GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — Grand Canyon National Park will soon reopen portions of the North Rim to public access in the aftermath of a wildfire that destroyed a historic lodge and dozens of cabins, the National Park Service announced Thursday.

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Daytime access will begin Oct. 1 to locations including Point Imperial, the park’s highest overlook at the eastern end of the Grand Canyon, and the Cape Royal overlook, the Park Service said in a news release.

Access will extend through Nov. 30 or earlier with the first major snowfall — though much of the North Rim remains closed for the foreseeable future because of safe concerns and recovery efforts.

The Dragon Bravo Fire was sparked by lightning in early July. It burned for about a week before exploding into a fast moving conflagration that forced evacuations and consumed the Grand Canyon Lodge and cabins.

The Park Service cautioned that visitors to the reopened areas should be fully self-sufficient and bring all food, water, and supplies because initially there will be no power, running water, cell service or visitor services. Hazards remain, including dead standing trees and an increased potential for flash floods even outside the fire scar.

The National Park Service has defended its handling of the fire, saying a sudden and extreme shift in the wind far exceeded forecasts.

A bipartisan slate of Arizona’s elected officials questioned the handling of the fire, suggesting more could have been done early on. Gov. Katie Hobbs met with federal officials and said U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum committed to an independent review.

The fire eventually burned across more than 227 square miles.

An Inver Grove Heights man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on Thursday for soliciting girls online to send him nude photos in exchange for money.

Samuel Eric Snell (Courtesy of the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office)

Samuel Eric Snell, 46, received his sentence in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis after pleading guilty to one count of production of child pornography in connection with receiving sexually explicit images from his victims in 2022. Other charges dismissed as part of an April plea agreement included two counts of persuading or coercing a minor to engage in prostitution.

Snell was indicted in December after an FBI Investigation with help from the Inver Grove Heights and Woodbury police departments.

Snell was a user of the gaming platform Discord, where he repeatedly solicited and received more than 400 images of nude girls, according to federal prosecutors.

Snell posed as a man in his early 20s over several years to approach a “multitude of children as young as 12 years old,” prosecutors said. “Snell victimized at least 10 children using his lies, coercing and manipulating the victims to produce graphic child pornography. Snell also met with minors in person on multiple occasions.”

Prosecutors said Snell’s victims were from several states and he selected them “for their vulnerabilities” and “took advantage of their youth, naivete and difficult life circumstances to feed his own craven and twisted sexual desires.”

Snell’s sentence includes 10 years of supervised probation following incarceration.

In handing down the sentence, Judge John Tunheim said, “This is a long sentence, but it is justified” primarily because Snell’s victims would suffer traumatic effects of his crimes “probably for the rest of their lives.”

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By AAMER MADHANI

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump hosted Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, for talks Thursday at the White House in the latest sign of warming relations between the United States and the South Asian nuclear power.

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Sharif was among the top officials from eight Arab or Muslim countries who met with Trump on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly this week to discuss strategy on ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Ties have improved between the U.S. and Pakistan as Trump’s relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, one of the Republican president’s closest with a world leader during his first term, has become strained over India’s increased purchases of discounted Russian oil after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022. India and Pakistan are neighbors and fierce rivals.

Trump has dramatically raised tariffs on India for those oil purchases in an effort to put indirect economic pressure on Moscow.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and Pakistan reached a trade agreement in July that is expected to allow Washington to help develop Pakistan’s largely untapped oil reserves and lower tariffs for Islamabad.

Sharif arrived at the White House shortly before 5 p.m. as Trump was signing executive orders and talking with reporters. The meeting between the two leaders was closed to the media, with Pakistan’s delegation leaving the White House at 6:18 p.m.

Pakistan Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, left, and Gen. Syed Asim Munir wait for their meeting with President Donald Trump, in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Sharif has gained favor with Trump since publicly endorsing the American leader for a Nobel Peace Prize for his administration’s efforts this year at reducing tensions between Pakistan and India. India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire in May after U.S.-led talks to end the most serious military confrontation between the nuclear-armed rivals in decades.

