North Carolina redistricting trial begins, with racial gerrymandering allegations the focus

North Carolina redistricting trial begins, with racial gerrymandering allegations the focus

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina congressional and legislative districts drawn by Republicans that helped them retain majorities in Raleigh and Washington are in court, as federal lawsuits accuse mapmakers of illegally eroding Black voting power in the process.

A three-judge panel convened Monday in Winston-Salem for a trial over allegations that GOP legislative leaders violated federal law and the U.S. Constitution when they enacted new electoral maps in the ninth-largest state in October 2023. Republican leaders counter that lawfully partisan — and not racial — considerations helped inform their decision-making.

The lines were used in the 2024 elections, after which Republicans kept General Assembly majorities and flipped three U.S. House seats held by Democratic incumbents who didn’t seek reelection because they decided the recast district made winning impossible. Those seat flips, which turned a 7-7 delegation into one with a 10-4 Republican advantage, helped the GOP keep narrow control of the House, which has helped advance President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Favorable rulings for the plaintiffs could force Republicans to redraw maps for the 2026 elections, making it harder to retain their partisan advantage. Otherwise, the districts could be used through the 2030 elections.

Who is suing and what they allege

The trial involves two lawsuits filed in late 2023.

In one lawsuit, the North Carolina NAACP, Common Cause and several Black residents originally sued over redrawn state House and Senate maps and U.S. House districts. The other lawsuit filed by nearly 20 Black and Latino voters focused on the new congressional districts, four of which they argue are illegal racial gerrymanders.

Pretrial rulings this spring and amended litigation dismissed challenges to the state House map and narrowed state Senate arguments to a handful of districts.

Still, both lawsuits claim that lines are so skewed for GOP candidates that many Black voters cannot elect their preferred candidates, violating the Voting Rights Act. They allege the mapmakers at times submerged or spread out Black voting blocs, which historically have favored Democrats, into surrounding districts with white majorities — benefiting Republicans.

They point to the Piedmont Triad region where the cities of Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem are located. They said Republicans split the region’s concentrated Black voting population within multiple U.S. House districts. Then-Rep. Kathy Manning, a Greensboro Democrat, decided not to run again because her district shifted to the right.

“This was an effort to spread those voters across districts,” said Jonathan Rodden, a Stanford University redistricting expert who testified Monday for some plaintiffs about congressional boundaries. Rodden said the results were less-compact districts that make it harder for voters within them to act collectively toward a common policy goal.

The plaintiffs also allege GOP lawmakers unlawfully packed Black voting-age residents into a Charlotte-area congressional district.

Republicans: Redistricting considered politics, not race

The trial’s lawyers agreed not to give opening statements Monday. But in a pretrial brief, lawyers for Republican leaders said the lawmakers used mapmaking rules that prohibited using data identifying the race of voters, in keeping with rulings on previous North Carolina redistricting maps in which judges chided them for emphasizing race.

Instead, Republicans were able to lawfully use partisan data — like statewide election results — in drawing the new maps, the lawyers said. They cite a 2019 U.S. Supreme Court decision and an April 2023 state Supreme Court decision that neutered legal claims of illegal partisan gerrymandering.

“The General Assembly has striven to end racial politics through race-blind redistricting,” wrote Katherine McKnight and Phil Strach, two lawyers for the GOP legislators, adding that a Voting Rights Act violation “would only return the State to the race-based redistricting it has sought to end.”

Rodden testified Monday the “racial sorting” of voters within challenged congressional districts that he examined can’t be attributed fully to politics alone. On cross-examination, Rodden acknowledged that he didn’t know all of the partisan factors that GOP lawmakers considered in 2023.

Who is hearing the case, and when will there be a ruling

The three judges were all nominated to the bench by Republican presidents: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Allison Rushing (Donald Trump) and District Judges Thomas Schroeder (George W. Bush) and Richard Myers (Trump).

The panel has set aside several days for a trial that won’t end until July 9. Other likely witnesses include individual plaintiffs, state legislators, historians and more mapping experts. No immediate decision is expected — the legal sides have until early August to file additional briefs.

The court’s ruling can be appealed. With candidate filing for the 2026 election starting Dec. 1, any required remapping would have to be completed by late fall to avoid election disruptions.

Redistricting history

North Carolina has a long history of redistricting litigation in federal courts.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in landmark cases in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s involving racial bias and the extent to which racial considerations could be used in forming districts that favored the election of Black candidates. The court’s 2019 decision on partisan gerrymandering stemmed from a North Carolina case.

The current maps were drawn after the state Supreme Court, with a Republican seat majority, essentially struck down rulings the court made in 2022 when it had a Democratic majority.

Two other lawsuits challenging the 2023 district boundaries are pending.

Statewide races in North Carolina are close, and Democrats have held the governor’s mansion for most of the past 30 years. But Republicans have controlled the General Assembly — and thus redistricting — since 2011. Redistricting maps can’t be blocked by a governor’s veto.

