A volcano on Russias far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula erupted overnight into Sunday for what scientists said is the first time in hundreds of years, days after a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake.

The Krasheninnikov volcano sent ash 3.7 miles into the sky, according to staff at the Kronotsky Reserve, where the volcano is located. Images released by state media showed dense clouds of ash rising above the volcano.

The plume is spreading eastward from the volcano toward the Pacific Ocean. There are no populated areas along its path, and no ashfall has been recorded in inhabited localities, Kamchatkas emergencies ministry wrote on Telegram during the eruption.

The eruption was accompanied by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake and prompted a tsunami warning for three areas of Kamchatka. The tsunami warning was later lifted by Russias Ministry for Emergency Services.

This is the first historically confirmed eruption of the Krasheninnikov volcano in 600 years, Olga Girina, head of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team, told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

The Smithsonian Institutions Global Volcanism Program, based in the U.S., however, lists Krasheninnikovs last eruption as occurring 475 years ago in 1550.

The reason for the discrepancy was not clear.

The Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team said late Sunday that the volcano's activity was decreasing but that moderate explosive activity" could continue.

The eruption occurred after a huge earthquake struck Russias Far East early Wednesday, an 8.8-magnitude temblor that caused small tsunami waves in Japan and Alaska and prompted warnings for Hawaii, North and Central America and Pacific islands south toward New Zealand.

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday told more than a million Catholic youths at a closing Mass for a weeklong encounter with the next generation of faithful that they are the sign that a different world is possible" where conflicts can be resolved with dialogue, not weapons.

In his closing blessing for the Jubilee of Youth, Leo remembered the young people of Gaza and Ukraine and other countries at war who could not join their celebration.

We are closer than ever to young people who suffer the most serious evils, which are caused by other human beings, Leo said. We are with the young people of Gaza. We are with the young people of Ukraine, with those of every land bloodied by war.

My young brothers and sisters, you are the sign that a different world is possible. A world of fraternity and friendship, where conflicts are not resolved with weapons, but with dialogue.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Pope Leo XIV marks new beginning with American and global outlook

The young people camped out in sprawling fields southeast of Rome overnight after attending a vigil service on Saturday, also presided by Leo who has been ferried from Vatican City by helicopter. The special Jubilee celebration is part of the Holy Year that is expected to draw 32 million people to the Vatican for the centuries-old pilgrimage to the seat of Catholicism.

The Vatican said more than 1 million young people were present, along with 7,000 priests and 450 bishops.

During the Sunday homily, Leo urged the participants to spread your enthusiasm and the witness of your faith when they return home to some 150 countries.

Aspire to great things, to holiness, wherever you are," Leo urged the young faithful. Do not settle for less. You will then see the light of the Gospel growing every day, in you and around you."

Leo reminded the crowd that their next encounter will be during World Youth Day, set for Aug. 3-8, 2027, in Seoul, South Korea.

The week has been a joyous gathering marked by bands of youths singing hymns as they move down cobblestoned streets, praying the Rosary in piazzas and standing for hours at the Circus Maximus to confess their sins to priests offering the sacrament in a dozen languages.

RELATED STORY | In White Sox stadium broadcast, Pope Leo XIV sends message of hope

Leo also shared some tragic news on Saturday: two young people who had made the pilgrimage to Rome had died, one reportedly of cardiac arrest, while a third was hospitalized.

Rain overnight awakened the faithful but didnt dampen their spirits.

At least we were a little covered, but we still got a bit wet. We lost our voices a little. It was cold, but we woke up to a beautiful sun and view," said Soemil Rios, 20, from Puerto Rico. Despite the difficulties, it was very nice and very special to have been part of this historic moment.

Sister Giulia De Luca, from Rome, acknowledged that waking up was a bit tough, but that she was looking forward to seeing the pope again.

It will be very nice to conclude a very intense week together. Definitely a lot of fun, but also very challenging in many ways," she said.

Israeli forces killed at least 23 Palestinians seeking food on Sunday in Gaza, according to hospital officials and witnesses, who described facing gunfire as hungry crowds surged around aid sites, as the malnutrition-related death toll also rose.

Desperation has gripped the Palestinian territory of more than 2 million, which experts have warned is facing famine because of Israels blockade and nearly two-year offensive.

Yousef Abed, among the crowds en route to a distribution point, described coming under what he called indiscriminate fire, seeing at least three people bleeding on the ground.

I couldnt stop and help them because of the bullets, he said.

Southern Gazas Nasser Hospital said they received bodies from routes to the sites, including eight from Teina, about 1.8 miles away from a distribution site in Khan Younis, which is operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the private U.S.- and Israeli-backed contractor that took over aid distribution more than two months ago.

The hospital received one body from Shakoush, hundreds of yards north of a GHF site in Rafah. Another nine aid-seekers were killed by troops near the Morag corridor, it said.

RELATED STORY | Over 60,000 Palestinians killed in the 21-month Israel-Hamas war, Gazas Health Ministry says

Three Palestinian eyewitnesses, seeking food in Teina and Morag, told The Associated Press shootings occurred on the routes to distribution points, which are in military zones secured by Israeli forces. They said they saw soldiers open fire on hungry crowds advancing toward troops.

Further north in central Gaza, hospital officials described a similar episode, with Israeli troops opening fire Sunday morning toward crowds of Palestinians trying to reach GHFs fourth and northernmost distribution point.

Troops were trying to prevent people from advancing. They opened fire and we fled. Some people were shot, said Hamza Matter, one of the aid seekers.

At least five people were killed and 27 wounded near GHFs site close to Netzarim corridor, Awda Hospital said.

Eyewitnesses seeking food have reported similar gunfire attacks in recent days near aid distribution sites, leaving dozens of Palestinians dead.

The United Nations reported 859 people were killed near GHF sites from May 27 to July 31 and that hundreds more have been slain along the routes of U.N.-led food convoys.

The GHF launched in May as Israel sought an alternative to the U.N.-run system, which had safely delivered aid for much of the war but was accused by Israel of allowing Hamas, which guarded convoys early in the war, to siphon supplies.

Israel has not offered evidence of widespread theft. The U.N. has denied it.

GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots to prevent deadly crowding. Israels military has said it only fires warning shots as well. Both claimed the death tolls have been exaggerated

Israels military did immediately responded to questions about Sunday's reported fatalities. GHF's Media Office said there was no gunfire near or at our sites.

Meanwhile, the Gaza health ministry said six more Palestinian adults died of malnutrition-related causes over the past 24 hours. It said Sunday's casualties brought the death toll among Palestinian adults to 82 over the five weeks since the ministry started counting deaths among adults in late June. Malnutrition-related deaths are not included in the ministrys count of war casualties.

Ninety-three children have also died of causes related to malnutrition since the war in Gaza started in 2023, the ministry said.

