DENVER (AP) — The Denver Broncos added former University of Texas and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Sam Ehlinger to their QB room Wednesday.
Ehlinger replaces Zach Wilson, who signed with Miami earlier in free agency, as the third quarterback behind second-year starter Bo Nix and seventh-year backup Jarrett Stidham.
Ehlinger has played in eight NFL games and started three, all with the Colts, who drafted him in the sixth round in 2021. In his pro career, he has completed 64 of 101 passes for 573 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions.
NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball’s average salary broke the $5 million barrier on opening day for the first time, according to a study by The Associated Press.
The New York Mets, with Juan Soto’s record $61.9 million pay, led MLB for the third straight opening day with a $322.6 million payroll, just ahead of the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers at $319.5 million. Those two teams each spent roughly five times as much as the Miami Marlins, who at $64.9 million ended the Athletics’ three-year streak as the lowest spender.
Still, the Mets were down from their record high of $355.4 million in 2023.
The average rose 3.6% to $5,160,245. That was up from a 1.5% increase last year but down from an 11.1% increase in 2023.
Adding Blake Snell, Michael Conforto, Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates, the Dodgers boosted payroll by a big league-high $69 million from opening day last year. Baltimore hiked spending by $66 million, followed by Arizona ($55 million), San Diego ($47 million), Philadelphia ($41 million) and Detroit ($39 million).
Los Angeles’ payroll figure was held down by deferred payments. Shohei Ohtani’s $70 million salary was discounted to a present-day value of $28.2 million because it won’t be paid in full until 2035, causing him to be listed as the 18th-highest-paid player. Other Dodgers with deferred payments include Mookie Betts, Tommy Edman, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernández, Scott, Will Smith and Snell.
Following their record 121-loss season, the Chicago White Sox cut payroll by $60.8 million, San Francisco by $39.1 million, Miami by $31.7 million and St. Louis by $31.6 million. The American League champion Yankees dropped by $18.5 million.
Just five teams were under $100 million, with the Marlins joined by the A’s ($74.9 million), Tampa Bay ($79.2 million), the White Sox ($80.9 million) and Pittsburgh ($87.9 million).
Soto broke the previous high of $43.3 million shared by pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander under deals they agreed to with the Mets.
Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler is second at $42 million, followed by Texas pitcher Jacob deGrom and Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge at $40 million each.
Of 953 players in the major leagues on opening day, 526 had salaries of $1 million or more, 55%, and down from 532 last year and 546 in 2023.
There were 15 players at $30 million or more, a drop of two; 66 at $20 million, up from 66; and 177 at $10 million, an increase from 166.
A total of 35 players made the $760,000 minimum.
The top 50 players make 29% of the salaries, the same as in the prior two years, and the top 100 earn 48%, up from 47%.
Baseball’s median salary, the point at which an equal number of players are above and below, dropped to $1.35 million from $1.5 million and well below the record high of $1.65 million at the start of 2015.
Average and median salaries decline over the course of the season as veterans are released and replaced by younger players making closer to the minimum. The AP’s average was $4.98 million at the start of last season; MLB calculated the final average at $4.59 million and the players’ association at $4.66 million.
Because they started the season in the minor leagues, Baltimore pitcher Kyle Gibson ($5.25 million), Detroit pitcher Jason Foley ($3.15 million) and Dodgers second baseman Hyeseong Kim ($2.8 million) were among the players not included in the opening day payroll figures.
The AP’s figures include salaries and prorated shares of signing bonuses and other guaranteed income.
Payroll figures factor in adjustments for cash transactions in trades, signing bonuses that are the responsibility of the club agreeing to the contract, option buyouts and termination pay for released players.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Jack Leiter shut the Cincinnati Reds down for the second game in a row on Wednesday and the Texas Rangers won 1-0 to take the three-game series.
The Rangers were outscored 14-5 in the three games but still won the series.
