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‘Disclosure Day’ lands at #1 at the box office with $44 million

It wasn’t quite an out-of-this-world debut, but Disclosure Day still took #1 at the box office this weekend with $44 million.

The Steven Spielberg alien sci-fi drama came in above estimates, according to Variety, though not enough to justify its $115 million price tag. The film stars Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson and Colman Domingo.

The hit horror flick Obsession took the #2 spot, with the horror spoof Scary Movie dropping to #3.

The weekend’s other two new releases, the martial arts film The Furious and the drag queen comedy Stop! That! Train!, came in at #8 and #9, respectively.

Here are the top 10 films at the box office:

1. Disclosure Day -- $44 million
2. Obsession -- $19 million
3. Scary Movie -- $14.5 million
4. Backrooms -- $11.3 million
5. Master of the Universe -- $8.7 million
6. Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu -- $4.7 million
7. Michael -- $4.1 million
8. The Furious -- $2.75 million
9. Stop! That! Train! -- $2.02 million
10. The Breadwinner -- $1.5 million

Havertz sparks Germany’s 7-1 rout of Curaçao after underdogs’ historic 1st goal in World Cup

HOUSTON (AP) — Germany’s seven-goal rout of Curaçao in its World Cup opener on Sunday was the perfect outcome to overshadow a close first half and boost the team after consecutive group-stage exits for the four-time champions.

Kai Havertz scored two goals as Germany pulled away from World Cup first-timer Curaçao and piled it on in a 7-1 win in group play. The smallest country to ever appear in the tournament hung tight at 1-1 until the 38th minute.

“We really needed this convincing win,” coach Julian Nagelsmann said. “We needed this self-confidence. It was there but it definitely grew.”

He said Sunday’s display was important for the country’s fans.

“We have to show them that we can perform and we have to have the confidence,” he said. “I think we’re in a better spot than we were entering this match.”

Livano Comenencia tied it at 1-1 with his left-footed shot through traffic from the center of the box in the 21st minute to give Curaçao its first goal in the tournament and send fans of the tiny Caribbean nation into a frenzy.

“Even though it wasn’t me, it felt like it was me, it was all of us, the whole island, everybody,” Curaçao’s Jearl Margaritha said. “We screamed our lungs out. So we were happy.”

It was all Germany after that with the team regaining the lead on Nico Schlotterbeck’s header off Nathaniel Brown’s corner kick in the 38th.

“One team has very high expectations and the other one doesn’t and that’s a bit tricky,” Nagelsmann said.

The six-goal margin was well short of the World Cup record of nine, which has happened three times, most recently when Hungary beat El Salvador 10-1 in 1982. And the performance from the Germans was much more expected than the last time they won 7-1 in a World Cup, beating host Brazil in the 2014 semifinals.

Havertz connected on a penalty shot into the left goal in first-half stoppage time to make it 3-1. Germany was awarded the penalty shot after Felix Nmecha was tripped in the box by Riechedly Bazoer.

Germany wasted no time after halftime to extend the lead, with Jamal Musiala scoring on a right-footed shot across the goalkeeper’s area in the 47th minute.

Brown scored in the 68th minute to push the advantage to 5-1. The 22-year-old has an American father, but made it clear ahead of the World Cup he’d be representing the country in which he was born and raised by his mother.

Deniz Undav added a goal in the 78th minute. Havertz’s second goal came in the 88th.

Germany is seeking redemption after failing to get out of the group stage in Russia and Qatar following its 2014 title.

“We are on the right path but of course there are things that we can do better and we will have stronger opponents,” Nagelsmann said.

Nmecha one-timed it with his right foot into the near post just inside the upper box with an assist from Florian Wirtz in the sixth minute to make it 1-0.

The crowd of 68,021 was overwhelmingly rooting for Germany but there was a spirited contingent of people cheering on Curaçao.

It was the first match of the tournament at NRG Stadium, home of the NFL’s Houston Texans.

Manuel Neuer, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who came out of international retirement for the tournament, had one save in his first appearance for Germany in almost two years.

The match featured the largest age gap between coaches in World Cup history with Curaçao’s 78-year-old coach, Dick Advocaat, becoming the oldest ever in the tournament against 38-year-old Nagelsmann, who is the youngest coach in this year’s tournament.

Germany faces Ivory Coast in its next match in Toronto on Saturday and Curaçao meets Ecuador Saturday in Kansas City, Missouri.

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Russian attack sets fire to centuries-old religious site in Kyiv and kills rescuers in Kharkiv

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine killed rescue personnel in Kharkiv and four people in the capital Kyiv on Monday as strikes set apartment buildings ablaze and sparked a fire at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, one of the country’s most significant religious landmarks.

Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 70 missiles and 611 drones overnight, primarily targeting Kyiv, while also striking the cities of Dnipro and Kharkiv. The military said air defenses intercepted or electronically suppressed 632 aerial targets, including 50 missiles and 582 drones. Preliminary data showed 20 ballistic missiles and 27 attack drones hit 42 locations across the country, while debris from intercepted drones fell at 12 sites.

A series of powerful explosions echoed across Kyiv, with a wave of ballistic missiles followed by Shahed drones as many people sought shelter underground and officials urged residents to take cover.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said four people were killed and at least 30 were injured, including two children aged 5 and 6.

Five strikes hit civilian sites in the city’s Shevchenkivskyi district in less than 30 minutes, he said, including a 25-story apartment building, while a market and a grocery store caught fire. In the Obolonskyi district, a nine-story residential building took a direct hit.

Striking apartment blocks was a “deliberate decision” by Russia, he said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it carried out a strike with long-range precision weapons and drones on military industrial facilities in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Dnipro, as well as military conscription offices and military air bases. It said “the goals of the strikes have been fulfilled and all the designated facilities have been hit.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defenses downed 123 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Attacks kill rescuers, destroy college

In Kharkiv, authorities said Russian forces used a “double tap” tactic, launching four additional drone strikes on the site of an earlier attack in the Kholodnohirskyi district after emergency crews had arrived.

Four emergency service workers and an employee of the Kharkiv City Council’s emergency department were killed, while six rescuers and three civilians were injured. Separately, a woman was injured in the city’s Shevchenkivskyi district, where residential buildings and vehicles were damaged in a drone strike.

In Dnipro, one of the buildings of a local college was destroyed, while the blast wave shattered windows at a school and the city’s House of Organ and Chamber Music, according to Dnipropetrovsk regional administration head Oleksandr Hanzha.

Two people were injured and infrastructure, businesses, a college and cultural institutions were damaged. Russian forces also carried out nearly 30 attacks using drones, artillery, missiles and guided aerial bombs in Dnipro as well as the Kryvyi Rih, Pavlohrad, Synelnykove and Nikopol districts.

In the Sumy region, three people including a child were injured after a Russian strike hit an apartment building and damaged a non-residential structure, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said.

UNESCO site damaged

Damage at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a monastic complex, was substantial and a serious fire had broken out, said Tkachenko, who accused Russia of deliberately striking “the heart of one of the largest Christian shrines.”

The roof of the Dormition Cathedral caught fire during the overnight attack, said Metropolitan Epiphanius, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. He condemned the strike as another Russian crime “against humanity, against history, against Christianity” and appealed for prayers to save the site.

The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Monastery of the Caves, is a sprawling complex of monasteries and churches, including some underground, built from the 11th to the 19th century. Some of the churches at the UNESCO-listed World Heritage site are connected by a labyrinthine complex of caves spanning more than 600 meters (2,000 feet).

The cathedral, churches and other buildings overlook the right bank of the Dnipro River and have been a pilgrimage site for centuries.

Trump heads to G7 summit with wind at his back after announcing agreement aimed at ending Iran war

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (AP) — President Donald Trump is headed to the French Alps on Monday to meet with fellow world leaders at the Group of Seven summit after announcing an agreement that he says will bring an end to the U.S. war with Iran.

Trump and Iranian officials had been saying for days they were making progress toward reaching a deal, but even on Sunday, things appeared to be on shaky ground after a new round of strikes between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

With the agreement, Trump is due to arrive in Evian-les-Bains on Monday afternoon with some wind at his back for talks with G7 leaders, including some who have been sharply critical of his managing of the roughly 15-week conflict that has led to a surge in global energy prices.

The conflict, which polls show American voters largely disapproved of, had made some Republicans nervous about the political impacts it could have on the November midterm election.

“Ships of the World, start your engines,” Trump said in a social media post celebrating the deal that he said would lead to the U.S. ending its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s crude had flowed before the conflict. “Let the oil flow!”

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, however, said the Iranian closure of the strait would continue until the agreement is officially signed.

Neither the White House nor Iran published the final agreement or revealed many details. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country served as a mediator in the negotiations, said there would be “pre-implementation discussions” this week to lay the ground for 60 days of technical talks on Iran’s nuclear program.

The deal could change the G7 dynamic

Sealing an agreement before jetting off to the summit could certainly change the dynamic of the gathering for Trump. He has had friction with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over failing to consult them before the decision to go to war.

Meanwhile, Trump has pushed back on the four European leaders — all members of the NATO military alliance — for their lack of support for the U.S. in the conflict.

