Minnesota United vs. Houston Dynamo

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Allianz Field
Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Radio: KSTP-AM, 1500
Weather: 66 degrees, rain, 10 mph east wind
Betting line: MNUFC minus-115; draw plus-270; Houston plus-290

Form: The Loons (8-4-6, 30 points) had its four-match unbeaten streak snapped in a 4-2 loss to San Diego FC on June 14. Houston (5-8-5, 20 points) has dropped two straight to two of the worst teams in MLS — Montreal and Kansas City. Both were 3-1 defeats.

Recent matchup: MNUFC overhauled its starting XI and those eight changes — including five making their first starts of 2025 — resulted in a 2-0 loss to Houston on May 15. The Loons won’t be full strength Wednesday but aren’t expected to tie one hand behind its back in St. Paul.

Update: Four key MNUFC players — Dayne St. Clair and Tani Oluwaseyi (Canada), Carlos Harvey (Panama) and Joseph Rosales (Honduras) — remain away for the Concacaf Gold Cup and will miss Wednesday’s match.

Stats: The defeat to high-flying expansion side San Diego was the first time Minnesota had lost a match when scoring the first goal this season. They are now 8-1-3 in those games, 0-3-0 when allowing the first goal, along with three scoreless draws.

Check-in: Swedish club Malmo FF will no longer proceed in trying to acquire Loons winger Sang Bin Jeong, according to SportBladet. The outlet said MNUFC’s transfer fee of approximately $2 million has been deemed too high by Malmo. Jeong, who just received his U.S. Green Card, might more likely be headed to another MLS club this summer. The South Korean has yet to score in 286 MLS minutes this year.

View: Rookie goalkeeper Wessel Speel struggled in his MLS debut against San Diego, but head coach Eric Ramsay continued to speak highly of the 23-year-old Dutchman after the match. Actions will speak louder if he sticks with Speel over fellow back-up Alec Smir against Houston.

Projected starting XI: In a 5-4-1 formation, FW Kelvin Yeboah; MF Joaquin Pereyra, MF Robin Lod, MF Wil Trapp, MF Owen Gene; LWB Anthony Markanich, CB Nico Romero, CB Michael Boxall, CB Jefferson Diaz, RWB Julian Gressel; GK Wessel Speel.

Scouting report: Jack McGlynn, arguably Houston’s best player, is away with the U.S. men’s national team in the Concacaf Gold Cup. The 21-year-old was cutting open the Loons last month with a game-high 10 shot-creating actions, per FBref.com. United won’t miss him this month.

Prediction: Ramsay has talked regularly about the Loons contending with the top of the Western Conference. They smacked into the ceiling again versus San Diego. This match is about creating distance from their floor. Loons come out victorious, 2-1.

By CALEIGH WELLS

TWINSBURG, Ohio (AP) — When Judy Sautner recently walked into Power Appliance, a store in a southeastern suburb of Cleveland, she had one goal in mind: replace her daughter’s broken dryer with something that worked and didn’t break the bank.

“I wasn’t really worried about all the bells and whistles,” said Sautner.

Jay Buchanan, the store’s owner, said many customers are like Sautner, and what they are looking for frequently ends up being an appliance with the Energy Star symbol.

The U.S.-based program claims that its blue seal of approval on efficient appliances saves households an average of $450 on their bills per year. Since its launch in 1992, Energy Star appliances have also prevented 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the main cause of climate change.

But the program’s future is unclear. The Environmental Protection Agency has announced an agency reorganization plan that would eliminate its Energy Star offices. That would make it more difficult for customers to find energy efficient appliances. Here is a look at Energy Star along with tips to find energy efficient appliances if the program goes away:

How Energy Star works

Energy Star is a voluntary labeling program. The EPA sets energy efficiency standards for various machines, and then companies that produce them can try to hit or exceed those standards. If they do, they get the Energy Star sticker certifying it works as well as a standard product and uses less energy.

Companies are incentivized to make products that earn that sticker because state and local utility rebate programs, along with federal tax incentives, base qualifying appliances on the program. Consumers who want to save money through incentives and lower gas and electric bills know to look for it. And according to the program’s website, roughly 90% of households recognize the symbol.

Qualifying specifications vary depending on the appliance, but requirements include the amount of energy consumed when a machine is turned off, the inclusion of a low-power or “sleep” mode and a minimum efficiency rating when it’s operating.

If Energy Star goes away

Finding and buying energy-efficient products without that certification wouldn’t be impossible, just difficult, said Elizabeth Hewitt, associate professor of technology and society at Stony Brook University.

