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‘Stillwater’ series based on Skybound graphic novel set at Prime Video

The cover of the 'Stillwater' graphic novel. (Prime Video)

A series based on the Skybound graphic novel Stillwater is on the way.

Prime Video has given an eight-episode series order to the project from writers Greg Berlanti and Carly Wray. It will be based on the graphic novel by Chip Zdarsky and Ramón K Pérez.

The show will be a mind-bending horror thriller focused on ex-con Daniel West. "When Daniel receives a mysterious letter promising answers about his past and a substantial inheritance in the small town of Stillwater, he discovers a community where nothing ever ages, no one ever dies, and nobody ever gets out," according to its official description.

“We’re thrilled to dive into Stillwater because it’s far beyond the usual immortality story,” Berlanti and Wray said in a statement. “It’s a horror show about a community that has to decide what forever is worth, and what they’re willing to do to protect it. Chip Zdarsky & Ramón K Pérez created an extraordinary world that’s both terrifying and deeply human. ... We couldn't be more excited for fans, and everyone discovering this story for the first time, to meet Daniel West and all the eerie townsfolk lying in wait for him.”

Stillwater will be a one-hour drama produced by Warner Bros. Television and Amazon MGM Studios. Berlanti and Wray are set to executive produce.

“Greg and Carly have brought many of pop culture’s most iconic characters and stories to life,” Channing Dungey, the chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Television Group and WBD US Networks, said. “They are masters at capturing the heart of what makes a story distinct and beloved by fans. Stillwater showcases their ability to blend a mind-bending horror thriller with the harrowing complexities of immortality, power, community and what it means to be human.”

Victor Wembanyama, Caitlin Clark and Derrick Rose tabbed as NBA 2K cover athletes

NEW YORK (AP) — Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and former NBA MVP Derrick Rose were revealed Wednesday as the cover athletes for NBA 2K27.

Wembanyama is on the cover of the Standard Edition, Clark is on the Deluxe Edition and Rose will appear on the limited-time Ultra Edition.

The Standard Edition launches widely on Sept. 4. Deluxe and Ultra editions launch with early access on Aug. 28.

Wembanyama said being on the cover was “a dream come true,” and Clark said being on a cover “is special because this game reaches fans all over the world.”

Rose was also on the cover of NBA 2K13.

“This is a chance to inspire young athletes to stay obsessed with the game,” Rose said. “To show them that when you put in the countless hours of hard work, it rewards you.”

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports

Author Charles Gaines, who popularized the world of bodybuilding with ‘Pumping Iron,’ dies at 84

NEW YORK (AP) — Charles Gaines, the author whose book and documentary “Pumping Iron” helped bring professional bodybuilding into the mainstream and introduce Arnold Schwarzenegger to the world, has died. He was 84.

Gaines died Tuesday, according to Greta Gaines, the author’s daughter. She did not reveal a cause.

“You always marched to your own drummer and inspired everyone around you to do the same,” she wrote in a tribute to her father. “Follow that bliss, catch that fish and kiss those lips while you can because my father was the live life to the fullest kinda guy.”

Gaines collaborated with George Butler to write “Pumping Iron: The Art and Sport of Bodybuilding,” which led to the making of the documentary “Pumping Iron,” for which Butler and Gaines wrote the script.

In the introduction to their 1974 book, Gaines wrote that he and Butler considered it “a sort of respectful report from the interior of an interesting, colorful and heretofore ignored region of American life.”

In a 2022 edition, he admitted that neither author thought “many people outside of the bodybuilding world would be interested in” the book. Gains wrote Schwarzenegger almost single-handedly “brought bodybuilding out of the shadows it had languished in since its earliest days in America and into the limelight.”

Schwarzenegger, who won seven Mr. Olympia and five Mr. Universe titles and who was pictured flexing on the cover of “Pumping Iron,” would harness the attention into a career, first in movies — including “The Terminator,” “True Lies,” “Twins” and “Predator” — and then politics, becoming governor of California from 2003 to 2011.

Gaines wrote that he’d been involved in bodybuilding in one way or another since he was 16, when he began lifting weights. “Pumping Iron” began as an article for Sports Illustrated in 1972 on a bodybuilding contest for Mr. East Coast.

“If we felt at times a little like 19th century explorers, it was because we found bodybuilding to be as primeval and unmapped as parts of Labrador,” he wrote. “Nobody, we discovered, had been back into it to send out a report on what it was like.”

Gaines and Butler used the book as the basis for their 1977 documentary “Pumping Iron,” which centers on the rivalry between Schwarzenegger and fellow bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno in the competition for a Mr. Olympia title. Ferrigno would later star on TV in “The Incredible Hulk.”

Gaines was raised in Alabama and earned a bachelor’s degree from Birmingham-Southern College and a Master of Fine Arts in writing from the University of Iowa.

Gaines published numerous books throughout his career, including “Waters Far and Near: Tales of Angling Adventure and Misadventure Around the World” and the novels “Stay Hungry,” “Dangler” and “Survival Games.” “Stay Hungry” was adapted into a movie starring Jeff Bridges, giving Schwarzenegger his first movie role.

“He climbed mountains, trekked across ice, fished, and hunted on almost every continent, writing about every adventure in a way that captured people’s hearts and minds. He was interested in everything — and his interest was contagious,” Schwarzenegger wrote on Instagram. “I’m lucky that he was always looking for new frontiers, because that’s how he found me and our niche sport of bodybuilding.”

In addition to his daughter Greta, Gaines is survived by his wife, the artist Patricia Ellisor Gaines, and two other children, Latham and Shelby Gaines.

Ole Miss coach Pete Golding has moved on, calls Lane Kiffin ‘the ex’ who’s always going to come up

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Unearthed at Ole Miss after an offseason filled with tales of betrayal, unkept promises and watching college football’s ugly underbelly tearing at the fabric of an institution came this surprise from the new coach there, Pete Golding:

“I have no ill will toward Coach Kiffin,” Golding said Wednesday at SEC Media Days.

Golding was the up-and-coming defensive coordinator who was asked to pick up the pieces when his old boss, Lane Kiffin, abruptly left for LSU for a seven-year, $91 million deal just as the Rebels were about to embark on their first trip to the College Football Playoff last season.

Partly thanks to the fact that the coach had two of the game’s most explosive players in quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy, Golding racked up two wins, over Tulane and Georgia, and almost a third.

That made Mississippi’s decision to give him a five-year contract right after Kiffin’s departure look like a stroke of genius. It also gave Golding a spot at the podium in Tampa, where he opened up and became an early favorite to “win” the 38th version of the SEC’s annual preseason football gabfest.

“It’s the ex, right? There’s always going to be the history,” said Golding, who is married with three children. “Do you have an ex? Are you married? Well, if you do get married and you have an ex that your wife knows about, like, she doesn’t ever end; she’s never dead. She’s always going to get brought up, and so that’s kind of where it is right now. That’s always going to be there a little bit, which is fun to a certain degree.”

Fun, indeed. And it’s no sure thing that Ole Miss is going to take a step back from last year’s 13-2 record and its trip to the national semifinals just because its celebrity coach, Kiffin, has moved west. (By the way, Ole Miss hosts LSU on Sept. 19.)