Trump is expected to discuss with leaders the demining of the Strait of Hormuz, according to the White House. Britain and France have expressed interest in assisting with the demining once the conflict is paused. Fear of potential mines is among the reasons that tanker traffic has come to a halt during the war, and quickly clearing them will be crucial to regaining the confidence of commercial vessels.

Macron, this year’s summit host, invited the leaders of three nations that aren’t part of the G7 — Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — to take part in a session on the Middle East on Tuesday where Iran is expected to be a central focus.

“The aim will be to assess the implications of this agreement, support for Lebanon, the long-term reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, of course, reaching a deal on Iran’s nuclear and ballistic (missile) programs,” Macron said in a video posted on social media on Sunday evening.

In a separate development, Trump ahead of departing for the summit said in an interview with the New York Post he has warned Macron the US will “have no choice” but to slap 100% tariffs on French wines unless Paris eliminates its digital tax on American tech companies, renewing a long-running threat from the Republican that dates to his first administration.

Wines and spirits exported to the U.S. from the European Union currently face a 15% tariff.
Trump faces questions about financial incentives for Tehran

Trump had fiercely criticized former President Barack Obama for the 2015 nuclear agreement that Trump argued failed to stop Tehran from advancing toward a weapon and funneled billions into the Islamic Republic’s coffers.

In 2018, Trump exited the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the European Union were also signatories to the pact.

But Trump hasn’t detailed how his agreement will address some key issues about Iran’s nuclear program, including who will be in charge of verifying that Iran is complying with the agreement and who will destroy or remove 972 pounds (441 kilograms) of highly enriched uranium believed to be buried under nuclear sites that were badly damaged by U.S. strikes last summer.

The deal is also expected to include some sanctions relief and economic incentives for Tehran as it meets certain benchmarks aimed at assuaging White House concerns, senior administration officials said ahead of the two sides reaching an agreement.

Some Democrats and hawkish critics say Trump has failed to explain how the financial relief in his agreement will differ from what Obama did in the 2015 nuclear deal.

“For all his critique of JCPOA, we had international observers, we actually had an alliance there that included the Europeans, and Russia and China were all signatories,” Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “Now it is America going alone or going with Israel only, and that does not make us safer.”

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump and an Iran hawk, expressed skepticism, saying that Congress will need to review and vote on any nuclear deal with Iran, and said he expects Vice President JD Vance — “the architect of the deal” — to present it. “I am somewhat concerned that Iran’s view of the agreement seems different than what the American negotiating team is claiming,” Graham said on social media.

Trump makes calls to Putin, Zelenskyy ahead of G7

Macron also invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a working session with G7 leaders on Tuesday to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war.

At the moment, Zelenskyy is not scheduled to hold one-on-one talks with Trump while they’re both in France, but Trump on Sunday held separate phone calls with Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin’s call with Trump lasted just under an hour, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, who briefed reporters afterward.

On Ukraine, Ushakov said Trump emphasized the need to end hostilities and stated his readiness to influence European allies and Kyiv toward that goal, including at the G7.

According to Ushakov, Trump also said that recent strikes on civilian targets in Russia complicate a settlement. The White House did not comment on the call.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to travel to Russia soon, Ushakov said.

Zelenskyy said in a statement posted on Telegram that he told Trump about how Ukraine’s position along the eastern frontline has improved and strengthened.

“We agreed to discuss more during our meeting at the G7 summit,” he said.

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Madhani reported from Geneva and Superville from Washington.

Tentative deal on ending the Iran war sends stocks soaring while oil prices fall

BANGKOK (AP) — World share prices soared Monday after a tentative deal was announced on ending the Iran war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, while oil prices fell more than $4 a barrel.

The future for the S&P 500 was up 1.2% and that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1%, auguring likely early gains for Wall Street.

In early European trading, Germany’s DAX advanced 1.7% to 25,066.48, while the CAC 40 in Paris also added 1.7% to 8,410.36.

Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 0.8% to 10,553.18.

After repeated false starts, investors were betting that this time, the war might end. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed the initial agreement and authorized an end to the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Iran confirmed it but signaled that implementation would not start until a signing that Pakistan said would be held Friday in Switzerland. Broader negotiations on issues like Iran’s nuclear program are expected to continue over the next 60 days.

In early trading Monday, the price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, fell $4.08 to $83.25 per barrel. U.S. benchmark crude lost $4.51 to $80.37 per barrel.

It may take months for oil prices to stabilize after the disruptions from the war caused them to surge, pushing costs up for gasoline and many other products. Energy experts said shipping and insurance companies will want to be confident the pact will hold, ensuring that oil and gas supplies will flow freely enough for the world’s needs to be met.

