ATLANTA —

Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock will face Republican football legend Herschel Walker for a coveted Senate seat in Georgia after both handily defeated primary challengers on Tuesday to set up a historic, high-stakes showdown.

Walker, who is backed by former President Donald Trump, defeated five GOP challengers in his race, clearing the 50% mark needed to avoid a runoff. Warnock easily defeated beauty industry professional Tamara Johnson-Shealey.

The general election matchup between Warnock and Walker marks the first time that two major party candidates for U.S. Senate in Georgia are Black.

The contest — expected to be heated — will test whether Democratic gains in Georgia in 2020 were a blip or the start of a political realignment in a rapidly changing state. Joe Biden was the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state in 28 years and just two months later, Warnock and fellow Democrat Jon Ossoff flipped two longtime Republican Senate seats, handing their party a narrow majority in the Senate.

Republicans looking to regain control of the Senate have targeted the Georgia seat.

Warnock's campaign Tuesday quickly put out a news release attacking the Republican nominee.

"In a short time, Reverend Raphael Warnock has built a clear, extensive record of fighting for all Georgians in the U.S. Senate," Campaign Manager Quentin Fulks said in a statement. "He presents a clear choice for voters this fall and a distinct contrast with Republican nominee Herschel Walker, whose pattern of lies, exaggerations and outright bizarre claims reveal he is not up for the job of serving Georgians in the U.S. Senate."

Walker has dramatically inflated his record as a businessman and falsely said he graduated at the top of his class from the University of Georgia. He didn't graduate, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported. He has also made multiple gaffes on the campaign trail.

A representative for Walker's campaign, Mallory Blount, did not immediately respond to an email and text seeking comment.

Walker is a former college football celebrity. Warnock is the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached. He became the first Black senator elected from Georgia when he defeated appointed Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler in 2021.

As a senator, Warnock has derided Republicans' push for tighter voting rules, calling them "Jim Crow in new clothes;" stressed his work in bringing home funding for health care, national security research and other projects; and highlighted his efforts to try to cap the cost of insulin and temporarily suspend the federal gasoline tax.

Walker — a political newcomer — has nearly unmatched name recognition in Georgia from his days as a college football running back. He led the University of Georgia football team to a national title during the 1980 season and won the Heisman Trophy in 1982. He counts Trump as a close friend.

The Trump endorsement was the chief reason Pam Leonard said she voted for Walker. But the 71-year-old said Tuesday outside of a polling place in Woodstock that she remembers those football days, too.

"I know his story," Leonard said. "Especially when he was a child, he was bullied and he built himself up by running against trains. That takes a lot of gumption."

But some of his Republican opponents had questioned Walker's electability. Walker has a history of violence against women and also skipped the primary debates. He has been open about his long struggle with mental illness and acknowledged violent urges.

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black made the sharpest attacks on Walker, saying he couldn't win in November because of domestic violence allegations and other past problems.

Former Trump administration official and Navy veteran Latham Saddler had questioned Walker's preparation for a potential debate with Warnock.

In a statement Tuesday, Black said he hopes Walker "does right, but he has not earned my vote."

The other GOP primary candidates were: retired brigadier general Jon McColumn; contractor and Air Force veteran Kelvin King and former state Rep. Josh Clark.

David Butler didn't vote for Walker.

"I think he's probably going to get the nomination, but I don't think he deserves it," Butler said before the race was called. "I think he's getting it because of his name, because he played football at Georgia."

___

Associated Press writer Jeff Martin in Woodstock, Georgia, contributed to this report.

California lawmakers could soon ban the declawing of cats solely for the convenience of humans, advancing a bill on Thursday to halt what animal rights activists say is a painful procedure used primarily to prevent torn furniture and scratched skin.

Claws on cats grow from the bone, not skin. Removing them sometimes requires amputating bones, while other procedures sever tendons to prevent a cat from extending its claws.

Related video above: California woman mistakenly takes baby fox home thinking it was a kitten

Animal rights activists have long said declawing is inhumane when done solely for the benefit of humans, arguing the procedure is painful, leaves the animal defenseless and can cause other health problems.

The American Veterinary Medical Association “discourages declawing as an elective procedure," saying it is not medically necessary in most cases. But the association says it is sometimes necessary “when a cat's excessive or inappropriate scratching behavior causes an unacceptable risk of injury or remains destructive."

The bill that passed the state Assembly on Thursday would ban declawing except for a medically necessary purpose of addressing a recurring infection, disease, injury or abnormal condition that affects the cat's health. The bill specifically bans declawing “for a cosmetic or aesthetic purpose or to make the cat more convenient to keep or handle.”

The California Veterinary Medical Association says that ignores situations where cat owners are “taking blood thinners, receiving immunosuppression drugs, or other persons whose health would be endangered by a severe scratch.”

In a letter to lawmakers, the association wrote that the veterinary industry has “appropriately regulated itself regarding this procedure over the years, and continues to do so in a thoughtful and compassionate manner.”

The bill now heads to the state Senate.

New York was the first state to ban the procedure in 2019, followed by Maryland earlier this year. This is at least the fourth time California lawmakers have tried to ban declawing since 2018. All of the previous attempts failed.

Eight California cities — including Los Angeles and San Francisco — ban declawing. In 2008, California lawmakers passed a law that would have stopped local governments from banning declawing. But the bill never became law because then Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed it.

Thursday, a majority of lawmakers in the California Assembly appeared eager to ban the procedure statewide. Democratic Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo, the author of the bill, quoted primatologist Jane Goodall in saying that “cruelty is the worst of human sins.”

Democratic Assemblymember Alex Lee talked about his cat, Soba, saying it would be “heartbreaking to know cats like her would be declawed.”

“If a cat has essentially their finger bones taken out, their only defense becomes their teeth,” Lee said. “And having had many loving bites from my cat, I would rather be scratched than bitten by my own cat.”

Abbott Nutrition has restarted production at the Michigan baby formula factory that has been closed for months due to contamination, the company said Saturday, taking a step toward easing a nationwide supply shortage expected to persist into the summer.

The February shutdown of the largest formula factory in the country led to the supply problems that have forced some parents to seek formula from food banks, friends and doctor's offices.

Video above: Get the Facts: Baby Formula Shortage

Abbott said it initially will prioritize production of its EleCare specialty formulas for infants with severe food allergies and digestive problems who have few other options for nutrition. The company said it will take about three weeks before new formula from the plant begins showing up on store shelves.

"We will ramp production as quickly as we can while meeting all requirements," Abbott said in a statement.

The plant's reopening is one of several federal actions that are expected to improve supplies in the weeks ahead. President Joe Biden's administration has eased import rules for foreign manufacturers, airlifted formula from Europe and invoked federal emergency rules to prioritize U.S. production.

Abbott closed the Sturgis, Michigan, factory in February after the Food and Drug Administration began investigating four bacterial infections among infants who consumed powdered formula from the plant. Two of the babies died. The company continues to state that its products have not been directly linked to the infections, which involved different bacterial strains.

FDA inspectors eventually uncovered a host of violations at the plant, including bacterial contamination, a leaky roof and lax safety protocols. The FDA has faced intense scrutiny for taking months to close the plant and then negotiate its reopening. Agency leaders recently told Congress they had to enter a legally binding agreement with Abbott to assure all the problems were fixed.

Abbott's February recall of several leading brands, including Similac, squeezed supplies that had already been strained by supply chain disruptions and stockpiling during COVID-19 shutdowns.

The shortage has been most dire for children with allergies, digestive problems and metabolic disorders who rely on specialty formulas. The Abbott factory is the only source of many of those products, providing nutrition to about 5,000 U.S. babies, according to federal officials.

Abbott is one of just four companies that produce about 90% of U.S. formula. The company's recalls and shutdown triggered a cascade of effects: Retailers have limited customer purchasing to conserve supplies and parents have been told to switch brands to whatever formula is in stock.

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf recently told lawmakers it could be about two months before formula supplies return to normal levels. The agency has waived many of its regulatory requirements to accept more formula from the United Kingdom, Australia and other nations.

U.S. manufacturers, including Reckitt and Gerber, have also stepped up production, running plants 24/7 and sourcing more formula from alternate facilities.

