A federal judge issued an order Wednesday to prevent the deportation of the wife and five children of an Egyptian man charged in the firebombing attack in Boulder, Colorado.

U.S. District Judge Gordon P. Gallagher granted a request from the family of Mohamed Sabry Soliman to halt deportation proceedings of his wife and five children who were taken into federal custody Tuesday by U.S. immigration officials.

The family members have not been charged in the attack on a group demonstrating for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Soliman faces federal hate crime charges and state charges of attempted murder in the Sunday attack in downtown Boulder.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Wednesday that they are being processed for removal proceedings. Its rare that family members of a person accused of a crime are detained and threatened with deportation.

RELATED STORY | Suspect in Boulder attack on pro-Israel demonstration charged with hate crime

Solimans wife, 18-year-old daughter, two minor sons and two minor daughters all are Egyptian citizens, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.

We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it, Noem said in a statement.

Noem also said federal authorities will immediately crack down on people who overstay their visas in response to the Boulder attack.

Soliman told authorities that no one, including his family, knew about his planned attack, according to court documents that, at times, spelled his name as Mohammed.

Earlier Wednesday, authorities raised the number of victims in the attack from 12 to 15, plus a dog.

Boulder County officials who provided the update said in a news release that the victims include eight women and seven men ranging in age from 25 to 88. The Associated Press on Wednesday sent an email to prosecutors seeking more details on the newly identified victims and the dog.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, had planned to kill all of the roughly 20 participants in Sundays demonstration at the popular Pearl Street pedestrian mall, but he threw just two of his 18 Molotov cocktails while yelling Free Palestine, police said. Soliman, an Egyptian man who federal authorities say has been living in the U.S. illegally, didnt carry out his full plan because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before, police wrote in an affidavit.

According to an FBI affidavit, Soliman told police he was driven by a desire to kill all Zionist people a reference to the movement to establish and protect a Jewish state in Israel. Authorities said he expressed no remorse about the attack.

RELATED STORY | Most horrific thing Ive ever seen: Witness describes attack on pro-Israel demonstrators in Boulder

A vigil is scheduled for Wednesday evening at the local Jewish community center.

Defendant's immigration status

Soliman was born in el-Motamedia, an Egyptian farming village in the Nile Delta province of Gharbia, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of Cairo, according to an Egyptian security official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to talk to the media.

Before moving to Colorado Springs three years ago, Soliman spent 17 years in Kuwait, according to court documents.

Soliman arrived in the U.S. in August 2022 on a tourist visa that expired in February 2023, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a post on X. She said Soliman filed for asylum in September 2022 and was granted a work authorization in March 2023, but that has also expired.

Hundreds of thousands of people overstay their visas each year in the United States, according to Department of Homeland Security reports.

The case against Soliman

Soliman told authorities that he had been planning the attack for a year and was waiting for his daughter to graduate before carrying it out, the affidavit said.

A newspaper in Colorado Springs that profiled one of Solimans children in April noted the familys journey from Egypt to Kuwait and then to the U.S. It said after initially struggling in school, his daughter landed academic honors and volunteered at a local hospital.

Soliman has been charged with a federal hate crime as well as attempted murder counts at the state level, but authorities say additional charges could come. He's being held in a county jail on a $10 million cash bond and is scheduled to make an appearance in state court on Thursday.

His attorney, Kathryn Herold, declined to comment after a state court hearing Monday. Public defenders policy prohibits speaking to the media.

Witnesses and police have said Soliman set himself on fire as he hurled the second incendiary device. Authorities said they believe Soliman acted alone. Although they did not elaborate on the nature of his injuries, a booking photo showed him with a large bandage over one ear.

The attack unfolded against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war, which has contributed to a spike in antisemitic violence in the United States. It happened at the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot and barely a week after a man who also yelled Free Palestine was charged with fatally shooting two Israeli Embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum in Washington.

Six victims hospitalized

The victims ranged in age from 25 to 88, and were members of the volunteer group called Run For Their Lives who were holding their weekly demonstration.

No new details were released Wednesday about three victims who were sent to the UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus.

They have requested privacy to heal, spokesperson Kelli Christensen said in an email.

One of the victims was a child when her family fled the Nazis during the Holocaust, said Ginger Delgado of the Arapahoe County Sheriffs Office. Delgado is acting as a spokesperson for the family of the woman, who doesn't want her name used.

The Education Department is pressuring Columbia Universitys accreditor to take action against the Ivy League school over findings that it failed to protect Jewish students from harassment.

The department on Wednesday told the Middle States Commission on Higher Education that Columbia should face action because it has been found in violation of antidiscrimination laws.

Accreditors work on behalf of the federal government to decide which colleges can accept federal financial aid. Without an accreditors seal of approval, Columbia could no longer accept students federal grants or loans.

Just as the Department of Education has an obligation to uphold federal antidiscrimination law, university accreditors have an obligation to ensure member institutions abide by their standards, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.

RELATED STORY | Columbia University president addresses ICE arrests during graduation ceremony

The announcement says the accreditor must take action against Columbia if it doesnt come into compliance.

The Education Department and the Department of Health and Human Services determined on May 22 that Columbia violated federal law by acting with deliberate indifference toward the harassment of Jewish students.

Columbia and its accreditor did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

A graphic designer testified Wednesday that she was so traumatized after Sean "Diddy" Combs held her over a 17th-floor apartment balcony that she sometimes screamed in her sleep afterward.

Bryana 'Bana' Bongolan, 33, a friend of Combs' former longtime girlfriend Cassie, said the 2016 assault at Cassie's Los Angeles apartment caused a bruise on the back of her leg, along with back and neck pain. It also left her emotionally scarred, she told the jury.

"I have night terrors and paranoia and I would scream in my sleep sometimes," said Bongolan, a creative and marketing director who runs her own art agency.

Her testimony came in the fourth week of evidence presentation by prosecutors as they seek to prove that Combs oversaw a racketeering organization composed of his employees and associates as he physically and sexually abused women for two decades.

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and other charges that, if convicted, could send him to prison for 15 years to life.

Bongolan is the latest woman to testify that the hip-hop mogul acted violently toward her and Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, who already testified for four days about the abuse she incurred. Other witnesses described seeing him physically abusing women.

Cassie testified that she saw Combs bring one of her friends back over the railing of a balcony at her apartment in the early morning.

Cassie said she was asleep in her room when she awoke to the episode.

"I saw him bring her back over the railing of the balcony and then throw her onto the patio furniture," Cassie testified.

When Bongolan recalled the attack, she said Combs barged into Cassie's apartment, lifted her up and put her on the rail. She said she feared that she would plummet to her death as she pushed back against Combs.