Chambliss is returning off a 3,900-yard, 22-touchdown season and a win in court, where he was granted a sixth year of eligibility. Lacy’s 73-yard touchdown run in Mississippi’s CFP loss to Miami capped a playoff stretch that identified him as a first-tier threat. The Rebels have launched Heisman Trophy campaigns for both.

“You know they’re really good players,” Golding said. “I’m not going to talk to you about that. Y’all already know that.”
Golding flicks away questions about tampering allegations

Golding was equally colorful about tampering, a topic the Rebels were drawn into this offseason when Clemson’s Dabo Sweeney accused Ole Miss of unethically luring linebacker Luke Ferelli, who had barely moved from Cal to Death Valley when he suddenly bailed for Mississippi.

Without getting into details of the Ferelli affair — which served as a rare example of a coach calling out another coach for tampering — Golding pointed to one of the key problems about the transfer portal, saying it’s only natural a player would want to know he has a place to go before he leaves his current school. Add agents into the mix, who can easily circumvent rules that prohibit contacting the player, and chaos ensues.

“By design it’s put a lot of people in bad positions,” Golding said. “Let’s not act like recruiting in college football for the last 100 years is the most moral thing.”
Golding is a new homeowner and it’s Kiffin’s old house

When it comes to ethics and morals, though, the conversation down South seems to funnel back to Ole Miss these days. And Golding and Kiffin.

Kiffin’s move, the pundits say, showed college sports’ money-grubbing opportunistic side at its worst. The much-debated bill circulating in Congress intended to regulate the industry includes what’s known as a “Lane Kiffin Rule” that restricts when coaches can leave for new jobs.

It has made for great headlines. Golding’s reaction to it — golden, as well. And in a sign that all may truly be forgiven, ESPN reported that not long after Kiffin bailed for Baton Rouge Golding bought his house in Oxford.

He said he and Kiffin text frequently, and there’s a friendship there that goes beyond coaching.

“I can separate the two. Some people can’t,” Golding said. “I probably shouldn’t say this, but I don’t care, all right? Like I told an Ole Miss group the other day, ‘In 2021, if you said you could look in 2025 and you’re about to be 11-1 and go to the playoff, would you take it if your coach was leaving?’ Hell yeah. You would. Everybody won from it. It’s OK.”

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Former WNBA stars Lauren Jackson, Elena Delle Donne to compete in All-Star shooting competition

The WNBA is going with a shooting stars competition instead of its skills challenge, pairing one former great with a current player in the league on Friday night as part of All-Star weekend.

Seattle will be represented by Lauren Jackson and Flau’jae Johnson. Washington will have Elena Delle Donne partnered with Shakira Austin. Dallas, which started out as a franchise in Detroit, will pair Jessica Shepard with Deanna Nolan. Minnesota will have Rebekkah Brunson playing with Courtney Williams.

Each team will also include a standout high school player from Nike EYBL, bringing together three generations of women’s basketball in one competition.

The Nike EYBL participants are Jezelle “GG” Banks, Ryan Carter, Tatianna Griffin and Morghan Reckley. Honorary general managers for the WNBA All-Star Game, Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon, will serve as designated passers, with Cooper distributing the ball to two teams and Weatherspoon passing it to the other two teams.

The format is a two-round, timed shooting competition in which teams have 70 seconds to score as many points as possible from seven shooting locations around the court. The competition features shots ranging from a layup to a 3-pointer, with the two teams posting the highest scores in the opening round advancing to the championship round.

The shooting stars winners will get $15,000. Each competitor will receive $7,500.

Last year the winners of the skills contest each received $2,575 from the WNBA.

The league announced the participants of the 3-point contest on Tuesday.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Mideast oil producers step up plans to bypass the Strait of Hormuz

Before the war in Iran, roughly 15 million barrels of Persian Gulf oil were shipped each day through the Strait of Hormuz. Within a few years, much of that oil could bypass the strait.

As Iran’s chokehold over the strait drags on and oil prices surge, countries across the Gulf are planning to spend billions of dollars to build pipelines enabling them to redirect more supplies to ports along the Red Sea, Suez Canal and Gulf of Oman.

At least seven major pipeline projects are under construction, in the planning stage or being discussed as possibilities, according to government officials, oil companies and analysts.

Even alternatives to Hormuz can become vulnerable, as Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have shown this week with a stated blockade on Saudi-linked vessels attempting to transit the Red Sea. But the war has been a wake-up call for Gulf oil producers, who are determined to become less dependent on a transit point that hugs Iran’s coast.

Some alternative routes will take the oil on longer and more expensive paths to market. Regardless, relying so heavily on the Strait of Hormuz “is no longer a prudent long-term strategy,” said Victoria Grabenwöger, a senior researcher at the data and analysis firm Kpler.

The Red Sea and Gulf of Oman have become vital alternatives to Hormuz

The effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz would have been an even greater shock to the world economy were it not for a pipeline Saudi Arabia built in the 1980s amid fears that Tehran would disrupt shipping through the strait during the Iran-Iraq war.

The Saudis’ East-West pipeline carries oil across the desert nation from a processing facility in Abqaiq to the city of Yanbu on the Red Sea coast. Once there, it is loaded onto tankers that head either south to the Arabian Sea or north to the Suez Canal.

The United Arab Emirates has been sending more oil to the port of Fujairah, which abuts the Gulf of Oman, about 145 kilometers (85 miles) south of Hormuz.

Combined, the two pipelines had spare capacity of about 3.5 million to 5.5 million barrels per day before the war began, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency. The two pipelines are now running near full capacity.

More oil could begin flowing through a UAE port by next year

The state-owned oil company of Abu Dhabi, one of the UAE’s seven emirates, is accelerating construction of a $3 billion, 300-kilometer (200-mile) pipeline to Fujairah. That pipeline, which will run parallel to an existing one, aims to increase oil supplied to Fujairah by more than 1.2 million barrels a day.

The project, which started before the war, is now reportedly about half-way completed, according to Kpler. The pipeline is intended to be completed by early 2027, but Kpler says mid-2027 is more likely given the need to expand the port at Fujairah.

The ambitious timeline “has only become feasible against the backdrop of the Strait of Hormuz blockade,” Kpler’s Grabenwöger said.
Plans to pipe more oil to Turkey and Syria will take longer

In Iraq, officials are ramping up plans to develop alternative export routes for southern oil fields around Basra. Iraq is so dependent on the Strait of Hormuz that it has had to scale back production.

The Iraqi government, which gets some 90% of its revenues from oil sales, has been pursuing pipeline projects with U.S. companies. One would take supplies from an oil terminal in Basra — through which more than 3 million barrels were exported daily before the war — to the port of Ceyhan in Turkey, along the Mediterranean Sea.

That pipeline would also have a branch extending to the Mediterranean port of Baniyas in Syria. Some 2 million barrels a day of oil could ultimately flow through the pipeline to Baniyas, which the U.S. State Department has called “a critical energy corridor.”

Iraqi officials have also held discussions with Jordan on advancing long-discussed plans for a pipeline that would carry oil from Basra to Aqaba. From there it would be exported via the Red Sea or the Suez Canal to Asia and beyond.

The new pipelines will add time and costs — and are also vulnerable to attacks

Taken together, the new projects to bypass Hormuz could carry 3.8 million barrels of oil a day by the end of next year, and 7.3 million barrels per day by the end of 2028, according to analysts at the investment bank Goldman Sachs. They say some 60% of the Gulf’s total prewar exports of 23 million barrels a day would be insulated from a Hormuz cutoff.