“The reopening of Hormuz is a relief valve, not a full peace dividend. The market can remove some crude panic, but it still has to price the gap between a headline, a signature, and a regime that actually complies,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a report.

Still, the news was a huge relief for markets that have been roiled since the conflict began in late February.

Stocks rallied in Asia, where Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 gained 5% to 69,317.50 as the benchmark logged another record high.

Buying was heaviest for technology shares, especially those related to artificial intelligence. The boom in AI has been driving gains in Japan, where the benchmark has gained more than 80% in the last year.

“This is great news,” said Takashi Hiroki, chief strategist at Monex. “Buying by foreign investors is leading the market with expectations of easing tensions around the situation in the Middle East. Then the decline in New York crude oil futures is supporting this positive market.”

The Kospi in Seoul surged 5.2% to 8,545.98.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng gained 0.6% to 24,864.13, while the Shanghai Composite index was up 1.6% to 4,096.47.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 advanced 1.3% to 8,922.90. Taiwan’s Taiex was up 2.8%, and the Sensex in India rose 1.2%.

On Friday, U.S. stocks advanced as Musk’s SpaceX soared in its highly anticipated debut on Wall Street.

The strong start suggested plenty of demand still exists among investors for AI after SpaceX stock leaped 19.2% in its first day of trading. That gave Elon Musk’s rocket company a total value of $2.1 trillion, making it bigger than Exxon Mobil, Bank of America and Coca-Cola combined. In addition to building rockets, SpaceX also owns the artificial intelligence company xAI.

The S&P 500 added 0.5% to close out its 10th winning week in the last 11. The Dow industrials climbed 353 points, or 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.3%.

This week will bring interest rate decisions from the Federal Reserve and Bank of England, on Thursday. On Tuesday, the Bank of Japan is due to announce its monetary policy updates. It is widely expected to raise its benchmark interest rate to 1% from the current 0.75%.

That would be the highest rate in more than 30 years.

In other dealings early Monday, the dollar slipped to 160.17 Japanese yen from 160.12 yen late Friday. The euro climbed to $1.1608 from $1.1578.

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Senior producer Mayuko Ono in Tokyo contributed to this report.

Starmer says Britain will ban under-16s from using a range of social media apps

LONDON (AP) — Britain will ban under-16s from using a range of social media apps, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday, calling it “a big moment for our country.”

Starmer told a news conference that he will fight back if technology companies resist the move, intended to protect children from harmful content and excessive screen time. He said he is “not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children.”

The move makes the U.K. part of growing global movement to tighten online safety for children. Australia, Canada, Brazil and Indonesia have introduced legislation or announced age-based restrictions or requirements for children’s access to social media. France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea are among others studying or developing similar approaches.

Starmer said the U.K. measures “possibly go a bit further” than Australia’s under-16s ban.

Starmer did not immediately say what apps would be covered. The Sunday Times reported it will apply to TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, Snapchat, Threads, Twitch, Kick and Reddit, the Times reported.

Starmer said the government will also act to prevent strangers from contacting children on gaming and livestreaming platforms. He said the ban will take effect early next year.

Starmer, who is under pressure to step down from members of his own party over what they see as poor leadership, said the government is “confident that this ban can be effective,” despite skepticism from some children’s advocates.

He said success would mean “a massive drop off of children on social media” and “a cultural change, a sense that actually you can grow up differently.”

The decision follows a public comment period in which the government got 116,000 responses from parents, the tech industry and children. The number of responses was second only to one seeking input about same-sex marriage in 2012.

The vast majority of respondents wanted an under-16 ban, including youths, said Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, who added that a ban should be part of other measures.

“I don’t think banning social media on its own is the silver bullet solution, but I do think Australia has shown very clearly that it has a significant role to play,” Nandy told BBC on Sunday.

The ban could further inflame tensions with the U.S., which has warned that regulations should be narrow and not violate free speech protections, according to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in London. It said it was also concerned that regulations would place greater burdens on American technology companies.

Jon Crowcroft, a communications systems professor at University of Cambridge, said people supporting social bans are well-meaning but probably misguided, and changes could prevent children from accessing sites they need.

“There is a real risk this will drive some users to worse sites and policing devices is close to impossible technically,” Crowcroft said. “Policing platforms is far easier, if only regulators would bother.”

Man arrested for aggravated assault

TATUM, Texas (KETK) – One man has been arrested after an alleged aggravated assault happened at an apartment complex in Tatum on Saturday morning. According to the Tatum Police Department and our news partner KETK, a Tatum PD patrol officer and deputies from the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported aggravated assault at an apartment complex in Tatum at around 12:54 a.m. on Saturday.

