AP-Breaking
Leftist teacher inches toward victory in disputed Peru vote
LIMA, Peru (AP) Peru finished tallying votes in the country s tight presidential contest Thursday but no winner was declared, with electoral authorities saying they were scrutinizing a small number of ballots amid unproven claims of possible vote tampering leveled by the apparent loser.With votes from rural areas and Peruvian embassies abroad now fully in, leftist Pedro Castillo maintained his narrow lead, with 50.2% of the votes against 49.8% for conservative Keiko Fujimori. The difference between the candidates was 70,774 votes.Peru s electoral tribunal, which was expected to take a week or more to officially declare a winner, was evaluating 631 tally sheets, about half of which had been questioned by campaign representatives.It was not clear how many votes were still up for grabs, but Fujimori said they could total at least 200,000.Emotions had been running high even before Sunday s runoff election over what many people viewed as a cruel choice between two populists Castillo, an outsider who many feared would upend Peru s free-market model largely based on mineral exports, and Fujimori, who is fighting allegations of corruption that could land her in jail alongside her father, former President Alberto Fujimori.A few hundred die-hard Fujimori supporters took to the streets Wednesday to urge the candidate not to throw in the towel in the face of what they called a threat to Peru s democracy.A similar number of Castillo supporters also marched in the capital, many of them brandishing pencils the potent symbol of the elementary school teacher s unlikely campaign.But with the passing of every hour, Fujimori s challenge seemed less likely to succeed, analysts said. Her campaign had yet to substantiate claims of fraud at polling stations.Peru s electoral system is considered one of the most robust in Latin America, having been tested in a string of recent elections, including the 2016 vote, when Pedro Pablo Kuczynski defeated Fujimori by an even smaller margin of votes.All the same, with the exception of fellow leftist leaders in Argentina and Bolivia, few heads of state had congratulated Castillo or recognized him as Peru s president-elect.Amid the uncertainty, a Peruvian prosecutor investigating Fujimori for alleged money laundering requested said Thursday that she be jailed again for failing to abide by the terms of her parole granted over a year ago.Fujimori was released last year after spending more than a year in jail as part of a probe into millions of dollars in illegal campaign contributions she allegedly received from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht.___Associated Press writer Franklin Briceno reported this story in Lima and AP writer Joshua Goodman reported from Miami.
White Sox 2B Madrigal sidelined by torn right hamstring
CHICAGO (AP) White Sox second baseman Nick Madrigal could miss the rest of the season after tearing his right hamstring, putting another key player on the team s injured list.Madrigal was helped off the field after he tried to beat out a grounder in the seventh inning of Wednesday night s 6-2 loss to Toronto. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft had been rounding into form of late, batting .365 (27 for 74) with two homers and 10 RBIs in his last 20 games.It s a big blow, but the games still count and we have to go forward, manager Tony La Russa said.The 24-year-old Madrigal has a proximal tear of his right hamstring, and White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said the team is exploring options for treatment. Rest and rehabilitation is one option, but Madrigal also could be headed for season-ending surgery.Regardless of which path we re on, he ll be inactive for a minimum of six weeks, Hahn said.Madrigal was placed on the 60-day IL before Thursday s series finale against Toronto, and veteran outfielder Brian Goodwin was promoted from Triple-A Charlotte. Goodwin can play all three outfield spots, a big plus for the White Sox with utilityman Leury Garc a sharing second with Danny Mendick while Madrigal is out.Despite dealing with a steady stream of injuries, the White Sox headed into Thursday s action with a four-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central.Left fielder Eloy Jim nez ruptured his left pectoral tendon during spring training, and center fielder Luis Robert tore his right hip flexor last month. Right-hander Michael Kopech is on the IL with a strained left hamstring. Outfielder Adam Engel was activated Sunday after missing the start of the season with a strained his right hamstring.The only positive I can think of is that we ve proven how we re going to handle it, which is play as hard as we can and as good as we can with the guys that we have, La Russa said.The good news for the White Sox is Kopech is on his way back, and the team remains optimistic about Jim nez and Robert returning at some point this year.Hahn said Kopech is going to start throwing bullpens in the coming days and could be headed for a simulated game. Depending on how those go, he could go out on a rehab assignment or just go back on the active roster.Jim nez and Robert are progressing well, Hahn said.Each of them are deep into phase one and closing in on getting ready for part two, which is the clearance and resumption of baseball activities, Hahn said.___Jay Cohen can be reached at https: twitter.com jcohenap___More AP MLB: https: apnews.com hub MLB and https: twitter.com AP_Sports
