By CHRIS MEGERIAN and DARLENE SUPERVILLE

WASHINGTON (AP) — The American flag has long flown from a pole on the White House roof, but that’s always been too small for President Donald Trump, who wants everything to be bigger and more beautiful.

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On Wednesday, massive new flagpoles were erected on the North and South Lawns of the White House.

“It’s such a beautiful pole,” Trump said as workers used a crane to install the latest addition to the South Lawn. He returned to the same spot later in the day, saluting as the stars and stripes were hoisted for the first time.

The second pole, on the North Lawn, is close to Pennsylvania Avenue. The two poles are the most notable exterior modification to the White House since Trump returned to the presidency with grand ideas for remaking the building.

He’s already updated the Oval Office, adding gold accents, more portraits and a copy of the Declaration of Independence. Workers have begun paving over the grass in the Rose Garden, and there are plans to construct a new ballroom somewhere on the White House grounds. The changes bring the iconic building more in line with Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private club in Florida.

The president made time to watch one of the flagpole installations despite the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, plus questions of whether the U.S. would become directly involved.

“I love construction,” said Trump, who made his mark as a New York real estate developer. “I know it better than anybody.”

He talked about how the pole went down nine feet deep for stability, and the rope would be contained inside the cylinder, unlike the one at Mar-a-Lago. When the wind blows, “you hear that rope, banging.”

“This is the real deal,” he said. “This is the best you can get. There’s nothing like this.”

With the forecast calling for temperatures in the 90s this weekend, the coolest place in town may well be the Twin Cities Jazz Festival.

What started as a small single day event in downtown Minneapolis 27 years ago has grown into what organizers call one of the largest free civic jazz festivals in the upper Midwest. The family-friendly event has called Mears Park, in St. Paul’s Lowertown neighborhood, home since 2009.

Here’s what you need to know if you’re planning to check out the action.

The main attraction

The festival takes place on Friday and Saturday on two stages at Mears Park.

Friday’s main stage concerts:

4 p.m.: Adi Yeshaya Jazz Orchestra featuring Jennifer Grimm

6 p.m.: Doreen Ketchens’ Jazz New Orleans, which blends classical training with the soul of gospel, blues and jazz

8:30 p.m.: Jazz pianist and composer Emmet Cohen performing with his trio with guests the Four Freshmen

Saturday’s main stage concerts:

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Noon: Youth performances from Walker West Music Academy and MacPhail Center for Music

2 p.m.: Twin Cities fusion band Society of Chemists, led by composer and performer Stephanie Wieseler

4 p.m.: Patty Peterson presents Jazz Women All Stars featuring Peterson and Ginger Commodore backed by a five-piece band

6 p.m.: Drummer L.A. Buckner and Big Homie playing music influenced by gospel, R&B, hip-hop, African rhythm and jazz

8:30 p.m.: Vocalist Catherine Russell performs with pianist and composer Sean Mason, her collaborator on her albums “Send for Me” and “My Ideal”

The Jazz on 5th Street stage features Selby Avenue Brass Band with Thomasina Petrus (5 p.m.) and Las Guaracheras (7:30 p.m.) on Friday and the Avant Garde (3 p.m.), Drums of Navarone (5 p.m.) and Swinging Motown (7:30 p.m.) on Saturday.

What to know about attending

Lawn chairs and blankets are allowed, while coolers are discouraged. Organizers ask attendees to help keep the festival free by purchasing food and beverages at the festival.

Weapons of any kind, illegal drugs, outside alcohol and vendors that support or oppose any political candidate or cause are not allowed.

Most sets are one hour, with headliners performing from 75 to 90 minutes. Music in the park ends each night at 10 p.m.

Mears Park and all other festival venues are wheelchair accessible, as are Lowertown parking ramps. Volunteers and staff are available for assistance.

In case of severe weather, festivalgoers should take shelter and not wait out the storm under a tent. Once the storm passes, the show will go on.

Beyond Mears Park

The Twin Cities Jazz Festival also boasts 18 venues across the Twin Cities with indoor performances, including pre- and post-festival shows. Cover charges may apply at some venues.

For the full schedule, see twincitiesjazzfestival.com. Highlights include:

Thursday: Tina Schlieske (6:15 p.m.) and the New Standards and Friends (8 p.m.) in Mears Park; Pete Whitman and Mississippi (5 p.m.) in Rice Park; and Jazz Unplugged (6 p.m.) at Urban Growler Brewing Company.

Friday: Maryann and the Money Makers (6:30 p.m.) at the Mall of America Rotunda; Jenny Klukken Quartet (4:30 p.m.), Travis Anderson Trio (7 p.m.) and Abinnet Berhanu’s Ahndenet (8:45 p.m.) at the Twin Cities PBS Stage; Trench Size Trio (6 p.m.) at the White Squirrel; and Dorothy Doring and Jon Weber (5 p.m.), Nicholas David (7 p.m.) and Debbie Briggs Vintage Jazz (9 p.m.) at Big River Pizza.

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Saturday: Victoria Temiz with James Allen (9 a.m.) at the St. Paul Farmers’ Market; Siama’s Musical Instrument Petting Zoo (noon) and ArtStart art activity and stilters (2 p.m.) at the Family Zone on 5th Street; Explosion Big Band (4:30 p.m.), Tom Hunter (5 p.m.), Daphna Levy with Adi Yeshaya (6 p.m.) and Joe Pulice Salutes Buddy Rich (7:30 p.m.) at Crooners Supper Club; and a full afternoon of youth performances from noon to 6 p.m. at Walker West Music Academy Youth Stage at Saint City.

