Investigators said the incident happened on April 14 and Ashley Briana Session, 32, of Fort Lauderdale, was taken into custody on Wednesday in the 5300 block of North Dixie Highway.

According to a BSO arrest report, Session threatened to slap the baby girl and then followed through, hitting her across the face. Deputies said it caused her to “scream out and cry in pain” and left her face “red and slightly puffy.”

The report indicates that she also slapped her ex as he held the girl ― and as she held the son they share together.

According to the report, “Session has a long-standing ill feeling towards” the baby, “who is from another relationship that (her ex) has with his present girlfriend.”

Investigators said that two people, whose identities were redacted, said that Session “often” calls the baby a “b----” and a “whore.”

Court records show Session now faces child abuse and battery charges and was given a $5,500 bond. She no longer appears in Broward jail records as of Friday.

Online jail records show Nadine Hernandez is charged with accessory after the fact in the case of a capital felony.

Prosecutors said court that Hernandez learned that her boyfriend and his friend committed a murder in Broward County and then drove from Texas to Florida to pick them up and drive them back to Texas.

Once in Texas, she is accused of helping them evade law enforcement, including by advising them on what to tell police about the vehicle used in the crime and how to conceal it.

According to BSO, deputies responding to the West Broward Boat Ramp located at 3451 N. U.S. 27 on the morning on Sunday, Feb. 1, found a deceased man inside a vehicle.

That man was later identified as 22-year-old Hunter Howell, and detectives ruled his death a homicide, saying they believed he was killed the previous day on Jan. 31.

After an extensive investigation, detectives identified Jayden DeJesus, 19, of Miami and Trevon Quinones, 19, of Forney, Texas, as suspects in the murder.

According to deputies, investigators discovered that Howell made a living selling marijuana, and that DeJesus and Quinones had driven Howell around while working due to Howell not having a vehicle of his own.

Additionally, deputies said all three were known to visit the boat ramp area, primarily on Sunday’s, “to listen to loud music from vehicles equipped with speakers.”

Both suspects were taken into custody in February following a traffic stop in Kaufman County, Texas. It’s unclear when they will be extradited to South Florida.

A motive for the killing has not been released.

Far more have a hand in making the opening jewel of the Triple Crown happen.

As Cherie DeVaux looks to become the first woman to train a Derby winner, she is surrounded at Churchill Downs by hundreds of influential women at the track, on the air and behind the scenes on the first Saturday in May.

“I often hear about women being involved with a male-dominated sport, but for me it feels like it’s my sport,” jockey-turned-NBC broadcaster Donna Brothers said. “Women are an integral part of it. You see a lot of exercise riders out there who are women, a lot of female grooms, hotwalkers. Unfortunately, you still don’t see a lot of women in the top names — the top jockeys and the top trainers — but I think we’re getting there.”

Brothers is joined on NBC's broadcast by Britney Eurton, who has been in horse racing her entire life as the daughter of trainer Peter Eurton. Lindsay Schanzer four years ago became the first woman to produce the Kentucky Derby, and the 152th running will be her fifth in charge.

"It’s not just a male-dominated sport but also a male-dominated industry, sports TV, so I feel great pride," said Schanzer, who is one of more than 30 women involved in the production, operation and marketing of the race for NBC Sports. “I feel honored to be in this position and to represent the team that I have as best I can.”

DeVaux, who trains Golden Tempo, earlier this week seemed to downplay her chance at history. Seeing a young girl on the backstretch near her barn made her realize in the moment just how monumental it would be if Golden Tempo puts her in the record books.

“It would be irresponsible of me to not acknowledge that what I’m doing does inadvertently make a difference, even if it’s not my intent,” said DeVaux, who grew up with seven brothers and two sisters. “My brothers are a lot bigger than me, so I think that’s what shaped me. I’ve had to fight and scrap and be heard so that I could survive growing up. And I understand that’s not the same for everybody.”

Brothers, whose mother was a jockey, started thinking about the ramifications for DeVaux after watching Golden Tempo on the track and realizing how good a chance he has. Jena Antonucci with Arcangelo in the Belmont Stakes in 2022 is the only woman to train the winner of a Triple Crown race.

The Derby adds another layer.

"Take gender out of it: She’s a phenomenal trainer," Eurton said of DeVaux. “For her, this is her life. Male or female, this is what she’s wanted to do and she’s very, very good at it. It’s just a matter of time whether it’s Cherie or another talented female trainer.”

An exercise rider for Brad Cox, Katie Tolbert would have a huge hand in the success if Commandment gets the job done on Saturday. And there are countless other women at the barns and around all the horses in the race.

“My dad has a lot of female grooms, assistants,” Eurton said. “It can always be greater, but to have that representation is where the start is. And to have so much female support, I think, is huge.”

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

La aerolínea, que ha estado operando bajo protección por bancarrota, había estado en conversaciones sobre un posible paquete de rescate de $500,000,000 USD respaldado por el gobierno federal. Sin embargo, las negociaciones llegaron a un punto muerto, impidiendo que el acuerdo avanzara, reportó el Journal.

Una audiencia judicial vinculada al rescate propuesto, originalmente programada para el jueves, no se llevó a cabo tras el colapso de las conversaciones, reportó Reuters.

Spirit Airlines no respondió de inmediato a solicitudes de comentarios.

El colapso de las negociaciones representa un revés significativo para la aerolínea de ultra bajo costo, que ha enfrentado crecientes presiones financieras y esfuerzos por reestructurar su deuda.

Louisiana has suspended its May 16 congressional primary to allow time for lawmakers to approve new U.S. House districts. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is pressuring other states to redistrict — potentially still ahead of the November midterm elections that will determine whether Republicans maintain control of the closely divided House.

Trump urged Texas Republicans last year to redraw U.S. House districts to give the party an advantage. Democrats in California responded by doing the same. Then other states joined the battle. Lawmakers, commissions or courts have adopted new House districts in eight states.

That total could grow following the Supreme Court’s decision that significantly weakened a provision in the federal Voting Rights Act.

Here’s a look at how some states are responding to the Supreme Court ruling:

Louisiana

Current House map: two Democrats, four Republicans

Early in-person voting was to begin Saturday for Louisiana’s primaries. But Republican Gov. Jeff Landry moved quickly Thursday to postpone the congressional primary while allowing elections for other offices to go forward.

A federal lawsuit filed later Thursday, on behalf of a Democratic congressional candidate and voter, asked a court to block Landry’s order and allow the House primary to occur as originally scheduled. Among other things, the lawsuit asserted that tens of thousands of absentee ballots already have been mailed to people and a substantial number have been filled out and returned.

Separately, a three-judge federal court panel that heard the case that was appealed to the Supreme Court also issued an order Thursday suspending Louisiana’s congressional primary.

Republican state House and Senate leaders said they are prepared to pass new U.S. House districts — and set a new primary election date — before their legislative session ends in a month.