"I was scared to fall," she said. Combs was yelling at her throughout the ordeal, Bongolan said, estimating he held her over the railing for 10 to 15 seconds.

She said Combs then threw her onto balcony furniture. Adrenaline helped her power through the ordeal, Bongolan said. She recalled getting up immediately after being thrown down.

RELATED STORY | Who are all of the celebrities mentioned during Sean 'Diddy' Combs' trial and why?

Bongolan said Cassie, who was sleeping in the bedroom, then came out and asked Combs: "Did you just hang her over the balcony?" Told that Bongolan's ex-girlfriend was also in the apartment, Combs swiftly left, Bongolan said.

Bongolan said she has lasting effects from Combs assaulting her.

"I have nightmares and I have a lot of paranoia and I used to scream a lot in my sleep, but it's dissipated a little bit," she testified.

Part of her paranoia, she said, includes opening doors carefully and peeking into rooms before going inside, and she added that she had a nightmare as recently as a few days ago.

Bongolan said Combs gave her drugs on three or four occasions, including ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine and G, a substance she understood was the depressant GHB.

She said she also did drugs about once a week with Cassie when Combs wasn't around.

Bongolan, testifying in response to a subpoena from prosecutors, was granted immunity after she initially said she would refuse to answer questions and invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. She was at least the third witness given immunity to testify.

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The FBI arrested a Washington state man accused of providing large amounts of chemicals to make explosives for last month's bombing of a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, federal authorities said Wednesday.

Daniel Park, 32, was taken into custody on Tuesday night at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport after being deported from Poland, where he'd traveled four days after the bombing, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli told reporters.

Federal authorities allege Park shipped 180 pounds of ammonium nitrate to Guy Edward Bartkus, 25, who bombed the clinic and was killed in the blast. The chemical compound is an explosive precursor that can be used to make homemade bombs, Essayli said.

Park traveled earlier this year to Twentynine Palms, California where he and Bartkus conducted experiments in bomb-making. authorities said.

RELATED STORY | Police believe explosion at California fertility clinic was intentional

Park and Bartkus met in online forums dedicated to the anti-natalist movement, bonding over a "shared belief that people shouldn't exist," said Akil Davis, the FBI's assistant director in charge.

Anti-natalism is a fringe theory that opposes childbirth and population growth and believes people should not continue to procreate. Officials said Bartkus intentionally targeted the fertility clinic as an act of terrorism. He tried to livestream the explosion, but the attempt failed, the FBI says.

The blast gutted the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic in Palms Springs and shattered the windows of nearby buildings along a palm tree-lined street. Witnesses described a loud boom followed by a chaotic scene, with people screaming in terror and glass strewn along the sidewalk and street. A body was found near a charred vehicle outside the clinic.

Investigators haven't said if he intended to kill himself in the attack or why he chose the specific facility. The clinic provides services to help people get pregnant, including in vitro fertilization and fertility evaluations.

RELATED STORY | Authorities investigating Palm Springs, California, fertility clinic explosion identify a suspect

Authorities executed a search warrant at Park's residence in Seattle and found "an explosive recipe that was similar to the Oklahoma City bombing," Davis said.

Scott Sweetow, a retired ATF explosives expert, had previously said the amount of damage caused indicated that the suspect used a "high explosive" similar to dynamite and TNT rather than a "low explosive" like gun powder.

Those types of explosives are normally difficult for civilians to access, but increasingly people are finding ways to concoct explosives at home, he said.

"Once you know the chemistry involved, it's pretty easy to get stuff," Sweetow said. "The ingredients you could get at a grocery store."

Davis previously called the explosion possibly the "largest bombing scene that we've had in Southern California."

Law enforcement discovered a cache of weaponry and armor, including a machine gun and grenade launchers, along with Nazi paraphernalia during a raid of a home in Washington state, authorities said Tuesday.

Derek Sanders, the elected sheriff of Thurston County, said in a Facebook post that the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division asked his office for assistance Monday as an FBI special weapons and tactics team executed a search warrant in Lacey, near the state capitol of Olympia, "as a result of a violent robbery and theft of military weaponry/armor."

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle said in a statement to The Associated Press on Tuesday night that the search warrant related to an Army CID and FBI investigation into an assault Sunday at Joint Base Lewis-McCord, just north of Olympia.

RELATED STORY | Search underway for Washington man accused of killing his 3 young daughters

Sanders' statement said two people were arrested and booked into Thurston County Jail for investigation of firearms-related offenses.

"The suspects identified in this case were actively involved in Nazi White Nationalist efforts," he wrote.

Sanders did not immediately return messages seeking comment Tuesday night.

The U.S. Attorney's Office statement said Army investigators had identified suspects in the assault at the military base and the FBI executed the search warrant late Monday night into early Tuesday.

Reached for comment, the FBI said its Seattle office was "assisting our partners Thurston County Sheriff's Office and Army Criminal Investigation Division" and referred questions to them.

RELATED STORY | Anti-Defamation League says anger at Israel is now the driving force behind antisemitism in the US

Additional information was expected to be included in a federal criminal complaint to be unsealed Wednesday. The two people arrested were expected to make initial appearances at U.S. District Court in Tacoma on Wednesday afternoon.

In his post, Sanders said agents had seized 35 firearms at the home, including short barrel rifles and an MG42 machine gun a type typically supported with a bipod and which was used by German troops during World War II. Other seized gear included grenade launchers, explosives, body armor, ammunition and ballistic helmets, and multiple rifles were staged at windows throughout the residence, the sheriff said.

He posted photos from the home showing an array of weapons, ammunition and body armor surrounded by Nazi paraphernalia, including a red Nazi flag emblazoned with a black swastika.

President Donald Trumps big bill, making its way through Congress, will cut taxes by $3.75 trillion but also increase deficits by $2.4 trillion over the next decade, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

The CBO also estimates an increase of 10.9 million people without health insurance under the bill by 2034, including 1.4 million who are in the country without legal status in state-funded programs.

The package would reduce federal outlays, or spending, by nearly $1.3 trillion over that period, the budget office said.

Republicans cry crocodile tears over the debt when Democrats are in charge but explode it when theyre in power, said Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee.

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In the words of Elon Musk, Boyle said, reviving the billionaire and former Trump aides criticism of the package, this bill is a disgusting abomination.

The analysis comes at a crucial moment in the legislative process as Trump is pushing Congress to have the final product on his desk to sign into law by the Fourth of July. The work of the CBO, which for decades has served as the official scorekeeper of legislation in Congress, will be weighed by lawmakers and others seeking to understand the budgetary impacts of the sprawling 1,000-page-plus package.

