DETROIT (AP) — Bo Bichette’s two-run single broke a scoreless tie in the eighth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the slumping Detroit Tigers 6-1 on Saturday night.

Nathan Lukes, George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered in a four-run ninth as the Blue Jays won their fourth in a row and increased their AL East lead to 6 1/2 games over the New York Yankees.

The Tigers have lost six straight and 12 of 13, but still hold a comfortable lead in the AL Central. They’ve scored only 33 runs during that stretch (2.5 per game) and were held to a pair of Jake Rogers singles on Saturday.

Four Toronto pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts and one walk. The Blue Jays are 8-1 since the All-Star break and have won 21 of 26 overall.

Riley Greene’s ninth-inning groundout plated Detroit’s only run.

Tarik Skubal allowed five hits in six scoreless innings for the Tigers. He walked three and struck out seven.

Toronto starter Kevin Gausman permitted one hit and one walk in six shutout innings, striking out 10.

Braydon Fisher (4-0) pitched a perfect seventh for the win.

Detroit threw out a runner at the plate on an unusual play in the sixth. With the bases loaded and one out, Tyler Heineman hit a soft flare into center field that Matt Vierling grabbed on a short hop. Springer had to hold up at third to see if the ball would be caught on a fly, and Vierling’s throw home was in time to get him.

Key moment

Pinch-hitter Joey Loperfido and Springer started the eighth with singles and moved up on a wild pitch by Will Vest (5-2). Guerrero grounded out before Bichette hit a two-run single past diving second baseman Gleyber Torres.

Key stat

Detroit has been outscored 89-33 over the last 13 games.

Up next

RHP Max Scherzer (1-0, 5.14 ERA) faces one of his former teams Sunday when Toronto tries for a four-game sweep. RHP Jack Flaherty (5-10, 4.77) pitches for the Tigers.

DETROIT — Round and round it goes. The Tigers’ bullpen carousel continues to spin through veteran right-handed relievers.

Carlos Hernandez and Geoff Hartlieb have come and gone. Next up, 33-year-old Luke Jackson.

“There’s no question we’ve been cycling through some arms,” manager AJ Hinch said before the game Saturday. “And I feel for some of the arms that are now gone. But Luke is going to get an opportunity here. He’s a veteran guy who I think has some upside to recapture some of the usage he’s had in the past.”

The Tigers designated Hartlieb for assignment and signed Jackson, who had been released by the Texas Rangers on Friday. The Rangers will pay the remainder of his $1.5 million contract for this year. The Tigers will pay him the prorated MLB minimum.

Jackson, who has 15 games of postseason experience and was part of the Atlanta Braves’ 2021 World Series championship run, features an elite slider, which he throws off a 94-mph four-seam fastball.

In 2019, he posted a 36.7% whiff rate. In 2023, it was still at 30%. This year, it’d fallen to 22.4%. In 39 games with the Rangers this year, he had a 4.11 ERA with a team-high nine saves.

But his strikeout rate (15.8%) and walk rate (12.5%) were both well off his career norms.

“The swing-and-miss hasn’t been there this year, but we’re hoping to get more out of that,” Hinch said. “The breaking ball is real. He’s a guy who has been there and done that a little bit.”

He got five outs against the Tigers on Sunday.

“We try to give opportunity when it’s there and to the guys we feel can help us win,” Hinch said. “On the front end, I don’t know how long the opportunity is going to be for some of these guys.”

The Tigers gave Hernandez 11 games. Hartlieb got two.

“This one could be anywhere,” Hinch said of Jackson’s potential run. “Luke has been through the league and has run the gauntlet. He’s pitched in the back end of games this year. But performance matters and certainly we expect Luke to make a better impact.

“But the message is, when opportunity opens up, however big or small, try to come in, take it and run with it. We clearly are searching for the right combination of bullpen arms to stay here.”

Important to note, the signing of Jackson does not preclude the Tigers from pursuing other bullpen arms this week prior to the trade deadline.

Montero optioned

The Tigers optioned right-hander Keider Montero back to Triple-A Toledo after the game Friday to clear a roster spot for Tarik Skubal’s return from the paternity list.

“Keider has been on the shuttle between Toledo and the big leagues,” Hinch said. “Some of it has been where the health of our team has been. Some of it has been an execution issue.”

After getting tagged for six runs (five earned) and nine hits in four innings Friday, Montero’s ERA ballooned to 4.66 with a 1.432 WHIP.

“It’s about execution and he’s going to work his tail off,” Hinch said. “He really takes to a plan that’s laid out in front of him. You see it when he’s good. He’s got two types of spin, two types of fastballs and the occasional changeup. But when he’s not, it’s long at-bats and big counts and he’s spraying the ball and getting himself in harm’s way.

“The ebbs and flows of a young pitcher can be sometimes hard to navigate. But he’s going to put the work in and that’s why we sent him down — to work.”

Hinch said Montero would continue to start at Toledo, but did not rule out the possibility of him being a bullpen piece in the final two months.

“We’ve proven we’re willing to do anything,” he said. “We’ll use our players accordingly. We’re not pursuing that right now but I don’t think we’d turn our backs on an idea like that.”

The move also clears the way for rookie right-hander Troy Melton to take the fifth spot in the rotation.

The emergence of Troy is part of this conversation when you make a move like this,” Hinch said. “Troy was at a really good place at a really good time. He needed the challenge of being up in the big leagues.”

Around the horn

The Tigers traded outfielder Brewer Hicklen, who was designated for assignment Wednesday, to the Phillies for cash considerations.

ALLEN PARK — Here are some observations from Day 6 of Detroit Lions training camp.

• Saturday marked the first practice of the year with fans in attendance, and per usual, there was a noticeable change in the energy. Supporters in attendance gave Lions owner Sheila Hamp a standing ovation when she arrived, and later started a chant for linebacker Alex Anzalone, who returned to practice amid a contract dispute with the team.

• Ultimately, Anzalone didn’t partake much in team activities while continuing to work through rehabbing his hamstring. Neither did edge defender Al-Quadin Muhammad, who was spotted running the hill near the practice field alongside cornerback D.J. Reed. UDFA safety Ian Kennelly, who missed Friday’s practice with an undisclosed injury, did not practice again Saturday but was spotted working off to the side with trainers.

• Saturday was also the second day with pads, and the defense was feasting early on. Linebacker Jack Campbell dropped running back Jahmyr Gibbs for a loss on the second play of the day. Two plays later, edge defender Aidan Hutchinson brought down running back David Montgomery for no gain.

Defensive linemen Keith Cooper Jr. and Ahmed Hassanein immediately got a stop for the second team, and Roy Lopez, who returned to practice for the first time since suffering a foot injury on Monday, stuffed running back Jabari Small for no gain.

UDFA running back Kye Robichaux eventually snapped the drought for the offense, breaking off an explosive run after being sprung by UDFA tackle Mason Miller in the open field. Two plays later, Robichaux had another run of 10-plus yards.

• Rookie defensive tackle Tyleik Williams returned to practice on Saturday after missing Friday for personal reasons. On the first team’s second session of 11-on-11 reps, he and veteran DJ Reader teamed up to stuff Gibbs on a run. And on the very next play, Williams was at the front of another run stop for minimal or no gain. Hutchinson ended the set with a tackle-for-loss on Montgomery. A few plays later, Grant Stuard dropped Craig Reynolds for a loss, and Cooper and Chris Smith also teamed up for a stop for no gain.