Israeli minister prays at flashpoint holy site

Israels far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir prayed at Jerusalems most sensitive holy site, a move swiftly condemned as a incitement by Palestinian leaders as well as Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

At the hilltop compound in the Old City revered by Jews and Muslims, Ben Gvir called on Israel to annex the Gaza Strip and encourage Palestinians to leave.

This is the only way that we will return the hostages and win the war, he said.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | UN pushes for two-state solution in Gaza, but US and Israel aren't attending the meeting

His visit on Sunday in honor of Tisha Bav, a day in which Jews mourn the destruction of two Jewish temples at the site, was the first in which a government minister openly prayed at the site.

Under the status quo, Jews have been allowed to tour the site but are barred from praying, with Israeli police and troops providing security. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office said afterward that Israel would not change the norms governing the holy site.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned Ben Gvir's visit. Ambassador Sufian Qudah, a spokesperson for Jordan's Foreign Ministry, condemned what he called provocative incursions by the extremist minister and implored Israel to prevent escalation.

Ben Gvir's visit took place on Tisha Bav, a day in which Jews mourn the destruction of their temples. He condemned a video that Hamas released of 24-year-old hostage Evyatar David showing him emaciated in a dimly lit tunnel in Gaza.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the second-largest militant group in Gaza, triggered outrage when they released separate videos of individual hostages this week. Israeli media hasnt broadcast the videos, calling them propaganda, but Netanyahu met with the hostage families on Saturday, pledging further efforts to return them to Israel.

Red Crescent Facility Shelled

The Palestinian Red Crescent said the Israeli military attacked its headquarters in the southern city of Khan Younis early Sunday, killing a staffer and wounding three others.

The overnight strike wrecked the organization's multi-story building, leaving its offices full of broken concrete and blood, with gaping holes in the walls and floors, according to video released by the organization.

Red Crescent said the military shelled its Khan Younis facility three times between around 1 a.m. local time.

Elsewhere in Khan Younis, an Israeli strike hit a school sheltering displaced people, killing at least two, Nasser hospital said.

Israel's military did not immediately respond to questions about either strike.

The war began when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, and abducting another 251. They are still holding 50 captives, around 20 believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals. Israels retaliatory military offensive has killed more than 60,400 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry.

The ministry, which doesnt distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, is staffed by medical professionals. The United Nations and other independent experts view its figures as the most reliable count of casualties. Israel has disputed its figures, but hasnt provided its own account of casualties.

The requests have come in letters, emails and phone calls. The specifics vary, but the target is consistent: The U.S. Department of Justice is ramping up an effort to get voter data and other election information from the states.

Over the past three months, the departments voting section has requested copies of voter registration lists from state election administrators in at least 15 states, according to an Associated Press tally. Of those, nine are Democrats, five are Republicans and one is a bipartisan commission.

In Colorado, the department demanded all records relating to the 2024 election and any records the state retained from the 2020 election.

Department lawyers have contacted officials in at least seven states to propose a meeting about forging an information-sharing agreement related to instances of voting or election fraud. The idea, they say in the emails, is for states to help the department enforce the law.

The unusually expansive outreach has raised alarm among some election officials because states have the constitutional authority to run elections and federal law protects the sharing of individual data with the government.

It also signals the transformation of the Justice Departments involvement in elections under President Donald Trump. The department historically has focused on protecting access to the ballot box. Today, it is taking steps to crack down on voter fraud and noncitizen voting, both of which are rare but have been the subject of years of false claims from Trump and his allies.

The department's actions come alongside a broader effort by the administration to investigate past elections and influence the 2026 midterms. The Republican president has called for a special prosecutor to investigate the 2020 election that he lost to Democrat Joe Biden and continues to falsely claim he won. Trump also has pushed Texas Republicans to redraw their congressional maps to create more House seats favorable to the GOP.

The Justice Department does not typically engage in fishing expeditions to find laws that may potentially have been broken and has traditionally been independent from the president, said David Becker, a former department lawyer who leads the nonprofit Center for Election Innovation and Research.

Now it seems to be operating differently, he said.

The department responded with an emailed no comment to a list of questions submitted by the AP seeking details about the communications with state officials.

Requests to states vary and some are specific

Election offices in Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Utah, and Wisconsin confirmed to the AP that they received letters from the voting section requesting their statewide voter registration lists. At least one other, Oklahoma, received the request by phone.

Many requests included basic questions about the procedures states use to comply with federal voting laws, such as how states identify and remove duplicate voter registrations or deceased or otherwise ineligible voters.

Certain questions were more state-specific and referenced data points or perceived inconsistencies from a recent survey from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, an AP review of several of the letters showed.

The Justice Department already has filed suit against the state election board in North Carolina alleging it failed to comply with a part of the federal Help America Vote Act that relates to voter registration records.

More inquiries are likely on the way

There are signs the department's outreach isn't done. It told the National Association of Secretaries of State that all states would be contacted eventually, said Maria Benson, a NASS spokeswoman.

The organization has asked the department to join a virtual meeting of its elections committee to answer questions about the letters, Benson said. Some officials have raised concerns about how the voter data will be used and protected.

Election officials in at least four California counties Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and San Francisco said the Justice Department sent them letters asking for voter roll records. The letters asked for the number of people removed from the rolls for being noncitizens and for their voting records, dates of birth and ID numbers.

Officials in Arizona, Connecticut, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Wisconsin confirmed to the AP that they received an email from two department lawyers requesting a call about a potential information-sharing agreement.

The goal, according to several copies of the emails reviewed by the AP, was for states to provide the government with information about instances of election fraud to help the Justice Department enforce Federal election laws and protect the integrity of Federal elections. One of those sending the emails was a senior counsel in the criminal division.

The emails referred to Trump's March executive order on elections, part of which directs the attorney general to enter information-sharing agreements with state election officials to the maximum extent possible."

Skeptical state election officials assess how to reply

Election officials in several states that received requests for their voter registration information have not responded. Some said they were reviewing the inquiries.

Officials in some other states provided public versions of voter registration lists to the department, with certain personal information such as Social Security numbers blacked out. Elsewhere, state officials answered procedural questions from the Justice Department but refused to provide the voter lists.

In Minnesota, the office of Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat, said the federal agency is not legally entitled to the information.

In a July 25 letter to the Justice Department's voting section, Simons general counsel, Justin Erickson, said the list contains sensitive personal identifying information on several million individuals. He said the office had obligations under federal and state law to not disclose any information from the statewide list unless expressly required by law.

In a recent letter, Republican lawmakers in the state called on Simon to comply with the federal request as a way "to protect the voting rights of the citizens of Minnesota.

Maine's secretary of state, Democrat Shenna Bellows, said the administration's request overstepped the federal governments bounds and that the state will not fulfill it. She said doing so would violate voter privacy.

The department doesnt get to know everything about you just because they want to, Bellows said.

Some Justice Department requests are questionable, lawyers say

There is nothing inherently wrong with the Justice Department requesting information on state procedures or the states providing it, said Justin Levitt, a former deputy assistant attorney general who teaches at Loyola Law School.

