By STEVE KARNOWSKI

Minnesota on Tuesday joined a wave of states suing TikTok, alleging the social media giant preys on young people with addictive algorithms that trap them into becoming compulsive consumers of its short videos.

“This isn’t about free speech. I’m sure they’re gonna holler that,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said at a news conference. “It’s actually about deception, manipulation, misrepresentation. This is about a company knowing the dangers, and the dangerous effects of its product, but making and taking no steps to mitigate those harms or inform users of the risks.”

The lawsuit, filed in state court, alleges that TikTok is violating Minnesota laws against deceptive trade practices and consumer fraud. It follows a flurry of lawsuits filed by more than a dozen states last year alleging the popular short-form video app is designed to be addictive to kids and harms their mental health. Minnesota’s case brings the total to about 24 states, Ellison’s office said.

Many of the earlier lawsuits stemmed from a nationwide investigation into TikTok launched in 2022 by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from 14 states into the effects of TikTok on young users’ mental health. Ellison, a Democrat, said Minnesota waited while it did its own investigation.

Sean Padden, a middle-school health teacher in the Roseville Area school district, joined Ellison, saying he has witnessed a correlation between increased TikTok use and an “irrefutable spike in student mental health issues,” including depression, anxiety, anger, lowered self-esteem and a decrease in attention spans as they seek out the quick gratification that its short videos offer.

The lawsuit comes while President Donald Trump is still trying to broker a deal to bring the social media platform, which is owned by China’s ByteDance, under American ownership over concerns about the data security of its 170 million American users. While Trump campaigned on banning TikTok, he also gained more than 15 million followers on the platform since he started sharing videos on it.

No matter who ultimately owns TikTok, Ellison said, it must comply with the law.

TikTok disputed Minnesota’s allegations.

“This lawsuit is based on misleading and inaccurate claims that fail to recognize the robust safety measures TikTok has voluntarily implemented to support the well-being of our community,” company spokesperson Nathaniel Brown said in a statement. “Teen accounts on TikTok come with 50+ features and settings designed to help young people safely express themselves, discover and learn.

“Through our Family Pairing tool, parents can view or customize 20+ content and privacy settings, including screen time, content filters, and our time away feature to pause a teen’s access to our app,” Brown added.

Minnesota is seeking a declaration that TikTok’s practices are deceptive, unfair or unconscionable under state law, a permanent injunction against those practices, and up to $25,000 for each instance in which a Minnesota child has accessed TikTok. Ellison wouldn’t put a total on that but said, “it’s a lot.” He estimated that “hundreds of thousands of Minnesota kids” have TikTok on their devices.

“We’re not trying to shut them down, but we are insisting that they clean up their act,” Ellison said. “There are legitimate uses of products like TikTok. But like all things, they have to be used properly and safely.”

Minnesota is also among dozens of U.S. states that have sued Meta Platforms for allegedly building features into Instagram and Facebook that addict people. The messaging service Snapchat and the gaming platform Roblox are also facing lawsuits by some other states alleging harm to kids.

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By AUDREY McAVOY, Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — Lava shoots high into the sky. Molten rock erupts from two vents simultaneously. The nighttime sky glows red and orange, reflecting the lava oozing across a summit crater.

Scientists expect Kilauea volcano to again gush lava in the coming days for the 31st time since December as the mountain lives up to its identity of one of the world’s most active volcanoes.

A few lucky residents and visitors will have a front row view at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. If the past is a guide, hundreds of thousands more will be watching popular livestreams made possible by three camera angles set up by the U.S. Geological Survey.

FILE – In this image provided the. the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), geologist deployed to the rim look over evening views of lava fountaining from Haleumaumau Crater at the summit of Kilauea volcano inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii., Feb. 11, 2025. ( J. Barnett/U.S. Geological Survey via AP, File)

Whenever she gets word the lava is back, Park Service volunteer Janice Wei hustles to shoot photos and videos of Halemaumau Crater — which Native Hawaiian tradition says is the home to the volcano goddess Pele. She said when the molten rock shoots high like a fountain it sounds like a roaring jet engine or crashing ocean waves. She can feel its heat from over a mile away.

“Every eruption feels like I am sitting in the front row at nature’s most extraordinary show,” Wei said in an email.

Kilauea is on Hawaii Island, the largest of the Hawaiian archipelago. It’s about 200 miles south of the state’s largest city, Honolulu, which is on Oahu.

Here’s what to know about Kilauea’s latest eruption:

Towering fountains of molten rock

A lower magma chamber under Halemaumau Crater is receiving magma directly from the earth’s interior about 5 cubic yards (3.8 cubic meters) per second, said Ken Hon, the scientist-in-charge at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. This blows the chamber up like a balloon and forces magma into an upper chamber. From there, it gets pushed above ground through cracks.

Magma has been using the same pathway to rise to the surface since December, making the initial release and subsequent episodes all part of the same eruption, Hon said.

FILE – This image provided by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) shows two eruptive vents actively fountaining from the floor of Haleumaumau Crater as newly emplaced lava flows exhibit intense heat shimmer and residual glow in some of their cracks at the summit of Kilauea volcano inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii, Feb. 4, 2025. (M. Zoeller/U.S. Geological Survey via AP, File)

Many have featured lava soaring into the air, in some cases more than 1,000 feet. The fountains are generated in part because magma — which holds gasses that are released as it rises — has been traveling to the surface through narrow, pipe-like vents.

The expanding magma supply is capped by heavier magma that had expelled its gas at the end of the prior episode. Eventually enough new magma accumulates to force the degassed magma off, and the magma shoots out like champagne bottle that was shaken before the cork was popped.

