WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — President Donald Trump used the first military commencement address of his second term Saturday to congratulate West Point cadets on their academic and physical accomplishments while veering sharply into politics, taking credit for America's military might while boasting about the "mandate" he says he earned in the 2024 presidential election.

"In a few moments, you'll become graduates of the most elite and storied military academy in human history," Trump said at the ceremony at Michie Stadium. "And you will become officers of the greatest and most powerful army the world has ever known. And I know, because I rebuilt that army, and I rebuilt the military. And we rebuilt it like nobody has ever rebuilt it before in my first term."

Wearing a red "Make America Great Again" hat, the Republican president told the 1,002 graduating cadets that the U.S. is the "hottest country in the world," boasted of his administration's achievements and underscored a distinct America First ethos for the U.S. military, which he called "the greatest fighting force in the history of the world."

"We're getting rid of distractions and we're focusing our military on its core mission: crushing America's adversaries, killing America's enemies and defending our great American flag like it has never been defended before," Trump said. He later said that "the job of the U.S. Armed Forces is not to host drag shows or transform foreign cultures," a reference to drag shows on military bases that former President Joe Biden's administration halted after Republican criticism.

Trump said the cadets were graduating at a "defining moment" in the Army's history, as he criticized past political leaders for leading soldiers into "nation-building crusades to nations that wanted nothing to do with us." He said he was clearing the military of transgender ideas, "critical race theory" and trainings he called divisive and political.

"They subjected the armed forces to all manner of social projects and political causes while leaving our borders undefended and depleting our arsenals to fight other countries' wars," he said of past administrations.

Several points during his address at the football stadium on the military academy's campus were indistinguishable from a political speech. Trump claimed that when he left the White House in 2021, "we had no wars, we had no problems, we had nothing but success, we had the most incredible economy." He noted that he won all seven swing states in the November election, arguing that those results gave him a "great mandate" and "it gives us the right to do what we want to do."

But Trump also took several moments to acknowledge specific graduates' achievements. He summoned one cadet, Chris Verdugo, on the stage, noting that he completed an 18.5-mile march on a freezing night in January in just two hours and 30 minutes. He had the top-ranking lacrosse team stand to be recognized. Trump also brought West Point's football quarterback, Bryson Daily, to the lectern, praising his "steel"-like shoulder. He later used Daily as an example to make a case against transgender women participating in women's athletics.

In a nod to presidential tradition, Trump also pardoned about half a dozen cadets who had faced disciplinary infractions.

"You could have done anything you wanted, you could have gone anywhere," Trump told the class, later continuing: "Writing your own ticket to top jobs on Wall Street or Silicon Valley wouldn't be bad, but I think what you're doing is better."

The president also ran through several pieces of advice for the graduating cadets, urging them to do what they love, think big, work hard, hold onto their culture, keep faith in America and take risks.

"This is a time of incredible change and we do not need an officer corps of careerists and yes men," Trump said, going on to note recent advances in military technology. "We need patriots with guts and vision and backbone."

Trump closed his speech by calling on the graduating cadets to "never ever give up," then said he was leaving to deal with matters involving Russia and China.

"We're going to keep winning, this country's going to keep winning, and with you, the job is easy," he said.

Just outside campus, about three dozen demonstrators gathered before the ceremony and were waving miniature American flags. One in the crowd carried a sign that said "Support Our Veterans" and "Stop the Cuts," while others held up plastic buckets with the message: "Go Army Beat Fascism."

Trump gave the commencement address at West Point in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He urged the graduating cadets to "never forget" the soldiers who fought a war over slavery during his remarks, which came as the nation was reckoning with its history on race after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Trump also paid tribute to the military academy's history and its famed graduates, including Douglas MacArthur and Dwight D. Eisenhower. The ceremony five years ago drew scrutiny because the U.S. Military Academy forced the graduating cadets, who had been home because of COVID-19, to return to an area near a pandemic hot spot.

Trump traveled to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, earlier this month to speak to the University of Alabama's graduating class. His remarks mixed standard commencement fare and advice with political attacks against his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, musings about transgender athletes and lies about the 2020 election.

On Friday, Vice President JD Vance spoke to the graduating class at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Vance said in his remarks that Trump is working to ensure U.S. soldiers are deployed with clear goals, rather than the "undefined missions" and "open-ended conflicts" of the past.

