By MAYA SWEEDLER

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Meghan Sells heads to Providence Park to watch Oregon’s professional women’s soccer team, she finds herself among a fairly mixed crowd — groups of young women, dads bringing their children, youth players checking out the Thorns’ latest match.

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The physician’s assistant is a self-described lifelong sports fan and former softball player who “will watch any sport.” That includes both collegiate and professional sports for women, putting Sells squarely in a fan base that suddenly has more options than ever before and is seen as fertile ground for teams and advertisers eager to ride the rising interest in the women’s game.

About 3 in 10 U.S. adults follow women’s professional or college sports “extremely,” “very” or “somewhat” closely, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That’s lower than the share who follow men’s sports by the same measurements — about half — but it also shows that Sells is far from alone.

As interest and investment in women’s sports have picked up in recent years, so have the entry points for fans. The meteoric rise of Caitlin Clark, the University of Iowa phenom-turned-WNBA star, helped bring wider attention to women’s basketball, and increased streaming availability, international success and name, image and likeness deals have elevated the value and viewership of women’s sports.

“Growing up, I feel like the only sports I was able to really see on TV were men’s — which is fine, I like men’s sports,” Sells said. “But I enjoy watching women’s sports more. … I think the more that you see it on TV, the more you’re going to have younger people interested in it.”

The poll found that women’s sports fans — those who follow women’s sports at least “somewhat” closely — are different from men’s sports fans. Fans of women’s sports, while not a majority-female group, are more gender balanced than men’s sports fans. Those who follow women’s pro sports also are more casual in their fandom than men’s pro sports fans, tending to say they attend or watch games occasionally rather than frequently. People who follow men’s sports, by contrast, are more likely to identify attachments to teams as opposed to players.

The survey was conducted just before the start of the 2025 WNBA season, an expansion year for the league. Coming off a season in which attendance records were set (and reset ), the league will debut a new franchise — the Golden State Valkyries — and up the number of regular season games from 40 to 44.

In 2026, two additional teams will join the league, including one in Portland, Oregon. Sells, who’s been in the city for about a decade, said she is prepared to get season tickets.

Different fan bases

Men’s sports at both the collegiate and professional levels remain more popular than women’s sports, the poll found. About one-third of U.S. adults said they watch, listen to or read about men’s collegiate sports at least “somewhat” closely, and more than 4 in 10 say they follow men’s pro sports. By contrast, about 2 in 10 say they follow women’s collegiate sports at least “somewhat” closely, and a similar share say they follow women’s pro sports.

A greater share of men than women say they follow professional or collegiate sports overall, but the gender balance was more even among women’s sports fans. Around half of fans of women’s sports are male, the survey found, compared with about two-thirds of fans of men’s sports.

This could be in part due to the overlap between the fandoms: About 90% of U.S. adults who follow women’s sports at least “somewhat” closely also say the same about men’s sports, though about half of people who follow men’s sports said they also followed women’s sports.

As women’s sports increase in popularity and accessibility, a relatively large share are casual fans. While close to 9 in 10 of both men’s and women’s pro sports fans say they frequently or occasionally watch, listen to or read about their respective professional sports, a higher percentage of women’s sports fans say they are only occasional consumers.

That includes people like Matthew Behr, 58, a lifelong fan of the Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Brewers in his home state of Wisconsin. He doesn’t watch a lot of basketball, he said, but when the sport crosses into news coverage, he will read up on it.

That’s how he started following Clark, whose final seasons at Iowa were credited with bringing new viewers to the sport and who now plays for the Indiana Fever.

“I was seeing it on MSNBC,” he said. “I don’t watch a lot of basketball. It’s not a men’s and women’s thing. If she was playing in a women’s football league, I’d probably watch that.”

Attending games

Men’s sports — with larger leagues, bigger TV deals and a more expansive media ecosystem — have a more fervent audience. About two-thirds of men’s sports fans said they “frequently” or “occasionally” attend a professional sporting event in person, compared with roughly half of women’s sports fans.

One possible reason women’s sports fans aren’t showing up at sporting events is they’re less likely to be attached to a specific team. Only about one-third of women’s sports fans said the teams they support or follow are “extremely” or “very” important to why they follow the sport. For men’s fans, the figure was around 50%.

However, nearly identical shares of men’s and women’s sports fans said that certain athletes they support were at least “very” important to why they follow women’s sports.

Bernard Seltzer, a high school administrator and math and science teacher in Tampa, Florida, considers himself a general sports fan and said he enjoys watching the most skillful athletes, regardless of their gender. Even at the high school level, he is impressed by the finesse he sees female athletes demonstrate.

“Sometimes it’s more impressive than watching masculine people banging their heads against the wall,” he said.

