ALLEN PARK— For David Shaw, it was supposed to be a one-year detour.

Instead, it turned into a nearly two-decade run that’s defined his career.

Jim Harbaugh convinced Shaw to join his staff at San Diego in 2006, becoming the team’s passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach. Shaw was direct in his intentions: This shift into the collegiate ranks — Shaw had spent about the previous 10 years in various assistant roles in the NFL — was to last one year. At season’s end, he was returning to the league.

That was the plan, until Harbaugh landed the job at Stanford, Shaw’s alma mater where he tallied 664 yards on 57 catches from 1991-94. Shaw couldn’t pass that up. He followed Harbaugh and was the Cardinal’s offensive coordinator for four seasons. He was named head coach in 2011 after Harbaugh left for the San Francisco 49ers, and he led the university to a 96-54 record over the next 12 years. The Cardinal made a bowl game in each of Shaw’s first eight seasons, and they won at least 10 games five times.

Shaw, 52, finally made his return to coaching in the NFL earlier this year, hired by the Detroit Lions to be their passing game coordinator under head coach Dan Campbell and new offensive coordinator John Morton. Joining the Lions is poetic for Shaw, who remembers being around running back James Jones and wide receiver Pete Mandley while his father, Willie Shaw, coached Detroit’s defensive backs from 1985-88.

“It was my dad’s first NFL job,” Shaw said in May. “To be there for training camp, to meet a lot of the players and be there for (the) ‘Monday Night Football’ game against the ‘85 Bears, like, that was an exciting time for me. (There’s some) nostalgia to be back in this area. I went to Rochester Adams High School. Did that a couple weekends ago, went back up to Rochester Hills and drove around a little bit. It’s been a lot of fun.”

Shaw is now tasked with helping the Lions maintain their elite offense, which has posted more total yards (20,134) and helped the team score more points (1,478) than any other franchise in the league over the last three seasons. Shaw will be working alongside Morton, who he has been close with since the two crossed paths with the then-Oakland Raiders in the late 1990s.

Morton was an offensive assistant (1998-99) and quality control coach (2000-01) with the Raiders before he was promoted to senior offensive assistant (2002-03) and tight ends coach (2004). Shaw, meanwhile, was a quality control coach (1998-2000) and the team’s quarterbacks coach (2001).

“We present very, very differently. We are flip sides of the same coin,” Shaw said of his relationship with Morton. “Super competitive. (Jon) Gruden-trained. … We have a very, very similar mind in attacking defenses and what we see in the game. While we present very differently, since the first day we have met, our personalities have meshed.

“We’ve always pushed each other, too. It’s not one of those relationships like, ‘Oh, I just want to say hi once in a while.’ It’s, ‘Hey, you looking at this here? What do you see there? Why did you guys do that?’ We’ve always had the personal side of a professional relationship that has always meshed.”

Shaw estimates he had about three NFL interview opportunities each year through his first decade at Stanford, but he turned them down because of the principles he developed as a coach’s kid. He never wanted to be looking over the fence, wondering what else was out there. He would see through his Stanford tenure, which ended with his resignation in November 2022 following a pair of three-win seasons.

Much of Shaw’s success with the Cardinal can be drawn back to his implementation of NFL concepts on the offensive side. He was also able to learn from and work with Vic Fangio, who spent one season as Stanford’s defensive coordinator in 2010. Fangio is one of the most influential defensive minds in recent history, and he won Super Bowl LIX with the Philadelphia Eagles in February.

“If you ever watched us play, we looked starkly different than most college offenses,” Shaw said. “Pretty much my entire time at Stanford, we were a West Coast-based NFL offense and a Vic Fangio-based NFL defense.”

The Denver Broncos hired Shaw in 2024 to be a senior personnel executive, an off-field role that gave him a chance “to look at the game from a different point of view, knowing that eventually I was probably gonna come back to the coaching side.”

Now, fulfilling a goal that was set almost 20 years ago, Shaw intends to do all he can to make the most of it.

“One of those things I believe in — it was on our wall back when I was at Stanford — every single day, you’re either getting better or you’re getting worse,” Shaw said. “You’re never staying the same. So, we’re not resting on our laurels. We’re trying to push the envelope. We’re trying to grow, we’re trying to push ourselves, push the players to be better. That’s the goal every year, is to be better, to go farther and take our best shot at winning that trophy.”

A Detroit family is grieving after their loved one was killed in a car/moped crash over the weekend, with the tragedy compounded by allegations that someone stole jewelry from the victim as she lay dying.

Watch Ruta Ulcinaite's video report: Family says woman's jewelry stolen after fatal car crash in Detroit

Tabatha Dawson, 57, was struck by a vehicle in the area of Hubbell and Puritan late Saturday night after leaving a get-together on her moped.

"Are y'all crazy? Y'all see somebody on the ground and you're going to rob her?" said Dewayne Dawson, Tabatha's brother.

The incident marks another devastating loss for the family, who buried their matriarch just weeks ago in May.

"I actually buried my grandmother the same day as my graduation, and we're all just grieving, we're still not even over my grandma," said Angelique Price, Tabatha's niece.

A resident who lives near the crash site described hearing the impact and rushing to help.

"I heard a noise, a big noise, I came out and the young lady was laying right in the middle of the grass," said Lewis Coles. "I ran in the house and told my old lady to call 911, and when I came back out, she wasn't breathing."

The family believes that before police arrived at the scene, someone stole the jewelry Tabatha was wearing.

"We gotta have justice, I want this cleared," Dewayne said. "I want everything that they took, I want it back."

Family members held a candlelight vigil for Tabatha Sunday, who they remember as a kind and outgoing person.

Detroit Police confirmed their fatal squad unit is investigating both the crash and the reportedly stolen items.

"I just hope they bring my auntie justice because she didn't deserve all that," Price said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detroit Police or remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.

_____________________

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Four days after deadly floodwaters surged through Texas Hill Country, rescue teams are still combing the banks of the Guadalupe River, holding out hope that some missing victims may still be found alive.

This will be a rough week, Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. said. Primary search continues and we remain hopeful. Every foot, every mile, every bend of the river, our work continues.

While the search continues, a clearer picture has emerged of how the flood turned catastrophic and how quickly it escalated in the early hours of July 4.

It began with days of warnings. On Wednesday, July 2, the Texas Division of Emergency Management alerted residents to an increased risk of flooding. A day later, officials urged Texans to stay weather aware. By Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service had issued a flood watch for the region.

RELATED STORY | Coast Guard swimmer called a hero for helping rescue over 160 people in Texas floods

In the early hours of July 4, the warnings grew more urgent. At 3:06 a.m., the National Weather Service advised: Turn Around, Dont Drown.

Just after 4 a.m., the agency issued an urgent, all-caps bulletin, calling the looming flood a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION.

