WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are invoking the war in Iran and the prospect of retaliatory terrorist attacks as they tee up votes Thursday on a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security.

The House already approved a DHS spending bill in January, but it faltered in the Senate as Democrats insisted on changes to immigration enforcement operations following the shooting death of ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. As a result, funding for the department lapsed on Feb. 14.

Republicans are calling on Democrats to reconsider their vote in the wake of the conflict in Iran. Both the House and the Senate are expected to hold votes on the matter.

“The military action in Iran makes it all more urgent and crucial to have a fully funded, fully staffed DHS across all its departments,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said.

It did not appear the GOP’s strategy had changed the position of Democratic lawmakers, though. They said they are prepared to fund most of the agencies at the department, just not Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection.

“It’s the same lousy, rotten bill that does not put any guardrails or constraints on ICE or CBP after federal agents shot American citizens in the street,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.

Workers are beginning to miss part of their paychecks

Following the longest federal shutdown in the country’s history last year, Congress has completed work on 11 of this year’s 12 appropriations bills. Only the bill for Homeland Security remains outstanding.

Republicans said the timing couldn’t be worse for a Homeland Security shutdown. While a large majority of the department’s employees are considered essential and continue to work, many will not receive a full paycheck this week.

Republicans said the prospect of an increase in unscheduled absences by the Transportation Security Administration’s agents and screeners could lead to longer wait times at the nation’s airports. Meanwhile, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has canceled various assessments to determine vulnerabilities to critical infrastructure. And training for first responders conducted through the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been canceled.

“Can we not understand America is under siege, now likely to be attacked because radical Islam is under siege, and they’re going to hit back and we’re sitting here looking at each other and not funding DHS,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said during a hearing Tuesday featuring DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

Democrats are seeking several changes at the department include prohibiting ICE enforcement operations at sensitive locations like schools and churches, allowing independent investigations into alleged wrongdoing, requiring warrants to be signed by judges before federal agents can forcibly enter private homes or other nonpublic spaces without consent, and requiring agents to wear identification and remove their masks.

Republicans note that the bill does include a bipartisan provision directing more resources for deescalation training and $20 million to outfit immigration enforcement agents with body-worn cameras.

Little to show from negotiations

The White House and congressional Democrats don’t appear to have made significant progress in recent weeks resolving their differences after trading several offers.

“Look, we’re still far apart but we’re negotiating and exchanging paper back and forth,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said.

Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, the Republican chairwoman of a panel that oversees homeland security funding, said she’s been talking to Democrats about a possible pathway forward, but prospects are unclear.

She and other Republicans are citing last weekend’s mass shooting in Austin as an example of the dangerous threat environment that’s facing Americans following the attack on Iran.

“I think that it is incredibly irresponsible to not fund the agency that is supposed to keep us safe here at home,” Britt said.

Democrats said they are ready to fully fund all the agencies within the department except for ICE and CBP.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, authored a proposal to do that, but it was blocked from consideration. She said Republican leadership was using Trump’s “aimless, costly and illegal war with Iran to force through more funding for ICE and Customs and Border Protection without any of the substantial changes that the vast majority of Americans believe those agencies need.”

“It is a cynical effort and it is one that will fail,” DeLauro said.

Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is preparing to vote Thursday on a war powers resolution to halt President Donald Trump’s attack on Iran, a sign of unease in Congress over the rapidly widening conflict that is reordering U.S. priorities at home and abroad.

It’s the second vote in as many days, after the Senate defeated a similar measure along party lines. Lawmakers are confronting the sudden reality of representing the American people in wartime and all that entails — with lives lost, dollars spent and alliances tested by a president’s unilateral decision to go to war with Iran.

The tally in the House is expected to be tight, but the outcome will provide an early snapshot of the political support, or opposition, to the U.S.-Israel military operation and Trump’s rationale for bypassing Congress, which alone has the power to declare war.

“Donald Trump is not a king, and if he believes the war with Iran is in our national interest, then he must come to Congress and make the case,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Meeks said in his nearly three decades in Congress, the hardest votes he has taken have been deciding whether to send U.S. troops to war.

The roll calls are a clarifying moment for the president and the parties just days into the overseas conflict that has quickly carried echoes of the long U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Many veterans of those wars have since run for office and now serve in Congress.

