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.

Chiefs unveil renderings of planned $3B domed stadium in Kansas

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Chiefs unveiled Wednesday the first renderings for their new stadium in Kansas that is scheduled to open for the NFL’s 2031 season.

One of the biggest aspects of the design from MANICA, an architecture firm in Kansas City, Kansas, is that the $3 billion, fully enclosed dome will feature a ceiling of translucent ethylene tetrafluoroethylene panels. The new stadium’s design also pays homage to Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs’ longtime home venue in Missouri, which opened in 1972. Similar to Arrowhead, the dome will be built with a symmetrical and curved exterior, including a scalloped upper deck in each end zone, continuing the Chiefs’ unique look when compared with other NFL stadiums.

In a statement released by the Chiefs, club owner Clark Hunt said the stadium will hold 70,000 seats and will be built with the intention of amplifying crowd noise, a request that he heard from several season-ticket members in multiple surveys. In 2014, Arrowhead regained the Guinness world record for loudest stadium — after fans for the Seattle Seahawks broke the record — with the fans’ collective voices generating 142.2 decibels.

“From the beginning, our goal has been to build something that [improves] the gameday experience for every single fan,” Hunt said in the statement. “This new stadium will do just that. It’s spectacular. It honors the rich legacy of this franchise while setting a bold course for the future of Chiefs Kingdom.”

In late December, Kansas lawmakers voted unanimously to allow for sales tax and revenue (STAR) bonds to be issued to cover up to 70% of the cost of the stadium and the accompanying mixed-use district, including the Chiefs’ new training facility. Hunt said he and his family will commit $1 billion in additional development, a portion that will be incentivized by the STAR bonds.

In the team’s statement, Hunt said the new stadium will still be an ideal place for Chiefs fans to tailgate, which has been a distinct aesthetic surrounding Arrowhead. The atmosphere hours before kickoff — with tantalizing smells of barbecue — is similar to that of a major college football campus. The new stadium will be surrounded by more than 20,000 parking spots.

“I’ve been thrilled with what I’ve seen,” Hunt said in late March of the dome’s potential. “It’s very, very exciting. Our fanbase is going to get an incredible stadium, something that’ll be iconic and serve the community well for a minimum of 30 years — and hopefully closer to 60.”

The site for the new dome has still not been decided. In late December, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said the stadium will be in Wyandotte County. In the past, the Chiefs have been interested in having the dome built in Kansas City, Kansas, near the Kansas Speedway and a retail and entertainment district known as The Legends. The area is also the home to Children’s Mercy Park, the home of MLS club Sporting Kansas City.

The dome, according to the team’s statement, will include a seating bowl that is reminiscent of Arrowhead. The Chiefs’ ring of honor will be placed above the bowl, their hall of honor will be twice the size of the one inside Arrowhead and the team’s store is expected to be four times larger. The new stadium is also expected to increase the Chiefs’ luxury suites and other amenities to help boost the franchise’s revenue.

Starting for the 2032 calendar, the Chiefs intend to bid on hosting several major sporting events, the biggest prize being Kansas City hosting its first Super Bowl.

“When the World Cup comes back [to America] in 25 or 30 years, the field will be designed so that we don’t have to do the work that we had to do to [expand the field’s width] on Arrowhead in order to host the World Cup,” Hunt said during the NFL draft. “We’ll plan on bidding on Final Fours, College Football Playoff games, bowl games and, of course, a Super Bowl. The construction of the stadium is going to coincide with the construction of several other new NFL buildings, so we are going to have some competition.

“I’ll make sure that the Chiefs and Kansas City put their best foot forward in that process.”

Rocker allows 1 hit over 6 innings and Rangers get season-high 18 hits in 10-0 rout of White Sox

ARLINGTON (AP) – Kumar Rocker pitched one-hit ball over six innings for his first win in his last 10 games, Brandon Nimmo homered among his four hits and the Texas Rangers routed the Chicago White Sox 10-0 on Tuesday night.

Nimmo’s two-run shot in the first inning, his 10th homer of the season, put the Rangers ahead. No. 9 batter Alejandro Osuna drove in three runs and had three singles, and Wyatt Langford also hit a two-run homer.

A night after losing the series opener 10-3, the Rangers (51-50) finished with a season-high 18 hits and avoided falling below .500 for the first time since June 27. They are 9-4 following a loss of at least six runs.

Rocker (3-8) struck out six and walked two. The only hit off him was rookie All-Star Munetaka Murakami’s single leading off the fourth.

Marco Gonzales allowed two hits over the final three innings for his first career save to wrap up the Rangers’ ninth shutout this season.

Chicago starter Noah Schultz (3-6) yielded five runs and 11 hits in 3 2/3 innings.

The White Sox (53-47) were blanked for the sixth time and are a percentage point in front of Cleveland atop the AL Central.

The previous win for Rocker was also a 10-0 victory in which Nimmo homered, at Colorado on May 19 when the right-hander permitted only three hits over 7 2/3 innings. He went 0-4 over his next nine games, including two when he threw six scoreless innings and got no-decisions.

Up next

In the series finale Wednesday night, right-hander Cal Qauntrill (3-2, 3.93 ERA) is expected to make his sixth consecutive start for Texas since Jack Leiter went on the injured list a month ago. Left-hander Anthony Kay (6-4, 4.24) goes for the White Sox.

Peña and Paredes homer, Imai fans eight as Astros get by Marlins 5-3

HOUSTON (AP) – Jeremy Peña and Isaac Paredes hit home runs, Tatsuya Imai struck out eight in six innings, and the Houston Astros beat the Miami Marlins 5-3 on Tuesday night.

Imai (6-4) worked his fifth start with eight or more strikeouts and allowed one run on four hits and three walks. The 28-year-old rookie from Japan has surrendered three or fewer runs in four of his last five outings.

Peña’s first-inning homer was originally a double, but the call was overturned by the umpires after video showed the ball hit a railing in left-center.

Lucas Spence extended the lead with a second-inning RBI double, but Kyle Stowers got the Marlins within one in the fifth with an RBI double.

The rally was short-lived, as Christian Vázquez reached on an error, Yordan Alvarez ran out a third-strike wild pitch, and Paredes swung on the first pitch he saw with two outs in the fifth for a 388-foot three-run homer to left field.

Joe Mack hit a 435-foot solo homer for the Marlins in the seventh.

The Marlins turned a 5-4-3 triple play in the eighth, after Jose Altuve hit a soft grounder directly to Leo Jiménez at third. Jiménez fired to Xavier Edwards at second, and Kyle Stowers took the throw at first. It was the first time the Astros hit into a triple play since 2019, and just the second time in franchise history the Marlins turned three.

Tyler Phillips (2-5) allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out two and walked one.

The Astros won their second in a row and are 2/3 since the All-Star break, while the Marlins have lost five straight since the break.

Up next

Marlins RHP Sandy Alcantara (10-5, 3.89 ERA) takes the hill against Astros RHP Peter Lambert (8-5, 3.03) in the final game of the series.

Luke Skywalker’s ‘Empire Strikes Back’ lightsaber with severed hand attached auctioned for $3.75M

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A lightsaber with Luke Skywalker’s severed hand from “The Empire Strikes Back” has sold for $3.75 million at auction.