Pipelines from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea send oil in the wrong direction to help Asian countries that relied on exports through Hormuz. Getting the oil to its final destination will require a much longer trip around the southern tip of Africa.

Any additional supplies piped from Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea will also be vulnerable to attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen; the rebels have successfully disrupted shipping before at the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

Ships loading at the port of Yanbu could use the Suez Canal instead, but the canal cannot accommodate the industry’s largest tankers, which hold up to 2 million barrels per vessel and are often the most cost-efficient way to transport oil long distances.

Even pipelines farther away from Iran are not immune to attack by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard or militant groups allied with it in the region. The Saudi East-West pipeline was shut down by a Houthi drone strike in May 2019.

As the Gulf’s energy industry makes plans to divert oil supplies around Hormuz, there is an even more complex — and more expensive — problem they have yet to address: about one-fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas — much of it from Qatar — also transited the strait before the war.

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Associated Press writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad contributed.

Houthis say they attacked 2 Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea as US carries out 12th night of strikes

CAIRO (AP) — Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said early Thursday they had attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, and the U.S. military conducted a 12th night of strikes against Iran as the two countries vie for control of vital shipping lanes.

The Houthi attack in the Red Sea threatened to open a new front in a war that has roiled the global economy, sending prices for fuel and other goods surging across the world. With the standoff in the Gulf deepening, there were no signs of progress in diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.

U.S. Central Command said its strikes were designed to “further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters,” as the Americans push to regain control over the Strait of Hormuz and restore the flow of international shipping.

President Donald Trump warned earlier Wednesday that the U.S. would destroy one bridge or power plant each time Iran shoots at a ship in the strait. Both sides have increasingly threatened civilian infrastructure.

International law generally prohibits such attacks unless the infrastructure is being used for military purposes.

“From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT,” Trump wrote on social media.
Iran-backed Houthis say they attacked oil tankers

The Houthis said in a statement issued via their SABA news agency that they had struck two tankers named Encelia and Layla in the Red Sea, leading to fires on both vessels. That would be their first reported attack on a vessel since they announced a blockade of Saudi-linked shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait earlier this week in retaliation for the kingdom’s blockade on Yemen and a recent attack on the international airport in Yemen’s rebel-held capital, Sanaa.

Bab el-Mandeb, at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is a vital shipping chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Around 12% of the world’s trade, including a fourth of global container traffic, passes through the narrows, moving between Europe and Asia via Egypt’s Suez Canal.

A senior official with the Houthis said the blockade on Saudi-linked shipping would remain in effect until a years-old Saudi blockade against the Houthis is lifted. The official gave no details of the attack and spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

Saudi state media reported that the Encelia was set ablaze by an attack while sailing overnight in the Red Sea, citing an unidentified source from the General Authority of Transport. The Saudi Press Agency reported that a strike caused a fire at the bow of the ship, but no casualties. It did not mention the Layla.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center, UKMTO, said it had received a report of a tanker being struck by “an unknown projectile” 70 nautical miles (80 miles, 130 kilometers) southwest of Al Shuqaiq, Saudi Arabia, in the Red Sea. It said no casualties had been reported.

Both sides dig in over Strait of Hormuz dispute

The continued American airstrikes are occurring as both sides have dug in on their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for global energy that remains largely closed. The closure of the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas passed during peacetime, has jolted the world economy with effects far beyond the Middle East.

Iran says it has the right to manage traffic and potentially charge fees in the strait, which was open to all and toll-free before the war. It has attacked ships using a route through the strait that is overseen by U.S. forces and intended to be outside Tehran’s control.

In response to Iran’s attacks, the U.S. re-imposed a blockade on Iranian ports and began the widening campaign of strikes across the country. On Tuesday, Trump signaled that U.S. forces could soon target an under-construction Iranian nuclear site buried deep under a mountain.

Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who has led negotiations with the U.S., appeared to brush off Trump’s threats.

“We have repeatedly said that the situation of the strait will not return to prewar conditions,” he wrote on social media.

The costs of war are mounting

Trump traveled to Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday for the arrival of the remains of four U.S. service members. A day earlier Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth estimated in a fiery Senate hearing that the U.S. had spent $37.5 billion on the war so far.

In Iran, state media reported that U.S. missiles struck locations overnight near the cities of Ahvaz, Ramshir and Andimeshk in western Iran, and two people were killed in a U.S. missile strike in the town of Shalamcheh on the Iraqi border.

Iran has responded to U.S. attacks by targeting energy infrastructure and desalination plants that provide drinking water in parched neighboring Gulf countries.

Military officials in Kuwait said on social media that their air defenses were “confronting attacks by hostile drones, following the sinful Iranian aggression.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would adopt an “eye for an eye” defense doctrine.

“Any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response,” he posted Wednesday on X.
Diplomatic efforts show no signs of progress

Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni held meetings in recent days in Pakistan, a key mediator in the conflict, seeking to revive diplomacy. But it was unclear what new arrangement might be reached to end the war, which lately has become a battle for control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s Interior Ministry spokesperson Ali Zeinivand said “diplomacy isn’t called off” and that messages were still being exchanged, without elaborating, according to IRNA.

An Arab diplomat said Gulf states are increasingly pessimistic about finding an off-ramp for escalating hostilities and are particularly concerned about the latest round of threats.

The diplomat said countries in the region, in addition to Pakistan and Turkey, are continuing to push for de-escalation but that chances for improvement currently appear bleak. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.

At a regional summit in the Philippines, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. remains open to negotiations with Iran, “but right now they don’t seem to be serious about that” so instead the focus is on protecting shipping.

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Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece. Associated Press writers Collin Binkley and Konstantin Toropin in Washington; Bassem Mroue in Beirut; Michelle L. Price and Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Rubio meets Russia’s Lavrov in Manila to try to revive prospect of US helping end war in Ukraine

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday in the Philippines for talks where he was expected to renew the prospect of the U.S. trying to broker an end to the war in Ukraine.

The U.S. State Department offered few details about the meeting on the sidelines of an annual gathering by foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Manila. “They discussed the U.S.-Russia relationship and the need to end the Russia-Ukraine war,” a State Department spokesperson said.

Lavrov largely ignored questions from reporters but the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow said he emphasized to Rubio “the unacceptability of further arming” Ukraine and “the destabilizing policies of European countries, which continue to seek a ‘strategic defeat’ for Russia.”

Lavrov reiterated Russia’s readiness for “a political and diplomatic resolution of the conflict” and commitment to agreements reached at a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska last year, the Russian ministry said.

The two leaders also discussed “the situation in the Persian Gulf,” the resumption of contacts between NASA and Russia’s space agency Roscosmos and the operation of embassies on both sides, the ministry said.

ASEAN talks focused on international conflicts

Three days of closed-door talks that started Tuesday have focused on the resurgent war in the Middle East, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and, closer to home, the South China Sea, where a new clash flared Thursday.

U.S. efforts to broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine war have dropped off as indirect talks stalled and the Iran war took center stage. Renewed strikes by Washington and Tehran have been intensifying after an interim ceasefire deal collapsed.

Rubio told reporters in Manila on Wednesday that he planned to raise the conflict in Ukraine with Lavrov, saying that the U.S. remained open to playing a role in ending the conflict “if that opportunity presents itself.”

