrossFit gym and has competed in the CrossFit Games.

Army veteran: ‘It’s shameful. He didn’t serve’

Aaron Bogner, who served in the Army from 1993 to 1996, said Trump is using the American military to advance his personal agenda by having soldiers march in a parade that coincides with his 79th birthday.

“I think it’s shameful. He didn’t serve,” said the 50-year-old Bogner, who wore a camouflage jacket and Army baseball hat. “It’s just an engineered birthday party. It’s an excuse to have tanks in your streets like North Korea.”

Above all, Bogner said, he’s protesting the deployment of U.S. troops against people who are challenging how the Trump administration is detaining immigrants. He calls this hypocritical for a president who broadly issued pardons to people who participated in the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

Small crowd of demonstrators prepares to march toward the White House

Roughly 200 protesters have assembled in northwest Washington’s Logan Circle, about a 20 minute walk from the White House. They’ve handed out signs and danced to upbeat music from a local street band, including “This Land Is Your Land.”

The mood was celebratory as the group chanted “Trump must go now” before erupting in cheers. A larger than life puppet of Trump was wheeled through the crowd: The caricature shows the president wearing a crown and sitting on a golden toilet.

Other protesters waved pride flags and hoisted signs, some with pointed messages such as “I prefer crushed ICE,” “The invasion was HERE Jan. 6th, NOT in L.A.” and “Flip me off if you’re a FASCIST.”

Protesters gather in nation’s capital, flanked by relaxed police officers

Anthony Rattler, a Washington area native, said he joined the rally in Logan Circle to support the myriad groups he sees experiencing discrimination under Trump, including the Black community, LGBT people and immigrants. He hopes Trump is embarrassed when he sees widespread protests around the country Saturday.

“What’s happening to our country is just awful,” said Rattler, 43. “It would be one thing if it was just a difference in policy issues but this is downright fascism.”

As a Black man whose grandfather served in the Korean War, Rattler said he feels compelled to make his voice heard. “Our ancestors worked too hard and built too much of what we’re all able to enjoy now,” he said. “Our community is tired but we can’t just stay home.”

MAGA man hits golf balls toward marches in Philadelphia

A man wearing a red Make America Great Again hat started hitting golf balls at marchers as they moved through Philadelphia’s Logan Circle.

Marcher Andrew Graziano, 39, from Philadelphia, said marchers tried to ask him nicely to stop. The man protested he’s there every weekend.

The marchers took his golf balls but not his club, and he swiftly disappeared across a city park.

Thousands of people streamed into the blocked-off Benjamin Franklin Parkway as organizers and police directed attendees toward the middle of the six-lane divided thoroughfare for the roughly mile-long march toward the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

A stage was set up outside for expected speakers, including Martin Luther King III, to address the throng of demonstrators.

Minnesota organizers cancel their ‘No Kings’ rallies as manhunt continues

State Patrol Col. Christina Bogojevic asked people “out of an abundance of caution” not to attend any of the “No Kings” protests that were scheduled for across the state on Saturday.

The warnings come after two Democratic lawmakers and their spouses were shot. Melissa Hortman, a former Minnesota House Speaker, and her spouse were shot and killed early Saturday in their Brooklyn Park home. A second state lawmaker, Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, were shot multiple times in Champlin and were wounded. Officials said the shootings were politically motivated.

Bogojevic said authorities didn’t have any direct evidence that the protests would be targeted, but said the suspect had some “No Kings” flyers in their car.

Organizers announced that all of the protests across the state were canceled.

Minnesota governor recommends avoiding protests during manhunt

Police said two Democratic state lawmakers and their spouses were shot in their homes early Saturday by a suspect who may have been posing as a police officer. Gov. Tim Walz said the lawmakers were deliberately targeted, and authorities are still searching for a suspect.

Walz said in social media posts that state law enforcement “is recommending that people do not attend any political rallies today in Minnesota until the suspect is apprehended.”

Walz says that recommendation came from the state Department of Public Safety. Protests rallying against Trump are planned in nearly 2,000 locations across the country — including multiple cities in Minnesota.

Many protesters are displaying American flags on Flag Day

An organizer leads protestors in a chant during the “No Kings” protest, Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Protesters in cities across the country are waving American flags, days after the presence of Mexican and other Latin American flags at Los Angeles protests was called anti-American by many conservatives.