Honey Do Service at Home Depot in Cary

Honey Do Service at Home Depot in Cary

Join KIX 102 FM along with the Honey Do Service on Thursday at Home Depot in Cary! Come out to meet the Honey Do Service team and find out what they can do for you. The Honey Do Service is your trusted, local, one-call-does-it-all home repair and improvement team, offering free estimates and a fixed-cost proposal for all your projects. KIX 102 FM and the Honey Do Service will be at Home Depot in Cary at 2031 Walnut St. on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with your chance to win lots of stuff, including a shop vac, free gutter cleaning, and free home inspection. Plus, enter to win tickets to see Bryan Adams and Pat Benatar in Raleigh!

Star Spangled Block Party

Star Spangled Block Party

It’s a July 4th tradition with Brier Creek Commons and KIX 102 FM, The Annual Star Spangled Block Party and Fireworks at Brier Creek Commons! The fun starts at 8 p.m. at the Clock Tower. Join us for an evening full of excitement, starting with high-energy tunes from DJ McNally, awesome giveaways (while they last!), and a jaw-dropping performance by the Raleigh Rockers. Then, as night falls, grab your spot for the BIGGEST fireworks show in the area, synced to music on KIX 102 FM for the ultimate Independence Day soundtrack. Don’t forget your chairs (B.Y.O.C.) and settle in for an unforgettable night under the stars. This is the celebration your whole crew won’t want to miss. Family, friends, neighbors… everyone’s invited! Visit shopbriercreekcommons.com for info, and for live updates during the show, find us on Facebook. No coolers, sparkers or snappers allowed; lawn chairs welcome.

The Trump family’s next venture, a mobile phone company

The Trump family’s next venture, a mobile phone company

By BERNARD CONDON AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump family is licensing its name to a new mobile phone service, the latest in a string of ventures announced while Donald Trump is in the White House despite ethical concerns that the U.S. president could mold public policy for personal gain.

Eric Trump, the president’s son running The Trump Organization in his absence, announced a new venture Monday called Trump Mobile. The plan is to sell phones that will be built in the U.S., and the phone service will maintain a call center in the country as well.

The announcement of the new mobile phone and service, called T1 Mobile, follows several real estate deals for towers and resorts in the Middle East, including a golf development in Qatar announced in April. A $1.5 billion partnership to build golf courses, hotels and real estate projects in Vietnam was approved last month, though the deal was in the works before Trump was elected.

Even oversight of such a company, with the Trump name attached, raises ethical concerns.

Trump has already used the federal government to reward his allies and punish his enemies. The Federal Communications Commission, the primary regulatory body overseeing mobile phone companies, has already launched investigations of media outlets Trump dislikes and, in some cases, is personally suing.

Eric Trump said Monday that consumers deserve a phone that aligns with their values.

“Hard-working Americans deserve a wireless service that’s affordable, reflects their values, and delivers reliable quality they can count on,” he said in a statement.

The company would also enter a highly competitive market that includes companies that have been directly attacked by Donald Trump.

The president criticized Apple last month because it planned to make most of its U.S. iPhones in India, and threatened to slap a 25% tariff on the devices unless the tech giant starts building the phones domestically.

The Trump phone deal comes as a mandatory financial disclosure report just filed with the government shows the president has moved fast in the last year to profit off his celebrity, taking in $3 million in revenue from selling “Save America” coffee table books, $2.8 million from Trump watches and $2.5 million from Trump branded sneakers and fragrances.

The Trump Organization on Monday said the new, gold-colored phone available for $499 in August, called the T1 Phone, won’t be designed or made by Trump Mobile, but by another company.

The Trump Organization did not respond immediately to a request for more details.

In the first term, Trump was blasted by conservative and liberal government ethics experts alike for opening his Washington hotel to lobbyists and diplomats and violating his company’s pledge to avoid even the appearance of a conflict between his private profit and the public interest.

The company is feeling more emboldened now in the second term.

The mobile service is partnering with existing cellular carriers with access to a 5G network, raising questions of how they will be treated by federal regulators now that they have partnered with his company. The Trump Organization said those companies are America’s three biggest mobile network providers, an apparent reference to Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, the latter with a trademarked name that is very similar to Trump’s T1 Mobile.

The name given to the monthly service offer, The 47 Plan, and the monthly fee of $47.45 make reference to Trump’s two terms, the 45th and the 47th. The service will include unlimited calls, texts and data and free roadside assistance and telehealth services.

A mock-up of the planned phone on the company’s website shows Trump’s slogan “Make America Great” on the front and an etched American flag on the back.

By sticking to licensing, the Trump family is limiting its risk. Still, the new service faces big challenges if it hopes to sell beyond the president’s loyal MAGA fans.