Heritage Auctions announced the results of its Hollywood & Entertainment Signature Auction on Monday.

The lightsaber, used onscreen by Mark Hamill in the climactic Cloud City fight where Darth Vader declares “I am your father” in the 1980 “Star Wars” sequel, included a severed hand effects rig used for when Vader sliced it off.

Heritage said the price was the highest ever fetched for a prop used in a “Star Wars” film.

A Wicked Witch of the West hat worn by actor Margaret Hamilton in 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz” brought in $550,000 at the auction, and the cocoa-colored top hat worn by Gene Wilder as the title character in 1971’s “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” went for $350,000.

Daenerys Targaryen’s chest with dragon eggs inside from the first season of “Game of Thrones” brought in $312,500.

Two rugs essential to the convoluted plot of “The Big Lebowski” also sold. The one belonging to Jeff Bridges’ the Dude that “really tied the room together” and is soiled at the beginning of the 1998 film went for $350,000. And the nicer one that he takes from his wealthy namesake outdid it with a price of $375,000. The rugs went for far more than expected. Bidding began on each at $15,000.

The items’ buyers and sellers were not identified.

‘Love Island USA’ stars Olandria Carthen, Nic Vansteenberghe break up after one year together

Olandria Carthen and Nic Vansteenberghe appear on 'Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen' on Aug. 13, 2025. (Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty Images)

Olandria Carthen and Nic Vansteenberghe have gone their separate ways.

The fan-favorite couple from Love Island USA season 7 have broken up one year after meeting on the reality dating competition show, ABC Audio has learned.

The pair, who the internet dubbed "Nicolandria," have "decided to part ways" a little over a year after leaving the Love Island USA Fijian villa together, a source told People.

“The distance between them and their busy schedules made it challenging to maintain their connection,” the source said. “They still remain close friends. They share a deep love and respect for each other and will always support one another whenever possible.”

Carthen and Vansteenberghe were the Love Island USA season 7 runners-up, coming in second place behind winners Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales.

They originally coupled up in a surprise twist. After the pair were both individually dumped from Casa Amor, they were given the chance to return to the villa — but only if they decided to couple up with each other. Carthen and Vansteenberghe decided to give it a shot, leading to them ultimately making it to the finale.

Love Island USA season 8 ended its run on July 12. Fan-favorite contestants Trinity Tatum and Bryce Dettloff were crowned the winners.

The season 8 Islanders are set to reunite at the Love Island USA reunion special, which will be co-hosted by Emmy-nominated host Ariana Madix and Andy Cohen.

According to Peacock, the reunion special will bring together "this season’s winners, fan-favorite couples, and this year’s bombshells for an up close and personal look back at their experience in the villa."

The season 8 reunion special will premiere Aug. 31 on Peacock.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Oil prices rise another 3%, while Wall Street drifts in mixed trading

Oil prices rise another 3%, while Wall Street drifts in mixed tradingNEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market is drifting in mixed trading Wednesday, while oil prices climb another 3% as fighting continues in the war with Iran.

The S&P 500 added 0.2%, coming off its best day in three weeks, after swinging between modest losses and gains at the start of trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 161 points, or 0.3%, as of 12:56 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.1% lower.

The majority of stocks in the S&P 500 rose after more companies reported strong profits for the spring. Expectations are high for the reports, and companies will need to match them after their stock prices already neared records on anticipation for them.

Philip Morris International rose 4.1% after the seller of Marlboro cigarettes reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than expected. Its shipments of smoke-free products rose 7.5%.

U.S. stocks are drifting in mixed trading.

AT&T climbed 3% after reporting a stronger profit than analysts expected. CEO John Stankey also said the telecom is accelerating plans to send roughly $10 billion to its shareholders this year through the buybacks of its stock.

Super Micro Computer soared 23.8% after the seller of AI servers said it expects to report stronger profit margins for the latest quarter than it had earlier forecast. It, though, also said that revenue will likely come in at the low end of its forecasted range of $11 billion to $12.5 billion.

They helped offset a 7.5% drop for GE Vernova, which reported a weaker profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

Alphabet ticked 0.2% higher ahead of its earnings report, which is scheduled to arrive after trading ends for the day. Anticipation is high, and not just because the parent company of Google is one of the largest stocks on Wall Street. It’s also one of the biggest spenders on artificial-intelligence technology.

Investors are looking for signs that the deluge of dollars going into processors, computer memory and other building blocks of the AI boom are producing the kinds of productivity and profits that would make the investments worth it. If that isn’t the case, stocks of chip companies and other AI winners would look very expensive following their rushes higher.

Such worries have kept AI stocks at the center of Wall Street’s swings for weeks.

Micron Technology swung between a loss of 3.6% and a gain of 0.8% Wednesday. That’s after it jumped 14.4% in the first two days of this week to reclaim nearly all its 13.3% plunge from the week before. It’s still up roughly 241% for the year so far.

Stocks broadly also felt pressure from continuing climbs for oil prices, which raise costs for most businesses and erode their profits.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose 2.8% to $93.54 after briefly topping $95 in the morning to touch its highest price in nearly six weeks. That’s up from less than $72 early this month, which is roughly where it was before the war with Iran.

Rising oil prices are threatening a reacceleration of inflation. That in turn could push the Federal Reserve and other central banks to raise interest rates, which would slow economies and undercut prices for stocks and other investments.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury edged up to 4.65% from 4.63% late Tuesday and from just 3.97% before the war with Iran began. It’s already helped bring long-term U.S. mortgage rates to their highest levels in nearly a year.

Oil prices have climbed as fighting across the Middle East keeps oil tankers from using the Strait of Hormuz to exit the Persian Gulf. Normally, a fifth of all oil and natural gas traded passes through the narrow strait.

The auto club AAA said Wednesday that the average price for a gallon of regular gas in the U.S. jumped again overnight to $4.06. That’s still below highs of around $4.56 per gallon in May, but it had been below $3 before the United States and Israel attacked Iran in late February.

In stock markets abroad, indexes climbed in Europe following a mixed session in Asia.

London’s FTSE 100 rose 1.2%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1% for two of the world’s bigger moves.

Need backup power? Automakers want you to look no further than their vehicles in your driveway

Need backup power? Automakers want you to look no further than their vehicles in your drivewayDETROIT (AP) — Winter Storm Uri, the multiday freeze that slammed Texas in February 2021 and pummeled the state’s power grid, has been on Kenneth Kovar’s mind ever since. Though the resident of New Braunfels, northeast of San Antonio, didn’t lose power at the time, he wasn’t able to run his septic tank — it is independent from local systems. He had to fill his toilets with water from his backyard pool.

So when Kovar, 64, bought a Ford F-150 last fall, his hope was to be better prepared for any new crisis.

“I was interested in trying to find some sort of power backup situation,” he said.

Now, Kovar has a setup from Ford that allows drivers of certain F-150 models to plug their vehicle directly into their electric meter to power parts of their home during an outage.

It is the latest example of automakers broadly adapting their electrification technologies to the home energy business, especially as demand on the grid increases and sales of electric vehicles slow. Car companies are looking to leverage their multibillion dollar EV investments to tap into a promising market in vehicle, home and grid technology, both for backup power and for supporting electrical grid resiliency.