Ahead of CBOs release, the White House and Republican leaders criticized the budget office in a pre-emptive campaign designed to sow doubt in its findings.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said CBO has been historically wrong and Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the CBO was flat wrong because it underestimated the potential revenue from Trumps first round of tax breaks in 2017. The CBO last year said receipts were $1.5 trillion or 5.6% greater than predicted, in large part because of the burst of inflation during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.

Leavitt also suggested that CBOs employees are biased, even though certain budget office workers face strict ethical rules including restrictions on campaign donations and political activity to ensure objectivity and impartiality.

RELATED STORY | Trump's budget bill could benefit wealthy instead of the poor, analysis reveals

Alongside the costs of the bill, the CBO had previously estimated that 8.6 million people would no longer have health care and 4 million fewer would have food stamps each month due to the legislations proposed changes to Medicaid and other programs.

The bill, called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act after the presidents own catch phrase, is grinding its way through Congress, as the top priority of Republicans, who control both the House and Senate and face stiff opposition from Democrats at every step in the process.

Democrats call it Trumps big, ugly bill.

All told, the package seeks to extend the individual income tax breaks that had been approved in 2017, but will expire in December if Congress fails to act, while adding new ones, including no taxes on tips. It also includes a massive buildup of $350 billion for border security, deportations and national security.

To help cover the lost revenue, Republicans want to slash some federal spending. They propose phasing out green energy tax breaks put in place during Democrat Joe Biden's presidency. New work requirements for some adults up to age 65 on Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, would begin in December 2026 and is expected to result in less spending on those programs.

The package also would provide a $4 trillion increase to the nations debt limit, which is now $36 trillion, to allow more borrowing. The Treasury projects the debt limit will need to be raised this summer to pay the nations already accrued bills.

Now in its 50th year, the CBO was established by law after Congress sought to assert its control, as outlined in the Constitution, over the budget process, in part by setting up the new office as an alternative to the White Houses Office of Management and Budget.

Staffed by some 275 economists, analysts and other employees, the CBO says it seeks to provide Congress with objective, impartial information about budgetary and economic issues.

Its current director, Phillip Swagel, a former Treasury Department official in Republican President George W. Bushs administration, was reappointed to a four-year term in 2023.

A man who identified himself as a New Orleans jail escapee released videos on social media while still on the run, leading to a police raid that failed to recapture him, an Associated Press source says.

Authorities were so convinced about the authenticity of the videos that they searched a home a little over 2 miles from the jail late Monday, where they believe the recordings were made by escapee Antoine Massey, according to a senior law enforcement official who spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity. The official said he wasn't authorized to publicly discuss the ongoing investigation into the May 16 escape by 10 inmates.

Massey was not at the New Orleans home on the edge of the Fairgrounds and Gentilly neighborhoods, the official said, but authorities did locate clothing they believe he wore during filming.

The owner of the home, Shedrick Burnell, said it was being rented and declined to name the tenant. He told AP by phone that he had never seen or heard of Massey before the jailbreak and the videos circulated online, but he appeared unfazed that a fugitive had likely used his property as a hideout.

"I'm 76, I've seen a helluva lot worse than this," said the Louisiana native. "As long as my tenant is safe, there's nothing I can do."

RELATED STORY | Women charged with helping New Orleans jail escapees get food and transportation

When an AP reporter knocked at the home Tuesday afternoon, no one answered.

Next door, a house under construction had been kicked in and the backdoor, gate and windows were open likely due to the police search, said Tariq Aldahir, an electrician who had been working on that property, adjacent to where Massey had allegedly been hiding.

"It's a little scary -- if he is as dangerous a criminal as they say he is, what is he capable of doing?" Aldahir said. "He's desperate -- any human being who is desperate, there's no limit to what they can do."

Authorities were tipped off to the videos, posted online Sunday, by relatives who recognized the residence.

Authorities are racing to recapture Massey and convicted murderer Derrick Groves, more than two weeks since the audacious breakout. Eight other escapees have since been recaptured.

State Police Superintendent Col. Robert Hodges said that despite the agency's confidence in its investigations, "things change at a moment's notice and it's usually because someone has helped them." He encouraged people to keep offering tips. Authorities are offering a $50,000 reward per escapee.

Louisiana State Police, the agency leading the search, declined to comment on whether it had verified Massey's identity in the videos. The agency carried out the search related to the videos since removed from Instagram which seemingly show a man with the same facial tattoos as Massey sitting near a kitchen.

"Please, I'm asking for help," said Massey, appealing to President Donald Trump and several rappers, including New Orleans native Lil Wayne in one video. "When I get back in custody, I'm asking y'all please to come and help."

Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson urged Massey to surrender, adding in a statement: "Cooperating with law enforcement is in his best interest and may help avoid additional charges."

Massey, 32, faced charges of rape, kidnapping, domestic violence involving strangulation and violation of a protective order all stemming from a November 2024 incident, authorities in nearby St. Tammany Parish say. In Orleans Parish, he faced charges of motor vehicle theft and domestic battery.

Massey said he's innocent and also claimed on video that he'd been "let out" of jail.

A woman police identified as being in an on-again, off-again relationship with Massey and who suffered from domestic abuse at his hands, police reports indicate was arrested and charged with obstruction of justice and as a principal to aggravated escape, court records show. Authorities said the woman knew of Massey's escape plans beforehand, communicated with him afterward and misled authorities.

During a Tuesday press conference, Gov. Jeff Landry, a tough-on-crime Republican, urged the two escapees "quit the hide-and-seek game" and turn themselves in.

Video and images from the breakout show inmates had yanked open a faulty cell door, removed a toilet and crawled through a hole where steel bars had been cut before using blanks to get over a barbed wire fence.

A maintenance worker charged with helping the incarcerated men escape has denied knowingly aiding them, via his lawyer.

A federal judge has barred state officials from enforcing a Florida law that would ban social media accounts for young children, while a legal challenge against the law plays out. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued the order Tuesday, blocking portions of the law from taking effect.

The measure was one of the most restrictive bans in the U.S. on social media use by children when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law in 2024. The law would ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for their use by 14- and 15-year-olds.

In his order granting the preliminary injunction sought by the groups Computer & Communications Industry Association and NetChoice, Walker wrote that the law is likely unconstitutional, but acknowledged that parents and lawmakers have sincere concerns about social media's effects on kids.

Walker wrote that the prohibition on social media platforms from allowing certain age groups to have accounts directly burdens those youths rights to engage in and access speech.

