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• The actress said "horrific" messages from trolls on social media make her consider getting cosmetic procedures on her "whole face"

• "Every photo I put up, people say, 'Stop with the filler,' " said Spelling, revealing she's currently only having Botox

Tori Spellingis opening up on "mean comments" about her appearance.

While speaking to plastic surgeon Dr. Terry Dubrow on herMisSpellingpodcaston Monday, March 9, the actress, 52, confessed that seeing people speculate about the cosmetic procedures she's had throughout the years has "hurt" her feelings.

Spelling recalled a tabloid publication spreading rumors that she had gotten "cheek implants" and a "new chin" around the time she started starring inBeverly Hills, 90210.

"They were like 'she's had all this plastic surgery,' so they did something like that to a 17-year-old," said Spelling. "I had gotten my nose done at the time. That was it."

The actress said the assumptions made about her in the article have stayed on her mind for years.

Spelling — who sharesfive children, Liam, 18, Stella, 17, Hattie, 14, Finn, 13, and Beau, 8, with ex-husbandDean McDermott— described the rise of critiquing celebrities' looks on social media as "horrific."

"I'm 52, I'll be 53 in May, and I purposely go the other way because … every photo I put up, people say, 'Stop with the filler,' " said Spelling. "I'm like, 'I'm not!'"

Revealing she's debated going under the knife in response to the critique, she continued, "I guess at this point, I should be like "f--k it" and just have my whole face done because they already say I've had it done. I can't win."

TheBeverly Hills, 90210alum said she doesn't typically respond to "mean comments" about her appearance on social media. However, sometimes she wants to clarify that she's had filler in the past, but now only has Botox.

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The candid discussion about her cosmetic procedures came as she and Dr. Dubrow spoke about howJim Carreymight be coping with people's recent comments on hisappearance.

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In a 2024 episode of her podcast, Spelling spoke about going under the knife and having breast augmentation at astrip mall when she was 19.

"I think he was a fine doctor; it was just an outpatient surgery center in a strip mall," said the formerScary Moviestar.

"I was 19. I was like, 'Uh, this isn't Beverly Hills. What's happening?' " she added, noting that a friend recommended the surgeon. "I was confused, and now I know, hey, you can get everything done in a strip mall. I was concerned, but of course I didn't say anything, and I got them done."

Spelling got asecond breast augmentationyears later to avoid any potential health complications from the initial procedure.

However, she revealed that the cosmetic procedures haven't stopped people from sharing negative opinions about her cleavage.

"People always give me s--t about like, 'Oh my God. What's that gaping hole in your chest?' And it's a medical condition. It's like pectoral something," she said, referring to pectus excavatum, a condition where the breastbone is sunken into the chest, according to theMayo Clinic.

Spelling said, "It's a bone thing, and it's genetic. Some of my kids have it as well. Obviously, it ran in my family, and it's just, like, your bone plate is raised higher. So there's no way to ever fill in that gap. It was just something I was born with. But I hate when they're like, 'Oh God, your boobs are wrecked. Look at that.' I'm like, 'No, those are my bones. They're not wrecked. They're me.' "

Read the original article onPeople

Appearing on the Monday (March 9) episode ofBrian Entin Investigatespodcast, Aldine Meister, who has lived in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, for almost 30 years, said she was "freaked out" by the sighting.

Meister showed Entin into her bathroom, pointing out the window from which she noticed the suspicious individual. "I saw him out there. So I couldn't make out his face, although his hat was way down. He was walking down the road, I saw him, and I was like, 'Ohh that guy doesn't fit,'" she said, per theIrish Star.

She continued, "He was kind of hunched over, not in walking or hiking gear. He was dressed in street clothing. So I thought that was weird because that's not normal."

Meister said the person "wasn't going terribly quickly like a normal person who's getting exercise," adding, "He was kind of going slowly, and when he walked by this street, he really took a long look at it."

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Nancy, the mother ofToday'sSavannah Guthrie, has beenmissing since January 31,when police believe she was abducted from her home in Tucson, Arizona. Since then, investigators have releaseddoorbell camera footageof a masked suspect andshared a descriptionof the potential abductor. No suspects have been named.

Meister told Entin she wasn't home the night Nancy was taken. "I arrived home the next morning, and then when we all found out she was missing, we all went out looking for her," she shared, noting that they assumed she'd taken a fall somewhere and that they'd soon find her.