Republicans largely back Trump, and most Democrats oppose the war

Trump’s Republican Party, which narrowly controls the House and Senate, largely sees the conflict with Iran not as the start of a new war, but the end of a regime that for decades has long menaced the West. The operation has killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which some view as an opportunity for regime change, though others warn of a chaotic power vacuum.

Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, the GOP chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, publicly thanked Trump for taking action against Iran, saying the president is using his own constitutional authority to defend the U.S. against the “imminent threat” the country posed.

Mast, an Army veteran who worked as a bomb disposal expert in Afghanistan, said the war powers resolution was effectively asking “that the president do nothing.”

For Democrats, Trump’s war with Iran, influenced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is a war of choice that is testing the balance of powers in the U.S. Constitution.

“The framers weren’t fooling around,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., arguing that the Constitution is clear that only Congress can decide matters of war.

He said whether lawmakers support or oppose the Trump administration’s military action, they should have the debate. “It’s up to us, we’ve got to vote on it.”

While views in Congress are largely falling along party lines, there are crossover coalitions. Both the House and Senate resolutions were bipartisan, and are drawing bipartisan support and opposition. The House is also voting on a separate resolution affirming that Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism.

The war powers resolution, if signed into law, would immediately halt Trump’s ability to conduct the war unless Congress approved the military action. The president would likely veto the measure.

As an alternative, a small group of Democrats has proposed a separate war powers resolution that would allow the president to continue the war for 30 days before he must seek congressional approval. It is not expected to come yet for a vote.

Trump officials provide shifting rationale for war

After launching a surprise attack against Iran on Saturday, Trump has scrambled to win support for a conflict that Americans of all political persuasions were already wary of entering. Trump administration officials spent hours behind closed doors on Capitol Hill this week trying to reassure lawmakers that they have the situation under control.

Six U.S. military members were killed over the weekend in a drone strike in Kuwait, and Trump has said more Americans could die. Thousands of Americans abroad have scrambled for flights, many lighting up the phone lines at congressional offices as they sought help trying to flee the Middle East.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the war could extend eight weeks, twice as long as the president first estimated. Trump has left open the possibility of sending U.S. troops into what has largely been a bombing campaign by air. Hundreds of people in the region have died.

The administration said the goal is to destroy Iran’s ballistic missiles that it believes are shielding its nuclear program. It has also said Israel was ready to act against Iran, and American bases would face retaliation if the U.S. did not strike first. On Wednesday, the U.S. said it torpedoed an Iranian warship near Sri Lanka.

“This administration can’t even give us a straight answer of as to why we launched this preemptive war,” said Rep. Thomas Massie, the Republican from Kentucky who is often an outlier in his party.

Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who had teamed up to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, also forced the war powers resolution to the floor, pushing past objections from House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Johnson has warned that it would be “dangerous” to limit the president’s authority while the U.S. military is already in conflict.

Senators sit in their desks for solemn vote

In the Senate, Republican leaders have successfully, though narrowly, defeated a series of war powers resolutions pertaining to several other conflicts during Trump’s second term. This one, however, was different.

Underscoring the gravity of the moment Wednesday, Democratic senators filled the chamber and sat at their desks as the voting got underway.

“Today every senator — every single one — will pick a side,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said before the vote. “Do you stand with the American people who are exhausted with forever wars in the Middle East or stand with Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth as they bumble us headfirst into another war?”

Sen. John Barrasso, second in Senate Republican leadership, said “Democrats would rather obstruct Donald Trump than obliterate Iran’s national nuclear program.”

The legislation failed on a 47-53 tally mostly along party lines, with Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky in favor and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania against.

Privately, the future Hall of Famer has been accused of using anonymous social media accounts to trash his teammates. Publicly, his expressions of exasperation are a common sight as his Rockets coworkers brick shots or both defensive rotations.

But there is no argument that he would be better off around his old Warriors fling, who flirted with trading for him last February before moving on to Jimmy Butler.

While the Rockets enter Thursday’s home game seeded third in the West and winners of seven of 10, the visiting and hobbling Warriors (31-30) are clinging to the eighth seed after losing two in a row.

Steph Curry has missed the past 11 games and will be out at least another 10 days with runner’s knee.

Kristaps Porzingis has been sidelined since mid-February with what coach Steve Kerr has dubbed a “mysterious” health condition, after Porzingis previously disclosed that he has postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. And of course, Butler is now rehabbing from a season-ending ACL tear.

Draymond Green’s offense has totally abandoned him of late – he is minus-107 in his last nine games played without Curry.

