Teacher unions spent over $1B on political causes since 2015

A Florida man who has spent nearly half a century on death row was executed by lethal injection on Thursday for the murder of a 13-year-old girl.

James Hitchcock, 70, was convicted of the 1976 murder of Cynthia Driggers, his step-niece, and sentenced to death in 1977.

Hitchcock, who maintains his innocence, was executed at 6:12 pm (2212 GMT) at the Florida state prison in Raiford, the state's Department of Corrections said on its website.

His nearly 50 years on death row made him among the inmates who had spent the most time in prison awaiting execution in the United States.

A second US execution took place on Thursday, in Texas.

James Broadnax, 37, was put to death at 6:47 pm (2347 GMT) by lethal injection for the 2008 robbery and murder of two music producers, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said.

In his last statement, shared by the department, Broadnax said: "No matter what you think about me, Texas got it wrong. I'm innocent."

Ten executions have been carried out in the United States this year -- six in Florida, three in Texas and one in Oklahoma.

There were 47 executions in the country last year, the most since 2009, when 52 people were put to death.

Florida carried out the most executions in 2025, with 19, followed by Alabama, South Carolina and Texas, where there were five each.

Thirty-nine of last year's executions were carried out by lethal injection.

Three were by firing squad and five by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a face mask, causing the prisoner to suffocate.

The use of nitrogen gas as a method of capital punishment has been denounced by United Nations experts as cruel and inhumane.

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others -- California, Oregon and Pennsylvania -- have moratoriums in place.

President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment and has called for an expansion of its use "for the vilest crimes."

The Trump Justice Department said in April that it is seeking to expand the use of the death penalty in federal capital cases and add the firing squad, electrocution and gas as methods of execution.

cl/des/msp/mlm

(The Center Square) – A bill that would allow recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to buy hot rotisserie chicken is one step closer to becoming law. 

On Thursday, the state House voted 384-35 in support of an amendment to the Farm Bill, which would modify the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to law to allow the purchase of hot rotisserie chicken for SNAP beneficiaries. 

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., introduced bipartisan legislation labeled the “Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act,” in the Senate a week ago to change the current statute, which allows SNAP recipients to purchase cooked rotisserie chickens that have been cooled down, but it does not allow the purchase of hot prepared foods.

He took to social media on Thursday evening to celebrate its passage in the U.S. House. 

“Doesn’t only include my crew’s favorite + affordable $4.99 Costco rotisserie — but ANY hot rotisserie,” he said in part of social media post. “Feeding families: a (rotisserie) chicken in every pot.”

SNAP to include HOT ROTISSERIE CHICKEN.384-35! Doesn’t only include my crew’s favorite + affordable $4.99 Costco rotisserie 😜 — but ANY hot rotisserie.Feeding families: a (rotisserie) chicken in every pot. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/N9bNfynRKx

— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) April 30, 2026

Since the 1970s, when most Americans prepared meals from scratch, the hot foods ban has been in place for SNAP. 30% of SNAP recipients cite lack of time as a barrier to cooking, while 15% cite physical disability and 11% cite lack of kitchen equipment, according to a 2021 USDA report.

About 12.3% of U.S. residents receive SNAP benefits, federal data shows. Two million in Pennsylvania, or roughly 15% of the population, use the program, spending more than $350 million monthly across 38,000 stores, some of which depend mostly on these sales to survive.

Fetterman and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo. were joined by West Virginia GOP U.S. Sens. Jim Justice and Shelley Moore Capito in this effort. 

Capito called the bill a “simple, practical step to make the program work better for the people it serves.” 

“SNAP funds would be well spent to feed our nation’s families who need it,” Fetterman said about the proposal. 

Supporters of the proposal argue that rotisserie chickens, prices around $5 a piece at grocery stores, are “unmatched in value, especially when factoring in how much time it saves.”

The bipartisan proposal from Fetterman does not increase funding or participant eligibility for SNAP or include all other hot food. It also only applies to eligible retailers, maintaining that SNAP will not be expanded to restaurants.

About 70% of SNAP participants are children, elderly, or have disabilities, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores.

