By MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — All solar and wind energy projects on federal lands and waters must be personally approved by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum under a new order that authorizes him to conduct “elevated review” of activities ranging from leases to rights-of-way, construction and operational plans, grants and biological opinions.

The enhanced oversight on clean-energy projects is aimed at “ending preferential treatment for unreliable, subsidy-dependent wind and solar energy,” the Interior Department said in a statement Thursday. The order “will ensure all evaluations are thorough and deliberative” on potential projects on millions of acres of federal lands and offshore areas, the department said.

Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum listens to President Donald Trump speak during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Clean-energy advocates said the action could hamstring projects that need to be underway quickly to qualify for federal tax credits that are set to expire under the tax-cut and spending bill that President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4. The law phases out credits for wind, solar and other renewable energy while enhancing federal support for fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas.

“At a time when energy demand is skyrocketing, adding more layers of bureaucracy and red tape for energy projects at the Interior Department is exactly the wrong approach,” said Stephanie Bosh, senior vice president of the Solar Energy Industries Association. “There’s no question this directive is going to make it harder to maintain our global (artificial intelligence) leadership and achieve energy independence here at home.”

FILE – Pumpjacks operate in the foreground while a wind turbines at the Buckeye Wind Energy wind farm rise in the distance Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, near Hays, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

In the legislation, Trump and GOP lawmakers moved to dismantle the 2022 climate law passed by Democrats under President Joe Biden. And on July 7, Trump signed an executive order that further restricts subsidies what for he called “expensive and unreliable energy policies from the Green New Scam.”

That order was part of a deal the Republican president made with conservative House Republicans who were unhappy that the tax-cut bill did not immediately end all subsidies for clean energy. A group of Republican senators, including Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Utah Sen. John Curtis, had pushed to delay phaseout of some of the credits to allow currently planned projects to continue.

Trump has long expressed disdain for wind power, describing it at a Cabinet meeting last week as an expensive form of energy that “smart” countries do not use.

Even with the changes approved by the Senate, the new law will likely crush growth in the wind and solar industry and lead to a spike in Americans’ utility bills, Democrats and environmental groups say. They say it jeopardizes hundreds of renewable energy projects intended to boost the nation’s electric grid as demand is set to rise amid sharp growth from data centers, artificial intelligence and other uses.

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‘Level the playing field’

The Interior Department said Thursday that Burgum’s order will “level the playing field for dispatchable, cost-effective and secure energy sources,” such as coal and natural gas “after years of assault under the previous administration.″

“American energy dominance is driven by U.S.-based production of reliable baseload energy, not regulatory favoritism towards unreliable energy projects that are solely dependent on taxpayer subsidies and foreign-sourced equipment,” said Adam Suess, the acting assistant secretary for lands and minerals management.

While Democrats complain the tax law will make it harder to get renewable energy to the electric grid, Republicans say it supports production of traditional energy sources such as oil, gas and coal, as well as nuclear power, increasing reliability.

In the Senate compromise, wind and solar projects that begin construction within a year of the law’s enactment are allowed to get a full tax credit without a deadline for when the projects are “placed in service,″ or plugged into the grid. Wind and solar projects that begin later must be placed in service by the end of 2027 to get a credit.

The law retains incentives for technologies such as advanced nuclear, geothermal and hydropower through 2032.

A 15-year-old Fridley boy waived certification to adult court Wednesday and pleaded guilty in the October fatal shooting of a 28-year-old man in St. Paul’s North End neighborhood.

The Ramsey County attorney’s office originally charged Nehemiah D. Robinson Bowes by juvenile petition in the Oct. 12 death of Riccardo Anthony Fleming, who was shot 11 times at Woodbridge Street and Wheelock Parkway.

Riccardo Fleming (Courtesy of the family)

Because Bowes was 15 at the time of the killing, state law prevented the attorney’s office from providing information about the case due to his age. Bowes was arrested in November at Fridley High School, St. Paul police said at the time, without naming him.

Fleming was visiting his father’s side of the family in St. Paul and his mother, Moneke Thomas, told the Pioneer Press in December she didn’t know why he was shot.

