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  • Geno Smith’s frustration boils over with obscene gesture toward fed-up Raiders fans

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    HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — All indications since he joined the Raiders this year are that Geno Smith is popular and well-respected in the locker room, and his interactions with the media have mostly been positive.

    But everyone has a breaking point, and Smith might have reached his on Sunday.

    After he was sacked 10 times in a 24-10 loss to Cleveland and booed from the moment he was introduced, Smith was seen making an obscene gesture toward fans as he left the field. Shortly thereafter, his answers in the postgame news conference were uncharacteristically brief.

    The Raiders pointed to a statement they issued to the Las Vegas Review-Journal regarding the incident with fans.

    “We are disappointed in his actions and have discussed the incident with Geno,” the statement read. “We hold the Raider Nation in the highest regard and take this matter seriously.”

    It’s understandable why Smith is frustrated. This isn’t the kind of season he and coach Pete Carroll envisioned when the Raiders traded with Seattle to land him. Both had success with the Seahawks and had every intention of translating that to Las Vegas.

    Smith even spoke at his introductory news conference of having “unfinished business.”

    But 11 games and an NFL-high 13 interceptions later, his business with the Raiders may be closer to finished. Judging Smith as the starting quarterback is tricky, however, given how inept the offensive line — coached by Carroll’s son, Brennan — has been.

    Smith had virtually no chance against Myles Garrett and the Browns’ pass rush, and as Carroll said Monday regarding the offensive line, “We got the guys we got.”

    But Smith will have a new offensive coordinator and play-caller in Greg Olson, the interim replacement for Chip Kelly, who was fired Sunday night. Maybe Olson, in his third stint as the Raiders’ OC, will find a way to help Smith play better than he has to this point.

    That Carroll has fired two coordinators in the same month — special teams boss Tom McMahon was let go on Nov. 7 — is more than telling. Carroll had never fired a coordinator in-season before he got to Las Vegas.

    “I’m really surprised as well that this has happened, but I think our players deserve it, and our fans deserve that we give them our best shot, and that’s what competing is all about,” Carroll said. “It’s just a very difficult time to have to do this … but we’re 2-9. So, unfortunately, that’s where we are.”

    What’s working

    DE Maxx Crosby. When is he not? Crosby always brings it, in practices or games. He was sensational even by his standards against the Browns, recording a personal-high five tackles for loss. His 19 tackles for loss this season are on pace to surpass the 23 he registered in 2023, when Crosby led the league in that category for the second year in a row. He trails only the 26 by Browns superstar Myles Garrett.

    What needs help

    The offensive line. If T Kolton Miller returns from injury at some point, it will get at least a little better. But any true improvement will have to occur in the offseason. This line might be the NFL’s worst and will need an overhaul. Giving up 10 sacks even to a stellar Browns defensive front is inexcusable, but the lack of pass protection and run blocking is not new.

    Stock up

    Move up the boards. The Raiders are up to fifth in next year’s draft order, and there’s a real chance they won’t win again this season. If Las Vegas loses out, the Raiders could put themselves in line to draft Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and maybe find the franchise quarterback they so desperately need.

    Stock down

    Job security. With two coordinators gone already, no one can feel too comfortable about their future in Las Vegas. That includes Carroll. Massive change figures to come in the offseason, and given how this season is playing out, it would be difficult to argue for the status quo.

    Injuries

    The Raiders got some rare good news with RB Ashton Jeanty (ankle) avoiding serious injury. He is not expected to miss any time. …There is still hope Miller (ankle) will return by the end of the season, but Carroll said his situation was “more week to week” than day to day.

    Key number

    8 — The number of play-callers the Raiders have had since October 2021, including Olson twice.

    Next steps

    The Raiders visit their AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

    ___

    AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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  • Bad Bunny wins album of the year at the 2025 Latin Grammys, capping an electric night

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    It should come as a shock to no one: The 2025 Latin Grammy Awards were all about Bad Bunny. The Puerto Rican superstar won album of the year for his landmark release “Debí Tirar Más Fotos.” After thanking his family and all those who worked on the album, he ended his speech with “Puerto Rico, I love you, thank you.”

    Those are powerful words honoring a record that doubles as a love letter for his island.

    “I want to dedicate this award to all the children and young people of Latin America, especially those of Puerto Rico. Never stop dreaming, never stop being yourselves, no matter where you come from. Never forget where you come from, but never forget where you are going,” he said. “There are many ways to show patriotism and defend our land: we choose music.”

    The artist born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio was destined to dominate from the jump. He also won the first award of the night, for música urbana album. Halfway through the show, the singer found himself back on stage accepting the música urbana song trophy for “DTmF.” “I never practice my speeches,” he said in Spanish. And then he showed up for a third time: to perform “Weltita” with Chuwi.

    He wasn’t the only one with reason to celebrate: Song of the year went to Karol G, Andrés Jael Correa Ríos and Édgar Barrera for “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido.” And Alejandro Sanz took home record of the year for “¿Y Ahora Qué?”

    Live from Sin City, the 26th annual Latin Grammys were both energetic and eclectic. Take Raphael, the 2025 Person of the Year, who launched into an emotive rendition of “Qué Sabe Nadie” and “Mi Gran Noche,” inviting the crowd to sing along.

    That was after Santana kicked things off — specifically, Maluma singing Santana’s 1970 hit “Oye Como Va” with the guitar legend himself.

    It was just the beginning of a memorable medley, talents of today celebrating Santana — Christian Nodal joining in for “Corazón Espinoza” and Grupo Frontera for their 2025 collaboration with the virtuosic musician, “Me Retiro.”

    Performances hit hard and fast: Aitana brought her dreamy electro-pop, Sanz delivered a medley of “El Vino De Tu Boca” and “Las Guapas,” Rauw Alejandro channeled Puerto Rico in Vegas with “Khé?,” the bachata “Silencio,” “Falsedad” and “Carita Linda.” Then: Danny Lux, Kakalo and Ivan Cornejo brought contemporary Mexicana sounds. Pepe Aguilar followed, with his life-affirming mariachi — “El Cihualteco” into “El Fuereño.”

    Elena Rose slowed things down with “Me Lo Merezco.” Karol G and the legendary Mexican singer Marco Antonio Solís dueted the romantic ballad “Coleccionando Heridas.”

    Two of the biggest groups in regional Mexican music – Grupo Frontera and Fuerza Regida – launched into their joint hit, “Me Jalo,” before the latter took over for “Marlboro Rojo.” That’s a cut from their record-breaking 2025 album “111xpantia.” Carín León’s lovely raspy vocal tone carried throughout “Ahí Estabas Tú”; then he was joined by Kacey Musgraves for “Lost in Translation.” Not long after, León took home the trophy in competitive contemporary Mexican album category for “Palabra De To’s (Seca).”

    Morat brought the pop-rock with “Faltas Tú” and Ca7riel and Paco Amoroso brought a kind of outsider, artistic spirit. Joaquina delivered a full-bodied “Quise Quererte.” Any aspiring artists watching would be wise to take a page out of the Brazilian singer Liniker’s book; “Negona Dos Olhos Terríveis” was one of the night’s most joyful. The same, of course, should be said about norteño band Los Tigres del Norte.

    The coveted best new artist trophy was handed out to Paloma Morphy.

    Traditional tropical album went to Gloria Estefan for “Raíces.” Not long afterward, she hit the stage for “La Vecina” and “Chirriqui Chirri,” joined by Nathy Peluso for the latter.

    Then ranchero/mariachi album went to Christian Nodal for “¿Quién + Como Yo?”

    Most of the evening’s awards were handed out during a pre-televised Premiere Ceremony. That included: Bad Bunny’s “Voy A Llevarte Pa Pr” winning for reggaeton performance. Argentinian duo Ca7riel and Paco Amoroso cleaned house then, too: taking home their first Latin Grammys for short and long form music video, alternative song, as well as alternative music album for “Papota,” and pop song for “El dia del amigo.” That’s five wins, making them the most awarded act at the 2025 show.

    The three-hour award show aired live from Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. It was hosted by the dynamic duo of Maluma and actor, producer and musician Roselyn Sánchez.

    ___

    This story has been updated to correct that Maluma helped open the Latin Grammys, not Miguel.

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  • Walking is good for you. Walking backward can add to the benefits

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    Here’s a simple way to switch up your walking routine, according to experts: try going backward.

    Taking a brisk walk is an exercise rich in simplicity, and it can have impressive mental and physical benefits: stronger bones and muscles, cardiovascular fitness and stress relief, to name a few. But like any workout, hoofing it for your health may feel repetitive and even boring after a while.

    Backward walking, also known as retro walking or reverse walking, could add variety and value to an exercise routine, when done safely. Turning around not only provides a change of view, but also puts different demands on your body.

    Janet Dufek, a biomechanist and faculty member at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, has researched the mechanics of both walking and landing from jumps to identify ways of preventing injuries and improving physical performance. And as a former college basketball player and a regular exerciser, she’s also done her fair share of backward walking.

    In humans, reverse locomotion can increase hamstring flexibility, strengthen underused muscles and challenges the mind as the body adjusts to a new movement and posture.

    “I see a lot of people in my neighborhood and they walk, and that’s good,” she said. “But they are still stressing the same elements of their structure over and over again. Walking backward introduces an element of cross-training, a subtly different activity.”