Leiter (2-0) retired the first 11 Reds batters until Elly De La Cruz doubled. He left after the fifth inning with a blister on his pitching hand but still tied his career-high with six strikeouts.
Josh Smith’s two-out double in the fourth inning scored Joc Pederson with the first run of the game off Hunter Greene (0-1), who allowed one run in seven innings on two hits. Smith started the season without a hit in his first eight at bats but had two in the final two games of the series.
Greene struck out Jake Burger for the 500th strikeout of his career.
De La Cruz made a highlight-worthy catch of a foul ball down the left field line in the eighth inning. He was positioned for a left-handed hitter.
Jacob Webb, Robert Garcia, Chris Martin and Luke Jackson, who earned his third save, backed up Leiter with four scoreless innings.
The Reds had the tying run on in the ninth but for the second straight game, De La Cruz grounded out to end the game.
Key moment
Pederson’s slow roller single to third eluded Jeimer Candelario to set up the winning run.
Key stat
The Reds scored 14 runs in the first six innings of the series. They were shutout in the next 20.
Up next
The Rangers are off Thursday. Tyler Mahle (0-0, 5.40 ERA) will open a three-game series against Tampa Bay’s Zack Littell (0-1, 1.50 ERA).
For the Reds, Nick Lodolo (1-0, 3.00 ERA) is scheduled to face Nestor Cortes (0-1, 36.00 ERA) in Milwaukee on Thursday.
HOUSTON (AP) — Wilmer Flores homered again and Luis Matos and LaMonte Wade Jr. also went deep to lead the San Francisco Giants to a 6-3 win over the Houston Astros on Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep.
It’s the fourth home run this season for Flores, who hit just four in 71 games last season. He’s tied with five others — Aaron Judge, Kyle Tucker, Seiya Suzuki, Anthony Volpe and Tommy Edman — for the second most in the majors. Arizona’s Eugenio Suárez leads the majors with five homers.
Flores got things going with his two-run shot to the seats in left field off Framber Valdez (1-1) with one out in the first. Matos made it 3-0 with his shot to center field to start the second.
Heliot Ramos doubled with one out in the inning to extend his streak with an extra-base hit to six games to start the season, tying Felipe Alou (1963) for the longest such streak in franchise history. The double drove in two runs to push the lead to 5-0.
Jeremy Peña walked and stole second base with two outs in the second before scoring on a single to center field by Zach Dezenzo to cut the lead to 5-1.
Valdez allowed four hits and five runs with nine strikeouts in five innings after throwing seven scoreless frames on opening day.
The Astros loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth to chase Landen Roupp. Randy Rodríguez (1-0) took over and Yordan Alvarez hit a two-run single to cut the lead to 5-3. But Rodríguez retired the next three batters, with two strikeouts, to limit the damage.
Roupp allowed four hits and three runs with eight strikeouts in four-plus innings. Camilo Doval pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save.
Wade’s pinch-hit home run with one out in the eighth was his first hit after opening the season 0 for 16.
Key moment
Rodríguez’s performance in the fifth in working out of the jam to keep the Giants on top.
Key stat
It’s the first time the Giants have swept the Astros since August 28-30, 2012, in Houston’s last season in the National League.
Up next
The Giants are off Thursday before Justin Verlander (0-0, 3.60 ERA) starts their home opener against Seattle on Friday. Houston opens a series at Minnesota on Thursday with Hunter Brown (0-1, 3.00) on the mound.
NEW YORK (AP) — Tesla sales fell 13% in the first three months of the year, another sign that Elon Musk’s once high-flying car company is struggling to attract buyers.
The leading electric vehicle maker has faced a growing backlash from Musk’s embrace of right-wing politics and his role in the Trump administration. Opponents have staged protests at Tesla showrooms in the U.S. and in Europe, where the sales declines have been steeper.
Tesla’s line-up is aging, and some consumers may have held off from buying its bestselling Model Y while waiting for an updated version. The Austin, Texas, company also faces fierce competition from other EV makers offering vastly improved models, including those of China’s BYD.