Judge blocks drilling plans in 2 states, citing bird habitat
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) A judge has halted plans for oil and gas drilling on vast areas of Wyoming and Montana, citing concerns about a sagebrush-dwelling bird.The U.S. Bureau of Land Management didn t adequately consider how the drilling would affect the greater sage grouse, nor an option to defer drilling in the bird s prime habitat, Idaho U.S. District Judge Ronald E. Bush ruled Wednesday.Bush ordered more study of potential effects on the bird before drilling may proceed.The drilling would occur on over 600 square miles (1,500 square kilometers) of federal land scattered across the energy-rich states. The Bureau of Land Management auctioned off hundreds of leases in sage grouse habitat in four sales in 2017.Sage grouse are a chicken-sized, primarily ground-dwelling bird whose numbers have fallen significantly from the millions that inhabited the U.S. West in frontier times. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined in 2010 that the bird deserved special protection but said in 2015 that conservation efforts led by Wyoming made that unnecessary.The environmental group that sued over the leases praised Bush s ruling.This ruling sends a very strong message that the BLM can no longer lease public lands for fossil fuel development without weighing the outcomes for sensitive lands and wildlife, Erik Molvar, executive director of Western Watersheds Project, said in a statement Thursday.BLM spokesman Brad Purdy declined to comment, citing agency policy not to discuss ongoing litigation. The agency s allies in the case included the Western Energy Alliance industry group and the state of Wyoming, where Republican Gov. Mark Gordon was weighing whether to appeal.The governor is dismayed by Judge Bush s ruling but is pleased that the leases have not been vacated, Gordon spokesman Michael Pearlman said by email.The ruling comes amid a federal oil and gas leasing moratorium imposed by President Joe Biden s administration while it studies the effects on climate change.___Follow Mead Gruver at https: twitter.com meadgruver
Betts leadoff homer, catch, throw lift Dodgers over Pirates
PITTSBURGH (AP)Mookie Betts hit his 25th leadoff home run and added a spectacular catch and throw for a double play to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-3 on Thursday.Betts took the third pitch he saw from Mitch Keller (3-7) and sent it into the bullpen beyond the centerfield fence for his sixth homer this season. He saved a run in the the second by making a running grab on a sinking line drive by Ka ai Tom then doing a 360-degree turn before firing a one-hop strike to home plate to throw out Erik Gonzalez.Julio Ur as (9-2) allowed three runs and six hits in six innings to become the major leagues first nine-game winner. Phil Bickford got his first save when the game was called with one out in the the eighth after a rain delay of 1 hour, 15 minutes.Los Angeles completed its sixth series sweep.PHILLIES 4, BRAVES 3PHILADELPHIA (AP) Jean Segura hit a two-run single against Chris Martin (0-2) in the 10th inning.Freedie Freeman hit a solo homer off closer Hector Neris with one out in the ninth to tie it, and the Braves scored two runs off Jos Alvarado (5-0) on a wild pitch and passed ball in the 10th.BREWERS 7, REDS 2CINCINNATI (AP) Jace Peterson drove in three runs, and Daniel Vogelbach hit a two-run homer.Brent Suter (7-3) allowed one run over two innings.Luis Castillo (2-9) gave up one hit in 5 2 3 innings. He left with a 2-1 lead after walking two batters in the sixth. Lucas Sims gave up Willy Adames run-scoring double and Peterson s single.TIGERS 8, MARINERS 3DETROIT (AP) Jonathan Schoop homered and Isaac Paredes hit a go-ahead single as Detroit rallied from a first-inning deficit and took advantage of two errors by shortstop Kyle Seager and one by second baseman Donovan Walton to score two unearned runs.Joe Jim nez (1-0) pitched a 1-2-3 seventh for his first win since last Aug. 26. Alex Lange threw the eighth and Gregory Soto pitched a perfect ninth to finish the six-hitter.In a planned bullpen game, Alexander allowed one run and three hits in 2 2 3 innings and relievers allowed three hits over the rest of the game.Seattle s Justus Sheffield (5-5) gave up five runs three earned and six hits in four innings, the shortest of his 11 starts this season.___More AP MLB: https: apnews.com hub MLB and https: twitter.com AP_Sports
Medicare copays for new Alzheimer s drug could reach $11,500
