Cedric Dempsey, the former NCAA president who helped turn Arizona into a national power as athletic director before leading the national organization through key years of transition and growth, died Saturday at age 92.

Cedric Dempsey, the former NCAA president who helped turn Arizona into a national power as athletic director before leading the national organization through key years of transition and growth, died Saturday at age 92.

A hush accompanied the Blue Devils' attempts to process how a six-point lead could disappear in less than 20 seconds Saturday night in a stunning 70-67 loss to Houston in the Final Four.

The potentially historic Final Four more than delivered. Our analysts break down what they saw in San Antonio.

Khalid Ahmad holds a poster of his 17-year-old son, Waleed, who died in an Israeli prison, that reads in Arabic, "The hero prisoner Martyr, mercy and eternity for our righteous Martyrs," in the West Bank town of Silwad, northeast of Ramallah Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)2025-04-06T05:33:53Z TEL AVIV (AP) Starvation was likely the leading cause of death for a Palestinian teenager who died in an Israeli prison, according to an Israeli doctor who observed the autopsy.Seventeen-year-old Walid Ahmad, who had been held for six months without being charged, suffered from extreme malnutrition, and also showed signs of inflammation of the colon and scabies, said a report written by Dr. Daniel Solomon, who watched the autopsy, conducted by Israeli experts, at the request of the boys family.The Associated Press obtained a copy of Solomons report from the family. It did not conclude a cause of death, but said Ahmad was in a state of extreme weight loss and muscle wasting. It also noted that Ahmad had complained to the prison of inadequate food since at least December, citing reports from the prison medical clinic. Ahmad died last month after collapsing in Megiddo Prison and striking his head, Palestinian officials said, citing eyewitness accounts from other prisoners. Israels prison service said a team was appointed to investigate Ahmads death and its findings would be sent to the authorized authorities. Ahmad is the youngest Palestinian prisoner to die in an Israeli prison since the start of the Gaza war, according to Physicians for Human Rights Israel, which has documented Palestinian prisoner deaths. He was taken into custody from his home in the occupied West Bank during a pre-dawn raid in September for allegedly throwing stones at soldiers, his family said. The autopsy was conducted on March 27 at Israels Abu Kabir Forensic Institute, which has not released a report of its findings and did not respond to requests for comment. The Ahmad familys lawyer, Nadia Daqqa, confirmed Solomon, a gastrointestinal surgeon, was granted permission to observe the autopsy by an Israeli civil court. Widespread abuse in Israeli prisons, rights groups say Rights groups have documented widespread abuse in Israeli detention facilities holding thousands of Palestinians who were rounded up after Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack ignited the war in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Authority says Israel is holding the bodies of 72 Palestinian prisoners who died in Israeli jails, including 61 who died since the beginning of the war. Israel often holds on to bodies of dead Palestinians, citing security grounds or for political leverage.Conditions in Israeli prisons have worsened since the start of the war, former detainees have told the AP. They described beatings, severe overcrowding, insufficient medical care, scabies outbreaks and poor sanitary conditions.Megiddo Prison, a maximum security facility where many Palestinian detainees, including teens, are held without charge, is regarded as one of the harshest, said Naji Abbas, head of the Prisoners and Detainees Department at Physicians for Human Rights Israel.Israels prison service said it operates according to the law and all prisoners are given basic rights. Ahmads lawyer, Firas al-Jabrini, said Israeli authorities denied his requests to visit his client in prison, but three prisoners held there told him Ahmad suffered from severe diarrhea, vomiting, headaches and dizziness before he died. They suspected it was caused by dirty water, as well as cheese and yogurt prison guards brought in the morning and that sat out all day while detainees were fasting for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the lawyer said. Malnourished and frailAccording to Dr. Solomons report the autopsy showed that Ahmed likely suffered from inflammation of the large intestine, a condition known as colitis that can cause frequent diarrhea and can in some cases contribute to death.But medical experts said colitis usually doesnt cause death in young patients and was likely exacerbated by severe malnutrition. He suffered from starvation that led to severe malnutrition and in combination with untreated colitis that caused dehydration and electrolyte levels disturbances in his blood which can cause heart rate abnormalities and death, said Dr. Lina Qasem Hassan, the head of the board for Physicians for Human Rights Israel who reviewed the report at the request of the AP. She said the findings indicated medical neglect, exacerbated by Ahmads inability to fight disease or infection because of how malnourished and frail he was.Dr. Arne Stray-Pedersen, a professor of forensic medicine at the University of Oslo in Norway who was not involved in the autopsy, said the report suggests there was a period of prolonged malnutrition and sickness lasting at least a few weeks or months. Based on the report, I interpret the underlying cause of death to be emaciation-wasting, he said.Scabies rashes were also noted on his legs and genital area, the report said. There was also air between his lungs that expanded into his neck and back, it said, which can cause infection. Air can come from small tears in the lungs, which can occur from severe vomiting or coughing, it said. Ahmads family said he was a healthy high schooler who enjoyed playing soccer before he was taken into custody. His father, Khalid Ahmad, said his son sat through four brief court hearings by videoconference, and he noticed at one of them, in February, that his son appeared to be in poor health.The family hasnt yet received a death certificate from Israel, the elder Ahmad said Friday, and are hoping Dr. Solomons report will help bring his sons body home.We will demand our sons body for burial, he said What is happening in Israeli prisons is a real tragedy, as there is no value for life.____AP reporter Jalal Bwaitel contributed from Ramallah, West Bank. SAM MEDNICK Mednick is the AP correspondent for Israel and the Palestinian Territories. She focuses on conflict, humanitarian crises and human rights abuses. Mednick formerly covered West & Central Africa and South Sudan. twitter

Though their season looked over, the Cougars stayed tough and found a way to pull out a miraculous win.

Cameron and Cayden Boozer are Duke-bound like their dad -- former NBA star Carlos Boozer -- while fellow national champion Kelis Fisher is headed to UConn.

