Millions of renters across the U.S. may be eligible for part of a nearly $360 million settlement after the real estate software company RealPage was accused of helping landlords artificially increase rent prices.

According to a class action lawsuit filed in Tennessee, plaintiffs claim that RealPage and dozens of other property management companies violed federal and state antitrust laws by using RealPage's rental pricing software to conspire to fix and inflate the price of multifamily rentals across the U.S. Defendants have denied any wrongdoing.

RELATED STORY | What rights do tenants, landlords have when it comes to raising the rent?

The court has not decided who is right or wrong in the case. Instead, both sides have agreed to establish a $359,925,000 settlement fund and the defendants have agreed to change their rental business practices.

The settlement includes anyone in the U.S. or its territories who:

Paid rent for a multifamily property Rented from an owner or property manager whose property was licensed to use RealPage rent-pricing software, including LRO, YieldStar or AI Revenue Management Did so at any point between Oct. 18, 2018, and Nov. 21, 2025

After taxes, administrative expenses and attorneys fees are deducted, the remaining settlement funds will be divided based on how much rent each person paid during the class period. Those who paid more rent may receive a larger payment.

Renters can check whether their property is covered and file a claim here. The settlement fund still has to be approved by the court before any money is disbursed.

A U.S. military judge on Wednesday set a summer 2028 trail date for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three others accused of plotting the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The trial is scheduled to begin June 5, 2028, 18 months later than the January 2027 start that prosecutors had requested. The additional time is needed to resolve pretrial disputes, including disagreements about what evidence can be presented at trial, Air Force Lt. Col. Michael A. Schrama wrote in his ruling.

RELATED STORY | Guantanamo inmate accused of being main plotter of 9/11 attacks to plead guilty

The U.S. military and successive administrations have struggled for more than two decades to bring to justice the man charged with planning one of the deadliest attacks ever on the United States.

The 2028 trial depends on the case meeting deadlines and milestones along the way and it could again be delayed. A trial was previously scheduled in 2021 but later canceled.

Mohammed is accused of developing and directing the plot to crash hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Another of the hijacked planes flew into a field in Pennsylvania. He faces trial alongside three alleged accomplices: Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Mustafa al-Hawsawi.

They are among the last of the detainees held at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

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A federal appeals court last year threw out an agreement that would have allowed Mohammed to plead guilty in a deal sparing him the risk of execution for al-Qaidas 2001 attacks.

That deal stipulated life sentences without parole for Mohammed and two of his co-defendants. It also would have obligated the men to answer any lingering questions that families of the victims have about the attacks. But after negotiating the deal for two years, former President Joe Biden's administration repudiated it.

The jury in the trial of Lindsay Clancy has finished deliberating for the day without reaching a verdict and will resume deliberations Friday at 9 a.m. ET.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.

Clancy, 36, is accused of killing her three young children Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months by strangulation at the family's Massachusetts home. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Jurors are faced with deciding whether she is criminally responsible. The two sides have presented experts with starkly contradicting testimony on whether Clancy was suffering from postpartum psychosis.

Clancy has admitted to the killings and later attempted to take her own life by jumping out of two-story window of the home. During closing arguments on Thursday, the defense said Clancy was in a severe postpartum psychotic state at the time and cannot be held criminally responsible.

RELATED STORY | Judge denies motion for mistrial in Lindsay Clancy case after dispute over religious testimony

"Calling the suicide hotline. We can't help you. Calling another suicide hotline. We can't help you," defense attorney Kevin Reddington told the jury. "My God, what does she have to do? She was reaching out for help and she was not getting it."

Prosecutors, however, claim she was aware of her wrongdoings at the time of the killings and presented expert testimony that told jurors Clancy planned where to kill the children, what to use, and in what order to take their lives.

"This wasn't a woman suffering from a lack of care, a lack of resources. She had an abundance of help, an abundance of care. She had all of that and more," said assistant district attorney Jennifer Sprague.

If convicted of murder, Clancy faces life in prison without parole. If found not guilty due to lack of criminal responsibility, she would be committed to a state mental health facility.

RELATED NEWS | Women in pink rally in support of Lindsay Clancy, who is on trial for killing 3 children

Maine's Republican nominee for governor recently told a crowd of supporters that he would ask a top Department of Homeland Security official to send U.S. Marshals and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to polling places in the state for this fall's midterm elections, according to audio obtained by The Associated Press.

During an Aug. 20 event in Arundel, Bobby Charles told a group of supporters that he would ask Tom Homan, the White House border czar, to send federal agents to polling places in the weeks before Election Day. The audio was first reported by the Bangor Daily News.

Heres my secret, Charles told members of a Maine Young Republicans chapter. I have a friend named Tom Homan. Tom and I used to get on Fox all the time together. Toms an awesome guy.

Im going to ask Tom, Im going to actually three or four weeks before the election, maybe three Im going to make an appeal for ICE and Marshals to be at our voting booths, Charles said, according to the audio.

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On Wednesday, he explained his comments by saying state and local authorities who manage elections should have an open line of communication with federal authorities if needed to prevent violence at a voting place, in order to prevent intimidation at a voting place and in order to prevent illegality at a voting place.

He said his point was that Maine authorities should do everything legally possible to prevent illegal voting in the state.

Everybody who is legally entitled to vote should be free from any intimidation and should be able to vote, he said in a statement released by his campaign. Anybody who is not legally entitled to vote should not be voting.

Trump, Republican allies are fixated on voting by noncitizens

Charles' comments come as President Donald Trump continues to sow doubt about the security of elections in the U.S. elections and takes unprecedented measures to intervene in election administration. The Constitution gives states, and sometimes Congress, the authority to set election rules but grants no such power to the president.

A central part of his attacks is to claim widespread fraud through voting by noncitizens. But those claims are vastly overstated. Voting by noncitizens is exceptionally rare and is punishable as a felony, with deportation as one potential penalty.

Nevertheless, Trump has been pushing Congress to pass a bill that would require voters to show documentary proof of citizenship to vote in the upcoming midterms and signed an executive order directing the Postal Service to send mail ballots only to those on an approved list of verified voters.

RELATED STORY | Midterm poll shows Democrats with advantage on generic midterm ballot

When reached for comment on Wednesday, DHS did not address whether department officials had held or planned to hold conversations with political campaigns about election security. DHS officials have previously said they do not have plans to send ICE agents to polling places.

Elections exist for the American people, not illegal aliens, to choose their leaders, a Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement to the AP.

Democratic state officials have been concerned about the possibility of immigration agents showing up near polling places on Election Day or during early voting. Several states have taken actions this year to guard against it.

In February, a DHS official told a group of secretaries of state that any suggestion that ICE will be present at any polling location is simply not true, according to several secretaries who were part of the conversation. That followed congressional testimony from the heads of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, who both answered No, sir when asked if they are involved in any efforts to guard voting precincts.