• Fans hoping to see some plays from third-round receiver Isaac TeSlaa were treated to big plays from multiple rookie receivers.

UDFA Jackson Meeks ran a slot fade down the left sideline and got perfect placement on a ball from quarterback Kyle Allen, hauling the pass in with one hand while going to the ground. Seventh-rounder Dominic Lovett caught a tight-windowed pass between two defenders on another great throw from Allen for a touchdown in a 7-on-7 red-zone drill.

“I love being able to sit back and watch those guys work,” veteran receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said of the rookie class. “It’s a lot of fun cheering them on. They make big plays. I mean, Meeks had a one-hand catch today, Dom had one the other day, Isaac’s ending practice with touchdowns, so it’s awesome to see.”

Between TeSlaa, Lovett and the rest of the veteran receiving core, the Lions have about six receivers who have a pretty good shot of making the roster. But if Lovett can uphold his production while remaining a factor on special teams, he’s going to have a huge opportunity to be a weekly contributor come this fall.

“You guys know, and they know, they’ve been told, ‘Man, if you can help on special teams and continue to develop at your role in your position, there’s a place for you,’” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said.

TeSlaa closed the practice with one of the plays of the day. He ran a slot fade to the end zone against cornerback Dicaprio Bootle and went up to haul in a throw from Jared Goff, going down at the 1-yard line and electrifying the crowd one last time.

“I would say, Lovett has…popped more early out on the field, but I thought TeSlaa had a really good day yesterday,” Campbell said before Saturday’s practice. “I can see the uptick now with him. He’s got to stack another good day, but that was good to see yesterday. And that’s the first day of pads, by the way.”

• For the third straight practice, veteran Graham Glasgow took reps at center while rookie Tate Ratledge played left guard. In addition to struggling with the interior defensive line on run plays, Ratledge also registered a false start early in the practice.

• Hutchinson’s 2025 Defensive Player of the Year campaign is officially on. He had another standout practice, sacking Goff in team period off a nasty spin move to beat offensive tackle Dan Skipper. Hutchinson also had another highlight-reel spin on Skipper during one-on-one drills.

“I see a player that is very confident in his abilities. I see a player that appears to bend even better than last year, and I see a player who was hungry that’s even hungrier,” Campbell told NFL Network after practice. “He’s gonna have a hell of a season for us.”

• Linebacker Zach Cunningham was the most noticeable player on the field Friday, but he got off to a rough start on Saturday. He bit on play-action on the first pass attempt of the day and got torched by tight end Sam LaPorta, who ran wild after making a catch to give the offense an early explosive play.

• The best reps from the offense came in 7-on-7 red-zone drills, with all three strings making light work of the defense.

The first team got things rolling with a first-play touchdown to receiver Jameson Williams, as Goff fed the ball into a tight window for the connection. Goff then had two really nice passes to receiver Kalif Raymond and fed the ball to tight end Shane Zylstra for a completion near the sideline. Goff finished things off with a dart to receiver Tom Kennedy in the end zone.

Kennedy connected with quarterback Hendon Hooker two plays later, going up to high-point a ball on a fade route and getting two feet down in the end zone while working against cornerback Tyson Russell.

Allen, meanwhile, went 5-for-6 on red-zone attempts, with his only incompletion coming on a ball to Lovett in the end zone where the receiver could only get one foot in.

• The first-team defense got its revenge after the 7-on-7 period during full-team red-zone drills. Cornerback Terrion Arnold defended a throw to St. Brown on the first play, followed by a sack in which Reader pressured first before the whole line converged on Goff.

• During the final 11-on-11 period of the day, Raymond caught a crosser from Goff and took it 45 yards to the house for a score. Shortly after, Hassanein pressured Hooker for a near-sack after beating tackle Giovanni Manu. TeSlaa ended the day with his phenomenal catch over Bootle.

• Manu had a tough day. He got beat cleanly twice in a one-on-one pass-rush drill, losing to edge defender Mitchell Agude on a speed rush and getting beat by defensive lineman Pat O’Connor on a swim move. He was almost beaten by Hassanein on a bull rush but recovered in time to anchor and stave off the rush.

Hassanein continues to stand out in a positive way. In addition to the win over Manu during one-on-ones, he used a Hutchinson-esque spin move to beat Miller. Cooper also had a terrific rep, using a push-pull move to beat veteran Trystan Colon.

By Max Reinhart, The Detroit News

A 31-year-old man is in jail after his girlfriend told police he kidnapped her, hit her with a liquor bottle and threw her down a set of stairs.

Michigan State Police said the woman fled the man’s home and sought help at a nearby residence when he fell asleep.

At about 1:05 a.m. Friday, dispatchers received a report that a woman with “obvious injuries” was sitting on the porch of a home on Ithaca Avenue in Royal Oak Township, according to an MSP social media post.

Authorities said troopers arrived and found the woman with two black eyes and bruises and cuts on her body. She told police that her boyfriend had held her against her will at his home on Cloverdale Avenue for the last three days.

There, he allegedly took her cell phone so she couldn’t call for help, strangled her, struck her with a liquor bottle and threw her down the stairs when she attempted to leave. The woman told police she was able to escape when he fell asleep.

She was transported to a nearby hospital while troopers responded to the suspect’s home, according to the MSP post.

He initially refused to exit the house. Troopers first removed the man’s father and the suspect later complied with orders and was taken to the Oakland County Jail.

The suspect has not yet been identified by name. The case is under review by the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, MSP said.

A spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for an update on the case.

By Max Bryan, The Detroit News

A move from the group Let’s Open Northville to remove on-street dining from Northville’s downtown has drawn opposition from the city, a statewide organization and area business owners.

Described as a group of businesspeople and residents who want to permanently reopen Main and Center streets in the downtown area, Let’s Open Northville won a lawsuit against the city this month to remove bollards that blocked access to cars and trucks, restricting the area to pedestrians. The bollards were initially installed to allow for socially distanced dining during the COVID-19 epidemic, but were left up on a seasonal basis.

Wayne County Circuit Judge Charlene Elder ruled in her July 9 decision that the downtown streets are meant for street traffic.

Now, Let’s Open Northville wants to remove street dining blocked off by concrete barriers from the two thoroughfares. The group alleges in a July 18 motion that the city’s installation of concrete barriers that allow patrons of certain restaurants to dine in parallel-parking spaces violates Elder’s order. Elder said in her order that the streets would “close only for festivals, parades, and special events as they always have.”

“(The city) never used concrete barriers to create on-street dining or block temporary on-street parking spaces pre-COVID,” the motion reads.

Let’s Open Northville said in their motion that the city told them they would not remove the concrete barriers because some of the restaurants had on-street platform dining before COVID. The city also allegedly told the group that the restaurant owners gave them permission to install the barriers.

Kate Knight, director of Northville’s Downtown Development Authority, said the city would file a motion in response Friday. Knight said the city has allowed for dining on the streets since the early 2010s.

“(The motion) feels punitive toward a long-established restaurant tradition in Northville,” Knight said. “We complied with the court order to open streets with a very quick turnaround last week.”

The city’s move has garnered support from the Michigan Downtown Association. In a letter to Knight and City Manager George Lahanas, MDA chairwoman Cristina Sheppard-Decius said public roads are meant to be flexible “to work with the current environment and needs of the community.”

“Historically, communities such as Birmingham, Royal Oak, Grand Rapids, Northville, and many more have long-established ordinances and policies dating back to 2007 allowing for on-street platform dining cafes − establishing a best practice in public space, street and curbside management in Michigan,” Sheppard-Decius’ letter reads.