By then, it was too late. In just two hours, between 4 and 6 a.m., the Guadalupe River rose nearly 30 feet.

The region's geography made the disaster worse. With rolling hills, deep canyons and narrow creeks, there was little room for nearly 20 inches of rainfall in some areas to disperse.

Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said the storms unpredictability was part of the challenge.

Everybody, including the NWS, was looking at, where is the rain going to hit? Rice said. We know its somewhere in here, but with rain ... sometimes you dont know until it falls."

The same landscape that makes Kerr County a picturesque destination for summer camps and holiday cookouts also makes it one of the most dangerous places in Texas, a state that already leads the nation in flash flood fatalities.

The post Detroit Evening Report: Duggan, Detroit police announce ‘major crackdown’ on juvenile violence appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

President Donald Trump signed his massive spending and tax policy package on Friday. It includes new tax policy aimed at achieving his campaign promise of no tax on tips.

What does it mean for tipped workers?

Tipped workers can now deduct up to $25,000 of tipped income from their taxes. The amount someone can deduct phases out after the individuals income exceeds $150,000 or $300,000 for a couple filing together.

The deduction only applies for federal income tax, so tipped workers will still owe payroll taxes like Social Security and Medicare taxes and state income taxes.

Who does it help the most?

The tax policy changes apply to just a sliver of the workforce.

There were about 4 million tipped workers in the U.S. in 2023, or about 2.5% of the workforce, according to the Yale Budget Lab.

Of those workers, 37% dont earn enough to face federal income tax.

That means the new policy may not have a major impact on lower-income tipped workers.

Among tipped workers, those who are earning relatively significant amounts of income, you know, maybe north of $40,000 or $50,000 will benefit significantly, said Daniel Bunn, the president and CEO of the Tax Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes tax policies that lead to greater economic growth and opportunity. But if you're earning less than that, you might have very little tax liability to utilize this benefit.

Who supports it?

Limiting taxes on tips has received bipartisan support among lawmakers, and many tipped workers are excited about the money they could save.

It definitely would be a couple (extra) hundred dollars in our paychecks, which goes far right now, Nichole Stoke, a hospitality worker in Las Vegas, told Scripps News Group Las Vegas.

But some industry groups say they oppose the change because it would tax people who work together differently.

The legislation around no tax on tips is problematic because it leaves out a huge portion of restaurant workers. notably everyone who works in the kitchen and is not customer facing, said Anne McBride, the vice president of impact at the James Beard Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works on behalf of chefs and the culinary industry.

The foundation sent a letter to members of Congress in opposition to the entire piece of legislation and highlighted the no tax on tips section.

Bunn says he thinks it complicates tax policy.

When I think of smart tax policy, I think of policies that create neutrality, simplicity, stability, and transparency, and this policy cuts against several of those principles, he said. I think, honestly, the complexities of figuring out who's eligible and who's not will probably mess with some of the elements of transparency and neutrality.

RELATED STORY | Trump signs his 'big, beautiful bill' during July 4 celebration

When does it take effect?

The changes apply to the 2025 tax year and tipped income that has already been earned during it qualifies for the deduction.

The law is set to end after 2028 unless Congress renews it.

Where did President Trump get the idea for it?

President Trump has said he got the idea for no tax on tips from a waitress he met in Las Vegas.

During the Republican National Convention last year, he said, a waitress told him the government is after me all the time on tips.

He says he suggested not taxing tips, to which he says the waitress responded, what a great idea.

By AMANDA SEITZ and JONEL ALECCIA, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday praised a company that makes $7-a-pop meals that are delivered directly to the homes of Medicaid and Medicare enrollees.

He even thanked Mom’s Meals for sending taxpayer-funded meals “without additives” to the homes of sick or elderly Americans. The spreads include chicken bacon ranch pasta for dinner and French toast sticks with fruit or ham patties.

“This is really one of the solutions for making our country healthy again,” Kennedy said in the video, posted to his official health secretary account, after he toured the company’s Oklahoma facility last week.

But an Associated Press review of Mom’s Meals menu, including the ingredients and nutrition labels, shows that the company’s offerings are the type of heat-and-eat, ultraprocessed foods that Kennedy routinely criticizes for making people sick.

The meals contain chemical additives that would render them impossible to recreate at home in your kitchen, said Marion Nestle, a nutritionist at New York University and food policy expert, who reviewed the menu for The AP. Many menu items are high in sodium, and some are high in sugar or saturated fats, she said.

“It is perfectly possible to make meals like this with real foods and no ultra-processing additives but every one of the meals I looked at is loaded with such additives,” Nestle said. “What’s so sad is that they don’t have to be this way. Other companies are able to produce much better products, but of course they cost more.”

Mom’s Meals do not have the artificial, petroleum dyes that Kennedy has pressured companies to remove from products, she noted.

Mom’s Meals said in an emailed response that its food products “do not include ingredients that are commonly found in ultra-processed foods.” The company does not use synthetic food dyes, high fructose corn syrup, certain sweeteners or synthetic preservatives that are banned in Europe, said Teresa Roof, a company spokeswoman.

The meals are a “healthy alternative” to what many people would find in their grocery stores, said Andrew Nixon, U.S. Health and Human Services spokesman, in response to questions about Mom’s Meals.

Mom’s Meals is one of several companies across the U.S. that deliver “medically tailored” at-home meals. The meal programs are covered by Medicaid for some enrollees, including people who are sick with cancer or diabetes, as well as some older Americans who are enrolled in certain Medicare health insurance plans.

Patients recently discharged from the hospital can also have the meals delivered, according to the company’s website.

It’s unclear how much federal taxpayers spend on providing meals through Medicaid and Medicare every year. An investigation by STAT news last year found that some states were spending millions of dollars to provide medically tailored meals to Medicaid enrollees that were marketed as healthy and “dietician approved.” But many companies served up meals loaded with salt, fat or sugar — all staples of an unhealthy American’s diet, the report concluded.

Defining ultraprocessed foods can be tricky. Most U.S. foods are processed, whether it’s by freezing, grinding, fermentation, pasteurization or other means. Foods created through industrial processes and with ingredients such as additives, colors and preservatives that you couldn’t duplicate in a home kitchen are considered the most processed.

Kennedy has said healthier U.S. diets are key to his vision to “Make America Healthy Again.” His call for Americans to increase whole foods in their diets has helped Kennedy build his unique coalition of Trump loyalists and suburban moms who have branded themselves as “MAHA.”

In a recent social media post where he criticized the vast amount of ultraprocessed foods in American diets, Kennedy urged Americans to make healthier choices.

“This country has lost the most basic of all freedoms — the freedom that comes from being healthy,” Kennedy said.

Aleccia reported from Temecula, Calif.

The suspect and the person of interest in connection with the shooting during this years Ford Fireworks event have been taken into custody, Detroit police said.