The Trump company tried to tap into support among the middle class in the first term with two mid-priced hotel chains. Called American Idea and Scion, and unveiled like the phone service Monday under a giant U.S. flag in the Trump Tower atrium, they flopped.

Despite taking in millions of dollars each year in various licensing deals and a string of new ventures, the Trump brand has taken a series of hits to its brand over the years.

During his first term, the Trump name was stripped off residential buildings and hotels in Toronto, Panama and Manhattan.

The Trump International Hotel in Washington, since sold, lost money even though the family opened its doors to businesses and governments trying to shape U.S. policy.

The average condo in 11 Trump-branded residential towers around the country underperformed the broader market during and immediately after Trump’s first term. More recently, the value of Trump condos in New York City fell in the past two years as similar properties rise in value, according to brokerage CityRealty.

The Trump Organization has had more success with some ventures launched in the first few months of his second term.

Trump Media & Technology Group, a Florida company that operates the Truth Social media platform, filed plans with security regulators Monday to launch an exchange-traded fund tied to the prices of two popular cryptocurrencies.

The ETF is part of the Trump family’s rapidly growing crypto empire, which includes a new stablecoin and launching and promoting memecoins.

The president’s most recent financial disclosure report reveals he made more than $57 million last year from World Liberty Financial, a crypto company he and his sons helped launch in September.

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AP Business Writer Alan Suderman contributed to this story.

The Latest: Trump attends G7 summit amid his trade war with US allies

The Latest: Trump attends G7 summit amid his trade war with US allies

By The Associated Press

President Donald Trump has arrived for the G7, or Group of Seven, summit in Canada, a country he’s suggested should be annexed, as he wages a trade war with America’s longstanding allies.

If there’s a shared mission at this year’s G7 summit, which begins Monday in the Rocky Mountains, it’s a desire to minimize any fireworks at a moment of combustible tensions.

Here’s the latest:

European G7 leaders held an informal meeting about Middle East

The four European G7 leaders held an informal meeting over glasses of Canadian wine on the eve of the summit Sunday night, without President Donald Trump, who had yet to arrive at the venue in the Canadian Rockies.

It started when British Prime Minister Keir Starmer bumped into German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in a restaurant-bar area of the venue in the resort of Kananaskis. French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni dropped by and it became an hourlong informal meeting during which the conflict between Israel and Iran was discussed.

Efforts to de-escalate that conflict are a main focus of the two-day summit that officially started Monday.

Trump sports US-Canada lapel pin that wasn’t a gift from G7 host

Emily Williams, a spokesperson for Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the G7 host, said the lapel pin “was not provided in any welcome gift from us.”

“That’s all him,” Williams said, meaning Trump.

The lapel pin features the flags of the United States and Canada. Lapel pins featuring the American flag and the host country’s flag are often worn by members of the U.S. delegation when the president is traveling abroad.

Trump is also wearing a separate American flag lapel pin.

Anti-domestic violence coalitions sue over anti-DEI requirements to get federal money

Seventeen statewide anti-domestic coalitions against domestic and sexual violence are suing President Donald Trump’s administration over requirements in grant applications that they don’t promote “gender ideology” or run diversity, equity and inclusion programs or prioritize people in the country illegally.

In the filing made in Rhode Island on Monday, the groups say the requirements put them in “an impossible position.”

If they don’t apply for federal money allocated under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, they might not be able to provide rape crisis centers, battered women’s shelters and other programs to support victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

But if the groups do apply, they said they would have to make statements they called “antithetical to their core values” — and take on legal risk.

Canadian prime minister formally opens G7 summit at ‘turning point in history’

Canada’s leader, Mark Carney, has formally opened the Group of Seven summit by telling fellow leaders they’re meeting at “one of those turning points in history.”

Carney said the world is “more divided and dangerous” than during past summits and other “hinge moments,” citing G7 gatherings after the fall of the Berlin Wall or the 9/11 terrorist attack on the United States.

With the leaders of the U.S., Germany, France, Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy seated before him, Carney said, “the world looks to this table for leadership.”

He predicted they’d have “frank discussions” over the two-day summit and not always agree, but he said that where they do agree it will make a difference for their citizens.

G7 leaders take part in welcoming ceremony

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the host of this year’s leaders meeting, has greeted the leaders at an official welcome ceremony in front of a picturesque pine tree backdrop.

Carney and his wife, Diana Fox Carney, engaged each of the leaders in small talk before posing for photos.

Trump told Carney the setting he chose was “beautiful.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during his turn asked Carney about how his one-on-one with Trump went. The prime minister responded, “fantastic.”

Canadian tribal leader says he was ‘filled with rage’ while speaking with Trump

A Canadian tribal leader tasked with greeting world heads of state arriving for G7 says he considered leaving before Donald Trump arrived, appalled by the U.S. president’s having “caused much pain and suffering in the world.”