Knight also said business owners who use the barriers have invested thousands of dollars in temporary infrastructure because it’s uncertain if they’ll be able to have on-street dining in the future.

Some business owners who use the barriers have spoken out about the motion. Paul Gabriel, owner of Browndog, said he had street dining before COVID-19.

“They opened the streets. They’ve just allowed the restaurants to have their outdoor street dining like they always have, so I’m not exactly sure of how this is in violation,” he said.

Gabriel said getting rid of on-street dining would “dramatically” impact his business. He said Browndog, which offers ice cream and shakes, generates a good amount of revenue in the summer months from outdoor seating.

Michelle Lussier, owner of Table 5, said she would lose up to 15% of her business if her on-street dining were to go away.

Lussier also said she would like to move past the legal battle.

“Let’s just realize that we have this great downtown, and let’s do what we can to keep it great,” she said.

It’s been 20 years since the Metzger brothers of AJR began busking on the streets of their home town, New York City, and 10 since they the trio released its debut album, “Living Room.”

Since then they’ve released four more studio albums and a series of EPs, including the upcoming “What No One’s Thinking.” AJR has also hit the charts with singles such as “I’m Ready,” “World’s Smallest Violin,” “Way Less Sad” and the Top 10 “Bang!,” and the siblings — who record and perform under the surname Met — have also collaborated with Weezer, Ingrid Michaelson, Mike Love of the Beach Boys and Grosse Pointe-raised Quinn XCII.

This year finds them hot off AJR’s first full-scale arena tour last year, and in the midst of working on a Broadway musical. The summer tour also finds Jack (nee Evan) and Ryan (nee Joshua) out mostly as a duo, while oldest brother Adam, who’s an adjunct professor at Columbia University and works on climate issues, has a Ph.D. and is executive director of the promotes his new book “Amplify: How to Use the Power of Connection to Engage, Take Action, and Build a Better World.” But his brothers are carrying the torch around the country, with a new single, “Betty,” advancing the EP…

* Jack Met says via Zoom that AJR’s career trajectory isn’t exactly what he expected but adds that “if it was going to happen, it’s exactly the way that I guess I thought it would or I expect it to go. We’ve never been the coolest thing…It’s been a very slow trajectory; we’ve been doing this for 20 years all told, and it took about 10 years to kinda start getting popular. And it really has been, like, one fan at a time, and I think that’s actually made us able to stay for such a long time.”

* He adds that he and his two older brothers have largely gotten along, without any Oasis or Kinks kind of drama between them. “We grew up in a pretty small apartment, and we all shared a bedroom growing up, like three of us, for 15 years until Adam went to college. It kind of forced us to be close. There was nowhere else to go. There was no other bedroom, couldn’t sleep in the bathroom. So it kind of forced us to make up games together and put on fake shows together in the living room, `cause you had no option. And once we started getting on (tour) buses and sharing dressing rooms, it just felt like we were back in the bedroom.”

* The “What Everyone’s Thinking” EP is due out Aug. 29 and came as a bit of a surprise for AJR. “We didn’t really have a plan to write this year at all. We were planning to work on this Broadway show that we’re writing, and essentially what happened was I said to Ryan, ‘I’m just curious in the moment, if we sit down, what will happen.'” After experiencing some writer’s block, he says, “we realized and we remembered that we’d been through some kind of crazy stuff during the last few years; we’ve dealt with the loss of family members (including their father during 2023), career stuff, friendships and everything. When we realized that, OK, we’re suppressing some stuff, it was like, ‘OK, there it is. Let’s just inject it into the music.’ So we did, and the songs kind of came pouring out — five songs that are very personal and very emotional. It’s definitely our most emotional body of work.”

* The song “Betty,” Jack says, “is about the fear of commitment and the fear of the idea of forever. It’s not so much about relationship issues as just issues within yourself, of that fear. We thought that was a brutally honest and scary thing to write about, but we kind of had to.”

* The Broadway musical, meanwhile, is an adaptation of Crockett Johnson’s 1955 children’s novel “Harold and the Purple Crayon; AJR is writing songs, while Rick Elice (“Jersey Boys,” “The Addams Family,” “The Cher Show”) is collaborating on the book. “We loved that book forever and reimagined it, basically. We took Harold’s character and reimagined him into an adult, facing adult issues and realizing that he kinda can’t draw his problems away anymore. He’s dealing with loss. It’s very much based on our own experiences. We’re in the middle of working on it now. This was conceptualized back in 2020. We’re a good amount down the road now, and we’ve written a bunch of songs and a story and everything like that. We just love it, ’cause Broadway is the first thing we ever wanted to do. It’s impacted every single song I think we’ve ever made, to some degree.”

AJR, Goth Babe, Cavetown and Madelyn Mei perform at 6:20 p.m. Tuesday, July 29 at the Pine Knob Music Theatre, 33 Bob Seger Drive, Independence Township. 313-471-7000 or 313Presents.com.

By JOCELYN GECKER, Associated Press

As artificial intelligence technology becomes part of daily life, adolescents are turning to chatbots for advice, guidance and conversation. The appeal is clear: Chatbots are patient, never judgmental, supportive and always available.

That worries experts who say the booming AI industry is largely unregulated and that many parents have no idea about how their kids are using AI tools or the extent of personal information they are sharing with chatbots.

New research shows more than 70% of American teenagers have used AI companions and more than half converse with them regularly. The study by Common Sense Media focused on “AI companions,” like Character. AI, Nomi and Replika, which it defines as “digital friends or characters you can text or talk with whenever you want,” versus AI assistants or tools like ChatGPT, though it notes they can be used the same way.

It’s important that parents understand the technology. Experts suggest some things parents can do to help protect their kids:

— Start a conversation, without judgment, says Michael Robb, head researcher at Common Sense Media. Approach your teen with curiosity and basic questions: “Have you heard of AI companions?” “Do you use apps that talk to you like a friend?” Listen and understand what appeals to your teen before being dismissive or saying you’re worried about it.

— Help teens recognize that AI companions are programmed to be agreeable and validating. Explain that’s not how real relationships work and that real friends with their own points of view can help navigate difficult situations in ways that AI companions cannot.

“One of the things that’s really concerning is not only what’s happening on screen but how much time it’s taking kids away from relationships in real life,” says Mitch Prinstein, chief of psychology at the American Psychological Association. “We need to teach kids that this is a form of entertainment. It’s not real, and it’s really important they distinguish it from reality and should not have it replace relationships in your actual life.”

The APA recently put out a health advisory on AI and adolescent well-being, and tips for parents.

— Parents should watch for signs of unhealthy attachments.

“If your teen is preferring AI interactions over real relationships or spending hours talking to AI companions, or showing that they are becoming emotionally distressed when separated from them — those are patterns that suggest AI companions might be replacing rather than complementing human connection,” Robb says.

— Parents can set rules about AI use, just like they do for screen time and social media. Have discussions about when and how AI tools can and cannot be used. Many AI companions are designed for adult use and can mimic romantic, intimate and role-playing scenarios.

While AI companions may feel supportive, children should understand the tools are not equipped to handle a real crisis or provide genuine mental health support. If kids are struggling with depression, anxiety, loneliness, an eating disorder or other mental health challenges, they need human support — whether it is family, friends or a mental health professional.