WASHINGTON (AP) A new $56,000-a-year Alzheimer s drug would raise Medicare premiums broadly, and some patients who are prescribed the medication could face copayments of about $11,500 annually, according to a research report published Thursday.The drug, called Aduhelm, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration this week and quickly sparked controversy over its price-tag and questionable benefits.It s the first Alzheimer s medication in nearly 20 years, though it doesn t cure the life-sapping neurological condition. The FDA determined that its ability to reduce clumps of plaque in the brain is likely to slow dementia. But many experts, including the agency s own advisers, say that benefit has not been clearly shown.On Thursday, a third member of an FDA advisory panel that opposed the drug resigned over the agency s decision. Last November the 11-member group voted nearly unanimously against recommending approval for the medication, citing flaws and missing data in company studies. The FDA is not required to follow the group s advice.Dr. Aaron Kesselheim, a medical researcher at Harvard University, said in a resignation letter obtained by The Associated Press that the FDA s recent approval decisions would undermine public trust, medical innovation and the affordability of the health care system. Earlier in the week two expert neurologists also quit the panel.The new analysis by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation comes as congressional Democrats are trying to build consensus around legislation that would empower Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices.The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, said the list price for the Alzheimer s drug was unconscionable. Although President Joe Biden has called for granting Medicare negotiating authority, prospects for the bill are uncertain.The Kaiser report estimated that if just 500,000 Medicare recipients are prescribed Aduhelm, it would cost the program nearly $29 billion a year, far more than any other medication.At this price, the cost of this one drug alone could top all others covered by Medicare, if it is used widely, said Tricia Neuman, coauthor of the report.Medicare has not made a formal determination on covering Aduhelm, but cost traditionally does not enter into such considerations. Drugmaker Biogen has said it priced Aduhelm responsibly.Alzheimer s affects about 6 million Americans, the vast majority old enough to qualify for Medicare. The approval of Aduhelm provides the latest high-profile example of the potential budgetary consequences of Medicare s role as a price-taker in the pharmaceutical marketplace, the Kaiser analysis concluded.In addition to higher taxpayer costs, the domino effects would include higher Part B premiums for Medicare s outpatient coverage and increases in monthly premiums for millions with supplemental Medigap plans. As an infusion drug that would be administered in a doctor s office, Aduhelm is covered by Medicare s outpatient care benefit. The Part B standard premium, paid by most enrollees, is currently $148.50 a month.Beyond monthly premiums, there would also be impacts on out-of-pocket costs. Many patients taking the medication, including those signed up in Medicare Advantage plans from private insurers, could face thousands of dollars in copayments,. The maximum could reach about $11,500, researchers estimated.That upper-bound cost out of patients budgets would translate to nearly 40% of the $29,650 estimated median income for Medicare beneficiaries.Because Aduhelm is not a cure for Alzheimer s disease, patients could incur these annual out-of-pocket costs over multiple years, the report noted.Biogen, which developed the Alzheimer s drug with Japan s Eisai Co., said earlier this week that it expects a gradual uptake and not a sharp hockey-stick spike.Biogen priced the drug after careful research, said Chirfi Guindo, Biogen s head of global product. Biogen has committed to no price increases for four years.Guindo said that the company looked at prices for advanced medications to treat cancer and other complex conditions. We have priced Aduhelm at roughly a third the level of the cancer immunotherapies, he said during a teleconference this week. So, we consider this to be a really responsible price and we consider this to be a price that is sustainable for the system.Medicare has a review process known as a National Coverage Determination to evaluate new treatments that could have far-reaching implications for the program. Officials have not yet said how the program will proceed with Aduhelm. It s possible Medicare could set conditions for covering the drug, based on clinical effectiveness.The program covers more than 60 million people, including those 65 and older, as well as people who are disabled or have serious kidney disease. Medicare spending is approaching $1 trillion a year.___This story has been corrected to reflect that the Kaiser Family Foundation report was released Thursday, not Wednesday.