Instead, Steven Crowchild, said he prayed to his creator, consulted with his people’s leadership and opted to stay on the tarmac in Calgary, where he spoke at length on Sunday with Trump.

“It was really intense to say the least,” Crowchild told The Associated Press on Monday.

Crowchild wore feathered headgear, spoke in his traditional language and showed Trump tribal medals that he told the president were older than the nation of Canada.

Trump wore a white “Make America Great Again” cap.

“I almost didn’t stay. I was filled with rage,” Crowchild said, adding that he decided to remain “considering that visibility is key and diplomacy is important and there was no indigenous representation there at the time.”

US Air Force moves refueling tanker aircraft to Middle East in response to tensions, strikes

The U.S. is moving tanker aircraft to the Middle East to provide President Donald Trump additional options to defend U.S. bases and personnel in the region in wake of the ongoing ballistic missile attacks by Iran and Israel’s continued air operations against Tehran, two U.S. officials told the Associated Press.

The refueling tankers are vital to supporting any major U.S. air operation, whether it would be evacuations or a potential strike by U.S. fighter jets.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details not announced publicly.

Trump says of immigration crackdown, ‘I want to focus on the cities’

He was talking about his pledge to launch an immigration crackdown targeting Democrat-run areas.

“That’s where the people are,” Trump said in remarks with Canada’s prime minister.

On Sunday night, Trump directed federal officials to prioritize deportations from Democratic-run cities.

Trump on Monday singled out New York and Chicago while pointing to demonstrations in Los Angeles against his administration policies and adding many of “those people weren’t from LA, they we’re from California.”

He blamed Biden administration policies for allowing large numbers of people to cross into the U.S. illegally and said “most of those people are in cities — all blue cities, all Democrat-run cities.”

Trump again claimed non-citizens might be able to vote in U.S. elections, something that’s already illegal, vowing, “It’s not going to happen.”

Trump says he’s focusing on trade at G7 summit

Trump said a trade deal between the US and Canada is achievable, but he and Prime Minister Mark Carney approach it differently.

Trump said, “I have a tariff concept” because “I am a tariff person.”

He said Carney has a “more complex idea but very good.”

Trump demurs on US involvement in Iran

The U.S. president declined to answer what it would take for U.S. to be directly involved in the growing conflict between Israel and Iran, saying he didn’t want to talk about the issue.

Instead, he continued to press Iran on negotiations on its nuclear program.

“They should talk, and they should talk immediately,” Trump said during a bilateral meeting with Carney, the Canadian prime minister.

Trump added: “I’d say Iran is not winning this war.”

Trump complains once again about throwing Russia out of what was once the G-8

Russia was once included in the exclusive club of major economies but was kicked out following its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

“The G7 used to be the G8. Barack Obama and a person named Trudeau didn’t want to have Russia in,” Trump said referring to former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “And I would say that was a mistake, because I think you wouldn’t have a war right now if you had Russia in and you wouldn’t have a war right now if Trump were president four years ago.”

Carney says G7 is ‘nothing’ without U.S. leadership

Carney offered opening remarks by wishing Trump “happy birthday” while noting he was “a few days short” since Trump turned 79 over the weekend.

“I didn’t have chance to see you on the day,” Carney said. He also noted that the G7 “is nothing without U.S. leadership” and also told Trump, “Thank you for your personal leadership.”

Trump to have ‘pull aside’ meeting with Germany’s Merz on sidelines of G7

The U.S. president is expected to meet briefly today with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, according to U.S. officials who requested anonymity to discuss the scheduling plans that haven’t been announced by the White House.

Trump is currently holding talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and the two will also hold a formal meeting alongside their aides.

The president is also expected to have a brief meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer later Monday.

— Aamer Madhani

Trump begins summit by meeting with Canada’s prime minister

Trump has kicked off the G7 summit by meeting with Canada’s prime minister.

A White House aide posted a picture of the president and Canada’s Carney seated and talking without media present as the summit kicked off in the Canadian Rockies.

In an unusual twist, the picture showed Trump seated in a chair in front of the Canadian flag, while Carney was seated in front of a U.S. flag.

Trump ready to meet with Canadian prime minister

President Trump is set to kick off his time at the Group of Seven summit in the Canadian Rockies with talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Trump has repeatedly said he wants to make Canada the 51st state.

The two met last month in the Oval Office for the first time since Carney’s election victory. Carney made clear Canada “is not for sale” after Trump called the border between the U.S. and Canada “artificial.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer due to talk trade with Trump at G7

Starmer says he’ll hold a one-on-one meeting with President Trump on Monday about finalizing the U.K.-U.S. trade deal agreed by the two leaders last month.

Starmer said he’ll meet Trump on the margins of a G7 summit in Canada, “and I’m going to discuss with him our trade deal.”

The British leader said the agreement is “in the final stages now of implementation, and I expect that to be completed very soon.”