Swenson reported from Bridgewater, New Jersey.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748101992053.png" alt="After his address, President Trump was given a photo of the class of 2025 -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>After his address, President Trump was given a photo of the class of 2025 -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>By SEUNG MIN KIM and ALI SWENSON&nbsp;WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — President Donald Trump used the first military commencement address of his second term Saturday to congratulate West Point cadets on their academic and physical accomplishments while veering sharply into politics, taking credit for America's military might while boasting about the "mandate" he says he earned in the 2024 presidential election.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Trump Addresses the Army Academy’s Class of 2025 <a href="https://t.co/fmzvdGxCUx">https://t.co/fmzvdGxCUx</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1926277258576085165?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Panaromic photo of West Point Class of 2025 presented to President Trump as class gift after commencement address <a href="https://t.co/A7aYOBcsBf">pic.twitter.com/A7aYOBcsBf</a>&mdash; Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1926347848766927164?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>"In a few moments, you'll become graduates of the most elite and storied military academy in human history," Trump said at the ceremony at Michie Stadium. "And you will become officers of the greatest and most powerful army the world has ever known. And I know, because I rebuilt that army, and I rebuilt the military. And we rebuilt it like nobody has ever rebuilt it before in my first term."Wearing a red "Make America Great Again" hat, the Republican president told the 1,002 graduating cadets that the U.S. is the "hottest country in the world," boasted of his administration's achievements and underscored a distinct America First ethos for the U.S. military, which he called "the greatest fighting force in the history of the world."<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/WestPoint_USMA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WestPoint_USMA</a>🇺🇸🦅 <a href="https://t.co/17qWJjNzE2">pic.twitter.com/17qWJjNzE2</a>&mdash; Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) <a href="https://twitter.com/Scavino47/status/1926364115561255162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>"We're getting rid of distractions and we're focusing our military on its core mission: crushing America's adversaries, killing America's enemies and defending our great American flag like it has never been defended before," Trump said. He later said that "the job of the U.S. Armed Forces is not to host drag shows or transform foreign cultures," a reference to drag shows on military bases that former President Joe Biden's administration halted after Republican criticism.Trump said the cadets were graduating at a "defining moment" in the Army's history, as he criticized past political leaders for leading soldiers into "nation-building crusades to nations that wanted nothing to do with us." He said he was clearing the military of transgender ideas, "critical race theory" and trainings he called divisive and political."They subjected the armed forces to all manner of social projects and political causes while leaving our borders undefended and depleting our arsenals to fight other countries' wars," he said of past administrations.Several points during his address at the football stadium on the military academy's campus were indistinguishable from a political speech. Trump claimed that when he left the White House in 2021, "we had no wars, we had no problems, we had nothing but success, we had the most incredible economy." He noted that he won all seven swing states in the November election, arguing that those results gave him a "great mandate" and "it gives us the right to do what we want to do."But Trump also took several moments to acknowledge specific graduates' achievements. He summoned one cadet, Chris Verdugo, on the stage, noting that he completed an 18.5-mile march on a freezing night in January in just two hours and 30 minutes. He had the top-ranking lacrosse team stand to be recognized. Trump also brought West Point's football quarterback, Bryson Daily, to the lectern, praising his "steel"-like shoulder. He later used Daily as an example to make a case against transgender women participating in women's athletics.In a nod to presidential tradition, Trump also pardoned about half a dozen cadets who had faced disciplinary infractions."You could have done anything you wanted, you could have gone anywhere," Trump told the class, later continuing: "Writing your own ticket to top jobs on Wall Street or Silicon Valley wouldn't be bad, but I think what you're doing is better."The president also ran through several pieces of advice for the graduating cadets, urging them to do what they love, think big, work hard, hold onto their culture, keep faith in America and take risks."This is a time of incredible change and we do not need an officer corps of careerists and yes men," Trump said, going on to note recent advances in military technology. "We need patriots with guts and vision and backbone."Trump closed his speech by calling on the graduating cadets to "never ever give up," then said he was leaving to deal with matters involving Russia and China."We're going to keep winning, this country's going to keep winning, and with you, the job is easy," he said.Just outside campus, about three dozen demonstrators gathered before the ceremony and were waving miniature American flags. One in the crowd carried a sign that said "Support Our Veterans" and "Stop the Cuts," while others held up plastic buckets with the message: "Go Army Beat Fascism."Trump gave the commencement address at West Point in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He urged the graduating cadets to "never forget" the soldiers who fought a war over slavery during his remarks, which came as the nation was reckoning with its history on race after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.Trump also paid tribute to the military academy's history and its famed graduates, including Douglas MacArthur and Dwight D. Eisenhower. The ceremony five years ago drew scrutiny because the U.S. Military Academy forced the graduating cadets, who had been home because of COVID-19, to return to an area near a pandemic hot spot.Trump traveled to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, earlier this month to speak to the University of Alabama's graduating class. His remarks mixed standard commencement fare and advice with political attacks against his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, musings about transgender athletes and lies about the 2020 election.On Friday, Vice President JD Vance spoke to the graduating class at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Vance said in his remarks that Trump is working to ensure U.S. soldiers are deployed with clear goals, rather than the "undefined missions" and "open-ended conflicts" of the past.—Swenson reported from Bridgewater, New Jersey.

🎥Trump has fun with West Point cadets at commencement

NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour brought in $2.2 billion in its nearly two-year run, making it the highest-grossing tour of all time for a second year in a row, Pollstar estimates from data collected across 149 shows.

The new numbers were provided to The Associated Press on Monday, the morning after Swift wrapped the Eras tour with its final show in Vancouver, Canada. Last year, Swift’s landmark tour became the first to cross the billion-dollar mark.

In North America, Swift’s tour earned an estimated $1.04 billion over its run. Globally, that number jumps to an estimated $2.2 billion.

“We are witnessing history in the making. What Taylor Swift and The Eras Tour accomplished in 21 months across five continents before 10 million fans is extraordinary and unprecedented. The tour’s $2.2 billion estimated gross is the highest of all time and nearly doubles the second biggest tour,” said Andy Gensler, editor-in-chief of Pollstar &amp; VenuesNow, in a statement. “It’s also an example of the limits this industry continues to push far past while bringing music, community and peak life experiences to legions across the globe.”