"I was shocked, my elderly mother lives a street away, so I was like 'Oh my gosh, this is terrifying for Nancy,'" she added. "We all went out on foot and driving around. I asked the sheriff a few questions, and he was like 'Yep, we already did that.'"

Meister revealed that at the time, she didn't mention the "strange guy" to anyone other than her husband and mother. However, since Nancy's disappearance, she has reported her sighting to the authorities. The investigation is ongoing.

Read the latest entertainment news onTV Insider.

United States China Two Different Olympians

Eileen Gu, a 22-year-old freestyle skier, andAlysa Liu, a 20-year—old figure skater, were both born to Chinese immigrants in California, and both were brought up in single-parent households. Both are elite athletes who turned in gold-medal performances atthe 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympicslast month.

But public opinion diverges over their choices about the countries for which they compete.

Gu chooses to represent China, while Liu waves the U.S. flag. Those decisions are generating heated debates over loyalty — an issue interwoven with money, values and politics on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.

In China, many laud Gu for identifying herself as Chinese and competing for the honor of the motherland. But plenty praise Liu, too, for her free spirit and genuineness — sometimes with a subtle nod to her father's role inthe 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy proteststhat landed him in the United States.

In the U.S., Gu's choice has raised eyebrows among politicians, including Vice President JD Vance, and even prompted a congressional proposal threatening to tax 100% on athletes such as Gu who compete for countries like China and Russia in the Olympics.

"Any American who works with a foreign adversary has not only betrayed our country but must be stripped of all benefits from doing so," said Rep. Andy Ogles, a Republican from Tennessee.

For Gu, it's a Chinese dream come true

To a large extent, Gu's is a story of China's economic success, when its spectacular growth has made it alluring for those with Chinese roots to return for greater financial gains.

Gu was born in San Francisco to a Chinese mother working in finance. No information about her father is available. Gu competed for China in the Winter Games in both 2022 and 2026, and she has landed endorsements worth millions of dollars from major Chinese brands as well as multinationals eyeing the Chinese market.

In 2022, when she won two golds and one silver in Beijing, Gu was a national idol and fondly known by her Chinese nickname, Frog Princess. Video clips of her eating Chinese snacks went viral on social media. Her performances in Italy were closely followed and celebrated in China.

She has long said her decision to compete for China has more to do with getting girls involved in her sport — with a greater opportunity for growth there than in the United States — than about pure dollars and cents.

But controversy over Gu's citizenship has cast a shadow over her popularity, with members of the public questioning her loyalty, wondering aloud if she has given up her U.S. passport to comply with the Chinese law against dual citizenship. Gu has dodged the question, making it anyone's guess.

Hu Xijin, a former party newspaper editor in China, argued that what's important for China is attracting talents like Gu and chalking it up as a win over the United States.

"Today's China is stronger, and it can provide Gu with interests that cannot be realized if she represented Team U.S.A.," Hu wrote in a social media post. "She has the sharp judgment to pick Team China, and this is the magnetic effect resulted from China's growth."

Liu has chosen differently

For Liu, skating for China is out of the question.

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Liu was born to Arthur Liu through surrogacy. Unlike Gu's mother, Liu's father fled China when he was wanted by the authorities for his involvement in the 1989 student movement that ended with a bloody crackdown in the heart of Beijing and forced many student activists into exile. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, were killed when the military quelled the protests on June 3-4, 1989.

"Chinese people still have no freedom of speech, no freedom of religion, and there are still political prisoners in China," Arthur Liu recently told Nikkei Asia. "Clearly, I wouldn't allow my daughter to compete for such a government."

While the Chinese government embraced Gu with flattering publicity and millions in state funding for her training, Liu said he only let his daughter compete in Beijing in 2022 with assurances from the State Department and the U.S. Olympic Committee about her safety. The FBI hadwarned himthat he and his daughter were targeted in a Chinese government spying operation. That year, Alysa Liu placed sixth in women's single skating.

This time, she became the first American woman to win Olympic figure skating gold in 24 years. Her story spread wildly in China's social media, garnering praises such as "free spirit" and "more genuine." Some, however, pledged loyalty to Gu and suggested that Liu's success was nothing for the Chinese people to get excited about.