Youngsters Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos and Moses Moody – who is out Thursday with a wrist injury – have displayed noticeable improvement with increased opportunity since the calendar turned to 2026, but none are a franchise cornerstone for the post-Curry era.

These are not exactly ideal circumstances to begin a three-game trip that is shortly followed by a grueling six-games-in-nine-days gauntlet through much of the Eastern Conference.

It is the kind of scenario that would beget tanking for a better draft pick for many franchises whose top four players are either old, injured or both.

Not the Warriors.

“We have to find ways to be better, and get ready for the next one,” 39-year-old center Al Horford said after Monday’s loss to the Clippers. “We’re moving on to Houston and seeing how we can go in there, and compete, and get a win.”

A righteous desire to compete till the end isn’t the only reason the Warriors are shunning this approach.

Yes, the Warriors entered Wednesday night just 1.5 games ahead of the Clippers and just 2.5 above the Blazers for the No. 8 seed, which requires just one play-in victory to reach the playoffs. But there is no realistic way Golden State tumbles to the No. 11 seed, out of the play-in tournament entirely and into better lottery odds.

The shorthanded Warriors dismantled the lifeless Grizzlies in southwest Tennessee by 20 points a week ago. Memphis is 23-37, 7.5 games back of the Warriors and obviously tanking after trading Jaren Jackson Jr. at the deadline.

Even if the Warriors stumble against both the contending Rockets and Thunder to begin the trip, they finish with a likely victory over the Jazz, whose desire not to field a competitive team has caught the eye of the league office.

The Warriors are thus persisting in the oddest of spots between the tankers and the contenders during the playoff push.

They’re stuck making the postseason.

Can’t worry about the uncertainties or the unknowns of the season,” Podziemski said. “At least that’s how I approach it and I just try to go out there and give it my best every night.”

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran launched a new wave of attacks against Israel, American bases and countries around the region Thursday, while warning the U.S. would “bitterly regret” torpedoing an Iranian warship. Tehran’s expanding retaliatory strikes and increasing shows of defiance came even as Israel and the U.S. hammered Iran for a sixth day.

The war has escalated each day, affecting an additional 14 countries across the Middle East and beyond. On Thursday, Azerbaijan accused Iran of attacking it with drones — though Tehran denied that. A day earlier, the U.S. said it sank an Iranian frigate in the waters off Sri Lanka.

All the while, the U.S. and Israel have battered Iran with nationwide strikes, targeting their military capabilities leadership and nuclear program. Israeli and American leaders have also suggested that toppling the government was a goal — and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed when they launched the war Saturday. But the exact aims and timelines have repeatedly shifted, and the conflict increasingly appeared to be open-ended.

Iran’s attacks have targeted their Arab neighbors, disrupted oil supplies and snarled global air travel.

The war has killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, more than 70 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials in those countries. Six U.S. troops have been killed.

Iran remains defiant

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the U.S. Navy of committing an “an atrocity at sea” for sinking the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean earlier in the week, killing at least 87 people.

“Mark my words: The U.S. will come to bitterly regret (the) precedent it has set,” he said on social media.

An Iranian cleric later called on state television for the shedding of both Israeli and “Trump’s blood.”

The statement from Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli represented a rare call for violence by an ayatollah, one of the highest ranks within the clergy of Shiite Islam. There are dozens in Iran.

The war keeps expanding

Israel announced multiple incoming missile attacks and air sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, while Gulf countries also reported coming under fire.

In Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, a drone was shot down near the Al Dhafra Air Base, which hosts U.S. forces, and shrapnel fell to the ground, authorities said. Six people were wounded.

Qatar evacuated residents near the U.S. Embassy in Doha as a temporary precaution and later reported a missile attack on the city. Saudi Arabia said it destroyed a drone in its province bordering Jordan.

Israel appeared to be preparing to step up its attacks on Lebanon, where it is targeting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group. The Israeli military also said a wave of strikes on Iran hit long-range ballistic missile launch sites and other targets.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev accused Iran of carrying out “a groundless act of terror and aggression” after a drone crashed Thursday near the airport in Nakhchivan, a region bordering Iran that is separated from the rest of the country by Armenia. Another drone fell near a school and two civilians were injured, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said.

Aliyev said the military had been instructed “to prepare and implement retaliatory measures.”