The second biggest tour is Coldplay’s ongoing “Music of the Spheres” run, currently at an estimated $1.14 billion since March 2022, with more dates to come in 2025.

According to Pollstar’s approximations, Coldplay has sold more than 10.3 million tickets; Swift’s tour sold just over 10 million, which means she’s sold the most tickets of any solo performer.

Pollstar data is pulled from box office reports, venue capacity estimates, historical Pollstar venue ticket sales data, and other undefined research, collected from November 2022 to December 2024.

Additional data will become available in Pollstar’s special year-end issue and on Pollstar.com beginning Friday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1733776996717.png" alt="Taylor Swift performs during "The Eras Tour" on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)" />
 <figcaption>Taylor Swift performs during "The Eras Tour" on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour brought in $2.2 billion in its nearly two-year run, making it the highest-grossing tour of all time for a second year in a row, Pollstar estimates from data collected across 149 shows.The new numbers were provided to The Associated Press on Monday, the morning after Swift wrapped the Eras tour with its final show in Vancouver, Canada. Last year, Swift’s landmark tour became the first to cross the billion-dollar mark.In North America, Swift’s tour earned an estimated $1.04 billion over its run. Globally, that number jumps to an estimated $2.2 billion.“We are witnessing history in the making. What Taylor Swift and The Eras Tour accomplished in 21 months across five continents before 10 million fans is extraordinary and unprecedented. The tour’s $2.2 billion estimated gross is the highest of all time and nearly doubles the second biggest tour,” said Andy Gensler, editor-in-chief of Pollstar &amp; VenuesNow, in a statement. “It’s also an example of the limits this industry continues to push far past while bringing music, community and peak life experiences to legions across the globe.”The second biggest tour is Coldplay’s ongoing “Music of the Spheres” run, currently at an estimated $1.14 billion since March 2022, with more dates to come in 2025.According to Pollstar’s approximations, Coldplay has sold more than 10.3 million tickets; Swift’s tour sold just over 10 million, which means she’s sold the most tickets of any solo performer.Pollstar data is pulled from box office reports, venue capacity estimates, historical Pollstar venue ticket sales data, and other undefined research, collected from November 2022 to December 2024.Additional data will become available in Pollstar’s special year-end issue and on Pollstar.com beginning Friday.

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour ends by shattering own record

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">JASON HANCOCK</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>

A pair of Republican state legislators and an anti-abortion activist filed a lawsuit Thursday asking a judge to block an abortion-rights constitutional amendment from appearing on the Nov. 5 ballot.&nbsp;

State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, state Rep. Hannah Kelly and Kathy Forck<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/08/07/gop-legislators-file-lawsuit-challenging-cost-estimate-of-missouri-abortion-rights-amendment/">&nbsp;sued last year challenging the cost estimate for a proposed constitutional amendment</a>&nbsp;rolling back Missouri’s ban on abortion.&nbsp;

The campaign behind the proposal ultimately&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/13/missouri-voters-will-decide-whether-to-legalize-abortion-in-november/">turned in enough signatures to earn a spot on the November ballot</a>, where it is set to appear as Amendment 3.&nbsp;

On Thursday, Coleman, Kelly, Forck and Marguerite Forrest, the operator of a shelter for homeless pregnant women in St. Louis County, filed a new lawsuit in Cole Circuit Court arguing that the decision to place the amendment on the ballot should be reversed.

The amendment violates the Missouri Constitution, the lawsuit argues, because it illegally includes more than one subject. It also fails to specify the laws and constitutional provisions that would be repealed if it were approved by voters, the lawsuit argues.&nbsp;

In a joint statement released to the media, the plaintiffs said Amendment 3&nbsp;is a “direct threat to the lives of Missouri women by erasing the will of voters who chose to protect the safety of women and the child by electing strong pro-life leaders.”

Rachel Sweet, campaign manager for Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, which is supporting Amendment 3, called Thursday’s lawsuit “yet another baseless and desperate attempt from politicians to silence Missouri voters and prevent them from being heard. We will not let that happen.”

Sweet said she is confident the courts will “see through this thinly veiled effort to block Missouri voters and dismiss it swiftly.”

Missouri was the first state to ban abortion after the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning the constitutional right to the procedure. Since then, abortion has been virtually illegal, with limited exceptions only in cases of medical emergencies. There are no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest.

If approved by voters, Amendment 3 would legalize abortion up until the point of fetal viability, an undefined period of time generally seen as the point in which the fetus could survive outside the womb on its own, generally around 24 weeks, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.&nbsp;

Such an amendment would return Missouri to the standard of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which also legalized abortion up to the point of fetal viability. Missouri’s amendment also includes exceptions after viability “to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant person.”

Missouri’s amendment also states that women and those performing or assisting in abortions cannot be prosecuted. Under current Missouri law, doctors who perform abortions deemed unnecessary can be charged with a class B felony and face up to 15 years in prison. Their medical license can also be suspended or revoked.

