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WASHINGTON — As transgender service members face a deadline to leave the U.S. military, hundreds are taking the financial bonus to depart voluntarily. But others say they will stay and fight.

For many, it is a wrenching decision to end a career they love, and leave units they have led or worked with for years. And they are angry they are being forced out by the Trump administration’s renewed ban on transgender troops.

Active duty service members had until Friday to identify themselves and begin to leave the military voluntarily, while the National Guard and Reserve have until July 7. Then the military will begin involuntary separations.

Friday’s deadline comes during Pride Month and as the Trump administration targets diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, saying it’s aiming to scrub the military of “wokeness” and reestablishing a “warrior ethos.”

“They’re tired of the rollercoaster. They just want to go,” said one transgender service member, who plans to retire. “It’s exhausting.”

For others, it’s a call to arms.

“I’m choosing to stay in and fight,” a noncommissioned officer in the Air Force said. “My service is based on merit, and I’ve earned that merit.”

The troops, who mainly spoke on condition of anonymity because they fear reprisals, said being forced to decide is frustrating. They say it’s a personal choice based on individual and family situations, including whether they would get an infusion of cash or possibly wind up owing the government money.

“I’m very disappointed,” a transgender Marine said. “I’ve outperformed, I have a spotless record. I’m at the top of every fitness report. I’m being pushed out while I know others are barely scraping by.”

Some transgender troops decide to leave based on finances

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said this is President Donald Trump’s directive and what America voted for. The Pentagon, he said, is “leaving wokeness & weakness behind” and that includes “no more dudes in dresses.”

Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a veteran, and 22 other Democratic senators have written to Hegseth urging him to allow transgender troops to keep serving honorably.

Already, more than 1,000 service members have voluntarily identified themselves as transgender and are slated to begin leaving, according to rough Defense Department estimates. Defense officials say there are about 4,240 active duty transgender troops but acknowledge the numbers are fuzzy.

For many, the decision is financial.

Those who voluntarily leave will get double the amount of separation pay they would normally receive and won’t have to return bonuses or tuition costs. Those who refuse to go could be forced to repay reenlistment or other bonuses as high as $50,000.

That was the tipping point for Roni Ferrell, an Army specialist at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington.

Ferrell, 28, lives on base with her wife and two children and had planned to stay in the Army for at least another decade. But she said she felt “backed into a corner” to sign the voluntary separation agreement, fearing she would have to repay an $18,500 reenlistment bonus.

“My commander basically said it was my only option in order to make sure my kids are taken care of,” Ferrell said.

The Marine, who has served for more than 25 years, said she had planned to stay and fight, but changed her mind. Lawyers, she said, told her an involuntary separation would put a code in her record saying she was forced to leave “in the interests of national security.”

That designation, she said, could mean those involuntarily separated could lose their security clearances, hurting future job prospects.

In a statement Friday, a defense official said the code “is not intended” to trigger clearance revocations and that gender dysphoria is not a security reporting requirement, according to the director of national intelligence. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Cynthia Cheng-Wun Weaver, senior director of litigation for Human Rights Campaign, said it’s important for troops to talk with judge advocates general in their services to ensure they understand the different procedures being implemented.

Other transgender troops plan to stay despite the ban

The Air Force service member and a transgender officer in the Army National Guard both said they plan to stay and fight. Lawsuits over the ban continue and could change or block the policy.

For troops involved in the court battles as plaintiffs, leaving voluntarily now would likely hurt their standing in the case. For others, it’s simply dedication to their career.

“I’ve really embraced military culture, and it’s embraced me,” the Air Force member said. “It’s not about money. It’s the career that I love.”

The Guard soldier echoed that sentiment, saying he will stay on “because it is important to me to serve. Frankly, I’m good at it, I’m well trained so I want to continue.”

Others without bonuses to repay or who have been in the military only a short while and won’t get much in separation bonus pay may opt to stay and see what happens.

National Guard troops face a particular problem

National Guard members who are heading to their monthly drill weekend or annual two-week drill in June could be required to go but serve as the gender they were assigned at birth.

That means they would have to wear uniforms and haircuts of that gender, use that bathroom and be referred to as “sir” or “ma’am” based on that gender.

For many, that could be close to impossible and create uncomfortable situations.

“If I were to show up to drill this weekend, I’d be expected to use all female facilities, I would be expected to wear a woman’s uniform,” said the Army Guard officer, who transitioned to male about five years ago and says others in his unit know him as a man. “I don’t look like a woman. I don’t feel like a woman. It would be disruptive to good order and discipline for me to show up and to tell my soldiers, you have to call me ‘ma’am’ now.”

It’s not clear if Guard units are handling it all the same way, and it could be up to individual states or commanders. Some may allow troops to postpone the drill or go on administrative leave.

What happens next for transgender troops?

The service members interviewed by The Associated Press said they don’t know what will happen once the deadline passes to leave voluntarily.

Some believe that unit commanders will quickly single people out and start involuntary separations. Others say the process is vague, may involve medical review boards and could take months.

The defense official said Friday that as the Pentagon takes these steps, it “will treat our service members with dignity and respect.”

Under Hegseth’s directive, military commanders will be told to identify troops with gender dysphoria — when a person’s biological sex does not match their gender identity — and send them to get medical checks to force them out of the service, defense officials have said. The order relies on routine annual health checks — so it could be months before that evaluation is scheduled.

“My real big sticking point is that this administration’s whole push is to reform this country based around merit, and that gender, race, etc., should have no factor in hiring,” the Air Force service member said. “If that’s true, I’m solely being removed for my gender, and merit is no longer a factor.”

While there will not be a Triple Crown winner this season, Saturday’s 157th running of the Belmont Stakes does boast the winners of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, Sovereignty and Journalism. Those two thoroughbreds and six other horses will race for the winner’s share of the $2,000,000 purse.

Journalism (8-5) is the current favorite with Sovereignty (2-1) and Baeza (4-1) garnering plenty of attention as well but there is speed and potential sprinkled throughout this eight-horse field. Hill Road claimed the local prep race, the Peter Pan Stakes, Rodriguez roared to a win in the Wood Memorial, and Crudo won the 2025 Sir Barton Stakes. A case can be made for each to challenge the favorites.

It often pays, though, to strongly consider the horse that closes as the favorite in the Belmont. The favorite has won the Belmont 66 times accounting for 42.6% of the 156 previous editions of the final jewel of the Triple Crown series.

Renovations continue at Belmont Park and so for the second consecutive year the third jewel of horse-racing’s Triple Crown will be held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, NY. That change of venue also means a change to the distance of the Belmont Stakes. Typically the longest race of the Triple Crown at 1.5 miles, Saratoga means a 1.25 mile “sprint” for the top thoroughbreds in the world for the second consecutive year and the eighth time in the history of the race.

Race Details and How to Watch the 2025 Belmont Stakes

• Date: Saturday, June 7, 2025
• Post Time: 7:04PM ET
• Site: Saratoga Race Course
• City: Saratoga Springs, New York
• How to Watch: FOX

Belmont Stakes Prediction

Drew Dinsick’s (@whale_capper) likes the favorites, but not the favorite for the top of his Belmont card.

“The trifecta winners from the Kentucky Derby showdown again in the Belmont Stakes with Sovereignty, Journalism and Baeza entering as the clear top three in the field of eight. Despite winning the Preakness, the fatigue of having run that extra sprint is enough for me to look past Journalism, the morning line favorite. The numbers suggest that Sovereignty and Baeza have very similar running styles and are equally strong closers so their prices should be reasonably close and the horse with the best trip likely wins. The progression for the more lightly raced Baeza is clear steady improvement throughout his 3-yo campaign, so I’ll take the price and hope he outduels the Derby champ down the stretch. Baeza to win, Baeza over Sovereignty and Baeza/Sovereignty/Journalism in my tri.”