The Tatum PD officer arrested one man in connection to the aggravated assault. The man was booked into the Rusk County Jail on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Tatum PD did not identify the man but they did note that no one was injured during the assault.

Former Sabine County Sheriff dies after decades in law enforcement

SABINE COUNTY (KETK) – Former Sabine County Sheriff Thomas Raymond Philips was buried in Beaumont on Saturday, after he died at the age of 81 earlier this month.

Philips was born in Beaumont but moved to the Toledo Bend Lake area with his wife in 1977. They operated a mom-and-pop store there before he started his career with the Sabine County Sheriff’s Office in 1989.

Before he was elected as sheriff in Jan. 1997, Philips served with the sheriff’s office as a dispatcher, jailer, chief jailer, deputy sheriff and with K-9 Chico as the county’s first K-9 officer.
Former Sabine County Sheriff Thomas Raymond Philips. Photo courtesy of the Sabine County Sheriff’s Office.

Philips served as sheriff of Sabine County from Jan. 1997 and Dec. 2000. Philips continued working for another 16 years until he retired as a court security officer at the Jack Brooks Federal Building in Beaumont in 2016.

He passed away at 81-years-old at the Parkview on Hollybrook senior community in Longview on June 4. Current Sabine County Sheriff George Griffith and many other law enforcement members helped escort Philips’ coffin to Forest Lawn Cemetery on Saturday.

Trent Williams holds annual Silverback Football Camp in Longview ahead of 17th NFL season

LONGVIEW, Texas (KETK) — It’s hard to find a stronger bond than the one San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams has with Longview.

Williams, the former Lobo standout who’s entering his 17th NFL season, returned home Saturday to put on his annual Silverback Football Camp.

Williams, who’s No. 71 jersey is retired at Longview, has put on his football camp at Lobo Stadium since 2014.

After starring at Oklahoma, Williams played nine seasons with Washington and is going on seven seasons with San Francisco.

He’s a 12-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro selection, but beyond his success on the gridiron, Williams continues to be a positive role model for kids coming up in Longview.

Roads closed by flooding

ATHENS – The City of Athens has announced that several roads around the city have been closed by flooding as heavy storms move across East Texas. The flooding comes as the National Weather Service has extended a flash flood warning across much of western Henderson County until 10 p.m. The warning includes all of Athens, Log Cabin, Malakoff, Cross Roads and Cayuga.

“Please stay off the roads unless travel is necessary. Never drive around barricades or attempt to cross a flooded roadway. Water may be deeper or moving faster than it appears,” the City of Athens said. “Turn around, don’t drown. Please slow down, use caution and give emergency crews room to work.”

Bud Cauley wins the Canadian Open to cap long comeback from 2018 car accident

CALEDON, Ontario (AP) — Bud Cauley took the lead with a birdie chip on the par-4 12th and won the RBC Canadian Open in rain and wind Sunday for his first PGA Tour title, eight years after his career nearly ended in a car accident at the Memorial Tournament.

The 36-year-old Cauley won in his 239th tour start — just over two years after he finally returned to the PGA Tour following the accident.

“There were times when I was hurt that we really weren’t sure if I was going to be able to play again,” said Cauley, who was a passenger in a car when he sustained six broken ribs, a collapsed right lung and fractured left leg.

On Sunday at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley, Cauley closed with a 5-under 65 to get to 17-under 263. He began the round a stroke behind Jackson Suber, and ended up beating Matt Fitzpatrick by two shots.

“That’s a moment I’ve thought a lot about. Even last year a couple times when I was in contention my family wasn’t with me and it would always crossed my mind that hopefully for my first win everyone would be here,” Cauley said. “I had to try to not think about it a lot today. Obviously, with them being here and I was playing well, I really had to think almost on every hole about staying focused and not thinking about that celebration if I were to win.”

Cauley started his back-nine birdie run with a shot to 4 feet on the 206-yard 11th. He added the hole-out from 93 feet on 12, then made a 13 1/2-footer on 13 and a 15-footer on 15 — both par 4s. After a bogey on the par-4 17th, he parred the par-5 18th.

“It was obviously playing difficult with the rain and the wind,” Cauley said. “The conditions were so much different today than they were the first three days. I feel like my game was in a pretty good spot, I was hitting some pretty good shots.”

Fitzpatrick was second to take the FedEx Cup lead into the U.S. Open. He eagled the 18th in a 64.

“I would have taken it at the start of the week,” Fitzpatrick said. “I felt like there was a lot of good stuff in there, just needed to have it come out. My putting was a little bit of a struggle last week and I feel like I got a bit of a better process for what I’m working on this week, and that showed today, I putted really solid.”

Viktor Hovland was third at 14 under after a 65. Suber (70), Jesper Svensson (68), Jimmy Stanger (67) and Brice Garnett (68) were another stroke back.