The shooting happened downtown near Larned and Randolph streets on June 24 right before the fireworks show stared.

Two people were injured, a 17-year-old boy and a 22-year-old woman, police said. One of them was shot in the hand and the other was shot in the legs, police said. Both victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Later that week, police identified Alphonso Cooper Jr. of Romulus as the suspected shooter and Markalowe Keith Steen Jr. of Brownstown Township as a person of interest. Police said Steen was with Cooper and helped him escape.

On Monday, police said both Cooper and Steen were taken into custody. Cooper was arrested after being found at a home in Washtenaw County Monday afternoon.

Steen was taken into custody last week but has been released. Its unclear at this time where he was located.

Detroit police said the suspect was taken into custody with help from the Fugitive Apprehension Services Team and the Violent Crime Reduction Initiative.

Our officers have worked countless hours on this investigation to ensure that we brought the individual responsible for the fireworks shooting into custody, Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said in a statement. I am confident that Alphonso Cooper Jr. is the person who fired the shots at this years fireworks, injuring a 17-year-old boy and a 22-year-old woman. I want to thank the community for all the tips, along with my officers and all of our law enforcement partners who assisted in this process.

Police said there was a group of young people in the area, and Cooper and another male got into a fight over $200. Cooper allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired at least two shots, hitting an intended target, the 17-year-old boy, and the 22-year-old woman, who was not involved in the altercation.

Police said Cooper and Steen took off into a parking structure after the shooting.

"The fight was very brief. Cooper produced a firearm and fired two shots, subsequently striking the victim," Bettison previously said.

Police said video captured the incident, including when the gun went off, which helped them quickly get photos of Cooper and Steen out to the community.

Several search warrants were executed during the search for the two, police said.

A third person was detained after the shooting and quickly released. Police said that person was not involved.

Anyone with information about the shooting can contact the 3rd Precinct detective unit at 313-596-5340 or submit an anonymous tip at Crime Stoppers 1-800-SPEAK-UP or Detroitrewards.tv.

By MEG KINNARD, Associate Press

Elon Musk has said that he’s formed a new political party, but it’s unclear what steps — if any — he’s taken to do so, or how the effort might affect upcoming elections.

Musk has not yet released any additional information. Spokespeople for Musk and his political action committee, America PAC, didn’t immediately comment Monday.

While there are many recent federal elections filings that reference the Tesla and SpaceX CEO or his companies, Musk himself has even gone on his social media platform batting down at least one filing as fake.

The possible new political party marks another development in the rift between Musk and President Donald Trump over the Republican’s sweeping tax cuts law, which the tech billionaire has called “insane.”

The fissures between Trump and his one-time top surrogate and Department of Government Efficiency cost-cutter-in-chief have exposed not only the fragile nature of relations between two of the country’s most visible personalities but also the potential political consequences of disagreeing with the priorities of either man. The squabble could be particularly costly for Musk, whose businesses rely on billions of dollars in government contracts, and whose publicly traded company Tesla has taken a market hit.

Here’s what we know — and what we don’t — about Musk’s new political party:

Musk says he’s formed the America Party

Musk said Saturday on X that he had formed the America Party “to give you back your freedom.” He’d teased the move for days, threatening to make his own party if “this insane spending bill passes” Congress. He spent part of Sunday taking feedback from X users about the party, which he indicated he’d use to get involved in the 2026 midterm elections.

Some new Musk-related parties seem fishy

The Federal Election Commission database has teemed with newly formed political entities that make reference either to Musk or one of his companies, but there are details that cast doubts on their authenticity.

As of Monday afternoon, there were multiple political parties listed in the Federal Election Commission database formed in the hours since Musk’s Saturday X post, with versions of “America Party” or “DOGE” or “X” in the name, or Musk listed among people affiliated with the entity.

But none appeared to be real, listing contacts for the organization as email addresses such as “wentsnowboarding@yahoo.com” or untraceable Protonmail addresses. Several listed Vaibhav Taneja — the chief financial officer of Tesla — as a contact for the party, along with a Texas address for a building affiliated with X. Several pointed to a home in Maryland.

When a Musk supporter posted screengrabs of one of the formation documents to X, Musk took to X Sunday to say that the “filing is false and has been reported as such to the FEC.”

What could Musk do with a new party?

While indicating earlier this year that he might play less of a role in elected politics moving forward, Musk — the world’s richest man who spent at least $250 million supporting Trump in the 2024 election — could use a new party to try to do the opposite.

New political parties are often formed but typically struggle to pull any significant support away from the Republican and Democratic parties. But Musk could impact next year’s elections determining control of Congress if he is willing to spend significant amounts of money — through a new party or existing ones.

During the tax cuts debate, Musk pledged to work toward supporting primary challengers for members of Congress who backed the bill. He also said he would support Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican targeted by Trump for opposing the measure.

What has Trump said about Musk’s new party?

Trump on Sunday called Musk’s proposition “ridiculous,” going on to tout “tremendous success with the Republican Party.”

Trump later posted on social media that he was “saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely ‘off the rails,’ essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK,” saying the only thing third parties are good for “is the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS.”

What does it take to make a new political party?

There are official steps, like setting up a tax identification number, bank account and treasurer, who can be held liable if future paperwork isn’t filed properly.

According to the FEC, any new party that intends to operate in federal elections has to register with the commission “when they raise or spend money over certain thresholds in connection with a federal election.” Federal campaign finance laws and regulations govern how political parties can take in money. Parties have to file regular reports with the FEC.

But even a federally designated political party has to gain access to ballots state by state, making the entire process, according to University of Richmond School of Law professor Carl Tobias, “complicated and expensive.”

Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP.

The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy released new photos of the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park shortly after crews installed the first section of sod.

See the video of the park with the new sod below

New photos of Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park

Officials say there is still more sod being put down, and they also included new photos of the Delta Dental Play Garden.

"This space is coming to life with bold colors and fun features for kids of all ages," the post reads on Facebook.

Watch below: Detroit Riverfront Conservancy says new 22-acre park set to open this fall

Detroit Riverfront Conservancy says new 22-acre park set to open this fall

Earlier this year, officials hosted a community meeting to gather input for events and experiences at the park.

The park will feature a play garden, basketball courts and a water garden. Itll host movie nights in the summer and sledding in the winter.

It is so good to see Detroit come alive. It is so great to see the people and diversity and how the growth is impacting our city in such a beautiful way," Mozell Scovil, who lives along the Detroit Riverfront, said.

(We'll) put in place changes to make sure that something like this never happens again and we can preserve your trust as a community as we go forward and emerge from these challenging times," new CEO Ryan Sullivan said at the meeting.

(We'll) put in place changes to make sure that something like this never happens again and we can preserve your trust as a community as we go forward and emerge from these challenging times," Sullivan said at the meeting.

