By JOHN HANNA, Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Consumers across the U.S. still will be able to buy higher-ethanol blend E15 gasoline this summer, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday, saving them a little money at the pump but risking potential damage to the air and water.

The emergency waiver issued by the EPA prevents retailers in most states from having to stop selling E15 gasoline on May 1. While the waiver remains in effect only through May 20, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin signaled that he plans to keep issuing waivers through Sept. 15, the date when the federal government typically would allow E15 sales in all states again.

Most gasoline sold across the U.S. is blended with 10% ethanol, but 15% blends are becoming increasingly common, particularly in the Midwest, where most of the nation’s corn is grown. E15 gasoline generally costs at least 10 cents less a gallon than E10 gasoline, but the EPA had previously prohibited its sale during the summer over concerns that its use during the summer driving season could increase smog.

But the EPA has relaxed restrictions on E15, granting a series of short-term waivers in 2022, 2023 and 2024 to allow its sale nationwide through the summer. And last year, the EPA issued a rule allowing year-round sales in eight Midwestern states — Iowa, usually the nation’s top corn producer, as well as Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Trump administration officials said Monday’s action will lower consumers’ costs and give them more choices at the pump while also increasing the demand for corn. They also described it as reducing America’s reliance on imported energy.

“Our nation’s great corn growers are critical to helping the U.S. achieve energy independence, which is essential to national security,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement.

While the ethanol industry and Iowa officials praised the EPA’s action, the Renewable Fuels Association, a trade group for ethanol producers, argued that Congress should approve legislation allowing year-round E15 sales across the U.S.

“For the economic and energy security benefits of E15 to be fully realized, the marketplace needs long-term certainty,” President and CEO Geoff Cooper said.

The biofuels industry and politicians in both major parties argue that ethanol helps farmers, lowers prices at the pump and reduces greenhouse gas because the fuel burns more cleanly than straight gasoline.

But ethanol consumes about 40% of the nation’s corn crop, and environmentalists argue that higher corn production leads to higher use of fertilizers that are a leading source of water pollution.

Zack Pistora, Kansas lobbyist for the Sierra Club, said ethanol plants also use high amounts of water, and states like Kansas are worried about the depletion of aquifers. He said it’s “hypocritical” to portray ethanol as environmentally friendly and said the Trump administration should promote renewable energy, electric vehicles, public transportation and sustainable agriculture.

“We need to dramatically reduce our fossil fuel dependence, but relying on corn-based ethanol doesn’t put our country on the path it needs,” Pistora said in an interview.

By MICHELLE L. PRICE and CHRIS MEGERIAN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Monday opened a weeklong celebration of Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office by focusing on his border crackdown, an area of relative strength for the president at a time when there are red flags for him in the latest round of polling.

Yard signs with mugshots of immigrants who have been accused of crimes like rape and murder were posted across the White House lawn, positioned so they would be in the background of television broadcasts outside the West Wing. Tom Homan, Trump’s top border adviser, told reporters that there has been “unprecedented success” on the border effort and “we’re going to keep doing it, full speed ahead.”

White House border czar Tom Homan walks off following a television interview at the White House, Monday, April 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Immigration is Trump’s leading issue in public opinion surveys, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a morning briefing the administration is in “the beginning stages of carrying out the largest deportation campaign in American history.”

About 139,000 people have been removed so far, according to the White House. Deportations have occasionally lagged behind Democrat President Joe Biden’s numbers, but Trump officials reject the comparison as not “apples to apples” because so many fewer people are crossing the border now.

Later on Monday, Leavitt held a second briefing exclusively for “new media,” where Trump-aligned social media influencers asked friendly questions and applauded at the end.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, with White House border czar Tom Homan, speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Monday, April 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Tuesday will be Trump’s 100th day in office, and the Republican president plans to mark the day in Michigan, where he will hold a rally in Macomb County, an automotive hub north of Detroit. After relatively little travel so far in his term, Trump will also deliver a commencement address Thursday at the University of Alabama.