    On the treadmill

    Kevin Patterson, a personal trainer in Nashville, Tennessee, recommends the treadmill as the safest place to retro walk. You can adjust it to a slow speed. However, Patterson likes to turn off the treadmill — termed the “dead mill” — and have clients propel the belt on their own.

    “It can take a while to get the treadmill going, but from there we have them be the horsepower for the treadmill,” he said.

    Patterson said he uses backward walking with all his clients as an “accessory exercise” — a weight-training term for add-on movements designed to work a specific muscle group — or during warm-ups. The activity typically makes up a small part of the workouts, he said.

    “The treadmill is great for older clients because you have the handles on the side and you reduce that risk of falling,” he said.

    Off the treadmill

    Dufek suggests working a one-minute segment of backward walking into a 10-minute walk and adding time and distance as you get comfortable.

    You can also do it with a partner; face each other, perhaps clasp hands. One person walks backward, and the other strolls forward and watches for problems. Then switch positions.

    “At first, you start really, really slowly because there’s a balance accommodation and there is brain retraining. You are learning a new skill,” Dufek said. “You’re using muscles in different ways.”

    If you work your way up to running and get really good at it, you can try running a marathon backward — 26.2 miles or 42.2 kilometers. Yes, people have done that.

    Backward walking as cross-training

    Dufek classifies backward walking as a form of cross-training, or incorporating a mix of moves into a fitness program. Doing a range of exercises can help prevent overuse injuries, which can occur after repeatedly using the same muscle groups.

    For many people, cross-training involves different activities and types of exercise: for example, running one day, swimming the next, and strength training on a third day. But the modifications required to walk backward work in the same way, but on a micro level.

    Do small tweaks make much of a difference? Once an avid runner, Dufek said she had several pairs of running shoes and did not wear the same pair two days in a row.

    “The shoes had a different level of wear, a different design,” she said. “Just by changing that one element, in this case footwear, it would provide a slightly different stress to the system.”

    Retro walking as rehabilitation

    Physical therapists instruct some of their clients to reverse walk, which can be useful after knee injuries or for people in rehabilitation or recovering from surgery.

    “Backward walking is very different than forward walking from a force perspective, from a movement pattern perspective,” Dufek explained. Instead of landing heel first, “you strike the forefoot first, often quite gently, and often the heel does not contact the ground.”

    “This reduces of the range of motion in the knee joint, which allows for activity without stressing the (knee) joint,” Dufek said.

    Backward walking also stretches the hamstring muscles, the group of muscles at the back of the thigh. Dufek is interested in finding out if it improves balance and reduces fall risks in older adults by activating more senses of the body.

    Athletes do it naturally

    There is nothing unnatural about backward walking. In fact, backward running is a key skill for top athletes.

    Basketball players do it. So do soccer players. American football players — particularly the defensive backs — do it continually.

    “I played basketball and I probably spent 40% of my time playing defense and running backwards,” Dufek said.

    ___

    Follow AP’s Be Well coverage, focusing on all aspects of wellness, at https://apnews.com/hub/be-well

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  • Las Vegas tourism is down. Some blame Trump’s tariffs and immigration crackdown

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    LAS VEGAS (AP) — Tourism in Las Vegas is slumping this summer, with resorts and convention centers reporting fewer visitors compared to last year, especially from abroad, and some officials are blaming the Trump administration’s tariffs and immigration policies for the decline.

    The city known for lavish shows, endless buffets and around-the-clock gambling welcomed just under 3.1 million tourists in June, an 11% drop compared to the same month in 2024. There were 13% fewer international travelers, and hotel occupancy fell by about 15%, according to data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

    Mayor Shelley Berkley said tourism from Canada — Nevada’s largest international market — has dried up from a torrent “to a drip.” Same with Mexico.

    “We have a number of very high rollers that come in from Mexico that aren’t so keen on coming in right now. And that seems to be the prevailing attitude internationally,” Berkley told reporters this month.

    AP AUDIO: Las Vegas tourism is down. Some blame Trump’s tariffs and immigration crackdown

    AP correspondent Haya Panjwani reports on a drop in tourism in a major U.S. city.

    A Trump slump

    Ted Pappageorge, head of the powerful Culinary Workers Union, called it the “Trump slump.” He said visits from Southern California, home to a large Latino population, were also drying up because people are afraid of the administration’s immigration crackdown.

    “If you tell the rest of the world they’re not welcome, then they won’t come,” Pappageorge said.

    The Vegas dip mirrors a national trend. The travel forecasting company Tourism Economics, which in December 2024 anticipated the U.S. would have nearly 9% more international arrivals this year, revised its annual outlook to predict a 9.4% drop. Some of the steepest declines could be from Canada, the company said. Canada was the largest source of visitors to the U.S. in 2024, with more than 20.2 million, according to U.S. government data.

    Canadian airline data shows fewer passengers from north of the border are arriving at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. Air Canada saw its passenger numbers fall by 33% in June compared to a year earlier, while WestJet had a 31% drop. The low-cost carrier Flair reported a whopping 62% decline.

    Travel agents in Canada said there’s been a significant downturn in clients wanting to visit the U.S. overall, and Las Vegas in particular. Wendy Hart, who books trips from Windsor, Ontario, said the reason was “politics, for sure.” She speculated it was a point of “national pride” that people were staying away from the U.S. after President Donald Trump said he wanted to make Canada the 51st state.

    “The tariffs are a big thing too. They seem to be contributing to the rising cost of everything,” Hart said.

    The sky’s not falling

    At the downtown Circa Resort and Casino, international visits have dipped, especially from Canada and Japan, according to owner and CEO Derek Stevens. But the downturn comes after a post-pandemic spike, Stevens said. And while hotel room bookings are slack, gaming numbers, especially for sports betting, are still strong, he said.

    “It’s not as if the sky is falling,” he said. Wealthier visitors are still coming, and Circa has introduced inexpensive package deals to lure those with less money to spend.

    “There have been many stories written about how the ‘end is near’ in Vegas,” he said. “But Vegas continues to reinvent itself as a destination worth visiting.”

    On AAA’s annual top 10 list of top Labor Day destinations, Las Vegas slipped this year to the last spot, from No. 6 in 2024. Seattle and Orlando, Florida — home to Disney World — hold steady in the top two spots, with New York City moving up to third for 2025.

    Reports of declining tourism were news to Alison Ferry, who arrived from Donegal, Ireland, to find big crowds at casinos and the Vegas Strip.

    “It’s very busy. It has been busy everywhere that we’ve gone. And really, really hot,” Ferry said. She added that she doesn’t pay much attention to U.S. politics.

    Recession-proof businesses

    Just off the strip, there’s been no slowdown at the Pinball Museum, which showcases games dating back to the 1930s. Manager Jim Arnold said the two-decade-old attraction is recession-proof because it’s one of the few places that offers free parking and admission.

    “We’ve decided that our plan is just to ignore inflation and pretend it doesn’t exist,” Arnold said. “So you still take a quarter out of your pocket and put it in a game, and you don’t pay a resort fee or a cancelation fee or any of that jazz.”

    But Arnold said he’s not surprised overall tourism might be slowing, citing skyrocketing pricing at high-end restaurants and resorts that “squeezes out the low-end tourist.”

    The mayor said the rising cost of food, hotel rooms and attractions also keeps visitors away.

    “People are feeling that they’re getting nickeled and dimed, and they’re not getting value for their dollar,” Berkley said. She called on business owners to “see if we can’t make it more affordable” for tourists.

    “And that’s all we want. We want them to come and have good time, spend their money, go home,” the mayor said. “Then come back in six months.”

    ___

    Weber reported from Los Angeles.

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  • Trump’s deportation plans worry families with relatives in US illegally

    Trump’s deportation plans worry families with relatives in US illegally

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    PHOENIX (AP) — Jocelyn Ruiz remembers when her fifth-grade teacher warned the class about large-scale patrols that would target immigrants in Arizona’s largest metropolitan area. She asked her mom about it — and unearthed a family secret.

    Ruiz’s mother had entered the United States illegally, leaving Mexico a decade earlier in search of a better life.

    Ruiz, who was born in California and raised in the Phoenix area, was overcome by worry at the time that her mother could be deported at any moment, despite having no criminal history. Ruiz, her two younger siblings and her parents quietly persevered, never discussing their mixed immigration status. They lived “as Americans,” she said.

    More than 22 million people live in a U.S. household where at least one occupant is in the country without authorization, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of 2022 Census data. That represents nearly 5% of households across the U.S. and 5.5% in Arizona, a battleground state where the Latino vote could be key.

    If Donald Trump is elected and follows through with a campaign promise to conduct the largest deportation operation in American history, it could not only upend the lives of the 11 million people who according to the U.S. Census Bureau are living in the United States without authorization — it could devastate the U.S. citizens in their families.

    The issue of immigration has been a cornerstone of Trump’s platform since he promised to “build a great wall” in 2015 as he announced his first Republican campaign for president. And despite polling that shows the economy as a top concern for voters, Trump remains fixated on the issue, criticizing the Biden administration’s handling of the southern border as an existential threat to American society as Election Day nears.

    Trump’s plans for a crackdown have motivated some mixed-status families to speak out. America’s success depends on the contributions of immigrants, they argue, and the people doing this work deserve a pathway to legal residency or citizenship.

    Others choose to be silent, hoping to evade attention.