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, April 6, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)2025-04-06T08:48:22Z KYIV, Ukraine (AP) One person was killed Sunday as Russian air strikes hit the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, while the death toll from Fridays deadly attack on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih continued to rise. The Kyiv victim was found close to the strikes epicenter of the attack in the citys Darnytskyi district, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. A further three people were injured in the strike, which saw fires break out in several nonresidential areas, damaging cars and buildings.In a statement on social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the intensifying Russian attacks showed that there is still insufficient international pressure on Moscow. He said Russia has launched more than 1,460 guided aerial bombs, nearly 670 attack drones and more than 30 missiles at Ukraine in the past week alone.These attacks are (Russian President Vladimir) Putins response to all international diplomatic efforts. Each of our partners the United States, all of Europe, the entire world has seen that Russia intends to continue the war and the killing, Zelenskyy said. That is why there can be no easing of pressure. All efforts must be aimed at guaranteeing security and bringing peace closer. Meanwhile, officials said that the death toll from Fridays attack on the central city of Kryvyi Rih had continued to grow, with 19 dead including many children and a further 75 wounded. Oleksandr Vilkul, head of Kryvyi Rihs military administration, declared three days of mourning for the attack, starting on April 7. He said that there was pain in the hearts of millions of people.Together we will stand. And no matter how difficult it is, we will win, he said. The enemy will be punished for every Ukrainian and for every mothers tear.Local authorities said the Kryvyi Rih strike damaged 44 apartment buildings and 23 private houses. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed Friday that it had carried out a high-precision missile strike with a high explosive warhead on a restaurant where a meeting with unit commanders and Western instructors was taking place.Russian military claimed that the strike killed 85 military personnel and foreign officers and destroyed 20 vehicles. The militarys claims could not be independently verified. The Ukrainian General Staff rejected the claims.Elsewhere, Russian troops fired 23 missiles and 109 strike and decoy drones across Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian air force said Sunday. Thirteen missiles and 40 drones were shot down, while 53 decoy drones were jammed and did not reach their destinations, it said.Russias Defense Ministry said that its air defenses had destroyed 11 Ukrainian drones, including eight over the Rostov region and two over the Kursk region.___Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Cambodian garment workers look at clothes displayed for sale during a lunch break on a sidewalk at Ang Tako village, outside Phnom Penh Cambodia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)2025-04-06T04:21:59Z NEW YORK (AP) Sending children back to school in new sneakers, jeans and T-shirts is likely to cost U.S. families significantly more this fall if the bespoke tariffs President Donald Trump put on leading exporters take effect as planned, American industry groups warn. About 97% of the clothes and shoes purchased in the U.S. are imported, predominantly from Asia, the American Apparel & Footwear Association said, citing its most recent data. Walmart, Gap Inc., Lululemon and Nike are a few of the companies that have a majority of their clothing made in Asian countries.Those same garment-making hubs took a big hit under the presidents plan to punish individual countries for trade imbalances. For all Chinese goods, that meant tariffs of at least 54%. He set the import tax rates for Vietnam and neighboring Cambodia at 46% and 49%, and products from Bangladesh and Indonesia at 37% and 32%. Working with foreign factories has kept labor costs down for U.S. companies in the fashion trade, but neither they nor their overseas suppliers are likely to absorb new costs that high. India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka also got slapped with high tariffs so arent immediate sourcing alternatives. If these tariffs are allowed to persist, ultimately its going to make its way to the consumer, said Steve Lamar, president and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association. Another trade group, Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America, provided estimates of the price increases that could be in store for shoes, noting 99% of the pairs sold in the U.S. are imports. Work boots made in China that now retail for $77 would go up to $115, while customers would pay $220 for running shoes made in Vietnam currently priced at $155, the group said. FDRA President Matt Priest predicted lower-income families and the places they shop would feel the impact most. He said a pair of Chinese-made childrens shoes that cost $26 today will likely carry a $41 price tag by the back-to-school shopping season, according to his groups calculations. Preparing for a moving targetThe tariffs on the top producers of not only finished fashion but many of the materials used to make footwear and apparel shocked U.S. retailers and brands. Before Trumps first term, U.S. companies had started to diversify away from China in response to trade tensions as well as human rights and environmental concerns. They accelerated the pace when he ordered tariffs on Chinese goods in 2018, shifting more production to other countries in Asia. Lululemon said in its latest annual filing that 40% of its sportswear last year was manufactured in Vietnam, 17% in Cambodia, 11% in Sri Lanka, 11% in Indonesia and 7% in Bangladesh.Nike, Levi-Strauss, Ralph Lauren, Gap. Inc., Abercrombie & Fitch and VF Corporation, which owns Vans, The North Face and Timberland, also reported a greatly reduced reliance on garment-makers and suppliers in China. Shoe brand Steve Madden said in November it would reduce imports from China by as much as 45% this year due to Trumps campaign pledge to impose a 60% tariff on all Chinese products. The brand said it already had spent several years developing a factory network in Cambodia, Vietnam, Mexico and Brazil. Industry experts say reviving the American garment industry would be hugely expensive and take years if it were feasible. The number of people working in apparel manufacturing in January 2015 stood at 139,000 and had dwindled to 85,000 by January of this year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Sri Lanka employs four times as many despite having a population less than one-seventh the size of the U.S.Along with lacking a skilled and willing workforce, the U.S. does not have domestic sources for the more than 70 materials that go into making a typical shoe, the Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America said in written comments to Trumps trade representative.Shoe companies would need to find or set up factories to make cotton laces, eyelets, textile uppers and other components to make finished footwear in the U.S. on a large scale, the group wrote. These materials simply do not exist here, and many of these materials have never existed in the U.S, the organization said. Price increases may come as a shockThe expected barrage of apparel price increases would follow three decades of stability. Clothes cost U.S. consumers essentially the same in 2024 as they did in 1994, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Economists and industry analysts have attributed the trend to free trade agreements, offshoring to foreign countries where workers are paid much less and heated competition for shoppers among discount retailers and fast-fashion brands like H&M, Zara and Forever 21.But customers unaccustomed to inflation in the apparel sector and coming off several years of steep rise in the costs of groceries and housing may be extra sensitive to any big jumps in clothing prices. Priest, of the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America, said he has observed shoppers pulling back on buying shoes since Trumps return to the White House. Theyre nervous, he said. Theyve obviously been playing the long game as it relates to inflation for a number of years now. And they just dont have the endurance to absorb higher prices, particularly as theyre inflicted by the U.S. government. Winners and losers in a garment trade warAccording to a report by British bank Barclays published Friday, the winners in the tariff wars are retailers that have at least one of these attributes: big negotiating power with their suppliers, a strong brand name and limited sourcing in Asia. In clothing and footwear, that includes off-price retailers Burlington, Ross Stores Inc. and TJX Companies, which operates T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, as well as Ralph Lauren and Dicks Sporting Goods, according to the report.The companies in for a tougher time are those with limited negotiating power, limited pricing power and high product exposure in Asia, a list including Gap Inc., Urban Outfitters and American Eagle Outfitters, according to the report. Secondhand clothing resale site ThredUp cheered a related action Trump took with his latest round of tariffs: eliminating a widely used tax exemption that has allowed millions of low-cost goods most of them originating in China to enter the U.S. every day duty-free. This policy change will increase the cost of cheaply produced, disposable clothing imported from China, directly impacting the business model that fuels overproduction and environmental degradation, ThredUp said.Several industry analysts and economists said they think tariffs will end up being a consumer sales tax that widens the yawning gap between Americas wealthiest residents and those in the middle and lower end of the income spectrum. So where will the U.S. be buying its apparel now that the tariff rates on Bangladesh, Vietnam and China are astronomical? Mary E. Lovely, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said of the schedule set to take effect Wednesday. Will the new Golden Age involve knitting our own knickers as well as snapping together our cellphones? ANNE DINNOCENZIO DInnocenzio writes about retail, trends, the consumer economy and hourly workers for The Associated Press. twitter mailto

Lando Norris said Max Verstappen was entitled not to leave space in the one moment at the Japanese Grand Prix that the two drivers went wheel-to-wheel for the lead.