A rocket built by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin carried its fifth group of passengers to the edge of space, including the first-ever Mexican-born woman to make such a journey.

The 60-foot-tall suborbital rocket took off from Blue Origin's facilities in West Texas at 9:26 a.m. ET, vaulting a group of six people to more than 62 miles above the Earth's surface — which is widely deemed to make the boundary of outer space — and giving them a few minutes of weightlessness before parachuting to landing.

Video above: Blue Origin plans to build its own private space station

Most of the passengers paid an undisclosed sum for their seats. But Katya Echazarreta, an engineer and science communicator from Guadalajara, Mexico, was selected by a nonprofit called Space for Humanity to join this mission from a pool of thousands of applicants. The organization's goal is to send "exceptional leaders" to space and allow them to experience the overview effect, a phenomenon frequently reported by astronauts who say that viewing the Earth from space gives them a profound shift in perspective.

Echazarreta told CNN Business that she experienced that overview effect "in my own way."

"Looking down and seeing how everyone is down there, all of our past, all of our mistakes, all of our obstacles, everything — everything is there," she said. "And the only thing I could think of when I came back down was that I need people to see this. I need Latinas to see this. And I think that it just completely reinforced my mission to continue getting primarily women and people of color up to space and doing whatever it is they want to do."

Echazarreta is the first Mexican-born woman to travel to space and the second Mexican after Rodolfo Neri Vela, a scientist who joined one of NASA's Space Shuttle missions in 1985.

She moved to the United States with her family at the age of seven, and she recalls being overwhelmed in a new place where she didn't speak the language, and a teacher warned her she might have to be held back.

"It just really fueled me and I think ever since then, ever since the third grade, I kind of just went off and have not stopped," Echazarreta recalled in an Instagram interview.

When she was 17 and 18, Echazarreta said she was also the main breadwinner for her family on a McDonald's salary.

"I had sometimes up to four [jobs] at the same time, just to try to get through college because it was really important for me," she said.

These days, Echazarreta is working on her master's degree in engineering at Johns Hopkins University. She previously worked at NASA's famed Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. She also boasts a following of more than 330,000 users on TikTok, hosts a science-focused YouTube series and is a presenter on the weekend CBS show "Mission Unstoppable."

Space for Humanity — which was founded in 2017 by Dylan Taylor, a space investor who recently joined a Blue Origin flight himself — chose her for her impressive contributions. "We were looking for some like people who were leaders in their communities, who have a sphere of influence; people who are doing really great work in the world already, and people who are passionate about whatever that is," Rachel Lyons, the nonprofit's executive director, told CNN Business.

Echazarreta said she was motivated to become a public figure after working at JPL and not seeing other engineers who looked like her.

"There are so many people in this world who dream about the same things that I was dreaming about. And yet I'm not seeing them here. So what's happening?" she said. "It was not enough for me to have made it and to be there. I needed to also help bring others with me."

On her Blue Origin flight Saturday, Echazarreta flew alongside Evan Dick, an investor who had already flown with Blue Origin in a December flight and became the first to become a repeat flier. The other passengers included Hamish Harding, who lives in the United Arab Emirates and is the chairman of a jet brokerage company; Jaison Robinson, the founder of a commercial real estate company; Victor Vescovo, the co-founder of a private equity investment firm; and Victor Correa Hespanha, a 28-year-old who secured his seat after buying an NFT from a group called The Crypto Space Agency.

E85 is a type of gasoline that is priced significantly lower. In some states, including Kansas and Missouri, you can get it as cheap as $2.67 a gallon.

E85 is 85% ethanol while most other types of gasoline are E10 or 10% ethanol.

Before rushing to the nearest E85 station, mechanics said drivers need to make sure their vehicles can take E85 gas.

At a gas station near Kansas City, several drivers were filling up with the corn-based gasoline.

"We didn't use it for the longest time but once things really started skyrocketing, it's a no-brainer," said Derek Elliott as he filled up his Ford F-150 with E85 gas.

Elliott said he switched over from regular gas about three months ago and said the savings have made a huge difference.

"I'm probably going to put in the ballpark of 20 some odd gallons. You can do that math," Elliott said. "That's $25, $30 every time."

Sister station KMBC talked with mechanics who said the savings might not be that noticeable because E85 won't deliver the same fuel mileage as regular gas.

"Anything you'd save at the pump, you're going to lose driving your car," said John Schupp, of Sci-Tech Automotive.

They also have a warning for drivers who believe they might save a few bucks by using E85 in a car that's not rated for it.

"You'll probably have a tow truck taking it to the shop because, after about two tanks of E85, a car that's not equipped for it probably won't run," Schupp said.

A yellow gas cap is a way to tell if your vehicle can take E85 to prevent a mechanic's bill.

The ethanol Renewable Fuel Association said it is seeing interest explode not only in people filling up with the type of fuel but from stations that will offer it.

"Let's be honest, everybody is looking for another option at the pump and if they have the right vehicle, this fuel provides all the incentive that they need," said Robert White, VP of industry relations for the association.

He said while ethanol does get lower fuel economy, the price difference is so large right now in many parts of the country it will still save most drivers money in the long run.

"If you translate down and calculate down to the dollars per mile E85 will be way ahead of gasoline today," White said.

He also said there's a rising interest nationwide in the fuel and in some parts of the country ethanol will double or triple in growth this year alone.

"We're seeing drastic increases not only in the consumption of E85 at these E85 stations, but also in the interest of retailers wanting to offer the product," White said.

Back at the gas pump near Kansas City, Elliott said he hasn't noticed a big change in his fuel economy but he does see a big change in his bank account with using E85.

"A lot of people have asked me about it because we use it: What does it do to gas mileage?" he said "I just know what it does for me. When I finish fueling up, there's a massive difference."

Country music superstar Toby Keith has announced he has been battling stomach cancer since late last year but has received treatment and plans to return to the stage soon.In a statement posted on his verified Twitter and Instagram accounts Sunday, Keith said he was diagnosed with cancer last fall."I've spent the last 6 months receiving chemo, radiation and surgery. So far, so good. I need time to breathe, recover and relax," the statement says. "I am looking forward to spending time with my family. But I will see the fans sooner than later. I can't wait. -T"Related video above: Toby Keith gifts veteran $16,000 all-terrain wheelchair before concertAccording to his official website, Keith is due to play the Ribfest in Illinois on June 17.He released his latest album -- "Peso in my pocket" -- last year after taking time out from touring due to the Covid pandemic, the site says.In 2021, then-President Donald Trump awarded Keith the National Medal of Arts, which the National Endowment for the Arts describes as "the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the United States government." "Toby Keith is a singer, songwriter, musician, and humanitarian who has completed 11 USO Tours to date. He has 32 #1 singles," the National Endowment for the Arts said in a January 2021 release.Keith, born in Oklahoma, released his debut album in 1993 and is known for hits including "Red Solo Cup" and "I Wanna Talk About Me." His 2002 song "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)," released in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, made him a household name.Keith has performed hundreds of shows for US service members abroad, including in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as at events for Presidents Donald Trump, Barack Obama and George W. Bush.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced his support Tuesday for his chamber's emerging bipartisan gun agreement, boosting momentum for modest but notable election-year action by Congress on an issue that's deadlocked lawmakers for three decades.

The Kentucky Republican said he hoped an outline of the accord, released Sunday by 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans, would be translated into legislation and enacted. McConnell's backing was the latest indication that last month's gun massacres in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, had reconfigured the political calculations for some in the GOP after years of steadfastly opposing even incremental tightening of firearms curbs.

Video above: Senate gun deal has surprises, and loose ends

"If this framework becomes the actual piece of legislation, it's a step forward, a step forward on a bipartisan basis," McConnell told reporters. He said the proposal "further demonstrates to the American people" that lawmakers can work together on significant issues "to make progress for the country."

McConnell's comments were striking, coming five months before midterm elections in which Republicans hope to win control of the Senate and seem likely to win a majority in the House. For years, GOP candidates could risk their careers by defying the views of the party's loyal gun-owning and rural voters, who oppose moves seen as threatening their ownership and use of firearms.

McConnell seemed to suggest that backing this gun measure wouldn't doom some Republicans' prospects in November. While he said senators should take a position "based upon the views of their states," he said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a chief architect of the deal, presented GOP polling data at a closed-door senators' lunch saying support among gun-owners for the agreement's provisions is "off the charts, overwhelming."