The lawsuit filed Thursday argues that Amendment 3 illegally includes more than one subject, in part because of its use of the phrase “fundamental right to reproductive freedom.”&nbsp;

The lawsuit argues this phrase is “unlimited in scope” and is “systematically neutralizing all laws, existing or future, that attempt to limit this new, limitless ‘right to reproductive freedom.’” It lays out numerous restrictions on abortion and other laws that could be repealed by Amendment 3 if it were approved by voters, including restrictions on when abortions can be performed and bans on certain stem cell research.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724676157886.png" alt="Students hold up anti-abortion signs at the Midwest March for Life on May 1 at the Missouri State Capitol (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Students hold up anti-abortion signs at the Midwest March for Life on May 1 at the Missouri State Capitol (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">JASON HANCOCK</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>A pair of Republican state legislators and an anti-abortion activist filed a lawsuit Thursday asking a judge to block an abortion-rights constitutional amendment from appearing on the Nov. 5 ballot.&nbsp;State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, state Rep. Hannah Kelly and Kathy Forck<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/08/07/gop-legislators-file-lawsuit-challenging-cost-estimate-of-missouri-abortion-rights-amendment/">&nbsp;sued last year challenging the cost estimate for a proposed constitutional amendment</a>&nbsp;rolling back Missouri’s ban on abortion.&nbsp;The campaign behind the proposal ultimately&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/13/missouri-voters-will-decide-whether-to-legalize-abortion-in-november/">turned in enough signatures to earn a spot on the November ballot</a>, where it is set to appear as Amendment 3.&nbsp;On Thursday, Coleman, Kelly, Forck and Marguerite Forrest, the operator of a shelter for homeless pregnant women in St. Louis County, filed a new lawsuit in Cole Circuit Court arguing that the decision to place the amendment on the ballot should be reversed.The amendment violates the Missouri Constitution, the lawsuit argues, because it illegally includes more than one subject. It also fails to specify the laws and constitutional provisions that would be repealed if it were approved by voters, the lawsuit argues.&nbsp;In a joint statement released to the media, the plaintiffs said Amendment 3&nbsp;is a “direct threat to the lives of Missouri women by erasing the will of voters who chose to protect the safety of women and the child by electing strong pro-life leaders.”Rachel Sweet, campaign manager for Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, which is supporting Amendment 3, called Thursday’s lawsuit “yet another baseless and desperate attempt from politicians to silence Missouri voters and prevent them from being heard. We will not let that happen.”Sweet said she is confident the courts will “see through this thinly veiled effort to block Missouri voters and dismiss it swiftly.”Missouri was the first state to ban abortion after the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning the constitutional right to the procedure. Since then, abortion has been virtually illegal, with limited exceptions only in cases of medical emergencies. There are no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest.If approved by voters, Amendment 3 would legalize abortion up until the point of fetal viability, an undefined period of time generally seen as the point in which the fetus could survive outside the womb on its own, generally around 24 weeks, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.&nbsp;Such an amendment would return Missouri to the standard of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which also legalized abortion up to the point of fetal viability. Missouri’s amendment also includes exceptions after viability “to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant person.”Missouri’s amendment also states that women and those performing or assisting in abortions cannot be prosecuted. Under current Missouri law, doctors who perform abortions deemed unnecessary can be charged with a class B felony and face up to 15 years in prison. Their medical license can also be suspended or revoked.The lawsuit filed Thursday argues that Amendment 3 illegally includes more than one subject, in part because of its use of the phrase “fundamental right to reproductive freedom.”&nbsp;The lawsuit argues this phrase is “unlimited in scope” and is “systematically neutralizing all laws, existing or future, that attempt to limit this new, limitless ‘right to reproductive freedom.’” It lays out numerous restrictions on abortion and other laws that could be repealed by Amendment 3 if it were approved by voters, including restrictions on when abortions can be performed and bans on certain stem cell research.&nbsp;

Lawsuit seeks to knock Missouri abortion-rights amendment off Nov. ballot

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said Thursday that he expects the state to put together an aid plan by the end of the year to try to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals from being lured across state lines to new stadiums in Kansas.

Missouri's renewed efforts come after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-royals-new-stadiums-3441b3084c8efab00057f593f4d9b95e">Kansas approved a plan</a>&nbsp;last week that would finance up to 70% of the cost of new stadiums for the professional football and baseball teams.

“We’re going to make sure that we put the best business deal we can on the line,” Parson told reporters while hosting the Chiefs' two most recent Super Bowl trophies at the Capitol, where fans lined up for photos.

“Look, I can’t blame Kansas for trying,” Parson added. “You know, if I was probably sitting there, I’d be doing the same thing. But at the end of the day, we’re going to be competitive.”

The Chiefs and Royals have played for over 50 years in side-by-side stadiums built in eastern Kansas City, drawing fans from both states in the split metropolitan area. Their stadium leases run until 2031. But Royals owner John Sherman has said the team won't play at Kauffman Stadium beyond the 2030 season, expressing preference for a new downtown stadium.

Questions about the teams' future intensified after Jackson County, Missouri,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-royals-kansas-city-stadiums-e9605296b85e91699441e4ba10e83212">voters in April rejected</a>&nbsp;a sales tax that would have helped fund a more than $2 billion downtown ballpark district for the Royals and an $800 million renovation of the Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium.

The tax plan faced several headwinds. Some Royals fans preferred the teams' current site. Others opposed the tax. And still others had concerns about the new stadium plans, which changed just weeks ahead of the vote.