With Liu's rise, her father's story bubbled up in China's social media, though any mention was usually brief and cryptic because the 1989 Tiananmen Movement — generally known as 6-4 forthe date of the military crackdown, remains a deeply sensitive political taboo in China 37 years later. While some called the elder Liu a freedom fighter, others denounced him.

The comparison between his daughter and Gu was so prevalent that Arthur Liu was asked about it.

"Everyone is entitled to her own ambition," the father said in a YouTube chat with Zhang Boli, another former student activist. "The two have chosen different paths, and people immediately see the contrast. The contrast is so sharp that people cannot help but comment."

Asked about the comparison recently, Alysa Liu told Newsweek: "Oh, my God, I think this discourse is really silly because we're both half Chinese."

Backlash in the US

The backlash against Gu in the United States this time appeared to start with Vance, who told Fox News during the Games that "I certainly think that somebody who grew up in the United States of America, who benefited from our education system, from the freedoms and liberties that make this country a great place, I would hope that they want to compete with the United States of America."

In response, Gu said, "I'm flattered. Thanks, JD! That's sweet," USA Today reported.

Ogles' bill aside, Rep. Lisa McClain, a Michigan Republican, slammed Gu for not even having "the respect for the country which has given them so much to represent that country."

Citizenship change is nothing new in competitive sports, and other Chinese Americans or Chinese Canadians have played for Team China. But they have not riled up public opinion as Gu has, noted Susan Brownell, a professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis who studies Chinese sports and the Olympic Games. "It does really appear," she said, "that part of the issue here is if you're good enough to beat the U.S."

Badiucao, a Chinese-Australian artist, illustrated the comparison in two drawings: one of Alysa Liu skating triumphantly along with the Statue of Liberty, the other of Gu draped in an oversized, blood-dripping piece of Chinese currency, its image of Mao Zedong looking over her shoulder.

"In a world of Eileen Gu," the artist wrote, "be Alysa Liu."

AP sports writer Stephen Wade in Tokyo contributed to this report.

With fewer and fewer top players reaching the open market thanks to extensions and franchise tags, all-out spending sprees by teams are increasingly rare. Whenagreements began materializing Monday, March 9, as the league's negotiating window opened, only a handful of pacts entailed truly surprising sums.

But the stakes are still high in March, and several teams took bold action to reshape their fortune for the coming season – and not always for the better.

USA TODAY Sports will be grading all of the biggest deals and trades, so check back often for all the latest:

OT Tytus Howard: Traded to Cleveland Browns (previous team: Houston Texans)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> CB Trent McDuffie: Traded to Los Angeles Rams (previous team: Kansas City Chiefs)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> RB David Montgomery: Traded to Houston Texans (previous team: Detroit Lions)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> WR DJ Moore: Traded to Buffalo Bills (previous team: Chicago Bears)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades

OT Tytus Howard:Traded to Cleveland Browns(previous team: Houston Texans)

Falcons add QB Tua Tagovailoa on one-year, $1.215 million deal

• Grade: B+

It sure would be nice for Kevin Stefanski if he could fuse the best qualities of each of his quarterbacks – Tagovailoa's accuracy and Michael Penix Jr.'s ability to drive the ball into tight windows – into one passer. Instead, he's stuck with two players who each amount to a half-measure behind center. While it's fair to question whether Tagovailoa is a sustainable solution for the franchise, the Falcons weren't going to find meaningful competition for Penix elsewhere at this price point.Atlanta now has insurancein case the third-year signal-caller's return from a torn ACL has any hiccups, or if Stefanski merely wants a different look than a player who doesn't appear to be much of a fit in the coach's system due to his preference to work from the shotgun and his reluctance to operate over the middle.

Commanders add DE/OLB Odafe Oweh on four-year, $100 million deal

• Grade: C+

Ahead of free agency, I wrote inmy latest mock draftthat the Commanders might be priced out of landing a big-name veteran pass rusher. Whoops. Washington instead doled out one of the morestunning sums to land Oweh, who came on strong late with all 7 ½ of his sacks after being traded to the Los Angeles Chargers last season. In terms of pure disruptiveness, there's plenty to like about the five-year veteran. But he's never played the role of lead option and true catalyst for a pass rush before, and Washington is betting $68 million guaranteed that he can make the leap. Maybe it was a nearly necessary one given how badly the team has whiffed on cobbling together an edge rush, but it's an inherently risky gamble.

