Breaking news update: Hawaii and parts of Japan downgraded their tsunami warnings to advisories after a powerful earthquake.

TOKYO — One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off Russia’s sparsely populated Far East early Wednesday, sending tsunami waves into Japan, Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast. Several people were injured, but none gravely, and no major damage has been reported so far.

Authorities warned the risk from the 8.8 magnitude quake could last for hours, and millions of people potentially in the path of the waves were initially told to move away from the shore or seek high ground. But the danger already appeared to be lessening, with Hawaii and parts of Japan downgrading their warnings.

Residents fled inland as ports flooded on Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula near the quake’s epicenter, while frothy, white waves washed up on the shore in northern Japan. Cars jammed streets and highways in Honolulu, with standstill traffic even in areas away from the sea.

People flocked to evacuation centers in affected areas of Japan, with memories fresh of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that caused reactor meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. No abnormalities in operations at Japan’s nuclear plants were reported Wednesday.

Russian authorities said several people were injured, but said all were in stable condition, though they gave few details. In Japan, at least one person was injured.

A tsunami height of 3 to 4 meters (10 to 13 feet) was recorded in Kamchatka, 60 centimeters (2 feet) on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, while tsunami waves about 2 to 5 feet high reached San Francisco early Wednesday, officials said.

Much of the West Coast, spanning California, Oregon, Washington state, and the Canadian province of British Columbia, were under a tsunami advisory.

Hawaii downgrades to tsunami advisory

Hawaii was still under a tsunami advisory as Wednesday began, but evacuation orders on the Big Island and Oahu, the most populated island, had been lifted.

An advisory means there is the potential for strong currents and dangerous waves, as well as flooding on beaches or in harbors.

“As you return home, still stay off the beach and stay out of the water,” said James Barros, administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.

The impact of the tsunami could last for hours or perhaps more than a day, said Dave Snider, tsunami warning coordinator with the National Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska.

“A tsunami is not just one wave,” he said. “It’s a series of powerful waves over a long period of time. Tsunamis cross the ocean at hundreds of miles an hour — as fast as a jet airplane — in deep water. But when they get close to the shore, they slow down and start to pile up. And that’s where that inundation problem becomes a little bit more possible there.”

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green earlier said Black Hawk helicopters were activated and high-water vehicles ready to go in case authorities needed to rescue people.

The Oregon Department of Emergency Management said on Facebook that small tsunami waves were expected along the coast. It urged people to stay away from beaches, harbors and marinas and to remain in a safe location away from the coast until the advisory is lifted.

“This is not a major tsunami, but dangerous currents and strong waves may pose a risk to those near the water,” the department said.

A tsunami of less than 30 centimeters (under 1 foot) was forecast to hit parts of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and waves of up to 1.4 feet (under 30 centimeters) above tide levels were observed in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.

Russian regions report limited damage

Russia’s Oceanology Institute said tsunami waves might have been as high as 10 to 15 meters (30 to 50 feet) in some sections of the Kamchatka coast.

In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka’s regional capital, the quake damaged a local kindergarten, which was not in operation at the time because it was being renovated.

Oleg Melnikov, head of the regional health department, said a few people hurt themselves while rushing to leave buildings and a hospital patient was injured while jumping out of a window. Melnikov said that all injured people were stable.

A video released by Russian media outlet showed a team of doctors at a cancer clinic on Kamchatka holding a patient and clutching medical equipment as the quake rocked an operating room, before continuing with surgery after the shaking stopped.

Authorities introduced a state of emergency on the sparsely populated Kurils — which are between Kamchatka and Japan — after the tsunami. They earlier reported that several waves flooded the fishing port of Severo-Kurilsk, the main city on the islands, and cut power supplies to the area. The port’s mayor said no major damage was recorded.

Among the world’s strongest recorded quakes

The quake struck at 8:25 a.m. Japan time with a magnitude of 8.8 magnitude and a depth of about 21 kilometers (13 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

It was centered about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Multiple aftershocks as strong as 6.9 magnitude followed.

The earthquake appeared to be the strongest recorded since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake off northeastern Japan in March 2011 that caused a massive tsunami that set off meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. Only a few stronger earthquakes have ever been measured around the world.

Japanese nuclear power plants reported no abnormalities. The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi plant damaged by the 2011 tsunami said about 4,000 workers are taking shelter on higher ground at the plant complex while monitoring remotely to ensure safety.

The tsunami alert disrupted transportation in Japan, with ferries, trains and airports in the affected area suspending or delaying some operations.

A tsunami of 60 centimeters (2 feet) was recorded at Hamanaka town in Hokkaido and Kuji port in Iwate, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Several areas reported smaller waves including 20 centimeters (8 inches) in Tokyo Bay five hours after the quake.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency partially downgraded its tsunami alert to an advisory in the Pacific coast south of Fukushima, with the alert still in place farther north.