The emergence of Kansas as an alternative raised the stakes for Missouri officials and repeated a common pattern among professional sports teams, which often&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/royals-chiefs-stadiums-taxes-public-funding-f1381c8916144371b3037ebc5b2dcc47">leverage one site against another</a>&nbsp;in an effort to get the greatest public subsidies for new or improved stadiums.

Sports teams are pushing a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stadiums-public-funding-nfl-mlb-70f5054b1e1f6862713ef036cbae2a10">new wave of stadium construction</a>&nbsp;across the U.S., going beyond basic repairs to derive fresh revenue from luxury suites, dining, shopping and other developments surrounding their stadiums. On Tuesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jacksonville-jaguars-stadium-renovation-9b814a4d0c7527414fe98a3124ee5bc9">the city of Jacksonville, Florida, approved</a>&nbsp;a $1.25 billion stadium renovation plan for the NFL's Jaguars that splits the cost between the city and team.

Many economists assert that while stadiums may boost tax revenue in their immediate area, they tend to shift consumer spending away from other entertainment and seldom generate enough new economic activity to offset all the public subsidies.

Parson said “the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals are big business,” comparing them to large companies that have received public aid such as Boeing, Ford and General Motors. But he added that any deal “has to work out on paper, where it’s going to be beneficial to the taxpayers of Missouri.”

“I think by the end of this year, we’re going to have something in place” to propose for the stadiums, Parson said.

Missouri’s still undefined plan likely would require legislative approval, but Parson said he doesn’t anticipate calling a special legislative session before his term ends in January. That means any plan developed by Parson’s administration in partnership with Kansas City area officials also would need the support of the next governor and a new slate of lawmakers.

Now that Kansas has enacted a financing law, discussions between the sports teams and the Kansas Department of Commerce could start at any time, but the agency has no timeline for finishing a deal, spokesperson Patrick Lowry said Thursday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719519127516.png" alt="“Look, I can’t blame Kansas for trying,” Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said. “You know, if I was probably sitting there, I’d be doing the same thing" />
 <figcaption>“Look, I can’t blame Kansas for trying,” Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said. “You know, if I was probably sitting there, I’d be doing the same thing</figcaption>
 </figure>JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said Thursday that he expects the state to put together an aid plan by the end of the year to try to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals from being lured across state lines to new stadiums in Kansas.Missouri's renewed efforts come after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-royals-new-stadiums-3441b3084c8efab00057f593f4d9b95e">Kansas approved a plan</a>&nbsp;last week that would finance up to 70% of the cost of new stadiums for the professional football and baseball teams.“We’re going to make sure that we put the best business deal we can on the line,” Parson told reporters while hosting the Chiefs' two most recent Super Bowl trophies at the Capitol, where fans lined up for photos.“Look, I can’t blame Kansas for trying,” Parson added. “You know, if I was probably sitting there, I’d be doing the same thing. But at the end of the day, we’re going to be competitive.”The Chiefs and Royals have played for over 50 years in side-by-side stadiums built in eastern Kansas City, drawing fans from both states in the split metropolitan area. Their stadium leases run until 2031. But Royals owner John Sherman has said the team won't play at Kauffman Stadium beyond the 2030 season, expressing preference for a new downtown stadium.Questions about the teams' future intensified after Jackson County, Missouri,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-royals-kansas-city-stadiums-e9605296b85e91699441e4ba10e83212">voters in April rejected</a>&nbsp;a sales tax that would have helped fund a more than $2 billion downtown ballpark district for the Royals and an $800 million renovation of the Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium.The tax plan faced several headwinds. Some Royals fans preferred the teams' current site. Others opposed the tax. And still others had concerns about the new stadium plans, which changed just weeks ahead of the vote.The emergence of Kansas as an alternative raised the stakes for Missouri officials and repeated a common pattern among professional sports teams, which often&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/royals-chiefs-stadiums-taxes-public-funding-f1381c8916144371b3037ebc5b2dcc47">leverage one site against another</a>&nbsp;in an effort to get the greatest public subsidies for new or improved stadiums.Sports teams are pushing a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stadiums-public-funding-nfl-mlb-70f5054b1e1f6862713ef036cbae2a10">new wave of stadium construction</a>&nbsp;across the U.S., going beyond basic repairs to derive fresh revenue from luxury suites, dining, shopping and other developments surrounding their stadiums. On Tuesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jacksonville-jaguars-stadium-renovation-9b814a4d0c7527414fe98a3124ee5bc9">the city of Jacksonville, Florida, approved</a>&nbsp;a $1.25 billion stadium renovation plan for the NFL's Jaguars that splits the cost between the city and team.Many economists assert that while stadiums may boost tax revenue in their immediate area, they tend to shift consumer spending away from other entertainment and seldom generate enough new economic activity to offset all the public subsidies.Parson said “the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals are big business,” comparing them to large companies that have received public aid such as Boeing, Ford and General Motors. But he added that any deal “has to work out on paper, where it’s going to be beneficial to the taxpayers of Missouri.”“I think by the end of this year, we’re going to have something in place” to propose for the stadiums, Parson said.Missouri’s still undefined plan likely would require legislative approval, but Parson said he doesn’t anticipate calling a special legislative session before his term ends in January. That means any plan developed by Parson’s administration in partnership with Kansas City area officials also would need the support of the next governor and a new slate of lawmakers.Now that Kansas has enacted a financing law, discussions between the sports teams and the Kansas Department of Commerce could start at any time, but the agency has no timeline for finishing a deal, spokesperson Patrick Lowry said Thursday.

