Lake Superior lighthouse back on the market after deal falls through

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SUPERIOR, Wis. — A historic landmark on Wisconsin Point is once again seeking a caretaker. The Superior Entry Lighthouse, built in 1913, is being offered at no cost to government agencies, nonprofits or educational groups.

The city of Superior won’t be in the running.

“I don’t know a lot about the interior of the lighthouse or any terms of its sale, but I don’t think the city is currently interested in operating it,” said Superior Mayor Jim Paine. “While I want to see it preserved, and it would be fun to create some public access, it looks like a fairly substantial project and we’d have a tough time managing it right now. If the state or federal government provided some assistance to repair and operate the lighthouse, we would certainly consider it. For now, however, I think we’ll just wait and see what happens.”

The building has been on and off the market for more than a decade. The search for a caretaker began in 2013, when the lighthouse was offered for free to government agencies and nonprofits. There were no takers for the 100-year-old building. The property went up for public auction in 2019. It was purchased by tech executive Steven Broudy of San Francisco with a high bid of $159,000.

The U.S. General Services Administration reissued its call for a nonprofit or government agency to take over the lighthouse on June 3. According to Minnesota Public Radio News, the limitations on what could be done with the property played a role in Broudy’s decision to return the lighthouse to the government.

The 56-foot-tall lighthouse encompasses five stories — a basement, a two-story main area with living quarters and a light tower surmounted by a lantern. The light would continue to serve as an active navigation aid and remain the property of the U.S. Coast Guard, which will maintain an easement to service it.

Because the lighthouse sits at the end of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers breakwater, a lease from the corps would be required to determine what can and can’t be transported to the structure, as well.

Eligible entities have until Aug. 5 to submit a letter of intent for the lighthouse.

Offering the Wisconsin Point icon to nonprofits is the first step in the process of disposing of a lighthouse under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. If no eligible entity comes forward, the property will be put up for sale to the general public.

Rethos, a St. Paul-based historic preservation nonprofit, was awarded the Duluth Harbor North Pier Light by the National Park Service in 2023 . The group planned to install interpretive signs and open the 43-foot-tall structure for tours.

Visit the GSA property disposition site or the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act page of the National Park Service for more information.

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Wild trade prospect Adam Beckman for AHL all-star Graeme Clarke

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The Wild have acquired Graeme Clarke from New Jersey in a swap of prospects, sending forward Adam Beckman to the Devils. Both were third-round picks in the 2019 entry draft and are restricted free agents.

An American Hockey League all-star last season, Clarke, 23, scored 25 goals among 49 points, plus eight game-winning goals, in 67 games with the Utica Comets in 2023-24.

The Waconia, Minn., native played three games with the Devils last season. He didn’t register a point. He led the Comets in goals, game-winning goals, shots (202) and tied for third with four power-play goals.

Beckman, 23, played in 11 games with Minnesota last season and recorded two assists. In four seasons with the Wild’s AHL club in Des Moines, he had 57 goals and 108 points. In 23 career NHL games, he had three assists.

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How Biden and Trump are taking very different approaches to preparing for next week’s debate

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By STEVE PEOPLES (AP National Political Writer)

NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden begins an intense period of private preparations Friday at Camp David for what may be the most consequential presidential debate in decades.

The 81-year-old Democrat’s team is aware he cannot afford an underwhelming performance when he faces Republican rival Donald Trump for 90 minutes on live television June 27. Biden’s team expects aggressive attacks on his physical and mental strength, his record on the economy and immigration and even his family.

Trump, 78 and ever confident, will stay on the campaign trail before going to his Florida estate next week for two days of private meetings as part of an informal prep process.

The ex-president’s allies are pushing him to stay focused on his governing plans but expect him to be tested by pointed questions about his unrelenting focus on election fraud, his role in the erosion of abortion rights and his unprecedented legal baggage.

The CNN debate will be full of firsts, with the potential to reshape the presidential race. Never before in the modern era have two presumptive nominees met on the debate stage so early in the general election season. Never before have two White House contenders faced off at such advanced ages, with widespread questions about their readiness.

And never before has a general election debate participant been saddled with a felony conviction. The debate stage meeting comes just two weeks before Trump is scheduled to be sentenced on 34 felony counts in his New York hush money trial.

“You can argue this will be the most important debate, at least in my lifetime,” said Democratic strategist Jim Messina, a 54-year-old who managed President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign.

The ground rules for the June 27 debate, the first of two scheduled meetings, are unusual.

The candidates agreed to meet at a CNN studio in Atlanta with no audience. Each candidate’s microphone will be muted, except when it’s his turn to speak. No props or prewritten notes will be allowed onstage. The candidates will be given only a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water.

There will be no opening statements. A coin flip determined Biden would stand at the podium to the viewer’s right, while Trump would deliver the final closing statement.

The next debate won’t be until September. Any stumbles June 27 will be hard to erase or replace quickly.

Biden arrived at Camp David on Thursday night and is expected to hunker down with senior campaign aides until the debate. While traveling to the mountainside retreat, he gave a thumbs up to reporters when asked how debate prep was going.

The president’s aides have been reluctant to share details about his preparations, run by former chief of staff Ron Klain. But they’ve signaled he’s preparing to be aggressive and wouldn’t shy away from using the term “convicted felon” to describe his opponent.