Alabama

Current House map: two Democrats, five Republicans

Alabama officials on Thursday filed an emergency motion with the Supreme Court seeking an expedited review of a pending appeal in a redistricting case.

A federal court in 2023 ordered the creation of a new near-majority Black district in Alabama, resulting in the election of a second Black representative to the U.S. House. Alabama is under a court order to use the new map until after the next census in 2030.

An appeal pending before the Supreme Court argues that the map is an illegal racial gerrymander, a claim similar to that made in Louisiana.

The state is seeking to lift an injunction blocking the use of the 2023 map drawn by the Republican-controlled Legislature that did not include the new district.

The state’s primaries are set for May 19. Republican Gov. Kay Ivey said Wednesday that the state is “not in position to have a special session at this time” on redistricting.

Florida

Current House map: eight Democrats, 20 Republicans

Hours after the Supreme Court’s decision, Florida’s Republican-led Legislature approved new U.S. House districts that could help the GOP win up to four additional seats in November.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis called a special legislative session without knowing when the Supreme Court would issue its opinion in the Louisiana case. But DeSantis expressed confidence that the court would rule as it did. Among other things, the new map reshapes a southeastern Florida district that DeSantis said was created to help elect a Black representative in an attempt to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act.

A Florida constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2010 prohibits districts from being drawn to deny or diminish the ability of racial or language minorities to elect the representatives of their choice. DeSantis said he considers that amendment a violation of the U.S. Constitution. That question is expected to be decided by the courts.

Tennessee

Current House map: one Democrat, eight Republicans

The Tennessee General Assembly recently ended its annual session. But pressure is growing to bring lawmakers back to revise the state’s congressional districts.

Trump posted on social media Thursday that he had spoken with Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who he said would work hard for a new map that could help Republicans gain an additional seat. Democrats currently hold only one seat, a district centered in Memphis, which is majority Black.

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, a Republican, said he is in conversations with the White House and others while reviewing the court’s decision.

The state’s candidate qualifying period ended in March. The primary election is scheduled for Aug. 6.

Mississippi

Current House map: one Democrat, three Republicans

Mississippi held its U.S. House primaries in March. But the Supreme Court’s decision could affect elections for other offices.

Republican Gov. Tate Reeves announced previously that he would call a special legislative session to redraw voting districts for the state Supreme Court that would begin 21 days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Louisiana case. That would put the special session's start at around May 20.

A federal judge last year ordered Mississippi to redraw its Supreme Court voting districts after finding that they violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting the power of Black voters. Mississippi lawmakers had been waiting on a decision in the Louisiana case before moving forward, but their legislative session ended in April.

Reeves said in his proclamation that the Supreme Court’s decision would provide guidance to lawmakers on whether “race-conscious redistricting” violates the U.S. Constitution.

Georgia

Current House map: five Democrats, nine Republicans

Early in-person voting began April 27 and continues for the next few weeks ahead of Georgia’s primary elections on May 19.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp said it’s too late for Georgia officials to try to change congressional districts for this year’s elections, because voting already is underway. But he said the rationale in the Supreme Court’s decision “requires Georgia to adopt new electoral maps before the 2028 election cycle.”

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Associated Press writers Jeff Amy and Kim Chandler contributed to this report.

Employees of Cuba’s Electric Union are working 24 hours a day as the island’s power grid continues to crumble, provoking islandwide outages worsened by a lack of gasoline stemming from a U.S. energy blockade.

“We are living through difficult times,” said Yunier Meriño Reyes, an accountant with the Electric Union who joined Friday’s march to celebrate his colleagues. “We are carrying out a very tough, arduous and relentless effort — day and night — to provide electricity to the people who need it.”

Cuba’s power crisis deepened after the U.S. attacked Venezuela in early January, halting critical oil shipments from the South American country. Later that month, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba.

As a result, the island spent more than three months without a single oil shipment until a Russian tanker laden with 730,000 barrels docked in Cuba in late March.

Before it arrived, Cuba was relying solely on natural gas, limited solar power and disintegrating thermoelectric plants.

“It was brutal,” Vicente de la O Levy, Cuba’s energy and mines minister, recently told reporters.

Once the Russian oil arrived, it had to be refined, a process that took roughly two weeks.

“We have been working eight hours a day without stopping,” said Rafael Martínez, a refinery worker at Cuba’s Petroleum Union.

He recalled his joy when he heard that the Russian tanker had docked.

“Our job is to push ahead, that’s all you can do,” he said as his colleagues rallied around him on Friday, playing on cowbells and a large drum as they celebrated their day.

Cuba’s Petroleum Union posted a recent video highlighting its workers, including driver José Antonio Báez.

“Our work generates the entire economy of the country. We drive the country’s economy,” he said.

Pedro Luis López Manzano, an engineer and the director of maintenance at the Cienfuegos refinery, said in the video that crews had to take several steps to ensure operability because the refinery was shut down for four months.

“It’s a challenge, but we always thought it was possible,” he said.

Meanwhile, Gustavo Rodríguez Cordero, an engineer and a director general at Cuba’s Petroleum Union in Villa Clara, criticized the U.S. energy blockade in a video posted by his company.

“No one has the international right to oppress a people in this manner,” he said.

After the oil was refined, de la O Levy said the government chose to prioritize vital sectors including agriculture and food production.

“This enabled the irrigation of tobacco, corn and soybeans,” he said. “There were more hours of power outages than anticipated because we diverted a portion of the energy supply toward production; we could not allow factories to remain idle.”

He said some of the petroleum was converted into approximately 6,000 tons of diesel and fuel oil that was used to power hospitals, generators and transportation.

De la O Levy said Cuba’s situation began to improve starting April 17: “not the desired one, but significant.”

He said the government distributed 800 tons of fuel a day out of the 1,600 tons needed.

“If we used 1,600 tons, there would be fewer blackouts, but the (fuel) would last half as long,” he said.

De la O Levy warned the Russian oil was expected to last only until the end of April, noting that the priority is to sustain the island’s thermoelectric plants using Cuban crude oil.

“Without this fuel, we would face a total, systemwide blackout,” he said.

Cuba produces 40% of its required fuel and depends heavily on imports.

As the island’s crises grind on, Katiusca Carreño, 53, who works at the Electric Union’s command center, said she is committed to satisfying Cuba’s people.

“Resources aren’t reaching us, but all of us workers are still here,” she said after Friday’s rally. “It’s hard, but not impossible. We work 24 hours a day.”

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

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The airline, which has been operating under bankruptcy protection, had been in discussions over a potential $500 million rescue package backed by the federal government. However, negotiations reached an impasse, preventing a deal from moving forward, the Journal reported.

A court hearing tied to the proposed rescue, originally scheduled for Thursday did not take place following the breakdown in talks, Reuters reported.

President Donald Trump, however, says he’s still looking at a taxpayer-funded takeover of Spirit Airlines.