— Get informed. The more parents know about AI, the better. “I don’t think people quite get what AI can do, how many teens are using it and why it’s starting to get a little scary,” says Prinstein, one of many experts calling for regulations to ensure safety guardrails for children. “A lot of us throw our hands up and say, ‘I don’t know what this is!’ This sounds crazy!’ Unfortunately, that tells kids if you have a problem with this, don’t come to me because I am going to diminish it and belittle it.”

Older teenagers have advice, too, for parents and kids. Banning AI tools is not a solution because the technology is becoming ubiquitous, says Ganesh Nair, 18.

“Trying not to use AI is like trying to not use social media today. It is too ingrained in everything we do,” says Nair, who is trying to step back from using AI companions after seeing them affect real-life friendships in his high school. “The best way you can try to regulate it is to embrace being challenged.”

“Anything that is difficult, AI can make easy. But that is a problem,” says Nair. “Actively seek out challenges, whether academic or personal. If you fall for the idea that easier is better, then you are the most vulnerable to being absorbed into this newly artificial world.”

---

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

ALLEN PARK — If you hang around the Detroit Lions‘ practice field, it won’t take long to hear Ahmed Hassanein’s voice.

The sixth-round rookie isn’t shy in letting out a roar while getting in reps alongside his new teammates, whether that’s before the ball is snapped to amp himself up or after in reaction to the play’s result. It happened at least twice Friday, as the Lions completed their fifth practice of training camp.

“In my mentality, it gets the whole defense together,” Hassanein said of his shouts. The habit began at Boise State, where coaches would know the defensive end was ready when they could hear him. “I get encouraged when somebody else yells. … This is just me. I love playing like that. Whatever it takes, you know?”

Hassanein’s relentless motor has been as advertised since the Lions selected him with the 196th overall pick in April’s draft. His physical abilities need to be honed — he only started playing football in 2018, after moving back to the United States from Egypt — but his hustle is never questioned, and that effort, as general manager Brad Holmes has previously pointed out, can “make up (for) a lot of things.”

“With the way he plays, the mentality he plays with, the effort he plays with, he’s everything we’re about here,” defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said of Hassanein on Thursday. “Like I said, it’s just that development piece, the learning curve.”

Hassanein, trying to absorb all the information available to him, has made a concerted effort to observe and learn from Aidan Hutchinson. Hassanein imitated one of the Hutchinson’s signature moves — a swim move to the inside — during Tuesday’s practice.

Hutchinson took notice, jokingly telling the rookie to “stop studying my tape.”

“He’s really been helping me a lot, and I’m super grateful for him,” Hassanein said. “Everybody in the room, honestly, (defensive line) Coach Kacy Rodgers, they’ve been teaching me. Because I’ve only been doing this for seven years, so I just want to learn and want to grow. … Being an open book and being a sponge. Not to have that like, ‘Oh, I know everything’ type of guy. No, I know nothing. But at the end of the day, I’m gonna give you 100%, I’m gonna run to the ball, I’m gonna run through somebody’s face.”

Fans have been clamoring for a long-term answer on the edge opposite Hutchinson. Perhaps the role could be filled by Hassanein, but that’s likely a down-the-road development than something we’ll see immediately. Sheppard doesn’t want expectations to get too high for Hassanein in Year 1, but there are clear reasons for optimism going forward.

“This guy is a rookie. He just started playing football six years ago,” Sheppard said. “He just learned the English language six, seven years ago. … (But) that guy’s all in. Whatever his potential is, Ahmed will reach it because he’s going to work at it that way.”

By JOCELYN GECKER, Associated Press

No question is too small when Kayla Chege, a high school student in Kansas, is using artificial intelligence.

The 15-year-old asks ChatGPT for guidance on back-to-school shopping, makeup colors, low-calorie choices at Smoothie King, plus ideas for her Sweet 16 and her younger sister’s birthday party.

The sophomore honors student makes a point not to have chatbots do her homework and tries to limit her interactions to mundane questions. But in interviews with The Associated Press and a new study, teenagers say they are increasingly interacting with AI as if it were a companion, capable of providing advice and friendship.

“Everyone uses AI for everything now. It’s really taking over,” said Chege, who wonders how AI tools will affect her generation. “I think kids use AI to get out of thinking.”

For the past couple of years, concerns about cheating at school have dominated the conversation around kids and AI. But artificial intelligence is playing a much larger role in many of their lives. AI, teens say, has become a go-to source for personal advice, emotional support, everyday decision-making and problem-solving.

‘AI is always available. It never gets bored with you’

More than 70% of teens have used AI companions and half use them regularly, according to a new study from Common Sense Media, a group that studies and advocates for using screens and digital media sensibly.

The study defines AI companions as platforms designed to serve as “digital friends,” like Character. AI or Replika, which can be customized with specific traits or personalities and can offer emotional support, companionship and conversations that can feel human-like. But popular sites like ChatGPT and Claude, which mainly answer questions, are being used in the same way, the researchers say.

As the technology rapidly gets more sophisticated, teenagers and experts worry about AI’s potential to redefine human relationships and exacerbate crises of loneliness and youth mental health.

“AI is always available. It never gets bored with you. It’s never judgmental,” says Ganesh Nair, an 18-year-old in Arkansas. “When you’re talking to AI, you are always right. You’re always interesting. You are always emotionally justified.”

All that used to be appealing, but as Nair heads to college this fall, he wants to step back from using AI. Nair got spooked after a high school friend who relied on an “AI companion” for heart-to-heart conversations with his girlfriend later had the chatbot write the breakup text ending his two-year relationship.

“That felt a little bit dystopian, that a computer generated the end to a real relationship,” said Nair. “It’s almost like we are allowing computers to replace our relationships with people.”

How many teens are using AI? New study stuns researchers

In the Common Sense Media survey, 31% of teens said their conversations with AI companions were “as satisfying or more satisfying” than talking with real friends. Even though half of teens said they distrust AI’s advice, 33% had discussed serious or important issues with AI instead of real people.

Those findings are worrisome, says Michael Robb, the study’s lead author and head researcher at Common Sense, and should send a warning to parents, teachers and policymakers. The now-booming and largely unregulated AI industry is becoming as integrated with adolescence as smartphones and social media are.

“It’s eye-opening,” said Robb. “When we set out to do this survey, we had no understanding of how many kids are actually using AI companions.” The study polled more than 1,000 teens nationwide in April and May.

Adolescence is a critical time for developing identity, social skills and independence, Robb said, and AI companions should complement — not replace — real-world interactions.

“If teens are developing social skills on AI platforms where they are constantly being validated, not being challenged, not learning to read social cues or understand somebody else’s perspective, they are not going to be adequately prepared in the real world,” he said.

The nonprofit analyzed several popular AI companions in a “ risk assessment,” finding ineffective age restrictions and that the platforms can produce sexual material, give dangerous advice and offer harmful content. The group recommends that minors not use AI companions.

A concerning trend to teens and adults alike

Researchers and educators worry about the cognitive costs for youth who rely heavily on AI, especially in their creativity, critical thinking and social skills. The potential dangers of children forming relationships with chatbots gained national attention last year when a 14-year-old Florida boy died by suicide after developing an emotional attachment to a Character. AI chatbot.

“Parents really have no idea this is happening,” said Eva Telzer, a psychology and neuroscience professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “All of us are struck by how quickly this blew up.” Telzer is leading multiple studies on youth and AI, a new research area with limited data.

Telzer’s research has found that children as young as 8 are using generative AI and also found that teens are using AI to explore their sexuality and for companionship. In focus groups, Telzer found that one of the top apps teens frequent is SpicyChat AI, a free role-playing app intended for adults.

