PORTSMOUTH — On the same day he was acquitted of charges accusing him of causing a robbery suspect’s death, a former Portsmouth police officer was indicted on new allegations.

The news of the latest grand jury indictment filed Thursday against retired officer Vincent McClean came shortly after he was acquitted of manslaughter charges in Portsmouth Circuit Court. It took a jury just 14 minutes Thursday to decide he wasn’t responsible for the 2018 death of Willie Marable III.

McClean, 56, smiled and hugged his attorneys after the verdict was read, while Marable’s mother solemnly walked out of the courtroom.

“I’m just glad it’s over,” McClean told reporters as he stood outside Portsmouth Circuit Court with defense attorneys Michael Massie, Nathan Chapman and Don Scott.

Shortly after that, the attorneys heard another indictment had been issued, but they hadn’t yet received information about it Thursday. Tamara Shewmake, a spokesperson for the Portsmouth Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, confirmed McClean has been indicted again, but declined to say what the charges were or provide any other details about the case.

WVEC-TV reported the new charge was for voluntary manslaughter, the same count McClean had faced at trial this week. The station also reported the charges were related to the death of Carmeita VanGilder, a 28-year-old pregnant woman who died while in police custody.

According to a 2020 lawsuit filed by VanGilder’s parents, she was arrested in December 2018 on outstanding warrants. VanGilder had several aerosol cans in her purse, indicating she was involved in the dangerous practice of huffing inhalants, the lawsuit said. She threw up in the police car and at the station, told the officers she was pregnant, and begged for help but wasn’t given any until another inmate intervened on her behalf, the suit claimed. She became unresponsive and went into cardiac arrest.

The lawsuit was filed against several officers, but only identified one and referred to the rest as John and Jane Doe. McClean wasn’t named in the filing.

It wasn’t clear Thursday if any other officers were also indicted.

In his trial that ended Thursday, prosecutors alleged McClean intentionally failed to render aid to Marable after Marable was shot by another officer and taken into custody. They also argued Marable might have survived his injuries if McClean had done more to help him.

The incident occurred May 13, 2018, at an apartment complex on Navajo Trail after police were called there for a report of an armed robbery. McClean and his partner, Officer Timothy Tanner, were the first to get to Marable after he was shot.

Body camera video of what happened next was played for the jury. While McClean kept a gun pointed at Marable, his partner handcuffed the suspect. McClean then called for an ambulance. When another officer asked McClean what they should do about the suspect’s injuries, McClean responded, “As long as he’s breathing, he’s good.”

Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Haille Hogfeldt argued McClean had a duty to render aid to Marable while waiting for paramedics, and should have checked his injuries so he could determine if there was anything he could do to treat them. Officers are trained in first aid and keep equipment for it in their patrol cars, she said.

“Instead, he did nothing,” Hogfeldt said. “Officer McClean stole any chance that Willie Marable had of surviving.”

Marable, 28, died while being transported to the hospital. The medical examiner determined he died from a gunshot to his torso. An investigation of the incident was conducted afterward, and no charges were filed against the officer who shot him.

An expert called by the prosecution testified that if lifesaving efforts had been made sooner, Marable could have survived. But the expert conceded on cross examination that he couldn’t say for sure if performing CPR would have saved his life.

A defense expert told jurors that CPR shouldn’t be used if a person has a pulse and is breathing, which was Marable’s condition when he was taken into custody.

Massie, McClean’s lead defense attorney, argued McClean should never have been charged.

“Vincent McClean did not kill anyone,” Massie told jurors. “Vincent McClean didn’t shoot anyone that day. Vincent McClean did what he was supposed to do.”

McClean went to work at Newport News Shipyard after he left the police department but lost his job after he was indicted earlier this year. He said Thursday he hopes to get his position back.

Jane Harper, [email protected]

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials granted full approval to a closely watched Alzheimer’s drug on Thursday, clearing the way for Medicare and other insurance plans to begin covering the treatment for people with the brain-robbing disease.

The Food and Drug Administration endorsed the IV drug, Leqembi, for patients with mild dementia and other symptoms caused by early Alzheimer’s disease. It’s the first medicine that’s been convincingly shown to modestly slow Alzheimer’s cognitive decline.

Japanese drugmaker Eisai received conditional approval from the FDA in January based on early results suggesting Leqembi worked by clearing a sticky brain plaque linked to the disease.

The FDA confirmed those results by reviewing data from a larger, 1,800-patient study in which the drug slowed memory and thinking decline by about five months in those who got the treatment, compared to those who got a dummy drug.

“This confirmatory study verified that it is a safe and effective treatment for patients with Alzheimer’s disease,” said FDA’s neurology drug director, Teresa Buracchio, in a statement.

The drug’s prescribing information will carry the most serious type of warning, indicating that Leqembi can cause brain swelling and bleeding, side effects that can be dangerous in rare cases.