“We’re looking at it. If we could do it, we’ll do it. But only if it’s a good deal,” Trump told reporters on Friday as he prepared to leave the White House for a trip to Florida.

He didn’t offer any details about what proposal he was considering but said he’d like to save jobs at the airline, which has filed for bankruptcy twice in two years.

Trump said his administration gave Spirit “a final proposal” and would make an announcement Friday or Saturday.”

“We’re looking at Spirit and if we can help them, we will. But we have to come first,” he said.

A spokesperson for Spirit Airlines “declined to comment on ongoing discussions,” but said “Spirit is operating as usual.”

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Nearly 900 school busses have cameras installed to capture drivers who don’t stop when buses are picking up or dropping off students.

The camera program was previously put on hold a little over a year ago after drivers raised concerns, including some being ticketed in situations not requiring them to stop.

But on May 14, the cameras will be active again and issuing warnings for a 14-day period before they start issuing tickets again.

“There will be more monitoring to ensure that we are consistent with the process. That’s a critical piece here,” Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Jose Dotres said. “We are all at the table, and want to make sure that that’s like the sheriff said, we owe it to our community, clarity, consistency ― and that’s why we call it a relaunch.”

Officials said the relaunch is about changing driver behavior.

Casi 900 autobuses escolares tienen cámaras instaladas para capturar a conductores que no se detienen cuando los autobuses recogen o dejan estudiantes.

El programa de cámaras fue suspendido hace poco más de un año después de que conductores expresaran preocupaciones, incluyendo algunos que recibieron multas en situaciones en las que no era necesario detenerse.

Pero el 14 de mayo, las cámaras volverán a estar activas y emitirán advertencias durante un período de 14 días antes de comenzar a emitir multas nuevamente.

“Habrá más supervisión para garantizar que seamos consistentes con el proceso. Esa es una pieza crítica aquí”, dijo el superintendente de las Escuelas de Miami-Dade, Jose Dotres. “Todos estamos en la mesa y queremos asegurarnos de eso, como dijo el sheriff, se lo debemos a nuestra comunidad: claridad, consistencia, y por eso lo llamamos un relanzamiento”.

Los funcionarios dijeron que el relanzamiento busca cambiar el comportamiento de los conductores.

Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News Channel contributor, has promoted several aspects of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again agenda, including removing food additives, cutting ultraprocessed foods from diets and encouraging exercise.

But she has been a more vocal advocate for vaccination than Kennedy, and at times she has criticized the Trump administration's handling of health issues as “embarrassing.”

If confirmed as the nation's doctor, Saphier would be empowered to issue advisories that warn of public health threats. Surgeons general also have used the office to advocate on vaccination issues — though the office doesn't create vaccine policy.

Means, a Stanford University-educated physician and MAHA influencer who didn’t finish her surgical residency in Oregon and has an inactive medical license, had faced a grilling from senators of both major political parties over her experience and stance on vaccination. She told The Associated Press her failed nomination was the result of a “yearlong smear campaign."

Saphier is a mom, radiologist and former Fox News contributor

Trump's new surgeon general pick is director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth, according to her profile on the New York-based institution’s website. She has a medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine in Barbados along with fellowships at the Mayo Clinic, the profile said.

She has earned the approval of institutions including the American College of Radiology, whose president, Dr. Dana Smetherman, on Thursday called her a “tireless advocate for women's health.” Kennedy said in a social media post that her experience with breast cancer patients and early detection will help the Republican administration take on the chronic disease epidemic.

Saphier also was a longtime Fox News Channel contributor until this week — one of several of the channel's personalities Trump has brought into his administration. Trump's first surgeon general pick, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, was also a contributor at the network, but her nomination fell apart last year after questions arose about her academic credentials.

An author and podcaster with her own show, “Wellness Unmasked with Dr. Nicole Saphier,” Saphier frequently comments on the Trump administration's approach to health, often positively. She also used the phrase “Make America Healthy Again” years before Kennedy popularized it. It was the title of a book she wrote in 2020 that criticized government handling of healthcare and the Affordable Care Act.

A mom of three boys, Saphier has often said she is thankful that she decided to keep her first son when she became unexpectedly pregnant at age 17. She has advocated for more resources for mothers who make the same choice.

Advocating for vaccination while criticizing COVID-era mandates

Like Means, Saphier has questioned some aspects of the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule, including the universal birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine, a longtime recommendation that the Trump administration has been trying to weaken.

She also has aligned with Kennedy's disdain toward COVID-19 vaccination requirements in schools, saying on her podcast in September that they were “a complete disaster" and one of the reasons for declining trust in vaccination.

Saphier says she supports immunization while arguing patients should be free to make their own medical decisions. In March, she praised acting U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya for posting a message encouraging Americans to get vaccinated against measles.

“The more vaccine confusion we create, the more preventable disease we will see,” she said in September, urging the administration to get itself in order "because it’s really upsetting.”

She's called the health department's chaos ‘embarrassing’

While being supportive of the Trump administration at large, Saphier has publicly cringed at some of its health mishaps. Last summer, she decried its long-anticipated first attempt at a MAHA report, which cited hundreds of studies, some of which didn't exist.

"There were a lot of flaws in this report," she said on her podcast. “In fact, it was pretty embarrassing."

She said Kennedy's firing of his first CDC director, Susan Monarez, after less than a month on the job was “a mess.”

"When we keep hearing radical transparency and we’re going to regain trust, I can tell you these shenanigans are taking us farther away from that mission,” Saphier said on her podcast.

In an email to the AP last year, Saphier said Trump's advice to pregnant women not to take Tylenol, which promoted unproven ties between the medication and autism, was overly simplistic. She said equally important, and missing from Trump's message, was the fact that untreated fever or severe pain can also pose serious risks to mothers and babies.

After Means' confirmation hearings earlier this year, Saphier said on her podcast that she expected Means would do a good job as surgeon general but wished she were “a little bit less involved with MAHA.”

“I’d really like to see a little bit more reaching across the aisle when it comes to public health,” Saphier said. “That doesn’t mean it has to be some Democratic nominee for surgeon general, maybe just someone a little less aligned with the MAHA movement who, I don’t know, finished their residency and has an active medical license.”

At least a few prominent MAHA influencers have suggested Saphier is no ally. Turning Point USA podcaster and anti-pesticide campaigner Alex Clark said in a post Friday that Saphier “gets an F when it comes to all things MAHA.”

The president didn’t offer details about the proposal but told reporters as he prepared to leave the White House for a trip to Florida that he would have an announcement on the matter Friday or Saturday.

“We’re looking at it. If we could do it, we’ll do it. But only if it’s a good deal,” Trump said.

Trump said he would like to save jobs at the airline and his administration gave Spirit “a final proposal.”

“We’re looking at Spirit and if we can help them, we will. But we have to come first,” he said.