The park is one the final stages of the organization's efforts to revitalize Detroits riverfront and leaders say these community meetings seeking input will only continue until opening day.

Right now with the extension, this will bring almost the full bridge-to-bridge vision that this organization was founded on 20 years ago," Sullivan said.

July's full moon called the buck moon will rise on Thursday, July 10, this year.

According to The Old Farmer's Almanac, it will reach peak illumination at 4:37 p.m. ET.

The name has lots of origins, but it is related to the antlers of male deer being full-grown during this time of year. Bucks shed and regrow their antlers each year, according to the almanac.

RELATED STORY | A comet from interstellar space is moving through the Solar System, NASA says

The moon has alternative names, however. Some refer to it as the Feather Moulting Moon and Salmon Moon. Then there are others that call it the Berry Moon, Thunder Moon or Month of the Corn Moon.

The moon will reach its new moon phase on July 24.

In todays Health Alert, with the summer heat, more people are turning to hydration multipliers. Do they really help, or are they just the latest trend?

So, what are hydration multipliers, and do they actually help?

Hydration multipliers have become quite popular. Theyre flavored powders or drops you mix into water. They contain electrolytes, and the idea is that they help your body stay hydrated by replacing minerals lost through sweat.

Now, electrolytes are super important. Your body is about 60% water, and these minerals are in almost every fluid and cell in your body. They not only help balance your fluids but also keep your muscles and nerves working properly, support your heart rhythm, and move nutrients into your cells.

So, can hydration multipliers help? Yes, in some situations, like if youre doing intense physical activity or spending lots of time in the heat. Thats when you're not just losing water, you're also sweating out important electrolytes, including sodium and chloride, plus smaller amounts of potassium, calcium, and magnesium.

But heres the thing: for most people, plain water and healthy foods usually do the trick. However, if youre not ready to eat yet, a hydration drink might help.

You really want to read the label. Some hydration multipliers have a lot of sugar or caffeine. Caffeine can actually dehydrate you. And too much sugar isnt good, especially if you have diabetes or are watching your weight.

Also, be careful if you have kidney disease, high blood pressure, or heart problems, as your body might not handle those extra electrolytes well. If you have a chronic condition or take daily medications, its always a good idea to check with your doctor first.

Now, as a general rule, if youre not sweating a lot or dealing with a stomach bug, you probably dont need a hydration multiplier. That said, for most people, theyre likely fine once in a while, especially on hot days or after a tough workout.

Once again, water is still your best bet. But I know that some people think its too boring - I hear that from my patients too. But you can always spritz up the flavor by adding lemon, lime, or fresh fruit. Other options include sparkling water or club soda with a splash of juice - just watch out for added sugar.

Many Americans who love Israel are facing a dilemma: Should they visit now, or hold off until times are safer?

Since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, Israel has been locked in an ongoing conflict with neighboring countries and territories, most prominently in Gaza, where about 50 Israeli hostages remain and more than 50,000 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed, and in Iran, where Israel and the United States launched missile attacks on nuclear sites last month. Israeli air space was subsequently closed to travel until June 24.

Tourism to Israel has suffered, and the continuing hostilities have made many frequent visitors reluctant to make the trip. But despite travelers’ hesitancy, some South Floridians with deep connections to the country say now is an important time to go.

“My first piece of advice is: Go, don’t be afraid,” said Delray Beach resident Katie Colburn, who has visited the country about 20 times, most recently in April. “They need us to come right now.”

Rabbi Josh Broide of Boca Raton Synagogue, who is moving to Israel this summer, said travelers are often in awe of Israelis’ resilience.

“Life goes on and visitors are warmly welcomed,” Broide said. “The best way to support the country is to be there — to see it, to stand with it and to experience its strength firsthand.”

There are many experts and travel veterans to consult if you are considering a trip, including your family, tour leaders, Israelis you know and the U.S. Department of State. If you are ready to commit, here are some tips from South Florida travelers and the State Department to help with a smooth visit.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Check advisories. The U.S. Department of State provides updates on conditions on the ground. As of July 1, the current advisory says Americans should “reconsider” travel to Israel and the West Bank. The statement warns Americans to stay at least 7 miles from Gaza, 2.5 miles from the Syrian and Lebanese borders, and 1.5 miles from the Egyptian border, except for the Taba crossing between Egypt and Israel, which is open. Go to travel.state.gov.

Don’t forget your ETA-IL. For the past year, American visitors have had to get an Electronic Travel Authorization to enter the country. You’ll have to answer a few questions online about your passport and the purpose of your visit. The ETA lets visitors stay in Israel for 90 days and costs about $7. Go to www.gov.il/en/departments/topics/eta-il.

Enroll in STEP. The free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, sponsored by the U.S. State Department, allows the U.S. Embassy to keep in touch and send weather and security alerts. You can also share your itinerary so its staff can find you in an emergency. Go to mytravel.state.gov/s/step.

Download the Israel Home Front Command app. This app will send alerts targeted to your location during emergencies. It also allows users to contact the Home Front Command, the Israel Defense Forces’ civil defense unit.

Wherever you’re staying, ask where the closest secured spaces are and find them before going to bed. Traveler Katie Colburn said she heard sirens while she and her husband, David, were sleeping at their hotel in Jerusalem, but they stayed in their room. They weren’t sure what the protocol was. The Israeli government advises tourists and citizens to head for a shelter or safe room when they hear these alarms, which warn of immediate danger.

Know where the closest shelters are if you are out and about. Rabbi Leon Weissberg said there are signs in public places throughout the country directing people to shelters. “You’ll see security everywhere, you’ll see arrows to shelters everywhere,” said the Cooper City resident, who visited in April. “The signs are so prominent now, and they’re in English, Hebrew and Arabic.” The sirens give a 1.5-minute warning of a missile or rocket attack in the central part of the country; times in other areas vary from 3 minutes to “15 seconds or less.”

Stay away from large public assemblies. The U.S. Embassy recommends American visitors steer clear of protests and areas with a large police presence. “Avoid demonstrations and crowds,” the embassy said in a July 1 alert.

Find a professional guide or go with a group if you want to see kibbutzes in the south that were affected by the Oct. 7 raids. “Go with a good guide who can give context and meaning,” Rabbi Broide said. Check in advance to see whether the kibbutz you wish to visit is open; some remain evacuated and closed to tourists.

Kroger Co. is asking Royal Oak to approve a rezoning to allow a new store down the street from a controversial Sheetz gas station, convenience store and restaurant.

The Planning Commission will consider the request at a meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 8, in the commission chambers at City Hall, 203 S. Troy St.

Kroger plans a nearly 103,000-square-foot store and gas station on the site of the shuttered Comau manufacturing facility, 2800 W. 14 Mile Road. The site is at the northeast corner of 14 Mile and Coolidge Highway.