Tesla reported deliveries of 336,681 globally in the January to March quarter. The figure was down from sales of 387,000 in the same period a year ago. The decline came despite deep discounts, zero financing and other incentives and could be a warning that the company’s first-quarter earnings report later this month could disappoint investors.
Dan Ives of Wedbush said Wall Street financial analysts knew the first quarter was likely bad, but turned out even worse than expected. He called the sales results a “disaster on every metric.”
“The brand crisis issues are clearly having a negative impact on Tesla…there is no debate,” he said.
Musk has been President Donald Trump’s point man in his effort to cut government spending. As criticism of Musk mounted and Tesla’s sales and stock price slumped, Trump last month held an extraordinary press conference outside the White House in which he praised Tesla, blasted boycotts against the company and bought a Tesla himself while TV cameras rolled.
Tesla investors have complained Musk’s work at the Department of Government Efficiency has diverted his focus from running Tesla. On Tuesday, New York City’s comptroller overseeing pension funds holding Tesla stock called for a lawsuit accusing a distracted Musk of “driving Tesla off a financial cliff.”
After falling as much as 6% in early Wednesday, Tesla stock shot up more than 5% on indications that Musk may soon return his attention to Tesla. Politico, citing anonymous sources, reported Trump has told Cabinet members that Musk will step back from his role at DOGE in coming weeks.
Tesla’s stock has plunged by roughly half since hitting a mid-December record as expectations of a lighter regulatory touch and big profits with Donald Trump as president were replaced by fear that the boycott of Musk’s cars and other problems could hit the company hard. Analysts are still not sure exactly how much the fall in sales is due to the protests or other factors.
Still, even bullish financial analysts who earlier downplayed the backlash to Musk’s polarizing political stances are saying it is hurting the company, something that Musk also recently acknowledged.
“This is a very expensive job,” Musk said at a Wisconsin rally on Sunday, referring to his DOGE role. “My Tesla stock and the stock of everyone who holds Tesla has gone roughly in half.”
Tesla cars have been smashed and set on fire in recent weeks, and protests have been staged at hundreds of Tesla dealerships. Owners have put bumper stickers on their cars saying, “I bought this before Elon went crazy.”
Europeans have also balked at buying Tesla, especially Germans upset after Musk publicly supported a far-right party in national elections and gave what many say was a Nazi-like salute at a Trump inauguration rally in January.
Tesla is expected to report earnings of 48 cents per share for the first quarter later this month, up 7% from a year earlier, according to a survey of financial analysts by research firm FactSet.
Nearly all of Tesla’s sales in the quarter came from the smaller and less-expensive Models 3 and Y, with the company selling less than 13,000 more expensive models, which include X and S as well as the Cybertruck.
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AP Business Writer Michelle Chapman contributed to this report from New York.
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — A 17-year-old student was fatally stabbed by another student during an altercation at a high school track meet in suburban Dallas on Wednesday, police said.
The suspect, 17-year-old Karmelo Anthony, was taken into custody and charged with murder, according to police in Frisco, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Dallas. Bond had not yet been set.
A police spokesperson said Anthony was being held at the city jail and would be transferred to Collin County jail. The spokesperson also said he did not know whether Anthony had an attorney yet.
Efforts to find contact information for family members to speak on Anthony’s behalf were not immediately successful.
The Frisco Independent School District said the stabbing happened at a meet where student athletes from eight of the district’s 12 schools were competing.
The student who was killed was Austin Metcalf, an 11th grader at Memorial High School, according to an email the principal sent to parents Wednesday.
Details on what led to the stabbing were not immediately released. Frisco police asked for anyone with information to come forward.
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This story has been updated to correct the age of the student who was killed to 17. Police said previously that he was 16.
UPDATE: An Oncor representative said that as of 1:35 p.m., all power has been restored.