He likened it to the deal his administration struck to make the U.S. government into a major stockholder of semiconductor manufacturer Intel, but said it was “a different kind of a thing.”

Last week, Trump floated the idea of a taxpayer-funded takeover of Spirit and suggested the U.S. government could later resell the airline for a profit once oil prices pushed up by the Iran war drop.

A lawyer for Spirit, meanwhile, told a U.S. Bankruptcy Court a week ago that the airline was in advanced talks with the government on a financing deal that would allow it to exit Chapter 11 protection.

Supporters of the airline’s rescue included labor groups representing Spirit’s pilots and flight attendants, who argued that allowing the low-cost carrier to collapse would hurt workers and push fares higher.

Critics, including both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, have raised concerns about the use of taxpayer dollars and questioned whether federal support would amount to a bailout of a company unlikely to recover.

Spirit has struggled with losses for years. The airline filed for bankruptcy protection in November 2024 and again in August 2025.

With the Iran war driving up jet fuel costs for all airlines, creditors last month expressed doubts about Spirit’s ability to keep operating, raising the possibility that the airline recognized for its bright yellow planes would be forced to sell its assets and stop flying.

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Yamat reported from Las Vegas.

Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Nvidia, OpenAI, Reflection and SpaceX will provide resources to help “augment warfighter decision-making in complex operational environments,” the Defense Department said.

The Defense Department has been rapidly accelerating its use of AI in recent years. The technology can help the U.S. military reduce the time it takes to identify and strike targets on the battlefield, while aiding in the organization of weapons maintenance and supply lines, according to a report in March from the Brennan Center for Justice.

Friday's announcement comes after concerns raised by a company not on the list, Anthropic, whose battle with the Pentagon to put up AI guardrails has spilled into court. The tech company said it wanted assurances in its contract that the military would not use its technology in fully autonomous weapons and the surveillance of Americans. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the company must allow for any uses the Pentagon deemed lawful.

Anthropic sued after President Donald Trump, a Republican, tried to stop all federal agencies from using the company’s chatbot Claude and Hegseth sought to label the company a supply chain risk, a designation meant to protect against sabotage of national security systems by foreign adversaries.

OpenAI had announced a deal with the Pentagon in March to effectively replace Anthropic with ChatGPT in classified environments.

The Pentagon said Friday that military personnel are already using its AI capabilities through its official platform, GenAI.mil.

“Warfighters, civilians and contractors are putting these capabilities to practical use right now, cutting many tasks from months to days,” the Pentagon said, adding that the military's growing AI capabilities will “give warfighters the tools they need to act with confidence and safeguard the nation against any threat.”

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Follow the AP's coverage of artificial intelligence at https://apnews.com/hub/artificial-intelligence.

Jurors found Republican David Rivera and an associate, Esther Nuhfer, guilty on all counts, including failing to register as a foreign agent with the Justice Department and conspiracy to commit money laundering as part of their work for former President Nicolás Maduro’s government.

The seven-week trial offered a rare glimpse into Miami’s role as a crossroads for foreign influence campaigns aimed at shaping U.S. policy toward Latin America, one highlighting the city’s reputation as a magnet for corruption and anti-Communist crusaders among its sizable exile population.

It included testimony from Rubio, Texas Congressman Pete Sessions and a top Washington lobbyist - all of whom testified that they were shocked to learn belatedly of Rivera’s consulting contract with a U.S.-based affiliate of Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA.

In an 11-count indictment unsealed in 2022, prosecutors alleged that Rivera was tapped by then Foreign Minister Delcy Rodríguez - now Venezuela’s acting president - to work Republican connections from Rivera’s time in Congress to get the first Trump administration to abandon its hard-line stance and ease crippling sanctions on Venezuela.

As part of the charm offensive, prosecutors alleged, Rivera and Nuhfer, a political consultant, manipulated influential friends, including Rubio and Sessions, like “pawns on a chess board.” The goal: to try and normalize relations with the new Trump administration at a time when the Maduro government was buffeted by serious accusations of human rights violations.

“As long as the money kept coming in, they didn’t care from where,” prosecutor Roger Cruz said of the defendants during closing arguments.

‘Massive secret’ threatened to damage Rivera’s political career

But the two held onto the “massive secret” and didn’t disclose their lobbying work as required, for fear it would have ended Rivera’s political career as an anti-Communist stalwart, Cruz said.

To hide his work, prosecutors allege, Rivera also set up an encrypted chat group called MIA - for Miami - with his main conduit to the Maduro government: Venezuelan media tycoon Raúl Gorrín, who was subsequently charged in the U.S. with bribing top Venezuelan officials.

Members of the group used playful code words to discuss their activities: Maduro was the “bus driver,” Sessions “Sombrero,” Rodríguez “The Lady in Red,” and millions of dollars “melons,” according to copies of text messages presented to the jury.

“It was all about La Luz,” Cruz said, referring to the Spanish word for light, which Rivera and others repeatedly used to discuss payments from Caracas.

Attorneys for Rivera and Nuhfer said the two acted in good faith and believed they were under no requirement to disclose their work. The three-month, $50 million contract with Rivera’s one-man consulting firm, they say, was focused exclusively on luring oil giant ExxonMobil back to Venezuela - commercial work that is generally exempt from the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

Wholly distinct from that consulting work, they say, were Rivera’s meetings with Rubio and Sessions, which occurred after the consulting contract had expired and was focused on ushering in leadership in Venezuela that would be less hostile to the U.S.

“He was working every possible angle to get Nicolás Maduro out,” defense attorney Ed Shohat said during closing arguments. “There was not a word in the chats about normalizing relations.”

Nuhfer’s attorney, David Oscar Markus, likened the government’s case to the 17th century Salem witch trials, presuming ill intent that was belied by the flimsiest of evidence.

“My client does not have a dark heart,” he said.

Exxon meetings for Rodríguez

Prosecutors said Rivera used the contract with New York-based PDV USA as cover for illegal lobbying.

Once exposed, the partners tried to hide the work - backdating documents and coming up with sham agreements like one to justify a wire transfer of $3.75 million to a South Florida company that maintained Gorrín’s luxury yacht.

The political activity included setting up meetings for Rodríguez in New York, Caracas, Washington and Dallas. As part of the effort, the two roped in Sessions, who later tried to broker a meeting for Rodríguez with the CEO of ExxonMobil that had succeeded Trump’s then-secretary of state, Rex Tillerson. After a secret meeting in Caracas with Maduro, Sessions also agreed to deliver a letter from the Venezuelan president to Trump.

The outreach quickly unraveled, however. Within six months of taking office, Trump sanctioned Maduro and labeled him a “dictator,” launching a “maximum pressure” campaign to unseat the president.

However, nearly a decade later, Rodríguez has emerged as the second Trump administration’s trusted partner after the U.S. military’s ousting of Maduro.

Before being elected to Congress in 2010, Rivera was a high-ranking Florida legislator. During that time, he shared a Tallahassee home with Rubio, who eventually became the Florida House speaker.