    And there are some who support Trump, even though they themselves could become targets for deportation.

    The political divide over immigration runs deep: 88% of Trump supporters favor mass deportation, according to a recent Pew survey, compared with 27% of the voters who support Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president.

    Trump was asked about the impact so many deportations would have on mixed-status families when he visited the Arizona-Mexico border in August.

    “Provisions will be made, but we have to get the criminals out,” Trump responded to NBC News. He didn’t say what the provisions might include, and his campaign did not share more information when The Associated Press asked for specifics.

    Living in a mixed-status family is inherently precarious, as immigration policies and political rhetoric have ripple effects for U.S. citizens and legal residents, said Heide Castañeda, a professor of anthropology at the University of South Florida.

    “For most Americans, it’s not a familiar thing to navigate your daily life thinking about somebody in your family possibly being taken,” said Castañeda, author of “Borders of Belonging: Struggle and Solidarity in Mixed-Status Immigrant Families.” “But for mixed-status families, of course, that’s always on their minds.”

    What to know about the 2024 Election

    Politicians, she said, “think that they’re targeting a particular group, but these groups live in families and communities and households and neighborhoods.”

    In Nevada, California, New Jersey and Texas, nearly one in 10 households includes people living in the U.S. without legal permission, according to Pew. Many have lived in the country for decades and have U.S. citizens depending on them.

    Michael Kagan, director of the Immigration Clinic at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said recent arrivals aren’t representative of the population in Nevada.

    “The vast majority have been here more than 10 years,” Kagan said, warning that their U.S. citizen relatives could inadvertently be swept up.

    Erika Andriola, 37, a longtime advocate for immigrants in Arizona, witnessed her mother and brother being detained by immigration agents in 2013. She waged a successful campaign that led to their release, but she now suffers from PTSD and separation anxiety as a result of that day.

    “It was just this like constant nightmares. I would wake up crying,” Andriola said. She and her brother are now legal residents, but their 66-year-old mother has been challenging her deportation in court since 2017.

    It’s an experience Andriola doesn’t wish upon anyone — and she says the emotional and economic tolls can affect entire communities.

    Betzaida Robinson’s brother was deported to Mexico several years ago despite never having lived there. An integral member of the family in Phoenix, he had helped pay bills and raise her two children.

    Robinson said Trump and his supporters must not be thinking about what it’s like to have a loved one taken away.

    “How about if you were in that position, what would you do and how would you feel?” she said.

    Still, there are people living in the country illegally who do support Trump, said Castañeda, the university professor. Even Andriola says she has family members who do.

    “They’re not necessarily thinking about what can happen to people like my mom,” Andriola said, “but they’re thinking about their own lives and what they think is best for them.”

    Victoria Castro-Corral is a self-described optimist from a mixed-status family in Phoenix who advises students at Chandler-Gilbert Community College. She said she has faith that a mass deportation plan will never happen — and credits her Mexican parents, who crossed the border illegally decades ago, for teaching her how to remain positive.

    “We’re here to stay,” she said.

    ___

    Gabriel Sandoval is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

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  • A man arrested with guns outside a Trump rally in California is suing the sheriff

    A man arrested with guns outside a Trump rally in California is suing the sheriff

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    LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Nevada man who was arrested over the weekend with guns at a security checkpoint outside a Donald Trump rally in the southern California desert has filed a lawsuit accusing the sheriff of falsely characterizing his arrest as a thwarted assassination attempt for his own personal gain.

    The man, identified as 49-year-old Vem Miller of Las Vegas, had been driving an unregistered black SUV with a “homemade” license plate when he was stopped by deputies assigned to the rally in Coachella, east of Los Angeles, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said Sunday at a news conference.

    Miller had a shotgun, loaded handgun, ammunition and several fake passports in his vehicle, Bianco said. Miller was released the same day on $5,000 bail.

    The lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Nevada says Bianco lied about the fake passports, and that he “created a narrative so as to be viewed as a ‘heroic’ Sheriff who saved Presidential candidate Trump.” It names as defendants the sheriff, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and a sheriff’s deputy.

    A call to the sheriff’s executive office for comment Wednesday was deferred to the department’s communications office, which did not respond to an email. The Associated Press also emailed Miller’s lawyer, Sigal Chattah, for comment.

    Security is very tight at Trump rallies following two recent assassination attempts. Last month, a man was indicted on an attempted assassination charge after authorities said he staked out the former president for 12 hours and wrote of his desire to kill him. The Florida arrest came two months after Trump was shot and wounded in the ear during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

    Bianco said that Miller also claimed to be a journalist, but that it was unclear if he had the proper credentials. Deputies noticed the interior of the vehicle was “in disarray” and a search uncovered the weapons and ammo, along with multiple passports and driver licenses with different names, Bianco said.

    Miller’s lawsuit accuses the sheriff’s department of illegally searching the SUV. It also says that he willingly disclosed to officers at the checkpoint that he had weapons but intended to leave them in the vehicle.

    Miller is scheduled to appear in court in January in the weapons case. He was arrested on suspicion of possessing a loaded firearm and possession of a high-capacity magazine, according to online records.

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  • The world’s second Sphere will be built in the UAE capital after the first opened in Las Vegas

    The world’s second Sphere will be built in the UAE capital after the first opened in Las Vegas

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    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The world’s second Sphere is planned to be built in the capital of the United Arab Emirates after the opening of the first giant dome entertainment complex in Las Vegas.

    Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism and Sphere Entertainment Co. announced the plan late Tuesday to bring a Sphere to the Middle East.

    Under the deal, Abu Dhabi will pay a franchise fee to Sphere Entertainment to build the second location using its designs. Abu Dhabi’s government will pay to build the structure, as well as annual fees to Sphere Entertainment “for creative and artistic content.”

    The announcement offered no financing information, nor did it say where the Sphere would be built in the Emirati capital. Abu Dhabi’s government did not immediately respond to questions about the project Wednesday. Sphere declined to comment beyond the initial announcement.

    The massive $2.3 billion Las Vegas Sphere opened in 2023 as the gambling capital’s most expensive entertainment venue. A high-resolution LED screen wraps halfway around the 17,500-seat audience. It has hosted concerts and sporting events inside the world’s largest spherical structure standing at 366 feet (111 meters) tall and 516 feet (157 meters) wide.

    However, efforts to build a second Sphere abroad have been choppy. London Mayor Sadiq Khan rejected a plan to build one in the city’s east over multiple concerns last year, including light pollution.

    Abu Dhabi has been trying to differentiate itself as a travel destination from neighboring Dubai in the UAE, an energy-rich federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula.

    The UAE is also preparing to open the first casino in the country. While the only one currently under construction is in the emirate of Ras al-Khaimah, other sheikhdoms in the country are believed to be actively considering having their own.

    Sphere is the brainchild of James Dolan, the executive chair of Madison Square Garden and the owner of the New York Knicks and Rangers.

    Stock in Sphere closed more than 6% higher Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange to $48.91 a share. That’s a major boost after Benchmark last month downgraded Sphere Entertainment to “sell” over “concerns over the Sphere’s “scalability, high production costs and a potentially underwhelming profitability outlook.”

    Meanwhile, some projects in the UAE have failed to be built or been delayed for years after being announced in economic downturns.

    Trademark filings show Sphere Entertainment Co. trademark filings made as well in Japan, Oman and Qatar, though there’s no announced plans for similar venues. Companies often protectively trademark their names in other markets without necessarily having business there.

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  • Barbashev, Stone and Olofsson each score two, Golden Knights top Avalanche 8-4 in season-opener

    Barbashev, Stone and Olofsson each score two, Golden Knights top Avalanche 8-4 in season-opener

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    LAS VEGAS (AP) — Ivan Barbashev, Mark Stone and Victor Olofsson each scored two goals and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Colorado Avalanche 8-4 on Wednesday night in the teams’ season opener.

    Barbashev also had two assists, linemate Jack Eichel had four and defenseman Shea Theodore added three. Adin Hill finished with 28 saves.

    Mikko Rantanen had three goals, while Casey Mittelstadt also scored for the Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev made 11 saves. Justus Annunen came in for Georgiev and stopped two of the four shots he faced.

    Takeaways

    Avalanche: As their number one goaltender, Georgiev struggled terribly in allowing five or more goals in a regular-season game for the 34th time in his career. He came into the game with a 4-4-2 mark against Vegas, with a 2.59 goals-against average and .918 save percentage.

    Golden Knights: Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy stressed the importance of chemistry with his forwards during training camp, starting with one center and one wing building chemistry before adding a third element once he was confident with the initial pairing. Cassidy seemingly got it right with his top line of Stone, Barbashev and Eichel, as the trio combined for 10 points.

    Key moment

    After falling behind 1-0 midway through the first period, the Golden Knights wasted no time in tying the game when Olofsson sniped Georgiev from near the bottom of the right circle, firing it short side just over the goalie’s right shoulder.

    Key stat

    Rantanen’s hat trick was the eighth of his career, and second one of the calendar year. His last was last season in St. Louis on March 19. Five of Rantanen’s eight hat tricks have come on the road.

    Up Next

    The Avalanche host Columbus on Saturday, while the Golden Knights continue their season-opening three-game homestand by hosting St. Louis on Friday.