He acknowledged that those efforts have “kind of fallen off a little bit over the last few months” but said the meeting would explore whether there’s an opportunity to renew talks.

“We have to have a relationship with the Russian government, even though we have areas of disagreement,” Rubio said, noting they are the two largest nuclear-armed countries.

Lavrov, speaking to reporters earlier, said he would ask Rubio about the latest statements by Trump predicting that a settlement is getting close.

Expectations for renewed discussions about ending the war comes as Ukraine has made significant progress this year but a rift between defense leaders has threatened to derail its efforts. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has undertaken a major government reshuffle, including its top military brass.

But Ukraine would not be the only issue on the table. Rubio said he would use the meeting to find other areas of potential cooperation between the U.S. and Russia — the kind of wide-ranging agenda that the ministers have touched on in their huddles around the ASEAN meeting.

China defends maritime military actions

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong renewed her country’s alarm over the Chinese navy’s recent test-launch of a missile from a nuclear-powered submarine in the region, which she said “came with too little information and notification, including to the Philippines — over which the missile flew — and Pacific nations, near where the missile landed.”

“It comes in the context of a rapid military build-up of China’s nuclear arsenal without the transparency or reassurance the region expects,” Wong told a university forum in Manila on Thursday. “This is why Australia has described the test as provocative and destabilizing.”

China has defended its actions, saying the launch was part of annual exercises and that it gave countries in the area appropriate notice in advance.

Rubio also had a long meeting Wednesday with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and separately with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

Rubio told reporters he and Wang discussed a new altercation this week between Chinese and Filipino forces in a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety. Rubio called the incident “escalatory.”

“Those need to be managed very carefully, because obviously, a conflict — be it economic or otherwise — between the U.S. and China would have a dramatic global impact,” Rubio said.

In Beijing, the Chinese coast guard said it took necessary measures, including monitoring and blocking, to drive away two Philippine ships that disregarded repeated warnings from the Chinese side in a confrontation on Thursday.

China said its operations were professional and lawful and urged the Philippines to stop its provocative actions infringing on Chinese territory. Philippine officials did not immediately issue a comment.

The Trump administration has repeatedly criticized China’s assertive actions in the South China Sea to the disadvantage of smaller claimant countries like the Philippines, Washington’s oldest treaty ally in Asia. Taiwan and ASEAN members Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have also been involved in the often-tense territorial standoffs.

ASEAN foreign ministers discussed the territorial disputes Tuesday, welcoming progress in yearslong negotiations between China and their regional bloc on a proposed non-aggression pact that both sides hope to conclude this year, according to a draft of a joint communiqué seen by The Associated Press.

The so-called code of conduct aims to prevent a major conflict in the disputed waters, a key global trade route, that could draw in the United States.

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Associated Press journalists Ken Moritsugu in Beijing, Haruka Nuga in Bangkok and Fu Ting in Washington contributed to this report.

India protest movement holds capital sit-in as police crack down on demonstrators

NEW DELHI (AP) — Thousands of young protesters were camped on the streets of India’s capital New Delhi on Thursday, defying new restrictions in the latest show of strength for a movement that has become one of the biggest challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

India’s “Cockroach” protests began more than a month ago over alleged leaks in some of the country’s most competitive entrance exams for medical colleges and government jobs. The movement has since expanded beyond exam grievances, drawing professionals and families while channeling broader frustration.

Thursday’s demonstrations at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site in New Delhi, followed overnight clashes in which police used tear gas and batons to disperse crowds, the second such confrontation this week.

On Monday, thousands of protesters had defied restrictions and marched toward Parliament before police broke up the demonstration with tear gas and batons.

Protesters regrouped by Thursday morning, returning to the protest site despite roadblocks, while authorities suspended Delhi Metro services at 16 stations across central New Delhi in an effort to limit access to the demonstrations.

Modi tries to contain protest fallout

The issue of exam leaks has become a powerful symbol of frustration for millions of young Indians. Protesters are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, examination system reforms and compensation for families of students who died by suicide after exam paper leaks.

Facing mounting pressure, Modi addressed the issue publicly for the first time Thursday, announcing fast-track courts to handle examination paper leak cases. Fast-track courts are special courts created to speed up cases in India’s notoriously slow justice system.

“Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth!,” Modi wrote on X.

The announcement failed to calm protesters, who said Modi was not addressing their demands for accountability and reform.

“Rather than providing solution which is convenient for him, he should work toward a solution which is convenient for the nation and set an example,” law student Daksh Bhargava said.
Cockroach party stays true to satirical origins

Leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party, which launched the protest movement, said they would not end the demonstrations until the education minister resigned. Staying true to the movement’s tongue-in-cheek style, its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, responded by posting a meme of Pradhan captioned, “Hi, my name is Nothing.”

The Cockroach movement began as online satire campaign in May and moved to the streets in June through smaller protests across cities. It gained momentum after prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the demonstration and began a hunger strike that has lasted more than three weeks. Police forcibly transferred Wangchuk to a hospital over the weekend.

Protests reflect rising youth anger

For many young Indians, the protests have become one of the few visible expressions of dissent in a country where demonstrations against Modi’s government have led to a broader crackdown on activists, opposition figures and public protests.

The movement’s rapid growth beyond student groups reflects wider frustration among young Indians and echoes a broader trend across South Asia, where young people have driven anti-government movements in recent years.

The movement also has gained a following among Indians of all ages over concerns about government accountability, unemployment and economic opportunity.

Opposition parties have backed the protests, using the issue to challenge the government in Parliament. Demonstrations and solidarity events have been held in other Indian cities, reflecting how the movement has spread beyond the capital.

India has one of the world’s youngest populations, with millions entering a labor market that has struggled to create enough secure, well-paying jobs. Despite years of rapid economic growth, many young people say their prospects have not improved.

As one of the country’s largest voting blocs, India’s youth could also become an increasingly important political force ahead of future elections.

Democrats try to harness data center backlash that’s dividing rural Republicans in places like Texas

AMARILLO, Texas (AP) — When Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic nominee for Texas governor, began her campaign last year, candidates weren’t talking about — or hearing about — data centers.

But with barely three months until November’s contest, the perceived threat to rural life, ranchland and dwindling water supplies could become a defining issue for her longshot challenge to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, dividing conservative rural areas that have traditionally served as a counterweight to Democrats’ urban strongholds.

The backlash to energy-guzzling server warehouses that power artificial intelligence is also shaping other statewide campaigns from Arizona to Ohio to New York, and even giving Democrats a glimmer of hope in Texas, where Republicans have dominated for three decades.

“There is this little issue that I recently started hearing about that I wanted to tell you about, in case you don’t know,” Hinojosa quipped to a Democratic Party-organized crowd of about 160 seated on fold-out chairs at an Amarillo social club in Texas’ panhandle. “It’s this issue of data centers.”

The crowd booed, and she went on: “They are owned by the richest men in the world. We’re all footing the bill. There are no rules. It is the wild west of data centers.”

The fast growth of massive data centers has already upended races for local offices across the country, often uniting conservatives and liberals in revolting against projects in their midst.

People don’t like the secrecy surrounding the projects or the prospect of air, noise, water and light pollution. They fear electric bills going up, wells going dry and losing open space, farmland or forest.

Now the ripple effects have spread to top-of-the-ticket races, where incumbents and challengers are trying to show that they hear an angry electorate.