Rivera has previously faced controversy, including allegations that he secretly funded a Democratic spoiler candidate in a 2012 congressional race. Last year, federal prosecutors dropped the case after an appeals court threw out a sizable fine imposed by a lower court. Rivera was also investigated - but never charged - for alleged campaign finance violations and a $1 million contract with a gambling company while serving in the Florida legislature.

Livingston, 22, of Plantation, was celebrating on Friday at Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale after surviving the TBI, bone fractures, and internal injuries.

“The first time I came here, I was wheeled in through the back door on a stretcher,” Livingston said about March 2025. “Walking up those stairs this morning, through the main entrance, just felt great.”

After a car crash, Livingston was in the intensive care unit in a coma with brain bleeding and swelling. About two weeks later, his condition suddenly worsened due to pressure on the swelling brain, according to BHMC.

Parra performed emergency surgery to remove a large portion of the right side of his skull, which relieved the pressure. Weeks later, as his condition improved, Parra placed it back, according to BHMC.

“Steven is an example of why we do this,” Parra said.

Roth helped Livingston with orthopedic surgeries that have helped him to continue to make impressive strides in recovery.

“It was absolutely amazing to see him like that,” Roth said. “And every subsequent visit, I saw him, he was stronger and stronger.”

Their meeting at the auditorium marked the National Trauma Awareness Month. Steven had his chance to stand and say, “Thank you for all your love and support, and I love you guys too.”

How to help Steven

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, el choque ocurrió poco después de las 2:30 a.m. en el área de la avenida 107 del noroeste y la calle 33.

Agentes dijeron que un hombre que conducía el vehículo se dirigía hacia el norte por la avenida 107 cuando perdió el control de su auto y se estrelló contra un árbol.

Policía de Doral y personal de Rescate de Bomberos de Miami-Dade acudieron a la escena.

Funcionarios de MDFR declararon al conductor muerto en el lugar.

Un equipo de Local 10 News estuvo en el área más tarde en la mañana mientras una grúa retiraba lo que quedaba del auto de la vía. El daño era tan severo que era difícil identificar la marca o el modelo del vehículo.

La Unidad de Homicidios de Tránsito de MDSO se ha hecho cargo de la investigación del choque fatal.

No se divulgaron de inmediato más detalles.

Según el informe de detención, Karl Heinz Mercier, del noreste de Miami-Dade, irrumpió en el apartamento de la víctima en Park Towers, en Northwest 155th ^Lane , alrededor de las 4 de la mañana, se acostó en la cama de la víctima mientras dormía y luego metió la mano dentro de la ropa interior de la víctima y le tocó el pene.

Según los agentes, el niño gritó inmediatamente para alertar a sus padres, que dormían en una habitación aparte, pero Mercier le dijo: “No va a pasar nada. Nadie va a venir”.

Según el informe, los padres del niño se enfrentaron a Mercier cuando este intentaba huir del apartamento, y posteriormente fue detenido por los agentes que acudieron al lugar.

Los padres de la víctima dijeron a los agentes que no conocían a Mercier y que este no tenía permiso para entrar en su casa.

Según los agentes, Mercier confesó haber entrado en la casa sin permiso y haber tocado al niño.

Fue arrestado bajo cargos de robo con agresión y agresión sexual, e intento de agresión sexual a un menor.

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

Según la policía, el ataque de perro fue reportado en una vivienda en la cuadra 1100 de West 70th Place.

La policía dijo que los oficiales llegaron a la escena y encontraron a la víctima, Ana Leyva, de 58 años, con múltiples mordeduras de perro en los brazos y las piernas.

Luego fue trasladada en helicóptero por Hialeah Fire Rescue al Ryder Trauma Center del Jackson Memorial Hospital.

“Durante la investigación, los oficiales identificaron al perro involucrado en el ataque y observaron múltiples perros en la propiedad en malas condiciones, incluyendo señales de desnutrición, falta de agua limpia y condiciones de vida insalubres”, dijo un portavoz de HPD en un correo electrónico a Local 10.

La policía confirmó que el dueño de los perros, Jairon Alvarez, de 22 años, quien es hijo de Leyva, fue detenido por cargos de crueldad animal y resistirse al arresto sin violencia.

Servicios de Animales de Miami-Dade retiró 10 perros de la propiedad como parte de la investigación en curso, dijeron las autoridades.

Las autoridades dijeron que Guillaume Sebastien Roger Mattler, de 48 años, enfrenta un cargo de contacto sexual abusivo en relación con el incidente del martes a bordo del vuelo LX64 de Swiss International Air Lines.

Según una denuncia penal federal, Mattler y la mujer de 29 años, a quien no conocía, estaban “sentados uno al lado del otro en la cabina de primera clase” durante el vuelo de Zúrich al Aeropuerto Internacional de Miami.

Un agente del FBI escribió que otros dos pasajeros notaron que Mattler tocaba a la mujer mientras ella dormía. Uno “tomó varios videos en su teléfono celular” mientras su amigo se mostró “muy preocupado y fue a buscar a un asistente de vuelo”.

“El testigo 2 observó a Mattler moviendo la mano en un movimiento de ‘submarino’, como si intentara meter su mano debajo de la ropa de la víctima y/o entre sus piernas”, escribió en la denuncia el agente especial del FBI Peter Ganzert.

Las autoridades dijeron que el asistente de vuelo se acercó a Mattler y a la mujer y lo vio “con su mano en la entrepierna de ella, sobre sus jeans, haciendo un movimiento de recoger o frotar en su vagina”.

Según la denuncia, Mattler no pudo proporcionar información que indicara que conocía a la mujer y la tripulación lo trasladó a clase económica para separarlo de ella.

Los investigadores dijeron que cuando el asistente de vuelo despertó a la mujer para informarle lo ocurrido, ella quedó “en shock” y “comenzó a temblar y llorar”.

Las autoridades dijeron que cuando la tripulación llevó a Mattler de regreso a su asiento para recoger sus pertenencias, intentó entregarle a la víctima una nota que decía: “Te ves hermosa cuando estás durmiendo”.

Los investigadores dijeron que entrevistaron a Mattler y él rechazó asistencia del consulado francés en Miami. Indicaron que primero afirmó que “no pasó nada en el vuelo”, pero luego, cuando le dijeron que había testigos y videos, “admitió que tocó a la mujer sentada a su lado y que no pensó que fuera gran cosa”.

Ganzert escribió que Mattler inicialmente afirmó que tocó “su parte baja de la espalda y la parte superior de los glúteos”, pero después de que le dijeron que testigos lo vieron tocando el área genital, Mattler dijo que “tocó lo que pudo alcanzar a través del reposabrazos”.

“Mattler indicó que su intención inicial era obtener el número de teléfono de la mujer y darle el suyo”, escribió el agente. “Luego proporcionó la nota de su bolsillo que estaba escrita en su tarjeta de presentación y que decía ‘te ves linda cuando duermes’, junto con la información del vuelo y su número de asiento”.