The plan would for the first time make the juvenile records of gun buyers under age 21 part of required background checks. Money would be sent to states for mental health and school security programs and for incentives to enforce local "red flag" laws that let authorities win court approval to temporarily removes guns from people considered dangerous.

Senators and aides hope to translate their broad agreement into legislation in days, in hopes that Congress could approve it before leaving for its July 4 recess. Both sides acknowledge that is a difficult process that could encounter disputes and delays.

Some Republicans expressed unhappiness with the plan Tuesday, with much of the criticism aimed at its encouragement of "red flag" laws. Nineteen states mostly dominated by Democrats and the District of Columbia have them, but Republicans have blocked efforts in Congress to pass federal legislation on the subject.

"If we're not going to pass a federal red flag law, and we shouldn't, why would we incentivize states to do something that we think is a bad idea?" said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.

“I don't know what we can do in view of the Constitution," Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said of the overall agreement, citing the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

Cornyn defended the plan's “red flag” proposal, saying it would create no national requirements for such laws. He said it gives “every state regardless of whether it has a ‘red flag’ law or not” money for programs aimed at improving public safety and helping troubled people get assistance. Texas does not have a “red flag” law.

McConnell made clear he would only go so far in restricting firearms.

Asked by a reporter why the federal minimum age is 21 for tobacco sales but 18 to buy rifles, he answered, “Good try.” He added that including state and local juvenile records in background checks for the youngest guy buyers was “a step in the right direction.”

The alleged shooters in Buffalo, where 10 people were killed, and Uvalde, where 19 school children and two teachers were slain, were both 18 years old, a common profile for many mass shooters.

A final agreement on overall legislation would be expected to receive solid support from Democrats. But it would need at least 10 GOP votes to reach the Senate’s usual 60 vote threshold, and McConnell’s plaudits raised hopes that Republican backing would grow beyond that.

The framework also broadens the type of domestic abusers who'd be prohibited from buying guns, require more firearms sellers to conduct background checks and impose tougher penalties on gun traffickers.

The National Rifle Association said Sunday it wouldn’t take a position on the proposal until full legislation is produced. It warned it would oppose “gun control policies” or infringements on people’s “fundamental right to protect themselves.”

The pro-gun lobby still has political muscle from its millions of dedicated members, who vote heavily on firearms issues. But GOP support for the new package is the latest threat to its power following recent financial scandals and lawsuits.

Approval seems likely by the Democratic-run House, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has praised the measure as a first step toward strong restrictions in the future.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he would schedule votes on the legislation as soon as it is ready. He contrasted recent days' progress with Congress' failure to act after a parade of mass shootings in recent decades.

“After Uvalde and Buffalo, perhaps this time could be different. To many senators on both sides, this debate certainly feels different," Schumer said.

Congress' last major gun measure was an assault weapons ban that took effect in 1994 but expired 10 years later.

FROMBERG, Mont. —

As officials scramble to reopen Yellowstone National Park to tourists after record floods pounded southern Montana, some of those hardest hit in the disaster live far from the famous park's limelight and are leaning heavily on one another to pull their lives out of the mud.

In and around the agricultural community of Fromberg, the Clarks Fork River flooded almost 100 homes and badly damaged a major irrigation ditch that serves many farms. The town's mayor says about a third of the flooded homes are too far gone to be repaired.

Video above: Officials seek quick Yellowstone flooding repairs

Not far from the riverbank, Lindi O'Brien's trailer home was raised high enough to avoid major damage. But she got water in her barns and sheds, lost some of her poultry and saw her recently deceased parents' home get swamped with several feet of water.

Elected officials who showed up to tour the damage in Red Lodge and Gardiner — Montana tourist towns that serve as gateways to Yellowstone — haven't made it to Fromberg to see its devastation. O'Brien said the lack of attention is no surprise given the town's location away from major tourist routes.

She said she's not resentful but resigned to the idea that if Fromberg is going to recover, its roughly 400 residents will have to do much of the work themselves.

"We take care of each other," O'Brien said as she and two longtime friends, Melody Murter and Aileen Rogers, combed through mud-caked items scattered across her property. O'Brien, an art teacher for the local school, had been fixing up her parents' home with hopes of turning it into a vacation rental. Now she's not sure it's salvageable.

"When you get tired and get pooped, it's OK to stop," O'Brien said to Murter and Rogers, whose clothes, hands and faces were smeared with mud.

Video above: Couple describes moment home was swept into Yellowstone River

Yellowstone will partially reopen at 8 a.m. Wednesday, more than a week after more than 10,000 visitors were forced out of the park when the Yellowstone and other rivers went over their banks after being swelled by melting snow and several inches of rainfall.

But the northern half of the nation's oldest national park, which is marking its 150th anniversary this year, is expected to remain closed through the summer, if not longer, along with one of the major entrances to the park through Montana. The closure will deprive visitors from seeing Tower Fall and Lamar Valley, one of the best places in the world to see wolves and grizzly bears.

Meanwhile, outside of the population centers that border the park, there's a maze of damaged roads. A key bridge that leads to the town of Fishtail collapsed, causing traffic to divert through a single-lane county road. There are about 500 people in Fishtail.

Lee Johnson and his wife and daughter run the restaurant Montasia, so named because it's a fusion of Malaysian and Montana cuisine. He said business has plummeted.

"When we opened for the first time after the flood, it started just dead. And you start to have that sense of dread creep in. Did I do all this, did I sink all this money in, have I started this business and people can't even get here anymore?" Johnson said.

Johnson and his Malaysian wife Yokie took over the lease on a landmark 124-year-old Fishtail building earlier this year, transferring their restaurant from another part of the state. For Yokie, the business was a dream come true.

Video above: Yellowstone flooding hits nearby Montana towns

"Not being from Montana, I wanted to own something," she said. Going into business with her family was her biggest goal. Yokie said running the restaurant gives her strength as she battles cancer.

"I'm not sure how much time I have left, so the time I have left I want to be with my family, work with them every day, see them every day," she said.

Johnson said he is humbled by the chance to support his wife and determined to keep the restaurant open while the flood damage is repaired.

"You hitch your wagon to this community and it's just a matter of keeping up," he said.

Gas prices may be skyrocketing, but Americans still love their RVs despite the fact that they often get 10 mpg — or less.

RV popularity boomed during the pandemic as travelers looked for safe ways to travel while maintaining social distance. Americans continue to turn to RVs even as they've grown increasingly comfortable flying and staying in hotels.

RV production in North America hit an all-time high in 2021, with more than 600,000 vehicles produced, according to RV Industry Association spokeswoman Monika Geraci. The association expects 2022 will be its second-best year of production ever. RVs are especially popular in the South and West.

Related video above: President Joe Biden blames oil companies for high gas prices

Thor Industries, which owns popular RV brands Airstream and Jayco, said this month that its sales were up 34.6% in the latest three months, compared with the same period last year. Thor Industries says it still has a backlog of RV orders worth $13.88 billion.

RV experts say consumers are adjusting to high gas prices by taking shorter trips.

"If you live in Phoenix and were thinking of Yosemite in California, you might do the Grand Canyon instead," said Randall Smalley, who leads marketing and business development at Cruise America, which rents RVs.

Dane Lee and his wife Jenna sold their Dallas home in 2020 and bought an RV as their jobs became remote during the pandemic.

Video above: Rossen Reports: Save 40 cents per gallon with this free gas app

They've crossed the country twice in their RV, but will be staying closer to family in Birmingham, Alabama this year. Lee said their 150-gallon diesel tank can cost close to $900 to fill from empty. But they don't plan to go back to a traditional house.

"We had the house in the suburbs with a pool and a fence and that stuff. It got a little monotonous going to the office and going back home," Lee said. "The flexibility of having a new view every week is awesome. We've found where we want to be."

Jon Gray, CEO of RV Share, an online marketplace for renting RVs, told CNN Business that customers' average trip in May was slightly less than 350 miles, 9% shorter than in May of last year.

RV Share will be giving away $500,000 in gift cards to customers this year to compensate for increased gas prices on trips. Even with the high gas prices, last week RV Share had its biggest day of bookings this year, Gray said.

