Viewers watched Eagan native Eva Erickson experience the highest of highs and lowest of lows on “Survivor 48.”

The first openly autistic player to appear on “Survivor,” Erickson immediately confided in fire captain Joe Hunter, knowing she’d have an ally who could help her in case she got overstimulated and fell into what she called an “episode,” losing control and sobbing uncontrollably.

And that’s what happened in the emotionally charged fifth episode, when she struggled at the immunity challenge and almost lost it for her team. She broke down into tears and moans and, after host Jeff Probst gave him permission, Hunter ran over and embraced Erickson, helping her to calm down and regain her focus. Erickson used the opportunity to tell the entire cast that she was autistic and that wasn’t a negative: “I’ve never viewed my autism as a roadblock to success. It’s not something to work around. It’s just part of who I am. There’s nothing bad about it.”

At a young age, doctors told Erickson’s parents she would never be able to hold a job or live independently as an adult. Erickson graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2022 and was the first and only female player on the school’s hockey team. She’s currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Brown University School of Engineering, where she’s captain of the men’s club hockey team.

In the time since the show started airing, Erickson has used social media to discuss and demystify autism to an ever-growing number of followers. Thanks to a strong alliance she made with Hunter and lawyer Kyle Fraser, she made it all the way to the final three in the finale, which aired Wednesday on CBS and is now streaming on Paramount+.

Erickson ended up taking second place behind Fraser and above Hunter. But she had a huge smile when she discussed her time on “Survivor” during an afternoon Zoom call on Thursday. Here’s what she had to say.

Q: Tell me about your decision to come out as autistic on national television.

A: I mean, for me, it’s part of my life. It’s not something that I hide in real life. It’s just not something that comes up in conversation, right? Like, if anybody asked me, I wouldn’t hide from it, but it was something that going into the game I wasn’t going to advertise, because it’s really just part of who I am. It’s not the defining characteristic.

I knew I was going to need to tell somebody in case (I had an episode). So I told Joe. But then when I had this opportunity to tell everyone, I wanted to do it justice. When Jeff opened the floor for me, I was so proud to share my story and be able to tell what it is like to be someone on the autism spectrum. I was very happy. I was shown so much support by my castmates in that moment. It was really amazing.

Q: That’s one thing that really struck me. You were so open about being autistic and your fellow castaways all supported you, which isn’t always the case in real life.

A: Yeah, yeah. Because there’s been so many times in my life when I have had these episodes, and people have not been willing to learn and understand, to see what’s going on. They’ve looked at me like I was a freak, like something was wrong with me. Like I was crazy, because I’m screaming, I’m out of control, and once I come down from that, sometimes the judgment that I receive is so hard on me. But I was not judged out there. These people, they cared about me.

“Survivor” is a reflection of society, right? It really showed me that we are at a point in society where people are willing to learn and understand, and that is so important when there is so much misinformation about autism. Being able to share my story and tell people about this, and the response I received out there, has been amazing. I’m so grateful.

Q: What was it about Joe that made you decide, hey, this is the guy I’m going to confide in?

A: Like I said, my strategy was that I needed to tell someone I had autism. I was immediately looking for that. When we got to the beach that first day in Fiji, Joe jumped to the top of my list immediately. The second we get off those boats, everybody’s finally able to talk to each other and say where you’re from, what you do for a living, this and that, just the important things about you.

The first, most important thing about Joe is that he wanted to tell everybody how proud he was to be a father. I knew the names of his kids before I knew anything about what he does in his life. He showed such love for his family that I felt that I can really trust this man, that he would be there for me.

Joe Hunter, left, rushes to calm Eagan native Eva Erickson after she breaks down at the immunity challenge on “Survivor 48,” airing Wednesday, March 26, 2025 on CBS. (Robert Voets / CBS)

Q: In the fifth episode, you had a major breakdown and revealed your autism to everyone. I must admit, I’ve watched that scene several times, and I cried every time watching Joe embrace you.