    ___

    AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

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  • Raiders hold off Browns to win 20-16 behind defense and newfound running game

    Raiders hold off Browns to win 20-16 behind defense and newfound running game

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    LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Raiders entered their matchup against the Browns with the NFL’s worst running game and without star players Maxx Crosby and Davante Adams.

    Plus, Las Vegas was coming off a loss to the previously winless Panthers that drew the ire of coach Antonio Pierce.

    But the Raiders found a balanced running attack and overcame a Cleveland rally to win 20-16 on Sunday.

    “Yeah, a lot of adversity this week, there’s no doubt about it,” Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew said. “I was happy to see how we responded. Coming in Friday’s practice, we kind of turned the corner and the overall mood of the team changed and everybody was feeling really it again.”

    Cleveland drove to the Raiders 9-yard line with the chance to walk out with the victory, but Charles Snowden sacked Deshaun Watson on fourth down with 35 seconds left.

    The Raiders (2-2) found enough offense without star wide receiver Adams (hamstring) and held the Browns to 241 yards without Crosby (ankle).

    “We all had to take a step up,” Snowden said. “I have to thank Maxx. He was engaged all week coaching us up, being a very present figure.”

    Alexander Mattison rushed for 60 yards for the Raiders, who totaled 152 on the ground and had five players with runs of at least 10 yards, their most since 2010 against the Seahawks. The Raiders got rushing touchdowns from receivers Tre Tucker and DJ Turner, becoming the first team since the Jets in 2010 to get two TD runs from wideouts.

    Las Vegas hadn’t rushed for more than 55 yards in a game this season.

    “It felt really good to be able to operate on all cylinders like that to get the run game going,” Mattison said. “The O-line did an amazing job. We have to keep it going because we know what we’re capable of.”

    Minshew was 14 for 24 for 130 yards. He was sacked twice by reigning AP Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, who is dealing with an assortment of injuries.

    Watson completed all eight passes in leading the Browns to a touchdown on an opening drive that lasted 9:22, but he finished 24 for 32 for 176 yards.

    He entered the game having taken a league-high 16 sacks, and the Raiders took him down three times. Cleveland’s offensive line was missing four starters for much of the game.

    Although it’s not yet October, the Browns (1-3) took a blow to their playoff chances. Only 42 teams since the 1970 merger have made the postseason after opening 1-3.

    A week earlier, Las Vegas lost 36-22 to the Panthers, prompting Pierce to question some players’ effort. Then the Raiders found themselves in a 10-0 hole in the first quarter.

    Las Vegas scored the next 20 points to seemingly take control.

    “I knew what group I had,” Pierce said. “That wasn’t the team (last week) that we’re accustomed to seeing. It was a trying week. It probably started with me and my comments and I apologized to (the players) for that. I don’t want to be a distraction in that way.”

    Zamir White fumbled on the first play of the fourth quarter, and Browns safety Rodney McLeod returned it for a 25-yard TD to give Cleveland life. Dustin Hopkins missed the extra point, leaving the Browns down 20-16.

    “They had the momentum at that point and we really needed to step up and get a takeaway,” Garrett said. “That’s what we were calling for in the huddle, and we answered the bell. That was an adrenaline shot.”

    Cleveland appeared to take the lead on an 82-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Amari Cooper, but backup center Nick Harris was called for holding, and the Browns eventually punted.

    On their last-gasp drive, with the Browns forced to go for the touchdown, Watson couldn’t attempt a pass on the decisive play.

    Injuries

    Browns: C Ethan Pocic (ankle) went into the locker room in the first quarter, returned in the third and then left again. …. Cleveland was already missing RG Wyatt Teller (knee) and OTs Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee) and Jack Conklin (hamstring). … LB Jordan Hicks (elbow) left in the second quarter. … TE David Njoku (ankle) did not play.

    Raiders: LB Divine Deablo (oblique), T Thayer Munford (knee/ankle), CB Decamerion Richardson (hamstring) and TE Michael Mayer (personal reasons) did not play. … Return specialist Tyreik McAllister (shoulder) was hurt in the fourth quarter.

    Up next

    Browns: At Washington next Sunday, the second of a three-game trip.

    Raiders: At Denver next Sunday.

    ___

    AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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  • Nevada high court orders dismissal of Chasing Horse sex abuse case but says charges can be refiled

    Nevada high court orders dismissal of Chasing Horse sex abuse case but says charges can be refiled

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    LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Nevada Supreme Court has ordered the dismissal of a sprawling sex abuse indictment against Nathan Chasing Horse, while leaving open the possibility of charges being refiled in a case that sent shockwaves throughout Indian Country and led to more criminal charges in the U.S. and Canada.

    Proceedings in the 18-count criminal case have been at a standstill for more than a year while the former “Dances with Wolves” actor challenged it. The full seven-member court’s decision, issued Thursday, reverses earlier rulings upholding the charges by a three-member panel of the high court and a state judge.

    Kristy Holston, the chief deputy public defender representing Chasing Horse, had argued that a definition of grooming presented to the grand jury without expert testimony tainted the state’s case. Holston said prosecutors also failed to provide the grand jury with evidence that could have cast a doubt on the allegations against Chasing Horse, including what she described as inconsistent statements made by one of the victims.

    The high court agreed.

    “The combination of these two clear errors undermines our confidence in the grand jury proceedings and created intolerable damage to the independent function of the grand jury process,” the court said in its scathing order.

    The ruling directs the judge overseeing the case in Clark County District Court to dismiss the indictment without prejudice, meaning charges against Chasing Horse can be refiled. But the order for dismissal won’t take effect immediately, as prosecutors also have the option to ask the high court to reconsider within 25 days.

    “The allegations against Chasing Horse are indisputably serious, and we express no opinion about Chasing Horse’s guilt or innocence,” the order says.

    Holston declined to comment. District Attorney Steve Wolfson, in a statement Thursday, described the court’s decision as “only a minor setback.”

    “My office is committed to resurrecting the charges in this case,” Wolfson said, “and we will not rest until we obtain justice on behalf of the victims in this matter.”

    Chasing Horse is charged with sexual assault of a minor, kidnapping and child abuse. He has pleaded not guilty.

    The 48-year-old has been in custody since his arrest last January near the North Las Vegas home he is said to have shared with five wives. He is unlikely to be released from custody, even after the high court’s decision, because he faces charges in at least four other jurisdictions, including U.S. District Court in Nevada and on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana.

    Chasing Horse is best known for portraying Smiles A Lot in the 1990 film “Dances with Wolves.” But in the decades since starring in the Oscar-winning movie, authorities said, he built a reputation as a self-proclaimed medicine man among tribes and traveled around North America to perform healing ceremonies.

    He is accused of using that position to gain access to vulnerable girls and women starting in the early 2000s, leading a cult and taking underage wives. Authorities have said one of the wives was offered to Chasing Horse as a “gift” when she was 15, while another “became a wife” after turning 16.

    Chasing Horse also is accused of recording sexual assaults and arranging sex with the victims for other men who allegedly paid him.

    His legal issues have been unfolding at the same time lawmakers and prosecutors around the U.S. are funneling more resources into cases involving Native women, including human trafficking and murders. Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, which is home to the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation.

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  • UNLV QB to sit out season after agent says $100,000 promised for transfer has not been paid

    UNLV QB to sit out season after agent says $100,000 promised for transfer has not been paid

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    The convoluted way college athletes are paid for the use of their name, image and likeness and a dispute between player and coaches over money appears to have cost an undefeated team its quarterback three games into the season.

    UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka has decided to sit out the rest of the season over a $100,000 NIL payment that was promised but never paid after he agreed to transfer to the Rebels from Holy Cross last winter, Sluka’s agent told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

    “I think there was some kind of breakdown in communication,” Bob Sluka, Matthew’s father, told AP.

    Sluka’s decision sent shockwaves throughout major college football, where the old rules of amateurism have fallen, leaving schools and the NCAA grappling with how to regulate the way players can be paid. Just how much regulation is part of a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement agreement involving the NCAA and the nation’s top conferences that is before a federal judge in California.

    Sluka’s agent, Marcus Cromartie of Equity Sports, said Sluka was promised $100,000 by a UNLV assistant coach who recruited the quarterback last winter when he agreed to transfer in January.

    Both Cromartie and the company that runs UNLV’s NIL collective, which would be responsible for paying school athletes, acknowledge there was no signed agreement between the player and the organization for $100,000.

    UNLV issued a statement accusing Sluka’s representative of making “financial demands upon the university and its NIL collective in order to continue playing.”

    “UNLV athletics interpreted these demands as a violation of the NCAA pay-for-play rules, as well as Nevada state law,” the school said. “UNLV does not engage in such activity, nor does it respond to implied threats. UNLV has honored all previously agreed-upon scholarships for Matthew Sluka.”

    Bob Sluka and Cromartie insisted Matthew Sluka was not looking for anything more than was promised.

    UNLV (3-0) is scheduled to host Fresno State (3-1) in a big Mountain West game on Saturday, with both schools hoping a strong season could put them in consideration for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. The Rebels have already beaten two power conference schools but now will proceed without their starting QB.

    Sluka’s transfer

    Equity Sports represents numerous NFL and college players, including Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes. Bob Sluka told AP his son signed with Equity Sports when Matthew Sluka declared his intent to switch schools and entered the NCAA transfer portal in December.

    During a recruiting trip to UNLV with his son, Bob Sluka said a discussion about NIL payments came up with offensive coordinator Brennan Marion and the Slukas informed him those could be had with Equity.