Unlike Sharif, Modi has declined to indulge Trump’s attempt to claim credit for brokering the ceasefire.

That deal followed weeks of clashes, missile and drone strikes across their borders. The clashes were triggered by a massacre of tourists that India blames on Pakistan, which denies the charge.

Pakistan did split with Trump on his decision to carry out U.S. strikes in June on three Iranian nuclear facilities. Pakistan said the attack “constituted a serious violation of international law” as well as on the stature of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, not pictured, at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Sept 2, 2025. (Maxim Shemetov/Pool Photo via AP)

Modi was recently photographed with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping during a security summit in Tianjin, in northern China. That led to a social media jab from Trump.

“Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China,” Trump wrote. “May they have a long and prosperous future together!”

But Trump has taken a warmer tack with Modi recently.

Last week, Trump offered hope that trade issues with India could be resolved.

“I am pleased to announce that India, and the United States of America, are continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers between our two Nations,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

“I look forward to speaking with my very good friend, Prime Minister Modi, in the upcoming weeks. I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!”

Trump hit India with tariffs up to 50% last month after imposing an additional 25% tariff on the country related to its purchases of Russian oil, which helps Moscow pay for its war in Ukraine.

Trump hosted Modi for White House talks in February.

By JOSH BOAK, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will put import taxes of 100% on pharmaceutical drugs, 50% on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, 30% on upholstered furniture and 25% on heavy trucks starting on Oct. 1.

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The posts on his social media site showed that Trump’s devotion to tariffs did not end with the trade frameworks and import taxes that were launched in August, a reflection of the president’s confidence that taxes will help to reduce the government’s budget deficit while increasing domestic manufacturing. But the additional tariffs risk intensifying inflation that is already elevated, as well as slowing economic growth, as employers getting acclimated to Trump’s previous import taxes grapple with new levels of uncertainty.

“We have begun to see goods prices showing through into higher inflation,” Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned in a recent news conference, adding that higher costs for goods account for “most” or potentially “all” of the increase in inflation levels this year.

Trump said on Truth Social that the pharmaceutical tariffs would not apply to companies that are building manufacturing plants in the United States, which he defined as either “breaking ground” or being “under construction.” It was unclear how the tariffs would apply to companies that already have factories in the U.S.

In 2024, America imported nearly $233 billion in pharmaceutical and medicinal products, according to the Census Bureau. The prospect of prices doubling for some medicines could send shock waves to voters as health care expenses, as well as the costs of Medicare and Medicaid, potentially increase.

Trump said that foreign manufacturers of furniture and cabinetry were flooding the United States with their products and that tariffs must be applied “for National Security and other reasons.” The new tariffs on cabinetry could further increase the costs for homebuilders at a time when many people seeking to buy a house feel priced out by the mix of housing shortages and high mortgage rates.

Trump said that foreign-made heavy trucks and parts are hurting domestic producers.

“Large Truck Company Manufacturers, such as Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner, Mack Trucks, and others, will be protected from the onslaught of outside interruptions,” Trump posted.

Trump has long maintained that tariffs are the key to forcing companies to invest more in domestic factories. He has dismissed fears that importers would simply pass along much of the cost of the taxes to consumers and businesses in the form of higher prices.

The president continues to claim that inflation is no longer a challenge for the U.S. economy, despite evidence to the contrary. The consumer price index has increased 2.9% over the past 12 months, up from an annual pace of 2.3% in April, when Trump first launched a sweeping set of import taxes.

Nor is there evidence that the tariffs are creating factory jobs or more construction of manufacturing facilities. Since April, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that manufacturers cut 42,000 jobs and builders have downsized by 8,000.

“There’s no inflation,” Trump told reporters Thursday. “We’re having unbelievable success.”