Jennifer Young, co-founder of the RV marketplace Outdoorsy, said that "near-cations" are a big trend, as many people stay within 100 miles of home. Young said the average nightly cost of an Outdoorsy rental has increased $5 from last year. Outdoorsy's rentals for the 4th of July are up 4% from last year, Young said.

The increased fuel costs of RVs may be more acceptable to travelers due to inflation across the economy, including more expensive airfare. RV costs may not look as daunting when compared to alternatives. RV travelers often bring their own food and cook, helping to manage costs. Many RV travelers drive exclusively on the first and last day of the trip and leave the RV parked the rest of the trip.

"RVs are not gas-powered vacations," Young said. "They look like they are because they have a steering wheel and four wheels."

RV experts say a growing industry trend is having an RV delivered to an RV site for a vacationing family to use.

Gray, the RV Share CEO, said 20% of his rentals involve the RV's owner driving the vehicle to a campground or destination and leaving it there for the renters. That way travelers can drive their own fuel-efficient vehicle to the RV's location. Then they can enjoy the benefits of vacationing in an RV — which can feel like having a hotel room whose door opens to some of the country's most beautiful places, like national parks — without ever having to fuel up the vehicle to drive it long distances. RV Share started offering the service early in the pandemic.

COVID-19 vaccines for children younger than 5 are rolling out this week. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on the shots' safety and efficacy. Like with any vaccine, though, it's possible kids may experience a few side effects.

The safety data from Moderna and Pfizer, vetted by the FDA and CDC, found potential side effects were mostly mild and short-lived.

For parents and caregivers planning to get their little ones vaccinated, pediatricians say there are a few things to watch out for — generally the same effects adults or older children might have experienced after their shots.

Most vaccine side effects are mild, short-lived

"In general, I think the most common side effects from either of the vaccines are still the most common side effects we see from pretty much any child that gets any vaccine," said Dr. Grant Paulsen, the principal site investigator for the Pfizer and the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials for kids 6 months to 11 years old at Cincinnati Children's.

Side effects most commonly included pain at the injection site, and sometimes there was swelling or redness.

"Those are all what I would classify as pretty common side effects that most parents that have taken their children to the doctor to get their various hepatitis and tetanus vaccines and all that kind of stuff were probably pretty used to," Paulsen said.

As far as systemic or body-wide symptoms, the most common was fatigue or sleepiness. Some children had irritability or fussiness, loss of appetite, headache, abdominal pain or discomfort, enlarged lymph nodes, mild diarrhea or vomiting. But everyone got better quickly.

"It's very similar to the side effects we've seen for older kids or for adults. About 24 hours of some kids, you know, they kind of don't feel as well, they feel tired, they don't have the same appetite. But thankfully, there have not been any serious side effects of these vaccines," Dr. Ashish Jha, White House COVID-19 response coordinator said on CBS on Monday. "And again, after giving these vaccines to millions of children, it's really reassuring to know that for young kids these vaccines are exceedingly safe."

Side effects were mild to moderate and were far less frequent with this young age group than with older ages, Paulsen said.

"My big picture for parents is really [that] the side effects should not be alarming," Paulsen said.

Potential for fever

Kids were slightly more prone to get a fever with the Moderna vaccine; it happened with about a quarter of the trial participants, versus less than 10% with Pfizer. Most of the fevers were mild. Less than 1% of all participants in the trial had a fever that reached 104 degrees.

"That was rare, but I feel like if we're not honest with parents, when these things come out, that will be concerning," Paulsen said.

Because fevers were not common, Paulsen does not recommend pre-treating a child by giving them a fever-reducing medicine before the shot.

If the child develops a fever, he said, parents can give ibuprofen or acetaminophen.

"The odds are, most children are just going to do fine and have really minimal problems," he said.

No cases of myocarditis

The scientists who conducted trials on the youngest children were also watching closely to see if any of the children had problems with myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle, because there were a handful of cases among older children and adults. In most of those cases, the symptoms went away quickly.

But myocarditis was not found to be a problem in the trials in young children.

"Of course, we have all the mechanisms in place once we start vaccinating kids next week. If we start seeing it, all those bells and whistles will go off and bring our attention to it," said Dr. Claudia Hoyen, director of pediatric infection control at UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland. "But we are not expecting to see that. We didn't really see it in kids who were 5 to 11, either."

'An extra layer of protection'

Because children get severe COVID-19 less frequently than adults, some parents may wonder if they should bother to get their little ones vaccinated. COVID-19, however, has been "quite common" in children, Jha said. He said almost 70% of kids have been infected at some point, but they can always get it again -- and even if it was mild the first time, that doesn't mean it will be the next time.

"Still worth getting the vaccine, it really offers an extra level of protection, an extra layer of protection. What vaccines do is they keep kids out of the hospital, and that's why they are so effective and everybody deserves that protection," Jha said.

Dr. Suchitra Rao says it's important to keep in mind that COVID-19 is now one of the vaccine-preventable diseases with the highest mortality rate.

"If we look at this age group, we will see that Covid has killed more than 200 6-month to 5-year-olds since January of 2020. And if we want to compare that to something like flu, those numbers are actually higher than what we've been seeing annually for all kids under the age of 18 for influenza," said Rao, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Children's Hospital Colorado.

"We're getting routine vaccines against measles and against pneumococcal disease and meningitis. That this is something that's actually causing more deaths," she added. "Safety in this younger age group is actually quite, quite good and better than other groups, even."

Rao said some parents have asked her if they should be concerned about long-term side effects. She reassures them that if there were any, they would have shown up in the clinical trials.

"The FDA and then the [CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices], and all of these governing groups that make those recommendations really do an excellent job evaluating the safety and the effectiveness and go through all of the manufacturing data of these vaccines, and it's such a rigorous and comprehensive review," Rao said. "I think the fact that it took a little bit longer for the agency to authorize these shots in these younger kids is really telling, because they just had to make absolutely sure since this is such a vulnerable group."

Parent questions welcome

While Dr. Nina Alfieri, a pediatrician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, has seen a lot of interest in COVID-19 vaccines for the youngest children, she knows parents will want to know about vaccine safety.

This year, Lurie did a survey of 5,000 Chicago parents to find out where they stood on the COVID-19 vaccine. Side effects were among their top concerns.

"It makes sense. You want to make sure what you're doing for your kids is safe," Alfieri said.

Alfieri said she hopes caregivers will be sure to ask their pediatrician questions to ease any worries.

"I really love when families come to me and they tell me they are a little bit unsure, because it gives us an opportunity to really sit down face to face, in a safe environment, and talk about their concerns," she said.

"There's going to be a lot of conversation the next couple of months, and I think all of us pediatricians are ready for it, and we're welcoming this kind of conversation because overall, this is a really exciting time for us. Because finally, this vulnerable and very young age group who has kind of been left out of one of the best protective measures is now going to be eligible to be protected."

Uber is restarting shared rides in a handful of major U.S. cities after a more than two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the company announced on Tuesday.The revamped rideshare carpool option, dubbed UberX Share, is now available in nine cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The company said it has plans to expand UberX Share to more cities this summer.Uber suspended its former iteration of the shared ride service, Uber Pool, in March 2020 as health officials urged social distancing to curb the spread of COVID-19. Lyft restarted a version of a similar service in July 2021, after having also suspended the option in 2020.Related video above: Uber is adding a gas surcharge on all trips and Uber Eats ordersFor years, both Uber and Lyft attempted to broaden adoption of shared rides, with the promise that carpooling could disrupt other transportation methods by making ride-hailing cheaper and more convenient. But the pandemic forced the companies to pause those plans. Andrew Macdonald, Uber's SVP of mobility and business operations, said in a statement Tuesday that UberX Share "reimagines the future of shared rides with greater efficiency and safety top of mind." He also said riders can expect to receive "an upfront discount and up to 20% off the total fare, if matched with a co-rider along the way."In an apparent nod to pandemic concerns, Uber is also taking steps to limit the number of people in a carpool at once, for now. The company said in a blog post that customers can currently request only one seat with UberX Share and will share the ride with only one other passenger at a time. Masks are optional but recommended, the company added, except in locations that still mandate masking. Uber also referenced the importance of making transportation more affordable and accessible, "especially in the current economic climate." Fears of a major economic downturn have loomed large over the tech sector in recent months. Meanwhile, sky-high gas prices have been an added burden for all drivers, including those working in the ride-hailing industry. In response, Uber and Lyft previously announced they were adding temporary fuel surcharges to rides. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in an interview at the Bloomberg Technology Summit earlier this month that he sees the company as "recession resistant." His comments, however, came just a month after the Wall Street Journal reported Uber was planning on cutting costs as investor optimism recedes.