Mattler dijo a los agentes que “había tomado fotografías con su teléfono pero las borró antes de que las autoridades pudieran revisarlas”, indica la denuncia.

Los registros muestran que Mattler compareció por primera vez en un tribunal federal de Miami el miércoles y debe regresar para una audiencia de detención previa al juicio el lunes. Los fiscales dijeron que buscan mantenerlo detenido “por riesgo de fuga y peligro para la comunidad”.

Hasta el viernes, los registros indican que permanecía detenido en el Centro de Detención Federal en el centro de Miami. Su foto de arresto no estaba disponible.

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Authorities said Guillaume Sebastien Roger Mattler, 48, is facing a count of abusive sexual contact in connection with Tuesday’s incident aboard Swiss International Air Lines Flight LX64.

According to a federal criminal complaint, Mattler and the 29-year-old woman, whom he did not know, were “seated next to each other in the first-class cabin” during the flight from Zurich to Miami International Airport.

An FBI agent wrote that two other passengers noticed Mattler touching the woman as she slept. One “took several videos on his cell phone” while his friend became “very concerned and went to find a flight attendant.”

“Witness 2 observed Mattler moving his hand in a ‘submarine’ motion, as if trying to get his hand under the Victim’s clothing and/or between her legs,“ FBI Special Agent Peter Ganzert wrote in the complaint.

Authorities said the flight attendant walked up to Mattler and the woman and saw him “with his hand on (her) crotch, over her jeans, making a scooping or rubbing motion on her vagina.”

According to the complaint, Mattler couldn’t provide any information indicating he knew the woman and the flight crew moved him to coach to separate him from her.

Investigators said when the flight attendant awoke the woman to let her know what happened, she was “shocked” and “began shaking and crying.”

Authorities said when the flight crew brought Mattler back to his seat to get his belongings, he tried to hand the victim a note saying, “You look beautiful when you are sleeping.”

Investigators said they interviewed Mattler and he declined assistance from the French consulate in Miami. They said he first claimed that “nothing happened on the flight,” but then, when told that witnesses had come forward and took video of him, “admitted that he touched the woman sitting next to him and that he did not think it was such a big deal.”

Ganzert wrote that Mattler first claimed he touched “her lower back and upper buttocks,” but after telling him that witnesses saw him touching her genital area, Mattler said “he touched whatever he could reach from across the arm-rest.”

“Mattler advised his initial intention was to get the woman’s phone number and give her his,” the agent wrote. “He then provided the note from his pocket that was written in his business card that read ‘you look cute when you sleep,’ along with the flight information and his seat number.”

Mattler told agents “he had taken photographs with his phone but had deleted them before law enforcement could look at them,” the complaint states.

Records show Mattler made an initial appearance in Miami federal court on Wednesday and is due back for a pre-trial detention hearing on Monday. Prosecutors said they’re seeking to keep him behind bars “based on (a) risk of flight and danger to (the) community.”

As of Friday, records show he was being held in the Federal Detention Center in downtown Miami. His booking photo was not available.

Nahida Bristy’s remains were found Sunday in a garbage bag discovered by a kayaker whose fishing line got snagged, said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. The positive identification on the badly decomposed body was eventually made using DNA and dental records, he said.

The body of her friend, fellow USF doctoral student Zamil Limon, was in another garbage bag that was found two days before that on a bridge over the bay. Limon’s roommate, Hisham Saleh Abugharbeih, 26, was taken into custody the same day and faces two charges of first-degree murder. He’s been held in jail since then on no bond.

Chronister said the suspect showed no emotion when investigators presented him with details of the killings.

“He was nonreactive,” Chronister said. “He was callous and showed no emotion when we showed him the information we had.”

The two students were murdered around the same time and place, though detectives need to investigate further before they can decide that conclusively, the sheriff said.

The sheriff said detectives didn’t yet know a motive for the killings.

“I hope we find that out,” Chronister said.

Chronister said content on Abugharbieh’s phone had been erased, but a forensic examination revealed disturbing searches in the days before April 16, when Bristy and Limon went missing. The searches included phrases like, “Can a knife penetrate a skull?” and “Can a neighbor hear a gunshot?”

The suspect had also purchased Lysol wipes and heavy duty contractor-grade trash bags and other equipment, he said.

“This was calculating. That’s what makes this so premeditated,” Chronister said.

A search of the apartment that Abugharbieh and Limon shared with a third roommate showed large traces of blood in the kitchen, leading down the hall to Abugharbieh’s room and inside his room, the sheriff said.

The luminol-based spray even revealed blood in the shape of a human body curled up in the fetal position, next to Abugharbieh’s bed, he said.

Limon was last seen at the off-campus apartment complex where he lived with Abugharbieh, and Bristy at a campus science building on that same day. Limon was studying geography, environmental science and policy, and Bristy was studying chemical engineering. Abugharbieh had dropped out of the university.

Reached by email earlier this week, Jennifer Spradley, an attorney in the public defender’s office in Tampa, said the office wouldn’t comment on Abugharbieh’s case.

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Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho contributed to this report.

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

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According to an arrest report, Karl Heinz Mercier, of northeast Miami-Dade, broke into the victim’s apartment unit at the Park Towers on Northwest 155^th Lane at about 4 a.m., laid on the victim’s bed as he was asleep and then placed his hand inside the victim’s underwear and fondled his penis.

Deputies said the boy immediately screamed out to alert his parents who were sleeping in a separate room, but Mercier told him, “Nothing is going to happen. No one is going to come.”

According to the report, the boy’s parents confronted Mercier as he tried to flee the apartment and he was then detained by responding deputies.

The victim’s parents told deputies they do not know Mercier and he did not have permission to enter their home.

Deputies said Mercier confessed to entering the home without permission and touching the boy.

He was arrested on charges of burglary with assault or battery and attempted sexual battery on a minor.

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

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According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, the crash occurred just after 2:30 a.m. in the area of Northwest 107^th Avenue and 33^rd Street.

Deputies said a man who was driving the vehicle was heading north on 107^th Avenue when he lost control of his car and struck a tree.

Surveillance video captured the car zooming by before shattering upon impact.

The driver was throttled out of the car.

Doral police and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel responded to the area after the crash.

MDFR officials pronounced the driver dead at the scene.

A Local 10 News crew was in the area later in the morning as a tow truck was removing what was left of the car from the roadway. The damage was so severe that it was difficult to make out what make or model the vehicle was.

MDSO’s Traffic Homicide Unit has taken over the investigation into the fatal crash.

No other details were immediately released.

Trump said in a social media post that the EU “is not complying with our fully agreed to Trade Deal,” though he did not flesh out his objections in the post.

