SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk has had the guaranteed money in his contract for next season voided after failing to participate in meetings and other team activities.
A person familiar with the move confirmed that the team earlier this year voided the more than $26 million that Aiyuk was supposed to be guaranteed in 2026 under the four-year, $120 million extension he signed last year. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team made no announcement.
The Athletic first reported the development.
Aiyuk has been out all season recovering from knee surgery last year and there is no timeline for when he could return. Coach Kyle Shanahan said over the summer that Aiyuk could be back on the practice field by early November, but he has remained on the physically unable to perform list.
The move to void the guaranteed money would allow the Niners to cut Aiyuk next year and only carry about $29.5 million of dead money charges on the salary cap for bonuses already paid. They could split that over two years.
Aiyuk signed the lucrative extension last summer following a lengthy contract hold-in that kept him out of training camp. He was coming off a 2023 season when he had 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven TDs and was a second-team All-Pro.
Aiyuk had only 25 catches for 374 yards in seven games last season before getting injured.
The 27-year-old Aiyuk has 294 career catches for 4,305 yards and 25 TDs since being drafted in the first round in 2020.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Joey Buss and Jesse Buss are no longer working in the Los Angeles Lakers’ front office after the franchise’s recent ownership change, a person with knowledge of the move told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the Lakers didn’t publicly announce the firings of the two children of longtime Lakers owner Jerry Buss, who died in 2013. The Lakers are also overhauling the scouting staff that worked with the brothers.
The Buss brothers confirmed their departure in a statement issued to ESPN, although both will retain their inherited minority ownership stakes under new controlling owner Mark Walter.
Jesse Buss was an assistant general manager, while Joey Buss was the Lakers’ alternate governor and vice president of research and development.
“We are extremely honored to have been part of this organization for the last 20 seasons,” Joey and Jesse Buss said in their statement. “Thank you to Laker Nation for embracing our family every step of the way. We wish things could be different with the way our time ended with the team. At times like this, we wish we could ask our Dad what he would think about it all.”
Jerry Buss had at least seven children, and six of them worked for the Lakers at some point during his ownership.
Jeanie Buss became the Lakers’ governor when their father died. Jim Buss was the Lakers’ executive vice president of basketball operations until Jeanie ousted her brother in 2017, also firing general manager Mitch Kupchak and turning over the basketball side of the business to Magic Johnson and current general manager Rob Pelinka.
Walter finalized his purchase of a controlling stake in the Lakers three weeks ago in a sale initially announced in June and conducted with a $10 billion franchise valuation. Jeanie Buss will remain the Lakers’ governor for the foreseeable future, but the Lakers are now primarily owned by Walter, the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Joey and Jesse Buss have been involved in the Lakers’ scouting and player development operations for many years, and they’ve been praised for their roles in the Lakers’ successful drafts and free-agent signings.
Perhaps sensing the upcoming changes in the Lakers’ leadership structure following the decision to sell the team, the brothers launched an investment firm in September dubbed Buss Sports Capital.
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin will announce his next move — likely Florida or LSU — after the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State.
Athletic director Keith Carter released a statement Friday saying a decision on Kiffin’s future is expected Nov. 29, the day after the fifth-ranked Rebels play their in-state rival.
It could be an agonizing wait for the Tigers, the Gators and the Rebels, although most outsiders believe Kiffin staying in Oxford for a seventh season is a long shot.
“Coach Kiffin and I have had many pointed and positive conversations regarding his future at Ole Miss, including meeting (Friday) with Chancellor (Glenn) Boyce,” Carter said. “While we discuss next steps, we know we cannot lose sight of what is most important — our … team is poised to finish the regular season in historic fashion.”
Carter said Kiffin remains focused, and the announcement timeline ensures the Rebels’ players and coaches “can concentrate fully on next Friday’s game.”
“This team is on the cusp of an unprecedented season, and it’s imperative they feel the support of the Ole Miss family in the week ahead,” he said.
Behind Kiffin’s next landing spot, the second-biggest question is whether Kiffin would stick around — or be allowed to stay — to coach Ole Miss through a potential College Football Playoff berth.
The Rebels’ current standing in the CFP rankings has them poised to host a first-round game if they beat the Bulldogs. The selection committee, however, would be working within its guidelines if it factored the disruption of a coaching change into a team’s final seeding.
Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1 Southeastern Conference, No. 6 CFP) does not play this weekend. The bye allowed Kiffin to meet with Florida and LSU officials.
The Gators fired Billy Napier in mid-October and set their sights on Kiffin. LSU fired Brian Kelly a week later, creating a tug-of-war over a 50-year-old coach who is considered one of the top offensive minds in the game.
Kiffin’s family members took scouting trips to Gainesville and Baton Rouge, and he met with administrators and fundraisers on several occasions. He even reportedly sat down with Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, who publicly slammed former LSU athletic director Scott Woodward for giving Kelly a 10-year contract worth about $100 million in 2022.
Will he stay at the place he called “utopia” and turned into a perennial winner with his ex-wife and kids nearby? Will he move back to Florida, where his father became one of the most respected defensive coordinators in NFL history? Or will he land at LSU, where three of its last four coaches won national championships.
Kiffin politely declined to talk about job openings this week. He sidestepped several questions about ongoing overtures from Florida, LSU and Ole Miss.
“I’m going to stay on what I’ve done for six years, which isn’t talking about other jobs and that situation,” said Kiffin, who denied reports Tuesday that Ole Miss had given him an ultimatum. “I love it here, and it’s been amazing. And we’re in the season — the greatest run in the history of Ole Miss at this point (and) having never been at this point.
“So I think it’s really exciting. … I’m just living in the moment — it’s amazing — and our players are, too. I see their joy about practice, season, where they’re at and have so much on the line. It’s just awesome to be a part of.”
NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA’s latest collective bargaining proposal would include revenue sharing with a maximum salary of more than $1.1 million available to more than one player per team growing each year, according to a person familiar with the negotiations on Tuesday night.
WNBA officials updated the board on the latest proposal at meetings this week, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because ongoing negotiations are private. The new league minimum would be more than $220,000 with an average of more than $460,000.
Those numbers would start in the first year of the deal for more than 180 players and increase over the length of the CBA.
People familiar with the WNBA’s latest proposal described the plan to the AP as a highly lucrative package providing substantial increases over prior years and designed to bring negotiations to a quick conclusion.
The current CBA was set to expire Oct. 31 when the WNBA and the players union agreed to continue negotiations to Nov. 30, allowing more time to negotiate a deal that would be revolutionary for the players in terms of salary.
The players exercised their right to opt out of the current CBA last year with hopes of getting, among other things, increased revenue sharing, higher salaries, improved benefits and a softer salary cap. When the last CBA expired in 2019, both sides agreed to a 60-day extension with a CBA eventually ratified in January 2020.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert was hopeful before the 2025 All-Star Game that everyone would be talking about how great the next CBA would be at the 2026 All-Star Game.
“I’m still really optimistic that we’ll get something done that would be transformational,” Engelbert said in July.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub doesn’t care a whole lot about what President Donald Trump thinks of new kickoff rules that were implemented by the NFL in an attempt to make the play safer and more exciting.