Fight over Canadian oil rages on after pipeline s demise
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) The Keystone XL is dead after a 12-year attempt to build the oil pipeline, yet the fight over Canadian crude rages on as emboldened environmentalists target other projects and pressure President Joe Biden to intervene all while oil imports from the north keep rising.Biden dealt the fatal blow to the partially built $9 billion Keystone XL in January when he revoked its border-crossing permit issued by former President Donald Trump. On Wednesday, sponsors TC Energy and the province of Alberta gave up and declared the line terminated.Activists and many scientists had warned that the pipeline would open a new spigot on Canada s oil sands crude and that burning the heavily polluting fuel would lock in climate change. As the fight escalated into a national debate over fossil fuels, Canadian crude exports to the U.S. steadily increased, driven largely by production from Alberta s oil sands region.Even before the cancellation, environmentalists had turned their attention to other projects, including Enbridge Energy s proposal to expand and rebuild its Line 3 pipeline in Minnesota, the target of protests this week that led to the arrest of some 250 activists.Don t expect these fights to go away anytime soon, said Daniel Raimi, a fellow at Resources for the Future, an energy and environmental think tank in Washington. This is going to encourage environmental advocates to do more of the same.Bill McKibben, an author who was arrested outside the White House while protesting the Keystone XL in 2011, said its defeat provides a template to kill other pipelines, including Line 3 and the Dakota Access Pipeline from North Dakota s Bakken oil field.Describing Keystone XL as a carbon bomb, McKibben said Line 3 is the same size and carries the same stuff. How on earth could anyone with a straight face say Line 3 passes the climate test?Enbridge said the cancellation of Keystone XL will not affect its projects, describing them as designed to meet current energy demand safely and in ways that better protect the environment.A second TC Energy pipeline network, known simply as Keystone, has been delivering crude from Canada s oil sands region since 2010. The company says the line that runs from Alberta to Illinois, Oklahoma and the Gulf Coast has moved more than 3 billion barrels of oil.Canada is by far the biggest foreign crude supplier to the U.S., which imported about 3.5 million barrels a day from its neighbor in 2020 61% of all U.S. oil imports.The flow dropped slightly during the coronavirus pandemic but has largely rebounded. Import volumes have almost doubled since the Keystone XL was first proposed in 2008, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers said Thursday that it expects no immediate effect on production from Keystone XL s cancellation, but the group predicted more oil would be moved to the U.S. by rail.A series of fiery accidents occurred in the U.S. and Canada after rail shipments of crude increased during an oil boom on the Northern Plains, including a 2013 incident in which 47 people were killed after a runaway train derailed in the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic.The dispute over Keystone XL and other lines raised diplomatic tensions between the two countries, but Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau adopted a conciliatory tone with Biden, who canceled the pipeline on his first day in the White House.Canada uses much less oil than it consumes, making it a huge exporter, and 98% of those exports go to the U.S., according to the Natural Resources Canada.Trudeau raised Keystone XL as a top priority with Biden while acknowledging that the president had promised in his campaign to cancel the line.Both leaders have taken heat at home over Keystone, with Republicans slamming Biden for shutting it down while construction was underway, costing hundreds of jobs. The project was meant to expand oil exports for Canada, which has the third-largest oil reserves in the world, and provincial officials in Alberta wanted Trudeau to do more to save it.The White House declined to comment on the cancellation. Spokesman Vedant Patel declined to say if Biden plans to address increased crude exports from Canada or intervene in other pipeline disputes.His action on Keystone signals at least some appetite to get involved, but pipelines that have operated for years would be tougher targets, Raimi said.Winona LaDuke, executive director of the Indigenous-based environmental group Honor the Earth, called on Biden to withdraw an Army Corps of Engineers permit for Line 3 and to order a new study.He could stop the project, she said. Don t ask us to be nice to Enbridge. They re all over our land. They re hurting us.The Biden administration has been disturbingly quiet on Line 3 and the Dakota Access line, said Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club. He urged the administration to declare both unacceptable.Fiercely opposed by Native Americans, the Dakota Access pipeline was the impetus for protests that were quashed by law enforcement. The Biden administration has not sought to stop the line, and it s still in court after a judge revoked its permit but allowed oil to keep flowing.Alberta sank more than $1 billion into Keystone XL last year to kick-start construction. Officials in the province are considering a trade action against the U.S. to seek compensation.Keystone XL s price tag ballooned as the project languished, increasing from $5.4 billion to $9 billion.Another question: What to do with pipe already in place at the U.S.-Canada border and other infrastructure along its route.Jane Kleeb, a pipeline opponent in Nebraska, said state regulators should revoke the permit they approved for a route through the state. Otherwise, she said, TC Energy might try to sell the easements to another company.Until the state acts, farmers and ranchers will continue to face TC Energy attorneys in court, protecting their property from an eminent domain land grab by a foreign corporation, she said.___Daly reported from Washington and Flesher from Traverse City, Michigan. Rob Gillies contributed from Toronto and Grant Schulte from Omaha, Nebraska.___Follow Brown on Twitter: @MatthewBrownAP
Business Highlights: Prices jump, jobless claims drop
___Another jump in prices tightens the squeeze on US consumersWASHINGTON (AP) American consumers absorbed another surge in prices in May a 0.6% increase over the past month and 5% over the past year, the biggest 12-month inflation spike since 2008. The May rise in consumer prices reflected a range of goods and services now in growing demand as people increasingly shop, travel, dine out and attend entertainment events in a rapidly reopening economy. The increased consumer appetite is bumping up against a shortage of components, from lumber and steel to chemicals and semiconductors, that supply such key products as autos and computer equipment, all of which has forced up prices.___US unemployment claims fall to 376,000, sixth straight dropWASHINGTON (AP) The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell for the sixth straight week as the U.S. economy reopens rapidly after being held back for months by the coronavirus pandemic. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims fell by 9,000 to 376,000, from 385,000 the week before. The number of people signing up for benefits exceeded 900,000 in early January and has fallen more or less steadily ever since. Still, claims are high by historic standards. Before the pandemic brought economic activity to a near-standstill in March 2020, weekly applications were regularly coming in below 220,000.___Many Americans moved to less pricey housing markets in 2020LOS ANGELES (AP) Many Americans who moved last year relocated to areas where homes were bigger and less expensive. On average, people who moved to a different city in 2020 ended up in a ZIP code where average home values were nearly $27,000 lower than in their previous ZIP code, according to an analysis of relocation data by Zillow. People who relocated last year also moved to ZIP codes where the average home sold was 33 square feet bigger than their previous home. The data suggests many Americans used the pandemic and remote working as an opportunity to flee from expensive metropolitan areas.___As children return to classrooms, stores expect strong salesNEW YORK (AP) As more children go back to the physical classroom and families look to restart their lives, back-to-school spending this year is expected to top pre-pandemic levels, according to one key spending measure. Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks spending across all payment forms including cash, forecasts that spending will be up 5.5% between July 15 and Sept. 6. That s compared with the year-ago period when sales rose only 1.2% as the pandemic wreaked havoc on schools reopening plans and back-to-school shopping. In a more telling sign of a rebound, back-to-school sales should increase 6.7% on a two-year basis, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse. The figures exclude sales from autos and gas.___Wray: FBI frowns on ransomware payments despite recent trendWASHINGTON (AP) FBI Director Christopher Wray says the bureau discourages ransomware payments to hacking groups even as major companies in the past month have participated in multimillion-dollar transactions aimed at getting their systems back online. Wray tells the House Judiciary Committee that there are a number of reasons why FBI policy frowns on such payments. For one, it may encourage additional cyberattacks. And it may not result in victims getting their information back. Both Colonial Pipeline and meat processing company JBS SA have revealed that they paid multimillion-dollar ransoms. In ransomware attacks, hackers lock up and encrypt a victim s data and demand a payment in order to return it. They have proliferated in scale over the past year.