Fetterman, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, has also backed other efforts addressing SNAP benefits including Bennet’s Hot Food Act, which would allow all hot foods to be eligible under the program, and the Cybersecurity for SNAP Act, which would increase the security of EBT cards to prevent skimming. 

The measure now heads to the Senate for consideration as part of the farm bill, according to The Hill.

Melanie Green aced the par-three 15th hole on the way to a six-under par 66 and a share of the first-round lead in the LPGA Riviera Maya Open in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, on Thursday.

Green, one of 21 rookies in the field, scored six birdies and two bogeys and was tied with veteran Brianna Do, who had seven birdies and a bogey on the El Camaleon Golf Course.

The leaders, both chasing a first LPGA title, were one stroke in front of Spain's Carlota Ciganda while world number one Nelly Korda headlined a group of six players sharing fourth on 68.

Korda, fresh off her third career major title at the Chevron Championship that catapulted her back to the top of the rankings, teed off on 10 and after a birdie at 13 eagled the par-five 18th.

She answered her lone bogey at the second with birdies at the fifth and seventh.

"It was a solid four-under, definitely took advantage of the par-fives," said Korda, who also won the weather-shortened Tournament of Champions to open the season, then strung together three straight runner-up finishes before winning the Chevron for the second time in three years.

Green also teed off on 10 and picked up six strokes in the space of six holes with birdies at 13 and 14, her eagle hole-in-one at 15 and birdies at 17 and 18.

She didn't know her tee shot at the 15th had gone in the cup until she was at the green.

"I was walking up and before I started walking I was like, 'OK, great shot. Phenomenal. Grab the putter,'" Green said. "Then we're walking up, walking up and I'm looking at the green, I'm like, 'there is no ball.'"

When her caddie told her she'd aced it, she said, she told him: "It's not in the hole. That's not nice."

When the truth dawned "I was so excited," she said. "Good bounce."

bb/amz

(The Center Square) - California Thursday officially exceeded an average gas price of $6 a gallon for the first time since the start of the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran.

The new high came just one week after a short-lived drop in the cost of a gallon, according to AAA. Various gas stations in California have been near or at the $6 mark for several weeks, but AAA said the average price was hovering below $6 a gallon. That changed on Thursday when AAA reported an average of $6.01 in California, up 16 cents from one week ago, with Mono County along the Nevada border at $6.95.

At the same time, Nevada saw the average price hit $5.13, up 17 cents from one week ago.

Colorado rose to $4.25, up 29 cents in one week, and Arizona was at $4.67, up six cents from April 23.

Drivers throughout the Southwest are seeing some of the nation's highest prices amid the conflict in Iran, which began Feb. 28. The average U.S. gas price has gone up nearly $1.50 since the start of 2026.

California consistently has had the nation's highest gas average for several years, and that remained the case on Thursday as the entire country deals with spikes in prices during the Mideast conflict.

“It’s a really unpredictable situation the way that things are emerging,” said Patrick De Haan, Gas Buddy head of petroleum analysis 

“A lot of the direction for gas prices is going to be very significantly impacted by the conditions moving forward – whether the Strait [of Hormuz] is closed or reopened," De Haan told The Center Square Thursday. "It’s very hard to predict.”

Despite what AAA called a “bit of relief at the pump” just last week as the average price per gallon neared $4, gas prices have surged once again across the U.S. The average gas price nationally was $4.30 a gallon Thursday, up 27 cents a gallon from one week ago, with WTI Crude oil prices having recently rushed past $100 once again. The result is more uncertainty over gas prices.

“There was an overnight shift of about 11 cents,” AAA Northern California spokesperson Doug Johnson told The Center Square of the first spike earlier this week. “And I think that's the market reacting to the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday saying it would leave OPEC.”

The United Arab Emirates is one of 12 members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, the oil cartel that heavily influences the global price for oil. OPEC says it's one of the world’s largest oil producers.

The fluctuation of prices is "showing destabilization in the oil markets, and anytime there's any sort of destabilization, as we saw in the conflict in Iran, that can have an impact on prices at the pump locally," Johnson said.