Many teens also say they use chatbots to write emails or messages to strike the right tone in sensitive situations.

“One of the concerns that comes up is that they no longer have trust in themselves to make a decision,” said Telzer. “They need feedback from AI before feeling like they can check off the box that an idea is OK or not.”

Arkansas teen Bruce Perry, 17, says he relates to that and relies on AI tools to craft outlines and proofread essays for his English class.

“If you tell me to plan out an essay, I would think of going to ChatGPT before getting out a pencil,” Perry said. He uses AI daily and has asked chatbots for advice in social situations, to help him decide what to wear and to write emails to teachers, saying AI articulates his thoughts faster.

Perry says he feels fortunate that AI companions were not around when he was younger.

“I’m worried that kids could get lost in this,” Perry said. “I could see a kid that grows up with AI not seeing a reason to go to the park or try to make a friend.”

Other teens agree, saying the issues with AI and its effect on children’s mental health are different from those of social media.

“Social media complemented the need people have to be seen, to be known, to meet new people,” Nair said. “I think AI complements another need that runs a lot deeper — our need for attachment and our need to feel emotions. It feeds off of that.”

“It’s the new addiction,” Nair added. “That’s how I see it.”

---

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ

NEW YORK (AP) — After five years of working long nights as a truck driver, Julius Mosley wanted a change. He found driving unfulfilling, and his teenage son needed him to spend more time at home.

So Mosley took a job as a customer service representative at a telecommunications company near his home. The employee benefits included being able to take job-related classes for free. He decided he wanted to study leadership so he could learn about managing teams and helping people become the best versions of themselves.

His company, Spectrum, paid for a 10-week front-line manager certificate program that Mosley went on to complete. Then it covered the tuition cost for a bachelor’s degree in leadership and organization studies that he’s currently pursuing. The company also promoted him to a management position while he took college courses online.

“It’s completely changed the course of my life,” Mosley said about the education benefit, which took care of his tuition up front instead of requiring him to pay and seek later reimbursement. “It’s truly a blessing to be able to do this.”

As higher education costs have grown to heights many U.S. residents find unattainable or illogical, some adults are looking to their employers for help defraying the expense of college and professional credentials. Nearly half of public and private employers have a tuition reimbursement program for employees, according to the Society for Human Resource Management, or SHRM.

Many employers that provide tuition assistance reimburse staff members up to $5,250 per year because that amount is tax-deductible, said Amy Dufrane, CEO of the Human Resource Certification Institute, which offers credentials to HR professionals.

Some companies offer more, including Bank of America, which provides tuition assistance of up to $7,500 annually, and Spectrum which, in addition to its prepaid tuition program, reimburses employees earning master’s degrees or enrolled in classes that fall outside the scope of its prepaid program up to $10,000 per year.

“For companies who are looking to attract Generation Z and Millennials, it’s a great way to bring them in because they’re keenly interested in how companies are investing in them and the benefits that are available,” said Dufrane.

Because many college graduates start jobs after accumulating student loan debt, about 8% of employers also offer help with student loan repayment, according to James Atkinson, vice president of thought leadership at SHRM.

If continuing education feels out of reach financially or seems incompatible with job demands, experts say there are ways to explore the possibility, either by by making the case to your employer or seeking a position at a place that provides education benefits.

A pay-it-forward model

In traditional tuition reimbursement programs, employees lay out thousands of dollars to pay for tuition, books and fees at the start of a semester, and usually must complete the course with a passing grade before a company would kick in its contribution.

That means employees would often wait four to six months before being reimbursed, which only works for more affluent workers, said Paul Marchand, chief human resources officer at Spectrum.

“The person that can afford to put it on their credit card and sit with $3- or $4- or $5,000 of expenses due back to them and not be concerned about that cost, that is not our average worker,” Marchand said. “Our average worker is making $25, $28, $30 bucks an hour, maybe having a second job, maybe a single parent with kids, … and they’re important workers for us, and we want to help develop them and grow their careers.”

Spectrum launched a program that lets employees sign up for an array of certificates or college courses while paying nothing themselves. The eligible courses and where to take them came from Guild, a Denver company that works with employers on workforce development and tuition assistance.

Walmart offers a similar benefit to its front-line associates, who can enroll in college or certain classes without ever seeing an invoice, according to company spokesperson Jimmy Carter. The benefit also extends to family members of the employees, he said.

Help with loan repayment

As recent college graduates have struggled with debts from college, some employers have added student loan repayment programs as well as tuition assistance.

Morgan Woods, 29, a training analyst at semiconductor manufacturer GlobalFoundries, graduated from college with a $20,000 debt load. Her employer is paying $125 per month toward her student loans, a sum that will increase over time.

Woods now expects to pay off her loans four years earlier than she anticipated doing on her own and hopes it will improve her options as she explores buying a house.

“The fact that I’m now ahead of where I thought I would be a little over a year ago is very nice to see,” she said.

Making the case

Not all employers offer education benefits, and when they do, they’re not always widely publicized. To find out if your employer offers such benefits, ask a manager or a human resources representative.

Show how a course or training directly relates to your role and how it would help you do your job more effectively, Dufrane advised. Even if there’s no formal tuition reimbursement program, your employer might have a training or professional development budget.

“If you’re taking on a stretch role or entering a new industry, you can advocate for training as part of your offer. Say something like, ‘I’d like to take a course to help me get up to speed in this area.’ In my experience, that shows initiative and employers often respect it,” Dufrane said.

You can also approach your boss and say, “I want to move up and I want to invest in myself. What recommendations do you have for me?” Dufrane added.

Finding the time

Fitting in classes, study sessions and paper writing can be daunting when holding down a full-time job, but there are ways to make it work.

Rene Sotolongo, a cybersecurity analyst at the Human Resource Certification Institute, earned a master’s degree in cybersecurity using tuition reimbursement benefits from his employer. To manage his time, he switched to working Monday through Thursday, studied on weeknights and dedicated Friday through Sunday to other schoolwork.

“Without the tuition reimbursement or the organization’s flexibility, there’s no way that I would be able to” earn advanced degrees, said Sotolongo, who is now pursuing a PhD with assistance from HRCI. “It’s rewarding in every aspect.”

Providing flexibility shows commitment to employees, Dufrane said. “You’ve got to be flexible around learning because people have parents they’re taking care of and kids they’re taking care of, and going home at night isn’t always the best time to be writing a paper,” she said.

Fitting in schoolwork while also meeting the needs of a son, a fiancee, a full-time job and a puppy has been challenging for Mosley, but it also provided a way to model studious behavior for his son.

“Instead of me just telling him he needs to do his, now he’s seeing me doing schoolwork, so that actually helped out with him wanting to do his work more,” Mosley said. “We actually take time to sit down together some days to work on our homework, so it’s been a life-changing situation.”

Share your stories and questions about workplace wellness at cbussewitz@ap.org. Follow AP’s Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health at https://apnews.com/hub/be-well

Tom Izzo has got his next point guard.

Metro Detroit prospect Carlos Medlock Jr. announced his commitment to Michigan State on Friday evening.

Formerly of Wayne Memorial High School, the four-star prospect Medlock currently plays for Link Academy in Branson, Mo.

He is the first commitment of the Spartans’ 2026 recruiting class, ranked the 10th-best point guard in his class and just outside the top 100 overall by the 247Sports Composite.

Izzo’s teams rely on a strong point guard to lead the way. Jeremy Fears Jr. will return as the starter this coming season as a core returner from last year’s Big Ten championship team.

