DETROIT — Remember when reports surfaced late in September saying the Tigers and manager AJ Hinch were nearing an agreement on a contract extension?

“Those reports were baseless,” president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Monday with a wry smile.

They were baseless because Hinch and the Tigers agreed on a contract extension at midseason. They just didn’t announce it.

“I absolutely love working with AJ,” Harris said, during the team’s season-ending media conference at Comerica Park. “He’s one of the best managers in the game. We have now proactively extended him twice because we want him to be here as long as he willing to be here and I want to work with him as long as I possibly can.

“It was one of the easiest conversations I’ve had because he wants to be here and we’re both bullish on the future of this organization and we are proud of what we’ve done.”

The Tigers, as per organizational policy, don’t make public the contract terms for the manager or coaching staff.

Hinch, 51, ranks eighth on the Tigers’ all-time managerial wins list with 394 in five seasons. He’s guided the team to the playoffs and eight postseasons wins over the last two years.

“I love it here and I love working with Scott,” Hinch said. “This was the second time I was approached and asked for more and it’s an immediate yes for me. When you have an environment that both pushes you and satisfies you, I was thrilled.”

Once he got the OK from his wife and family, he signed the deal. With one stipulation: that it wouldn’t be made public during the season.

“It’s hard to look at where you are personally in the middle of the season,” he said. “Which is why my one request and Scott’s one request was that we just do it and not talk about it. It’s about the players during the season, it’s about winning and we had a lot of games left.

“We didn’t want to be a distraction.”

Hinch and his family have been growing roots in the Detroit area over the last three years, since Harris signed him to the first extension before the 2023 season.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am to be the manager of the Tigers,” he said. “It’s a rewarding place to be. We’ve bought a home here. We live here the majority of the year and we continue to become more and more Michiganders as a family.

“I am grateful for Chris (Ilitch, chairman and CEO), for Scott, for Jeff (Greenberg, general manager). All of us are on board to bring a World Series here. That’s why I want to be here.”

Hinch said there would be discussions later this week about his coaching staff. It’s possible there will be some changes.

“We evaluate every possibly way we can get better,” he said. “I think our staff answered a whole lot of the challenges we’ve been given and all of that is in a really good place. But we wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t debrief about our entire group.

“But I am really proud of this group of coaches and the culture we’ve created.”

By PATRICK WHITTLE

BOOTHBAY HARBOR, Maine (AP) — Republican lawmakers are targeting one of the U.S.’s longest standing pieces of environmental legislation, credited with helping save rare whales from extinction.

Conservative leaders feel they now have the political will to remove key pieces of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, enacted in 1972 to protect whales, seals, polar bears and other sea animals. The law also places restrictions on commercial fishermen, shippers and other marine industries.

A GOP-led bill in the works has support from fishermen in Maine who say the law makes lobster fishing more difficult, lobbyists for big-money species such as tuna in Hawaii and crab in Alaska, and marine manufacturers who see the law as antiquated.

Conservation groups adamantly oppose the changes and say weakening the law will erase years of hard-won gains for jeopardized species such as the vanishing North Atlantic right whale, of which there are less than 400, and is vulnerable to entanglement in fishing gear.

Here’s what to know about the protection act and the proposed changes.

Why does the 1970s law still matter

“The Marine Mammal Protection Act is important because it’s one of our bedrock laws that help us to base conservation measures on the best available science,” said Kathleen Collins, senior marine campaign manager with International Fund for Animal Welfare. “Species on the brink of extinction have been brought back.”

It was enacted the year before the Endangered Species Act, at a time when the movement to save whales from extinction was growing. Scientist Roger Payne had discovered that whales could sing in the late 1960s, and their voices soon appeared on record albums and throughout popular culture.

The law protects all marine mammals, and prohibits capturing or killing them in U.S. waters or by U.S. citizens on the high seas. It allowed for preventative measures to stop commercial fishing ships and other businesses from accidentally harming animals such as whales and seals. The animals can be harmed by entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with ships and other hazards at sea.

The law also prevents the hunting of marine mammals, including polar bears, with exceptions for Indigenous groups. Some of those animals can be legally hunted in other countries.

Changes to oil and gas operations — and whale safety

Republican Rep. Nick Begich of Alaska, a state with a large fishing industry, submitted a bill draft this summer that would roll back aspects of the law. The bill says the act has “unduly and unnecessarily constrained government, tribes and the regulated community” since its inception.

The proposal states that it would make changes such as lowering population goals for marine mammals from “maximum productivity” to the level needed to “support continued survival.” It would also ease rules on what constitutes harm to marine mammals.

For example, the law currently prevents harassment of sea mammals such as whales, and defines harassment as activities that have “the potential to injure a marine mammal.” The proposed changes would limit the definition to only activities that actually injure the animals. That change could have major implications for industries such as oil and gas exploration where rare whales live.

That poses an existential threat to the Rice’s whale, which numbers only in the dozens and lives in the Gulf of Mexico, conservationists said. And the proposal takes specific aim at the North Atlantic right whale protections with a clause that would delay rules designed to protect that declining whale population until 2035.

Begich and his staff did not return calls for comment on the bill, and his staff declined to provide an update about where it stands in Congress. Begich has said he wants “a bill that protects marine mammals and also works for the people who live and work alongside them, especially in Alaska.”

Fishing groups want restrictions loosened

A coalition of fishing groups from both coasts has come out in support of the proposed changes. Some of the same groups lauded a previous effort by the Trump administration to reduce regulatory burdens on commercial fishing.

The groups said in a July letter to House members that they feel Begich’s changes reflect “a positive and necessary step” for American fisheries’ success.

Restrictions imposed on lobster fishermen of Maine are designed to protect the right whale, but they often provide little protection for the animals while limiting one of America’s signature fisheries, Virginia Olsen, political director of the Maine Lobstering Union, said. The restrictions stipulate where lobstermen can fish and what kinds of gear they can use. The whales are vulnerable to lethal entanglement in heavy fishing rope.

Gathering more accurate data about right whales while revising the original law would help protect the animals, Olsen said.

“We do not want to see marine mammals harmed; we need a healthy, vibrant ocean and a plentiful marine habitat to continue Maine’s heritage fishery,” Olsen said.

Some members of other maritime industries have also called on Congress to update the law. The National Marine Manufacturers Association said in a statement that the rules have not kept pace with advancements in the marine industry, making innovation in the business difficult.

Environmentalists fight back

Numerous environmental groups have vowed to fight to save the protection act. They characterized the proposed changes as part of the Trump administration’s assault on environmental protections.

The act was instrumental in protecting the humpback whale, one of the species most beloved by whale watchers, said Gib Brogan, senior campaign director with Oceana. Along with other sea mammals, humpbacks would be in jeopardy without it, he said.

“The Marine Mammal Protection Act is flexible. It works. It’s effective. We don’t need to overhaul this law at this point,” Brogan said.

What does this mean for seafood imports

The original law makes it illegal to import marine mammal products without a permit, and allows the U.S. to impose import prohibitions on seafood products from foreign fisheries that don’t meet U.S. standards.

The import embargoes are a major sticking point because they punish American businesses, said Gavin Gibbons, chief strategy officer of the National Fisheries Institute, a Virginia-based seafood industry trade group. It’s critical to source seafood globally to be able to meet American demand for seafood, he said.

The National Fisheries Institute and a coalition of industry groups sued the federal government Thursday over what they described as unlawful implementation of the protection act. Gibbons said the groups don’t oppose the act, but want to see it responsibly implemented.

“Our fisheries are well regulated and appropriately fished to their maximum sustainable yield,” Gibbons said. “The men and women who work our waters are iconic and responsible. They can’t be expected to just fish more here to make up a deficit while jeopardizing the sustainability they’ve worked so hard to maintain.”

Some environmental groups said the Republican lawmakers’ proposed changes could weaken American seafood competitiveness by allowing imports from poorly regulated foreign fisheries.

This story was supported by funding from the Walton Family Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

By ALI SWENSON and JONEL ALECCIA

NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds of federal employees working on mental health services, disease outbreaks and disaster preparedness were among those hit by the Trump administration’s mass firings over the weekend, current and laid-off workers said Monday, as the administration aimed to pressure Democratic lawmakers to give in and end the nearly two-week-long government shutdown.

The government-wide reduction-in-force initiative that began Friday roiled the massive U.S. Department of Health and Human Services just six months after it went through an earlier round of cuts and as many staffers already were disconnected from work because of the shutdown.

The situation turned even more chaotic over the weekend, when more than half of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees who’d gotten layoff notices learned they received them in error and were still employed with the agency.