In Ohio, Democratic nominee Sherrod Brown aired a television advertisement attacking Republican U.S. Sen. John Husted as the “face of data centers in Ohio” as people gather signatures for a statewide referendum to outright ban their construction.

In Wisconsin, a Democratic candidate for governor, Francesca Hong, is pledging to “tax the rich, fund our schools and stop AI data centers” as she campaigns for her party’s nomination in a crowded primary.

In Pennsylvania, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro is facing heat from some voters who feel like he’s been too welcoming to tech behemoths. Sam Burleigh, a Democrat whose rural community is fighting off data center projects, accused Shapiro of “allowing these data centers to come in and take over acres and acres of prime farmland.”
Texas is fertile ground for data centers

Any political unrest may be felt most acutely in Texas.

The state is poised to overtake northern Virginia as the largest global data center market by 2030, according to a report by commercial real estate giant JLL. It has lots of land, lots of energy and a friendly regulatory environment under Republican leadership.

In rural west Texas and its panhandle, gargantuan data centers are under construction, including one near Amarillo touted as the world’s largest. Some come with designs for natural gas-fired turbines to power them.

Rumors are flying about others popping up — Google, which is building four data centers in northwest Texas, sponsored moderated conversations with officials and business elite in Lubbock and Amarillo in recent weeks — and it is sowing an outcry across small cities, tiny towns and sprawling ranches where people vote overwhelmingly Republican.

Google says its investments are advancing American innovation, fortifying cybersecurity and boosting energy capacity, while President Donald Trump has made data centers a top priority to help the U.S. compete against China for AI superiority.

But tech giants and developers can be secretive about their plans, making it impossible to know what will be built or what sort of pollution they’ll create, critics say. Some worry that data centers will destroy rural Texas’ low cost of living and sully sunsets and sweeping views that stretch toward the horizon.

Others say construction and an influx of workers are already causing havoc for ranchers and towns, driving up rents, snapping up farmland, illuminating the night sky, clogging roads and turning parts of rural Texas into industrial zones.
Opposition crosses a partisan divide

Democrats are prominent among the data center critics, but so are Republicans, including Texas’ sitting agriculture commissioner, Sid Miller. They say there are many more Republicans who are quieter because they fear publicly opposing their governor and party.

“They’re upset with Greg Abbott,” said Suzanne Bellsnyder, a former Republican activist from Spearman who writes a syndicated column that advocates for rural Texas. “Whether that translates into voting against him, I don’t know.”

Abbott has aggressively advocated for big projects in Texas and, in November, he helped make Google’s announcement of a $40 billion investment there, saying “Texas is the epicenter of AI development.”

Compounding that, Texas counties don’t have zoning authority — precisely the local land planning authority that communities around the country are increasingly using to fight off data centers.

Abbott seems to recognize that data centers are dividing his base. In recent weeks, he ordered regulators to take steps to ensure Texans weren’t paying higher electricity bills because of data centers and promised to push a legislative agenda next year to impose regulations on data centers.

At an East Texas campaign stop, Abbott said that includes taking away the state’s billion-dollar-plus-per-year tax break and preventing data centers from being built in “rural Texas neighborhoods.”

Hinojosa and others derided Abbott’s words about “rural Texas neighborhoods” as meaningless — “doublespeak that makes no sense to anyone,” Hinojosa said — and lacking urgency or seriousness.

“Now we have this gold rush of data centers in our communities,” Hinojosa said in an interview, adding that “people want a say, and I think that’s fair.”

As governor, she said she’d block a permit for a data center if it wasn’t a good deal for Texans or residents hadn’t gotten a say in the matter.
Abbott tries to soothe concerns

Abbott’s campaign season turnabout on data centers doesn’t seem to have soothed many.

Of great concern is the prospect that data centers will consume massive amounts of water and worsen drought conditions for ranchers and farmers in a state where water shortages already crippled the sugar cane industry.

“Oh, I guarantee you, it’s on everybody’s mind,” said Giles Dalby, a cattle rancher and a Republican county commissioner in west Texas.

Dalby, who raises Angus and Brangus cattle on ranchland that’s been in his family for 125 years, pointed to fast-growing cities where water authorities have had to go to greater lengths to procure water, including the “water wars” between San Antonio and ranchers several years ago.

Texas is increasingly steamrolling over landowner rights in the quest for public water, Dalby said, and that could mean that data centers get in line ahead of ranchers when shortages or rationing worsen.

Clayton Tucker, a rancher and the Democratic nominee for state agriculture commissioner, said his campaign events are consumed by talk of data centers. It doesn’t matter whether he’s meeting with Democrats or Republicans.

“This is the most cross-partisan issue I’ve ever seen in my life,” Tucker said.

Meanwhile, protest groups are springing up, including one in Lubbock that is led by Republicans. The founders, Stephen Sanders and Hallie Bertrand, like some other Republican opponents of data centers, say it’s possible or even certain they won’t vote for Abbott, although they may not necessarily vote for Hinojosa.

There is still time for Abbott to push through major legislation before the election and “be a hero,” Sanders said.

The big question is whether enough rural voters will turn against Abbott to give Hinojosa a shot. It’s hard to tell, Bertrand said, especially when some know nothing about the issue.

“They’ll just hit that button, Republican all the way down,” Bertrand said. “But I think it’s a step towards something that we have not seen in Texas in a long time, with people on the right switching to the left. Or scooting a little closer to the middle, maybe.”

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Follow Marc Levy at http://twitter.com/timelywriter

Medical emergency at Angelina County daycare leaves 16-month-old dead

ANGELINA COUNTY, Texas (KETK) – The Angelina County Sheriff’s Office said a 16-month-old boy died on Tuesday night after they had a medical emergency at a daycare in Burke.

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies were sent out with EMS to the Building Blocks Academy in Burke near Diboll at around 11 a.m. on Tuesday after a medical emergency was reported at the daycare

EMS and the deputies immediately transported the child to a hospital in Lufkin, and the toddler was then transported by helicopter to a hospital in Houston. The toddler later died just before midnight on Tuesday, the sheriff’s office said.

Staff at the daycare have provided investigators with all the information they had about the emergency. Evidence gathered from the daycare is currently being reviewed by the Angelina County District Attorney’s Office, which is a standard procedure.

The sheriff’s office has found no evidence of foul play in connection with the victim’s death.

Developer walks away from data center

HENDERSON COUNTY — For the past several months, residents in an East Texas town have been protesting, petitioning and working to make their voice heard against a data center proposed to be built near their lake. On Wednesday, they won the battle after the developer announced it was no longer pursuing the project at Cedar Creek Lake. Diode Ventures, the developer of a proposed data center near Cedar Creek Lake, has backed out of its plan to build at that location, according to Henderson County Pct. 1 Commissioner Wendy Spivey.

Several town halls were held in Tool for residents to raise their concerns, led by the volunteer-run Save Cedar Creek Lake coalition. Their message was unified and blunt: “Profit should be secondary to people’s welfare.” The advocacy group started a petition, which gathered well over 3,000 signatures from residents asking local and state officials to take action against proposed data centers.

Spivey said that she appreciates Diode Ventures for taking the time to listen to the community’s concerns. Continue reading Developer walks away from data center

East Texas city administrator indicted for abuse of official capacity

ANGELINA COUNTY, Texas (KETK) — The former city administrator for the City of Hudson has been indicted for alleged abuse of official capacity, city officials said on Wednesday.