“They’re trying to look for other businesses that they might sell into,” said Parth Vaishnav, assistant professor of sustainable systems at the University of Michigan.
Ford’s latest connects F-150 drivers to their meter

Drivers of the F-150 PowerBoost hybrid and F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks can now plug in a one-foot long adapter to a 240-volt outlet onboard. That adapter — which Ford made with company Global Power Products — makes the vehicle compatible to plug into a longer, separate cable. That cable connects to a transfer switch installed directly on one’s electric meter.

Through the adapter and cable series, homeowners can connect their vehicle essentially right to their home’s breaker box. The homeowner simply turns on and off which breaker switches they want for which devices they want powered.

“The way we think about it, especially for customers who already have a compatible vehicle is, you already own the power source, it’s in your driveway,” said Amanda Roraff, Ford’s grid and energy services business acceleration lead.

The Lightning might provide power for two to three days, depending on what home devices are being used, and the PowerBoost Hybrid, up to five days on a single tank of gas.

The automaker says its solution is a less expensive way to supply backup power. Conventional, diesel-powered portable generators and full-home standby setups require expensive installation, costing several thousands of dollars. This solution, which also requires professional installation at the meter, starts around $1,100.

The setup only applies to about 200,000 vehicles so far, and it is also exclusively for outages. Ford also offers its Home Integration System for bidirectionality, sending power both from the vehicle to the home and from the home to the vehicle, while also being able to feed the grid.
Other automakers are boosting their energy solutions

Over 630,000 U.S. vehicles already have this functionality, estimates say, and automakers are rapidly expanding their available options with the goal of full vehicle-to-grid support in the long run.

South Korean auto brand Kia and Wallbox, an EV charging company, have teamed up so that drivers of eligible compatible vehicles can have home power backup during outages or during periods of high demand, to cut their utility use. They can send power back to the grid.

Tesla’s technology is similar — allowing drivers of equipped vehicles to connect to their home using additional Tesla hardware. The Cybertruck provides full vehicle-to-home capability, where other Tesla models can only connect to and power specific devices or appliances.

General Motors is also in the energy space.

A recent partnership with WeaveGrid, for instance, allows homeowners who drive certain GM EVs — and have the automaker’s home system and a proper grid interconnection — to enroll in some grid reliability utility programs. Once an outage is detected, GM’s vehicle-to-home tech has the capability to disconnect one’s home from the grid and start supplying power from their GM EV.

“If you can imagine the future as we go forward, it’s having the ability — now that we have this single platform — that allows our customer to experience our system,” said Wade Sheffer, vice president of GM energy, “but also can have the full control of the energy.”
The capability is an important lifeline amid EV sales slowdown

Not only is this business critical amid growing grid demand and increasing power outages, experts say automakers need to pivot with the EV market less active under current U.S. federal policy. Pure EV sales in the U.S. year-over-year are down 23.8%, according to a July Cox Automotive report on the first half of 2026. This demonstrates what an asset that EV and hybrid ownership can be.

The tech is not without challenges.

On the industry side, these systems have to undergo third-party testing to ensure they meet safety standards, and the vehicle and the charger need to be programmed to communicate. It also requires the approval of the utility where the capability is being used. It could take years to get an interconnect agreement.

On the customer side, homeowners need to understand their vehicles’ abilities and how to self-manage their system. It also just brings another generator of power into the home mix.

Still, experts see opportunity, especially with interest in EV sales high outside of the U.S.

“We already know during an outage, its impact, providing electricity to the home,” said Scott Samuelsen, engineering professor emeritus at the University of California, Irvine. “This is going to become very, very popular.”

Trump pays respects to 4 US service members killed in the Middle East

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday honored the lives of four U.S. service members who were killed in the Middle East and returned to their families at an air force base in Delaware.

The president saluted as four transfer cases were escorted off an airplane during the dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base. The ritual is one of the most somber duties of a commander-in-chief. It was the third Trump has attended since he launched the war in Iran in February.

Trump was scheduled to meet privately with the grieving families. Speaking to reporters on his way to Dover, Trump called the ritual “one of the hardest things to do as a president.” His message to the families, he said, was, “We love you. We love your child.”

“There’s no games, there’s no nothing — that’s their child,” Trump said. “And all you can do is throw out your heart.”

Trump was accompanied by administration officials including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Also present were Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.

During the ritual, transfer cases draped with the American flag and holding the remains of the fallen soldiers are carried from the military aircraft that transported them to awaiting vehicles to take them to the mortuary facility at the base. There, the service members are prepared for their final resting place.
Fallen troops came from Hawaii, Texas, New York and North Carolina

Two U.S. Army soldiers killed in Iranian missile and drone attacks in Jordan were returned during the dignified transfer. The remains of a third service member who is believed to be the soldier missing after the Jordan attacks was also returned, as well as the remains of a soldier killed in Iraq during a detonation of an Iranian drone.

The soldiers killed in Jordan were identified by the Defense Department as Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii; and Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas. The soldier who disappeared after the Jordan attacks is Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York, the Defense Department said.

The soldier killed in Iraq was identified as Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, who lived in Spring Lake, North Carolina.

The White House said Feehan’s family would be joining on Air Force One later on Wednesday as Trump travels to Georgia for an event promoting his administration’s investment accounts for children.

Trump previously said the soldiers died while protecting America and other nations from Iran.

“We feel very badly, but you know, those great people, those great patriots were out there fighting so that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump told reporters on Sunday. He added that the U.S. was striking Iran “in honor” of the fallen troops.

Trump vows to retaliate for each US death

The U.S. has launched multiple retaliatory strikes against Iran as an interim agreement to end the war falls apart. Trump on Monday said that every time Iran kills an American soldier, “they will pay for that killing many times over!”

Since the war began on Feb. 28, 18 U.S. service members have been killed.

Trump on Tuesday said that while almost all the incoming fire in Jordan was stopped, some made it through.

“They did slip something through in Jordan,” he said. “If we had other operators, you know, it would have not happened, unfortunately.”

He went on: “We’ve stopped almost everything, but when you let other people do your job with the United States — we let other people do the job — and sometimes it doesn’t work out so well.”

Trump did not elaborate on his comments, and it was not immediately clear who he was saying was responsible for protecting U.S. forces in Jordan.

Trump attended two previous dignified transfers since the outset of the war, most recently in March.
Soldier had planned to marry fiance and attend law school

Feehan, a first lieutenant who was killed Saturday, will be posthumously promoted to the rank of captain and awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge. He was assigned out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command.

Feehan’s family said in a statement that their hearts were shattered by his loss. They remembered Feehan, who went by “Tivo,” as someone who “packed in more living” in his 25 years than most do in a lifetime.

“He chased adventure relentlessly,” the statement said. “He believed deeply in the power of military service, especially what it builds in a person: discipline, leadership, character.”

He planned to marry his fiance and attend law school after his deployment. The family said they’re starting a scholarship in his name.

Gonzales, who was killed Friday, was a private with the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command in Ansbach, Germany. She graduated last year from Hebron High School in Carrollton, near Dallas, school officials said.

Rampersad, a sergeant who was believed to have been killed in Friday’s attacks, was assigned to the 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command in Ansbach, Germany.