But the departments requests for voter registration data are more problematic, he said. That is because of the Privacy Act of 1974, which put strict guidelines on data collection by the federal government. The government is required to issue a notice in the Federal Register and notify appropriate congressional committees when it seeks personally identifiable information about individuals.

Becker said there is nothing in federal law that compels states to comply with requests for sensitive personal data about their residents. He added that while the outreach about information-sharing agreements was largely innocuous, the involvement of a criminal attorney could be seen as intimidating.

You can understand how people would be concerned, he said.

The collapse of an amusement park ride in western Saudi Arabia has left more than 20 people injured and prompted authorities to close the park and order an investigation, state media said.

The accident occurred in the Al-Hada area of the city of Taif on Wednesday, when the 360 Big Pendulum ride snapped in two, sending the part carrying people crashing to the ground.

Video footage posted on social media showed the pendulum swinging riders, who were strapped into their seats, in a wide arc several times before the pendulum arm snaps, sending the passenger section crashing to the ground.

The regional government said in a statement that the Taif governor, Prince Saud bin Nahar bin Saud bin Abdulaziz, had ordered an investigation and the parks closure. It said some of those injured received first aid at the amusement park, and others were taken to a hospital. It did not specify how many people were hospitalized.

State media said 23 people were injured, and that there were no fatalities.

A sex toy was tossed onto the court during a WNBA game for the second time this week.

Video showed the sex toy out of bounds under apa basket after a whistle was blown to stop play during the third quarter of the Golden State Valkyries 73-66 victory over the Chicago Sky. An official then kicked it aside before it was picked up and removed.

Its super disrespectful, Sky center Elizabeth Williams said in the postgame press conference. I dont really get the point of it. Its really immature. Whoever is doing it needs to grow up.

A similar incident occurred Tuesday during the Valkyries 77-75 victory over the Atlanta Dream in College Park, Georgia.

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I mean, first of all, it was super dangerous, Valkyries forward Cecilia Zandalasini said after Tuesday's game. And then when we found out what it was, I guess we just started laughing. Ive never seen anything like that. Im just glad we worked through that situation. We stayed locked in, we stayed concentrated.

New York Liberty forward Isabelle Harrison commented on social media about the situation Friday.

ARENA SECURITY?! Hello??! Harrison said on X. Please do better. Its not funny. Never was funny. Throwing ANYTHING on the court is so dangerous.

As Republicans move to redraw legislative maps in red states to pad their narrow House majority in Washington, some Democrats are rethinking their embrace of a nonpartisan approach to line-drawing that now complicates their party's ability to hit back before next year's midterm elections.

In many Democratic-controlled states, independent commissions rather than the state legislature handle redistricting, the normally once-a-decade task of adjusting congressional and legislative districts so their populations are equal. Parties in the majority can exploit that process to shape their lawmakers districts so they are almost guaranteed reelection.

The commission model limits parties ability to game the system, leading to more competitive districts. Not all redistricting commissions were created at Democrats insistence. And, like Republicans, the party has exploited line-drawing for its own gain in the handful of states where it controls the process. But unlike Republicans, many Democratic Party leaders have embraced the nonpartisan model.

That means Democrats have fewer options to match Republicans, who are redrawing the U.S. House map in Texas at President Donald Trumps urging to carve out as many as five new winnable seats for the GOP. That could be enough to prevent Democrats from winning back the majority next year.

Democrats have threatened payback. During a gathering on Friday in Wisconsin of Democratic governors, several of them said they wanted to retaliate because the stakes are so high.

RELATED STORY | Midterm implications: Texas redistricting effort sparks nationwide battle for Congressional seats

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, who has pushed for a nonpartisan redistricting commission in his state, said Democrats must do whatever we can to counter the Republican efforts to redraw congressional maps.

When you have a gun against your head, youve got to do something, he said.

Despite the ambitious talk, Democrats largely have their hands tied.

Democratic states have limited ability to redistrict for political edge

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he and the Democratic-controlled Legislature will try to redraw his states congressional map. But they would need to repeal or defy the 2008 ballot measure creating an independent redistricting commission. Voters extended its authority to congressional districts two years later.

Newsom supported the constitutional amendment at the time, when he was mayor of San Francisco. The Texas redistricting, which is expected to pass the Legislature next week, led him to modify that position.

We can act holier than thou, we can sit on the sidelines, talk about the way the world should be, or we can recognize the existential nature that is this moment, Newsom said earlier this month.

In New York, which also has a commission, the state constitution bars another map this decade. Democrats have moved for a change, but that could not happen until 2027 at the earliest, and then only with voter approval.

In other states where Democrats control the governor's office and legislature, including Colorado and Washington, the party has backed independent commissions that cannot redraw, let alone rig, maps in the middle of the decade.

Democrats say foundations of our democracy at stake

When the redistricting cycle kicked off in 2021, after the last census, independent commissions were in charge of drawing 95 House seats that otherwise would have been drawn by Democrats, but only 13 that would have been created by Republicans.

In a marker of the shift among Democrats, former Attorney General Eric Holder, who heads the partys redistricting effort and has called repeatedly for a more nonpartisan approach, seemed to bless his partys long-shot efforts to overrule their commissions.

We do not oppose on a temporary basis responsible, responsive actions to ensure that the foundations of our democracy are not permanently eroded, Holder said in a statement last week.

In states where they werent checked by commissions, Democrats have redistricted just as ruthlessly as Republicans. In Illinois, they drew a map that gave them a 14-3 advantage in the congressional delegation. In New Mexico, they tweaked the map so they control all three House seats. In Nevada, they held three of its four seats in November despite Trump winning the state.

Even in states where they have a lopsided advantage, Democrats are exploring ways to maximize it.

On Friday, Maryland's House Majority Leader, Democratic Del. David Moon, said he would introduce legislation to trigger redrawing of the congressional lines if Texas moves forward. Democrats hold seven of the state's eight congressional seats.

We cant have one state, especially a very large state, constantly trying to one-up and alter the course of congressional control while the other states sit idly by," he said.

Commissions promote fair representation, advocates say

Advocates of a nonpartisan model are alarmed by the shift among Democrats. They say the party would redistrict just as aggressively as the GOP if not held in check, depriving voters of a voice in districts whose winners would essentially be selected in advance by political leaders.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Texas Republicans aim to redraw House districts in special legislative session

Were very desperate were looking for any port in a storm, said Emily Eby French, Common Causes Texas director. This Democratic tit for tat redistricting seems like a port but its not a port. Its a jagged rock with a bunch of sirens on them.

The groups director of redistricting, Dan Vicua, said using redistricting for partisan advantage known as gerrymandering is highly unpopular with the public: This is about fair representation for communities."

Politicians used to shy away from discussing it openly, but that has changed in todays polarized environment. Trump earlier this month told reporters about his hopes of netting five additional GOP seats in Texas and more out of other Republican-controlled states.

He has urged new maps in GOP-controlled states such as Indiana and Missouri, while Ohio Republicans are poised to reshape political lines after neutralizing a push to create an independent redistricting commission.

Democrats are divided over how to respond to Texas

In a sign of the partys divide, Democrats have continued to push for a national redistricting panel that would remove partisanship from the process, even as some call for retaliation against Republicans in defiance of state limitations.

No unilateral disarmament till both sides are following the law, said Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, like Newsom a possible 2028 presidential contender, wrote on X. Gallego's post came a day before his Democratic colleagues gathered to announce they were reintroducing a bill to create the national commission.

An identical bill died in 2022 when it couldn't overcome Republican objections despite Democrats controlling Congress and the presidency. It has no chance now that the GOP is in charge of both branches.

Sen. Chris Murphy, another potential 2028 contender, didnt express regret over past reforms that have implemented independent redistricting boards in Democratic states, saying the party "should never apologize for being for the right thing.

But he added that Republicans are operating outside of the box right now and we cant stay inside the box.

If theyre changing districts in the middle of the 10-year cycle, we have to do the same thing, he said.

That approach, however, hasnt caught on across the party.

We shouldnt stoop to their tactics, Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said. Its an ideal that we have accurate and fair representation. We cant abandon it just because Republicans try to manipulate and distort it.

Outerwear retailer Columbia Sportswear has sued Columbia University over alleged trademark infringement and a breach of contract, saying that the universitys merchandise looks too similar to its own offerings and can confuse shoppers.

In a lawsuit filed July 23 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, Columbia Sportswear, whose roots date back to 1938, alleges that the Ivy League university intentionally violated an agreement the parties signed on June 13, 2023. That agreement dictated how the university could use the word Columbia on its own apparel and accessories.

As part of the pact, the university could feature Columbia on its merchandise provided that the name included a recognizable school insignia or its mascot, the word university, the name of the academic department or the founding year of the university 1754 or a combination.

RELATED STORY | With Columbia as a model, White House seeks fines in potential deals with Harvard and others

Columbia Sportswear clothing is sold at more than 800 retail locations, including more than 150 of its branded stores as well as its website and third-party marketplaces.

But Columbia Sportswear alleges the university breached the agreement a little more than a year later, with the Portland, Oregon-based company noticing several garments without any of the school logos being sold at the Columbia University online store.

Many of the garments feature a bright blue color that is confusingly similar to the blue color that has long been associated with Columbia Sportswear, the suit alleged.

The lawsuit offered photos of some of the Columbia University items that say only Columbia.

The likelihood of deception, confusion, and mistake engendered by the universitys misappropriation and misuse of the Columbia name is causing irreparable harm to the brand and goodwill symbolized by Columbia Sportswears registered mark Columbia and the reputation for quality it embodies, the lawsuit alleged.

The lawsuit comes at a time when Columbia University has been threatened with the potential loss of billions of dollars in government support.

Last week, Columbia University reached a deal with the Trump administration to pay more than $220 million to the federal government to restore federal research money that was canceled in the name of combating antisemitism on campus.

Under the agreement, the Ivy League school will pay a $200 million settlement over three years, the university said.

Columbia Sportswear aims to stop all sales of clothing that violate the agreement, recall any products already sold and donate any remaining merchandise to charity. Columbia Sportswear is also seeking three times the amount of actual damages determined by a jury.

Neither Columbia Sportswear nor Columbia University could be immediately reached for comment.

A federal appeals court ruled Friday night to uphold a lower courts temporary order blocking the Trump administration from conducting indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests in Southern California.

A three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held a hearing Monday afternoon at which the federal government asked the court to overturn a temporary restraining order issued July 12 by Judge Maame E. Frimpong, arguing it hindered their enforcement of immigration law.

Immigrant advocacy groups filed suit last month accusing President Donald Trumps administration of systematically targeting brown-skinned people in Southern California during the administration's crackdown on illegal immigration. The lawsuit included three detained immigrants and two U.S. citizens as plaintiffs.

In her order, Frimpong said there was a mountain of evidence that federal immigration enforcement tactics were violating the Constitution. She wrote the government cannot use factors such as apparent race or ethnicity, speaking Spanish or English with an accent, presence at a location such as a tow yard or car wash, or someones occupation as the only basis for reasonable suspicion to detain someone.

The appeals court panel agreed and questioned the government's need to oppose an order preventing them from violating the Constitution.

If, as Defendants suggest, they are not conducting stops that lack reasonable suspicion, they can hardly claim to be irreparably harmed by an injunction aimed at preventing a subset of stops not supported by reasonable suspicion, the judges wrote.

A hearing for a preliminary injunction, which would be a more substantial court order as the lawsuit proceeds, is scheduled for September.

The Los Angeles region has been a battleground with the Trump administration over its aggressive immigration strategy that spurred protests and the deployment of the National Guard and Marines for several weeks. Federal agents have rounded up immigrants without legal status to be in the U.S. from Home Depots, car washes, bus stops, and farms, many of whom have lived in the country for decades.

Among the plaintiffs is Los Angeles resident Brian Gavidia, who was shown in a video taken by a friend on June 13 being seized by federal agents as he yells, I was born here in the states, East LA bro!

They want to send us back to a world where a U.S. citizen ... can be grabbed, slammed against a fence and have his phone and ID taken from him just because he was working at a tow yard in a Latino neighborhood, American Civil Liberties Union attorney Mohammad Tajsar told the court Monday.

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The federal government argued that it hadnt been given enough time to collect and present evidence in the lawsuit, given that it was filed shortly before the July 4 holiday and a hearing was held the following week.

Its a very serious thing to say that multiple federal government agencies have a policy of violating the Constitution, attorney Jacob Roth said.

He also argued that the lower courts order was too broad, and that immigrant advocates did not present enough evidence to prove that the government had an official policy of stopping people without reasonable suspicion.

He referred to the four factors of race, language, presence at a location, and occupation that were listed in the temporary restraining order, saying the court should not be able to ban the government from using them at all. He also argued that the order was unclear on what exactly is permissible under the law.

Legally, I think its appropriate to use the factors for reasonable suspicion, Roth said

The judges sharply questioned the government over their arguments.

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No one has suggested that you cannot consider these factors at all, Judge Jennifer Sung said.

However, those factors alone only form a broad profile and dont satisfy the reasonable suspicion standard to stop someone, she said.

Sung, a Biden appointee, said that in an area like Los Angeles, where Latinos make up as much as half the population, those factors cannot possibly weed out those who have undocumented status and those who have documented legal status.

She also asked: What is the harm to being told not to do something that you claim youre already not doing?

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the Friday night decision a victory for the rule of law and said the city will protect residents from the racial profiling and other illegal tactics used by federal agents.

Jeannie Seely, the soulful country music singer behind such standards like "Don't Touch Me," has died. She was 85.

Her publicist, Don Murry Grubbs, said she died Friday after succumbing to complications from an intestinal infection.