HHS, through its agencies, is responsible for tracking health trends and disease outbreaks, conducting and funding medical research, and monitoring the safety of food and medicine, as well as for administering health insurance programs for nearly half the country. Among the HHS agencies facing staff cuts were the CDC, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, or ASPR, according to current and laid-off employees who spoke with The Associated Press.

Former staffers and health professionals said they were concerned the layoffs could have negative health impacts and make it difficult for HHS agencies to fulfill their obligations set by Congress.

HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said the laid off employees were deemed nonessential. He added the agency is working to “close wasteful and duplicative entities, including those that are at odds with the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda.”

Nixon declined to share which HHS agencies saw layoffs or how many HHS employees were affected. However, a Friday court filing from the Trump administration gave an estimate, saying about 1,100 to 1,200 of the nearly 80,000 staffers at HHS were receiving dismissal notices.

CDC is hit with layoffs — and reversals

About 600 workers at the CDC remained fired Monday in conjunction with the federal government shutdown after hundreds more had originally been targeted, according to the American Federation of Government Employees Local 2883, which represents CDC employees in Atlanta.

Of more than 1,300 CDC employees who received reduction-in-force notices Friday, about 700 later received emails revoking their terminations, the union said.

The AFGE Local 2883 called the action a “politically-motivated stunt” to illegally fire agency workers.

“These reckless actions are disrupting and destroying the lives of everyday working people, who are constantly being used as bargaining chips,” AFGE President Yolanda Jacobs said in a statement Monday.

A federal health official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the media said the incorrect RIF notices resulted from a glitch in the system.

Among those targeted for dismissal and then reinstated were the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service officers, the “disease detectives” who are deployed to respond to outbreaks that threaten public health, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, former principal deputy director of the CDC, who said she was in touch with EIS officers in that situation.

“These are people who go into really scary places,” Schuchat said. “Usually you think it’s nature that’s going to be giving you a hard time, the viruses, not the government.”

Mental health services cut in sweeping dismissals at agency

SAMHSA, an agency within HHS devoted to addressing mental illness and addiction, also saw cuts, according to two employees of the agency with knowledge of the layoffs who weren’t authorized to speak publicly.

While the full scope of the firings wasn’t clear, some of the departments affected included the agency’s Office of Communications and the Center for Mental Health Services, where dozens were let go from multiple areas, according to one of the employees.

Within CMHS, one of two branches that oversaw millions of dollars in grants for community health clinics was mostly terminated, the employees said.

Dakota Jablon, a public health analyst and former employee of SAMHSA, said the loss of more staff at SAMHSA, primarily a grantmaking agency, would have “devastating ripple effects across the behavioral health field.”

“Even if the grants continue, the loss of experienced staff means those who remain will be stretched far too thin, often outside their areas of expertise,” she said.

Dr. Eric Rafla-Yuan, a psychiatrist and the chair of the Committee to Protect Public Mental Health, said staff cuts at SAMHSA could put state safety nets for people with mental illness at risk, because the agency provides significant funding and support to state programs.

Latest layoffs build on earlier cuts as HHS looks to restructure

The mass layoffs come six months after thousands of researchers, scientists, doctors, support staff and senior leaders were either laid off from HHS or took early retirement or volunteer separation offers.

The department’s staff was listed at just under 80,000 employees in a contingency plan before the government shutdown began, down more than 2,000 from its staffing level earlier in the year.

The cuts are part of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s sweeping effort to remake the department by consolidating agencies that oversee billions of dollars for addiction services and community health centers under a new office called the Administration for a Healthy America. The plan has been delayed amid ongoing legislation and congressional pushback.

Aleccia reported from Southern California. AP medical writer Mike Stobbe contributed to this report.

CHICAGO (AP) — Latino leaders expressed dismay Saturday over recent immigration enforcement operations in Chicago that resulted in a fatal shooting during a traffic stop, the arrest of an immigrant at a barbershop and a tense standoff between protesters and agents at an immigration processing facility.

An Immigration, Customs and Enforcement officer fatally shot a man who tried to evade arrest Friday by driving his car at officers and dragging one of them, officials said. The man, Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, was pronounced dead at a hospital.

On the same day, Willian Gimenez was pulled over while driving in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood and detained by ICE agents. Kevin Herrera, Gimenez’s attorney, said he believes it was retaliation for his involvement in a lawsuit against Chicago leaders, Home Depot and an off-duty police officer for their actions toward immigrant workers.

Herrera said Gimenez has a work permit and is going through the process of pursuing an asylum claim.

In a statement Saturday, immigration authorities said Gimenez was arrested for being in the country illegally.

“No one is above the law. Gimenez Gonzalez is an illegal alien with charges for criminal trespassing and a history of not showing up to court, including when he failed to appear in immigration court in April of last year, after which an immigration judge ordered him removed from the country,” the statement said.

During a morning news conference outside an ICE facility in the Chicago suburb of Broadview, Rep. Chuy Garcia, a Democrat, said the incidents are troubling.

“These incidents make us all ask, if ICE can kill one of our neighbors in broad daylight … if they can arrest someone for joining a lawsuit or simply for being Latino, what’s to stop them from getting any one of us?” Garcia said.

A planned 12-hour protest Friday outside the facility included several clashes between participants and officers wearing face coverings, helmets and later gas masks. The facility has seen regular demonstrations in response to increased immigration enforcement.

Rep. Delia Ramirez, also a Democrat, said she will demand a thorough investigation of the traffic stop that led to Villegas-Gonzalez’s fatal shooting and called for community unity.

The Department of Homeland Security’s campaign, labeled “ Operation Midway Blitz,” targets so-called sanctuary laws in the state.

“This ICE operation will target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois because they knew Governor Pritzker and his sanctuary policies would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets,” DHS said in a statement.

Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker has been one of the most vocal opponents of the Trump administration’s immigration operations in Chicago.

The recent incidents have also raised fears in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods about celebrations for Mexican Independence Day on Sept. 16.

By DAVID BAUDER

News organizations including The New York Times, The Associated Press and the conservative Newsmax television network said Monday they will not sign a Defense Department document about its new press rules, making it likely the Trump administration will evict their reporters from the Pentagon.

Those outlets say the policy threatens to punish them for routine news gathering protected by the First Amendment. The Washington Post and The Atlantic on Monday also publicly joined the group that says it will not be signing.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reacted by posting the Times’ statement on X and adding a hand-waving emoji. His team has said that reporters who don’t acknowledge the policy in writing by Tuesday must turn in badges admitting them to the Pentagon and clear out their workspaces the next day.

The new rules bar journalist access to large swaths of the Pentagon without an escort and say Hegseth can revoke press access to reporters who ask anyone in the Defense Department for information — classified or otherwise — that he has not approved for release.

Newsmax, whose on-air journalists are generally supportive of President Donald Trump’s administration, said that “we believe the requirements are unnecessary and onerous and hope that the Pentagon will review the matter further.”

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the rules establish “common sense media procedures.”

“The policy does not ask for them to agree, just to acknowledge that they understand what our policy is,” Parnell said. “This has caused reporters to have a full blown meltdown, crying victim online. We stand by our policy because it’s what’s best for our troops and the national security of this country.”

Hegseth also reposted a question from a follower who asked, “Is this because they can’t roam the Pentagon freely? Do they believe they deserve unrestricted access to a highly classified military installation under the First Amendment?”

Hegseth answered, “yes.” Reporters say neither of those assertions is true.

Pentagon reporters say signing the statement amounts to admitting that reporting any information that hasn’t been government-approved is harming national security. “That’s simply not true,” said David Schulz, director of Yale University’s Media Freedom & Information Access Clinic.

Journalists have said they’ve long worn badges and don’t access classified areas, nor do they report information that risks putting any Americans in harm’s way.

“The Pentagon certainly has the right to make its own policies, within the constraints of the law,” the Pentagon Press Association said in a statement on Monday. “There is no need or justification, however, for it to require reporters to affirm their understanding of vague, likely unconstitutional policies as a precondition to reporting from Pentagon facilities.”

Noting that taxpayers pay nearly $1 trillion annually to the U.S. military, Times Washington bureau chief Richard Stevenson said “the public has a right to know how the government and military are operating.”

Trump has applied pressure on news organizations in several ways, with ABC News and CBS News settling lawsuits related to their coverage. Trump has also filed lawsuits against The New York Times and Wall Street Journal and moved to choke off funding for government-run services like the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

David Bauder writes about the media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social

NEW YORK (AP) — Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch was suspended for one game without pay by the NFL on Monday for unsportsmanlike conduct following a loss at Kansas City.

Branch punched Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on Sunday night, setting off a postgame melee.