___US budget deficit for current year hits record $2.1 trillionWASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. budget deficit hit a record $2.06 trillion through the first eight months of this budget year as coronavirus relief programs drove spending to all-time highs. The Treasury Department said Thursday in its monthly budget report that the shortfall this year is 9.7% higher than the $1.88 trillion deficit run up over the same period a year ago. The report showed that spending from October through May totaled a record $4.67 trillion, up 19.7% from the same period a year ago. Government tax revenue was up 29.1% to $2.61 trillion, compared to the same period a year ago.___New federal COVID-19 safety rules exempt most employersNEW YORK (AP) The Biden administration has exempted most employers from long-awaited rules for protecting workers from the coronavirus. The move has angered labor advocates who have have spent more than a year lobbying for the protections. The Labor Department included only health care workers its new emergency temporary standard. The rules require employers to draw up a virus protection plan, and tighten requirements for recording and reporting COVID-19 cases among workers. They also require employers to provide workers with paid time off for COVID-19-related absences, including getting vaccinated and recovering from side effects.___US stocks end higher, erasing weekly loss for the S&P 500NEW YORK (AP) Stocks closed higher Thursday, bringing the S&P 500 index to another record high and out of the red for the week. The benchmark index rose 0.5%, led by gains in health care and technology companies. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.1%. and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.8%. Bond yields mostly fell despite a much-anticipated report showing a big jump in inflation last month. Consumer prices rose 5% in May, the biggest year-over-year increase since 2008 and more than economists had expected. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 1.45% from 1.49% a day earlier.___The S&P 500 rose 19.63 points, or 0.5%, to 4,239.18. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 19.10 points, or 0.1%, to 34,466.24. The Nasdaq added 108.58 points, or 0.8%, to 14,020.33 The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 15.72 points, or 0.7%, to 2,311.41.
Governor tours Arizona fires, calls for special session
PHOENIX (AP) Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Thursday called a special session of the state Legislature to boost wildfire funding as two large wildfires continue to burn in south-central Arizona.The Republican governor wants the Legislature to approve extra money to ensure that firefighters have the resources they need across the drought-ravaged state and to address the problems the fires will trigger once they are out.Now it s clear that we ve got a lot more work to do and the response will not end even when these fires are out, Ducey said. When this year s monsoon rains come, these burned areas are prone to landslides, mudslides and flooding, which pose another threat to this community.Arizona is not alone in reporting large wildfires this year, as much of the U.S. Southwest is deep into a prolonged drought. The National Interagency Fire Center on Thursday reported that so far this year, 23 large fires have burned across nearly 400 square miles (1,036 square kilometers) of wildlands in nine states. New large fires were reported Wednesday in California, Colorado, Michigan and Utah.The largest fires currently burning are in Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada, states hit exceptionally hard by the drought.About 1,600 firefighters are battling the two large Arizona fires that broke out early this month and have burned at least 245 square miles (636 square kilometers) of grass, chaparral and pinyon pine forest in rugged terrain. The fires are burning west of Superior, Globe, Miami and other mining towns about 75 miles (120 kilometers) southeast of Phoenix.The special session is expected to be held next week. The governor did not announce how much money he will request, besides mentioning it will be in the millions.Ducey made the announcement as he visited south-central Arizona after traveling with House Speaker Rusty Bowers and another lawmaker to the area where crews supported by aircraft are working to keep the fires out of Globe and several other communities in Gila and Pinal counties.Bowers lost his longtime family retreat home in the blaze on Monday, which was among five structures that were destroyed in one of the fires burning near Globe and Miami. He lives in Mesa, but he said his grandmother was a milkmaid in Globe when she met his grandfather and his family has deep roots in the community.The governor mentioned our loss. But my wife and I, when we look at the friends and the folks that have tried to help us, that are helping you, this is the character of Globe-Miami right here, and beyond over those hills, and we re grateful, Bowers said at a midday news conference. We