Trump became the first sitting president to attend a regular-season NFL game since Jimmy Carter in 1978 when he attended a game between the Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions earlier this month.
Two days later, Trump appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” and torched the league’s dynamic kickoff rule, which owners voted to make permanent this year. Under the rule, the ball is kicked from the 35-yard line, but every player on the kicking team must wait at the 40 until the ball hits the ground or is touched by a returner inside the 20-yard line.
There are also rules for if a ball does not reach the landing zone, hits the landing zone without being caught or lands in the end zone.
“I think it’s so terrible. I think it’s so demeaning, and I think it hurts the game. It hurts the pageantry,” Trump said. “I’ve told that to (NFL Commissioner) Roger Goodell, and I don’t think it’s any safer. I mean, you still have guys crashing into each other.”
The league has maintained the dynamic kickoff system is safer while producing more kickoff returns. And Toub, who has spent more than two decades coaching special teams in Chicago and Kansas City, didn’t hold back Thursday when he was asked what he thought of the president’s pointed criticism of the kickoff rules.
“He doesn’t even know what he’s looking at. He has no idea what’s going on with the kickoff rule,” said the normally reserved Toub, his voice rising. “So take that for what it’s worth. And I hope he hears it.”
Randy Jones, the left-hander who won the Cy Young Award with the San Diego Padres in 1976 during a 10-year major league career, has died. He was 75.
Jones died Tuesday, the Padres announced Wednesday, without disclosing a location or cause.
Jones pitched eight seasons for San Diego and two for the New York Mets, going 100-123 with a 3.42 ERA. He still holds the Padres franchise records with 253 starts, 71 complete games, 18 shutouts and 1,766 innings pitched.
Jones was one of the majors’ best pitchers in 1975 and 1976, earning two All-Star selections and becoming the first player to win the Cy Young for the Padres, who began play as an expansion team in 1969.
He finished second in Cy Young voting behind Tom Seaver in 1975 after going 20-12 with an NL-leading 2.24 ERA for a San Diego team that won just 71 games.
Jones won the award one year later, winning 22 games for a 73-win team while pitching 315 1/3 innings over 40 starts, including 25 complete games — all tops in the majors. The still-young Padres experienced a surge in attendance whenever he pitched from fans who appreciated his everyman stature and resourceful pitching skills, and he made the cover of Sports Illustrated.
He earned the save in the 1975 All-Star Game, and he got the victory for the NL in 1976. He never regained his top form after injuring his arm during his final start of 1976, but he remained a major league starter until 1982 with the Mets.
Jones was a ground ball specialist who relied on deception and control instead of velocity, leading to his “Junkman” nickname. His career statistics reflect a bygone era of baseball: He started 285 games and pitched 1,933 career innings in his 10-year career but recorded only 735 career strikeouts, including just 93 in his Cy Young season.
“Randy was a cornerstone of our franchise for over five decades,” the Padres said in a statement. “His impact and popularity only grew in his post-playing career, becoming a tremendous ambassador for the team and a true fan favorite. Crossing paths with RJ and talking baseball or life was a joy for everyone fortunate enough to spend time with him. Randy was committed to San Diego, the Padres and his family. He was a giant in our lives and our franchise history.”
Born in Orange County, Jones returned to San Diego County after his playing career ended and became a face of the Padres franchise at games and in the community. A barbecue restaurant bearing his name was established at the Padres’ former home, Qualcomm Stadium, and later moved to Petco Park along with the team.
Jones announced in 2017 that he had throat cancer, likely a result of his career-long use of chewing tobacco. He announced he was cancer-free in 2018.
Jones’ No. 35 was retired by the Padres in 1997, and he joined the team’s Hall of Fame in 1999.
HOUSTON (AP) — A group of Buddhist monks in the middle of a 2,300-mile (3,700-kilometer) walk across the U.S. to promote peace planned to resume their journey after two of them were injured during a traffic accident near Houston, a spokesperson for the group said Thursday.
The collection of about two dozen monks began their walk on Oct. 26 from Fort Worth, Texas, to “raise awareness of peace, loving kindness, and compassion across America and the world,” according to the group, Walk for Peace. The monks planned to travel through 10 states before reaching Washington, D.C.
So far, the monks have visited various Texas cities on their trek, including Austin and Houston, often walking along roads and highways while being escorted by law enforcement or by a vehicle trailing behind them, said Long Si Dong, a spokesperson for the group. The monks are being accompanied on their journey by their dog Aloka.
At around 6:13 p.m. Wednesday, the monks were walking along the side of U.S. Highway 90 near Dayton, Texas, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast of Houston, when their escort vehicle, which had its hazard lights on, was hit by a truck, said Dayton Interim Police Chief Shane Burleigh.
The truck “didn’t notice how slow the vehicle was going, tried to make an evasive maneuver to drive around the vehicle, and didn’t do it in time,” Burleigh said. “It struck the escort vehicle in the rear left, pushed the escort into two of the monks.”
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One of the monks has “substantial leg injuries” and was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Houston, Burleigh said. The other monk with less serious injuries was taken by ambulance to another hospital in suburban Houston.
In a video posted on Walk for Peace’s Facebook page, an unidentified spokeswoman for the group said the most seriously injured monk was expected to have a series of surgeries to heal a broken bone, but his prognosis for recovery was good. The group said the monk’s surgery on Thursday went well.
“He’s in good spirits. He’s giving us thumbs-up,” the spokeswoman said. The condition of the other monk was not immediately known.
The monks, who camped overnight near Dayton, planned to resume their walk “with steadfast determination,” Walk for Peace said.
“We kindly ask everyone to continue keeping the monks in your thoughts and prayers as healing begins and the journey toward peace continues,” the group said in a post on Facebook.
After the accident, the monks do not plan to change how they conduct their walk, which takes place along highways but also through open fields, Dong said. Walk for Peace plans to continue working with local law enforcement in the areas they travel through to ensure the safety of the monks, he said.
“Right now, everything is still as planned,” Dong said.
The driver of the truck that hit the monk’s escort vehicle is cooperating with the investigation, which is still ongoing, Burleigh said.
“Right now, we’re looking at this as driver inattention,” said Burleigh, who added that police will determine at the end of the investigation if any charges will be filed.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ford Motor Co. is recalling more than 200,000 Bronco and Bronco Sport vehicles because an instrument panel can fail, increasing the risk of a crash.
Federal auto safety regulators said that the instrument panel may not display at startup, leaving the driver without critical safety information.
The recall includes 128,607 Ford Bronco Sports, model years 2025-2026 and 101,002 Ford Broncos, also model years 2025-2026, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.
Ford is not aware of any injuries caused by the instrument panel failure.
Owners will be notified by mail beginning Dec. 8 and instructed to take their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln dealership to have the software updated.
NEW YORK (AP) — Verizon is laying off more than 13,000 employees in mass job reductions that arrive as the telecommunications giant says it must “reorient” its entire company.
The job cuts began on Thursday, per to a staff memo from Verizon CEO Dan Schulman. In the letter, which was seen by The Associated Press, Schulman said Verizon’s current cost structure “limits” the company’s ability to invest — pointing particularly to customer experiences.
“We must reorient our entire company around delivering for and delighting our customers,” Schulman wrote. He added that the company needed to simplify its operations “to address the complexity and friction that slow us down and frustrate our customers.”
Verizon had nearly 100,000 full-time employees as of the end of last year, according to securities filings. A spokesperson confirmed that the layoffs announced Thursday account for about 20% of the company’s management workforce, which isn’t unionized.
Verizon has faced rising competition in both the wireless phone and home internet space — particularly from AT&T, T-Mobile and other big market players. New leadership at the company has stressed the need to right the company’s direction.
Schulman became CEO just last month. In the company’s most recent earnings, he stated that Verizon’s trajectory was at a “critical inflection point” — and said, rather than incremental changes, Verizon would “aggressively transform” its operations.
For its third quarter of 2025, Verizon posted earnings of $4.95 billion and $33.82 billion in revenue. The carrier reported continued subscriber growth for its prepaid wireless services, but it lost a net 7,000 postpaid connections.
News of coming layoffs at Verizon was reported last week by The Wall Street Journal. The outlet says that the 13,000 job cuts mark the largest-ever round of layoffs at the company.
Beyond the cuts across Verizon’s workforce, Schulman said that the New York company would also “significantly reduce” its outsourced and other outside labor expenses.
It’s a tough time for the job market overall — and Verizon isn’t the only company to announce sizeable workforce reductions recently. More and more layoffs have piled up at companies like Amazon, UPS, Nestlé and more.
Some companies have pointed to rising operational costs spanning from U.S. President Donald Trump’s barrage of new tariffs and shifts in consumer spending. Others cite corporate restructuring more broadly — or are redirecting money to artificial intelligence. Regardless, such cuts have raised worker anxieties across sectors.
Schulman on Thursday recognized that “changes in technology and in the economy are impacting the workforce across all industries.” He said that Verizon had established a $20 million “Reskilling and Career Transition Fund” for workers departing the company.
Shares of Verizon fell just over 1% by Thursday’s close.
NEW YORK (AP) — While Cam Skattebo has not played football for the New York Giants since undergoing season-ending surgery in late October, the rookie running back still has plenty of people around sports talking about him.
Skattebo attended WWE’s “Monday Night Raw” at Madison Square Garden, along with teammates Abdul Carter and Roy Robertson-Harris. After some back-and-forth banter during a skit, Skattebo shoved wrestler JD McDonagh from behind a barrier and got pushed back, with the clip going viral.
“Cam’s crazy,” Giants starting left tackle Andrew Thomas said Tuesday with a chuckle.
A handful of local radio hosts blasted Skattebo for risking his health by taking part in the show. Skattebo took to social media to defend himself.
“Honestly if you don’t like that I’m having a good time while dealing with a tough time, then just go ahead and unfollow and casually move on,” Skattebo posted on X, formerly Twitter. “I’m not able to play football and have the fun I’ve been having my whole life so I am doing things outside the box trying to find stuff to keep me happy. Enjoy the rest of y’all’s week and just don’t talk about me if you ain’t got nothing nice to say.”
Skattebo, who wore a jersey of Rangers enforcer Matt Rempe at the event, is recovering from a broken right fibula and dislocated right ankle after getting hurt in gruesome fashion Oct. 26 in a loss at Philadelphia. In a video interview with Complex Sports over the weekend, Skattebo showed how well the injury was healing, and he was wearing a protective boot at the Garden.
The 23-year-old also was on the sideline Sunday at the Meadowlands on a scooter and sporting the boot.
ESPN New York’s Chris Carlin said he “could not have been angrier at the just remarkable stupidity shown by Skattebo. He was one of the lone bright spots of this team, and he thinks it’s a good idea to get involved like that.”
Co-host Bart Scott, who played 11 NFL seasons as a linebacker with the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets, was less vocally critical but still described Skattebo’s participation as “carelessness.”
“Whether you’re play wrestling or wrestling, it’s still a physical act,” Scott said.
“I’m not here to be the buzz kill or holier than thou or the headmaster or the dean of discipline, but, dude, use common sense,” Tierney said. “What happens if there’s a little beer or a little water or a little seltzer on the Garden floor and he slips and he loses control?”
Skattebo responded to that clip on social media by saying his foot was off the ground, adding, “Trust me wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize anything.”
Skattebo, along with quarterback Jaxson Dart, had brought an infusion of energy into the organization before going down. The fourth-round pick out of Arizona State had run for five touchdowns and had two more receiving in his first eight professional games.
Asked Tuesday on a video call with reporters about Skattebo at the Garden, second-year back Tyrone Tracy flashed a smile.
“I wasn’t there last night, but you best believe I was fighting,” Tracy said. “I was fighting at home, though, telling him to duck and sit down. Cam’s a wild man. Everybody knows that. He’s going to go out there and do what he do.”
WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — Michael Jordan is giving $10 million to a North Carolina regional medical center in honor of his mother.
The six-time NBA champ and now businessman announced the gift to Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington on Tuesday. With the donation, the medical center will name its neuroscience institute after Deloris Jordan.
“My mother taught me the importance of compassion and community, and I can’t think of a better way to honor her than by helping to ensure those in need can obtain the most advanced neurological care available,” Jordan said about his donation.
The money helps support his mother’s work on health and wellness, specifically with making specialists, technology and care more accessible specifically for patients dealing with stroke, spine treatment, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other health issues.
Deloris Jordan, founder and president of the James R. Jordan Foundation and its international foundation of the same name, has overseen programs in the U.S. and Africa. She said it’s humbling to be a part of bringing high-quality care to more people in North Carolina.
A dedication ceremony will be held early in 2026 at the Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center.
NEW YORK (AP) — A beloved Christmas tree tradition is returning to Manhattan for the holiday season next week. No, it’s not the towering spruce at Rockefeller Center, which is lit in early December.
The comparatively smaller Origami Holiday Tree that’s delighted crowds for decades at the American Museum of Natural History opens to the public on Monday. The colorful, richly decorated 13-foot (4-meter) tree is adorned with thousands of hand-folded paper ornaments created by origami artists from around the world.
This year’s tree is inspired by the museum’s new exhibition, “Impact: The End of the Age of Dinosaurs,” which chronicles how an asteroid crash some 66 million years ago reshaped life on Earth.
Talo Kawasaki, the tree’s co-designer, said the tree’s theme is “New Beginnings,” in reference to the new world that followed the mass extinction.
Located off the museum’s Central Park West entrance, the artificial tree is topped with a golden, flaming asteroid.
Its branches and limbs are packed with origami works representing a variety of animals and insects, including foxes, cranes, turtles, bats, sharks, elephants, giraffes and monkeys. Dinosaur favorites such as the triceratops and tyrannosaurus rex are also depicted in the folded paper works of art.
“We wanted to focus more not so much the demise of the dinosaurs, but the new life this created, which were the expansion and the evolution of mammals ultimately leading to humanity,” Kawasaki explained on a recent visit.
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The origami tree has been a highlight of the museum’s holiday season for more than 40 years.
Volunteers from all over the world are enlisted to make hundreds of new models. The intricate paper artworks are generally made from a single sheet of paper but can sometimes take days or even weeks to perfect.