Maine officials, Democrats push back on Charles' comments

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, said ICE agents are prohibited by law from being at polling places and that Maine residents can expect a free and secure election in November. Bellows ran for governor this year but lost in the Democratic primary.

The political rhetoric coming from Mr. Charles is just politics, but it wont change the laws or the Constitution, Bellows said.

The Maine Democratic Party also criticized Charles comments and described his plan as likely illegal. The party also criticized the timing of the comments as the state is continuing to wrestle with the killing of Biddeford resident Johan Sebastin Durn Guerrero by an ICE officer earlier this summer.

The comments expose Charles as a MAGA extremist who will do Trumps bidding, said Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson.

His plan to ask Trumps border czar to send ICE agents to Maine polling places just weeks before Election Day is not only deeply alarming it is likely illegal. This is a blatant attempt to intimidate voters and yet another reason Bobby Charles is too extreme for Maine, Murphy-Anderson said.

Federal law prohibits the military and federal agencies from putting troops or armed officers near polling sites, according to the Brennan Center.

DHS secretary says agents could respond to specific threat at polling places

The White House has dismissed concerns that federal agents would interfere with elections and noted that there was no disruption to the election process in last years elections, when Democrats performed well.

During his March confirmation hearing, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin downplayed concerns about ICE agents being used to intimidate voters or interfere with election administration. But he maintained that agents had a right to conduct immigration enforcement activities at sites related to election administration.

I dont understand what the concern is about enforcement of immigration at polling places anyways, because honestly if youre not a citizen you shouldnt be voting anyways, Mullin testified. So technically, there shouldnt be illegals at the polling spot.

He continued: The only reason why my officers would be there is if there was a specific threat for them to be there, not for intimidation.

Charles is an attorney who served as U.S. assistant secretary of state under President George W. Bush. He won the Republican primary for governor in June and will face Democratic candidate Hannah Pingree, the former speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, in November. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, is term-limited.

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer charged with shooting a man and lying about it during the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis was released from a Texas jail Thursday, after a judge refused to order his return to Minnesota.

Christian Castro was released at the break of dawn from a detention center in Brownsville. He motioned his hand toward a few camera operators and a reporter crowding around him and quickly got into an SUV that drove off.

A day earlier, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. wrote in an order that said he couldn't prevent a county sheriff from releasing Castro or order Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to sign his extradition warrant.

RELATED STORY | Judge denies Minnesota bid to extradite ICE officer from Texas, paving way for his release

Castro is charged in Minnesota with assault and falsely reporting a crime in the Jan. 14 shooting of 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis.

Castro is accused of firing a gun through the front door of a Minneapolis home, shooting Sosa-Celis in the leg. Prosecutors say Castro also falsely accused Sosa-Celis and another man of attacking an ICE officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel.

After a Minnesota judge issued a nationwide warrant for Castro's arrest in May, authorities, including Minnesotas Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, arrested Castro in Cameron County on May 29. Minnesota authorities have sought his extradition since his arrest, but he remained in custody in Brownsville, a city bordering Mexico.

Under Texas law and barring extradition, Castro had to be released after 90 days of detention, which was Thursday.

RELATED STORY | Minnesota sues Texas governor to force extradition of ICE agent accused in shooting

Minnesota officials believe Castro could flee to Mexico.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a request for a temporary restraining order last week seeking to block Castros release or to order his return to Minnesota.

Texas attorneys on Tuesday argued the judge could not rule on a decision thats still pending. Abbott has not denied the extradition. Instead, he is waiting for the outcome of an internal state investigation considering whether Castro was legally a fugitive under the Extradition Clause, the lawyers said.

The judge wrote in Wednesdays order that the court couldn't yet step in.

The Court concludes that it lacks subject matter jurisdiction because the case is not ripe for adjudication, the order read. Minnesota cannot premise its causes of action on the allegation that Governor Abbott may violate those authorities in the future; it must prove that a violation has already occurred.

The judge said in his order that the extradition laws do not outline how long the Texas governor can take to make that decision.

Ellison said in a statement that his office would keep litigating the case but didnt specify what it would do next.

Abbotts press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, welcomed the ruling and said it was the governors duty to carefully consider the merits of extradition requests.

Abbott said last week he would not respond to the extradition request, citing the ongoing investigation into fraud in government social service programs in Minnesota, which President Donald Trump used to justify his immigration crackdown there.

Minnesota officials say Castro could flee the country, citing calls he made from jail to a woman in Mexico, talking about marrying her and buying a house in Mexico when he is released, according to the lawsuit.

The judge conceded that Castro could flee the country but added that the threat of injury by itself does not create an issue ripe for adjudication.

An Idaho judge has set the timeline for Bryan Kohberger's attempt to withdraw his guilty plea in the murders of four University of Idaho students, and he is warning attorneys on both sides that he will hold any new evidence in the case to a strict legal standard.

Fourth District Judge Steven Hippler, who sentenced Kohberger to life in prison without parole after Kohberger pleaded guilty to the murders last year, set out the guidelines for how the case will proceed in a written order Wednesday morning.

RELATED STORY | Kohberger tells NYT he wants to withdraw guilty plea and face trial for murder of Idaho college students

The judge did not grant Kohberger a hearing on his claims that his guilty plea should be withdrawn. Instead, Hippler scheduled in a date for next June in case he determines an evidentiary hearing is warranted.

Kohberger, 31, is serving four consecutive life sentences for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen in a rental home near the Moscow, Idaho, campus in 2022. In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty.

Kohberger filed a handwritten petition last month asking the court to let him take back his plea, saying his attorneys manipulated him into making the deal by promising him better prison conditions and scaring him about the quality of life on death row.

Kohberger offered only a few details in elaboration, saying they failed to disclose or review evidence that might have helped his case during plea discussions. Kohberger has since been appointed a new attorney, Greg Rauch, who said he couldn't immediately comment on the case.

RELATED STORY | Kohberger alibi to dispute his location on night of Idaho murders

In Wednesday's order, Hippler told prosecutors and Kohberger's attorney that they must strictly adhere to the Idaho Rules of Court Procedure, particularly the sections detailing what evidence is admissible in court. The judge also detailed how both sides should object to evidence that they feel is not admissible.

Anyone who doesn't comply with the court's order could be subject to sanctions, Hippler wrote.

Hippler said both sides should disclose any potential witnesses, including experts, by the start of February. He also set a status conference for next June.

The deadly flash flood in Nepal on Wednesday was likely caused by a huge chunk of a glacier that broke off and temporarily dammed a river, according to preliminary investigations by scientists. That may have led to the backed-up water surging downstream with enormous force a few hours later, they suggested.

Scientists are still piecing together information from satellite and ground-level data to figure out exactly what happened to cause the flood, which killed at least 273 people and left more than 1,300 missing, including foreigners and pilgrims. Among the missing are 65 Americans, the National Tourism Board said.