Trump is also doing a number of interviews timed to the 100-day mark, including an Oval Office interview with ABC News that is to air Tuesday night. He’s also talked with journalists from The Atlantic magazine, a publication that he’s frequently attacked for its critical reporting.

Trump told The Atlantic that he feels more powerful in his second turn in the White House. His administration is stocked with loyalists, and he’s become even more confrontational with a judicial system that at times serves as a check on his agenda.

“The first time, I had two things to do — run the country and survive; I had all these crooked guys,” he said. “And the second time, I run the country and the world.”

President Donald Trump arrives on Marine One at the White House, Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Presidents have marked the initial 100 days of their terms since Franklin Delano Roosevelt moved swiftly to counter the Great Depression after taking office in 1933.

Trump wasn’t so bullish about the idea during his first term, when he was plagued by setbacks, investigations and turnover in his ranks, at that time calling the 100-day mark ” an artificial barrier.”

But now he’s trying to harness the moment to mark the ambitious agenda he’s pursued in his first months. Leavitt said Trump had already signed almost as many executive orders as Biden did during his entire term.

But many Americans believe Trump has mostly been focused on the wrong priorities.

Americans are nearly twice as likely to say Trump has been mostly focusing on the wrong priorities as to say he has been focusing on the right ones, according to an AP-NORC survey, and only about half of Republicans say he’s mostly had the right focus. Another one-quarter of Republicans say it’s been about an even mix of right and wrong priorities, and about 1 in 10 say he’s focusing on the wrong things.

And among Trump’s own supporters, the share of Republicans who say he has been at least a “good” president has fallen about 10 percentage points since January.

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Other polls conducted in recent weeks have found similar levels of dissatisfaction with Trump’s first few months, particularly with his economic policies and approach to tariffs.

Trump lashed out at the results on social media as “FAKE POLLS FROM FAKE NEWS ORGANIZATIONS.”

As he’s pushed to crack down on illegal immigration, Trump has drawn criticism as he has strained the limits of executive power, attacked judges who’ve ruled against him, sent hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members to a mega-prison in El Salvador in defiance of a court order and balked at a Supreme Court order that his administration must facilitate the return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador.

His plans to carry out a mass deportation have not yet shaped up, but the White House is ramping up efforts to encourage people who are in the country illegally to “self-deport,” with actions that include stiffer fines and incentives to leave, including airfare and stipends.

His administration has pointed to the steep drop in the number of illegal border crossings as an early and significant sign of success.

Trump planned to sign at least two executive orders later Monday related to immigration, including one directing state and federal officials to publish a list of “sanctuary city” jurisdictions.

Associated Press writer Linley Sanders contributed to this report.

By JACQUES BILLEAUD and MORGAN LEE, Associated Press

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The main cause of Gene Hackman’s death was heart disease, but he was also in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease and likely had not eaten for a long time, according to a new autopsy report.

The report documents the 95-year-old actor’s poor heart health, noting he had experienced congestive heart failure, an aortic valve replacement and an irregular heart beat. He was given a pacemaker in April 2019.

Hackman’s carbon monoxide concentration was less than 5% saturation, which is within the normal range. He tested negative for the hantavirus, which is a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by infected rodent droppings.

FILE – Actor Gene Hackman arrives with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, for the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., Jan. 19, 2003. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Authorities have said Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, likely died Feb. 11 at home from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Her autopsy report hasn’t yet been released.

A toxicology report says Hackman tested negative for alcohol and intoxicating drugs, but that he had a low concentration of acetone in his system that indicates prolonged fasting.

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Hackman appeared to have outlived Arakawa at home by about a week, possibly unaware of his wife’s death. Hackman’s pacemaker showed an abnormal heart rhythm on Feb. 18 — the day he likely died, according to the state’s chief medical examiner.

Records released earlier in the investigation showed Arakawa made phone calls and internet searches as she scoured for information on flu-like symptoms and breathing techniques.

Recently released videos outline the scope of the investigation into the deaths of Hackman and Arakawa.

Before they understood how Hackman and Arakawa died, authorities recorded themselves conducting interviews with workers and returning to Hackman’s home to search for more evidence. Detectives searched the home in early March for Arakawa’s laptop and other clues.