In Japan’s northern coastal town of Matsushima, dozens of residents took refuge at an evacuation center, where water bottles were distributed. One person told NHK she came to the facility without hesitation based on the lesson from the 2011 tsunami.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi warned evacuees that they may not be able to return home by the end of the day, as the tsunami waves could remain high.

Authorities in the Philippines, Mexico and New Zealand also warned residents to watch for waves and strong currents. People were also urged to stay away from coastlines until any wave surges passed in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Federated States of Micronesia and Solomon Islands.

Earlier in July, five powerful quakes — the largest with a magnitude of 7.4 — struck in the sea near Kamchatka. The largest quake was at a depth of 20 kilometers and was 144 kilometers (89 miles) east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

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A couple was headed west on Minnesota 36 in Little Canada late one night in May when a large rock crashed through their windshield.

When the driver, a 26-year-old woman, pulled over to the side of the highway, just past Rice Street, she realized that her “right arm was dangling” and that a large rock was in her SUV, according to charges filed against the alleged culprit.

Willie Charles Lassiter Jr. (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

Willie Charles Lassiter Jr., 27, of Minneapolis, was charged Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court with two counts of felony second-degree assault in connection with May 29 incident.

Lassiter is currently in prison for violating terms of probation in a previous Washington County case.

A defense attorney is not listed in Tuesday’s case file.

According to the criminal complaint:

A Ramsey County Sheriff’s deputy was parked on Rice Street, just north of 36, and saw a man walking north from the east side of the overpass toward a nearby McDonald’s restaurant about 10:37 p.m. May 29.

About a minute later, 911 dispatch received a call from a 25-year-old man who said someone had just dropped a rock onto their Ford Escape SUV from the Rice Street Bridge and that his girlfriend’s arm was broken.

A Minnesota State Patrol Trooper responded and found the SUV pulled to the side of the road.

The woman said the rock crashed through the windshield, hit her arm and landed on the passenger side floorboard. She was transported to the hospital, where she had surgery to repair her fractured arm.

Meanwhile, the deputy who had seen the man leaving the overpass shortly before the incident caught up with him as he left the McDonald’s on Rice Street. The man, who was identified as Lassiter, acknowledged having crossed the overpass, but claimed to have seen two women crossing the other direction at the same time. He was sent on his way.

Surveillance video

In a follow-up interview, the woman said that before they approached the bridge from the east, she heard a “big boom” and then saw the rock in her SUV. She noted that the SUV has a sunroof, where the rock could have fallen through, and added that they easily could have been killed from the incident.

She said that she was going through physical and occupational therapy for her arm injury, and that her boyfriend had suffered cuts to his arms and face.

Police had recovered the rock from the SUV. It was found to match those in a Metro Transit park-and-ride just southeast of 36 and Rice Street.

Surveillance video was recovered that showed Lassiter shoplifting items at a Cub Foods just south of the park-and-ride, the complaint says. At 10:34 p.m., he bent over toward the landscape rocks, appeared to pick something up and walked toward the overpass along the east sidewalk. He disappeared from view.

Just over a minute later, the SUV was seen on video going under the overpass, then braking. No other pedestrians were on the overpass at that time.

An investigator received information that Lassiter was staying with his mother, and called her number. A man who claimed to be Lassiter’s brother answered and repeatedly asked what questions the investigator had for Lassiter. The investigator later learned Lassiter does not have a brother.

Criminal history

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Lassiter has an extensive criminal record that dates back to 2014 and includes an April first-degree burglary conviction out of Hennepin County. He was sentenced to a three-year prison term, which was then stayed, and ordered to serve six months in the workhouse, with an April 15 report date. He didn’t show up that day, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

In the Washington County case that sent him to prison last week, Lassiter was found passed out behind the wheel in the area of Hastings Avenue and Bailey Road in Newport just before 7 a.m. April 12, 2021. He failed field sobriety tests, but a preliminary breath test did not detect alcohol use. A blood sample later showed the presence of methadone and cocaine, the criminal complaint says.

Lassiter pleaded guilty to DWI and in September 2022 he was given a stayed three-year prison term, six months in the workhouse and five years’ probation. A judge revoked the stayed sentence July 23 after Lassiter violated four conditions of his probation, including failing to remain law-abiding, court records show.

By JULIE WATSON, Associated Press

The University of California, Los Angeles, reached a $6 million settlement with three Jewish students and a Jewish professor whose suit against the university argued it violated their civil rights by allowing pro-Palestinian protesters in 2024 to block their access to classes and other areas on campus.