    Cromartie said he spoke with the assistant coach by phone and a promise of $100,000 was made but because Sluka was still completing his degree at Holy Cross, the quarterback could not sign a contract with a collective until after he enrolled at UNLV. Sluka did not join the team until preseason practice in August.

    Friends of Unilv, the collective that works with UNLV athletes, does not sign deals with athletes until they are enrolled, said Bob Sine, whose company Blueprint Sports oversees and operates that collective and dozens others around the country.

    But, Sine said, it is not uncommon for representatives of athletes to open discussions with the collective about NIL opportunities before the athlete is enrolled. Sine said a payment of $3,000 was made to Sluka over the summer, but nothing else.

    Things fall apart

    “In July, there was no NIL payments. There was no $100,000, I guess you could say zero dollars. He was given a $3,000 relocation fee and that was it,” said Cromartie, who added head coach Barry Odom was not involved in the initial discussions.

    Sine said the first time they heard from Cromartie was on Aug. 29 via email, and on Sept. 19 there was another email communication during which the collective offered a potential deal that would pay Sluka $3,000 per month.

    Sine said Cromartie was not registered as an agent in Nevada or with the school. They informed him he needed to do that to move forward. Sluka’s father said Cromartie was directed to speak with Odom and director of player development Hunkie Cooper.

    Cromartie said he suggested payments of $10,000 a month over the next five months and even $5,000 per month and was declined.

    Cromartie said Sluka was offered $3,000 per month by Odom and Cooper in a phone call last week.

    “At that point I think Matt felt lied to. At that point he just wanted to stand up for himself,” Cromartie said.

    Bob Sluka said his son went to see Odom on Monday before practice and the coach refused to talk to Matthew about the NIL arrangement. Bob Sluka said Matthew returned to the coach’s office after practice, but Odom was gone. Odom declined to speak with reporters following practice Wednesday.

    “It’s just the tone that they took. It didn’t have to happen. All you had to do was give Matt a hug and say, ‘Hey, Matt, we’re going to work this out with you,’” said Bob Sluka, who lives in Locust Valley on New York’s Long Island. “You’re letting your starting quarterback walk out the door. And they didn’t care. Did Barry not call the collective and say, ‘Holy crap, I’m losing my kid.’ No, he said, ‘Take it or leave it.’”

    NCAA redshirt rules allow players to retain a year of eligibility if they play four or fewer games in a season. Sluka, who played four seasons (2020-23) at Holy Cross, still has one more year of eligibility that he could use at another school next season. NCAA rules do not allow players to play for two schools within the same season.

    “I committed to UNLV based on certain representations that were made to me, which were not upheld after I enrolled,” Matthew Sluka posted on X late Tuesday. “Despite discussions, it became clear that these commitments would not be fulfilled in the future. I wish my teammates the best of luck this season and hope for the continued success of the program.”

    NIL headaches

    The NCAA lifted its ban on athletes being compensated for things like endorsement and sponsorship deals in 2021, but had very few detailed rules on how schools can regulate payments beyond saying the compensation cannot come directly from the school.

    State laws have created different standards around the country, and college sports leaders, including NCAA President Charlie Baker, have been lobbying Congress for a federal law to help get a handle of an unruly system that lacks transparency. The NCAA settlement of multiple antitrust lawsuits includes a plan for a new revenue-sharing system, which would allow schools to begin making direct NIL payments to athletes as soon as next year.

    “The NCAA fully supports college athletes profiting from their NIL, but unfortunately there is little oversight or accountability in the NIL space and far too often promises made to student-athletes are broken,” NCAA senior vice president for external affairs Tim Buckley said in a statement. “Positive changes are underway at the NCAA to deliver more benefits to student-athletes but without clear legal authority granted by the courts or by Congress, the NCAA, conferences and schools have limited authority to regulate third parties involved in NIL transactions.”

    The current way this all works has caused headaches for everyone involved.

    Georgia quarterback Jaden Rashada, who committed to play for Florida out of high school, is suing Gators coach Billy Napier and one of the school’s top boosters after a $14 million NIL deal fell through. Rashada never played for Florida. He was released from his scholarship agreement in 2023, transferred to Arizona State where he played last year and then transferred to Georgia this offseason.

    “They’re going to have to figure out a system, just like anything else — make sure contracts are signed, or the language is done the right way,” Mahomes, who has become involved in the NIL collective at Texas Tech, his alma mater, said Wednesday when asked about Sluka’s situation.

    What now?

    UNLV went 9-5 last season and played for the Mountain West Conference championship, but the quarterback who led that team to the program’s best season in nearly 40 years, Jayden Maiava, transferred to Southern California of the Big Ten.

    Sluka was one of the top quarterbacks playing in Division I’s second tier, known as the Football Championship Subdivision. Holy Cross reached the FCS playoffs in 2021 and ’22 with Sluka as the starter.

    After a coaching change at Holy Cross — head coach Bob Chesney left to take over at James Madison — Sluka also moved on. after setting a host of school records and rushing for an NCAA Division I quarterback record 330 yards in a loss to Lafayette in 2023. Sluka has completed 21 of 48 passes for 318 yards, six touchdowns and one interception for the Rebels this season. He has also rushed 39 times for 286 yards and a touchdown, helping the Rebels beat Kansas and Houston to go 2-0 against Big 12 teams.

    Neither Sluka’s father nor his agent completely ruled out the possibility of a resolution that could have Matthew Sluka back with UNLV, but neither voiced any optimism.

    “At the end of the day, $100,000 for a quarterback that’s in a Top 25 program is actually probably on the lower tier,” Cromartie said. “The fact that he hasn’t gotten that or anything in between just speaks to the point he’s getting done unjustly and unfairly.”

    ___

    AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta in Kansas City, Missouri, and Mark Anderson in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

    ___

    Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and College football ‘ Latest News & Updates

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  • Panthers QB Bryce Young says he was surprised to learn he’d been benched, needs to get better

    Panthers QB Bryce Young says he was surprised to learn he’d been benched, needs to get better

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    CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young said he was surprised to learn from head coach Dave Canales that he’d been benched and accepted blame for the team’s struggles on the field.

    “It was not something that I was necessarily expecting,” Young said following Thursday’s practice. “Obviously not something that was great to hear. But I respect coach Canales and the organization.”

    Young is 2-16 as an NFL starter since he arrived in Carolina amid high expectations after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 draft.

    The Panthers are 0-2 this season and have not been competitive in either game. They have been outscored 73-13, including 53-3 in the first half, and have scored just one touchdown. Young has not thrown a TD pass in his last four starts dating back to last season.

    The 36-year-old Andy Dalton will start on Sunday at Las Vegas.

    Young placed the blame for the demotion on his own shoulders, saying he needs to be more productive.

    “Last year and these first two games for the most part every snap has hit my hands and I didn’t do enough with it at the end of the day,” Young said. “I take accountability for that. There are plays and a long list of things that I wish I was better at and I’m going to continue to work and grow and be better at them. I’m always going to look in the mirror.”

    He added, “If I went out there and played better, and we won games, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

    Young is the first quarterback selected No. 1 overall in the common draft era starting in 1967 to be benched for noninjury reasons in his second season.

    But the QB said he has hasn’t lost confidence in his own ability, even though the demotion raises questions about his future in Carolina.

    Canales tried to cushion the blow on Wednesday, saying he still thinks Young can be a franchise quarterback and that the team has no plans to trade him.

    As for whether he still views himself as the franchise quarterback in Carolina, Young sidestepped the question by saying “really right now, I am a day-by-day type of person. Big picture stuff, that’s out of my hands. That’s in God’s hands. Organizational stuff, that is with the people upstairs” in the front office.

    Young said he’s been grateful for the support of his teammates and will continue to approach the game in the same way.

    “I’m a competitor and it’s not what you dream of or what you think is going to happen, but I trust in the Lord,” Young said. “I know that he is in control of everything and I am super blessed. It’s not something that is ideal but at the end of day, it is what it is. I have to focus on what I can do now to get better.”

    ___

    AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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  • Judge rejects former Trump aide Mark Meadows’ bid to move Arizona election case to federal court

    Judge rejects former Trump aide Mark Meadows’ bid to move Arizona election case to federal court

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    PHOENIX (AP) — A judge has rejected a bid by Mark Meadows, former chief of staff to President Donald Trump, to move his charges in Arizona’s fake elector case to federal court, marking the second time he has failed in trying to get his charges out of state court.

    In a decision Monday, U.S. District Judge John Tuchi said Meadows missed a deadline for asking for his charges to be moved to federal court, didn’t offer a good reason for doing so and failed to show that the allegations against him related to his official duties as chief of staff to the president.

    Meadows faces charges in Arizona and Georgia in what authorities allege was an illegal scheme to overturn the 2020 election results in Trump’s favor. He had unsuccessfully tried to move charges in the Georgia case last year. It’s unknown whether Meadows will appeal the decision. The Associated Press left phone and email messages for two of Meadows’ attorneys.

    While not a fake elector in Arizona, prosecutors said Meadows worked with other Trump campaign members to submit names of fake electors from Arizona and other states to Congress in a bid to keep Trump in office despite his November 2020 defeat. Meadows has pleaded not guilty to the charges in Arizona and Georgia.

    In 2020, Democrat Joe Biden won Arizona by 10,457 votes.