The U.S. Geological Survey on Wednesday reported a magnitude 5.2 glacier collapse that sent debris flowing downstream with catastrophic impact on communities. It said its determination was based on data from nearby seismic stations, long period seismic waves and satellite imagery.

A lower part of a glacier has really come off, said Jakob Steiner, a geoscientist at the University of Graz in Austria who is currently based in Bangladesh. If you look at the imagery its like someone cut with a huge knife through the whole lower part and it fell off.

Steiner said a mass of glacial ice dropping from a great height could have felt like a bomb exploding, resulting in the chaos that followed.

RELATED STORY | At least 160 killed and hundreds missing after flash floods in Nepal and China

Scientists said it is too early to draw a direct connection between global warming and Wednesdays catastrophe. However, they said that as Earths temperature rises because of human activities such as burning oil, gas and coal, the chances of such disasters increase, especially in the Himalayan mountains, which are warming considerably faster than many other parts of the world.

We have to be cautious and not draw a connection yet. However, rising temperatures are changing the Hindu Kush Himalaya region and melting glaciers, said Saswat Sanyal, a disaster risk reduction specialist at the Kathmandu-based climate research group International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.

Hundreds have lost their homes across the Himalayan region, and officials reported large-scale damage to critical infrastructure, including hydropower dams, roads, buildings and bridges in the region.

Sudden rise in water levels gave no chance to escape

Water levels in rivers across the flood-affected region rose by as much as 9 meters (29.5 feet) in 30 minutes as a result of the surge from the glacial detachment upstream, researchers at the Kathmandu-based climate research group said.

It was a huge rise, a huge surge of water that happened suddenly, said Sanyal.

Preliminary evidence suggests a large volume of ice and rock may have plunged into the Lhende Khola, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi River. Researchers said the collapse could have displaced water and picked up loose sediment and boulders, producing a powerful surge downstream. Researchers are also examining whether debris temporarily dammed the river before the impounded water burst through, magnifying the flood.

Steiner said the area has a history of destructive mountain hazards. Floods originating from a glacial lake struck the same valley in 2025, while an ice and rock avalanche occurred elsewhere in the area in 2024. The broader Langtang region was also hit by devastating avalanches during Nepals 2015 earthquake.

Climate change increasing risks in the Himalayas

The Hindu Kush Himalaya is warming rapidly, driving major changes in glaciers, snow cover, permafrost and mountain slopes, according to climate scientists.

RELATED STORY | Earths climate is now 'out of balance,' new global report warns

The mountains contain the largest volume of snow and ice outside the polar regions. More than 63,000 glaciers in the area feed at least 10 major Asian river systems and support the food, water, energy and livelihood security of billions of people.

However, around 78% of the glacier area, located between 4,500 and 6,000 meters above sea level, is highly exposed to warming.

What happened yesterday is unfortunately the new normal. Its going to get worse from here onwards, Steiner said.

The last decade was the hottest multi-year period globally since records began, and 2024 was the warmest year ever recorded. United Nations reports have found that between 2000 and 2019, glaciers lost 267 gigatons of ice per year, roughly equivalent to the mass of 46,500 Great Pyramids of Giza.

In a warming world, the reports project the loss of up to 50% of all glaciers excluding those in Greenland and Antarctica by 2100, even if global warming can be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit.)

Current global policies put Earth on a trajectory to warm by about 2.8 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels by the end of the century.

Research by the Kathmandu-based group has found that glaciers across these mountains are melting at an accelerating rate, with ice-loss rates doubling since 2000.

Melting glaciers can feed and enlarge glacial lakes, increasing the potential for sudden floods.

As glaciers retreat, mountain rock that was previously insulated and supported by ice becomes exposed to warmer temperatures, rain and repeated freezing and thawing. Permafrost ground that has remained frozen for years can also thaw, weakening rock faces and slopes.

RELATED STORY | El Nio is here and scientists fear it'll be big, bad and costly

The chances that material starts to move down from mountains increase, Steiner said.

Sanyal said that may be the kind of cascading hazard behind what happened Wednesday in Nepal: An avalanche or glacier collapse that turns into a debris flow, river blockage and devastating flash flood.

Fast growth and lack of warnings compound disaster

Steiner said about 10% of Nepals power production was located in the valley affected by the latest disaster. He said the repeated losses raise questions about whether enough has been done to install warning systems for residents and visitors alike after previous floods and avalanches.

The country's landscape has long been a draw for tourists, with more than a million people visiting the country annually in recent years.

Scientists say stronger early warning systems, better monitoring and faster cross-border information sharing will be increasingly important as temperatures rise and mountain landscapes become less stable.

But monitoring thousands of glaciers, steep slopes and river valleys across the Himalayan arc is extremely difficult.

And when cascading disasters begin, there may be only minutes to act.

We dont have hours, Sanyal said. We have sometimes a few minutes to actually prepare.

Steiner said a red line has already been reached where some regions of Nepal are just too risky to live in now.

We expected previous similar disasters to be a wake-up call for governments in the Himalayan region, but its a bit frustrating that the damages never seem to be horrible enough, Steiner said.

Im not super optimistic that from tomorrow onwards there will be clear solutions, he added. We know what can be done, but various stakeholders need to coordinate and make things happen.

Labor Day weekend is the unofficial end of summer, and plenty of Americans are planning to squeeze in one final getaway before fall arrives.

Travel expert Tomeka Jones says travelers should prepare for busy airports and busy highways over the holiday weekend.

And travelers should also prepare to pay a little more this year.

Domestic round-trip airfare for Labor Day weekend is averaging about $750, up 2% compared to last year, according to AAA. Travelers heading to some of the most popular domestic destinations are paying even more, with airfare averaging about 20% higher than last year. International round-trip flights are averaging about 4% less than compared to last year.

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Where Travelers Are Going

According to AAA, Seattle is the most popular domestic destination this Labor Day weekend, followed by Orlando, Boston, Denver, New York, and Atlanta.

Internationally, Rome tops the list, followed by Vancouver, London, Paris, and Amsterdam.

Avoid the Busiest Travel Days

If you're flying, Jones recommends avoiding Friday and Monday when possible.

Data collected from NerdWallet shows Friday, Sept. 4, is expected to be one of the busiest days to depart, while Labor Day itself, Monday, Sept. 7 is expected to be the busiest day for travelers flying home.

Jones says if you're able to travel next week Tuesday or Wednesday, that may help save you some time maybe even some money.

RELATED STORY | American Airlines upgrading planes with more premium seats, wifi

It's Not Too Late to Find a Deal

Last-minute travelers may still be able to find deals, but flexibility is essential.

Jones recommends choosing less than popular destinations, cities within driving distance, or even adjusting travel dates.

Travelers can also consider a shorter getaway to avoid some of the holiday rush.

Prepare Before You Leave

Whether you're flying or driving, Jones recommends giving yourself extra time.