Known as "Miss Country Soul" for her unique vocal style, Seely was a trailblazer for women in country music, celebrated for her spirited nonconformity and for a string of undeniable hits in the '60s and '70s.

Her second husband, Gene Ward, died in December. In May, Seely revealed that she was in recovery after undergoing multiple back surgeries, two emergency procedures and spending 11 days in the ICU. She also suffered a bout of pneumonia.

"Rehab is pretty tough, but each day is looking brighter and last night, I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. And it was neon, so I knew it was mine!" she said in a statement at the time. "The unsinkable Seely is working her way back."

Seely was born in July 1940, in Titusville, Pennsylvania, about two hours north of Pittsburgh and raised in nearby Townville. Her love of country music was instant; her mother sang, and her father played the banjo. When she was a child, she sang on local radio programs and performed on local television. In her early 20s, she moved to Los Angeles to kick-start a career, taking a job at Liberty and Imperial Records in Hollywood.

She kept writing and recording. Nashville was next: She sang on Porter Wagoner's show; she got a deal with Monument Records. Her greatest hit would arrive soon afterward: "Don't Touch Me," the crossover ballad written by Hank Cochran. The song earned Seely her first and only Grammy Award, for best country & western vocal performance in the female category.

Cochran and Seely were married in 1969 and divorced in 1979.

Seely broke boundaries in her career at a time when country music expected a kind of subservience from its women performers, Seely was a bit of a rebel, known for wearing a miniskirt on the Grand Ole Opry stage when it was still taboo.

And she had a number of country hits in the '60s and '70s, including three Top 10 hits on what is now known as Billboard's hot country songs chart: "Don't Touch Me," 1967's "I'll Love You More (Than You Need)" and 1973's "Can I Sleep In Your Arms?", adapted from the folk song "Can I Sleep In Your Barn Tonight Mister?"

In the years since, Seely continued to release albums, perform, and host, regularly appearing on country music programming. Her songs are considered classics, and have been recorded by everyone from Merle Haggard, Ray Price and Connie Smith to Ernest Tubb, Grandpa Jones, and Little Jimmy Dickens.

And Seely never stopped working in country music. Since 2018, she's hosted the weekly "Sunday's with Seely" on Willie Nelson's Willie's Roadhouse SiriusXM channel. That same year, she was inducted into the Music City Walk of Fame.

She appeared nearly 5,400 times at the Grand Ole Opry, which she has been a member of since 1967. Grubbs said Saturday's Grand Ole Opry show would be dedicated to Seely.

She released her latest song in July 2024, a cover of Dottie West's "Suffertime," recorded at the world-renowned RCA Studio B. She performed it at the Opry the year before.

In a warning to Russia, President Donald Trump said Friday he's ordering the repositioning of two U.S. nuclear submarines "based on the highly provocative statements" of the country's former president Dmitry Medvedev.

Trump posted on his social media site that, based on the "highly provocative statements" from Medvedev, he had "ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that."

The president added, "Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances."

It wasn't immediately clear what impact Trump's order would have on U.S. nuclear subs, which are routinely on patrol in the world's hotspots, but it comes at a delicate moment in the Trump administration's relations with Moscow.

Trump has said that special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Russia to push Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in its war with Ukraine and has threatened new economic sanctions if progress is not made. He cut his 50-day deadline for action to 10 days, with that window set to expire next week.

The post about the sub repositioning came after Trump, in the wee hours of Thursday morning, had posted that Medvedev was a "failed former President of Russia" and warned him to "watch his words." Medvedev responded hours later by writing, "Russia is right on everything and will continue to go its own way."

Medvedev was president from 2008 to 2012 while Putin was barred from seeking a second consecutive term but stepped aside to let him run again. Now deputy chairman of Russia's National Security Council, which Putin chairs, Medvedev has been known for his provocative and inflammatory statements since the start of the war in 2022, a U-turn from his presidency, when he was seen as liberal and progressive.

He has frequently wielded nuclear threats and lobbed insults at Western leaders on social media. Some observers have argued that with his extravagant rhetoric, Medvedev is seeking to score political points with Putin and Russian military hawks.

Trump and Medvedev have gotten into online spats before.

On July 15, after Trump announced plans to supply Ukraine with more weapons via its NATO allies and threatened additional tariffs against Moscow, Medvedev posted, "Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn't care."

Earlier this week, he wrote, "Trump's playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10" and added, "He should remember 2 things: 1. Russia isn't Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country."

Several colleges facing discrimination investigations have struck deals with President Donald Trumps administration to restore withheld federal funding.

Brown University is the latest university to strike a deal, as the administration presses for agreements with others. Brown will pay $50 million to Rhode Island workforce development organizations in a deal with the Trump administration that restores lost federal research funding and ends investigations into alleged discrimination, officials said Wednesday.

The university also agreed to several concessions in line with President Donald Trump's political agenda. Brown will adopt the government's definition of male and female, for example, and must remove any consideration of race from the admissions process.

Brown President Christina H. Paxson said the deal preserves Brown's academic independence. The terms include a clause saying the government cannot dictate curriculum or the content of academic speech at Brown.

The Universitys foremost priority throughout discussions with the government was remaining true to our academic mission, our core values and who we are as a community at Brown, Paxson wrote.

It is the latest deal between an Ivy League school and the Trump administration, which has used its control of federal funding to push for reforms at colleges Trump decries as overrun by liberalism and antisemitism. The administration also has launched investigations into diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, saying they discriminate against white and Asian American students.

The Brown deal has similarities with one signed last week by Columbia University, which the government called a roadmap for other universities. Unlike that agreement, however, Brown's does not include an outside monitor.

The three-year agreement with Brown restores dozens of suspended grants and contracts. It also calls for the federal government to reimburse Brown for $50 million in unpaid federal grant costs.

The settlement puts an end to three federal investigations involving allegations of antisemitism and racial bias in Brown admissions, with no finding of wrongdoing. In a campus letter, Paxson anticipated questions about why the university would settle if it didnt violate the law. She noted Brown has faced financial pressure from federal agencies along with a growing push for government intrusion in academics.

Signing the agreement resolves the governments concerns without sacrificing university values, she said.

We stand solidly behind commitments we repeatedly have affirmed to protect all members of our community from harassment and discrimination, and we protect the ability of our faculty and students to study and learn academic subjects of their choosing, free from censorship, she wrote.

Brown agreed to several measures aimed at addressing allegations of antisemitism on its campus in Providence, Rhode Island. The school said it will renew partnerships with Israeli academics and encourage Jewish day school students to apply to Brown. By the end of this year, Brown must hire an outside organization to be chosen jointly by Brown and the government to conduct a campus survey on the climate for Jewish students.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Brown's deal ensures students will be judged solely on their merits, not their race or sex.

The Trump Administration is successfully reversing the decades-long woke-capture of our nations higher education institutions, McMahon said in a statement.