Iran’s general staff of the armed forces denied it had launched drones toward Azerbaijan. The denial comes as Iran has repeatedly denied targeting oil infrastructure and other civilian targets during the war, despite its drone and missile fire hitting those sites.

A tanker apparently came under attack off the coast of Kuwait early Thursday, expanding the area where commercial shipping was in danger, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center run by the British military. It said there was an explosion but did not offer a cause.

Since the war began Saturday, ships have been attacked in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped. That has caused oil prices to soar — though they briefly came down Wednesday, before resuming their climb Thursday.

Israel issues evacuation warning for Beirut suburbs

Israel issued an evacuation notice calling for all residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs to “save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately,” apparently signaling plans for heavy bombardment of the area.

Since the resurgence of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah militant group, which struck Israel in the opening days of the war, Israel has hit sites in Beirut’s suburbs and issued a blanket warning for residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate. But it had not issued such a warning for areas near the country’s capital.

Among the 80 targets in Lebanon the Israel military said it hit over the past 24 hours were “several command centers” used by Hezbollah in Beirut. It showed video footage of a building being hit, but provided no further details.

Iranian warship was hit on its way home from multinational exercises

The Iranian ship sunk by the U.S. Navy was returning from an exercise hosted by the Indian navy that the U.S. also joined.

Sri Lankan authorities said 32 crew members were rescued, while its navy recovered at least 87 bodies.

Araghchi said it had been carrying “almost 130” crew.

Sri Lanka’s media minister and government spokesman, Nalinda Jayatissa, told parliament Thursday that another Iranian ship had arrived in its waters. Jayatissa did not provide further details about the ship.

Rising reported from Bangkok, Becatoros from Athens, Greece, and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writers Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut, Lebanon, Elaine Kurtenbach in Bangkok, Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, Julia Frankel in Jerusalem, Aida Sultanova in Baku, Azerbaijan, Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, and Giovanna Dell’Orto in Miami contributed to this report.

Happy Birthday: Redirect your energy to protect your rights, assets and health. You have plenty to gain this year if you stick to your plans and timeline. Having conversations, gathering knowledge and presenting a well-informed dialogue will encourage success and support. Abide by the rules and regulations, but don’t follow the norm when it comes to competitive situations. Think outside the box, and give whatever you do a unique twist. Your numbers are 4, 15, 19, 27, 34, 39, 48.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Reach out to those who share your beliefs, work ethics and pastimes, and share information with them. Check out suggestions, offers, grants or funding that can help you turn your dream into a reality. The more you are willing to do yourself, the better your control over the results. Simplify your plans to meet your budget. Partnerships require equality. 3 stars

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Consider what you can do to make your life easier. Surround yourself with people who share your plans, and work toward a common goal. A change will require time and energy. Be willing to go the distance to get your desired results. Take an innovative leap in a direction that expands your mind, skills and possibilities. 3 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Say little, do a lot. Your actions will far exceed your words and will prompt onlookers to respect and learn from the example you set. Show compassion and understanding, but don’t take on someone else’s problems. Offer suggestions, and get back on track. Living up to your expectations and reputation will help you excel. Avoid health risks. 5 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): There is a price for everything; make sure your aspirations don’t go over budget. Think matters through and be willing to do the legwork, and you’ll stretch your funds to meet your demands. Time, patience and planning are your best routes forward. The more you do, the greater the returns and opportunities to flourish. Personal growth looks promising. 2 stars

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Delve into new possibilities; study, research and include what you discover into your routine and plans. A change in your circle of friends or in your perspective on where you want to lend a helping hand or give a donation will lead to an interesting alternative or connection. Avoid making unrealistic promises or purchases. 4 stars

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Don’t waffle; if you want something, make it happen. You have plenty going for you, so don’t let negativity stand in the way of your desires. Speak up and act fast, and personal, emotional and financial growth will unfold. A change to your occupation, position or reputation will mark the beginning of a positive trend. Romance is favored. 3 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Emotions will fluctuate and temptation will mount. Try not to indulge in rhetoric that is fake or circumstances that can get you in trouble. Stay on track, and put more effort into self-improvement, positive lifestyle changes and partnerships with like-minded people who can enrich your life. Don’t exaggerate your qualifications; update your knowledge and expertise officially. 3 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Instigate what you want. How you respond to others will set the stage for what you get in return. An encouraging word, hands-on help and mixing business with pleasure will all play a role in your success and your relationships with those you count on. Personal gains, love or a new look will boost your ego. 3 stars