TYLER — According to our news partner KETK, multiple traffic signals are without power throughout the city including several on Broadway Avenue. The traffic operations department has deployed generators however some intersections will remain without power. According to an Oncor representative, a transformer fell at a substation at the intersection of Grande Boulevard and Broadway Avenue.
“Drivers should treat a ‘dark’ traffic signal as a four-way stop—each vehicle comes to a complete stop and takes its turn to proceed through the intersection,” city officials said.
Oncor said power should be restored at around 1:30 p.m. and about 6,300 customers have been affected.
TYLER — A reminder from our news partner KETK, Texans have until April 3 to register to vote for the upcoming May elections. Early voting begins April 22 and runs through April 29 while Election Day is May 3.
How to check if you’re registered to vote: Residents are encouraged to contact their county voter registrar since voting in Texas is county-based and Texan residents can go to Am I registered? to see if they’re eligible to vote. Residents who have recently changed their name can update their registration status here.
How to register to vote: To register to vote in Texas, residents must be U.S. citizens, at least 18 years old on Election Day, and a resident of the county in which they plan to vote. They must also not be convicted of any felonies, unless their rights have been restored.
Voters can register by completing a voter registration form online through the Texas Secretary of State’s website or by obtaining a form from their local county voter registrar’s office. Once completed, the form must be mailed to the registrar’s office. Continue reading How to register for May elections in Texas
(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping new tariffs on Wednesday, which the White House dubbed "Liberation Day."
"This is one of the most important days in my opinion in American history," Trump said during a press conference at the Rose Garden, outside the White House. "It's our declaration of economic independence."
The fresh round of tariffs marked a significant escalation from previous levies slapped on some foreign goods in recent weeks.
The new tariffs feature two key policies: A uniform 10% tariff for all imports and "reciprocal" tariffs imposed on many nations that place duties on U.S. imports.
The universal 10% tariff amounts to a wide-ranging trade barrier that will touch every product that enters the U.S.
Trump said the measure would ensure foreign firms pay a price for benefits derived from the purchasing power of U.S. consumers.
"Foreign nations will finally pay for the privilege of access to our market," Trump said.
In addition to the universal tariff, Trump said, the U.S. will impose tariffs on many countries that levy U.S. goods. Trump described such duties as "reciprocal tariffs," though he noted that the U.S. would impose tariffs at half of the level of the trade barriers slapped on U.S. products.
"We will charge them approximately half of what they are and have been charging us," Trump said. "We're kind people." He added later in his remarks, "This is not full reciprocal. This is kind reciprocal."
The move departs from statements made by Trump in recent days vowing to impose reciprocal tariffs that match the trade barriers of other countries.
The reciprocal tariffs will target roughly 60 countries identified by the Trump administration as the "worst offenders," White House officials said, noting that Canada and Mexico would be excluded from the reciprocal tariffs.
The White House calculated the cumulative cost of trade barriers imposed by each of the target nations, including tariffs as well as non-monetary measures. In each case, the U.S. will impose a reciprocal tariff rate at 50% of the level attributed to a given country.
For instance, Trump said, the U.S. estimated a total trade barrier rate of 67% for China, meaning the U.S. would impose a 34% tariff in response. The U.S. assessed a European Union trade barrier rate of 39%, Trump said, adding that the U.S. reciprocal tariff would register at 20%.
The universal 10% tariff is set to take effect on the morning of April 5, and the reciprocal tariffs will hit products on the morning of April 9, White House officials said.
Economists widely expect tariffs to raise prices for U.S. consumers, since importers typically pass along a share of the tax burden in the form of higher costs.
"For decades, the U.S. slashed our trade barriers on other countries while those nations placed massive tariffs on our products," Trump said.
"This all happened with no response from the United States of America -- none whatsoever," Trump added. "But those days are over."
(NORTH CAROLINA) -- Six months after Hurricane Helene destroyed communities across the Southeast, five people remain missing in North Carolina due to the storm, according to officials.
The missing include one person from Avery County, one from Mitchell County and three from Yancey County -- all of whom have not been in contact since the Category 4 hurricane hit North Carolina in September, officials confirmed to ABC News.
