By SHAWN CHEN

NEW YORK (AP) — Samsung introduced several updates to its foldable devices lineup on Wednesday, with the new Galaxy Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7, and the new Z Flip 7 FE taking stage at the latest Unpacked event.

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The Korean electronics company unveiled the upgrades — including new versions of their watch — in New York but also announced an expanded partnership with Google to inject more artificial intelligence into its foldable lineup.

Here are the biggest announcements from this summer’s Unpacked event:

A thinner Galaxy Z Fold 7

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is much thinner and lighter than its predecessors, coming in at 0.17 inch thick when unfolded and less than half an inch folded.

The new Galaxy Z Fold 7 is displayed during a Samsung preview event in New York, Monday, July 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

It also weighs slightly less than half a pound, an impressive feat considering the company also increased the total size of the screens from the Fold 6 — now 6.5 inches for the exterior screen and 8 inches for the interior screen.

The battery capacity remains the same as the previous generation. But unlike previous generations of fold devices, this one doesn’t support the company’s digital stylus.

A 200 megapixel camera will act as the main capture and a 10 megapixel camera that extends along the frame of the phone gives users the ability to quickly capture wide shots.

The Fold 7 will retail starting at $1,999. Pre-orders start today, and the device will hit shelves on July 25.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 goes bigger

The flippable cousin of the Fold has an enlarged 4.1-inch top screen and the clamshell folds down to just over half an inch. The inner display grows to 6.9 inches from the Flip 6’s 6.7 inches.

The new Galaxy Z Flip 7 is displayed during a Samsung preview event in New York, Monday, July 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

It gets a slightly bigger 4,300mAh battery and maintains a 50 megapixel main camera and 10 megapixel front camera.

A new, cheaper version of the phone, called the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE was also announced today. It’s a slightly smaller version — keeping the Fold 6’s 6.7 inch screen size — of its premium counterpart.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 will retail for $1,099.99 and the Flip 7 FE starts at $899.99. Pre-orders for both devices began Wednesday and both will be available generally on July 25.

The updated Watch 8 series

The Galaxy Watch Ultra, Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic have all been refreshed with various updates — memory, thickness, design — but the main takeaway from today’s event is that Google’s Gemini AI was being preloaded onto the devices. Users can access the AI by speaking to their watch.

AI permeates all of the devices

Rick Osterloh, Google’s senior vice president of devices and services, appeared in a pre-recorded video at Unpacked to announce that the AI Mode of its search engine will be used in Samsung’s circle to search function, allowing users to make quick queries by tapping or circling things on their screen. And Gemini will receive further integration with base Samsung device apps, like Calendar and Reminders.

By JACK BROOK

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Nearly two months after 10 inmates escaped from a New Orleans jail by crawling through a hole behind a toilet, authorities have recaptured all but the man with the most violent rap sheet: Derrick Groves.

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Following the May 16 jailbreak, law enforcement tracked down three escapees within 24 hours and most of the others within the next few weeks. While some of the fugitives roamed through nightlife hotspots and another made Instagram posts, Groves has so far kept a low profile.

The 28-year-old New Orleans native has the most at stake, authorities say. Last year, a jury convicted Groves of killing two people after he opened fire on a family block party with an assault rifle in what prosecutors said was a feud with rival drug dealers.

Groves faces life imprisonment without parole, but administrative delays have kept him in jail for years rather than a more secure prison facility.

“He’s got nothing to lose,” said Forrest Ladd, an Orleans Parish assistant district attorney who prosecuted Groves. “That’s a dangerous thing from anybody, much less somebody capable of causing mass harm.”

How likely is it Groves will be recaptured?

More than 90% of people who escape from U.S. correctional facilities are recaptured within a year, said Bryce Peterson, adjunct professor of criminal justice at John Jay College.

“The longer you are out there, the more likely you are to stay out,” said Peterson, though he believes Groves will be caught eventually due to the high level of media attention.

Most escapes occur when low-level offenders seize spontaneous opportunities, Peterson said. The New Orleans jailbreak stands out because of its level of “sophistication and pre-planning” and the alleged roles current and former jail employees played in the escape, he added.

How has Groves avoided law enforcement for so long?

Multiple defense attorneys who have worked with Groves described him as intelligent and polite. Prosecutors in his cases say he is violent, manipulative and remorseless.

“He’s the worst human being I’ve ever come across in my life,” said Ladd, the Orleans Parish assistant district attorney. “But he is a very charismatic, and I think that allows him the ability to kind of control people.”

