By SEAN MURPHY

An Arkansas man accused of killing his teenage daughter’s alleged abuser won the Republican nomination for local sheriff while waiting to stand trial for murder in his rural county, where he ran on a message of seeing the failures of law enforcement.

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Aaron Spencer defeated Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley in Tuesday’s primary elections, according to unofficial results posted by the Arkansas secretary of state. He would not be able to serve if he is convicted of killing Michael Fosler, 67, who at the time was out on bond after being charged with numerous sexual offenses against Spencer’s then-13-year-old daughter.

Spencer’s attorneys do not deny that he shot and killed Fosler but maintain he acted within the law to protect his child from a predator.

Spencer won more than 53% of the vote with all precincts reporting, according to unofficial results. Staley, whose department arrested Spencer in 2024, conceded the loss.

“Congratulations to Mr. Spencer. Tonight the voters made their decision in the Republican Primary, and I respect the decision,” Staley said in a statement posted on Facebook.

Spencer said in a statement that his message of accountability resonated with voters.

“Tonight, the people of Lonoke County stood up and chose transparency and accountability,” Spencer said. “This wasn’t a campaign about me. It was about every family who called for help and got nothing. That betrayal ends tonight.”

He is now set to face Democrat Brian Mitchell Sr. in the heavily Republican county in November.

Spencer has pleaded not guilty and is out on bond while awaiting trial, which was originally scheduled to start in January. The trial was delayed after the presiding judge was removed from the case. A new date has not been set.

Court documents show that on the night of the October 2024 shooting, Spencer woke up to find his daughter missing from her bedroom and went searching for her in his truck. He found the girl in the passenger seat of a vehicle Fosler was driving. Spencer eventually forced Fosler’s truck off the highway and, after an altercation, called 911 to report he had shot the man, records show.

Prosecutors argue Spencer had planned to kill Fosler even before that night and that he could have called police while pursuing Fosler.

Spencer’s attorney, Erin Cassinelli, wrote in an email to The Associated Press that the election results have no bearing on the facts of the case.

“Aaron Spencer did exactly what the law allows and exactly what any father would do: he protected his daughter and himself from harm,” Cassinelli said. “At some point, those responsible for this prosecution will have to reckon with that.”

Spencer pledged in a Facebook post last month that if elected he would establish a dedicated team to combat sex crimes against children.

By JIM VERTUNO and SEAN MURPHY

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas judge is hearing evidence Wednesday on whether the youth camp where 25 girls and two counselors were killed in catastrophic floods last year should remain closed while a lawsuit filed by one of the girls’ families is pending.

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The family of 8-year-old Cile Steward, who was swept away during the flooding and whose body still has not been recovered, has asked a Travis County judge to prevent Camp Mystic’s owners from reopening the camp and to halt any construction while the lawsuit is pending. Their request for a temporary injunction maintains that any changes at the camp could destroy evidence needed for their lawsuit.

“It now falls to this Court to protect the public, plaintiffs’ search for answers, and the evidence at the Camp Mystic site,” the attorneys wrote.

The camp’s decision last year to partially open and to construct a memorial on the grounds drew outrage from many of the girls’ families who are mourning their loved ones and who said they weren’t consulted on the plans.

“We call on Camp Mystic to halt all discussions of reopening and memorials,” CiCi and Will Steward wrote to Camp Mystic officials after the camp’s decision was announced.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has asked Texas regulators not to renew the license for Camp Mystic while the deaths are being investigated and cited legislative probes that are expected to begin in the spring.

Families of several of the girls who died have sued the camp’s operators, arguing that camp officials failed to take necessary steps to protect the campers as life-threatening floodwaters approached.

Attorneys for Camp Mystic have expressed sympathy toward the girls’ families but maintained there was little they could have done during the catastrophic flooding that quickly overcame the camp.

“Nobody had every seen a prior flood anything like we saw in 2025,” said Mikal Watts, an attorney for Camp Mystic and its family of owners.

Murphy reported from Oklahoma City.

Taylor Rogers knew he wanted to return to Minnesota, to the organization that gave him his start in professional baseball. So when Derek Shelton was hired as Twins manager a month into the offseason, the veteran southpaw thought to himself, “Ah, even better.”

Shortly thereafter, the Twins added LaTroy Hawkins to the coaching staff, and Rogers was more than sold on the idea of coming back.

The Twins didn’t express their interest quite as quick. But once they did, a deal came together quickly to bring the reliever back on a one-year deal.