The label notes that those problems are seen with other plaque-targeting Alzheimer’s drugs.

The process of converting a drug to full FDA approval usually attracts little attention. But Alzheimer’s patients and advocates have been lobbying the federal government for months after Medicare officials announced last year they wouldn’t pay for routine use of Leqembi until it received FDA’s full approval.

There were concerns that the cost of new plaque-targeting Alzheimer’s drugs like Leqembi could overwhelm the program’s finances, which provide care for 60 million seniors. Leqembi is priced at about $26,500 for a year’s supply of IVs every two weeks.

The vast majority of Americans with Alzheimer’s get their health coverage through Medicare. And private insurers have followed its lead by withholding coverage for Leqembi and a similar drug, Aduhelm, until they receive FDA’s full endorsement. An FDA decision on full approval for Aduhelm is still years away.

Medicare administrator, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, has made clear the program will immediately begin paying for the drug now that it has full FDA approval. But the government is also setting extra requirements.

Medicare recipients getting Leqembi must be enrolled in a federal registry to track the drug’s real-world safety and effectiveness. The information will help advance “knowledge of how these drugs can potentially help people,” Medicare officials said.

Hospitals and medical clinics have also cautioned that it may take time to get people started on the drug.

Doctors need to confirm that patients have the brain plaque targeted by Leqembi before prescribing it. Nurses need to be trained to administer the drug and patients must be monitored with repeated brain scans to check for swelling or bleeding. The imaging and administration services carry extra costs for hospitals beyond the drug itself.

Eisai has told investors that about 100,000 Americans could be diagnosed and eligible to receive Leqembi by 2026. The drug is co-marketed with Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Biogen.”We want to ensure that appropriate patients only are the ones that get this product,” said Alexander Scott, a vice president with Eisai.

Eisai studied the drug in people with early or mild disease who were evaluated using a scale measuring memory, thinking and other basic skills. After 18 months, those who got Leqembi declined more slowly — a difference of less than half a point on the scale — than participants who received a dummy infusion. Some Alzheimer’s experts say that delay is likely too subtle for patients or their families to notice.

But federal health advisers said the difference could still be meaningful and recommended that FDA fully approve the drug at a public meeting in June.___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.

Choose the right tools

The right gear can make or break your cookout experience. A quality grill is the centerpiece, but it shouldn’t be the only piece of equipment on your list. Barbecue-specific gadgets, food storage tools, and outdoor furniture and shelters go a long way toward the finest outdoor grilling session imaginable.

Grill types

There are several types of barbecue grills out there. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. When looking for the right grill, some basic guidelines can point you in the right direction.

• Gas: The ubiquitous gas grill delivers the most convenient barbecue experience possible. Lighting and cleanup are about as easy as they come. Plus, it’s easy to find a large enough model for your entire group without spending a fortune. Experts and owners alike praise Weber and Napoleon for making some of the best gas grills on the planet. Both companies also make some great charcoal models.
• Kettle: These are some of the most iconic grills in American history. At their most basic, kettle grills are basically metal buckets for burning charcoal with a metal grille perched on top. They’re most effective in the hands of experienced barbecue chefs. It takes know-how and a certain touch to reach and maintain the perfect temperature. They can also be especially cost-effective due to their simplicity. Char-Broil makes some of the most famous and effective kettle grills, though they’re also responsible for other great styles.
• Barrel: Barrel grills are traditionally made from a 55-gallon drum sliced in half vertically. They represent the biggest and beefiest option and can feed an army. The best require a big investment, but a quality barrel grill should last for years. Dyna-Glo makes some of the most dependable ones.
• Kamado: If you only plan to cook for small groups and are willing to invest in a top-quality option that will last for years, consider a kamado grill. These versatile grills retain heat better than most other cooking apparatus. They allow for high-heat searing or all-day slow cooking. They’re not usually ideal for large cookouts because kamado grills get expensive as the size goes up.
• Dual-fuel: Dual-fuel grills are somewhat of a niche product. They’re for the demanding barbecue enthusiast who insists on complete control of every part of the meal. The two types of fuel in the name are typically charcoal and propane. This lets you give some foods a high-heat sear with grill marks, while others slow-cook over coals to absorb all the aromatics of charcoal.
• Pellet: These aren’t traditional barbecue grills. Rather, they’re partly automated smokers that use electricity to light wood pellets on fire and smoke what they’re loaded up with. While the smoking process is different from traditional backyard grilling, it can be satisfying when done right. Traeger, the company that invented the original pellet grill, makes some of the best.
• Portable: Not every cookout takes place at your home. If you’re heading to a friend’s house, state park, or tailgate party, you might want to take along a portable grill. They come in many varieties, including electric, gas, and charcoal. They rarely have the capacity of freestanding grills, an understandable tradeoff for portability. While small, they’re perfect for grilling out at a campsite.