Swinton, a sergeant who was killed Sunday, will receive a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge, and will be promoted to staff sergeant. He enlisted in the Army in 2017 and was assigned to the 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

___

Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s widow takes legal action against his mother for $1.2 million

Malcolm-Jamal Warner speaks during the 2023 Beloved Community Awards at Hyatt Regency Atlanta on Jan. 14, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

A year after his death, Malcolm-Jamal Warner's widow, Dr. Tenisha Delilah Warner, is taking legal action against his mother, Pamela Warner.

In a lawsuit filed on July 20 in DeKalb County Superior Court in Georgia, Tenisha Delilah Warner claims that she is owed more than $1.2 million under a premarital agreement, including a $1 million life insurance policy that was never put in place by her late husband, who died in July 2025.

Tenisha Warner also alleges that The Cosby Show actor agreed to pay her $16,000 tax-free each year on their wedding anniversary, fund her Roth IRA for as long as they remained married, and pay her $5,000 a month for working as his chief of staff and assistant.

As a result, Tenisha Warner has named Pamela Warner in the lawsuit because she is the successor trustee of the Warner Family Trust.

“For the last year, I have attempted to privately settle my beloved husband’s complicated estate and honor his last wishes," Tenisha Delilah Warner told ABC News in a statement. "Malcolm had every intention to provide for our nine-year-old daughter and me."

She continued, "He was close to finalizing a new estate plan to replace the stale plan created in 1996 when he was 26 years old, 20 years before we met and well before we gave birth to our beautiful daughter. Sadly, he was unable to do so before we lost him."

"I have been struggling to care for our daughter as a single mom and now as her sole provider," she added. "Legally, I had no choice but to take action to protect our rights before any potential statute of limitations expired. We thank you for your support, love, and understanding as we work through this painful process while honoring Malcolm’s life on the first anniversary of his death.”

Tenisha Warner is asking a judge to prevent any trust assets from being distributed while the case moves forward.

ABC News has reached out to Pamela Warner for comment but she did not immediately respond.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who is known for playing Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, died on July 20, 2025, while swimming during a family vacation in Costa Rica. The actor was caught by a strong rip current. He was 54.

On the anniversary of his death, Pamela Warner took to Instagram to pay tribute to her son in a lengthy message.

"He was not just my son, but my go-to person, my confidant, my brother and sometimes he had to parent me," Pamela Warner wrote.

She added, "As I look back, I have no regrets. Perhaps a little more time. Perhaps one more chance to cook his favorite meals, have one last good conversation, one last good deep belly laugh, the kind that produces those tears of pure joy, one last kiss, one last hug."

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Woman arrested with protected wildlife

ANDERSON COUNTY – The Texas Game Wardens have charged a woman after several dead animals were found in her home, including federally protected birds.

Earlier in July, an Anderson County game warden received a tip from Operation Game Thief about someone who was in possession of protected wildlife illegally. After receiving the tip, the Anderson County game warden and a Navarro County game warden interviewed the woman who allegedly had the illegal animals. Continue reading Woman arrested with protected wildlife

Salvation Army opens cooling station

Salvation Army opens cooling stationTYLER– The Salvation Army of Tyler has activated a cooling station, offering residents a refuge from soaring temperatures and a forecast of triple-digit heat across East Texas, according to our news partner, KETK.

The station, located on 633 North Broadway Avenue, provides a place for individuals to cool off and re-hydrate. The facility is open to the public and available to anyone seeking to escape the heat and drink water. The Salvation Army has initiated this service in direct response to the triple-digit temperatures beginning to appear in East Texas and encourages anyone who needs a break from the heat to utilize the facility.

Trump approves U.S.-Saudi civil nuclear energy agreement, officials say

U.S. President Donald Trump looks on during a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Iraq Ali al-Zaidi, in the Oval Office of the White House on July 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. . (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) -- President Trump has approved an agreement with Saudi Arabia to partner on developing the Kingdom's civil nuclear energy program, according to two U.S. officials.

The deal leaves open the possibility that Saudi Arabia will enrich uranium domestically in the future, the officials said, a prospect that could raise concerns about nuclear weapons proliferation.

In the deal, the United States and Saudi Arabia have agreed to safeguards to inhibit any weaponization effort, the sources said. But that framework would be governed by the two countries themselves, instead of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which conventionally oversees nuclear pacts.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked about the agreement on Wednesday. He declined to comment on the contours of the plan but said that the Trump administration would work with Congress to formalize the deal.

“Suffice it to say, the U.S. is not going to reach any agreement with any country in the world that leads to the risk of proliferation,” Rubio said.

The agreement, under which U.S. industry would help develop Iranian nuclear infrastructure, spans 30 years and is valued at tens of billions of dollars, the officials said.

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia discussed details of the proposal during a visit to Washington, D.C. by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last fall. The administration is expected to submit the deal to Congress, which is required by federal law.

The Wall Street Journal first reported that the president had approved the deal. 

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Trump says he will ‘honor our heroes’ and attend dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base Wednesday

L-R: 1st Lt Tyler James Feehan, Pvt. Isabella Gonzales and Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, Sgt. Angel Rampersad. (US Army)

(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump will travel to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday to attend a dignified transfer of U.S. service members killed in the war in Iran.

"Heading to Dover Air Force Base to HONOR OUR HEROES!" Trump posted to his social media platform Wednesday morning.

Overnight, the Pentagon identified the third person believed to have been killed in action during Friday's Iranian strike on a U.S. base in Jordan as Army Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York.

Two other American soldiers died in the Iranian attack on the U.S. base: Pfc. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, and 1st Lt. Tyler Feehan, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii.


A fourth soldier. Army Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, died Sunday following the controlled detonation of a downed Iranian attack drone at Erbil Air Base in Iraq, the Army said.

Since the U.S. war in Iran began in late February, at least 18 soldiers have been killed and roughly 500 wounded, according to the Department of Defense.

Fighting has intensified after a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran reached in mid-June broke down. There has now been 11 consecutive nights of strikes.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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Sen. Warnock urges Democrats to investigate officials who redrew maps

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., departs from the Senate chamber during a vote in the U.S. Capitol Building on July 13, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Senators faced questions from reporters after two weeks of recess and being in their home states. (Finn Gomez/Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) -- Senator Raphael Warnock, D-Ga, is calling for Democrats to investigate officials who he says have "manipulated their maps to silence the voices of Black voters," as soon as they flip the House or Senate in the midterms.

In the plan, first reviewed by ABC News, Warnock said, "Here is what Democrats must do as soon as we regain power: investigate craven politicians, ban partisan gerrymandering, stop billionaires from buying our elections, expand our democracy and guarantee the right to vote for all Americans."

Warnock has not ruled out a run for the White House in 2028. That possibility comes as roughly a third of the Congressional Black Caucus risks losing its seats before 2028, with GOP-led Southern legislatures redrawing maps after the Supreme Court's Louisiana v. Callais ruling gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

In Louisiana, where Black residents make up roughly one-third of the population, a federal court had found that a post-2020 congressional map with only one majority-Black district likely diluted Black voting power. The legislature responded by drawing a second majority-Black district as courts had required in similar circumstances.