Titans add WR Wan'Dale Robinson on four-year, $78 million deal

• Grade: C

Tennessee wasn't trigger-shy at the outset of free agency, pulling in three players on deals of $60 million or more. The richest agreement came in thedeal for Robinson. It's difficult to square what he can offer an offense as a run-after-catch threat with this kind of payout. There's something to be said for providing Cam Ward with an option who will encourage more checkdowns and fewer heroic efforts in and out of the pocket. But it feels as though the Titans overbid for another piece new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll knows and is comfortable with.

49ers add WR Mike Evans on three-year, $42.4 million deal

• Grade: A

This is probably the rare case when you can believe an agent when he says a decision wasn't driven by money.Evans' dealwas first reported as a $60.3 million pact, but that's actually the maximum value with incentives rather than the base. And with only $16.3 million guaranteed, this partnership is pure upside for San Francisco. Evns sizes up as the kind of well-built X receiver to whom Kyle Shanahan used to love funneling targets. He doesn't need to be anything beyond what he is at this stage in his career to make a massive difference for the 49ers offense. San Francisco just needs to settle the Trent Williams saga to make sure the offense is in top form for a title push.

Saints add RB Travis Etienne Jr. on four-year, $52 million deal

• Grade: C-

Similar to the Chiefs, the Saints seemed desperate to invigorate a lackluster ground game, which ranked 31st in yards per carry. But what's the rush? New Orleans isn't anywhere close to Kansas City in establishing contending credentials, and the famously atypical spender doesn't need to get bogged down in paying top dollar for running backs – especially one who is an effective but not transcendent talent. Having Tyler Shough on a rookie contract confers some advantages and flexibility. Still, the more reasonable route might have been to look to the middle rounds of the draft for a ball carrier. New Orleans has more work to do up front to get its rushing attack right, though linking up with offensive guard David Edwards was a nice start to that effort.

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Raiders add C Tyler Linderbaum on three-year, $81 million deal

• Grade: B-

Few numbers from Monday were as jarring asLinderbaum's $27 million per yearaverage annual value, which represented a 50% increase over Creed Humphrey's previous market-setting rate at center. For a Raiders team flush with cap space, however, paying a premium for protection doesn't seem so outlandish. Linderbaum will fit in perfectly with new coach Klint Kubiak's zone runs, and reliability at the pivot could pay off in a big way for expected No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza's development. The Raiders' free agency strategy at times resembled mashing all the buttons on a controller at once, but this addition could help establish the foundation needed for the Silver and Black to get off the ground floor for once.

Colts trade WR Michael Pittman Jr. for late-round pick swap

• Steelers grade: C+

• Colts grade: B-

For some teams, free agency can be a mechanism by which teams change their identities. For the Steelers, however, it seems to be a way in which the team can lean into its long-running vision for itself. Pittman, who averaged a meager 9.9 yards per catch last season and posted the fewest receiving yards since his rookie year, can still feast on in-breaking routes as a short-to-intermediate threat. But don't expect him to revolutionize the outlook for a receiving corps that still might be a little stale even after his addition. This will be easier to stomach if the Steelers keep at that mission, but it still feels a bit risky to hand the 28-year-old a three-year, $59 million extension. The Colts' salary dump might not move the needle much, but Indianapolis managed to navigate keeping Pittman in he fold until it had worked out the extension with Pierce.

Dolphins add QB Malik Willis on three-year, $67.5 million deal

• Grade: A-

Ahead of this week, there was plenty of handwringing about the kind of offer that Willis might field after starting just three games in the last two years as Jordan Love's backup on the Green Bay Packers. The actual bottom line, however, is entirely reasonable for the Dolphins.Miami gets to pivot from the Tua Tagovailoa erainto an outlook with a decidedly higher upside, as Willis and De'Von Achane might be one of the NFL's most explosive backfield tandems. New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley know Willis' capabilities thanks to their shared time in Green Bay. And with the alternative being forging ahead with Quinn Ewers, the Dolphins at least went with the more promising choice among unproven passers. The financial commitment isn't daunting, either, as the cap space allotted to Willis might simply have gone to waste elsewhere as part of a significant rebuild.

