An Arctic region that is peaceful, stable, prosperous, and cooperative is of critical strategic importance to the United States and a priority for Secretary Blinken. As one of eight Arctic nations, the United States has long been committed to protecting our national security and economic interests in the region, combating climate change, fostering sustainable development and investment, and promoting cooperation with Arctic States, Allies, and partners. To further American interests and cooperation with Allies and partners in the Arctic, and after extensive consultations with Members of Congress, local and federal government officials, and external stakeholders, the President plans to elevate the Arctic Coordinator position by appointing an Ambassador-at-Large for the Arctic Region, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.

The Ambassador-at-Large for the Arctic Region will advance U.S. policy in the Arctic, engage with counterparts in Arctic and non-Arctic nations as well as Indigenous groups, and work closely with domestic stakeholders, including state, local, and Tribal governments, businesses, academic institutions, non-profit organizations, other federal government agencies and Congress. The United States remains committed to constructive cooperation in the Arctic, foremost through the Arctic Council, and the Ambassador-at-Large will work in close partnership with the U.S. Senior Arctic Official, the federal Arctic science community, and the Arctic Executive Steering Committee.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Democrat Charlie Crist will pick Karla Hernández-Mats, the head of Miami-Dade County’s largest teachers union, as his running mate as he seeks to unseat Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Crist is expected to formally announce his pick during a Saturday rally in Miami that he’s holding to officially kick off his general election campaign. Crist trounced Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried 59-34 in Tuesday night’s primary and is now preparing for an uphill battle against DeSantis, who is a heavy favorite.

The Hernández-Mats pick, first reported by CBS Miami, was greeted with high praise from Democrats. The Crist campaign declined to comment for this story.

“Love it!” said state Sen. Shev Jones (D-Miami) in a text. “I think it’s a thoughtful and bright move. Karla has ALWAYS had her ear to the ground for people, and she’s a natural galvanizer. Great pick!”

As widespread immunity and milder coronavirus strains have spread across the United States, pagans and witches, like their neighbors, have begun to gather more freely this summer at annual community events after two years of relative isolation. So have some unwelcome guests.

Street preachers and Christian protesters have long been a fixture of Earth-based religions’ gatherings as they try to distract and deter people from enjoying what are typically outdoor festivals and ritual gatherings. But this year, some attendees say, these opponents of witchcraft and paganism have become more aggressive and even dangerous.

“There were about 30 [evangelists] this year,” said Starr RavenHawk, an elder and priestess of the New York City Wiccan Family Temple and organizer of WitchsFest USA, a street fair held in the city’s West Village in mid-July.

Over the past seven years, barely a half-dozen of these disrupters would show up, RavenHawk said. But the groups that have appeared this year “aren’t just protesting,” she added. “They are collectively at war with us. They made that clear.”

NBC is considering reducing the number of hours it programs in prime time, people familiar with the matter said, a cost-cutting move that would reflect broadcast television’s diminishing popularity.

Under the scenario being discussed, NBC would stop programming the 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. hour and give those seven hours per week to local TV stations to program, the people said.

The talks are preliminary and it is possible that NBC will decide to continue to program the 10 p.m. hour, one of the people said. NBC hasn’t officially discussed the matter with its affiliate board, a group that represents station partners, two people close to that organization said. The earliest such a shift could take place would be the fall of 2023.

If NBC did drop the hour, it would have to decide which shows in its lineup would get cut. The network currently airs mostly scripted dramas in the 10 p.m. hour. Those could be moved to earlier in the evening to replace other content.

Independent gubernatorial candidate Sen. Dennis Pyle will appear on the November ballot, the secretary of state's office said Thursday, after they deemed his petitions to do so sufficient.

The news is a potential hindrance to the Republican nominee in the race, Attorney General Derek Schmidt, with the conservative Pyle potentially set to take votes away from Schmidt in his battle with Democrat Gov. Laura Kelly.

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Pyle's campaign is largely predicated on conservative red meat issues, including opposition to COVID-19 mandates, anti-abortion politics, parental control over education and election integrity.

"The effort already expended to get on the ballot will pale in comparison to the task that lies in front of us," Pyle said in a statement. "We now must launch our campaign to inform our neighbors about the stark differences between our conservative beliefs and the radically liberal public policy views of our two opponents, Kelly and Schmidt. They are two peas in a pod."

Energy prices paid by most British households are set to rise 80 percent this fall, putting further pressure on consumers and stoking inflation.

On Friday, Ofgem, the government’s energy regulator, said the so-called cap on what a typical household would pay for electricity and natural gas over a year would rise to 3,549 pounds (about $4,200) from the current £1,971. Consumers and businesses in Britain and elsewhere across Europe are being hit with massive price increases for energy as the war in Ukraine stretches already tight markets for electricity and natural gas.

“This will be devastating for many families,” Jonathan Brearley, chief executive of the regulator, told the BBC. Looking into early next year, he said, “the difficult news I have to give today is that prices look like they are continuing to rise.”

The increase, which takes effect in October and covers about 24 million households, follows a 54 percent rise in April.

A New York City-owned golf course managed by former President Donald J. Trump’s family business is expected to host a Saudi Arabia-backed tournament in October, a city official confirmed on Thursday.

The women’s golf tournament, part of the Aramco Team Series, was approved to be held at the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point in the Bronx by the Eric Adams administration, according to a city official who was familiar with the matter but not authorized to publicly discuss it.

Like the LIV Golf series that has upended the highest levels of men’s golf by poaching some top players from the PGA Tour, the Aramco Team Series has close ties to the Saudi government’s web of enterprises. The two, though, are separate operations.

City officials determined that they could not “unreasonably withhold approval” for the event under the city’s contract with the Trump Organization, according to another city official who was familiar with the matter.

Senate Democrats are coming off a summertime high, clinching legislation on everything from climate to gun safety as their candidates outpolled and outraised Republicans in key battlegrounds. Now comes the post-Labor Day GOP surge.

The Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC aligned with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, is set to narrow the financial disparities currently holding his party back in its bid to retake the Senate. The super PAC has more than $160 million in advertising on the books for the post-Labor Day crunch, according to AdImpact — just the beginning of a cash blitz that’s poised to blunt the financial edge that Democratic candidates have enjoyed for 18 months.

It’s a repeat in the making of 2020, when the GOP PAC notched blockbuster fundraising down the stretch and rained down ads on Senate Democratic candidates that helped avert a complete Republican collapse, though the chamber still narrowly flipped. And Democrats expect this year’s polls to tighten enough to make every race a nail-biter.

“These are all going to be dogfights for the final couple months,” said former Democratic Senate Campaign Committee adviser Justin Barasky. “Republican money is coming. We always knew it was going to, because it always does. Doesn’t mean it’s easy to deal with, but it’s not unexpected.”