By DARLENE SUPERVILLE (Associated Press)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday thanked U.S. Air Force Academy graduates for choosing “service over self” but said they now have the “great privilege” of leading in a world that will only get more confusing in the years to come. His appearance was punctuated by a stumble onstage after handing out diplomas to graduates.

“Graduates, you made a noble choice to lead a life of service,” Biden told more than 900 cadets in remarks on the sun-splashed field at Falcon Stadium in Colorado. “Now you also shoulder a great privilege and a mighty responsibility. Leadership, yeah leadership.”

“In the years ahead, your airmen and guardians are going to look to you for guidance and inspiration because the world is going to get more confusing,” he added. “They’ll put their trust in you. You, in turn, must strive to always be worthy of their confidence.”

Near the end of the ceremony, the 80-year-old president turned to walk across the stage and tripped. He was helped up by an Air Force officer as well as two members of his U.S. Secret Service detail. Onlookers, including some members of the official delegation on stage, looked over in concern before Biden returned to his seat.

As he got back on his feet, Biden pointed to the place on stage where he lost his balance. “He’s fine,” tweeted Ben LaBolt, the White House communications director. “There was a sandbag on stage while he was shaking hands.”

During his speech, the president talked about how the U.S. had rallied Western nations to stand behind Ukraine against Russia and efforts to enhance deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region.

He also expressed confidence that Sweden will become a NATO member.

Sweden and Finland, both historically unaligned militarily, sought NATO membership after being rattled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But Turkey, a NATO member, blocked both countries from joining the military alliance before agreeing to membership for Finland while continuing to object to Sweden.

But Biden said Sweden’s NATO membership “will happen. I promise you.”

The academy graduates will become second lieutenants in either the Air Force or Space Force. Biden said they made up the most diverse graduating class in the academy’s history and he called on them to “root out the scourge of sexual assault and harassment in the military.”

Biden also said they will need the qualities of resilience, creativity, endurance and commitment that they learned during four years of training at the academy — learning that was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic — to deal with a range of global challenges. He said the challenges ranged from Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and America’s rivalry with China “to a whole hell of a lot in between.”

He also cited the threat of climate change and the growing use of artificial intelligence.

“Never forget the sacred oath you swear, and the mission you serve is something far, far greater than any person or president,” Biden said. “It’s our Constitution, it’s our country and it’s our enduring American values.”

After speaking, Biden participated in the presentation of diplomas, exchanging salutes and handshakes with each graduate as they were called to the stage and their loved ones cheered from the stands.

The ceremony was capped by an aerial salute to the graduates by the world-renowned U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, flying over Falcon Stadium. Biden met with some of the pilots Wednesday after he arrived at Peterson Space Force Base.

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Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed to this report.

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday thanked U.S. Air Force Academy graduates for choosing “service over self” but said they now have the “great privilege” of leading in a world that will only get more confusing in the years to come.

“Graduates, you made a noble choice to lead a life of service,” Biden told more than 900 cadets in remarks on the sun-splashed field at Falcon Stadium in Colorado. “Now you also shoulder a great privilege and a mighty responsibility. Leadership, yeah leadership.”

“In the years ahead, your airmen and guardians are going to look to you for guidance and inspiration because the world is going to get more confusing,” he added. “They’ll put their trust in you. You, in turn, must strive to always be worthy of their confidence.”

In a segue into foreign policy, Biden talked about how the U.S. had rallied Western nations to stand behind Ukraine against Russia and efforts to enhance deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region.

He also expressed confidence that Sweden will become a NATO member.

Sweden and Finland, both historically unaligned militarily, sought NATO membership after being rattled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But Turkey, a NATO member, blocked both countries from joining the military alliance before agreeing to membership for Finland while continuing to object to Sweden.

But Biden said Sweden’s NATO membership “will happen. I promise you.”