The deal agreed in May would slash import taxes on British cars, steel and aluminum in return for greater access to the British market for U.S. products including beef and ethanol. But it has yet to take effect, leaving British businesses uncertain about whether the U.K. could be exposed to any surprise hikes from Trump.

Wisconsin dairy farmer sues Trump administration claiming discrimination against white farmers

The federal lawsuit filed Monday claims the administration is illegally denying financial assistance to white farmers by continuing programs that favor minorities.

The conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed the lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture in federal court in Wisconsin on behalf of a white dairy farmer, Adam Faust.

Faust was among several farmers who successfully sued the Biden administration in 2021 for race discrimination in the USDA’s Farmer Loan Forgiveness Plan.

The new lawsuit alleges the government has continued to implement diversity, equity and inclusion programs that were instituted under former President Joe Biden. The Wisconsin Institute wrote to the USDA in April warning of legal action, and six Republican Wisconsin congressmen called on the USDA to investigate and end the programs.

▶ Read more about the lawsuit against the administration

The Trump family’s next venture, a mobile phone company

The Trump family says it’s licensing its name to a new mobile phone service, the latest in a string of ventures that have been announced while Trump is in the White House despite ethical concerns that the U.S. president could mold public policy for personal gain.

Eric Trump, one of President Trump’s sons running The Trump Organization, says the new venture called, Trump Mobile, will sell phones that will be built in the U.S., and the phone service will maintain a call center in the country as well.

The announcement of the new mobile phone and service, called T1 Mobile, follows several real estate deals for towers and resorts in the Middle East, including a golf development in Qatar announced in April.

▶ Read more about the Trump family’s mobile phone company

Sen. Kaine says he’ll force a vote to give Congress more of a say over military force against Iran

Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is filing a resolution that would require that Congress authorize a declaration of war or any specific use of military force against Iran. Congress passed a similar resolution in 2020 during Trump’s first term.

“It is not in our national security interest to get into a war with Iran unless that war is absolutely necessary to defend the United States. I am deeply concerned that the recent escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran could quickly pull the United States into another endless conflict,” Kaine said.

The resolution requires that any hostilities with Iran must be explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force, but would not prevent the United States from defending itself from imminent attack.

Who’s attending the G7 summit?

The Group of Seven comprises Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan, Germany and Britain. Leaders of each nation will be in attendance.

The European Union also attends, as well as other heads of state who are not part of the G7 but have been invited by Carney. These include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who is expected to have her first in-person meeting with Trump, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, was invited but will not attend.

▶ Read more about the G7 summit

ICE is using no-bid contracts, boosting big firms, to get more detention beds

Leavenworth, Kansas, occupies a mythic space in American crime, its name alone evoking a short hand for serving hard time. The federal penitentiary housed gangsters Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly — in a building so storied that it inspired the term “the big house.”

Now Kansas’ oldest city could soon be detaining far less famous people, migrants swept up in President Trump’s promise of mass deportations of those living in the U.S. illegally.

The federal government has signed a deal with the private prison firm CoreCivic Corp. to reopen a 1,033-bed prison in Leavenworth as part of a surge of contracts U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued without seeking competitive bids.

ICE has cited a “compelling urgency” for thousands more detention beds, and its efforts have sent profit estimates soaring for politically connected private companies, including CoreCivic, based in the Nashville, Tennessee, area and another giant firm, The Geo Group Inc., headquartered in southern Florida.

▶ Read more about new immigration detention centers

Trump’s schedule Monday, according to the White House

Trump is expected to have a busy schedule on the first day of the G7 conference.

9 a.m. — Trump participates in a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney

10 a.m. — Trump will attend the event’s official welcome

10:30 a.m. — Session one

12:30 p.m. — Session two

2:45 p.m. — Session three

5:45 p.m. — Time for a group photo

6:15 p.m. — Session four

9 p.m. — Trump will attend a “cultural event”

Israel strikes state-run Iranian TV during live broadcast after Iranian missiles kill 8 in Israel

Israel strikes state-run Iranian TV during live broadcast after Iranian missiles kill 8 in Israel

By AMI BENTOV and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel struck Iran’s state-run television station Monday during a live broadcast, forcing a reporter to run off camera following an explosion, after Iran fired a new wave of missiles at Israel that killed at least eight people.

In other developments, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli strikes have set Iran’s nuclear program back a “very, very long time.” He added that Israel is not attempting to topple the Iranian government, but said he would not be surprised if that happened as a result of the strikes.

“The regime is very weak,” Netanyahu told a news conference. He added that he is in daily touch with U.S. President Donald Trump. As he spoke, large numbers of explosions were heard in Tehran.

Israel warned hundreds of thousands of people in the middle of Tehran to evacuate ahead of the strike against the TV station, which the military said provided a cover for Iranian military operations.

The warning came on the fourth day of the conflict, when the Israeli military claimed it had achieved air superiority above the Iranian capital and could fly over the city without facing major threats.