Justice Samuel Alito, who authored the Supreme Court opinion, which said that states only violate the Voting Rights Act when "evidence supports a strong inference that the State intentionally drew its districts to afford minority voters less opportunity because of their race."

Republicans have argued that they are redrawing congressional maps to comply with the Supreme Court or to remedy unfairly-drawn districts, and that the districts that could be changed may still elect Black representatives to Congress.

Calling for officials who he says have engaged in gerrymandering to decimate minority voices is a position Warnock hasn't called for until now, and he said in a phone interview with ABC News that the Callais decision was an "inflection point" for him to do so.

"A Democratic majority in either chamber must immediately investigate these officials, including through Congressional hearings, document requests, depositions, testimony, and, if necessary, subpoenas," Warnock's plan states. "We must analyze their statements, actions, and contributions to determine if there is any evidence that they broke any laws in their race to gerrymander and silence Black voices."

Asked whether Democrats who've engaged in partisan gerrymandering -- in California, for example -- should face investigation, Warnock said that the state's redistricting came in direct response to President Donald Trump pushing Texas to gerrymander five seats.

"There's a significant difference between that and an open process in which Californians got to vote," Warnock said. "This was not done in a smoky, dark room. They had a referendum. Again, if I had my druthers, there would be no gerrymandering."

"There are only 22 districts out of 435 in this country in which a Democrat or a Republican could win the seat. I'm a Democrat. I think that's a sad state of affairs," Warnock added.

Warnock said that he's been pushing his party to prioritize voting rights since he was first elected. In 2021, during negotiations over the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Warnock urged then-President Joe Biden in a phone call that legislative action on voting rights should be prioritized alongside the package.

Warnock said he tried to convince former Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema to amend the filibuster so the party could pass voting rights legislation four years ago, arguing voting rights mattered more than a procedural rule.

"I said to my caucus then, as the newcomer, that I was afraid that if we don't do something ... we would cross a Rubicon in this country that we wouldn't be able to get back," Warnock said. "I said that then, and sadly, it didn't get done."

Looking ahead, Warnock said if Democrats flip even just one chamber, the party should break up pieces of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and "force everybody to vote on it."

 

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DOJ investigating Rep. Cory Mills: Sources

(WASHINGTON) -- The Justice Department is investigating embattled Republican Florida Rep. Cory Mills, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.

The investigation is in part about his finances, according to sources. Mills' office did not respond to ABC News' request for comment.

MS NOW first reported the investigation.

Further details about the investigation were not immediately clear.

Mills was elected to the House to represent Florida's 7th District in 2022 and reelected in 2024. He serves on the House Armed Services and Intelligence committees.

Last November, the House Ethics Committee voted to establish an investigative subcommittee to examine allegations that Mills violated campaign finance laws and engaged in sexual misconduct and dating violence.

Regarding allegations of sexual misconduct, Mills issued a statement last year, before the ethics committee probe was lauched, stating in part: "These claims are false and misrepresent the nature of my interactions," and he accused a former Florida primary opponent of "weaponizing the legal system to launch a political attack against the man who beat him."

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

New Jersey accidentally registered 6,600 noncitizens to vote years ago, governor says

Person voting (Hill Street Studios/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) -- About 6,600 people in New Jersey who said they were not U.S. citizens had been incorrectly registered to vote due to a technical error during the previous gubernatorial administration, Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who took office this year, said Tuesday. She added that fewer than 400 were found to have actually voted and that the state is taking action to remove them from its voter rolls.

The admission came less than a week after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin sent letters to New Jersey and three other states alleging that those states might have tens of thousands of noncitizens registered to vote, although Mullin did not explain how precisely DHS got those numbers.

Mullin and DHS had alleged that New Jersey could have "as many as ... 35,152 non-citizens registered to vote in New Jersey."

Sherrill said in a statement on Tuesday, "Last week I learned that a serious software error in New Jersey's Motor Vehicle System led to the registration of roughly 6,600 people who indicated that they were not U.S. citizens between June 2023 and June 2024, almost three years prior to my taking office. These individuals answered 'no' when asked on a keypad whether they were a U.S. citizen when applying for drivers' licenses and identification cards, but through no fault of their own, the system registered them anyway."

The governor's statement said that the state's "preliminary analysis" found that less than 400 people who were erroneously registered to vote had voted in elections and were not tied to just one party; they were registered as Democrats, Republicans, or unaffiliated voters.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Sherrill said those voters could have potentially voted in any election since being registered, but the state has "no evidence at this time that any elections were swayed" because of those voters

Sherrill said that she has ordered an independent investigation about what happened, the removal of any New Jersey residents from the state's voter rolls who should not have been registered to vote, and that the new administrator of New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commission is starting to replace the vendor tasked with running the faulty system.

The governor also said she will present the state's findings after it investigates, and that the state is taking care to protect the identities of noncitizens who were registered inadvertently so that their immigration status does not get imperiled.

In a statement, IDEMIA, the company that runs the system faulted by the governor, said: "IDEMIA works with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, and has for more than 40 years, to support the process through which eligible individuals may indicate their interest in registering to vote when applying for or renewing a driver's license or state-issued identification card. IDEMIA's role is to transmit information through the motor vehicle system. The voter registration information is transmitted to the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Elections, which is ultimately responsible for verifying eligibility to vote. Information submitted by IDEMIA must still be validated and adjudicated by the Division of Elections."

At her press conference, Sherill pushed back against any insinuation that the finding validates claims the Trump administration has made about New Jersey's voter rolls.

"Let me be clear: Donald Trump has zero credibility on the issue of election integrity. For the past 10 years, he's cried wolf and peddled bizarre conspiracy theories about fraud with no evidence," she told reporters during the press conference.

Sherrill also briefly referenced the DHS letter, saying that the number of alleged noncitizen voters appears to be unrelated to the number of noncitizen voters New Jersey uncovered. She confirmed New Jersey received the DHS letter, but said the state asked the administration for any evidence of there being that many noncitizen voters and has not gotten anything back yet.

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice said Tuesday that is investigating the matter.

In a letter to Sherrill shared on social media, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, wrote: "Ensuring that U.S. citizens' votes are not illegally diluted by noncitizens votes is of paramount importance. We therefore write to formally request additional information to assess New Jersey's compliance with various federal statutes." Dhillon asked for the state to provide within five business days personal information on the registered noncitizens the state identified and details on the around 400 who voted.

The White House said Tuesday's announcement from Sherrill bolsters the need for Congress to pass the president's signature SAVE America Act, which would significantly retool the administration of American elections.

"Democrats and their media allies have repeatedly said it is impossible for noncitizens to register to vote, let alone cast a ballot," White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement.

"As President Trump has said, there is nothing more important than the integrity of our elections. And this latest incident underscores the absolute necessity of the SAVE America Act," she added. "American voters deserve to have confidence that our elections are safe and secure -- President Trump will never stop fighting to make that happen and all patriotic Americans should join in his effort."

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Man sentenced for child indecency

HENDERSON COUNTY – A 40-year prison sentence has been handed down to an east Texas man for indecency with a minor. The Henderson County District Attorney’s Office reported that Glenn Baker, 37, of Eustace, was sentenced to two consecutive 20-year prison terms for indecency with a child, the maximum punishment permitted for the offense.