Jones says preparation and patience are needed during the holiday travel weekend.

She recommends if youre flying to arrive to the airport early and packing essentials in a carry-on bag. Travelers driving to their destination should plan to leave early to avoid peak traffic.

And perhaps the most important thing to pack this Labor Day weekend: patience.

The Pro Bowl is no more, the NFL announced Wednesday, ending an exhibition of the league's top players that was held in some form almost every year since 1951.

The game wasn't played in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that was the only pause in the postseason event.

"It's OK to be the first league to walk away from a competitive all-star game," NFL executive vice president Peter O'Reilly said at the owners' meeting in Atlanta.

The league said 88 players will still be named as Pro Bowlers and honored in Los Angeles after this season. Several flag football events also will take place at that time.

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"The Pro Bowl has always been about recognizing the players who distinguish themselves as the very best in the NFL," O'Reilly said in a statement. "A Pro Bowl selection will return to its original purpose, honoring the best of the best. We want that distinction to carry even greater meaning for the players, their families, their clubs and our fans."

O'Reilly said the decision was "a shift from the game to the honor."

Troy Vincent, the league's executive vice president of football operations, said he heard from players that they "don't want competitive play" after the playoffs.

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"You come off the championship games and the viewers see the physicality of the game and you try to replicate that," Vincent said. "Frankly, it just doesn't sit well. This isn't a good representation."

The Pro Bowl has waned in popularity in recent years. Once a staple in Honolulu, the NFL has moved the event to various cities and even switched from tackle to flag football in 2023.

Blake Lively will get just over $400,000 of the $8 million she sought in legal costs from actor and director Justin Baldoni after they settled their fight over the production of their 2024 film It Ends With Us, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

Judge Lewis J. Liman explained in a written decision in Manhattan why Lively was not entitled to the full amount that her lawyers claim was spent after Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios LLC, filed their own claims in response to her December 2024 lawsuit.

RELATED STORY | Blake Lively accuses 'It Ends With Us' director Justin Baldoni of harassment and smear campaign

Acknowledging Lively and Baldoni had waged fierce battle against each other in court, the judge denied Lively the bulk of legal fees she sought, citing the limits of a California law designed to protect survivors of sexual harassment and discrimination from retaliatory lawsuits.

The law meant to protect sex abuse survivors from legal actions designed to intimidate and silence victims could only be construed to let her be reimbursed for what she paid lawyers to defend against defamation claims rather than all claims Baldoni made against her, Liman wrote.

Thus, the judge ruled, Lively is entitled to $363,245 in attorneys' fees and $44,206 in costs.

Lawyers on both sides claimed victory for their clients.

Attorney Bryan Freedman, representing Baldoni, called the ruling a significant victory for my clients that will leave Lively with less than 5% of what she requested in legal fees.

He said in a statement that it also "sends a clear message that, no matter how powerful you may be, the courtroom is not a place to take advantage of the law for your own personal gain.

Attorneys Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb, representing Lively, said in a statement that Liman's decision was historic because it was the first time under the California law that money was awarded. They said it showed there are real consequences of bringing retaliatory lawsuits.

The lawyers added that Lively had lifted the curtain for other victims, and set the precedent for others to come forward and expose similar conduct.

In her lawsuit, Lively asserted that she had been subjected to sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy.

Baldoni, who directed the dark romantic drama and starred in it with Lively, denied harassing her or orchestrating a smear campaign. He claimed the complaints about his behavior were made up by Lively as part of an effort to seize creative control of the movie.

Weeks after Lively sued, Baldoni and Wayfarer asserted claims in a countersuit against Lively and her husband, Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds, of civil extortion, defamation, invasion of privacy, breach of good faith and fair dealing and economic interference.

In June 2025, Liman tossed out the countersuit Baldoni and Wayfarer had filed and nearly a year later rejected Lively's sexual harassment claims on the grounds that she was an independent contractor rather than an employee when she worked on the film.

In early May, two weeks before a scheduled trial, Lively and Baldoni reached a settlement, saying in a joint statement that Livelys concerns deserved to be heard and that they remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments.

It Ends With Us, an adaptation of Colleen Hoovers bestselling 2016 novel about a relationship devolving into domestic violence, was released in August 2024 and exceeded box office expectations despite criticism that it glorified abuse. Lively and Baldonis fractious falling out took attention away from the film, overshadowing its message and success.

Lively said in her lawsuit that during filming, Baldoni made inappropriate comments about her appearance, violated physical boundaries while filming a love scene, and pushed for nudity against Livelys wishes during a scene in which her character was giving birth.

Baldoni denied doing anything outside the realm of the normal creative process of making a movie.

Lively appeared in the 2005 film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and the TV series Gossip Girl from 2007 to 2012 before starring in films including The Town and The Shallows.

Baldoni starred in the TV comedy Jane the Virgin, directed the 2019 film Five Feet Apart and wrote Man Enough, a book challenging traditional notions of masculinity.

Former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom was ejected from Sunday night's Indiana-Chicago WNBA game after he was confronted by Sky guard Natasha Cloud late in the third quarter.

Freedom was sitting along the baseline. He had on a black shirt that read WOMAN noun. adult human female.

The Fever called for a timeout after Cloud scored inside with 1:22 left in the third. Cloud then did a chest bump with teammate Aicha Coulibaly before turning around and walking in Kanter's direction.

Cloud, 34, started yelling and pointing at Kanter, 34, as she approached him. A standing Kanter held his arms out and took one step on the court as security and a handful of Sky players moved in between the two.

There was just a fan incident and the security handled it, and we're just going to focus on the game, Chicago forward Azura Stevens said after the Sky's 113-90 loss.

Chicago coach Tyler Marsh said Cloud was concerned about being a distraction for the team.

I told her she wasnt, Marsh said. I told her that we all embrace her as someone that protects our team and protects people that need to be protected and so Tash is always going to stand on that, and we stand for Tash.

Freedom stopped near the basket to plead his case to security as he was escorted from the court area. He spun around while holding his shirt out and encouraged the crowd to respond as he walked toward the front lobby.

He had a conversation with a group of police officers before departing Wintrust Arena.

I didnt see it, we were talking about the next play in our huddle," Indiana star Caitlin Clark said, "so I think thats probably a question for Chicago.

Cloud met with team and league security after the game. She did not speak with the media.

The WNBA has been the subject of recent debates on whether transgender women people assigned male at birth who transition to align with their gender identity should be allowed to participate in the league. There has never been such a player in the WNBA.

Although the leagues collective bargaining agreement says the WNBA is restricted to women, it contains no more specific language about gender identity or sex assigned at birth.

Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said in an ESPN profile published last month that she was opposed to transgender girls and women competing in girls and womens sports. Freedom and Royce White, another former NBA player, have declared themselves eligible for the WNBA draft, saying they identify as women.

Kanter joined a small rally in support of Cunningham outside the arena before the game.