Panthers add DE/OLB Jaelan Phillips on four-year, $120 million deal

• Grade: B

Whether it's via the draft or the open market, upgrading a pass rush will come with a hefty price tag. Carolina tried to take the former route last year with Day 2 picks Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen, but that just led the team to a point of impatience. Enter Phillips, who isn't in the league's first tier of edge threats but already can be a fearsome presence. Now, for the first time since the Panthers traded Brian Burns to the New York Giants, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero has a legitimate force off the edge capable of creating havoc.

Chiefs add RB Kenneth Walker III on three-year, $43.05 million deal

• Grade: B-

Seems only natural that Kansas City would try to solve its explosiveness problem in the ground game by securing a running back who had more than three times as many 20-plus yard runs (10) as the team's entire offense engineered last season (3). With Eric Bieniemy back as offensive coordinator andWalker stepping in, it seems like a good bet that the Chiefs make a large leap with their rushing attack. But the cost here was fairly exorbitant for a team that was saddled with cap problems and now might need to get creative to find solutions for a tattered secondary. Kansas City's insistence on rediscovering its big-play roots feels a bit misplaced amid wider roster problems, but at least there's reason to believe Walker's arrivalcould expedite an overall offensive resurgence, even if the resource allocation is questionable at best.

Colts re-sign WR Alec Pierce to four-year, $116 million deal

• Colts grade: B-

Is it an overpay? Almost certainly. It's difficult to look at a$29 million average annual value– not to mention the $84 million guaranteed – and conclude otherwise for a player who still relies so heavily on his wins in the vertical game to sustain himself. But general manager Chris Ballard and coach Shane Steichen are entering a make-or-break campaign, and they couldn't afford to flinch as they try to reassemble the pieces that made them successful in the first half of last season. Indianapolis might not have managed this in an ideal fashion, but at least the team avoided the very real threat of losing Pierce in a booming receiver market.

Packers trade DE Rashan Gary to Cowboys

• Cowboys grade: C

• Packers grade: A

So much for Jerry Jones' rumination that the Cowboys could be uncharacteristically aggressive in free agency this year. This feels less like a splash and more like a belly flop for Dallas' defense. Gary's 7 ½ sacks last season belie his limited effectiveness as a pass rusher, with a pressure rate that has continued to plunge yearly before falling to 12.1% last year. He neither properly capitalized on Micah Parsons' arrival nor stepped up when the All-Pro edge rusher was lost for the season to a torn ACL. Gary can stop the run and register some clean-up sacks, but that hardly feels like an efficient use of a $19.5 million cap hit. Meanwhile, Green Bay somehow extracts a fourth-round pick – albeit in 2027 – for a player who otherwise might have just been cut loose.

Dolphins trade S Minkah Fitzpatrick to Jets

• Jets grade: B

• Dolphins grade: Incomplete

Despite entering Monday with a good deal of spending space, Gang Green mostly scrounged through the bargain bin in the early stages of free agency. Their one splurge might have come in the form ofacquiring Fitzpatrick, whom they signed to a three-year, $40 million extension– essentially the going rate for a nice-but-not-elite safety. The five-time Pro Bowler is hardly at his playmaking peak anymore, but he's a respected leader who can get the back end of the Jets' defense in order. That's nothing to sneeze at for Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey, who don't have much to count on beyond their floor-raising pick-ups in free agency. New Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, meanwhile, gets a reprieve for cleaning up the missteps of his predecessor.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NFL free agency grades 2026: Best and worst contracts, trades

The shellfish caution covers "certain raw oysters" harvested by Drayton Harbor Oyster Company and Manila clams harvested by Lummi Indian Business Council between Feb. 13 through March 3,according to an FDA statement.

Thesepotentially bad oysters and clamswere sent to food retailers and restaurants in nine states — Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New York, Oregon and Washington, the FDA said.

The agency urged restaurants and retailers "not serve or sell the potentially contaminated oysters or Manila clams," but instead "dispose of any products by throwing them in the garbage or contacting their distributor to arrange for destruction."

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There's also a threat of cross-contamination from those tainted products touching processing equipment that contacts other food in the kitchen, the agency said.

Representatives for Drayton Harbor Oyster Company and the Lummi Indian Business Council could not be immediately reached for comment on Tuesday.