More than a year after the bodies of Maggie Murdaugh and her son Paul were discovered on the prominent Lowcountry family's property in Colleton County, South Carolina, charges in the double homicide may be filed as soon as this week.

On Tuesday, family members were told disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh would be charged this week in the murder of his wife and son.

Video above: Murdaugh murders investigation: 1 year later

Family members were notified by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, as a courtesy, Tuesday morning.

John Marvin Murdaugh, Alex Murdaugh's younger brother, told WCIV SLED agents did not tell the family what charges Murdaugh will face but they would be in connection to the double homicide.

Alex Murdaugh told authorities from the onset he discovered the bodies of his wife and son after they were shot to death the night of June 7, 2021.

Murdaugh was eventually charged with dozens of fraud-related crimes after allegations he stole millions of dollars from his clients and from the family of the former Murdaugh housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who died after a fall at the Murdaugh home.

Alex Murdaugh's attorney Jim Griffin provided sister station WJCL the following statement:

"We have not been advised by anyone associated with law enforcement or the Attorney General's office that Alex will be charged with murder. I am aware that SLED advised the family that they intend to seek murder indictments from a grand jury later this week. We won't have any comment until charges are actually brought against Alex."

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

The highly transmissible omicron subvariant BA.5 represents at least 65% of new COVID-19 infections in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Infections are rising in most parts of the country, and these numbers are almost certainly an undercount, given how many people are determining their status through home tests that are not reported.

At the same time, many people have lots of summer events planned, including weddings, birthday celebrations and casual get-togethers. What should event organizers keep in mind? How can people think about their own risk in deciding whether to attend and what precautions to follow? What if you have to attend something — for example a work function — but really don't want to bring COVID back to your family? And what about people who have already recovered from an infection — do they still have to worry about reinfection and the risks of illness, including long COVID?

Video above: BA.5 variant leads U.S. cases and sparks concerns about contagiousness

CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health helped answer these questions. She is also the author of "Lifelines: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health."

Why is BA.5 a concern right now?

Dr. Leana Wen: BA.5 is now the dominant variant here in the United States and in many parts of the world. It appears to be the most transmissible variant yet. It also may be partially immune-evasive, meaning that people who have gotten their vaccinations or who have previously had COVID-19 may not have much protection against mild or asymptomatic infection.

However, vaccination does protect against severe illness. People who are unvaccinated should get vaccinated, and those not yet boosted should do so. Being up to date on vaccines will help to protect you from the potentially severe consequences due to COVID-19, which ultimately is the goal of vaccination.

The reason it's a concern now is that there are high levels in many parts of the country. In areas with a lot of circulating virus, with such a transmissible pathogen, one's chances of catching COVID-19 are high.

Does that mean people should cancel in-person events?

Wen: After two and a half years of the pandemic, I don't think it's reasonable to ask that people continue to forgo weddings, birthday parties and other get-togethers. A lot of people have decided that as long as they are unlikely to become severely ill from COVID-19, they will not take precautions to avoid it.

On the other hand, a lot of people still really want to avoid COVID-19. Event organizers should take into account the wishes of those gathering.

What are some things people can do if they are organizing a get-together?

Wen: First is recognizing that any time people are gathering, especially indoors, there will be a risk of coronavirus transmission. This is especially true with a very contagious virus, and when there is so much virus around us. It's not realistic to set the expectation that no one could get coronavirus at the event, though you should try to reduce risk.

Some ways to do that include, first and foremost, trying to have the gathering outdoors. We have said this throughout the pandemic, and it remains true now that outdoors is much safer than indoors. Coronavirus is airborne, and the more air circulation you have, the better.

Ventilation also matters. A partial indoor/outdoor space where there is good air circulation will be better than one that's entirely enclosed. And one with open windows and doors and lots of spacing will be lower risk than a small, enclosed room with everyone crowded together.

Video above: Doctor talks about omicron BA.5 variant

If organizers want to reduce risk further, they could ask that everyone take a home rapid test just prior to the event. Rapid tests aren't perfect, but they are very good at detecting if someone has enough virus at that point in time that they could infect others. Providing testing at the door is an additional safeguard, in case not everyone has access to testing beforehand.

Of course, masks can also reduce virus transmission. At this point in the pandemic, it may be difficult to get people to keep masks on when most places no longer require them. I think it's more realistic to plan for an outdoor event, and, if it has to be indoors, to ask for testing instead of required masks (though masks should, of course, be an option for those who want additional protection).

What's your advice for immunocompromised individuals or folks who just really want to avoid contracting COVID-19?

Wen: When you are invited to an event, find out what precautions the organizer is taking and then gauge risks accordingly. An outdoor event, or at least one where you could stay outdoors the entire time, is quite low risk. An indoor event that requires either testing or masks is also lower risk.

What about crowded indoor events that don't require testing and masks? One-way masking with a high-quality mask — N95 or equivalent — remains protective, but your mask must be well fitting and you must keep it on the entire time. If you go, consider eating beforehand and taking off your mask only when outdoors or in a place where you are by yourself.

At the end of the day, there is no clear answer to whether you should go — it depends on how much you want to avoid Covid-19 versus the benefit you would derive from attending.

If someone has had COVID-19, do they need to worry about reinfection? What do we know about the risk of long COVID with reinfection?

Wen: Reinfection is certainly possible. Those who had pre-omicron variants like delta or alpha are susceptible to reinfection with omicron subvariants. We are even seeing reinfections with people who had the original omicron variant and are now getting BA.5.

The chance of reinfection within the first two or three months following the initial infection is pretty low but increases after that. People previously infected benefit from vaccination and boosting, which further decreases their chance of both severe illness and infection.

There is a new study, posted online but not yet peer-reviewed, that shows those with reinfection are at higher risk for long COVID and other potential consequences with each infection. These results could well prompt some people to say they want to avoid reinfection as much as possible.

A lot of people are having to travel for conferences, meetings and other work functions. What's your advice if they don't want to bring COVID-19 back to their families?

Wen: There are two options. One is to try to reduce their risk while traveling and at these functions as much as possible, including limiting time indoors with others, masking during all indoor interactions, and avoiding indoor events with food and drink -- or at least keeping a mask on during these functions and eating and drinking separately elsewhere.

The second option is to assume that you will be exposed and could contract COVID-19 during these work functions, then quarantine yourself and test before interacting with family members. Not everyone is able to do this — perhaps they have young children or other family responsibilities — but that is another option that may be right for some people.

To reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for mental health crises, it now takes only three digits: 988.

On Saturday, Vibrant Emotional Health, the nonprofit that operates the lifeline on behalf of the US Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), launched the 988 dialing code available to everyone across the United States.

So far, the dialing code to reach the lifeline has been 1-800-273-TALK, which will remain operational during the current expansion to 988. Text messages can be sent to the three-digit number as well.

Veterans can now dial 988 and press 1 to reach the Veteran Crisis Line.

"One of the goals of 988 is to ensure that people get the help that they need when they need it, where they need it. And so, when a person calls 988, they can expect to have a conversation with a trained, compassionate crisis counselor who will talk with them about what they're experiencing. If it's the case that they need further intervention, then likely the crisis counselor will connect with a local mobile crisis team," Dr. Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, the administrator of SAMHSA, said earlier this month during a call with reporters.

"Some of the goal is to, where possible, minimize unnecessary contact or connection with police departments when what a person needs is connecting with either a mobile crisis worker or anyone within the mental health and behavioral health system of care," she added.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has been in operation since 2005 and is funded by SAMHSA.

In 2020, the US Federal Communications Commission's five leaders unanimously voted to finalize 988 as the three-digit number Americans can dial to be connected to the existing lifeline's network of trained counselors.