Billeaud reported from Phoenix.

The first time I heard a Sasquatch grunt, I was six episodes deep into the Wild Thing podcast, Denver journalist Laura Krantz’s three-part show about Bigfoot, UFOs and nuclear power.

As it turned out, the huffing vocalization that caught my ear was only Shane Corson, field researcher at the Olympic Project, a group that explores the science behind Bigfoot. Like a birder mimicking a yellow warbler’s soft pish-pish-pish, Corson was attempting to lure a Bigfoot out of the brush while tromping through the woods with Krantz and her podcasting team.

Related: Bigfoot tourism brings cryptid-curious to Colorado

Now, I wouldn’t go so far as to say I believe in Sasquatch, but I suspect this is how any obsession starts: Reddit threads, a History Channel binge. One minute you’re innocently enjoying Krantz’s superb storytelling, and then you’re mapping out a road trip across rural Colorado.

I guess I’d always know it, but Krantz’s work illuminates a simple truth: Colorado is a hotbed of strangeness; a place where the Rocky Mountains rise to meet the unexplained. Whether you’re a skeptic or a seeker, exploring otherworldly corners of the Centennial State is a great excuse to experience beloved and overlooked destinations alike.

Sasquatch Outpost

Bigfoot cookie cutters are sold at Sasquatch Outpost in Bailey, Colorado on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)

Rumor has it Bigfoot is nocturnal, but I wouldn’t recommend a backcountry night hike unless you’re a very confident wayfarer with honed navigation skills and proper gear. For most of us, it’s better to start southwest of Denver in Bailey at the Sasquatch Outpost, 149 Main St., open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed Wednesdays. This fun retail shop is packed with a veritable hodgepodge of Bigfoot sundries–everything from mugs and figurines to books, postcards, and t-shirts.

Behind the store, enter the Sasquatch Encounter Discovery Museum ($8 for adults; $5 for kids), a homespun gallery housing an impressive collection of documents on Bigfoot history and research alongside items such as track casts, large-scale maps, and several sculptures and replicas. Owners Jim and Daphne Myers host regular meet-ups for enthusiasts, and they’ll also take folks out on expeditions. They’ve been putting the finishing touches on a bigfoot-themed escape room, and are hopeful it’ll be operational by June.

Where to eat: The Cutthroat Café, 157 Main St., within walking distance of the outpost, serves a pretty solid breakfast. Or you can quench your thirst at Craft Mountain Brewing, 23 Main St., or at a waterside seat at Aspen Peak Cellars, 60750 U.S. Hwy. 285, offering a perfect setting for higher-end lunch and dinner fare.

Where to hike: Hoping to spot a Bigfoot? The trailhead to Colorado Trail Section #6 is only 20 minutes west of Bailey, directly off Highway 285. This segment of Colorado’s epic 567-mile cross-state hiking and biking route takes outdoors enthusiasts through some premium mountain terrain. Or head to Staunton State Park, 12102 S Elk Creek Road. The 12-mile route to Elk Falls is a personal favorite, but there’s a lot to love about the (much shorter) David Ponds Loop, measuring in at about 2.3 miles across even, easy terrain.

Nederland

A Frozen Dead Guy Day statue stands near the Pavilion pond during the Frozen Dead Guy Days’ Polar Plunge in Estes Park. The festival used to be in the town of Nederland. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)

Nederland may be on your weirdness radar as the birthplace of a peculiar and totally beloved festival: Frozen Dead Guy Days. The annual celebration of Grandpa Bredo (rumored to be kept frozen in a Tuff Shed) might have relocated to Estes Park, but Ned hasn’t gotten any less strange, and it boasts a strong showing in the Sasquatch department. Campers tell of shadowy shapes darting between trees and screams echoing down from the Indian Peaks. As recently as March, the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization reported a new sighting 11 miles outside Boulder.

Where to camp: Spend a night in one of 22 designated tent sites at West Magnolia Trailhead, past 45 Peak to Peak Hwy., and you might find yourself reconsidering what you thought you knew about the animal kingdom. Camping is first-come, first-served; no facilities of any kind.