A former jail employee who became Groves’ girlfriend during his incarceration is accused of helping him coordinate the escape in advance by arranging phone calls that avoided the jail’s monitoring system. She is one of at least 16 people — many family members of the escapees — facing charges for providing transport, food, shelter and cash to the fugitives, most of whom stayed within New Orleans.

Several days after the escape, authorities received information that Groves was hiding in the city’s Lower Ninth Ward, the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged neighborhood where he grew up, according to court documents.

State and federal authorities declined to provide details on Groves’ suspected whereabouts. Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Robert Hodges indicated he believes Groves is receiving assistance from friends or family.

“Sometimes we think we are incredibly close,” Hodges said during a June 27 news conference, adding that authorities would arrive at a location to find a fugitive “just moved because they have help.”

There is a $50,000 reward for tips leading to Groves’ recapture.

Mistrust in the criminal justice system

Likely impeding the search for Groves is widespread skepticism toward law enforcement from city residents following decades of abuse, often against the Black community. In 1994, a corrupt police officer ordered the killing of Groves’ grandmother, Kim Groves, after she reported him for beating up a teenager. Her three children settled a federal civil rights lawsuit with the city for $1.5 million in 2018.

“For my family, it’s been like reliving a constant nightmare,” Groves’ aunt, Jasmine Groves, told WDSU, saying the family has been interrogated and remains under law enforcement surveillance. She has urged her nephew to turn himself in.

Groves’ mother and aunt did not respond to The Associated Press’ requests for comment for this story.

In 2014, at the age of 17, Groves was arrested and incarcerated for nearly two years on a charge of attempted second-degree murder for which he was later acquitted by a jury, though his own father had testified against him, according to court records and a prosecutor in the case, Mike Trummel.

Tom Shlosman, Groves’ defense attorney in that case, said that Groves’ prolonged incarceration as a teenager and his grandmother’s murder likely undermined his faith in the criminal justice system. Shlosman remembered Groves as “young and scared.”

“None of that’s going to affect a kid in any positive way,” Shlosman said. “And it’s certainly not going to instill trust in law enforcement.”

A series of killings

Groves, who goes by “Woo,” dropped out of school in ninth grade and sold heroin in the Lower Ninth Ward for years, according to court records. The FBI began monitoring his social media while he was still a teenager, and Groves pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in 2019.

Groves has been in jail since at least 2019, after his involvement in four killings during an 18-month period.

In October 2024, a jury convicted Groves of second-degree murder for using an assault rifle to spray dozens of bullets into a family block party on Mardi Gras, killing 21-year-old Byron Jackson and 26-year-old Jamar Robinson and wounding several others.

Groves later pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges in two separate shootings, according to the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office.

Eyewitnesses in cases involving Groves have been threatened and physically attacked by him, and others were so intimidated they refused to testify against him, according to three current and former prosecutors and court records.

In court, Robinson’s aunt, Janis Robinson, said she had cried every night since her nephew died: “I don’t know how we are going to get through it.”

In response, records show, Groves swore repeatedly at her in court.

Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN

Pharmaceutical giant Merck is buying Verona Pharma, a company that focuses on respiratory diseases, in an approximately $10 billion deal.

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The deal gives Merck access to Verona Pharma’s new chronic obstructive pulmonary disease medication Ohtuvayre. U.S. regulators approved the inhaled medication more than a year ago to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, in adults.

“Ohtuvayre complements and expands our pipeline and portfolio of treatments for cardiopulmonary diseases while delivering near- and long-term growth as well as value for shareholders,” Merck & Co. Inc. Chairman and CEO Robert Davis said in a statement.

Verona CEO David Zaccardelli added that Merck’s commercial reach can help Ohtuvayre reach more COPD patients.

COPD is a progressive disease that can cause shortness of breath, coughing and other problems that make it hard to breathe, according to the National Institutes of Health. It is caused by damage to the airways or other parts of the lung and affects more than 14 million adults in the United States.

Ohtuvayre was launched last August as the first commercial product for London-based Verona Pharma. The drug also is being studied as a possible treatment for another chronic respiratory problem that gets worse over time: non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis.

Merck plans to pay $107 for each Verona Pharma American Depository Share, which represents eight of the company’s ordinary shares.

The deal announced Wednesday has been approved by the boards of both companies and is expected to close in the fourth quarter. But it still needs Verona Pharma shareholder approval and sanction by the High Court of Justice of England and Wales.

Shares of Rahway, New Jersey-based Merck climbed 25 cents to $81.63 before markets opened Wednesday.

AP Health Writer Tom Murphy contributed to this report.