At “No Kings” rallies from Los Angeles to Tallahassee, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Charlotte, North Carolina, the red-white-and-blue is on prominent display.

The proliferation of flags from other countries like Mexico at earlier Los Angeles demonstrations drew critique from Republicans including Trump. In remarks at Fort Bragg, the president cited the presence of “foreign flags” as evidence of “a foreign invasion of our country.”

A veteran’s daughter felt compelled to fly to Washington

Wind Euler said she came to Washington to protest on Saturday out of a sense of duty.

The Arizona native has attended demonstrations as early as the 80s, and has protested Trump’s actions throughout his second term in her home state. But the notion of a military parade scheduled on the president’s birthday is what pushed her to buy the plane ticket.

“It’s an inappropriate use by the GOP of our military,” Euler, 62, said. “My father was a Marine in Iwo Jima, and he was a Republican. I think he would be appalled by the fascist display this parade shows.”

Euler is confident that protests will remain peaceful in Washington, and hopes that they will keep that way across the country, too.

“I think fascism is violent enough,” Euler said. “We need to show we can make change in this country without harming anyone.”

It’s a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd at the ‘No Kings’ rally in North Carolina

Thousands of demonstrators have gathered in Charlotte’s First Ward Park, listening to speakers before marching around town.

The crowd is diverse, with a lot of families in attendance. Most people are holding American flags, and many signs denounce “King Trump.” Some people are tethering a blow-up Baby Trump balloon. One prominent sign: “The power of the people is stronger than the people in power.”

Democrats and Republicans alike called for peaceful protests …

But there’s been a distinct difference in tone between each party’s governors ahead of the day’s protests, organized in nearly 2,000 locations across the country, from city blocks and small towns to courthouse steps and community parks.

Republican governors in Virginia, Texas, Nebraska and Missouri are mobilizing National Guard troops to help law enforcement manage demonstrations. There will be “zero tolerance” for violence, destruction or disrupting traffic, and “if you violate the law, you’re going to be arrested,” Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, told reporters Friday.

Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, also called for peaceful protests — to ensure Trump doesn’t send in the military. “Donald Trump wants to be able to say that we cannot handle our own public safety in Washington state,” Ferguson said.

In California, where state troopers were put on “tactical alert,” cancelling any days off for all officers, Gov. Gavin Newsom also warned protesters not to give Trump any justification for more military deployments.

Who is organizing the protests?

The 50501 Movement has been orchestrating the across-the-country protests — the name stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement.

The group says it picked the “No Kings” name to support democracy and speak out against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration.

Protests earlier this year have denounced Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk. Protesters have called for Trump to be “dethroned” as they compare his actions to that of a king and not a democratically elected president.

On its website, the group says it expects participants “to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation” and not to bring weapons to any events.

A rather awkward moment for a ‘No Kings’ rally in London

The phrase “No Kings” has a different meaning in Britain, so Trump’s opponents had to alter their language a bit when they staged a demonstration Saturday outside the U.S. Embassy in London, one of dozens planned in cities across Europe.

Organizers asked for signs reading “No Tyrants” and “No Clowns,” instead of “No Kings” and “No Crowns,” in deference to Britain’s constitutional monarch. Some riffed on the idea, with hand-lettered signs like “Elect a Clown, Get a Circus.’’

The timing was also a bit awkward — King Charles III was not the target, but this anti-Trump rally came on the same day Britain celebrated the monarch’s official birthday, with an annual parade known as “Trooping the Colour.”

Charles is barred from party politics, with all decisions made by the prime minister, his Cabinet and the elected House of Commons. By contrast, Trump’s opponents accuse him of ignoring the limits placed on his power by the U.S. Constitution.

‘Philadelphia: Rejecting Kings Since 1776’

That’s the message of a red-white-and-blue sign adorned with a Liberty Bell carried by 61-year-old Karen Van Trieste in Philadelphia.

The 61-year-old nurse, who drove up from Maryland this morning, says she grew up in Philadelphia and wanted to be with a large group of people showing her support.

“I just feel like we need to defend our Democracy,” Trieste said before listing a series of concerns, including the dismantling of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, harm to the LGBTQ and immigrant communities and the Trump administration’s practice of ruling by executive order.