Also Tuesday, a federal judge in Atlanta heard arguments from NetChoice seeking to block a 2024 Georgia law scheduled to take effect July 1 that would require age verification for social media accounts and require children younger than 16 to get parental permission for accounts. Like in Florida and other states where laws have been blocked, the internet trade group NetChoice argues that the Georgia law infringes on free speech rights, is vague, and overly burdensome.

RELATED STORY | 1 in 5 Americans get their news from social media influencers, study says

While siding with the industry groups' claims that the law limits free speech, Walker allowed a provision of the Florida law to go into effect requiring platforms to shut down accounts for children under 16, if their parent or guardian requests it.

Parents and even some teens themselves are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use on young people. Supporters of the laws have said they are needed to help curb the explosive use of social media among young people, and what researchers say is an associated increase in depression and anxiety.

Matt Schruers, the president and CEO of the industry association CCIA, praised the judge's order blocking the Florida law.

This ruling vindicates our argument that Floridas statute violates the First Amendment by blocking and restricting minors and likely adults as well from using certain websites to view lawful content," he said in a statement. "We look forward to seeing this statute permanently blocked as a violation of Floridians constitutional right to engage in lawful speech online."

RELATED STORY | Virginia enacts law limiting social media use for kids under 16 to one hour daily

A spokesperson for Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier defended the law and the state's efforts to insulate kids from social media at a time when platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat seem almost impossible to escape.

Florida parents voted through their elected representatives for a law protecting kids from the harmful and sometimes lifelong tragic impacts of social media. These platforms do not have a constitutional right to addict kids to their products, Uthmeier's press secretary Jae Williams said in a statement. We disagree with the courts order and will immediately seek relief in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

In Atlanta, NetChoice attorney Jeremy Maltz told U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg that Georgia's law would impermissibly restrict speech by minors, saying that before you share your art, before you share your political information, you need to produce your papers, please.

Totenberg did not rule Tuesday. But citing rulings against similar laws in other states, she expressed skepticism about Georgia's case, asking Deputy Attorney General Logan Winkles: What makes today different from all other days?"

Winkles argued the law's requirement of commercially reasonable attempts to verify age could be quite cheap and likened it to banning minors from bars serving alcohol, not restricting their speech.

There are things about social media that make it dangerous, Winkles said. It's a place where children are being restricted. It's not about speech.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says President Donald Trump would be going back on his word to her if he pardoned two men who are serving prison sentences for leading a 2020 plot to kidnap her.

Whitmer, a Democrat, told Michigan Public Radio on Thursday that Trump asked her about a month ago how she would feel if he pardoned the two men.

I said, I think it would be the wrong decision, Whitmer recounted. I would oppose it and he said, OK, Ill drop it.

Whitmer, a possible 2028 presidential candidate, recounted the conversation one day after Trump said he was considering a pardon for the men, saying, I will take a look at it. It's been brought to my attention.

The Republican president said he followed the men's trial and it looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job. He said the men were drinking and I think they said stupid things.

RELATED STORY | Trump considers pardons for men convicted in plot to kidnap, kill Whitmer

The U.S. Justice Departments new pardon attorney also said this month he would take a hard look at pardoning Barry Croft Jr. and Adam Fox.

Croft, 49, and Fox, 42, were portrayed as leaders of the kidnapping scheme. They were convicted of conspiracy in federal court in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 2022. Croft, a trucker from Delaware, was also found guilty of a weapons charge.

Croft was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison, while Fox, a Grand Rapids man, got a 16-year term. They are being held at a prison in Colorado the most secure in the federal system.

Whitmer later told an audience following a speech at the Detroit Regional Chamber Mackinac Policy Conference that she plans to talk to Trump again about the pardoning matter.

We have an ongoing dialogue now ... very different from the first term, she said about Trump and turned to smile at the audience.

A spokesperson said the White House cannot confirm nor deny any upcoming actions.

The White House does not comment on the Presidents private meetings, and any speculation about future pardons is just thatspeculation," principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said in a statement.

Whitmer and Trump clashed publicly during his first term, with Trump referring to her as that woman from Michigan. She has blamed Trump for the political anger that motivated the plot to kidnap her right before the 2020 presidential election.

RELATED STORY | Trump offers rare praise of Michigan Gov. Whitmer during White House visit

Whitmer also hinted Thursday at anger over the possibility of pardons, saying she was disappointed to hear the news he was considering it.

No one should hesitate to condemn political violence, she said, noting the arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiros residence and the assassination attempt on Donald Trump last year.

Whitmer has faced scrutiny from some Democrats for taking a more collaborative approach to the Trump administration in his second term.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat who has criticized Whitmer for working with and appearing with Trump, said releasing the convicted men is no laughing matter.

The reward you get for cozying up to Trump is him threatening to pardon the terrorists who plotted to kidnap and murder you, she said on social media.

Whitmer's collaboration with Trump has come with several awkward moments for her this year, including when she was unexpectedly in the Oval Office during a press conference as Trump ordered the Justice Department to investigate two former members of his previous administration who had publicly criticized him.

RELATED STORY | Gov. Gretchen Whitmer risks backlash from Democrats as she hugs Trump in Michigan

Their new dynamic also led to some wins for her administration, including securing new jets at a military air base in Michigan and a commitment from Trump to fund a project to protect Lake Michigan from invasive carp.

Many U.S. corporations this year stopped supporting Pride events that celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and rights, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in budget shortfalls ahead of the summer festivities and raising questions about corporate Americas commitment to the cause.

The moves come as President Donald Trump has shown antipathy for trans protections and has attempted to roll back some LGBTQ+ friendly federal policies. Experts also note that a growing slice of the public has grown tired of companies taking a stance on social and political issues.

San Francisco Pride, the nonprofit that produces one of the countrys largest and best-known LGBTQ+ celebrations, is facing a $200,000 budget gap after corporate donors dropped out. In Kansas City, Missouri, KC Pride lost about $200,000 roughly half its annual budget.

Heritage of Pride, the umbrella organization behind NYC Pride and other LGBTQ+ events in New York City, is fundraising to narrow a $750,000 budget gap after companies withdrew.

Meanwhile, Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch ended its sponsorship of PrideFest in St. Louis, Missouri, its home base, after 30 years, leaving organizers with a $150,000 budget shortfall.

In response, many Pride organizations have canceled some dance parties, reduced the number of stages, hired less pricey headliners and no longer give volunteers free food or T-shirts.

But the core celebrations will go on. In San Francisco, this years Pride theme is Queer Joy is Resistance. In New York, it's Rise Up: Pride in Protest, and, in Boston, it's Here to Stay!