There is still some distance to be covered before the national average reaches the all-time high of $5.02 per gallon, set in summer 2022. But four months ago, the average price was $2.82.

“Stable national average to start the year, lowest since 2021,” read the AAA headline at the time. Since then, the average price of a gallon of gas has increased by $1.49.

While less visible to consumers, the biggest impact of the sharp rise in gas prices this year could be felt from the near all-time high price of diesel. 

The current average gallon is $5.50, which was $3.52 in January according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The all-time high of $5.82 was set in the summer of 2022.

Johnson said that two Bay Area California cities, San Francisco and San Rafael, broke an all-time national record earlier this month by breaking $8 for a gallon of diesel.

“The U.S. economy is powered by diesel from trains and trucks to tractors, so the elevated price of diesel is going to impact the economy in a pretty negative way here in the weeks ahead as prices remain just below their all-time record highs,” De Haan said. “This is likely to lead to a rise in inflation here in the months ahead.”

With summer nearly here and Memorial Day on May 25, many Americans are still expected to take road trips and flights despite the higher fuel prices, according to AAA. Along with checking that your car is fully serviced and running smoothly, Johnson said driving speed can have a major impact on fuel efficiency. 

“Fuel economy peaks at around 50 miles per hour on most cars, and then as you start to drive faster, it decreases,” said Johnson. “So if you drive the recommended speed limit, you can actually increase your fuel economy between 7-14%.”

Last year around this time, Georgia joined the ranks of one of the many teams to sweep Mizzou baseball. This time may be different. 

Winless in Southeastern Conference play to that point, the Tigers were under tremendous pressure to finally get a conference win. But in the 2026 campaign, Mizzou already has four conference wins, with the latest coming in the series finale against No. 24 Arkansas last Sunday. 

Go fetch the long ball

The last time Mizzou faced Georgia on the road, the Tigers squeaked out a 6-5 win in the 10th inning of the series finale in 2024. Despite having first-round draft pick Charlie Condon raking for the team that year, Georgia was unranked. 

Currently the Bulldogs sit at No. 5 in D1Baseball's latest poll and are 15-6 in conference play. Their last series features a Game 1 loss to No. 17 Ole Miss on the road. It took 14 innings for Georgia to take Game 2, then the Bulldogs took the series Sunday with a 5-1 victory.

The Bulldogs offense has a strong bite. As a team, Georgia ranks first in the NCAA in home runs with 124 and fifth in hits with 511. 

The team has one the best bats in the conference in Daniel Jackson. He leads the SEC in both batting average (.385) and home runs (23). Tre Phelps sits a few spots behind him on the leaderboard with a .366 average. 

In Georgia's midweek win over Troy, Jackson swatted two home runs and Phelps had two hits, a walk and an RBI. That duo and Brennan Hudson are among the top of the SEC in the OPS category, with Phelps and Hudson checking in at No. 1 and No. 2. 

On the mound for Game 1, Georgia is slated to run out Joey Volchko, who leads the team in innings. Last weekend, he gave up four runs across 5⅔ innings pitched against Ole Miss. His trouble came after walking five batters during his stint. Three consecutive walks were all brought home on a grand slam in the fourth inning. 

Right-hander Dylan Vigue will start Game 2 for the Bulldogs. Despite starting 10 games, he has just 43 innings pitched. He has eclipsed the five inning mark in just two of his starts in SEC play, but has never allowed more than two runs to a conference opponent. He holds a 2.51 earned run average entering the series. 

The starting pitcher for Game 3 for Georgia has not been announced. 

Road warriors

The Tigers upended a 28-game home losing streak in conference play last weekend. Over the last three seasons, nine of their 14 SEC wins have come on the road. 

Mizzou has proved that it can win against the Bulldogs in Athens before, and the team will see if it can add to the win column this weekend. It will depend on if the team is firing on all cylinders.

Often for the Tigers, either the pitching or hitting has a good day. They rarely go together. That is what happened for Saturday's victory over Arkansas last weekend. The Tigers combined for just one run allowed on the mound, and they plated six from the batter's box. 