Asked if he had a message for Kanter, Marsh praised the league and its players.

If you come to a game you should probably come to enjoy the basketball," he said, and that seems pretty simple to me. I think these players deserve that and have earned that. Being a former basketball player, you should probably understand and feel that too.

For once, things were moving fast in the nation's capital.

Washington was hosting an IndyCar race through its streets Sunday, with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump kicking off the Freedom 250 Grand Prix by leading a slow lap in the presidential limousine through the course. Soon after, the president waved the green flag to start the race and drivers began whipping through downtown, including a stretch along Pennsylvania Avenue not too far from the White House.

Im going to make a little circle in a nice, secure car, slightly slower than the ones were going to witness, but were going to have fun, Trump said in an interview on Fox shortly before the ride.

The open-wheel race, with cars whizzing past Washingtons monuments at speeds approaching 200 mph, is the latest of Trumps celebrations this year to mark Americas 250th birthday.

Trumps other events to mark the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independences signing have included a UFC fight on the White House lawn, military aircraft flyovers, a massive July Fourth fireworks show on the National Mall and a Great American State Fair that the president headlined after scores of 90s-era musical acts dropped out. The events have all had a Trumpian flair, featuring appearances from his friends and the aim of showcasing spectacle, Americana and power.

In this latest case, it was be horsepower.

Racing day brings out some of Trump's favorites

Sunday included some of Trump's favorite flourishes. One of his favorite singers, tenor Christopher Macchio, performed, The Star-Spangled Banner. A trained bald eagle was dramatically released near the start line, and it swooped and flew overhead before returning to its handler.

There were flyovers of military aircraft, which have boomed over the city during the July Fourth celebrations, among other events. One flyover Sunday involved a formation featuring a B-2 stealth bomber, which Trump frequently boasts about for its role in dropping massive bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear facilities last year.

Air Force One, escorted by four fighter jets, flew overhead as Trump did his lap. The jet was the Qatar-gifted aircraft that the president has been using as Air Force One, which has attracted scrutiny not only for Trumps acceptance of the luxury gift but because it is not equipped with some of the same missile detection and countermeasure systems found on older presidential jets.

The IndyCar race took place Trump has struggled to resolve the war he started nearly six months ago with Iran, a conflict that has driven up gasoline prices and exacerbated worries from officials in his Republican Party that voters in this Novembers midterm elections see the president as distracted and not focused enough on cost-of-living concerns.

Trump in his second term has increasingly seemed to focus on relishing the presidencys ceremonial aspects. That's included a healthy dose of visits to sporting events including an appearance last month at the World Cup final, where he presented the trophy to winner Spain and lingered onstage with the team as its members jumped in a hail of confetti.

Bringing Indy to DC was a longtime quest for racing series owner

From his viewing box, Trump had the honor of waving the green flag to kick off the race.

Before the race, Trump and his wife met and chatted with some of the race drivers. They then took a slow drive through the course in a small motorcade and could be seen waving at the crowd as a Marine Corps band played Stars and Stripes Forever."

IndyCar series owner Roger Penske, a longtime friend of Trumps who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from him in 2019, helped lead the effort to bring the race to Washington.

Trump told Fox on Sunday that Penske told him that he had been trying to bring the race to Washington for 20 years.

When he came to see Trump it got done in about 15 minutes and its turned out to be much bigger than we ever even thought possible, the president said, referring to himself in the third person.

Penske met Trump when he arrived at the course and later joined him in his viewing box, as did the presidents friend and UFC CEO Dana White, who helped put on the fight at the White House in June.

An executive order Trump signed earlier this year calling for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix declared that the cars and drivers inspire awe and respect in all who watch this quintessentially American sport, and the event will showcase the majesty of our great city as drivers navigate a track around our iconic national monuments in celebration of Americas 250th birthday.

Trump wanted to hear freedom roar from the powerful racing machines

Their beautiful cars are going to make freedom roar. This will be a freedom thats roaring like never before, Trump said at the White House earlier this month as he promoted the event.

Bud Denker, president of Penske Corporation and the races chair, said that Penske is paying for the vast majority of the race, including building the track and road improvements, while the District of Columbia handled some repaving.

Among the changes needed on the citys streets for the Indycar race was the welding of more than 200 maintenance hole covers to ensure the race cars dont suck them up off the road.

Sundays festivities were also the latest opportunity for Trump to revel in the way hes putting his mark on the nations capital, including large banners showing his face on government buildings, the construction of a massive White House ballroom, a gold-adorned Oval Office and botched repairs at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

An out-of-control wildfire that jumped over fire trucks and made it difficult for crews to reach hot spots destroyed homes in northwest Reno, Nevada, on Sunday. Shifting winds challenged firefighters trying to bring it under control, and authorities urged some 90,000 people to evacuate.

At least six people three first responders and three civilians were injured. Officials said the fire was human-caused but did not provide details on how they reached that conclusion, or whether it was intentionally set or accidental.

The Hawk Fire began Saturday and grew to more than 23 square miles (60 sq. km.) as it spread Sunday across the Peavine Peak area of the HumboldtToiyabe National Forest, where rugged foothills are ringed by homes and businesses near the California state line. There was zero containment.

Some 42,000 residents have been ordered evacuated as the GO NOW zone expanded, reaching the edge of the University of Nevada. An additional 45,000 people were in the adjacent evacuation warning zone. Authorities urged people to be prepared to stay away for several days, because shifting and strengthening winds were expected to make the fire even more unpredictable.

Please get out if you can right now, Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said.

A Sunday evening update said crews observed extreme fire behavior as gusts pushed flames through dry brush.

Over the next 12 hours, the fire is expected to continue to make moderate to high intensity runs in pockets of dense fuels, the statement said.

A family raced to grab possessions but lost their home

It wasn't known how many homes were destroyed. Cari Kieffer said a video posted on social media showed her house entirely burned down, with only a scorched basketball hoop still standing.

I woke up this morning and just started crying all my kids, they lost everything, Kieffer said Sunday. We lost all our stuff. Everything we own is gone.

Kieffer had been watching her sons football game Saturday when she learned that their home on the outskirts of Reno was in the evacuation zone. An app the family used to track the fires progress had been lagging significantly behind its actual location, she said, so they thought firefighters had kept the blaze from their neighborhood.

Instead, Kieffer, her husband and their four children ages 3 to 16 raced to save their dogs and whatever possessions they could retrieve. Ash rained down, and the wind blew like an oven blast from a wall of flames advancing down the hillside toward their neighborhood, she said.

I kept looking outside and the flames just kept getting closer and closer every time I looked, Kieffer said. I was like, we gotta go like now.

Eyes watering and throat burning, Kieffer grabbed a handful of clothes, a Bible, her wedding photos and her mothers ashes. In the frenzy, as firefighters yelled at her family to leave immediately, she said she forgot her familys birth certificates and was unable to salvage her childhood photos.