Last month, the City Commission approved the Sheetz proposal amid vigorous opposition from residents concerned about traffic at the T-shaped intersection of 14 Mile and Coolidge.

Sheetz plans to locate at 3200 W. 14 Mile, on the site of the former MacLean-Fogg Component Solutions. At the city’s request, Sheetz will pay to redesign a traffic light at the intersection to address traffic concerns.

Kroger requests a rezoning from a general industrial to general business classification, according to city documents. In addition to the rezoning, the Planning Commission will also review the grocery giant’s site plan.

The Cincinnati-based Kroger plans to demolish the existing manufacturing facility. The grocery store would be at the north or rear of the property and the gas station at the southwest corner.

If the Planning Commission recommends approval, the city will conduct a traffic study before the proposal goes to the City Commission for final consideration.

Kroger operates about 30 stores in Oakland County, including one in Royal Oak, one in Birmingham and four in Troy.

UPDATED: Sheetz station approved for Royal Oak site

Pinky’s Rooftop in Royal Oak closes, latest restaurant in that location to fail

“Write what you know” only gets you so far. An awful lot of debut films, even from writer-directors with talent, start from a personal place only to end up at a weirdly impersonal “universal” one you don’t fully believe, or trust.

“Sorry, Baby” is so, so much better than that. Eva Victor’s first feature as writer-director, and star, feels like a lived experience, examined, cross-examined, ruminated over, carefully shaped and considered.

Its tone is unexpected, predominantly but not cynically comic. The movie doesn’t settle for “write what you know.” Victor followed a tougher, more challenging internal directive: Write what you need to find out about what you know.

The story deals with a college sexual assault, without being “about” that, or only about that. “Sorry, Baby” concerns how Agnes, the sharp-witted protagonist played by Victor, makes sense of her present tense, several years after she was mentored, then raped, by her favorite professor, with the bad thing now in the past but hardly out of sight, or mind.

Victor arranges the telling non-chronologically, which keeps this liquid notion of past and present flowing as a complicated emotional state. When “Sorry, Baby” begins, Agnes is thriving as an English literature professor at the same tiny New England college she attended as a graduate student. She now lives near campus with her cat in a somewhat remote old house, crammed with books. Lydie, Agnes’s good friend from grad school played by the superb Naomi Ackie, has come for a visit, and the magical rightness of the interplay between Victor and Ackie gives the film a warm, energizing hum.

At one point, Lydie asks her if she leaves the house much. Agnes responds verbally, but her body language, her evasive eyes and other “tells” have their own say. Lydie’s question lingers in the air, just before we’re taken back to Agnes and Lydie’s grad school years for the film’s next chapter.

Here we see Agnes on the cusp of her future, surrounded by ideas and novels and opinions, as well as an envious fellow student (Kelly McCormack, a touch broad as written and played in the film’s one tonal misjudgment). Agnes’ writing has attracted the attention of the campus conversation topic Decker (Louis Cancelmi), a faculty member with a faulty marriage and a barely-read but undeniably published novel Agnes admires. The admiration is mutual, even if the power dynamic is not.

At the last minute, the teacher reschedules his meeting with Agnes to take place at his house near campus. We see Agnes arrive, be greeted at the door and go inside. The camera stays outside, down the steps and by the sidewalk, for an unusually long time. Finally she tumbles, more or less, back out on the porch; it’s getting dark by this time; Decker appears in the doorway, trying to apologize, sort of? Kind of?  And the scene is over.

Only later do we learn some unnerving particulars of what happened to Agnes, once she is ready, finally, to talk about it with Lydie. “Sorry, Baby,” as Victor said in one post-screening discussion, began with the notion of how to film the assault — meaning, what not to show. “In real life,” the filmmaker said, “we don’t get to be behind the door. We hear what happened and we believe people. (And) we don’t need to be inside to know.”

From there, “Sorry, Baby” continues its flow back and forth, in the years in between what happened and where Agnes is now. There’s an eccentric neighbor (Lucas Hedges, unerring) who initially appears to be call-the-police material, but it doesn’t work out that way at all. Lifelines can come from anywhere, Agnes learns, and expressing oneself honestly and directly is easier said than done.

Throughout this precisely written film, we see and hear Agnes caught in weird language-built labyrinths as she squares off with the college’s HR department while attempting to file a report against the professor, or — much later — Agnes at jury duty selection for an unrelated matter, explaining the incident in her past to her questioner in weirdly funny ways. Victor’s a tightrope-walker in these scenes; “Sorry, Baby” is as much about everyone around Agnes, performing their understanding, or concern, regarding the Bad Thing in her past.

Some of the more overt bits of bleak comedy are better finessed than others, and you wouldn’t mind another five or 10 minutes of hangout time, complementing the well-paced overall structure. But even that’s a sign of success. How many standout movies have you seen this year that made you think, you know, that actually could’ve been a little longer? Clear-eyed, disarming and, yes, plainly semi-autobiographical, “Sorry, Baby” takes every right turn in making Agnes far more than a tragic yet wisecracking victim, with a smiling-through-tears ending waiting around the bend. She’s just living her full, up-and-down-and-up life, acknowledging the weight of that life without solving or dissolving the bad thing.

This is Victor’s achievement, too, of course. Already, this quietly spectacular first-time filmmaker’s promise has been fulfilled.

“Sorry, Baby” — 3.5 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: R (for sexual content and language)

Running time: 1:44

How to watch: Premieres in theaters July 4

Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.

In her 2023 cookbook “Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky,” New Mexico-based chef and historian Lois Ellen Frank said the present era of Indigenous cuisine revolves around modern chefs understanding the ingredients and the farming practices of their ancestors.

“It’s now up to each Native American community and each Native American chef to decide what the New Native American Cuisine is and what they are going to serve on their plates,” Frank, who was advised by Navajo chef Walter Whitewater, wrote in her introduction.

Several young women chefs are doing just that in the Denver area, starting food businesses and planting gardens as a way to reconnect with the land and the traditions of the past. They are defining in real time what New Native American Cuisine can be, from cultivation to creation.

Their work is moving forward Indigenous cuisine in a critical time of repossession after the forced relocations of the 19th century and the food distribution programs of the 20th century, a recent period Frank referred to in her cookbook as “the most painful and most difficult in terms of health and wellness in Native American Cuisine history.”

Before the exploration of the Americas, most of the Indigenous diet in the Southwest and Four Corners region came from farmed foods such as corn, beans and squash (sometimes called “the three sisters”). After the country relocated Native Americans to reservations, they were issued government rations of mass-produced food different from what they were used to, Frank writes. To her and some of her colleagues, it amounted to “nutritional genocide.”

Denver has long associated Native American cuisine with Tocabe and its fry bread tacos, made with shredded bison, hominy and roasted green chiles. When Matt Chandra and Ben Jacobs opened Tocabe in 2008, the restaurant was billed as “the only American Indian-owned and -operated restaurant in metro Denver specializing in Native American cuisine.”