The settlement requires Brown to disclose a wealth of data on students who apply to and are admitted to the university, with information about their race, grades and standardized test scores. The data will be subject to a comprehensive audit by the government.

It bars Brown from giving preference to applicants because of their race. A 2023 Supreme Court decision already forbids such consideration, but the deal appears to go further, stopping Brown from using any proxy for racial admission, including personal statements or diversity narratives.

The $50 million in payments to local workforce development organizations agreed to by Brown are to be paid over 10 years.

That's a step forward from paying a fine to the government, as Columbia agreed to do, said Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, an organization of major universities. Still, Mitchell said, it remains unclear whether Brown and other universities are clear of governmental pressure.

Lets remember, these are deals. These are not policies, Mitchell said. I had hoped that the Trump administration, when it came in, was going to be interested in having serious policy discussions about the future of higher education. Theyve yet to do that.

Columbia last week agreed to pay $200 million to the government as part of its settlement. In negotiations with Harvard, the Trump administration has been pressing for the Cambridge, Massachusetts, school to pay far more.

In another agreement, the University of Pennsylvania pledged to modify school records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, a deal that included no fine.

Associated Press writer Cheyanne Mumphrey contributed to this report.

U.S. employers added just 73,000 jobs last month and Labor Department revisions showed that hiring was much weaker than previously reported in May and June. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2%.

The unexpectedly weak report raises questions about the health of the job market and the economy as President Donald Trump pushes forward with a radical and erratic overhaul of American trade policy, imposing hefty tariffs on imports from almost every country on earth.

The Labor Department reported Friday that revisions shaved a stunning 258,000 jobs off May and June payrolls.

The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2% last month from 4.1% in June. The number of people in the labor force those working and looking for work fell modestly last month, and the ranks of the unemployed rose by 221,000.

Manufacturers cut 11,000 jobs last month after shedding 15,000 in June and 11,000 in May. The federal government, where employment has been targeted by the Trump administration, lost 12,000 jobs. Jobs in administration and support fell by nearly 20,000.

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Healthcare companies added 55,400 jobs last month accounting for 76% of the jobs added in July and offering another sign that recent job gains have been narrowly concentrated.

The stock market tumbled on the news.

The current situation is a sharp reversal from the hiring boom of just three years ago when desperate employers were handing out signing bonuses and introducing perks such as Fridays off, fertility benefits and even pet insurance to recruit and keep workers.

Weighing on the job market are the lingering effects of higher interest rates that were used by the Federal Reserve to fight inflation; Trumps massive import taxes and the costs and uncertainty they are imposing on businesses; and an anticipated drop in foreign workers as the presidents massive deportation plans move forward.

The rate of people quitting their jobs a sign theyre confident they can land something better has fallen from the record heights of 2021 and 2022 and is now below where it stood before the pandemic.

U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates inched down again last year and the share of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high, according to federal data posted Thursday.

The fraction of kids exempted from vaccine requirements rose to 4.1%, up from 3.7% the year before. It's the third record-breaking year in a row for the exemption rate, and the vast majority are parents withholding shots for nonmedical reasons.

Meanwhile, 92.5% of 2024-25 kindergartners got their required measles-mumps-rubella shots, down slightly from the previous year. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the vaccination rate was 95% the level that makes it unlikely that a single infection will spark a disease cluster or outbreak.

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The vaccination numbers were posted as the U.S. experiences its worst year for measles spread in more than three decades, with more than 1,300 cases so far.

The concern, of course, is that with a further dip in the (vaccination) coverage, were going to see even more measles in the coming months, said Dr. Sean OLeary, of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

It's possible that this year's outbreaks may spur more parents to get their children vaccinated before they go to school, said O'Leary, a University of Colorado pediatric infectious diseases specialist.

But Dr. Philip Huang isn't optimistic. Texas was particularly hard hits by measles this year, with more than half of the cases reported nationally. Despite that, the state passed a law making it easier for parents to get school vaccine exemptions for their kids.

It's crazy, said Huang, Dallas County's health director.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention traditionally releases the vaccination coverage data in its flagship publication, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. CDC officials usually speak to the trends and possible explanations, and stress the importance of vaccinations. This year, the agency quietly posted the data online and when asked about it emailed a statement.

The decision to vaccinate is a personal one. Parents should consult their health care providers on options for their families, the statement said, adding; Vaccination remains the most effective way to protect children from serious diseases like measles and whooping cough, which can lead to hospitalization and long-term health complications.

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The wording is more ambivalent about the importance of vaccinations than in the past. That is in keeping with communications from U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a leading voice in the anti-vaccine movement before President Donald Trump put him in charge of federal health agencies.

O'Leary noted the changes in the CDC messaging, which places personal choice before community protection.

To sort of weaken the language or weaken the messaging that they're sending is very concerning, because what they say does matter, he said.

Public health officials focus on vaccination rates for kindergartners because schools can be cauldrons for germs and launching pads for community outbreaks.

For years, those rates were high, thanks largely to school attendance mandates that required key vaccinations. All U.S. states and territories require that children attending child care centers and schools be vaccinated against a number of diseases, including, measles, mumps, polio, tetanus, whooping cough and chickenpox.

All states allow exemptions for children with medical conditions that prevent them from receiving certain vaccines. And most also permit exemptions for religious or other nonmedical reasons.

In the last decade, the percentage of kindergartners with medical exemptions has held steady, at about 0.2%. But the percentage with nonmedical exemptions has risen.

The rates can be influenced by policies that make it harder or easier to obtain exemptions, and by local attitudes among families and doctors about the need to get children vaccinated. Online misinformation and the political divide that emerged around COVID-19 vaccines have led more parents to question routine childhood vaccinations, experts say.

According to the CDC data, 15.4% of kindergartners had an exemption to one or more vaccines in Idaho in the last school year. But fewer than 0.5% did in Connecticut.

Its good news that the vast majority of parents continue to get their kids vaccinated, OLeary said. And its noteworthy that there is a gap between the percentage vaccinated and the percentage who are exempted meaning there likely are unmet access issues, he added.

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order that set new tariffs on a wide swath of U.S. trading partners to go into effect on Aug. 7 the next step in his trade agenda that will test the global economy and sturdiness of American alliances built up over decades.

The order was issued shortly after 7 p.m. on Thursday. It came after a flurry of tariff-related activity in the last several days, as the White House announced agreements with various nations and blocs ahead of the president's self-imposed Friday deadline. The tariffs are being implemented at a later date in order for the rates schedule to be harmonized, according to a senior administration official who spoke to reporters on a call on the condition of anonymity.

After initially threatening the African nation of Lesotho with a 50% tariff, the country's goods will now be taxed at 15%. Taiwan will have tariffs set at 20%, Pakistan at 19% and Israel, Iceland, Norway, Fiji, Ghana, Guyana and Ecuador among the countries with imported goods taxed at 15%. Switzerland would be tariffed at 39%.

Trump had announced a 50% tariff on goods from Brazil, but the order was only 10% as the other 40% were part of a separate measure approved by Trump on Wednesday.