re grateful for good neighbors.Bowers talked to the governor Monday and suggested the special session, saying the state s wildfire funds were depleted and that he was worried about flooding and mudslides to come.With what s happened up on the mountain, it s gonna be a bad, bad summer if we get a heavy monsoon, which we need, Bowers said Thursday. And so, we re here to help. We want to make sure the resources (are there) and work with your emergency management folks to get prepared, to get stationed, to get pre-positioned so that we can really help you in this flooding season that s going to come up.Ducey rode on an Arizona National Guard Black Hawk helicopter for an aerial tour of the two fires, then was briefed by fire officials and visited a Red Cross shelter for evacuees before holding a news conference.Whether Ducey actually needed to call a special session is doubtful. The Legislature remains in session as lawmakers try to get enough votes to pass a $12.8 billion budget and massive tax cuts Republican legislative leaders negotiated with Ducey. At least two GOP lawmakers and all Democrats oppose the tax cuts, leading to weeks of no movement on the budget.Ducey said a special session will help focus lawmakers on a single subject that has bipartisan support even as they are deadlocked on the budget.The Legislature faces a June 30 deadline to pass a budget for the 2022 fiscal year that begins July 1.The governor s January budget proposal noted that the state has consistently exceeded the $4 million annual appropriation to the state Fire Suppression Fund over the past several years and sought to increase that annual amount by $2.4 million in the coming budget year. The proposal noted that in the previous five budget years firefighting costs exceeded $39 million while appropriations were only about $20 million.The governor also sought to increase the amount of cash put into an emergency fund he controls and often uses to make up the difference in actual firefighting expenses.Depending on where fires burn in the state, firefighting efforts may be paid for with either state or federal funding.Ducey on Wednesday issued an emergency declaration for the two current large wildfires. The declaration will make up to $400,000 available for response efforts.Crews increased the containment of one called the Telegraph fire burning near Superior and Miami to 40% of its perimeter as of Thursday. Containment of the so-called Mescal fire southeast of Globe was at 36% as of Thursday morning.The Mescal fire has entered a mop-up stage. But residents shouldn t become complacent because embers could be blown over containment lines and start spot fires, fire management team spokesman David Shell said. If that happens, we re off to the races again, he said,___Associated Press writer Paul Davenport contributed.
Dead and gone: Cowboys Prescott moving past horrific injury
FRISCO, Texas (AP) Dak Prescott finished the offseason with his most vigorous practice since the horrific ankle injury that ended his 2020 season.Then the star Dallas quarterback tried to declare the injury issue dead.I ve buried the injury, Prescott said Wednesday after what ended up being the final practice of the mandatory minicamp for the Cowboys, who used the last of the three days for team bonding.I ve buried it mentally, he said. And I think you guys and a lot of people around have to help me and bury it as well as we move forward. Put that right on the tombstone.As for the date on the tombstone, Prescott says about a month ago, which means about seven months after he broke and dislocated his right ankle in a gruesome scene in Week 5 against the New York Giants.Somewhere around Cinco de Mayo, he said. Yeah, had a good Cinco de Mayo, was a little active and at that time maybe did some little dance moves and I felt like I m ready to go. So that was the time that I said in my head, The injury s gone.In reality, there are still plenty of questions for the player with the richest contract in the storied franchise s history, a $160 million, four-year deal signed in March. While the offseason work has steadily increased, Prescott didn t do 11-on-11 drills, in part to keep players from falling around that leg.Coach Mike McCarthy said he expects the two-time Pro Bowler to be cleared for everything at the start of training camp, presumably in California on July 22 roughly the nine-month mark since the injury.He hasn t missed anything that s been slated, McCarthy said. We re not na ve. It s just like any player that comes back from injury, especially a major joint injury. The first year back there s going to be some things you have to work through.After camp starts, Prescott will have the mental hurdle of his first play in a preseason game. All those feelings are likely to return Sept. 9, when the Cowboys open the regular season against Tom Brady and Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay.Along the way, Prescott said he hasn t bothered with timelines. In fact, he made sure he didn t have any.One of my goals