The family drove to a friends home but had to evacuate again. They learned later Saturday evening that their own home was gone.

Governor declares state of emergency and mobilizes National Guard

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Washoe County and mobilized the Nevada National Guard to support aerial firefighting with two helicopter crews as well as 60 troops to help police safeguard evacuated neighborhoods. Also responding were 800 fire personnel.

Nearly 10,000 customers were without power in Washoe County on Sunday, down from 60,000 on Saturday. Portions of U.S. Route 395, a major north-south highway, were closed due to the fire. Reno, with more than 280,000 residents, is the largest city in Nevada outside of metro Las Vegas.

Washoe County emergency officials opened the Reno-Sparks Convention Center to evacuees, but said they couldnt bring their pets small animals and large animals were to be left at two other locations. Casinos in Reno offered discounts on hotel rooms to evacuees.

The fire turned destructive fast

The fire was so small Saturday morning that it wasnt even a concern, said Tyler Duvall, who went camping over the weekend. By the next day, his house was in the evacuation zone.

The wind really blew it up, Duvall said.

On Saturday alone, 15 new fires popped up across Nevada. Months of dry weather and a record lack of snow this past winter across the American West have created prime fire conditions. Earlier this month, wildfires in eastern Washington state forced the evacuation of 60,000 people in the Spokane area, while three wildfires north of Reno forced more than 13,000 residents from their homes.

A mountaintop home goes up in flames

Jaida Hargroves grandfather, Rick Arrate, lived alone on Peavine Mountain, which overlooks Reno and Sparks. Firefighters used a bulldozer, cut down trees and applied fire retardant in their attempt to contain the flames, Hargrove said.

They all thought it would be OK, she said. And then, in about 30 minutes, the winds just changed and it came way too fast.

Arrate and the firefighters were quickly forced off the mountain. All he was able to take with him was his two golden retrievers, Hargrove said.

Arrate spent Saturday night with Hargroves parents, his next steps unknown.

Separate GoFundMe crowdfunding campaigns were set up to assist Arrate and the Kieffer family.

A Nevada transplant gets a rude welcome to Reno

Retired police officer and firefighter Ted Melden has seen his share of Mother Natures fury since moving to Reno with his wife earlier this month from Chapin, South Carolina. So far, he has experienced a hailstorm with flash flooding, two different power outages and, now, the second wildfire incident in the region in two weeks.

Just another natural disaster, Melden said.

In the two years he lived in South Carolina, Melden said Hurricane Helene knocked over trees in his yard, while a tornado did some damage in his neighborhood.

For now, Melden hasnt been ordered to leave his home, but he has his bags packed just in case.

You just have to roll with the flow and be ready, he said.

David Barb returned from a weekend hunting trip to find the fire had leveled his taxidermy shop, but his house nearby appeared to have been spared thanks to workers with a landscaping company who cut a fire break, he said. His wife was home when the fire started on the other side of the mountain and later evacuated to a friends house.

Im kind of devastated, but thank God everyones safe, he said Sunday.

Residents just outside the evacuation zone are keeping watch

The University of Nevada, where many of the 20,000 undergraduates moved into their housing this weekend, was just outside the evacuation zone Sunday.

Two hospitals evacuated patients and the sheriff said his office was keeping a close watch on whether to evacuate the county jail.

The fire moved exceptionally fast Saturday night, jumping over fire trucks and making it difficult for responders to get to hot spots while residents were trying to get out, the sheriff said.

It was extremely confusing, Balaam said, describing how changing winds sent the flames in different directions.

A Texas judge denied a new trial for Karmelo Anthony on Saturday in the stabbing death of a 17-year-old athlete at a high school track meet, a killing that drew national attention and led to harassment of the families.

Anthony, 19, was convicted of murder in June and sentenced to 35 years in prison for the April 2025 killing of Austin Metcalf.

Judge Michael Chitty denied the retrial motion in a half-page order following a two-day hearing this week near Dallas, citing a review of the evidence and arguments. He did not elaborate.

Russell Wilson, Anthony's attorney, said the defense would appeal.

Our commitment to our client has not changed, Wilson said. We will continue to advocate vigorously on his behalf through every lawful avenue available.

At the center of Anthonys retrial request was an off-the-record agreement between prosecutors and his trial defense team to keep damaging character evidence about both teenagers out of the proceeding. Both sides agreed to hold back evidence that risked further inflaming a case already boiling with racial tensions and death threats.

The case attracted widespread attention in part because of a flood of social media posts that amplified the killing in racial terms. Anthony is Black; Metcalf was white. Lawyers on both sides, however, told jurors that the case had nothing to do with race.

Worries that prosecutors would renege on the agreement as Anthony prepared to testify, his attorneys say, came after a heated argument between lawyers on both sides and changed their defense strategy at the eleventh hour. Anthony ultimately decided not to testify.

Prosecutor Bill Wirskye defended the trial as fair this week.

We respect, and expected, the courts decision denying the motion for a new trial, Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said after the denial was announced. The jurys guilty verdict stands, and we remain confident in the process. Every defendant has the right to appeal, and our thoughts and prayers remain with the Metcalf family in the painful wake of last weeks hearing.

Anthonys attorneys also demanded a retrial because they said trial judge John Roachs courtroom rules were so strict that they limited the publics access to the proceedings. And in asking for Roach's recusal, they noted that he gave a posttrial interview with a Dallas TV station in which he expressed agreement with the jury's decision.

Whatever they say, they got it right, Roach said.

Roach said his rules were necessary for a fair trial, and prosecutors insisted he did nothing wrong.

Jurors rejected Anthonys claims that he was defending himself during a confrontation with Metcalf in the bleachers of the track meet.

Anthony and Metcalf were athletes for different high schools in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, where several teams were competing on the rainy spring day when the meet took place.

Anthony sat under the tent that belonged to Metcalf's team, and Metcalf and others repeatedly told him to leave, witnesses testified. That led to an escalating confrontation.

Prosecutors said Anthony provoked Metcalf, and witnesses identified Anthony as the aggressor.

At one point Anthony reached inside a bag and said: Touch me and see what happens, according to a police report.

Witnesses said Metcalf pushed Anthony, who pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian defended a recent memorandum of understanding as the best way for the country to move beyond what he described as a situation of neither war nor peace.

There is not a single provision in this agreement that amounts to capitulation, Pezeshkian said in a speech published by state-run IRNA early on Sunday. The supreme leader sets the policies, and we will follow that path.

The deal known as the Memorandum of Understanding that U.S. President Donald Trump signed in June set a 60-day deadline for ending the war with Iran and reaching an accord on its nuclear program. That period ended last week, but no signs of compromise have emerged, especially on the crucial issue of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, vital to global shipping.

Pezeshkian also linked the agreement to Irans economic prospects, saying the country couldn't attract investment in this stalled phase.