The AP-NORC poll of 1,260 adults was conducted April 17-21, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

By JAIMIE DING, Associated Press

After months of delays, a hearing starts Tuesday to decide whether Erik and Lyle Menendez should get a chance at freedom after serving nearly 30 years in prison for the double murder of their parents.

A Los Angeles judge will preside over the resentencing hearing that is expected to last two days. If he shortens their sentences, the brothers would still need approval from the state’s parole board to get out of prison. They could then potentially go free on time served.

They were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering their father Jose Menendez and mother Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. The brothers were 18 and 21 at the time of the killings. While defense attorneys argued the brothers acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, prosecutors said the brothers killed their parents for a multimillion-dollar inheritance.

FILE – Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez leave a courtroom in Santa Monica, Calif., Aug. 6, 1990, after a judge ruled that conversations between the brothers and their psychologist after their parents were slain were not privileged and could be used as evidence. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)

Due to wildfires in the LA area, and disputes between LA prosecutors and defense attorneys, the hearings were delayed for months.

The case has captured the public’s attention for decades — and last year, the Netflix drama “ Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story ” and documentary “The Menendez Brothers” brought new attention to the case. Supporters of the brothers have flown in from across the country to attend rallies and hearings in the past few months.

Here’s what to expect this week:

Judge to rule on a lesser sentence

The resentencing hearing will center on whether the brothers have been rehabilitated in prison and deserve a lesser sentence of 50 years to life. That would make them eligible for parole under California’s youthful offender law because they committed the crime under the age of 26.

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Their defense attorney, Mark Geragos, said in April he may ask the judge to reduce their charges to manslaughter, potentially allowing them to be immediately released.

Geragos said last Friday that he plans to call at least seven family members to testify at the hearings. As in previous proceedings, the brothers will appear virtually. It was unclear if they will testify.

Los Angeles County prosecutors will be arguing against the resentencing. They say the brothers have not taken complete responsibility for the crime. Prosecutors will likely reference the preliminary findings from a forensic psychologist who looked at whether the brothers pose a risk to society if released, an assessment ordered by the state parole board. The admissibility of the results in court have been a point of contention for the two sides, as they have not been made public, but the judge said last Friday that some parts can be included.

Former district attorney and family support resentencing

The previous LA County District Attorney George Gascón had opened the door to possible freedom for the brothers last fall by asking a judge to reduce their sentences. His office said the case would’ve been handled differently today due to modern understandings of sexual abuse and trauma, and the brothers’ rehabilitation over three decades in prison.

A resentencing petition laid out by Gascón focuses on the brothers’ accomplishments and rehabilitation. The brothers’ attorneys say their clients have worked hard to better themselves and give back to the prison community. The extended Menendez family, with the exception of an uncle who died in March, has said they fully forgive the brothers for what they did and want them to be freed.

Since their conviction, the brothers have gotten an education, participated in self-help classes and started various support groups for their fellow inmates.

The new LA prosecutor changed course

The current district attorney Nathan Hochman reversed course from Gascón and opposed the brothers’ resentencing.

Hochman’s office has said it does not believe that the brothers were sexually abused by their father.

Prosecutors also say the brothers have not admitted to lying during their trial.

Recently, they cited the forensic psychologist’s analysis that said the brothers had recently broken prison rules by smuggling cellphones inside, which Hochman argued demonstrated an inability to regulate their own behavior. It came to the conclusion that they were “moderately more likely” than others to engage in violence in the community, Hochman said.

With Hochman in charge, prosecutors attempted twice to withdraw their office’s resentencing petition. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic ruled both times that the resentencing hearings could continue despite their opposition.

The judge could decide on the resentencing from the bench during the hearing or issue a written ruling later.

By MATT O’BRIEN

Microsoft says it is laying off nearly 3% of its entire workforce.

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The tech giant didn’t disclose the total amount of lost jobs but it will amount to about 6,000 people.

Microsoft employed 228,000 full-time workers as of last June, the last time it reported its annual headcount. About 55% of those workers were in the U.S.

Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, said the layoffs will be across all levels and geographies but will focus on reducing management levels. Notices went out on Tuesday.

Microsoft announced a smaller round of performance-based layoffs in January. But the 3% cuts will be Microsoft’s biggest reported layoffs since early 2023, when the company cut 10,000 workers, almost 5% of its workforce, joining other tech companies that were scaling back their pandemic-era expansions.

The latest layoffs come just weeks after Microsoft reported strong sales and profits that beat Wall Street expectations for the January-March quarter, which investors took as a dose of relief during a turbulent time for the tech sector and U.S. economy.

Microsoft’s chief financial officer, Amy Hood, said on an April earnings call that the company was focused on “building high-performing teams and increasing our agility by reducing layers with fewer managers.” She also said the headcount in March was 2% higher than a year earlier, and down slightly compared to the end of last year.