More than 900 academy graduates will become second lieutenants in either the Air Force or Space Force. Biden said they made up the most diverse graduating class in the academy’s history and he called on them to “root out the scourge of sexual assault and harassment in the military.”

Biden also said they will need the qualities of resilience, creativity, endurance and commitment that they learned during four years of training at the academy — learning that was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic — to deal with a range of global challenges. He said the challenges ranged from Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and America’s rivalry with China “to a whole hell of a lot in between.”

He also cited the threat of climate change and the growing use of artificial intelligence.

“Never forget the sacred oath you swear, and the mission you serve is something far, far greater than any person or president,” Biden said. “It’s our Constitution, it’s our country and it’s our enduring American values.”

After speaking, Biden participated in the presentation of diplomas, exchanging salutes and handshakes with each graduate as they were called to the stage and their loved ones cheered from the stands.

The ceremony was to be capped by an aerial salute to the graduates by the world-renowned U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, flying over Falcon Stadium. Biden met with some of the pilots on Wednesday after he arrived at Peterson Space Force Base.

Asked recently at a press conference about the impact of Heat “role players” on the team’s playoff success, Miami spearhead Jimmy Butler said, “I don’t call them role players, I call them teammates.” There’s a message in that for NBA stars of the more diva-ish variety. Butler should headline a symposium on leadership.

Steep climb: It’s an oft-told tale, but head coach Eric Spoelstra began his 28-year stint with the Heat as the video coordinator.

TV timeout: Maybe the Heat-Nuggets NBA Finals isn’t the problematic audience draw some suspect, but just in case, Disney/ABC executives should stay away from open windows.

Quick hit: American pro sports would be more interesting if we had a relegation system like the English Premier League.

Birthday boy: How are some of us of a certain age supposed to feel about Joe Namath turning 80 on Wednesday?

In passing: Regarding the Washington Commanders, I mentioned last week that there aren’t any good new nicknames. In baseball, the Cleveland Guardians also strongly make the point.

Numbers game: After 46 games last season, Aaron Judge had 18 home runs. After his first 46 games this season, he has 18 home runs.

Missed: Orioles centerfielder Cedric Mullins could have been described as the team’s catalyst before he suffered a groin strain that will keep him out for several weeks.

Bottom up: Despite recently taking two out of three from the first-place Atlanta Braves – that’s baseball for ya – the Oakland A’s are on pace to win as few as 30 games. Rather than the A’s falling off the radar, though, the historic nature of their abject futility makes them almost as noteworthy as the top clubs for the same reason rubberneckers can’t look away from a car wreck.

Local ties: Paul Krepelka, a Norfolk Admirals defenseman from the 1990s’ glory days, is assistant general manager of the Stanley Cup finalist Florida Panthers.

Guesswork: In 2023, disputed line calls at the French Open still are being decided by chair umpires searching for a mark in the dirt. How so very 19th century of them.

Not what it was: Amid the clutter of sports, the Indianapolis 500 came and went while America was busy with other things. Another tradition that’s lost its luster.

Painful misstep: A candidate for the weirdest sports injury is a University of Oregon golfer stepping on a wooden tee at the 11th hole in last Saturday’s NCAA Men’s Golf Championship. The tee went through his shoe and pierced his foot, resulting in his withdrawal.

Interchangeable parts: About five minutes after losing his Raptors head coaching job, Nick Nurse took over the 76ers, while Monty Williams transformed in a flash from Suns scapegoat to the Pistons’ home run hire. It’s the NBA’s version of musical chairs.

Bob Molinaro is a former Virginian-Pilot sports columnist. His Weekly Briefing runs Fridays in The Pilot and Daily Press. He can be reached at [email protected] and via Twitter@BobMolinaro.

Speed and power, respectively, have propelled the George Mason and Virginia baseball teams into the NCAA Tournament.

The Patriots, making their first NCAA Tournament appearance in nearly a decade, have set a program record and are fourth nationally in stolen bases — paced by infielder South Trimble, a former standout at Cox High in Virginia Beach.