The new origami pieces are bolstered by archived works stored from prior seasons, including a 40-year-old model of a pterosaur, an extinct flying reptile, that was folded for one of the museum’s first origami trees in the early 1970s.
Rosalind Joyce, the tree’s co-designer, estimates that anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 origami works are embedded in the tree.
“This year there’s a lot of stuff stuffed in there,” she said. “So I don’t count.”
NEW YORK (AP) — When she was still just a child, Meg Donnelly gave off a serious theater kid vibe. At 5, her favorite musical role wasn’t the sunny “Annie.” It was Mimi from “Rent,” the struggling erotic dancer who is also a heroin addict.
Donnelly grew up to become a film and TV star through her breakout role in Disney’s music-filled “Zombies” franchise and the ABC sitcom “American Housewife.” She’s also appeared on “The Masked Singer” and has a new EP, “dying art.”
This week, the New Jersey-raised actor returned to her first love — theater. Donnelly made her Broadway debut Tuesday in “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” playing cabaret star Santine. She’ll be aboard the jukebox hit until March.
The show is about the goings-on in a turn-of-the-century Parisian nightclub, updated with tunes like “Single Ladies” and “Firework” alongside the big hit “Lady Marmalade.”
The Associated Press got a chance to ask Donnelly about her big night and how it fits into her blossoming career. Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Meg Donnelly in a scene from “The Winchesters” (Matt Miller/The CW via AP)
Meg Donnelly in a scene from “The Winchesters” (Matt Miller/The CW via AP)
AP: What was your debut like?
DONNELLY: It was really surreal. I feel like I’ve been working towards this since I was a little girl. When I was younger, Broadway was the only option. I was a full theater kid — that’s all I wanted to do. And, you know, life just took me in different directions. But this is something that I feel I was born to do and just being on stage last night, it kind of all just makes sense.
AP: You’re in the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Do you think you ever saw a show there before?
DONNELLY: I definitely do. I saw “Kinky Boots” twice. I love “Kinky Boots.” And I think I saw “Kiss Me Kate” there, too.
AP: What’s your favorite musical?
DONNELLY: My favorite musical of all time is “Rent.” I saw it a lot when I was younger — maybe when I was too young — and my dream role has always been Mimi, which is really funny. So when I was like 5 or 6 auditioning for theater, they would be like, “What’s your dream role?” And everyone would be, like, “Annie” or “Matilda” and I’d be like, “Mimi!” They’d be like, “Oh my God, this kid!” So, it is very full circle because “Moulin Rouge” is based on the same opera as “Rent.” Satine is kind of Mimi.
AP: So much of your career makes this a natural step. You played a young woman who sang in a school production of “Little Shop of Horrors” on “American Housewife” and everything about the “Zombie” franchise screams musical theater. How do you describe your path here?
DONNELLY: There’s not a right or wrong path. You know, there’s so many things in my career where I’m like, “Oh, I wish I’d done that” or “Maybe I should have gone that way.” I’m a very chronic over-thinker. But it really doesn’t matter. I will say, being a part of Disney definitely changed my life.
“Zombies” franchise stars (left to right) Trevor Tordjman, Meg Donnelly, Milo Manheim, and Kylee Russell (Disney Channel/Kent Phillips)
“Zombies” franchise stars (left to right) Trevor Tordjman, Meg Donnelly, Milo Manheim, and Kylee Russell (Disney Channel/Kent Phillips)
AP: Another Broadway-adjacent step was when you were in the cast of NBC’s live telecast of “The Sound of Music” in 2013. You were the understudy for Louisa von Trapp, right?
DONNELLY: Yes, I understudied Louisa and Ella Watts-Gorman, who played Louisa, was so talented and amazing. I was praying that nothing happened to her. We weren’t really taught much. We knew the music, but that was pretty much it, so I was like, “Dear God, please, let everything go OK.”
AP: Audra McDonald starred in that, right?
DONNELLY: Oh my god. Listening to her sing on set was one of the best gifts I’ve ever been given.
AP: What about your own music?
DONNELLY: That is something that I really want to pursue. I feel like writing my own music is just so therapeutic for me, and I love performing on stage. Having to do a new show every single night and making everything different and feeding off the energy of the different crowd — that’s what I want to do with my own music as well.
AP: You did theater growing up alongside Helen J. Shen, who created her part in “Maybe Happy Ending,” right? Would you also like to originate a role one day?
DONNELLY: That was such a cool thing to watch her go through and it’s so personal, something that she built with them. That would be really, really cool. Just to have that connection to it as well. So, yeah, originating would be really like that would great.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Meta has prevailed over an existential challenge to its business that could have forced the tech giant to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp after a judge ruled that the company does not hold a monopoly in social networking.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg issued his ruling Tuesday after the historic antitrust trial wrapped up in late May. His decision runs in sharp contrast to two separate rulings that branded Google an illegal monopoly in both search and online advertising, dealing regulatory blows to the tech industry that for years enjoyed nearly unbridled growth.
The Federal Trade Commission “continues to insist that Meta competes with the same old rivals it has for the last decade, that the company holds a monopoly among that small set, and that it maintained that monopoly through anticompetitive acquisitions,” Boasberg wrote in his ruling. “Whether or not Meta enjoyed monopoly power in the past, though, the agency must show that it continues to hold such power now. The Court’s verdict today determines that the FTC has not done so.”
The federal agency had argued that Meta maintained a monopoly by pursuing an expression CEO Mark Zuckerberg made in 2008: “‘It is better to buy than compete.’ True to that maxim, Facebook has systematically tracked potential rivals and acquired companies that it viewed as serious competitive threats.”
During his April testimony, Zuckerberg pushed back against claims that Facebook bought Instagram to neutralize a threat. In his line of questioning, FTC attorney Daniel Matheson repeatedly brought up emails — many of them more than a decade old — written by Zuckerberg and his associates before and after the acquisition of Instagram.
While acknowledging the documents, Zuckerberg has often sought to downplay the contents, saying he wrote the emails early in the acquisition process and that the notes did not fully capture the scope of his interest in the company. But the case was not about the acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp more than a decade ago, which the FTC approved at the time, but about whether Meta holds a monopoly now. Prosecutors, Boasberg wrote in the ruling, could only win if they proved “current or imminent legal violation.”
The FTC’s complaint said Facebook also enacted policies designed to make it difficult for smaller rivals to enter the market and “neutralize perceived competitive threats,” just as the world shifted its attention to mobile devices from desktop computers.
Meta said Tuesday’s decision “recognizes that Meta faces fierce competition.”
“Our products are beneficial for people and businesses and exemplify American innovation and economic growth. We look forward to continuing to partner with the Administration and to invest in America,” said Jennifer Newstead, chief legal officer, in a statement.
The social media landscape has changed so much since the FTC filed its lawsuit in 2020, Boasberg wrote, that each time the court examined Meta’s apps and competition, they changed. Two opinions to dismiss the case — filed in 2021 and 2022 — didn’t even mention popular social video platform TikTok. Today, it “holds center stage as Meta’s fiercest rival.”