By JACQUES BILLEAUD, Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — A budget airline that serves mostly small U.S. cities began federal deportation flights Monday out of Arizona, a move that’s inspired an online boycott petition and sharp criticism from the union representing the carrier’s flight attendants.

Avelo Airlines announced in April it had signed an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to make charter deportation flights from Mesa Gateway Airport outside Phoenix. It said it will use three Boeing 737-800 planes for the flights.

The Houston-based airline is among a host of companies seeking to cash in on President Donald Trump’s campaign for mass deportations.

Congressional deliberations began last month on a tax bill with a goal of funding, in part, the removal of 1 million immigrants annually and housing 100,000 people in U.S. detention centers. The GOP plan calls for hiring 10,000 more U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and investigators.

Details of Avelo agreement with ICE not disclosed

Avelo was launched in 2021 as COVID-19 still raged and billions of taxpayer dollars were propping up big airlines. It saves money mainly by flying older Boeing 737 jets that can be bought at relatively low prices. And it operates out of less-crowded and less-costly secondary airports, flying routes that are ignored by the big airlines. It said it had its first profitable quarter in late 2023.

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Andrew Levy, Avelo’s founder and chief executive, said in announcing the agreement last month that the airline’s work for ICE would help the company expand and protect jobs.

“We realize this is a sensitive and complicated topic,” said Levy, an airline industry veteran with previous stints as a senior executive at United and Allegiant airlines.

Avelo did not grant an interview request from The Associated Press.

Financial and other details of the Avelo agreement — including destinations of the deportation flights — haven’t publicly surfaced. The AP asked Avelo and ICE for a copy of the agreement, but neither provided the document. The airline said it wasn’t authorized to release the contract.

Several consumer brands have shunned being associated with deportations, a highly volatile issue that could drive away customers. During Trump’s first term, authorities housed migrant children in hotels, prompting some hotel chains to say that they wouldn’t participate.

Union cites safety concerns

Many companies in the deportation business, such as detention center providers The Geo Group and Core Civic, rely little on consumer branding. Not Avelo, whose move inspired the boycott petition on change.org and drew criticism from the carrier’s flight attendants union, which cited the difficulty of evacuating deportees from an aircraft in an emergency within the federal standard of 90 seconds or less.

“Having an entire flight of people handcuffed and shackled would hinder any evacuation and risk injury or death,” the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA said in a statement. “It also impedes our ability to respond to a medical emergency, fire on board, decompression, etc. We cannot do our jobs in these conditions.”

In New Haven, Connecticut, where Avelo flies out of Tweed New Haven Airport, Democratic Mayor Justin Elicker urged Avelo’s CEO to reconsider. “For a company that champions themselves as ‘New Haven’s hometown airline,’ this business decision is antithetical to New Haven’s values,” Elicker said in a statement.

Protests were held outside airports in Arizona and Connecticut on Monday.

In Mesa, over 30 protesters gathered on a road leading up to the airport, holding signs that denounced Trump’s deportation efforts. In Connecticut, about 150 people assembled outside Tweed New Haven Airport, calling on travelers to boycott Avelo.

John Jairo Lugo, co-founder and community organizing director of Unidad Latina en Acción in New Haven, said protesters hope to create a financial incentive for Avelo to back out of its work for the federal government.

“We need to cause some economical damage to the company to really convince them that they should be on the side with the people and not with the government,” Lugo said.

Mesa is one of five hubs for ICE airline deportation operations

Mesa, a Phoenix suburb with about 500,000 people, is one of five hubs for ICE Air, the immigration agency’s air transport operation for deportations. ICE Air operated nearly 8,000 flights in a 12-month period through April, according to the advocacy group Witness at the Border.

ICE contracts with an air broker, CSI Aviation, that hires two charter carriers — GlobalX and Eastern Air Express — to do most of the flights, said Tom Cartwright, who tracks flight data for Witness at the Border.

Cartwright said it was unusual in recent years for commercial passenger carriers to carry out deportation flights.

“It’s always been with an air broker who then hires the carriers, and the carriers have not been regular commercial carriers, or what I call retail carriers, who are selling their own tickets,” Cartwright said. “At least since I have been involved (in tracking ICE flights), they’ve all been charter companies.”

Avelo will be a sub-carrier under a contract held by New Mexico-based CSI Aviation, which didn’t respond to questions about how much money Avelo would make under the agreement.

Avelo provides passenger service to more than 50 cities in the U.S., as well as locations in Jamaica, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Avelo does not operate regular commercial passenger service out of Mesa Gateway Airport, said airport spokesman Ryan Smith.

In February 2024, Avelo said it had its first profitable quarter, though it didn’t provide details. In an interview two months later with the AP, Levy declined to provide numbers, saying the airline was a private company and had no need to provide that information publicly.

Associated Press writer Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.