A: Yeah, absolutely, it was a very big, impactful moment. It just shows both his compassion and my strength to get through that together. It was such an amazing moment for so many reasons.

Q: How do you feel about showing America yourself at your most vulnerable?

A: I knew that this might happen. This is something that I face in my real life, and it’s a challenge. I do get overstimulated. I get overwhelmed. I have these episodes and I normally have strategies I can use. But “Survivor” just puts you in these situations that are different than your real life, that are so much more intense.

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I was, like, OK this will probably happen. I’ll be very depleted out there. How am I going to handle this? My family, my parents, were a little worried. They’re, like, are you going to be OK with the world seeing you like this? And I was, like, yes, because I know that it will mean a lot to a lot of people. I didn’t realize how many people until it was really out there. But, you know what? This is part of who I am. We all bring things into the game. We all bring our baggage of our life. I was just bringing this part of me, and I was so proud to show it, and just thankful for the reception that I received. Because it is hard to be that vulnerable. But when you open yourself up and you are vulnerable like that, it changes lives. It certainly changed my life.

Q: You’re a relative newcomer to “Survivor,” correct?

A: Yup, I started watching in college, so only, like, three years ago.

Q: What was it that appealed to you about the show?

A: I’m a competitor, right? I play hockey. I’m definitely an athlete type. I was playing the dumb jock out there, which was my cover, but it was also very strategic. I thought I can use my engineering brain that I don’t get to use playing hockey as much. And then I could also use my athletic side in these challenges. I love to compete and I brought this mesh of those two sides. The component that I discounted when I got onto “Survivor” was the relationship part. That is actually the most impactful part of the game for me, the relationships that I built out there. It’s very cool to see how all those things come together. The game is so unique, there’s nothing like it. So, of course, I was drawn into such a phenomenal competition.

Q: What prompted you to apply?

A: I’d been watching “Survivor” at Georgia Tech with my teammates, and we’d play our own “Survivor” game. We had drinking game challenges and we had alliances and you voted people out. I won the first time I played with them. And they were like, hey, maybe you should apply for the real thing. I was, like, ha, that’d be really funny. But I didn’t apply then. It wasn’t until I came to Brown, where I met my boyfriend. He loves “Survivor.” His entire family has watched every season. They’ve all applied for “Survivor” multiple times. I thought, I bet my new boyfriend would think I was pretty cool if I applied for “Survivor.” So I made my video, and now I’m here. I’m living his dream. He was the one who really got me to go and do it and I wanted to make him think I was cool. I hope he thinks I’m cool now that I actually went on the show.

Q: So you applied once and made it onto the show?

A: Yup.

Q: Wow. So what was the most surprising thing about the experience for you?

The relationships. I really discounted the social game. I did not think that I was going to make these friendships that would change my life. Joe, this amazing man, has shown me what true masculinity is in bringing both an emotional strength as well as physical strength and just being this amazing human. He’s what every man should strive to be, and women too. He’s amazing. And then Kyle, he is like my brother, in that we have a very different relationship than what Joe and I have. Kyle and I are closer in age and closer in our life experiences and the things that we have gone through. I went to his wedding, and that’s the first wedding I cried at. We are very close. These two relationships have shaped my life. I have become a better person because I know these amazing men.

Q: Yeah, I was going to ask you about your post-show relationships.

A: We have a big group message chat with most of the cast, and then I have a smaller, fantastic four group message between Kamilla (Karthigesu), Kyle, Joe and I. I’m very close with those three. Each of them are different relationships, and they have each shown me things about myself that have made me a better person. I strive to be like them in many ways. I’m so thankful for getting to spend so much time with them out there and now meeting their family, their significant others, and them meeting my family.

Eagan native Eva Erickson, left, and Bianca Roses tend to the rice on the second episode of “Survivor 48,” which aired March 5, 2025 on the CBS Television Network. (Robert Voets / CBS)

Q: What was it like to watch the show every week?