One adviser not authorized to speak publicly about debate strategy noted Biden has been increasingly punchier in recent remarks about Trump and plans to carry that theme through to the debate. That’s still while trying to project himself as “the wise and steady leader” in contrast with Trump, the adviser said.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fails to qualify for CNN’s debate. It’ll be a showdown between Biden and Trump.

Among some political operatives, there’s the sense Biden may have more to lose given his struggle to generate momentum amid signs of weakness within his political coalition. Trump and his allies have set an extraordinarily low bar, however, by suggesting for months Biden is contending with serious physical limitations that make it difficult for him to stand for 90 minutes or string together two sentences.

“It’s like the mirror test. Put a mirror under Biden’s nose, and if it fogs it up, he wins, right? That’s about what the threshold is for Biden,” Republican strategist and Trump ally David Urban said with a laugh. “Can Biden demonstrate that he’s mentally nimble? That’s the big question.”

Yet Trump sought to shift expectations in a Thursday interview with the “The All-In Podcast” in which he veered sharply away from his typical Biden taunts. He said Biden “destroyed” vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan in their 2012 debate.

“I assume he’s going to be somebody that will be a worthy debater,” Trump said of Biden. “I don’t want to underestimate him.”

Biden’s aides have dismissed concerns about his age and mental readiness. They’re fighting against what they allege is deceptive editing of video clips to suggest he’s confused.

But while some Democrats project confidence, Biden’s allies also say he has spent much of the last two weeks traveling — in Europe and on the West Coast — limiting his ability to prepare. Others note incumbent presidents typically struggle in the season’s opening general election debate.

Messina made both points even as he sought to play up the political stakes for Trump. He suggested Trump was taking an unnecessary political risk by debating Biden.

“I wouldn’t have done the debate if I was him,” Messina said of Trump. The strategist added, “Why would you want to give him this air? He decided he wanted to do this to knock him out, and if he doesn’t, then I think he’s in real trouble.”

Trump’s team sees the faceoff as an opportunity to demonstrate a clear contrast with Biden’s leadership ability and governing record.

And while downplaying his preparations, Trump aides have a pattern of insisting he doesn’t prepare for debates when, in fact, he does — in his own way. Instead of mock debates with lecterns and stand-ins or hours spent poring over policy books, the ex-president is expected to rely on a series of conversations about policy and strategy with aides and political allies.

Trump will also make public appearances over the coming days.

On Saturday, he’s set to host a rally in Philadelphia and deliver a keynote address to a conference of Christian conservatives in Washington. He also has a fundraiser in New Orleans on Monday before going to his Florida estate for meetings.

“Biden needs rehearsals with handlers to find some way to explain this mess he’s made of our nation,” Trump spokesman Brian Hughes said. “President Trump is always prepared to present to Americans his record of success and Biden’s weakness and failures.”

Biden’s camp is aware Trump will likely focus on his son Hunter, as the then-president did on the debate stage four years ago. Hunter Biden was recently convicted on three felony charges related to the purchase of a gun while allegedly being addicted to drugs. Republicans have also criticized Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings when Joe Biden was vice president.

Biden’s allies are also concerned, however, their famously combative rival might be on good behavior.

“For both campaigns, the goal here is reaching an audience of moderate, independent, swing voters in swing states who will, in many ways, be the deciding factor in this election,” said former Biden administration official Bill Russo.

“Trump has kind of a golden opportunity here. If he can pretend that he’s a reasonable human being for 90 minutes while he’s in the spotlight, he’s got a lot to gain,” Russo added. “The real key here is which Trump shows up.”

Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price and Jill Colvin in New York and Seung Min Kim, Zeke Miller and Will Weissert in Washington contributed.

FDA OKs first menthol e-cigarettes, citing potential to help adult smokers

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By MATTHEW PERRONE (AP Health Writer)

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized the first menthol-flavored electronic cigarettes for adult smokers, the government’s strongest indication yet that vaping flavors can reduce the harms of traditional tobacco smoking.

The FDA said it authorized four menthol e-cigarettes from NJOY, the vaping brand recently acquired by tobacco giant Altria, which also makes Marlboro cigarettes.

The decision lends new credibility to vaping companies’ longstanding argument that their products can help blunt the toll of smoking, which is blamed for 480,000 U.S. deaths annually due to cancer, lung disease and heart disease.

But parent groups and anti-tobacco advocates are certain to be disappointed by the decision after years of pushing against the availability of flavors like menthol, which are more popular with teens.

All the e-cigarettes previously authorized by the FDA have been tobacco flavored, which isn’t widely used by young people who vape.

Altria’s data showed NJOY e-cigarettes helped smokers reduce their exposure to the harmful chemicals in traditional cigarettes, the FDA said. The agency stressed the products are neither safe nor “FDA approved,” and that people who don’t smoke shouldn’t use them.

Friday’s action is part of a sweeping FDA review intended to bring scientific scrutiny to the multibillion-dollar vaping market after years of regulatory delays. Currently the U.S. market includes thousands of fruit and candy flavored vapes that are technically illegal but have gone unregulated.

The FDA faces a court deadline at the end of this month to wrap up its yearslong review of major vaping brands, including rivals like Juul and Vuse.

All of those brands have been sold in the U.S. for years, awaiting FDA action on their scientific applications. To stay on the market, companies must show that their products provide an overall health benefit for smokers, without significantly appealing to kids.

“Based upon our rigorous scientific review, in this instance, the strength of evidence of benefits to adult smokers from completely switching to a less harmful product was sufficient to outweigh the risks to youth,” said Matthew Farrelly of FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.