Grilling tools

You can’t cook with your bare hands — at least, not safely or effectively. The right set of tools makes a huge difference in how easy your grilling experience ends up. Luckily, you can find a great deal of comprehensive grilling tool sets. You can also research your favorite grill tongs, spatulas, and grilling gloves to make everything as simple and safe as possible.

One way to ensure you have a great cookout is to prep every possible bit of food in advance. There’s no easier way to lose focus and mess something up than trying to juggle too many tasks at once. Keeping a good set of food storage containers handy helps keep your prep work organized and clean.

Once your food is cooked, you still have to finish prepping and serving it. If you’ve slow-cooked a beautiful pork butt for pulled pork, for example, a pair of barbecue claws can help you shred it.

It’s best practice to use disposable gloves when performing this all-important task. Not only is it more sanitary for diners, but pulled pork and shredded beef are awfully hot when they come off the grill or out of the oven. They’re greasy, too, and you don’t want to scrape pork fat out from underneath your fingernails for the rest of the week.

Smoking meats

Smoking meat isn’t for everybody. It requires considerable preparation, patience, and trust in the laws of thermodynamics. Not to mention you need to wake up at or before dawn.

It’s recommended you get some experience with a smoker before hosting a large cookout and relying on your brisket to come out tender and on time. A pellet grill is the easiest way to smoke meat, fish, and vegetables. To get the feel for what you’re doing, though, a manual smoker is the way to go. In addition to their gas and barrel grills, Dyna-Glo’s smokers have a good reputation for a reason. Similarly, Smoke Hollow makes many top-quality models that use either propane or electric heating elements. This can take much of the guesswork out of the process.

Alternatively, you can add mild smoke flavor to anything you grill with a simple smoker box. It’s nothing more than a metal compartment for holding wood chips while you grill and keeping them from burning up right away. Technically, you can turn any grill into a smoker using one of these. Many older grills aren’t built to retain the smoke effectively, though, and cleaning dense soot from a gas grill can be a nightmare.

To grill foods smaller than steak or burgers, such as chicken wings, shrimp, or your favorite vegetables, pick up a metal grilling basket. These let you manage tasty, bite-size pieces without letting them fall through the grill. They still deliver the direct heat needed for a delicious level of char.

FAQ

Is gas or charcoal better to cook with?

A. There’s no right answer when it comes to outdoor grilling. Propane and natural gas burn more efficiently. This makes cleanup and maintenance easier. It’s also simpler to maintain consistent temperatures with a good gas grill. So, if you don’t have a ton of experience with charcoal, a gas grill might be your best bet.

If you’re willing to practice and gain experience with charcoal, it can have a profound effect on the food you grill. Juices and seasonings drip from your meat and vegetables onto blazing hot coals. The resulting vapors give subtle and complex flavors that gas grills can’t replicate.

And if you want the best of both worlds, you can always opt for a dual-fuel grill.

What kind of furniture is best for a cookout?

A. It partly depends on the weather. If you’re in a high-humidity area with lots of heat and bugs, consider a rugged party tent, ideally with mosquito netting. If heavy winds won’t be an issue, you can get by with a lighter-duty camping canopy.

Everyone will need somewhere to sit and eat. Anyone outfitting their backyard or patio for summer gatherings should consider an outdoor dining table. Those putting together a portable or pop-up cookout are better served by one or more durable outdoor folding tables.

When it comes to the grill itself, a few key pieces of equipment can protect it during and after the event. A solid grill gazebo keeps the cook and their tools out of the elements. A dependable grill light can be helpful to the cooking experience after dark. Finally, once your grill is clean and cool, a rugged grill cover protects it from the elements until you’re ready to fire it up again.

How do you make the best homemade burgers?

A. Grind and season the meat yourself. Start with a decent cut of chuck roast and put it through a quality meat grinder. Season it properly because the spices you use require a combination of heat, moisture, oil, and time to fully develop. Consider a premium premade spice blend, but don’t be afraid to experiment with your own recipe.

Paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper are the most common spices found in burgers. You can also get exotic if you like. Ingredients such as cumin, hot smoked paprika or ground chipotle pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and even ground breakfast sausage can have guests begging for your secret recipe.

Best grills for a cookout

Kamado Joe Joe II Charcoal Grill

This has features such as half-rack cooking and a cast-iron shell.

Available at Amazon

Napoleon Prestige Pro Gas Grill

This grill has a staggering max heat output of 90,000 Btu and a large cooking area.

Available at Amazon

Traeger Ironwood 885 Wood Pellet Grill And Smoker

This grill has several smart home features.

Available at Amazon

Weber Summit E-470 Propane Grill

This is more than a grill. It’s also a rotisserie and smoker.

Available at Amazon

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By NOMAAN MERCHANT, LOLITA C. BALDOR and ELLEN KNICKMEYER (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has decided to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine and is expected to announce on Friday that the Pentagon will send thousands as part of a new military aid package worth up to $800 million for the war effort against Russia, according to people familiar with the decision.