“Your aggressive, non-football act was entirely unwarranted, posed a serious risk of injury, and clearly violated the standards of conduct and sportsmanship expected of NFL players,” Jon Runyan, league vice president of football operations, wrote in a letter to Branch. “Your conduct reflected poorly on the NFL and has no place in our game.”

Detroit (4-2) will host NFC South-leading Tampa Bay (5-1) without Branch, another blow for a team with a banged-up secondary.

Branch will be eligible to return to the active roster on Tuesday, Oct. 21, during the team’s bye week ahead of its home game against NFC North rival Minnesota on Nov. 2.

After Kansas City beat Detroit 30-17, quarterback Patrick Mahomes extended his hand toward Branch and the third-year pro walked past the superstar. Smith-Schuster then walked toward Branch. They exchanged a few words and Branch responded by throwing a right hook that knocked Smith-Schuster to the ground.

Smith-Schuster leapt to his feet and went after Branch. Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco tried to get between them, but Branch ripped Smith-Schuster’s helmet off as a slew of players converged on the scrum.

Smith-Schuster came away with a bloody nose.

“I did a little childish thing, but I’m tired of people doing stuff in between the play and refs don’t catch it,” Branch said after the game. “They be trying to bully me out there and I don’t — I shouldn’t have did it. It was childish.”

Branch was fined $23,186 for facemask and unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties against Green Bay last month.

“I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable, and it’s not going to be accepted here,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said Sunday night. “It’s not what we do. It’s not what we’re about. I apologized to coach (Andy) Reid and the Chiefs, and Smith-Schuster. That’s not OK. That’s not what we do here. It’s not going to be OK. He knows it. Our team knows it. That’s not what we do.”

Detroit drafted Branch out of Alabama in the second round in 2023 and he has been one of the franchise’s top players during its recent run of success. He was a Pro Bowl player last season after finishing fifth in voting for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year.

By JEANNE KUANG/CalMatters

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday signed a bill allowing a broad range of relatives to step in as children’s caregivers if their parents are deported, a measure that had provoked a firestorm of conservative criticism.

Assembly Bill 495 will also bar daycare providers from collecting immigration information about a child or their parents, and allow parents to nominate a temporary legal guardian for their child in family court.

“We are putting on record that we stand by our families and their right to keep their private information safe, maintain parental rights and help families prepare in case of emergencies,” Newsom said in a press release.

It was one of several measures the Democratic-dominated Legislature pushed this year in response to the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation crackdown in Los Angeles and across California. Newsom, a Democrat, signed several of those other bills — banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from wearing masks in the state and requiring schools and hospitals to require warrants when officers show up — in a ceremony in L.A. last month.

He left AB 495 undecided for weeks, prompting a flurry of advocacy by immigrants’ rights groups to secure Newsom’s signature in the face of intense pushback from conservative activists. The governor announced his decision the day before his deadline to sign or veto the over 800 bills lawmakers sent to his desk last month.

The most controversial aspect of the bill concerns an obscure, decades-old form called a caregiver’s authorization affidavit. Relatives of a child whose parents are temporarily unavailable, and with whom the child is living, can attest to being the child’s caregiver; the designation allows the adult to enroll the child in school, take them to the doctor and consent to medical and dental care.

The new law will broaden who is allowed to sign the caregiver affidavit, from more traditional definitions of relatives to any adult in the family who is “related to the child by blood, adoption, or affinity within the fifth degree of kinship,” which includes people like great aunts or cousins. Parents can cancel the caregiver designation, which is intended to be a temporary arrangement and does not give that person custody.

Proponents said parents at risk of deportation should get to choose someone trusted to care for their children if ICE detains them. Expanding who is eligible for the caregiver form, they said, gives immigrant parents more options because they may not have close relatives in the country but benefit from strong ties with extended family or informal community networks.

The legislation was backed by immigrants’ rights groups and children’s advocates such as the Alliance for Children’s Rights and First 5 California.

“I introduced this bill so children do not have to wonder what will happen to them if their parents are not able to pick them up from school,” bill author Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez, an Arleta Democrat, said at a recent press conference.

Critics claim strangers could get custody

But Republicans, the religious right and parental rights’ activists argued the bill would instead endanger children.

They claimed it would allow strangers to sign the affidavit and claim the child into their care. Hundreds of opponents showed up at the Capitol by busload to rally against the legislation, organized by Pastor Jack Hibbs of the Calvary Chapel Chino Hills megachurch, who called it “the most dangerous bill we’ve seen” in Sacramento. Some of the blowback stemmed from false claims that the bill would allow strangers to get custody of children to whom they’re not related.

Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, a San Diego Republican, called the legislation “a human trafficker’s dream.”

In an email, Greg Burton, vice president of the California Family Council, took issue with the fact that parents might not be there when the affidavit form is signed.

“What are parental rights?” he wrote. “These rights are nothing if someone else can claim them by simply signing a form.”

Over the summer Rodriguez narrowed the legislation to exclude “nonrelative extended family members” but it was not enough to quell the controversy. The legislation passed along party lines.

In comparison to a fairly progressive Legislature, the governor has often positioned himself as a moderating force on child custody and protection issues, which regularly galvanize conservative activists and put California Democrats on the defensive. In 2023 he vetoed a bill that would have required family court judges to consider a parent’s support of a child’s gender transition in custody disputes.

At a press conference last week where activists urged Newsom to sign the bill, Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrants’ Rights Los Angeles, asked the governor “to not listen to the lies, to not listen to all the other stuff that’s being said about this bill.”

Newsom, announcing his decision, quietly acknowledged the controversy in a press release. He included statements he said were “correcting the record” on mischaracterizations and said the new law does not change the fact that parental rights and legal guardianships must be decided by family court judges.

This story was originally published by CalMatters and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.

TORONTO (AP) — Mason Appleton scored the winner with 44.1 seconds left in regulation and Cam Talbot made 38 saves as the Detroit Red Wings survived a blown two-goal lead in the third period to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Monday.

Dylan Larkin and James van Riemsdyk had the other goals for Detroit, which picked up back-to-back victories over last season’s Atlantic Division champion.

Matthew Knies, with a goal and an assist, and Calle Jarnkrok replied for Toronto. Anthony Stolarz stopped 12 shots.

Detroit opened the scoring late in a sloppy first period when Larkin dug the puck out of a crowd and roofed a backhand on Stolarz just as a 5-on-3 power play expired. Van Riemsdyk then made it 2-0 early in the third on a partial breakaway, but Knies and Jarnkrok got Toronto back even before Appleton’s late heroics.

Fans at Scotiabank Arena were encouraged to stick around after the final buzzer to watch Game 2 of the American League Championship Series — happening just down the street at Rogers Centre — between the Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners on the videoboard above center ice.

Easton Cowan, selected 28th overall at the 2023 draft, made his NHL debut. He is viewed as the Leafs’ top prospect.

Up next

Red Wings: Host the Florida Panthers on Wednesday.

Maple Leafs: Host the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.

Sandy Alomar Sr., an All-Star infielder during his playing days in the 1960s and ’70s who went on to coach in the majors and manage in his native Puerto Rico, has died. He was 81.

A spokesperson for the Cleveland Guardians said Monday that the team was informed by Alomar’s family about his death. Sandy Alomar Jr., who along with Hall of Fame brother Roberto played for their father in winter ball and in the minors, is on the Guardians’ staff.

“Our thoughts are with the Alomar family today as the baseball community mourns his passing,” the Guardians said on social media.

Alomar broke into the big leagues in 1964 with the Milwaukee Braves, one of six teams he played for. He also spent time with the New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, California Angels, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers before calling it a career in 1978.

Known more for his speed and fielding than his hitting, Alomar batted .245 with 13 home runs and 282 RBIs in 1,481 regular-season games.

He was named an All-Star in 1970. He stole 227 bases, including a career-high 39 in 1971, when he led the American League with 689 at-bats and 739 plate appearances, and took part in one playoff series with the Yankees in ’76.

Alomar went into coaching in San Diego’s system in the ‘80s and was the Padres third-base coach from 1986-90. He coached for the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies and the Mets in the 2000s.

By GARY ROBERTSON, Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Republican legislative leaders announced plans Monday to vote next week on redrawing the state’s U.S. House district map, taking up President Donald Trump’s call to secure more GOP seats nationwide and resist rival moves by Democrats.

The push to retool already right-leaning boundaries for the ninth-largest state comes amid a major party battle spanning several states to revamp district lines to partisan advantage ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

North Carolina Republicans created a map in 2023 that resulted in GOP candidates winning 10 of the state’s 14 U.S. House seats in 2024. That compared to a 7-7 seat split between Democrats and the GOP under the map used in 2022.