If you come to Pride this year, thats a revolutionary act, said Suzanne Ford, executive director of San Francisco Pride. You are sending a message to those in Washington that, here in San Francisco, we still have the same values that weve always had you can love who you love here. Were not going to retreat from that.

Following media coverage of their retreat, some companies changed course but asked that their names not be affiliated with the events, the event organizers said.

Corporations rethink Pride sponsorships

San Francisco Pride earlier this year lost the support of five major corporate donors, including Comcast, Anheuser-Busch and Diageo, the beverage giant that makes Guinness beer and Smirnoff vodka.

RELATED STORY | Salt Lake City adopts new flags to circumvent Utah's ban on pride flags

With everything were facing from the Trump administration, to lose five of your partners within a couple of weeks, it felt like we were being abandoned, Ford said.

After the withdrawals drew attention, some corporations said they would donate but only anonymously, Ford said, declining to identify those companies. As of this week, neither Comcast, Anheuser-Busch nor Diageo appeared on the organizations website as sponsors of the June 29 festivities. It was unclear if they donated.

Anheuser-Busch and Diageo didnt reply to emails from The Associated Press seeking comment. A spokesperson for Comcast also declined to comment but said some of its companies are sponsoring Silicon Valley Pride and Oakland Pride.

NYC Pride spokesperson Chris Piedmont said about 20% of its corporate sponsors either dropped their support or scaled back, including New York-based PepsiCo and Nissan.

Kyle Bazemore, Nissan North America's director of corporate communications, said the decision comes as the automaker reviews all of its marketing expenses to lower costs. PepsiCo did not return an email seeking comment.

Piedmont said NYC Pride has also received anonymous corporate funding and that he appreciates the unpublicized support.

Writing a check to a nonprofit and supporting a nonprofit with no strings attached is stepping up to the plate, Piedmont said.

Companies retreat from brand activism

The shift reflects how corporations are adjusting to a changing cultural landscape that began during the pandemic and accelerated with Trump's second term, experts said.

Companies are resourceful, they are clever at identifying trends and studying their environment and their customers needs, but those needs change and corporations adjust, said Amir Grinstein, a marketing professor at Northeastern University.

Corporations' presence in rainbow-filled Pride parades, concerts and dance parties became more ubiquitous after the landmark 2015 Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, as companies splashed their names on parade floats, rainbow flags and bright plastic bracelets.

So-called brand activism reached its peak between 2016 to 2022, a period of social upheaval around the pandemic, police brutality and transgender rights, Grinstein said.

But research has since found a growing number of American consumers don't want companies taking positions on such topics, said Barbara Kahn, a marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School.

There have always been people who said, I dont want my toothpaste to have an opinion, I just want to use my toothpaste, but the tide has shifted, and research shows there are more people that feel that way now," Kahn said.

Pride organizers keep their distance from some corporations

Meanwhile, Republican-led states have been passing legislation to curtail diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and LGBTQ+ rights, especially the ability of transgender young people to participate in sports or receive gender-affirming care.

Trump signed executive orders on his first day in office that rolled back protections for transgender people and terminated federal DEIprograms.

Some companies followed suit by eliminating their DEI goals, prompting Pride organizations to sever ties.

San Francisco's organizers cut ties with Meta after the parent company of Facebook and Instagram terminated its DEI goals and content moderation policies.

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Twin Cities Pride ended its relationship with Target over the Minneapolis-based retailer's curtailing of its DEI initiatives following a backlash from conservatives and the White House. The company's retreat from DEI policies led to a counter-boycott by civil rights advocates.

Target announced in May that sales fell more than expected in the first quarter due to customer boycotts, tariffs and other economic factors. The company now offers only some Pride products at a few stores and online.

Still, Rick Gomez, Target's chief commercial officer, told reporters in May that it's important to celebrate Heritage Months, which highlight different groups from Latinos to Asian Americans to the LGBTQ+ community.

"They drive sales growth for us, he said.

Asking the community for financial support

First-time donations from individuals, foundations and local businesses have increased following corporate America's retreat.

In Minneapolis, a crowdfunding campaign by Twin Cities Pride to fill a $50,000 funding gap raised more than $89,000.

In San Francisco, two local foundations donated $55,000 combined.

This isnt the first year that theres been an inflammatory climate around Pride, said James Moran, a spokesperson for KC Pride, in Kansas City, Missouri. We know that our community is looking for spaces that are meant for us, where we can celebrate but also process whats going on and build our own support networks."

Californias high school track-and-field state finals will award one extra medal Saturday in events where a transgender athlete places in the top three, a rule change that may be the first of its kind nationally by a high school sports governing body.

The new California Interscholastic Federation policy was written in response to the success of high school junior AB Hernandez, a trans student who competes in the girls' high jump, long jump and triple jump. She led in all three events after the preliminaries on Friday. The CIF said earlier this week it would let an additional student compete and medal in the events where Hernandez qualified.

The two-day championship kicked off in the sweltering heat at high school near Fresno. The atmosphere was relatively quiet on Friday despite critics including parents, conservative activists and President Donald Trump calling for Hernandez to be barred from girls' competition leading up to the meet.

There was some pushback Friday. A group of fewer than 10 people gathered outside the stadium ahead of the meet to protest Hernandez's participation. Some of them wore Save Girls Sports T-shirts. At one point as Hernandez was attempting a high jump, someone in the stands yelled an insult. An aircraft circled above the stadium for more than an hour during the events, carrying a banner that read, No Boys in Girls Sports!

The rest of the night ran smoothly for Hernandez, who finished the triple jump with a mark close to 41 feet, nearly 10 inches ahead of her closest competitor, San Francisco Bay Area junior Kira Gant Hatcher.

Hernandez also led in the long jump with a mark close to 20 feet to advance to the final. She advanced in the high jump, clearing 5 feet, 5 inches with ease.

She did not address the press.

California at center of national debate

The CIF rule change reflects efforts to find a middle ground in the debate over trans girls participation in youth sports.

The CIF values all of our student-athletes and we will continue to uphold our mission of providing students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete while complying with California law, the group said in a statement after announcing its rule change.

A recent AP-NORC poll found that about 7 in 10 U.S. adults think transgender female athletes should not be allowed to participate in girls and womens sports at the high school, college or professional level. That view was shared by about 9 in 10 Republicans and roughly half of Democrats.

The federation announced the rule change after Trump threatened this week to pull federal funding from California unless it bars trans female athletes from competing on girls' teams. The CIF said it decided on the change before then.

The U.S. Department of Justice also said it would investigate the state federation and the district that includes Hernandezs high school to determine whether they violated federal sex discrimination law by allowing trans girls to compete in girls' sports.