Florida rally goers prepare to avoid any provocation — even jaywalking

About a thousand people gathered on the grounds of Florida’s old Capitol Saturday morning, where protestors chanted, “this is what community looks like” and carried signs with messages like “one nation under distress” and “dissent is patriotic.”

Organizers explicitly told the crowd in Tallahassee to avoid any conflicts with counter protestors, and to avoid disrupting traffic, taking care to not even jaywalk.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida law enforcement officials have warned of grave consequences for demonstrators who violate the law.

Organizers say another march will go to the gates of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, where DeSantis warned that the “line is very clear” and not to cross it.

Early marchers appear at flagship ‘No Kings’ rally in Philadelphia

Philadelphia is hosting the main “No Kings” march and rally. Organizers wanted to avoid the huge security presence in Washington, D.C., where this evening’s military parade coincides with Trump’s birthday.

Several hundred people have gathered in Love Park, despite intermittent rain. Organizers are handing out small American flags. Many people are carrying anti-Trump signs with messages including “fight oligarchy” and “deport the mini-Mussolinis” and “the wrong ice is melting” as they wait for the march to start.

A handful of people are wearing gas masks or balaclavas to cover their faces. One woman in a foam Statue of Liberty crown brought a speaker system and is leading a singalong, changing “young man” to “con man” as people sing on of Trump’s favorite tunes, “YMCA.”

One man in revolutionary-war era garb and a tri-corner hat is holding a sign that quotes Thomas Jefferson: “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.”

White House says rain won’t halt the parade — but lightning could

Rain is forecast across the Washington region right around parade time, but Trump is looking forward to seeing the crowd.

Rain pounded the nation’s capital Friday night, and the National Weather Service says a flood watch is in effect for the area until 2 p.m. Saturday. Chances for more thunderstorms increase through Saturday afternoon and evening, and as much as three inches of rain could fall within an hour or two, forecasters said.

Trump remained positive Saturday morning in a Truth Social post: “OUR GREAT MILITARY PARADE IS ON, RAIN OR SHINE. REMEMBER, A RAINY DAY PERADE BRINGS GOOD LUCK. I’LL SEE YOU ALL IN D.C.”

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly has said the parade will happen even if it rains, but that lightning could cause organizers to clear out the area for safety reasons.

DC’s Pennsylvania Avenue transforms into a vendor village

Vendors are taking advantage of the expected large expected crowds and setting up shop on Pennsylvania Ave. near secured zones for the Amy’s 250th birthday festival and parade.

Large snowplows are being used to block off vehicle traffic, allowing pedestrians to walk on the historic street and visit vendors selling art, souvenirs, clothes, jewelry and beverages. There’s also a wide variety of food options, from fan-favorite funnel cakes to lobster rolls.

Several small stages where musicians will provide live music are also spread out through the vending area.

Philadelphia’s top prosecutor warned federal agents against breaking state law

Many elected officials have urged protesters at the “No Kings” demonstrations to be peaceful, and warned that they will show no tolerance for violence, destruction or activities such as blocking roadways.

In Philadelphia, site of the flagship “No Kings” march and rally for Saturday’s nationwide demonstration, the city’s top prosecutor had a warning for federal agents as well.

“ICE agents going beyond their legal rights … killing, assaulting, illegally handling people in violation of the law, denying them their due process in a way that constitutes a crime under the laws of Pennsylvania, you will be prosecuted,” District Attorney Larry Krasner told a news conference Thursday.

Krasner is a leading progressive prosecutor whose police accountability efforts have made him a prominent campaign trail target in Pennsylvania for Trump and other Republicans.

AP-NORC Poll: Most say this parade is not a good use of money

A survey published this week finds that U.S. adults are more likely to approve than disapprove of Trump’s decision to hold the military parade — The AP-NORC poll found that about 4 in 10 U.S. adults “somewhat” or “strongly” approve of the parade, while about 3 in 10 “somewhat” or “strongly” disapprove.

But about 6 in 10 Americans surveyed said the parade is “not a good use” of government money — including the vast majority of people, 78%, who neither approve nor disapprove of the parade overall, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Officials have said the display of military force will cost tens of millions of taxpayer dollars.

Read more about the AP-NORC Poll on Trump’s military parade

Thousands join ‘No Kings’ rally in Atlanta

It’s a festive atmosphere in the shadow of the Georgia state capitol, where the American Civil Liberties Union is handing out blue wristbands to keep count of the crowd in Liberty Plaza. Organizers said the plaza already reached its capacity of 5,000 people.