After learning that Jacobs, a Native chef, was using some of his family’s recipes, Micaela Iron Shell-Dominguez, 36, knew she had to work there.

An environmental and Indigenous activist — and actor with the Annishabae Theater Exchange — whose father is Lakota and mother is from the San Luis Valley, Iron Shell-Dominguez noted the sanctity of ancestral foods and emphasized the role women played in feeding Native communities.

“I remember after working there for a while, I told Ben and Matt I was so inspired by everything they did that one day I wanted to open and own an Indigenous restaurant just like them,” she said in an email to The Denver Post.

She is now a mother of two and worker-owner of Moonshell Pizza Cooperative (www.moonshell.coop), a roving pizza crew where her partner, Sid Farber, is lead dough roller. The bounty of foods native to the region, such as corn, berries and sage, makes it easy to base dishes around those ingredients, she said. Their buffalo chokecherry pizza is one such example, she added, the chokecherry plant being native to Colorado.

Iron Shell-Dominguez’s multidisciplinary and holistic approach to her Native culture is also shared by Indigenous groups outside of North America.

Andrea Condes, 39, was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and adopted into the United States, where she grew up and pursued a career in the culinary arts. It was in Colorado where the self-described “child of the Andes” landed. Although separated by thousands of miles, Condes saw many similarities integral to the experiences of the pre-colonial Americas.

“How people are treated, how the land is respected, how animal relatives and plant relatives are just that: relatives,” Condes said.

Drawn to root vegetables like the potato, which originated in the Andes, she started a catering company, Four Directions Cuisine (www.fourdirectionscuisine.com). She grows her own plants and is hosting meals two weekends a month through October as The Rooted Andina at her home in Arvada.

Learning about Indigenous foods and history, she said, helped her overcome the “cultural gap” of living in another country and brought her closer to her homeland.

“It’s definitely not something that I had language for when I first started walking down this path,” Condes said. “Reconnecting with those foods, I didn’t realize then, but I do now: It was me reconnecting with myself.”

Since growing food was a way of life, some New Native American Cuisine chefs are returning to the practice, what Frank equates with “food sovereignty.” Planting companion crops, such as the three sisters, is one of the cultivation methods Frank teaches in an effort to bring what she calls “traditional ecological knowledge” (TEK) back to Native communities.

Narissa Ribera, a member of the Navajo Nation, started planting out of necessity. She was always fascinated with food systems, a jack-of-all-trades who learned to garden as a child and had years of experience baking cottage foods.

The lifestyle developed into Ch’il Indigenous Foods (www.chil-indigenousfoods.com), a meal pickup service she started three years ago. She works out of a commercial kitchen in the Wheat Ridge Center for Music and Arts in Wheat Ridge, baking cookies with ingredients grown by Indigenous harvesters and other delicacies, like blue corn ice cream. (She’ll soon open an outdoor eating area at the arts center.)

The city of Wheat Ridge lent her two commercial plots of land behind the city’s community garden, where she cultivated the beans, corn and squash (including Apache gourds and Lakota squash) along with sunflowers. It’ll be a couple of years until the crops are ready to harvest, she said.

Until then, Ribera is preparing to launch a Native cookie and tea business with the ingredients for the tea grown in her garden, she said. She received federal grants to help with marketing and her brand, which she would one day like to see in supermarkets.

“I want representation,” Ribera said.

Although she welcomes non-Natives who support her work and want to learn about Indigenous foods, her main concern is reconnecting Native people to their ancestral foods.

“So much was taken from us, including so much of our food,” she said. “You’ll find a lot of Native people… they’re just not interested in cooking.”

She solicits social media followers to help tend the Wheat Ridge gardens and visits classes at Jefferson County schools, showing students how to make Indigenous dishes.

At a winter holiday market, Ribera sold a box of cookies that came with a paper describing each one and the history behind its ingredients. For her, the joy was in having an authentic option for Indigenous people to gift their friends and family.

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Phillip Reese, KFF Health News

As summer ushers in peak mosquito season, health and vector control officials are bracing for the possibility of another year of historic rates of dengue. And with climate change, the lack of an effective vaccine, and federal research cuts, they worry the disease will become endemic to a larger swath of North America.

About 3,700 new dengue infections were reported last year in the contiguous United States, up from about 2,050 in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All of last year’s cases were acquired abroad, except for 105 cases contracted in California, Florida, or Texas. The CDC issued a health alert in March warning of the ongoing risk of dengue infection.

“I think dengue is here with us to stay,” said infectious disease specialist Michael Ben-Aderet, associate medical director of hospital epidemiology at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, about dengue becoming a new normal in the U.S. “These mosquitoes aren’t going anywhere.”

Dengue is endemic — a label health officials assign when diseases appear consistently in a region — in many warmer parts of the world, including Latin America, India, and Southeast Asia. Dengue cases increased markedly last year in many of those places, especially in Central and South America.

The disease, which can spread when people are bitten by infected Aedes mosquitoes, was not common in the contiguous United States for much of the last century. Today, most locally acquired (meaning unrelated to travel) dengue cases in the U.S. happen in Puerto Rico, which saw a sharp increase in 2024, triggering a local public health emergency.

Most people who contract dengue don’t get sick. But in some people symptoms are severe: bleeding from the nose or mouth, intense stomach pain, vomiting, and swelling. Occasionally, dengue causes death.

California offers a case study in how dengue is spreading in the U.S. The Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes that transmit dengue weren’t known to be in the state 25 years ago. They are now found in 25 counties and more than 400 cities and unincorporated communities, mostly in Southern California and the Central Valley.

The spread of the mosquitoes is concerning because their presence increases the likelihood of disease transmission, said Steve Abshier, president of the Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California.

From 2016 through 2022, there were an average of 136 new dengue cases a year in California, each case most likely brought to the state by someone who had traveled and been infected elsewhere. In 2023, there were about 250 new cases, including two acquired locally.

In 2024, California saw 725 new dengue cases, including 18 acquired locally, state data shows.

Climate change could contribute to growth in the Aedes mosquitoes’ population, Ben-Aderet said. These mosquitoes survive best in warm urban areas, often biting during the daytime. Locally acquired infections often occur when someone catches dengue during travel, then comes home and is bitten by an Aedes mosquito that bites and infects another person.

“They’ve just been spreading like wildfire throughout California,” Ben-Aderet said.

Dengue presents a challenge to the many primary care doctors who have never seen it. Ben-Aderet said doctors who suspect dengue should obtain a detailed travel history from their patients, but confirming the diagnosis is not always quick.

“There’s no easy test for it,” he said. “The only test that we have for dengue is antibody tests.” He added that “most labs probably aren’t doing it commercially, so it’s usually like a send-out test from most labs. So you really have to suspect someone has dengue.”