“You have to become a really savvy shopper,” she said.

It would mean consumers searching for, say, a dishwasher, would have to put together a list of options, gather specifications that come with each product, compare them, and recognize which numbers indicate that the dishwasher is energy efficient.

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Specifications for a washing machine, for example, might include how many clothes can fit in a load, the gallons of water per load and the electricity required to run a cycle, while a furnace’s specs focus on how good it is at converting energy into heat, how much of that heat leaks and how well its fan does at blowing hot air into the house.

Converting all those numbers into a single seal of approval would be complicated.

“Unless they’re deep into analytics, they’re not gonna freakin’ know,” said Buchanan.

Buchanan said his customers usually ask for help finding energy efficient appliances. So if that seal of approval disappears, it’ll change his life more than the lives of his customers. He said he’ll have to do the work to figure out which appliances will save on energy bills.

The concern, said Executive Director Ben Stapleton with U.S. Green Building Council California, a nonprofit focused on sustainable building, is that extra set of steps will deter people from prioritizing energy efficiency.

“If we’re just relying on the manufacturer and relying on people to go through the manual to see what the power draw is, it’s hard to imagine that being effective,” he said.

Tips for picking appliances

Many utilities are incentivized to help households and businesses buy efficient appliances.

If Energy Star were to go away, utilities would need to figure out a new way of determining which appliances qualify for their incentive programs, said Mark Kresowik, senior policy director with the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Calling and asking them about qualifying appliances would be a good place to start, he said.

Consumer Reports, an organization that does independent product reviews, can provide information about appliances and their performance, although it requires a subscription to access some of its more detailed information.

The Consortium for Energy Efficiency, a collaboration with primarily utilities, has its own energy efficiency standards. Right now those standards are designed with Energy Star in mind, but Kresowik said incentive programs could shift to using product specifications.

The fate of Energy Star is still uncertain. The broad reorganization at the EPA reported last month would eliminate or reorganize large parts of the offices that keep the program running, but the EPA has not directly confirmed a plan to shut it down or provided a timeline.

Regardless of what happens to Energy Star or what appliances are bought, Stapleton said consumers always have agency to use products in an energy-efficient way, such as washing clothes in cold water or avoiding the water-heavy dishwasher settings. It always helps to choose the right sized products.

“Maybe I don’t need the largest microwave that’s on the market,” he said.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

By LEAH ASKARINAM and JOEY CAPPELLETTI

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump isn’t the first president to order military strikes without congressional approval. But his decision to bomb Iran comes at a uniquely volatile moment — both at home and abroad.

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Overseas, the U.S. risks deeper entanglement in the Middle East if fighting erupts again between Israel and Iran. At home, Trump continues to sidestep oversight, showing little regard for checks and balances.

His move has reignited a decades-old debate over the War Powers Act, a law passed in the early 1970s meant to divide authority over military action between Congress and the president. Critics say Trump violated the act by striking with little input from Congress, while supporters argue he responded to an imminent threat and is looking to avoid prolonged conflict.

Even after Trump announced late Monday that a “complete and total ceasefire” between Israel and Iran would take effect over the next 24 hours, tensions remained high in Congress over Trump’s action. A vote is expected in the Senate later this week on a Democratic Iran war powers resolution that is meant to place a check on Trump when it comes to further entanglement with Iran.

Here’s a closer look at what the act does and doesn’t do, how past presidents have tested it and how Congress plans to respond:

Dividing war powers between Congress and the president

Passed in the wake of American involvement in Vietnam, the War Powers Resolution prescribes how the president should work with lawmakers to deploy troops if Congress hasn’t already issued a declaration of war.

It states that the framers of the Constitution intended for Congress and the President to use its “collective judgement” to send troops into “hostilities.” The War Powers Resolution calls for the president “in every possible instance” to “consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces.”

But when Congress enacted the law, “it didn’t install any hard requirements, and it provided a lot of outs,” said Scott Anderson, a fellow at the Brookings Institution.

“Habitual practice for presidents in the last few decades has been to minimally — almost not at all — consult with Congress on a lot of military action,” Anderson said. And “the language of the statute is so vague and open-ended that it’s hard to say it’s in clear contradiction” to the War Powers Resolution.

Unless a Declaration of War has already been passed or Congress has authorized deploying forces, the president has 48 hours after deploying troops to send a written report to congressional leadership explaining the decision. Trump did so on Monday, sending Congress a letter that said strikes on Iran over the weekend were “limited in scope and purpose” and “designed to minimize casualties, deter future attacks and limit the risk of escalation.”