Many of the “No Kings” demonstrators are carrying American flags. It’s a diverse crowd, mostly people in their 50s or older, and some families with children.

One woman is carrying a sign saying “when cruelty becomes normal, compassion looks radical.” Taylar W. — she didn’t want her full last name used — said “there’s just so much going on in this country that’s not OK, and if no one speaks up about it, who will?”

A schedule of parade day activities

• 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m.: Army fitness competition
• 11 a.m.: Army Birthday Festival begins, featuring meet-and-greets with soldiers, Army astronauts and Medal of Honor recipients, as well as military demonstrations
• 11 a.m.-2 p.m.: NFL Skills & Drills interactive event with NFL players
• 1 p.m.-2 p.m.: Livestream workout from the International Space Station with astronaut and Army Col. Anne McClain
• 4:15 p.m.-4:58 p.m.: Official ceremony and cake-cutting
• 6:30 p.m.: Army birthday parade
• 8 p.m. or following the parade: Enlistment ceremony, concert on the Ellipse and fireworks display

Dozens from a veterans group arrested outside US Capitol

A day ahead of the military parade in Washington, about 60 veterans and family members were arrested on Friday after authorities said they crossed a police line.

Organizers with Veterans for Peace said they were planning to hold a sit-in at the U.S. Capitol in protest of the presence of military members on the nation’s streets. That includes for Saturday’s military parade, as well as National Guard and active-duty Marines in Los Angeles.

Police say participants were arrested after they crossed a perimeter of bike racks intended to keep them away from the U.S. Capitol.

DETROIT (AP) Two Chinese scientists accused of smuggling or shipping biological material into the United States for use at the University of Michigan will remain in custody after waiving their right to a hearing Friday in federal court.

Yunqing Jian and Chengxuan Han said in separate court appearances in Detroit that they would not challenge the government's request to keep them locked up while their cases move forward.

This is a constantly evolving situation involving a large number of factors, Han's attorney, Sara Garber, told a judge. She didn't elaborate and later declined to comment.

Han was arrested Sunday at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after arriving on a flight from China, where she is pursuing an advanced degree at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan. She planned to spend a year completing a project at the University of Michigan lab, and is accused of shipping biological material months ago to laboratory staff.

It was intercepted by authorities. The FBI, in a court filing, said the material is related to worms and lacked a government permit. Experts told The Associated Press it didn't appear to be dangerous.

Jian's case is different. She is charged with conspiring with her boyfriend, another scientist from China, to bring a toxic fungus into the U.S. Fusarium graminearum can attack wheat, barley, maize and rice.

The boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, was turned away at the Detroit airport last July and sent back to China after authorities found red plant material in his backpack.

Jian, who worked at the university lab, was arrested June 2. Messages between Jian and Liu in 2024 suggest that Jian was already tending to Fusarium graminearum at the lab before Liu was caught at the airport, the FBI said.

Jian's attorneys declined to comment Friday.

Federal authorities so far have not alleged that the scientists had a plan to unleash the fungus somewhere. Fusarium graminearum is already prevalent in the U.S. particularly in the east and Upper Midwest and scientists have been studying it for decades. Nicknamed vomitoxin because its most known for causing livestock to throw up, it can also cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache and fever in animals and people.

Researchers often bring foreign plants, animals and even strains of fungi to the U.S. to study them, but they must file certain permits before moving anything across state or national borders.

The university has not been accused of misconduct. It said it has received no money from the Chinese government related to the work of the three scientists. In a statement, it said it strongly condemns any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the universitys critical public mission.

Eight years after President Donald Trump's first travel ban largely targeted majority-Muslim countries, many Arab Americans say his new ban is motivated by bias. They call it the latest act of abandonment by both major political parties in the U.S. over many years.

A judge has turned down requests for new trials by the parents of the Oxford High School shooter despite saying prosecutors willfully failed to disclose agreements with two key witnesses.

By MATTHEW PERRONE, AP Health Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Calley Means has built a following within the “Make America Healthy Again” movement by railing against the failings of the U.S. health system, often pinning the blame on one issue: corruption.

Means, a top aide to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was hired as a White House adviser in March. He has used that perch to attack the nation’s leading physician groups, federal agencies and government scientists, claiming they only protect their own interests in the nation’s $4.9 trillion-a-year industry.

In recent interviews, speeches and podcasts he has called the American Medical Association “a pharma lobbying group,” labeled the Food and Drug Administration “a sock puppet of industry,” and said federal health scientists have “overseen a record of utter failure.”

Means, however, has his own financial stake in the sprawling health system. He’s the co-founder of an online platform, Truemed, that offers dietary supplements, herbal remedies and other wellness products. Some of the vendors featured on Truemed’s website are supporters of Kennedy’s MAHA movement, which downplays the benefits of prescription drugs, vaccines and other rigorously tested medical products.

Kennedy has pledged to run the Department of Health and Human Services with “radical transparency,” but Means has never had to publicly disclose his own financial details or where exactly they intersect with the policies he’s advancing.

“It reeks of hypocrisy,” said Dr. Reshma Ramachandran, a health researcher at Yale University. “In effect, he is representing another industry that is touting nonregulated products and using his platform within the government to financially benefit himself.”

In a written statement, Means said his government work has not dealt with matters affecting Truemed and has focused on issues like reforming nutrition programs and pressuring companies to phase out food dyes.

“Pursuing these large-scale MAHA goals to make America healthy has been the sole focus in my government work,” Means said.

Truemed helps users take tax-free money out of their health savings accounts, or HSAs, to spend on things that wouldn’t normally qualify as medical expenses, such as exercise equipment, meal delivery services and homeopathic remedies — mixtures of plants and minerals based on a centuries-old theory of medicine that’s not supported by modern science.

The business model caught the attention of the IRS last year, which issued an alert: “Beware of companies misrepresenting nutrition, wellness and general health expenses as medical care.”

Truemed co-founder and CEO, Justin Mares, said in a statement the company is “in full alignment” with IRS guidelines.

“Truemed enables patients to work with providers to use medical funds for root cause interventions like exercise and vitamin D to reverse disease under current law,” Mares said.

The full extent of Means’ potential conflicts — including his personal investments— are unclear because of his status as a special government employee.

Unlike presidential appointees and other senior officials, special government employees are temporary staffers who do not have to leave companies or sell investments that could be impacted by their work. Also, their financial disclosure forms are shielded from public release.

“It’s a big problem,” says Richard Painter, a former White House ethics lawyer under George W. Bush now at the University of Minnesota. Painter and other experts have raised alarms over a whirlwind of Trump administration actions to dismantle the government’s public integrity guardrails.

Still, part-time government employees are subject to the same law that bars all federal staffers from working on issues that could directly benefit their finances. When such cases arise, they must recuse themselves or risk criminal penalties.

Means regularly opines on matters before HHS, including rethinking the use of drugs for depression, weight loss, diabetes and other conditions. Recently he’s been promoting a new government report that calls for scaling back prescription medications in favor of exercise, dietary changes and other alternatives.

“If we rely less on our medical system, less on drugs, it necessitates the spiritual, cultural conversation about what we’re doing to our children’s bodies,” Means said in a recent podcast appearance.

Experts note that government ethics rules are intended to both prevent financial conflict violations, but also the appearance of such conflicts that might undermine public trust in government.

“If I were running the ethics office over at HHS, I sure as heck wouldn’t want anybody going around giving interviews and speeches about government matters that could have an effect on their own financial interests,” Painter said.

A rising star in the MAHA movement

Means’ rapid rise reflects the seeming contradictions within the MAHA movement itself, which urges followers to distrust both big corporations and the government agencies which regulate them.

Means rails against big pharma and food conglomerates, two industries that he says he spent years working for as a consultant in Washington.

Means has no medical training. A graduate of Harvard Business School, he previously ran a bridal gown startup with his wife. On Wednesday, he’s scheduled to be the keynote speaker at FDA’s annual science forum, according to a copy of the program shared with The Associated Press.

He traces his passion for health care reform to the death of his mother from pancreatic cancer in 2021. Shortly thereafter, Means and his sister, Dr. Casey Means, took psychedelics together and had “a mind-blowing, life-changing experience,” which led them to co-author a wellness book, launch separate health startups and begin appearing on podcasts.

Casey Means was recently nominated to be surgeon general and has faced scrutiny over her qualifications, including an unfinished medical residency.

Asked about her nomination, President Donald Trump said: “Bobby thought she was fantastic,” adding that he did not know her.

Meanwhile, her brother has stepped up his rhetoric for the MAHA agenda, recently declaring that Kennedy has “a spiritual mandate to reform our broken system.”

While promoting the administration’s accomplishments, Means does not shy away from plugging his own brand or those of his business partners.

When asked to offer health advice to listeners of a sports podcast, Outkick The Show, in April, Means said: “Read our book, ‘Good Energy.’”

He also recommended blood tests sold by Function Health, which provides subscription-based testing for $500 annually. The company was cofounded by Dr. Mark Hyman, a friend of Kennedy and an investor in Truemed, which also offers Hyman’s supplements through its platform. Casey Means is also an investor in Hyman’s company.

“If you’re sick, most likely you have some kind of nutrient deficiency, some kind of biomarker that you can actually then target with your diet and your supplements,” Calley Means said.

Like dietary supplements, the marketing claims on laboratory tests sold by Hyman are not approved by the FDA. The agency has warned for years about the accuracy of such tests and tried to start regulating them under President Joe Biden.

Experts say MAHA entrepreneurs like Hyman are following a playbook common to the wellness industry: Identify a health concern, market a test to diagnose it and then sell supplements or other remedies to treat it.

“It ends up favoring these products and services that rest on flimsy grounds, at the expense of products that have actually survived a rigorous FDA approval process,” said Dr. Peter Lurie, a former FDA official who is now president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Many of the items sold via Truemed, including sweat tents, cold plunge tanks and light therapy lamps, wouldn’t typically qualify as medical expenses under rules for HSAs, tax-free accounts created by Congress to manage medical costs.

The IRS generally states that HSA purchases must help diagnose, cure, treat, mitigate or prevent disease.

Truemed allows users to request a “letter of medical necessity” from a doctor, stating that the product in question could have medical value for them. Like other telehealth services, there’s usually no real-time communication with the patient. The physician reviews a “simple survey solution,” filled out by the Truemed user, according to the company’s website.

Industry representatives say customers should be careful.

“You need to be prepared to defend your spending habits under audit,” said Kevin McKechnie, head of the American Bankers Association’s HSA council. “Companies are popping up suggesting they can help you manage that process and maybe they can — so the debate continues.”

Americans have an estimated $147 billion in HSA accounts, a potential windfall for companies like Truemed that collects fees for transactions made using their platforms.

Means sees an even bigger opportunity — routing federal funds out of government programs and into more HSAs.

“The point of our company is to steer medical dollars into flexible spending,” Means told fitness celebrity Jillian Michaels, on her podcast last year. “I want to get that $4.5 trillion of Medicare, Medicaid, everything into a flexible account.”

Who benefits most from HSAs?

Means’ pitch for expanding HSAs echoes two decades of Republican talking points on the accounts, which were created in 2003 to encourage Americans in high-deductible plans to be judicious with their health dollars.

But HSAs have not brought down spending, economists say. They are disproportionately used by the wealthiest Americans, who have more income to fund them and a bigger incentive to lower their tax rate.

Americans who earn more than $1 million annually are the group most likely to make regular HSA contributions, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. More than half Americans with HSAs have balances less than $500.

Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” would further expand HSA purchases, making gym memberships and other fitness expenses eligible for tax-free spending. That provision alone is expected to cost the government $10 billion in revenue.

“These are really just tax breaks in the guise of health policy that overwhelmingly benefit people with high incomes,” said Gideon Lukens, a former White House budget official during the Obama and Trump administrations, now with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Expanding HSA eligibility was listed as a goal for a coalition of MAHA entrepreneurs and Truemed partners, founded by Means, which lobbied Congress last year, according to the group’s website.

Means said in a statement that the group focused only on broad topics like “health care incentives and patient choice — but did not lobby for specific bills.”

In total, the HSA expansions in Trump’s bill are projected to cost the federal government $180 billion over the next 10 years. As HSAs expand to include more disparate products and services, Lukens says the U.S. government will have fewer dollars to expand medical coverage through programs like Medicaid.

“We have a limited amount of federal resources and the question is whether we want to spend that on health and wellness products that may or may not be helpful for wealthy people,” Lukens said.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.