UVA has pounded opposing pitchers into submission with an offense that includes ACC Player of the Year Kyle Teel and Jake Gelof — who have combined for 34 home runs and 144 RBIs.George Mason plays overall No. 1 seed Wake Forest in a tournament opener at 7 p.m. Friday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, while the Cavaliers host Army at noon Friday. Double-elimination regionals continue through the weekend.

George Mason (35-24) is making its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance, and its first since 2014. The Patriots’ 35 victories under first-year coach Shawn Camp are the most since that 2014 team.Trimble, a senior, is tied for 25th nationally with 30 stolen bases; Derek Wood, a junior, has 29 swipes; Jordan Smith, a junior outfielder from Kellam High in Virginia Beach, has 22 steals.George Mason won 13 of its final 19 regular-season games — six by one run — and has won 18 of its past 24 games.

Mason won 13 of its final 19 games of the regular season, with six of the victories by one run.

The Patriots then won the Atlantic 10 Tournament with three elimination-game victories en route to the program’s second conference title in program history. George Mason played its way through the elimination bracket and won back-to-back games against St. Louis at The Diamond in Richmond to claim the A-10 tourney title.

Trimble leads the Patriots with a .322 batting average and has 16 doubles, three home runs and 37 RBIs. Smith is batting .293 with 13 doubles, seven home runs and 38 RBIs.

“We just bit down on the mouth guard and kept punching and punching and punching and it ended up working out,” Trimble said in after the championship game on gomason.com. “Great win, great win.”

“It means everything,” Trimble added. “This is why we put in so much work in the offseason.”

George Mason and Wake Forest are joined in their four-regional by Maryland and Northeastern, who play at 1 p.m. Friday in an opener at Wake Forest.

Virginia, meanwhile, hosts an NCAA Tournament regional in Charlottesville for the 10th time in coach Brian O’Connor’s 20 seasons. UVA, the national champion in 2015, is hosting a regional for the first time since 2016.

“It’s a great feather in our cap,” O’Connor said during an interview posted at virginiasports.com. “It says what the NCAA committee thinks of our team, and we’re proud of that. That said, the slate is wiped clean now. We’ve played the whole year to earn this host site and top-eight national seed. But the teams we’re playing this weekend don’t care about that.”

Virginia’s offense includes four players batting .369 or better led by Teel at .414. Teel has 12 home runs and 60 RBIs, and Gelof has 22 homers and 84 RBIs. O’Ferrall (.393), former Cox High standout Ethan Anderson (.377) and O’Donnell (.369) are among the other lineup stalwarts.

Oklahoma and ECU play in Charlottesville at 7 p.m. Friday in an opener in UVA’s four-team regional.

Josh Grosz, a junior righthander and another Cox High grad, has started 15 games for ECU, compiling a 4-2 record and 3.65 ERA with 79 strikeouts over 74 innings.

Charlottesville RegionalFriday’s gamesVirginia (45-12) vs. Army West Point (38-16), noon, ESPN+East Carolina (45-17) vs. Oklahoma (31-26), 7 p.m., ESPN2

Winston-Salem RegionalFriday’s gamesMaryland (41-19) vs. Northeastern (44-14), 1 p.m., ESPN+Wake Forest (47-10) vs. George Mason (34-25), 7 p.m., ESPN

By The Associated Press

Twitter may now be worth one-third of what Elon Musk paid for the social media platform just seven months ago.

The Fidelity Blue Chip Growth Fund has reduced the market value of its equity stake in Twitter for a third time, now putting it at $6.55 million. That’s down from the nearly $20 million the Fidelity fund valued its stake at in October.

Financial services provider Fidelity Investments is privately held, not public, but is required by the SEC to regularly disclose its holdings. Because Twitter is a private company now called X Holdings Corp., information about its finances can’t be verified.