In March, when Trump ordered airstrikes in Houthi-held areas in Yemen, he wrote a letter to congressional leadership explaining his rationale and reviewing his orders to the Department of Defense. President Joe Biden wrote nearly 20 letters citing the War Powers Resolution during his term.

If Congress doesn’t authorize further action within 60 to 90 days, the resolution requires that the president “terminate any use” of the armed forces. “That’s the hard requirement of the War Powers Resolution,” Anderson said.

How past presidents have used it

Congress hasn’t declared war on another country since World War II, but U.S. presidents have filed scores of reports pursuant to the War Powers Resolution since it was enacted in 1973, over President Richard Nixon’s veto.

Presidents have seized upon some of the vague wording in the War Powers Resolution to justify their actions abroad. In 1980, for example, Jimmy Carter argued that attempting to rescue hostages from Iran didn’t require a consultation with Congress, since it wasn’t an act of war, according to the Congressional Research Service.

President George W. Bush invoked war powers in the weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and persuaded Congress to approve an authorization for the use of military force against Iraq in 2002.

Throughout his presidency, President Barack Obama faced pressure to cease operations in Libya after 90 days. But his administration argued that the U.S. use of airpower in Libya didn’t rise to the level of “hostilities” set forth in the War Powers Resolution.

What Congress is doing now

Trump’s actions in Iran have drawn the loudest praise from the right and the sharpest rebukes from the left. But the response hasn’t broken cleanly along party lines.

Daily developments have also complicated matters. Trump on Sunday raised the possibility of a change in leadership in Iran, before on Monday announcing that Israel and Iran had agreed to a “complete and total” ceasefire to be phased in over the next 24 hours.

Nevertheless, the Senate could vote as soon as this week on a resolution directing the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran that have not been authorized by Congress.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., the bill’s sponsor, told reporters Monday — prior to the ceasefire announcement — that the vote could come “as early as Wednesday, as late as Friday.” He expects bipartisan backing, though support is still coming together ahead of a classified briefing for senators on Tuesday.

“There will be Republicans who will support it,” Kaine said. “Exactly how many, I don’t know.”

He added that, “this is as fluid a vote as I’ve been involved with during my time here, because the facts are changing every day.”

Passing the resolution could prove difficult, especially with Republicans praising Trump after news of the ceasefire broke. Even prior to that, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., defended Trump’s actions on Monday and said he’s operating within his authority.

“There’s always a tension between Congress’ power to declare war and the president’s power as commander in chief,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. “But I think the White House contacted its people, as many people as they could.”

A similar bipartisan resolution in the House — led by Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie — could follow soon, although Massie signaled Monday that he may no longer pursue it if peace has been reached.

Khanna was undeterred.

“In case of a conflict in the future, we need to be on record saying no offensive war in Iran without prior authorization,” Khanna said. “We still need a vote.”

Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Matt Brown contributed to this report.

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ

LINDEN, New Jersey (AP) — At a trucking school in New Jersey, students are maneuvering 18-wheelers around traffic cones. Other future drivers look under hoods to perform safety checks, narrating as they examine steering hoses for cracks and leaks.

An instructor glides between speaking Spanish and English as he teaches Manuel Castillo, a native Spanish speaker, how to inspect a school bus. They’re using a printed script of English phrases to practice what Castillo would say during a roadside inspection.

Brushing up on English has taken on new urgency for future and current truck drivers after President Donald Trump issued an executive order saying truckers who don’t read and speak the language proficiently would be considered unfit for service.

“A driver who can’t understand English will not drive a commercial vehicle in this country. Period,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said last month while announcing enforcement guidelines that take effect on Wednesday.

Updated U.S. Department of Transportation procedures call for enhanced inspections to determine if commercial motor vehicle operators can reply to questions and directions in English, as well as understand highway traffic signs and electronic message boards.

Truckers who learned English as a second language are concerned they may lose their jobs if they make a mistake or speak with a heavy accent while under questioning. Some have worked to improve their English fluency by taking classes, reciting scripts and watching instructional videos.

“If it’s not the language that you prefer to use daily, you may get a little nervous and you may feel, ‘What if I say the wrong thing?’” said Jerry Maldonado, chairman of the board of the Laredo Motor Carriers Association, a trade association in Laredo, Texas, that represents approximately 200 trucking companies. “It’s going to be, at the end of the day, the interpretation of the officer, so that makes people nervous.”