The Field for the 2025 Belmont Stakes

Lets run through the field for the final jewel of the 2025 Triple Crown season according to their post position.

Enjoy the race and the finale of the 2025 Triple Crown season.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — President Donald Trump’s pick to be the next U.S. surgeon general has repeatedly said the nation’s medical, health and food systems are corrupted by special interests and people out to make a profit at the expense of Americans’ health.

Yet as Dr. Casey Means has criticized scientists, medical schools and regulators for taking money from the food and pharmaceutical industries, she has promoted dozens of health and wellness products — including specialty basil seed supplements, a blood testing service and a prepared meal delivery service — in ways that put money in her own pocket.

A review by The Associated Press found Means, who has carved out a niche in the wellness industry, set up deals with an array of businesses.

In her newsletter, on her social media accounts, on her website, in her book and during podcast appearances, the entrepreneur and influencer has at times failed to disclose that she could profit or benefit in other ways from sales of products she recommends. In some cases, she promoted companies in which she was an investor or adviser without consistently disclosing the connection, the AP found.

Means, 37, has said she recommends products that she has personally vetted and uses herself. She is far from the only online creator who doesn’t always follow federal transparency rules that require influencers to disclose when they have a “material connection” to a product they promote.

Still, legal and ethics experts said those business entanglements raise concerns about conflicting interests for an aspiring surgeon general, a role responsible for giving Americans the best scientific information on how to improve their health.

“I fear that she will be cultivating her next employers and her next sponsors or business partners while in office,” said Jeff Hauser, executive director of the Revolving Door Project, a progressive ethics watchdog monitoring executive branch appointees.

The nomination, which comes amid a whirlwind of Trump administration actions to dismantle the government’s public integrity guardrails, also has raised questions about whether Levels, a company Means co-founded that sells subscriptions for devices that continuously monitor users’ glucose levels, could benefit from this administration’s health guidance and policy.

Though scientists debate whether continuous glucose monitors are beneficial for people without diabetes, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has promoted their use as a precursor to making certain weight-loss drugs available to patients.

The aspiring presidential appointee has built her own brand in part by criticizing doctors, scientists and government officials for being “bought off” or “corrupt” because of ties to industry.

Means’ use of affiliate marketing and other methods of making money from her recommendations for supplements, medical tests and other health and dietary products raise questions about the extent to which she is influenced by a different set of special interests: those of the wellness industry.

A compelling origin story

Means earned her medical degree from Stanford University, but she dropped out of her residency program in Oregon in 2018, and her license to practice is inactive. She has grown her public profile in part with a compelling origin story that seeks to explain why she left her residency and conventional medicine.

“During my training as a surgeon, I saw how broken and exploitative the healthcare system is and left to focus on how to keep people out of the operating room,” she wrote on her website.

Means turned to alternative approaches to address what she has described as widespread metabolic dysfunction driven largely by poor nutrition and an overabundance of ultra-processed foods. She co-founded Levels, a nutrition, sleep and exercise-tracking app that can also give users insights from blood tests and continuous glucose monitors. The company charges $199 per year for an app subscription and an additional $184 per month for glucose monitors.

Means has argued that the medical system is incentivized not to look at the root causes of illness but instead to maintain profits by keeping patients sick and coming back for more prescription drugs and procedures.

“At the highest level of our medical institutions, there are conflicts of interest and corruption that are actually making the science that we’re getting not as accurate and not as clean as we’d want it,” she said on Megyn Kelly’s podcast last year.

But even as Means decries the influence of money on science and medicine, she has made her own deals with business interests.

During the same Megyn Kelly podcast, Means mentioned a frozen prepared food brand, Daily Harvest. She promoted that brand in a book she published last year. What she didn’t mention in either instance: Means had a business relationship with Daily Harvest.

Growing an audience, and selling products

Influencer marketing has expanded beyond the beauty, fashion and travel sectors to “encompass more and more of our lives,” said Emily Hund, author of “The Influencer Industry: The Quest for Authenticity on Social Media.”

With more than 825,000 followers on Instagram and a newsletter that she has said reached 200,000 subscribers, Means has a direct line into the social media feeds and inboxes of an audience interested in health, nutrition and wellness.

Affiliate marketing, brand partnerships and similar business arrangements are growing more popular as social media becomes increasingly lucrative for influencers, especially among younger generations. Companies might provide a payment, free or discounted products or other benefits to the influencer in exchange for a post or a mention. But most consumers still don’t realize that a personality recommending a product might make money if people click through and buy, said University of Minnesota professor Christopher Terry.

“A lot of people watch those influencers, and they take what those influencers say as gospel,” said Terry, who teaches media advertising and internet law. Even his own students don’t understand that influencers might stand to benefit from sales of the products they endorse, he added.

Many companies, including Amazon, have affiliate marketing programs in which people with substantial social media followings can sign up to receive a percentage of sales or some other benefit when someone clicks through and buys a product using a special individualized link or code shared by the influencer.

Means has used such links to promote various products sold on Amazon. Among them are books, including the one she co-wrote, “Good Energy”; a walking pad; soap; body oil; hair products; cardamom-flavored dental floss; organic jojoba oil; a razor set; reusable kitchen products; sunglasses; a sleep mask; a silk pillowcase; fitness and sleep trackers; protein powder and supplements.

She also has shared links to products sold by other companies that included “affiliate” or “partner” coding, indicating she has a business relationship with the companies. The products include an AI-powered sleep system and Daily Harvest, for which she curated a “metabolic health collection.”

On a “My Faves” page that was taken down from her website shortly after Trump picked her, Means wrote that some links “are affiliate links and I make a small percentage if you buy something after clicking them.”

It’s not clear how much money Means has earned from her affiliate marketing, partnerships and other agreements. Daily Harvest did not return messages seeking comment, and Means said she could not comment on the record during the confirmation process.

Disclosing conflicts

Means has raised concerns that scientists, regulators and doctors are swayed by the influence of industry, oftentimes pointing to public disclosures of their connections. In January, she told the Kristin Cavallari podcast “Let’s Be Honest” that “relationships are influential.”

“There’s huge money, huge money going to fund scientists from industry,” Means said. “We know that when industry funds papers, it does skew outcomes.”

In November, on a podcast run by a beauty products brand, Primally Pure, she said it was “insanity” to have people connected to the processed food industry involved in writing food guidelines, adding, “We need unbiased people writing our guidelines that aren’t getting their mortgage paid by a food company.”

On the same podcast, she acknowledged supplement companies sponsor her newsletter, adding, “I do understand how it’s messy.”

Influencers who endorse or promote products in exchange for payment or something else of value are required by the Federal Trade Commission to make a clear and conspicuous disclosure of any business, family or personal relationship. While Means did provide disclosures about newsletter sponsors, the AP found in other cases Means did not always tell her audience when she had a connection to the companies she promoted. For example, a “Clean Personal & Home Care Product Recommendations” guide she links to from her website contains two dozen affiliate or partner links and no disclosure that she could profit from any sales.

Means has said she invested in Function Health, which provides subscription-based lab testing for $500 annually. Of the more than a dozen online posts the AP found in which Means mentioned Function Health, more than half did not disclose she had any affiliation with the company.

Means also listed the supplement company Zen Basil as a company for which she was an “Investor and/or Advisor.” The AP found posts on Instagram, X and on Facebook where Means promoted its products without disclosing the relationship.

Though the “About” page on her website discloses an affiliation with both companies, that’s not enough, experts said. She is required to disclose any material connection she has to a company anytime she promotes it.