The order capped off a hectic Thursday as nations sought to continue negotiating with Trump. It set the rates for 68 countries and the 27-member European Union, with a baseline 10% rate to be charged on countries not listed in the order. The senior administration official said the rates were based on trade imbalance with the U.S. and regional economic profiles.

On Thursday morning, Trump engaged in a phone conversation with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on trade. As a result of the conversation, the U.S. president said he would enter into a 90-day negotiating period with Mexico, one of the nation's largest trading partners. The current 25% tariff rates are staying in place, down from the 30% he had threatened earlier.

We avoided the tariff increase announced for tomorrow and we got 90 days to build a long-term agreement through dialogue, Sheinbaum wrote on X after a call with Trump that he referred to as very successful in terms of the leaders getting to know each other better.

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The unknowns created a sense of drama that has defined Trump's rollout of tariffs over several months. However, the one consistency is his desire to levy the import taxes that most economists say will ultimately be borne to some degree by U.S. consumers and businesses.

We have made a few deals today that are excellent deals for the country, Trump told reporters on Thursday afternoon, without detailing the terms of those agreements or the nations involved. The senior administration official declined to reveal the nations that have new deals during the call with reporters.

Trump said that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had called ahead of 35% tariffs being imposed on many of his nation's goods, but we havent spoken to Canada today.

Trump imposed the Friday deadline after his previous Liberation Day tariffs in April resulted in a stock market panic. His unusually high tariff rates, unveiled in April, led to recession fears prompting Trump to impose a 90-day negotiating period. When he was unable to create enough trade deals with other countries, he extended the timeline and sent out letters to world leaders that simply listed rates, prompting a slew of hasty deals.

Trump reached a deal with South Korea on Wednesday, and earlier with the European Union, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. His commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, said on Fox News Channel's Hannity that there were agreements with Cambodia and Thailand after they had agreed to a ceasefire to their border conflict.

Going into Thursday, wealthy Switzerland and Norway were still uncertain about their tariff rates. EU officials were waiting to complete a crucial document outlining how the framework to tax imported autos and other goods from the 27-member state bloc would operate. Trump had announced a deal on Sunday while he was in Scotland.

Trump said as part of the agreement with Mexico that goods imported into the U.S. would continue to face a 25% tariff that he has ostensibly linked to fentanyl trafficking. He said autos would face a 25% tariff, while copper, aluminum and steel would be taxed at 50% during the negotiating period.

He said Mexico would end its Non Tariff Trade Barriers, but he didnt provide specifics.

Some goods continue to be protected from the tariffs by the 2020 U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, which Trump negotiated during his first term.

But Trump appeared to have soured on that deal, which is up for renegotiation next year. One of his first significant moves as president was to impose tariffs on goods from both Mexico and Canada earlier this year.

U.S. Census Bureau figures show that the U.S. ran a $171.5 billion trade deficit with Mexico last year. That means the U.S. bought more goods from Mexico than it sold to the country.

The imbalance with Mexico has grown in the aftermath of the USMCA, as it was only $63.3 billion in 2016, the year before Trump started his first term in office.

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The White House on Thursday announced that construction on a massive, new $200 million ballroom will begin in September and be ready before President Donald Trump's term ends in early 2029.

It will be the latest change introduced to what's known as The People's House since the Republican president returned to office in January. It also will be the first structural change to the Executive Mansion itself since the addition of the Truman balcony in 1948.

Trump has substantially redecorated the Oval Office through the addition of golden flourishes and cherubs, presidential portraits and other items, and installed massive flagpoles on the north and south lawns to fly the American flag. Workers are currently finishing up a project to replace the lawn in the Rose Garden with stone.

Trump for months has been promising to build a ballroom, saying the White House doesn't have space big enough for large events and scoffing at the notion of hosting heads of state and other guests in tents on the lawn as past administrations have done for state dinners attended by hundreds of guests.

The East Room, the largest room in the the White House, can accommodate about 200 people.

Trump said he's been planning the construction for some time.

Theyve wanted a ballroom at the White House for more than 150 years but theres never been a president that was good at ballrooms, Trump told reporters Thursday. I'm good at building things and were going to build quickly and on time. Itll be beautiful, top, top of the line.

He said the new ballroom would not interfere with the mansion itself.

It'll be near it but not touching it and pays total respect to the existing building, which Im the biggest fan of, he said of the White House. "Its my favorite. Its my favorite place. I love it.

Trump said the ballroom will serve administrations to come.

It'll be a great legacy project, he said. I think it will be really beautiful.

The 90,000-square-foot ballroom will be built where the East Wing sits with a seated capacity of 650 people. The East Wing houses several offices, including the first ladys. Those offices will be temporarily relocated during construction and that wing of the building will be modernized and renovated, said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Nothing will be torn down, she said.

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White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said the president, whose early career was in real estate and construction, and his White House are fully committed to working with the appropriate organizations to preserve the mansion's special history.

President Trump is a builder at heart and has an extraordinary eye for detail, Wiles said in a statement.

Leavitt said at her briefing Thursday that Trump and other donors have committed to raising the approximately $200 million in construction costs. She did not name any of the other donors.

Renderings of what the future ballroom will look like were posted on the White House website.

The president chose McCrery Architects, based in Washington, as lead architect on the project. The construction team will be led by Clark Construction. Engineering will be provided by AECOM.

Trump also has another project in mind. He told NBC News in an interview that he intends to replace what he said was a terribly remodeled bathroom in the famous Lincoln Bedroom with one that is closer in style to the 19th century.

The Federal Reserves preferred inflation gauge ticked higher last month in a sign that President Donald Trumps broad-based tariffs are starting to lift prices for many goods.

Prices rose 2.6% in June compared with a year ago, the Commerce Department said Thursday, up from an annual pace of 2.4% in May. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, prices rose 2.8% in the past year, the same as the previous month, which was revised higher. The figures are above the Feds 2% goal.

The uptick in prices helps explain the central banks reluctance to cut its key interest rate this week, despite repeated demands from Trump that it do so. On Wednesday, the Fed left its key rate unchanged at 4.3%, and Chair Fed Powell suggested it could take months for the central bank to determine whether the import duties will cause just a one-time rise in prices, or a more persistent increase in inflation.

Trump has attacked Powell personally and repeatedly, and did so again on Thursday for the Fed's reluctance to cut rates, calling him TOO ANGRY, TOO STUPID, & TOO POLITICAL, to have the job of Fed Chair."

On a monthly basis, prices ticked up 0.3% from May to June, while core prices also rose 0.3%. Both figures are higher than consistent with the 2% target.

The above-target rise in core prices in June, upward revisions to previous months data and the sharp rise in core goods inflation will do little to ease the Feds concerns about tariff-driven inflation, said Harry Chambers, assistant economist at Capital Economics, a forecasting firm. If these pressures persist, as we expect, a September cut looks unlikely.