En route to the Elite Eight, Fears averaged 7.2 points and 5.4 assists in 36 games. He has three years of remaining eligibility, and so does incoming Miami transfer Divine Ugochukwu.

Medlock appears the heir apparent somewhere down the line to run the Michigan State offense.

A fairly undersized guard at 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds, Medlock is the son of former Eastern Michigan star Carlos Medlock, who scored 1,574 points and 400 assists in an All-MAC career.

The younger Medlock received offers from a dozen Division I programs, including Michigan and Iowa. Michigan State was the earliest power conference school to offer him.

In Medlock, Izzo has his replacement when Fears either runs out of eligibility or decides to go pro, though in the meantime Medlock’s scoring ability may open up some options at shooting guard.

He’s been tearing up the Adidas-sponsored 3Stripes Select league. He’s explosive out of ball screens with a knack for finishing off balance.

Players of his size can struggle against bigger players in college, but so far those problems haven’t shown. He’s also got plenty of time to grow.

The most recent recruiting cycle yielded a modest two-man class for the Spartans in DMV freshmen small forwards Cam Ward and Jordan Scott. Both are expected to play this season.

Michigan State will follow up a 30-7 run to the Elite Eight with a team led by returners Fears, Coen Carr, Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper. The Spartans added key transfers in Ugochukwu and Samford journeyman Trey Fort in the offseason.

Margaret Giles, Morningstar

Many of the best investing moves are made on autopilot. Just look at the track record of automatic payroll deductions and savings increases.

Other investing decisions, like a transition into retirement, require a more hands-on approach.

Christine Benz, Morningstar’s director of personal finance and retirement planning, recommends taking a preemptive approach as you get closer to retirement. The key is to visualize what you want your retirement to look like while you have enough time to make any adjustments you might need to get you there.

Here are five steps to take now if you plan to retire in the next five years:

1. Consider the role of work in retirement

Decide whether some kind of work is realistically part of your retirement plan. That income stream can make your retirement spending simpler, but it shouldn’t be the linchpin of your whole plan. That’s because you may not be able to work even if you want to.

2. Track your expenses

Understand what you’re actually spending today and see whether your spending will change over the next few years and into retirement. Getting a grasp of your future spending needs will help you determine whether your plan is on track.

3. Check up on Social Security

For most people, Social Security is a key source of income in retirement. Create an account on the Social Security website and make sure they have your correct information. This will let you model out different Social Security claiming dates using your own information.

4. Assess your current retirement savings

Look at your spending and subtract Social Security to get a sense of what you’ll need from your portfolio. If your spending doesn’t align with roughly 4% or less of your portfolio, you may need to make some changes. Consider saving more, investing differently, putting off your planned retirement date, or adjusting how much you plan to spend in retirement.

5. Derisk your portfolio

As you get within 10 years of retirement, you’ll want to make sure that your asset allocation can help protect your retirement plan from getting derailed by market volatility. If equity losses happen early on in your retirement, you can spend from your safer assets and wait until the market recovers to pull from your stock portfolio.

By thinking about retirement preemptively, you’ll have a better sense of when you want to retire and what you want it to be like. Plus, you can make any course corrections needed to make it happen.

---

This article was provided to The Associated Press by Morningstar. For more personal finance content, go to https://www.morningstar.com/personal-finance

Margaret Giles is a senior editor of content development for Morningstar.

ALLEN PARK — Aidan Hutchinson’s goals aren’t going to change, even when he’s coming off a significant injury.

The Detroit Lions pass rusher, now more than nine months removed from the broken leg that prematurely ended his third NFL season, has high personal expectations heading into 2025. He hasn’t taken an in-game rep since last October, but playing football has been “feeling normal for a long time” after he was months ago cleared to return to play.

“I’m at a point now in my career where it’s like, you’re shooting for the stars every year,” Hutchinson said Friday, following the fifth practice of training camp. “And if that’s not the expectation or standard you put to yourself, it’s got to be that way. … Those first couple of years, you’re getting in the league and figuring it out. But now, it’s every year (that) the standard is what it is.”

Hutchinson was on the way to setting quite a high bar last year, compiling 45 pressures and 7.5 sacks through about 4.5 games before his tibia and fibula were broken in the third quarter of Detroit’s Week 6 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Predicting Hutchinson to match those numbers this season would be aggressive, but defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said Thursday he’s seeing “a better player than we had last year.” Hutchinson agreed, as he’s mentally grown after spending another year in the league: “If I wasn’t progressing every year, I think there’d be an issue,” Hutchinson said.

Pads have only been on for one of Detroit’s five practices in training camp thus far, but Hutchinson continues to pass the eye test, physically, as he doesn’t appear at all slowed down. Hutchinson said he started to feel normal at offseason team activities (OTAs), which began in late May.

“I went out there, I got kicked, stepped on, you can think of everything under the sun, on this leg,” Hutchinson recalled. “And after practice I got up and I was like, ‘All right, we’re good.’ I think it takes those physical things to happen to you to mentally solidify where you’re at and the confidence and moving past it.”

Hutchinson, playing for a new defensive coordinator (Sheppard) for the first time in his professional career, will continue to be tested during training camp, and he’ll have the opportunity to see opponents from outside the building during joint practices with the Miami Dolphins (Aug. 13-14) and Houston Texans (Aug. 21).

If all continues to go well, Hutchinson plans for the same version of himself that was toasting offensive tackles in 2024 — he had a remarkable pass-rush win rate of 38.3% through Week 6, more than 10% better than the next-closest qualified player (Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, 27.5%) — to be ready for Week 1 in 2025.

“Camp is always a grind, so you always, in these hard days, you look forward to September and opening up with Green Bay,” Hutchinson said. “So, that’s kind of the thought pattern.

“Everything is to be ready for that game.”

By KATE PAYNE and ED WHITE, Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned former girlfriend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, finished 1 1/2 days of interviews with Justice Department officials on Friday, answering questions “about 100 different people,” her attorney said.

“She answered those questions honestly, truthfully, to the best of her ability,” David Oscar Markus told reporters outside the federal courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, where Maxwell met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.

“She never invoked a privilege. She never refused to answer a question, so we’re very proud of her,” Markus said.

Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence and is housed at a low-security federal prison in Tallahassee. She was sentenced three years ago after being convicted of helping Epstein, a wealthy, well-connected financier, sexually abuse underage girls.

Officials have said Epstein killed himself in his New York jail cell while awaiting trial in 2019, but his case has generated endless attention and conspiracy theories because of his and Maxwell’s links to famous people, such as royals, presidents and billionaires, including Donald Trump.

In a social media post this week, Blanche said Maxwell would be interviewed because of President Trump’s directive to gather and release any credible evidence about others who may have committed crimes.

Trump has denied prior knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and claimed he cut off their relationship long ago. But he faces ongoing questions about the Epstein case, overshadowing his administration’s achievements. On Friday, reporters pressed the Republican president about pardoning Maxwell, but he deflected, emphasizing his administration’s successes.

Markus said Maxwell “was asked maybe about 100 different people.”

“The deputy attorney general is seeking the truth,” Markus said. “He asked every possible question, and he was doing an amazing job.”

Markus said he didn’t ask for anything for Maxwell in return, though he acknowledged that Trump could pardon her.

“Listen, the president this morning said he had the power to do so. We hope he exercises that power in the right and just way,” Markus said.

Earlier this month, the Justice Department said it would not release more files related to the Epstein investigation, despite promises that claimed otherwise from Attorney General Pam Bondi. The department also said an Epstein client list does not exist.