Musk took control of Twitter in October, after a protracted legal battle and months of uncertainty. The CEO of Tesla, who also owns SpaceX, bought Twitter for $44 billion.

The billionaire financed the purchase with funds including loans from a group of banks. Musk has said the $44 billion price tag for Twitter was too high but that the company had great potential.

By April Musk was telling the BBC that running Twitter has been “ quite painful ” but that the social media company is now roughly breaking even after he acquired it late last year. Musk predicted at the time that Twitter could become “cash flow positive” in the current quarter “if current trends continue.”

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This story has been corrected to show that the Twitter stake was worth $6.55 million, not $6.55 billion, down from $20 million, not $20 billion, and that Fidelity Investments is a private firm, not public.

Orange County Sheriff’s deputies were continuing to search through surveillance and cellphone footage on Wednesday, May 31, for additional suspects involved in an assault of three off-duty Marines over the Memorial Day Weekend in San Clemente, officials said.

Four teen boys and a teen girl were arrested on Tuesday, May 30, after a video showing the group of teenagers physically assaulting the Marines at the San Clemente Pier circulated on Twitter over the weekend.

Those arrested were not publicly identified because they are juveniles.

The victims were attacked by about 20 teenagers at the pier around 9:50 p.m. on Friday, May 26, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Mike Woodroof. The Marines suffered minor injuries and were treated and released at the scene.

In the video, the group of teenagers are seen punching and kicking the Marines as the victims lay on the ground. They were booked into Orange County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon not involving a firearm.

“When a person gets thrown to the ground and someone uses their feet to, say, stomp on their head, that’s considered a deadly weapon,” Woodroof said.

It was initially reported that two Marines were assaulted. In a Tuesday statement the Sheriff’s Department said a third Marine victim was located. All three are based out of Camp Pendleton, Woodroof said.

BERLIN (AP) — The world is set to add a record amount of renewable electricity capacity this year as governments and consumers seek to offset high energy prices and take advantage of a boom in solar power, according to a new report Thursday.

The International Energy Agency said high fossil fuel prices — resulting from Russia’s attack on Ukraine — and concerns about energy security had boosted the rollout of solar and wind power installations, which are expected to reach 440 gigawatts in 2023.

That’s about a third more than the world added the previous year, taking the global installed capacity to 4,500 GW, roughly the combined total power output of the United States and China combined, the Paris-based agency said.

“The global energy crisis has shown renewables are critical for making energy supplies not just cleaner but also more secure and affordable,” said Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director.

“Governments are responding with efforts to deploy them faster,” he said. Recent incentives to install renewables introduced by the Biden administration are already driving a significant uptake in the United States.

About two-thirds of this year’s increase in renewable power capacity will come from photovoltaic, with both large-scale solar farms and consumer rooftop installations seeing significant growth.

IEA said manufacturing capacity for PV components was also surging, especially in China.

But Birol cautioned that power grids must be upgraded and expanded to cope with the intermittent nature of solar and wind power, which requires a fundamentally different approach by network operators compared with existing coal, gas or nuclear plants.

Shifting the global economy away from fossil fuels is one of the most important steps for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.

Experts say that to meet the Paris climate accord’s goal of limiting temperature rise since pre-industrial times to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit), emissions need to be halved by 2030 and cut to “net zero” by mid-century.

The International Renewable Energy Agency, a separate body, has called for a major increase in wind and solar investments. Nations are expected to discuss setting an international target for the rollout of renewable energy at this year’s U.N. climate summit in Dubai.

Daz Cameron hit a pair of homers and drove in six runs and Cole Irvin improved to 6-1 with Norfolk as the Tides defeated the Gwinnett Stripers 8-3 in the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday at Harbor Park.

The Stripers earned a split with a 7-0 victory in the nightcap as Nick Margevicius and Dereck Rodríguez combined on a two-hitter.