This is the fourth time in 200 years that Kilauea has shot lava fountains into the air in repeated episodes. There were more episodes the last time Kilauea followed this pattern: the eruption that began in 1983 started with 44 sessions of shooting fountains. Those were spread out over three years, however. And the fountains emerged in a remote area so few got to watch.

The other two occurred in 1959 and 1969.

Predicting Kilauea’s future

Scientists don’t know how the current eruption will end or how it may change. In 1983, magma built enough pressure that Kilauea opened a vent at a lower elevation and started continuously leaking lava from there rather than periodically shooting out of a higher elevation. The eruption continued in various forms for three decades and only ended in 2018.

Something similar could happen again. Or the current eruption could instead stop at the summit if its magma supply peters out.

FILE – This image provided by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) shows evening views of lava fountaining from Haleumaumau Crater at the summit of Kilauea volcano inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii., Feb. 11, 2025. (M. Patrick/U.S. Geological Survey via AP)

Scientists can estimate a few days or even a week ahead of time when lava is likely to emerge with the help of sensors around the volcano that detect earthquakes and miniscule changes in the angle of the ground, which indicate when magma is inflating or deflating.

“Our job is like being a bunch of ants crawling on an elephant trying to figure out how the elephant works,” Hon said.

The lava fountains have been shorter lately. Steve Lundblad, a University of Hawaii at Hilo geology professor, said the vent may have gotten wider, leaving molten rock less pressurized.

“We’re still gonna have spectacular eruptions,” he said. “They’re just going to be be wider and not as high.”

Carrying stories of Pele

Some people may see lava flows as destructive. But Huihui Kanahele-Mossman, the executive director of the Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation, said lava is a natural resource that hardens into land and forms the foundation for everything on Hawaii Island.

Kanahele-Mossman’s nonprofit is named after her grandmother — the esteemed practitioner of Hawaiian language and culture, and founder of a noted hula halau, or school. Hālau o Kekuhi is celebrated for its mastery of a style of hula rooted in the stories of Pele and her sister, Hiʻiaka.

FILE – This image from video provided by the U.S. Geological Survey shows a lava lake erupting on the west caldera wall of the Kīlauea volcano in Hawaii, on Dec. 23, 2024. (USGS via AP, File)

Kanahele-Mossman has visited the crater a few times since the eruption began. She initially watches in awe and reverence. But then she observes more details so she can go home and compare it to the lava in the centuries-old tales that her school performs. At the crater, she delivers a chant prepared in advance and places offerings. Recently she presented awa, a drink made with kava, and a fern lei.

“You as the dancer, you are the storyteller and you carry that history that was written in those mele forward,” she said, using the Hawaiian word for song. “To be able to actually see that eruption that’s described in the mele, that’s always exciting to us and drives us and motivates us to stay in this tradition.”

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Visiting the volcano

Park visitation has risen all eight months of the year so far, in part because of the eruption. In April, there were 49% more visitors than the same month of 2024.

Park spokesperson Jessica Ferracane noted that the last several episodes have only lasted about 10 to 12 hours. Those wanting to go should sign up for U.S. Geological Survey alert notifications because the eruption could be over before you know it, she said.

She cautioned that visitors should stay on marked trails and overlooks because unstable cliff edges and earth cracks may not be immediately apparent and falling could lead to serious injury or death. People should also keep young children close.

Volcanic gas, glass and ash can also be dangerous. Those visiting at night should bring a flashlight.

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether police officials in Washington, D.C., have falsified crime data, according to a person familiar with the probe who wasn’t authorized to publicly discuss an open investigation.

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The investigation comes amid an escalating — and political — showdown between the Trump administration and the city over control of the police department. It wasn’t immediately clear what federal laws could have been violated by the possible manipulation of crime data.

The mayor’s office declined to comment on the matter.

The New York Times was first to report on the investigation. Earlier this year, a Metropolitan Police Department commander suspected of manipulating crime data was placed on paid administrative leave, NBC Washington reported.

Associated Press writer Matt Brown contributed to this report.

By FABIOLA SANCHEZ, Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. has been deported to Mexico, where he’s wanted for alleged cartel ties, following his arrest in the U.S. for overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application.

Chávez was handed over by authorities and admitted to a prison in the northern state of Sonora, an official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

Chávez, 39, had a warrant for his arrest in Mexico for alleged arms and drug trafficking and ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. Alejandro Gertz Manero, Mexico’s attorney general, said the investigation into Chávez started in 2019.

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The boxer, who is the son of legendary Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez, was arrested July 3 days after his high-profile fight with Jake Paul in California.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said after the arrest she hoped the boxer would be deported to face his charges.

Chávez’s father was a massive celebrity in the 1980s and ’90s who mixed social circles with drug dealers and claimed to have been friends with drug lord Amado Carrillo Fuentes.

The younger Chávez has battled drug addiction for much of his boxing career, failing drug tests, serving suspensions and egregiously missing weight while being widely criticized for his intermittent dedication to the sport.

Chavez won the WBC middleweight title in 2011 and defended it three times. He shared the ring with generational greats Canelo Álvarez and Sergio Martinez, losing to both.

In 2012, he was convicted of drunken driving in Los Angeles and sentenced to 13 days in jail. In January 2024, he was arrested on gun charges. Police said he possessed two AR-style ghost rifles. He was later freed on a $50,000 bond and on condition he went to a residential drug treatment facility. The case is still pending, with Chávez reporting his progress regularly.