Mo. governor: New plan in the works for Chiefs, Royals stadiums

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — President Joe Biden, speaking Friday at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment">an annual international summit on climate change</a>, urged world leaders to “double down” on their resolve to fight global warming, saying Russia's invasion of Ukraine reinforces the need to phase out fossil fuels.

“We can no longer plead ignorance to the consequences of our actions, or continue to repeat our mistakes,” Biden said.

(Click below to watch the President's comments or<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/11/11/remarks-by-president-biden-at-the-27th-conference-of-the-parties-to-the-framework-convention-on-climate-change-cop27-sharm-el-sheikh-egypt/"> here to read them.</a>

“This gathering must be the moment to recommit our future and our shared capacity to write a better story for the world," Biden said.&nbsp;" That’s why, last year, I committed to work with our Congress to quadruple U.S. support to climate finance and provide $11 billion annually by 2024, including $3 billion for&nbsp;adaption.

The president's brief attendance at the United Nations climate conference, known as COP27, was largely a victory lap as he emphasized new spending on clean energy initiatives that will “change the paradigm” for the United States and the rest of the world.

But Biden glossed over how he's pushed for more oil and gas production to bring down costs that have been politically troublesome at home, and fueled the invasion of Ukraine by allowing Russia to fetch higher prices for its energy exports.

“This gathering must be the moment to recommit our future and our shared capacity to write a better story for the world," Biden said.

Biden spent just three hours in Egypt, including a meeting with the country's autocratic leader, President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abdel-fattah-el-sissi">Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi,</a>&nbsp;before continuing on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-southeast-asia-trip-china-ukraine-election-f71ee52a79a2bcbd029a9c9cbba32437">an around-the-world trip.</a>&nbsp;He arrived Saturday morning for his next stop in Cambodia, where he would participate in a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders, and then Indonesia for the annual Group of 20 summit of the world’s largest economies.

Biden left Washington late Thursday buoyed by a stronger-than-expected showing by the Democratic Party in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-results-954de3200a5467d36ea5f04e4ccbb78f">Tuesday's midterm elections</a>, earlier congressional passage of the largest&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-health-seniors-medicare-economy-68f2df858de98487e82e236ab31fab7e">climate investment</a>&nbsp;in U.S. history and Russian military setbacks on the Ukrainian battlefield.

At the climate conference, Biden discussed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-prices-oil-and-gas-industry-climate-environment-3a5b7049478ec7161fcbd18f1ebdb0ba">a new supplemental rule</a>&nbsp;that will crack down on methane emissions, expanding on a similar regulation his administration released last year. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming.

Biden also spotlighted one of his key domestic successes —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economic-bill-house-vote-be99d8db5bd610c5b1d78bc047a03e77">the Democrats’ massive health care and climate change bill</a>&nbsp;known as the Inflation Reduction Act.

The U.S. commitment of some $375 billion over a decade to fight climate change gives Biden greater leverage to press other nations to fulfill their pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and shift the global economy toward cleaner energy sources.

“The United States government is putting our money where our mouth is,” he said.

Biden said the spending, part of broader economic legislation he signed into law this year, will ensure the U.S. hits its target for reducing emissions by 2030.

The president was in a far different position from last year’s gathering, which came about during a particularly unhappy stretch in the bill’s tortuous path to passage.

That summit resulted in additional global commitments to meet temperature targets agreed to in the Paris Climate Accord, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-return-paris-climate-world-leaders-ee8eb8b6744394ad41e33f94843b6586">Biden rejoined</a>&nbsp;after his predecessor, Donald Trump,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-leaves-paris-agreement-climate-change-1331bc30021756454dda8eb7ff3c1075">pulled the U.S. from the deal</a>.

Jennifer Morgan, Germany’s special climate envoy, said Biden “made it very clear that the climate crisis is a major top priority for the United States domestically in getting laws passed, internationally in partnership with other countries.”

She said it contributed "a positive energy coming into this conference.”

Biden argued that “good climate policy is good economic policy,” and he called on all major emitting countries to “align their ambition” to the international goal of trying to limit future global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the White House.

But even with these fresh efforts, America and the world have a long way to go to meet emissions targets that scientists hope will contain global warming. And the political will for more investment is shrinking.

Biden acknowledged that climate crises are “hitting hardest those countries and communities that have the fewest resources to respond and recover," a reference to a leading issue at the summit.

Known as “loss and damage,” it involves asking rich countries like the United States, the top historic polluting nation, to pay what are essentially reparations for damages caused to poorer vulnerable nations that don’t emit much heat-trapping carbon dioxide.

Biden announced in his speech the U.S. would contribute $150 million “as a down payment” to initiatives to help Africa adapt to the changing climate, but that did not satisfy concerns.

“We would like for the U.S. to step up their game on loss and damage,” Sierra Club President Ramon Cruz said. “We would of course like to see more commitment to that.”

The U.S. in the past has opposed even talking about the issue, but has softened its stance and agreed to discussions. Biden’s climate envoy, John Kerry, has mentioned the issue in speeches. However, the U.S. doesn’t want liability to be part of any deal. In addition, Congress and the public have been reluctant to embrace many types of climate aid — and this is the most controversial type.