Some California Republicans also weighed in, with several state lawmakers attending a news conference to criticize the federation for keeping Hernandez in the competition and a Republican gubernatorial candidate planning to attend Saturday's finals.

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

The federation said the rule would open the field to more biological female athletes. One expert said the change may itself be discriminatory because it creates an extra spot for biological female athletes but not for other trans athletes.

The federation did not specify how they define biological female or how they would verify whether a competitor meets that definition.

Hernandez told the publication Capital & Main earlier this month that she couldnt worry about critics.

Im still a child, youre an adult, and for you to act like a child shows how you are as a person, she said.

Another student breaks a record

Californias state championship stands out from that of other states because of the number of competitors athletes face to qualify. The state had the second-largest number of students participating in outdoor track and field in the nation during the 2023-2024 school year, behind Texas, according to a survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Olympians Marion Jones and Tara Davis-Woodhall previously set state championship records in the long jump in 1993 and 2017, respectively, both surpassing 22 feet (6.7 meters).

The boys' 100-meter dash heats were also a highlight Friday. Junior Jaden Jefferson of De La Salle High School in Concord finished in 10.01 seconds, about .2 seconds faster than a meet record set in 2023. Jefferson's time won't count as a record unless he can replicate his results in the final.

The Supreme Court on Friday again cleared the way for the Trump administration to strip temporary legal protections from hundreds of thousands of immigrants, pushing the total number of people who could be newly exposed to deportation to nearly 1 million.

The justices lifted a lower-court order that kept humanitarian parole protections in place for more than 500,000 migrants from four countries: Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The court has also allowed the administration to revoke temporary legal status from about 350,000 Venezuelan migrants in another case.

Republican President Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail to deport millions of people, and in office has sought to dismantle Biden administration polices that created ways for migrants to live legally in the U.S.

Trump amplified false rumors that Haitian immigrants in Ohio with legal status under the humanitarian parole program were abducting and eating pets during his only debate with President Joe Biden, according to court documents.

His administration filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court after a federal judge in Boston blocked the administrations push to end the program.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote in dissent that the effect of the courts order is to have the lives of half a million migrants unravel all around us before the courts decide their legal claims. Justice Sonia Sotomayor joined the dissent.

Israel has accepted a new U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Hamas, the White House said Thursday.

U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, expressed optimism earlier this week about brokering an agreement to halt the Israel-Hamas war and return more of the hostages captured in the attack that ignited it.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Israel backed and supported the new proposal.

Hamas officials gave the Israeli-approved draft a cool response, but said they wanted to study the proposal more closely before giving a formal answer.

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The Zionist response, in essence, means perpetuating the occupation and continuing the killing and famine, Bassem Naim, a top Hamas official, told The Associated Press. He said it does not respond to any of our peoples demands, foremost among which is stopping the war and famine.

Nonetheless, he said the group would study the proposal with all national responsibility.

Hamas had previously said it had agreed with Witkoff on a general framework of an agreement that would lead to a lasting ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, an influx of aid, and a transfer of power from the militant group to a politically independent committee of Palestinians.

Here's what's known about the emerging negotiations that aim to bring about an extended truce in the war in exchange for hostages that remain in captivity:

What do Israel and Hamas want?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to end the war until all the hostages are released and Hamas is either destroyed or disarmed and sent into exile. He has said Israel will control Gaza indefinitely and facilitate what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of its population.

Palestinians and most of the international community have rejected plans to resettle Gazas population, a move experts say would likely violate international law.

Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages its only bargaining chip in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal. It has offered to give up power to a committee of politically independent Palestinians that could oversee reconstruction.

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Hamas is still holding 58 hostages. Around a third are believed to be alive, though many fear they are in grave danger the longer the war goes on. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed since Israel renewed its airstrikes and ground operations after ending a ceasefire in March.

The dispute over whether there should be a temporary ceasefire to release more hostages as Israel has called for or a permanent one as Hamas wants has bedeviled talks brokered by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar for more than a year and a half, and there's no indication it has been resolved.

What is the latest ceasefire proposal?

Witkoff has not publicized his latest proposal, but a Hamas official and an Egyptian official independently confirmed some of the details. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks.

They say it calls for a 60-day pause in fighting, guarantees of serious negotiations leading to a long-term truce and assurances that Israel will not resume hostilities after the release of hostages, as it did in March. Israeli forces would pull back to the positions they held during the ceasefire that Israel ended that month.

Hamas would release 10 living hostages and a number of bodies during the 60-day pause in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, including 100 serving long sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks.

Each day, hundreds of trucks carrying food and humanitarian aid would be allowed to enter Gaza, where experts say a nearly three-month Israeli blockade slightly eased in recent days has pushed the population to the brink of famine.

Why is it so hard to end the war?

Hamas-led militants stormed southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 hostages. More than half the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Israel has rescued eight and recovered dozens of bodies.

Israel's ensuing military campaign has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants.

The offensive has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population of roughly 2 million Palestinians, with hundreds of thousands living in squalid tent camps and unused schools.

Hamas has been vastly depleted militarily and lost nearly all of its top leaders in Gaza. It most likely fears that releasing all the hostages without securing a permanent ceasefire would allow Israel to launch an even more devastating campaign to ultimately destroy the group.

Israel fears that a lasting ceasefire and withdrawal now would leave Hamas with significant influence in Gaza, even if it surrenders formal power. With time, Hamas might be able to rebuild its military might and eventually launch more Oct. 7-style attacks.

Netanyahu also faces political constraints: His far-right coalition partners have threatened to bring down his government if he ends the war too soon. That would leave him more vulnerable to prosecution on longstanding corruption charges and to investigations into the failures surrounding the Oct. 7 attack.

A broader resolution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict appears more distant than ever.

The Palestinians are weak and divided, and Israel's current government the most nationalist and religious in its history is opposed to Palestinian demands for a state in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories Israel occupied in the 1967 Mideast war.

The last serious peace talks broke down more than 15 years ago.

Arkansas authorities are looking at whether a job in the prison kitchen played a role in the weekend escape of a convicted former police chief known as the Devil in the Ozarks.

Grant Hardin, 56, was housed in a maximum-security wing of the medium-security Calico Rock prison, where he also held a job in the kitchen, Arkansas Department of Corrections spokesperson Rand Champion said Thursday. Authorities have said Hardin escaped Sunday by donning an outfit designed to look like a law enforcement uniform.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Former police chief, serving murder and rape sentences, escapes from Arkansas prison

His job assignment was in the kitchen, so just looking to see if that played a part in it as well, Champion told The Associated Press.