Now only one of the House districts –- the 1st District currently represented by Democratic Rep. Don Davis –- is considered a true swing district and could be targeted by the GOP for an 11th seat. Davis won a second term last year by less than 2 percentage points, so shifting slightly portions of the district covering more than 20 northeastern counties could help a Republican candidate in a strong GOP year. But it could weaken districts held by GOP incumbents.

The state’s top Republican legislators said their planned action follows Trump’s “call urging legislatures across the country to take action to nullify Democrat redistricting efforts.” Davis wasn’t mentioned by name in their news release.

Trump “earned a clear mandate from the voters of North Carolina and the rest of the country, and we intend to defend it by drawing an additional Republican Congressional seat,” House Speaker Destin Hall said in the release. Trump has won North Carolina’s electoral votes all three times that he’s been on the presidential ballot.

But state House Democratic leader Robert Reives said Monday his GOP colleagues “are stealing a congressional district in order to shield themselves from accountability at the ballot box.”

Redistricting fight started in Texas, then spread

Trump kickstarted the national redistricting battle over the summer by urging Republican-led Texas to reshape its U.S. House districts so the GOP could win more seats next year. After overcoming a Democratic walkout, Texas lawmakers redrew the districts to give Republicans a shot at five more seats.

California Democrats reciprocated by passing their own redistricting plan aimed at helping their party win five additional seats, a plan needing voter approval in November to be implemented.

And lawmakers in Republican-led Missouri have approved revised U.S. House districts intended to help Republicans pick up an additional seat there. Other states also are considering redistricting, including Republican-led Indiana and Kansas.

Some North Carolina GOP lawmakers focused complaints Monday on California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who advanced his state’s redistricting effort.

“Picking up where Texas left off, we will hold votes in our October session to redraw North Carolina’s congressional map to ensure Gavin Newsom doesn’t decide the congressional majority,” Senate leader Phil Berger said.

Responding on X, Newsom called Berger “another lap dog Republican” and accused the GOP of “rigging elections and trying to cover it up with lies.”

Democratic governor lacks veto power on district lines

North Carolina lawmakers already had planned for a multiday session starting Oct. 20. Republicans hold majorities in both General Assembly chambers and redistricting plans aren’t subject to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s veto stamp. Candidate filing for 2026 is supposed to begin Dec. 1.

Addressing voters, Stein said in a statement that “shameless politicians are abusing their power to take away yours” with a redraw.

An intensely competitive midterm election looms in which Democrats need to gain just three seats to take control of the House. The president’s party historically has lost seats in midterm elections, something Trump is trying to avoid. A Democratic takeover could impede Trump’s agenda and lead to investigations of his actions, as occurred during his first term in office.

Litigation could alter, derail some map changes

If and how North Carolina legislators create a more favorable redraw may depend on pending litigation filed by the state NAACP, Common Cause and voters challenging several current congressional districts, including the one represented by Davis, one of three Black representatives from North Carolina. The plaintiffs accuse Republican lawmakers of racially discriminating against Black voters by splitting or packing their voting blocs to help GOP candidates win. The trial ended in July without an immediate ruling.

U.S. House districts typically are redrawn once a decade, after a census. But some states have no prohibition on doing it more frequently. And the U.S. Supreme Court has said there is no federal prohibition on political gerrymandering, in which districts are intentionally drawn to favor one party.

Opponents have filed lawsuits alleging Texas’ latest redistricting unconstitutionally dilutes the votes of minority residents and that Missouri’s mid-decade redistricting isn’t allowed under the state constitution. Meanwhile, Utah’s Republican-led Legislature recently endorsed an altered congressional map — though in response to a court order, not Trump’s demands.

This story has been corrected to show North Carolina’s 1st District covers more than 20 counties, not less than 20.

Associated Press writers David Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri and Isabella Volmert in Lansing, Michigan contributed to this report.

An 82-year-old Pontiac man died Oct. 10 from injuries he sustained four days earlier when he was hit by a truck while crossing the street, officials said.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office identified the man as Larry Gene Howard, and said he was struck by a 2012 Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck near the intersection of Walton Boulevard and Baldwin Avenue in Pontiac, shortly after 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 6.

A 68-year-old Pontiac man was driving the truck southbound on Baldwin Avenue and turning right onto Walton Boulevard when Howard was hit, the sheriff’s office said.

Howard was transported to an area hospital where he died Friday. The incident remains under investigation by the Crash Reconstruction Unit, the sheriff’s office said.

 

Tony Award-winning actor Barry Bostwick, alias Brad Majors from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” is going on a North American tour across 40 cities to celebrate the movie’s 50th anniversary.

Alongside co-stars Nell Campbell, alias Columbia, and Patricia Quinn, alias Magenta, Bostwick will appear at the Masonic Temple Theater in Detroit at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18. There will also be a live shadow-cast with Michigan Rocky Horror Preservation Society members, a memorabilia display and costume contest. The actors will speak about “Rocky Horror” and be available for a VIP Meet & Greet Experience. No outside props are permitted. However, every ticket purchased includes a bag of props.

“The crux of the evening is we’re just throwing a big party for those who want to come and witness what they remember from back in high school or college or if they’re a virgin to this whole phenomenon,” Bostwick said. “It’s an experience, a happening. It’s something that can’t be recreated. Every night we do it is different. Our job … is to continue that sense of party that you originally felt when you experienced it for the first time. We’re on our third generation of partygoers now; that’s a lot of beer in the bellies!”

Celebrations throughout metro Detroit mark ‘Rocky Horror’ 50th anniversary

Directed by Jim Sharman (who co-wrote the screenplay with creator Richard O’Brien), “Rocky Horror” blends comedy, parody, musical, horror and science-fiction, paying homage to low-budget 1950s-60s sci-fi and horror movies. It’s based on 1973’s musical stage production, “The Rocky Horror Show,” which O’Brien wrote.

“I’ve been a fan of this movie ever since we made it way back when. I continue to push its entertainment value. … It’s a one-off; it’s a phenomenon. It’ll never be recreated in the way that the fans created this entertainment. They really are the ones who made ‘Rocky Horror’ into what it is,” Bostwick said. “We just made a little movie in five weeks in 1974. When we left England in November of that year, it was like: ‘That was fun. That filled up a month-and-a-half of our lives. We sang good music and made some new friends.’”

“Rocky Horror” also stars future Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (“Thelma & Louise”) as Janet Weiss and Tim Curry (“Legend”) as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, who also originated this role onstage.

It begins with newly-engaged couple Brad and Janet, whose car breaks down. They walk to a nearby castle and meet mad scientist Frank-N-Furter, who creates his own Frankenstein’s Monster, the musclebound Rocky (Peter Hinwood). Subsequently, Frank-N-Furter seduces the couple. In the end, it’s revealed he’s an alien transvestite from the planet Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania.

Upon release, “Rocky Horror” received negative reviews. However, it became a hit on the midnight movie circuit. The screening of nonmainstream movies at midnight was aimed at building esoteric audiences, encouraging repeat viewing and social interaction. Fans began dressing up as the characters, spawning similar performance groups across the nation. Around the same time, fans began performing alongside the film and screaming back at the screen. Bostwick attributed its success to its legion of fans.

“I don’t think a lot of people were into it until it really took off on the midnight circuit,” Bostwick said. “I think the organic quality of how it became what it became is so special. Sal Piro was the first one to organize the audience into the party in which it became. Sal was always the host. He started the first fan clubs. He started working with 20th Century Fox to promote it, create the fanbase for it, and coalesce the fanbase worldwide. He published newsletters and wrote books about it. It’s him and the fans he was able to gather who created this entertainment.”

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” alumnus Anthony Stewart Head played Frank-N-Furter in the 1990 West End stage revival. He offered his insight into the phenomenon.

“The original (stage) show was a massive success and, initially, the movie didn’t do as well as they expected,” Head said. “Someone said they left space in the edit for the audiences to laugh, which made it (drag) out a bit. It was because the audience then came up with the idea of heckling and chanting in the gaps that made it such a ‘live show’ film, and people would see it over and over. That then transferred back into the stage show, and the audience chanted and threw things onto the stage, (making) it a ‘Rocky Horror’ ‘community’ experience.”

Bostwick’s musical theater background on Broadway landed him “Rocky Horror.” He praised Curry, who had a stroke in 2012, calling him a consummate professional.

“Tim just blew the walls down! I wanted to work with him because he was such a phenomenon. When they offered it to Susan and me, it was a no-brainer. Who wouldn’t want to work with Tim and who wouldn’t want to be in something that was colorful, weird, and really different for the time? It propelled my musical career further than if I was just a guy on the Bowery, which I was just a guy on the Bowery, but I actually had some work behind me.”