and missions when I first got hurt is, I said, I m not going to try to beat anybody s timeline. I m going to just go out here and work day by day and just try to get myself better, Prescott said. Because I knew the amount of time I had before I actually need to be ready for the season.The scramble drills in offseason practices were important for Prescott to test his ankle, and the Cowboys did more of them. Prescott said that was more for the team s situational work than his ankle. But there s no question what was on everybody s mind.He definitely had some moments from workouts probably three, four weeks back where I definitely felt once we were able to see him move in the pocket, out of the pocket-type drills, scramble drills, McCarthy said. Physically I think he s right where he needs to be.Both starting tackles also had season-ending surgeries last year. La el Collins had a hip issue that kept him out all season, and left tackle Tyron Smith played two games before a neck injury shut down the seven-time Pro Bowler.The blockers got to see the rehabbing side of the quarterback who replaced an injured Tony Romo in 2016 and never gave up the job while leading Dallas to the top seed in the NFC and winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.The way Dak worked throughout the whole offseason, the way he pushed himself, the way he came back and is able to be on the field with everybody else right now, it s amazing, Smith said. It lights a fire under you to like, Hey, push a little bit harder. If your quarterback is going to push like that, we got to push the same way or even harder for him.Prescott said he has been encouraged by improvement in his football movement from his workouts to minicamp. He also said he never worried about the leg during drills, and is now past the residual pain.I say that because with all that gone and none of those effects, that s what allows me and helps me bury it, Prescott said. I don t even think about it before practice, pre-practice, but still doing all the necessary things and being smart that I am still only seven months away from the injury.It s actually eight months, but who s counting? Maybe Prescott means it when he says he hasn t been.___More AP NFL coverage: https: apnews.com hub NFL and https: twitter.com AP_NFL
Tigers rally early behind Schoop, beat Mariners 8-3
DETROIT (AP) Jonathan Schoop homered and Isaac Paredes hit a go-ahead single as the Detroit Tigers rallied from a first-inning deficit and took advantage of three errors to beat the Seattle Mariners 8-3 Thursday.Mitch Haniger put Seattle ahead against Tyler Alexander with the first of his two solo homers, but the Tigers rallied to take two of three from the Mariners, who have lost six of nine following a five-game winning streak.Jos Jim nez (1-0) pitched a 1-2-3 seventh for his first win since last Aug. 26. Alex Lange threw the eighth and Gregory Soto pitched a perfect ninth to finish the six-hitter.In a planned bullpen game, Alexander allowed one run and three hits in 2 2 3 innings and relievers allowed three hits over the rest of the game.Seattle s Justus Sheffield gave up five runs three earned and six hits in four innings, the shortest of his 11 starts this season.Shortstop Kyle Seager made two errors and second baseman Donovan Walton one as Seattle allowed two unearned runs.Ty France was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning from Jason Foley, becoming the first player in Mariners history to be hit by pitches four times in a three-game span. Foley, a 25-year-old right-hander, made his first Comerica Field appearance, four days after his major league debut.Jake Rogers homered in the third but Jake Bauers, making his Mariners debut after he was acquired from Cleveland, had an RBI grounder that cut the lead to 3-2 in the fourth.Willie Castro s sacrifice fly and Robbie Grossman s RBI single put Detroit ahead 5-2 in the fifth.Haniger s 16th homer closed the gap in the sixth against Foley and gave him his fourth multihomer game this season. Grossman hit a two-run homer in the bottom half, his eighth home run this season.Rogers tripled home a run in the seventh.TRADEFollowing injuries to 1B Evan White and OF Kyle Lewis, the Mariners acquired Bauers for a player to be named or cash. Bauers went 1 for 4. ... 2B Jack Mayfield was designated for assignment.TRAINER S ROOMTigers RHP Rony Garcia sprained a knee during pregame warmups. He required assistance from the team training staff to make it off the field and was placed on the 10-day injured list. RHP Beau Burrows was recalled from Triple-A Toledo along with Lange and OF Daz Cameron. OF Derek Hill and LHP Derek Holland also were put on the 10-day IL.UP NEXTThe Seattle Mariners will continue their road swing by traveling to Cleveland following today s game to begin a three-game series against the Indians. Meanwhile, the Tigers will welcome their division rival Chicago White Sox to the Motor City for a three-game set.___More AP MLB: https: apnews.com hub MLB and https: twitter.com AP_Sports