    The decision sends Meadows’ case back down to Maricopa County Superior Court.

    In both Arizona and Georgia, Meadows argued his charges should be moved to federal court because his actions were taken when he was a federal official working as Trump’s chief of staff and that he has immunity under the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution, which says federal law trumps state law.

    Arizona prosecutors said Meadows’ electioneering efforts weren’t part of his official duties at the White House.

    Meadows last year tried to get his Georgia charges moved but his request was rejected by a judge whose ruling was later affirmed by an appeals court. Meadows has since asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the ruling.

    The Arizona indictment says Meadows confided to a White House staff member in early November 2020 that Trump had lost the election. Prosecutors say Meadows also had arranged meetings and calls with state officials to discuss the fake elector conspiracy.

    Meadows and other defendants are seeking a dismissal of the Arizona case.

    Meadows’ attorneys said nothing their client is alleged to have done in Arizona was criminal. They said the indictment consists of allegations that he received messages from people trying to get ideas in front of Trump — or “seeking to inform Mr. Meadows about the strategy and status of various legal efforts by the president’s campaign.”

    In denying the former chief of staff’s request, Tuchi said Meadows wasn’t indicted for facilitating communications to and from the president or staying updated on what was going on in Trump’s campaign.

    “Instead, the State has indicted Mr. Meadows for allegedly orchestrating and participating in an illegal electioneering scheme,” the judge wrote. “Few, if any, of the State’s factual allegations even resemble the secretarial duties that Mr. Meadows maintains are the subject of the indictment.”

    In all, 18 Republicans were charged in late April in Arizona’s fake electors case. The defendants include 11 Republicans who had submitted a document falsely claiming Trump had won Arizona, another Trump aide and five lawyers connected to the former president.

    In August, Trump’s campaign attorney Jenna Ellis, who worked closely with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, signed a cooperation agreement with prosecutors that led to the dismissal of her charges. Republican activist Loraine Pellegrino became the first person to be convicted in the Arizona case when she pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge and was sentenced to probation.

    The remaining defendants have pleaded not guilty to the forgery, fraud and conspiracy charges in Arizona.

    Trump wasn’t charged in Arizona, but the indictment refers to him as an unindicted coconspirator.

    The 11 people who were nominated to be Arizona’s Republican electors met in Phoenix on Dec. 14, 2020, to sign a certificate saying they were “duly elected and qualified” electors and claimed Trump had carried the state.

    A one-minute video of the signing ceremony was posted on social media by the Arizona Republican Party at the time. The document was later sent to Congress and the National Archives, where it was ignored.

    Prosecutors in Michigan, Nevada, Georgia and Wisconsin have also filed criminal charges related to the fake electors scheme.

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  • GOP lawsuits set the stage for state challenges if Trump loses the election

    GOP lawsuits set the stage for state challenges if Trump loses the election

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    Before voters even begin casting ballots, Democrats and Republicans are engaged in a sprawling legal fight over the 2024 election through a series of court disputes that could even run past Nov. 5 if results are close.

    Republicans filed more than 100 lawsuits challenging various aspects of vote-casting after being chastised repeatedly by judges in 2020 for bringing complaints about how the election was run only after votes were tallied.

    After Donald Trump made ” election integrity ” a key part of his party’s platform following his false claims of widespread voter fraud in 2020, the Republican National Committee says it has more than 165,000 volunteers ready to watch the polls.

    Democrats are countering with what they are calling “voter protection,” rushing to court to fight back against the GOP cases and building their own team with over 100 staffers, several hundred lawyers and what they say are thousands of volunteers.

    Despite the flurry of litigation, the cases have tended to be fairly small-bore, with few likely impacts for most voters.

    “When you have all this money to spend on litigation, you end up litigating less and less important stuff,” said Derek Muller, a law professor at Notre Dame University.

    The stakes would increase dramatically should Trump lose and try to overturn the results. That’s what he attempted in 2020, but the court system rejected him across the board. Trump and his allies lost more than 60 lawsuits trying to reverse President Joe Biden’s win.

    Whether they could be successful this year depends on the results, experts said. A gap of about 10,000 votes — roughly the number that separated Biden and Trump in Arizona and Georgia in 2020 — is almost impossible to reverse through litigation. A closer one of a few hundred votes, like the 547-vote margin that separated George W. Bush and Al Gore in Florida in 2000, is much more likely to hinge on court rulings about which ballots are legitimate.

    “If he loses, he’s going to claim that he won. That goes without saying,” Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, said of Trump. “If it looks like what we had last time … I expect we’ll see the same kind of thing.”

    Trump has done nothing to discourage that expectation, saying he would accept the results of the election only if it’s “free and fair,” raising the possibility it would not be, something he continues to falsely contend was the case in 2020. He also continues to insist that he could only lose due to fraud.

    “The only way they can beat us is to cheat,” Trump said at a Las Vegas rally in June.

    To be clear, there was no widespread fraud in 2020 or any election since then. Reviews, recounts and audits in the battleground states where Trump disputed his loss reaffirmed that Biden won. And Trump’s attorney general said there was no evidence that fraud tipped the election.

    Trump installed his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, as co-chair of the Republican National Committee, which then named attorney Christina Bobb as the head of its election integrity division. Bobb is a former reporter for the conservative One America News Network who has been indicted by Arizona’s attorney general for being part of an effort to promote a slate of Trump electors in the state, even though Biden won it.

    Echoing Trump, the RNC said it’s trying to counter Democratic mischief.

    What to know about the 2024 Election

    “President Trump’s election integrity effort is dedicated to protecting every legal vote, mitigating threats to the voting process and securing the election,” RNC spokeswoman Claire Zunk said in a statement. “While Democrats continue their election interference against President Trump and the American people, our operation is confronting their schemes and preparing for November.”

    This time around, Democrats say they’re prepared for whatever Republicans might do.

    “For four years, Donald Trump and his MAGA allies have been scheming to sow distrust in our elections and undermine our democracy so they can cry foul when they lose,” Jen O’Malley Dillon, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign manager, said in a statement. “But also for four years, Democrats have been preparing for this moment, and we are ready for anything.”

    The highest-profile litigation so far has been in Georgia, over new rules from a Republican-appointed majority on the State Board of Elections, which has echoed Trump’s conspiracy theories. The rules could allow members of local election boards to try to refuse to certify results, a gambit Trump supporters have tried, unsuccessfully, to reverse losses in 2020 and 2022.

    A Trump-aligned group sued to have courts declare that election board members have that power while Democrats sued to overturn the new rules. GOP Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has questioned the wisdom of the board changing procedures so close to the election. Legal experts say the state board’s rules conflict with longstanding state law that certification is not optional.

    Whether local boards delay or refuse to certify the results from the upcoming election has been a growing concern, especially after a handful of local officials took that step during this year’s primaries. But experts say the fears of a certification crisis are overblown, in large part because most state laws are clear that state or local boards must certify the official results brought to them by election offices. The courtroom remains the most important venue for candidates who want to challenge results.

    “Trying to deny certification is a really poorly thought out theory,” Ben Ginsberg, a Republican election lawyer, said on a Thursday call with reporters. “It has never worked.”

    The litigation to date has often been about relatively esoteric matters, but some cases could have implications after November if Trump loses. The RNC has filed lawsuits in Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina alleging the states need to remove inactive or ineligible voters from their rolls. Late last month, Republicans sued North Carolina over a favorite issue — the risk of noncitizens voting, which is rare. They contend the state wasn’t doing enough to safeguard against it.

    So far none of the claims have succeeded. But if Trump loses in those states by a narrow margin, that sort of pre-election litigation could pave the way for him to claim in court that the vote was invalid.

    The other area that could have ramifications in November and beyond is whether mail ballots arriving after Election Day can be counted. Nineteen states allow that as long as the ballots are sent before polls close. The RNC sued to overturn this provision in Nevada and Mississippi, but both cases were dismissed by judges.

    The RNC appealed those cases, and the first is scheduled to be heard by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later this month. It’s the sort of issue that could end up before the U.S. Supreme Court. Some Trump allies in 2020 hoped the court would declare him the winner, but the late-arriving mail ballot litigation at the time showed the limits of that tactic.

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the state had to count mail ballots that arrived up to four days after Election Day. Republicans then appealed that ruling to the nation’s highest court, and late-arriving mail was counted separately in November 2020 while everyone waited for the Supreme Court to weigh in.

    In the end, the Supreme Court didn’t take up the case. Trump lost Pennsylvania by more than 80,000 votes, so the 10,000 late-arriving mail ballots wouldn’t have even made a difference.

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  • What to know about the pipeline that brings water to millions of Grand Canyon goers

    What to know about the pipeline that brings water to millions of Grand Canyon goers

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    GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — Four significant breaks in the water pipeline that serves the Grand Canyon means visitors won’t be able to stay overnight in hotels inside Grand Canyon National Park’s South Rim through the Labor Day holiday.

    Here are some things to know about the Transcanyon Waterline.

    When was the pipeline built

    The Transcanyon Water Distribution Pipeline is a 12.5-mile (20-kilometer) pipeline constructed in the 1960s that pulls water from Roaring Springs on the North Rim to the Havasupai Gardens pump station and then to the park’s popular South Rim. It provides drinking water and fire suppression for all facilities on the South Rim as well as some inner canyon facilities, including over 800 historic buildings.