Wyatt Langford homers on 1st pitch and Rangers beat Red Sox 6-4 in front of Scotland’s Tartan Army

BOSTON (AP) — Wyatt Langford hit Connelly Early’s first pitch over the Green Monster completely out of Fenway Park, and Kyle Higashioka launched a three-run homer to help the Texas Rangers avert a three-game sweep with a 6-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night.

Justin Foscue had three hits and Brandon Nimmo added two doubles and two RBIs for the Rangers, who finished a 3-3 trip.

Willson Contreras hit a pair of solo homers and had three hits for the Red Sox, who were looking for their first series sweep at Fenway this season.

There was a lively atmosphere at the ballpark, with Scotland’s Tartan Army on hand for what the Red Sox billed as “Scottish Heritage Celebration Night.” Numerous times, soccer fans in town for the World Cup broke into chants of “No Scotland, no party!”

Coming in 0-3 in his last four starts, Texas right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (6-7) pitched seven strong innings, allowing three runs and six hits with six strikeouts.

Jacob Latz got four outs for his 11th save.

Early (5-5) had his worst start of the season, getting tagged for six runs and 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Higashioka also sent his homer over the Green Monster in left field, making it 4-0 in the second.

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said shortstop Corey Seager, who missed his third straight game, is dealing with a mild concussion from his collision at home plate with Kansas City catcher Carter Jansen on Thursday.
Up next

Rangers: LHP MacKenzie Gore (4-5, 4.18 ERA) starts Monday at home against Minnesota.

Red Sox: LHP Payton Tolle (3-3, 2.70) pitches Tuesday at Fenway Park in the opener of a three-game series against Toronto.

Denny Hamlin wins the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono for his third straight victory

LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — With every Denny Hamlin victory, speculation about his future grows and talks of retirement are questioned.

He signed a two-year extension with Joe Gibbs Racing that runs through 2027 and he insists it will be his last season. At 45, he’s the oldest full-time Cup Series driver in the field, but he can’t stop winning.

Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway on Sunday for his third consecutive victory and passed the late Kyle Busch for sole possession of ninth place on the all-time wins list.

Hamlin last week won his 63rd race in NASCAR’s top series to tie his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate on the all-time wins list. His eighth career victory at Pocono pushed him ahead of Busch for sole possession of ninth.

His recent success — it is his fourth win of the season, not including the non-points All-Star race — has renewed talk that Hamlin should reconsider retirement when his deal with Gibbs expires.

“I think for Denny, he wants to leave on top, right? He doesn’t want to leave where it was one year too long,” said JGR co-owner Heather Gibbs. “At this rate, what he’s producing out there, it’s not something you would not consider. We want the best drivers in our cars. Our teams work to put the best cars on track.

“If it works out and he’s still producing and he wants to, it’s a huge commitment for him, he’s got his own team that he kind of wants to run. It’s hard when you dangle checkered flags in front of him, too. He so far has put a stop to such talk despite performing at the highest level of his long career.”

Hamlin, who wasn’t even sure he wanted to return to honor this two-year extension after losing the championship in last November’s season finale and then the December death of his father in a house fire, understands he’s performing at a high level.

But as far as continuing past 2027? It’s not yet on his radar despite how strong he’s been on the track.

“I would certainly say it’s the best we’ve been,” Hamlin said. “We come to the racetrack every week knowing we got a great shot to win. The team’s doing an amazing job giving me exactly what I need in the car every single week. That’s why we’re winning.”

Sunday’s win comes nearly 20 years to the date after his first career victory, which was at Pocono on June 11, 2006. He swept the races at the Pennsylvania track that year.

Hamlin said Pocono has become “like a second home for me.”

“First win here, so special here. Pocono has mastered the fan experience from the crowd in the stands to the infield here,” Hamlin said. “Just so happy for this whole Joe Gibbs Racing team. The pit crew is flawless right now. We got it all going.”

Despite 64 career victories, this marks the first time in his career that Hamlin has won three consecutive races.

The feat tied Richard Petty, who did it in 1966 and 1967, Bobby Allison in 1971 and Darrell Waltrip in 1981. Petty, Allison and Waltrip are all in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

He also took a jab at NASCAR, noting that it was technically his ninth victory at Pocono, but he was stripped of the victory in 2022 when NASCAR said he and Busch’s car’s failed post-race inspection.

“They aren’t getting that checkered flag back,” Hamlin said.

Tyler Reddick, who drives for the 23XI Racing team owned by Hamlin and Michael Jordan, finished second as Toyota took the top two spots. Hamlin is now 19 points behind Reddick in the Cup Series standings.