The warning affected up to 330,000 people in a part of central Tehran that includes the country’s state TV and police headquarters. The military has issued similar evacuation warnings for civilians in parts of Gaza and Lebanon ahead of strikes.

Iran’s state-run news agency reported that state-run television abruptly stopped a live broadcast after the Israeli strike.

During the broadcast, an Iranian state television reporter said the studio was filling with dust after “the sound of aggression against the homeland.” Suddenly, an explosion occurred, cutting the screen behind her as she hurried off camera. The broadcast quickly switched to prerecorded programs.

“At this time, we can say that we have achieved full aerial superiority over Tehran’s skies,” Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said on Monday. The military said it had destroyed more than 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers in central Iran, a third of Iran’s total, as well as two F-14 planes that Iran used to target Israeli aircraft and multiple launchers just before they launched ballistic missiles towards Israel.

Israeli military officials also said fighter jets had struck 10 command centers in Tehran belonging to Iran’s Quds Force, an elite arm of its Revolutionary Guard that conducts military and intelligence operations outside Iran.

The Israeli strikes “amount to a deep and comprehensive blow to the Iranian threat,” Defrin said.

Iran, meanwhile, announced it had launched some 100 missiles and vowed further retaliation for sweeping attacks on its military and nuclear infrastructure that have killed at least 224 people in the country since Friday.

So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel and more than 500 injured, Israeli officials said, after Iran launched more than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones.

One missile fell near the American consulate in Tel Aviv, with its blast waves causing minor damage, U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee said on X. He added that no American personnel were injured.

The latest conflict began when Israel launched an assault on Iran’s top military leaders, uranium enrichment sites and nuclear scientists that it said was necessary to prevent its longtime adversary from getting any closer to building an atomic weapon.

Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful, and the U.S. and others have assessed that Tehran has not pursued a nuclear weapon since 2003. But the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned that the country has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs if it chooses to do so.

Iran has retaliated by firing waves of ballistic missiles at Israel. The back-and-forth has raised concerns about all-out war between the countries and propelled the region, already on edge, into even greater upheaval.

Explosions rock Tel Aviv, Petah Tikva, and Haifa oil refinery

Powerful explosions rocked Tel Aviv shortly before dawn Monday, sending plumes of black smoke into the sky over the coastal city.

Authorities in the central Israeli city of Petah Tikva said Iranian missiles hit a residential building there, charring concrete walls, shattering windows and ripping the walls off multiple apartments.

Iranian missiles also hit an oil refinery in the northern city of Haifa for the second night in a row. The early morning strike killed three workers, ignited a significant fire and damaged a building, Israel’s fire and rescue services said. The workers were sheltering in the building’s safe room when the impact caused a stairwell to collapse, trapping them inside.

Firefighters rushed to extinguish the fire and rescue them, but the three died before rescuers could reach them.

The Israeli Magen David Adom emergency service also reported that five people were killed in the strikes in central Israel.

Petah Tikva resident Yoram Suki rushed with his family to a shelter after hearing an air raid alert, and emerged after it was over to find his apartment destroyed.

Despite losing his home, he urged Netanyahu to keep up the attacks on Iran.

“It’s totally worth it,” the 60-year-old said. “This is for the sake of our children and grandchildren.”

In addition to those killed, the emergency service said paramedics evacuated another 87 wounded people to hospitals, while rescuers were still searching for residents trapped beneath the rubble of their homes.

“When we arrived at the scene of the rocket strike, we saw massive destruction,” said Dr. Gal Rosen, a paramedic with the service who said he rescued a 4-day-old baby as fires blazed from the building.

No sign of conflict letting up

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, appeared to make a veiled outreach Monday for the U.S. to step in and negotiate an end to hostilities between Israel and Iran.

In a post on X, Araghchi wrote that if Trump is “genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential.”

“It takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like Netanyahu,” Iran’s top diplomat wrote. “That may pave the way for a return to diplomacy.”

The message to Washington was sent as the latest talks between the U.S. and Iran were canceled over the weekend after Israel targeted key military and political officials in Tehran.

On Sunday, Araghchi said that Iran will stop its strikes if Israel does the same. But after a day of intensive Israeli aerial attacks that extended targets beyond military installations to hit oil refineries and government buildings, the Revolutionary Guard struck a hard line on Monday, vowing that further rounds of strikes would be “more forceful, severe, precise and destructive than previous ones.”

Health authorities also reported that 1,277 people were wounded in Iran. Iranians also reported fuel rationing.

Rights groups such as the Washington-based Iranian advocacy group Human Rights Activists have suggested that the Iranian government’s death toll is a significant undercount. The group says it has documented more than 400 people killed, among them 197 civilians.

Ahead of Israel’s initial attack, its Mossad spy agency positioned explosive drones and precision weapons inside Iran. Since then, Iran has reportedly detained several people and hanged one on suspicion of espionage.