Rob Dillingham’s push for more rotational minutes for the 2025-26 Timberwolves starts Thursday, when Minnesota opens Summer League play against New Orleans in Las Vegas.

The second-year point guard is in line to serve as Minnesota’s backup point guard next season, continuing to lighten veteran Mike Conley’s workload while serving as another potential creator alongside Anthony Edwards.

“We all know we need some point guard minutes,” Timberwolves assistant coach Max Lefevre said.

But there are boxes the Wolves need him to check on both ends of the floor before that ascension can take place.

Offensively, Dillingham possesses a clear burst to put pressure on opposing defenses and the ability to put the ball in the bucket. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch has noted the Wolves need more of that, and Dillingham is one of the few players on the roster who can provide it.

But Minnesota wants to see less flash and more substance. Dillingham’s nifty handle is fun to watch, but it can also lead to some overdribbling that can bog down an offense.

“Once he picks a direction, we kind of want him to go in that direction,” Wolves Summer League coach Kevin Hanson said. “He’s very shifty, obviously, and we want him to play his game. But there are times where he’s just got to go. … Take that next step in maturity, know where your game is going.”

It’s all part of what Minnesota hopes is a simplification of the 20-year-old’s game. Make the right read in a decisive fashion and execute it. Oftentimes, that read will be to get someone else the ball. The Wolves are successful in Mike Conley’s stints because of the structure he provides. Dillingham has to do some of the same, even in just his second season.

Hanson noted Dillingham is a scorer and a facilitator, but Minnesota needs him to veer a bit more toward the latter.

He knows as much.

“If you’re a point guard, you’ve got the ball in your hands … you’ve just got to make the right play when it’s there. Just running the team,” Dillingham said. “Imagine if you’re on the court and you don’t get the ball, you’re running up and down, playing defense, you’re not going to want to play. You can’t just be on the court and not have someone (touch the ball), because they’re not going to want to play defense. You’ve just got to learn to make your team better and feed everybody, honestly.”

It’s easier to do that as your understanding of the game deepens. Lefevre said Dillingham has experienced “a lot of growth” in the past 12 months. That can be evident in Las Vegas, where the young guard struggled at times a year ago.

“I think the game is slowing down a little bit,” Lefevre said. “I’m really excited for Summer League, honestly. … We’ve got a good team, he’s going to have the ball in his hands, he’s going to have good teammates that can do things, he’s not going to have to do everything.

“So kind of him running the show, making those reads at somewhat of an NBA level in Summer League against really good competition, so I’m really excited to see what it looks like. Because he looks good in practice, but seeing that in real minutes is going to be fun, I think.”

Finch also noted Dillingham has to be comfortable hitting catch-and-shoot attempts off the ball, a position he’ll find himself in when playing alongside the likes of Edwards and Julius Randle. He’ll get more opportunities to take such shots starting this week, as Minnesota works Terrence Shannon Jr. into more playmaking spots.

Dillingham’s jumper was inconsistent in his rookie campaign. Finch and Co. would like less leg movement in the jumper, but the guard feels like his shot is in a “solid” spot.

And then there’s the defensive end, which will ultimately decide what Dillingham’s ceiling is now and moving forward in Minnesota. The Timberwolves have a defensive identity that must be leaned into if they’re to contend for championships.

The coaching staff has lauded the effort Dillingham has given that end of the floor early in his career. There’s a lot he must overcome given his lack of size. But that can be achieved with the energy he exerted a year ago along with a sharpening of his attention to detail.

“We want him to defend at a high rate. He can’t be a minus. We want him to be a plus out there,” Hanson said. “Obviously, there were times when he just got out-sized, but he competed, and that’s Step 1. We’ve seen a lot of guys that don’t do that. He was pretty good at chasing, picking the right routes. Picked up a lot of stuff we do. He rebounds well for a small, and he’s got kind of a knack for steals.

“Those are things he can hang his hat on. He’s just got to be a bit more of a nuisance on the ball and be able to get through screens, all that stuff.”

Minnesota has yet to sign another point guard in free agency after it didn’t address the position in the draft. All of that points to a belief that Dillingham can shoulder a legitimate load next season. But that was the same position he was in last summer. And his apparent lack of readiness was at least one factor in Minnesota deciding to add depth via the Karl-Anthony Towns trade to New York.

But opportunity is knocking yet again. Will Dillingham be there Thursday to meet it at the door?

Rob Dillingham celebrates after being drafted eighth overall by the San Antonio Spurs during the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 26, 2024 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

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