“Everyone is racing hard for track position. Some of it’s just bad luck, I guess, where you catch cars,” Reddick said. “It’s a bummer. I mean, if the 11 wasn’t the winner, you could consider this a good day. I know we finished second. Scoring the points we did just didn’t get the job done.”

When Hamlin tied Busch for all-time wins last week, Hamlin celebrated with a special tribute to Busch. On Sunday, he collected the checkered flag and skipped any tributes to Busch, who died unexpectedly of sepsis at age 41 last month.

Toyota drivers have won 10 of 16 races this season, and JGR has accounted for five of them.

William Byron finished third in a Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

“I think this is probably the first time in four months that I’ve been able to drive the car this way, just be able to make moves and have the balance stay with me,” Byron said.

Byron was followed by John Hunter Nemechek in fourth in a Toyota for Legacy Motor Club. Nemechek led 42 laps Sunday — double what he’s led the last two years.

Kyle Larson was fifth for Hendrick and Erik Jones was sixth for Legacy as Toyota drivers took four of the top six spots.
Bell fights through pain

Christopher Bell, driving with a broken wrist after a horrific wreck last weekend at Michigan that registered as the hardest hit in the era of NASCAR’s new car, led 18 late laps based on strategy but faded to a 26th-place finish.

“Certainly we were mired back in the 20s and so I think it was an amazing gamble,” Bell said. “The situation is so hard because you don’t know if you’re racing for the win, if you’re racing to finish the race, and so I don’t stop shifting until about 10 to go. Certainly adverse conditions, like whenever people make quick moves on restarts and get put three-wide or the car gets loose, things like that are very difficult.”

Bell expected his injured arm will be a hindrance the next two weeks as NASCAR races the street course in San Diego and the road course in Sonoma, California — two tracks where shifting is heavily used.
No rain

NASCAR moved the start of the race up two hours to avoid expected rain in the Pocono Mountain region that could alter the completion of the 400-mile race. By doing so, all inclement weather was avoided and the race was run without interruption.
Up next

NASCAR makes its inaugural visit to San Diego with a first-of-its-kind street race at Naval Base Coronado. The NASCAR San Diego weekend marks the first NASCAR event ever contested on an active military base, with races Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

San Diego will host just the second street course in NASCAR’s modern era. The Chicago street course hosted two national series each of the past three seasons. The race weekend will coincide with the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy.

Carolina’s Jordan Staal wins the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, oldest on record at age 37

LAS VEGAS (AP) – Rod Brind’Amour knows a thing or two about how Jordan Staal is feeling. Now the Carolina Hurricanes’ coach, Brind’Amour was their captain when they won the Stanley Cup two decades ago, and now Staal wears the “C.”

Before the final against Vegas started, Brind’Amour was clear about one thing.

“We’re not here today without Jordan Staal,” he said. “I can promise you that. We’re very lucky. And as a coach, you’re super fortunate to have a guy like that be your leader.”

Staal led the Hurricanes to the second championship in franchise history by being the two-way shutdown center and faceoff ace he has been his entire NHL career. By elevating his game and leading them in goals with six in the final against the Golden Knights in addition to all those things, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

At 37, Staal is the oldest player to win the honor.

“He’s always really good, but yeah, he’s stepped it up at such a pivotal time,” teammate Seth Jarvis said. “It’s incredible to watch, and it’s so much fun playing with him and being around him.”

Staal is the longest-tenured player in the organization. He joined in 2012 in a trade from Pittsburgh on his wedding day, and after winning the Cup with the Penguins in ’09, his first half-dozen years with the Hurricanes passed without a postseason appearance.

“I don’t want to say that the losing that he had to do for four, five years when he got here might have fueled him even more, but I think it did,” fellow veteran Jordan Martinook said. “The fact that he’s seen some pretty dark days here and then to be on the other side of it … he stuck through it the whole time.”

The past seven seasons, Staal and the Hurricanes made the playoffs but failed to reach the final. He became captain in the middle of that stretch in 2020, taking on a role once filled by Brind’Amour from 2005-10 and older brother Eric from 2010-16.

Staal took on the weight of those premature exits.

“Each scar, each moment just drives a hunger even deeper into you,” Staal said. “Being a part of this core and all the scars that we’ve gone through just brings that care factor for each other that we want it for each other that much more.”

Staal has never gotten the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward, but he has been a finalist and this run shows why. He won more than 56% of his faceoffs and is so valuable on draws that he begins power plays just to get the Hurricanes the puck.

Told of Brind’Amour’s comment that the team would not have gotten this far without him, Staal praised his coach and downplayed changing anything in his game. The two shared a long hug on the ice in the moments after the Game 6 win.