A: It was a lot of just stuff, you know? Your brain is packed full of all the stuff from “Survivor,” your own thoughts and personal experiences, your memories, combined with what the edit is showing, which is different than what you experienced. And then the fans, people saying great things about you, people saying horrible things about you, people saying horrible things about your friends. You want to be, like, hey don’t say that about my friend, but you can’t.

I call Kyle every day. We debrief the episode. We talk about our lives and having his support, especially that we are one and two in this game, we are each other’s number one and two, you know? We are here for each other. Joe is harder to get a hold of. I can’t call him every day because he’s saving lives. But the cast supports each other and that allows us to get through the watching experience, because it is a lot of stuff going on in your head.

Eagan native Eva Erickson is one of 18 castaways competing on “Survivor 48,” which premiered Feb. 26, 2025. (Robert Voets / CBS)

Q: Have you connected with “Survivor” contestants from other seasons? I’ve always got the sense it’s like one big family.

A: Yeah, it’s a very cool alumni community. One of my favorite interactions from the finale last night was getting to meet Austin (Li Coon) from “45.” He was the runner up and getting to meet another person who has been in the exact same spot that I am gave me so much relief. I’ve talked to Sam (Phalen, from “Survivor 47”), I’ve talked to Charlie (Davis, from “Survivor 46”). Meeting (others who made second place) has been pretty freaking cool. I’m very grateful that I’ve gotten to connect with them and we can share this experience and know that, hey, the runner-up club is great. Having that support across seasons is so important. And I hope that whoever’s the runner up of “49” can come to me for support, too.

Q: Tell me about using your platform to speak publicly about autism.

A: I didn’t go onto “Survivor” to try to create this platform to speak about autism. It’s just part of my life. But I’ve been given this opportunity from my large following because of “Survivor” and now I am able to speak my mind on this topic that is so important to me. So making videos to speak about how autism has affected me in my life, how it presents itself, what autism is, is helping to educate people and so that they understand. Because my representation of autism is just one version. It is a massive spectrum where everyone has different experiences.

If anyone can connect to part of my story, or can see themselves, see their child, it helps them learn and grow and understand autism better. It helps the community. The world has a lot of misconceptions about autism right now, and it is so important for people like me to share my story so that we can clear those up and help open this conversation and recognize that autism is not something wrong with you, but it is something that is special and unique, and it makes you who you are. It might give you challenges that are different than other people, but it also gives you strength. And I am so glad that I get to use my platform to spread this message.

Q: Would you play the game a second time?

A: In a heartbeat. I’m very proud that I got to the end with this team. I created this team. I told Kyle and Joe that I wanted to be in the final three with them many episodes ago. This is who I want to go to the end of the game with. And I made this team, and my team got to the end, and my team won, but I didn’t win. And I wanted to win. I am so competitive. I want to go back and I want to get a chance to do it again. But first I want to finish my Ph.D.

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Q: How did growing up in Minnesota affect your game?

A: I mean, I grew up outside. I have a cabin in northern Minnesota, in Chippewa National Forest, so I’m used to the woods. Every day out there, I would go collect wood, because at my cabin, me and my dad are always cutting up trees and hauling wood around. So every day, I was gathering wood on the island and feeling close to my family and the stuff I go through back home. It’s a very different environment, but it reminded me of my cabin and reminded me a lot of a lot of home. I went straight to Minnesota after getting back from Fiji, and got to spend time with my family there. So it was nice to get to go home to Minnesota for that.

By MATTHEW DALY, ALEXA ST. JOHN and MATTHEW BROWN

WASHINGTON (AP) — The multitrillion-dollar tax breaks package passed by House Republicans early Thursday would gut clean energy tax credits that Democrats approved three years ago while supporting increased mining, drilling and other traditional energy production.