Asked by reporters on Friday about the increase in import taxes as he departed the White House for Florida, Trump said the EU was not “as usual” adhering to last year's trade framework, without detailing the source of the tension. He added that he believed the shift to higher tariffs “forces them to move their factory production much faster” to the U.S.

Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had agreed to the trade deal last July. It set a tariff ceiling of 15% on most goods, though the Supreme Court this year ruled against the legal authority that Trump had used to charge that tax. This left Trump looking for substitute authorities, and his administration has imposed a 10% tax while investigating trade imbalances and national security issues to put in new tariffs to make up for lost revenues.

The tariffs hit at a moment when the Iran war has crushed the world economy with expectations of slower growth and higher inflation, as oil and natural gas prices have risen due to the effective closure of the critical Strait of Hormuz after strikes by the U.S. and Israel began at the end of February.

At the same time, Trump faces political pressure in the U.S. going into November's midterm elections because of rising levels of inflation. Trump, a Republican, returned to the White House last year on the explicit promise that he could quickly tame prices that jumped in the aftermath of the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic, but higher energy costs pushed annual inflation in March to 3.3%, which was higher than what he had inherited.

Just 30% of U.S. adults approved of Trump's handling of the economy, according to the latest poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs.

Both the U.S. and the EU had previously confirmed their commitment to preserving the trade framework, known as the Turnberry Agreement, which was named after Trump’s golf course in Scotland.

The status of the 2025 deal was first cast into doubt after the Supreme Court this year ruled that the president lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency and charge tariffs on goods from the members of the EU and other states. The alternative tariffs being explored by the Trump administration could ultimately put the agreement with the EU in risk of violation, though European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič told reporters last week that the relationship with the U.S. had become more positive over the past year.

The EU had said it expected the bilateral deal would save European automakers about 500 million to 600 million euros ($585 million to $700 million) a month.

The value of EU-U.S. trade in goods and services amounted to 1.7 trillion euros ($2 trillion) in 2024, or an average of 4.6 billion euros a day, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat.

“A deal is a deal,” the European Commission said in February after the Supreme Court ruling. “As the United States’ largest trading partner, the EU expects the U.S. to honor its commitments set out in the Joint Statement — just as the EU stands by its commitments. EU products must continue to benefit from the most competitive treatment, with no increases in tariffs beyond the clear and all-inclusive ceiling previously agreed.”

Buckle up for a few seismic changes. Shania Twain will host for the first time ever, taking over for Reba McEntire. The awards ceremony will also take place May 17 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, leaving the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, just north of Dallas, after three years. And women lead the nominations.

But where will the 2026 ACM Awards stream? Who is nominated? What else is noteworthy this year and who will perform?

Read on for those answers and more.

How to watch the ACMs

The 2026 ACM Awards will stream on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch as well as the Amazon Music app on May 17 at 8 p.m. EDT.

Who is nominated?

It's the emo cowgirl herself. Megan Moroney leads the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards with nine nominations.

She's followed by Miranda Lambert, the most-decorated artist in ACM Awards history, with eight, as well as Ella Langley and Lainey Wilson with seven.

Then it is Chris Stapleton with six, Zach Top with five and Cody Johnson with four.

In addition to Moroney, those competing for entertainer of the year are Wilson, Stapleton, Johnson, Luke Combs, Jelly Roll and Morgan Wallen.

In 2025, Wilson took home the top prize — for a second year in a row.

In the album of the year category, Wallen’s “I’m the Problem” faces off against Top’s “Ain’t In It For My Health,” Riley Green’s “Don’t Mind If I Do,” Parker McCollum’s “Parker McCollum” and first-time nominee Carter Faith’s “Cherry Valley.”

Other first-time nominees include 49 Winchester, Avery Anna, Mackenzie Carpenter, Hudson Westbrook, Stephen Wilson Jr. and more.

What's noteworthy?

A lot! Beyond the move to Las Vegas and Twain's first-time taking a turn at hosting, it's clear that women are ruling the nominations, with Moroney, Lambert, Langley and Lainey Wilson leading the pack.

But is it a sign that the country music business is making room for more female talent?

“I think it is so cool,” country singer Ashley McBryde told The Associated Press about women leading the nods.

But the music industry pitting women against one another? She says she's not sure that will ever stop. “But I think we've managed — me, Miranda (Lambert), Carly (Pearce), Kelsey (Ballerini), we’ve been trying to build a table, and we’ve been trying for years to make the table bigger, and now it is. And I’m looking forward to operating in the environment that we built.”

Additionally, unlike last year, there isn't just one song dominating. Who could forget the year of Langley and Riley Green's “You Look Like You Love Me,” which accounted for six of her eight nods last year?

This time around, in the single of the year category, Lambert and Stapleton’s “A Song to Sing” will go head-to-head with Moroney’s “Am I Okay?,” Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas,” Top’s “I Never Lie” and Wilson’s “Somewhere Over Laredo.” And that's just scratching the surface.

Who is performing?

Performers will include Lambert, Langley, Top, Faith, Wilson, Johnson, Green, Kacey Musgraves, Little Big Town, Blake Shelton, Dan + Shay, Jordan Davis, Kane Brown, The Red Clay Strays, Thomas Rhett, Avery Anna and Tucker Wetmore.

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For more coverage of this year’s ACM Awards, visit https://apnews.com/hub/academy-of-country-music-awards

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According to police, the dog attack was reported at a home in the 1100 block of West 70^th Place.

Police said officers arrived at the scene and found the victim, Ana Leyva, 58, suffering from multiple dog bites to her arms and legs.

She was the airlifted by Hialeah Fire Rescue to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.

“During the investigation, officers identified the dog involved in the attack and observed multiple dogs on the property in poor condition, including signs of malnourishment, lack of clean water, and unsanitary living conditions,” an HPD spokesperson said in an email to Local 10.

Police confirmed that the dogs’ owner, Jairon Alvarez-Leyva, 22, who is Leyva’s son, was taken into custody on charges of animal cruelty and resisting arrest without violence.

Miami-Dade Animal Services removed 10 dogs from the property as part of the ongoing investigation, authorities said.

Jurors found Republican David Rivera and an associate, Esther Nuhfer, guilty on all counts, including failing to register as a foreign agent with the Justice Department and conspiracy to commit money laundering as part of their work for former President Nicolás Maduro's government.

Much as he did throughout the trial, Rivera stood stone-faced as the jury delivered its verdict.

Rivera had been out on bond, but Judge Melissa Damian ordered him taken into custody, finding that he posed a flight risk because he has access to sizable funds, faces a potentially long prison sentence, and faces additional federal charges in Washington, D.C., in a related foreign lobbying case.

The seven-week trial offered a rare glimpse into Miami's role as a crossroads for foreign influence campaigns aimed at shaping U.S. policy toward Latin America, one highlighting the city's reputation as a magnet for corruption and anti-Communist crusaders among its sizable exile population.