The lack of congressional support has tied Biden's hands, said Alice Hill, who worked on climate issues in President Barack Obama's administration.

Even though Biden announced other initiatives, she said, “he couldn’t deliver what the developing world most wants: enough money to adapt to climate extremes.”

Prospects for a significant breakthrough are further dampened as major emitters such as China and India are sending less-senior delegations to the conference. Biden administration officials have tried to lower expectations for results and instead cast the meeting as a return to U.S. leadership on the issue.

Biden left Washington with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-arizona-nov-10-007b2d3aab2820016b1e009cdcbd3ecc">votes still being tallied in key races</a>&nbsp;that will determine political control of Congress. Still, the president was buoyed as Democrats performed stronger than expected.

After arriving in Egypt, Biden met with el-Sissi. The leaders discussed climate, human rights and the U.S.-Egypt defense partnership, among other issues, the White House said. The Egyptian leader proactively and publicly raised human rights with Biden before their one-on-one meeting, and did so again in the private portion of the sit-down.

“We are very keen on improving this part,” said el-Sissi, who emphasized that Egypt had launched a national strategy on human rights. For his part, Biden said the U.S. and Egypt are “continuing our dialogue on human rights” and added that he hopes they’ll be “closer and stronger in every way.”

During the meeting, Biden and U.S. officials raised the case of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-africa-egypt-hunger-strikes-north-6f9a2728ec6897fe1cb86a69aef33d93">imprisoned Egyptian pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah</a>, whose family has said is undergoing an undefined medical intervention amid a hunger strike.

Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, said Biden directed his aides to work with the Egyptians on that case and others, and said officials had “intense consultations on that case” while in Sharm El-Sheikh but declined to elaborate further. U.S. did not have an update on his condition, considering the family and the Egyptian government had conflicting accounts.

“This is a circumstance where it’s not trust but verify, it’s verify,” Sullivan told reporters on Air Force One as Biden traveled to Phnom Penh. “And we’ve not been able to do that.”

Sullivan added: “We are doing everything we can to secure his release.”