Rodney McCarty was placed on administrative leave in December 2025 after a unanimous city council voted while the investigation was ongoing. The city said they took “appropriate notice of allegations involving suspected improprieties” when McCarty served as city administrator.

Those allegations were submitted to the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office, which led to an investigation by the Texas Rangers and referred back to the Angelina County District Attorney’s Office.

“Corruption will not be tolerated in the City of Hudson. Those entrusted by the citizens to use their hard-earned tax dollars wisely must always be held to the highest standards. I demand it and so should every public servant, whether they are elected or appointed,” City of Hudson Mayor Caleb Ramsey said.

The city said they are cooperating with law enforcement and will not interfere with the proceedings.

Tropical Storm Bertha makes landfall in Louisiana and moves toward Texas

Tropical Storm Bertha made landfall in Louisiana and was southwest of New Orleans while moving west toward Texas early Thursday morning, after closing beaches on the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle to Mississippi.

The storm made landfall Wednesday afternoon in St. Bernard Parish about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of New Orleans. The storm was forecast to reach the upper Texas coast on Thursday before dissipating inland in Texas by Friday.

Early Thursday, the storm was about 110 miles (175 kilometers) southwest of New Orleans and about 120 miles (190 kilometers) southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana, moving west at 12 mph (19 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph), the National Hurricane Center said.

The wind and storm surge were the main threats for the Deep South states. Parks and piers were closed up and down the coast, as were some low-lying roads. A tropical storm warning stretched from Alabama to Louisiana, including New Orleans where extreme heat was adding to misery.

Onlookers watched the storm surge at the Lake Pontchartrain estuary, with kids splashing in the floodwaters as Bertha approached the Louisiana Coast. Residents mowed their lawns even as streets filled up with water.

Tropical storm force winds were felt as much as 160 miles (260 kilometers) from the center of the storm, the hurricane center said. A wind gust of 44 mph (71 kph) was recorded at New Orleans Lakefront Airport on Wednesday afternoon. The strong gales knocked over a Waffle House sign onto a car in Panama City Beach, Florida.

But the heaviest rains were staying offshore, reducing the risks of flooding, the center said.

The storm is unlikely to leave behind widespread damage, Louisiana State Climatologist Jay Grymes said, adding that the impact should be manageable for coastal communities.

Gov. Jeff Landry called the forecast “encouraging” but also warned residents to be prepared for some flooding.

Storm surges up to 3 feet (1 meter) were possible in Louisiana and Alabama, forecasters said. Rain totals were forecast between 1 and 4 inches (3 to 10 centimeters), with higher amounts possible in isolated areas.

Elsewhere in the U.S., a line of storms on Tuesday generated reports of tornadoes stretching from Cincinnati to New Jersey. Torrential rains caused flash floods that swamped homes, washed out bridges and led to water rescues in West Virginia, authorities said.

Southern Louisiana was under tropical storm and extreme heat warnings for much of Wednesday — a rare double dose of suffering, the National Weather Service said.

It was the first time in at least two decades that’s happened in the area, the weather service said, citing records that date back to 2005.
Bertha is the second tropical storm of the Atlantic season

Bertha is the second tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. Tropical Storm Arthur in June brought heavy rainfall to the southeastern U.S.

Bertha could dump heavy rain on coastal areas of Mississippi that are still recovering from flooding brought by Arthur that destroyed and damaged homes.
Hurricane Fausto in the Pacific is far from land

In the eastern Pacific Ocean, Hurricane Fausto churned far from land Wednesday. The hurricane was hundreds of miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph).

It was forecast to gradually strengthen and the hurricane center said that ocean swells generated by Fausto were spreading along the Baja California coast and likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip tides.

___

Associated Press journalists Julie Walker in New York, Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, and Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

50 years for fatal hit-and-run

TYLER – A woman who killed a 19-year-old cyclist during a hit-and-run in Tyler last December was sentenced to 50 years in prison on Wednesday. According to our news partner KETK, the crash took place in the 2600 block of E Fifth Street near the intersection of SSE Loop 323 on December 7 when Andrea Tanner, who was driving, struck cyclist Lofton Williams with her truck and fled the scene. Following the collision, Tanner was seen on footage turning into a Brookshires less than a mile from the crime scene before exiting and driving to the Taco Bell next to it. There, video captures her going in and out of her truck several times and manipulating the grill area and the driver’s side light.

After Williams died at a local hospital due to injuries he sustained during the crash, Tanner was placed under arrest in February and charged with collision involving death.

On Wednesday, Tanner was sentenced to 50 years in prison by the 241st Judicial District Court after pleading guilty to the charges. Tanner’s sentence is expected to begin immediately

20 year sentence for armed robbery

TYLER – A Longview man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for robbing a Longview gun store armed with a firearm, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. Kip Semauah Hurt, 26, pled guilty to the crime Tuesday, and was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker. The sentence was handed down in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

According to information presented in court, a Longview gun store was robbed, resulting in the theft of 31 firearms on Aug. 1, 2024. Many of the firearms were recovered by local law enforcement agencies, including the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office, the Marshall Police Department, and the Longview Police Department. It was determined that one of the recovered firearms had been used in the shooting of a Longview Police officer. Continue reading 20 year sentence for armed robbery

Scammers want your cash

TYLER – The Tyler Police Department warns citizens about scam phone calls that use fear tactics to steal money. Scammers often pose as law enforcement officers or bank representatives, claiming that victims have warrants or that suspicious activity is on their accounts.

In recent reports, suspects impersonated federal and local law enforcement officers by using spoofed phone numbers to conceal their identities. Victims were threatened with arrest unless they sent money for “bonds,” fines, or fees—often via cryptocurrency (Bitcoin) ATMs. The scammers might already have personal information, including your date of birth and Social Security number, which may have been obtained through a data breach. Continue reading Scammers want your cash

‘Misty Green’: Watch trailer for new A24 film by director Chris Rock

Rosalind Eleazar stars in 'Misty Green.' (A24)

The trailer for Chris Rock's film Misty Green has arrived.

A24 has released the trailer for the upcoming drama film that was written and directed by Rock. Rosalind Eleazar stars as the titular actress Misty Green in the movie.

"Years after her Hollywood breakthrough, a talented actress whose career has stalled fights for her second act," according to the film's official description.

The movie also stars Rock, Adam Driver, Daniel Kaluuya, Anna Kendrick and Topher Grace.

Its trailer finds Misty in search of an acting job despite opportunities being few and far between.

"You're not exactly an unknown, Misty," Grace's character tells her. He then says Hollywood is a little racist, it's a little sexist, "But don't act like you never had a shot."

Rock most recently directed the film Top Five, which was released in 2014. He wrote and starred in the movie, which also starred J. B. Smoove, Kevin Hart, Sherri Shepherd, Michael Che, Tracy Morgan, Jay Pharoah, Leslie Jones, Cedric the Entertainer, Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler and Whoopi Goldberg.

His other directorial efforts include 2007's I Think I Love My Wife and 2003's Head of State. He also starred in both of those films.

Misty Green will be released in theaters this October. It is set to debut at the 2026 Toronto Film Festival.

Federal time for drug violators

TYLER – An illegal alien and a Smith County man have been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in East Texas, U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs announced Wednesday.