That year, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 became law, amending the Communications Act of 1934 to designate 988 as "the universal telephone number for the purpose of the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system operating through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and through the Veterans Crisis Line, and for other purposes."

As 988 will become an easier number to remember for mental health crises -- similar to how people can dial 911 for medical emergencies -- there has been growing concern among leading mental health and suicide prevention groups that 988 call centers may not be ready to handle an anticipated influx of calls.

The call line received 3.6 million calls, chats and texts in 2021, and that number is expected to double in the first full year after the 988 transition, according to SAMHSA.

Bob Gebbia, the CEO of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, told CNN that a "big concern is that the demands might outstrip the capacity very quickly and these centers will be overwhelmed."

"When that happens, then calls get dropped, waiting times go up, and the individuals who are on the other end and struggling don't get the connection they need," Gebbia said.

Since the FCC's approval in 2020 of 988, the federal government and Vibrant have been gearing up for the nationwide implementation of the three-digit number by providing grants to states to support call centers and actively trying to recruit more crisis counselors.

People who are interested in learning more can visit the SAMHSA website.

The more, the merrier for the 500 couples who got symbolically married at Lincoln Center last weekend.

After more than two years of weddings being canceled, rescheduled, or downsized due to the pandemic, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts' "Celebrate Love: A (Re)Wedding" event provided an opportunity for hundreds of couples to affirm their love for each other.

The symbolic -- and not legally binding -- ceremony was hosted by "Orange is the New Black" actress Lea DeLaria on July 10 in New York City.

"During so much upheaval, we really wanted to offer a summer season rooted in what New York City needs now. The (Re)Wedding was a centerpiece of our Summer for the City season, creating a space for couples to recommit their love to one another," said Shanta Thake, Chief Artistic Officer at Lincoln Center, in a statement emailed to CNN.

"Together we moved through an incredible outdoor multicultural ceremony that celebrated the richness of many traditions with amazing musical performances, and ending with a ribbon-tying unity ritual -- from grandparents renewing vows with their grandchildren present to couples who were only recently married but not able to celebrate and be in community, until now."

For Clarisa Alayeto and her partner, the event provided a unique opportunity to get married among hundreds of other couples.

Alayeto and her wife, Mariely Del Zelle, who both work in the education sector, got engaged during the New York City Marathon in November 2019.

But just a few months later, the COVID-19 pandemic began. "We waited and waited," she told CNN. When Del Zelle heard about the Re(Wedding) event, they saw it as the "perfect opportunity" and applied for a license to get married at city hall before attending the Lincoln Center ceremony.

"It was really nice because you felt like you were having the ceremony in the community," said Alayeto. "But you also felt as though the ceremony was just you and your partner. That's how we felt."

Alayeto described the event as "diverse and accepting and inclusive," remarking on the diverse selection of faith leaders who presided over the ceremony.

"It felt as though we had a NYC wedding and didn't have to pay for anything, which was pretty amazing," said Alayeto.

Linette Palladino, a stand-up comedian and major in the US Army, also saw the ceremony as a reflection of the diversity of New York City.

"It definitely was a good representation of New York," Palladino told CNN. "I loved the diversity. It was really sweet."

Palladino and her husband, David C. Lee, were married on New Year's Eve of 2021. So they used the "Re(Wedding)" ceremony as an opportunity to renew their vows and include their daughter, 4-year-old Mary.

"We especially loved when they had the ribbon spanning across the aisle, you felt really interconnected with the people around you," she said. Attendees could partake in henna tattoos, ice cream, and formal photos throughout the evening, she added. And the ceremony was followed by performances from the Bollywood Biggish Band and DJ Belinda Becker underneath a 10-foot disco ball.

"I hope they do it every couple of years," said Palladino. "It was such a unique experience."

Related video above: Texas leader says Uvalde police response a "failure"A preliminary report by the Texas House investigative committee probing the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers outlines multiple failures by several entities, including the overall law enforcement response, the Uvalde school system, the shooter's family and social media platforms.CNN has obtained and is reviewing the report, which was made available to the victims' families Sunday morning. The families are expected to meet with the committee Sunday afternoon to discuss the report and its findings, which come more than a month after the committee began investigating the attack and law enforcement's response.The investigative committee's report and the video are expected to be released to the public concurrent with Sunday's meeting with family members. A news conference is scheduled for Sunday afternoon for members of the press to ask the committee questions. A source previously told CNN the report was expected to focus on the facts of the attack, include a chronological sequence of events, a timeline, a law enforcement manifest, and details on the shooter. It was also expected to clarify conflicting accounts of what happened, include verbatim quotes from sworn testimony, and show that the law enforcement failure that day was much greater than one person or one agency, one source has said.Members of the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District police chief and officers, the district superintendent, the school's principal, a teacher and custodial staff are among those who testified behind closed doors to the committee -- with roughly 40 people testifying, according to one source.Republican state Rep. Dustin Burrows, the committee chairman, said last month the group would do "everything in its power" to provide facts and answers about what happened "leading up to, during, and in the aftermath of this tragedy."Printed copies of the report were hand-delivered to Uvalde and Texas officials Saturday night out of fear the document might leak to the media before family members of the victims were able to read it, according to some of the officials who received the report.The surveillance footage was leaked and published by the Austin American-Statesman newspaper on Tuesday, sparking outrage from both local officials and families who said they were blindsided and disrespected by the unexpected release. The report comes nearly eight weeks after an 18-year-old gunman walked into Robb Elementary and began firing inside a classroom, killing 19 children and two teachers. Key questions about the police response to the shooting remain unanswered since. Principal among them: why authorities waited more than an hour in the school hallway before confronting and killing the gunman, a move that law enforcement experts say may have potentially cost lives.DPS Director Col. Steven McCraw has condemned the law enforcement response to the attack, calling it an "abject failure" in a hearing before a Texas Senate committee last month and placing the blame on the on-scene commander, who state authorities have identified as district police chief Pedro "Pete" Arredondo."The only thing stopping a hallway of dedicated officers from entering rooms 111 and 112 was the on-scene commander, who decided to place the lives of officers before the lives of children," McCraw said at the time.But Arredondo, who was placed on administrative leave by the school district, told the Texas Tribune last month he did not consider himself the incident commander and assumed that another official had taken control of the larger response. "He took on the role of a front-line responder," the paper wrote of the chief.Arredondo testified behind closed doors in Austin to the House investigative committee in June.

Video above: Drone captures video of humpback whale off PlymouthA whale struck a fishing boat off the coast of Plymouth, Massachusetts, on Sunday in an area where whales have been spotted several times in the past week.A viewer captured photos of the whale as it breached with several fishing boats nearby. The whale appears to strike one of the boats, causing the bow to dip down into the water.Two people who were on the boat braced themselves as the boat tipped forward and back.Whales feeding and breaching in the area have brought residents and tourists to the area in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the marine animals. Most of the whales sighted have been humpback whales, which can measure up to 55 feet and weigh 40 tons, according to the Whale & Dolphin Conservation, a non-profit group dedicated to the conservation of whales.Photos from other sightings show the whales "lunge feeding," the group said, which is when the whales corral bait fish and lunge through to engulf a mouthful of fish and water.“We love the enthusiasm that local residents are showing for these whales off our coast and want people to enjoy them while they are here, but it’s important that they do it safely. The whales are moving sporadically while trying to catch fish, so boat operators in the area should be proactive and make sure they are at least five boat lengths away," said Monica Pepe, WDC’s Safe Boating Policy Manager.