Max Verstappen secured his first victory of the 2025 Formula 1 season after soaking up race-long pressure from McLarens two drivers to win the Japanese Grand Prix.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli showed he was a quick learner by becoming Formula 1's youngest race leader and fastest lap setter on his way to sixth place for Mercedes in the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.

Max Verstappen won the Japanese Grand Prix from pole for the fourth straight year on Sunday but Red Bull team principal Christian Horner thought the Dutchman's 64th race victory was one of his best ever.

A swap deal involving Barcelona's Ronald Arajo and Liverpool's Luis Daz "cannot be ruled out." Transfer Talk has the latest news, gossip and rumors.

Elon Musk speaks at a town hall holding a check Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)2025-04-06T12:05:55Z TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The race for control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court drew $100 million in campaign spending, attack ads and the attention of President Donald Trump and close ally Elon Musk.While its spending set a record for a U.S. judicial contest, the race that ended Tuesday was the apex of a trend building for years as state Supreme Court races across the country have gotten increasingly costly and vitriolic. The partisan tone of the Wisconsin race and the amount of money it drew from outside interest groups raise questions about whether elections are the best way to fill seats for bodies that are supposed to be nonpartisan and ultimately decide the fate of state laws and citizen ballot initiatives.The politicized nature of the contests was illustrated starkly on Friday when a Republican-majority appellate panel in North Carolina sided with a Republican state Supreme Court challenger who is seeking to throw out thousands of ballots from last Novembers election. These races have become priorities for both major parties because state high courts have been playing pivotal roles in deciding rules around redistricting, abortion and voting rights while also settling disputes over election outcomes. Some states shifted toward electing justices to bring the process out into the sunlight, to disempower powerful political actors from getting themselves or allies on the bench, or to provide some level of public accountability, said Douglas Keith, senior counsel for the Brennan Centers judiciary program. But with these modern judicial elections, these highly politicized races are not really serving any of those goals. Not every state puts its Supreme Court seats up for a statewide vote. Some use appointment processes that allow candidates to avoid public campaigning and the influence of political donors. Keith said a merit-based selection process can result in Supreme Courts that are not as predictable along political lines. Seven states use partisan elections to select their Supreme Court justices while 14, including Wisconsin, use nonpartisan elections. Meanwhile, nine task governors with appointing justices, two use legislative appointments, four have hybrid models and 14 use a merit selection process that often involves nonpartisan nominating commissions.Kansas is one of the states with an appointment process, a system that has been in place for six decades and has been largely nonpartisan. Bristling at some of the courts rulings in recent years, Republicans in the state now want to change that and move toward a system in which justices have to stand for election.Opponents say Republicans goal is clear in a GOP-leaning state: remaking the court in a more conservative image.When a vacancy on the seven-member court now occurs, applicants for the seat are screened by a nine-member commission. Five are lawyers elected by other lawyers and four are nonlawyers appointed by the governor. The commission names three finalists and the governor currently a Democrat chooses one. The Republican-supermajority Legislature placed a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution on the ballot for the states August 2026 primary election, rejecting arguments that the current system of filling vacancies on the state Supreme Court is notable for its lack of partisan politics and promotes judicial independence.Backers of the proposal have criticized the states top court for years over rulings protecting abortion rights and forcing higher spending on public schools. They argue that the court is too liberal and is out of step with voters, even though Kansas voters opted to protect abortion rights in 2022, just months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade.Republicans also say that in making Supreme Court candidates run for election, any politics in the process would be visible instead of a black box.It is an elitist system, and that elitist system was designed by lawyers, Kansas attorney general, Republican Kris Kobach, said of the current system. It is obviously controlled by lawyers. Critics of the Kansas proposal pointed to Wisconsin and the tens of millions of dollars spent on state Supreme Court races in recent years. They say thats just what Kansas should expect to see if voters approve the change next year.With the current system, they say a candidates experience and likely judicial temperament are the most important factors, rather than a candidates skills at campaigning, raising money or creating television ads.There is a reason that goes beyond giving the people a voice. Theres a political reason to change the court, Bob Beatty, a political science professor at Washburn University in Topeka, said of Republicans proposal.Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said he wasnt concerned about Wisconsin-style campaigning for high court seats if the amendment passes. He said opponents were trying to take a one-off and make it something its not. In Oklahoma, the Republican-led Legislature for several years has considered legislation seeking to change its current appointment system for appellate court justices to having them run for election. Some Republicans have brought up the issue in Alaska in recent years, though the efforts have not advanced.In North Carolina and Ohio, Republican-dominated legislatures in recent years have added party labels to the ballot in what many legal experts say is an attempt to benefit conservative judicial candidates and construct a court that aligned more with the legislatures policy goals.North Carolina has been caught up in an ongoing legal saga over a close, highly politicized state Supreme Court race. The Republican candidate, Jefferson Griffin, has challenged more than 65,000 ballots cast in last falls election. On Friday, the Republican majority on a North Carolina appellate panel sided with Griffin, who was 734 votes behind Associate Justice Allison Riggs, a Democrat who is likely to appeal.Pennsylvania is bracing for a Wisconsin-style election in the fall. Its another presidential battleground where the state Supreme Court could be called upon to decide election disputes during next years midterms or the 2028 presidential election. Three Democratic justices are running to retain their seats and face a yes-or- no vote for additional 10-year terms.The recently concluded Wisconsin election offers warning signs of what may come in November in Pennsylvania when Democrats 5-2 majority on the court will be on the line, said Christopher Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion in Allentown.Spending exceeded $22 million in Pennsylvanias 2023 Supreme Court contest.It would be silly not to anticipate that in this current environment in a key state like Pennsylvania, Borick said. It is going to be intensified.Making term limits longer and eliminating judicial reelections could be a useful reform because a lot of the influence of money comes from the pressure to get reelected, said Michael Kang, a Northwestern School of Law professor and author of Free to Judge: The Power of Campaign Money in Judicial Elections.There is no perfect system, Kang said. But there are things that can be done to improve.___Associated Press writers Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.___The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about the APs democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. JOHN HANNA Hanna covers politics and state government in Kansas for The Associated Press. Hes worked for the AP in Topeka since 1986. twitter mailto

Palestinians pray over the bodies of some of the 15 people, including 5 children and 5 women, killed in two Israeli army strikes during their funeral in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)2025-04-06T11:20:13Z DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip killed at least 15 people, including 10 women and children, overnight and into Sunday, according to local health officials.Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas and renewed its air and ground war last month. It has carried out out waves of strikes and seized territory in order to pressure the militants to accept a new deal for a truce and hostage release. It has also blocked the import of food, fuel and humanitarian aid.The latest strikes hit a tent and a house in the southern city of Khan Younis, killing five men, five women and five children, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies.The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Fifty-nine hostages are still being held in Gaza 24 of whom are believed to be alive after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals.Israels offensive has killed at least 50,695 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. It says another 115,338 people have been wounded. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence. ___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

With eight games on the NHL schedule, here's what is at stake. Plus, updated playoff bracket projections.