“I would like my son to be remembered as a loving person with a good heart. He was so funny and outgoing, and the life of the party,” said Thomas, adding that her son loved dogs and recording music. “He didn’t deserve this. … I’m lost, I’m numb.”

Fleming lived in Robbinsdale for the first part of his life and then moved with his family to Council Bluffs, Iowa. He later lived in Fremont and Lincoln, Neb.

Bowes pleaded guilty to the sole count of second-degree intentional murder. A plea agreement calls for Bowes to receive between 16½ and 21¾ years in prison. He remains jailed in lieu of $2.5 million bail ahead of his Sept. 5 sentencing.

No tension

Police responded to multiple reports of shots fired about 9:50 p.m. and found Fleming lying in the street with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at Regions Hospital.

Investigators recovered three spent 9mm casings in the road on Woodbridge Street and eight more in the grass near an apartment building sign.

An autopsy showed Bowes had 11 gunshot wounds and that he died of blood loss.

Video surveillance showed Fleming and three other males lingering around a Volvo in an apartment building parking lot earlier in the day. At about 9:45 p.m., one male is seen running back to the parking lot, with others soon following.

Police identified the driver of the Volvo as a 31-year-old man who lived at the apartment. The man, identified in the complaint as J.C., told police in an Oct. 30 interview that he was approached in his parking lot by his friend, R.W., who was with a younger male and Fleming.

J.C. said they hung out and drank vodka and other liquor. He said the “vibe” between everyone was normal throughout the day as they drank and smoked together.

J.C. said that Fleming and the younger male walked up Wheelock Parkway. He said as he walked around the building, he heard gunshots and looked back and saw the younger guy with a gun.

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J.C. said that R.W. messaged him a couple of days later and apologized for putting him in danger and said something like, “I can’t have that little boy around me no more,” according to the complaint. R.W. said the younger male was “my uncle’s son.”

R.W., who lived at an adjacent apartment building, told police in an Oct. 31 interview that he and J.C. had nothing to do with the shooting. He said they were hanging out in the parking lot when Fleming approached them and said he made music. He said they all hung out and he thought Fleming was a nice guy, the complaint says.

R.W. told police that he later called someone to buy marijuana. As he was walking outside while on the phone, he heard gunshots and saw Bowes clutching a gun and running. He said he didn’t know why Bowes shot Fleming, that he had not noticed any tension between them.

R.W. told police that Bowes went to his apartment with the gun after the shooting and that the teen then threw it behind a nearby house, the complaint says.

Stole his father’s gun

Police discovered that two days after the shooting Bowes’ father reported to Fridley police that his 9mm pistol had been stolen out of his gun safe. He said he realized it was missing the day he reported the theft, and that his 15-year-old son was the only person who lived with him.

St. Paul police executed a search warrant at the Fridley home on Nov. 6. Officers recovered a black Nike sweatshirt, which video from a Holiday store the morning of the killing showed the teen had been wearing, according to the complaint.

Police interviewed Bowes on Nov. 11. He said that in late September, around his 15th birthday, he was talking with R.W. about whether there were guns in Bowes’ home. Bowes told him they were in one of the safes. Bowes said R.W. then told him how to open one of the safes and that he saw a gun.

Bowes said he got mad at his parents one day in late September and called R.W., who told him to grab everything in the safe and come over, the complaint says. Bowes said he grabbed some money, pills and a gun and went to R.W.’s apartment. He said he gave the pills and gun to R.W., who put the gun in a closet.

Bowes said he went over to R.W.’s apartment to hang out on Oct. 12, the day of the killing. After all four were hanging out, Bowes said, R.W. told him that Fleming “gotta go,” the complaint says.

Bowes said that when Fleming exited the bathroom, R.W. pointed toward the closet. Bowes said Fleming asked why R.W. pointed at the closet and asked if there was a gun in there. Bowes said he told Fleming there was and that Fleming then said that he was a grown man and could get to that gun faster than Bowes. Fleming also said that R.W. shouldn’t put Bowes in that predicament, the complaint says.

Bowes said J.C. and R.W. left the apartment and came back with crushed-up white powder that they initially said was Tylenol. He said he snorted the powder and instantly felt mad and confused.

Bowes said Fleming asked R.W. if they had any “plays,” which he took as meaning a robbery, and R.W. stated, “for sure” and began calling people, the complaint says. R.W. then said that he set something up.

Bowes told police that he and Fleming walked to where they were going to meet the guys to rob. Bowes had the gun. When they got to the area where the robbery was supposed to take place, no one was there. Bowes said Fleming told him that R.W. was a “snake.”

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They then saw J.C. and R.W. by the apartment building. Bowes said R.W. gave him a look. Bowes said he then pulled out the gun and shot Fleming, the complaint says.

Bowes said he ran back to R.W., who told him to come with him and to stop running. They went back to R.W.’s apartment and R.W. gave him a bag to put the gun in. R.W. told Bowes to hide the gun outside, which he did. R.W. told him to take a shower and that R.W. sprayed him down with soap because he didn’t have bleach.

Bowes said R.W. told him the next day to get rid of the gun and that he took an Uber to his dad’s house and hid the gun under some wooden stairs near a dog park.

On Nov. 11, St. Paul police officers searched the location described by Bowes and found the gun in a green duffel bag. Court records show that Bowes has no prior criminal cases.

Ramsey County Attorney’s Office spokesman Dennis Gerhardstein said Thursday that no additional cases have been presented for charging consideration.

Mara H. Gottfried contributed to this report.

After a first half that included the highs of a 13-game winning streak and the lows of a 9-18 record in June, the Twins hit the all-star break on Sunday hovering around .500 and still technically in the hunt for a playoff berth.

There is plenty of baseball left to be played — 66 games, to be exact — starting Friday evening in Denver against the Colorado Rockies. The next couple of weeks before the July 31 trade deadline will be of particular importance to a team that could in theory be buyers or sellers.

With that said, here’s a look at five questions for the second half of the season:

How will the Twins approach the trade deadline?

The answer to this question could be much different if the Twins had gone 3-6 on their last homestand, rather than 6-3. But they played good baseball and kept themselves in the race.

While the Detroit Tigers have a firm grip on the lead in the division — they have the best record in the major leagues and lead the second-place Twins by 11½ games — there are still three Wild Card postseason spots up for grabs.

The Twins are four games out of a berth with five teams in front of them, one tied with them and two right behind. But, anything could happen in the second half of the season, and FanGraphs gives them a 23 percent chance to make the playoffs.

How they play over the next several days should provide some clarity ahead of the trade deadline.

While aggressive buying doesn’t seem to be their path, the the Twins could decide to make some upgrades around the edges to push for a playoff spot. They also could stand pat, more or less what they did the last couple of years despite being in a much better position to make the playoffs.

If they sell, the Twins could opt to only deal from their group of impending free agents — Danny Coulombe, Harrison Bader, Willi Castro, Ty France, Chris Paddack and Christian Vázquez — or they could net a larger return by moving a player under team control beyond this year.

Either way, their moves at the deadline will be telling.

Pablo Lopez #49 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the second inning at Comerica Park on July 26, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)

What will the Twins get from their rotation?

At the very least, the Twins should get some rotation upgrades before the deadline in the form of some of their own players coming back from injury.

Zebby Matthews threw four scoreless innings, giving up just a hit and striking out nine Sunday in a rehab assignment with the Triple-A Saints. His return is nearing.

It would seem Bailey Ober is getting close to a return, as well, though it’s hard to predict exactly what the Twins might get from him. The picture of consistency for the past few seasons, Ober had a turbulent June — he gave up 30 runs in as many innings pitched — and was finally shut down with a hip impingement, something that he said first started bothering him near the end of spring training.

Will Ober, once fully healed from the injury, look like himself again?

The Twins also are anticipating getting ace Pablo López back at some point from a Grade 2 teres major strain, which should provide a significant boost for the rotation. At the time of his injury, López had a 2.82 earned-run average across 11 starts.

Will Byron Buxton finish Top 10 in MVP voting?

Byron Buxton’s first half of the season was spectacular, one of the consistent bright spots during an up-and-down first half.

What will he do for his follow up act? If it looks anything like his first half, Buxton could finish in the Top 10 — or potentially even Top 5 — in American League MVP voting which, thanks to his contract structure, would entitle him to a bonus. Buxton would earn a $3 million bonus for finishing between sixth and 10th place.

He could earn $4 million for a fifth-place finish, and an additional $1 million for higher finishes, up to $8 million for bein the AL MVP.

Save for a concussion after a collision with shortstop Carlos Correa, Buxton was healthy the entire first half and hit .289 with a .925 OPS. He hit 21 home runs and was a perfect 17 for 17 in stolen base attempts. Last Saturday, he hit for the cycle, electrifying the Target Field crowd two days before he left for the All-Star Game in Atlanta.

There, Buxton hit a pair of doubles and helped the AL tie the game in the ninth inning before falling in a home run swing-off.

No matter what happens with the rest of the team, and provided he stays healthy, Buxton should provide some late-season excitement.

Carlos Correa #4 of the Minnesota Twins reacts after striking out against the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth inninig at Target Field on June 20, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images)

Will the Twins get more offensive from key pieces?

The Twins couldn’t ask for much more from Buxton, but he needs help and other key lineup cogs. Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis and Matt Wallner, for instance, haven’t performed up to expectations.

It’s been a season of searching for Correa, who after an all-star season last year has seen his numbers dip across the board. He’s currently hitting .264 with a .694 OPS, the lowest of his career. The Twins’ most-handsomely paid player has a 0.1 bWAR.

Lewis, in between injuries, is hitting just .216, and his 61 OPS+ is 39 percent worse than the league’s average hitter. He has encountered deep slumps, at one point going 0 for 36, and though he’s been somewhat better of late, the Twins need more from him. Lewis has hit just two home runs in his 42 games and currently has a negative bWAR.

And Wallner, who was among the most productive players on the roster before injuring his hamstring, was out for a month and a half before returning at the end of May. Since then, he’s hitting just .176 in 37 games. Wallner, who has a career 129 OPS+, is at 102 currently (100 is league average).

Will there be sale news?

There have been some whispers about the Twins’ potential sale, but it’s been mostly quiet on that front since news of Justin Ishbia dropped his bid, and increased his stake in the rival Chicago White Sox, in late February. The Pohlad family is reportedly seeking a sale price in the neighborhood of $1.5 billion.

Commissioner Rob Manfred, speaking to members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Tuesday morning in Atlanta, expressed his belief that a sale of the club would, in fact, take place.

“I know some things that you don’t know,” Manfred said. “I can tell you with a lot of confidence that there will be a transaction there, and it will be consistent with the kind of pricing that has taken place. There will be a transaction. We just need to be patient while they rework.”

So, will there be any news in the second half of the season? Will a new ownership group be in place to make offseason moves? At this point, it’s still a waiting game.

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By DARLENE SUPERVILLE and LAURAN NEERGAARD, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday read a doctor’s letter about President Donald Trump that she said was intended to dispel health concerns about the swelling in his ankles and a makeup-covered hand.

Leavitt said Trump noticed “mild swelling” in his lower legs and was evaluated by the White House medical unit.

She said the tests showed “no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease,” but that Trump has “chronic venous insufficiency,” a fairly common condition in older adults when little valves inside the veins that normally help move blood against gravity up the legs gradually lose the ability to work properly.

Leavitt said the issue is common in people older than age 70. Trump turned 79 last month.

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People often are advised to lose weight, walk for exercise and elevate their legs periodically, and some may be advised to wear compression stockings. Severe cases over time can lead to complications including lower leg sores called ulcers. Blood clots are one cause, but Leavitt said that was tested for and ruled out.

She also said bruising on Trump’s hand that has been covered up by makeup is “consistent” with irritation from his “frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin.”

Leavitt said “the president remains in excellent health.”

She promised to make the doctor’s letter public.