Alena Ayers from Mitchell County has been missing since the hurricane's start, according to Sheriff Donald Street.
Yancey County Sheriff Shane Hilliard said Lenny Widsawski, Yevhenii Segen and Tetyana Novitnia have also been missing since Helene devastated the area.
Avery County Sheriff's Office could not confirm the name of the individual missing since the beginning of the storm.
Names continue to be removed from the list of missing, with one found as recently as last week.
On March 28, an individual who had been missing since Helene's destruction was found and identified as 66-year-old Russell Wilber, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services confirmed on Wednesday.
Wilber was recovered in Avery County after he had "washed into the Toe River from a campground," officials said.
As of Tuesday, there have been 107 "verified storm-related fatalities in North Carolina," officials said.
On the six-month anniversary of the hurricane, North Carolina Rep. Dudley Greene filed "Alena's Law," which allows for a "presumption of death in instances where the disappearance and continued absence of a person coincides with a disaster declaration," the bill said. It is still working its way through the House before a vote.
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region on Sept. 26 as a Category 4 hurricane. Days later, in Asheville, North Carolina, the storm caused historic flooding that devastated roads, bridges and structures.
The storm also ravaged through Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.
More than 230 people have died from the storm, which has become the deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina in 2005.
On March 27, "Good Morning America" returned to Asheville and announced $3 million in donations to the community from corporate sponsors including Lowe's, Food Lion, Samsung, BetterHelp, Bojangles, Red Ventures, Armstrong Flooring, 84 Lumber, Family Dollar, Honeywell, Starbucks and Hanes.
(WASHINGTON) -- Democrats on Wednesday vowed to fight President Donald Trump's tariffs "tooth and nail" and criticized his policies as having started an "absurd, crazy, chaotic trade war."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer held a news conference just hours before Trump's big tariff reveal, where he urged Republicans to join Senate Democrats on a measure to block tariffs on Canadian goods.
"They know they're a tax hike on the American people," he said. "They know that the stock market is in turmoil, risking people's retirements. They know that consumer confidence is down and the odds of a recession --- something people hate, it's harder to find a job, keep a job, maintain your weekly budget if a recession occurs -- and now our greatest financial prognosticators are saying the chances of recession because of these tariffs, this tariff tax, goes way up.
"So, we're going to fight these tariffs tooth and nail. Trump's done a lot of bad things. This is way up there," Schumer said.
Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat who introduced the resolution to block Trump's tariffs on Canada, said he expected a vote to occur between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET.
Unlike most legislation in the Senate, the resolution will only need a simple majority to pass. Just a handful of Republicans would need to side with Democrats to hit that vote threshold.
President Trump, in an early morning post on his social media platform, pressured Republicans to oppose the measure -- going so far as to call out some specific members of his party by name.
"Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Rand Paul, also of Kentucky, will hopefully get on the Republican bandwagon, for a change," he wrote on his social media platform.
The president added the bill "is just a ploy of the Dems to show and expose the weakness of certain Republicans, namely these four, in that it is not going anywhere because the House will never approve it and I, as your President, will never sign it."
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also preemptively slammed Trump's tariffs, saying they will make goods more costly.
"This is not Liberation Day. It's Recession Day in the United States of America," Jeffries said. "That's what the Trump tariffs are going to do."
Top House Republicans, meanwhile, expressed confidence in President Trump ahead of this Rose Garden unveiling. Though they admitted their may be some "short-term pain" as a result.
"I trust the president's instincts," Speaker Mike Johnson said when asked by ABC News if he's concerned. "We are fully supportive of his initiatives, and we'll see how it all shakes out."
"The president talked in the State of the Union that that may be some short-term pain, ultimately, long term we're going to get more things made in America, and we're going to get fair treatment of America by other countries," said Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
ABC News' Lauren Peller contributed to this report.