The Tides (37-16) lead the series 2-1 and their lead over Durham in the International League’s East Division is seven games.

Cameron hit a two-run shot in the first inning, added a three-run homer in the third and hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth of the opener.

Irvin did the rest, limiting the Stripers (23-30) to two runs on five hits in six innings. He struck out three and walked none.

Ofreidy Gómez gave up a run in the seventh inning to close it out.

Jordan Westburg hit an RBI double and Mark Kolozsvary worked a bases-loaded walk to account for the Tides’ other runs.

In the second game, Joseph Rosa had both of the Tides’ hits. Margevicius allowed them both in five innings. He struck out three and walked none. Rodríguez tossed two hitless innings with five strikeouts.

Tides starter Drew Rom (4-4) allowed two runs on five hits in three innings. He had five strikeouts, but also five walks. Relievers Kyle Dowdy and Darwinzon Hernández didn’t fare any better, giving up a combined five runs in four innings.

Chadwick Tromp hit a two-run homer in a three-run sixth inning for the Stripers.

The teams will play again at 12:05 p.m. Thursday.

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search Wednesday for a Virginia man who fell overboard early Monday morning while on a Carnival Cruise ship headed back to Norfolk.

The Coast Guard searched more than 5,100 square miles of ocean off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, and spent more than 60 hours searching, according to a Wednesday update.

The search and rescue efforts were conducted from the air and the water, according to a release. Nearby Navy ships and aircraft also assisted in the search.

“The Seventh Coast Guard District dispatched multiple search and rescue assets as soon as we were notified of the missing person. Our command center watchstanders provided search patterns to cutter crews and air crews who actively searched from Monday through Wednesday evening,” Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Hooper, Coast Guard District Seven search and rescue mission coordinator, said in the news release. “The decision to suspend the active search efforts pending further development is never one we take lightly. We offer our most sincere condolences to Mr. Peale’s family and friends.”

Ronnie Peale, Jr. 35, of Crimora, in Augusta County, north of Waynesboro, was reported missing Monday afternoon by a travel companion while aboard the Carnival Magic, according to a statement from the cruise line company. The ship was set to return to Norfolk on Tuesday following a trip to the Bahamas. Carnival said security footage showed Peale leaning over the railing of his room’s balcony and fell into the water at about 4:10 a.m. when the ship was about 186 miles east of Jacksonville.

According to a GoFundMe page shared by his loved ones, Peale was celebrating his significant other’s birthday on the ship, and it was his first time going on a cruise.

Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, [email protected]

Waldy Diez contributed to this report.

Veering away from a default crisis, the House approved a debt ceiling and budget cuts package late Wednesday, as President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy assembled a bipartisan coalition of centrist Democrats and Republicans against fierce conservative blowback and progressive dissent.

The hard-fought deal pleased few, but lawmakers assessed it was better than the alternative — a devastating economic upheaval if Congress failed to act. Tensions ran high throughout the day as hard-right Republicans refused the deal, while Democrats said “extremist” GOP views were risking a debt default as soon as next week.

With the House vote of 314-117, the bill now heads to the Senate with passage expected by week’s end.

McCarthy insisted his party was working to “give America hope” as he launched into a late evening speech extolling the bill’s budget cuts, which he said were needed to curb Washington’s “runaway spending.”

But amid discontent from Republicans who said the spending restrictions did not go far enough, McCarthy said it is only a “first step.”

Earlier, Biden expressed optimism that the agreement he negotiated with McCarthy to lift the nation’s borrowing limit would pass the chamber and avoid an economically disastrous default on America’s debts.

The president departed Washington for Colorado, where he is scheduled to deliver the commencement address Thursday at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

“God willing by the time I land, Congress will have acted, the House will have acted, and we’ll be one step closer,” he said. That wasn’t quite the case — the vote began about an hour and a half after Biden arrived in Colorado.