Representatives for Function Health did not return messages seeking comment through their website and executives’ LinkedIn profiles. Zen Basil’s founder, Shakira Niazi, did not answer questions about Means’ business relationship with the company or her disclosures of it. She said the two had known each other for about four years and called Means’ advice “transformational,” saying her teachings reversed Niazi’s prediabetes and other ailments.

“I am proud to sponsor her newsletter through my company,” Niazi said in an email.

While the disclosure requirements are rarely enforced by the FTC, Means should have been informing her readers of any connections regardless of whether she was violating any laws, said Olivier Sylvain, a Fordham Law School professor who was previously a senior adviser to the FTC chair.

“What you want in a surgeon general, presumably, is someone who you trust to talk about tobacco, about social media, about caffeinated alcoholic beverages, things that present problems in public health,” Sylvain said, adding, “Should there be any doubt about claims you make about products?”

Potential conflicts pose new ethical questions

Means isn’t the first surgeon general nominee whose financial entanglements have raised eyebrows.

Jerome Adams, who served as surgeon general from 2017 to 2021, filed federal disclosure forms that showed he invested in several health technology, insurance and pharmaceutical companies before taking the job — among them Pfizer, Mylan and UnitedHealth Group. He also invested in the food and drink giant Nestle.

He divested those stocks when he was confirmed for the role and pledged that he and his immediate family would not acquire financial interest in certain industries regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.

Vivek Murthy, who served as surgeon general twice, under Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, made more than $2 million in COVID-19-related speaking and consulting fees from Carnival, Netflix, Estee Lauder and Airbnb between holding those positions. He pledged to recuse himself from matters involving those parties for a period of time.

Means has not yet gone through a Senate confirmation hearing and has not yet announced the ethical commitments she will make for the role.

Hund said that as influencer marketing becomes more common, it is raising more ethical questions, such as what past influencers who enter government should do to avoid the appearance of a conflict.

Other administration officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, have also promoted companies on social media without disclosing their financial ties.

“This is like a learning moment in the evolution of our democracy,” Hund said. “Is this a runaway train that we just have to get on and ride, or is this something that we want to go differently?”

Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student detained in March by immigration agents, responded for the first time to the charges against him and described the “irreparable harm” his arrest has had on him and his family.

“I have suffered—and continue to suffer—as a result of the government’s actions against me,” he said in a declaration included in a letter his legal team filed on Thursday in support of his bid for a preliminary injunction in his federal case.

“The most immediate and visceral harms I have experienced directly relate to the birth of my son, Deen. Instead of holding my wife’s hand in the delivery room, I was crouched on a detention center floor, whispering through a crackling phone line as she labored alone,” Khalil said. “I listened to her pain, trying to comfort her while 70 other men slept around me. When I heard my son’s first cries, I buried my face in my arms so no one would see me weep.”

His wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, was eight months pregnant when Khalil was arrested March 8 at his New York apartment building. She said she had requested his presence at the birth but was denied by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Khalil said that not being able to see his family has been “devastating.”

In his declaration, he condemned the White House and President Donald Trump over the “grotesque and false” claims made against him. Khalil was targeted for deportation after he helped organize pro-Palestinian rallies on the university’s campus.

He is being held at a facility in rural Jena, Louisiana.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement that “it is a privilege to be granted a visa or green card to live and study in the United States of America.”

“When you advocate for violence, glorify and support terrorists that relish the killing of Americans, and harass Jews, take over buildings and deface property, that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country,” the statement added.

DHS said Khalil was granted a contact visit with his wife and son before his court appearance and has been given the option of self-deporting.

The Department of Justice declined to comment, and ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“It is hard to describe the humiliation and pain of seeing mugshot-style images of myself circulated from the highest levels of the U.S. government—accompanied by inflammatory language, grotesque and false accusations, and open celebration of my deportation,” Khalil said in the declaration. “These were not just attacks on my character; they were efforts to erase my humanity.”