HAYS COUNTY – The Texas Department of Public Safety, working with federal agencies on a joint investigation into a Venezuelan gang, arrested more than 40 people and seized drugs after serving a search warrant on an undisclosed Hays County residence, the state agency and the FBI announced Wednesday.
A DPS and FBI news release said the warrant was executed after FBI agents “developed intelligence” earlier this week about a gathering of individuals tied to Tren de Aragua, a gang that started in Venezuelan prisons and has become a target of state and federal officials. DPS did not elaborate on how the dozens of detained people may be linked to the gang.
President Donald Trump’s administration has targeted the criminal organization as part of its broader vow to deport millions of immigrants. But relatives of Venezuelans who have been detained and deported elsewhere in the country say they are not gang members.
It was not clear what potential crimes authorities believe the individuals had committed to be taken into custody. State and federal prosecutors plan to review evidence obtained during the execution of the search warrant to determine potential criminal charges, according to DPS and the FBI.
DPS, the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Hays County Sheriff’s Office, which participated in the operation, did not immediately return requests for comment Wednesday.
It was not immediately clear where the dozens of people taken into custody are being held.
The San Antonio Police Department helped with an investigation leading up to the operation, but not with the execution of the search warrant, a department spokesperson said, declining to comment further because it is “part of a larger ongoing case.” The DPS release said several local, state and local law enforcement agencies have been investigating members and associates of the gang for more than a year.
This is a developing story.
Article originally published by The Texas Tribune. To read the originally published article, click here.
Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images
(MIDDLESEX, Mass.) -- To step inside the Older Adult Re-Entry unit, or OAR, at the Middlesex County, Massachusetts, jail is unlike entering any jail in the United States.
The walls are adorned in a soothing paint color, and there is fitness equipment, specially designed beds in cell units, better lighting so older inmates do not fall and a puzzle-making table to "stimulate the mind cognitively," according to Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian.
OAR is designed for inmates who are over the age of 55 and need to get ready to reenter the public, but Koutoujian said older inmates have different needs than younger ones who get released into the community.
"We designed this unit from the ground up with the unique needs of this population in mind, from treatment programs focused on specific needs of this population, cognitive behavioral treatment, social enrichment, education and occupational therapy," he said, adding that the Middlesex Sheriff's Office worked with researchers from Boston University to have the older inmate population's best interests in mind.
Older inmates make up about 10% of the jail's population, and entry into the program is voluntary. OAR serves both those who are awaiting trial and those who are set to be released in the next few months or years. There are 20 inmates currently in the unit, which just launched in March.
He said OAR helps stimulate inmates minds with different classes and activities to prepare for their reentry into society.
"This is much more than just: This is how to get a job, this is how to get your driver's license back, this is how to do these basic things that we deal with everywhere in our facility," he explained. "This is about how to live your life so that you can live more happily, more safely and longer. [It] is much different than any other unit in the entire country for those very reasons."
In working with researchers, Koutoujian found that older men need friendships to live healthy lives.
"We've seen much more research recently showing especially men, as they age, become more socially isolated. It impacts them mentally and physically and affects their mortality," he said.
"I'm trying to make sure that they are more aware of so that it's not just the fact that we're giving them this lesson, but what are the activities they can engage in?" he added. "They can build new relationships, new friendships, new support systems, healthier social networks. That is a critical part to this population's reentry."
The sheriff said he believes the program, with the research and data OAR is collecting, can be replicated throughout the country.
"What do the incarcerated individuals in the unit get out of it? They get a great deal out of it, and let's just say, what do the officers that are involved in this unit get out of it? They get a feeling of well-being, of partnership, of doing something good," he said.
(NEW YORK) -- More cities and counties across the U.S. are moving to ban fluoride in public drinking water after Utah became the first state in the country to do so.
The Miami-Dade County commissioners voted 8-2 on Tuesday to stop adding fluoride to the public water supply.
Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez, who sponsored the legislation, referred to fluoride as a "neurotoxin" and that studies show it "should not be in the water."