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Look inward, and prepare to change whatever is no longer working for you. Dismiss those who continually disappoint or take advantage of you. Focus on home, comfort and emotional well-being. Refuse to pay for someone else’s mistake or to bail them out of a bad situation at your expense. Make life choices that protect you from risk and scammers. 4 stars

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Put more thought into your investments and how you earn a living and spend your cash. Keep shared expenses and joint ventures in your conversations to ensure you maintain an equal dynamic with your partners. Honesty and transparency are essential to avoid problems. Use your energy to fine-tune your agenda and make it flow. Personal growth is favored. 2 stars

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Put your energy to work, and you can bring in more cash. Sell your belongings, develop a product that you turn into a lucrative business, or become a minimalist and build your equity instead of squandering your proceeds on things you don’t need. Choose the path that leads to peace of mind. 5 stars

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Work hard and play hard. Get into the swing of things, and do your part. Your contributions will attract attention, new friendships and opportunities you don’t want to miss. Put more thought and energy into procedures, paperwork and making sure you have left nothing incomplete. Avoid making broad statements or promising the impossible. Self-improvement projects are favored. 3 stars

Birthday Baby: You are proactive, intriguing and disciplined. You are outspoken and benevolent.

Star Ratings Key:

• 1 star: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes.
• 2 stars: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others.
• 3 stars: Focus and you’ll reach your goals.
• 4 stars: Aim high; start new projects.
• 5 stars: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.

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The benefits of exercise range from strengthening your body to helping you live longer. While many of us slow down and gradually diminish our physical activity as we age, the older we get, the more important it is to stay active.

Strength training for seniors helps promote stronger bones and joints and can reduce the risk of injury, including hazardous falls. Strength training for weight loss is also possible; the more muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolic rate is, and the more fat you burn. Additionally, strength training for runners, bodybuilders and other athletes increases endurance and overall performance.

Judd NeSmith, founder of Serious Fitness and BestReviews fitness expert, likes all of his clients to engage in functional strength training exercises when they work out. With the right equipment, you can even do strength training at home.

Shop this article: NordicTrack Dumbbells, TRX All-in-One Suspension Training System and Cap Barbell Cast-Iron Kettlebell.

What is functional strength training?

Unless you’re a hardcore fitness enthusiast, you probably never realized that there are two distinct types of fitness paths. One builds aesthetic muscle, while the other builds functional muscle.

Pursuing aesthetic fitness sculpts your body into an ideal, making you look well-proportioned with an impressive physique. However, this type of training is not beneficial for your range of motion, flexibility or speed. In short, you might look great, but you might not be able to perform simple tasks, such as scratching your own back.

“These exercises require you to engage your core muscles, which include your pelvic floor muscles,” NeSmith said. “Your core muscles surround your spine, and they stabilize your spine during any daily movement pattern. When you strengthen your core muscles, you are going to increase your balance and reduce your fall risk.”

Additionally, the Mayo Clinic states, “As you add more functional exercises to your workouts, you should see improvements in your ability to perform your everyday activities.”

Simple strength training for beginners to strengthen your core and increase balance

Functional fitness is not going to the gym and seeing how much you can bench press. These exercises have a different purpose.

“Maybe you have a 65-year-old man or woman and their balance is going downhill,” NeSmith said. “You can have them just stand on their right foot, while their left foot is slightly off the ground, and do a simple exercise like dumbbell bicep curls. The dumbbell bicep curls work their upper body, but at the same time, they are improving their balance.”

NeSmith listed a few other strength training workouts he uses for building muscle in your core and enhancing balance. You can do all of these beginner strength training exercises at home with the right gear. Whether you’re working with a trainer on a personalized strength training program or developing one yourself, these are the exercises to focus on:

• Front step-up: While holding dumbbells in your hands, keep one foot on a step platform and lift the other foot off the floor, raising the knee up to waist height before setting it back down.
• TRX single-leg squat: With one foot behind you in a suspended total resistance exercise loop for support, perform single-leg body-weight squats.
• Single-leg squat with step platform: With one foot supported on a step platform and dumbbells in hand, perform single-leg squats.
• Lateral step overs: Using a step platform, move from left to right and back again, stepping side to side on and over the platform.
• Single-arm dumbbell chest press on a balance ball: Lying with your shoulders on a balance ball and your feet out in front of you so you create an elevated bridge position, use a dumbbell to execute single-arm chest presses.
• Single-leg Romanian deadlift: Holding a kettlebell in one hand, lower it to just above the floor while raising the same leg straight back until it is horizontal to the floor. Slowly move back to the starting position.
• Medicine ball walking lunge: Perform a walking lunge while holding a medicine ball with two hands. Start with the medicine ball at your chest. Lower it so when your back knee is down, the medicine ball is in front of your forward shin. As your feet come together, raise the medicine ball directly overhead.
• Balance ball stirring the pot: Assume an inclined prone position with your elbows on a stability ball and feet spread to about shoulder width. First, rotate your elbows in a clockwise position for six circles. Then, rotate them counterclockwise for six circles.

Best strength training equipment

NordicTrack Dumbbells

This set of select-a-weight dumbbells can replace 15 pairs of regular dumbbells for your strength training routine. Each dumbbell has a range of 10 to 55 pounds and is made of steel and hardened plastic. The storage trays are clearly marked with easy-to-read weight identifications.

The Step Original Aerobic Platform

Step up your workout with this high-density polyethylene aerobic platform. It has a slip-proof mat on top and nonmarking rubber floor pads on the bottom. The platform is a spacious 14 by 40 inches and the step is 8 inches high.

TRX All-in-One Suspension Training System

This all-in-one suspension training system comes with everything you need to get a full-body workout. It has locking loops that prevent slipping and adjusters so you can easily change the length depending on your exercise needs. The integrated foam handles and foot cradles offer comfort and versatility.

Stamina X Plyo Step-Up Box

The Stamina X Plyo Step-Up Box can be adjusted from 12 to 24 inches in 4-inch increments. The heavy-textured nonslip surface makes it suitable for step-ups, box jumps and more. Best of all, there is no assembly required — it’s ready to use straight out of the box.

UrbnFit Balance Ball

This rugged balance ball is made with anti-burst polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and has a 600-pound weight capacity. The surface of this balance ball has a nonslip coating to provide a confident grip. The included dual-action pump lets you quickly inflate the ball by hand.

Cap Barbell Cast-Iron Kettlebell

Cap Barbell is a trusted name in workout equipment. This seamless cast-iron kettlebell features a powder-coated finish for durability, while the wide handle ensures a comfortable and secure grip, whether you’re using one hand or two.

Champion Sports Exercise Medicine Ball

This medicine ball has a synthetic leather exterior that makes it easy to hold, even when your hands get sweaty. The reinforced stitching ensures it’s as tough as you are. Each weight is a different color, so you can easily identify the right ball to use.

Other exercise equipment worth checking out

• If you prefer to have a set of weights, this CAP dumbbell set comes with a rack for easy storage.
• Bored with black kettlebells? Sunny Health and Fitness has a brightly colored vinyl-coated kettlebell that has a wide handle and a flat bottom.
• A top-quality exercise mat is always a wise choice.
• This burst-resistant balance ball is an excellent tool for people wanting to enhance core strength.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump ’s White House ballroom project is way too big and should be scaled back, an architect and member of the board of the National Trust for Historic Preservation said Wednesday — one of a number of changes he has suggested for a project he says could permanently alter the nation’s most recognizable historic home.

David Scott Parker, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects whose firm specializes in residential design and historic preservation, shared his views with The Associated Press as a key federal agency, the National Capital Planning Commission, prepared to meet Thursday to vote on whether to approve the 90,000-square-foot project. A separate federal panel, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, approved the project at its February meeting.

“Everything here feels inflated,” said Parker, who has been an architect for more than 35 years. “The net effect of this is to adversely impact what is the most important historic — the most identifiable historic — house in the entire United States. This is permanent, what it will do to the White House.”

Trump announced last summer he would be add a ballroom to the White House, citing the need for space other than a tent on the lawn to entertain important guests. He demolished the East Wing in October with little warning and underground construction to prepare the site has been underway since then. White House officials have said above-ground construction would not start before April, at the earliest.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a private, nonprofit group, asked a federal judge to temporarily halt construction until the White House submitted the construction plans to both federal panels and to Congress for approval, and allowed the public to comment. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon rejected the request last week, and the Trust has said it plans to file an amended lawsuit.

Parker’s architectural analysis was based on renderings and other information the White House submitted to the fine arts commission last month.