The decision comes despite widespread concerns that the controversial bombs can cause civilian casualties. The Pentagon will provide munitions that have a reduced “dud rate,” meaning there will be far fewer unexploded rounds that can result in unintended civilian deaths.

U.S. officials said Thursday they expect the military aid to Ukraine will be announced on Friday.

Long sought by Ukraine, cluster bombs are weapons that open in the air, releasing submunitions, or “bomblets,” that are dispersed over a large area and are intended to wreak destruction on multiple targets at once.

The officials and others familiar with the decision were not authorized to publicly discuss the move before the official announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Ukrainian officials have asked for the weapons to aid their campaign to push through lines of Russian troops and make gains in the ongoing counteroffensive. Russian forces are already using cluster munitions on the battlefield, U.S. officials have said.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, some cluster munitions leave behind “bomblets’ that have a high rate of failure to explode — up to 40% in some cases. U.S. officials said Thursday that the rate of unexploded ordnance for the munitions that will be going to Ukraine is less than 3% and therefore will mean fewer threats left behind to civilians.

At Pentagon briefing Thursday, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said he had no announcement to make about cluster munitions. He said the Defense Department has “multiple variants” of the munitions and “the ones that we are considering providing would not include older variants with (unexploding) rates that are higher than 2.35%.”

Ryder would not say whether Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has reached out to NATO counterparts to address some of their concerns on the use of cluster munitions. Ryder said the U.S. is aware of reports that indicate some munitions have higher unexploding rates.

If the decision was made to provide the munitions to Ukraine, he said the U.S. “would be carefully selecting rounds with lower dud rates, for which we have recent testing data.”

Asked how the cluster munitions, if approved, would help Ukraine, Ryder said they can be loaded with specific charges that can penetrate armor or fragmentary munitions that can hit multiple personnel — “a capability that would be useful in any type of offensive operations.“ Ryder said the Russians have been using cluster munitions that have a very high dud rate.

Oleksandra Ustinova, a member of Ukraine’s parliament who has been advocating that Washington send more weapons, noted that Ukrainian forces have had to disable mines from much of the territory they are winning back from Russia. As part of that process, Ukrainians will also be able to catch any unexploded ordnance from cluster munitions.

“We will have to de-mine anyway, but it’s better to have this capability,” Ustinova said.

She credited Congress for pushing the administration over several months to change its position on the munitions.

Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the move was long overdue.

“Now is the time for the U.S. and its allies to provide Ukraine with the systems it needs from cluster munitions to F-16s to ATACMS in order to aid their critical counteroffensive. Any further delay will cost the lives of countless Ukrainians and prolong this brutal war,” said McCaul, R-Texas.

The Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, would give Ukraine the ability to strike Russian targets from as far as about 180 miles (300 kilometers).

Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last week that the U.S. has been thinking about providing the cluster munitions “for a long time.”

“The Ukrainians have asked for it, other European countries have provided some of that, the Russians are using it,” Milley said during a speech at the National Press Club.

Cluster bombs can be fired by artillery that the U.S. has provided to Ukraine, and the Pentagon has a large stockpile of them.

The last large-scale American use of cluster bombs was during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, according to the Pentagon. But U.S. forces considered them a key weapon during the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, according to Human Rights Watch. In the first three years of that conflict, it is estimated the U.S.-led coalition dropped more than 1,500 cluster bombs in Afghanistan.

Proponents of banning cluster bombs say they kill indiscriminately and endanger civilians long after their use. Groups have raised alarms about Russia’s use of the munitions in Ukraine.

A convention banning the use of cluster bombs has been joined by more than 120 countries who agreed not to use, produce, transfer or stockpile the weapons and to clear them after they’ve been used.

The United States, Russia and Ukraine are among the countries that have not signed on.

It is not clear how America’s NATO allies would view the U.S. providing cluster bombs to Ukraine and whether the issue might prove divisive for their largely united support of Kyiv. More than two-thirds of the 30 countries in the alliance are signatories of the 2010 convention on cluster munitions.

Laura Cooper, a deputy assistant secretary of defense focusing on Russia and Ukraine, recently testified to Congress that the Pentagon has assessed that such munitions would help Kyiv press through Russia’s dug-in positions.

____ AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee and Associated Press writer Tara Copp contributed to this report.

By SETH BORENSTEIN and ISABELLA O’MALLEY (Associated Press)

Sweltering heat is blanketing much of the planet, and the past seven days have been the hottest week on record, the latest grim milestone in a series of climate-change-driven extremes.

Earth’s average temperature on Wednesday remained at an unofficial record high set the day before. And for the seven-day period ending Wednesday, the daily average temperature was .08 degrees Fahrenheit (.04 degrees Celsius) higher than any week in 44 years of record-keeping, according to data from the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer, a tool that uses satellite data and computer simulations to measure the world’s condition.