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Amir Vahdat and Nasser Karimi contributed from Tehran, Iran. Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv and Isaac Scharf and Julia Frankel in Jerusalem, Isabel DeBre in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Farnoush Amiri in New York and David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Vanilla Pudding

Vanilla Pudding

Vanilla Pudding

Photo by Getty Images

Vanilla Pudding Recipe from AllRecipes

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serving size: 5 servings

Ingredients

  • Milk: This recipe starts with two cups of milk heated on the stove. 
  • Sugar: Sweeten the pudding with ½ cup of white sugar. 
  • Cornstarch: Three tablespoons of cornstarch thickens the vanilla pudding.
  • Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the flavor, but it won’t make the pudding taste salty.
  • Vanilla: Of course, you’ll need vanilla extract!
  • Butter: A tablespoon of butter takes the rich vanilla pudding up a notch. 

Directions

  1. Heat the milk until bubbles form at the edges. 
  2. Mix the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a small bowl.
  3. Add the sugar mixture to the milk, a little at a time, stirring until thick.
  4. Remove the pudding from the heat, then stir in the butter and vanilla.
J.J. Spaun overcomes five early bogeys to win the U.S. Open at rain-soaked Oakmont

J.J. Spaun overcomes five early bogeys to win the U.S. Open at rain-soaked Oakmont

OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — J.J. Spaun turned a miserable day into an unforgettable finish in the U.S. Open. It was wet and nasty at Oakmont. Five players were tied for the lead with an hour to go. Spaun delivered two shots now part of U.S Open lore. He hit driver onto the green at the par-4 17th to set up birdie and the lead. Needing two putts from 65 feet for the win, Spaun made the longest putt all week at Oakmont for a birdie-birdie finish and a 72. He won by two shots over Robert MacIntyre. He was the only player under par.

Justice Department’s early moves on voting and elections signal a shift from its traditional role

Justice Department’s early moves on voting and elections signal a shift from its traditional role

ATLANTA (AP) — In North Carolina, it was a lawsuit over the state’s voter registration records. In Arizona and Wisconsin, it was a letter to state election officials warning of potential administrative violations. And in Colorado, it was a demand for election records going back to 2020.

Those actions in recent weeks by the U.S. Department of Justice’s voting section may seem focused on the technical machinery of how elections are run but signal deeper changes when combined with the departures of career attorneys and decisions to drop various voting rights cases.

They represent a shift away from the division’s traditional role of protecting access to the ballot box. Instead, the actions address concerns that have been raised by a host of conservative activists following years of false claims surrounding elections in the U.S. Some voting rights and election experts also note that by targeting certain states — presidential battlegrounds or those controlled by Democrats — the moves could be foreshadowing an expanded role for the department in future elections.

David Becker, a former department attorney who worked on voting rights cases and now leads the Center for Election Innovation & Research, said the Justice Department’s moves represent a departure from focusing on major violations of federal law.

“This would be like the police department prioritizing jaywalking over murder investigations,” he said.

A Justice Department spokesperson responded with “no comment” to an emailed request for more information about the actions, including whether similar ones had been taken in any other states.

Actions come amid major changes at the DOJ

Conservatives for years have called for an overhaul at the Justice Department in both personnel and priorities. President Donald Trump also has criticized how elections are run, falsely blaming his 2020 loss on widespread fraud. Earlier this year, he signed an executive order seeking a sweeping overhaul of election operations — an authority the Constitution grants to the states and Congress.

After his win last November, Trump installed key allies at the Justice Department, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has made similar claims about the 2020 election. Multiple reviews in the presidential battleground states affirmed Democrat Joe Biden’s win in 2020, Trump and his allies lost dozens of lawsuits, and even Trump’s attorney general at the time said there was no evidence of widespread fraud.

Justin Levitt, a former deputy assistant attorney general in the department’s civil rights division, said most of the DOJ’s actions appeared reasonable and focused on issues that had already been raised by conservative activists in those states. They also are the type that would be expected from a conservative administration, he said, with the exception of the Colorado request. He called that “well out of bounds.”

“This administration has prioritized grievance, even perceived grievance when there is no basis in fact,” said Levitt, who also served as a senior policy adviser in the Biden administration. “And it’s dismaying, but not surprising, that the civil rights division would do the same.”

Department wants records related to the 2020 election

The department’s request to Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, asked for all records relating to last year’s presidential election. Federal law requires those to be kept for 22 months.

In the request, the department stated it had received a complaint alleging that Griswold’s office was not in compliance with federal law relating to voter registration. The request also directs Griswold to preserve any records of the 2020 election that might still be in the state’s possession.

Griswold, in an interview, called the request a “fishing expedition” and said her office responded by providing state voting files.

“I’m not even sure they know what they are looking for,” Griswold said. “They can request all the data they want, and it’s not going to prove anything.”