The kitchen is divided into two shifts of about 25 workers each, according to a 2021 accreditation report that involved an extensive review of the prison. In the kitchen, tools and utensils were stored on shadow boards with proper controls for sign out/in of all tools, the report states. A check of the inventory control sheets found them to be accurate and up to date.

The kitchen is in one of 16 buildings on over 700 acres of prison land. The sprawling grounds include a garden, two greenhouses, and extensive pasture lands where a herd of more than 100 horses is raised and trained by staff and inmates.

Hardin, the former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. He was the subject of the TV documentary Devil in the Ozarks.

A prison expert said corrections officials are likely investigating whether the kitchen job gave Hardin access to other parts of the prison or to tools in the kitchen that could have helped him, including fashioning the makeshift uniform.

Bryce Peterson, a criminal justice expert at security-based research organization CNA, said prison escapes are usually a combination of motivation and opportunity.

You wouldn't immediately think of a kitchen as a source of a bunch of escape tools, Peterson said. But these people are really smart and what they're thinking about day in and day out is how they can escape if that's what their motivation is.

Local, state and federal law enforcement are continuing their search for Hardin, and the FBI announced Thursday it was offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to his arrest. Champion said officials remained confident that Hardin was in the north-central Arkansas area.

Officials have said there are plenty of hideouts in the Ozark Mountains area, from caves to campsites.

Authorities on Thursday continued to stop cars at a checkpoint near Calico Rock, and fliers featuring photos of Hardin could be seen in local store windows.

Elsewhere Thursday, a sheriff's office in southern Missouri said it had received a report of a sighting of someone resembling Hardin's description in the Moody/Bakersfield area, less than an hour's drive north of Calico Rock.

Deputies with the Howell County Sheriff's Office responded but were unable to locate anyone though agents were continuing to canvass the area, the agency said in a Facebook post.

At this time, we have no information indicating with any degree of certainty this suspicious person was the escapee or that he is even in the state of Missouri, the post said.

Champion said Arkansas authorities were aware of the tip and were looking into it.

The department late Wednesday said search teams also responded to Faulkner County in the central Arkansas area after receiving a tip.

Champion did not immediately know how many other inmates were housed in the prisons maximum-security wing.

Hardin's assignment to the prison, formally known as the North Central Unit, has drawn questions from legislators in the area and family members of the former chief's victims.

Hardin received culinary training at some point during his incarceration, said Cheryl Tillman, whose brother James Appleton was shot to death by Hardin in 2017.

Tillman said she was aware that Hardin had been working in the kitchen at the Calico Rock prison and questioned why he would be allowed to do so.

It sounds like to me that he was given free range down there, she said this week during an interview.

Now that hes free, it makes it uneasy for all of us, the whole family, she said.

At least 11 people were taken to hospitals after a shooting Sunday night in a South Carolina beach town, authorities said.

Horry County Police did not give the conditions of anyone hurt or detail how they were injured in the incident, which happened about 9:30 p.m. in Little River.

Investigators were getting reports of more people arriving at the hospital in private vehicles, Horry County Police said on social media.

About 90 minutes after the shooting, police called it an isolated incident and said there is no risk to the community. They did not release any information on possible suspects or what led to the shooting.

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The shooting happened around a boat dock near the Intracoastal Waterway.

Video from the scene showed dozens of police cars and ambulances rushing in and out of the area.

A North Myrtle Beach police officer responding to the shooting accidentally shot himself in the leg at a marina about 3 miles (5 kilometers) away and is in the hospital in stable condition, North Myrtle Beach spokeswoman Lauren Jessie said.

Little River is about 20 miles northeast of Myrtle Beach.

President Donald Trump said Sunday that the U.S. will delay implementation of a 50% tariff on goods from the European Union from June 1 until July 9 to buy time for negotiations with the bloc.

That agreement came after a call Sunday with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, who had told Trump that she wants to get down to serious negotiations, according to the U.S. presidents retelling.

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I told anybody that would listen, they have to do that, Trump told reporters on Sunday in Morristown, New Jersey, as he prepared to return to Washington. Von der Leyen, Trump said, vowed to rapidly get together and see if we can work something out.

In a social media post Friday, Trump had threatened to impose the 50% tariff on EU goods, complaining that the 27-member bloc had been very difficult to deal with on trade and that negotiations were going nowhere. Those tariffs would have kicked in starting June 1.

But the call with von der Leyen appeared to smooth over tensions, at least for now.

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I agreed to the extension July 9, 2025 It was my privilege to do so, Trump said on Truth Social shortly after he spoke with reporters on Sunday evening.

For her part, von der Leyen said the EU and the U.S. share the worlds most consequential and close trade relationship.

Europe is ready to advance talks swiftly and decisively, she said. To reach a good deal, we would need the time until July 9.

Pope Leo XIV declared himself a Roman on Sunday as he completed the final ceremonial steps cementing his role as the bishop of Rome.

The first American pope formally took possession of the St. John Lateran Basilica, which is Rome's cathedral and seat of the diocese, with an evening Mass attended by Roman priests and faithful.

In his homily, Leo said he wanted to listen to them in order to learn, understand and decide things together.

RELATED STORY | Pope Leo XIV marks new beginning with American and global outlook

One of the many titles that Leo assumed when he was elected May 8 was bishop of Rome. Given his responsibilities running the 1.4-billion strong universal Catholic Church, popes delegate the day-to-day governance of running of the diocese of Roman to a vicar.

Sunday's ceremonies at the St. John Lateran and a stop at St. Mary Major basilicas follow Leos visit last week to the St. Paul Outside the Walls basilica. Together with St. Peters Basilica in the Vatican, the four papal basilicas are the most important basilicas in the West.

Rome's Mayor Roberto Gualtieri welcomed Leo first at the steps to City Hall, noting that his May 8 election fell during a Holy Year, an event occurring every 25 years to invite pilgrims to Rome. The city underwent two years of traffic-clogging public works projects to prepare and expects to welcome upwards of 30 million people in 2025.

Leo said he felt the serious but passionate responsibility to serve all Romans during the Holy Year and beyond.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Scripps News special report: Pope Leo XIV elected as the first American pope

Wearing his formal papal garb, Leo recalled the words he had uttered from the loggia of St. Peters Basilica on the night of his election. The Augustinian pope quoted St. Augustine in saying: With you I am Christian, and for you, bishop.

By special title, today I can say that for you and with you I am Roman! he said.

The former Robert Prevost replaced Pope Francis, the first Latin American pope. Francis died April 21 and is buried at St. Mary Major, near a beloved icon of the Madonna.