Florida surgeon general Dr. Joseph Ladapo has previously recommended removing fluoride from public water supplies, citing potential harms, according to local ABC News affiliate WPLG.
In a statement last year, Ladapo claimed that "more research is necessary to address safety and efficacy concerns regarding community water fluoridation."
Opponents, including Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava, argue fluoride is safe and essential for dental health.
"Miami-Dade County has been adding fluoride to the water for 60 years. It has been constantly verified, scientifically and medically, that it is safe. We know that it provides protection for dental care and prevents cavities. We use a very, very low level, well within the guidelines," she said before the meeting, according to WPLG.
The measure also calls for the mayor "to create and implement a countywide public service campaign focused on dental hygiene and alternate sources of fluoride available in dental health products."
The county has 30 days to halt fluoride use. It's unclear whether or not the mayor will veto the legislation.
Local reports indicate that a town in Virginia has also voted unanimously to bar adding fluoride to its town water supply.
Meanwhile, an Ohio state representative has also proposed a bill prohibiting adding fluoride to public water systems.
Fluoride is a mineral that naturally occurs in water sources such as lakes and rivers, and is even naturally present in some foods and beverages, according to the American Dental Association (ADA).
It is added to some dental products, such as toothpaste, to help prevent cavities.
High-quality studies show fluoride prevents cavities and repairs damage to teeth caused by bacteria in the mouth. Fluoride makes tooth enamel stronger and rebuilds weakened tooth enamel, the ADA says.
Fluoride also replaces minerals lost from teeth due to acid breakdown, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, influential skeptics, such as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have long raised doubts about the benefits of fluoride.
In an interview with NPR in November 2024, Kennedy doubled down on his promise of persuading local governments to remove fluoride from their water supplies.
He has claimed that fluoride in drinking water affects children's neurological development and that other countries that have removed fluoride from their water supplies have not seen an increase in cavities.
A large review paper published in January 2025 suggested a link between fluoride and lower IQ in children, but much of the underlying data was pulled from other countries, where fluoride exposure is far higher than levels used in drinking water in the U.S.
Some health professionals have also expressed concerns about excessive fluoride intake and potential toxicity.
Many doctors and dental associations, however, argue that fluoride in water is still a crucial, low-risk/high-reward public health tool, especially for children and adults who may not be able to practice regular dental hygiene.
The association calls community water fluoridation "the single most effective public health measure to prevent tooth decay."
"Studies prove water fluoridation continues to be effective in reducing dental decay by at least 25% in children and adults, even in the era of widespread availability of fluoride from other sources, such as fluoride toothpaste," the ADA states on its website. "So, by simply drinking fluoridated water, you are doing something good for your oral health."
ABC News' Sony Salzman and Jason Volack contributed to this report.
Filming for the next Hunger Games film, Sunrise on the Reaping, is set to begin in July.
Francis Lawrence, who has directed each Hunger Games film since Catching Fire in 2012, will be returning to direct the upcoming project.
Lawrence, who attended CinemaCon on Tuesday, spoke to attendees about the new film and said that they're working on casting.
"We're very excited," he said. "We've been working on this draft for a year. We start shooting in July."
Additionally, a promotional clip for the film was shared on Instagram. It features Woody Harrelson's character, Haymitch Abernathy, saying at the end, "I think the games are going to be different."
Sunrise on the Reaping is based on author Suzanne Collins' novel of the same name. The book was released in March 2025 and "revisits the world of Panem twenty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games," according to a press release from Scholastic.
The novel begins on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. It follows a young Haymitch, whose name is called to participate in the games, according to a synopsis.
In a statement shared in the Scholastic press release, Collins said, "With Sunrise on the Reaping, I was inspired by David Hume's idea of implicit submission and, in his words, 'the easiness with which the many are governed by the few.' The story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative. The question 'Real or not real?' seems more pressing to me every day."
Sunrise on the Reaping will arrive in theaters Nov. 20, 2026.