Shemar Stewart has great traits and plenty of upside. But he also had 4.5 sacks in three seasons.

The Patriots will have nine picks in the NFL draft, which starts April 24 and continues through April 26.

Minnesota has been busy, chatting with Aaron Rodgers and spending big in free agency.

After a winter of trades that never happened, St. Louis is in a unique spot this season.

Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony could soon be fixtures in Boston's lineup.

With eight games on the NHL schedule, here's what is at stake. Plus, updated playoff bracket projections.

Lewis Hamilton said Ferrari has found something on his car that has resulted in a performance deficit at the opening three races of the season and is optimistic he will make a step forward if it can be fixed at the next race in Bahrain.

Williams driver Carlos Sainz was fined 20,000 ($21,910), with half suspended, after he was late for the national anthem at Sunday's Japanese Formula 1 Grand Prix due to a "stomach issue."

Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley, the Democratic nominee for Mississippi governor, gives a news conference, June 22, 2023, at a locally owned clothing store in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)2025-04-06T04:18:50Z About 45 years have passed since a U.S. state last eliminated its income tax on wages and salaries. But with recent actions in Mississippi and Kentucky, two states now are on a path to do so, if their economies keep growing. The push to zero out the income tax is perhaps the most aggressive example of a tax-cutting trend that swept across states as they rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic with surging revenues and historic surpluses. But it comes during a time of greater uncertainty for states, as they wait to see whether President Donald Trumps cost cutting and tariffs lead to a reduction in federal funding for states and a downturn in the overall economy. Some fiscal analysts also warn the repeal of income taxes could leave states reliant on other levies, such as sales taxes, that disproportionately affect the poor. Which governments charge income tax?The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution grants Congress the power to levy income taxes. It was ratified by states in 1913. Since then, most states have adopted their own income taxes.Eight states currently charge no personal income tax: Alaska, Florida, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming. A ninth state, Washington, charges no personal income tax on wages and salaries but does tax certain capital gains income over $270,000.When Alaska repealed its personal income tax in 1980, it did so because state coffers were overflowing with billions of dollars in oil money. Though income tax eliminations have been proposed elsewhere, they have not been successful. Its a lot easier to go without an individual income tax if youve never levied one, said Katherine Loughead, a senior analyst and research manager at the nonprofit Tax Foundation. But once you become dependent on that revenue, it is a lot more difficult to phase out or eliminate that tax. What is Mississippi doing? Republican Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves recently signed a law gradually reducing the states income tax rate from 4% to 3% by 2030 and setting state revenue growth benchmarks that could trigger additional incremental cuts until the tax is eliminated. The law also reduces the sales tax on groceries and raises the gasoline tax. If cash reserves are fully funded and revenue triggers are met each year, Mississippis income tax could be gone by 2040. Supporters of an income tax repeal hope it will attract both businesses and residents, elevating the states economy to the likes of Florida, Tennessee and Texas. Their theory is that when people pay less in income taxes, they will have more money to spend, thus boosting sales tax collections. The tax repeal puts us in a rare class of elite, competitive states, Reeves said in a statement. He added, Mississippi has the potential to be a magnet for opportunity, for investment, for talent - and for families looking to build a better life.Mississippi is among the most impoverished states and relies heavily on federal funding. Democratic lawmakers warned the state could face a financial crises if cuts in federal funding come at the same time as state income tax reductions. The income tax provides a huge percentage of what the state brings in to fund things like schools and health care and services that everybody relies on, said Neva Butkus, senior analyst at the nonprofit Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. What has Kentucky done? A 2022 Kentucky law reduced the states income tax rate and set a series of revenue-based triggers that could gradually lower the tax to zero. But unlike in Mississippi, the triggers arent automatic. Rather, the Kentucky General Assembly must approve each additional decrease in the tax rate. That has led to a series of tax-cutting measures, including two new laws this year. One implements the next tax rate reduction from 4% to 3.5% starting in 2026. The second makes it easier to continue cutting the tax rate in the future by allowing smaller incremental reductions if revenue growth isnt sufficient to trigger a 0.5 percentage point reduction.Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear signed the legislation for next years tax cut but let the other measure passed by the Republican-led legislature become law without his signature. Beshear called it a bait-and-switch bill, contending lawmakers had assured the guardrails for income tax reductions would remain in place while pushing for the 2026 tax cut, then later in the session altered the triggers for future years. What actions have other states taken?New Hampshire and Tennessee already did not tax income from wages and salaries, but both states had taxed certain types of income. In 2021, Tennessee ended an income tax on interest from bonds and stock dividends that had been levied since 1929. New Hampshire halted its tax on interest and dividends at the start of this year. Some other states also are pushing to repeal income taxes The Oklahoma House passed legislation in March that would gradually cut the personal income tax rate to zero if revenue growth benchmarks are met. That bill now is in the Senate. New Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe, a Republican, also wants to phase out the income tax. The House and Senate have advanced legislation that would take an incremental step by exempting capital gains income from taxes. DAVID A. LIEB Lieb covers issues and trends in state governments across the U.S. Hes reported about government and politics for The Associated Press for 30 years. twitter mailto