    Who does the pipeline serve?

    The pipeline is the primary water source for about 2,000 year-round residents of Grand Canyon Village, park staff, other employees and the millions of people who visit the national park each year.

    Breaks in the pipeline

    The aluminum pipeline to the South Rim twists and turns around trails and through rocky terrain. Grit in the water scars the inside, creating weak spots that frequently break and leak. Each repair costs an average of $25,000.

    The steel pipeline that runs up to the North Rim dates back to the 1930s and is subject to rock falls and freezing in the wintertime because it sits above ground. A rockslide in 2017 damaged the pipeline leading to the North Rim, which took $1.5 million to repair over two weeks. The lodge there canceled reservations, and water had to be hauled in for drinking and firefighting.

    Addressing aging infrastructure

    The waterline has exceeded its expected lifespan and experiences frequent failures. Since 2010, there have been more than 85 major breaks that have disrupted water delivery.

    The issue has topped the maintenance list at the park for at least a decade with engineering studies conducted and a portion of park entrance fees set aside to help with costs.

    The National Park Service recently started construction on a $208 million rehabilitation of the waterline and upgrades to the associated water delivery system that is expected to be completed in 2027.

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  • US Postal Service is abandoning a plan to reroute Reno-area mail processing to Sacramento

    US Postal Service is abandoning a plan to reroute Reno-area mail processing to Sacramento

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    RENO, Nev. (AP) — The U.S. Postal Service said Tuesday it is abandoning a plan to reroute Reno-area mail processing to Sacramento that had created an uproar among northern Nevadans concerned it could delay local deliveries and jeopardize on-time arrival of mail-in election ballots.

    USPS said in a statement it has identified “enhanced efficiencies” that will allow processing of single-piece mail to continue at the existing Reno postal facility. It said it does not anticipate the revised strategy will have any impacts on postal workers in Reno.

    The latest change in plans is subject to formal regulatory filings it intends to initiate next month with the Postal Regulatory Commission, the service said.

    Sen. Jacky Rosen said it should mean an end to “this misguided Washington plan.”

    “The announcement that this widely opposed transfer of local mail processing operations will no longer happen is a huge win for our seniors, veterans, and every person in Northern Nevada who depends on timely mail delivery,” Rosen said.

    Rosen, a Democrat running for reelection against Republican Sam Brown in one of the most hotly contested Senate races in the nation, took the lead earlier this year in bipartisan efforts to fight the original plan. She was joined by fellow Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Republican Rep. Mark Amodei and Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo.

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    Lombardo said it was “a huge bipartisan victory for Nevada.” He said in a statement posted on social media that he was “grateful to have worked alongside” Rosen, Cortez Masto and Amodei to protect Nevadans ”from misguided D.C. bureaucracy.”

    Democratic Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, the state’s top election official, had warned moving operations could slow the processing of mail ballots and “has the potential to disenfranchise thousands of Nevada voters and would unquestionably impact the results of Nevada’s elections.”

    Most Nevadans voted by mail in the 2022 general election and this year’s statewide primary in June — 51% in November 2022 and 65% in the primary two months ago.

    Postmaster General Louis DeJoy had pitched the original downsizing plan — which was expected to be put in place next year — as a necessary cost-saving move. It drew intense opposition in Nevada because it would have meant that all mail sent from the Reno area would pass through Sacramento before reaching its final destination — even from one side of the city to the other.

    Lawmakers warned that even in the best weather, mail service could be caught in traffic delays during the 260-mile (418-kilometer) roundtrip drive on U.S. Interstate 80 over the top of the Sierra Nevada between Reno and Sacramento.

    And heavy snowfall typically closes the highway multiple times a year in the mountains during harsh winter weather, which can begin as early as fall and stretch into late spring.

    Rosen and Amodei introduced companion legislation in Congress in March to block the processing transfer after a blizzard dumped up to 10 feet (3 meters) of snow on the mountains earlier that month.

    The service said in a statement Tuesday more details will be released after a Sept. 5 pre-filing conference with the Postal Regulatory Commission “to discuss the proposal and gain stakeholder feedback in anticipation of a subsequent filing” seeking a formal advisory opinion from the commission.

    “If the regulatory process is successful, there will be no change to the location for cancelling certain originating mail in Reno,” it said. “In simpler terms, outgoing single piece mail will continue to be processed at its current location.”

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  • Jury deliberating fate of ex-politician accused of killing Las Vegas investigative reporter

    Jury deliberating fate of ex-politician accused of killing Las Vegas investigative reporter

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    LAS VEGAS (AP) — A jury began deliberating Monday in the trial of a former Las Vegas-area Democratic politician accused of killing an investigative journalist who prosecutors said the official blamed for writing stories that destroyed his career, ruined his reputation and threatened his marriage.

    “And he did it because Jeff wasn’t done writing,” prosecutor Christopher Hamner said during closing arguments of defendant Robert Telles and the reporter, Jeff German. “It’s like connecting the dots.”

    Jurors deliberated for about four hours before breaking for the evening, to return Tuesday.

    Earlier, they sent the judge a note seeking more note paper and a court technician to show them how to zoom in on laptop video while in the jury room. They remained an hour past the court’s usual 5 p.m. end time.

    Telles lost his Democratic primary for a second term after German’s first stories for the Las Vegas Review-Journal in May 2022 about Telles’ conduct heading an obscure county office that handles unclaimed estates. The reports described turmoil and bullying in Telles’ workplace and a romantic relationship between Telles and a female employee.

    The day before German was stabbed to death, Telles learned that Clark County officials were about to provide German with email and text messages that Telles and the woman shared, in response to the reporter’s request for public records. Another story was in the offing, Hamner said.

    “The murder is the very next day … about 15 hours later,” prosecutor Pamela Weckerly said as she presented to the jury a timeline and videos of Telles’ maroon SUV leaving the neighborhood near his home a little after 9 a.m. on Sept. 2, 2022, and driving on streets near German’s home a short time later.

    The SUV driver was seen wearing a bright orange outfit similar to one worn by a person captured on camera walking to German’s home and slipping into a side yard.

    “That person stays, lying in wait,” Weckerly said, playing again a video from a neighbor’s home showing German’s garage door rise and German walk into the side yard where he was attacked just after 11:15 a.m.

    A little more than two minutes elapse, then the figure in orange emerges and walks down a sidewalk. German does not reappear.

    The prosecutor said the killing was first-degree murder because evidence showed it was willful, deliberate and premeditated. While prosecutors did not have the murder weapon, she said evidence was clear that one was used.

    Weckerly also focused on a text message from Telles’ wife, which he failed to answer, asking, “Where are you?” about 45 minutes before evidence showed German was killed.

    Hamner and Weckerly told the jury they believe Telles didn’t respond because he left his cellphone — and its ability to track him — at home.

    German’s body was found the next day, and Telles’ DNA was found beneath German’s fingernails. When asked about the DNA, Telles said he believed it was planted.

    None of German’s blood or DNA was found on Telles, in his vehicle or at his home, defense attorney Robert Draskovich said Monday, urging the jury to, “Ask yourself what is missing.”

    Draskovich introduced a new clip of video for the first time, zeroing in on a view of a maroon SUV like Telles,’ seen through the passenger window with the shadowed silhouette of a driver at the wheel. The image was prosecution evidence that had not been shown to the jury.

    That driver was not Telles, the lawyer said, noting that his client is completely bald.

    The jury heard again about cut-up pieces of a broad straw hat and a gray athletic shoe found at Telles’ house that looked like ones worn by the person wearing the orange shirt, which was never found.

    “You are the sole judges of the facts,” Draskovich told the jury during his closing arguments before the panel was pared to 12, broke for lunch and began just before 2 p.m. to deliberate whether they all believe Telles murdered German.

    “I’m not crazy. I’m not trying to avoid responsibility,” Telles told the jury on Friday to end his second and final round of self-guided testimony in his defense. “I didn’t kill Mr. German, and I’m innocent.”

    The testimony came the day German would have turned 71. Originally from Milwaukee, he was a respected journalist who spent 44 years covering crime, courts and corruption in Las Vegas.

    Telles, 47, is an attorney who practiced civil law before he was elected in 2018. His law license was suspended following his arrest several days after German was killed. He faces up to life in prison if he is found guilty.

    Jurors have been attentive throughout the trial, watching Telles in the witness box and the defense table. He sat Monday with his brow creased and his eyes slightly squinted at computer images in front of him as Weckerly and Hamner spoke.

    In his testimony, he had named office colleagues, real estate agents, business owners and police he accused of “framing” him for German’s killing. He said it was retaliation for his crusading effort to root out corruption he saw in his office of about eight employees handling probate property cases.

    “I am not the kind of person who would stab someone. I didn’t kill Mr. German,” Telles said Thursday. “And that’s my testimony.”

    Where Telles was when German was killed remained a central focus during the trial, as Weckerly and Hamner presented 28 witnesses and hundreds of pages of photos, police reports and video.

    Telles and five other people testified during trial for the defense. No Telles family members were called to the stand or identified in the trial gallery.

    About a dozen German family members sat silently together in the hushed courtroom on Monday. They declined as a group to comment to The Associated Press.

    The killing drew widespread attention. German was the only journalist killed in the U.S. in 2022, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. The nonprofit has records of 17 media workers killed in the U.S. since 1992.