Quoting the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, “that no man can ever step into the same river twice,” Boasberg said the same is true for the online world of social media as well.
“The landscape that existed only five years ago when the Federal Trade Commission brought this antitrust suit has changed markedly. While it once might have made sense to partition apps into separate markets of social networking and social media, that wall has since broken down,” he wrote.
Emarketer analyst Minda Smiley said Meta’s win “is not necessarily surprising considering the lengths it’s gone to in recent years to keep up with TikTok.”
“But from a regulatory standpoint, Meta is far from out of the woods: next year, major social networks will face landmark trials in the US regarding children’s mental health,” she added. “Still, today’s win is surely a boost for the company as it battles criticism and questions over how its massive AI spending will ultimately benefit Meta in the long run.”
Facebook bought Instagram — then a scrappy photo-sharing app with no ads and a small cult following — in 2012. The $1 billion cash and stock purchase price was eye-popping at the time, though the deal’s value fell to $750 million after Facebook’s stock price dipped following its initial public offering in May 2012.
Instagram was the first company Facebook bought and kept running as a separate app. Up until then, Facebook was known for smaller “acqui-hires” — a type of popular Silicon Valley deal in which a company purchases a startup as a way to hire its talented workers, then shuts the acquired company down. Two years later, it did it again with the messaging app WhatsApp, which it purchased for $22 billion.
WhatsApp and Instagram helped Facebook move its business from desktop computers to mobile devices, and to remain popular with younger generations as rivals like Snapchat (which it also tried, but failed, to buy) and TikTok emerged. However, the FTC has a narrow definition of Meta’s competitive market, excluding companies like TikTok, YouTube and Apple’s messaging service from being considered rivals to Instagram and WhatsApp.
Investors didn’t appear surprised at the ruling. Shares of the Menlo Park, California-based company were down $1.52 at $600.49 in afternoon trading Tuesday, in line with broader market trends.
Olympic gold-medalist Rowdy Gaines has swimming tips if you’re an older swimmer, or returning to the pool after years away.
Gaines won three Olympic gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Games and is widely known as the “voice of swimming” for his coverage of the Olympics with American network NBC.
Swimming is an all-around exercise with water providing mild resistance. It’s low-impact, offers a complete workout and is suitable for all ages.
“Of course I’m biased, but I will stack swimming against any other exercise out there, especially as we age,” Gaines told The Associated Press. “And swimming is one of the few sports you can do forever.”
Gaines missed out on a shot at winning a handful of medals at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, which the United States boycotted. Gaines set 10 world records between 1978 and 1984 and was the heir in American sprinting to Mark Spitz and a predecessor to Michael Phelps.
Gaines is 66 and said his 90-year-old father, Buddy, is back training for a meet for older swimmers early next year. He said his father has not swum seriously in, perhaps, 70 years.
Gaines stayed away from advice around strokes, detailed workout plans, and specific training suggestions. His tips are geared for older swimmers and those retuning after a long layoff — perhaps decades.
Defog your goggles, slip into the pool, grab your kickboard and let’s get motivated.
Get your technique down
Take time to work on your technique. Most recreational swimmers use the freestyle stroke, also known as the front crawl. But his advice also applies to breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly.
With freestyle, Gaines preaches taking long, smooth strokes — not short, choppy ones. And for freestyle swimmers, keep your head in the water and aligned with your body.
“Water rewards efficiency,” said Gaines, who won his three gold medals in the 100 free and two relays. “It has nothing to do with power. I think a lot of first-timers feel like they have to power their way through the water and that is not true.”
Be patient
Build distance and endurance slowly. Maybe a few decades ago you could swim non-stop for 30 minutes. You won’t be able to after a long time away.
Start with a 200-yard (meter) workout. Swim 25 yards (meters) and rest until your heart rate slows. Do this eight to 10 times “and then get the heck out of the pool,” Gaines said.
“You don’t want to overdo it to start with and then get frustrated and think you can’t do it,” he said. “You need to increase your total distance little by little.”
Gaines suggested the goal is a 20-30 minute workout, three times per week. Swimming relies on getting a feel for the water, which requires steadfastness.
“Three days a week is the sweet spot,” he said. “If you are doing less than three days a week, it’s really tough to develop the consistency you need.”
Injury prevention
This is common sense, but take time to warm up. Do this on dry land, perhaps, before hitting the water. Do stretches, work your shoulders, and work on some strength training.
It’s no secret that some swimmers experience lots of shoulder pain.
“You have to listen to any pain,” Gaines said. “Pain is a lot different than fatigue or strain. Pain is real. If you are feeling fatigue and strain, that’s good. If you are feeling pain, that’s bad.”
If something hurts, stop and change your workout.
If you swim freestyle, Gaines suggested adding in a bit of backstroke to loosen the shoulders and add strength. Breaststroke in also easier on the shoulders. Butterfly, however, is tough on the shoulders.
Mind set — the mental game
Gaines emphasized keeping it fun and getting comfortable in the water. Not fighting it.
“Learn to feel the water,” he said. “The small goal of just feeling the water is much more important than many other things. Swimming is not easy. You are not always going to feel good swimming. But you are going to feel great when you’re done.”
He also emphasized varying your workout — meaning time, distance and strokes to keep in fun and interesting.
Hydration and training aids
Swimmers need to stay hydrated. It’s not generally a problem for recreational swimmers, but swimmers perspire while swimming. The warmer the pool, the more this might be a problem.
Gaines reminded that pool temperatures vary, but 80 degrees F (27 degrees C) is about right. Warmer temperatures can lead to more dehydration.
He also suggested training aids such a swim fins, paddles or pull-buoys, which are also another part of adding variety.
“I really don’t like to swim, but I love the feeling of being done,” Gaines said. (Remember, this revelation is from a decorated Olympic athlete.) “I crave that feeling when I get out of the water. It’s the endorphins. It’s definitely mental for me.”
Gaines said he swims six days a week, usually between 2,000 and 2,500 yards (meters). He said about 40% is freestyle with three 20% sections of backstroke, breaststroke and kicking.
“You want to have variety for that recreational swimmer because swimming can be boring,” Gaines said. “However, swimming can almost be meditation, even for that three-day a week, recreational swimmer.”
FRANCONIA, N.H. (AP) — For more than two decades, residents in this tiny tourist town in the shadow of the White Mountains knew they could just drive a few minutes down the road to their community health center for a physical, a Vitamin B-12 shot or to get checked out for a case of the sniffles or high blood pressure.
Employees at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services pack up the reception office as the clinic closes for good, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Franconia, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Employees at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services pack up the reception office as the clinic closes for good, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Franconia, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The Franconia Range of the White Mountains dominates the landscape, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Sugar Hill, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The Franconia Range of the White Mountains dominates the landscape, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Sugar Hill, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The nearly 1,400 patients, who are often older and with more health problems than others in New Hampshire, will have to drive farther for their health care — a tricky prospect for some, especially during the winter months. More importantly, they will lose the close-knit bonds they forged with staffers like Diane LaDuke, who greets everyone with a smile from her perch at the front desk.