Maxwell is appealing her conviction, based on the government’s pledge years ago that any potential Epstein co-conspirators would not be charged, Markus said. Epstein struck a deal with federal prosecutors in 2008 that shifted his case to Florida state court, where he pleaded guilty to soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution.

Epstein in 2019 and Maxwell in 2020 were charged in federal court in New York.

White reported from Detroit.

By MARTHA BELLISLE, Associated Press

The Trump administration said Friday it’s investigating the Oregon Department of Education after receiving a complaint from a conservative nonprofit group alleging the state was violating civil rights law by allowing transgender girls to compete on girls sports teams.

It’s the latest escalation in the Republican administration’s effort to bar transgender athletes from women’s sports teams nationwide. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February to block trans girls from participating on sports teams consistent with their gender identity.

The administration says transgender athlete policies violate Title IX, the 1972 federal law that bans discrimination in education based on sex. Proponents of Trump’s ban say it restores fairness in athletic competitions, but opponents say bans are an attack on transgender youth.

The U.S. Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights opened the Oregon investigation based on a complaint by the America First Policy Institute that alleges high-school aged female athletes had lost medals and competitive opportunities to transgender athletes. It follows a probe launched earlier this year into Portland Public Schools and the state’s governing body for high school sports over alleged violations of Title IX for allowing trans girls to compete in girls sports.

Earlier this month, the administration sued the California Department of Education for allowing transgender girls to compete on girls sports teams, alleging the policy violates federal law. Trump also filed a lawsuit in April alleging Maine violated Title IX by allowing trans girls and women to compete against other female athletes.

Oregon law allows trans students to compete on sex-segregated sports teams consistent with their gender identity.

Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said in a release Friday that the administration won’t let educational institutions receive federal funds “to continue trampling upon women’s rights.”

“If Oregon is permitting males to compete in women’s sports, it is allowing these males to steal the accolades and opportunities that female competitors have rightfully earned through hard work and grit, while callously disregarding women’s and girls’ safety, dignity, and privacy,” Trainor said.

Messages seeking comment from the Oregon education officials were not immediately returned.

Nate Lowery, spokesman for the Oregon School Activities Association, said they were reviewing the administration’s notice with its legal counsel and doesn’t have additional comments at this time.

Three high school track-and-field athletes filed a lawsuit against Oregon in early July that seeks to overturn all sports records set by transgender girl athletes and prevent them from participating in girls sporting events.

The complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Oregon alleges the state policy prohibiting schools from excluding student athletes from events that align with their gender identity violates Title IX. The students say it has harmed them through loss of competition, placements, and opportunities to advance to higher-level events.

Jessica Hart Steinmann, executive general counsel at the America First Policy Institute, said the investigation is a step toward restoring equal opportunities for women’s athletics.

“Title IX was meant to protect girls — not to undermine them — and we’re hopeful this signals a return to that original purpose,” Steinmann said in a release.

More than two dozen states have enacted laws barring transgender women and girls from participating in certain sports competitions. Some policies have been blocked in court.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case over state restrictions on which sports teams transgender athletes can join.

By CHRIS MEGERIAN and ERIC TUCKER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite the sun bearing down on him and the sweat beading across his face, President Donald Trump still lingered with reporters lined up outside the White House on Friday. He was leaving on a trip to Scotland, where he would visit his golf courses, and he wanted to talk about how his administration just finished “the best six months ever.”

But over and over, the journalists kept asking Trump about the Jeffrey Epstein case and whether he would pardon the disgraced financier’s imprisoned accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.

“People should really focus on how well the country is doing,” Trump insisted. He shut down another question by saying, “I don’t want to talk about that.”

It was another example of how the Epstein saga — and his administration’s disjointed approach to it — has shadowed Trump when he’s otherwise at the height of his influence. He’s enacted a vast legislative agenda, reached trade deals with key countries and tightened his grip across the federal government. Yet he’s struggled to stamp out the embers of a political crisis that could become a full-on conflagration.

Trump faces pressure from his own supporters

The Republican president’s supporters want the government to release secret files about Epstein, who authorities say killed himself in his New York jail cell six years ago while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. They believe him to be the nexus of a dark web of powerful people who abused underage girls. Administration officials who once stoked conspiracy theories now insist there’s nothing more to disclose, a stance that has stirred skepticism because of Trump’s former friendship with Epstein.

Trump has repeatedly denied prior knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and claimed he cut off their relationship long ago. For a president skilled at manipulating the media and controlling the Republican Party, it has been the most challenging test of his ability to shift the conversation in his second term.

“This is a treadmill to nowhere. How do you get off of it?” said Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist. “I genuinely don’t know the answer to that.”

Trump has demanded his supporters drop the matter and urged Republicans to block Democratic requests for documents on Capitol Hill. But he has also directed the Justice Department to divulge some additional information in hopes of satisfying his supporters.

A White House official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss internal strategy, said Trump is trying to stay focused on his agenda while also demonstrating some transparency. After facing countless scandals and investigations, the official said, Trump is on guard against the typical playbook of drip-drip disclosures that have plagued him in the past.

It’s clear Trump sees the Epstein case as a continuation of the “witch hunts” he’s faced over the years, starting with the investigation into Russian interference during his election victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton nearly a decade ago. The sprawling inquiry led to convictions against some top advisers but did not substantiate allegations Trump conspired with Moscow.

Trump’s opponents, he wrote on social media on Thursday, “have gone absolutely CRAZY, and are playing another Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax but, this time, under the guise of what we will call the Jeffrey Epstein SCAM.”

During the Russia investigation, special counsel Robert Mueller and his team of prosecutors were a straightforward foil for Trump to rail against. Ty Cobb, the lawyer who served as the White House’s point person, said the president “never felt exposed” because “he thought he had a legitimate gripe.”

The situation is different this time now that the Justice Department has been stocked with loyalists. “The people that he has to get mad at are basically his people as opposed to his inquisitors and adversaries,” Cobb said.

It was Trump’s allies who excavated the Epstein debacle

In fact, Trump’s own officials are the most responsible for bringing the Epstein case back to the forefront.

FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, regularly stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein before assuming their current jobs, floating the idea the government had covered up incriminating and compelling information that needed to be brought to light. “Put on your big boy pants and let us know who the pedophiles are,” Patel said in a 2023 podcast.

Attorney General Pam Bondi played a key role, too. She intimated in a Fox News Channel interview in February that an Epstein “client list” was sitting on her desk for review — she would later say she was referring to the Epstein files more generally — and greeted far-right influencers with binders of records from the case that consisted largely of information already in the public domain.

Tensions spiked earlier this month when the FBI and the Justice Department, in an unsigned two-page letter, said that no client list existed, that the evidence was clear Epstein had killed himself and that no additional records from the case would be released to the public. It was a seeming backtrack on the administration’s stated commitment to transparency. Amid a fierce backlash from Trump’s base and influential conservative personalities, Bongino and Bondi squabbled openly in a tense White House meeting.

Since then, the Trump administration has scrambled to appear transparent, including by seeking the unsealing of grand jury transcripts in the case — though it’s hardly clear that courts would grant that request or that those records include any eye-catching details anyway. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has taken the unusual step of interviewing the imprisoned Maxwell over the course of two days at a courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, where her lawyer said she would “always testify truthfully.”

All the while, Trump and his allies have resurfaced the Russia investigation as a rallying cry for a political base that has otherwise been frustrated by the Epstein saga.