Where to hike: Mud Lake Open Space, 2034 County Road 126, is an excellent choice. From the Mud Lake Trailhead, combine the forested Tungsten and Kinnickinnick loop trails, and end at the on-site lake, which is way more spectacular than the name suggests.

Where to eat: I’m partial to Crosscut Pizzeria, 4 E. 1st St., which offers wood-fired pizzas, good craft beer, and creek-view dining on the patio. Salto Coffee, 112 E. 2nd St., is another solid option.

UFO Watchtower

When it comes to alien activity, you’ll probably want to start where the skies are darkest and the stories wildest: the UFO Watchtower off Highway 117, two miles north of Hooper, (GPS sometimes gets this destination wrong, so watch for the signs and green alien sculptures).

A sign welcomes visitors to the UFO Watchtower, an elevated metal platform offering a view of the skies, and perhaps travelers from outer space. (Andy Cross, The Denver Post)

Judy Messoline, author of the 2005 book “That Crazy Lady Down the Road,” built her 10-foot-tall watchtower on a whim in 2000. (Some uninformed travelers might call it a raised metal platform surrounded by lawn ornaments; you’ll have to see for yourself if you can feel the energy vortex.)

In 25 years, the structure has become a beloved roadside attraction that doubles as sacred ground for many sky watchers. Apparently, the UFO Watchtower has drawn more than 30,000 human visitors, many of whom have added their own small trinkets to the growing collection that’s laid out on the pea gravel near the site’s main attraction.

Currently, guests are welcome on weekends, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but these hours extend in the spring and summer — we think. Messoline doesn’t answer her phone, but she maintains a website with updated information: theoriginalufowatchtower.com. Be ready to pay a nominal visitation fee of $5 per person; children under 6 get in free.

Where to camp: Onsite! You don’t need a reservation. It’s $20 per night per tent; BYO water, food, firewood, and trash bags. You can also pitch a tent at Piñon Flats Campground inside Great Sand Dunes National Park nearby. A moonless night is the best time to experience this International Dark Sky Park. You probably won’t see any pulsing orbs or darting shapes, but looking up at a pitch-black sky, you’ll get a real sense for the vastness of our mysterious universe.

Fiske Planetarium, Boulder

Krantz’s podcast and books are all about determining science fact from fiction. To that end, she recommends Fiske Planetarium, 2414 Regent Drive on the CU Boulder campus. The largest planetarium between Chicago and L.A., the museum functions as a project zone for CU students and faculty. When the space isn’t being used for educational pursuits, the general public is invited into the 65-foot-diameter dome for films, star talks, and even laser shows.

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Where to eat: Head to Pearl Street Mall for a bite. There are dozens of restaurants, both casual and upscale, with just about any kind of cuisine.

Where to hike: On the west side of the National Center for Atmospheric Research building at 1850 Table Mesa Drive, you’ll find the Walter Orr Roberts Weather Trail, a half-mile loop with informational signage. For a longer hike, follow Mesa Trail until it links with Enchanted Mesa Trail. This out-and-back hike weaves through a less-crowded segment of Chautauqua Park.

Meow Wolf

Consider traveling the stars and transcending space-time at Meow Wolf Denver’s Convergence Station, 1338 1st St. Here’s how the story goes: When a rare cosmic glitch aligned four worlds into one, a portal opened. For $45, curious travelers can walk through an immersive, interactive science fiction exhibition. Have fun trying to solve on-site mysteries, or just enough this over-the-top intergalactic art. Purchase tickets in advance online.

Denver International Airport

It’s impossible to write about Colorado’s strangeness without mentioning Denver International Airport, which has become a conspiracy theory theme park, complete with apocalyptic murals, a time capsule, underground tunnels, and 3the 2-foot-tall blue Mustang sculpture with the glowing red eyes. (Surely you already know that “Blucifer” killed its creator.)

While most of the weirdness is likely just eccentric art, there are some who believe the airport is a hub — or maybe a cover — for extraterrestrial activity. Keep your eyes peeled the next time your flight gets delayed. It’s OK to want to believe.