The tribe, however, issued a statement on Friday warning of possible norovirus associated with shellfish coming out ofDrayton Harbor. The warning stopped short of a recall and urged consumers not to eat the shellfish raw.

Consuming tainted shellfish could lead to symptoms in 13 to 48 hours before getting better in another 24 to 72 hours, the FDA said.

Norovuris symptoms include dehydration, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, nausea, stomach pain, fever, headache and body aches.

NEED TO KNOW

• The royal women skipped kissing each other on the cheek, reportedly due to Kate's large hat

• The Princess of Wales greeted King Charles with a kiss and a curtsy

The British royal family exchanged warm greetings as they gathered for the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, butKate MiddletonandPrincess Anneskipped giving a kiss on the cheek — reportedly due to their headwear!

WhilePrince Williamsaid hello to his aunt with a kiss on each cheek, Princess Kate, 44, and Princess Anne, 75, seemed to joke as they greeted each other without a kiss.

Royal reporter Rebecca English of theDaily Mail, who shared a video of the exchange on social media, explained that they didn't attempt the kiss due to Princess Kate's large hat.

"There was no way Princess Anne was going to attempt a kiss under a hat like the Princess of Wales," English captioned a video of the moment onInstagram.

Princess Kate expertly navigated her headpiece while giving kisses to other members of the royal family. For bothKing Charles, 77, andQueen Camilla, 78, Kate's warm greeting wasaccompanied by a curtsy.

Prince William, 43, was the first family member to greet his father, who arrived last just before the ceremony started, by approaching with a kiss on each cheek. William then greeted Queen Camilla with a kiss as well.

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While the members of the royal family often greet the monarch with a bow or curtsy, they are also seen exchanging hugs and kisses informally.

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

Princess Anne has been known for sticking to more formal greetings while also poking fun at herself. When Scotland rugby team's captain Sione Tuipulotu went in for a hug with the royal after the team's recent win, she humerouslyopted for a handshake instead.

After Queen Elizabeth's death in 2022, Princess Anne also reportedly expressed her preference for more formal greetings. Royal biographer Robert Hardman wrote in his book,The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy, that a senior staff memberoffered her a hugshortly after the monarch died, but she had an unexpected reaction to the gesture.

"There then followed a wry smile. 'That is the last time that's going to happen,' the Princess said firmly," Hardman wrote.

Read the original article onPeople

Gas Prices

He had voted for President Donald Trump in the last election. He believed Trump had strengthened the economy in his first term, and he wanted more of that.

"I thought that he was going to bring some of those things back," said Castillo, a 43-year-old factory worker. And now? "He said he was going to bring gas down, but the war in Iran is now making everything worse."

It seems a country divided on so many fronts is finding common ground in pain at the pump, where the cost ofthe Iran warishitting Americans squarelyin the wallet and aggravating people across the political spectrum.

For Castillo and many others filling their tanks on Monday at gas stations in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina and Iowa, it was a reminder that politicians' promises aren't going to pay the bills.

"They do what benefits them," Castillo said. "I have to go to work every day no matter what."

Some are optimistic that the sticker shock will be short-lived. Others blame corporate interests rather than the president. Electric vehicle owners are especially grateful about their decision as they cruise past gas stations with escalating prices.

The national average gas price was $3.48 a gallon on Monday, up from $2.90 a month ago, before the war, according to tracking by AAA.

The higher prices are a reminder of how Trump has veered from his campaign promises. Not only were Americans embroiled in a new war overseas, they were paying for it every time they filled up their tanks.

Trump insisted the conflict was worth it.

"We're putting an end to all of this threat once and for all, and the result will be lower oil prices, oil and gas prices for American families," he said at a news conference Monday. The war, he said, is "just an excursion into something that had to be done."

Robert Coon from Omaha, Nebraska, filled up on his way to Ames, Iowa. Though not a Trump voter, he believed the strikes in Iran needed to happen.

Even so, he fears U.S. involvement is not going to go the way he wants, which is "in, out, over."

AQuinnipiac poll conducted over the weekendfound about half of registered voters oppose the U.S. military action against Iran while about 4 in 10 support it. The vast majority of Democrats were against it (89%), the vast majority of Republicans for it (85%) and independents against it (60%).