The guidance applies to truck and bus drivers engaged in interstate commerce. It aims to improve road safety following incidents in which truck drivers’ inability to read signs or speak English may have contributed to traffic deaths, the Transportation Department said.

English requirement isn’t new

Requiring truck drivers to speak and read English isn’t new, but the penalty for not meeting the proficiency standard is becoming more severe.

To get a commercial driver’s license, applicants must pass a written test and be able to name the parts of a bus or truck in English as they check tire inflation, tread depth, lug nuts and coolants.

The revised policy reverses guidance issued nine years ago, near the end of then-President Barack Obama’s final term, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. In 2016, the agency said drivers whose English skills were found lacking could receive a citation but not be prohibited from working. Before that, the penalty was getting placed on “out-of-service status.”

“We have bridges that get hit because drivers don’t understand the signs on the bridges for things like height clearance,” Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President Todd Spencer said.

Practicing English phrases

In Laredo, a border city where many residents speak a mix of English and Spanish, Maldonado’s association is offering free English classes on weekends to help truckers feel more confident in their ability to communicate.

“Everybody knows what a stop sign looks like,” Maldonado said. “But if there’s construction or if there is an accident five miles down the road, and they have to put up a sign — ‘Caution, must exit now, road closed ahead,’ and you are not able to read that or understand that, that could potentially be a safety issue.”

At Driving Academy in Linden, New Jersey, multilingual instructors teach students how to inspect vehicle parts in their first language and then provide explanations in English, according to founder Jonathan Marques. The school created scripts so students could practice what to say if they’re stopped, he said.

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Students are advised to watch training videos as homework, while licensed truckers can listen to English language apps instead of music when they’re on the road, Marques suggested.

Instructor Paul Cuartas helps students prepare but worries that inspectors will now expect truckers and bus drivers to have perfect English. “I’m concerned because now for all the Spanish people it’s more difficult,” he said.

Castillo, who moved to the U.S. from Ecuador in 1993, said he has no problem understanding English but has been watching videos to study industry terms. “Some words I don’t understand, but I try to learn more English,” he said.

Asked whether he supports the president’s executive order, Castillo said he voted for Trump but doesn’t agree with the president’s push to deport some immigrants who haven’t committed crimes.

“He makes a lot of problems, especially for Hispanic people,” Castillo said.

GTR Trucking School in Detroit also has offered students ESL classes. Co-owner Al Myftiu drove a truck after moving to the U.S. from Albania in 1993. He said he wants to create a small book of phrases that truckers need to learn.

For students with a thick accent, “I tell them, ‘Slow down, speak slowly and people can understand you, and if you don’t understand something, you can ask,’” Myftiu said.

How it will work

Roadside inspections can be initiated over issues such as a faulty brake light or on a routine basis, and often take place at weigh stations.

The guidance directs inspectors who suspect a driver doesn’t understand what they’re saying to administer an English proficiency test, which includes both an interview and a highway traffic sign recognition component.

In the past, some drivers used translation apps to communicate with federal inspectors. The updated policy bars the use of interpreters, smartphones, cue cards or other aids during interviews.

Several truck drivers taking a break at Flying J Travel Center in New Jersey said they support Trump’s order, adding that drivers who heavily rely on translation programs probably wouldn’t be able to read important signs.

“We try to ask them questions about the business just to strike a conversation, … and they’re not able to communicate with us at all,” Kassem Elkhatib, one of the drivers at Flying J, said.

Fear of discrimination

It’s unclear how safety inspectors will decide whether a driver knows enough English because that portion of the instructions was redacted from the guidance distributed by Transportation Department.

The department advised motor carriers that drivers should be able to answer questions about shipping documents, the origin and destination of trips, and how long they’ve been on duty.

A trucker placed out of service and the company they work for are responsible for ensuring a language violation is corrected before the driver hits the highway again, the Transportation Department said.

Truck drivers who practice the Sikh religion already face discrimination in hiring and at loading docks, according to Mannirmal Kaur, federal policy manager for Sikh Coalition, an advocacy group. Now they are worried about inspectors making subjective, non-standardized determinations about which of them are proficient in English, she said.

“A truck driver who does speak English sufficiently to comply with federal standards but maybe they speak with an accent, or maybe they use a different vocabulary that the inspector isn’t used to hearing: Is that person then going to be subject to an English language violation?” Kaur asked. “And under the new policy, are they then going to be designated out-of-service, which could result in unemployment?”

Video journalist Mingson Lau contributed from Carneys Point Township, New Jersey.