Bostwick continued: “Tim had the grounded, sorta over-the-top wit that character needed with the undercurrent of evil, which that character had. Because he was such a good actor, there were so many layers to the character. I was a witness to this amazing creature that interacted with Susan and I on a daily basis making the film. At the same time, I knew Tim was a gentleman, a kind and compassionate human being, and not that character, who was weird and evil. I hope he continues to share his wit, sense of humor, and talents with the world – even though he’s been ill for many years now.”

Head also praised Curry.

“I loved Tim Curry’s manifestation of the character, both dark and funny,” Head said. “I will never get over the original live show; his performance was a real game-changer. You loved him and hated him at the same time. This should also be attributed to (O’Brien’s) creation of the character within the extraordinary story. The movie was a great translation of that, and we see deeper inside all of them, especially Tim’s Frank-N-Furter.”

Bostwick pointed out it’s the longest, continuous-running movie in film history because it’s always playing in movie theaters somewhere every week.

“It’s something when people say if we’d know that it would have the legs it would have, you have to say 'no' because this kind of entertainment didn’t exist – where the audience came in and threw stuff and yelled stuff and acted out the characters. And they still do!” he said. “I can only say it happened because of the fans. It happened simply because of the audience who wanted to act up, act out, and have an evening in the theater that they controlled with their enthusiasm and drunkenness.”

If you go

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at the Masonic Temple Theater, 500 Temple St., Detroit. Actors Barry Bostwick, Nell Campbell, and Patricia Quinn will appear at the screening at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18. The event will run for about 2 hours and 10 minutes. No outside props allowed. Due to its content, viewer discretion is advised. Ticket prices range from $73-$301. Call 313-548-1320 or visit themasonic.com.

The Oct. 18 event at the Masonic Temple Theater in Detroit with actors Barry Bostwick, Nell Campbell and Patricia Quinn isn’t the only way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

So come on up to the lab and see what’s on the slab.

Barry Bostwick to appear with ‘Rocky Horror’ co-stars in Detroit to celebrate film’s 50th anniversary

The Michigan Rocky Horror Preservation Society, a live performance group dedicated to the preservation of audience participation of “Rocky Horror,” hosts screenings of the 1975 cult classic twice a month in Wayne.

There will also be “The Rocky Horror Show Live” at the Redford in Detroit the weekend of Nov. 7-8.

“Our cast isn’t affiliated with the performance at the Redford, but we are all very excited to go see that cast! It’s not that often that the live musical is produced around (metro Detroit), so it’s a treat to go see,” said Isabella Levitt of Bingham Farms.

Levitt, an alumna of Groves High School in Birmingham and Oakland University, has been a member of the MiRHPS since 2021. She’s portrayed Janet onstage, among other characters.

“The mission of MiRHPS is to create a safe and productive space for folks to indulge in their passion and participate in keeping a queer legacy of 50 years alive,” she said. “Between hearing about the movie for the first time and attending a screening, I showed the movie to as many people as I could and became fascinated by its place in queer culture. I attended my first show and continued to be an audience member until I was 21, when I joined MiRHPS.”

At first, Levitt was adamant she wouldn’t get onstage. She was fine helping behind the scenes. However, an emergency arose, and she stepped in to play Janet at the last minute.

“The rest is history, but that moment did change my life in so many ways,” Levitt said. “Shadow-casting is just so much fun! (Actor) Sal Piro started the shadow-casting tradition shortly after the film was released, and the ability to jump onstage and transform into someone else, to express yourself entirely freely in an accepting space is something that will always be needed, especially in the queer community. For many shadow-casters, it isn't even about the movie anymore. As much as I love the movie, I continue to come back because of the love I have for preserving queer culture and the love I have for my chosen family.”

She’s looking forward to performing with her fellow MiRHPS members when Bostwick, Campbell and Quinn come to Detroit.

“We've performed with Barry and Pat in the past,” Levitt said. “We will have the pleasure of meeting them before the show, as well.”

Created by Richard O’Brien, “Rocky Horror” began as a musical in 1973, spoofing low-budget science-fiction and B-horror movies. Bostwick, Susan Sarandon and Tim Curry starred in the movie. Curry played mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the role he originated onstage and the franchise’s most popular character.

“There’s not a lot of words to describe Curry’s performance other than iconic,” Levitt said. “His voice and presence on the screen make it difficult to look at anyone or anything else. He captures your attention and never lets go. It never gets old to watch.”

Anthony Stewart Head, alias Rupert Giles on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” portrayed Frank-N-Furter onstage in the 1990 West End revival. He saw the stage version when it debuted in 1973 at the King’s Road Theatre in London, calling Curry’s performance a “real game-changer.” Yet Head made the role his own.

“I felt Frank-N-Furter growing inside of me, his voice in my head – different from everyone else who’d played him. It was quite bizarre. I felt truly connected to him,” recalled Head. “When (designer) Sue Blane and I talked about how I wanted to look, I said I’d always thought of having high heels than the platform shoes that he normally wore because I wanted to be very active. The platforms were very fashionable in the 1970s … but I felt they were a bit clunky for me. I also changed the hospital gown he appears in when he unleashes Rocky; there’s a bunch of classic B-horror pic references, which I thought might be enhanced by being dressed as a 1940s nurse. I also thought about wearing a wig because my hair was short … but would that fit, being wigged up? Then I suddenly thought of him actually wearing one himself and removing it in his apparently emotional moment when he sings, ‘I’m Going Home.’”

One of the most flattering things to happen to Head was when two friends saw his performance and didn’t realize it was him onstage until 20 minutes into the show.

“Once they had, they couldn’t believe I could be so unpleasant,” he said. “Watching the show online … takes my breath away at how I legged it around and all over the stage. I had memories of being active, but seeing it manifest itself in reality leaves me speechless. I couldn’t do it now. I think I’d rather leave it out there in people’s minds – very glad to.”

Head spoke about if Giles and Frank-N-Furter were to meet.

“First, would he be attracted to him? Maybe not, but Frank-N-Furter might find a way to deceive him. I wonder if they would stretch back to when Giles was Ripper (his dark side). I definitely think he’d like him, but wouldn’t trust him. Maybe he’d think he was a sexy, songful demon,” offered Head. “I’ve been so lucky to have been part of so many iconic shows, the last being ‘Ted Lasso.’ They live in my heart, and I do not take any of it for granted. I grew both Giles and Frank-N-Furter from within me. I sensed them there and ultimately let them be heard. It’s wonderful to be a part of two shows that people have told me changed their lives.”

Both Head and Bostwick offered their advice to actors performing “Rocky Horror” onstage.

“Do what Chris Malcolm (the original Brad) advised me to do in response to audience heckles: Write down a bunch of responses. I gathered a bunch of one-liners from all sorts of places, (including) a few from Rhea Perlman on ‘Cheers,’” Head said.

“They have to be grounded in reality with the characters. It’s not a comic book. That’s the mistake they make; they go out there and put a joke on top of a joke,” explained Bostwick. “It’s not as much fun if these people aren’t serious about who they are and where they are, even though the setting is absurd, their characters are not absurd.”

If you go

The Michigan Rocky Horror Preservation Society hosts “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” with a live cast on the second and fourth Saturday of each month at Phoenix State Wayne Theater, 35310 W. Michigan Ave., Wayne. Doors open at 11:15 p.m. Tickets cost $10 and $5 for a bag of props. No outside props allowed. Viewer discretion is advised. For questions or more information, contact michiganrhps@gmail.com.

“The Rocky Horror Show Live” will be at the Redford Theatre, 17360 Lahser Road, Detroit, at 8 p.m. Nov. 7 and 3 and 8 p.m. Nov. 8. Tickets cost $25, which includes a bag of props. No outside props allowed. Viewer discretion is advised. For questions or more information, contact 313-537-2560 or visit redfordtheatre.com.

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE and CHRIS MEGERIAN, Associated Press

SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — President Donald Trump arrived in Egypt on Monday for a global summit on Gaza’s future as he tries to advance peace in the Middle East after visiting Israel to celebrate a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Hamas.

The whirlwind trip, which included a speech at the Knesset in Jerusalem earlier in the day, comes at a fragile moment of hope for ending two years of war between Israel and Hamas.

More than two dozen countries are expected to be represented at the summit, which Trump is hosting along with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited but declined, with his office saying it was too close to a Jewish holiday.

Despite unanswered questions about next steps in Gaza, which has been devastated during the conflict, Trump is determined to seize an opportunity to chase an elusive regional harmony.