Before starting the second 20-year term, he must finish the first. Along with two churchgoers, Baker self-reported to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office during the sentencing hearing. According to the DA’s office, a child subsequently reported several incidents of sexual contact that occurred five to six years prior.

Multiple accused in cocaine ring

TYLER – Two men from East Texas who were involved in a crack cocaine ring that operated in buildings close to neighborhood daycare centers and schools were given prison sentences. Quashunn Mitchell, 31, and Ronald Calloway, 60, both entered guilty pleas to drug-related charges. On July 14, Calloway pleaded guilty to manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance and was sentenced to ten years in prison. According to Smith County court records, Mitchell was sentenced to 20 years this Monday for possessing a controlled substance. Continue reading Multiple accused in cocaine ring

Two arrested after robbery

Two arrested after robberyTYLER – According to court documents and records, two of the three men accused of robbing a vape shop at gunpoint and stealing roughly $45,000 in merchandise have been arrested. In relation to a reported robbery at Tyler Smoke Shop on Gentry Parkway in June, Isaiah Howard, 24, and Tiylor Green, 24, are charged with several offenses, including aggravated robbery, unlawful restraint, and interference with an emergency request for assistance.

On June 8, Howard was taken into custody in Mesquite and placed under bail totaling more than $2.6 million at the Dallas County Jail. Green was taken into custody and placed under a $770,000 bond at the Gregg County Jail. Continue reading Two arrested after robbery

Lawsuit challenges Texas Tech directives that altered teaching at El Paso medical school

EL PASO (AP) – A Texas Tech Health El Paso faculty member self-censored part of a course about El Paso’s underserved population – and campus leaders have told them not to use the word “disparity” in class, according to a recent lawsuit.

The American Association of University Professors and its Texas chapter initiated legal action July 8 against Texas Tech University System Chancellor Brandon Creighton and the system’s nine Board of Regents to address what the plaintiffs believe are restrictions to what can be taught about sex, race, gender identity and sexual orientation.

On Friday, the plaintiffs asked the U.S. district court for the Western District of Texas El Paso Division for an immediate injunction to stop the system’s policies that control if or how faculty may teach those topics because those rules harm faculty throughout the system.

At issue are directives in memoranda that Creighton issued and the board approved in December 2025 and April 2026 that ordered administrators at the system’s five institutions to review course material for those prohibited subjects. He issued these edicts so courses would be more focused on workforce preparation, according to his December directive.

“This curriculum review under Senate Bill 37 will, in part, ensure each university is offering degrees of value,” he wrote in his first memorandum.

Creighton authored SB 37, which the Legislature passed in 2025. It serves as an enforcement and oversight mechanism for the state’s existing prohibitions for diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI. It works alongside Senate Bill 17, passed in 2023, which abolished DEI offices in the state’s public colleges and universities.

According to the plaintiffs’ attorneys, campus officials evaluated about 8,500 courses by early May 2026. The board’s Academic, Clinical and Student Affairs Committee assessed approximately 500 of them. As a result, dozens of those courses that already had been approved by provosts, deans and department chairs were modified.

In the case of TTHEP, it meant that students’ medical education could not include discussions of health disparities among racial and sexual minorities including Hispanics, African Americans and members of the LGBTQIA community.

“This isn’t academic oversight; it’s a chilling, top-down attack on the freedom to teach designed to intimidate faculty into silence,” said Todd Wolfson, AAUP president, as part of a prepared media statement.

Efforts to reach TTHEP President Richard Lange and Claudia Maria Prospero Ponce, president of the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine Faculty Council, were unsuccessful. A campus spokesman redirected questions about the lawsuit and questions about the effect of Creighton’s orders on TTHEP faculty, curriculum and students to the chancellor’s office in Lubbock.

While the system’s office did not provide a comment to El Paso Matters, it did send one to The Chronicle of Higher Education for a July 9 article about the lawsuit. A spokesperson said the system was confident that its policies were lawful and compliant with state and federal law.

“Our commitment to academic integrity and the First Amendment rights of our students and faculty will not be distracted by lawsuits,” the spokesperson said.

TTHEP also did not respond to questions about which courses were modified because of the chancellor’s directive. El Paso Matters submitted a Texas Public Information Act request last month for the modified courses and for any related background. The system sent the request to the Texas Attorney General’s Office and asked that it make an exception to the public disclosure of the requested information.

Antonio Ingram II, senior counsel for the Washington, D.C.-based Legal Defense Fund, said the issues are broader than course modifications because they deal with censorship of topics such as race and gender identity that affect students, faculty and borderland residents.

Along with the LDF, the plaintiffs’ are represented by Lambda Legal and Davis Wright Tremaine LLP.

Ingram said it is unknown how many courses, especially those in healthcare, were affected by the directives. He said that medical school officials in El Paso and Lubbock have told their professors to not serve transgender patients in the presence of medical students.

“I think those are harder harms to quantify because you can’t look at a paper trail to see how many students did not receive adequate medical training because of the memoranda confusion when this first was rolled out in December,” Ingram said.

He said the lag time between when a subject was submitted and when a decision was made already impeded class discussions and experiential learning.

The lawsuit filed by the AAUP and its Texas chapter claims that the system’s directives have generated fear and confusion on the campuses. They plan to prove that the Creighton memoranda violate parts of the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech, and parts of the Fourteenth Amendment. Those include the Due Process Clause because the directive’s language is so unclear that the plaintiffs’ cannot differentiate what is and is not permissible, and the Equal Protection Clause because the orders intentionally discriminate against Black professors.

AAUP is a nonprofit labor union founded in 1915 and based in Washington, D.C. The association is dedicated to the protection of academic freedom and shared governance in higher education. It has more than 57,000 members across more than 600 campus chapters. The Texas chapter, known as the Texas Conference of the AAUP, started in 1964. It has more than 2,600 members spread across 100 campuses. It became affiliated with the Texas American Federation of Teachers in 2024. The Texas AFT has 66,000 members.

The lawsuit involves the entire TTU system that enrolls almost 66,000 students and employs approximately 21,000 staff, faculty and administrators at its five campuses – TTHEP; Texas Tech University in Lubbock; Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock with satellites in Amarillo, Abilene, Dallas, Midland and Odessa; Angelo State University in San Angelo; and Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls.

Ingram would not divulge the number of TTHEP faculty members or students that he interviewed in anticipation of the lawsuit, but said those he spoke with were “deeply scared” to come forward.

He said the censorship was especially egregious at TTHEP because of its mission to prepare health care professionals to serve border communities. The memoranda kept healthcare professionals from sharing their expertise with future doctors, nurses and researchers, he said.

The lawsuit included a lengthy focus on an anonymous TTHEP instructor named Member No. 8. The faculty member is described as a medical professional who focuses on population health issues. The document uses “they/them” pronouns for the instructor.

The narrative states that Member No. 8 censored their coursework references to underserved populations, and that TTHEP officials instructed them to not use the word “disparity” as they teach and train students about patient care. The faculty member thought these decisions diminished the level of instruction.

The description goes on to cite several examples where El Paso County residents experience more physically unhealthy days than peers across the state. It mentions the higher rates of diabetes and cervical cancer mortality than around the state, and the same for asthma for children, especially Hispanic children.

The story also points to the large Black population at the Fort Bliss Army installation beyond the Northeast part of the city and the significant health disparities that Black women face such as pregnancy-related mortality and breast cancer. Additionally, the instructor was concerned how the system’s directives about censored content could affect comprehensive care for LGBTQIA patients.

“Member #8’s ability to train medical professionals is tied to the ability to use accurate vocabulary and jargon about their community,” according to the lawsuit.

Ingram said he expected the case to be heard this summer in federal court in El Paso. He said there could be a ruling before the start of the fall 2026 semester, but that would be the judge’s decision.

While the TTU System appeared confident in the memoranda’s legal standing, Ingram pointed to the recent ruling by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals against the Florida Stop W.O.K.E. Act, or the Individual Freedom Act. The three-member court decided, 2-1, that the state law restricted the First Amendment rights of public university professors to teach certain concepts related to race, gender and social privilege.

“I think jurisprudence is on our side,” Ingram said. He later added, “We’ve not seen policies like this because they’re patently unconstitutional based on settled precedent.”

Judge bars deportation of witness in fatal ICE shooting of Mexican homebuilder

HOUSTON (AP) – A federal judge has barred the deportation of a witness in the fatal shooting of a Mexican homebuilder by federal immigration officers during a traffic stop in Houston.

Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego was one of three passengers in a van driven by Lorenzo Araujo Salgado when Araujo Salgado was shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on July 7 while they were driving to work at a construction site.

Araujo Salgado’s killing sparked protests and calls for an independent investigation. Within the next week, a federal immigration officer in Maine fatally shot a Colombian man, and a Mexican man in Florida died after being hit by a truck while fleeing immigration officers.

Rojas Pliego must remain in the Southern District of Texas while his habeas petition is pending, U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison wrote in an order on Monday. Rojas Pliego says he is being held unconstitutionally in ICE custody, court records show.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said the agency “will comply with the court order.”

Rojas Pliego had entered the U.S. decades ago and had not gained legal status, according to his stepdaughter, Griselda Silva.

Rojas Pliego and the two other passengers, also currently in ICE custody, have disputed DHS’ account of the shooting, according to their attorneys. DHS has said that Araujo Salgado was attempting to run over an ICE officer. A federal prosecutor in Texas has said that ICE officers were targeting two Guatemalan men who were potentially subject to deportation and driving a van similar to Araujo Salgado’s.

Araujo Salgado, a 52-year-old father of three, had been living in the country for 35 years and was close to obtaining legal status, according to his family, and has no known criminal record.

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office has said it is helping Araujo Salgado’s three passengers apply for a special visa, known as a U visa, for witnesses who are assisting law enforcement with an investigation. It remains unclear if U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, overseen by DHS, will grant visas for the three men.

One of the other men, Daniel Tirado Pantoja, also filed a habeas petition Monday, according to federal court records.

Araujo Salgado’s brother, Victor Salgado, is scheduled to appear for an immigration hearing later this week, according to his attorney, Ruby Powers. She requested that his habeas petition, which has not yet been filed, remain sealed due to a threat of “retaliation or intimidation” to his family and friends, court records show.

The FBI executed a search warrant to investigate possible illicit substances in Araujo Salgado’s vehicle and alleged that several small bags inside the van were filled with a white substance that appeared to be methamphetamine.

Victor Salgado’s attorney said the white substance was a salt mixture that the men used as electrolytes to stay hydrated while doing manual labor in the grueling Texas heat.

Hugo Balderas-Ibarra, an attorney for Rojas Pliego and Tirado Pantoja, did not respond to a request for comment.

From the Mexican border to Washington: A tiny Texas town fights Trump’s wall plan

WASHINGTON (AP) — On one side: a small community in rural Texas. On the other: the Trump administration.

A tiny Texan town along the border with Mexico is fighting the administration’s efforts to build a border wall running through a levee system protecting the community. The town argued in court Tuesday that the wall could cause flooding and that the administration isn’t following the law as it rushes forward with its plans.

The hearing in federal court came as the Department of Homeland Security charges forward with its $46 billion plan to complete a border wall from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico and deliver on what has long been a signature promise of President Donald Trump. But the department is running into opposition by landowners, environmental groups, Native American tribes and others who argue that the government’s rapid construction endangers historical and religious sites and a way of life along the border, when crossings from Mexico are already at extreme lows.

The lawsuit brought by the development district of Presidio pits a small town of a little over 3,200 residents against a department key to the Trump administration’s plans to carry out its mass deportations agenda. It also showcases a context that has long been important to many Americans, particularly Republicans: the scratchiness that sometimes arises between the most local of municipalities and the federal government in Washington.

Lawyers for the development district contend the government’s plans could compromise the levee system protecting the town from flash flooding — a formidable problem in Texas — and that the government flouted a key act that requires it to seek permission from the Army Corps of Engineers before building on or near the levees.

The government argues that there is no final plan for where the border wall will go or how it will be built. Regardless, the administration asserts it has the authority to waive a vast swath of regulations to build the wall as it seeks to get the number of people crossing the border every day to zero.

The town worries about levees along the Rio Grande

The town is worried about the effect the wall would have on a series of berms and levees built in the 1970s and 1980s along the Rio Grande and tributaries to combat flooding.

In court documents, Presidio’s development district said Customs and Border Protection plans to “replace the earthen slope of the existing levee with a concrete wall, with 30-foot steel bollard panels installed on top.” The district says it has asked the agency for more details but has been told they can’t be shared due to “national security.”

“There is unfortunately a long history here of CBP construction causing or increasing flood risks,” said Laura Bakst, a lawyer for Democracy Forward, which is representing Presidio’s development district in the case.

A lawyer for the government said during Tuesday’s hearing that it’s too soon to argue that the proposed wall could harm Presidio because Customs and Border Protection hasn’t actually decided on a final plan for it.

The department has waived numerous regulations to build the wall faster

In the race to build the wall, both former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and the current secretary, Markwayne Mullin, have waived numerous requirements protecting the environment or archaeological sites that the federal government normally has to follow when building infrastructure projects.

Under legislation passed by Congress, Homeland Security does have the authority to waive certain requirements specifically to speed up the building of walls along the U.S.-Mexico border. But critics argue the department is going much further than Congress intended by issuing broad waivers all along the 2,000-mile or 3,200-kilometer length of the frontier.

In Presidio’s case, the development district is arguing that Homeland Security is running afoul of the Rivers and Harbors Act. The department has waived it, but lawyers for Presidio argued that because of the wording of the Act, Homeland Security was still required to consult with the Army Corps of Engineers before launching the project.

Louis Katz, a lawyer for Democracy Forward, warned that the way the department was waiving state and federal laws as it moves forward with the wall is an “extraordinary exertion of authority.”

Construction could start as early as August or as late as October

A key question: When would construction start? Timing has been an issue beyond Presidio as landowners up and down the border look for an answer. Construction crews have pre-positioned supplies — including the steel bollard wall panels — but no actual wall-building has started in the area.

A lawyer for the Justice Department gave some insight into the government’s timeline. In response to questions about whether construction could start as early as the beginning of August, Alexander Yun told the judge that it was unlikely to start that early. Yun said construction could begin in late August or September or October.