The average global temperature for Tuesday and Wednesday was 62.9 degrees Fahrenheit (17.18 degrees Celsius). That follows a short-lived record set Monday, at 62.6 degrees Fahrenheit (17.01 Celsius). The Climate Reanalyzer figures are unofficial but significant data, and an indication that climate change is reaching uncharted territory.

“The situation we are witnessing now is the demonstration that climate change is out of control,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. “If we persist in delaying key measures that are needed, I think we are moving into a catastrophic situation, as the last two records in temperature demonstrates.”

More frequent and more intense heat waves are disrupting life around the world and causing life-threatening temperatures.

In Timbuktu, Mali — at the gateway to the Sahara Desert — 50-year-old Fatoumata Arby said this kind of heat is new. “Usually, at night it’s a bit cool even during the hot season. But this year, even at night, it’s been hot — I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Arby, who rarely leaves her hometown. “I’ve been having heart palpitations because of the heat. I’m starting to think seriously that I’m going to leave Timbuktu.”

Last week, Egypt experienced one of its many summer heatwaves, with temperatures soaring above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius), according to the country’s national weather forecaster. To combat heat and humidity, children on Thursday frolicked in the Nile River while pedestrians hunted the shade.

People are also feeling the effects in Nouakchot, Mauritania’s capital city, on the shores of the Atlantic. For Abdallahi Sy, a 56-year-old farmer who works in the market gardens, environmental changes have reduced his already-meager income.

“I have a small shelter built from wooden poles and scraps of cloth. I take refuge there when the heat becomes unbearable,” said Sy, who tries to work from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m., or noon at the latest. “After that … I practically can’t move because of the heat.” Customers don’t venture out until 5 p.m. or later to buy fertilizer and vegetables.

He cited a scarcity of water and quality feed for livestock as causes for illness and even miscarriage among animals: “It is clear that we are facing profound changes in our environment. The earth is becoming less fertile and less generous.”

Overall, one of the largest contributors to this week’s heat records is an exceptionally mild winter in the Antarctic. Parts of the continent and nearby ocean were 18-36 degrees Fahrenheit (10-20 degrees Celsius) higher than averages from 1979 to 2000.

“Temperatures have been unusual over the ocean and especially around the Antarctic this week, because wind fronts over the Southern Ocean are strong pushing warm air deeper south,” said Raghu Murtugudde, professor of atmospheric, oceanic and earth system science at the University of Maryland and visiting faculty at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.

Chari Vijayaraghavan, a polar explorer and educator who has visited the Arctic and Antarctic regularly for the past 10 years, said global warming is obvious at both poles and threatens the region’s wildlife as well as driving ice melt that raises sea levels.

“Warming climates might lead to increasing risks of diseases such as the avian flu spreading in the Antarctic that will have devastating consequences for penguins and other fauna in the region,” Vijayaraghavan said.

Katharine Hayhoe, The Nature Conservancy chief scientist and a climate scientist at Texas Tech, said: “This is one more reminder of the inexorable upward trend that will only be halted by decisive actions to wean ourselves off fossil fuels, invest in nature, and achieve net zero.”

___

Associated Press reporters Edith M. Lederer in New York; Sibi Arasu in Bengaluru, India; Ahmed Hatem in Cairo, Egypt; Baba Ahmed in Bamako, Mali, and Ahmed Mohamed in Nouakchott, Mauritania contributed to this report. Borenstein reported from Washington, and O’Malley from Philadelphia.

___

Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

By KELVIN CHAN (AP Business Writer)

Millions of people have quickly signed up to Meta’s new app, Threads, as it aims to compete with Twitter — a sign that users are looking for an alternative to the social media platform that has undergone a series of unpopular changes since Elon Musk bought it.

Meta Platforms’ CEO Mark Zuckerberg said 10 million people had registered for the app in the first seven hours after it launched on Wednesday in the U.S. and over 100 other countries including Britain, Australia, Canada and Japan.

Threads is billed as a text-based version of Meta’s photo-sharing app Instagram that the company says provides “a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations.”

Instagram users can log in with their existing usernames and follow the same accounts on the new app, giving Threads users a ready-made audience and an edge over other Twitter challengers like Bluesky and Mastodon.

“I think I’ll just see — I’ll keep Twitter for a while and then if everyone moves over there (Threads), then I’ll probably move,” said Javi de Andreas, 24-year-old researcher in London.

He added that Instagram “feels like a bit more reliable just in terms of nothing really changes.”

There was plenty of excitement among Threads users about the opportunity to make a fresh start on a new social media app, giving Threads a “first day of school” vibe.

Early adopters included celebrities like chef Gordon Ramsay, pop star Shakira and actor Jack Black as well as Airbnb, Guinness World Records, Netflix, Vogue magazine and other media outlets.