Sunday: Peel Me a Grape: Songs by Dave Frishberg with Connie Evingson and Jon Weber (4 p.m.) at Crooners Supper Club; and Leslie Parker and Collaborators (7:30 p.m.) at the Cedar Cultural Center.

If you can’t make it

Jazz88 will stream the festival live at 88.5 FM and online at jazz88.fm.

By TIM REYNOLDS

The Buss family has agreed to sell the controlling stake of the Los Angeles Lakers to TWG Global CEO Mark Walter, doing so with a franchise valuation of $10 billion — the most ever for a professional sports franchise, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Wednesday.

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As part of the deal, Jeanie Buss — whose family has had control of the Lakers since her father bought the team in 1979 — intends to remain as team governor, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither side immediately announced details.

It is not clear how much more of the Lakers that Walter is acquiring. He was part of a group that bought 27% of the Lakers in 2021.

Walter and TWG Global already had the controlling interest in the Los Angeles Dodgers, Premier League club Chelsea, the Professional Women’s Hockey League, and — through TWG Motorsports — owns several auto racing teams including Cadillac Formula 1.

FILE – Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter, right, talks with manager Don Mattingly prior to their baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Sept. 3, 2012, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

ESPN first reported the agreement.

The agreement for the sale of the Lakers comes about three months after Bill Chisholm agreed to buy the Boston Celtics with an initial valuation of $6.1 billion — that topping the previous mark of $6.05 billion sale for the NFL’s Washington Commanders.

And now, $10 billion — not just a record, but a total smashing of the previous mark.

The Lakers have been in the control of the Buss family for 46 years, the longest of any current NBA franchise. Herb Simon bought the Indiana Pacers — currently in the NBA Finals — in 1983, the second-longest current ownership of an NBA club.

Jerry Buss bought the Lakers for $67.5 million and left the club to his family when he died.

The franchise has won 17 championships, second-most in NBA history, and has seen some of the game’s most storied players wear its uniform — Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, George Mikan, Elgin Baylor, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and NBA all-time points leader LeBron James just some of the icons who have played for the Lakers.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

By RUSS BYNUM

U.S. immigration authorities said Wednesday they have detained a Spanish-language journalist, who will face deportation proceedings following his arrest on charges of obstructing police and unlawful assembly while covering a weekend protest outside Atlanta.

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Mario Guevara was turned over by police to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody three days after he was jailed in DeKalb County, agency spokesman Lindsay Williams said in an emailed statement. His case now goes to immigration court to determine whether Guevara, a native of El Salvador, can remain in the U.S.

His attorney, Giovanni Diaz, has said that Guevara was doing his job and committed no crime when police arrested him. He also says Guevara has legal authorization to live and work in the U.S., and has a pending application for permanent residency. Diaz did not immediately return phone and email messages Wednesday.

Guevara fled El Salvador two decades ago and built a large following as an independent journalist covering immigration in the Atlanta area. He was livestreaming video on social media Saturday from a DeKalb County rally protesting President Donald Trump’s administration when local police arrested him.

“I’m a member of the media, officer,” Guevara tells a police officer right before he’s arrested. The video shows Guevara wearing a bright red shirt under a protective vest with “PRESS” printed across his chest.

Police tell Spanish-language reporter Mario Guevara to move back during a protest on ICE raids and deportation arrests on Chamblee Tucker Road in Atlanta on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

DeKalb County officials have said at least eight people were arrested during the Saturday demonstration, with police using tear gas to turn away protesters marching toward an interstate onramp. Guevara’s video shows him standing on a sidewalk with other journalists, with no sign of big crowds or confrontations around him, right before he’s arrested.

Jail records show Guevara was charged with obstructing police, unlawful assembly and improperly entering a roadway.

The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned Guevara’s arrest and detention by ICE.

“His ongoing detention signals a frightening erosion of press freedom in the U.S.,” Katherine Jacobsen, the group’s U.S. program coordinator, said in a statement.

ICE’s statement did not say why Guevara was being detained or where he would be held. Williams did not immediately respond to an email message asking those questions.

Guevara fled El Salvador with his family in 2004, saying he was beaten and repeatedly harassed because of his work as a political reporter for the newspaper La Prensa Grafica. They immigrated to Georgia, where Guevara worked as a reporter for Georgia’s largest Spanish-language newspaper, Mundo Hispanico, before launching his own online news site, MGNews.

Giovanni Diaz, center, alongside Zacharias Gaeta and Katherine Guevara, speaks during a press conference about the status of Mario Guevara, a metro Atlanta-based Spanish-language reporter from MGNews, addressing his situation following his arrest while covering an immigration rally, Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Smyrna, Ga. (Miguel Martinez/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

An immigration judge in 2012 denied Guevara’s application for asylum and ordered him and his family to leave the country. However, ICE worked with Guevara’s lawyer to close his case without deporting anyone. Diaz said it was resolved with Guevara receiving authorization to continue working in the U.S.

Diaz has said Guevara has a strong case to remain in the U.S., though the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown has left the journalist’s family worried.

“Under this administration, we don’t know what that means for us,” Guevara’s adult daughter, Katherine Guevara, said during a Tuesday news conference. “Temporary legal status may not mean anything.”

Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia.