A federal appellate court decided last month to keep open the detention center nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” for the time being, blocking a lower court decision ordering it to wind down operations. But the case was sent back to the lower court judge who now gets jurisdiction over the lawsuit as the litigation over the facility’s fate continues.

“Knowing that the same district judge who previously enjoined the operation would soon reassume oversight -- the defendants are now effectively waving the white flag,” said Paul Schwiep, an attorney for the environmental groups that had sued, saying the facility’s construction hadn’t undergone a required environmental review.

When asked about the future of the state-run facility and its costs on Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that he hadn’t gotten any “official word” that federal authorities are going to stop sending detainees to the detention center.

But vendors who supply and help run the facility have been told that the closure could be as soon as next month, according to reports Tuesday by The New York Times and CBS News Miami. The Florida Department of Emergency Management, which operates the detention center, didn’t respond to an emailed inquiry on Wednesday. The Republican governor’s press secretary, Molly Best, referred questions about the facility to the state emergency management agency.

“We didn’t build any permanent facilities down there because we knew it was going to be temporary,” DeSantis said Wednesday at a news conference in Titusville, Florida.

DeSantis’ administration opened the facility last July to support the immigration crackdown by the administration of President Donald Trump, who visited the detention center last summer. An attorney for two detainees has accused guards of severely beating and pepper-spraying detainees. Other detainees have said worms turn up in the food, toilets don’t flush and mosquitoes and other insects are everywhere.

“This monument to cruelty, waste and environmental and tribal lands abuse should have never been built,” U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat from Florida, said Tuesday.

Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity sued state and federal officials a short time after the facility opened, claiming the remote airstrip site in the Everglades wasn’t given a proper environmental review required by federal law before it was converted into an immigration detention center. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami agreed and ordered in August that the facility must wind down operations within two months.

The appellate court blocked the order, saying the Florida-run facility wasn’t under federal control and didn’t need to comply with federal law requiring an environmental impact review.

But the appellate court made clear that once Florida got federal reimbursement for the facility, it would have to comply with the federal environmental law, Schwiep said.

DeSantis said Tuesday that the state expected to be reimbursed by the federal government for $608 million, which has already been approved by FEMA.

“There’s no negotiations on that,” he said.

___

Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social.

The 11 Bahamian survivors were stranded at sea in a life raft for about five hours after the plane crash. The U.S. Air Force and Coast Guard responded.

U.S. Air Force Reserve 920th Rescue Wing personnel found them and rescued them about 80 miles off the Melbourne coastline, and flew them to Melbourne Orlando International Airport.

“For all those people to survive is pretty miraculous,” Maj. Elizabeth Piowaty said during a news conference on Wednesday at Patrick Space Force Base.

The U.S. Coast Guard Southeast District watchstanders coordinated the rescue.

The Florida Highway Patrol identified the suspects in an arrest report as 25-year-olds Shemar Amory Rattray, of Miami Gardens, and Jerrell Anthony Louis Watson.

The report states that troopers observed a BMW 530i traveling about 100 mph southbound on the Homestead Extension of Florida’s Turnpike near the Southwest 74th Street entrance ramp shortly after 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.

A trooper later clocked the vehicle at 111 mph during a pace check, authorities said.

When troopers initiated a traffic stop near Mile Marker 27, investigators said the BMW initially pulled onto the shoulder before speeding off as an officer approached.

They said the car fled at speeds exceeding 130 mph, exited near Southwest Eighth Street and struck a guardrail, causing damage and disabling the car.

According to the report, both suspects then fled on foot in different directions. Troopers said one was quickly captured after a short foot chase, while the second was detained shortly afterward.

Investigators said Rattray was identified as the driver after he was found with the BMW’s key fob in his pocket.

Jail records show he was arrested on charges including fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement at high speed, reckless driving, resisting an officer without violence and driving with a suspended license.

Watson was arrested on a charge of resisting an officer without violence, records show.

As of Wednesday afternoon, both men were being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Rattray’s bond was listed as “to be set,” while Watson’s bond was set at $500.

Here is a look at the events leading up to the high court’s ruling:

June 7, 2021: Murdaugh calls police to report his wife Maggie, 52, and their son Paul, 22, have been fatally shot near a dog kennel on their property.

Sept. 4, 2021: Alex Murdaugh attempts to arrange his own death in a plan to secure his surviving son a $10 million life insurance payment, officials say. The plot fails when the shot by a Murdaugh associate only grazes Murdaugh’s head.

Oct. 14, 2021: Police arrest Murdaugh at a drug rehab facility in Florida on charges he stole insurance settlements totaling more than $4 million intended for the sons of his late housekeeper.

Nov. 17, 2021: Prosecutors reveal 27 new charges against Murdaugh, saying he stole nearly $5 million in settlement money. Prosecutors allege Murdaugh was hiding money from lawyers who sued him over the death of a teenager killed when authorities say an intoxicated Paul Murdaugh wrecked the boat he was driving.

Jan. 18, 2022: Additional indictments mean Murdaugh now faces 71 charges that he stole nearly $8.5 million in wrongful death and wreck settlements from more than a dozen people.

May 4, 2022: Russell Laffitte, the former CEO of Palmetto State Bank before his firing earlier this year, is indicted on charges that he conspired with Murdaugh to defraud victims of $1.8 million.

June 28, 2022: Prosecutors outline an eight-year money laundering and painkiller ring in new indictments.

July 14, 2022: Murdaugh is charged with murder in the deaths of his wife and son. The indictments issued by the grand jury contend Murdaugh killed his wife with a rifle and his son with a shotgun

Jan. 23, 2023: Murdaugh goes on trial for double-murder in the killings of his wife and son.

Feb. 23, 2023: Murdaugh denies killing them after taking the witness stand at his murder trial. But he admits lying to investigators about when he last saw them alive.

March 2, 2023: A jury convicts Murdaugh on two counts of murder after a six-week trial. The jury deliberated for less than three hours.

March 3, 2023: A judge sentences Murdaugh to life in prison.

Jan. 29, 2024: A South Carolina judge denies Murdaugh’s bid for a new trial after his defense team accused a clerk of court of tampering with a jury.

April 2, 2024: Murdaugh is sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for stealing from clients and his law firm.

Feb. 11, 2026: Murdaugh asks the South Carolina Supreme Court to throw out his murder convictions.

May 13, 2026: The South Carolina Supreme Court overturns Murdaugh's murder convictions and life sentence. In a unanimous ruling, the justices said the conduct by the court clerk “egregiously attacked Murdaugh’s credibility” by suggesting to jurors his testimony could not be trusted. Prosecutors say they plan to retry Murdaugh on murder charges.

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted against the war for the first time since it began at the end of February. Two other Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky, also voted against the war, as they had done previously.

The war powers legislation ultimately failed to advance 49-50, with Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania the only Democrat to oppose it, yet the close tally reflected growing unease with Trump's war. Several other Republican senators have signaled they want Congress to weigh in on the direction of the conflict.

“There will be a day — and it might be soon, I believe — where this Senate will say to the president, ‘Stop this war,'" Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who has spearheaded his party's tactic of forcing repeated votes on the war, said before the vote.

Even if it passes the Senate, a war powers resolution would have a slim chance of passing the House and would also certainly be vetoed by Trump. But Democrats say the votes are about building political pressure on the president either to withdraw from the conflict or seek congressional authorization to wage the war.

Trump officials downplay role for Congress

The White House, meanwhile, has asserted that it does not need congressional authorization for the war and has circumvented legal requirements to gain approval from Congress to continue the military campaign. It claims that it has “terminated” hostilities with Iran because the U.S. has entered a ceasefire.

That posture has created tension between the Republican-controlled Congress and the White House because presidents under the War Powers Resolution of 1973 are required to obtain authorization from Congress after 60 days of engaging in a conflict.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers this week that the U.S. could start attacking Iran again without the White House seeking congressional approval. He told Murkowski during a hearing on Tuesday that the Trump administration believes it has “all the authorities necessary.”

Murkowski voiced skepticism about that argument. She pointed to the troops and war ships deployed to the region, saying, “It doesn’t appear that hostilities have ended.”

GOP leaders back the war, but unease grows

Republican leadership has continued to back the war with Iran, arguing that the stalemate in the Strait of Hormuz that has blocked most commercial shipping puts more economic pressure on Iran than it does on the U.S.

“Iran’s economy is on life support. Its leadership is eliminated,” said Sen. John Barrasso, the No. 2 Republican in leadership, during a floor speech Wednesday.

He also argued that the Democratic effort on the war is all about undermining Trump. Forcing the issue just as he arrived in China for a summit would “pull out the rug from under him,” Barrasso said.

Still, Republicans are also growing uneasy about the high gas prices, especially as the November elections draw near.

Sen. Mike Rounds, a Republican from South Dakota, said Wednesday he’d prefer that the two branches of government work out the constitutional issues instead of a congressional war powers vote or a potential challenge in court.

The two sides should sit down together and say “we have shared constitutional responsibilities,” Rounds said.

Democrats plan to keep forcing weekly votes on war powers resolutions and are looking ahead to put limitations on Trump during the debate over annual legislation that authorizes and funds the military.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat who sponsored Wednesday's resolution, told reporters that he believes there is an “erosion of support, erosion of enthusiasm, an increase in skepticism” about the war from Republicans.

The five-year agreement, ratified on Tuesday, covers nearly 30,000 flight attendants at United. It includes an average 31% pay increase this summer, boarding pay worth an additional 7% to 8% in compensation on average and $741 million in retroactive pay, according to the Association of Flight Attendants.

“The contract will immediately change the lives of United Flight Attendants, especially our thousands of new hires who have been hired since the pandemic,” said Ken Diaz, president of the union’s United chapter. “Our solidarity delivered the goods.”

The union said the deal also secures expanded job security, restrictions on red-eye flying, pay for lengthy delays over 2 1/2 hours, higher retirement contributions, 10 weeks paid parental leave and the elimination of 24-hour on-call reserve schedules.

Both United CEO Scott Kirby and union leaders say the agreement — reached through mediation at the National Mediation Board — sets a new benchmark in the industry.

“The United Airlines Flight Attendant contract now leads the industry in total value for Flight Attendants — and it should,” said Sara Nelson, president of the AFA, which represents more than 55,000 flight attendants across 20 airlines.

In a post shared on LinkedIn, Kirby said United is “lucky to have the best flight attendants in the world to represent our airline!”

“I am very happy that they now have the industry-leading contract that they deserve,” he said.

For years, it had been standard across much of the airline industry for flight attendants to go unpaid during boarding, despite flight attendants already assisting passengers, resolving seating and carry-on issues, conducting safety checks and preparing the cabin for departure.

Delta Air Lines became the first U.S. airline to offer boarding pay in 2022, followed by American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.

Last August, Air Canada’s flight attendants put a public spotlight on the issue when about 10,000 of them walked off the job, leading the Canadian airline to cancel more than 3,100 flights. The strike ended days later with a breakthrough deal that included pay for boarding passengers.

DeSantis dijo que fue aprobado el reembolso federal por el costo del centro de detención de inmigrantes en el Aeropuerto de Entrenamiento y Transición Dade-Collier.

DeSantis indicó que recibir los fondos federales tomará tiempo. El centro de detención abrió el 3 de julio como una red de carpas con aire acondicionado.

“Sabíamos que iba a ser temporal”, dijo DeSantis.

La conferencia de prensa fue para anunciar reducciones en las sobredosis de fentanilo y una solicitud a los legisladores para aprobar el presupuesto de los agentes correccionales y del Departamento de Cumplimiento de la Ley de Florida.

A principios de este mes, durante una conferencia de prensa en Lakeland, DeSantis dijo que la instalación podría comenzar a reducir sus operaciones.

“Si apagamos las luces mañana, podremos decir que cumplió su propósito”, dijo DeSantis.

Vea la conferencia de prensa.

Governor DeSantis Highlights Florida’s Progress in Reducing Opioid Overdose Deaths https://t.co/wBxv8TaCC4

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 13, 2026

Reporte relacionado: Muertes por sobredosis en EE.UU. volvieron a disminuir en 2025, pero algunos temen por cambios en políticas y suministro de drogas

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DeSantis said the federal reimbursement for the cost of the immigration detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport was approved.

Receiving the federal funds will take time, DeSantis said. The detention center opened on July 3 as a network of air-conditioned tents.

“We knew it was going to be temporary,” DeSantis said.

The news conference was to announce reductions in fentanyl overdoses and a request to lawmakers to approve the budget for correctional officers and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Earlier this month, during a news conference in Lakeland, DeSantis said the facility may wind down operations.

“If we shut the lights out tomorrow, we will be able to say it served its purpose,” DeSantis said.

Watch the news conference

Governor DeSantis Highlights Florida’s Progress in Reducing Opioid Overdose Deaths https://t.co/wBxv8TaCC4

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 13, 2026

Related report: US overdose deaths fell again in 2025, but some worry about policy and drug supply changes

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In a statement, Otaola said he “did not obtain the required number of signatures to convene the special election,” so “the recall effort was not successful.”

The petition was approved in January. It required about 66,000 valid Miami-Dade County residents’ signatures by Thursday.

Otaola, who has 728,000 subscribers on YouTube, had criticized Levine Cava as a leftist who had neglected Miami International Airport and Miami Animal Services.

En un comunicado, Otaola dijo que “no obtuvo la cantidad requerida de firmas para convocar la elección especial”, por lo que “el esfuerzo de revocación no tuvo éxito”.

La petición fue aprobada en enero. Requería alrededor de 66,000 firmas válidas de residentes del condado Miami-Dade antes del jueves.

Otaola, quien tiene 728,000 suscriptores en YouTube, había criticado a Levine Cava, calificándola de izquierdista y acusándola de descuidar el Aeropuerto Internacional de Miami y Miami Animal Services.

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Tamarius Blair Davis Jr. shot and killed Dustin Wakefield, 21, of Castle Rock, Colorado, as he shielded his 1-year-old son, Eli, on Aug. 24, 2021 as they sat outside of La Cerveceria de Barrio, a Mexican restaurant at 1412 Ocean Drive.

The then-22-year-old Davis, of Norcross, Georgia, was a total stranger and was believed to be in a magic-mushroom-induced psychosis at the time.

He also pleaded guilty to attempted murder and child abuse charges Wednesday in connection with the shooting.

Davis’ sentencing proceedings are expected to take two to three days.

No date has been set for Davis’ sentencing hearing; a pre-sentencing investigation must take place by June 12.

Davis could face 25 years to life in prison.

Tamarius Blair Davis Jr. disparó y mató a Dustin Wakefield, de 21 años y residente de Castle Rock, Colorado, mientras protegía a su hijo Eli, de 1 año, el 24 de agosto de 2021, mientras estaban sentados afuera de La Cerveceria de Barrio, un restaurante mexicano ubicado en el 1412 de Ocean Drive.

Davis, quien entonces tenía 22 años y era residente de Norcross, Georgia, era un completo desconocido y se creía que estaba bajo una psicosis inducida por hongos alucinógenos en ese momento.

También se declaró culpable el miércoles de cargos por intento de asesinato y abuso infantil en relación con la balacera.

Se espera que el proceso de sentencia de Davis dure entre dos y tres días.

No se ha fijado una fecha para la audiencia de sentencia de Davis; una investigación previa a la sentencia debe realizarse antes del 12 de junio.

Davis podría enfrentar entre 25 años y cadena perpetua en prisión.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade (MDSO), la balacera fue reportada a las 3:53 p.m. en el área de Southwest 102nd Avenue y West Circle Plaza, en el área no incorporada de West Perrine, en el condado.

“Según los investigadores, la madre escuchó un fuerte estallido dentro de la residencia y encontró a su hijo sufriendo una aparente herida de bala autoinfligida en una extremidad superior”, dijeron funcionarios de la MDSO en un comunicado de prensa.

Los detectives dijeron que la madre del niño, Myeisha Sharie Smith, lo llevó al Jackson South Medical Center y luego fue trasladado por aire al HCA Florida Kendall Hospital.

El niño se encuentra en condición estable, informaron las autoridades.

Según un informe de arresto obtenido el miércoles por Local 10, Smith admitió ante los detectives que dejó su arma desatendida en su habitación con su hijo, quien luego tomó el arma y se disparó en el hombro, justo encima de la clavícula.

Smith fue arrestada por un cargo de negligencia infantil que causó graves daños corporales.

Hasta la mañana del miércoles, permanecía detenida en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight. Se espera que comparezca ante el tribunal de fianzas más tarde en la mañana o en la tarde.

The department imposed the bond requirement last year for countries that it said had high rates of people overstaying their visas and other security issues as part of the Republican administration’s broader crackdown on immigration. Travelers to the United States from 50 countries are required to pay the new bond, and five of those countries have qualified for the World Cup — Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Tunisia.

“The United States is excited to organize the biggest and best FIFA World Cup in history," Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar said. “We are waiving visa bonds for qualified fans who bought World Cup tickets" and opted in to the FIFA Pass system that allows expedited visa appointments as of April 15.

The waiver is a rare loosening of immigration requirements under the administration and will ease travel burdens for at least some visitors to the U.S. for the World Cup, which begins June 11 and is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

World Cup team players, coaches and some staff already were exempt from the bond requirement as part of the administration’s orders to prioritize the processing of visas for the tournament. Ordinary fans, even if they had confirmed tickets, had not been exempt until Wednesday.

The administration has taken dramatic steps to restrict immigration in ways that critics say are incongruous with the type of unifying message that a global sporting event such as the World Cup is supposed to project.

For instance, the administration has barred travelers from Iran and Haiti, though World Cup players, coaches and other support personnel are exempt. Travelers from Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, also World Cup qualifiers, face partial restrictions under an expanded version of that travel ban.

Foreign travelers also are facing new requirements to submit their social media histories, while the administration had deployed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at airports recently when Transportation Security Administration personnel were not being paid.

Those measures prompted Amnesty International and dozens of U.S. civil and human rights groups to issue a “World Cup travel advisory" that warns travelers about the climate in the U.S.

In a report this month, the main advocacy group for U.S. hotels blamed visa barriers and other geopolitical issues for “significantly suppressing international demand,” leading to hotel bookings for the soccer tournament that are far below what had initially been anticipated.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association said travelers are concerned about potentially lengthy visa wait times and increased fees, along with uncertainty about how they're being processed to enter the U.S.

The bond requirements are part of the administration’s larger effort to clamp down on migrants who travel to the U.S. on temporary visas but then overstay them. Visa applicants from the affected countries are required to pay $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 in bonds, which will be refunded if the traveler complies with the terms of the visa or if the visa application is denied.

As of early April, the number of World Cup fans affected by the bond requirement was believed to be relatively small, perhaps only about 250 people, according to U.S. officials who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. But they said that number was changing rapidly as more people buy tickets and some with tickets opt against traveling.

FIFA had requested the waiver, which had to be approved by the State Department and Department of Homeland Security, and was the topic of discussion at multiple meetings at the White House and elsewhere in Washington for several months, the officials said.

Speaking at the end of three days of spring meetings in a posh resort in northeast Florida, Phillips said ACC coaches and athletic directors reached consensus on wanting to double the current College Football Playoff model.

“When you’re leaving national championship-contending teams and schools out of the playoff, you don’t have the right number,” Phillips said. “We lived through it.”

Phillips pointed to unbeaten Florida State getting snubbed from a four-team CFP field in 2023 and Notre Dame getting left out of last year’s 12-team model.

“Notre Dame was a CFP-worthy team this year; they just were,” he said. “The other rationale is there is so much investment going on in the sport of football and in college athletics. … If you’re going to ask presidents and chancellors and boards to continue to invest in their football programs, it’s really important that they have hope, that they have an opportunity at the beginning of the season to get into the playoff.”

Coaches and administrators have clamored for more access to the lucrative and potentially job-saving playoff. They point to having just 12 playoff spots for 138 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision, a miniscule percentage compared to many other collegiate sports or major professional leagues.

“The more the merrier,” Florida State athletic director Michael Alford said. “The more opportunities to get teams in and give student-athletes opportunities.”

Phillips also said television partner ESPN “has been pretty clear with all of us that they’d like it to stay at 12, maybe 14, but no higher than 16.”

No matter how much the ACC and other leagues support a 24-team playoff, the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference have exclusive power to determine the CFP's future. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and the SEC's Greg Sankey have the ultimate say on any expansion.

The SEC is pushing to expand to 16 teams, with an emphasis on at-large bids. The Big Ten supports 24 teams and initially wanted multiple automatic qualifiers from each conference.

The playoff expanded from four to 12 teams in 2024, and after decision-makers failed to reach an expansion agreement, the CFP will use the same model for the 2026-27 season. The discussion carries major implications for the college football calendar, including the start and end of the season and the role of money-making conference championship games.

An NCAA committee last month recommended that FBS teams play a 12-game schedule over 14 weeks beginning in 2027 with the season starting on the Thursday of what is now designated Week Zero and ending the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Last week, the American Football Coaches Association proposed changes to the schedule that included eliminating conference championship games, reducing scheduled bye weeks from two to one and reducing the minimum number of days between games to no fewer than six.

Sankey stood firm earlier this week on expanding to a 16-team CFP.

Sankey said all changes in college athletics must come with appropriate research — something he believes the SEC has provided in support of a four-team expansion to 16. To Sankey, moving to 16 teams is an unknown, with one big question being whether an expanded playoff would make up for an SEC title game that generates more than $80 million a year for the powerhouse conference.

The current CFP contract includes a deadline of Dec. 1, 2026, to make any changes for the following season.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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According to an arrest report from the Miami Gardens Police Department, the crime happened at about 9:40 a.m. Monday near Carol City Middle School.

Police said the victim was walking on the sidewalk along Northwest 37^th Avenue and 188^th Street when Carlos Alberto Jean, of Miami, parked his white truck on the swale and then walked toward the victim in a “hasty manner.”

According to the report, Jean told the victim that she was beautiful and that he wanted to “trick her out” and “spoil her.”

After asking the victim her age and whether she had a boyfriend, he asked her, “When do you turn 13?” and then wrote his phone number on her arm, authorities said.

Police said Jean then touched the victim’s vaginal area over her clothing as he returned the pen to her, at which point the victim jumped back and continued to walk toward the school.

According to the report, the girl reported the incident after arriving at school and detectives reviewed the school’s cameras which captured the victim’s interaction with Jean, corroborating her accusations.

Police said the victim identified Jean in a photo lineup and he was taken into custody the following day on charges of lewd & lascivious molestation on a child 12-16 and battery.

Jean provided some kind of admission, which was redacted from the publicly released report, but denied touching the victim’s vagina, according to the report.

A spokesperson for MGPD told Local 10 News that two other girls “in adjacent jurisdictions” have since come forward to report that they were approached by Jean near their schools in the early morning hours.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Jean was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Online jail records listed his bond as “to be set.”

Anyone who believes they or someone they know was victimized by Jean is asked to call Detective Jocelyn Herrera at 305-474-1424 or email jocelyn.herrera@mgpdfl.org. Anonymous tips can be made by calling Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

And in the league's eyes, that's to be expected.

Mindful of criticism from players and coaches that seems like a constant in any postseason, the NBA's senior vice president of referee development and training freely acknowledges that there is a difference between regular-season basketball and playoff basketball — a point that nobody within the league likely would largue.

But refereeing, Monty McCutchen insists, doesn't fundamentally change at playoff time.

“It would be very difficult on our players, on our coaches, most certainly on our referees, if the intensity of a seven-game series that we see in the playoffs exhibited itself over 82 games," McCutchen said at the NBA draft combine. “NBA playoff basketball is one of the great spectacles of all sport in my opinion. You get the combination of the passion and strength of our players and coaching staffs in tight spaces over seven-game series. And I think that that absolutely makes for a different game.”

Given the stakes of the postseason, it's only natural for every play to come under more scrutiny and for emotions to run hotter.

— San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama was ejected from a playoff game this week for elbowing Minnesota's Naz Reid, a play that led to Spurs coach Mitch Johnson saying his team's 7-foot-4 star is constantly dealing with some sort of physicality that goes over the line and inevitably will force him to react. “At some level, you have to protect yourself,” Johnson said. “Every single play on every single part of the floor, people are trying to impose their physicality on him. I get it. We get it. That’s part of the game."

— Austin Reaves and the Los Angeles Lakers held an impromptu meeting at midcourt with referees after a playoff loss in Oklahoma City to voice concerns.

— Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson pointed out that Cavs star guard Donovan Mitchell wasn't getting to the line very often in Games 1 and 2 of the series with Detroit; Mitchell got there 11 times, total, in those games (both Cleveland losses) and got there 11.5 times on average in the next two games (both Cleveland wins). That, in turn, led to Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff to comment after Game 4.

And those are just some examples.

“Standing up for your team is a job descriptor of an NBA head coach and most certainly I don’t begrudge a head coach the desire to represent for himself, his team, most certainly his players," McCutchen said. "That’s part of the voice of an NBA head coach that I have an understanding of. My job is to take those commentaries and decide or see what is true and what is avocation. And now, even if it is true, it’s very important that I’m not putting my foot on the scale of a series.”

Playoff referees — not all referees get playoff assignments, and the roster of officials gets pared down after each round based on performance — study tape after games, just as they do in the regular season. Every call is evaluated, and McCutchen has said several times in recent years that the league's referee corps is constantly striving to do better.

“We’re not putting our whistles in our pocket,” McCutchen said. “That being said, I think it’s fair to debate, talk about passionately, like many of our fans and people in the media do, about whether that’s the appropriate enough of whistles to blow. But we are trying to meet the moments of the passion of the playoffs in a way that upholds our standards.”

That tends to come with more calls. The NBA is seeing an increase in foul calls from the regular season to the playoffs for the 66th time in its 80-year history. This season is seeing a differential of higher than 10% in that regard for only the sixth time in the last 60 years. (The five biggest increases in that differential, ranging from 13% to 17%, all took place between 1949 and 1955.)

McCutchen looks at the playoffs this way: Aggression is good, rough is not.

“We don’t like to see ejections," McCutchen said. "Our goal would be to get through all these games where we meet this right up to the edge of rough and you have this really aggressive, passionate game that is adjudicated and an environment is created in which that environment of aggressiveness is rewarded — because we have the best players in any sport, in my opinion — but that it doesn’t creep over to rough. That’s the goal.”

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

A lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court targets the Memphis Safe Task Force, comprising agents from 13 federal agencies that President Donald Trump ordered to the city to fight crime alongside Tennessee State Troopers and the Tennessee National Guard.

Since late September, hundreds of federal, state and local law enforcement personnel tied to the task force have made traffic stops, served warrants and searched for fugitives in the majority Black city of about 610,000 people. The lawsuit says the task force has conducted over 120,000 traffic stops.

"In the professed name of crime control, Task Force agents have stopped, menaced, and arrested Memphians engaging in routine, day-to-day activities,” the lawsuit states. “In response, Memphians encountering Task Force agents in public, including Plaintiffs, have stopped to gather information about and record Task Force activities.”

Emails from The Associated Press to the U.S. Department of Justice and a spokesperson for the task force were not returned on Wednesday morning.

Federal officials including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, former Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, have visited Memphis to praise the task force. Miller in October predicted the surge in law enforcement would make the city “safer than any of you could ever possibly imagine” and that “businesses and investment are going to pour in, and Memphis will be richer than ever before.”

The task force is part of a larger effort by Trump to use National Guard troops and surge federal law enforcement in cities, particularly ones controlled by Democrats. Following troop deployments in the District of Columbia and Los Angeles, he referred to Portland, Oregon, as “war-ravaged” and threatened apocalyptic force in Chicago. Speaking last year to U.S. military leaders in Virginia, Trump proposed using cities as training grounds for the armed forces.

The lawsuit accuses task force agents of systematically retaliating against the four plaintiffs and other members of the public engaged in similar observations. It claims the threats and harassment are the “direct result of federal policy” that views observing federal agents performing their duties in public as a threat of harm to those agents. The lawsuit also claims that federal and state officials have failed to train their agents not to retaliate against citizens engaged in First Amendment protected activities.

The lawsuit asks the court to declare that retaliation against the plaintiffs for observing and recording law enforcement activity is unconstitutional and to prohibit the agents from further retaliation. It also targets a Tennessee law that requires observers to stand at least 25 feet (7.6 meters) away from law enforcement officers, if they are warned to do so, or face arrest. The suit asks the court to declare unconstitutional the use of the “Halo Law” against defendants who are not interfering with agents or impeding their duties.

The visit occurs at a delicate moment for Trump’s presidency, as his popularity at home has been weighed down by the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran and rising inflation as a consequence of that conflict. The president is seeking a win by signing deals with China to buy more American food and aircraft, saying he’ll be talking with Xi about trade “more than anything else.”

Here’s the latest:

A former private prison executive will become ICE’s acting leader

David Venturella will serve as the acting head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Trump administration says, after the agency’s current leader steps down at the end of the month.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said late Tuesday that Venturella would succeed Todd Lyons, who led the agency through much of the administration’s tumultuous crackdown on immigration. ICE did not immediately respond to an email seeking additional information Wednesday.

Venturella left the Geo Group in early 2023 and has been working at ICE leading the division that oversees detention contracts, members of Congress wrote in a public letter earlier this year.

At the Geo Group, Venturella served in a number of posts, including executive vice president overseeing corporate development, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. It said he also has worked for federal contractors, including one that specializes in security clearances and background checks.

Geo has benefited from Trump’s mass deportation push, garnering big contracts to open shuttered facilities.

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US House Speaker Mike Johnson says his prayers are with Trump on China visit

“The president has laid down a marker that was overdue and very important: The American people are not going to be taken advantage of any more by adversaries or allies,” Johnson, a Republican, said at a news conference in Washington.

The House speaker said his prayers are with Trump that he has a “good visit” with Xi. He said he hoped “they come forward with some favorable policies, things that will help us out, and I believe he will.”

House Democrats ask Trump to proceed with arms sales to Taiwan

Ranking members of four House committees urged President Trump in a letter Wednesday morning to proceed with the $14 billion arms sales to Taiwan and resist any effort by Beijing to “dictate” the U.S. policy toward the self-governed island.

The letter, signed by the top Democrats on House committees on foreign affairs, armed services, intelligence and the Chinese Communist Party, was released as Trump arrived in Beijing for a high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Beijing strongly opposes any arms sales to Taiwan, which it sees as part of Chinese territory, while the U.S. is obliged by a domestic law to supply the island with sufficient hardware for self defense.

On Monday, Trump said he and Xi would discuss Taiwan in Beijing, raising worries that any slip by the U.S. president could undermine the U.S. commitment to the island.

Trump administration freezes new Medicare enrollments for hospice and home health agencies

The Trump administration said Wednesday it’s expanding its sweeping fraud-busting initiative in federal health programs with a nationwide six-month freeze on any new Medicare enrollments by hospice and home health agencies.

The moratorium will temporarily stop all new providers in these categories from signing up for reimbursement from Medicare, the federal insurance program for older adults across the country, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said in a news release.

“We’ve seen systemic and deeply troubling fraud in the hospice and home health space, with bad actors exploiting some of our most vulnerable Medicare patients and stealing money from the American taxpayer,” CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said in a statement. “Today we’re shutting the door on fraud-preventing new bad actors from entering Medicare while we aggressively identify, investigate, and remove those already exploiting them.”

The move is related to efforts by Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud task force, set up by Republican President Donald Trump to crack down on potential misuse of public funds.

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Residents in Beijing held up their phones to wait for Trump’s motorcade

As President Trump’s motorcade moved toward the Four Seasons Hotel, located near the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, residents held up their smartphones trying to capture his arrival. Security was heightened around the hotel.

On the Chinese social media platform Weibo, some users posted about his arrival. A video post by the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showing Trump walking out of the plane had more than 66,600 likes and nearly 4,000 comments in less than two hours. Under the post, a comment that read “China and the U.S. join hands to advance together and create a bright future!” drew more than 2,300 likes.

Wall Street is mixed following another discouraging inflation report and a recovery for tech stocks

The S&P 500 slipped 0.1% in early trading, still near its all-time high set at the start of the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 235 points, or 0.5%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.2% higher.

Gains for tech stocks helped support the market, like Micron Technology’s 4.3%. They had stumbled the day before after momentum suddenly halted for stocks riding excitement around artificial-intelligence technology.

Nvidia, the chip company that became one of the first faces of the AI boom, rose 2.4% and was the strongest force pushing upward on the S&P 500. Its CEO, Jensen Huang, got an invitation to join President Trump on his trip to China, where they could discuss allowing shipments of Nvidia AI chips to the world’s second-largest economy.

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Trump had personally invited Nvidia’s Huang on the China trip

A surprise appearance on the Anchorage tarmac as Air Force One refueled en route to Beijing was Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who wasn’t initially included on the manifest of corporate executives accompanying Trump to China.

The president had realized through news reports that Huang, with whom he is close, wasn’t on the trip. So he personally called the CEO on Tuesday and invited him to join, according to a person with knowledge of the discussion. The person was granted anonymity to discuss a private conversation.

“CNBC incorrectly reported that the Great Jensen Huang, of Nvidia, was not invited to the incredible gathering of the World’s Greatest Businessmen/women proudly going to China,” Trump said on social media as the presidential plane traveled from Anchorage to Beijing. “In actuality, Jensen is currently on Air Force One and, unless I ask him to leave, which is highly unlikely, CNBC’s reporting is incorrect or, as they say in politics, FAKE NEWS!”

— Seung Min Kim

Trump is also expected to visit the Temple of Heaven on Thursday

That’s where Chinese emperors once prayed for bumper crops.

And Trump will take part in a formal banquet Thursday.

Trump’s arrival is trending on Chinese social media platform Weibo

A video posted by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showing Trump stepping out of the plane and walking down the stairs had more than 18,000 likes in less than 30 minutes.

More than 1,300 comments were made in response to the post. Some welcomed Trump to China and others wrote: “peaceful coexistence, win-win cooperation.”

The status of Taiwan will be a major topic

China is displeased with U.S. plans to sell weapons to the self-governing island the Chinese government claims as part of its own territory.

Trump told reporters Monday he’d be discussing with Xi an $11 billion weapons package for Taiwan the U.S. administration authorized in December but hasn’t yet begun fulfilling. The arms package is the largest ever approved for Taiwan.

But the U.S. leader has demonstrated greater ambivalence toward Taiwan, an approach that’s raising questions about whether Trump could be open to dialing back support for the island democracy.

At the same time, Taiwan — as the world’s leading chipmaker — has become essential for the development of AI, with the U.S. importing more goods so far this year from Taiwan than China. Trump has sought to use Biden-era programs and his own deals to bring more chipmaking to America.

Trump pauses to take in the elaborate welcome scene in Beijing

Three hundred youngsters waved miniature American and Chinese flags in front of themselves and then over their head in unison.

“Welcome, welcome! Warm welcome!” the children chanted in Chinese.

Trump greeted dignitaries after deplaning, then stopped and grinned, taking in the scene.

He didn’t answer questions, instead climbing in a limo on the way to his hotel.

The president has nothing more on his public schedule until Thursday.

Following him off the plane were Trump’s son, Eric, and Lara Trump, his daughter-in-law, as well as assorted travelers, including Space X chief Elon Musk.

The Chinese offered Trump a pomp-filled welcome

A red carpet was rolled out for him after Air Force One landed.

The president was to be greeted by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng; Xie Feng, China’s ambassador to Washington; Ma Zhaoxu, executive vice minister of foreign affairs; as well as the U.S. envoy to Beijing, David Perdue, according to the White House.

The welcoming ceremony includes some 300 Chinese youths, a military honor guard and a military band.

The meat of Trump’s summit in China won’t happen until Thursday

That’s when the leaders will hold bilateral talks and a formal banquet.

The Trump administration hopes to begin the process of establishing a Board of Trade with China to address differences between the countries. The board could help prevent the trade war ignited last year after Trump’s tariff hikes, an action China countered through its control of rare earth minerals. That led to a one-year truce last October.

Trump arrives in Beijing ahead of meetings with Xi

Trump has touched down in Beijing for his summit with Xi Jinping.

Trump has no public events beyond his arrival on Wednesday’s schedule, but is set to meet with Xi a series of times on Thursday and Friday.

U.S. and China have “candid” exchanges in South Korea’s trade talks, CCTV says

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent engaged in “candid, in-depth and constructive” exchanges on resolving economic and trade issues of mutual concern and further expanding practical cooperation, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Wednesday.

The officials led the trade talks between the world’s two biggest economies in South Korea, hours before Trump’s arrival in Beijing.

CCTV said they were guided by the important consensus reached by the heads of state of both countries, and upheld the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation.

Nvidia CEO is late-announced addition to Trump’s trip

The White House said Huang’s schedule hadn’t permitted his coming, but then changed, clearing the way for him to make the trip.

The last-minute addition inspired online commentary and memes on the Chinese internet.

Those including on Xiaohongshu and Weibo, where people shared manipulated images of Huang clinging to Air Force One with his bare hands.

Musk, Cook and other prominent US executives invited to join Trump on trip to China

These prominent U.S. executives from Big Tech to agriculture have been invited to join Trump on his trip to China, according to a White House official:

1. Elon Musk - CEO of Tesla and SpaceX 2. Tim Cook - CEO of Apple 3. Kelly Ortberg - Boeing CEO 4. Jensen Huang - Nvidia President and CEO 5. Larry Fink - BlackRock Chairman and CEO 6. Stephen Schwarzman - Blackstone Chairman, CEO and co-founder 7. Brian Sikes - Cargill Chairman and CEO 8. Jane Fraser - Citi Chairman and CEO 9. Jim Anderson - Coherent CEO 10. H. Lawrence Culp - GE Aerospace Chairman and CEO 11. David Solomon - Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO 12. Jacob Thaysen - Illumina CEO 13. Michael Miebach - Mastercard CEO 14. Dina Powell McCormick - Meta President and Vice Chairman 15. Sanjay Mehrotra - Micron Chairman, President and CEO 16. Cristiano Amon - Qualcomm President and CEO 17. Ryan McInerney - Visa CEO

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Soaring inflation and plummeting economy test Iran’s ability to withstand war and US blockade

Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz is throttling the world’s energy supplies and inflicting global economic pain, but the struggles of the Islamic Republic’s own economy are testing its ability to withstand the war and defy Washington’s demands.

Iranians have been hit by spiraling prices for food, medicine and other goods. At the same time, the country has seen mass job losses and business closures caused by strike damage to key industries and the government’s monthslong shutdown of the internet.

The economic cost of the war and the U.S. naval blockade “has been very substantial and unprecedented for Iran,” said Hadi Kahalzadeh, an Iranian economist and research fellow at Brandeis University.

But Iran has withstood decades of economic pressure and sanctions and its capacity to adapt has not been dismantled, Kahalzadeh said.

The International Monetary Fund has predicted the Iranian economy will shrink by about 6 percentage points in the next year.

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This series, which started streaming Wednesday and is based on a collection of romance books written by Elle Kennedy, follows the steamy love lives of members of a college hockey team. Like a different romance series, Netflix's “Bridgerton,” each season will focus on a different couple’s story.

We begin “Off Campus” with the story of team captain Garrett Graham and Hannah Wells, played by Belmont Cameli and Ella Bright. After an embarrassing encounter — Wells, working as a janitor, stumbles upon Graham naked in the locker room — the two make an arrangement. They will pretend to date, to make the guy Wells is really interested in jealous, and in turn she will tutor Graham in a class he's having trouble with. Their deal soon leads to something more.

Room for more than one ‘hockey show’ on TV

“Off Campus” began production about a year ago, before “Heated Rivalry” — the phenomenon about gay pro hockey players, adapted from Rachel Reid's books — made its HBO debut. There will inevitably be comparisons between the two shows. But the actors in “Off Campus” say there is room for more than one hockey series.

“There’s new shows and movies about American football all the time. Nobody’s like, Oh great, here comes another ‘Remember the Titans,’” Cameli said. “‘Heated Rivalry’ had a ton of success and it deserved it and those guys are great. I’m thrilled for them.”

“Off Campus” creator and showrunner Louisa Levy is impressed that “Heated Rivalry” is breaking barriers with its storytelling.

“Not only is it another hockey show, it’s a queer hockey show, which is amazing. And it’s also very different from our show,” Levy said. “Our show is in college. Our show follows a group of friends. It’s a different kind of romance.”

The success of the Canadian-made “Heated Rivalry” is also a source of pride for another “Off Campus” actor, Stephen Kalyn.

“Seeing another Canadian creator make such a very popular and hit show, it’s really inspiring, honestly,” said Kalyn, who plays Dean Di Laurentis. “I’m just proud. I’m a proud Canadian.”

Honing their hockey skills

“Off Campus” mostly follows its hockey players' lives off the ice. Still, they wanted to make the action look realistic.

“We did ask all the guys to put themselves on tape skating to make sure that they could at least stand on ice before we shot, because it is important. We want it to feel organic,” Levy said. “There are certain things that you can cut around and certain things that are a little bit harder.”

Before filming, the actors were put through a two-week hockey boot camp to get comfortable on skates and the ice. A former hockey pro, Dave Tomlinson, was brought in to help them learn the basics.

“We did a lot of the close-ups as we’re skating,” said Jalen Thomas Brooks, who plays John Tucker. “There’s no like, pretending to skate. We’re all on skates moving, actually striding. But when it comes to the big, big sequences, those are sometimes stunt doubles.”

Kalyn has actual hockey experience and could perform more of his own moves on camera.

“I grew up playing hockey my whole life, so it’s such a treat to be able to play hockey and act — the two things that I love,” Kalyn said.

Next up on the ice

Season 2 of “Off Campus” begins filming very soon, and will star Cipriano. A video of him surprising India Fowler with the news that she got the part of his love interest, Grace Ivers, was recently released online.

While Cipriano is “excited for Logan to meet Grace at some point,” he's focused on celebrating the release of Season 1.

“We don’t need to think about the future right now,” he said.

Cameli is looking forward to his co-stars getting their own major storylines.

“They’re all really prepared for whenever their turn is up next,” Cameli said. “I love these guys. I mean, they’re are all like so talented and skilled and sweet, and they are just really great people. You know, do they ask me for advice all the time about everything? Yes. Am I giving them brilliant nuggets constantly? Absolutely.”

Unlike “Bridgerton,” where the couple du jour only pops up here and there on the show after their season has played out, Cameli and Bright say they're sticking around.

“We're not going anywhere,” promised Bright. “I’m just excited to see Hannah and Garrett in their relationship and what challenges that they might overcome being together.”

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According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, the shooting was reported at 3:53 p.m. in the area of Southwest 102nd Avenue and West Circle Plaza in the county’s unincorporated West Perrine area.

“According to investigators, the mother heard a loud popping sound from inside the residence and found her son suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to his upper extremity,” MDSO officials said in a news release.

Detectives said the boy’s mother, Myeisha Sharie Smith, drove him to Jackson South Medical Center and he was then airlifted to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital.

The boy is in stable condition, authorities said.

According to an arrest report obtained Wednesday by Local 10, Smith admitted to detectives that she left her gun unattended in her bedroom with her son, who then grabbed the gun and shot himself in the shoulder, just above the clavicle.

Smith was arrested on a charge of child neglect causing great bodily harm.

As of Wednesday morning, she was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. She is expected to appear in bond court later in the morning or afternoon.

If convicted, Smith could face up to 15 years in prison.

A decade of conflict between the world's two biggest economies has left U.S.-China trade greatly reduced from the boom times of the 2000s and 2010s, forcing companies to regroup. Many American firms have shifted production out of China to countries like Vietnam and India. And Chinese firms have scrambled to find new customers in Europe and Southeast Asia.

But the two countries are finding that they still need each other. "The idea of somehow China being totally independent of us and us being totally independent of China, I think, is a fiction,'' said financier Wilbur Ross, who served as U.S. Commerce secretary in Trump's first term.

This week's summit is primarily about keeping the economic relationship stable, with only modest policy announcements expected. A trade truce reached last October likely will be extended, while China may announce plans to buy American soybeans, beef and Boeing airplanes. U.S. officials also have teased the creation of a Board of Trade.

Watching closely will be American farmers who were shut out of the Chinese soybean market for most of 2025, as well as U.S. manufacturers who lost access to China’s rare earth minerals they need to make everything from smartphones to fighter jets.

In China, manufacturer Michael Lu is hoping the Xi-Trump summit will herald more positive signs. Chances of U.S.-China commerce going back to the roaring trade of 15 years ago may be slim, but factory owners in China are expecting for at least some improvements. “The U.S. used to be a more stable market,’’ said Lu, founder and CEO of gift box producer Brothersbox in the southern city of Dongguan.

A freefall in U.S.-China trade

Before Trump began slapping taxes on Chinese imports in 2018, the average U.S. tariff on China stood at 3.1%. Now, even after coming down from the triple-digit levels they briefly hit last year, they are still at almost 48%, according Chad Bown of the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

In 2016, the United States did more business with China than any other country. Trade between the two countries — exports plus imports — accounted for more than 13% of America’s trade with the rest of the world. By last year, China’s share had been halved to 6.4%. Mexico and Canada had leapfrogged China to become the top two U.S. trading partners.

The problem with the pre-Trump U.S.-China trade boom was that it was so lopsided. China sold far more to the United States than it bought. The U.S. deficit in the trade of goods and services with China peaked at $377 billion in 2018. Last year, it was down to $168 billion, the lowest since 2004.

Still, China has exported so much to other markets — Southeast Asia and Europe, in particular — that it recorded a record global trade surplus of $1.2 trillion last year.

Chinese companies find workarounds

The American government’s statistics probably overstate the drop in U.S.-China trade. Many Chinese companies have relocated to Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam and Thailand and now send their stuff onto the United States, dodging U.S. tariffs. The Trump administration wants to crack down on these “transshipments.’’

As China sent fewer goods to the United States last year, goods imports from Southeast Asia surged — up 42% from Vietnam, 44% from Thailand, 24% from Indonesia.

“It would be wrong to think that China is no longer relevant for the U.S. market,’’ said Zongyuan Zoe Liu, senior fellow for China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. “Chinese goods are still coming into the U.S.’’

Velong Enterprises, which was founded in China’s southern Guangdong province in 2002 and makes kitchen gadgets and grilling tools for Walmart and other U.S. retailers, diversified its supply chain in the years since Trump’s first term in the White House in order to serve U.S. customers, including by adding production capacity in Cambodia and India.

“Most serious manufacturers did not simply ‘leave China,’” said Velong CEO and founder Jacob Rothman. “Instead, they built multi-country supply chains around China.”

Contending with erratic tariffs

The trade war with China has taken a toll on Appu Jacob Varghese, who owns Zion Foodtrucks, a small food truck manufacturer outside Colorado Springs that imports Chinese equipment for its trucks.

“Last year,’’ Varghese said, “a lot of my hair turned white.’’

What tormented Varghese was the erratic way Trump imposed his taxes on Chinese imports. They changed unpredictably from week to week – and briefly shot up to a terrifying 145%. Zion Foodtrucks relied on Chinese suppliers for the cooking and fire-suppression equipment that goes into its $50,000 to $60,000 food trucks.

Zion’s customers typically signed a fixed-price contract and took delivery of a brand-new food truck six weeks later. Trump’s fluctuating tariffs meant the Varghese’s costs were bouncing around wildly – but his contracts kept him from raising prices.

He managed to get through the year but he knew he needed to find suppliers outside China. These days, he gets about half his cooking equipment from Vietnam and Thailand, and the fire-fighting gear comes from U.S. and Israeli suppliers.

He speaks highly of his Chinese suppliers but doesn’t expect to ever rely so heavily on them again. Given the testy relations between Washington and Beijing, he said, “it’s too risky.’’

Shifting away from China

A lot of U.S. companies are pulling back from China. Apple has moved some of its production of its iPhones to India. Nike has stepped up production in Vietnam.

“Trade tensions can flare up quite quickly, and that makes the U.S. firms hesitant to rely too heavily on Chinese supply,” said Sarah Tan, a Singapore-based economist at Moody’s Analytics whose focus includes China.

InStyler, a hair appliances company outside Los Angeles that once relied entirely on Chinese suppliers, is shifting some production to South Korea and France and is eyeing Italy, Vietnam and Mexico. CEO Dan Fugardi said trade tensions aren’t behind the moves; InStyler is rolling out some more high-end products for luxury hotel clients, and “there’s a little bit of panache that goes with manufacturing in France.’’

Still, reducing reliance on China, he said, “doubles as an insurance plan so that we’re not caught with our pants down."

Tit-for-tat

The trade skirmishing between Beijing and Washington has extended beyond traditional tariffs and counter tariffs.

The United States has blocked shipments of the most advanced computer chips to China, and the Chinese have blasted back by periodically cutting off supplies of rare earth minerals crucial for electronics.

Last year, the Chinese limited exports of tungsten – a super strong metal used in defense, aerospace and medical device production – because it can be used by the military as well as by private industry. China controls about 80% of the world’s tungsten.

China also stopped buying U.S. soybeans, delivering a well-aimed blow at Trump’s supporters in rural America. After U.S.-China talks in October, the Chinese resumed the purchases. But U.S. soybean exports to China nonetheless dropped 75% in 2025.

The tit-for-tat moves showed just how much damage the United States and China can do to each other. Now there’s hope that Trump and Xi can lower the temperature this week in Beijing.

“We are the No. 1 trading player. They are next in line,’’ said former Commerce Secretary Ross. “We have to coexist in some way. The question is, what will be the rules of the road, and who will benefit the most from those rules.″

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Chan reported from Hong Kong.

The Palestinian Health Ministry and the Palestinian Red Crescent identified the man as Zakaria Qatusa, 44, from the town of Deir Qadis, about 20 kilometers (13 miles) northwest of the site of the shooting Tuesday evening in the West Bank town of Al-Ram, which abuts the wall.

Israeli police didn't immediately respond to queries about the shooting. The funeral for the man was held on Wednesday.

Khalid Qatusa, his brother, said that he was a father of four who was crossing the wall in order to work in Israel.

“He was forced to resort to this method as there was no other opportunity to meet the needs of his household and live a dignified life. This was the only way,” he said. “He was neither an aggressor nor a threat.”

An increasing number of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank have attempted to enter Israel illegally to work in recent years. Before the Israel-Hamas war, tens of thousands of Palestinians held permits to work in Israel, but access was sharply restricted after the attack by Hamas-led militants on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Since then, unemployment has surged amid a deep economic slowdown and a shortage of jobs in the occupied West Bank. Other shootings have taken place at the same location separating the West Bank town of Al-Ram from Beit Hanina, an east Jerusalem neighborhood.

Also on Wednesday, a Palestinian teenager was killed in a clash with Israeli settlers in the northern West Bank village of Al-Lubban al-Sharqiya. The Ramallah-based Palestinian Health Ministry identified the victim as 16-year-old Youssef Kaabneh.

The Israeli military said soldiers and police officers entered the area in response to reports that livestock from an Israeli outpost was stolen. They said they worked to disperse a violent riot and were investigating the incident.

Family members said settlers and Israeli soldiers descended on the Bedouin community and that Kaabneh was shot during a confrontation involving a sheep herd. As Israeli settlers expand their presence and outposts, livestock theft has been a major source of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians this year.

“Our lives have become a living hell. Settlers can now enter any house or farm and confiscate whatever they want, as if we are spoils of war,” said Ismail Owais, a 60-year-old resident of the village.

According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Israeli forces or settlers killed at least 47 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank this year as of May 11. Several, like Kaabneh, have been teenagers.

Kemp signed the bill privately Tuesday, the final day after Georgia's 2026 legislative session for the governor to sign or veto bills.

Republicans have repeatedly targeted Willis because of her prosecution of Republican President Donald Trump after he pushed to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s win in Georgia in 2020.

Willis and DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston said the bill violates the Georgia Constitution and promised a lawsuit.

“This is a blatant attempt by Republicans to give their candidates an edge in Democratic counties by hiding their party affiliation from voters,” the two Democrats said in a statement Tuesday.

State Sen. John Albers, a Republican from the Atlanta suburb of Roswell who pushed the bill, said during the legislative session that he believed it will promote public safety. The counties’ elected sheriffs will continue to be elected under party labels when it goes into effect in 2028.

The move comes as Democrats have steadily been wiping out Republican officials in the core Atlanta counties of swing-state Georgia. It will move elections for all affected officials except district attorneys to May, when voters choose nonpartisan judges. That means a smaller electorate than in November, with turnout mostly driven by primaries for partisan offices that are held at the same time. If no candidate wins a majority, nonpartisan runoffs would be held in June.

The measure applies in Fulton County, which includes most of Atlanta, as well as the suburbs of Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb and Gwinnett counties. Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton counties are the three most important Democratic jurisdictions in the state. Cobb and Gwinnett, once the suburban heartlands of Georgia Republicans, have increasingly voted for Democrats since 2016.

Democrats have said Republicans are trying to make it so GOP members running without party labels have a better chance to win in Democratic jurisdictions. Critics say that if it's such good policy for urban Atlanta then it should apply to all 159 of Georgia's counties.

Willis and Boston suggested Republicans were also targeting the counties because each has elected a Black woman as district attorney.

Republicans have passed multiple bills in recent years targeting district attorneys, particularly Willis. The association representing district attorneys has argued the law can't change the partisan status of district attorneys because they aren't county officers, but instead state judicial branch officers.

The association argued that a state constitutional amendment is needed instead. Democrats could block such a change because it requires a two-thirds vote in the General Assembly to propose such a measure to go before Georgia voters.

The school said in a statement early Sunday that Hardy, a Doak Walker Award finalist for the Tigers, had been shot and was in stable condition. Police later said Hardy was shot in the upper leg while attending an outdoor concert at a bike club in Laurel, about 90 minutes away from where he grew up in the small town of Oma, Mississippi.

Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz said during an event in Dallas late Tuesday that the timetable for Hardy's recovery is undetermined.

“We'll take it day by day,” Drinkwitz said. “He will be back healthy. You know, when you're dealing with elite athletes, right, getting back healthy and getting back to elite status is a little tricky in these situations. There is an opportunity he could be back this year; there is an opportunity he couldn't be back this year.

“We won't know those answers for a few weeks,” Drinkwitz added.

Laurel police Sgt. Macon Davis told the Laurel (Mississippi) Leader-Call three people of interest were in custody following the incident. Davis described the scene as a “melee,” saying at least two people were injured and it was a miracle others were not.

The 20-year-old Hardy began his career at Louisiana-Monroe, where he ran for more than 1,300 yards with 13 touchdowns during his freshman season. He transferred to Missouri before last season and ran for 1,649 yards — second among players in the Football Bowl Subdivision — and scored 16 touchdowns in helping the Tigers go 8-5 with a loss to Virginia in the Gator Bowl.

His best game came against Mississippi State last November, when he ran 25 times for 300 yards and three touchdowns, joining Devin West as the only players in school history with a 300-yard rushing game. Hardy also ran for 250 yards in a game against Louisiana.

Several mock drafts already list the 5-foot-10, 205-pound Hardy as the No. 1 running back available next April.

“He has the full support of our team to help him in his recovery,” Drinkwitz said, “and we're taking it day by day.”

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

The American pair were among the entrants confirmed on Wednesday by organizers for the clay-court tournament at Roland-Garros, which begins on May 24 in western Paris.

The 45-year-old Williams will not play in the women's singles.

Williams was a wild-card entry at the Australian Open, where she lost in the first round and became the oldest woman to compete in an Australian Open singles main draw.

A seven-time major winner in singles, Williams previously held the No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles.

Williams lost the French Open singles final to her younger sister Serena in 2002 and they twice won the French Open doubles together, in 1999 and 2010.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

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The school resource officer reported finding a student with a box cutter at the school at 7600 Tam Oshanter Boulevard, according to a spokesperson for BCPS.

During the investigation, the school was on the “secure status” safety protocol with students locked in their classrooms, and later returned to normal operations, according to the BCPS spokesperson.

Local 10 News Assignment Editor Mercedes Cevallos and Senior Assignment Editor Frine Gomez contributed to this report.

Location

El agente escolar reportó haber encontrado a un estudiante con un cúter en la escuela ubicada en el 7600 de Tam Oshanter Boulevard, según una portavoz de BCPS.

Durante la investigación, la escuela estuvo bajo el protocolo de seguridad “secure status”, con los estudiantes encerrados en sus salones de clase, y posteriormente regresó a operaciones normales, según la portavoz de BCPS.

La editora de asignaciones de Local 10 News, Mercedes Cevallos, y la editora senior de asignaciones, Frine Gomez, contribuyeron a este reporte.

Ubicación

Los agentes se enfocaban en una vivienda en el área de Northeast First Court y 76th Street.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward (BSO), la BSO y el Departamento de Policía de Fort Lauderdale realizaban una investigación criminal conjunta en el área.

No está claro qué buscaban los oficiales, pero sí requirió excavaciones.

Las autoridades fueron vistas literalmente desenterrando montículos de tierra y aparentemente revisándolos.

Debido a que la investigación sigue activa y en curso, funcionarios de la BSO dijeron que no podían proporcionar información adicional.

Las autoridades se retiraron del área alrededor de las 8 p.m.

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Officers with the Plantation Police Department said Kayla Anthonique Simpson was last seen on May 6 at Plantation High School, located at 6901 NW 16th St.

Police said Simpson is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs about 110 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes.

She was last seen wearing a white long-sleeve top, a gray shirt and black slides with a large colorful bow in her hair, according to police. She was carrying a black backpack and a small black purse.

Police said Simpson has a “blessed” tattoo on her right ring finger and a nose piercing.

Anyone with information is asked to call the PPD at 954-797-2100.

Agentes del Departamento de Policía de Plantation informaron que Kayla Anthonique Simpson fue vista por última vez el 6 de mayo en Plantation High School, ubicada en el 6901 de Northwest 16th St.

La policía indicó que Simpson mide 5 pies y 4 pulgadas y pesa aproximadamente 110 libras. Tiene cabello negro y ojos marrones.

Según la policía, fue vista por última vez usando una blusa blanca de manga larga, una camisa gris y sandalias negras con un gran lazo colorido en el cabello. Llevaba una mochila negra y un pequeño bolso negro.

La policía indicó que Simpson tiene un tatuaje que dice “blessed” en el dedo anular derecho y un piercing en la nariz.

Cualquier persona con información debe llamar al PPD al 954-797-2100.

The jury is tasked with deciding whether the former movie mogul raped hairstylist and actor Jessica Mann in a Manhattan hotel on March 18, 2013.

Mann, 40, testified that the two had a consensual relationship, but that Weinstein subjected her to unwanted sex that day after she repeatedly said no.

Lawyers for Weinstein, 74, have maintained that the encounter was consensual, and they have emphasized that Mann continued seeing Weinstein afterward and expressing warmth toward him. Mann has said she was mired in complicated feelings about him, herself and what had happened and that she was “normalizing everything.”

Her viewpoint changed in 2017, when a series of sexual misconduct allegations against the Oscar-winning Weinstein propelled the #MeToo campaign to hold people — especially powerful men — accountable for sexual misbehavior. Weinstein has said he “acted wrongly” but never assaulted anyone.

Some of those accusations later generated criminal convictions against Weinstein in New York and California.

An appeals court overturned his 2020 New York conviction on charges that involved Mann and another accuser. At a retrial last year, jurors failed to reach a verdict on Mann's portion of the case, leading to a second retrial this year. He is charged with one count of rape in the third degree.

The current jury heard nearly three weeks of testimony, five days of it from Mann. Weinstein decided not to testify.

The Associated Press generally does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted. Mann, however, has agreed to be named.

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Deputies identified one of the women as Ariadnis Mejias and the man as Luis Sanchez after thefts from a password-protected package room at Motion at Dadeland at 8400 South Dixie Highway, records show.

Surveillance video showed the duo stealing at least six packages on March 18, Mejias stealing three packages on March 22, and Mejias and a woman stealing two packages on March 31, according to a deputy’s report.

Among the stolen mail was a credit card that surveillance video shows Mejias and Sanchez later used to buy some $444 in merchandise at Macy’s, according to the arrest report.

Mejias surrendered to deputies on Tuesday at the Kendall District Station, and corrections booked her at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Mejias faced three counts of burglary of an occupied structure and fraudulent use of a credit card. She also had seven warrant cases while out on felony bond for burglary and petit theft.

Local 10 News Assignment Editor Carson Merlo contributed to this report.

Los agentes identificaron a una de las mujeres como Ariadnis Mejias y al hombre como Luis Sánchez tras los robos en una sala de paquetes protegida con contraseña en Motion at Dadeland, ubicado en el 8400 de South Dixie Highway, muestran los registros.

Videos de vigilancia mostraron al dúo robando al menos seis paquetes el 18 de marzo, a Mejias robando tres paquetes el 22 de marzo y a Mejias junto a otra mujer robando dos paquetes el 31 de marzo, según un informe de un agente.

Entre la correspondencia robada había una tarjeta de crédito que, según los videos de vigilancia, Mejias y Sánchez usaron posteriormente para comprar aproximadamente $444 USD en mercancía en Macy’s, de acuerdo con el reporte de arresto.

Mejias se entregó a los agentes el martes en la estación del distrito Kendall, y funcionarios correccionales la ingresaron en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight.

Mejias enfrenta tres cargos de robo a una estructura ocupada y uso fraudulento de una tarjeta de crédito. También tenía siete casos con orden de arresto mientras estaba libre bajo fianza por delitos graves de robo y hurto menor.

El editor de asignaciones de Local 10 News, Carson Merlo, contribuyó a este reporte.

There was no Senate-confirmed U.S. surgeon general. The head of the National Institutes of Health was doubling as the acting head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Food and Drug Administration lacked a permanent vaccine chief after that official was ousted for a second time in a year.

Then on Tuesday Dr. Marty Makary resigned as head of the FDA, leaving another major health agency with only an acting commissioner. Makary's departure widens a leadership gap that has plagued HHS throughout Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s tenure.

Across a vast and multilayered government, in which many leadership positions must be confirmed by a Senate that shares only a narrow partisan majority with the administration, it’s typical for some roles to remain unfilled or be occupied by interim leaders. But critics say the level of upheaval in the current HHS is unusual and the lack of scientific expertise among its leadership is concerning.

“It's a sign that something is not right in this department,” said Dr. Daniel Jernigan, a former senior employee at the CDC.

Critics say the problem has only been compounded by a raft of cuts and firings and by the broader disruption brought by Kennedy's health policies.

HHS didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, said most Americans don’t pay attention to these agencies’ leaders until a public health concern arises — like with the hantavirus outbreak. At moments like this, she said, there are opportunities to build public trust in federal health agencies, which has fallen in recent years.

“The key question for me is, when we need these agencies to speak, will they have the capacity to draw the science together and tell us what we need to know?” Jamieson said.

FDA’s leadership void happens as it faces ongoing challenges

At the FDA, Makary leaves behind unfinished initiatives and ongoing reviews under scrutiny, including work on ultra-processed foods, food dyes, antidepressants and COVID-19 shots.

Whoever steps into the role on a permanent basis will inherit the same challenge that dogged Makary’s tenure: balancing the anti-regulatory interests of traditional Republicans with the anti-corporate priorities of Kennedy, who is focused on scrutinizing ingredients in food, medicines and vaccines.

The FDA is developing a first-of-its-kind definition of “ultra-processed foods,” which Kennedy blames for elevated rates of diabetes, obesity and other chronic conditions among Americans. That task has fallen to the FDA’s deputy commissioner for foods, Kyle Diamantas, who recently described the effort on ultra-processed foods as “really hard,” at a health conference.

Diamantas was tapped by Trump to lead the FDA on an acting basis. He is also serving as a chief counselor to Kennedy. An attorney and friend of Donald Trump Jr, he is the first person in more than a half-century to head the FDA without a degree in medicine or science.

“Kyle Diamantas now has a nearly impossible charge,” said Dr. Peter Lurie, a former FDA official now at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “Leading, as a non-scientist, a science-based agency under an unqualified secretary who puts his own medical and nutritional pet peeves over evidence-based public health.”

CDC has cycled through a revolving door of short-term directors

The Trump administration’s first pick to run the CDC was former Florida Rep. Dr. David Weldon, but his March 2025 Senate confirmation hearing was canceled an hour before it was to begin. Weldon said at the time that he’d been told not enough senators were willing to vote for him.

The White House then moved on to Susan Monarez, who was confirmed by the Senate, but she was ousted in less than a month over disagreements on the administration's agenda. Several key CDC scientific leaders resigned in protest, saying Monarez’s dismissal dashed their hopes that a CDC director would be able to guard against political meddling in the agency’s scientific research and health recommendations.

Since then, multiple HHS officials have been acting director. National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya has been overseeing the CDC since February. Last month, Trump nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz, a former deputy surgeon general, to be the next CDC director, a choice the Senate must confirm.

Current and former CDC employees say that there’s been a void in experienced public health leadership at the agency and that Kennedy’s aides have slowed and sometimes choked off its ability to communicate with the public and do the full scope of science-based work it was doing in the past.

HHS officials have said that the CDC’s critical public health functions have remained “intact and effective” and that changes at the agency have been part of an effort “to restore credibility through transparency, gold standard science, and accountability.”

Jernigan, who last August resigned from a senior role at the CDC that has yet to be filled by a permanent replacement, said the leadership shuffle means there hasn't been a “strong, present CDC director” in place to campaign for important agency funding, hiring or retention of skilled scientists.

As the current hantavirus outbreak unfolded, the CDC deployed teams to evacuate and quarantine Americans who may have been exposed, health officials briefed reporters and Bhattacharya went on a Fox News program to urge Americans not to worry. But he got some details wrong and overstated what was known at the time about the outbreak. Jernigan urged the CDC to let more career scientists speak to the public.

“That will do more for trust and for calming the nerves of the U.S. right now,” he said.

Changes come as the White House and HHS have shifted messaging

Leadership shake-ups come as HHS and the White House have shifted their focus to health initiatives related to diet, lifestyle and affordability in recent months ahead of the midterm elections, publicly veering away from Kennedy’s first-year effort to roll back vaccine guidelines.

While Kennedy boasted about being allowed to pick his own deputies at the beginning of his term, the administration's recent picks signal that the health secretary's close allies may no longer be at the top of the list.

For example, last month, after withdrawing a U.S. surgeon general nominee who was embedded in Kennedy's Make America Healthy Again movement, Trump nominated radiologist and former Fox News personality Dr. Nicole Saphier. She has advocated vaccines more forcefully than Kennedy, and at times she has criticized actions by the current HHS as “embarrassing.” She will need to be confirmed by the Senate.

Still, as the leadership turmoil creates a vacuum within the nation’s health agencies, Kennedy has remained prominent at the top as a voice for them all. That worries Jernigan, who said Kennedy won’t always center the best science in his decisions.

“The driver for the secretary is the ideology,” Jernigan said. “And that’s not a strategy for really improving the health of Americans.”

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Stobbe and Swenson reported from New York.

A new study reveals genetic clues about a human ancestor called Homo erectus. H. erectus arose in Africa about 2 million years ago and spread to other parts of the globe, including Asia and possibly Europe.

Scientists have found remains from this early human in countries including Indonesia, Spain, China and Georgia. But genes and proteins don't preserve well so information about the early humans' internal makeup has proved elusive.

In a new work, researchers siphoned ancient enamel proteins from H. erectus teeth belonging to five men and one woman that were recovered across several locations in China to learn how these early humans may have mingled.

The 400,000-year-old teeth all had two key mutations in a protein found in tooth enamel. One mutation hasn't been observed before and could be a unique calling card belonging to East Asian members of H. erectus.

The second, though, was more complex. Scientists identified a variant that's also present in a small fraction of modern humans — as well as one of our extinct cousins called Denisovans.

That told scientists that H. erectus could have mated with and passed their genes to Denisovans in the past. But how did it get to us? Scientists think that may have happened later when our ancestors intermingled with Denisovans.

“This traces who we are now back to our ancestors in a really cool and exciting way, using new methods,” said paleoanthropologist Ryan McRae with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, who was not involved with the new research.

The exact relationships between all these early human relatives are still a bit murky. It could be that H. erectus is actually just an ancestor to the Denisovans, who inherited those genes over time, McRae said.

It's a tough puzzle to detangle with extremely limited data. Finding more fossils and testing the limited evidence for remnants of DNA can help firm up the human evolutionary story.

“We really need to get more DNA” and bits of H. erectus to figure out how this predecessor “is exactly related to other humans,” said study author Qiaomei Fu with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in China.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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They were seen focusing on a home in the area of Northeast First Court and 76th Street.

According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, BSO and the Fort Lauderdale Police Department were conducting a joint criminal investigation in the area.

It’s unclear what the officers were searching for, but it did require some digging.

Authorities were seen literally unearthing mounds of dirt, and they appeared to be sifting through it.

A man who lives on the block told Local 10 News that the search was for human remains dating back to an old case from before he moved onto the property.

Since the investigation is active and ongoing, BSO officials said they could not provide any additional information.

Law enforcement left the area around 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Warsh’s confirmation was thrown into doubt in recent months after Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said he would block the nomination while the Justice Department investigated Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The Powell probe was dropped in April, clearing the way for the Senate to confirm Warsh.

Warsh, 56, a former top Fed official, is becoming chair at an unusually difficult time for the independent agency.

Inflation has topped the Fed’s 2% target for five years and is now rising faster because of spiking gas prices. The Fed's interest rate-setting committee is divided and saw the most dissenting votes in more than three decades last month. And Powell, after years of personal attacks from the Republican president and an unprecedented legal investigation by the Justice Department, plans to stay on the Fed’s board even after his term as chair ends, potentially creating a competing power center.

The Senate is expected to vote on Warsh's confirmation on Wednesday afternoon, a day after approving his nomination to the Fed's Board of Governors. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman was the lone Democrat to side with Republicans in confirming him to the board.

The Fed has faced numerous threats to its independence from Trump, who has repeatedly attacked Powell for not cutting interest rates. Trump also sought to fire Fed governor Lisa Cook and launched an investigation into brief Senate testimony by Powell on a building renovation.

Kevin Hassett, director of the White House’s National Economic Council, said in a Fox News interview on Sunday that he believes the markets are relieved that Warsh “is going to help lower interest rates over time.”

“Obviously, data driven. I’m not putting any pressure on Kevin Warsh,” Hassett said. “We know that he’s an extremely smart, competent person who could be very convincing when he talks to his colleagues.”

In December, Trump said on his social media platform that he wanted a Fed chair who would cut interest rates when the stock market rose — the opposite of what traditional economics would prescribe — and added, “Anyone that disagrees with me will never be the Fed chairman!”

Trump’s comments have fueled concerns over whether Warsh will set rates based on economic conditions or seek to cut rates to appease Trump, even if doing so could worsen inflation. At Warsh's confirmation hearing last month, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, derided him as a “sock puppet” for Trump. Warsh declined to say that Democrat Joe Biden had won the 2020 election against Trump, who has falsely claimed that voter fraud cost him reelection.

Still, Warsh denied at the hearing that Trump had pressured him to reduce the Fed’s key rate.

“The president never once asked me to commit to any particular interest rate decision, period,” Warsh said then. “Nor would I ever agree to do so if he had. ... I will be an independent actor if confirmed as chair of the Federal Reserve.”

Las autoridades dijeron que las acciones fraudulentas ocurrieron entre noviembre de 2023 y febrero de 2024.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade (MDSO), Patrick Heslop intentó realizar cuatro depósitos en su cuenta de Truist Bank por un total de $52,380.72 USD.

Los agentes dijeron que antes de que comenzaran las transacciones fraudulentas, la cuenta de Heslop tenía un saldo negativo de -$691.97.

Después de ser depositados, las autoridades dijeron que los cuatro cheques fueron devueltos por diferentes razones, incluyendo “documento alterado/ficticio”, “irregularidad en el endoso” y “consultar con el emisor”.

Según el informe de arresto de Heslop, los investigadores pudieron confirmar que cada uno de los cheques “fue enviado por correo, robado en tránsito, emitido a nombre de otras personas y nunca destinado al sujeto”.

Los agentes dijeron que todos los cheques fueron depositados en el cajero automático del Truist Bank ubicado en 1495 NE 163rd St. y que, después de cada depósito, Heslop utilizó transacciones con tarjeta de débito, así como retiros en cajeros automáticos y en ventanilla para agotar los fondos de la cuenta.

Las acciones de Heslop fueron captadas repetidamente en videos de vigilancia, señalaron los agentes en el informe de arresto.

Fue ingresado el martes en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, pero las autoridades no informaron la razón de la demora entre los delitos y su arresto.

Los cargos graves contra Heslop incluyen hurto mayor en segundo grado de menos de $100,000 USD, fraude organizado de $50,000 USD o más, uso fraudulento de identificación relacionado con fraude de más de $5,000 USD y depósito de cheque sin fondos con intención de defraudar.

Hasta la mañana del miércoles, Heslop permanecía tras las rejas con una fianza catalogada como “pendiente de establecerse”.

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Authorities said the fraudulent actions took place between November of 2023 and February of 2024.

According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Patrick Heslop attempted to make four deposits into his Truist Bank account for a total of $52,380.72.

Deputies said before the fraudulent transactions began, Heslop’s account had a balance in the negative for -$691.97.

After they were deposited, authorities said all four checks were returned for different reasons, including “altered/fictitious item,” “endorsement irregular,” and “refer to maker.”

According to Heslop’s arrest form, investigators were able to confirm that each of the checks “were mailed, stolen in transit, made payable to other individuals and never intended for the subject.”

Deputies said all the checks were deposited into the ATM at the Truist Bank located at 1495 NE 163rd St., and that following each deposit, Heslop use debit card transactions, as well as ATM and counter-based withdrawals to deplete the funds from the account.

Heslop’s actions were repeatedly captured on surveillance footage, deputies noted in his arrest form.

He was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Tuesday, but there was no word from authorities as to the timing gap between the crimes and his arrest.

Felony charges against Heslop include second degree grand theft of less than $100,000, organized fraud of $50,000 or more, fraudulent use of ID involving fraud of more than $5,000 and depositing a worthless check with intent to defraud.

As of Wednesday morning, Heslop remained behind bars with a bond listed as “to be set.”

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According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Alejandro Orozco was taken into custody after deputies located him near Southwest 74th Avenue and Southwest 22nd Street.

Investigators said the case began Saturday when the victim returned to his home in the 1800 block of Southwest 73rd Court around 3 p.m. and found Orozco, who is listed as homeless in his arrest report, asleep on the living room couch.

The report states that Orozco was holding a gun belonging to the victim that had been taken from a bedroom inside the home.

The homeowner grabbed the gun in an attempt to disarm the suspect and avoid an accident, investigators said, prompting a struggle before Orozco fled the home.

Authorities said Orozco returned the following day by climbing through a rear window.

Once inside, they said he allegedly stole shoes, clothing, jewelry, watches, a wallet, ammunition and the victim’s electric bike before fleeing. Deputies estimated the total value of the stolen property at $13,900.

Investigators said surveillance video later captured Orozco inside the home again around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday after he entered through the same rear window, which did not lock.

They said he appeared to notice a camera inside the home and fled without taking anything.

Deputies located Orozco later Tuesday morning and said he was found with some of the victim’s stolen property in his possession.

According to investigators, Orozco made a confession that was redacted from the publicly released arrest report.

Jail records show Orozco is facing two counts of burglary of an occupied structure and one count each of armed burglary and third-degree grand theft.

As of Wednesday, he was being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade (MDSO), Alejandro Orozco fue detenido luego de que agentes lo localizaran cerca de Southwest 74th Avenue y Southwest 22nd Street.

Los investigadores dijeron que el caso comenzó el sábado cuando la víctima regresó a su casa, ubicada en la cuadra 1800 de Southwest 73rd Court, alrededor de las 3 p.m. y encontró a Orozco, quien figura como indigente en el informe de arresto, dormido en el sofá de la sala.

El informe indica que Orozco sostenía un arma perteneciente a la víctima que había tomado de una habitación dentro de la vivienda.

Los investigadores dijeron que el propietario tomó el arma en un intento de desarmar al sospechoso y evitar un accidente, lo que provocó un forcejeo antes de que Orozco huyera de la casa.

Las autoridades dijeron que Orozco regresó al día siguiente entrando por una ventana trasera.

Una vez dentro, presuntamente robó zapatos, ropa, joyas, relojes, una cartera, municiones y la bicicleta eléctrica de la víctima antes de huir. Los agentes estimaron el valor total de las pertenencias robadas en $13,900 USD.

Los investigadores dijeron que un video de vigilancia captó posteriormente a Orozco nuevamente dentro de la vivienda alrededor de la 1:30 a.m. del martes, luego de entrar por la misma ventana trasera, la cual no tenía seguro.

Indicaron que aparentemente notó una cámara dentro de la casa y huyó sin llevarse nada.

Los agentes localizaron a Orozco más tarde el martes por la mañana y dijeron que fue encontrado con algunas de las pertenencias robadas de la víctima en su poder.

Según los investigadores, Orozco hizo una confesión que fue censurada del informe de arresto divulgado públicamente.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que Orozco enfrenta dos cargos de robo a una estructura ocupada y un cargo de robo a mano armada y hurto mayor en tercer grado.

Hasta el miércoles, permanecía detenido sin derecho a fianza en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight.

This year's Cannes is largely bereft of Hollywood films. But to help cover the blockbuster-sized hole in this year's lineup, the French festival is hosting a midnight screening of the first release in the 10-movie series.

On Wednesday, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster posed for photographers in Cannes. They were joined by Meadow Walker, the 27-year-old daughter of actor Paul Walker. In 2013, Walker died in a Los Angeles car crash.

Diesel looked especially happy for the moment in Cannes, playfully flexing for photographers.

The “Fast & Furious” movies have collected more than $7 billion in box office. An 11th installment titled “Fast Forever” is scheduled to be release in March 2028 by Universal Pictures.

Según un informe policial del Departamento de Policía de Miami Gardens, el crimen ocurrió alrededor de las 9:40 de la mañana del lunes cerca de la escuela secundaria Carol City.

Según la policía, la víctima caminaba por la acera a lo largo de la Avenida 37 Noroeste y la Calle 188 cuando Carlos Alberto Jean, de Miami, estacionó su camioneta blanca en la cuneta y luego caminó hacia la víctima de manera apresurada.

Según el informe, Jean le dijo a la víctima que era hermosa y que quería “engañarla” y “mimarla”.

Según las autoridades, después de preguntarle a la víctima su edad y si tenía novio, le preguntó: “¿Cuándo cumples 13 años?” y luego le escribió su número de teléfono en el brazo.

Según la policía, Jean tocó la zona vaginal de la víctima por encima de la ropa mientras le devolvía el bolígrafo, momento en el que la víctima retrocedió de un salto y siguió caminando hacia la escuela.

Según el informe, la niña denunció el incidente al llegar a la escuela y los detectives revisaron las cámaras de seguridad del centro, que captaron la interacción de la víctima con Jean, corroborando así sus acusaciones.

La policía informó que la víctima identificó a Jean en una rueda de reconocimiento fotográfica y que fue detenido al día siguiente acusado de abuso sexual lascivo contra un menor de entre 12 y 16 años y de agresión.

Jean hizo una especie de confesión, que fue eliminada del informe publicado, pero negó haber tocado la vagina de la víctima, según el informe.

Hasta este miércoles por la mañana, permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight. Los registros penitenciarios en línea indicaban que su fianza estaba “por determinar”.

The moratorium will temporarily stop all new providers in these categories from signing up for reimbursement from Medicare, the federal insurance program for older adults across the country, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said in a news release.

“We’ve seen systemic and deeply troubling fraud in the hospice and home health space, with bad actors exploiting some of our most vulnerable Medicare patients and stealing money from the American taxpayer,” CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said in a statement. “Today we’re shutting the door on fraud-preventing new bad actors from entering Medicare while we aggressively identify, investigate, and remove those already exploiting them.”

The move is related to efforts by Vice President JD Vance's anti-fraud task force, set up by Republican President Donald Trump to crack down on potential misuse of public funds. It comes as people across the United States have raised concerns about rising health costs and barriers to access, sometimes from the federal government's own actions. New work requirements in Medicaid, for example, are expected to strain hospitals around the country and result in millions of enrollees losing their health coverage.

Several alleged fraud schemes have been prosecuted in the hospice and home health care categories, and states have acknowledged that it is a legitimate concern. But some have pushed back on the administration's aggressive tactics and raised concerns that the catchall efforts could needlessly punish law-abiding providers that are trying to serve patients.

The administration contends this freeze and other actions it is taking will help prevent potential fraud in Medicaid and Medicare and preserve funding and resources for people most in need. Under the six-month pause, existing hospice and home health care providers will continue to operate as usual. But CMS said it will “intensify targeted investigations, deploy advanced data analytics, and accelerate the removal” of providers in the category that are suspected of fraudulent activity.

Such a freeze is not unprecedented, said Tricia Neumann, a senior vice president and executive director for the program on Medicare policy at the health care research nonprofit KFF. She said President Bill Clinton's Democratic administration also imposed a temporary moratorium on home health agencies.

“A brief moratorium gives the administration time to crack down on true fraud and prevent new fraudulent entities from popping up,” she said.

In recent months, CMS has suspended payments to hundreds of hospice and home care agencies in Los Angeles over alleged fraud and issued another six-month moratorium on suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and certain other supplies in Medicare.

The administration also has approached at least five states with investigations into potential health care fraud and halted some $243 million in Medicaid payments to one of them, Minnesota, over fraud concerns. Last month, Oz announced CMS would add to that oversight by requiring all 50 states to share how they planned to revalidate some of their Medicaid providers.

In at least one case, the administration has erred in its accusations against states. In April, CMS acknowledged to The Associated Press that it made a significant error in figures it used to help justify a fraud probe in New York. The acknowledgment deepened doubts in the administration’s methods and raised a common criticism that has been made about the second Trump administration — that it tends to attack first and confirm the facts later.

Prosecutors say they plan to retry Murdaugh, which likely means there will be another lengthy trial for the case that because of the combination of money, power, Southern accents and treachery has become a true crime sensation with several streaming miniseries, best selling books and dozens of true crime podcasts.

Murdaugh, 57, will remain in prison. He pleaded guilty to stealing around $12 million from his clients and currently is serving a 40-year federal sentence.

Prosecutors promise a retrial that will look different

Prosecutors said they would aggressively seek to try Murdaugh again on the murder charges with state Attorney General Alan Wilson saying he respected the court's decision but no one is above the law.

Murdaugh's lawyers pointed out that trial will look a lot different, as the justices also ruled days of evidence at the murder trial about how Murdaugh stole from clients, many of them in dire straights, shouldn't be allowed next time.

Still, the ruling is a win for Murdaugh, who admits to being a thief, liar, insurance cheat and bad lawyer, but has adamantly denied killing his wife Maggie and younger son Paul since he found their bodies outside their home in 2021.

“Alex has said from day one that he did not kill his wife and son. We look forward to a new trial,” Murdaugh’s lawyers Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin said in a joint statement.

Court said clerk attacked Murdaugh's credibility with jurors

In their unanimous ruling Wednesday, the South Carolina Supreme Court said the conduct by Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill “egregiously attacked Murdaugh’s credibility” by suggesting to jurors his testimony could not be trusted.

A few jurors said Hill, assigned to oversee the evidence and the jury during the trial, told them to watch Murdaugh's body language when he testified in his own defense and to not be fooled, confused or thrown off by what he might say.

“By urging the jurors not to be fooled or convinced by Murdaugh’s defense, Hill essentially implored the jurors to find him guilty, the ultimate issue in the case,” the justices wrote, adding that the comments insinuated there was something unusual and suspicious about his decision to testify.

Hill “placed her fingers on the scales of justice, thereby denying Murdaugh his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury,” the justices wrote. “Our justice system provides — indeed demands — that every person is entitled to a fair trial."

The court said Hill's motivation was the “siren call of celebrity” and her goal was to increase sales of her book on the trial called “Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders.” It was pulled from publication after plagiarism allegations were made.

“As her book’s title suggests, it turns out Hill was quite busy behind the doors of justice, thwarting the integrity of the justice system she was sworn to protect and uphold,” the justices wrote in an unsigned 27-page ruling.

Hill’s attorney in her criminal case didn’t return a phone call or email seeking comment.

Hill has pleaded guilty to lying about what she said and did during the Murdaugh trial, including showing graphic crime scene photos to several media members. The journalists were not named and the photos were not described at her December hearing.

“The court rightly described her conduct as "‘breathtaking,’ ‘disgraceful,’ and ‘unprecedented in South Carolina,'” Murdaugh's lawyers said.

Prosecutors argued that the clerk’s comments were fleeting and the evidence against Murdaugh was overwhelming.

Justices say financial crime evidence also improperly used

The justices also had a warning for the next judge to try the murder case — be cautious on how much evidence of Murdaugh's thefts from his law firm and clients to allow those jurors to hear.

Some brief evidence of how Mudaugh stole is fine and how it might connect to him killing his wife and son. But the court said details like how some of the people Murdaugh stole from were disabled or vulnerable could unfairly turn against him jurors who should be focused just on whether he killed his family.

Investigators said Murdaugh was addicted to opioids and his complex schemes to steal money from clients and his family’s law firm were starting to unravel when he shot his younger son, Paul, with a shotgun and his wife, Maggie, with a rifle, at their home in Colleton County in 2021.

Murdaugh told investigators he hadn’t seen them for an hour or so before he discovered their bodies, but his voice was recorded in a video on his son’s phone made about five minutes before the killing.

The weapons used in the killings have not been found and prosecutors did not present any clothes with DNA or blood evidence.

She's not terribly interested in being the first non-American to try it, either.

Just hours after her NASCAR team, BRANDed Management, announced that the 45-year-old British driver had added the Coca-Cola 600 to a May 24 schedule that already included the Indianapolis 500, Legge told reporters she welcomed the opportunity more than the milestone.

“I don't want to be like the first woman because at the end of the day, I always say I just want to be a race car driver,” she said. “It doesn't matter whether I'm Black, white, female, male, whatever it may be. I think I'm probably getting the opportunity to do this because I'm female, so that does not escape me and I'm very grateful for it. I think being the first to do anything is cool. Being one of the very few who gets to attempt to race at Indy and at Charlotte and then do both on the same day, like looking back in 10, 20 years, like yeah."

Legge's feat also comes on the 50th anniversary of Janet Guthrie making her first appearance on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's historic 2.5-mile oval.

Guthrie did not make Indy's starting grid in 1976 but still traveled to North Carolina and made her NASCAR Cup Series debut by starting the World 600 in Charlotte. That was the previous version of today's Coca-Cola 600.

Now, like then, A.J. Foyt is playing a role in this gender-breaking attempt.

In 1976, Foyt let Guthrie use a backup car in her attempt to make the field. This weekend, Legge will be one of 33 drivers trying to qualify for the 500, and she'll driving the No. 11 Chevrolet for HMD Motorsports with A.J. Foyt Racing. In 1977, Guthrie returned to Indy, becoming the first woman to start the 500 on the same day that Foyt became the first four-time race winner.

Foyt also cast aside his longtime rivalry with the Andrettis in 1994 when he put the late John Andretti in an IndyCar as Andretti became the first driver to attempt "The Double.”

And Legge has gotten a crash course in that history as she also prepares to qualify in the No. 78 for Live Fast Motorsports at Charlotte. She's the only female driver in Indianapolis this month.

“He's been awesome, Larry (Foyt) has been awesome, too,” Legge said, referring to the 91-year-old team owner and his grandson, who is running the team's day-to-day operations. “Actually, there's a few idiosyncrasies we weren't aware of until this came up. So it's like weird, serendipitous things, neat little facts."

Five drivers have competed in both the 500 and 600, but three-time Cup champ and Indiana native Tony Stewart remains the only one to complete all 1,100 miles in one day.

Defending Cup champion Kyle Larson attempted “The Double” each of the past two years but failed to complete it. He missed the Coca-Cola 600 start in 2024 after the Indy 500 ran late because of rain, and he crashed in both races last year.

Larson's attempts will be featured in a Prime Video documentary titled “Kyle Larson vs. The Double,” which is set to premiere in Indianapolis next week.

The difference between Legge and others who tried "The Double” is logistics. Their plans were made months in advance while Legge's became a reality only recently.

“I knew that at some point, it would be something we looked at doing, but I didn't anticipate it being this year,” she said. “I think it's just a very cool opportunity that kind of came up. Obviously, Indianapolis was first, and when that domino fell there was a lot of talk about it and we thought, why not?"

Legge certainly has experience on her side.

She'll attempt to qualify for her fifth Indy start on Saturday and Sunday after finishing 29th last May. Her best 500 finish was 22nd in 2012. Over the past two years, she has competed in eight Cup races, including last week's 35th-place finish at Watkins Glen.

Legge also has competed in Ferraris in Bahrain and Audis in Germany, as well on the A1 Grand Prix, Formula E and the IMSA SportsCar circuits during her career, though she's never run the Coca-Cola 600.

But nothing is certain. While Legge is one of 33 drivers trying to make the 33-car field in Indy (qualifying will focus on the pole), she'll be one of 41 attempting to make the 40-car Coca-Cola 600 field. And yet she's willing to take her chance on making history.

“It might be the only opportunity I get,” she said. “It might not be, but I might as well take it while the iron is hot and it's one of those really cool things not many people get to do.”

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AP Sports Writer Steve Reed in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

They dismissed any link to a deadly hantavirus outbreak on another vessel that has put European health authorities on alert.

The Ambition was midway through a 14-night cruise from Belfast and Liverpool that was due to take in ports in northern Spain and along France’s Atlantic coast.

It reached Bordeaux on Tuesday evening, according to the operator, Ambassador Cruise Line.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tracks outbreaks on voyages that call on U.S. and foreign ports, recorded 23 gastrointestinal outbreaks on cruise ships last year. Most were caused by norovirus, including a new strain.

Last week, a Caribbean Princess cruise ship reported a norovirus outbreak during a voyage with more than 3,100 passengers aboard, according to the U.S. health agency. More than 140 passengers and 15 crew members fell ill during the trip, which ended Monday, the CDC said.

The prefect of Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and Gironde department, Étienne Guyot, suspended disembarkation from the Ambition and restricted the vessel’s interactions with the port of Bordeaux.

He acted on the recommendation of the regional health agency, the Agence Régionale de Santé Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the joint statement said.

Up to 50 passengers showed symptoms consistent with acute digestive infection after the ship’s captain alerted French authorities on Tuesday evening, the statement said.

Those affected were treated by the ship’s doctor and isolated in their cabins.

A medical team was dispatched to the vessel, and samples are being analyzed at a Bordeaux hospital.

“There is no reason to establish a link between this outbreak aboard a cruise ship from Belfast and Liverpool and the hantavirus cases detected aboard the MV Hondius,” the joint statement said.

The hantavirus outbreak aboard the Hondius last month prompted a multicountry response and the hospitalization of passengers in Britain, France, Spain and the United States. Three passengers died and there have been nine confirmed cases, with another two suspected.

An update is expected later on Wednesday, once analysis results are available.

Ambassador Cruise Line said earlier Wednesday that a 92-year-old male passenger had died on Sunday, although he had not reported symptoms consistent with the illness, and that his cause of death was yet to be established by a coroner.

The company said 48 passengers and one crew member were displaying gastrointestinal symptoms as of late Wednesday morning.

Ambassador said its data showed cases had risen after passengers boarded in Liverpool on May 9. All shore excursions at Bordeaux had been canceled and affected passengers offered full refunds, the company said.

Ambassador Cruise Line, a British operator targeting passengers over 50, was founded in 2021.

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Associated Press writer Jonathan Poet in Philadelphia contributed.

The pilot had declared an emergency and then communication with the aircraft was lost, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority in the Bahamas said in a media post. The U.S. Coast Guard and multiple Bahamian agencies were involved in the ensuing search and rescue.

The aircraft crashed about 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Florida’s Vero Beach Regional Airport at around 12:05 p.m., the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said.

The plane took off from Marsh Harbour Airport in the Bahamas and was headed to Grand Bahama International Airport in Freeport, also in the Bahamas.

The U.S. Coast Guard launched a C-27 aircraft to look for the downed Beechcraft 300 King Air turboprop plane. The rescued passengers were brought in for medical evaluations, the Coast Guard said.

The cause of the crash remains unknown. The FAA said it will investigate.

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Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Then the audience gave it a 22-minute standing ovation, the longest in Cannes history.

“It’s a commute,” joked del Toro. “That’s about what it takes me to get from home to the office. Alfonso Cuaron, who made this movie with me as producer, turned to me at some point and said, ‘Let it in. Relax.’ I was very tense. I’m not very good with praise.”

Del Toro returned to Cannes on Tuesday to screen a restoration of one of his most beloved films. Shortly beforehand, he met a reporter for an interview at a hotel on the Croisette, a few steps away from where his filmmaking life changed two decades ago.

A lush fairy tale set against 1944 Francoist Spain, “Pan's Labyrinth” is about the young Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) who has come with her mother to stay with her new fascist stepfather, Captain Vidal (Sergi López). Taking place largely in the northern Spain, it's Del Toro at his earthiest and most imaginative.

Books become alive when held. Doors manifest out of a chalk outline. And creatures — fairies, a faun, the unforgettable Pale Man, with eyes in the palms of his hands — reveal a world of deeper and darker enchantment.

A pivot point for del Toro

Del Toro, who has since made “The Shape of Water” and “Frankenstein,” grants that he wouldn’t have become the filmmaker he is today if he hadn’t made “Pan’s Labyrinth.” At the time, he was the well-regarded but not well-known filmmaker of “Hellboy” and “Blade 2.”

“I was getting all the Marvel offers from Avi Arad. It was a real choice to go make the movie no one wanted to finance,” del Toro says. “It was one of the few times in my life that I made a choice. And I made it over and over again because everything that could go wrong went wrong, every door that could have slammed in my face, slammed in my face.”

Del Toro made “Pan’s Labyrinth,” which Cineverse and Fathom Entertainment will rerelease in theaters Oct. 9, for $19.5 million — the same budget for his best picture-winning “The Shape of Water.” But just after del Toro moved his family to Spain for the shoot, a major financier pulled out.

“I said: I’m staying. We’re going to make this movie,” the filmmaker recalls.

Forest fires in Spain were another complication. Verdant and magical as the forest is in “Pan's Labyrinth,” it took months of irrigation to bring it to life. “Every lush tree you see, we made lush,” says del Toro. “Every fern we planted.”

The iconic tree of the film, though, was the work of Eugenio Caballero's art design. Del Toro has long been renown for his textured artistry, but “Pan's Labyrinth” includes some of his most memorable creations. At a time when artificial intelligence is making inroads into moviemaking, the movie's handcrafted beauty stands out all the more.

“I think people intrinsically know when you’ve made an effort,” says del Toro. “They sense that it’s important to you in the craftsmanship. We don’t only go to movies to see the world. We go to see a world we don’t recognize. The more the design is something you haven’t seen before, that was made by hand, you can sense it.”

“Virtual filmmaking to me is not as interesting,” he adds. “You’re not courting an accident. You’re not courting humanity.”

Growing up with ‘Pan’s Labyrinth'

Nothing is more human in “Pan's Labyrinth” than its young protagonist. Baquero was just 11 when she shot the film, but del Toro calls her “the most mature actor I've ever directed.” Baquero, now 31, also came to Cannes for the screening.

“During the audition process, he didn’t baby me,” says Baquero. “He treated me like an adult. He gave me a lot of homework. He gave me a lot of movie references, some of which were — like ‘Grave of Fireflies’ — very dark.”

“Pan's Labyrinth,” an R-rated fable with bloody spurts of violence, isn't quite for children. But Baquero was shielded from none of its cruelties. She grew up with “Pan's Labyrinth.”

“I can enjoy more and more as time goes by,” she says. “I can distance myself from being in the movie and watch it with different eyes. I almost don’t see myself as that girl anymore. I do, but it was 20 years ago.”

After its Cannes premiere, “Pan's Labyrinth” was hailed as a masterpiece and went on to land six Oscar nominations, winning three (for cinematography, art direction and makeup). But del Toro calls his experience screening the movie for Stephen King “my Oscar.” He traveled up to Maine, carrying his film reels, to show it to the author he grew up revering. “The Pale Man had him squirming big time,” del Toro says.

In “Pan's Labyrinth,” there are hidden, eternal forces underground that outlast the evil scourges that might trod above. There is magic in the world, but you have to know where to look. Two decades later, del Toro still believes that.

“I have experienced it in the real world. Not fauns and pale men and ferries,” he says, chuckling. “But I find that when your will lines up with the life stream of the cosmos, you see things that happen that are tremendous. When you swim against the life stream, things go wrong.”

Roza contó que Brunel consiguió una visa estadounidense en menos de seis meses y que viajó a Nueva York, donde descubrió que le debía 10.000 dólares a la agencia de modelos.

“Menos de un mes después de mi llegada a Estados Unidos, mi agencia me envió a la casa de un delincuente sexual”, dijo Roza sobre su primer encuentro con Jeffrey Epstein, quien, según ella, abusó sexualmente de ella durante tres años.

Roza testificó el martes durante la audiencia paralela organizada por los demócratas del Comité de Supervisión de la Cámara de Representantes en el Ayuntamiento de West Palm Beach. Declaró que la agencia la trasladó a Miami y que sufrió abusos en Palm Beach.

Entre lágrimas, Roza dijo que fue revictimizada cuando su nombre fue mencionado más de 500 veces en la publicación de los registros del Departamento de Justicia.

“Mientras que los ricos y poderosos permanecían protegidos mediante la censura, mi nombre quedó expuesto al mundo”, dijo Roza.

Las sobrevivientes Jena-Lisa Jones , Dani Bensky , Courtney Wild y Maria Farmer también testificaron durante la audiencia. Exigieron que los legisladores trabajaran en una legislación más estricta para proteger los derechos de las víctimas .

En un video, Farmer dijo que vivía en Nueva York cuando denunció los abusos de Epstein al FBI en 1996. Añadió que volvió a hablar con agentes del FBI en 2006.

“El gobierno le ofreció a Epstein un trato de favor”, dijo Farmer sobre el acuerdo de no enjuiciamiento del exfiscal estadounidense Alexander Acosta.

Wild declaró que denunció a Epstein por abusar sexualmente de ella desde que tenía 14 años hasta los 17 en Palm Beach, y que el acuerdo incluyó su caso.

“Parecía que se habían olvidado de que éramos 40 niños los que habíamos sufrido abusos por su parte”, dijo Wild .

El hermano y la cuñada de Virginia Giuffre , Sky y Amanda Roberts, así como los abogados Spencer Kuvin y Lauren Hersh, también prestaron declaración.

“Ella creía que la rendición de cuentas debía llegar a todos los involucrados, sin importar su estatus”, dijo Sky Roberts .

El representante Robert Garcia , demócrata por California y miembro de mayor rango del Comité de Supervisión de la Cámara de Representantes , presidió la audiencia.

“Este encubrimiento debe terminar”, dijo García.

También participaron los representantes estadounidenses Lois Frankel , Ayanna Pressley, Melanie Stansbury, Emily Randall, Yassamin Ansari, James Walkinshaw, Suhas Subramanyam y Raja Krishnamoorthi.

“Tenemos que hacer todo lo que esté a nuestro alcance para impedir el indulto de Ghislaine Maxwell”, dijo Krishnamoorthi sobre la delincuente sexual condenada a 20 años de prisión.

Vea la audiencia

Yet return she does — if only briefly — on the Day of the Dead in “El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego” (“The Last Dream of Frida and Diego”), a Spanish-language opera receiving its Metropolitan Opera premiere this week.

The opera, with libretto by playwright Nilo Cruz and music by Gabriela Lena Frank, imagines Kahlo’s spectral reunion three years after her death with Diego Rivera, the great Mexican muralist with whom she had a tempestuous romantic relationship.

In a twist on the Orpheus legend, Rivera has grown weary of life without Kahlo and — on the holiday that honors the dead and welcomes the return of their spirits — he summons her from the underworld in the hope they may be eternally reunited.

For mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, who stars as Kahlo, the opera is “a journey of emotions that every human can possess, told through the lens or perspective of iconic humans that many of us admire.”

Joining her in the cast are baritone Carlos Álvarez as Rivera, soprano Gabriella Reyes as Catrina, gatekeeper to the underworld, and countertenor Nils Wanderer as Leonardo, a spirit who impersonates Greta Garbo. Met music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts six of the seven performances Thursday through June 5, with the May 30 matinee broadcast to cinemas worldwide in HD.

An opera two decades in the making

The idea for the work dates back more than 20 years, when the late Joel Revzen, then director of the Arizona Opera, asked Frank to write an opera about Kahlo.

The collaborators agreed they wanted to avoid conventional approaches and instead leaned into magical realism.

“I wasn’t interested in writing a biopic,” Cruz said. “We had the movie with Salma Hayek … and I’d seen a couple of monologues that had to do with Frida and her life.

“So this whole concept of Diego approaching the end of his life, especially on the Day of the Dead, I thought was interesting,” he said. “I think opera should be bigger than life, so anything that’s mythical makes for a good opera.”

In setting Cruz’s text, Frank said she steered away from melodies and rhythms that would too closely echo traditional Latin music.

“What I wanted to convey instead was something very colorful, something that sounded otherworldly, sometimes ancient,” she said.

“You will hear a lot of instruments you won’t always hear in opera,” Frank said. “The marimba is in almost every scene … It might be covering the clarinet line or the voice and you didn’t realize it was there. But it makes it sound to me as if it’s from Central America.”

In praising the score, New Yorker critic Alex Ross wrote that “the challenge of intermingling biography and myth might have defeated a less adroit composer. One can imagine a score cluttered with Mexican folkloric effects and supernatural noises. Instead, Frank establishes a dreamlike, liminal mood from the start.”

Met reunited ‘Ainadamar’ team

The opera had its COVID-delayed premiere in San Diego in 2022. It was a huge success, and the original production has been performed in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and elsewhere.

When the Met decided to stage it, general manager Peter Gelb hired the team that worked on Osvaldo Golijov’s “Ainadamar” in 2024 — director and choreographer Deborah Colker and set designer Jon Bausor — to create a new production. Bausor and Wilberth Gonzalez collaborated on the costumes.

“It’s not anything against the original,” Gelb said. “But when you have a work as important and appealing as this there’s no reason why there shouldn’t be more than one production. It’s a sign of its artistic success.”

Finding inspiration in a Kahlo painting

Bausor said his inspiration for the set design was an oil painting by Kahlo titled “Tree of Hope, Remain Strong” that depicts two Fridas. One shows her in an elegant Mexican dress seated on a hospital gurney that rests on cracked earth. Another Frida lies behind her on the gurney, swaddled in sheets with angry red stitches in her back — a reminder of the constant pain she suffered after a 1925 bus collision with a streetcar.

There’s no literal tree in the painting, but the title gave Bausor the idea for one of the centerpieces of his set: a large, blood red tree with twisting branches and roots that resemble arteries of the human body.

“It gave us a symbol for the audience to understand that we weren’t in a real space,” he said. “It’s a link between the living world above with the foliage at the top and the dead world with the roots below,” he said.

The sides and rear of the stage are draped in recycled blue plastic that Bausor calls “a kind of shroud, or blue gauze like you might wrap wounds in.”

Above the stage is a mirror, a nod to the one that was installed under the canopy of Kahlo’s bed to help her paint while she was immobilized from the accident.

And like the Kahlo painting, the stage has cracks from which dancers dressed as skeletons emerge, moving their joints in jerky fashion a bit like break dancers.

Despite its ghostly scenario, the opera has a happy ending of sorts: It grants the lovers the reunion in death that was denied them in reality. Rivera wanted to be cremated and have his ashes mixed with Kahlo’s, but his family refused and buried him in a cemetery.

’It was fascinating to me that he wanted his ashes to be united with hers,” Criuz said, “I thought — this is a story of love after death. So that became the theme of the opera.”

Unlike payment apps run by private banks, PIX is governed Brazil's Central Bank. Its massive popularity drove $7 trillion in transactions last year, though now it faces scrutiny from the U.S. government over claims of unfair trade practices for bypassing traditional credit networks like Visa and Mastercard.

“The best (payment method) is PIX, the most used,” said Luis Felipe de Almeida, a 21-year-old vendor of iced tea and cassava starch biscuits on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro. “No one walks around with cash anymore, everyone just uses their phone, so they use PIX.”

US claims unfair competition

Launched in 2020, PIX allows anyone with a Brazilian individual taxpayer identification, registered companies or government entities to transfer funds in real time. The only requirement is a Brazilian bank account.

PIX also works with QR codes. Individuals pay zero fees for PIX transfers, and while some banks charge companies a fee for transactions, they are significantly lower than regular bank transfers in Brazil, which could also take hours to be completed.

In July, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) of U.S. President Donald Trump opened an inquiry into PIX, alleging it imposes unfair competition to U.S. credit card operators because it offers an alternative to transaction fees.

India has a similar payment system which is not being challenged by USTR, despite processing $300 billion in payments just in March. Similarly, it has no transaction fees.

PIX risks

Middle-class Brazilians use PIX for everything, for small payments and large purchases.

Marcello Palladini, a 57-year-old restaurant owner in Sao Paulo, uses PIX mostly to pay suppliers for transactions above 1,000 Brazilian reais ($200), since many wouldn't take credit cards for that kind of payment anyway. Still, he said most of his clients still prefer to pay him for lunch with credit cards or meal vouchers, though.

“When I want something quickly, I pay with PIX and it comes right away. I also do PIX with some suppliers who keep a tab and at the end of the month they send me a full bill,” Palladini said.

He criticized the unfair manner some banks charge companies transaction fees, but overall is a PIX fan.

“PIX works great, it is all instant,” he said.

Many large corporations in Brazil use PIX to pay their workers. Houses, cars and even helicopters can be bought through the same system — though hefty sums often have to get a bank approval first.

Despite its success, PIX is not without flaws. Criminal networks realized they could exploit the system by stealing phones and transferring tens of thousands of Brazilian reais instantly, leaving Brazil's police, banks and insurance companies struggling to contain the rapid movement of stolen funds.

Brazilian authorities and companies are tracking and often closing bank accounts that are involved in suspicious transactions and putting caps on PIX transfers from 8 p.m. until the next morning, so fraudsters can't move big sums at once as most clients are not paying attention to messages on their phones flagging a transaction has been made in their account.

The Brazilian Forum of Public Security, a think-tank, estimates between 24 million and 28 million people were hit by PIX-related crimes between January and September of last year, although they don't have an estimate of how much was lost.

“From the technical and legal standpoint, PIX is safe. But it is not immune to fraud because its risks are not in its technology; they are in people trying to fool others,” said Ana Paula Siqueira, an expert on Brazil's digital law. “The most common fraud involves psychological manipulation, fake IDs, urgent requests for payment.”

Still, those risks have not stopped 178 million of Brazil’s 213 million residents from registering for PIX.

“Love doesn't happen suddenly, it takes time,” shouted Claudia Quirino, a vendor of Brazilian dumplings at an open-air market in the Sao Paulo region of Pinheiros. “But PIX is instant! Buy now!”

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AP journalists Lucas Dumphreys, Mario Lobao in Rio de Janeiro and Vineeta Deepak in New Delhi contributed to this report.

And in now growing to 11 teams, there’s one more addition still to come to make it an even dozen for a league preparing to double in size since launching with six franchises in 2024.

The Las Vegas team will be formally introduced at a news conference at the Vegas Golden Knights’ home arena later Wednesday, with Hamilton to follow on Thursday, the PWHL said.

“There’s a lot of excitement and adrenaline and a lot of 'Let’s go,'” league executive vice president of business operations Amy Scheer told The Associated Press about an expansion process that began with the addition of Detroit last week.

“We’re stoked and we’re proud of how far we’ve come in a short time,” she added. “But, the work starts now, right? It’s wonderful to make announcements. But that’s really when the real work comes, and the proof is in the pudding.”

Las Vegas forges new ground by introducing the PWHL to America's Southwest, a year after the league expanded into the Pacific Northwest by adding Seattle and Vancouver.

“We do need to geographically expand past the northeast and the north in general,” Scheer said. “So that’s part of the plan as we start to branch out: What are the right markets that make sense to obviously become a little bit more geographically diverse.”

With San Jose, California, and Denver in the running to become the next expansion market, the PWHL would be in position to break off into either two six-team conferences or three four-team divisions based on geographical proximity. The league’s original six franchises are New York, Boston, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Minnesota.

Hamilton becomes Ontario's third franchise, and further expands the PWHL’s reach across the province's densely populated "Golden Horseshoe" region, without drawing fans away from Toronto, located 42 miles (68 kilometers) to the east. A league neutral site outing in Hamilton in January drew 16,012 fans, with Scheer saying 70% of the turnout had never previously attended a PWHL game.

The Hamilton-Burlington region has a population of more than 785,000, and within an hour’s drive of other major centers such as London, Kitchener-Waterloo and the Niagara Region.

Though separated by roughly 2,200 miles (3,547 kilometers) and an international border, the two newest markets meet various league expansion criteria, including being hotbeds for female hockey development.

Since the Golden Knights began play in the NHL in 2017, girls' and women's hockey participation in Las Vegas has grown by 600%, the PWHL said.

And the PWHL brings another franchise to a growing sports market that includes the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, who relocated to the city in 2018. The Aces have won three of the past four league titles and averaged more than 11,000 per outing over the past two seasons.

As for the Hamilton region, 15% of PWHL players are from there, including Vancouver’s Sarah Nurse, and Toronto teammates Renata Fast and Emma Maltais.

The markets feature arena partners eager to work with the league on availability to ensure there are open dates to fit in games into the facility's schedules. Arena availability factored into the PWHL’s decision-making with several markets ruled out because of scheduling conflicts.

The yet-to-be-named Las Vegas team will play out of the Golden Knights' home T-Mobile Arena, and feature a color scheme of green and gold.

Hamilton’s team colors will be gold, maroon and cream. The team will play out of the city’s newly renovated downtown TD Coliseum, where it will share the ice with the New York Islanders' minor-league affiliate, which is relocating from Bridgeport, Connecticut, this year.

The arena has a 16,400 capacity for hockey. It was formerly called the Copps Coliseum, which in 1987 hosted eight Canada Cup tournament games, including Canada’s two wins over the Soviet Union in the best-of-three final.

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AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

Yusiel Lopez Insua, de 46 años, aceptará un acuerdo de culpabilidad en julio y no irá a juicio, indicó su defensa durante una audiencia en una corte federal el martes.

Lopez Insua enfrenta un cargo de homicidio involuntario marítimo en relación con la colisión del 28 de julio de 2025 cerca de Hibiscus Island que mató a tres menores a bordo de una embarcación de un campamento juvenil de vela: Mila Yankelevich, de 7 años; Erin Ko Han, de 13; y Arielle Buchman, de 10.

Una consejera del campamento de 19 años y dos menores, una de ellas identificada como Calena Areyan Gruber, de 7 años, sobrevivieron.

Los fiscales federales alegan que Lopez Insua operaba un remolcador que empujaba una barcaza de construcción cuando impactó el velero averiado en Biscayne Bay. Los investigadores dijeron que el velero había perdido viento y quedó a la deriva en la trayectoria de la barcaza.

Las autoridades han indicado que Lopez Insua estaba usando su teléfono celular alrededor del momento del choque y que los datos mostraban actividad en mercados por internet.

Los fiscales también alegan que la vista desde la cabina del remolcador estaba obstruida por una estructura y una grúa en la barcaza, y que la embarcación carecía de sistemas adecuados de vigilancia como cámaras o radar.

Documentos judiciales previamente indicaron que Lopez Insua había operado la embarcación durante años y que tuvo incidentes previos de casi colisión en la misma área.

El choque también es objeto de al menos una demanda en una corte del condado Miami-Dade.

In 2003, she released her third studio album, “Moodring,” featuring the track “Sophisticated Lady.” It wasn't a single, but it was noteworthy: a new take on Rick James’ “Cold-Blooded,” a swerve into funk music from a performer best known for midtempo slow jams. “I've given you all the baby-making music I can,” she joked to The Associated Press — and the James cover offered something a little different. It was another sonic direction she was waiting for the right moment to fully explore.

Her tenth studio album, “Retrospect,” out Friday, threads the needle from then to now. It's a collection of throwback bangers, weaving ’70s and ’80s Minneapolis funk, pop, R&B and soul in one cheerful, nostalgic package.

“This is performance music, its personality music, so people get to see another part of my personality — very laid back, but I’m not there anymore,” she adds. “I’m outside and I’m having fun and really enjoying my life.”

It's also her first album in eight years.

The road to ‘Retrospect’

During the pandemic, Mýa found herself returning to the music of her childhood for healing — the stuff that would play in the living room, on “Soul Train,” at the roller rink, at cookouts: Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the S.O.S. Band, “Prince, Vanity 6, Teena Marie, Rick James, Evelyn “Champagne” King, Mary Jane Girls, Patrice Rushen. The list goes on and on,” she says. “That’s also a part of the title, ‘Retrospect.’ It’s not just retro leading into the ‘70s and ’80s. It’s about introspections as well.”

Those influences are found everywhere: On the opener “Give It To You,” she borrows James' inflections on the word “elated.” In the West Coast funk “Just a Little Bit,” featuring the Bay Area rapper Too $hort, an ad-lib recalls Michael Jackson's “Remember the Time.” The “whoo!” at the top of “No Pressure” is all Teena Marie. The big ballad “Just Call My Name” pulls influence from Mýa's mentor, Prince, with its “Purple Rain”-style guitars.

And even though there's a treasure trove of rich source material, there are no samples on the release. “Prince was very adamant about no samples, so I’m adhering to all of those rules,” she says. “I’m staying there in this independent journey.”

Digging through her influences, and pulling from their insight, has been restorative. “I’m being reminded of all of the things that are embedded in my soul,” she says of this music. “There’s so much stuff in here that I’m discovering comes from a specific place.”

And while eight years between albums might sound like a long time for any artist, Mýa has been routinely dropping singles. But for a full-length project, she saw a value in taking her time. “I’ve actually revisited a few songs, of course, added features, remade (songs), and I’ve taken different approaches for certain tracks as well with my production partner, MyGuyMars. We also remastered the whole album twice after remixing it. It's about when its right and ready to our ears,” she says. “It's kind of like serving a meal undercooked. You would never want to do that for your customers.”

25 years of “Lady Marmalade”

Looking at the giants that come before you to write a hooky song is nothing Mýa isn't used to. “I’ve had the most fun in the studio and on stage going back. A lot of my career has throwbacks and comes from somewhere. There’s ‘Ghetto Supastar,’ of course, (which) comes from Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers,” she says. Mýa's 1998 hit with the Fugees' Pras Michel and Ol’ Dirty Bastard offered a new take on Parton and Rogers' “Islands in the Stream.”

Then she shifts gears to one of her best-known tracks: “'Lady Marmalade,' we’re not the first,” she said, referencing the song that first became a hit in 1974 when it was recorded by Labelle, “They were the pioneers and the creators and the first performers of that song.” Mýa’s 2001 reimagination of the song, which included her, Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim and Pink, was produced by Missy Elliott and Rockwilder for the Baz Luhrmann blockbuster “Moulin Rouge!”

“We all are still here and still doing our individual things. It’s something to be celebrated,” she said. “And I am praying for a reunion, because I think it would be so incredible and emotional, of course, to see each other in one room, to squeeze each other, to work together.”

But for now, it's all about “Retrospect.”

“When I created this project, it was about joy first and foremost,” she said. “I want people, when they hear this album, to find themselves or be reminded of the simpler times — and then all those more introspective records to be jolting.”

Según el Departamento de Policía de Pembroke Pines, el incidente ocurrió la tarde del 15 de marzo en el Walmart ubicado en 151 SW 184th Ave., justo al lado de Pines Boulevard.

La Policía indicó que la menor, cuya edad no fue especificada, caminaba sola en el estacionamiento alrededor de la 1:20 p.m. “cuando el sospechoso se acercó y le tocó los glúteos”.

Posteriormente, el hombre huyó en lo que la Policía describió como un Lexus TX blanco de modelo reciente.

Cualquier persona que reconozca al hombre debe llamar al sargento Jason Palant de la Policía de Pembroke Pines al 954-743-1654.

The social media company said in a blog post that incognito chat mode provides a way to have private, temporary conversations with Meta AI, its artificial intelligence assistant that's been available on WhatsApp for a few years.

Messages will be processed in a “secure environment" that even Meta can't access, won't be saved by default and will disappear when exiting a session, Meta said.

Generative AI systems have been dogged by privacy concerns because the large language models that underpin these systems are trained on vast troves of data, sometimes including personal information provided by users themselves in their conversations with AI chatbots.

Rival chatbot makers already have some privacy features. Google's Gemini chatbot has the option to disable chat history and opt out of allowing one's data to be used in training its AI models. ChatGPT has similar controls.

Meta says it's rolling out incognito chats because users often ask chatbots sensitive questions or include private financial, personal, health or work data in their questions.

“We’re starting ask a lot of meaningful questions about our lives with AI systems, and it doesn’t always feel like you should have to share the information behind those questions with the companies that run those AI systems,” Will Cathcart, Meta’s head of WhatsApp, told reporters.

Incognito chat mode has safety features to prevent the chatbot from answering questions about harmful topics, Cathcart said.

It will “steer the user towards helpful information if it can and then refuse (to answer) and eventually even just stop interacting with the user completely,” Cathcart said.

Users will only be able to type in questions and get text responses; they won't be able to upload or generate images. They'll also have to confirm their age because Meta doesn't allow users under 13 on its platforms.

It was the third straight annual drop, making it the longest decline in decades, according to federal data released Wednesday. The 2025 total is about the same as the tally in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Declines were seen across a number of drug types, including fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine. Overdose deaths fell in the vast majority of states, although seven saw at least slight increases, including jumps of 10% or more in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico, the preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed.

“I’m cautiously optimistic that this represents really a fundamental change in the arc of the overdose crisis,” said Brandon Marshall, a Brown University researcher who studies overdose trends.

But the number of Americans dying from overdoses is still high, and deaths declined at a slower pace last year. A number of things could cause deaths to rise again — including government policy changes or a shift in the drug supply, Marshall and other researchers say.

“If deaths are going down rapidly, that means they can increase just as rapidly if we take our foot off the gas,” Marshall said.

Overdoses rose during the height of the pandemic

U.S. overdose deaths were generally rising for decades, but they shot up dramatically during the pandemic, peaking at nearly 110,000 in 2022. The pandemic spike was associated with social isolation and difficulties accessing addiction treatment.

Deaths declined as the pandemic waned. Researchers have pointed to numerous possible factors: an increase in the availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, expanded addiction treatment, shifts in how people use drugs, and the growing impact of billions of dollars in opioid lawsuit settlement money.

Some research also suggests the number of people likely to overdose has been shrinking, as fewer teens take up drugs and many illicit drug users have died. Another theory suggests regulatory changes in China a few years ago appear to have diminished the availability of precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl.

The nation's decades-long overdose epidemic has played out at different paces in different parts of the country, due at least in part to differences in the illicit drug supply and what people are using. The death increases last year in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico could stem from more combined use of fentanyl and methamphetamine recently in those places, Marshall guessed.

New substances are showing up in the US drug supply

Health and law enforcement officials in recent months have been sounding alarms about newer drugs that were increasingly detected in 2025.

Alex Krotulski is director of the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education, a federally funded toxicology lab in Horsham, Pennsylvania, that is an important part of a national illicit drug early warning system.

In all of last year, the lab identified 27 new drugs. Less than five months into 2026, the lab already has identified 23, he said.

Among the drugs on the lab’s radar is cychlorphine, a potent synthetic opioid described as up to 10 times stronger than fentanyl. Experts say it is being used as a cutting agent, added to other illicit drugs, without the buyer’s knowledge.

“The drug supply continues to change and evolve,” Krotulski said.

Trump administration cuts some programs

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has been cutting programs designed to reduce overdose deaths and infections tied to drug use. In a letter last month, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration notified federal grant recipients that the government would no longer pay for test strips and kits that help drug users see if their drugs contain highly-lethal additives.

Officials say they are shifting away from services that facilitate illicit drug use, including clean syringes and hotlines that people can dial into while they use drugs.

Last week, a group of women who lost children to overdoses spoke with reporters to protest government policies that emphasize punishment and incarceration.

Kimberly Douglas founded one group, Black Moms Against Overdose, after her 17-year-old son died.

“We are starting to see overdoses go down in some places and that’s because of harm reduction” services like those being targeted by the Trump administration, she said.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Alligator Alcatraz abrió durante el verano de 2025 en el corazón de los Everglades de Florida, construido sobre la pista y los terrenos que rodean el enorme Aeropuerto de Entrenamiento y Transición Dade-Collier.

Según reportes, el centro le ha costado al estado cientos de millones de dólares.

De acuerdo con el reporte del NYT, funcionarios del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS) concluyeron que es demasiado costoso continuar operando el centro de detención.

La administración del gobernador de Florida, Ron DeSantis, ha estado gastando más de $1 millón USD por día para operar Alligator Alcatraz.

Según el reporte, a los proveedores que prestan servicios al centro se les informó que los detenidos serían trasladados de la instalación a principios de junio y que el centro sería desmantelado durante las semanas siguientes.

Hasta el mes pasado, el centro albergaba a casi 1,400 detenidos, todos hombres, según datos del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos (ICE).

DeSantis ha dicho desde el principio que el gobierno federal pagaría por la instalación, pero Florida aún no ha recibido el reembolso federal de $608 millones USD para operar el centro durante el último año.

La División de Manejo de Emergencias de Florida emitió un comunicado que decía:

“Como afirmó el gobernador DeSantis la semana pasada, el centro de detención del sur de Florida siempre tuvo la intención de servir como una instalación temporal para apoyar las operaciones continuas de control y detención de inmigración ilegal. Si las necesidades operativas federales evolucionan y el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional implementa planes alternativos para el centro de detención del sur de Florida, el estado se ajustará en consecuencia.”

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Alligator Alcatraz was opened during the summer of 2025 in the heart of the Florida Everglades, built on the tarmac and land surrounding the massive Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.

The center has reportedly cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars.

According to the NYT report, officials at the Department of Homeland Security have concluded that it is too expensive to keep operating the detention center.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has been spending more than $1 million per day to run Alligator Alcatraz.

Per the report, vendors who service the center were told that detainees would be moved from the facility by the start of June, and that the center would be broken down over the following weeks.

As of last month, the center held nearly 1,400 detainees, all of whom are men, according to data from U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

DeSantis has said from the start that the federal government would pay for the facility but Florida has yet to receive the $608 million federal reimbursement to run the center over the past year.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management released a statement, which read:

“As Governor DeSantis stated last week, the South Florida detention facility was always intended to serve as a temporary facility to support ongoing illegal immigration enforcement and detention operations. If federal operational needs evolve and the Department of Homeland Security implements alternative plans for the South Florida detention facility, the state will pivot accordingly.”

Revenue from its Cloud Intelligence Group, which focuses on cloud computing and AI developments, jumped 38% in the January-March quarter from a year ago to 41.6 billion yuan ($6.1 billion). That was faster than the 36% and 34% growth in the previous two quarters, respectively.

However, Alibaba recorded an overall of 848 million yuan ($125 million) loss from operations for the quarter, a key measure of profitability of its core operating businesses, which was down sharply from a 28.5 billion yuan gain the same period last year.

Growing technological investment was one of the main reasons for rising expenses that weighed on profitability, as technology companies globally race to invest to boost infrastructure in supporting the ballooning AI demand.

The Hangzhou-based company, which has about 130,000 employees, last year pledged investments of at least 380 billion yuan over three years in cloud computing and AI infrastructure.

This week, Alibaba said it has fully connected its flagship Qwen AI app to its e-commerce platform Taobao, allowing users to “browse, compare, place orders, and manage deliveries through natural conversation” in hopes of driving up demand. It launched its “agentic” AI tool Wukong in March in expanding its products for commercial customers, and raised prices for some AI services.

“Alibaba’s AI has moved beyond the initial investment phase and progressed commercialization at scale,” said CEO Eddie Wu on Wednesday in prepared remarks during an earnings call.

Alibaba’s U.S.-traded shares jumped more than 7% after Wednesday's results announcement.

Many technology companies are now facing the challenge of boosting AI-related revenue and proving that the huge investment costs can pay off. For Alibaba, “we should expect AI-related growth to accelerate further,” said Jacob Cooke, CEO of Beijing-based consultancy WPIC Marketing + Technologies.

In March, Alibaba pledged a goal of surpassing $100 billion in annual AI and cloud revenue within the next five years.

Tencent, a key rival of Alibaba in AI, on Wednesday also reported weaker-than-expected revenue for the January-March quarter. Net profit was up 21%, which fell short of expectations, although some analysts believe its AI investments were also starting to deliver return.

Capital expenditure across Chinese AI companies is likely to remain elevated as the “investment phase is far from over,” wrote Chelsey Tam, an analyst at Morningstar, in a recent research note, while the AI firms are going to increasingly pivot from user acquisition to monetization.

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“We gave our attorney $25,000 to spend to seek additional outside counsel expertise,” said Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen.

That money was approved for outside legal counsel to determine whether purchasing the building is feasible or even possible.

This decision comes after the major airline went bankrupt and shut down.

“Anything in bankruptcy, you’ve got to go through bankruptcy court,” said Bogen. “It takes a while, but it is worth it if we can save hundreds of millions of dollars.”

While plans are already in the works to move out of the current building ― that county commissioners say is outdated ― and construct a new 14-story government center, it won’t be cheap.

The price tag is upwards of $663 million, and that doesn’t include a proposed childcare center, which would raise the estimated cost by $15.4 million.

“It is not easy buying a building out of bankruptcy, it is not easy dealing with that, but it’s also not easy building a building from scratch, or else we would’ve done it,” said Broward Commissioner Michael Udine. “I just think we owe it to taxpayers to look at these opportunities.”

To construct the new building would take an estimated two years for design and permitting and another three years for construction.

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He’s spent decades making us laugh, but Monday night the tables were turned.

Hart stepped into the line of fire for a night of brutal honesty and below-the-belt punchlines.

From the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, the “Roast of Kevin Hart” saw a sold out crowd experience endless jokes as one of the most influential comics in the biz got roasted by the who’s who in comedy and Hollywood.

Local 10’s Jason Carter was there to capture the energy of the night from the red carpet to the show itself.

Among those in attendance was Tiffany Haddish, who praised Hart for instilling a rock solid work ethic in her.

John Stamos said he couldn’t wait to show Hart some love, as the pair go way back.

There was also a surprise appearance by Katt Williams, whose set reportedly stole the show and left no one, including Hart, unscathed.

The early morning Senate committee vote came after hours of impassioned testimony from Black residents and Democrats opposed to the move. Republicans opted not to pursue a more aggressive approach, which could have targeted both Democratic seats for elimination.

The Supreme Court's recent ruling weakening federal Voting Rights Act protections for minorities has prompted Republicans in several Southern states to try to eliminate House districts with large minority populations that have elected Democrats. Tennessee and Alabama already have acted to implement different House maps that could help Republicans win an additional seat. A similar effort fizzled Tuesday in the South Carolina Senate.

The redistricting efforts to undo minority districts are the latest in a 10-month-long national redistricting battle that already has involved about one-third of the states. It gained steam when President Donald Trump urged Texas Republicans last year to redraw House districts in an attempt to win more seats in the midterm elections. Democrats in California responded with their own new districts. Numerous Republican states have redistricted since then.

Republicans think they could gain as many as 15 seats so far from new House maps in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Tennessee and Alabama. Democrats, meanwhile, think they could gain six seats from new maps in California and Utah. The Virginia Supreme Court last week struck down a redistricting effort that could have yielded four more winnable seats for Democrats.

Louisiana map resembles 2022 districts

The Louisiana Senate could vote Thursday on the new House map advanced by a committee tasked with redistricting.

The plan keeps a New Orleans-based, majority-Black district represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Troy Carter while also including a portion of Baton Rouge. It significantly reshapes the 6th District, represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields, which currently snakes northwest from Baton Rouge to Shreveport to create a second majority-Black district. That district would instead be clustered around predominantly white communities in southern Louisiana around Baton Rouge.

Fields, a Baton Rouge resident, said he won't decide whether to seek reelection until the maps are finalized. But he said he would not challenge Carter in a primary.

“I’ve said from day one, I have no interest in running against Troy Carter. Period,” Fields told The Associated Press. “The real issue is not whether I serve another second in Congress. The real issue is whether or not a person like me will have the opportunity to serve in Congress.”

State Sen. Jay Morris, a Republican who sponsored the revised map, said the new districts are very similar to those used in 2022 that resulted in five Republicans and one Democrat winning election.

A federal judge struck down the 2022 map for violating the Voting Rights Act. Then in 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Alabama had to create its own second largely Black congressional district.

In light of the Alabama ruling, the Louisiana Legislature passed a revised map, creating a second majority-Black district that was used in the 2024 elections. That map also was challenged, leading to last month's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that Louisiana's districts had relied too heavily on race. The Supreme Court followed with a decision also overturning a judicial order mandating that Alabama use a House map with two largely Black congressional districts.

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry has postponed Louisiana's U.S. House primaries, scheduled for Saturday, to allow time for new districts to be put in place.

Democrats wanted to preserve 2 districts

During committee testimony on Tuesday, many Democrats and Black residents suggested Louisiana could revise its districts in response to the high court ruling in a way that could preserve two Democratic-leaning seats that give Black voters an opportunity to elect the candidates of their choice. They argued that it was a matter of fairness.

As the hearing stretched into the night, Josiah Hardy, a high school sophomore, told lawmakers his great-grandfather fought for civil rights and equal representation in Louisiana when Black voters were disenfranchised.

“Why are we still fighting the same fight decades later?” Hardy questioned. “My great-grandfather believed democracy is stronger when more people are included, not excluded. Further generations should not have to keep fighting the same battles for fairness and voting rights that leaders before us have already fought.”

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Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri.

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Officials from the city of Weston confirmed Wednesday morning that 15-year-old Zimar Buwell was found safe.

Officials previously said that Buwell had last been seen around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday near Racquet Club Road before leaving in an unknown direction.

Officials described Buwell as a runaway. It’s unclear why he initially left home.

Funcionarios de la ciudad de Weston confirmaron la mañana del miércoles que Zimar Buwell, de 15 años, fue encontrado a salvo.

Previamente, las autoridades dijeron que Buwell fue visto por última vez alrededor de la 1:30 p.m. del martes cerca de Racquet Club Road antes de irse en una dirección desconocida.

Las autoridades describieron a Buwell como un fugitivo. No está claro por qué inicialmente salió de su casa.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward (BSO), Kimberly Stacy Rivera fue arrestada el lunes luego de acercarse a un agente alrededor de las 11 p.m. durante una “caminata de patrullaje” en la cuadra 700 de Southwest 71st Avenue.

Las autoridades dijeron que Rivera le informó al agente que creía tener una orden de arresto activa. Luego fue llevada a la cárcel principal del condado Broward para entregarse.

El caso se deriva de una investigación del 25 de octubre de 2025, luego de que agentes respondieron al Broward Health Medical Center tras una llamada del Departamento de Niños y Familias relacionada con lesiones sufridas por el hijo bebé de Rivera.

Según un informe de arresto, una evaluación médica del bebé reveló “una fractura no desplazada en la clavícula izquierda media, una fractura en proceso de curación en la cuarta costilla interior izquierda y probables fracturas curadas en ambos huesos del radio”.

Los investigadores también señalaron “una marca superficial consistente con una mordida” sin explicación para las lesiones.

Las autoridades dijeron que Rivera y su prometido buscaron atención médica más temprano esa mañana luego de que el bebé mostrara dolor y movimiento limitado en el brazo izquierdo. Estudios de imágenes posteriormente confirmaron múltiples fracturas en el niño, según el informe.

Los detectives dijeron que Rivera inicialmente sugirió que las lesiones pudieron haber sido causadas por el hermano mayor del niño, diciéndoles a los investigadores: “Puede que haya sido mi hijo, tal vez él lo mordió y yo no estaba mirando cuando lo hizo”. También dijo que el niño mayor a veces participaba en “juegos bruscos”, señala el informe.

Según el informe, Rivera les dijo a los agentes que sufre de “depresión” y “crisis emocionales”, pero insistió: “Nunca me desquitaría con mis hijos”.

Los investigadores dijeron que el prometido de Rivera posteriormente les dijo a los detectives que Rivera “le confesó” y admitió que había “apretado al bebé” por frustración. También dijo que Rivera había estado “llorando mucho” después de experimentar “pensamientos suicidas”.

Los agentes dijeron que Rivera luego confesó, afirmando que “probablemente por eso tiene esas fracturas, por mi culpa” y se disculpó con los investigadores, diciendo: “Lo siento por no haberles dicho la verdad. Solo tenía miedo”.

Indicaron que Rivera fue hospitalizada bajo la Ley Baker tras el incidente de 2025.

Hasta este miércoles, Rivera permanecía detenida sin derecho a fianza en la cárcel principal del condado Broward por un cargo de abuso agravado infantil y otro de negligencia infantil causando daños corporales, según registros de la cárcel.

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According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Kimberly Stacy Rivera was arrested Monday after approaching a deputy around 11 p.m. during a “park walk” in the 700 block of Southwest 71st Avenue.

Authorities said Rivera told the deputy she believed she had an active warrant. She was then taken to the Broward County Main Jail to surrender.

The case stems from an Oct. 25, 2025, investigation after deputies said they responded to Broward Health Medical Center following a call from the Department of Children and Families regarding injuries to Rivera’s infant son.

According to an arrest report, a medical evaluation of the baby revealed “a non displaced mid left clavicle fracture, a healing left interior fourth rib fracture, and probable healed fractures involving both radius bones.”

Investigators also noted “a superficial mark consistent with a bite” with no explanation for the injuries.

Authorities said Rivera and her fiancé sought medical care earlier that morning after the baby showed pain and limited movement in his left arm. Imaging later confirmed multiple fractures to the boy, according to the report.

Detectives said Rivera initially suggested the injuries may have been caused by her son’s older brother, telling investigators, “it may have been my son, maybe that bit him and I wasn’t looking when he did.” She also said the older child sometimes engaged in “rough play,” the report stated.

According to the report, Rivera told deputies she suffers from “depression” and “breakdowns” but insisted, “I would never take it (out) on my kids.”

Investigators said Rivera’s fiancé later told detectives Rivera had “come clean to him” and admitted she had “squeezed the baby” out of frustration. He also said Rivera had been “crying really bad” after experiencing “suicidal thoughts.”

Deputies said Rivera later confessed, stating “that’s probably why he has those fractures because of me” and apologized to investigators, saying, “I’m sorry I didn’t come clean to you guys. I was just afraid.”

They said Rivera was hospitalized under the Baker Act following the 2025 incident.

As of Wednesday, Rivera remained held without bond at the Broward County Main Jail on one count each of aggravated child abuse and child neglect causing bodily harm, according to jail records.

The drier trend continues for the rest of the week, with just an isolated pop-up or two possible. High temperatures will still climb to the low 90s, nearly 5 degrees above average. There are no signs the heat will break anytime soon.

The high representative for U.S. President Donald Trump’s International Board of Peace in Gaza, Mladenov, said months without progress implementing the deal benefited neither Israel nor Palestinians. He said the phased deal was paralyzed over Hamas not yet disarming, calling it “not negotiable."

International mediators have long said disarmament is core to the ceasefire, to which Hamas has agreed, but no significant progress has been made toward it. The Palestinian militant group has sought to link any demilitarization to Israeli troop pullbacks. Israel's military remains in control of more than half of Gaza.

“The only way that we believe that we can ensure that Israeli withdrawal takes place to the perimeter is if we have the full element of the plan unfolding in Gaza,” Mladenov said at a rare press conference in Jerusalem.

Mladenov stated plainly that the plan envisioned in the ceasefire was off to a rocky start. He also said conditions remain dire and miserable for the more than 2 million people in Gaza. He accused both sides of violating the ceasefire but said it had mostly held and staved off the return of full-scale war.

Disarmament is among the most challenging elements of the ceasefire. Hamas, whose founding charter calls for armed resistance against Israel, has been reluctant to give up its arsenal, including rockets, anti-tank missiles, and explosives.

Mladenov did not answer questions about what could lie ahead for Gaza in the absence of disarmament. He criticized Hamas for consolidating power in parts of Gaza under its control, saying it hoped “to squeeze better terms of a negotiation.”

He also said that he could envision a role for Hamas in postwar Gaza if it disarms.

“We are not asking Hamas to disappear as a political movement,” Mladenov told reporters.

Israeli leaders have said they want to destroy the militant group that has governed Gaza for two decades and orchestrated the attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 as hostages.

Israel’s ensuing offensive has killed over 72,724 Palestinians, including at least 846 since a ceasefire took hold last October.

Mladenov's remarks came as the Board of Peace faces scrutiny, with efforts to advance the phased ceasefire stalled.

The truce envisioned Hamas handing over its weapons, Israeli forces withdrawing and rebuilding destroyed swaths of the coastal enclave after more than two years of war.

Instead, the seven months since the ceasefire have seen Israel and Hamas trade accusations of violations. Aid groups say Israel has not allowed the promised amount of aid in. Hamas has not disarmed and remains in control of roughly half the strip.

Trump’s 20-point plan says that all of Hamas’ “military, terror and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities” in Gaza must be destroyed. It also says that weapons must be placed “permanently beyond use.”

Israel and the U.S. say this language is clear and that Hamas must surrender all of its weapons.

Hamas has sought to differentiate between “heavy” weapons, such as rockets, and “light” weapons like rifles and pistols, Hamas officials and mediators say, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations.

Israel has stepped up its attacks in Gaza in recent days, since the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, and many Palestinians fear a return of more airstrikes and full-scale war may be imminent.

Covering eight stadiums, seven cities and four continents, this year will feature nine games outside of the U.S. for the most the league has ever staged. Sixteen teams, exactly half of the NFL, will play internationally in 2026.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has declared the goal of 16 games annually outside of the U.S. After this season, the league will have played 71 games in 12 different international cities. Melbourne, Paris and Rio de Janeiro are first-time hosts in 2026.

The league had months ago announced the Melbourne matchup as its first game in Australia in addition to several of the participating teams for the nine-game slate, which was fully unveiled on Wednesday. The complete 17-game schedules for all 32 teams will be released on Thursday.

The 49ers have long been one of the NFL's most prominent brands, and they'll be the road team for the Thursday night opener on Sept. 10 against the Rams on Netflix. That game will kick off on Friday morning at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which is 17 hours ahead of California time.

San Francisco will be the home team at Estadio Banorte in Mexico City, where they have marketing rights as part of the league's global markets program along with the Rams and eight other teams. The Rams also have rights in Australia.

The 49ers will then play the showcase Sunday night game on NBC on Nov. 22 against the Vikings, who last year played the NFL's first international multi-city road trip with a game in Dublin in Week 4 followed by a game in London in Week 5. The Vikings were the road team in both of those games last year, too.

San Francisco last played in Mexico City in 2022. The league has also committed to playing there in 2027 and 2028.

Broadening the footprint in Brazil

The Dallas Cowboys will be the home team in Rio de Janeiro at Maracana Stadium against the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 27, a late afternoon Week 3 game that CBS will broadcast. Neither team has marketing rights in Brazil, where the league has staged games in Sao Paulo in each of the last two years. The NFL has committed at least three games in five years to Rio.

More football for the breakfast table

All six games in Europe will kick off at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time, an exclusive broadcast window before the traditional afternoon start times that cover the majority of the schedule each week.

There are three games in London, the league's most common international site with 45 regular-season games since 2007. The Jacksonville Jaguars for the first time are moving consecutive home games abroad as a renovation begins on their home stadium. They're one of 10 teams with rights in Britain.

The Jaguars will play the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 11 and then face the AFC South rival Houston Texans in Week 6 at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 18. The Washington Commanders will be the home team at Tottenham on Oct. 4 when they face the Indianapolis Colts.

The New Orleans Saints will be the home team for the first game in Paris in Week 7, facing the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 25 at Stade de France. The Saints are the only team with marketing rights in France. The Detroit Lions will be the home team for the league's third ever game in Munich, facing the New England Patriots on Nov. 15 in Week 10 at the home of German soccer club Bayern Munich. The Lions are one of 11 teams with rights in Germany.

As previously announced by the NFL, the Atlanta Falcons will be the home team in Madrid in Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 8 at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. This will be the second game in Madrid, where neither team has marketing rights.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said late Tuesday that Venturella would succeed Todd Lyons, who led the agency through much of the administration's tumultuous crackdown on immigration. ICE did not immediately respond to an email seeking additional information Wednesday.

Venturella left the Geo Group in early 2023 and has been working at ICE leading the division that oversees detention contracts, members of Congress wrote in a public letter earlier this year.

At the Geo Group, which houses around one-third of ICE detainees, Venturella served in a number of posts, including executive vice president overseeing corporate development, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. He also oversaw removal operations for ICE in 2011 and 2012 after working for federal contractors, including one that specializes in security clearances and background checks.

Geo has benefited from President Donald Trump’s mass deportation push, garnering big contracts to open three shuttered facilities. Among them was a $1 billion, 15-year deal for a detention center in New Jersey’s largest city.

“Last year was the most successful period for new business wins in our company’s history,” Geo’s CEO George Zoley said during an earnings call last week.

Geo owns and operates 23 ICE detention facilities, with about 26,000 available beds. Zoley also said that ICE’s air transportation subcontract had continued to steadily increase and that it secured a new contract last year for electronic monitoring.

Venturella will lead ICE at a time when the public mood has soured on Trump’s immigration crackdown, which sent surges of federal immigration officers into American cities to round up immigrants. Those raids sent tensions soaring and prompted clashes between protesters and law enforcement, leading to the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis earlier this year.

Trump returned to the White House on a promise of mass deportations, and ICE has been a central executor of that vision. Under Lyons’ leadership, the agency used a massive infusion of cash to expand hiring and detention capabilities, and it ramped up arrests to meet demand from the Republican administration.

Federal officials announced Lyons’ departure last month from ICE, which had gotten $75 billion from Congress to fulfill Trump’s mass deportation campaign.

Venturella's appointment comes as DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin settles into his role atop the Cabinet agency overseeing ICE. Mullin has promised to keep his department out of the headlines and has indicated a softer tone on immigration, although he is expected to align with the president's priorities on mass deportations.

One contentious issue confronting DHS now is a plan for converting warehouses into immigrant detention. Conceived while Kristi Noem led the department, the effort has encountered multiple lawsuits and intense community blowback, including in Republican-led states.

The $38.3 billion plan would increase detention capacity to 92,000 beds and mean acquiring eight large-scale facilities, capable of housing 7,000 to 10,000 detainees each, and 16 smaller regional processing centers.

Those, and other sites, were supposed to be running by the end of November. But after Noem’s departure, DHS paused the purchase of new warehouses as it scrutinizes all contracts signed during her tenure.

Last month a judge extended a pause on transforming a massive Maryland warehouse into a processing facility for immigrants, and there are signs that federal officials are scaling back the plans.

This could be good news for Geo, which has about 6,000 idle beds at six company-owned facilities, Zoley said last week.

Zoley had offered a note of skepticism about the warehouse plan during an earlier earnings call in February, noting that renovating a warehouse is “more complicated than you may think.” At that point, he said the company was “cautiously” looking at whether to bid to help operate some of them.

U.S.-based advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) and shipping industry observers say waters near Malaysia’s southern Johor state have become a key hub for ship-to-ship transfers involving Iran’s “shadow fleet” — aging tankers that often operate with disabled tracking systems, false identities and opaque ownership structures to conceal the origins of crude bound largely for China.

The area, known as the Eastern Outer Port Limits, or EOPL, in the South China Sea is about 70 kilometers (45 miles) off Johor. It lies along one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes and is about halfway between Iran and China, which buys about 90% of Iranian oil.

U.S. officials have previously said Iranian oil exports rely heavily on service providers and ship-to-ship transfers operating near Malaysian waters.

UANI says there have been 42 ship-to-ship transfers of Iranian oil conducted in the EOPL area since Feb. 28, when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, starting a war in the Middle East. UANI used satellite imagery to observe the operations.

“Because of Malaysia’s inaction, it is facilitating this business model by Iran and China and dark fleet actors,” senior UANI adviser Charlie Brown said, warning Malaysia is becoming “a facilitator rather than merely a transit point” for illicit activity.

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency Director-General Mohamad Rosli Abdullah said the transfers are often done outside the country's territorial waters and in remote areas beyond radar coverage, especially in locations near maritime boundaries or international shipping routes.

"The selection of such locations is intended to exploit jurisdictional gaps and limit direct enforcement action by local authorities,” he told The Associated Press.

The UANI allegations "do not align with the actual situation on the ground and do not reflect the operational realities of maritime enforcement conducted by the MMEA,” he said, adding that the lack of real-time intelligence-sharing among domestic and international agencies also hampers effective action.

Iranian oil flows despite a US blockade

Clandestine high-seas transfers from Iranian-linked tankers have persisted for years, allowing Tehran to sell its crude while offering buyers plausible deniability about the oil’s source.

While not illegal, Malaysia discourages unsanctioned transfers outside designated areas, where such operations can be supervised, as they greatly increase the likelihood of a spill, involve aging vessels and are carried out far from ports where mistakes could be more easily contained.

Despite a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports that started in mid-April, UANI said it has tracked Iranian-linked tankers still operating, though it is not clear how many are now getting through.

Neither the Iranian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur nor the U.S. State Department immediately responded to a request for comment.

As of Tuesday, two dozen Iranian-linked tankers tracked by UANI were anchored or loitering near the EOPL area used for transfers off Johor, though it was not clear how many had sailed before the blockade began.

“It’s business as usual,” UANI's Brown told the AP.

UANI maintains that Malaysia could enforce environmental regulations for advance notification of ship-to-ship transfers, prevent Malaysian companies from providing support to ships involved and require all ships to carry adequate insurance against accidents and oil spills, among other things.

The MMEA director general said enforcement is conducted strictly under Malaysian law and relevant international conventions, and authorities have “never compromised nor provided any special treatment or privileges to any country.”

Indonesia reviews border oil transfers

Though the area where the oil transfers are taking place is widely regarded as part of Malaysia’s broader economic zone, it borders the Riau Archipelago, which is Indonesian territory.

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry said authorities were reviewing the situation to determine the legality of the activity. “Indonesia does not permit its territory or maritime zones to be used for unlawful activities,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang.

Indonesia upholds legitimate navigational rights under international law governing the seas including the right of innocent passage, transit passage and the right of passage through Indonesian maritime zones," she added.

The MMEA director general noted that Malaysia earlier this year seized two vessels, one stateless and the other flagged to Cameroon, involved in the transfer of 2 million barrels of crude oil in Malaysian territorial waters.

The vessels were later released on bond for conducting unauthorized oil transfers. UANI’s Brown said one of the vessels was spotted earlier this month conducting a ship-to-ship transfer of suspected Iranian oil in the waters off Johor.

Malaysian authorities “will continue to strengthen monitoring and enhance strategic cooperation with relevant agencies to ensure that the nation’s maritime domain’s safety and sovereignty are consistently safeguarded,” the MMEA director general said.

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David Rising in Bangkok and Edna Tarigan in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.

The fourth-ranked Swiatek needed just 67 minutes to sweep aside No. 5 Pegula 6-1, 6-2.

Swiatek’s impressive form bodes well for the upcoming French Open, which she has won four times.

“I’m happy that I can spend some time on the court and play really solid matches against the best girls,” Swiatek said. "For sure it’s giving me confidence because you can practice as much as possible, but if you don’t test it out on the court, play matches and face pressure or something, you’re going to still feel the little bit rusty when it comes.

“Now I’m happy I played couple matches. I’ll play hopefully two more here.”

Swiatek will next face either Elena Rybakina or Elina Svitolina, who are both also former Rome champions.

In the men’s quarterfinals, two impressive sets from Casper Ruud saw the Norwegian overcome 13th-ranked Karen Khachanov 6-1, 1-6, 6-2.

The match was suspended for more than two hours at the start of the second set because of rain and Khachanov seemed to have dealt better with the enforced break.

However, the 23rd-ranked Ruud broke Khachanov's serve twice at the start of the third set and then again to take the match on the second of three match points.

Ruud will face either 19-year-old Rafael Jodar of Spain or Italian player Luciano Darderi in the semifinals.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

The Labor Department reported Wednesday that its producer price index — which tracks inflation before it hits consumers — shot up 1.4% in April, the biggest monthly gain in more than four years.

Energy prices climbed 7.8% from March to April and 22.7% from a year earlier. Gasoline soared 15.6% from March and diesel, the dominant fuel used in shipping, jumped 12.6%.

Gasoline prices, which have already become painful for many Americans, rose again overnight to a national average of $4.51 per gallon, according to motor club AAA.

Excluding volatile food and energy costs, so-called core producer prices rose 1% from March and 5.2% from April 2025.

All of the numbers released Wednesday caught economists off guard and altered the dynamic at the U.S. Federal Reserve and its fight against inflation.

Prices are rising at a time when Americans are already frustrated by the high cost of living. Affordability is likely to be a key issue when voters go to the polls Nov. 3 to determine whether President Donald Trump’s Republican Party maintains control of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

“This report will set off alarm bells at the Fed and add fuel to the political conversation about affordability,″ wrote Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics. “The results are so far above expectations that this update will set off alarm bells in the financial markets, too.″

After the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, Tehran closed off access to the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes.

The oil shock shows no sign of letting up. The International Energy Agency warned Wednesday that the “mounting supply losses from the Strait of Hormuz are depleting global oil inventories at a record pace.’’ Since February, global oil supplies have been reduced by 12.8 million barrels a day in what the IEA called “an unprecedented supply shock.’’

Wednesday’s report on producer prices showed a big uptick in shipping costs. The wholesale cost of truck transportation of freight shot up more than 8% from March and air freight rose 3.6% for the month.

“Diesel fuel is also crucial for food prices, as it powers farm equipment along with commercial shipping and trucking,” wrote Grace Zwemmer, US Economist at Oxford Economics. “Food prices rose by a muted 0.2% in April, much stronger than the 0.6% decline seen in March, and it’s possible they will face upward pressure from higher fuel prices the longer the war persists.”

Wholesale prices can offer an early look at where prices for consumers may be headed.

Already this week, the Labor Department said that its closely watched consumer price index jumped 3.8% last month from April 2025 — the biggest year-over-year increase in more than three years. That has begun to appear in everything from what Americans pay for air travel, both tickets and baggage fees, to soap and toothpaste.

Walmart, a company famous for its intense focus on low prices, already announced rare price hikes last year as Trump's tariffs were rolled out, and the rising costs may intensify pressure to do so again. It is not alone.

Whirlpool, which makes KitchenAid and Maytag appliances, reported this month that its revenue dropped nearly 10% in its most recent quarter and said that the war has caused a “recession-level industry decline″ that has undermined consumer confidence. It had announced a 10% price hike in April, its largest in a decade, and said another 4% price increase is coming in July.

The cost of credit, which had been in decline, has been frozen in place.

Before the Iran war, the Fed had been expected to cut its benchmark interest rate in 2026. But it has turned cautious as it waits to see how long the conflict lasts and whether higher energy prices spill over into other products and cause a broader inflationary outbreak.

Trump has attacked the Fed and its outgoing chair, Jerome Powell, for refusing to slash rates to boost the economy. Kevin Warsh, the president’s hand-picked choice to succeed Powell, is expected to be confirmed by the Senate this week; but it’s unclear whether Warsh would pursue lower rates given the uncertainty caused by the war — or whether he could persuade his colleagues on the Fed’s rate-setting committee to go along if he tried.

No one was hurt, officials said. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. asked the public to stay calm in televised remarks.

It was not immediately clear who fired the shots or why. The gunfire erupted as Philippine authorities tried to arrest Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, a former national police chief who enforced former President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug efforts in which thousands of mostly petty suspects were killed from 2016 to 2018.

Allied senators took dela Rosa into “protective custody” on Monday, when he reappeared after months of absence.

Several senators were still in the building after holding a session when the gunshots were heard by a throng of journalists, including two from The Associated Press. Armed security personnel, including military members, ran around with guns ready and later asked employees to leave as tensions started to ease.

Senate President Alan Cayetano briefly appeared before journalists in the Senate shortly after the shots were fired but could not provide details.

“The emotions are high here,” Cayetano said. “This is the Senate of the Philippines, and we are allegedly under attack.”

Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla Jr. later arrived with top police officials and said he was deployed by the president to secure the senators. He said he did not come to arrest dela Rosa, who remained in the building.

Investigation launched

An investigation was underway, and security cameras would be reviewed to find out who was behind the gunfire and their intentions, Remulla said.

On Monday, the ICC unsealed an arrest warrant for dela Rosa.

Originally issued in November, the warrant charges dela Rosa with the crime against humanity of murder of “no less than 32 persons” between July 2016 and the end of April 2018, when he led the national police force under Duterte.

The ICC had no immediate comment on the events in Manila.

Dela Rosa, 64, has vowed to fight the ICC arrest order. He called on his followers Wednesday night to gather in the Senate to prevent what he said was his impending arrest.

National Bureau of Investigation agents tried to arrest dela Rosa on Monday, but he managed to dash to the Senate's plenary hall and sought the help of fellow senators. Cayetano said then that he would cite the government agents involved for contempt.

Duterte was arrested in March last year and flown to the ICC's headquarters in The Hague. He is still in detention in the Netherlands and faces a trial in the killings from his crackdown, in which dela Rosa has also been accused.

“We should not allow another Filipino to be brought to The Hague, the second one after President Duterte,” dela Rosa said, addressing his followers in a Facebook message and blaming politics for his predicament.

“This is unacceptable,” dela Rosa said.

He said he was ready to face any allegations before Philippine courts, but he denied condoning extrajudicial killings when he led the police force. Duterte has also made the same denials, although he openly threatened suspected drug dealers with death while in office.

Police deployed outside Senate

Hundreds of police officers have been deployed outside the Senate since Monday to maintain order, sparking complaints from dela Rosa and allied senators.

“If I have something to answer for, I will face those in our local courts and not before foreigners,” dela Rosa told reporters in the Senate.

Five senators called on dela Rosa to surrender to authorities in a proposed resolution, but his allies opposed the move in a heated exchange Wednesday in the Senate, where 13 of 24 senators friendly to dela Rosa wrested control of its leadership on Monday.

Duterte and his daughter, the current vice president, and political allies such as dela Rosa have been the harshest critics of Marcos.

Vice President Sara Duterte, once a political ally of Marcos, has blamed the president for allowing what she said was “the kidnapping” of her father and his handover to a foreign court.

Sara Duterte has recently been impeached by the House of Representatives, which is dominated by the allies of Marcos, over accusations that included unexplained wealth and threats to have the president assassinated if she herself were killed amid their political disputes. The Senate was preparing to convene into a tribunal to try the vice president.

Disputes reflect deep division in Philippine politics

The disputes reflect the deep divisions that have long plagued the rambunctious Asian democracy.

After winning the presidency in 2016, Duterte appointed dela Rosa, a loyal ally, as head of the national police force, which enforced the brutal campaign against illegal drugs that alarmed Western governments, including the United States and human rights groups.

Dela Rosa also once headed the police force in the southern city of Davao, where Duterte was a longtime mayor and built a political name for his extra-tough approach to crime.

“My role was to lead the war on drugs, and that war on drugs was not meant to annihilate people,” dela Rosa said when he was asked about the huge death toll.

“When the lives of police officers came under threat, of course they needed to defend themselves,” dela Rosa said.

Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the ICC in 2019 in a move human rights activists say was aimed at escaping accountability.

The ICC, however, said that it retained jurisdiction over crimes committed when the Philippines was still a member and successfully moved to have him arrested, the first former Asian leader to fall into such disgrace.

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Associated Press Writer Mike Corder contributed to this report from The Hague, Netherlands.

The major human rights funder pledged Wednesday to strengthen interfaith partnerships and protect those facing heightened threats in response to the rising levels of hate against both Jewish and Muslim communities, coinciding with the Israel-Hamas war and the current fragile ceasefire.

Last year saw the highest level of deadly violence against Jews worldwide in over three decades, according to an annual study released last month by Tel Aviv University, including the December shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Australia. Meanwhile, anti-Muslim rhetoric has intensified against the backdrop of the Iran war, with one congressional Republican saying Muslims “ don't belong in American society.”

“The deep injustices occurring in the Middle East are fueling indiscriminate prejudice, dehumanization, and violence directed against both Muslims and Jews," Open Society Foundations President Binaifer Nowrojee said in a statement. "Entire communities cannot be targeted simply because of their religion. Bigotry and intolerance in any form must be called out and confronted.”

The announcement marks the foundations' most visible campaign since last fall's reports that the U.S. Department of Justice was considering possible charges against Open Society Foundations. President Donald Trump specifically named Soros as he ordered the FBI to crack down on what he called “left-wing terrorism” — an accusation that OSF has denied in statements emphasizing their mission to strengthen democracy.

Alex Soros, who took over leadership of his father’s foundations in late 2022, noted that “discrimination and hate” aren’t abstract concepts for him as the son of a Holocaust survivor and husband to a Muslim American. The foundation added that George Soros, who holds significant influence as a liberal megadonor with vast financial investments and philanthropic ties, is frequently targeted by conservative conspiracy theories that twist those powerful connections into antisemitic tropes about behind-the-scenes puppet masters.

“At a moment like this we need to stand together and act,” Alex Soros said in a pretaped video posted on social media. “This investment is about keeping people safe and pushing back against hate.”

The commitment is aimed broadly at expanding education on forms of discrimination, supporting cross-community leaders who build trust and safeguarding free speech rights to lawful expression. The foundations have already selected some grantees and are inviting other nonprofits to apply for funding. Recipients include the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the Nexus Project. Shoulder to Shoulder, a multifaith alliance that prepares religious leaders to address anti-Muslim discrimination, is among those leading the work on Islamophobia.

Amy Spitalnick, the CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, welcomed the strategy to tackle both matters together. The grant will allow JCPA to build upon its solidarity work with Muslim and Arab American communities, Spitalnick said, which have deepened since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. She pointed to a fellowship and a Capitol Hill discussion on Jewish-Muslim solidarity that were both launched with the Muslim Public Affairs Council.

She emphasized that hate is interconnected. The normalization of Islamophobia, racism and broader anti-democratic extremism creates the conditions for antisemitism to flourish, she said.

“We need funders and others to recognize that treating any of these issues in silos doesn’t get at the root cause, doesn’t get at the broader resiliency we need right now," Spitalnick said. "The fact that Jewish safety requires Muslim safety, that Muslim safety requires Jewish safety.”

The Soros' announcement did not say how the foundations will define antisemitism — a point of contention on college campuses and in state legislatures where debates have raged over whether criticism of Israel amounts to hatred of Jewish people. The shortlist of Open Society grantees suggests a more nuanced definition than the Anti-Defamation League, which releases an annual audit of antisemitic incidents in the United States. The ADL holds that vilifying Zionism, or the movement to establish and maintain a Jewish state in Israel, is a form of antisemitism.

In contrast, the Nexus Project promotes definitions of antisemitism that do not include opposition to the Israeli state's policies. Similarly, in opposition to a National Education Association resolution prohibiting the use of the ADL's educational resources, Spitalnick emphasized that “one does not need to align with the ADL on every issue."

Andrés Spokoiny, the president and CEO of the Jewish Funders Network, estimated that the philanthropic sector has dedicated hundreds of thousands of dollars to countering antisemitism — regardless of its definition. Other high-profile efforts include the $25 million “Stand Up to Jewish Hate” ad campaign launched by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft in March 2023 through his Foundation to Combat Antisemitism.

But the persistence of antisemitism has left some members of Spokoiny's group questioning their approaches.

“There's a lot of perplexity around what actually works,” he said. “So many funders are very frustrated.”

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Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

Random House told The Associated Press that it had acquired a “Godfather” novel authorized by the estate of Mario Puzo and written by bestselling author Adriana Trigiani. “Connie” is scheduled for a fall 2027 release and will center on the Corleone family member played by Talia Shire, sister of director Francis Ford Coppola, in the three “Godfather” films.

“Connie” is the third “Godfather” book approved by the estate and the first written by a woman.

“'Connie' is a novel about how a woman works to forge her own way in a world that’s already decided who she is, what she’s about, and how she should be treated,” Trigiani said in a statement Wednesday. “People underestimated Don Vito Corleone and Michael Corleone at their peril. The same will be true for Connie Corleone.”

Paramount Pictures, which produced the “Godfather” movies,” holds the film rights. Additional details were not immediately available.

Puzo, whose blockbuster 1969 novel “The Godfather,” provided the basis and title for the first film, died in 1999 and his estate has since battled with Paramount over who controls rights to the Corleone characters. In 2012, the movie studio sued to block publication of Ed Falco’s “The Family Corleone.” After the estate countersued, the two sides agreed to a settlement that allowed the estate to continue initiating book projects and awarded film rights to Paramount.

The final release of the original “Godfather” trilogy, “The Godfather Part III,” came out in 1990. The films all starred Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, Connie's brother, with other actors appearing in at least one movie including Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton. The “Godfather” saga has earned more than $400 million worldwide and won nine Academy Awards, two of them to Puzo in the 1970s for best adapted screenplay.

Trigiani, a million-selling author who wrote of her own Italian roots in the novel “The Shoemaker's Wife,” is also known for such favorites as “Lucia, Lucia” and “The Queen of the Big Time.” According to Random House, the Puzo estate “sought out” Trigiani after she published a Substack essay lamenting how little was known about the Corleone women.

“We had been looking for someone to retell the story from a new perspective,” Anthony Puzo, the author's son and executor, said in a statement. “Adriana was knocked out when I told her that the character of Vito Corleone (played in the films by Brando and De Niro) was actually based on my grandmother. We talked about how the women ran both of our families, but behind the scenes. Adriana’s vision for Connie’s life blew us all away. I’m very pleased and excited to have her on board.”

The plan to hold the votes Wednesday, shared exclusively with The Associated Press, is tied to rule changes or regulatory rollbacks by the CFPB since the Republican administration took over the bureau in February 2025. The bureau has rescinded 67 policies under its acting director, Russell Vought, who is also President Donald Trump’s budget director. Vought has publicly said that his goal is to effectively dismantle the agency. The series of votes is meant to highlight the dozens of rules and regulations that have been impacted by Vought and the White House.

Under the Congressional Review Act, senators can file what are known as Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to overturn recently finalized federal regulations. While none of the resolutions is expected to pass, Democrats are using the votes to highlight their election year message on the economy.

Democrats are expected to propose 20 resolutions that target policy changes involving debt collection, buy now-pay later firms, overdraft fees and other consumer finance issues.

The move is being led by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee. Warren proposed the creation of the CFPB in 2007, when she was a professor at Harvard Law School, and she is considered Congress’ biggest advocate for it.

“Today, we are going to hear from 20 senators about how the Trump administration has hurt American families by rolling back commonsense CFPB rules — and how Congress can make them right,” Warren will say in a planned speech on the Senate floor Wednesday.

The Congressional Review Act allows Congress an opportunity to overturn rules issued by federal agencies once those rules are finalized. The 1996 law was used sparingly in its first two decades, but its use increased during Trump’s first term, when a Republican-controlled Congress overturned more than a dozen rules finalized during President Barack Obama’s Democratic administration. Democrats, in turn, used the law in 2021 to overturn several Trump-era policies.

In an election year, those votes could be used as ammunition against vulnerable GOP senators up for reelection, including Susan Collins of Maine, Dan Sullivan of Alaska and John Cornyn of Texas.

“I urge my Republican colleagues to listen with open ears and cast their votes on behalf of the consumers they were elected to represent,” Warren says.

The CFPB has been largely inoperable in Trump’s second term. The bulk of the bureau’s staff remains under orders not to work, and much of the CFPB’s business these days is to unwind previous work the bureau did under President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and in Trump’s first term. The bureau’s operating budget is expected to shrink as well after Trump’s big tax and spending cuts law reduced the amount of money the bureau receives from the Federal Reserve.

Congress created the CFPB in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent recession, designed to operate as an independent financial regulator with broad enforcement authority over consumer financial products and services. The bureau estimated in 2024 that it had returned $17.5 billion to American consumers and had imposed $4 billion in fines and penalties against financial companies.

Polling over the years has shown consistent bipartisan support from voters for the CFPB and its mission. A March survey conducted by the bipartisan polling firms Lake Research Partners and Chesapeake Beach Consulting found that more than 8 in 10 Americans — including majorities of Republicans — said they supported the agency’s role in regulating banks and other financial services companies.

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Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report from Washington.

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After nearly eight hours of discussion and motions to amend, the Broward County School Board voted Tuesday to go ahead with a new organizational chart that would lay off about 300 staff members in various roles and eliminate 700 vacant positions.

Those moves would save the district more than $50 million.

“It’s a massive amount of layoffs,” said District 2 Board Member Rebecca Thompson. “No one‘s ever going to be completely happy, but I think at the end of the day, we made a plan that’s going to make us a more stable school system.”

District 6 Board Member Adam Cervera was one of two members to vote against it.

“This is going to affect our students, unfortunately, I believe in a very negative way,” he said.

Some of the positions cut include social workers, student support instruction specialists and mental health professionals.

“People that have direct interaction with our students on a day-to-day basis, as opposed to starting from the top, in this district, and getting rid of some of the bloat,” said Cervera.

Superintendent Howard Hepburn said the approved plan also includes substantial cuts to higher level positions.

“The highest percentage of cuts proportionally were actually central office personnel, especially directors and above our senior level positions, that was 16%,” said Hepburn.

He says those in eliminated positions could still fill other vacancies within the district, such as classroom teachers and other positions with high turnover.

“We want to make sure we prioritize our support to make sure any staff that’s impacted is transitioned well,” Hepburn said.

Some board members expressed relief to now being able to move on to other district challenges, like getting students back in public schools.

“I just want it to be within our consciousness that we are equally focusing on increasing student enrollment,” District 5 Board Member Jeff Holness said.

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According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, the shooting was reported at 3:53 p.m. in the area of Southwest 102nd Avenue and West Circle Plaza in the county’s unincorporated West Perrine area.

“According to investigators, the mother heard a loud popping sound from inside the residence and found her son suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to his upper extremity,” MDSO officials said in a news release.

Detectives later confirmed that the boy had shot himself in the shoulder.

They said the boy’s mother drove him to Jackson South Medical Center and he was then airlifted to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital.

The boy is in stable condition, authorities said.

Authorities have not said whether the boy’s mother will be facing any charges.

Police officers accused Victoria Roman, who works as a graphic designer, of sharing an image of a victim on Nov. 19 on Instagram, according to an arrest warrant.

According to an email sent to Local 10 News by a man who identified himself as Roman’s husband, she is accused of “giving someone a breast” in the photo.

Roman surrendered to police officers on Thursday in Davie, and corrections booked her at the Broward County Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale, records show.

Roman, of Miramar, appeared in bond court on Friday morning. A judge ordered her to stay away from devices with internet access.

Roman faced four counts of promotion of altered sexual depiction. Her bond was set at $60,000.

Local 10 News Assignment Editor Mariana Ortiz contributed to this report.

Useful links

• The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center
• The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s cyber tip line

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article stated that Roman faced charges in a “fake porn” case, however records show she is facing four counts of “promotion of altered sexual depiction.”

On the last Friday of every month, Calle Ocho transforms into a celebration of music, dancing, art and culture for Viernes Culturales — a monthly event designed to bring people together while keeping the neighborhood’s identity alive.

“We are having a wonderful time. We are old people but we are enjoying life,” said Elena Estopinai, who visits Viernes Culturales.

Estopinai said the city of Hialeah buses her group to the event every month from a community center.

“Things are less expensive. That’s a big plus. And we can sing, dance and enjoy the friendship,” she said.

“Viernes Culturales is the one event that unites us all,” said Viernes Culturales interim Director Denise Galvez Turros.

Galvez Turros said the monthly gathering is rooted in connection through culture — bringing awareness to the area, its rich history and the ongoing effort to protect it. The event has long brought together the neighborhoods surrounding Little Havana, connecting not just Cuban communities, but people and traditions from across Latin America and beyond — reflected in the food, art and music on display.

“Developers are calling it West Brickell. We’re like, ‘No, this is Little Havana and what unites us is the neighbors and the businesses that care about that. That care about preserving the community,’” said Galvez Turros. “We decided we’re gonna do this. We’re gonna make sure to give first dibs to the local artists -- the local residents of the neighborhood, so that they can show their artistry.”

The plaza outside Domino Park fills with live music, dancing, local vendors and artists during the event.

Annie M, of Futurama Gallery, said the neighborhood’s roots are personal to many who participate.

“I was born and raised in this area. I went to school around here. It’s my home. It’s the heart -- you know what I mean?” Annie M said.

Viernes Culturales also features a free monthly walking history tour focused on the neighborhood’s landmarks, stories and cultural significance.

Organizers said the tours help younger generations stay connected to Little Havana’s identity and traditions.

“We’re sharing those stories. Making people care,” Galvez Turros said. “The next generation -- my children, my grandchildren -- are gonna care because of those stories we share and that only happens because of Viernes Culturales.”

To submit an idea for What Connects Us, email whatconnectsus@wplg.com.

The Ursa Major sank on Dec. 23, 2024, between Spain and Algeria while allegedly on a journey from St. Petersburg to Russia's eastern port of Vladivostok. Two crew members were lost while 14 other people were saved by Spanish rescue craft.

In a written response to opposition lawmakers, the Spanish government wrote that the ship’s captain “confessed” that the ship was carrying “components for two nuclear reactors similar to those used in submarines.”

The response was included in a document registered by the Spanish parliament on Feb. 23 and was first reported by CNN on Tuesday. The document has been seen by The Associated Press.

At the time of the sinking, the Russian state-owned ship owner, Oboronlogistika, said that the Ursa Major was sabotaged. It said three powerful explosions damaged the boat just above the water line in what the company described as a “terrorist attack.”

Oboronlogistika was established under Russia’s defense ministry and placed under U.S. and European Union sanctions for its ties to Russia’s military.

According to the document, the boat's manifest said the boat was carrying 129 containers, two large cranes and “two well covers.”

Officials said that when questioned upon rescue by the Harbor Master in Cartagena, Spain, the boat captain revealed that the well covers were nuclear components. He added that the boat was not carrying nuclear fuel.

Spanish authorities said they were not able to search the ship to confirm the information during the rescue operation which focused on saving the crew and searching for the two missing members. The wreck rests at 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) deep.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with reporters on Wednesday that he hasn’t seen the reports regarding the ship’s cargo while adding: “there is nothing for us to comment on here.”

The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in several areas in southern Lebanon, hours after telling residents of six southern villages to evacuate.

Lebanon and Israel are scheduled to hold another round of direct talks in Washington on Thursday as the Trump administration pushes for a breakthrough between the two neighbors that have been in a state of war since Israel was created in 1948.

The Health Ministry confirmed the seven airstrikes on vehicles, but didn't provide full details of the number of people in each vehicle.

Two of Wednesday’s drone attacks hit a highway linking Beirut with the southern port city of Sidon, while a third struck the town of Saadiyat near the busy freeway, the state-run National news agency said. The Health Ministry said those strikes killed eight people in total, including the mother and children.

A fourth strike took place in the early afternoon near the northern entrance of Sidon, leaving one person dead and another wounded, the ministry said. It added that three other drone strikes on cars deeper in southern Lebanon killed three people.

An Associated Press photographer saw the bodies of three people killed in two of the strikes near the coastal towns of Barja and Jiyeh.

In southern Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes were reported in various towns and villages while Hezbollah claimed that it launched additional attacks on Israel as both sides keep exchanging fire despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire on April 17.

Hezbollah also has been using drones in its attacks on Israeli forces.

The U.N. peacekeeping force deployed in southern Lebanon known as UNIFIL said Wednesday it is increasingly concerned about fighting between Hezbollah and Israeli soldiers near its positions, putting peacekeepers at risk, including with explosions of drones in and around U.N. bases.

UNIFIL said that a presumed Hezbollah drone detonated inside its headquarters in the coastal town of Naqoura on Tuesday, following earlier presumed Hezbollah drone detonations on Monday and Tuesday. No one was injured, but some buildings were damaged.

The latest Israel-Hezbollah war started on March 2, when the Lebanese militant group fired rockets into northern Israel two days after the United States and Israel attacked Iran.

The Health Ministry said Wednesday that since the war began, 2,896 have been killed and 8,824 wounded.

Aim for hybrids with the shortest payback periods

New hybrids typically cost more than similar gas-only vehicles, so aim for a hybrid that doesn’t cost much more than its non-hybrid sibling. With this strategy, you will offset the price difference more quickly with the fuel savings a hybrid provides. For example, the SE hybrid version of the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe, which is one of Hyundai’s three-row SUVs, costs just $1,350 more than the regular Santa Fe. According to the EPA, the hybrid version can save you $850 a year in fuel costs compared to the regular Santa Fe if you drive 15,000 miles a year. So, depending on how much you drive, the fuel savings could cover the extra cost in less than two years.

The Ford Maverick, which is Ford’s compact pickup, and the Lexus NX small luxury SUV are two other models that will pay you back quicker than most if you get the hybrid version. In contrast, some hybrids may take several years to recoup their extra cost. For example, a hybrid version of the Honda Civic costs $2,700 more than a comparable non-hybrid Civic, and the EPA estimates that you’ll save just $450 a year by getting the hybrid.

To find out how long it will take to recover the extra cost of the hybrid you want, visit the EPA’s mpg comparison tool. But if the hybrid you want isn’t there, you can find out for yourself by comparing the price difference between the hybrid you want and the non-hybrid version of it. Then, compare the estimated annual fuel cost of each by entering the vehicles in the EPA’s fuel economy website.

Find models that are mpg standouts

If you aren’t worried about price differences and just want to start saving money on gas, focus on getting a vehicle with high fuel economy estimates. The 2026 Toyota RAV4 is a great choice for a small SUV because it comes exclusively as a hybrid and gets up to an EPA-estimated 43 mpg combined.

Want something smaller than a RAV4? The Kia Niro delivers up to 53 mpg. And what if you want the most efficient hybrid for 2026? The answer is something you’ve probably heard of: the Toyota Prius. A 2026 Prius can get up to an EPA-estimated 57 mpg combined.

Go used or certified pre-owned for a better deal

If you’re OK with a used hybrid, then you can potentially avoid the hybrid price premium entirely. A hybrid model that has more miles or is a year or two older can cost the same or less than a comparable non-hybrid. To help offset the higher mileage or age, aim for a certified pre-owned hybrid because it typically includes an additional warranty.

In some cases, you might be able to find a hybrid that’s priced the same as a non-hybrid regardless of age or mileage if it’s been on the dealership lot for an extended time. Dealerships tend to discount vehicles that aren’t selling quickly to move inventory.

New three-row hybrid SUVs can save you more

Hybrid-powered three-row SUVs are a great choice if you’ve got a large family and want to save on gas. There are also more hybrid models on the market than ever before. The all-new 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid SEL, for example, can save you up to $1,100 a year versus the non-hybrid version, assuming you drive 15,000 miles a year. With savings like that, you recoup the extra cost in about two years. The Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid is another roomy three-row SUV that could pay for itself in about two years.

Edmunds says

Saving money is just one of the advantages of owning a hybrid. Many hybrids are also more powerful than non-hybrids and deliver a smoother driving experience. They also produce lower emissions and have less brake wear because of their regenerative braking system.

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This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds.

Michael Cantu is a contributor at Edmunds.

Major donors aren’t giving. Liberal influencers are publicly questioning Martin's refusal to release an internal report on the party's failures. And Democratic operatives have begun informal discussions about recruiting a new chair, even as most believe that Martin's job isn't in serious jeopardy ahead of the midterm elections.

Amanda Litman, who leads the Democratic-allied organization Run For Something, said she's been approached by senior strategists in recent days gauging her interest in replacing Martin. She declined but said many in the party have lost faith in the DNC leader.

“I think it’s a really hard job, and also Ken is not doing it very well,” Litman told The Associated Press. “I honestly think he’s going to have a hard time rebuilding trust.”

Part of the challenge for those Democrats frustrated with Martin, she said, “is that there’s not really an alternative.”

The criticism has gotten to Martin, said two people who insisted on anonymity to describe private conversations. They said he's become increasingly paranoid, even inside party headquarters in Washington, where he did not install his own team after taking over last year.

Martin tries to press forward

The handwringing comes in spite of the Democratic Party's undeniable success in the vast majority of elections under Martin's leadership, which coincides with Republican President Donald Trump's return to the White House. Democrats over the last year have dominated races for governor and special elections for state legislative and congressional seats. They've also won campaigns for state supreme court, county executive and even county sheriff.

Less than six months before the 2026 midterm elections, however, the concern over Martin's leadership is, at best, an unwanted distraction for a party desperate to break the Republican Party's grip on power in Washington. And, at worst, the conflict will make it harder for Democrats to win in November, while undermining faith in the DNC as it coordinates the party's next presidential nomination process.

Martin declined to comment for this article. He has sought to avoid media interviews over the last week, preferring to keep his head down while focusing on improving the DNC's financial health and scouting potential sites for the presidential convention in 2028.

While in Denver, for example, Martin hosted a crowded fundraising event before three private one-on-one donor meetings in between calls to more donors in other cities.

Former DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, whom Martin replaced, said he’s upset and frustrated by those in his party who are publicly challenging Martin's leadership. Harrison was especially angry with Democratic operatives from the podcast “Pod Save America,” who pressed Martin during a recent episode about why he reneged on a promise to release a post-2024 election autopsy.

Even Martin's close allies described the interview as a cringeworthy moment for the first-term chair.

“Am I happy with everything that goes on in the party? No. Am I happy with leadership that sometimes you get? No. But do you see me going out at this juncture trying to make that case? This is not the moment for that,” Harrison said. “We have to be as strong as we possibly can going into November, because we have to win. Once we win, we can fight like hell.”

Asked if he thought Martin's job was at risk, Harrison said, “I don't think so.”

Martin's gamble

Martin is leaning into a 50-state spending strategy that his supporters privately acknowledge is risky.

The DNC each month is distributing $1 million among party organizations in every state and key U.S. territories, besides allocating $5,000 more per month to nearly two dozen Republican-controlled states, to help build party infrastructure.

The investments are overwhelmingly popular with local leaders even as the DNC struggles financially.

The national party reported $22.1 million cash on hand with $18.4 million in debt at the end of March, according to its most recent federal filing. The Republican National Committee, by contrast, reported $116.8 million in the bank with zero debt.

Despite the criticism, DNC national finance co-chair Chris Lowe said the cash disparity is the result of an intentional strategy Martin outlined when running for chair and has executed since taking over the building.

“We made a conscious decision to spend money,” Lowe said. “His view, and I would agree with this view, is the best way to position ourselves for the presidential (election) in ’28 is not just to amass a bunch of money, it’s to have a history of winning elections all across the country up and down the ballot. And that’s what we’ve done.”

Lowe notes that Martin raised more money in his first year as chair than anyone else in an equivalent year when the Democrats did not have the White House. And in 2026 so far, he said, the committee has exceeded its big-dollar fundraising targets every month.

DNC member Michael Kapp, a vocal Martin ally from California, said that he'd “love to have big donors come on board” but that the committee's bank account isn't what matters most.

“Republicans can brag about having more money but they’re not spending it, and they’re not winning,” Kapp said. “At the end of the day the scoreboard matters more than the spreadsheet.”

The secret autopsy

Beyond fundraising, the furor around Martin's leadership centers on his refusal to release the DNC's internal study of the 2024 election — known inside the DNC as the “after-action report” — despite his past promises to do so on his first day as chair.

Kapp, as is the case with many of Martin's allies, said “it's certainly something that should be made public,” but he's willing to accept Martin's argument that it's too close to the November midterm elections to release the autopsy now.

“I know there are lessons to be learned from that,” he said of the report. “I trust Ken. I’ve known the man for 10 years. But at this point, when we’re six, seven months away from the midterms, we need to be focused on the midterms.”

Martin has been aggressively courting big-dollar donors, despite their demonstrated reluctance to give to the committee. He acknowledged pressure related to the autopsy in some of the conversations and indicated changes could be coming soon, according to two people with direct knowledge of the discussions but not authorized to share them.

As Martin looks ahead to 2028, when the DNC is tasked with building out the political infrastructure for the party's next presidential nominee, some presidential prospects are approaching the intraparty conflict with caution.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who is expected to launch a presidential bid, did not answer directly when asked whether Martin should continue to lead the DNC.

“Ken and I work well together. And I say that being somebody who wasn’t originally on board,” Beshear said. “But he made an effort to reach out to me. And, listen, I want to work with whoever’s there. We need a healthy DNC. We need it to work.”

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AP writer Joey Cappelletti in Washington contributed.

The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius is listed on Oceanwide Expeditions' website as scheduled to depart on a cruise later in May that would take it to the Arctic. Three of the ship’s passengers died in an outbreak that was first confirmed earlier this month while the vessel was in the Atlantic.

In all, there have been nine confirmed and two suspected cases in the outbreak.

More than 120 people — all passengers and some of the crew — were evacuated from the Hondius in Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday and Monday and are in isolation in several countries.

Asked on Monday whether it would amend its cruising schedule due to the outbreak, Oceanwide Expeditions said it did not “foresee changes to our operations” — which included a new cruise beginning May 29 from Keflavik, Iceland.

But on Wednesday, the company told AP it expected “clarity on whether the vessel will sail and the sailing schedule by the end of this week.”

Separately, over 1,700 passengers and crew aboard a British cruise ship on Wednesday were ordered to remain on board following an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness, French authorities said.

They ruled out any link to the hantavirus outbreak on the Hondius. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 16 gastrointestinal outbreaks on cruise ships in 2024, with most caused by norovirus, a foodborne illness that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and stomach pain for about one to three days.

Much is still unknown about the hantavirus

Despite years of research, many questions have yet to be answered about the hantavirus, including exactly how it spreads, how long it can survive outside a host and why it can be mild for some people and severe for others.

There is no specific treatment or cure, but early medical attention can increase the chance of survival. The Andes virus implicated in the cruise ship outbreak can have an incubation period of up to eight weeks and a mortality rate of up to 50%, according to the World Health Organization.

The virus usually spreads from rodent droppings and is not easily transmitted between people, though the Andes virus may be able to spread between people in rare cases.

The genome of the hantavirus has been completely sequenced, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said Wednesday.

“There is no data to suggest that this virus is behaving differently in terms of transmissibility or severity from any of the known virus circulating in certain regions of the world,” said Andreas Hoefer, who oversees the operational coordination of the European Union’s reference laboratories for public health.

“Based on that data, I would say that currently we have no reason to suspect that this is a new virus,” Hoefer said.

Cruise ship to be disinfected in Rotterdam

The hantavirus outbreak aboard the Hondius is the first known case on a cruise ship.

The ship is now sailing to the Dutch port of Rotterdam with 25 crew, two health workers and the body of one of the passengers who died on board. None is showing symptoms, and the vessel is expected to arrive on May 17 or 18, Oceanwide Expeditions said in a statement Tuesday.

Once there, the Hondius will “undergo a thorough cleaning and disinfection process,” the company said. “The specific protocols are currently being finalized” in cooperation with health authorities.

The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment told the AP on Tuesday the vessel “will be cleaned and disinfected. We are currently working on the protocol on how to do this,” and no further details could be shared.

Responding to a question about whether the disinfection procedure might alter the ship’s cruising schedule, Oceanwide Expeditions told the AP it was following official guidelines and “currently awaiting further information on how to proceed.”

It added: “We expect clarity on whether the vessel will sail and the sailing schedule by the end of this week. ... A ship cannot sail without official authorization.”

Asked whether it had received any cancellation or rebooking requests for cruises on the Hondius, Oceanwide Expeditions said Monday it was “not providing commentary on commercial matters at this time as we are focused on safety, disembarkation procedures and coordination with authorities.”

Experts say future passengers are likely safe

How long the hantavirus lives on surfaces is highly variable, experts said, potentially from days to weeks depending on how cold it is or the presence of sunlight. But based on circumstances known about the outbreak, basic sanitation should suffice, they said.

Normal disinfectants and ultraviolet light are enough to kill the virus, said Erik Hill, a virus expert at Seton Hall University. Someone would need to be exposed to a large enough dose of the virus to get sick, he explained, which is why people cleaning rodent droppings in an enclosed space are most at risk. The virus won’t survive very well on touch surfaces, he added.

Hantavirus “is not the concern on cruise ships,” Hill said. He and other experts say more contagious bugs, like measles or the norovirus, are much larger threats on cruises.

Dr. Max Brito, vice president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said that “with proper disinfection and sterilization practices, I think it should be OK to go back to operations within a reasonable time.”

But the experts could not say definitively what that time frame would be because of the variables involved.

Oceanwide Expeditions says it has no indication of any rodents on board, and it operates under strict hygiene and safety protocols.

Based on the hypothesis that the first patients were exposed on land and reports that ship officials did not find rodents on board, the risk to those on the next cruise should be low, Brito said.

“I don’t want to say that it’s a one-off but, as it’s shaping up to be, it’s a very specific outbreak and it’s probably not so easy to reproduce in the same way,” he said.

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Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece, and public health reporter Shastri reported from Milwaukee. AP writers Thomas Adamson in Paris and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed.

The attack began in midmorning and lasted for hours in the capital of Kyiv, the western city of Lviv near Poland, and the port of Odesa on the Black Sea, among other population centers, Zelanskyy said on the Telegram messaging app.

“Our soldiers are defending Ukraine, but Russia’s obvious goal is to overload air defenses,” Zelenskyy said, as the bombardment stretched into the late afternoon. He cautioned that a cruise and ballistic missile attack could follow the drone barrage.

It was “one of the longest, massive Russian attacks against Ukraine,” he said on social media.

Drone debris fell in an open area in Kyiv’s Obolonskyi district with no casualties, city officials said, as air defense systems engaged Russian drones over the capital. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said emergency services responded to the scene. Explosions were heard across the city earlier Wednesday.

Three people were killed in a drone attack in the Rivne region west of Kyiv, according to Oleksandr Koval, head of the regional military administration.

Moscow’s attacks are unrelenting, even as Ukraine is emboldened by its recent military accomplishments and as U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin said — without providing evidence — that the war could be approaching an end.

On Tuesday, Zelenskyy said, 14 Ukrainian regions came under attack, followed by overnight strikes on Ukraine’s residential, energy and railway infrastructure.

“It is important to support Ukraine and not remain silent about Russia’s war. Every time the war disappears from the top of the news, it encourages Russia to become even more savage,” Zelenskyy said, apparently referring to the world's attention being focused on the Iran war.

Trump and Putin talk of a possible end to the war

Trump said Tuesday said he believes Moscow and Kyiv will soon reach a deal to end fighting.

“The end of the war in Ukraine I really think is getting very close,” Trump said as he left the White House for a summit in Beijing. “Believe it or not, it’s getting closer.”

Putin said in a speech last weekend that his invasion of Ukraine is possibly “coming to an end.”

Neither leader elaborated on what persuaded them about the possibility of peace in Europe’s longest conflict since World War II. U.S.-led diplomatic efforts over the past year to end the war have fizzled after making no progress on key issues, such as whether Russia gets to keep Ukrainian land it has seized and what can be done to deter Moscow from invading again.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated Wednesday that Moscow’s fundamental terms are unchanged, with Putin insisting that Ukraine pull its troops from the four regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — that Russia illegally annexed in September 2022 but hasn't fully captured.

“At that point, a ceasefire will be established, and the parties can calmly engage in negotiations, which, incidentally, will inevitably be very complex and involve a lot of important details,” Peskov said.

Zelenskyy vowed to keep pressure on Moscow to make concessions in talks.

“We’re not giving up on diplomatic efforts, and we hope that pressure on Russia, together with negotiations in different formats, will help bring peace,” he said in a speech Wednesday in Bucharest, Romania, to representatives of countries on NATO's eastern flank.

“Sanctions are working, our long-range (drone and missile) capabilities are working, and every form of pressure is working,” he said.

Meanwhile, European governments are assessing the merits of opening talks with Putin. Europe has for years tried to isolate the Russian leader and punished his country with international sanctions.

Fighting appears to shift in Ukraine's favor

The correlation of forces in the war has shifted in recent months. Ukraine has gone from pleading for international help with its defense to offering foreign countries its expertise on how to counter attacks, thanks to its domestically developed drone technology.

Ukraine’s long-range drone and missile attacks have disrupted energy facilities and manufacturing deep inside Russia, with three regions reporting strikes Wednesday. The Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces intercepted and destroyed 286 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula, the Azov Sea and the Black Sea.

On the 1,250-kilometer (780-mile) front line, the advance of Russia’s bigger and better-equipped army has been slowing every month since October, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

Russia’s spring offensive has floundered, with Russian forces recording a net loss of territory last month for the first time since 2024, the Washington-based think tank said.

“Not only are Ukrainian defensive lines holding, but Ukrainian forces have managed to contest the tactical initiative in several areas of the front line even as Russia continues to lose disproportionate amounts of manpower to achieve minimal gains,” the ISW said Tuesday.

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Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Nissan Motor Corp., based in the port city of Yokohama, reported a 533 billion yen ($3.4 billion) loss, smaller than the 670.9 billion yen in red ink racked up the previous fiscal year.

Nissan’s annual sales fell 5% to 12 trillion yen ($76 billion.)

Chief Executive Ivan Espinosa said Nissan was making steady progress and seeing “clear signs” of a turnaround.

“We have moved beyond recovery and are entering a phase of growth,” he said. “We will build on this momentum through disciplined cost management and faster product execution, driving sales and profitability.”

On a quarterly basis, Nissan had a net loss of 282.9 billion yen ($1.8 billion) in the January-March period, compared to the 676 billion yen loss the same period a year ago.

Quarterly sales declined nearly 2% to 3.43 trillion yen ($22 billion).

Nissan said it was working on cost cuts and other efforts to become more profitable. It said it managed to record a better-than-expected operating profit and expects better results for the current year with upcoming model launches.

Nissan, which makes the Altima sedan, Pathfinder sport utility vehicle, Leaf EV and Infiniti luxury models, sold 3.15 million vehicles globally during the fiscal year ended March 31.

Despite the positive spin the executives tried to put on their revival plan, the automaker’s financials are in their worst shape in years. Nissan is slashing thousands of jobs and has sold its headquarters building.

Nissan said it expects to revert into the black for the fiscal year through March 2027, eking out a 20 billion yen ($127 million) profit.

Japanese automakers have all struggled amid powerful competition from the newer Chinese makers, now dominating Asian markets.

There were talks in recent years for Nissan to merge some operations with Japanese rival Honda Motor Co., which has also been struggling, but those talks collapsed. Although a merger is out, there may be limited cooperative partnerships.

Nissan stocks, which have zigzagged over the past year, finished 4% higher.

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Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

But this is the Stanley Cup playoffs and toughness is asked of all the players.

Dorofeyev took a hard shot off his right knee in the second period Tuesday night, forcing him to leave the ice for a few minutes. But Dorofeyev, who earlier had a power-play goal, scored at 4:10 of overtime to give Vegas a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks, moving the Golden Knights a victory away from advancing to the Western Conference final.

“I just blocked a shot,” said Dorofeyev, who has seven goals this postseason. “It’s kind of a (lousy) part of my job, but it hurts more when I miss it. I just had to get myself together and get back on the ice.”

Game 6 of the second-round series is Thursday night at Anaheim.

The Golden Knights can reach the conference final for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2023. Anaheim, making its first playoff appearance in eight years, will try force a Game 7 back in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Tomas Hertl had gone 29 games going back to the regular season without a goal, but now has two in two games. He also had the primary assist on Dorofeyev’s power-play goal in the first period.

Jack Eichel had two assists, including the primary one on the winner.

Carter Hart stopped 34 shots, two nights after allowing four goals on 23 shots in a 4-3 loss in Anaheim. Hart bounced back from a similar situation in the opening series, allowing four goals on 12 shots in Game 3 at Utah before winning five of his next six starts.

“We have all the faith in the world in Carter,” said Vegas defenseman Rasmus Andersson, who disputed the notion Hart was coming off a down performance. “I look at the Utah series and he was really good there, and he stole a couple of games for us. ... But every time you lose a game in the playoffs, it’s about how you bounce back. I thought all 20 guys who played tonight bounced back and Carter led that.”

Ducks defenseman Olen Zellweger scored his first career playoff goal from the left circle to tie it at 2 with 3:05 left in regulation. Beckett Sennecke extended his goals streak to four games with a power-play score. Mason McTavish and Cutter Gauthier each has two assists and Lukas Dostal made 29 saves.

“I know this group’s going to bounce back,” Zellweger said. “We have all playoffs long.”

Ducks center Ryan Poehling was helped off the ice after being checked hard into the boards by Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb nearly midway through the first period. McNabb received a five-minute major for interference and was sent to the dressing room with a game misconduct, costing the Golden Knights a first-pair blue liner.

Golden Knights coach John Tortorella said he wouldn’t address whether the officials made the right call to make that a major penalty and eject McNabb, but quickly questioned why there wasn’t call when Vegas defenseman Dylan Coghlan was hit at the end of regulation.

“I just don’t get it,” Tortorella said.

The Ducks got a goal off the McNabb-induced power play when Sennecke scored off a rebound. Dorofeyev answered after taking the puck from Chris Kreider, shifting to the slot and snapping a shot past Dostal.

Hertl’s rebound goal at 4:48 of the third period nearly stood up before Zellweger took advantage of extended offensive zone time to force extra play.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handed down the sentence to 56-year-old Erik Fleming in a federal court in Los Angeles.

“It’s truly a nightmare I can’t wake up from,” Fleming told the judge before the sentence. “I’m haunted by the mistakes I made.” He wore a black suit and spoke at the podium with a deep, somber voice.

Fleming was the fourth defendant sentenced of the five who have pleaded guilty in prosecutions over the actor’s 2023 death in the Jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home. Fleming connected Perry to Jasveen Sangha, the convicted drug who dealer prosecutors called “The Ketamine Queen.” She was sentenced last month to 15 years in prison.

Fleming gave up Sangha to investigators as soon as they contacted him and in August 2024 became the first defendant to plead guilty, admitting to one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. That was before arrests in the case were even announced, and Wednesday was his first court appearance since his role became public knowledge.

He would have gotten about four years in prison if it weren’t for his cooperation, according to federal sentencing guidelines.

Prosecutors said in a sentencing memo before the hearing that while Fleming’s exceptional cooperation should bring a lighter sentence, his role as a drug counselor who “deliberately undertook to sell illegal street drugs to a victim who had a public, well-documented battle with drug addiction” should count against him, even if Perry wasn’t one of his regular clients.

Defense lawyers had asked for a sentence of three months in prison and nine months in a residential drug treatment facility, saying in their sentencing memo that Fleming “has gone to extreme lengths to atone for his criminal conduct.”

He said his great remorse “can’t compare to the agony I’ve caused” to Perry’s family and friends.

Perry had been receiving ketamine treatments for depression — an increasingly common off-label use.

A few weeks before his death, Perry was seeking more of the drug than he could get through doctors and asked a friend to help him get more. She was in a treatment facility, so introduced Perry to Fleming. He was a former film and television producer whose career had been ravaged by addiction. He got sober and became a drug counselor, but had relapsed after the 2023 death of a beloved stepmother who had rescued him from a traumatic childhood, his lawyers said.

Fleming would get ketamine from Sangha, mark up the price to make a profit, and deliver it to Perry’s house, where he sold it to the actor’s live-in personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa.

“I procured ketamine for Matthew Perry because I wanted the money and because I thought I was doing a favor for a friend,” Fleming said in a letter to the court. “I never contemplated the worst possible outcome. This grievous failure will haunt me forever.”

His deliveries included 25 vials for $6,000 four days before Perry’s death.

Iwamasa would inject Perry from that batch on Oct. 28, 2023, and hours later, he found the actor dead. A medical examiner’s report found that Perry died from the acute effects of ketamine, a surgical anesthetic, and drowning was a secondary cause.

Iwamasa is set to be the last defendant sentenced in two weeks.

Perry, who died at 54, became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing on “Friends,” NBC’s culture-changing sitcom that ran from 1994 to 2004.

An auction of his valuables including “Friends” memorabilia will go to benefit the foundation founded in his name after his death.

A crowd welcomed the princess, commonly known as Kate, as she arrived at city hall in Reggio Emilia in northern Italy to learn about its eponymous child-centered approach to early educatio n. The trip is part of what her office called an international “fact-finding mission” to explore different approaches to supporting young children and their carers.

The Reggio Emilia approach is based on the idea that young children have many different ways of thinking, understanding and expressing themselves, and that teachers need to work with their students to help them learn.

“It is extraordinary and that is why I wanted to come and visit Reggio Emilia because your history is so rich and I have always been fascinated by the philosophy,” the princess said as she began her program.

The choice of destination for Kate’s first trip abroad since her 2024 cancer diagnosis is no coincidence as early years development is the signature cause of the mother of three who will one day be queen.

“She wants to make a point that she is going to keep making this her cause,” said Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty Magazine.

Her visit will highlight the idea that the environment and human relationships that surround children are crucial to laying the foundations for a resilient and healthy future, Kensington Palace said in a statement.

“The Reggio Emilia approach clearly suits the narrative at the start of international operations,’’ Little said.

The visit is part of her work with the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, which she founded in 2021 to increase public understanding of the importance of supporting children in the first five years of life.

One of Britain’s most popular royals, the Princess of Wales has proved to be adept at focusing attention on matters she cares about.

When Kate announced that she had completed chemotherapy treatment in a soft-focus, Insta-ready video, she ventured into realms not previously inhabited by the royal family, whose members traditionally shied away from talking about their health.

And she did it in a new way, using social media to share the fact that for all her wealth and privilege, her life had been upended by cancer, like so many others.

Then, later, when she announced she was in remission, she spent the day supporting other cancer patients at the hospital where she received treatment.

In a statement on social media, she offered her thanks to everyone who helped her and her husband, Prince William, as they navigated the ups and downs of treatment and recovery. She hugged patients at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London and described her own treatment as “exceptional.”

“It is a relief to now be in remission and I remain focused on recovery,” the princess, now 44, wrote in a note signed with her initial, C. “As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal.”

Her new normal involves becoming the go-to advocate for early years education, which refers to the learning and development of children from birth to five years of age.

There’s lots to do in Britain, where advocates say there aren’t enough spaces to go around and many teachers don’t have the training they need.

Edoardo Masset, associate research director at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, said Kate’s focus on early childhood development is important because it brings attention to an issue that really matters to children.

“This relationship between early years education and success later in life is supported not only by strong theoretical arguments, but also by a large body of evidence on the effectiveness of programs for preschool children,’’ Masset said in a blog post.

In Reggio Emilia on Wednesday, residents said they were honored the princess had chosen their city and its public preschools for her first visit since her remission. Francesca Valli was waiting for her and is a teacher of the Reggio Emilia approach.

“I also feel very honored to be here, almost as a representative of my school,” she said. “For her first visit — and, among other things, her first solo visit after a long illness — the princess has made a very judicious, appropriate, and well-considered choice, and this certainly does her honor.”

—-

Kirka reported from London.

On a day when the British government's legislative plans were presented by no less than King Charles III himself, Prime Minister Keir Starmer was fighting to remain in power following rising discontent within his Labour Party.

The traditional pomp and pageantry associated with the state opening of Parliament was overshadowed by the political intrigue, specifically the mounting speculation that Health Secretary Wes Streeting was planning to quit Starmer's government and launch a leadership bid as soon as Thursday.

The embattled prime minister has been urged to set a timetable for his departure by more than a fifth of the Labour Party’s lawmakers in the House of Commons. Some junior ministers have quit the government in protest, but no one has yet challenged Starmer directly.

“It is absolutely preposterous that the government is here laying out a program as it’s ministers are resigning and a large proportion of the party is saying that the prime minister needs to go," Kemi Badenoch, leader of the main opposition Conservative Party, told lawmakers as they began a debate over the government's agenda.

Starmer on the ropes

Starmer's premiership has been imperiled by the huge losses Labour suffered in local and regional elections last week. If those results were repeated in a national election that has to be held by 2029, the party would be overwhelmingly ejected from power.

Labour was squeezed from the right and the left, losing votes to both anti-immigrant Reform UK and the Green Party, as well as nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales.

Labour secured a landslide election victory in 2024, driving the Conservatives from power after 14 years, but since then the party’s popularity has plunged and Starmer is getting much of the blame. The reasons include a series of policy missteps, a struggling British economy, a perceived lack of vision on the prime minister’s part and questions over his judgment. Starmer’s choice of Peter Mandelson as U.K. ambassador to Washington despite ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has continued to haunt him.

Streeting is expected to launch a leadership as early as Thursday, according to some media reports. Streeting, who has long been known to harbor ambitions to become prime minister, met with Starmer earlier Wednesday for less than 20 minutes. Neither have discussed what was said, but Starmer’s office insisted that the health secretary retains the prime minister’s full support.

Starmer, who says he has no intention to stand down, has his supporters within the party. More than 100 lawmakers have signed a letter saying it's “no time” for a leadership contest.

“We should let him get on with doing his job, because he is a serious politician and these are very, very serious times,” Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn told Sky News.

King offers Starmer some respite

In a speech to lawmakers outlining the government's legislative program for the coming year or so that was written by the government itself, the king said that the U.K.’s economic, energy and national security would be tested as it deals with the fallout from the wars in Iran and Ukraine.

Planned measures include controlling the cost of living, strengthening ties with the European Union and making it easier to build new energy infrastructure.

And pledging action on antisemitism following a run of attacks on the Jewish community in recent months, Charles said that the government would “defend the British values” of decency and tolerance.

The monarch, who made the short journey from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament in a horse-drawn carriage, also said the government will “defend the British values of decency, tolerance and respect for difference under our common flag,” and said that urgent action would be taken to tackle antisemitism.

The real question is whether Starmer will be around to implement the measures in the speech and, even if he remains in office, whether he will have the authority to push his proposals through.

Historic power collides with modern reality

The King’s Speech merges the historic power and grandeur of Britain with the reality of the modern United Kingdom, a midsized country with an underfunded military, rising debt and waning international influence.

The speech is the focal point of a day of ceremony and tradition that has been followed since 1852, with elements of the program dating to the 16th century. The state opening of Parliament uses carefully choreographed pageantry to showcase Britain’s evolution from an absolute monarchy to a parliamentary democracy where real power is vested in the elected House of Commons.

The royal paraphernalia

During his speech, which he delivered seated next to Queen Camilla, the king donned the Imperial State Crown and robe of state.

Once they were seated, a Lords official called Black Rod, named for the ebony rod he or she carries, went to the House of Commons to summon the chamber’s members. The doors to the Commons chamber were slammed in Black Rod’s face to symbolize the chamber’s independence from the monarchy, and they aren’t opened until Black Rod strikes the doors three times.

Once members of the Commons crowded into the Lords’ chamber, the king delivered the speech.

After the speech was read, the royal couple left and the two houses of Parliament begin several days of debate on its contents.

Prices for food eaten at home rose 2.9% in April compared to the same month a year earlier, according to government figures released Tuesday. That was the highest year-over-year inflation rate for the category since August 2023.

Prices at restaurants, fast-food chains and other places to get prepared meals also increased, putting overall food prices up 3.2% in the last year, the Labor Department’s consumer price index showed.

Fuel prices have soared while the Iran war prevents cargo ships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor for global oil supplies. Diesel fuel powers fishing boats, tractors and the trucks that ship 83% of U.S. agricultural products. As of Tuesday, the average price per gallon was up 61% from a year ago, according to AAA.

The meat, produce and dry goods vendors that supply Sparrow Market, a small independent grocer in Ann Arbor, Michigan, all added fuel surcharges to their deliveries in recent weeks, owner Raymond Campise said. Wholesale prices for meat, produce and some other products also have gone up, he said.

“For independent markets operating on narrow margins, even small increases can have a major impact,” Campise said.

The full impact of rising energy costs on food likely has not hit retail grocery prices yet in the U.S., according to Purdue University economists Ken Foster and Bernhard Dalheimer. Higher costs to produce, process, store and transport food can take three to six months to show up on supermarket shelves, where prices typically fall slowly once increased, they said.

“Most of what we’re seeing now in the food price chain probably predates the conflict," Foster, a professor of agricultural economics, said. "We’re cautiously waiting to see what the June numbers and the May numbers might show as they come out in terms of ... the extent to which energy shocks in the Strait of Hormuz and shipping blockades and so forth are going to impact food prices.”

The consumer price index measures changes in what people in U.S. cities paid at retail stores for meat, bread, milk, produce and other grocery staples. Over the last 20 years, grocery prices increased an average of 2.6%, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Prices for perishable and refrigerated products tend to increase faster than prices for packaged goods when energy is an issue. Consumers paid 6.5% more for fresh fruit and vegetables in U.S. cities last month than they did in April 2025, and 8.8% more for meat, the Labor Department reported.

But U.S. trade policies and extreme weather also have weighed on U.S. food prices in the last year. In July 2025, the Trump administration imposed a 17% duty on fresh tomatoes imported from Mexico; consumer prices rose 40% in the 12 months before April.

Dry weather in the Western U.S. has been one of many factors pushing up beef prices, which in April were 15% higher year-over-year. Coffee prices were up 18.5%, partly due to drought and other weather conditions that have hurt global coffee production in recent years.

“Today's CPI showed that food prices have been rising 3.2 percent in the past year, but the story behind that number is more complicated than just an energy shock,” said Dalheimer, an assistant professor of macroeconomics and trade in Purdue’s Department of Agricultural Economics.

Prices for some foods remained more or less flat or declined over 12 months. Milk and chicken dipped slightly. Butter cost 5.8% less in April than it did a year earlier. Egg prices fell 39% as farmers rebuilt flocks that were decimated by an ongoing bird flu outbreak.

Food prices and broader inflation are likely to feature prominently in November's midterm elections. During his 2024 campaign, President Donald Trump often cited the prices of bacon, cereal, crackers and other groceries as reasons why voters should return him to the White House.

Some food producers say they're struggling now because of higher fuel costs. The Southern Shrimp Alliance, which represents shrimpers in eight states, said some boats haven't left the dock this spring because they can't catch enough shrimp to compensate for the cost of diesel.

Fuel typically makes up 30% to 50% of the costs for U.S. shrimpers, but because they supply only 6% of the shrimp that Americans consume, they have limited ability to raise prices or add surcharges for fuel, the organization said.

Higher fuel prices may also be impacting food costs in other ways. Part of April's 5% annual increase in prices for nonalcoholic beverages may be due to the petroleum derivative that goes into making plastic bottles, Foster said.

“It’s possible some of that’s starting to seep down the supply chain and get into those prices,” he said.

Over the next year or more, Americans could also see higher food prices due to spiking fertilizer costs, since around 30% of the world's fertilizer travels through the Strait of Hormuz.

Fertilizer costs are less of an issue for U.S. farmers this year, since many already had fertilizer supplies in place before the war began, according to Foster. But the effects could become more noticeable next year if the war drags on, he said.

“I expect the Iran conflict to impact the coming years’ food prices through a couple of channels. One, the energy costs and transportation handling. The other would be through packaging costs,” Foster said. “If the conflict were to last longer, then we might see more coming online as fertilizer prices start to impact longer-term planting decisions and cropping decisions.”

“When we’re talking about Asian Americans or Asian people in the U.S., oftentimes it’s people who might look like you and me, and maybe not people who look like (New York City Mayor) Zohran Mamdani,” Yi told The Associated Press. “Why is that when this term is supposed to be so capacious and so inclusive?”

So Yi, who is Korean American, was beyond excited when approached to helm a new HBO documentary dedicated to AAPI identity and community.

Timed for release during AAPI Heritage Month, “The A List: 15 Stories from Asian and Pacific Diasporas” drops Wednesday on HBO Max. It's the latest in “The List Series” created by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. The franchise has previously produced documentaries on prominent Black, Latino and LGBTQ+ Americans.

In the documentary, Yi captures no-frills, intimate interviews conducted by journalist Jada Yuan with 15 people of AAPI heritage across industries. They include TV broadcaster Connie Chung, Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth and “Basement Bhangra” creator DJ Rekha. Actors Sandra Oh, Kumail Nanjiani and Bowen Yang — who are sometimes more associated with comical roles — also shared their thoughts about identity and belonging.

“When talking to people who are professionally funny, oftentimes they’re really comfortable not being funny,” in unscripted conversation, Yi said. “I appreciated that chance to get a little bit deeper into some of their stories.”

Stars say talking about growing up AAPI on camera was cathartic

Yia Vang, chef and owner of Vinai, a popular Hmong restaurant in Minneapolis, filmed his “A List” interview three years ago. Since then he's been featured in various cooking and lifestyle shows. Vang, who was born in a Thai refugee camp until his family settled in Wisconsin when he was 4, likened the experience of being interviewed on camera to a confessional.

Vang tearfully recounts to viewers how his desire to not be “the weird kid” drove him to throw out school lunches of sticky rice and fermented vegetables packed by his mother. He did not expect to get emotional but the memory sparked a core life lesson.

“I will never, ever try to be ‘cool,’” Vang said. “That’s why I guess I get so intense about like how we do our food here. Not because I’m chasing perfection or some kind of award, but I just want to make sure I stay true to the integrity that they (my parents) laid before me.”

In what Vang calls “full-circle redemption,” those dishes he used to throw out are now on his restaurant's menu.

Last month, Vang got a taste of reactions to the documentary back home at a Milwaukee Film Festival screening. He definitely was not seen as the weird guy.

“The audience really connected because I’m a Wisconsin boy,” Vang said. A few approached him just to say “It's so awesome to see a Midwest kid in there.”

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders still struggle for visibility

Asian Americans make up one of the fastest growing U.S. populations. Still, adults in the U.S. have a harder time recognizing the influence of AAPI people than people from other racial groups, according to a new survey by The Asian American Foundation.

The annual Social Tracking of Asian Americans in the United States, or STAATUS, Index, done in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago, found 4 in 10 U.S. adults cannot think of a single, famous Asian American; Jackie Chan, who is not American, was among the most frequently named. About half were unable to name examples of famous Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

“It’s an indication of just how for most of America — and our data shows this as well — people get most of their information about Asian Americans not so much from direct contacts, but from the media,” said Norman Chen, CEO of The Asian American Foundation.

Chen recently attended a screening of “The A List.” He applauded the breadth of personal stories Yi and his team curated. It's a film he's not sure would have gotten made a decade ago. So, it was gratifying to see how moved the audience was by stories recounted by celebrities and everyday people.

“Even people that we don’t know have such powerful stories to show you the depth and richness of our community and the struggles that we’ve had to go through in multiple generations,” Chen said.

Working on a film about identity as the political climate changed

When Yi and the crew started working on the documentary, Vice President Kamala Harris was running against Donald Trump for president. Now under a Republican Trump administration that vehemently opposes diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, Yi acknowledges how the documentary might come off as inherently political.

“What I’ve certainly seen during the stretch of time — just speaking for myself — is just how quickly things can backslide and how quickly people can be erased,” Yi said. “We literally have people being disappeared on the streets and we literally have histories being erased.”

He is especially gratified that some of the documentary's older participants related to historical events such as a story told by activist Kathy Masaoka, whose mother was held in Japanese American incarceration camps. Yi hopes people recognize the struggles AAPI people have endured in the past and present while building community.

“We can really move forward from this moment in terms of rebuilding and reclaiming and taking up space with confidence and hope again,” Yi said.

Kouri Richins was convicted in March of aggravated murder for lacing her husband's cocktail with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl at their home near Park City in 2022.

Prosecutors said Richins, a 35-year-old real estate agent with a house-flipping business, was millions in debt and planning a future with another man. She had opened numerous life insurance policies on her husband Eric Richins without his knowledge and falsely believed she would inherit his estate worth more than $4 million after he died.

Eric Richins’ father, Eugene Richins, urged Judge Richard Mrazik to impose a life sentence without the possibility of parole to protect his grandsons, who were ages 9, 7 and 5 when their father died.

“This sentence is important so Eric’s three sons never have to live with the fear that the person responsible for taking their father could ever harm them again,” he said during the sentencing hearing, which fell on the day his son would have turned 44.

Jurors also found Richins guilty of four other felonies, including attempted murder for trying to poison her husband weeks earlier on Valentine’s Day with a fentanyl-laced sandwich.

Richins faces several decades to life in prison. She has been adamant in maintaining she is innocent. She wore a lime green jail uniform and chatted quietly with her lawyers while Eric Richins' family members passed around pocket-size packs of tissues.

In a letter read by a defense attorney, Richins’ mother, Lisa Darden, maintained that her daughter is not capable of murder and asked, “from a mother’s heart, that Kouri be given a sentence that allows the possibility of a future.”

The case captivated true-crime enthusiasts when Richins was arrested in 2023 while promoting her children’s book “Are You with Me?” about a boy coping with the death of his father.

Sons say they're afraid of their mother

Eric Richins’ sister Katie Richins-Benson said her brother was taken from his sons, who are now in her care, by the person he should have been able to trust the most.

“They are not props for some twisted children’s book about grief and loss, and yet that is what they’ve been reduced to by Kouri,” Richins-Benson told the judge, her voice quavering.

Clinical social workers read letters from each of the boys, who all said they would feel unsafe if their mother was ever released from prison. The children said Richins hit and threatened to kill their animals, showed them videos of famished children in war zones when they refused to eat their dinner and didn't seem to care about their health.

“You took away my dad for no reason other than greed, and you only cared about yourself and your stupid boyfriends,” said the middle son, now 11. He described having to “be a parent” to his younger brother because his mother did not watch over them.

The oldest boy, now 13, said he also felt like he had to take care of his siblings while in his mother's care, but his younger brother “mostly took care of me, though, because I was locked in my room.” He said his mom would lock him inside “pretty much daily” after he pointed out that she was drunk.

Possible sentences by charge

Judges in Utah typically impose sentences as a broad range rather than a fixed number of years.

The most serious charge, aggravated murder, is punishable by 25 years to life in prison, or a life sentence without parole. Prosecutors did not push for the death penalty.

Prison time for the attempted aggravated murder charge depends on the severity of the bodily injury that occurred. After taking a bite of the sandwich his wife left for him, Eric Richins broke out in hives, injected himself with his son’s EpiPen, drank a bottle of Benadryl and passed out, prosecutors said. Depending on the judge's assessment, Kouri Richins could face 15 years to life, 6 years to life or 5 years to life for that charge.

Two counts of insurance fraud, second-degree felonies, each carry a 1-15 year sentence, and a third-degree felony forgery charge is punishable by 0-5 years in prison.

The judge has discretion to decide whether Richins' prison sentences for each count will overlap or stack up.

Richins also faces more than two dozen money-related criminal charges in a separate case that has not yet gone to trial.

Trial cut short by defense team

The trial was scheduled for five weeks but ended early when Richins waived her right to testify, and her legal team rested its case without calling any witnesses. Her attorneys said they were confident that prosecutors had not produced enough evidence to convict her of murder.

The jury deliberated for just under three hours before finding her guilty of all counts.

Throughout the trial, prosecutors portrayed the mother of three as a money-hungry killer. They showed the jury text messages between Richins and her lover in which she fantasized about leaving her husband and gaining millions in a divorce. Prosecutors also displayed the internet search history from Richins’ phone, which included queries about the lethal dose of fentanyl, luxury prisons and how poisoning is marked on a death certificate.

The defense argued that Eric Richins was addicted to painkillers. Prosecutors countered by showing police body camera footage from the night of his death in which Kouri Richins tells an officer that her husband had no history of illicit drug use.

Lately, there’s been a lot to celebrate in elementary schools in Modesto, California. Both reading and math scores have increased consistently over the past several years.

But across the country, results are gloomier. Researchers warn that the U.S. is experiencing a reading recession — a slide predating the pandemic’s disruptions in schooling.

Scholars at Harvard, Stanford and Dartmouth analyzed state test scores from third to eighth grade for over 5,000 school districts in 38 states, allowing comparisons across school districts and states in a national Education Scorecard.

What they found was sobering: Only five states plus the District of Columbia had meaningful growth in reading test scores from 2022 to 2025. Nationally, students remain nearly half a grade level behind pre-pandemic reading scores and only slightly better in math.

While schools have focused on catching kids up since the COVID-19 pandemic upended education, reading test scores have been falling since 2013 for eighth graders and 2015 for fourth graders, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

“The pandemic was the mudslide that had followed seven years of steady erosion in achievement,” said Thomas Kane, a Harvard professor who helped create the Education Scorecard.

Still, some states and school districts are making progress — largely by shifting toward phonics-based instruction and providing extra support for struggling readers.

The picture is also brighter in math.

Almost every state in the analysis saw improvements in math test scores from 2022 to 2025. Student absenteeism also declined in most states. In over 400 U.S. school districts, including Modesto, reading or math growth outpaced demographically similar districts in the same state.

A shift toward phonics and extra reading support

Researchers are still debating the reading recession’s causes.

One possible factor, researchers say, is the rise of social media on smartphones and corresponding declines in kids’ recreational reading. States have also backed off on strict consequences for schools whose students fail to make progress on standardized tests, Kane said.

But the states that improved reading scores — notably Louisiana, Maryland, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana — all had one thing in common: They ordered schools to teach with a phonics-based approach known as the “ science of reading.”

For years, schools taught reading using approaches that de-emphasized phonics and encouraged strategies such as guessing words based on context clues. As reading scores tumbled over the past decade, parents, scholars and literacy advocates pushed for teaching methods that align with decades of research about how kids learn to read — largely by sounding out words.

Along with reforming teaching methods, states have also required schools to screen for learning disabilities such as dyslexia and hire coaches to help teachers improve their reading instruction.

That said, “science of reading” reforms did not guarantee success. Some states, including Florida, Arizona and Nebraska, changed parts of their reading instruction but still saw test scores fall.

In Modesto, reading instruction was revamped during the pandemic, and math a couple years earlier. The district created a new department to help students who are still learning English. Schools also ramped up teacher training, paying educators $5,000 to complete an extensive “science of reading” program called LETRS, or Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling.

Modesto’s test scores grew enough to represent an extra 18 weeks of learning in math and 13 weeks in reading. Nevertheless, the district still has a way to go: Overall scores remain far below grade level.

Getting kids ‘consistently in the seat’ key to Detroit's success

A focus on reading has also improved scores in Detroit — but so have efforts to get kids in school more consistently. For years, the large urban district struggled with deplorable school conditions, leading to a 2016 lawsuit in which students argued they’d been denied the “right to read.”

The lawsuit ended in a settlement of over $94 million, money that helped move the needle. While the district is still far below the national average, student test scores have grown faster than in similar urban districts in Michigan.

“It took a lot to rebuild systems, and now kids are learning at higher levels, but I’m still not satisfied. And I think that’s the next challenge: continuing to motivate, inspire and change things,” said Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti.

The money has helped Munger Elementary-Middle School, located in a largely Latino neighborhood in Detroit, to employ 18 educators who give kids extra support in small groups. An attendance agent also makes calls to the homes of absent students, even showing up at their doors.

Just a few years ago, says first grade teacher Samantha Ciaffone, it was normal for about seven or eight kids to be absent from her class every day. Now it’s usually only one or two.

“It allows us to be better educators to see kids consistently in the seat instead of once or twice a week,” said Ciaffone. “It makes such a difference.”

A bright spot in the South

For the last decade, the South has stood out as a region leading the way on education reforms — bucking an established trend of landing at the bottom of education rankings. Southern states were quick to change to research-based teaching methods, and states have paid to train and coach teachers.

It's paid off. Louisiana and Alabama were the only states where math scores were higher in 2025 than pre-pandemic. Louisiana is also the only state that beat its pre-pandemic average in reading, with 87% of traditional public school students attending a district where scores are higher than in 2019.

Alabama had standout gains in reading following the pandemic, driven by a state law requiring every school to use phonics-based instruction. The Legislature modeled math reforms in 2022 off Alabama's reading successes. The state’s Numeracy Act standardized math instruction, required regular testing and mandated intervention for kids who lacked adequate math skills.

Oxmoor Valley Elementary in Birmingham hired a full-time math specialist this year to help struggling kids. The school, which made the state’s “failing” list in 2016, has steadily improved math and reading scores, although a majority of kids still test below proficient in both subjects.

“We can provide all of these supports, but at the same time, hold kids to high expectations,” Birmingham Superintendent Mark Sullivan said.

Researchers stress such progress is possible across the U.S., because it’s been done before. Starting in the 1990s, the country saw decades of growth in test scores and graduation rates, while racial disparities declined. That progress continued until the mid-2010s.

“We made enormous progress as a country in terms of educational success from over a 30-year period. Test scores went up dramatically,” said Stanford professor Sean Reardon. “And so I think that says, as a country, we can improve education and educational opportunity.”

At Modesto's Fairview Elementary, where Barajas teaches, students now practice their reading speed and fluency every day. After a dance break, the class reads a one-page text together in unison for one minute, then students split into pairs to read again. Students learning English are paired with native English speakers, and each child gets a turn reading with Barajas.

“Eventually, you get through the word like it’s water,” one boy said. “You just say it smooth.”

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