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — President Joe Biden, speaking Friday at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment">an annual international summit on climate change</a>, urged world leaders to “double down” on their resolve to fight global warming, saying Russia's invasion of Ukraine reinforces the need to phase out fossil fuels.“We can no longer plead ignorance to the consequences of our actions, or continue to repeat our mistakes,” Biden said.(Click below to watch the President's comments or<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/11/11/remarks-by-president-biden-at-the-27th-conference-of-the-parties-to-the-framework-convention-on-climate-change-cop27-sharm-el-sheikh-egypt/"> here to read them.</a><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F658980575874622%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=111" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>“This gathering must be the moment to recommit our future and our shared capacity to write a better story for the world," Biden said.&nbsp;" That’s why, last year, I committed to work with our Congress to quadruple U.S. support to climate finance and provide $11 billion annually by 2024, including $3 billion for&nbsp;adaption.The president's brief attendance at the United Nations climate conference, known as COP27, was largely a victory lap as he emphasized new spending on clean energy initiatives that will “change the paradigm” for the United States and the rest of the world.But Biden glossed over how he's pushed for more oil and gas production to bring down costs that have been politically troublesome at home, and fueled the invasion of Ukraine by allowing Russia to fetch higher prices for its energy exports.“This gathering must be the moment to recommit our future and our shared capacity to write a better story for the world," Biden said.Biden spent just three hours in Egypt, including a meeting with the country's autocratic leader, President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abdel-fattah-el-sissi">Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi,</a>&nbsp;before continuing on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-southeast-asia-trip-china-ukraine-election-f71ee52a79a2bcbd029a9c9cbba32437">an around-the-world trip.</a>&nbsp;He arrived Saturday morning for his next stop in Cambodia, where he would participate in a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders, and then Indonesia for the annual Group of 20 summit of the world’s largest economies.Biden left Washington late Thursday buoyed by a stronger-than-expected showing by the Democratic Party in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-results-954de3200a5467d36ea5f04e4ccbb78f">Tuesday's midterm elections</a>, earlier congressional passage of the largest&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-health-seniors-medicare-economy-68f2df858de98487e82e236ab31fab7e">climate investment</a>&nbsp;in U.S. history and Russian military setbacks on the Ukrainian battlefield.At the climate conference, Biden discussed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-prices-oil-and-gas-industry-climate-environment-3a5b7049478ec7161fcbd18f1ebdb0ba">a new supplemental rule</a>&nbsp;that will crack down on methane emissions, expanding on a similar regulation his administration released last year. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming.Biden also spotlighted one of his key domestic successes —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economic-bill-house-vote-be99d8db5bd610c5b1d78bc047a03e77">the Democrats’ massive health care and climate change bill</a>&nbsp;known as the Inflation Reduction Act.The U.S. commitment of some $375 billion over a decade to fight climate change gives Biden greater leverage to press other nations to fulfill their pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and shift the global economy toward cleaner energy sources.“The United States government is putting our money where our mouth is,” he said.Biden said the spending, part of broader economic legislation he signed into law this year, will ensure the U.S. hits its target for reducing emissions by 2030.The president was in a far different position from last year’s gathering, which came about during a particularly unhappy stretch in the bill’s tortuous path to passage.That summit resulted in additional global commitments to meet temperature targets agreed to in the Paris Climate Accord, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-return-paris-climate-world-leaders-ee8eb8b6744394ad41e33f94843b6586">Biden rejoined</a>&nbsp;after his predecessor, Donald Trump,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-leaves-paris-agreement-climate-change-1331bc30021756454dda8eb7ff3c1075">pulled the U.S. from the deal</a>.Jennifer Morgan, Germany’s special climate envoy, said Biden “made it very clear that the climate crisis is a major top priority for the United States domestically in getting laws passed, internationally in partnership with other countries.”She said it contributed "a positive energy coming into this conference.”Biden argued that “good climate policy is good economic policy,” and he called on all major emitting countries to “align their ambition” to the international goal of trying to limit future global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the White House.But even with these fresh efforts, America and the world have a long way to go to meet emissions targets that scientists hope will contain global warming. And the political will for more investment is shrinking.Biden acknowledged that climate crises are “hitting hardest those countries and communities that have the fewest resources to respond and recover," a reference to a leading issue at the summit.Known as “loss and damage,” it involves asking rich countries like the United States, the top historic polluting nation, to pay what are essentially reparations for damages caused to poorer vulnerable nations that don’t emit much heat-trapping carbon dioxide.Biden announced in his speech the U.S. would contribute $150 million “as a down payment” to initiatives to help Africa adapt to the changing climate, but that did not satisfy concerns.“We would like for the U.S. to step up their game on loss and damage,” Sierra Club President Ramon Cruz said. “We would of course like to see more commitment to that.”The U.S. in the past has opposed even talking about the issue, but has softened its stance and agreed to discussions. Biden’s climate envoy, John Kerry, has mentioned the issue in speeches. However, the U.S. doesn’t want liability to be part of any deal. In addition, Congress and the public have been reluctant to embrace many types of climate aid — and this is the most controversial type.The lack of congressional support has tied Biden's hands, said Alice Hill, who worked on climate issues in President Barack Obama's administration.Even though Biden announced other initiatives, she said, “he couldn’t deliver what the developing world most wants: enough money to adapt to climate extremes.”Prospects for a significant breakthrough are further dampened as major emitters such as China and India are sending less-senior delegations to the conference. Biden administration officials have tried to lower expectations for results and instead cast the meeting as a return to U.S. leadership on the issue.Biden left Washington with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-arizona-nov-10-007b2d3aab2820016b1e009cdcbd3ecc">votes still being tallied in key races</a>&nbsp;that will determine political control of Congress. Still, the president was buoyed as Democrats performed stronger than expected.After arriving in Egypt, Biden met with el-Sissi. The leaders discussed climate, human rights and the U.S.-Egypt defense partnership, among other issues, the White House said. The Egyptian leader proactively and publicly raised human rights with Biden before their one-on-one meeting, and did so again in the private portion of the sit-down.“We are very keen on improving this part,” said el-Sissi, who emphasized that Egypt had launched a national strategy on human rights. For his part, Biden said the U.S. and Egypt are “continuing our dialogue on human rights” and added that he hopes they’ll be “closer and stronger in every way.”During the meeting, Biden and U.S. officials raised the case of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-africa-egypt-hunger-strikes-north-6f9a2728ec6897fe1cb86a69aef33d93">imprisoned Egyptian pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah</a>, whose family has said is undergoing an undefined medical intervention amid a hunger strike.Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, said Biden directed his aides to work with the Egyptians on that case and others, and said officials had “intense consultations on that case” while in Sharm El-Sheikh but declined to elaborate further. U.S. did not have an update on his condition, considering the family and the Egyptian government had conflicting accounts.“This is a circumstance where it’s not trust but verify, it’s verify,” Sullivan told reporters on Air Force One as Biden traveled to Phnom Penh. “And we’ve not been able to do that.”Sullivan added: “We are doing everything we can to secure his release.”

🎥Biden wants to spend $11 billion annually on climate change

By JILL LAWLESS and GREGORY KATZ Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts has died at the age of 80. 

Publicist Bernard Doherty said Tuesday that Watts "passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family." 

The self-effacing and unshakeable drummer helped anchor one of rock's greatest rhythm sections for more than half a century and used his "day job" to support his enduring love of jazz. 

Watts had announced he would not tour with the Stones in 2021 because of an undefined health issue. He joined the Stones early in 1963 and ranked just behind Mick Jagger and Keith Richards as the group's longest lasting and most essential member.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629835426049.png" alt="Watts in Lexington, Ky., in 1981 / Photo courtesy Michael Conen, Flickr" />
 <figcaption>Watts in Lexington, Ky., in 1981 / Photo courtesy Michael Conen, Flickr</figcaption>
 </figure>By JILL LAWLESS and GREGORY KATZ Associated PressLONDON (AP) — Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts has died at the age of 80. Publicist Bernard Doherty said Tuesday that Watts "passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family." The self-effacing and unshakeable drummer helped anchor one of rock's greatest rhythm sections for more than half a century and used his "day job" to support his enduring love of jazz. Watts had announced he would not tour with the Stones in 2021 because of an undefined health issue. He joined the Stones early in 1963 and ranked just behind Mick Jagger and Keith Richards as the group's longest lasting and most essential member.