There were also glitches, confusion about how Threads works and gripes about missing features — raising the question of whether the initial burst of interest would lead to sustained growth that could pose a meaningful challenge to Twitter.

“The euphoria around a new service and this initial explosion will probably settle down,” said technology analyst Paolo Pescatore of PP Foresight. “But it is apparent that this alternative is here to stay and will prove to be a worthy rival given all of Twitter’s woes.”

Teething problems for Threads include Zuckerberg’s posts — or Threads as they’re dubbed — not loading in several countries. But his replies to other users did appear.

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri acknowledged the early issues.

“The real test is not if we can build up a lot of hype, but if you all find enough value in the app to keep using it ove time,” Mosseri posted in a thread.

“And there are tons of basics that are missing: search, hashtags, a following feed” and others like direct “messaging maybe,” he said. “We’re on it,” but ”it’ll take time,” he added.

Threads does have buttons to like, repost, reply to or quote a thread, and users see the number of likes and replies a post has received. Posts are limited to 500 characters, which is more than Twitter’s 280-character threshold, and can include links, photos and videos up to five minutes long.

Some questioned whether it made sense to seek to combine Twitter and Instagram users, which are two distinct online groups. Twitter is tailored for quick and short updates, while Instagram is best for visually creative posts.

“Some people will want to keep it separate from Instagram for numerous and very good reasons,” Pescatore said. “This is something that Meta might have to address, which could halt its progress.”

Meta’s new offering also has raised data privacy concerns. The company has held off on rolling it out in the European Union, citing regulatory uncertainty.

The 27-nation EU has strict data privacy rules and is set to start enforcing a new set of digital rules aimed at clamping down on Big Tech companies and limiting what they can do with users’ personal information.

Threads could collect a wide range of personal information, including health, financial, contacts, browsing and search history, location data, purchases and “sensitive info,” according to its data privacy disclosure on the App Store.

Threads poses a fresh headache for Musk, who acquired Twitter last year for $44 billion. Analysts said combining Twitter-style features with Instagram’s look and feel would drive user engagement.

Musk made a series of changes that have triggered backlash, the latest being daily limits on the number of tweets people can view to try to stop unauthorized scraping of potentially valuable data.

By ANNA FRANTS (Associated Press)

MINSK, Belarus (AP) — The mercenary leader who led a short-lived mutiny against the Kremlin is in Russia and his troops are in their field camps, the president of Belarus said Thursday, raising new questions about the deal that ended the extraordinary challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s rule.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s claim could not be independently verified, and the Kremlin refused to comment on Yevgeny Prigozhin’s whereabouts. But Russian media have reported he was recently seen at his offices in St. Petersburg.

It was not clear if Prigozhin’s presence in Russia would violate the deal, which allowed the head of the Wagner Group military contractor to move to Belarus in exchange for ending the rebellion and a promise of amnesty for him and his troops. But the reports signaled that the agreement may have allowed him to finalize his affairs in Russia.

If that’s true, it could suggest the threat posed by Prigozhin has not yet been fully defused and that the Kremlin is treading carefully with him until it can figure out what to do with troops who may still be loyal to him. Putin has said that Wagner troops can join the Russian military, retire from service or move to Belarus.

But much about the the agreement, which was brokered by Lukashenko, remains murky.

Last week, Lukashenko said the mercenary leader was in Belarus, but on Thursday he told international reporters that Prigozhin was in St. Petersburg and could also travel to Moscow if he wishes, while Wagner’s troops were in their camps. He did not specify the location of the camps, but Prigozhin’s mercenaries fought alongside Russian forces in eastern Ukraine before their revolt and also have bases on Russian territory.

He also said that Prigozhin has been given back the cash and weapons that were confiscated by Russian authorities.

Asked where Prigozhin is, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov shrugged off the question, saying that the Kremlin has neither the desire nor the means to track his movements — but reaffirmed that the deal that ended the mutiny envisaged his move to Belarus.

Lukashenko said his government offered Wagner, which has sent troops around the world to fight for Russia’s interests, the use of Belarusian military camps but that the company had not made a final decision.

The Kremlin has played down the fact that Prigozhin escaped punishment for his mutiny while other Putin critics have been met with harsh prison sentences, exile or even death, saying that the deal with the Wagner chief was necessary to avoid massive bloodshed.

The Belarusian leader shrugged off suggestions that Putin might order Prigozhin killed, saying: “If you think that Putin is so vicious and vindictive to finish him off, no, it’s not going to happen.”

On Wednesday, Russian online newspapers Fontanka and Izvestia posted videos and photos of Prigozhin’s opulent mansion in Russia’s second-largest city that showed stacks of cash and gold bullion. The images appeared to be part of the authorities’ efforts to denigrate Prigozhin, who has postured as an enemy of corrupt elites even though he has owed his wealth to Putin.