Khalil said his wife and family have also been subjected to harassment after the government labeled him a “U.S. foreign policy concern” and accused him of supporting Hamas. He said the allegations against him are false and “deeply racist.”

Khalil’s attorney said in the letter that his arrest has damaged his reputation and “severely” undermined his pursuit of one day working in international diplomacy and human rights advocacy.

Khalil said he had accepted a position at Oxfam International as a policy advisor, but the job offer was revoked.

“I strongly believe that the Rubio Determination, my arrest and detention—and the public stigma that followed— played a significant role in this decision,” he said. “I was not surprised; roles like this depend on your reputation.”

Oxfam International did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

In a separate declaration, Khalil’s wife described how she is “afraid for our safety.”

“Mahmoud’s case has impacted every aspect of our life,” she said. “I have experienced Islamophobia my whole life as a Muslim woman who wears a hijab, but it has been amplified by Mahmoud’s detention and ongoing case. Mahmoud’s and my careers, our desire for a stable life, and Deen’s future will forever be impacted by these false allegations against him.”

Donald Trump and Elon Musk take their falling out onto social media for all to see. New federal jobs data are expected to mostly reflect economic stability, though the effects of tariffs are starting to show. And at least 200 Planned Parenthood clinics across the country are at risk of closing..

Here’s what to know today.

As Trump and Musk fight, Republican unity could become collateral damage

A simmering fight between the world’s most powerful man and the world’s richest man spilled into public view yesterday, as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk traded attacks and threats online and in view of the world.

Tensions rose a few days ago when Musk criticized the bill for Trump’s agenda as a “disgusting abomination.” Trump finally responded yesterday, telling reporters in the Oval Office that “Elon knew the inner workings of the bill.” The president suggested Musk, who owns Tesla, was upset that the bill cut a tax credit meant to incentivize electric vehicle purchases. Musk and his allies bristled at the suggestion.

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Then, the online jabs began. Musk suggested Trump would have lost the 2024 election without Musk’s massive donations. Trump implied the federal government could end the billions of dollars in contracts with Musk’s companies, primarily SpaceX and Tesla. Musk, in response, claimed the president was in the so-called “Epstein files.” Musk also suggested Trump should be impeached. The attacks didn’t end there.

It’s clear, now, that the bromance between the two is dead and the collateral damage left in the feud’s wake could last for weeks, months or even years. And Republicans are caught in the middle.

In interviews with GOP lawmakers and operatives with ties to Congress, a clear theme emerged: Republicans should be scared of getting crosswise with either Trump or Musk. At stake are congressional leadership positions, the midterm elections and even the fate of Trump’s agenda bill.

Just a few months ago, Musk indicated he would put $100 million into political committees associated with Trump. That money never came and now, it won’t, a Musk adviser said. “He does not give a f— about Republicans or the RNC, or House seats, or whatever,” the adviser said. “He will blow them up; he will.”

Republican Rep. Don Bacon, who represents a competitive Nebraska district, said of the fight: “There’s a good verse in Proverbs: ‘Stay out of fights.’ I’m staying out of this one.”

Read the full analysis here.

More politics news:

• Senate Republicans are exploring the possibility of making cuts to Medicare “waste, fraud and abuse” in Trump’s agenda bill.

• And watch out for reactions from these seven senators as changes are made to the bill to get it through the Senate.

• A federal judge temporarily blocked Trump’s efforts to deny visas to foreign students planning to attend Harvard University.

• The day after Trump’s latest travel ban was announced, families, attorneys and immigration advocates expressed confusion and made accusations of discrimination by the Trump administration.

• Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone call and planned an in-person meeting “shortly” amid ongoing tensions between the two countries.

• Trump has referred to the Joe Biden autopen allegations as “the biggest scandal in American history,” while Biden has said the investigation is a “distraction.” Here’s what is and isn’t known about the claims.