Marsha Luce, a patient at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, delivers food to a Head Start program, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Littleton, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Marsha Luce, a patient at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, delivers food to a Head Start program, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Littleton, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Marsha Luce, a patient at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, wears a mask to avoid spreading her cold while volunteering at a local church, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Franconia, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Marsha Luce, a patient at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, wears a mask to avoid spreading her cold while volunteering at a local church, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Franconia, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Marsha Luce, left, a patient at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services clinic, speaks with a friend while doing volunteer work at a community church food pantry, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Franconia, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Marsha Luce, left, a patient at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services clinic, speaks with a friend while doing volunteer work at a community church food pantry, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Franconia, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Marsha, left, and Kirk Luce, both patients at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, prepare dinner, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, at their home in Franconia, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Marsha, left, and Kirk Luce, both patients at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, prepare dinner, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, at their home in Franconia, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Town Hall stands behind a pair of colorful maple trees, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Franconia, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Town Hall stands behind a pair of colorful maple trees, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Franconia, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
On the center’s last day, longtime patient Susan Bushby, a 70-year-old housekeeper, stopped by to check her blood pressure — and to get a hug from LaDuke. Bushby had come to rely on LaDuke’s comforting words over the years and admits she is worried about finding the same kind of reception when she goes to one of Ammonoosuc’s other centers.
Susan Bushby, right, a patient at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, and her son, Steven, sit in their home, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Lisbon, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Susan Bushby, right, a patient at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, and her son, Steven, sit in their home, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Lisbon, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
“I just really like it there. I don’t know, I’m just really going to miss it. It’s really hard for me to explain, but it’s going to be sad,” Bushby said.
Susan Bushby, a patient at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, lights a cigarette at her home, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Lisbon, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Susan Bushby, a patient at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, lights a cigarette at her home, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Lisbon, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
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Exhausted from working several weeks straight at a nearby inn, Bushby was talking about the center as she relaxed on her couch at her modest home in Lisbon. She often ends her day with cigarette and a glass of champagne. An avid angler, Bushby’s house was filled with photos and other Native American memorabilia and her dog Smiley was a constant presence.
A fisherman casts for trout at Pearl Lake, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Lisbon, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
A fisherman casts for trout at Pearl Lake, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Lisbon, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Susan Bushby, a patient at the Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, offers an apple to deer passing through her backyard, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Lisbon, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Susan Bushby, a patient at the Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, offers an apple to deer passing through her backyard, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Lisbon, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
As she talked about the center closing, Bushby had a basket of apples on the kitchen counter ready for the deer that show up in her backyard almost every day. She joked that the center’s doctor, Dr. Melissa Buddensee, doubles as her therapist at times because she “listens to her where other people don’t.”
For another patient, Marsha Luce, it’s mostly about ensuring her husband gets the kind of care he had come to rely on over the years. Recovering from cancer that resulted in him losing part of his left ear and jaw, Luce worries about longer waits to see his doctor and the loss of relationships built up over decades in Franconia.
Susan Bushby is weighed during an appointment at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Franconia, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Susan Bushby is weighed during an appointment at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Franconia, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Receptionist Diane LaDuke, right, shares a laugh with longtime patient Susan Bushby at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Franconia, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Receptionist Diane LaDuke, right, shares a laugh with longtime patient Susan Bushby at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Franconia, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Susan Bushby looks at her medical paperwork after an appointment at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Franconia, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Susan Bushby looks at her medical paperwork after an appointment at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Franconia, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The family, who moved to Franconia about 25 years ago, live in an old farmhouse that they renovated. Much of Luce’s time is spent caring for her husband, including keeping track of his appointment dates and all the various medications he needs to take. She also is a regular presence in the community, playing mahjong weekly with friends at the library and volunteering with the Head Start program.
Having to switch to another health center, she said, puts at risk the trust she and her husband have built up over the years at Ammonoosuc.
An exam table is moved onto a trailer on the final day of operation at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services as the clinic closes for good, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Franconia, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
An exam table is moved onto a trailer on the final day of operation at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services as the clinic closes for good, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Franconia, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
“It’s going to be hard,” said Luce, who was wearing a mask because she had a cold. “It’s a relationship that you can talk to people and you tell them something and you go, yeah, well, I’ve had cancer. Oh, let’s see. Oh, yeah. There it is in your chart. Do you know what I mean?”
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This is a documentary photo story curated by AP photo editors.
FRANCONIA, N.H. (AP) — The closing of a health center in rural New Hampshire has raised concerns that the projected cuts in Medicaid are already taking a toll.
Last month, a site of the Ammonoosuc Community Health Services in Franconia, a town of around 1,000 people, closed for good.
Ammonoosuc officials and a Democratic senator have blamed Medicaid cuts for the closure of the facility that served 1,400 patients from Franconia, Easton, Lincoln and Sugar Hill. These are all tiny communities around the White Mountains, whose patients typically are older and sicker than in other parts of the state.
Threats to rural health care
The closure of the Franconia center reflects the financial struggles facing community health centers and rural health care systems more broadly amid Medicaid cuts and a feared spike in health insurance rates. The government shutdown, which ended last week, was driven by a Democratic demand to extend tax credits, which ensure low- and middle-income people can afford health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, or ACA.
More than 100 hospitals closed over the past decade, according to the Center For Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, a policy and advocacy group, and more than 700 more hospitals are at risk of closure. A branch of the HealthFirst Family Care Center, a facility in Canaan, New Hampshire also announced it was closing at the end of October due in part to “changes in Medicaid reimbursement and federal funding” for these facilities.
On average, the federally-funded community health centers like the one in Franconia are losing money, relying heavily on cash reserves, making service changes and sometimes closing locations to stay afloat, NACHC found. Nearly half have less than 90 days’ cash on hand, according to the association. And the future is even more bleak with at least 2 million community health center patients expected to lose Medicaid coverage by 2034 and 2 million more who are newly uninsured turning to the centers for care.
Hard choices for CEO
Ed Shanshala, the CEO of Ammonoosuc, said the Medicaid cuts are to blame for the closure of the Franconia center.
Shanshala runs a network of five health centers in New Hampshire which relies more than $2 million in federal funding — out of a $12 million budget. He faced a $500,000 shortfall due to the cuts and realized closing Franconia would save about half that money. It also was the only facility where they leased space.
“We’re really left with no choice,” Shanshala said, adding the closure would save $250,000. Finding additional cuts is hard, given that the centers provide services to anyone under 200% of federal poverty levels, he said. And if he cuts additional services, Shanshala fears some patients will end up in a hospital emergency room or “stop engaging in health care period.”
Patients struggle to adjust
Susan Bushby, a 70-year-old housekeeper, talked about how much she loved the staff and feared going to a new health center. She wouldn’t know her way around a larger facility and wouldn’t have the same rapport with the people there.
“I was very disturbed. I was down right angry,” said Bushby, who was brought to tears as she discussed the challenges of starting over at a new health center. “I just really like it there. I don’t know, I’m just really going to miss it. It’s really hard for me to explain, but it’s going to be sad.”
Marsha Luce, whose family moved from Washington, D.C. area, in 2000, is especially concerned about the impact on her 72-year-old husband, a former volunteer firefighter who has a left ear and part of his jaw removed due to cancer. He also has heart and memory issues.