Trump’s director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, who just weeks ago appeared on the outs with Trump over comments on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, seemed to return to the president’s good graces this week following the declassification and release of years-old documents she hoped would discredit long-settled conclusions about Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The developments allowed Trump to rehash longstanding grievances against President Barack Obama and his Democratic advisers. Trump’s talk of investigations into perceived adversaries from years ago let him, in effect, go back in time to deflect attention from a very current crisis.

“Whether it’s right or wrong,” Trump said, “it’s time to go after people.”

By COLLIN BINKLEY, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is releasing billions of dollars in grants to schools for adult literacy, English language instruction and other programs, the Education Department said Friday.

President Donald Trump’s administration had withheld $6 billion in funding on July 1 as part of a review to ensure spending aligned with the White House’s priorities.

The funding freeze had been challenged by several lawsuits as educators, Congress members from both parties and others called for the administration to release money schools rely on for a wide range of programs.

Last week, the department said it would release $1.3 billion of the money for after-school and summer programming. Without the money, school districts and nonprofits such as the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club of America had said they would have to close or scale back educational offerings this fall.

The release of that money came days after 10 Republican senators sent a letter imploring the administration to allow frozen education money to be sent to states.

The Education Department said Friday the Office of Management and Budget had completed its review of the programs and will begin sending the money to states next week.

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., was among the Congress members calling for the release of the grants. She said it is important to protect the programs.

“The programs are ones that enjoy longstanding, bipartisan support like after-school and summer programs that provide learning and enrichment opportunities for school aged children, which also enables their parents to work and contribute to local economies, and programs to support adult learners working to gain employment skills, earn workforce certifications, or transition into postsecondary education,” she said.

---

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

By CHRISTINA LARSON

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s almost time for summer’s meteor shower duet.

The Southern Delta Aquariid and the Alpha Capricornid meteor showers peak at the same time — in the early morning of July 30.

Without too much interference from moonlight — the waxing moon will be only about a quarter full — the meteors should appear bright and clear in regions away from city lights.

With each shower expected to produce up to a dozen visible meteors per hour under dark skies, the doubleheader means the total number of meteors “do add up,” said Thaddeus LaCoursiere, planetarium program coordinator at the Bell Museum in St. Paul, Minnesota.

“Look for flashes of light in the night sky,” he said, adding that both are “very nice classic meteor showers.”

The Alpha Capricornids — produced by slower-moving meteors — may have tails that linger slightly longer in the sky, said Nick Moskovitz of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Viewing of each shower lasts through August 12.

What is a meteor shower?

As the Earth orbits the sun, several times a year it passes through debris left by passing comets and sometimes asteroids.

The source of the Delta Aquariids is debris from comet 96P/Machholz. The Alpha Capricornids stem from the comet 169P/NEAT.

When these fast-moving space rocks enter Earth’s atmosphere, the debris encounters new resistance from the air and becomes very hot, eventually burning up.

Sometimes the surrounding air glows briefly, leaving behind a fiery tail — the end of a “shooting star.”

You don’t need special equipment to see the various meteor showers that flash across annually, just a spot away from city lights.

How to view a meteor shower

The best time to watch a meteor shower is in the early predawn hours when the moon is low in the sky.

Competing sources of light — such as a bright moon or artificial glow — are the main obstacles to a clear view of meteors. Cloudless nights when the moon wanes smallest are optimal viewing opportunities.

And keep looking up, not down. Your eyes will be better adapted to spot shooting stars if you aren’t checking your phone.

When is the next meteor shower?

The next major meteor shower, the Perseids, peaks in mid August.

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

Ten years after a “Fantastic Four” movie that wasn’t, Marvel Studios and 20th Century Studios have given us “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” a much better couple of hours.

It takes place in the mid-1960s, albeit a sleekly otherworldly jet age streamlining of that time. Result? Extras in fedoras share crowd scenes with a Manhattan skyline dotted with familiar landmarks like the Chrysler Building, alongside some casually wondrous “Jetsons”-esque skyscrapers and design flourishes. Typically a production designer working in the Marvel movie universe doesn’t stand a chance against the digital compositing and effects work and the general wash of green-screenery. “The Fantastic Four” is different. Production designer Kasra Farahani’s amusing visual swagger complements the film’s dueling interests: A little fun over here, the usual threats of global extinction over there.

In contrast to the current James Gunn “Superman,” worthwhile despite its neurotic mood swings and from-here-to-eternity action beats, director Matt Shakman’s handling of “The Fantastic Four” takes it easier on the audience. Having returned from their space mission with “cosmically compromised DNA,” Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm adapt to their Earthbound lives with some new bullet points for their collective resumé. Richards, big-time-stretchy-bendy, goes by Mister Fantastic, able to out-Gumby Gumby. One Storm’s alter ego is Invisible Woman, while the other Storm is the flying Human Torch. Grimm returns to Earth as a mobile rockpile, aka The Thing.

So what’s it all about? It’s about a really hungry tourist just looking for one last meal before he “may finally rest.” So says Galactus, devourer of worlds, for whom noshing involves planets, and whose herald is Silver Surfer. Galactus wants Sue Storm’s soon-to-be-newborn baby in exchange for not devouring Earth. How the Fantastic Four go about dealing with Galactus culminates in an evacuated Manhattan, in the vicinity of Times Square, while the New York throngs hide away in the underground lair of Harvey Elder, the infamous Moleman.

One of the buoying aspects of Shakman’s film is its avoidance of antagonist overexposure. You get just enough of Paul Walter Hauser’s witty embodiment of auxiliary more-misunderstood-than-bad Moleman, for example, to want more. And Galactus, a hulking metallic entity, is such that a little of him is plenty, actually.

The Fantastic Four run the show here. Not everyone will love the generous, relaxed amount of hangout time director Shakman’s film spends setting up and illustrating family dynamics and medium-grade banter. Others will take it as a welcome change from the 10-megaton solemnity of some of the recent Marvels, hits as well as flops.

While Pedro Pascal, aka Mister Ubiquitous, makes for a solid, sensitive ringleader as the ever-murmuring Mister Fantastic, the emotional weight tips slightly toward Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm, as she weathers the travails of imminent parenthood, wondering along with her husband whether the child of DNA-scrambled superheroic parents will be OK. I wish Ebon Moss-Bachrach had better material as The Thing, but he’s ingratiating company; same goes for Joseph Quinn’s Johnny Storm, a boyish horndog once he sets his sights on the metallic flip of the screen’s first female Silver Surfer (Julia Garner).

Michael Giacchino’s excellent and subtly rangy musical score is a big plus. The costumes by Alexandra Byrne are less so. This is where indefensible personal taste comes in. There’s no question that Byrne’s designs fit snugly into the overall retro-futurist frame of “The Fantastic Four.” But holy moly, the palette dominating the clothes, and picked up by numerous production design elements, is really, really, really blue. Really blue. The movie works bluer than Buddy Hackett at a ’64 midnight show in Vegas.

Few will share my aversion to the no-doubt carefully varied shades of French blue prevalent here, but what can I do? I can do this: be grateful this film’s just serious enough, tonally, for its family matters and knotty world-saving ethical dilemmas to hold together. It’s not great superhero cinema — the verdict is out on whether that’s even possible in the Marvel Phase 6 stage of our lives — but good is good enough for “The Fantastic Four.”

“The Fantastic 4: First Steps” — 3 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: PG-13 (for sequences of intense action, and some suggestive content)

Running time: 2:05

How to watch: Premieres in theaters July 24

Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.