Biden sent top White House officials to the Capitol to shore up backing. McCarthy worked to sell skeptical fellow Republicans, even fending off challenges to his leadership, in the rush to avert a potentially disastrous U.S. default.

Swift later in the week by the Senate would ensure government checks will continue to go out to Social Security recipients, veterans and others and would prevent financial upheaval at home and abroad. Next Monday is when the Treasury has said the U.S. would run short of money to pay its debts.

Biden and McCarthy were counting on support from the political center, a rarity in divided Washington, testing the leadership of the Democratic president and the Republican speaker.

Overall, the 99-page bill restricts spending for the next two years, suspends the debt ceiling into January 2025 and changes some policies, including imposing new work requirements for older Americans receiving food aid and greenlighting an Appalachian natural gas line that many Democrats oppose. It bolsters funds for defense and veterans.

Raising the nation’s debt limit, now $31 trillion, ensures Treasury can borrow to pay already incurred U.S. debts.

Top GOP deal negotiator Rep. Garret Graves of Louisiana said Republicans were fighting for budget cuts after Democrats piled onto deficits with extra spending, first during the COVID-19 crisis and later with Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, with its historic investment to fight climate change.

But Republican Rep. Chip Roy, a member of the Freedom Caucus helping to lead the opposition, said, “My beef is that you cut a deal that shouldn’t have been cut.”

For weeks negotiators labored late into the night to strike the deal with the White House, and for days McCarthy has worked to build support among skeptics. At one point, aides wheeled in pizza at the Capitol the night before the vote as he walked Republicans through the details, fielded questions and encouraged them not to lose sight of the bill’s budget savings.

The speaker has faced a tough crowd. Cheered on by conservative senators and outside groups, the hard-right House Freedom Caucus lambasted the compromise as falling well short of the needed spending cuts, and they vowed to try to halt passage.

A much larger conservative faction, the Republican Study Committee, declined to take a position. Even rank-and-file centrist conservatives were unsure, leaving McCarthy searching for votes from his slim Republican majority.

Ominously, the conservatives warned of possibly trying to oust McCarthy over the compromise.

Biden spoke directly to lawmakers, making calls from the White House.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said it was up to McCarthy to turn out at least 150 Republican votes, two-thirds of the majority, even as he assured reporters that Democrats would supply the rest to prevent a default. In the 435-member House, 218 votes are needed for approval.

As the tally faltered in the afternoon procedural vote, Jeffries stood silently and raised his green voting card, signaling that the Democrats would fill in the gap to ensure passage. They did, advancing the bill that 29 hard-right Republicans, many from the Freedom Caucus, refused to back.

“Once again, House Democrats to the rescue to avoid a dangerous default,” said Jeffries, D-N.Y.

“What does that say about this extreme MAGA Republican majority?” he said about the party aligned with Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” political movement.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the spending restrictions in the package would reduce deficits by $1.5 trillion over the decade, a top goal for the Republicans trying to curb the debt load.

In a surprise that complicated Republicans’ support, however, the CBO said their drive to impose work requirements on older Americans receiving food stamps would end up boosting spending by $2.1 billion over the time period. That’s because the final deal exempts veterans and homeless people, expanding the food stamp rolls by 78,000 people monthly, the CBO said.

Liberal discontent, though, ran strong as Democrats also broke away, decrying the new work requirements for older Americans, those 50-54, in the food aid program.

Some Democrats were also incensed that the White House negotiated into the deal changes to the landmark National Environmental Policy Act and approval of the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline natural gas project. The energy development is important to Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., but many others oppose it as unhelpful in fighting climate change.

On Wall Street, stock prices were down.

In the Senate, Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell are working for passage by week’s end.

Schumer warned there is “no room for error.”

Senators, who have remained largely on the sidelines during much of the negotiations, are insisting on amendments to reshape the package. But making any changes at this stage seemed unlikely with so little time to spare before Monday’s deadline.

Associated Press White House Correspondent Zeke Miller and writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.