The government's measure of gas prices jumped 0.9% from May to June, while grocery costs rose 0.3%. Many longer-lasting goods that are heavily imported saw clear price increases, with furniture prices up 1.3% just last month, appliances up 1.9%, and computers up 1.4%.

The cost of some services fell dramatically last month, offsetting some of the price pressures from goods. Air fares dropped 0.7% from May to June, while the cost of hotel rooms plunged 3.6% just in one month.

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Thursday's report also showed that consumer spending rose 0.3% from May to June, a modest rise that suggests Americans are still spending cautiously. Adjusted for inflation, the increase was just 0.1%, the government said.

Americans' incomes also picked up just modestly, rising 0.3% last month, a rebound after a 0.4% drop in May. But adjusted for inflation and taxes, incomes were flat in June.

Consumers have been cautious all year. On Wednesday, the government said the economy expanded at a 3% annual rate in the second quarter, a solid showing but one that masked some red flags. Consumer spending, for example, rose at a lackluster 1.4% pace, after an even smaller gain of 0.5% in the first three months of the year. A sharp drop in imports in the April-June quarter, which followed a surge in the first quarter, provided a big lift to the governments calculation of U.S. gross domestic product.

Earlier this month, the government reported that its more closely-watched consumer price index, its primary inflation measure, also ticked higher in June as the cost of heavily-imported items such as appliances, furniture, and toys increased.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry had dinner together in Montreal this week.

A communications consultant for the restaurant Le Violon confirmed Tuesday that the former prime minister and the singer spent about two hours at the fine-dining spot Monday evening. Photos of the meetup published by TMZ sparked speculation of a budding romance.

Samantha Jin said the pair kept to themselves and neither the staff nor other patrons approached them for a photo. We kind of got the vibe that they were a little more chill, she said.

Jin added that there was no indication of romance in the air, noting: No visual signs of PDA or anything.

The report about the dinner first appeared on TMZ, which posted video of Trudeau and Perry in animated conversation at the eatery.

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Perry recently split from longtime partner Orlando Bloom and is on tour with stops including Ottawa on Tuesday, Montreal on Wednesday, Quebec City on Friday, and two dates in Toronto next week.

Trudeau and his ex-wife Sophie Grgoire separated in 2023.

During the meal, Jin said security watched from the bar as the pair noshed on a chefs menu featuring a range of appetizers including tuna, beef tartare, lobster and asparagus, with lamb as their main course.

Jin said Chef Danny Smiles stopped by their table to say hello, and before heading out, they came into the kitchen to thank the team.

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A spokeswoman for Trudeau didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

A spokeswoman for Perry wasn't immediately available for comment.

Trudeau announced his resignation earlier this year after nearly a decade in power. His father, late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, was a bachelor when he became prime minister. He dated actresses Barbra Streisand and Kim Cattrall and married a 22-year-old woman while in office at age 51.

Born and raised in California, Perry is a 13-time Grammy Award nominee. She helped usher in the sound of 00s pop, quickly becoming one of the bestselling artists of all time for her campy, big, belting anthems. She has released seven studio albums, most notably 2010s sugar-sweet Teenage Dream. The album produced five No. 1s that tied a record set by Michael Jacksons 1987 album Bad.

A 12-year-old boy died from a brain-eating amoeba two weeks after a holiday weekend on a popular South Carolina lake.

The brain-eating amoeba enters the body when water is forced up the nose, like when someone jumps or dives in the water.

It causes an infection that swells the brain and destroys tissue. Fewer than 10 cases are reported each year in the U.S., but almost all are fatal.

Here are some things to know about the amoeba, its latest victim and other dangers on freshwater lakes:

What is the brain-eating amoeba?

The amoeba's scientific name is Naegleria fowleri, and it is most dangerous in water that stays for a while over 77 degrees Fahrenheit, including in lakes and rivers in the U.S. and other places with hot, sometimes dry summers like Pakistan and Australia. Infections have been reported in 26 U.S. states as far north as Minnesota.

The amoeba enters the brain through the olfactory nerve in the nose. Once inside, it causes an infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis.

Symptoms start as a fairly standard headache and nausea. By the time the pain becomes severe, it is almost always too late to save the infected person. Of the 167 cases reported in the U.S. between 1962 and 2024, only four people have survived, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of the deaths happened within five days of getting sick, according to the CDC.

One infection in a body of water doesn't increase the chances of another infection in the same body of water, the agency said. The amoeba cannot move from one person to another.

It was the first death from the amoeba in South Carolina since 2016, the CDC said.

What happened?

Jaysen Carr went swimming at Lake Murray about 15 miles west of Columbia over the July Fourth weekend.

He got sick several days later and died on July 18.

His father and mother had never heard of the amoeba before a doctor in tears told them what tests of his spinal fluid had found.

Clarence Carr said he was shocked to learn South Carolina, like most other U.S. states, has no law requiring public reporting of deaths or infections from the amoeba. The lake wasn't closed and no water testing was performed.

"My son was a very smart individual. If he had one warning, he would have thought swimming in the lake was a bad idea," Carr said.

The amoeba is common but infections are rare

The amoeba is fairly common and is most dangerous when the water is warm.

There is no science-based threshold for what level of the organism in the water would be safe or unsafe, and it would be difficult to test water regularly, the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services said in a statement.

Researchers are trying to figure out why the infections are so rare. Some people have been found to have had antibodies, signaling they may have survived exposure. Others may die from brain swelling and other problems without the amoeba ever being detected.

"My son lost his life swimming. We assumed it was safe," Carr said.

Last year, the CDC started a pilot program of giving infected patients an antibiotic approved for use in Europe that has killed the amoeba in lab studies

The amoeba can show up in hot springs, rivers and, on rare occasions, in tap water. That's why doctors recommend using sterile water for cleaning nasal passages with a neti pot.

The only way to be completely safe is to not swim in lakes or rivers and, if you do, keep your head above water. Pinching your nose or using nose clips when diving or swimming can keep water out of your nose.

Other dangers lurking in lakes and rivers

There are other dangers in swimming in lakes and rivers instead of pools, where chemicals can kill off dangerous bacteria and other organisms.

A mouthful of water could contain E.coli bacteria. And while the bacteria normally live in the intestines of healthy people and animals, some strains can cause a range of conditions, including urinary tract infection, cystitis, intestinal infection and vomiting, with the worst cases leading to life-threatening blood poisoning, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Algae can also cause illnesses. Cyanobacteria also referred to as blue-green algae are plant-like organisms that live in water.

The algae can look like foam, scum, mats, or paint on the surface of the water and can grow underneath it.

The organisms can quickly grow out of control, or "bloom," in warm weather, helped along by excessive nutrients in fertilizers and pet waste carried along by stormwater.

Some of the algae produce toxins that can cause symptoms including skin irritation, stomach cramps, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, fever, sore throat, headache, muscle and joint pain, mouth blisters, seizures, and acute liver damage, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.