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  • Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will lose same amount of Colorado River water next year as in 2024

    Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will lose same amount of Colorado River water next year as in 2024

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    WASHINGTON (AP) — Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will continue to live with less water next year from the Colorado River after the U.S. government on Thursday announced water cuts that preserve the status quo. Long-term challenges remain for the 40 million people reliant on the imperiled river.

    The 1,450-mile (2,334-kilometer) river is a lifeline for the U.S. West and supplies water to cities and farms in northern Mexico, too. It supports seven Western states, more than two dozen Native American tribes and irrigates millions of acres of farmland in the American West. It also produces hydropower used across the region.

    Years of overuse combined with rising temperatures and drought have meant less water flows in the Colorado today than in decades past.

    The Interior Department announces water availability for the coming year months in advance so that cities, farmers and others can plan. Officials do so based on water levels at Lake Mead, one of the river’s two main reservoirs that act as barometers of its health.

    Based on those levels, Arizona will again lose 18% of its total Colorado River allocation, while Mexico’s goes down 5%. The reduction for Nevada — which receives far less water than Arizona, California or Mexico — will stay at 7%.

    The cuts announced Thursday are in the same “Tier 1” category that were in effect this year and in 2022, when the first federal cutbacks on the Colorado River took effect and magnified the crisis on the river. Even deeper cuts followed in 2023. Farmers in Arizona were hit hardest by those cuts.

    Heavier rains and other water-saving efforts by Arizona, California and Nevada somewhat improved the short-term outlook for Lake Mead and Lake Powell, which is upstream of Mead on the Utah-Arizona border.

    Officials on Thursday said the two reservoirs were at 37% capacity.

    They lauded the ongoing efforts by Arizona, California and Nevada to save more water, which are in effect until 2026. The federal government is paying water users in those states for much of that conservation. Meanwhile, states, tribes and others are negotiating how they will share water from the river after 2026, when many current guidelines governing the river expire.

    Tom Buschatzke, director of Arizona’s Department of Water Resources and the state’s lead negotiator in those talks, said Thursday that Arizonans had “committed to incredible conservation … to protect the Colorado River system.”

    “Future conditions,” he added, “are likely to continue to force hard decisions.”

    ___

    Associated Press reporter Amy Taxin contributed from Santa Ana, Calif.

    ___

    The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

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  • Nevada gaming regulators accuse Resorts World casino of accommodating illegal gambling

    Nevada gaming regulators accuse Resorts World casino of accommodating illegal gambling

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    RENO, Nev. (AP) — The Nevada Gaming Control Board filed a disciplinary complaint Thursday alleging that one of the largest casinos on the Las Vegas Strip welcomed illegal bookmaking, people with a history of gambling-related felony convictions and individuals linked to organized crime.

    Many of the allegations against Resorts World Las Vegas centered on Mathew Bowyer, the Southern California bookmaker who took thousands of sports bets from the former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani. Bowyer pleaded guilty last week in federal court in Santa Ana, California, to running an illegal gambling business.

    The board asked the Nevada Gaming Commission, which has authority over disciplinary action, to fine the company and take what experts say would be rare action against Resorts World’s gaming license.

    “The commission has the power to decide what it wants to do with this,” said Michael Green, an associate professor of history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who has long studied Las Vegas’ casino business. “They can decide to revoke the license. They can decide no, that’s too much, there should be fines. There are executives who might be forced out. So they have some latitude here. And they’re always hesitant to go that far, because you can’t be sure of the long-term effects.”

    The commission did not immediately respond to an after-hours message Thursday seeking comment on the timing of a decision.

    Resorts World said it is communicating with the board to resolve the issues so it can focus on its guests and nearly 5,000 employees.

    “We are committed to doing business with the utmost integrity and in compliance with applicable laws and industry guidelines,” it said in a statement.

    The 31-page complaint alleges that Resorts World allowed Bowyer to play 80 separate days over about 15 months, while repeatedly failing to verify his source of funding. Bowyer lost over $6.6 million during that time, while the casino extended gifts, discounts and flights on its private jet, according to the complaint.

    Bowyer was banned from Resorts World on Oct. 6, 2023, after a federal warrant was executed to search his home. Prosecutors said Bowyer ran an illegal gambling business for at least five years in Southern California and Las Vegas and took wagers from more than 700 bettors, including Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara.

    Diane Bass, Bowyer’s attorney, did not respond to a message seeking comment.

    The complaint lists 12 counts against Resorts World — six related to Bowyer — including failing to distance from suspected illegal bookmakers, failure of casino hosts to report suspected illegal bookings and hosts referring prospective customers to suspected illegal bookmakers.

    Other counts were related to hundreds of thousands of dollars in credit to others with histories of illegal gambling convictions or organized crime — one of whom was convicted of conducting an illegal gambling business and another who was convicted in a large-scale internet gambling operation.

    The complaint also alleges that Resorts World employees failed to report unusual or suspicious activity and violations of its anti-money laundering program to their superiors. Members of the program committee acknowledged during the board’s investigation that Bowyer’s source of funding did not justify his level of play, according to the complaint.

    “This culture results in the perception and/or reality that Resorts World is an avenue to launder funds derived from illegal activity and/or to further criminal activity causing damage to the reputation of the state of Nevada and Nevada’s gaming industry,” the board said in the complaint.

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    Associated Press writer Rio Yamat in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

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  • MrBeast’s giant reality competition faces safety complaints from initial contestants

    MrBeast’s giant reality competition faces safety complaints from initial contestants

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    NEW YORK (AP) — YouTube’s biggest star MrBeast is facing complaints about the safety of contestants from the preliminary round of his ambitious “Beast Games” game show, which boasts 1,000 competitors hoping for a $5 million grand prize.

    Some contestants complained online and to other YouTube influencers that they lacked regular access to food, water and medication during early production at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, and that some competitors were injured during the production.

    A spokesperson for MrBeast said his team is reviewing the process and soliciting attendees’ feedback ahead of the next phase of production in Toronto.

    The stakes for “Beast Games” aren’t just high for the contestants, but for MrBeast himself, whose real name Jimmy Donaldson, as well as the recipients of his brand of “stunt philanthropy” that often entails direct gifts of cash or even houses. The complaints about the “Beast Games” production coincide with Donaldson’s acknowledgement this week that he used racial and homophobic slurs years ago in recordings he made as a teenager.

    The show, which has already been picked up by Amazon Prime Video to air in 240 countries, is part of Donaldson’s cultural expansion beyond YouTube — where his channel has 307 million subscribers, including countless young consumers who already purchase his Feastables line of candy or the burgers that bear his name.

    “My goal is to make the greatest show possible and prove YouTubers and creators can succeed on other platforms,” Donaldson said in a March press release from Amazon.

    Donaldson’s companies cast 2,000 people to take part in an initial tryout of sorts at Allegiant Stadium in July, with 1,000 of them presumably advancing to the actual show. Amazon Prime Video was not involved and did not respond to a request for comment.

    A MrBeast spokesperson said Friday that the promotional video shoot was “unfortunately complicated” by extreme weather, the widespread CrowdStrike outage that wreaked global technological havoc and “other unexpected logistical and communications issues.”

    We “have taken steps to ensure that we learn from this experience and we are excited to welcome hundreds of men and women to the world’s largest game show in history,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

    MrBeast offered eliminated contestants $1,000 upon leaving the competition and the spokesperson said most of those who remain in contention are ready to keep going.

    Some contestants expected challenges similar to those from the dystopian Netflix show “Squid Game,” a fictional series — and eventual reality game show — where deeply indebted people compete for millions in high-stakes children’s games.

    The Associated Press reached out to several contestants about “Beast Games,” but most either did not respond or declined to speak on the record because they had signed nondisclosure agreements.

    Scott Leopold, a 53-year-old father from Austin, Texas, told the AP he thought he was competing in the actual “Beast Games,” not a precursor to the show. He said he felt deceived about his chances of winning and that the competition in Las Vegas would not stream on Amazon Prime Video.

    He said that Donaldson should not be “villainized” but added that “an apology would go a long way.”

    “All I can conclude is that he was in over his head,” Leopold said. “There were too many people, and I don’t think he knew how to handle the situation.”

    Nancy Libby, a Navy veteran from California who said she was one of the last people eliminated, told AP that she applied after seeing a casting call on Facebook. Her daughters watch MrBeast videos, she said, and she’d already planned to take off work anyway.

    On-set conditions met her expectations. Libby said she was instructed by recruiters beforehand to watch previous MrBeast challenges to gain some understanding of the experience. Because of that, she said, she was unsurprised by meals of oatmeal and nights spent sleeping on the floor.

    Libby said that “crowd control” was an issue at times and that more staffing could help ensure competitors do not injure their counterparts. But Libby said the MrBeast team appeared to take safety seriously and that she only witnessed rude behavior from outside contractors.

    “Sometimes when you run things that are first of their kind, things come up that you can’t foresee,” Libby said. “I think that the template was there for a really good competition.”

    MrBeast has also previously had some contentious relationships with its contractors. One of Donaldson’s companies sued and then was countersued by a vendor they worked with on the “MrBeast Burger” that got widely panned.

    Fans have also previously complained about not receiving merchandise they ordered from MrBeast or receiving the wrong items or wrong sizes. A vendor working with MrBeast to ship some of those orders acknowledged in an online post last year that they’d let the fan down.

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    Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

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