She worries about longer waits to see his doctor and the loss of relationships built up over decades in Franconia.
“It’s going to be hard,” she said. “But it’s a relationship that’s going to be missed. It’s a relationship that you can talk to people and you tell them something and you go, yeah, well, I’ve had cancer. Oh, let’s see. Oh, yeah. There it is in your chart. Do you know what I mean?”
NEW YORK (AP) — Honda is recalling more than 256,600 of its Accord Hybrid vehicles across the U.S., due to a software error that may result in sudden loss of drive power.
According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the recall covers certain Honda Accord Hybrids between the 2023 and 2025 model years. The error may cause part of these cars’ internal software to reset while driving, increasing the risk of crash or injury.
To address the error, Honda dealers will reprogram the software free of charge. The NHTSA’s recall report noted that owner notification letters are scheduled to go out on Jan. 5 — but a spokesperson for American Honda confirmed Tuesday that the improved software is available now.
Drivers can see if their specific vehicle is included in this recall and find more information using the NHTSA site or Honda’s recall lookup. Impacted Accord Hybrid owners may also contact Honda’s customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Honda estimates that 0.3% of the 256,603 Accord Hybrids it’s recalling have the issue, which impacts the vehicles’ integrated control module central processing unit, the NHSTA’s recall report notes. In a statement, American Honda said that “improper software programming by a supplier” caused the error.
The automaker first received a report of the issue in March 2024, per the recall report, and investigated the issue over the last year. As of Nov. 6, Honda had received 832 warranty claims — but no reports of related injuries between mid-December of 2022 and the end of October this year.
As President Donald Trump laid it out to reporters this summer, the plan was simple.
Republicans, the president said, were “entitled” to five more conservative-leaning U.S. House seats in Texas and additional ones in other red states. The president broke with more than a century of political tradition in directing the GOP to redraw those maps in the middle of the decade to avoid losing control of Congress in next year’s midterms.
Four months later, Trump’s audacious ask looks anything but simple. After a federal court panel struck down Republicans’ new map in Texas on Tuesday, the entire exercise holds the potential to net Democrats more winnable seats in the House instead.
“Trump may have let the genie out of the bottle,” said UCLA law professor Rick Hasen, “but he may not get the wish he’d hoped for.”
Trump’s plan is to bolster his party’s narrow House margin to protect Republicans from losing control of the chamber in next year’s elections. Normally, the president’s party loses seats in the midterms. But his involvement in redistricting is instead becoming an illustration of the limits of presidential power.
Gov. Greg Abbott announces his re-election campaign for Texas governor in Houston, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Gov. Greg Abbott announces his re-election campaign for Texas governor in Houston, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Playing with fire
To hold Republicans’ grip on power in Washington, Trump is relying on a complex political process.
Redrawing maps is a decentralized effort that involves navigating a tangle of legal rules. It also involves a tricky political calculus because the legislators who hold the power to draw maps often want to protect themselves, business interests or local communities more than ruthlessly help their party.
And when one party moves aggressively to draw lines to help itself win elections — also known as gerrymandering — it runs the risk of pushing its rival party to do the same.
That’s what Trump ended up doing, spurring California voters to replace their map drawn by a nonpartisan commission with one drawn by Democrats to gain five seats. If successful, the move would cancel out the action taken by Texas Republicans. California voters approved that map earlier this month, and if a Republican lawsuit fails to block it, that map giving Democrats more winnable seats will remain in effect even if Texas’ remains stalled.
“Donald Trump and Greg Abbott played with fire, got burned — and democracy won,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, posted on X after the Texas ruling, mentioning his Republican counterpart in Texas along with the president.
Rep. Kevin Kiley, a Republican whose northern California district would be redrawn under the state’s new map, agreed.
“It could very well come out as a net loss for Republicans, honestly when you look at the map, or at the very least, it could end up being a wash,” Kiley said. “But it’s something that never should have happened. It was ill-conceived from the start.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a rally with Harris County Democrats at the IBEW local 716 union hall in Houston, on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Karen Warren)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a rally with Harris County Democrats at the IBEW local 716 union hall in Houston, on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Karen Warren)
For Trump, a mix of wins and losses
There’s no guarantee that Tuesday’s ruling on the Texas map will stand. Many lower courts have blocked Trump’s initiatives, only for the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court to put those rulings on hold. Texas Republicans immediately appealed Tuesday’s decision to the high court, too.
Even before Tuesday, Trump’s push for mid-decade redistricting was not playing out as neatly as he had hoped, though he had scored some apparent wins. North Carolina Republicans potentially created another conservative-leaning seat in that battleground state, while Missouri Republicans redrew their congressional map at Trump’s urging to eliminate one Democratic seat. The Missouri plan faces lawsuits and a possible referendum that would force a statewide vote on the matter.
Trump’s push has faltered elsewhere. Republicans in Kansas balked at trying to eliminate the state’s lone swing seat, held by a Democratic congresswoman. Indiana Republicans also refused to redraw their map to eliminate their two Democratic-leaning congressional seats.
After Trump attacked the main Indiana holdout, state Sen. Greg Goode, on social media, he was the victim of a swatting call over the weekend that led to sheriff’s deputies coming to his house.
Trump’s push could have a boomerang effect on Republicans
The bulk of redistricting normally happens once every 10 years, following the release of new population estimates from the U.S. Census. That requires state lawmakers to adjust their legislative lines to make sure every district has roughly the same population. It also opens the door to gerrymandering maps to make it harder for the party out of power to win legislative seats.
Inevitably, redistricting leads to litigation, which can drag on for years and spur mid-decade, court-mandated revisions.
Republicans stood to benefit from these after the last cycle in 2021 because they won state supreme court elections in North Carolina and Ohio in 2022. But some litigation hasn’t gone the GOP’s way. A judge in Utah earlier this month required the state to make one of its four congressional seats Democratic-leaning.
Trump broke with modern political practice by urging a wholesale, mid-decade redraw in red states.
Democrats were in a bad position to respond to Trump’s gambit because more states they control have lines drawn by independent commissions rather than by partisan lawmakers, the legacy of government reform efforts.
But with Newsom’s push to let Democrats draw California’s lines successful, the party is looking to replicate it elsewhere.
Next up may be Virginia, where Democrats recaptured the governor’s office this month and expanded their margins in the Legislature. A Democratic candidate for governor in Colorado has called for a similar measure there. Republicans currently hold 9 of the 19 House seats in those two states.
Overall, Republicans have more to lose if redistricting becomes a purely partisan activity nationally and voters in blue states ditch their nonpartisan commissions to let their preferred party maximize its margins. In the last complete redistricting cycle in 2021, commissions drew 95 House seats that Democrats would have otherwise drawn, and only 13 that Republicans would have drawn.
The State Capitol is seen in Austin, Texas, on June 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
The State Capitol is seen in Austin, Texas, on June 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
Gerrymandering’s unintended consequences
On Tuesday, Republicans were reappraising Trump’s championing of redistricting hardball.
“I think if you look at the basis of this, there was no member of the delegation that was asked our opinion,” Republican Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas told reporters.