Kit Kats from Japan are displayed for sale at Economy Candy in New York's Lower East Side, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)2025-04-06T11:09:16Z NEW YORK (AP) Economy Candys shelves brim with sweets from around the world gummies from Germany, lollipops from Spain, chocolates from Japan and a panoply of candies from across the U.S.Standing amid it all, columns of bright jellybeans to his left and exotic Kit Kats to his right, owner Mitchell Cohen is quick with his assessment of how many of this shops 2,000-plus items are affected by the historic round of tariffs announced by President Donald Trump.I think all of them, Cohen says at his store on New Yorks Lower East Side.Few corners of the American economy are untouched, directly or indirectly, by the sweeping tariffs being imposed by Trump. Even a little store like Economy Candy.Cohen had just begun to feel a barrage of inflation-driven price increases from suppliers ease when the tariff threats arrived. For a business with a name like Economy Candy, he wants to remain affordable but fears how high some prices may have to climb in the coming months. I think its gonna be another round of this hyperinflation on some items, says 39-year-old Cohen. If were putting tariffs everywhere, it is going to go up. Stepping into Economy Candy feels like a time warp. Its name is emblazoned on a sign in a vintage, blaring red script, and crossing below its green-and-white striped awning, past the bins of Smarties, butterscotches and Lemonheads in the front window, an indecipherable sweetness fills the air, oldies music sounds overhead and customers mill around stacks of candy bars they forgot still existed. It represents just a blip in the countrys $54 billion candy industry. But it was already feeling the weight of surges in prices of cocoa and other ingredients before tariffs were layered on.Candy and gum prices are up about 34% from five years ago and 89% from 2005, according to Consumer Price Index data. Price, according to the National Confectioners Association, has become the top factor in consumers candy purchase decisions, outweighing a buyers mood. About a third of Economy Candys products are imported, crowded on shelves and tables near the stores rear. There arent just more German Haribo varieties than the Haribo store in Germany, as Cohen claims, but gummies the brand makes in France, Austria and Britain. They have every Milka bar they can find in Switzerland, every type of Leone hard candies that Italy churns out and as many exotic Kit Kats from Japan as they can fit.On products like these, the tariffs toll is obvious. Pistachio Snickers bars are from India, now subject to 26% tariffs, while passion fruit mousse Snickers are from Portugal, now under the 20% European Union levies. But even an American-made Snickers isnt immune.While the bars may roll off conveyors in Texas, they rely on ingredients from around the globe. Sourcemap, which tracks supply chains, says Snickers bars are made with chocolate from Guyana, peanuts from Argentina and sugar from Brazil, wrapped up in packaging from Canada. All are now subjected to varying levels of tariffs. Theres a lot of ingredients in there that have to come from other countries, says Andreas Waldkirch, an economics professor at Colby College who teaches a class on international trade. Unless youre talking about something very simple from your local farmers market, almost every product relies on ingredients from elsewhere. Those indirect costs are really whats going to drive up prices.The story repeats with American candies across the store the boxes of Nerds and bags of Sugar Babies and rolls of Smarties are all inextricably tied to the global supply chain.A table teeming with those domestic delicacies takes center stage near Economy Candys entrance. Cohen took over the store from his parents, who took it over from their parents before. He got his first haircut in the store. He was behind the register as a child. He took his wife by on their first date.As a kid, everything on the stores centerpiece table of American treats cost 59 cents. By 2020, the price was $1.29, but customers who bought a whole box paid a discounted rate of $1 per piece. Now, Cohen cant even get them wholesale at that price.Today, he sells the items on the table for $1.59. Cohen calls the selection a loss leader but thinks its important to showcase his stores affordability. Once the tariffs are fully implemented, hes not sure hell be able to put off price increases. When your margins are coming down and your dollar doesnt go as far at the end of the day, you really start to feel it, he says. But I dont want anyone to come into Economy Candy and not think that its economical.The biggest-ticket implications of the tariff blitz understandably gain the most attention the thousands of dollars a cars price tag may grow, the tens of thousands that disappear from a retirement account in a single day. But here among the root beer barrels and licorice strands, youre reminded that small-dollar items are affected too, and so are the families selling them. At its birth, the business Cohens grandfather started focused on shoe and hat repairs. But in the wake of the Great Depression, when few in a neighborhood of crowded tenements had money for such fixes, the business pivoted. Candy, once relegated to a cart out front, took over the store.In the 88 years since, business hasnt always been Chuckles and Zagnuts. The Sept. 11 attacks kept tourists away and had sales sagging and the pandemic closed the store and forced it to pivot to online sales.If tariffs upend things, Cohen isnt sure how he might adapt again. He sells products that arent made in America and he sells American products made with ingredients from across the globe. He had just been making headway on beginning international sales, but the web of tariff rules may make it impossible.The average U.S. tariff could rise to nearly 25% if the import taxes Trump put on goods from dozens of countries are fully implemented Wednesday. That would be the highest rate in more than a century, including tariffs widely blamed for worsening the Great Depression.Trump said imposing the tariffs amounted to a liberation day for a country that has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by friend and foe alike, insisting it was very, very good news for the U.S.Cohen isnt sure how that can be true for a business like his.I can understand bringing manufacturing and bringing things back to America, but you know, we rely on raw materials that just arent native to our country, he says. And its not like I can get a green tea Japanese Kit Kat from an American company.As Cohen stood before mounds of strawberry candies in shiny wrappers and little cubes of caramel in cellophane, the first word of the tariffs concrete impact on him arrived. A French supplier emailed saying it was immediately imposing a 5% surcharge due to the tariffs, expressing regret for the move and hope that the situation will be resolved swiftly.Cohen wore a smile anyway. He wants this to be a happy place for visitors.You travel back to a time when nothing mattered, Cohen says, when you didnt worry about anything.___Matt Sedensky can be reached at [emailprotected] and https://x.com/sedensky. MATT SEDENSKY Sedensky is a national writer for The Associated Press. twitter mailto

Role-playing video games (RPGs) have long been popular with people who want to craft their own stories. Not only do RPGs allow players to customize their playstyle, but each decision comes with the expectation that the players choices will influence the main narrative, the player characters reputation, or even who lives and who dies. Unsurprisingly, [...]The post Asexuality and the limits of player expression in video games first appeared on GLAAD.

Azzi Fudd has a shot that makes Stephen Curry envious. It's her resilience that lifts UConn to another level.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred says torpedo bats are "absolutely good for baseball," noting that they fall within the rules and demonstrate the sport's "unique place in our culture."

Hall has been RB1 in New York since entering the NFL, but new coach Aaron Glenn wants to divvy the workload.

Shemar Stewart has great traits and plenty of upside. But he also had 4.5 sacks in three seasons, making him a tough draft evaluation.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred says torpedo bats are "absolutely good for baseball," noting that they fall within the rules and demonstrate the sport's "unique place in our culture."

Isack Hadjar scored his first points in Formula 1 with Racing Bulls on Sunday and said he would never say no to the main Red Bull team should they eventually seek his services.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has defended his team's strategy calls at the Japanese Grand Prix, including the decision not to swap its drivers at the end of the race.

Tottenham Hotspur supporters protested the ownership of the club ahead of the Premier League game against Southampton on Sunday.