The ballroom itself takes up about 22,000 square feet of the total space, and Parker said that is far larger than needed for the 1,000 guests Trump has said it would accommodate. The industry standard for a ballroom allots 15 square feet per person, Parker said. By that measure, Trump’s ballroom could be 47% smaller — or no bigger than 15,000 square feet, he said.

The proposal includes a 4,000-square-foot, south-facing porch and staircase. Parker said these are unnecessary since they don’t provide guests with direct access to the interior of the building. He said the porch doesn’t comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The White House said Wednesday that the ballroom will comply with the federal law requiring accommodations for people with disabilities, but did not provide further comment on Parker’s critique.

The proposed portico is significantly larger than the portico on the south side of the White House and the south side of the Treasury Department building nearby.

Concerns about the project’s size have followed it from the start. At nearly twice the size of the main White House itself, which is 55,000 square feet, critics have argued the addition would overwhelm the mansion and throw off the symmetry of the complex.

Parker said his other main concern is that the addition would stick out just enough so that it impedes the line of sight along Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and the Capitol as it was purposely designed hundreds of years ago by Pierre L’Enfant, who was hired by George Washington to lay out the U.S. capital.

“It’s hard to fathom that … one addition could have so many adverse impacts, symbolically, architecturally and historically,” Parker said. “This literally violates the Founding Fathers’ intentions.”

Parker is listed among more than 100 people registered to speak at Thursday’s commission meeting, which is scheduled to be conducted online, according to the agency’s website. Thousands of people submitted comments in advance and many were opposed to Trump’s project.

It remained unclear Wednesday whether ballots cast during extended polling place hours in Texas’ primary will be counted in two counties that saw mass confusion over voting locations.

Such votes have been set aside in Dallas County after the Texas Supreme Court stepped in Tuesday night, staying a lower court’s ruling. As of Wednesday afternoon, county election officials were still waiting for direction on whether the ballots should be included in vote totals.

The same issue affected Williamson County, north of Austin, which had hours extended at two polling places and has since had the last-minute ballots set aside.

But for Democrats in deeply blue Dallas County, the state’s second most populous, they say their hopes are dwindling. Terri Burke, executive director of the Texas Democratic Party, said the Supreme Court’s action was expected because it’s hard to get poll hours extended under Texas law.

“In a lot of ways, nobody was surprised by the writ from the Supreme Court last night,” Burke said. She added it’s likely the late ballots won’t be counted.

It is unclear exactly how many ballots were cast during the extended hours. According to data on the Dallas County Elections Department’s website, 2,316 in-person “provisional” ballots were rejected or pending, a number that includes any ballots flagged for a variety of issues as well as those the high court ordered to be segregated. A total of nearly 280,000 people voted in the county’s election, based on unofficial figures from the department.

Of greater concern, Burke said, was the chaos unleashed by the precinct-only voting system that Dallas County was forced to use because of a change by local Republicans, who refused to use a system that allowed voters to cast a ballot anywhere in the county, as they had done since 2019. Voters instead could cast ballots only at their assigned precinct. Under state law, Democrats had to use the same method.

Confused and frustrated, some voters were turned away from polling places on Tuesday and directed to other locations.

“There is a case to be made, and we can document it, there were people who were disenfranchised,” Burke said.

She said she will attempt to push the legislature to repeal the 2006 law that requires both parties to hold a joint primary to prevent this sort of chaos: “If one party wants to wreck their primary, they should be able to do that but they should not be able to wreck someone else’s.”

In Dallas County, a judge ordered polls to remain open for two hours past the scheduled 7 p.m. closing time, citing “voter confusion so severe” that it caused the website of the county election office to crash. The judge was acting on a petition filed by the local Democratic Party in a heavily left-leaning county. The extension applied only to Democratic voting precincts.

There was initial concern that it could affect the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate because Dallas is the home base of Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, but she later conceded to James Talarico, a state lawmaker.

The office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who advanced to a runoff Tuesday against Sen. John Cornyn for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, challenged the lower court’s ruling. Shortly after, the state Supreme Court stayed both decisions in Dallas and Williamson counties. Its brief orders said ballots cast by voters in both counties who were not in line by the 7 p.m. scheduled close of polls should be separated.

Emily French, the policy director for Common Cause Texas, a voting advocacy group, said it is standard for ballots that are cast during extended poll hours to be set aside. In El Paso, for example, voting was extended for an hour on Tuesday after problems with voter check-in systems earlier in the day. French said she expects them to ultimately be tallied if no one is contesting the extension.