Incumbents usually don’t like the idea of radically redrawing districts. It can lead to what political experts call a “dummymander” — spreading the opposing party’s voters so broadly that they end up endangering your own incumbents in a year, like 2026, that is expected to be bad for the party in power.
Incumbents also don’t like losing voters who have supported them or getting wholly new communities drawn into their districts, said Jonathan Cervas, who teaches redistricting at Carnegie Mellon University and has drawn new maps for courts. Democratic lawmakers in Illinois and Maryland have so far resisted mid-decade redraws to pad their majorities in their states, joining their GOP counterparts in Indiana and Kansas.
Cervas said that’s why it was striking to watch Trump push Republicans to dive into mid-decade redistricting.
“The idea they’d go along to get along is basically crazy,” he said.
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Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti and Kevin Freking in Washington contributed to this report.
CLARYVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — Autoimmune diseases like lupus, myositis and forms of arthritis can strike children, too. At a sleepaway camp in upstate New York, some young patients got a chance to just be kids.
That’s how a 12-year-old recently diagnosed with lupus found himself laughing on a high-ropes course as fellow campers hoisted him into the air.
“It’s really fun,” said Dylan Aristy Mota, thrilled he was offered this rite of childhood along with the reassurance that doctors were on site. If “anything else pops up, they can catch it faster than if we had to wait til we got home.”
Nicholas Toska, 11, center, of Harrison, N.Y., who has juvenile idiopathic arthritis, waters a garden with fellow campers at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Nicholas Toska, 11, center, of Harrison, N.Y., who has juvenile idiopathic arthritis, waters a garden with fellow campers at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Ethan Blanchfield-Killeen, 11, of Yonkers, N.Y., who has a form of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, plays a game of paint tag at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Ethan Blanchfield-Killeen, 11, of Yonkers, N.Y., who has a form of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, plays a game of paint tag at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Nicholas Toska, 11, center, of Harrison, N.Y., who has juvenile idiopathic arthritis, plays cards with fellow campers at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Nicholas Toska, 11, center, of Harrison, N.Y., who has juvenile idiopathic arthritis, plays cards with fellow campers at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Autoimmune diseases occur when your immune system attacks your body instead of protecting it. With the exception of Type 1 diabetes, they’re more rare in kids than adults.
“It’s very important that people know that these diseases exist and it can happen in kids and it can cause significant disabilities,” said Dr. Natalia Vasquez-Canizares, a pediatric rheumatologist at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in New York.
When symptoms begin early in life, especially before puberty, they can be more severe. Treating growing bodies also is challenging.
Montefiore partnered with Frost Valley YMCA to bring several children with autoimmune diseases to a traditional sleepaway camp, after reassuring parents that doctors would be on hand to ensure the kids take their medicines and to handle any symptom flares.
Dr. Natalia Vasquez-Canizares, left, examines camper Dylan Aristy Mota, 12, of New York City, who has lupus, at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Dr. Natalia Vasquez-Canizares, left, examines camper Dylan Aristy Mota, 12, of New York City, who has lupus, at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Dr. Natalia Vasquez-Canizares, right, examines Ethan Blanchfield-Killeen, 11, of Yonkers, N.Y., who has a form of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Dr. Natalia Vasquez-Canizares, right, examines Ethan Blanchfield-Killeen, 11, of Yonkers, N.Y., who has a form of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
“Their disease impacts how they can participate and a lot of the time the parents are just very nervous to send them to a summer camp,” Vasquez-Canizares said.
Ethan Blanchfield-Killeen, 11, has a form of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, causing joint pain and stiffness and “my legs get, like, sleepy.”
But at camp, Ethan said he’s mostly forgetting his illness. “The only time I get pain is like when I’m on long walks, my legs start getting stiff, and then I kind of feel pain, like achy.”
One day a doctor examined his hands at camp. Another day, he was running across the lawn splattered in a fierce game of paint tag.
Ethan Blanchfield-Killeen, 11, of Yonkers, N.Y., who has a form of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, takes his medication at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Ethan Blanchfield-Killeen, 11, of Yonkers, N.Y., who has a form of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, takes his medication at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Dylan Aristy Mota, 12, left, and Ethan Blanchfield-Killeen, right, 11, play a game with Nurse Mary Ramos ahead of their examination at the wellness center at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Dylan Aristy Mota, 12, left, and Ethan Blanchfield-Killeen, right, 11, play a game with Nurse Mary Ramos ahead of their examination at the wellness center at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Ethan Blanchfield-Killeen, 11, of Yonkers, N.Y., who has a form of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, plays a card game with bunkmates at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Ethan Blanchfield-Killeen, 11, of Yonkers, N.Y., who has a form of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, plays a card game with bunkmates at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Dylan Aristy Mota, 12, of New York City, who has lupus, second from left, and fellow campers take shelter from the rain at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Dylan Aristy Mota, 12, of New York City, who has lupus, second from left, and fellow campers take shelter from the rain at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Dylan Aristy Mota, 12, of New York City, who has lupus, poses for a photograph at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Dylan Aristy Mota, 12, of New York City, who has lupus, poses for a photograph at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
“It’s really nice just doing the special activities and just messing around with your friends and all day just having a blast.”
To the doctor, forgetting their chronic disease for a little bit was the point.
“They blend perfectly with the other kids,” Vasquez-Canizares said. “You can just see them smiling, running, like any other normal child.”
Campers run to the waterfront for an evening swim at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Campers run to the waterfront for an evening swim at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Dylan Aristy Mota, 12, of New York City, center, who has lupus, splashes in the water during an evening swim at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Dylan Aristy Mota, 12, of New York City, center, who has lupus, splashes in the water during an evening swim at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Dylan Aristy Mota, 12, of New York City, who has lupus, swims at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Dylan Aristy Mota, 12, of New York City, who has lupus, swims at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Nicholas Toska, 11, center, of Harrison, N.Y., who has juvenile idiopathic arthritis, reaches for a ball at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Nicholas Toska, 11, center, of Harrison, N.Y., who has juvenile idiopathic arthritis, reaches for a ball at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Campers take an evening swim at the Frost Valley YMCA, which partnered with Children’s Hospital at Montefiore so kids with autoimmune diseases could attend the sleepaway camp for the first time, in Claryville, N.Y., Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Campers take an evening swim at the Frost Valley YMCA, which partnered with Children’s Hospital at Montefiore so kids with autoimmune diseases could attend the sleepaway camp for the first time, in Claryville, N.Y., Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Dylan Aristy Mota, 12, of New York City, who has lupus, stands at the water’s edge during a headcount following an evening swim at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Dylan Aristy Mota, 12, of New York City, who has lupus, stands at the water’s edge during a headcount following an evening swim at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Campers walk to their bunks after an evening swim, at the Frost Valley YMCA, which partnered with Children’s Hospital at Montefiore so kids with autoimmune diseases could attend the sleepaway camp for the first time, in Claryville, N.Y., Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Campers walk to their bunks after an evening swim, at the Frost Valley YMCA, which partnered with Children’s Hospital at Montefiore so kids with autoimmune diseases could attend the sleepaway camp for the first time, in Claryville, N.Y., Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
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Neergaard reported from Washington.
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