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Sarah Makowicki sits in the Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford, Conn., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Haigh)2025-04-06T12:39:23Z States increasingly struggling to cover the rising cost of popular GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy, Ozempic and Zepbound are searching for ways to get out from under the budgetary squeeze that took them by surprise. One solution some policymakers may try is restricting the number of people on Medicaid who can use the pricey diabetes drugs for weight-loss purposes.Pennsylvanias Medicaid coverage of the drugs is expected to cost $1.3 billion in 2025 up from a fraction of that several years ago and is contributing to projections of a multibillion-dollar budget deficit. The state is thinking about requiring Medicaid patients who want to use GLP-1s for weight loss to meet a certain number on the body-mass index or try diet and exercise programs or less expensive medications first.It is a medication thats gotten a lot of hype and a lot of press, and has become very popular in its use and it is wildly expensive, Dr. Val Arkoosh, Pennsylvanias human services secretary, told a state House hearing in March. At least 14 states already cover the cost of GLP-1 medications for obesity treatment for patients on Medicaid, the federal health care program for people with low incomes. Democrats and Republicans in at least a half-dozen other states floated bills this year to require the same coverage, according to an Associated Press analysis using the bill-tracking software Plural. Some bills have stalled while others remain alive, including a proposal in Arkansas requiring GLP-1s to be covered under Medicaid when prescribed specifically for weight loss. Iowa lawmakers are thinking about ordering a cost-benefit analysis before making the commitment. Already, West Virginia and North Carolina ended programs in 2024 that provided coverage for state employees, citing cost concerns. It is very expensive, said Jeffrey Beckham, the state budget director in Connecticut, where Medicaid coverage of the drugs for weight loss may be scrapped entirely. Other states are coming to that conclusion, as well as some private carriers. Overall Medicaid spending on GLP-1 drugs before partial rebates from drug manufacturers jumped from $577.3 million in 2019 to $3.9 billion in 2023, according to a November report from KFF, a nonprofit that researches health care issues. The number of prescriptions for the drugs increased by more than 400% during that same time period. The average annual cost per patient for a GLP-1 drug is $12,000, according to a Peterson-KFF tracker. About half of Americans strongly or somewhat favor having Medicare and Medicaid cover weight-loss drugs for people who have obesity, a recent AP-NORC poll showed, with about 2 in 10 opposed the idea and about one-quarter with a neutral view. But Medicare does not cover GLP-1s, and the Trump administration said Friday that wouldnt put into place a proposed rule by presidential predecessor Joe Biden to cover the medications under Medicares Part D prescription drug coverage. Bidens proposal was expensive: It would have included coverage for all state- and federally funded Medicaid programs, costing taxpayers as much as $35 billion over next decade. States that do provide coverage have tried to manage costs by putting prescribing limits on the GLP-1s. Theres also some evidence that if Medicaid patients lose weight with the drugs, theyll be healthier and less expensive to cover, said Tracy Zvenyach of Obesity Action, an advocacy group that urges states to provide coverage.Zvenyach also stressed how its unclear whether patients will need to regularly take these drugs for the rest of their lives a key cost concern raised by public officials. Someone may have to be on treatment for over the course of their lifetime, she said. But we dont know exactly what that regimen would look like.About 40% of adults in the U.S. have obesity, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity can cause hypertension, Type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol, which lead to greater risks of things like stroke and heart attacks. Dr. Adam Raphael Rom, a physician at Greater Philadelphia Health Action, a network of health centers in the city, said most of his patients who take GLP-1s are covered by Medicaid and some are non-diabetics who use it for weight loss.I had one patient tell me that its like, changed her relationship to food, Rom said. Ive had patients lose like 20, 40, 60 pounds.But obesity experts have told The Associated Press that as many as 1 in 5 people may not lose the amount of weight that others have seen come off. And in a recent survey of state Medicaid directors conducted by KFF, a health policy research organization, they said cost and potential side effects are among their concerns.The debate over coverage coincides with rising Medicaid budgets and the prospect of losing federal funding with congressional Republicans considering siphoning as much as $880 billion from Medicaid over the next decade. Connecticut is facing a $290 million Medicaid account deficit, and Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont proposed doing away with a 2023 requirement that Medicaid cover GLP-1s for severe obesity, though the state has never fully abided by the law due to the cost.Starting June 14, though, state Medicaid patients will be required to have a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis to get the drugs covered. Lamont also is pushing for the state to cover two less expensive oral medications approved by the FDA for weight loss, as well as nutrition counseling.Sarah Makowicki, 42, tried the other medications and said she suffered serious side effects. The graduate student and statehouse intern is working on a bill that would restore the full GLP-1 coverage for her and others. Sara Lamontagne, a transgender woman with a disability who is on Medicaid, said she regained weight when her coverage for GLP-1 medication was cut off in the past. She said she went from 260 pounds to over 300, heavier than she had ever been. So, its a horrible game to be played, to be going back and and forth, said Lamontagne, whose attempts to appeal the states recent denial of her Ozempic prescription refill have been unsuccessful.Makowicki said GLP-1 drugs combined with weight-loss surgery helped her change her life: Shes had knee-replacement surgery and lost over 200 pounds. I am a different person from what I was five years ago, Makowicki said. Not only in my physical space, but also mentally.___Haigh reported from Hartford, Connecticut. Levy reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. SUSAN HAIGH Haigh covers the Connecticut General Assembly, state government, politics, public policy matters and more for The Associated Press. She has worked for The AP since 2002. twitter mailto MARC LEVY Levy covers politics and state government in Pennsylvania for The Associated Press. He is based in Harrisburg. twitter RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