Anthony Gutierrez, the executive director of Common Cause Texas, said the organization is continuing “to monitor this situation and will be weighing all options to ensure every Texan is able to have their vote counted.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — A protester and three U.S. Capitol Police officers were treated for injuries in a Senate office building on Wednesday after the protester resisted arrest for disruptive behavior and grabbed onto a doorway as the officers and a Republican senator tried to drag him out of the room.

The protester, Brian C. McGinnis of North Carolina, was arrested and faces three counts of assaulting a police officer and three counts of resisting arrest and unlawful demonstration, the Capitol Police said in a statement.

“This afternoon, an unruly man who started to illegally protest during a hearing put everyone in a dangerous position by violently resisting and fighting our officer’s attempts to remove him from the room,” Capitol Police said in a statement.

Multiple videos show that McGinnis stood up and started shouting during the Senate Armed Services hearing and that police officers immediately grabbed him and tried to remove him from the room. McGinnis was protesting the U.S. military campaign in Iran, shouting, “America does not want to send its sons and daughters to war for Israel!”

The officers pulled McGinnis toward the exit as he violently resisted them and grabbed onto a doorway while they were trying to pull him out. Montana Sen. Tim Sheehy, a Republican member of the Armed Services panel who is a former Navy SEAL, ran over to assist and pull the protester’s arm off the door as other protesters yelled that McGinnis’ hand was stuck.

Capitol Police said in the statement that McGinnis “got his own arm stuck in a door to resist our officers and force his way back into the hearing room,” and said he was treated for his injuries.

Sheehy said in a statement on social media that he was trying to de-escalate the situation.

“This gentleman came to the Capitol looking for a confrontation, and he got one,” Sheehy said, “I hope he gets the help he needs without causing further violence.”

A video posted on an X account under the name Brian McGinnis appears to show the same man standing outside the Capitol on Wednesday morning before the hearing. The account’s description says he is a “Green Party Candidate for US Senate.”

He says in the video that he was “here in D.C. trying to speak out against the Senate” to ask them about sending the country into war.

“Anyone who feels disillusioned and betrayed by our government, you are not alone,” he says in the video.

“Following a letter from a Congressman inquiring about reporting on anonymous allegations, CBP opened an internal inquiry to determine the full story,” a U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in an emailed statement Wednesday. “This is standard procedure and does NOT indicate any confirmation of wrongdoing.”

Customs and Border Protection is part of Homeland Security.

The investigation comes after The New York Times and then CBS News reported on remarks Bovino allegedly made during a Jan. 12 phone call held to coordinate a Saturday meeting to discuss the deployment of immigration agents in the Minneapolis area.

During the call, the reports said, Bovino allegedly complained that Attorney for the District of Minnesota Daniel N. Rosen was unreachable for part of the weekend because of the Sabbath, which in Judaism is observed from sunset Friday to nightfall Saturday.

Bovino allegedly used the term “chosen people” in a disparaging way and asked, in a sarcastic tone, whether Rosen understood that some Orthodox Jewish people don’t take the Sabbath off work, the reports said.

“Do Orthodox criminals also take off on Saturday?” he asked, according to CBS.

The Times reported Rosen delegated the call to a deputy and that he himself was not part of the conversation.

The Times first reported on the investigation. It said an investigator with Customs and Border Protection’s office of professional responsibility wrote in an email that he had opened an “official inquiry into the allegation” that Bovino made “unprofessional comments.”

Bovino was the public face of the Trump administration’s city-by-city immigration sweeps until late January. The Border Patrol chief led agents in Los Angeles, Chicago and New Orleans before he headed to Minnesota in December for what Homeland Security called its largest-ever immigration enforcement operation.

The administration removed Bovino from his leading role after federal officers in Minneapolis fatally shot 37-year-old mother Renee Good and 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti on different days, leading to nationwide demonstrations and criticisms of Homeland Security’s use-of-force policies.

On Monday, a Minnesota prosecutor said her office would investigate Bovino and other federal officers for misconduct. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said she would look into an instance in which Bovino threw a smoke canister at protesters on Jan. 21. Homeland Security said in a statement that states cannot prosecute federal officers.

This story has been corrected to show Department of Homeland Security emailed a statement on Wednesday, not Tuesday.