The version of Rogers that’s returning isn’t the same as the one who was shipped away just before Opening Day in 2022.

“I just think I’m different like anybody from their 20s to their 30s,” said Rogers, now 35.

Before the surprising trade, Rogers was a hard-throwing closer who had converted 30 in 2019 and was coming off an all-star season that was cut short by a finger injury.

He has since bounced around, with stops in San Diego, Milwaukee, San Francisco (where he got to play with his twin brother, Tyler), Cincinnati and Chicago. He has lost some velocity as he has aged, but he gained some veteran know-how along the way.

“I think it’s realizing that day if it’s ripping pretty good, you’re like ‘Alright, I can kind of be like my old self,’ ” Rogers said. “If it’s just not coming out as good, then you know it quicker and adjust like that. You’ve got to be more flexible to the day to day instead of just knowing what you’re going to be like.”

As he navigates a different stage in his career, Rogers, who finished last year with a 3.38 earned-run average across 50 2/3 innings, has someone beside him now that has been there, done that. Hawkins, the Twins’ new bullpen coach, has 21 years of major league experience and appeared in 1,042 career games, putting him 10th in all-time games pitched. Put simply, he got the most out of his career.

“I don’t want to get his head too big, but it’s kind of like getting to talk to Warren Buffett,” Rogers said. “He has done it for so long and was so successful. It’s just like I just want to see it, the day to day.”

As one of the veteran arms with closing experience — non-roster invite Liam Hendriks also has plenty of late-game experience — the Twins seem likely to rely upon Rogers early, though when they signed him, they didn’t discuss a role with him. That’s just how he wanted it.

“The conversation was ‘It’s much too early to know.’ And I agree with that,” Rogers said .”I think you’ve got to earn your spot. Even if you have a roster spot, you have to earn your spot within that.”

Twins make cuts

The Twins made a round of cuts Wednesday, reassigning six players to minor league camp. The group includes a pair of catchers — Andrew Cossetti and Ricardo Olivar — pitchers Andrew Bash, Raul Brito and Christian MacLeod, and outfielder Walker Jenkins, the Twins’ top prospect.

Jenkins’ stay in major league camp was cut short because of a hamstring strain sustained while running the bases Saturday. The 2023 first-round draft pick was limited by injuries in each of the past two springs, as well. He hasn’t played in more than 84 games as a professional because of injuries. But in between those, he has risen quickly through the minor leagues.

Jenkins hit .286 with a .850 OPS last season, reaching Triple-A at just 20 years old. While he wasn’t expected to break camp with the major league team, it’s certainly possible he could force the issue at some point later in the season. The Twins now have 59 active players remaining in major league camp.

Ryan update

Joe Ryan threw live batting practice Wednesday to some of his teammates, another step in the right direction for the starter who was slowed early in camp by back inflammation. Should all continue to go well, Ryan is likely to appear in a spring training game soon.

Because of his back, Ryan is not pitching for the United States in World Baseball Classic pool play, but he is part of the designated pitcher pool and could potentially join the roster at a later point. Team USA, which features Twins center fielder Byron Buxton, will kick off WBC play on Friday against Brazil (7 p.m., KMSP Ch. 9).

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By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has formally nominated Kevin Warsh, a former top Federal Reserve official, to be the next Fed chair when Jerome Powell’s term ends in two months.

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Warsh’s nomination, which was initially announced Jan. 30, was forwarded to the Senate Wednesday, where it will be taken up by the Senate Banking Committee.

Yet the nomination could stall there. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican on the committee, has said he will oppose confirming Warsh until a criminal investigation into Powell is resolved. Powell revealed Jan. 11 that the Justice Department had subpoenaed the Fed over Powell’s Senate testimony last June about the central bank’s $2.5 billion building renovation project.

Tillis said last month that the committee could hold a hearing about Warsh’s nomination, but he would vote to block confirmation. If all Democrats on the committee voted against Warsh as well, the nomination wouldn’t pass out of the committee to the full Senate.

Warsh has harshly criticized the Fed’s policies in recent years, including its low interest rate policies coming out of the pandemic, which he says contributed to the United States’ largest inflation spike in four decades in 2021-2022.

Yet Warsh now has echoed President Donald Trump’s demands for lower rates. Warsh says that productivity gains from artificial intelligence will help the economy grow more quickly without spurring inflation, enabling the Fed to reduce borrowing costs. Many Fed officials, however, disagree that AI’s development will support rate cuts.