Homeland Security has indicated that getting the wall built is a priority.

Mullin said during congressional testimony in June that the preliminary layer of the wall will be finished by “this time next year.” The head of Customs and Border Protection, Rodney Scott, has said the agency is putting up 6 miles (10 kilometers) of wall a week.

The judge seemed a bit skeptical of both sides

The Trump administration is pushing forward with the wall when border crossings are at the lowest levels in decades. The Big Bend Sector has not experienced the high number of border crossings seen in recent years in other areas farther south along the Rio Grande or in Arizona or California, owing to the remote and challenging terrain on both sides of the border.

But the Justice Department lawyer said low border crossing numbers seen over the last year are an “anomaly” and the goal is “zero illegal crossings.”

Judge Reggie Walton scoffed at that idea, saying that it’s “just a reality” that people will always try to cross the border.

Walton also said he was struggling with the issue of how much authority he had to limit the department considering that Congress had given it the ability to waive certain requirements.

The judge said he would issue a ruling in the coming week.

Trump will attend the dignified transfer of four US service members killed in the Middle East

DOVER, Del. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday plans to attend the dignified transfer of four U.S. service members killed in the Middle East.

Trump will be at Dover Air Force Base when the remains of the troops killed in action are returned to their families, the White House said. The ritual is one of the most somber duties of a commander-in-chief. It will be the third that Trump has attended since he launched the war in Iran in February.

Two U.S. Army soldiers killed in Iranian missile and drone attacks in Jordan will be returned during the dignified transfer, according to an administration official who was not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The remains of a third service member who is believed to be the soldier missing after the Jordan attacks will also be returned, the official said, as well as the remains of a soldier killed in Iraq during a detonation of an Iranian drone.

“I’ll be going to Dover for something that I feel is — it’s a great honor for me to do it,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Tuesday.

The soldiers killed in Jordan were identified by the Defense Department as Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas. The soldier who disappeared after the Jordan attacks and is now believed to be deceased is Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York, the Defense Department said.

The soldier killed in Iraq was identified as Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, who lived in Spring Lake, North Carolina.

“We feel very badly, but you know, those great people, those great patriots were out there fighting so that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump told reporters on Sunday. He added that the U.S. was striking Iran “in honor” of the fallen troops.

The U.S. has launched multiple retaliatory strikes against Iran as an interim agreement to end the war falls apart. Trump on Monday said that every time Iran kills an American soldier, “they will pay for that killing many times over!”

Since the war began on Feb. 28, 18 U.S. service members have been killed.

Trump on Tuesday said that while almost all the incoming fire in Jordan was stopped, some made it through.

“They did slip something through in Jordan,” he said. “If we had other operators, you know, it would have not happened, unfortunately.”

He went on: “We’ve stopped almost everything, but when you let other people do your job with the United States — we let other people do the job — and sometimes it doesn’t work out so well.”

Trump did not elaborate on his comments, and it was not immediately clear who Trump was saying was responsible for protecting U.S. forces in Jordan.

Trump has attended two previous dignified transfers since the outset of the war, most recently in March. During his first term, he described the ritual as “the toughest thing I have to do” as president.

During the ritual, transfer cases draped with the American flag and holding the remains of the fallen soldiers are carried from the military aircraft that transported them to an awaiting vehicle to take them to the mortuary facility at the base. There, the service members are prepared for their final resting place.

Feehan, a first lieutenant who was killed Saturday, will be posthumously promoted to the rank of captain and awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge. He was assigned out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command.

Gonzales, who was killed Friday, was a private with the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command in Ansbach, Germany. She graduated last year from Hebron High School in Carrollton, near Dallas, school officials said.

Rampersad, a sergeant who was believed to have been killed in Friday’s attacks, was assigned to the 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command in Ansbach, Germany.

Swinton, a sergeant who was killed Sunday, will receive a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge, and will be promoted to staff sergeant. He enlisted in the Army in 2017 and was assigned to the 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

US military identifies 3rd service member believed to have been killed in Iranian attack

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The U.S. military has confirmed that a third service member is believed to be dead in Friday’s attack on a base in Jordan and identified them as Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of New York.

The confirmation brings the death toll to 18 U.S. service members killed since the war began.

On Monday, the Pentagon identified 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, as the two other soldiers who were killed in Jordan in Friday’s attacks. The soldiers were killed by Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks in the first troop deaths from direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war. They were deployed to support a U.S. mission against the Islamic State group, a U.S. Central Command statement said.

After the attack, U.S. Central Command announced that two service members were killed and another was missing. The following day, the military command said that troops found unidentified remains and that an examination process to verify the remains was underway.

Now, the Pentagon says that Rampersad is believed to be that missing soldier and her official status is now “Duty Status–Whereabouts Unknown” and she is “believed to be deceased.”

Rampersad belonged to the same unit as Gonzales — the 10th Army Air & Missile Defense Command based in Ansbach, Germany.

Also, a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq during a controlled detonation of an Iranian drone was identified as Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, a 30-year-old father from North Carolina who had served for nearly a decade, according to a military statement Tuesday and his family.

Swinton will receive a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge, and will be promoted to staff sergeant. The Army said it was investigating the circumstances of his death Sunday at an air base in Irbil.

He leaves behind a 6-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter, his mother said.

“I will never recover from this,” his wife, Mia Gonzalez-Swinton, posted Monday on Facebook. “We had so many plans for when you got back, I’m sick to my stomach.” She said she was notified Sunday that he had been killed.

Two U.S. Army soldiers were also killed in Jordan last week while defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. They were the first U.S. troop deaths from direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war.

His wife and kids were the center of his world, his mother, Christel Swinton Andujar, told The Associated Press.

“His legacy will live on through the countless lives he touched, the laughter he shared, the strength he gave others, and the unconditional love he poured into his family,” she said via text message. “He will forever be missed, forever honored, and forever our hero.”

Swinton enlisted in the Army in 2017 and was assigned to the 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

He lived in Spring Lake, a popular off-base location for Fort Bragg families, according to public records. The military gave his hometown as Fayetteville, another nearby community.

“Sgt. Swinton was an experienced noncommissioned officer who took great pride in his work and the people around him,” said Brig. Gen. John L. Dawber, commanding general of the Army Air and Missile Defense Command. “He answered the call to duty with courage, honor, and selfless dedication.”

Renewed fighting between the U.S. and Iran is now in its 10th day, with both sides launching barrages of strikes. Iran has attacked U.S. allies in the region, and American soldiers are stationed across the Middle East.

Iranian authorities say U.S. strikes in just the past three weeks have killed at least 50 people and wounded more than 500 others.

Both sides have targeted civilian infrastructure relied on by millions of people. Workers on ships, as well as foreign workers and others in Gulf nations, Israel and Lebanon have also died in the conflict.

The U.S. State Department said in a new warning to Americans that “Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target other U.S. interests overseas or at locations associated with the United States and Americans throughout the world.”

U.S. President Donald Trump has said the war is necessary to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Trump, a Republican, now faces political pressure to bring the war to a close and avoid the kind of prolonged Middle East conflict he had campaigned against. The escalation has pushed oil prices higher in recent weeks.