A photo hanging in the mansion showed a lineup of decapitated heads. In one published image, an oversized souvenir sledgehammer could also be seen with the inscription “for important negotiations.” The sledgehammer has become a symbol of Wagner after reports its troops used the tool to beat defectors to death.

The Russian media also published a collection of selfies that showed him posing in various wigs, fake beards and foreign uniforms, an apparent reflection of Wagner’s deployments to Syria and several African countries.

Asked if Prigozhin and his mercenaries would eventually move to Belarus, Lukashenko answered evasively that it would depend on the decisions of the Wagner chief and the Russian government.

The Belarusian leader said he doesn’t think the mercenaries’ presence in his country would lead to its destabilization and said any Wagner troops there would be required to sign a contract with Belarusian authorities that would outline conditions and limitations of their actions.

Belarusian political analyst Valery Karbalevich argued, however, that Lukashenko could feel uneasy about Wagner’s presence on his turf. “If this structure rebelled against its master once, it can do it again and again and march on Minsk instead of marching on Moscow,” Karbalevich said.

The Belarusian president dismissed suggestions that the mercenaries could attack Ukraine from Belarusian territory, which Russian troops used as a staging ground ahead of their invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow has also maintained a military presence in Belarus.

During their short revolt, Prigozhin’s mercenaries quickly swept through the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and captured the military headquarters there before marching to within about 200 kilometers (125 miles) of the Russian capital. Prigozhin described it as a “march of justice” to oust his longtime foes — Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the military’s general staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, whose handling of the war in Ukraine he criticized.

The Wagner fighters faced little resistance, smashing occasional roadblocks. They also downed at least six helicopters and a command post aircraft, killing at least 10 airmen.

When the deal was struck, the Wagner chief ordered his troops to return to their camps.

The abortive rebellion represented the biggest threat to Putin in his more than two decades in power, exposing his weakness and eroding the Kremlin’s authority. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Shoigu and Gerasimov retained Putin’s favor after vanishing from public view during the mutiny, but so far they have kept their positions.

Lukashenko said he warned Prigozhin that he and his troops would be destroyed if they failed to make a quick deal to end their mutiny and that Belarus would send a brigade to help protect Moscow.

“It was necessary to nip it in the bud. It was very dangerous, as history shows,” Lukashenko said.

Asked about the deployment of Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, Lukashenko said they are intended to deter any aggression against the country. Putin and Lukashenko both have said that some of them already have been moved to Belarus, and the Belarusian leader reaffirmed Thursday that a “certain number” of them have been flown to Belarus and the rest will be delivered before the year’s end.

Lukashenko said that Russia would consult him on any possible use of those weapons, adding that it could only happen in response to an act aggression by NATO against Russia or Belarus.

The Belarusian leader noted that “these weapons serve strictly defensive purposes.”

He added: “Don’t touch us, and we will never use these deadly weapons.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Reward programs, including birthday freebies and discounts, have long been a way for brands to build loyalty and incentivize spending. But now some companies are becoming a bit more stingy — and customers are taking notice.

Last fall, for example, many balked at Dunkin’s decision to stop offering a free drink on their birthday and instead give them triple loyalty points on their purchase. On June 1, Sephora started requiring a $25 minimum purchase for online customers looking to claim a free gift and 250 loyalty points during their birthday month. And Red Robin added a dine-in only and $4.99 minimum purchase requirement for customers to get their free birthday burger.

Changes to birthday rewards or redemption requirements aren’t new. Starbucks, which gives its rewards members a free drink or food item for their birthdays, progressively limited the timeframe for redeeming that gift over the years — from 30 days, to one week, to four days and, finally, to just the date of your birthday in 2018.

Some experts say the cost of maintaining loyalty programs, as well as recent impacts of inflation and changes in consumer behavior since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, are among the reasons why companies may be pulling back.

“While we’re assessing our own personal expenses, so are businesses,” Marshal Cohen, chief industry advisor of Circana and retail expert, told The Associated Press. “Businesses have to look and say, ‘Are these programs working? Are they working to full capacity? … (And) is there another way of doing this that wouldn’t cost us as much money?’”

For Sephora customers enrolled in its Beauty Insider birthday rewards, for example, they can still claim their free gift in person with no minimum purchase. But it costs the company money to ship products sold online, noted Leora Lanz, assistant dean of academic affairs and assistant professor of practice at Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration.

Sephora did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ request for comment.

Despite consumer pushback, some chains have argued adjustments to rewards programs simply reflect how customers behave. In a statement to The Associated Press, Starbucks said it “found that the vast majority of members were using their birthday reward on their actual birthday.”

Dunkin’ argued that its new rewards program would give its customers more flexibility and a larger variety of food and drink options — and in a statement to The Associated Press last week, the company said the new program lets “members celebrate their birthday even longer,” pointing to the three-day window within which customers can triple their loyalty points on birthday purchases.