Both usual starters Josh McDevitt and Brady Kehlenbrink had decent outings on the bump. McDevitt in Game 1 tossed a strong 6⅓ innings, allowing just three runs. Kehlenbrink struggled in Game 2 with four runs crossing across 5⅓ innings pitched. It was Kehlenbrink's final inning that spoiled his appearance. 

Game 3 for the Tigers has been a mixed bag since Javyn Pimental went down with an injury. He was slated to start Game 3 last weekend but was shut down the day before.

In his absence, freshmen Sam Rosand and JD Dohrmann have received the nod on the mound. Dohrmann's last few outings have also been injury-riddled and have seen him get pulled quickly. This was the case last weekend against Arkansas. 

Keyler Gonzalez has stepped up big for the Tigers in recent games. He went five innings against the Razorbacks and six against Missouri State. He was expected to get his first start in the black and gold in a rematch against the Bears, but it was canceled due to weather. He is a candidate to start Game 3. 

The Tigers have been streaky at the plate lately. They have been known to have one or two big innings but be otherwise silent. The offense is very much momentum based. 

Leading the offense with twin batting averages are Jase Woita and Blaize Ward, each hitting .309. The graduate and young freshman have not stopped at the plate lately. They combined for seven hits and two home runs in the series against Arkansas. 

Woita leads the team in nearly every offensive category, with Ward just behind him in many of them. Woita eclipsed double-digit home runs on the season after a solo shot in the series opener against the Razorbacks. He has an OPS of .972 and is tied at No. 11 in the conference in RBI. 

The Tigers will face the Bulldogs in Game 1 at 5 p.m. Friday in Athens, Georgia.

Cameron Young rode a hot putter to an eight-under par 64 on Thursday to take a one-shot first-round lead in the PGA Tour Cadillac Championship.

"I feel like I made a billion feet of putts," said Young, who had eight birdies without a bogey and was rolling them in from on and off the green.

"Every time my ball got near the hole it seemed to want to go in today," he said.

Young was one stroke ahead of three-time major champion Jordan Spieth and fellow American Alex Smalley.

Young, who won the Players championship in March and contended at the Masters before finishing tied for third behind Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, got his round going with a birdie at the second, where he landed his approach inches from the pin.

He rolled in a 41-foot birdie at the fourth and after another short birdie at the fifth made a 28-foot birdie putt from off the green at seven.

Birdies at 10 and 11 were followed by another 25-foot birdie putt from off the green at 15 and after he took a one-shot lead with a birdie at 16 he made a testing six-foot par putt at 17 to maintain the advantage.

"I saw a few go in early and it was just one of those days," Young said. "I just had a really nice feel for the greens today."

Young, who won the first of his two PGA Tour titles to date at the Wyndham Championship in August, has three top-five finishes this year and has climbed to number four in the world.

Spieth holed out for eagle at the eighth to highlight his round. He was eight-under through 15 but made his second bogey of the day at 16.

- Playing the right way -

"It was a very nice start," said Speith, who was seven-under through 11 and said he took advantage early when the breeze was minimal and the greens were soft.

"I don't foresee seven-unders every day," Spieth said. "I knocked a couple putts in from the fringe which is a bonus and the rest of the round I just played really the right way."

Smalley, chasing his first PGA Tour title, had eight birdies and one bogey, seizing his share of second with birdies at 16 and 17.

Canadian Nick Taylor was alone in fourth after a six-under 66, but world number one Scottie Scheffler got off to a disappointing start with three birdies and two bogeys in a one-under 71 that left him seven off the pace.

The $20 million signature event marks the PGA Tour's return to the Blue Monster course at Trump National Doral for the first time since 2016.

The venue had featured on the PGA Tour calendar for more than half a century, hosting a tournament annually from 1962 to 2016 when it staged the World Golf Championships Cadillac Championship.

The tournament was moved after sponsor Cadillac decided not to renew its sponsorship and a replacement could not be found. 

The PGA Tour, which had been sharply critical of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign rhetoric concerning immigrants, relocated the event to Mexico -- prompting a furious reaction from Trump at the time.