The rising waters of the Licking River touch the basketball hoop at Max Goldberg Park, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Falmouth, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)2025-04-06T11:11:27Z DYERSBURG, Tenn. (AP) A storm system sweeping over large areas of the U.S. South and Midwest resulted in at least 16 weather-related deaths by early Sunday, with overnight tornado and flash flood warnings setting up more severe weather that forecasters say could cause rising waterways for days to come.Many of the impacted areas already are heavily waterlogged by days of severe storms that spawned deadly tornadoes. New tornado warnings were issued overnight in Alabama and Mississippi, along with flash flood warnings for several counties in Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee.Saturday included more of the torrential rain and flash flooding that has pounded the central U.S., rapidly swelling waterways and prompting emergencies from Texas to Ohio. The 16 reported deaths since the start of the storms included 10 in Tennessee alone. The National Weather Service said dozens of locations in multiple states were expected to reach what the agency calls major flood stage, with extensive flooding of structures, roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure possible.A 57-year-old man died Friday evening after getting out of a car that washed off a road in West Plains, Missouri. Flooding killed two people in Kentucky including a 9-year-old boy swept away that same day on his way to school and a 74-year-old whose body was found Saturday inside a fully submerged vehicle in Nelson County, authorities said. Also Saturday, a 5-year-old died at a home in Little Rock, Arkansas, in a weather-related incident, according to police. No details were immediately provided. Tornadoes earlier in the week destroyed entire neighborhoods and were responsible for at least seven of the deaths. There were 521 flights cancelled and more than 6,400 flights delayed within the U.S. or coming into or leaving the country on Saturday, according to FlightAware.com, which reported 74 cancellations and 478 delays of U.S. flights early Sunday. Interstate commerce also could be affected. The extreme flooding across a corridor that includes the major cargo hubs in Louisville, Kentucky, and Memphis could lead to shipping and supply chain delays, said Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather.The outburst comes at a time when nearly half of NWS forecast offices have 20% vacancy rates after Trump administration job cuts, twice that of just a decade ago.Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Saturday that the Ohio River rose 5 feet (about 1.5 meters) in 24 hours and would continue to swell for days.We expect this to be one of the top 10 flooding events in Louisville history, he said.Flash flood threat looms over many statesFlash flood emergency and tornado warnings continued to be issued Saturday across Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky, with more heavy rains and damaging winds in the mix. All of eastern Kentucky was under a flood watch through Sunday morning. Hundreds of Kentucky roads across the state were impassable because of floodwaters, downed trees or mud and rock slides. Downtown Hopkinsville, Kentucky, reopened in the morning after floodwaters from the Little River receded, giving a much-needed reprieve, but still more rainfall was on its way, Mayor James R. Knight Jr. said. We got a little rain, but most of it went north of us, Knight said. Thank goodness on that. Gave us a little break. In north-central Kentucky, emergency officials ordered a mandatory evacuation for Falmouth, a town of 2,000 people in a bend of the rising Licking River. The warnings were similar to catastrophic flooding nearly 30 years ago when the river reached a record 50 feet (15 meters), resulting in five deaths and 1,000 homes destroyed.In Arkansas, weather officials pleaded with people to avoid travel unless absolutely necessary due to widespread flooding.BNSF Railway confirmed that a railroad bridge in Mammoth Spring was washed out by floodwaters, causing the derailment of several cars. No injuries were reported, but there was no immediate estimate for when the bridge would reopen. Why so much nasty weather?Since Wednesday, more than a foot of rain (30.5 centimeters) has fallen in parts of Kentucky, and more than 8 inches (20 centimeters) in parts of Arkansas and Missouri, forecasters said Saturday.Forecasters attributed the violent weather to warm temperatures, an unstable atmosphere, strong wind shear and abundant moisture streaming from the Gulf.At least two reports of observed tornadoes were noted Friday evening in Missouri and Arkansas, according to the National Weather Service. One, near Blytheville, Arkansas, lofted debris at least 25,000 feet (7.6 kilometers) high, according to NWS meteorologist Chelly Amin. The states emergency management office reported damage in 22 counties from tornadoes, wind, hail and flash flooding.In Dyersburg, Tennessee, dozens of people arrived Saturday at a storm shelter near a public school in the rain, clutching blankets, pillows and other necessities. Among them was George Manns, 77, who said he was in his apartment when he heard a tornado warning and decided to head to the shelter. Just days earlier the city was hit by a tornado that caused millions of dollars in damage.I grabbed all my stuff and came here, said Mann, who brought a folding chair, two bags of toiletries, laptops, iPads and medications: I dont leave them in my apartment in case my apartment is destroyed. I have to make sure I have them with me.___Schreiner reported from Shelbyville, Kentucky. Associated Press writers Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Arkansas; Jonathan Mattise and Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville, Tennessee; Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee; Jeff Martin in Marietta, Georgia; John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia; Hallie Golden in Seattle; and Rio Yamat in Las Vegas contributed.

After a winter of trades that never happened, St. Louis is in a unique spot this season.

Perfection. Magical. Inspirational. Whatever word you used for Max Verstappen's victory, it was something special.

Perfection. Magical. Inspirational. Whatever word you used to frame Max Verstappen's Japanese Grand Prix victory, it was something special.

A view of an ilmenite open pit mine in a canyon in the central region of Kirovohrad, Ukraine, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)2025-04-06T15:06:21Z KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Ukraine will send a team to Washington next week to begin negotiations on a new draft of a deal that would give the U.S. access to Ukraines valuable mineral resources, Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko told The Associated Press.The new draft agreement from the U.S. shows that the intention to create a fund or jointly invest remains, Svyrydenko said Saturday, during a trip to northern Ukraine. The delegation from Kyiv will include representatives from the Ministries of Economy, Foreign Affairs, Justice and Finance. The long-running negotiations over a mineral deal have already strained relations between Kyiv and Washington. The two sides had been preparing in February to sign a framework agreement but the plan was derailed following a contentious meeting in the Oval Office between U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. After some Ukrainian lawmakers leaked the new draft, critics slammed it as little more than an attempt to strip Kyiv of control over its own natural resources and infrastructure. According to the leaked document, the new draft includes not only rare-earth minerals but gas and oil. Ukraine holds significant deposits of more than 20 minerals deemed strategically critical by the U.S., including titanium, which is used to make aircraft wings, lithium, key to several battery technologies, and uranium, used in nuclear power. New draft only gives the U.S. side of the dealDespite the disruption following the Oval Office meeting, Ukrainian officials showed interest in signing the framework deal at any time, seeing it as an important step to win the favor of President Donald Trump and shore up U.S. backing in the war against Russias full-scale invasion.After weeks of silence on the status of the deal, the U.S. sent a new draft to Kyiv, which goes further than the original framework.Its unclear why the U.S. chose to bypass the signing of the framework deal and instead moved forward with a more comprehensive draft agreement, which would likely require ratification by Ukraines parliament.However, Ukrainian officials have been cautious about commenting on the contents of the draft, stressing that it currently reflects only one sides position.What we have now is a document that reflects the position of the U.S. Treasury legal team, said Svyrydenko. This is not a final version, its not a joint position.She said that Ukraines task now is to assemble a technical team for negotiations, define its red lines and core principles, and send a delegation to Washington for technical talks as early as next week.Its clear that the full parameters of this agreement cant be discussed online, Svyrydenko said. We need to sit down with the teams and continue the conversation in person.Legal, investment, and financial advisers are being selected, she said. This marks a new stage in relations with the United States one that requires expertise across multiple areas, she said. Ultimately, everything will be decided through the course of negotiations. Ukraine seeks terms acceptable to both sidesSvyrydenko declined to elaborate publicly on Ukraines official evaluation of the new draft, but noted that there is now a more detailed document outlining the funds creation. And while the initial draft focused primarily on the intention to establish the fund, Svyrydenko said the latest version lays out how American advisers envision its structure and operation. It remains unclear what role Ukraine would play in managing the fund under the newly proposed U.S. draft. However, analysts who reviewed the leaked document said Kyivs involvement would likely be minimal a point Ukraine hopes to challenge in upcoming negotiations, using the previously agreed framework as its reference.A previous version of the framework agreement, obtained by The Associated Press, outlined plans for a jointly owned and managed investment fund between the United States and Ukraine, intended to support the reconstruction of Ukraines war-torn economy. Under the terms, Ukraine would allocate 50% of future revenues generated from key national assets including minerals, hydrocarbons, oil, natural gas, and other extractable resources to the fund. The framework agreement, which was never signed, stated that revenues from its natural resources would go into the fund and be used for the reconstruction of the country, not that ownership or control of those resources would be transferred to the United States.Were very focused on ensuring that the final draft of the agreement, after negotiations, fully aligns with our strategic interests, Svyrydenko said. I believe the work on the previous memorandum showed that both teams are capable of reaching these goals and agreeing on terms acceptable to both sides. HANNA ARHIROVA Arhirova is an Associated Press reporter covering Ukraine. She is based in Kyiv. twitter instagram mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A measles sign is seen at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Feb. 25, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, file)2025-04-06T15:08:14Z A second school-aged child in West Texas has died from a measles-related illness, a hospital spokesman confirmed Sunday, as the outbreak continues to swell. Aaron Davis, a spokesperson for UMC Health System in Lubbock, Texas, said that the child was receiving treatment for complications of measles while hospitalized and was not vaccinated. The hospital declined to say which day the child died.Neither the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nor the Texas State Department of State Health Services include the death in their measles reports issued Friday. Spokespeople for the state health department and U.S. Health and Human Services Department didnt immediately respond to requests for comment on Sunday.A unvaccinated school-age child died of measles in February in Lubbock the first measles death in the U.S. in a decade. In early March, an adult in New Mexico who was unvaccinated and did not seek medical care became the second measles-related death. More than two months in, the West Texas outbreak is believed to have spread to New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas, sickening nearly 570 people. The World Health Organization also reported cases related to Texas in Mexico. The number of cases in Texas shot up by 81 between March 28 and April 4, and 16 more people were hospitalized. A team from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is on the ground in Texas assisting with outbreak response. And nationwide, the U.S. has more than double the number of measles cases it saw in all of 2024.Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist, has delivered a tepid message on the importance of vaccination against measles, saying it should be encouraged while also sowing doubt in the vaccines safety. The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine has been used safely for more than 60 years and is 97% effective against measles after two doses. Experts and local health officials expect the outbreak to go on for several more months if not a year. In West Texas, the vast majority of cases are in unvaccinated people and children younger than 17.With several states facing outbreaks of the vaccine-preventable disease, some worry that measles may cost the U.S. its status as having eliminated the disease.Measles is a respiratory virus that can survive in the air for up to two hours. Up to 9 out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed, according to the CDC. The first shot is recommended for children ages 12 to 15 months, and the second for ages 4 to 6 years.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. DEVI SHASTRI Shastri is a public health reporter for The Associated Press, based in Milwaukee. She covers housing access, the social safety net, medical misinformation and other topics that influence the health of communities broadly. twitter mailto