Daniel Garibay-Barriga, 39, an illegal alien from Mexico, and 50-year-old Craig Allen Wallace, of Tyler, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Tuesday, Garibay-Barriga was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison, Wallace was sentenced to 165 months on the same day. Continue reading Federal time for drug violators

Tropical Storm Bertha makes landfall on southern Louisiana with threatening winds

MIAMI (AP) – Tropical Storm Bertha crawled onto the southern tip of Louisiana on Wednesday, making landfall and packing strong winds far from its center after closing beaches from the Florida Panhandle to Mississippi.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center said Bertha made landfall in St. Bernard Parish, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of New Orleans and 45 miles (72 kilometers) southwest of Biloxi, Mississippi.

The wind and storm surge were the main threats for the Deep South states. Parks and piers were closed up and down the coast, as were some low-lying roads. A tropical storm warning stretched from the Alabama-Florida border over to Louisiana, including metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain, National Hurricane Center said.

Tropical storm force winds extend over 100 miles (160 kilometers) out from the center of Bertha. Storm surge up to 3 feet (1 meter) is possible in Louisiana as well as heavy rain in some areas, forecasters said. Rain totals were forecast between 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters), with higher amounts possible in isolated areas.

Bertha is expected to continue losing strength over the next few days as it heads toward Texas after the storm earlier trudged past the Florida Panhandle and the tips of Alabama and Mississippi. At landfall, the storm’s maximum sustained winds were around 45 mph.

Elsewhere in the U.S. this week, a line of storms generated reports of tornadoes stretching from Cincinnati to New Jersey. Torrential rains caused flash floods Tuesday night that swamped homes, washed out bridges and led to water rescues in West Virginia, authorities said.
Sandbag distribution sites are set up

Authorities in Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida opened sites to provide sandbags to residents who may be impacted by Tropical Storm Bertha. Double-red flag warnings were posted along some beaches, closing them to swimmers.

“For locals, this is just another storm,” said Candice Henderson, manager of the Crab Trap, a beachside restaurant that was packed Tuesday on Pensacola, Florida’s Perdido Key. “When you’re on vacation and it’s raining, you either shop or you go out to eat.”

Bertha is the second tropical storm of Atlantic season

Bertha is the second tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. Tropical Storm Arthur in June brought heavy rainfall to the southeastern U.S.

Bertha could dump heavy rain on coastal areas of Mississippi that are still recovering from flooding brought by Arthur that destroyed and damaged homes.

Hurricane Fausto in the Pacific is far from land

It was forecast to gradually strengthen and the hurricane center warned that ocean swells generated by Fausto could cause life-threatening surf and rip tide conditions on the Baja California coast.

Glen Powell to star as Lou Gehrig in new film directed by Richard Linklater

Glen Powell attends the Los Angeles special screening of 'How To Make a Killing' at AMC The Grove 14 on Feb. 14, 2026, in LA. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

Glen Powell is taking on the role of Lou Gehrig.

The actor is set to star in a film about the baseball legend for Universal Pictures directed by Richard Linklater, ABC Audio has confirmed.

This currently untitled project will be produced by Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels alongside Erin David for Broadway Video's first-look deal with Universal.

Powell will also produce the film, while Linklater is in talks to produce it. Saturday Night Live and Artificial writer Simon Rich is attached to write the movie's screenplay.

Gehrig is considered to be one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He spent all of his 17-year career playing for the New York Yankees, where he won six World Series titles.

In 1939, the athlete was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. He died at age 37 in 1941.

Powell and Linklater first collaborated on the 2016 film Everybody Wants Some!! Powell was directed by Linklater on the film, which follows Texan college baseball players in the year 1980.

The pair then produced and co-wrote the script of the 2024 romantic comedy Hit Man, which Linklater directed and Powell starred in.

Powell's relationship with Universal Pictures started with the 2024 film Twisters. According to the studio, that film "overperformed against all industry expectations" and became the biggest opening for a natural disaster film ever at the domestic box office. It grossed $267.8 million overall in the domestic box office.

Women jailed for pups death

PALESTINE – As parts of East Texas reached 100-degree temperatures on Tuesday, two Palestine women have been arrested for allegedly leaving a puppy locked in a cage in direct sunlight, causing its death, according to our news partner KETK.

The Palestine Police Department said that at around 4 p.m., they responded to a residence on West Park Avenue after receiving reports that a puppy was locked in a cage with no shade or water. Upon arrival, the puppy was found dead by officers.

Officers were able to make contact with the owners of the dogs, 29-year-old Daisy Guity and 31-year-old Lisbeth Guity. According to the police department, the owners said they put the puppy in the cage at around 1 p.m. before leaving the residence. The heat index in Palestine reached 107 to 110 degrees on Tuesday. Continue reading Women jailed for pups death

Dairy plant starts new build

LONGVIEW – After competing against multiple East Texas cities, Longview officials are excited to see a foundation begin for a new dairy processing facility aimed at creating hundreds of jobs in the community.

According to our news partner KETK, a California-based company named Ninth Avenue Foods is setting up shop in East Texas as construction begins for a dairy processing facility. The site may just be a patch of dirt for now, but Longview Economic Development Corporation (LEDCO) President & CEO Wayne Mansfield says it could be a major boost for the city’s economy.

“This will be a significant impact, creating one hundred and fifty jobs,” Mansfield said. Continue reading Dairy plant starts new build

Nacogdoches approves updated water conservation plan

NACOGDOCHES (KETK)– A motion was passed during the Nacogdoches City Council meeting on Tuesday evening that will allow the city to change its current water conservation and drought contingency plan.

The revised plan was agreed on after the city council found that making these modifications will better promote efficient use of the city’s water supplies while also supporting long?term reliability of its municipal water service.

The modifications approved by the city council will now be submitted to the Texas Water Development Board and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for approval

City staff will also continue annual reporting based on the plan and efforts to maintain compliance with state regulations.

Napheesa Collier probable for Lynx at Storm in her first action since last year’s playoffs

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Five-time All-Star Napheesa Collier is listed as probable for Minnesota’s game at Seattle on Wednesday, which would be her first action since injuring her left ankle in last year’s playoffs.

The return of Collier, a four-time All-WNBA selection, is a major boost for a Lynx team that has more than coped with her absence. Led by All-Star rookie Olivia Miles, the Lynx are on a six-game winning streak and their 21-6 record is the league’s best.

Collier was second last season to Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson in MVP voting for the second year in a row. She averaged 22.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.5 blocks and became only the second player ever to making at least 50% of her field goals, 40% of 3-pointers and 90% of free throws in a season.

An injury to her right ankle in August forced Collier to miss three weeks. She tore three ligaments in her left ankle in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals against Phoenix.

Collier underwent surgery on both ankles in the offseason.

She signed a one-year, $1.4 million supermax contract in April.

Jason Robertson signs $12 million deal with Dallas Stars to avoid arbitration hearing

FRISCO (AP) — Jason Robertson and the Dallas Stars will avoid a salary arbitration hearing after the high-scoring forward signed a $12 million contract for next season.

The Stars announced the deal Tuesday night, a day before Robertson’s 27th birthday and 2 1/2 weeks after he had filed for arbitration.

“Jason has been a cornerstone of our franchise since he was drafted in 2017,” Stars general manager Jim Nill said. “A dynamic and skilled player, he has been one of the league’s top offensive threats since making his NHL debut.”