Since then Doral had hosted a stop in the breakaway LIV Golf circuit.

bb/amz

Apple said Thursday it had its best-ever start to the year when it came to earnings, with iPhone demand and digital service sales helping it beat expectations.

The pioneering Silicon Valley company reported profit of $29.6 billion on revenue of $111.2 billion in the recently ended quarter.

"Today Apple is proud to report our best March quarter ever," chief executive Tim Cook said in an earnings call, noting revenue hit a record high for the three-month period.

Apple shares dipped slightly after the release but rose nearly four percent on optimism expressed on the earnings call.

During the quarter, iPhone sales grew by double digits in just about every country where it does business, and its services unit reached an all-time high, according to Cook.

The earnings come as Apple prepares for a changing of the guard, with Cook to step down as chief executive late this year.

The future of Apple is being entrusted to a company veteran said to combine hardware brilliance with "the soul of an innovator."

John Ternus, 50, will take over as Apple chief executive in September, with Cook becoming executive chairman of the iPhone maker's board of directors.

"This is the most exciting time in my 25-year career at Apple," Ternus said on the earnings call, declining to disclose details of the company's roadmap.

"There are so many opportunities before us, and I couldn't be more optimistic about what's to come."

A big question will be whether Ternus has "the appetite for the kind of bold, occasionally uncomfortable decisions" that defining an Apple AI platform will require, said IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo.

Legendary Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was known for brutal honesty and unyielding perfectionism that led to culture-changing devices.

Apple celebrates its 50th anniversary this year as artificial intelligence challenges the legendary company to prove it can deliver yet another must-have innovation.

The brand's hit products -- the Mac, iPhone, Apple Watch and iPad -- command a cult-like following, long after the company's humble beginnings on April 1, 1976 in Jobs's garage in Cupertino, California.

One concern haunting investors is that Apple appears to be easing into generative AI while rivals Google, Microsoft and OpenAI race ahead.

A promised upgrade to its Siri digital assistant was delayed in what analysts called a rare stumble for the company.

And rather than relying on its own engineers to overhaul Siri, Apple has turned to Google for AI capability.

But whether built in-house or outsourced, Apple's obsession with user privacy and its premium hardware could position it to drive widespread adoption of personalized AI -- and make it profitable, a goal that has proved elusive for much of the AI industry.

Apple delivered a "standout quarter" even though iPhone revenue came in just shy of expectations, according to Emarketer senior tech analyst Jacob Bourne.

"The question is whether incoming CEO John Ternus can translate this momentum into a credible AI strategy," Bourne said.

"Investors will be watching for clues about how Ternus plans to balance Apple's cautious AI posture with the pressure to define the next consumer device for the AI era."

gc/mlm

(The Center Square) – National teachers unions have spent over $1 billion on political activity and advocacy since 2015, according to a new report by Defending Education.

Both reports, shared with The Center Square, found the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association together directed $669 million in federal political spending and an additional $336 million in state and local spending. 

The total includes member dues, political action committee contributions and Committee on Political Education funds. Teachers’ unions collect COPE and PAC dollars separately from their dues and fees.

Defending Education says the funds were directed to political campaigns, nonprofit advocacy groups, school board races and efforts opposing school choice legislation.

Rhyen Staley, research director at Defending Education, told The Center Square in an exclusive interview that the findings raise concerns about how unions allocate their funds and the impact at the state and local levels. 

“When you tie in money coming from the state and local level and the political game plan of teacher unions, it's just one giant political machine that is trying to take control of everything,” Staley told The Center Square. 

According to the findings, unions and affiliated groups spent approximately $7.2 million opposing school choice initiatives in Kentucky, $4.3 million to repeal similar policies in Nebraska and more than $4.2 million to oppose school choice efforts in Maine.

The report also noted that the unions contributed over $1.3 million to a Los Angeles Unified School District school board race.

Staley said the influence of teachers' unions extends beyond traditional labor concerns, particularly at the local level.  

At the state and local level overall, teachers' unions spent more than $135.8 million, the report found.