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Southampton's relegation from the Premier League was confirmed on Sunday, as they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows, from left, Jack Black, Jason Momoa and Sebastian Hansen in a scene from "A Minecraft Movie." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)2025-04-06T16:19:36Z Hollywood needed A Minecraft Movie to be a hit, and it delivered in its opening weekend, significantly narrowing this years box office deficit.No one guessed just how big it would be. In its first few days in theaters, the movie earned a staggering $157 million in ticket sales from theaters in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates Sunday. Internationally, its looking at an additional $144 million for a global debut of $301 million. And with school spring breaks ongoing, A Minecraft Movie is just getting started.Not only is it the biggest opening of 2025, A Minecraft Movie also broke the record for a video game adaptation, a distinction previously held by The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($146 million). Going into the weekend, analysts projected Minecraft might hit $80 million. Instead, it nearly doubled that figure. Nothing is guaranteed in the movie business, but an offering based on the best-selling video game of all time makes for a good start. It hardly mattered that the block-based game doesnt exactly have a narrative. Many of its 200 million active monthly players turned out in droves anyway. The PG-rated movie, directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite), was a co-production of Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros. It cost a reported $150 million to make, not including marketing and promotion expenses. Jack Black and Jason Momoa lead the ensemble cast (Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers and Sebastian Eugene Hansen). Their characters are transported into an imaginative dimension called the Overworld and need to go on a dangerous, and immensely silly, adventure to get home. Critics were largely mixed on A Minecraft Movie, but audiences gave it a more promising B+ CinemaScore and 4/5 stars in PostTrak exit polls. Men made up around 62% of the audience, and 64% were under the age of 25. Warner Bros. went big on its release, opening the film in 4,263 locations domestically and 36,000 screens internationally. Younger audiences love going to the movie theater, believe it or not, said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. We thought this was an audience who would migrate to the small screens, but this is the perfect small screen to big screen alliance. It became a must-see theatrical event. Awareness was off the charts.Video game adaptations have had some pivotal successes in recent years, including The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the Sonic series and Five Nights at Freddys.Video games were once a genre that had very mixed results at the box office, but the code has finally been cracked, Dergarabedian said.Second place at this weeks box office went to the Jason Statham action pic A Working Man, which added $7.3 million in its second weekend. Third place was occupied by the second installment in the episodic The Chosen: Last Supper series. Part two (made up of episodes three through five) earned $6.7 million over the weekend. The third and final batch of episodes arrive in theaters on April 11. Snow White slid to fourth place in its third weekend, bringing in $6.1 million. Its now made over $168 million globally. Its been a difficult start to 2025 for Hollywood and movie theaters, with disappointments including Snow White and Mickey 17. But one hit can change the tides significantly, especially with in-theater marketing pushes in full swing for the pivotal summer movie season, which kicks off the first weekend in May. Before this weekend, the box office was running at a 13% deficit compared with last year. Now the gap is down to 5%. LINDSEY BAHR Bahr has been a film writer and critic for The Associated Press since 2014. twitter instagram mailto

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley reacts during the first half of a national semifinal Final Four game against Texas during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)2025-04-06T15:29:44Z Follow APs full coverage of March Madness. Get the AP Top 25 womens college basketball poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here. TAMPA, Fla. (AP) Dawn Staley and South Carolina hope to finish off a second straight season with an NCAA championship, which would give the Gamecocks a third title in four years.To do so, theyll need to beat Paige Bueckers and UConn on Sunday.A victory by Staleys squad would give her four titles tying her with Kim Mulkey for the third most behind UConns Geno Auriemma (11) and Tennessees Pat Summitt (8). The Gamecocks would join the Huskies and Lady Vols as the only schools to ever win three championships in a four-year span.Meanwhile, its been nine years since Auriemmas team won the championship, which capped off a run of four consecutive titles from 2013-16.UConn has reached the title game only once since 2016, and during that drought it has come up on the short end of heartbreaking last-second losses in the Final Four on buzzer-beaters. The Huskies last title game appearance came in 2022 when Staleys team beat UConn to start the Gamecocks current run of success, a game that ended Auriemmas perfect record in title games.The only UConn player who saw significant time in the title game three years ago against South Carolina was Bueckers. Shell be playing in her final game for UConn hoping to leave the school with a championship, joining many other Huskies greats who have played for Auriemma. ___AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.

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