• The Supreme Court revived a woman’s claim that she was discriminated against at work because she is straight, potentially making it easier for people in majority groups to bring such “reverse discrimination” claims.

Jobs data could reflect economic stability, for now

The Bureau of Statistics will release its latest jobs data from May, and it’s likely to show that some economic stability has persisted. Forecasts were 120,000 for new payrolls added in the last month, which most economists consider a healthy figure. But it would still represent the fewest monthly jobs created since February and fall below the 12-month average of about 150,000.

Meanwhile, other data are already pointing to signs of a softening economy in the face of President Donald Trump’s unprecedented tariffs. The Department of Labor’s weekly jobless claims report, released yesterday, came in higher than expected. Private payroll processor ADP reported the weakest monthly jobs total since March 2023. And Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, said forthcoming inflation readings are likely to reflect price increases due to tariffs. Read the full story here.

Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide fear closures

At least 20 Planned Parenthood clinics have closed or will close this year as the health care organization faces the same pressures as nearly all U.S. providers, like low insurance reimbursement rates, understaffing and rising costs. But things could get worse, as targeted cuts by the Trump administration threaten to throw the organization further into uncertainty.

Earlier this year, federal funding to more than 100 clinics was frozen. And written into the House GOP-backed bill for Trump’s agenda is a rule that would cut off Medicaid reimbursement to any nonprofit that meets three criteria, which Planned Parenthood does. That means if the bill is passed, another 200 of the roughly 600 Planned Parenthood locations nationwide will be in danger, the organization said.

Planned Parenthood has already taken steps to adapt, like consolidating locations in some states and shuttering clinics in states that have historically voted in favor of abortion rights, such as Vermont. The resulting landscape leaves fewer health care options for patients. Read the full story here.

Read All About It

• At least three people were wounded and damage was reported in several districts in Kyiv amid ongoing Russian missile and drone attacks in Ukraine.

• The suspect in the Boulder firebombing was charged with 118 criminal counts in Colorado and could face more than 600 years in prison on attempted murder charges alone.

• The judge in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal trial threatened to throw the hip-hop mogul out of the courtroom after he was seen flashing facial expressions at jurors.

• The Indiana Pacers led for three-tenths of a second in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, enough to catapult them to a 111-110 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. For those who have been watching closely, such a dramatic win shouldn’t be a surprise.

• Earth’s atmosphere has more carbon dioxide than it has had in possibly tens of millions of years, according to new data, thrusting Earth further into uncharted territory.

Staff Pick: Fight night in China

With so much focus on trade wars and U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods these days, it was refreshing to look at a uniquely American export to China: professional wrestling. On a recent Saturday night in Beijing, I attended “The Battle of the Decade” organized by Middle Kingdom Wrestling, one of the few pro wrestling organizations here. It had all the hallmarks of a pro wrestling experience: rubbery costumes, body blows, and yes, some chair smashing, too.

What I did not expect was that the man behind it all, a 37-year-old American living in China named Adrian Gomez, would be the antithesis of the supercharged showmanship typically attached to WWE-style wrestling and promoters like Vince McMahon. Easy-going and unfrazzled, Gomez politely troubleshot everything from sound checks to media passes. Then, when the music surged and the lights flashed, there he was ringside smiling as the room swelled with wrestling mayhem and raucous spectators. For 10 years, he had worked toward this night.

This is not a story about trade or geopolitics. It is a glimpse at a small but dedicated community of pro wrestlers, their growing legion of Chinese fans, and the determination of a former English teacher turned unlikely wrestling promoter trying to make it all work in China. — Janis Mackey Frayer, Beijing-based correspondent

NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

After eight years, the Nintendo Switch 2 is finally here with improved design, better internal specs and all new games. Here’s everything you need to know about the release. Plus, there’s a good chance you’re not properly applying sunscreen. The NBC Select team spoke with dermatologists about the dos and don’ts and the best spray sunscreen options.

Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.

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