Still, the announcement felt off-putting for many Dunkin’ customers, who shared frustrations online. In the months following Dunkin’s announcement, dozens of Twitter users have expressed disappointment over learning that the free birthday drink was gone. Some joked that they “no longer run on Dunkin,’” a dig at the chain’s slogan, and others suggested that they might take their future business elsewhere.

Experts say the way companies communicate changes to rewards programs is key.

“What (brands) need to do is not make too many changes so often — because you’re going to start rubbing your audience the wrong way and it could backfire — and you should be very thoughtful about it,” Lanz said. “They do need to communicate it so that it’s not a complete surprise.”

Others say that drawing attention to what’s “being lost” can also cause backlash — and it’s better to provide clear alternatives for consumers to feel rewarded.

Red Robin, which said it began the dine-in only and $4.99 minimum purchase requirements to its free birthday burger “to maintain the integrity of the promotion” and give guests “the best possible experience” by celebrating in restaurants — also introduced a half-birthday treat in 2023 “as an added gesture of appreciation.”

Consumers are likely to continue to see changes to birthday rewards and customer loyalty programs down the road, Cohen noted.

“The pie is getting smaller for a lot of these discretionary items,” he said, pointing to persistent high costs of living that consumers are facing and the increased competition among businesses vying for those limited dollars. “You’re going to see a lot of (companies) assess their programs to try to figure out how to drive business in a more profitable way.”

It’s possible this could mean a scaling back of more rewards programs. But there could also be an opposite effect, Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst with DealNews.com, said — noting that some retailers could offer “potentially better birthday rewards to encourage a return to spending on frivolous items.”

The typical cost of renting a car in the U.S. has increased 48% since May 2019, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In other words, a car that cost $100 per day four years ago would now cost $148 per day.

Believe it or not, prices have dropped recently, with year-over-year costs falling 12%, according to BLS data. But that drop has done little to undo the sky-high prices that emerged during the pandemic.

“The traditional car rental industry had to trim down their supply significantly during COVID,” says Albert Mangahas, chief data officer at Turo, a car-sharing platform. “This led to a rental car crunch when all the rental car demand came back.”

Flights are 5% more expensive than they were in May 2019, and hotels are up 15% over the same period, according to the May 2023 BLS report. These prices are somewhat higher, but nothing like the 48% increase in rental car prices.

Why have these prices remained so stubbornly high?

A supply crunch, and corporate profits

The early stages of the pandemic decimated the rental car industry, as it did for the travel industry more broadly. Unlike airlines and hotels, which can’t immediately sell their aircraft and properties during a downturn, rental car companies offloaded a huge portion of their fleet. The Avis Budget Group sold 250,000 vehicles in 2021 alone.

However, as the pandemic waned and demand picked back up, these companies couldn’t quickly restore their fleets. Microchip shortages and other supply chain issues throttled supply and drove the cost of cars higher.

“The surge in demand is what created that crunch,” Mangahas says. “There was no way to grow the supply fast enough to meet demand. Since then, demand has continued to grow, but the pace is not as radical as what we saw.”

Yet that initial spike in prices was in spring 2021 — two full years ago — so why haven’t car rental companies bought more vehicles, thereby allowing prices to moderate? The reason might be simple: They’re making too much money.

The Avis Budget Group recorded its best year in terms of profit and revenue in 2022, driven by “strong demand and pricing,” according to its earnings statement. In other words, the high prices customers have been willing to pay are leading to bumper corporate profits.

“They’re not incentivized to bring their prices down because, for the past two years, people have been paying these prices,” Mangahas says.

Indeed, a report from the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, suggests that corporate profits contributed more to overall inflation in 2020 and 2021 than labor or material costs. Higher rental car prices and corporate profits may be part of this trend.

How to navigate higher prices

With no sign that prices will return to anything like their 2019 baseline anytime soon, the onus is on travelers to make the best of a bad rental car situation.

• Consider ways to avoid driving altogether. Public transportation, especially in large cities, can significantly reduce the cost of a trip.
• Check out alternatives to traditional rental car companies. Turo, Getaround and Audi on demand all offer different pricing and rental models, which could save you money.
• Make smart shopping choices. Not all rental car companies have the same prices, and nor do all locations. For example, renting a car at the airport is 26% more expensive than a downtown location, according to a NerdWallet analysis.

Use a search engine that compares several rental car companies to make sure you’re getting the best rate, and check the final price (rather than the initial listed price) that includes all taxes, fees and insurance costs. Speaking of insurance, make sure you’re not paying for coverage that’s already provided by your credit card.

Prices could come down this year as family budgets get stretched thinner and fewer travelers snap up the few available cars. Yet the “prices will come down soon” narrative has been running for two years now. If anything, people are traveling more than ever.

“We’ve seen a lot of demand this summer,” Mangahas says.