Enjoy Life Natural Brands is expanding its recall of baked goods over the potential presence of pieces of plastic. The items were sold at Trader Joe's grocery stores and online.The original recall, including soft baked cookies and chewy bars, was announced on June 30.Now, one product is being added along with additional "best by" dates on four products.The company said the expanded recall comes from an internal investigation and says it's being done out of an abundance of caution. Below is the full list of recalled items, best by dates marked with * represent additional items in the expanded voluntary recall.Enjoy Life – Soft Baked Cookies – Snickerdoodle, 6 oz with retail UPC 853522000184 and best by dates 2/4/2023, 3/4/2023 and 3/10/2023 Enjoy Life – Soft Baked Cookies – Chocolate Chip, 6 oz with retail UPC 853522000191 and best by dates 2/5/2023, 2/6/2023 and 3/5/2023 Enjoy Life – Soft Baked Cookies – Double Chocolate Brownie, 6 oz with UPC 853522000214 and best by date 3/6/2023Enjoy Life – Soft Baked Cookies – Sunseed Butter Chocolate Chip, 6 oz with retail UPC 819597013801 and best by date 3/3/2023 Enjoy Life – Soft Baked Cookies – Monster, 6 oz with retail UPC 819597013818 and best by dates 2/6/2023 and 3/3/2023 Enjoy Life Chewy Bars – Sunseed Crunch, 5.75 oz with retail UPC 853522000627 and best by date 3/3/2023 Enjoy Life Chewy Bars – Caramel Blondie, 5.75 oz with retail UPC 819597011258 and best by dates 3/3/2023 and 3/4/2023 Enjoy Life Soft Baked Fruit & Oat Breakfast Ovals - Apple Cinnamon, 8.8 oz with retail UPC 819597012569 and best by dates 2/3/2023*, 2/4/2023, 2/12/2023, 2/13/2023, 2/20/2023, 3/12/2023 and 3/13/2023 Enjoy Life Soft Baked Fruit & Oat Breakfast Ovals – Chocolate Chip Banana, 8.8 oz with retail UPC 819597012576 and best by dates 12/31/2022, 1/6/2023, 1/7/2023, 1/19/2023, 1/20/2023 and 2/12/2023 Enjoy Life Soft Baked Fruit & Oat Breakfast Ovals – Berry Medley, 8.8 oz with retail UPC 819597012583 and best by dates 2/3/2023*, 2/10/2023, 2/11/2023 , 2/17/2023  and 3/10/2023 Enjoy Life Brownie Bites – Rich Chocolate, 4.76 oz with retail UPC 819597013290 and best by date 1/10/2023Enjoy Life Brownie Bites – Salted Caramel, 4.76 oz with retail UPC 819597013313 and best by date 1/10/2023Enjoy Life Soft Baked Cookies - Amazon Variety Pack - (2SND,1CC,1OAT,1SBCC,1MSTR) - 6/6 oz with retail UPC 819597014518 and best by dates 9/24/2022 and 1/20/2023 Trader Joe’s Soft Baked Snickerdoodle Cookies, 6 oz. with retail UPC 0094 0757 and best by date 2/3/2023*Click here for more information on the recall from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Consumers who have one of the recalled products should not eat it and should discard any product they may have but should keep any available packaging and contact the company at 1-855-543-5335 to get more information about the recall and how to receive a refund.

President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 for the second straight day, in what appears to be a rare case of "rebound" following treatment with an anti-viral drug.In a letter noting the positive test, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, the White House physician, said Sunday that the president "continues to feel well" and will keep on working from the executive residence while he isolates.Biden tested positive on Saturday, requiring him to cancel travel and in-person events as he isolates for at least five days in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.After initially testing positive on July 21, Biden, 79, was treated with the anti-viral drug Paxlovid. He tested negative for the virus this past Tuesday and Wednesday, clearing him to leave isolation while wearing a mask indoors.Research suggests that a minority of those prescribed Paxlovid experience a rebound case of the virus. The fact that a rebound rather than a reinfection possibly occurred is a positive sign for Biden's health once he's clear of the disease."The fact that the president has cleared his illness and doesn't have symptoms is a good sign and makes it less likely he will develop long COVID," said Dr. Albert Ho, an infectious disease specialist at Yale University's school of public health.

Cat food brand Fancy Feast is expanding into feline-inspired human cuisine, with a New York City Italian restaurant designed to celebrate the company's new line.Gatto Bianco, which means "white cat," is described by Fancy Feast as an "Italian-style trattoria," and will be open for dinner reservations on Aug. 11-12 only, according to a news release from Purina, which produces Fancy Feast.The human-friendly dishes were inspired by Fancy Feast's new "Medleys" cat food line, which features options like "Beef Ragú Recipe With Tomatoes & Pasta in a Savory Sauce" for the cat with discerning taste. Only a lucky few will have the opportunity to try the Gatto Bianco pop-up, located between Manhattan's Far West Village and the Meatpacking District. The experience is limited to a total of 16 guests, who will each enjoy a complimentary tasting menu free of charge. The menu was designed by Fancy Feast's in-house chef, Amanda Hassner, and New York restaurateur Cesare Casella, Purina noted."Food has the power to connect us to others in meaningful ways and take us to places we have never been," said Hassner in Purina's release. "The same is true for our cats. The dishes at Gatto Bianco are prepared in ways that help cat owners understand how their cats experience food -- from flavor, to texture, to form -- in a way that only Fancy Feast can."Video above: Couple's cat figurine mewseum in home has more than 7,000 pieces This isn't Fancy Feast's first foray into human dining. In 2021, the company released a cookbook with recipes cat lovers can make to pair with their cat's food.For those who can't get their paws on a reservation, the company will post the recipes on its website.

Related video above: Jan. 6 rioter apologizes to officers at hearing

A Texas man convicted of storming the U.S. Capitol with a holstered handgun, helmet and body armor was sentenced on Monday to 87 months — more than seven years — in prison, the longest sentence imposed so far among hundreds of Capitol riot cases.

Prosecutors said Guy Reffitt told fellow members of the Texas Three Percenters militia group that he planned to drag House Speaker Nancy Pelosi out of the Capitol building by her ankles, "with her head hitting every step on the way down," according to a court filing.

Reffitt was the first person to go on trial for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, in which supporters of then-President Donald Trump halted the joint session of Congress for certifying Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory.

U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, who presided over Reffitt's jury trial, also sentenced him to three years of supervised release after his prison term and ordered him to pay $2,000 in restitution.

Justice Department prosecutors recommended a 15-year prison sentence for Reffitt, who already has been jailed for approximately 19 months. They said he was a militia group member who intended to drag lawmakers out of the building and take over Congress to stop the certification of the Electoral College vote.

Sentencing guidelines calculated by the court's probation department called for a sentence ranging from nine years to 11 years and three months. Prosecutors argued that an "upward departure for terrorism" was warranted in Reffitt's case.

The longest sentence before Reffitt's was five years and three months, for two men who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers at the Capitol.

Defense attorney Clinton Broden asked for Reffitt to be sentenced to no more than two years in prison. Broden noted that Reffitt didn't assault any law enforcement officers or enter the Capitol building.

Videos captured the confrontation between outnumbered Capitol police officers and a mob of people, including Reffitt, who approached them on the west side of the Capitol.

Reffitt was armed with a Smith & Wesson pistol in a holster on his waist, carrying zip-tie handcuffs and wearing body armor and a helmet equipped with a video camera when he advanced on the officers, according to prosecutors. He retreated after an officer pepper sprayed him in the face, but he waved on other rioters who ultimately breached the building, prosecutors said.

Reffitt didn't testify at his trial before jurors convicted him in March of all five counts in his indictment. The jury found him guilty of obstructing Congress' joint session, of interfering with police officers outside the Capitol and of threatening his two teenage children if they reported him to law enforcement.

Reffitt's 19-year-old son, Jackson, testified that his father told him and his sister, then 16, that they would be traitors if they reported him to authorities and warned them that "traitors get shot."

Guy Reffitt was a member of the Texas Three Percenters militia group, according to prosecutors. The Three Percenters movement refers to the myth that only 3% of Americans fought in the Revolutionary War against the British.

Reffitt lived with his wife and children in Wylie, Texas, a Dallas suburb. He drove to Washington, D.C., with Rocky Hardie, a fellow member of the militia group.

Hardie testified that both of them were armed with holstered handguns when they attended Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally before the riot. Hardie also said Reffitt gave him two pairs of zip-tie cuffs in case they needed to detain anybody.

More than 840 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the riot. Over 340 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors. More than 220 have been sentenced, with nearly half of them receiving terms of imprisonment. Approximately 150 others have trial dates stretching into 2023.