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A marathon session that began Wednesday resulted in 1,100-plus page legislation that curbs billions of dollars in spending across food assistance, student loans, Medicaid and action to address climate change.

The bill, which now heads to the Senate, repeals or phases out more quickly clean energy tax credits passed in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act during former President Joe Biden’s term. Biden’s climate law has been considered monumental for the clean energy transition, but the House bill effectively renders moot much of the law’s incentives for renewable energy such as wind and solar power.

Clean energy advocates said the bill walks back the largest government investment in clean energy in history.

“In a bid to cut taxes for billionaires and provide a grab bag of goodies to Big Oil, the majority in the House took a sledgehammer to clean energy tax credits and to the protection of our public lands,” said Christy Goldfuss, executive director of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

“These credits are delivering billions of dollars in new investments in homegrown American energy — creating jobs, lowering energy costs and addressing the climate crisis that is fueling floods, fires and heat waves,” Goldfuss said.

President Donald Trump celebrated the bill’s passage, calling it “arguably the most significant piece of Legislation that will ever be signed in the History of our Country.” Trump appealed to the Senate to pass the measure as soon as possible and send it to his desk.

The Senate hopes to wrap up its version by early July. At least four Republican senators, led by Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, have urged continuation of energy tax credits, including support for traditional and renewable energy sources. Republican-led states and Congressional districts have benefited from billions of dollars in clean energy manufacturing investments spurred by the Biden-era subsidies.

Full-scale repeal of current credits “could lead to significant disruptions for the American people and weaken our position as a global energy leader,” the senators said in a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

“A wholesale repeal, or the termination of certain individual credits, would create uncertainty, jeopardizing … job creation in the energy sector and across our broader economy,” the senators wrote in the April 9 letter. The letter was also signed by GOP Sens. John Curtis of Utah, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Jerry Moran of Kansas.

In a win for House moderates and some Western lawmakers, the House bill strips language that would have allowed the sale of hundreds of thousands acres of public lands in Utah and Nevada. Opponents argued the sales would have opened the door for more oil and gas drilling.

What was gutted in the bill

The House bill takes an axe to tax credits for rooftop solar installments and eliminates electric vehicle tax credits after 2025, with a one-year exception for EVs manufactured by automakers that have sold fewer than 200,000 cars that qualified for the credit.

FILE – Ken Honeycutt demonstrates charging his Kia Soul electric vehicle in San Lorenzo, Calif., Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Credits for solar and electric vehicles, which reduce harmful emissions, help to boost demand for the technologies and drive down their cost.

House Republicans also tightened tax credit restrictions for projects associated with foreign entities, including China — an added blow to domestic clean energy expansion since China dominates much of the supply chain.

The bill slashes a three-year phase-down schedule previously proposed, and instead cuts off projects that don’t start construction within 60 days of the bill’s passage. Those projects would also have to start operating before 2029.

“This bill threatens the clean energy industry at a time when it’s proving to be not only economically beneficial — lowering costs, creating jobs and fueling local economies — but also essential to America’s energy future,” said Andrew Reagan, president of Clean Energy for America, an industry group.

The American Petroleum Institute, which represents the oil and gas industry, applauded the bill as a step to “restore American energy dominance.”

“By preserving competitive tax policies, opening lease sales” for oil and gas drilling and advancing permitting reforms, the legislation “is a win for our nation’s energy future,” API President Mike Sommers said in a statement.

No sale of public lands

At the behest of Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke and some other Republicans, lawmakers stripped a provision that would have sold or transferred about 460,000 acres of federal land in Nevada and Utah to local governments or private entities.

The proposal exposed sharp divisions between Western Republicans who say the federal government controls too much of their states and others such as Zinke, a former Interior secretary in Trump’s first term whose state is protective of access to lands for hunting and recreation.

“At the heart of the matter is that public land that’s in the federal estate belongs to everybody,” Zinke told The Associated Press Thursday. “To suggest that you’re going to sell land to pay off the debt, I think that’s misguided and, quite frankly, disingenuous.”