The settlement comes nearly a year after a preliminary injunction was issued, marking the first time a U.S. judge had ruled against a university over their handling of on-campus demonstrations against Israel’s war in Gaza.

UCLA had argued that it had no legal responsibility over the issue because protesters, not the university, blocked Jewish students’ access to areas. The university also worked with law enforcement to thwart attempts to set up new protest camps.

But U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi disagreed and ordered UCLA to create a plan to protect Jewish students on campus. The University of California, one of the nation’s largest public university systems, has since created system-wide campus guidelines on protests.

How the university handled dispersing the encampment in the spring drew widespread criticism. One night, counterprotesters attacked the pro-Palestinian encampment, throwing traffic cones and firing pepper spray, with fighting that continued for hours, injuring more than a dozen people, before police stepped in. The next day, after hundreds defied orders to leave, more than 200 people were arrested.

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Trump administration joins lawsuit filed by Jewish students

In March, the Trump administration joined the lawsuit filed by the Jewish students and Jewish professor as it opened new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at Columbia University; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Minnesota; Northwestern University and Portland State University.

Last week, Columbia agreed to pay $200 million as part of a settlement to resolve investigations into alleged violations of federal antidiscrimination laws and restore more than $400 million in research grants.

The Trump administration plans to use its deal with Columbia as a template for other universities, with financial penalties that are now seen as an expectation for future agreements.

Government finds UCLA violated civil rights of Jewish students

On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division found UCLA violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, “by acting with deliberate indifference in creating a hostile educational environment for Jewish and Israeli students.”

“UCLA failed to take timely and appropriate action in response to credible claims of harm and hostility on its campus,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

The university has said that it’s committed to campus safety and will continue to implement recommendations. The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the settlement or the DOJ announcement Tuesday.

UCLA agrees to granting students equal access

As part of the settlement agreement, UCLA must ensure Jewish students, faculty and staff are not excluded from anything on-campus.

The $6.13 million settlement will pay the plaintiffs’ damages and legal fees and go toward eight Jewish organizations.

Pro-Palestinian protesters also sue university

A group of 35 pro-Palestinian students, faculty members, legal observers, journalists and activists also has filed a lawsuit against UCLA, alleging the university failed to protect those who participated in the demonstrations.

During the 2014 protests, at least 15 pro-Palestinian protesters were injured and the tepid response by authorities drew criticism from political leaders as well as Muslim students and advocacy groups.

Twins players are bracing for a week of roster moves with the trade deadline approaching on Thursday evening. Already the Twins have sent Chris Paddack to the Detroit Tigers, and more moves are likely over the next couple days.

It wasn’t a trade, but the Twins made another big move on Tuesday, placing outfielder Byron Buxton on the injured list before the game. Buxton left Saturday’s game early and has not played since as he deals with left ribcage inflammation.

The Twins sent Buxton for magnetic resonance imaging on Sunday and manager Rocco Baldelli said that day the diagnosis was “a good outcome” and that Buxton would “hopefully be back very soon.”

But now his day-to-day injury will have him out for at least 10, and the Twins will have to make do without their most-impactful player. The all-star center fielder is hitting .282 with a .905 OPS and 23 home runs in 85 games while stay relatively healthy. He missed two weeks after colliding with Carlos Correa and suffering a concussion earlier in the season but otherwise has been out on the field most days, the most consistent bright spot on the team.

The Twins have a number of players who can play center in his absence, including Harrison Bader, DaShawn Keirsey Jr. or even Willi Castro, who hasn’t played there much this year but has in the past But Bader and Castro are impending free agents and could be dealt before Thursday.

Twins fill Paddack’s spot with Ohl

Injuries to Pablo López, Bailey Ober and David Festa, plus the trade of Paddack on Monday, have left the starting rotation in flux. With Paddack gone — he has been scheduled to start on Tuesday — the Twins turned to rookie Pierson Ohl, who was making his major league debut.

Ohl, a 14th-round draft pick in 2021, had a 2.17 earned-run average across 66 1/3 minor league innings pitched this year. Most of his season has been spent in Double-A Wichita, but he made seven appearances at Triple-A St. Paul before his promotion. The Twins have had him on a similar schedule to Travis Adams, who pitched on Sunday and has since been sent down, where they are throwing in shorter outings every four days rather than longer starts every five days.

“He’s very comfortable out there on the mound,” Baldelli said of Ohl. “I think he’s a pretty methodical and thoughtful pitcher.”

Briefly

Ryan Jeffers returned to the Twins on Tuesday after missing the past three games on the paternity list. Jeffers and his wife, Lexi, welcomed their second child, a son whom they named Hayes, on Saturday. … The Twins have yet to name a starter for Wednesday game, though it is possible it could be Ober returning from the injured list.

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