Reffitt is one of seven Capitol riot defendants to get a jury trial so far. Jurors have unanimously convicted all seven of them on all counts in their respective indictments.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's flight to Taiwan, which bolstered American support for the island nation but angered China, was the single most heavily tracked flight in the history of the online flight tracking site Flightradar24.The website, which uses a network of receivers to track planes' location and speed, said Wednesday that more than 708,000 people across the globe were tracking the flight when it landed in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei. And more than 2.9 million people tracked at least a portion of the flight amid uncertainty about whether Pelosi would follow through on her pledge to visit the island nation, whose independence is not recognized by China.Though the stop in Taiwan was not part of Pelosi's official schedule for her tour of Asia, a Taiwanese and U.S. official confirmed to CNN on Monday that she would be making the stop off. The decision came amid warnings from Biden administration officials, who raised concerns about how China would respond.Pelosi, whose visit to Taiwan was the first of its kind in 25 years, said she intended the trip to make it "unequivocally clear" that the United States would "not abandon" the democratically governed island. She was greeted by Taiwan's president, Tsai Ing-wen, in a televised meeting. She thanked Pelosi for visiting and praised her commitment to democracy and bestowed on her Taiwan's highest civilian honor.Beijing warned that Pelosi's trip would have a "severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations" and responded with a series of military exercises that began on Tuesday.Pelosi traveled from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital, to Taipei aboard a Boeing C-40C jet (a military version of the Boeing 737 jetliner) operated by the US Air Force, according to the flight tracker. The flight flew under the call sign "SPAR19."Flightradar24, which started as a passion project by two aviation enthusiasts, said in a blog post that traffic on its website became so intense that it nearly brought down the tracker, and it was forced to limit access to the site for non-subscribers by implementing a waiting room feature."An unprecedented, sustained interest in this particular flight led to extremely heavy load on Flightradar24 infrastructure. Our teams immediately began efforts to maintain the stability of our services. Unfortunately, due to the volume of users, it was necessary to deploy our waiting room functionality, which meters access to Flightradar24 for non-subscribers."Shortly after Pelosi's flight landed, the company was able to restore normal access for all users.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (Video above: WFIE via CNN) —

Three people were killed Wednesday when a house exploded in the southern Indiana city of Evansville, authorities said.

David Anson, chief deputy coroner for Vanderburgh County, told The Associated Press that the identities of the people who died would not be released until the next of kin has been notified.

Evansville Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Anna Gray said at least one other injury was reported and that victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Evansville Fire Department Chief Mike Connelly said a total of 39 houses were damaged by the explosion at around 1 p.m. He said the department has not confirmed how many of the houses were occupied when the explosion happened because “some were too unstable to enter.”

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At least 11 of the 39 homes damaged are “uninhabitable,” Connelly told the Evansville Courier & Press.

The cause of the explosion has not been determined, but the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was investigating. A phone message seeking comment was left at the Evansville field office of the ATF.

“Debris is strewn over a 100-foot (30-meter) radius," including “typical construction materials” such as wooden boards, window glass and insulation, Connelly said.

Aerial video posted on social media shows damage in a residential neighborhood with police and fire vehicles on the scene in Evansville, on the Kentucky border.

CenterPoint Energy, the local gas utility, was last called to the home in January 2018, Connelly said. CenterPoint issued a statement saying it “worked with first responders to secure the area.”

“CenterPoint Energy is working closely with the Evansville Fire Department, State Fire Marshal and other agencies as the investigation of this incident continues,” the utility said.

Jacki Baumgart, an office manager at Award World Trophies about two and a half blocks from the site of the explosion, said she and other employees in their building panicked when they heard the loud blast and saw smoke.

“We thought a tree fell on the building or a car ran into the place,” Baumgart said. “Debris from the ceiling came down.”

She continued: “Everybody here immediately ran out of the building. We thought the building was going to come down.”

It was the second house explosion in the area in just over five years. A house explosion on June 27, 2017, killed two people and injured three others.

Wednesday's explosion also brought to mind a massive blast in 2012 that destroyed or damaged more than 80 homes on Indianapolis’ south side and killed two people. A man was convicted of tampering with a natural gas line at his then-girlfriend’s home in an attempt to commit insurance fraud, with the explosion killing two next-door neighbors. That man, his half-brother and girlfriend all received long prison sentences.

The Justice Department is asking a federal court to unseal the warrant the FBI used to search the Mar-a-Lago estate of former President Donald Trump, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday.

Garland cited the “substantial public interest in this matter” in announcing the request at a hastily scheduled Justice Department news conference.

The request was striking because such documents traditionally remain sealed during a pending investigation. But the Justice Department appeared to recognize that its silence since the search had created a vacuum for bitter attacks from the former president and his allies, and Garland felt it wise to respond to the widespread demands for details about what led to the FBI action.

Watch a full replay of the news conference in the video player above.

“The public’s clear and powerful interest in understanding what occurred under these circumstances weighs heavily in favor of unsealing,” said a motion filed in federal court in Florida on Thursday seeking the unsealing.

Should the warrant be released — the request is now with the judge, and Trump can object — it could disclose unflattering information about the former president and about FBI scrutiny of his handling of sensitive government documents right as he prepares for another run for the White House. During his successful 2016 campaign, he pointed frequently to an FBI investigation into his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, over whether she mishandled classified information.

It's unclear at this point how much information would be included in the documents, if made public, or if they would encompass an FBI affidavit that would presumably lay out a detailed factual basis for the search. The department specifically requested the unsealing of the warrant as well as a property receipt listing the items that were seized, along with two unspecified attachments.

To obtain a search warrant, federal authorities must prove to a judge that probable cause exists to believe that a crime was committed. Garland said he personally approved the warrant, a decision he said the department did not take lightly given that standard practice where possible is to select less intrusive tactics than a search of one's home.

Neither Trump nor the FBI has said anything about what documents the FBI might have recovered, or what precisely agents were looking for. But the former president complained anew Thursday about the search.

Trump, who for years has lambasted the FBI and sought to sow distrust among his supporters in its decisions, said the warrant was served and the search conducted despite his cooperation with the Justice Department.

In a post to his Truth Social platform, Trump said that his “attorneys and representatives were cooperating fully” prior to the search, and that government officials “could have had whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, if we had it."

The Justice Department has until Friday afternoon to alert the judge about whether Trump will object to the release.

FBI and Justice Department policy cautions against discussing ongoing investigations, both to protect the integrity of probes and to avoid unfairly maligning someone who is being scrutinized but winds up ultimately not being charged. That’s especially true in the case of search warrants, where supporting court papers are routinely kept secret as the investigation proceeds.

In this case, though, Garland cited the fact that Trump himself had provided the first public confirmation of the FBI search, “as his right." The Justice Department, in its new filing, also said that disclosing information about it now would not harm the court's functions.

Even so, Garland, in a hastily scheduled public statement delivered from the Justice Department podium, appeared to acknowledge the unusual nature of the department's request as he declined to take questions or provide any substantive details about the FBI's investigation.

“Much of our work is by necessity conducted out of the public eye. We do that to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans and to protect the integrity of our investigations," he said. "Federal law, longstanding department rules and our ethical obligations prevent me from providing further details as to the basis of the search at this time.”

The Justice Department under Garland has been leery of public statements about politically charged investigations, or of confirming to what extent it might be investigating Trump as part of a broader probe into the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

The department has tried to avoid being seen as injecting itself into presidential politics, as happened in 2016 when then-FBI Director James Comey made an unusual public statement announcing that the FBI would not be recommending criminal charges against Clinton regarding her handling of email — and when he spoke up again just over a week before the election to notify Congress that the probe was being effectively reopened because of the discovery of new emails.

The Mar-a-Lago search warrant served Monday was part of an ongoing Justice Department investigation into the discovery of classified White House records recovered from Trump's home in Palm Beach, Florida, earlier this year. The National Archives had asked the department to investigate after saying that classified records were found in 15 boxes of records that it retrieved from the estate. Multiple federal laws govern the handling of classified information.

The attorney general condemned verbal attacks on FBI and Justice Department personnel over the search. Some Republican allies of Trump have called for the FBI to be defunded, and large numbers of Trump supporters have called for the warrant to be released because they believe it will show that Trump was wrongly targeted.

“I will not stand by silently when their integrity is unfairly attacked,” Garland said of federal law enforcement agents, calling them “dedicated, patriotic public servants.”

Earlier Thursday, an armed man wearing body armor tried to breach a security screening area at an FBI field office in Ohio, then fled and was later killed after a standoff with law enforcement.