FILE – Then Rep.-elect Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., stands on the East Front of the Capitol after participating in a class photo of newly-elected members of Congress, Nov. 15, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

The land sales had been inserted in the bill following a late-night committee vote, despite earlier pledges from Republican leaders that the sales were off the table.

Supporters said they would generate revenue and ease growth pressures by creating room for more and cheaper housing in booming Western cities such as Las Vegas, Reno, Nevada, and St. George, Utah. Those communities are hemmed in by federal property, which makes up 80% of the land in Nevada and 63% in Utah.

A spokesperson for Nevada Republican Rep. Mark Amodei, who sponsored the bid to sell federal lands in his state, said his office was “exploring all options” to make the transfers happen.

Housing advocates had cautioned federal land is not universally suitable for affordable housing, and some of the parcels to be sold were far from developed areas.

Tracy Stone-Manning, president of the Wilderness Society and a former director of the Bureau of Land Management under Biden, said she appreciated Zinke’s work to prevent the public lands sale.

But she said the bill was still a “big giveaway” to the private sector. “By opening hundreds of millions of acres to drilling, mining and logging to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy, this bill harms the tens of millions of people who like to hike, recreate or find solace in the outdoors,” she said.

Trump targets Biden’s climate policy

At the same time the bill slashes support for clean energy, it paves the way for oil, gas and coal.

Through the bill, natural gas pipeline developers can pay a $10 million fee for expedited permitting, and applicants for a potential liquefied natural gas export site can pay a $1 million fee to be deemed in the “public interest,” circumventing what is usually a regulatory challenge.

St. John reported from Detroit and Brown reported from Billings, Montana.

Read more of AP’s climate coverage at apnews.com/climate-and-environment. 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.

SEATTLE (AP) — Microsoft has fired an employee who interrupted a speech by CEO Satya Nadella to protest the company’s work supplying the Israeli military with technology used for the war in Gaza.

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Software engineer Joe Lopez could be heard shouting at Nadella in the opening minutes Monday of the tech giant’s annual Build developer conference in Seattle before getting escorted out of the room. Lopez later sent a mass email to colleagues disputing the company’s claims about how its Azure cloud computing platform is used in Gaza.

Lopez’s outburst was the first of several pro-Palestinian disruptions at the event that drew thousands of software developers to the Seattle Convention Center. At least three talks by executives were disrupted, the company even briefly cut the audio of one livestreamed event. Protesters also gathered outside the venue.

Microsoft has previously fired employees who protested company events over its work in Israel, including at its 50th anniversary party in April.

Microsoft acknowledged last week that it provided AI services to the Israeli military for the war in Gaza but said it had found no evidence to date that its Azure platform and AI technologies were used to target or harm people in Gaza.

The advocacy group No Azure for Apartheid, led by employees and ex-employees, says Lopez received a termination letter after his Monday protest but couldn’t open it. The group also says the company has blocked internal emails that mention words including “Palestine” and “Gaza.”

Microsoft hasn’t returned emailed requests for comment about its response to this week’s protests. The four-day conference ends Thursday.

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON

The foreign men convicted of crimes who were placed on a deportation flight headed for the chaotic nation of South Sudan were originally from countries as far away as Mexico and Vietnam. They had lived in various places from California to Iowa, Nebraska to Florida, with one serving a sentence of nearly 30 years.

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They were accused and convicted of crimes ranging from murder, to rape, robbery and assault.

Despite their criminal records, a federal judge says the White House violated a court order on deportations to third countries, adding these eight migrants aboard the plane were not given a meaningful opportunity to object that the deportation could put them in danger.

Judge Brian E. Murphy in Boston ordered a new set of interviews with the migrants, either back in the U.S. or abroad. Trump administration officials accused “activist judges” of advocating the release of dangerous criminals.