“You’ve won,” he told Israeli lawmakers at the Knesset, which welcomed him as a hero. “Now it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”

Trump promised to help rebuild Gaza, and he urged Palestinians to “turn forever from the path of terror and violence.”

“After tremendous pain and death and hardship,” he said, “now is the time to concentrate on building their people up instead of trying to tear Israel down.”

Trump even made a gesture to Iran, where he bombed three nuclear sites during the country’s brief war with Israel earlier this year, by saying “the hand of friendship and cooperation is always open.”

Trump is on a whirlwind trip to Middle East

Trump arrived in Egypt hours late because speeches at the Knesset continued longer than expected.

“They might not be there by the time I get there, but we’ll give it a shot,” Trump joked after needling Israeli leaders for talking so much.

Twenty hostages were released Monday as part of an agreement intended to end the war that began on Oct. 7, 2023, with a terrorist attack by Hamas. Trump talked with some of their families at the Knesset.

“Your name will be remembered to generations,” a woman told him.

Israeli lawmakers chanted Trump’s name and gave him standing ovation after standing ovation. Some people in the audience wore red hats that resembled his “Make America Great Again” caps, although these versions said “Trump, The Peace President.”

Netanyahu hailed Trump as “the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House,” and he promised to work with him going forward.

“Mr. President, you are committed to this peace. I am committed to this peace,” he said. “And together, Mr. President, we will achieve this peace.”

Trump, in an unexpected detour during his speech, called on the Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu, whom he described as “one of the greatest” wartime leaders. Netanyahu faces corruption charges, although several hearings have been postponed during the conflict with Hamas.

The Republican president also used the opportunity to settle political scores and thank his supporters, criticizing Democratic predecessors and praising a top donor, Miriam Adelson, in the audience.

Trump pushes to reshape the region

The moment remains fragile, with Israel and Hamas still in the early stages of implementing the first phase of Trump’s plan.

The first phase of the ceasefire agreement calls for the release of the final hostages held by Hamas; the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel; a surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza; and a partial pullback by Israeli forces from Gaza’s main cities.

Trump has said there’s a window to reshape the region and reset long-fraught relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

“The war is over, OK?” Trump told reporters traveling with him aboard Air Force One.

“I think people are tired of it,” he said, emphasizing that he believed the ceasefire would hold because of that.

He said the chance of peace was enabled by his Republican administration’s support of Israel’s decimation of Iranian proxies, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The White House said momentum is also building because Arab and Muslim states are demonstrating a renewed focus on resolving the broader, decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, in some cases, deepening relations with the United States.

In February, Trump had predicted that Gaza could be redeveloped into what he called “the Riviera of the Middle East.” But on Sunday aboard Air Force One, he was more circumspect.

“I don’t know about the Riviera for a while,” Trump said. “It’s blasted. This is like a demolition site.” But he said he hoped to one day visit the territory. “I’d like to put my feet on it, at least,” he said.

The sides have not agreed on Gaza’s postwar governance, the territory’s reconstruction and Israel’s demand that Hamas disarm. Negotiations over those issues could break down, and Israel has hinted it may resume military operations if its demands are not met.

Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble, and the territory’s roughly 2 million residents continue to struggle in desperate conditions. Under the deal, Israel agreed to reopen five border crossings, which will help ease the flow of food and other supplies into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.

Roughly 200 U.S. troops will help support and monitor the ceasefire deal as part of a team that includes partner nations, nongovernmental organizations and private-sector players.

Megerian reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Will Weissert in Washington contributed to this report.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s been nearly three years since the Detroit Lions lost consecutive regular-season games, a testament to the resiliency and mental fortitude head coach Dan Campbell has hammered into a roster that’s 39-11 over its last 50 contests.

That streak will soon be put to the test.

The Lions, following a 30-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, are hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for “Monday Night Football” in Week 7. The Buccaneers, sitting atop the NFC after six weeks, are winners of two straight. They own a 5-1 record, tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the NFL’s best.

If you believe what the Lions say, and if you believe in what they’ve accomplished over the last 36 months, don’t expect Sunday’s result at Arrowhead Stadium to linger into next week’s matchup with the Bucs.

“I mean, we’re men. We’re going to show up to work, we’re going to collect the film and we’re going to get back to work,” defensive tackle DJ Reader said. “I don’t think anybody on this team’s going to hang their head. I mean, s—, we’re 4-2. The sky’s not falling out of the air. … You’re 4-2, you’re still at the top of your conference. You just lost a game to a good team.”

Reader described Detroit’s loss to Kansas City as “frustrating,” and he rejected a notion that the Lions weren’t as focused as they typically are.

“We just got beat today, that’s just what it came down to. We didn’t respond well to all the adversity that was out there,” Reader said.

The Lions struggled in the biggest moments Sunday. The Chiefs converted two of their three fourth-down attempts. The Lions, meanwhile, went 0-for-2, including an atypical drop from receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown on fourth-and-short. Had the Lions converted, they could’ve built their lead going into halftime. Instead, the Chiefs took advantage by scoring a go-ahead touchdown before the break.

One of Kansas City’s fourth-down conversions was a 6-yard touchdown catch from Xavier Worthy, who beat cornerback Amik Robertson to the flat. Robertson tried to jam Worthy at the line of scrimmage, but the receiver evaded the contact, causing Robertson to lose his balance.

“At the end of the day, man, we’re not about to hold our heads down,” Robertson said. “We’re what, 4-2? It’ll be all right, man. Twenty-four-hour rule, get back to the drawing board. Like I always say, next game is the most important.”

St. Brown said bouncing back quickly from a loss is “mandatory” for the Lions, who hope they can respond in Week 7 like they did in Week 2, when they clobbered the Chicago Bears at home after opening the season with a troubling loss at the Green Bay Packers.

“We will watch the film and we will clean this stuff up. We’re going to have to,” Campbell said. “Tampa Bay is coming in and they’re a good football team. We’re going to have to be ready. … These only get harder and harder as you go. They are more meaningful every game that we go. I go back to this: Maybe we needed this.

“Maybe we needed to get kicked around a little bit, because that’s what happened.”

By FAY ABULGASIM and SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press

SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — The U.S. and Egyptian presidents are chairing a gathering of world leaders dubbed “Summit for Peace” on Monday to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal.

Israel and Hamas have no direct contacts and were not expected to attend Monday’s summit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not travel to the venue because of a Jewish holiday, his office said. President Donald Trump headed to Egypt after a stop in Israel.

Israel has rejected any role in Gaza for the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, whose leader, Mahmoud Abbas, arrived in the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday afternoon, ahead of the gathering.

The summit comes as Hamas released 20 remaining living Israeli hostages and Israel started to free hundreds of Palestinians from its prisons, crucial steps under the ceasefire that began on Friday.

But major questions remain unanswered over what happens next, raising the risk of a slide back into war — even as the world pushes for peace.

A new page

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi’s office said the summit aims to “end the war” in Gaza and “usher in a new page of peace and regional stability” in line with Trump’s vision.

In Israel, Trump urged the country’s lawmakers to work toward peace. To the Palestinians, he said it was time to concentrate on building.

Israel and Hamas came under pressure from the United States, Arab countries and Turkey to agree on the ceasefire’s first phase negotiated in Qatar, through mediators.

Ahead of the gathering, Egypt’s foreign minister said it was also crucial that Israel and Hamas fully implement the first phase of the deal so that the parties, with international backing, can begin negotiations on the second phase.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the success of Trump’s vision for Mideast peace will depend on his continued commitment to the process, including applying pressure on the parties, engagement and “even deployment on the ground,” with international forces expected to carry out peacekeeping duties in the next phase.

“We need American engagement, even deployment on the ground, to identify the mission, task and mandate of this force,” Abdelatty told The Associated Press.

Directly tackling the remaining issues in depth is unlikely at the gathering, expected to last about two hours. El-Sissi and Trump are expected to issue a joint statement after it ends.

Under the first phase, Israeli troops pulled back from some parts of Gaza, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza to return home from areas they were forced to evacuate. Aid groups are preparing to bring in large quantities of aid kept out of the territory for months.

Critical challenges ahead

The next phase of the deal will have to tackle disarming Hamas, creating a post-war government for Gaza and the extent of Israel’s withdrawal from the territory. Trump’s plan also stipulates that regional and international partners will work to develop the core of a new Palestinian security force.

Abdelatty said the international force needs a U.N. Security Council resolution to endorse its deployment and mandate as a peacekeeping force.

He said Hamas will have no role in the transitional period in Gaza. A 15-member committee of Palestinian technocrats, with no affiliation to any Palestinian factions and vetted by Israel, will govern day to day affairs in Gaza. The committee would receive support and supervision from the “Board of Peace” proposed by Trump to oversee the implementation of the phases of his plan, Abdelatty said.

“We are counting on Trump to keep the implementation of this plan for all its phases,” he told AP.

Another major issue is raising funds for rebuilding Gaza. The World Bank, and Egypt’s postwar plan, estimate reconstruction and recovery needs in Gaza at $53 billion. Egypt plans to host a future reconstruction conference.

A state function

The summit in Egypt is likely to see world leaders praise Trump’s push for the ceasefire. For his part, el-Sissi is almost certainly relieved that plans to depopulate the Gaza Strip have been ditched.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani are attending. Turkey, which hosted Hamas political leaders for years, played a key role in bringing about the ceasefire agreement.

King Abdullah of Jordan is in Sharm el-Sheikh. His country, alongside Egypt, will train the new Palestinian security force.

Germany, one of Israel’s strongest international backers and top suppliers of military equipment, plans to be represented by Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He has expressed concern over Israel’s conduct of the war and its plan for a military takeover of Gaza.

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who also is attending, has he said will pledge 27 million dollars to help provide water and sanitation for Gaza and that Britain will host a three-day conference on Gaza’s reconstruction and recovery. Speaking in Egypt, Starmer said Britain was ready to “play its full part” in ensuring that the current ceasefire results in a lasting peace.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, European Union President António Costa and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also are attending.

Iran, a main backer of Hamas, is not attending the summit in Egypt as the Islamic Republic finds itself at one of its weakest moments since its 1979 revolution. Iranian officials have portrayed the ceasefire deal as a victory for Hamas.

The deal, however, has underlined Iran’s waning influence in the region and revived concerns over possible renewed conflict with Israel as Iran still struggles to recover from the 12-day war in June.

The venue

Sharm el-Sheikh, the Red Sea resort at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula, has been host to many peace negotiations in the past decades.

The town was briefly occupied by Israel for a year in 1956. After Israel withdrew, a United Nations peacekeeping force was stationed there until 1967, when Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser ordered the peacekeepers to leave, a move that precipitated the Six-Day War that year.

Sharm el-Sheikh and the rest of the Sinai Peninsula were returned to Egypt in 1982, following a 1979 peace treaty with Israel.

Though now more known for luxury beach resorts, dive sites and desert tours, Sharm el-Sheikh has also hosted many peace summits and rounds of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians under President Hosni Mubarak, ousted in 2011, as well as other international conferences.

Monday’s gathering is the first peace summit under el-Sissi.

El Deeb contributed from Cairo.

By Richard Silva, The Detroit News

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Richard Silva grades the Detroit Lions in their 30-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on “Sunday Night Football.”

Quarterback

Conventional wisdom says to ascribe blame to a quarterback when his offense musters only 17 points. But Jared Goff was his usual self, completing 79.3% of his throws for 203 yards and two touchdowns, and he protected the ball throughout. Two of his six incompletions were drops (we’ll get to one of those momentarily). Goff also made some difference-making throws, finding tight end Sam LaPorta over the middle for 26 yards four plays before he did the same to receiver Jameson Williams, hitting the speedster for a 22-yard touchdown. The pocket was closing in on both plays. It didn’t matter for Goff, who stayed patient and hung onto the ball long enough for his pass-catchers to come open. Goff didn’t produce off-script moments like Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, but he was far from the issue Sunday night. Grade: B

Running backs

There appeared to be some success for Jahmyr Gibbs early on — five of his first seven rushes went for four or more yards, and he had a 3-yarder to move the chains on third-and-short — but his final tally as a runner (65 yards on 17 carries) wasn’t as prolific as you’d hope, given the hot start. David Montgomery was curiously only given four carries and six total touches, a development we’ll discuss further in the coaching section. Montgomery chipped in most of his yards through the air, catching two passes for 37 yards. He was pivotal in getting the Lions down the field and into the end zone on their third-to-last drive, when the game was still within reach. Grade: B-

Wide receivers/tight ends

It feels unfair to criticize Amon-Ra St. Brown too heavily for his uncharacteristic drop in the second quarter, but it’s difficult to ignore the play’s magnitude. The Lions were driving and had a chance to extend their lead going into halftime, but St. Brown couldn’t corral a slightly low pass on fourth down, allowing the Chiefs to take over possession near midfield and later score, taking a lead they’d never give back. It’s worth mentioning Williams, who got back on track with his first touchdown since Week 2 (he was Detroit’s leading receiver, with 66 yards), and LaPorta, who snagged a wildly impressive touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The grade here is going to take a slight hit due to shoddy screen-pass blocking that killed the Lions’ first drive of the second half. Grade: B

Offensive line

The offensive line did an impressive job protecting Goff from Kansas City’s pass rush, especially defensive tackle Chris Jones and edge defender George Karlaftis; Goff was sacked once (by Charles Omenihu), but it came late, and in an obvious passing situation. The O-line was not as successful paving running lanes for Gibbs, who averaged a modest 3.8 yards per carry. That’s a passable average, but well below expectations for Gibbs, who had a 4.6 average heading into Sunday. It was especially disappointing versus a Chiefs defense that had been struggling against the run. From Weeks 1-5, Kansas City allowed 4.8 yards per rush on the season, the sixth-worst average in the NFL. Grade: C+

Defensive line

Rookie left tackle Josh Simmons was a late scratch for the Chiefs, and yet Kansas City’s offensive line kept Detroit’s pass rush mostly in check. Aidan Hutchinson pulled his weight by recording a sack in his fifth straight game — setting a new franchise record, by the way — when he stripped Mahomes in the second quarter, but he let Mahomes out of his grasp on a play in the first half, leading to a 20-yard gain for Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, and he had a costly roughing the passer infraction in the fourth quarter. Al-Quadin Muhammad was the only other defensive lineman to sack Mahomes and it came with less than three minutes remaining. Grade: C+

Linebackers

Run defense falls within the defensive line’s scope, of course, but linebackers also are part of the equation. The Lions weren’t horrendous in slowing Isiah Pacheco, but they allowed the running back to post a season-high 51 rushing yards on 12 attempts. Considering the opponent (Mahomes is Kansas City’s leading rusher on the season), the Lions fell below their elite standards. Also of note: Jack Campbell missed at least two tackles, per Pro Football Focus’ live tracking data. He had two missed tackles total entering Sunday. Grade: C

Secondary

The Lions are down starters D.J. Reed and Terrion Arnold, and their absences were clearly felt against the Chiefs. Mahomes finished 22-for-30 for 257 yards and three touchdowns. His most popular target was Travis Kelce, who snagged six passes, including a third-down conversion while working against practice-squad call-up Arthur Maulet. Kelce also drew an impactful pass interference call against Rock Ya-Sin, putting the Chiefs in the red zone before his 17-yard catch placed them at the 1-yard line. Xavier Worthy scored because Amik Robertson missed his jam at the line of scrimmage, and Brown’s second TD was the result of miscommunication on the back end. Shout-out to defensive back Thomas Harper for having a pass breakup on fourth down. Grade: D+

Special teams

Punter Jack Fox did a solid job — Kansas City was forced to start drives on its own 7- and 11-yard lines due to a pair of Fox’s boots — but the Lions lost some of their advantage in the field-position battle when returning kickoffs. The Chiefs kicked the ball off to Craig Reynolds five times. He averaged 23.6 yards per return, a rate not good enough when the touchback comes out to the 35-yard line. Whether the fault is on the blocking or poor running from Reynolds, the Lions would benefit from being more explosive. Jake Bates was true on his one field goal attempt, which came from 28 yards out. Grade: C+

Coaching

Some of the offensive play-calling and personnel usage was curious. Namely, Montgomery’s lack of opportunity and back-to-back screen passes early in the second half. Neither play worked because there were missed blocks, but the calls were uninspiring, and perhaps telegraphed on second- and third-and-long. Defensively, Kansas City’s quick passing game was devastating, as nearly 70% of Mahomes’ passing yards came after the catch. The Lions never seemed to adjust. And if they did, it was ineffective. Grade: C

DETROIT ― When Kyle Finnegan was traded to the Tigers from the Washington Nationals on July 31, he brought with him a pedestrian 4.38 ERA and 1.282 WHIP. Understandably, the move didn’t have Tigers fans jumping all around.

But Tigers fans would probably welcome Finnegan, a free-agent-to-be, back for 2026.

After the trade, Finnegan was one of the Tigers’ most-consistent relievers, pitching in leverage situations and posting 1.50 ERA and 0.722 WHIP in 16 games in August and September. The veteran right-hander, 34, is a free agent this offseason, and he would welcome a return the team that helped him right the ship.

“You never know what the season has in store for you,” Finnegan said last Friday, following the Tigers’ season-ending loss in Seattle in the American League Division Series. “And, you know, getting traded over here I think was big for me. I think, you know, I unlocked a lot of things that will help me moving forward in my career. And that’s a testament to the people that this organization has.

“I can’t say enough about the staff and the players, and, just top to bottom, it was a first-class experience, and I was really happy to be a small part of it.

“I loved every second of my time here. And, you know, hopefully the feeling is mutual.”

In two months with the Tigers, Finnegan’s WAR was 0.8, per Baseball-Reference. His best WAR over a full season, in his first five major-league seasons, was 1.0. Pro-rated for a full season, Finnegan’s WAR with Detroit would’ve made him the team’s second-most-valuable pitcher, behind ace Tarik Skubal.

The Tigers saw Finnegan throw against them in Washington in early July, and he pitched back-to-back scoreless, hitless innings. A month later, they traded for him to help patch a leaky bullpen.

In 12 appearances in August, Finnegan didn’t allow a run. He struck out 19 in 14.1 innings, and saved three games.

But in early August, Finnegan landed on the injured list with a right adductor strain. Interestingly, he threw 14.1 innings in August, the most he’s ever thrown in a calendar month in the major leagues. He was out for nearly three weeks, and in his first appearance after his return, he allowed his first run with the Tigers.

Finnegan allowed a run in six of his last 10 appearances this season, including a run in three of the games against the Mariners, including the 3-2, 15-inning loss in the winner-take-all Game 5.

Finnegan was asked after Friday night’s game if he was fully healthy when he returned from injury, and he said he was.

“I felt good physically,” Finnegan said. “You know, I was on a pretty good roll (before the IL). And I think, you know, the injury kind of slowed the momentum, maybe a little bit. But I felt like I threw the ball pretty well all year.

“And, you know, happy with the season that I had.”

With the Tigers in the regular season, Finnegan allowed 4.5 hits per nine innings (down from 8.3 this season with the Nationals) and 2.0 walks per nine (down from 3.2), while striking out 11.5 per nine (up from 7.4). Finnegan this year credited the Tigers for increasing his splitter usage in strikeout situations.

Finnegan is likely heading for a raise from the $5.38-million contract he signed with the Nationals for 2025. Other free agents include trade-deadline pickup Rafael Montero and winter signing Tommy Kahnle, neither of whom would is a major priority from the Tigers. Will Vest, the bullpen leader, is arbitration-eligible, as is lefty Tyler Holton.

The Tigers’ bullpen was, by many measurements, middle of the pack in Major League Baseball this season, but Detroit’s bullpen was near the bottom of baseball in strikeouts.

One third of the NFL season has elapsed, and unless you’re the New York Jets, roughly nothing has been settled. At most, Week 6 will end with six one-loss teams. The only division leader with a lead of more than one game is the Pittsburgh Steelers, who at 4-1 stand head and shoulders above the disappointing NFC North. The next 11 weeks should be a wild ride.

Here is what to know:

 

Beware of the Seahawks

One early theme this season is that no truly dominant team has emerged. Don’t be surprised if the Seattle Seahawks eventually stake their claim. The Seahawks beat the Jaguars, 20-12, in Jacksonville to improve to 4-2, and the victory carried the hallmarks of what makes Seattle a potential sleeping giant.

Seattle’s ferocious defensive line can take over any game. Its depth – Leonard Williams, DeMarcus Lawrence, Uchenna Nwosu, Byron Murphy II, Boye Mafe and others – sets it apart. Coach Mike Macdonald’s creative simulated pressures give offensive lines nightmare. The Seahawks hit Trevor Lawrence an absurd 17 times Sunday and registered seven sacks.

No wideout is playing better than Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who leads the NFL with 696 receiving yards. He caught another eight passes for 162 yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville. He has the body type and quickness of a slot receiver, but Smith-Njigba does his damage downfield: He entered Sunday second in the NFL behind Indianapolis’s Alec Pierce in yards per target.

He’s catching passes from Sam Darnold, who seems like a perfect conductor of new coordinator Klint Kubiak’s play-action heavy offense. Since the start of last season, Darnold is 18-5.

In both of Seattle’s losses this year, the Seahawks’ opponent scored go-ahead points with less than two minutes remaining. The Seahawks rarely get mentioned as an elite team, but they are playing like it.

Drake Maye’s breakout continues

One week after Drake Maye beat Josh Allen in Buffalo, he exploded in New Orleans for 261 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 25-19 victory for the New England Patriots. At 4-2, just a half-game behind the Bills in the AFC East, the Patriots have already matched their win total from both 2023 and 2024. The difference between misery and contention has been Maye, the third overall pick last year.

What stands out about Maye is his ability to mix accuracy and playmaking. Maye flicked darts downfield on the run, zipped passes from the pocket and scrambled to find open wideouts and gain yards. He converted a procession of third and longs.

The Saints defense offered little resistance and allowed receivers to roam free, but Maye was still one of the most impressive players of the day. His stat line would have been outrageous if not for two bizarre, suspect offensive pass interference flags that wiped out massive gains. It was a rough day for Adrian Hill’s officiating crew.

Maye entered Week 6 second in completion percentage and fifth in passing yards. His production, playmaking and poise have put him on track to become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, maybe sooner than later.

What’s gotten into Rico Dowdle?

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle’s 200-yard rushing game last week seemed like one of the great random stat lines of the season. After his performance Sunday in a 30-27 walk-off victory against the Dallas Cowboys it doesn’t seem quite as random.

Dowdle exploited his former team’s dismal defense with 183 rushing yards on 30 carries, plus four catches for a team-high 56 receiving yards. In the past two weeks, Dowdle has rushed for 389 yards. In his previous 56 career games, he ran for 1,547.

Dowdle surpassed 1,000 rushing yards last year for the Cowboys, who showed tepid interest in bringing him back. He began the year as a secondary back behind Chuba Hubbard, but Hubbard’s injury opened a path for him. He has taken advantage with two monster games. During the week, Dowdle warned that the Cowboys needed to buckle their chinstraps to play him. Then he went out and ran all over them.

Bo Nix is not making the leap

The Denver Broncos avoided disaster and escaped London with a 13-11 victory over the New York Jets, the NFL’s lone winless team, in a hideous game that may have set back United States-England relations. The Broncos remained clumped among the AFC’s best teams at 4-2, but they head home with diminished reason for confidence that quarterback Bo Nix can be the driving force behind a genuine contender.

As a rookie, Nix exceeded expectations and led Denver to the playoffs. Through six games, though, Nix has not progressed in his second season. Specifically, Nix remains unable to produce explosive plays to an extent that it places a hard ceiling on his ability. Nix’s average completion has sailed 3.6 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, second-lowest in the NFL, just ahead of Aaron Rodgers. Against the Jets, it was only 3.1. Against a defense that has spewed big plays, the Broncos managed one play longer than 17 yards.

Nix entered the league as a 24-year-old rookie after six seasons in college. He may be only in his second season, but he’s closer to being a finished product than most quarterbacks of his NFL experience. With their excellent defense and strong offensive line, the Broncos don’t need Nix to be a pyrotechnic passer. Nix remains first class at avoiding negative plays. But the Broncos need more explosive plays in the passing game to compete against the likes of Buffalo and Kansas City in the AFC.

Kyler Murray’s absence showed his shortcomings

What does it say that the Arizona Cardinals had their best offensive game of the season with Kyler Murray sidelined with a foot injury? That’s a question the Cardinals will have to grapple with after their 31-27 loss against the Indianapolis Colts, which ended with the Cardinals inside the Colts’ 10-yard line, threatening to score a game-winning touchdown inside the final minute.

Backup Jacoby Brissett passed for 320 yards, a total Murray has surpassed four times since 2020. Even with top wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. sidelined for most of the game with a concussion, the Cardinals’ offense functioned better with a journeyman backup at the controls than it has this year with Murray.

It’s not just a statistical comparison. Murray, 28, is an irrepressible playmaker, but his inconsistency managing the offense leads to persistent lulls. His speed and quickness allows him to conjure magic. His lack of height limits what the Cardinals can do in the passing game.

The Cardinals are financially wedded to Murray – his dead cap hit for next season is $57 million. Where does that leave them? Murray still has no playoff victories, and with the Cardinals at 2-4 it seems unlikely his first will come this season. The way the Cardinals played without him Sunday hints at uneasy questions Arizona should be asking itself.