Best practices for avoiding dengue include eliminating any standing pools of water on a property — even small pools — and using mosquito repellent, Abshier said. Limiting activity at dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes bite most often, can also help.

Efforts to combat dengue in California became even more complicated this year after wildfires ripped through Los Angeles. The fires occurred in a hot spot for mosquito-borne illnesses. San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District officials have worked for months to treat more than 1,400 unmaintained swimming pools left in the wake of fire, removing potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

San Gabriel vector control officials have used local and state resources to treat the pools, said district spokesperson Anais Medina Diaz. They have applied for reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has not historically paid for vector control efforts following wildfires.

In California, vector control agencies are often primarily funded by local taxes and fees on property owners.

Some officials are pursuing the novel method of releasing sterilized Aedes mosquitoes to reduce the problem. That may prove effective, but deploying the method in a large number of areas would be costly and would require a massive effort at the state level, Abshier said. Meanwhile, the federal government is pulling back on interventions: Several outlets have reported that the National Institutes of Health will stop funding new climate change-related research, which could include work on dengue.

This year, reported rates of dengue in much of the Americas have declined significantly from 2024. But the trend in the United States likely won’t be clear until later in the year, after the summer mosquito season ends.

Health and vector control researchers aren’t sure how bad it will get in California. Some say there may be limited outbreaks, while others predict dengue could get much worse. Sujan Shresta, a professor and infectious disease researcher at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, said other places, like Nepal, experienced relatively few cases of dengue in the recent past but now regularly see large outbreaks.

There is a vaccine for children, but it faces discontinuation from a lack of global demand. Two other dengue vaccines are unavailable in the United States. Shresta’s lab is hard at work on an effective, safe vaccine for dengue. She hopes to release results from animal testing in a year or so; if the results are positive, human trials could be possible in about two years.

“If there’s no good vaccine, no good antivirals, this will be a dengue-endemic country,” she said.

Phillip Reese is a data reporting specialist and an associate professor of journalism at California State University-Sacramento.

This article was produced by KFF Health News , which publishes California Healthline , an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation .

(KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs of KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling and journalism.)

©2025 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Brian Baker, CFA, Bankrate.com

Bitcoin mining is the process of creating new bitcoins by solving extremely complicated math problems that verify transactions in the currency. When a bitcoin is successfully mined, the miner receives a predetermined amount of Bitcoin.

Bitcoin is one of the most popular types of cryptocurrencies, which are digital mediums of exchange that exist solely online. Bitcoin runs on a decentralized computer network, or distributed ledger, that tracks transactions in the cryptocurrency. When computers on the network verify and process transactions, new bitcoins are created, or mined. These networked computers, or miners, process the transaction in exchange for a payment in Bitcoin.

As the prices of cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin in particular have skyrocketed in recent years, it’s understandable that interest in mining has picked up as well. A miner currently earns 3.125 Bitcoin (about $334,375 as of mid-June 2025) for successfully validating a new block on the Bitcoin blockchain. But for most people, the prospects for Bitcoin mining are not good due to its complex nature and high costs.

Here are the basics of how Bitcoin mining works and some key risks to be aware of.

How Bitcoin mining works

Bitcoin is powered by blockchain, which is the technology behind many cryptocurrencies. A blockchain is a decentralized ledger of all the transactions across a network. Groups of approved transactions together form a block and are joined by computers within the network (called miners) to create a chain. Think of it as a long public record that functions almost like a long-running receipt. Bitcoin mining is the process of adding a block to the chain.

Bitcoin miners pick transactions from a group of unconfirmed transactions, called a mempool, to form a block on the blockchain. Before they can add the block securely to the blockchain, miners must solve what’s called a proof-of-work puzzle by guessing a number (also called a nonce). This number is combined with the block’s data and processed through a function called SHA-256.

The ultimate goal: create a block hash, which is a code with enough leading zeros to be less than, or equal to, the network’s target hash. The target hash is what determines how difficult the puzzle is to solve.

Target hash example: 0000000000000000ffff00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Block hash example: 0000000000000000057e29f1b57c1a9d5b90a6b7f1b4f0c9e2b0a1d3e4f5c6d7

Remember the block hash must be less than or equal to the target hash. Think of it like a dice game where the only way to win is if you roll a number smaller than or equal to a some number you’re given at the beginning. That number is made mostly of zeros, so you’d need a really insane and rare roll — a hash with tons of zeros in front of it — to win. In this example, the target hash’s “ffff” represents numbers that are non-zero and the block hash is less than the target hash, therefore solving the puzzle.

If you’re wondering whether this process requires a ton of computational power, you’re right. Miners use extremely powerful computers, called ASICs, to make billions — or trillions — of guesses about which nonces could work. One computer can cost up to $10,000. ASICs also consume huge amounts of electricity, which has drawn criticism from environmental groups and limits the profitability of miners. Technically, though, you could mine Bitcoin with, say, a MacBook Pro, but unfortunately you won’t get very far because there’s not enough computing power.

If a miner is able to successfully add a block to the blockchain, they will receive 3.125 bitcoins. The reward amount is cut in half roughly every four years, or every 210,000 blocks. As of mid-June 2025, Bitcoin traded at around $107,000, making 3.125 bitcoins worth $334,375.

Risks of Bitcoin mining

• Regulation: Very few governments have embraced cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, and many are more likely to view them skeptically because the currencies operate outside government control. There is always the risk that governments could outlaw the mining of Bitcoin or cryptocurrencies altogether as China did in 2021, citing financial risks and increased speculative trading.
• Price volatility: Bitcoin’s price has fluctuated widely since it was introduced in 2009. Since just January 2023, Bitcoin has at times traded for less than $18,000 and more than $110,000 recently. This kind of volatility makes it difficult for miners to know if their reward will outweigh the high costs of mining.

How to start Bitcoin mining

Here are the basic components you’ll need to start mining Bitcoin.

This is where any Bitcoin you earn as a result of your mining efforts will be stored. A wallet is an encrypted online account that allows you to store, transfer and accept Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. Companies such as Coinbase, Trezor and Exodus all offer wallet options for cryptocurrency.

There are a number of different providers of mining software, many of which are free to download and can run on Windows and Mac computers. Once the software is connected to the necessary hardware, you’ll be able to mine Bitcoin.

The most cost-prohibitive aspect of Bitcoin mining involves the hardware. You’ll need a powerful computer that uses an enormous amount of electricity in order to successfully mine Bitcoin. It’s not uncommon for the hardware costs to run around $10,000 or more.

Bitcoin mining statistics

• Creating Bitcoin consumes 184.4 terawatt-hours of electricity each year, more than is used by Poland or Egypt, according to the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index.
• The price of Bitcoin has been extremely volatile over time. In 2020, it traded as low as $4,107 and reached an all-time high of $111,970 in May 2025. As of mid-June, it traded around $107,000.
• The United States (37.8%), Mainland China (21.1%) and Kazakhstan (13.2%) were the largest bitcoin miners as of December 2021, according to the Cambridge Electricity Consumption Index.

Taxes on Bitcoin mining

It’s important to remember the impact that taxes can have on Bitcoin mining. The IRS has been looking to crack down on owners and traders of cryptocurrencies as the asset prices have ballooned in recent years. Here are the key tax considerations to keep in mind for Bitcoin mining.

• Are you a business? If Bitcoin mining is your business, you may be able to deduct expenses you incur for tax purposes. Revenue would be the value of the bitcoins you earn. But if mining is a hobby for you, it’s not likely you’ll be able to deduct expenses.
• Mined bitcoin is income. If you’re successfully able to mine Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, the fair market value of the currencies at the time of receipt will be taxed at ordinary income rates.
• Capital gains. If you sell bitcoins at a price above where you received them, that qualifies as a capital gain, which would be taxed the same way it would for traditional assets such as stocks or bonds.

Check out Bankrate’s cryptocurrency tax guide to learn about basic tax rules for Bitcoin, Ethereum and more.

Is Bitcoin mining profitable?

It depends. Even if Bitcoin miners are successful, it’s not clear that their efforts will end up being profitable due to the high upfront costs of equipment and the ongoing electricity costs.

Worldwide, bitcoin mining uses more electricity than Poland, a nation of 36.7 million people, according to the University of Cambridge’s Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index.

As the difficulty and complexity of Bitcoin mining has increased, the computing power required has also gone up. Bitcoin mining consumes about 184.4 terawatt-hours of electricity each year, more than most countries, according to the Cambridge index.

One way to share some of the high costs of mining is by joining a mining pool. Pools allow miners to share resources and add more capability, but shared resources mean shared rewards, so the potential payout is less when working through a pool. The volatility of Bitcoin’s price also makes it difficult to know exactly how much you’re working for.

Bottom line

While Bitcoin mining sounds appealing, the reality is that it’s difficult and expensive to actually do profitably. The extreme volatility of Bitcoin’s price adds more uncertainty to the equation.

Keep in mind that Bitcoin itself is a speculative asset with no intrinsic value, which means it won’t produce anything for its owner and isn’t pegged to something like gold. Your return is based on selling it to someone else for a higher price, and that price may not be high enough for you to turn a profit.

(Bankrate’s Logan Jacoby contributed to an update of this article.)

©2025 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By REBECCA SANTANA and GISELA SALOMON, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is ending the temporary status for nearly 80,000 Hondurans and Nicaraguans that has allowed them to live and work in the U.S. for a quarter of a century after a devastating hurricane hit Central America, according to federal government notices — a move that comes as the White House pushes to make more immigrants in the U.S. eligible for deportation.

The notices are part of a wider effort by the current administration to make good on campaign promises to carry out mass deportations of immigrants. It’s doing this by going after people in the country illegally or those who’ve committed crimes that make them eligible for deportation but also by removing protections from hundreds of thousands of people, many admitted under the Biden administration.

Temporary Protected Status is a temporary protection that can be granted by the Homeland Security secretary to people of various nationalities who are in the United States, which prevents them from being deported and allows them to work. The Trump administration has aggressively been seeking to remove the protection, thus making more people eligible for removal.

Administration says conditions have changed

The Department of Homeland Security said Monday in the Federal Register — in a notice set to become official on Tuesday — that Secretary Kristi Noem had reviewed the country conditions in Honduras and Nicaragua. She concluded the situations there had improved enough since the initial decision in 1999 that people currently protected by those temporary designations could return home.

The department estimated that roughly 72,000 Hondurans and 4,000 Nicaraguans in the U.S. are covered by the status that will now expire in roughly two months. However, the TPS Alliance, which advocates for immigrants covered by these temporary protections, estimated that about 40,000 Hondurans would be affected because many had obtained legal residency through various immigration channels.

Temporary Protected Status for both nationalities expired on July 5. The notices said the protections will be terminated 60 days after the notices are officially published in the Federal Register.

TPS is usually granted when conditions in someone’s home country make it difficult to return. People covered by it must register with the Department of Homeland Security. and then they’re protected from being deported and can work.

However, it does not grant them a pathway to citizenship and the secretary must renew it regularly, often in 18-month intervals.

When their status officially ends, Hondurans and Nicaraguans currently covered by the Temporary Protected Status can be deported and their work permits will be terminated if they can’t find another avenue to stay in the country.

Critics say ‘temporary’ became permanent

Critics say that successive administrations — especially the Biden administration — essentially rubber-stamped these renewals regardless, and people covered by what’s supposed to be a temporary status end up staying in the United States for years.

The Trump administration has already terminated TPS for about 350,000 Venezuelans, 500,000 Haitians, more than 160,000 Ukrainians, and thousands of people from Afghanistan, Nepal and Cameroon. Some of them, like Venezuelans, Haitians and Ukrainians, have pending lawsuits at federal courts.

Another 250,000 Venezuelans are still protected under TPS until September, as well as thousands of Syrians. TPS for Ethiopians expires in December, for Yemenis and Somalians in March 2026, and for Salvadoreans in September 2026.

During the Biden administration, the number of people protected by TPS grew significantly. Nearly 1 million Venezuelans and Haitians were protected.

Jose Palma, co-coordinator at the National TPS Alliance, said the termination announced Monday will affect people who have lived in the United States for nearly three decades.

“They have established families. Investments. It is a community that …. has undergone annual background checks, that has shown … all its contributions to this country,” Palma said. “It’s cruel what’s happening.”

Litigation delayed ending the protections

Temporary protections for both countries were initially granted back in 1999 following 1998’s Hurricane Mitch. The first Trump administration attempted to end the protections but they both remained in place after litigation.

Homeland Security wrote in the federal register notice that Honduras had “witnessed significant changes in the 26 years since Hurricane Mitch’s destruction.”

“Honduras has made significant progress recovering from the hurricane’s destruction and is now a popular tourism and real estate investment destination,” the department wrote. They department said the Honduran government in January had launched a plan called “Brother, Come Home” which aims to help Hondurans deported from the U.S. with money and help finding a job.

Of Nicaragua, Noem wrote: “Nicaragua has made significant progress recovering from the hurricane’s destruction with the help of the international community and is now a growing tourism, ecotourism, agriculture, and renewable energy leader.”

Honduras Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Antonio García expressed disappointment at the announcement Monday.

“They argue that Honduras has foreign investment, tourism and its program ‘Honduran come home’ and that there are conditions to return,” García said. But he said it was the anti-immigrant sentiment of the Trump administration that was really behind it.

“They came to power with that and they’re getting it done for their electorate,” he said.

Salomon reported from Miami. Marlon González in Tegucigalpa, Honduras contributed to this report.