Israeli strikes over the past 24 hours killed at least 38 people in Gaza, including a mother and her two children sheltering in a tent, local health officials said Sunday, with no data available for a second straight day from now-inaccessible hospitals in the north.

Further details also emerged of the local doctor who lost nine of her 10 children in an Israeli strike on Friday.

Gaza's Health Ministry said 3,785 people have been killed in the territory since Israel ended a ceasefire and renewed its offensive in March, vowing to destroy Hamas and return the 58 hostages it still holds from the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war.

Israel also blocked the import of all food, medicine and fuel for 2 1/2 months before letting a trickle of aid enter last week, after experts' warnings of famine and pressure from some of Israel's top allies. Israel has been pursuing a new plan to tightly control all aid to Gaza, which the United Nations has rejected.

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Israel also says it plans to seize full control of Gaza and facilitate what it describes as the voluntary migration of much of its population of over 2 million Palestinians, a plan rejected by Palestinians and much of the international community. Experts say it would likely violate international law.

The new strike on the tent housing displaced people that killed the mother and children occurred in the central city of Deir al-Balah, according to al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. A strike in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza killed at least five, including two women and a child, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

Only one of pediatrician Alaa al-Najjar's 10 children survived the Israeli strike on their home Friday near the southern city of Khan Younis. Both the 11-year-old and al-Najjars husband, also a doctor, were badly hurt.

The charred remains of the other children were brought to the morgue in a single body bag, said a fellow pediatrician at Nasser Hospital, Alaa al-Zayan.

The home was struck minutes after Hamdi al-Najjar had driven his wife to the hospital. His brother Ismail al-Najjar, was first to arrive at the scene.

They were innocent children," the brother said, with the youngest 7 months old. "And my brother has no business with (Palestinian) factions.

Israel on Saturday said the claim regarding harm to uninvolved civilians is under review. It says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths because it operates in densely populated areas. There was no immediate comment from the military on the latest strikes.

Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 people. Around a third of the remaining hostages are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Israel's 19-month offensive has killed over 53,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which says women and children make up most of the dead. It does not provide figures for the number of civilians or combatants killed.

The offensive has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of the territory's population, often multiple times.

A missile from the Houthis

Separately, Israel's military said it intercepted a missile fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Sunday. It triggered air raid sirens in Jerusalem and other areas. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The Iran-backed Houthis have launched repeated missile attacks targeting Israel as well as international shipping in the Red Sea, portraying it as a response to Israels military campaign in Gaza. Most of the targeted ships had no relation to Israel or the conflict.

The United States halted a punishing bombing campaign against the Houthis earlier this month, saying the rebels had pledged to stop attacking ships. That informal ceasefire did not include attacks on Israel.

The U.S. military spent more than $6 billion over the past three years to recruit and retain service members, in what has been a growing campaign to counter enlistment shortfalls.

The financial incentives to reenlist in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines increased dramatically from 2022 through last year, with the Navy vastly outspending the others, according to funding totals provided by the services. The overall amount of recruiting bonuses also rose steadily, fueled by significant jumps in spending by the Army and Marine Corps.

The military services have routinely poured money into recruiting and retention bonuses over the years. But the totals spiked as Pentagon leaders tried to reverse falling enlistment numbers, particularly as COVID-19 restrictions locked down public events, fairs and school visits that recruiters relied on to meet with young people.

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Coupled with an array of new programs, an increased number of recruiters and adjustments to enlistment requirements, the additional incentives have helped the services bounce back from the shortfalls. All but the Navy met their recruiting targets last year and all are expected to do so this year.

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth repeatedly point to Trumps election as a reason for the recruiting rebound. But the enlistment increases began long before last November, and officials have tied them more directly to the widespread overhauls that the services have done, including the increased financial incentives.

The Army, the military's largest service, spent more on recruiting bonuses in 2022 and 2024 than the other services. But it was significantly outspent by the Navy in 2023, when the sea service was struggling to overcome a large enlistment shortfall.

As a result, even though the Navy is a smaller service, it spent more overall in the three years than the Army did.

The Navy also has spent considerably more than the others to entice sailors to reenlist, doling out retention bonuses to roughly 70,000 service members for each of the past three years. That total is more than double the number of troops the Army gave retention bonuses to each year, even though the Army is a much larger service.

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Navy is dedicated to retaining our most capable sailors; retention is a critical component of achieving our end-strength goals, Adm. James Kilby, the vice chief of naval operations, told a Senate Armed Services subcommittee in March.

He said reenlistment for enlisted sailors remains healthy but officers are a challenge in specific jobs, including aviation, explosive ordnance disposal, surface and submarine warfare, health professionals and naval special operations. He added that the Navy has struggled to fill all of its at-sea jobs and is using financial incentives as one way to combat the problem.

The Army has seen the greatest recruiting struggles over the past decade, and by using a range of new programs and policies has had one of the largest comebacks. The Navy has had the most trouble more recently, and took a number of steps to expand those eligible for service and spend more in bonuses.

While the Army spends hundreds of millions each year to recruit troops, it also has relied on an array of new programs and policies to woo young people. A key driver of the Army's rebound has been its decision to create the Future Soldier Prep Course, at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, in August 2022.

That program gives lower-performing recruits up to 90 days of academic or fitness instruction to help them meet military standards and move on to basic training. It has resulted in thousands of enlistments.

The Air Force increased its spending on recruiting bonuses in 2023 as it also struggled to overcome shortfalls, but lowered the amount the following year. The payments were for jobs including munitions systems, aircraft maintenance and security forces. The Space Force does not currently authorize enlistment bonuses.

The Marine Corps and the tiny Space Force have consistently hit their recruiting goals, although the Marines had to dig deep into their pool of delayed entry candidates in 2022 to meet their target. The Corps, which is much smaller than the Army and Air Force, spends the least on bonuses and tends to spread the amount among a larger number of service members.

Maj. Jacoby Getty, a Marine spokesman, said the spike in retention bonuses from $126 million in 2023 to $201 million in 2024 was because Marines were allowed to reenlist a year early for the first time. More than 7,000 Marines got bonuses as a result, a jump of nearly 2,200 over the previous year.

When asked about bonuses in 2023, Gen. Eric Smith, the Marine commandant, famously told a naval conference that your bonus is you get to call yourself a Marine.

Thats your bonus, right?" he said. "Theres no dollar amount that goes with that.

The services tailor their recruiting and retention money to bolster harder-to-fill jobs, including cyber, intelligence and special operations forces. The Army and Marine Corps also use the money to woo troops to some combat, armor and artillery jobs.