“These are proxies for the teachers' union,” Staley added. “These unions are taking lots of money, and they're pouring it into these local groups who are having massive impacts at the local level.”

A majority of public school districts do not reimburse union dues. They are paid by members via payroll deduction from taxpayer-funded salaries.

“If the union is taking their cut regardless if they're a member or not and they're getting that money, especially before a teacher even gets their paycheck, that is taxpayer dollars," Staley said.

Staley added that unions take dues and move them into COPE accounts, which are then funneled into political campaigns.

The report also points to union involvement in broader political and social movements, including activities tied to May Day demonstrations, where some groups promoted student participation in protests related to immigration enforcement. 

Staley said students are being used as “propaganda” for unions to show participation in protests, but “they’re not really engaged.” 

“The teachers' unions are very unique because they are teachers who are directly involved with children, and a lot of this is meant to develop their next generation of political allies,” Staley added. 

The National Education Association, the largest teachers union in the country, has also contributed millions to advocacy organizations, according to the report. Midwest Academy has received more than $1.7 million since 2015.

The Center Square reached out to the NEA and AFT by email and phone for comment, but did not receive a response.

FIFA said Thursday it will review its ticketing strategy for the 2030 World Cup following anger over skyrocketing prices for the 2026 finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Speaking to reporters after the conclusion of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom said high ticket prices for this year's tournament reflected "the reality of the market in North America."

"I will always have understanding for fans and their opinions, but I think there are quite a wide array of ticket prices -- some are cheap, some are more expensive," he said.

"But of course, you know, we listen, we take into the account the comments, and of course, as for every World Cup, we will review and see how we do it for the next one," Grafstrom added.

FIFA has faced searing criticism over soaring ticket prices for this year's World Cup, with fan organization Football Supporters Europe (FSE) branding the pricing structure "extortionate" and a "monumental betrayal" of fans.

FSE last month filed a lawsuit with the European Commission targeting FIFA over "excessive ticket prices" for the tournament.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino insists ticket prices are simply a consequence of the huge demand.

"In the US in particular there is this thing called dynamic pricing, meaning the prices will go up or down", depending on the match in question, Infantino has said.

FIFA's own ticket resale exchange this week showed four tickets on offer for the July 19 World Cup final at MetLife Stadium for an eye-watering $2 million apiece, according to reports.

Other resale platforms commonly show tickets for the World Cup final costing tens of thousands of dollars.

Asked on Thursday if he was concerned that anger over ticket prices would harm the legacy of the 2026 World Cup, Grafstrom pointed out that revenues from the World Cup -- estimated to generate up to $13 billion -- would be pumped back into football.

"I think, you know, the legacy is also what we'll be able to do with the money that it generates," Grafstrom said. 

"This is a true legacy through the (FIFA) Forward program and in order to really develop the game of football in our member associations, and this will have a true impact."

rcw/amz

The Milwaukee Bucks have hired Taylor Jenkins as their new head coach after failing to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016, the NBA team said Thursday. 

The 41-year-old American served as an assistant coach for the Bucks in the 2018-19 season on coach Mike Budenholzer's staff, and more recently spent six seasons as coach of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Jenkins replaces Doc Rivers, who resigned as head coach of the Bucks earlier this month after three seasons at Milwaukee, the final of which concluded with a 32-50 losing record.

Rivers' Bucks had lost twice in the first round of the playoffs before missing the post-season entirely this year.

It is the first time in nine seasons that Milwaukee have not participated in the playoffs.

"Taylor's attention to detail, toughness and communication skills make it clear that he knows how to cultivate a winning culture," Bucks owners Wes Edens, Jimmy and Dee Haslam, and Jamie Dinan said in a statement.

"We are excited to work together toward our collective goal of sustained success and winning championships."

Milwaukee won the NBA championship as recently as 2021, when Greek-Nigerian star Giannis Antetokounmpo earned a second consecutive Most Valuable Player Award.

The move to hire Jenkins comes as the Bucks are trying to convince Antetokounmpo to remain with the club.

Antetokounmpo struggled with injuries and was linked with a mid-season trade before publicly complaining that the team had not allowed him to play. 

amz/bb