“I’m just being me,” Staal said. “I’m not really anyone different. But just my day-to-day presence is showing up and working. That’s all I’ve done since I got here in Carolina, and being consistent with that must have been enough.”

The offensive outburst against Vegas put Staal over the top for the Conn Smythe after it looked like Logan Stankoven and Taylor Hall were Carolina’s front-runners. He never scored 30 goals in a season, but his six in the final put him in the record books with the likes of Hall of Famers Mario Lemieux and Mike Bossy.

“I’m not really surprised,” Brind’Amour said. “You take the goals away, it’d be the same impact. It’s just added that extra element.”

Hurricanes blank Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6 and win the Stanley Cup

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes won their first Stanley Cup championship in 20 years on Sunday night, using a suffocating defense in Game 6 to shut down the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 and winning three straight games of a thrilling final filled with momentum swings and spectacular offense.

Brandon Bussi, who entrance late into Game 3 helped turn around the series for Carolina, recorded his first career playoff shutout in stopping 22 shots. Jackson Blake had a goal and assist, and Taylor Hall scored just 3:47 into the game to set the tone. Nikolaj Ehlers added an empty-net goal.

The Golden Knights, who made an unlikely run just to reach the final, struggled badly to muster any kind of offense in Game 6 and went 18:37 between shots on goal in the second and third periods. Playing in their third Cup final, this is the first time they have been shut out.

This clinching game was what many observers expected the series to be like between the defensive-minded teams, but each side watched leads of two-plus goals disappear in the first three games.

Now, the Cup belongs to the Hurricanes, led by coach Rod Brind’Amour, who also captained Carolina to its 2006 title.

This was the first game of the series that Vegas goalie Carter Hart didn’t allow four goals in a game. He finished with 20 saves.

The Hurricanes began to assume control of the series after falling behind by the score of 4-0 in Game 3. They came back force overtime, and though the Canes lost, they outplayed the Golden Knights from there on out.

Reflecting the do-or-die situation for the Golden Knights, they made several lineup changes, with Brett Howden replacing the injured William Karlsson at second-line center. Mitch Marner could have moved there, but remained at right wing.

Original Golden Knight Reilly Smith made his Cup final debut at third-line right wing, and Braeden Bowman made his playoff debut at fourth-line right wing. Kaedan Korczak replaced Dyland Coghlan on the third defensive pairing.

This title is a testament to Carolina’s resilience as a franchise that kept coming close to winning the Eastern Conference, but couldn’t quite get through until now.

Brind’Amour made sure the Hurricanes kept getting back up after losing in the conference final twice in the past three years and three times in their current eight-year playoff run. The talent was clearly there, but there was always a stumbling block.

Not anymore.

After dispatching Montreal in five games to make the final, the Brind’Amour-led Hurricanes then faced perennial power Vegas and took care of business there, too. Now, he will get his name on the Cup for the second time.

So will 37-year-old Jordan Staal, who also won the title in 2009 with Pittsburgh. He planted himself in front of Hart and dared the Golden Knights to knock him out of the way. Staal scored in each of the first five Cup final games, the first time that has happened.

The Hurricanes got off to a fast start with a goal just 25 seconds into Game 1, only to lose 5-4 on a late goal from Tomas Hertl. And the Golden Knights were on the verge of taking complete control as minutes ticked down in Game 2 while holding a 2-0 lead and appearing as if they would take a two-game advantage back home.

Then, it all changed. Carolina showed a fight that not only brought the Hurricanes back into the series by rallying to win 4-3 in overtime on Seth Jarvis’ one-timer, but would serve as their signature throughout the series.

That was especially true the following game when the Golden Knights took a 4-0 lead into the third period and the Canes seemed to have no answers. Brind’Amour even appeared to wave the white flag by removing goalie Frederik Andersen and replacing him with Bussi.

But the Hurricanes weren’t simply trying to get to Game 4. They sent a message, going on a remarkable rally to force overtime. Though Carolina lost, it was inflection point, with Bussi backstopping a team that was only growing stronger. Carolina then went on to win the next two games and moved within a victory of the championship.

The Hurricanes got it done against the Golden Knights team that was on a heater after John Tortorella replaced Bruce Cassidy with eight games left in the regular season. Vegas then went from third in the Pacific Division to first, knocked off Utah and Anaheim in six games apiece in the playoffs and shockingly swept Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado to win the West.

Now, the Golden Knights have some notable questions to ask, including at the top of the list whether to make Tortorella a full-time coach. He didn’t have any guarantees of coaching in Vegas beyond this season, but getting to the Cup final is a good argument to run it back.

Golden Knights management will make the final call on that, and they don’t always follow league norms.