Robertson, who has 490 points (213 goals and 277 assists) in his 456 regular-season career games with the Stars, could become an unrestricted free agent for the first time next summer.

His $12 million salary for 2026-27 matches forward Mikko Rantanen for the highest on the Stars. Rantanen just completed the first season of the $96 million, eight-year extension he signed to facilitate the deadline trade that brought him to Dallas from Carolina in March 2025.

Nill had acknowledged at the conclusion of the NHL draft that the Stars had a sign-and-trade deal in place to send Robertson to Seattle for the seventh overall pick. While Robertson couldn’t veto that trade, he wouldn’t agree to a long-term deal with the Kraken — a reported $120 million over eight years ($15 million a season).

Robertson had a team-high 96 points (45 goals, 51 assists) this past season. It was his third 40-goal season, and completed a $31 million, four-year deal he got in 2022.

The Stars drafted Robertson 39th overall in the second round of the 2017 draft. He has played all 328 of their regular-season games the past four seasons, scoring 365 points (155 goals and 210 assists) in that span.

Chase Burns gets $2 million signing bonus as part of $105 million, 7-year contract with Reds

CINCINNATI (AP) – Chase Burns will receive a $2 million signing bonus on Sept. 1 as part of his $105 million, seven-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds that starts next year.

Burns’ deal, announced Saturday, calls for him to receive salaries of $2.5 million next year, $8 million in 2028, $12.5 million in 2029, $15 million in 2030, $17 million in 2031, $23 million in 2032 and $25 million in 2033.

A first-time All-Star, the 23-year-old right-hander is 12-1 with a 2.42 ERA in 19 starts, striking out 124 and walking 39 in 107 2/3 innings. He is 12-4 with a 3.04 ERA in 27 starts and five relief appearances over parts of two major league seasons.

Burns was selected second overall by Cincinnati in the 2024 amateur draft and agreed to a minor league contract with a $9.25 million signing bonus.

Burns has a $785,000 salary while in the major leagues this year and $198,173 in the unlikely event he is sent to the minors. Under the current collective bargaining agreement, his new deal covers three seasons of arbitration eligibility and the first two years after he would have been eligible for free agency.

Orioles’ Kyle Bradish gets $23 million over remaining arbitration years in $50 million, 5-year deal

BALTIMORE (AP) — Right-hander Kyle Bradish will receive $23 million to cover his final two seasons of arbitration eligibility as part of his $90 million, five-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles that starts next year.

Bradish gets salaries of $10 million in 2027, $13 million in 2028, $17 million in 2029, $22 million in 2030 and $28 million in 2031 under the deal announced Saturday.

He would get a $1 million assignment bonus if traded, payable by the acquiring team. He also receives a suite on road trips.

Bradish has a $3.55 million salary this year after beating the team in arbitration. The new deal covers what would have been Bradish’s final two years of arbitration eligibility under the rules of the current labor contract.

The 29-year-old is 6-9 with a 3.61 ERA in 19 starts this year, his first full season back from Tommy John surgery in 2024. He finished fourth in AL Cy Young Award voting in 2023 and is 25-24 with a 3.50 ERA in five major league seasons, all with the Orioles.

Olympic rowing great Olaf Tufte who competed at seven Summer Games has died at age 50

OSLO, Norway (AP) — Olympic rowing great Olaf Tufte, who competed at seven straight Summer Games and won two gold medals, has died. He was aged 50.

Norwegian media reported a statement by Tufte’s family on Tuesday that he was found unconscious at their farm and died at a hospital in Oslo. He is survived by his wife and two children.

“Tufte brought immense joy through sport to us as a nation,” Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said in a statement. “He was one of Norway’s greatest sporting heroes, a decorated Summer Olympian, one of the finest rowers we have ever had, and a great role model to many.”

The two-time champion in single sculls competed at each Summer Games from Atlanta in 1996 through the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021. He won back-to-back titles at Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. In double sculls, Tufte took silver in Sydney in 2000 and bronze in 2016 at Rio de Janeiro.

“He closed out his competitive career at the Tokyo Olympics at age 45, rowing in the men’s quadruple sculls alongside teammates young enough to have been born after his own Olympic debut,” World Rowing said in a statement. “The veteran mentor, still on the water, still leading by example.”

Tufte also was in Paris for the 2024 Paralympic Games and coached Birgit Skarstein to a silver medal in single sculls.

“Alongside his rowing, Tufte ran the family farm, worked as a volunteer firefighter, and built businesses including a concrete company, the clothing brand Tufte Wear and a brewery,” World Rowing said.

The governing body cited a quote from Tufte who once said: “I’m not made for resting. I need to do other stuff otherwise I get bored.”

MLBPA calls to preserve draft system after owners’ proposal

NEW YORK (AP) – The players’ union made its proposal for the domestic draft on Tuesday, one that runs in stark contrast to what Major League Baseball’s owners proposed in bargaining last month.

Thirty-three days after the league proposed cutting the draft from 20 to 12 rounds, slashing amateur signing bonuses by more than $150 million and preventing high school players from entering, the MLBPA called to preserve the current system while also opening more doors to younger players.

The MLBPA proposed not only to maintain draft eligibility for high school and junior college players but also for those from four-year universities to be eligible after their sophomore years, regardless of age. College sophomores are currently only eligible if they are at least 21 years old by Aug. 1 of their draft year.

The MLBPA wants to maintain a system where signing bonus pools grow with industry revenues — it was $358.7 million in 2026, up from $350.4 million in 2025 — and provide small-market teams with the ability to increase them. Under their proposal, teams designated as “small market” under the collective bargaining agreement could add $2 million to their bonus pools in one draft over the next five years. A small-market team would also get an additional $1 million in bonus pool money for making the playoffs the prior year.

The MLBPA wants to preserve competitive balance picks, whereby low-revenue and small-market teams are eligible to receive a pick in Round A (between the first and second rounds) or Round B (between the second and third rounds).

The union also proposed reducing the tax penalties levied at teams that go over their allotted pools. The current CBA includes a 75% overage tax and the loss of a first-round pick for teams that outspend their pool by more than 5% (it increases to a 100% tax and the loss of a first- and second-round pick for those over by more than 10%). Under the MLBPA’s proposal, teams could go over their allotted spending pools by as much as 15% without losing a draft pick and wouldn’t lose a first-round pick unless they go over by more than 20%.

A team has never gone over its pool by more than 5%, but the MLBPA wants to give clubs the flexibility to do so in order to attract younger amateurs who could otherwise be lured by colleges offering NIL money and perhaps pivot to basketball or football. To further incentivize those amateurs, the union’s proposal allows small-market teams to sign up to two players taken before the third round to major league contracts, whereby the slot value associated with that selection would be removed from their pool. Teams were allowed to do that before signing bonus pools were introduced in 2012.

The MLBPA also wants the draft moved up from July to June, and to allow for the trading of picks in the first 10 rounds up until two hours before the start of the draft.

On June 18, MLB proposed a 12-round, hard-slot domestic draft with signing bonus pools totaling $200 million in 2027. It also proposed an international draft under the same parameters, all of which would be part of a broader package highlighted by a cap-and-floor system at the major league level.

The MLBPA has yet to make its proposal for international amateurs, which constitutes players born outside the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.