Overall, three-quarters were concerned about the war raising gas and oil prices. Recent polling also suggests that the vast majority of voters expect the U.S. action against Iran tolast months or longer, and many worry it is making the U.S. less safe.

In Florida, a gas guzzler keeps rolling

For now, surging prices aren't keeping Ray Albrecht from hauling his 32-foot (11 meter) camper on his Silverado pickup truck around the country as he attended motorcycle festivals like Bike Week in Florida's Daytona Beach.

However, he said he would stop traveling if the price reached $5 a gallon since he only gets 8 miles per gallon with his truck and camper. He stopped at a Speedway gas station off Interstate 4 in Winter Park, Florida, paying $3.59 per gallon for half a tank to keep him rolling toward his home in Wisconsin.

"I've been pretty grateful that the gas prices have been really reasonable" at least until the last week, said Albrecht, 67, who identified as an independent voter.

At the same gas station, Republican-leaning Tyler Nepple, 23, said the price of gas for his Toyota Tacoma may shape his vote in the midterm elections this fall but won't change his driving habits.

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"You've just got to fill it up and bite the bullet and hope that the prices go back down — that's all I can really do," said Nepple, who runs a startup in the Orlando, Florida, area. "I still have to get from point A to point B, and I need gas to do that."

A retiree cuts back in Pennsylvania

Kathryn Price Engelhard, 70, gassed up her Subaru Forester at a Wawa in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, in the Philadelphia suburbs. A retired nonprofit executive director and "strong Democrat," she said she had to stop at over a half a tank because she's on a fixed income. Last week, she paid only $30 to top herself off.

Similarly, she cut her order for home heating oil by half because that cost is up, too. "I look at the prices of oil in the past and the stupid war, how did we — how did anybody — think that that was not going to impact oil?" she asked. "Of course it's impacting oil."

In Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, Vivian Knight, 53, is hoping her fill-up last week will last her a month. She is a former exterminator out on disability. "If I had to go to work or something like that, gas prices would be ridiculous," she said.

Speaking of Trump, she said "he kind of starts some problems that really don't need to be started," and she puts the Iran war in that category.

The saga will have no effect on how Joey Perillo, 74, will vote in November.

"The gas price could have gone down to two cents a gallon and I'd vote against him," said the volunteer firefighter, retired actor and political independent from Yardley, Pennsylvania.

In Michigan, gratitude for electric cars

In the Detroit suburb of Livonia, Anthony Gooden, 57, sized up the plight of gas-powered vehicle owners while waiting for his Chevy Equinox EV to charge at a station.

"Whoa, they're going through it right now," said Gooden, 57, from nearby Redford Township. "And it's only getting worse."

Gooden ditched his internal combustion engine vehicle over a year ago and said days like these reinforce that decision. "You're happier now," he said. "No comparison."

In Ann Arbor, Michigan, Elvana Hammoud, 55, a diversity strategist, drives a Mach-E electric SUV as well as a Ford Raptor truck that costs $100 to fill up when gas is over $3. It's an easy choice which to use more now.

"I mostly drive the EV, especially to work because I have a long commute," she said. The Raptor is for snowy days, short errands or when moving something big. "I used it more frequently just for fun when gas prices were lower."

Trump has put up anumber of roadblocksto rapid expansion of electric vehicles in favor of policies promoting gasoline-powered ones. Among them, his tax and spending bill passed by Congress last yeareliminated federal tax creditsthat saved buyers up to $7,500 off new and used EV purchases.

In North Carolina, worries about gouging

Kevin Kertesz, 65, filled his pickup at a Shell station in Graham, North Carolina, where unleaded started at $3.34 per gallon, up from $2.59 in the area last week.

The Republican retiree asserted that "everyone who is selling fuel for these elevated prices is price gouging, and there's nothing we can do about it because we all have to have gasoline to keep driving."

Ken Shuttlesworth, a 70-year-old IT manager from Graham who described himself as an independent Democrat, said he can absorb higher gas costs but worries about his children and grandchildren and others who live closer to the financial margins.

Trump, he said, should have consulted Congress and had a more public discussion before taking the country to war.

"We have somebody who doesn't follow the policy," he said. "He follows his instincts."

Householder reported from Michigan, Schneider from Florida, Catalini from Pennsylvania and Barrow from Georgia. Associated Press writers Calvin Woodward and Linley Sanders contributed.