“No country on Earth wanted to accept them because their crimes are so uniquely monstrous and barbaric,” said Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security.

These are the migrants who were part of the deportation flight.

SOUTH SUDAN: Dian Peter Domach

The only man from South Sudan on the flight was 33-year-old Dian Peter Domach. He was convicted in 2013 of robbery, for which he was sentenced to 8 to 14 years in prison; and of possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person, for which he was sentenced to 6 to 10 years. Those sentences were to be served one after the other. The Department of Homeland Security said Domach was also convicted of driving under the influence.

While in prison, he was convicted of “assault by a confined person” and sentenced to an additional 18 to 20 months. According to the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, Domach was released on “discretionary parole” on May 2 and arrested by immigration authorities six days later.

Records said he represented himself on appeal and in the most recent prison assault case.

LAOS: Thongxay Nilakout

One of the two deportees with life sentences is 48-year-old Thongxay Nilakout from Laos. He was convicted of killing a German tourist and wounding her husband in 1994 when he was 17. The couple was visiting a popular tourist lookout east of Los Angeles during a trip to see their daughter.

Nilakout was sentenced to life in prison but was released in 2023 after his case was reviewed following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said mandatory life sentences for minors were unconstitutional.

He was arrested by immigration authorities in January.

MYANMAR: Kyaw Mya

Kyaw Mya, a man from Myanmar who lived in Iowa, was convicted of sexually abusing a child under 12 years of age and sentenced to 10 years in prison, according to the Department of Homeland Security. He was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in February.

An attorney for Mya did not respond to phone calls seeking comment.

MYANMAR: Nyo Myint

Nyo Myint, another Burmese deportee, lived in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was accused in 2017 of sexually assaulting a 26-year-old woman with “diminished mental capacity” who ended up pregnant. The woman’s sister said the victim had a mental capacity equal to a 3-year-old and that Myint had told her he was the child’s father.

An arrest affidavit filed by the police said Myint admitted to having sex with the woman at least two times, saying he knew her since 2003 and knew she had gone to a school for children with mental disabilities. He admitted he made a mistake and felt it was wrong to have sex with her.

He was given a 12- to 14-year prison sentence in 2020 but released on probation in May 2023. ICE took custody of Myint in February.

Nathan Sohriakoff remembers defending Myint in the Nebraska case and communicating with him via interpreters. He hadn’t heard he was part of the deportee group, which Trump administration officials are calling “barbaric monsters.”

“He was a small man, very petite. He didn’t speak a word of English and didn’t resist the charges,” Sohriakoff said. “I don’t remember feeling like he was dangerous. My general feeling of him was that he was limited in his ability as well, like cognitively, but not to the degree that I felt he was incompetent.”

VIETNAM: Tuan Thanh Phan

The Department of Homeland Security says the flight included a Vietnamese man. Tuan Thanh Phan was convicted of first-degree murder and second-degree assault and sentenced to 22 years in prison. He was arrested by ICE earlier this month.

CUBA: Enrique Arias-Hierro and Jose Manuel Rodriguez-Quiñones

The Department of Homeland Security says the flight included two men from Cuba: Enrique Arias-Hierro and Jose Manuel Rodriguez-Quiñones.

Florida court records show Arias-Hierro, now 46, served 15 years in a state prison after being convicted of robbery, kidnapping and falsely impersonating an officer. Homeland Security officials say he was also convicted of homicide and armed robbery, but the records in Miami-Dade County did not include that.

The attorney who last served as his public defender in 2024 did not respond to an email and phone call seeking comment. Arias-Hierro was taken by ICE earlier this month.

There was no further information immediately available on Rodriguez-Quiñones.

MEXICO: Jesus Munoz-Gutierrez

A Mexican man was also placed on the deportation flight. The Department of Homeland Security says Jesus Munoz-Gutierrez was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

It was unclear why he would be flown to South Sudan or beyond when Mexico is just south of the United States.

Associated Press writer Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to this report.