Nearly six months into the war with the United States and Israel, Iran's economy is suffering under sanctions and a naval blockade.

Iran's security chief warns neighbors not to join any sanctions

Meanwhile, the hard-line new leader of Irans Supreme National Security Council warned Tehrans neighbors against joining the new U.S. effort to hurt Irans economy.

If (Trump) wants to do something, we will retaliate in a seismic manner, Mohsen Rezaei said in an interview with the state broadcaster that aired Saturday.

Rezaei was named this month as part of senior appointments widely seen as hardening Tehrans political and military stance. His interview with IRIB is his most extensive public statement since then.

Rezaei said Iran would target oil-shipping routes out of the Persian Gulf alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz if neighbors join what he described as the economic war against Iran.

Pakistan's army chief will visit Tehran

Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir will lead an official delegation traveling to Tehran on Monday, Iranian state television reported, citing Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei.

Two regional officials said that the visit was part of Islamabads ongoing efforts to de-escalate tensions between the United States and Iran, and urge both countries to return to the negotiating table. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Iran executes man arrested during January's protests

The judiciarys Mizan news agency reported on Sunday the latest execution connected to the protests, identifying the man as Majid Adineh and saying he was arrested Jan. 9 in Mohammadshahr, near Karaj, west of Tehran. Authorities said that he was carrying a handgun with 30 rounds of ammunition, two stun guns, two cans of tear gas and a battery-powered chainsaw.

The judiciary said that forensic examinations indicated the handgun had been fired on Jan. 8 and 9. Mizan said Adineh had joined the unrest following calls by groups opposed to Irans government and alleged that he had received training from groups outside the country.

A Revolutionary Court in Karaj later convicted Adineh under Irans law imposing harsher penalties for espionage and cooperation with hostile states. Mizan said that the verdict accused him of carrying out operations on behalf of Israel, the United States and other groups Iran considers hostile.

We view every launch as an act of war in every respect, he said.

Before the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas-led militants on Israel when 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage burning kites and balloons were sent from Gaza into southern Israel, causing fires and other damage.

While the heaviest fighting has subsided since a fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war took hold in October, Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes, killing more than 1,280 Palestinians, according to health officials in Gaza.

The overall war death toll in Gaza has passed 73,400 Palestinians, Gazas Health Ministry said. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. But it doesn't give a breakdown of civilians and militants.

Militants have carried out shooting attacks on troops, and Israel says its strikes are in response to that and other violations. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.

Publix says it is removing the 10-item limit at its express checkout lanes in an effort to improve checkout efficiency.

The grocery chain said in a statement that the change is intended to reduce wait times at checkout.

RELATED STORY | One in five Americans are using their personal savings to pay for groceries

Publix said the change is already underway at many stores and will soon expand to all locations.

According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, Publix ranked as the nations No. 2 grocery store chain in 2026, behind Trader Joes.

Publix operates nearly 1,500 stores across the Southern United States.

The United States imposed 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products early Saturday, and Canada said it would retaliate beginning Sept. 8 after last-ditch negotiations failed to resolve the latest strain in relations between the historic allies.

President Donald Trumps import taxes will hit about 5% of what Canada ships to the United States every year, including products ranging from hockey sticks to tongue depressors.

Carney said later Saturday in Ottawa that in the coming days, we will release the details of these new tariff measures, which will come into force the Tuesday after Labor Day. The dollar-for-dollar retaliation would target steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper and electronics.

He disclosed that Canada had been willing to drop remaining retaliatory tariffs on steel, aluminum and autos if the United States substantially lowered its own, and to encourage provinces to restore U.S. alcohol sales.

But he said Washingtons final demands went too far, saying, They asked too much and offered too little, Carney said.

The retaliation also calls into question the future of a North American trade agreement covering the United States, Canada and Mexico that is crucial to industry in all three countries.

Canada had sought concessions on tariffs on steel, aluminum, autos and lumber.

Tonight, Canada declined to finalize the trade deal under the terms agreed earlier this week. Despite the U.S. offer to Canada to receive the best treatment of any major exporter to our market, new demands and walk-backs of other commitments by Canada have upended the careful balance reached in the past days, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement read to reporters shortly before midnight.

Carney blamed the Republican administration for the breakdown, saying last-minute changes in the U.S. proposed terms were unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal.

Carney said his government would announce additional support for Canadian workers and businesses in the coming days.

Greer said the U.S. offer was forward-looking and included a historic economic and national security partnership.

No further talks are planned.

The breakdown in negotiations marked a sharp reversal from two days earlier, when officials from the two countries sounded as if they were headed toward a compromise.

Carney said Canadas goal throughout the negotiations had been to secure the best possible agreement, never a deal at any price or on any deadline.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who leads Canadas most populous province, backed Carneys response, saying the prime minister had his full support for retaliation tariff for tariff, dollar for dollar and that everything needs to be on the table.

RELATED STORY | Trump halts new tariffs on Canadian goods hours before deadline

A typically cooperative alliance goes sour

The political impact will likely be even bigger than the economic fallout. The countries sold each other $880 billion worth of goods and services last year.

The tariffs were initially supposed to kick in at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. Trump extended the deadline for three days to allow talks to continue, but the countries could not reach an agreement in time.

The U.S. and Canada have wrangled for decades over trade, poking each other over sore spots such as Canadian softwood lumber imports and U.S. access to Canadas protected dairy market.

Somehow, they still managed to remain friends, allies and trading partners. Canadian soldiers fought alongside Americans in Afghanistan after 9/11. The 5,525-mile U.S.-Canada border is undefended, and nearly 330,000 people and $2 billion worth of goods cross it every day; 800,000 Canadians live in the United States.

Trumps approach to dealing with Canada marks an extraordinary departure from the traditionally cooperative relationship between the two countries. Trump has imposed tariffs on Canadian goods in a push to bring manufacturing back to the United States and made inflammatory comments about turning Canada into Americas 51st state.

Carney said Canada had recognized that America has changed and that the two countries would not return to our old relationship.

RELATED STORY | Are big retailers going to share their billions of dollars in tariff refunds?

Canadians and Americans are frustrated

The Canadian public is fed up. A petition to expel U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, a Trump ally, has collected nearly 248,000 signatures since July 21. It accuses the former Republican congressman from Michigan of having normalized Trumps talk of annexing Canada, among other things.

The two countries had good reasons to find a compromise.

Nearly 72% of Canadas goods exports last year went to the United States. The Trump administration might be wary of imposing new tariffs paid by U.S. importers who try to pass along the cost to consumers via higher prices before the Novembers midterm elections. American voters are already frustrated with the high cost of living.

Canada likely wanted further sector-specific relief than the U.S. was willing to offer, or Canadas concessions did not go far enough,'' said Ryan Majerus, a partner at King & Spalding and a former U.S. trade official. "Either way, I think both sides will be under immense pressure in the coming days to still find an off-ramp. But if Canada has agreed to also impose tariffs, the off-ramp may be even harder to find.

Candace Laing, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, called the tariffs a body blow to North American competitiveness and warned they would raise costs for Americans while threatening Canadian customers, investment and small businesses.

Trump has turned to Depression-era trade penalties

Trump has made tariffs the centerpiece of his second-term economic agenda. Last year, he imposed double-digit import taxes on almost every country, justifying them by declaring the long-standing U.S. trade deficit a national emergency. The Supreme Court in February ruled that he had overstepped his authority. The justices struck down the trade penalties and set the stage for the federal government to pay refunds to importers.

So Trump has looked for other legal authority to justify tariffs.

To punish Canada, he reached back to the Great Depression, invoking Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 to threaten 50% tariffs on products that account for about 5% of Canadian exports to the United States.

Nearly a century ago, with the U.S. and world economies in collapse, Congress passed the 1930 tariff law, imposing taxes on imports from around the world. Known as the Smoot-Hawley tariffs after their congressional sponsors, they are notorious among economists and historians for limiting world commerce and making the Great Depression worse.

Section 338, which has never been used before to impose tariffs, authorizes the president to slap import taxes of up to 50% on imports from countries that have discriminated against U.S. businesses. No investigation is required to justify the levies. Nor is there any limit on how long they can stay in place.

The rift comes as the United States, Mexico and Canada are trying to renew a trade agreement that Trump negotiated in his first term and once praised as a triumph. The United States has begun formal talks with Mexico over revamping the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, known as USMCA. But talks with Canada have not begun and escalating trade conflict casts doubt on whether they will.

Canada told the Americans in advance that if these tariffs landed, it would stop negotiating and retaliate,'' said Barry Appleton, senior fellow at the Center for International Law at New York Law School. The American trade representative said publicly he would not tolerate retaliation. Both sides have now committed themselves in public, which is how escalation stops being a choice.''

A Texas court on Friday slashed a $50 million judgment that conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was ordered to pay families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre over his false claims that one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history was a hoax.

The Infowars founder can only be forced to pay about $6 million, the Texas Third Court of Appeals ruled in a unanimous opinion, citing state laws that limit lawsuit damages.

The ruling does not affect a separate $1.25 billion judgment against Jones in Connecticut, where he was also found liable for defaming and causing emotional distress to relatives of the 20 first-graders and six educators killed in the Newtown shooting.

The punishing financial verdicts against Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems, in recent years have forced him into bankruptcy, led to some of his personal property being put up for auction and led to him leaving his Infowars platform. For decades, he used the platform to push conspiracy theories about the United Nations, the federal government, gun control and more.

Sandy Hook families have yet to collect any money from Jones, who has waged lengthy appeals in state and bankruptcy courts as his company faces liquidation. He remains on air after moving onto new websites and streaming platforms.

Friday's ruling did not throw out the trial court's finding of defamation against Jones. Still, he called it "a gigantic victory for the First Amendment, and said he will continue to appeal the case to the state Supreme Court to get the remaining damages thrown out.

I got lawyers who are good constitutional lawyers and they are not backing down, Jones said.

Jones has already tried to appeal the Connecticut judgment to the U.S. Supreme Court but was denied last year.

RELATED STORY | Alex Jones' assets should be liquidated, bankruptcy court rules

The decision by the Texas Third Court of Appeals left intact more than $4.1 million in compensatory damages awarded by a jury to Sandy Hook parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis for defamation and emotional distress. But it slashed more than $45 million in additional punitive damages down to $1.5 million to comply with the state's $750,000 cap for each plaintiff.

The court found Heslin and Lewis did not show evidence that the harassment following Jones hoax claims rose to a level that would allow them to exceed the cap. It also said the trial judge improperly allowed the parents to seek higher damages after trial.

Mark Bankston, an attorney for Heslin and Lewis in the Texas lawsuit, shrugged off the appeals court ruling as irrelevant given that Jones still faces massive financial judgments in Connecticut.

The families care not at all about this irrelevant ruling which affects only two of the 19 claims they all share. Jones still faces over a billion dollars of liability, so this changes absolutely nothing. All it does is highlight the absurdity of Texas law, Bankston said.

Newtown families harassed as Jones claimed the massacre was a hoax

Heslin and Lewiss 6-year-old son Jesse Lewis was among those killed in the Sandy Hook attack. Their lawsuit against Jones and the 2022 verdict marked the first time he was held financially liable for peddling lies about the massacre, claiming it was faked by the government to tighten gun laws.

Jones portrayed the lawsuit as an attack on his First Amendment rights, but conceded during the trial that the shootings were 100% real and that he was wrong to have lied about them.

At the Texas and Connecticut trials, victims relatives testified that Jones followers -- believing his claims that the shooting didnt happen -- subjected them to death and rape threats, in-person harassment and abusive comments on social media. Jones argued there was no proof that linked him to those actions.

Heslin and Lewis told jurors that an apology wouldnt suffice and initially called on them to make Jones pay more than $150 million for the years of suffering he has put them and other Sandy Hook families through.

Almost immediately after the punitive damages in Texas were announced, Jones' trial attorney predicted the award would be reduced to $1.5 million on appeal.

Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the Sandy Hook families in the Connecticut lawsuit, said Fridays ruling has no bearing on the ongoing lower court proceedings in Texas involving the liquidation of Infowars parent company.

The Onion steps in to mock Jones and help frustrated families

Jones and his company have filed for bankruptcy, and those legal proceedings continue. The satirical website The Onion also moved to take over Jones' Infowars platforms and turn his bullhorn of conspiracy theories into parody sites.

Jones took Infowars off the air in April and moved to a new location, switching his shows to new websites and posting them on his personal X account. The Onion, meanwhile, has set up its own Infowars webpage on its website, running videos of shows parodying Jones.

A proposed licensing deal that would give The Onion temporary authority to use Infowars trademarks, copyrights and intellectual property has been put on hold because the liquidation proceedings have been stayed during Jones appeals.

In November 2024, the Chicago-based satirical outlet was named the winner of a bankruptcy court auction of the assets of Infowars parent company, Free Speech Systems, aimed at helping pay some of the defamation judgments. A federal judge overturned the auction results, citing problems with the process and The Onions bid.

The midterms are closer than you think and the stakes are even bigger than the headlines are letting on.

This week, Jon breaks down why control of Congress could flip on a handful of races nobody's talking about yet, sits down for an exclusive interview with Andrew Yang on where politics goes from here, and brings the panel in to unpack the cocaine scandal rocking Penn State's campus.

Jon Leiberman breaks down what happened so you are in the know on the most important, compelling, underreported and craziest stories of the week.

Stream new episodes of "Catch Me Up" every Friday at 7 p.m. ET, and text the word Scripps to (202)-968-2449 to comment or join the panel discussion for upcoming episodes!