North Carolina elections have been a particular target for Republicans

In North Carolina, where Republican lawmakers recently wrested control of the state election board from the Democratic governor, Justice Department lawyers filed a lawsuit accusing state election officials of failing to ensure that all voter records include identifying information, such as a driver’s license.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who oversees the civil rights division, said in a statement announcing the lawsuit that accurate voter rolls are critical to ensuring elections are conducted “fairly, accurately, and without fraud.”

The previous board had acknowledged the issue and updated the state’s voter registration form. The new board leadership has vowed to address it.

Skeptical of the motives

In Wisconsin, which Trump won in 2016 and 2024 but lost in 2020, department lawyers recently sent a letter to the state election commission accusing it of not providing a complaint process for those raising concerns.

This comes as Republican state lawmakers are pushing legislation to expand the ability to appeal decisions made by the six-member commission, which is equally divided between Republicans and Democrats. Republican lawmakers have long complained about commission decisions they perceive as benefiting Democrats.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, a law firm that frequently defends Republicans on election issues, supports both efforts, said Lucas Vebber, the firm’s deputy counsel.

“It’s ensuring that Wisconsinites are entitled to have their complaints heard and adjudicated,” he said. “As something as important as our elections, it’s vital to ensure that process is transparent and available to everyone.”

Rep. Lee Snodgrass, a Democrat on the Wisconsin Legislature’s elections committee, said state law needs some tightening around how election complaints are handled, but she’s dubious about the motives of the Trump administration and conservative activists in the state.

They are looking for ways “to cast doubt on election integrity, so if they don’t get the results they want they can cry foul,” Snodgrass said.

Concerns about future actions

In Arizona, DOJ lawyers said the state was not clearly telling voter registration applicants to provide a driver’s license if they have one and asked the state to conduct a review to identify any noncitizens.

Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat, responded by saying Arizona requires those registering to vote in state and local elections to provide proof of citizenship and conducts checks using the state’s motor vehicle records.

In Oregon, Justice Department lawyers weighed in on an ongoing lawsuit filed by the conservative group Judicial Watch. It alleges the state has failed to comply with federal laws on maintaining voter lists and making these records available for public inspection.

John Powers, a former Justice Department attorney who now serves as legal director for the Advancement Project, said he was concerned about the moves coupled with the Justice Department’s staff departures and its withdrawal from voting rights cases.

Powers said he hoped, with midterm elections next year, that the department would not pursue minor technical issues in a way that could undermine public confidence in elections.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned about what the future might hold,” he said.

___

Bauer reported from Madison, Wisconsin.

Crêpes Suzette

Crêpes Suzette

Crêpes Suzette

Photo by Getty Images

Crêpes Suzette Recipe from Immaculate Bites

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Serving size: 6 servings

Ingredients

Crêpes

  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar 
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/3 cup cold water
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus more for skillet

Orange-Butter Sauce

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (4 ounces), softened
  • 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided 
  • 1/2 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
  • 1/3 cup fresh orange juice (from about 2 medium oranges)
  • 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier or Cointreau)
  • 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) Cognac

Directions

  1. Make the crêpes: Whisk together eggs, flour, milk, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl until smooth; batter will be thick. Whisk in water, oil, and melted butter until well combined.
  2. Heat a 10-inch crêpe pan or nonstick skillet over medium-high and brush with butter. Add 3 tablespoons batter and quickly tilt skillet to evenly distribute batter. Cook until the edges of the crêpe curl up and start to brown, about 45 seconds.
  3. Flip the crêpe using a long spatula; cook until a few brown spots appear on the bottom, 10 to 15 seconds. Transfer the crêpe to a baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining batter to make about nine more crêpes, wiping skillet clean and lightly buttering skillet a few times as necessary between crêpes.
  4. Make the orange-butter sauce: Process butter, 1/3 cup sugar, and orange zest in a food processor. With processor running, gradually add orange juice until incorporated.
  5. Spoon butter mixture into a 12-inch flameproof skillet; cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is syrupy, about 3 minutes.
  6. Reduce heat to low. Working with 1 crêpe at a time, dip both sides of crêpe in sauce using 2 forks or silicone spatulas; fold into fourths with prettiest side facing outward. Lift and let excess sauce drip off; transfer folded crêpe to a baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining crêpes, scraping down sides of skillet as needed. 
  7. Transfer folded crêpes back to skillet, overlapping slightly as needed to fit all 10 crêpes in skillet; scrape any excess sauce on baking sheet back into skillet. Sprinkle crêpes with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
  8. Increase heat to medium. Add Grand Marnier and cognac; carefully ignite sauce using a long-handled lighter. Carefully spoon flaming sauce over crêpes using a long-handled, heatproof spoon until flames subside, about 30 seconds. Transfer crêpes to a platter; spoon any extra sauce over top. Serve immediately.

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