It included testimony from Rubio, Texas Congressman Pete Sessions and a top Washington lobbyist — all of whom testified that they were shocked to learn belatedly of Rivera’s consulting contract with a U.S.-based affiliate of Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA.

In an 11-count indictment unsealed in 2022, prosecutors alleged that Rivera was tapped by then Foreign Minister Delcy Rodríguez — now Venezuela’s acting president — to work Republican connections from Rivera's time in Congress to get the first Trump administration to abandon its hard-line stance and ease crippling sanctions on Venezuela.

As part of the charm offensive, prosecutors alleged, Rivera and Nuhfer, a political consultant, manipulated influential friends, including Rubio and Sessions, like “pawns on a chess board." The goal: to try and normalize relations with the new Trump administration at a time when the Maduro government was buffeted by serious accusations of human rights violations.

“As long as the money kept coming in, they didn’t care from where,” prosecutor Roger Cruz said of the defendants during closing arguments.

‘Massive secret’ threatened to damage Rivera's political career

But the two held onto the “massive secret” and didn't disclose their lobbying work as required, for fear it would have ended Rivera's political career as an anti-Communist stalwart, Cruz said.

To hide his work, prosecutors allege, Rivera also set up an encrypted chat group called MIA — for Miami — with his main conduit to the Maduro government: Venezuelan media tycoon Raúl Gorrín, who was subsequently charged in the U.S. with bribing top Venezuelan officials.

Members of the group used playful code words to discuss their activities: Maduro was the “bus driver,” Sessions “Sombrero,” Rodríguez “The Lady in Red,” and millions of dollars “melons,” according to copies of text messages presented to the jury.

“It was all about La Luz,” Cruz said, referring to the Spanish word for light, which Rivera and others repeatedly used to discuss payments from Caracas.

Attorneys for Rivera and Nuhfer said the two acted in good faith and believed they were under no requirement to disclose their work. The three-month, $50 million contract with Rivera's one-man consulting firm, they say, was focused exclusively on luring oil giant ExxonMobil back to Venezuela — commercial work that is generally exempt from the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

Wholly distinct from that consulting work, they say, were Rivera's meetings with Rubio and Sessions, which occurred after the consulting contract had expired and was focused on ushering in leadership in Venezuela that would be less hostile to the U.S.

“He was working every possible angle to get Nicolás Maduro out,” defense attorney Ed Shohat said during closing arguments. “There was not a word in the chats about normalizing relations.”

Nuhfer's attorney, David Oscar Markus, likened the government's case to the 17th century Salem witch trials, presuming ill intent that was belied by the flimsiest of evidence.

“My client does not have a dark heart,” he said.

Exxon meetings for Rodríguez

Prosecutors said Rivera used the contract with New York-based PDV USA as cover for illegal lobbying.

Once exposed, the partners tried to hide the work — backdating documents and coming up with sham agreements like one to justify a wire transfer of $3.75 million to a South Florida company that maintained Gorrín’s luxury yacht.

The political activity included setting up meetings for Rodríguez in New York, Caracas, Washington and Dallas. As part of the effort, the two roped in Sessions, who later tried to broker a meeting for Rodríguez with the CEO of ExxonMobil that had succeeded Trump’s then-secretary of state, Rex Tillerson. After a secret meeting in Caracas with Maduro, Sessions also agreed to deliver a letter from the Venezuelan president to Trump.

The outreach quickly unraveled, however. Within six months of taking office, Trump sanctioned Maduro and labeled him a “dictator,” launching a “maximum pressure” campaign to unseat the president.

However, nearly a decade later, Rodríguez has emerged as the second Trump administration's trusted partner after the U.S. military's ousting of Maduro.

Before being elected to Congress in 2010, Rivera was a high-ranking Florida legislator. During that time, he shared a Tallahassee home with Rubio, who eventually became the Florida House speaker.

Rivera has previously faced controversy, including allegations that he secretly funded a Democratic spoiler candidate in a 2012 congressional race. Last year, federal prosecutors dropped the case after an appeals court threw out a sizable fine imposed by a lower court. Rivera was also investigated — but never charged — for alleged campaign finance violations and a $1 million contract with a gambling company while serving in the Florida legislature.

Iran handed over its latest proposal for negotiations to mediators in Pakistan on Thursday night, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported.

“They want to make a deal, I’m not satisfied with it, so we’ll see what happen,” Trump told reporters Friday at the White House.

The shaky three-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran appears to still be holding though both countries have traded accusations of violations.

Trump did not elaborate on what he saw as the latest proposal’s shortcomings. “They’re asking for things I can’t agree to,” he said.

Negotiations have continued by phone after Trump called off his envoys’ trip to Pakistan last week, the president said. He expressed frustration with Iran’s leadership, describing it as fractured.

“It’s a very disjointed leadership,” he said. “They all want to make a deal, but they’re all messed up.”

While the ceasefire has largely halted fighting in Iran, the U.S. and Iran are locked in a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas passes in peacetime. A U.S. Navy blockade stopping Iran's tankers from getting out to sea has Iran’s economy reeling. The world economy is also under pressure as Iran maintains its chokehold on the strait.

Trump this week floated a new plan to reopen the critical passageway used by America's Gulf allies to export their oil and gas.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a flurry of calls on Friday with many of his regional counterparts, including from Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Azerbaijan, to brief them on his country’s latest initiatives to end the war, according to his social media.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also spoke over phone Friday with Araghchi. They discussed ongoing diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and long-term security arrangements, Kallas’ office said in a statement. Kallas also has been in contact with the EU's Gulf partners.

Pakistan officials have said efforts were continuing to ease tensions between Iran and the U.S. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that a response from Iran was still awaited.

Meanwhile, Iran’s imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has been urgently transferred from prison to a hospital in northwestern Iran after a “catastrophic deterioration” of her health, her foundation said Friday.

The Narges Mohammadi Foundation said the Nobel Prize laureate had two episodes of complete loss of consciousness and a severe cardiac crisis. She was believed to have suffered a heart attack in late March, according to her lawyers who visited her a few days after the incident.

The hospital transfer comes “after 140 days of systematic medical neglect,” since her arrest on Dec. 12, the foundation said.

Earlier this week, Trump told Axios that he had rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the strait in exchange for the U.S. Navy lifting its blockade of Iranian ports.

The Iranian proposal would have pushed negotiations on the country’s nuclear program to a later date, two regional officials said earlier this week. The officials with knowledge of the proposal spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door negotiations between Iranian and Pakistani officials.

One of the major reasons Trump has said he went to war was to deny Iran the ability to develop nuclear weapons.

Since the war began on Feb. 28, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran, and more than 2,600 people in Lebanon, where new fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah broke out two days after the war started, according to authorities.

Additionally, 24 people have died in Israel and more than 20 in Gulf Arab states. Seventeen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 U.S. service members throughout the region have been killed.

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Ezzidin reported from Cairo and Binkley from Washington. Associated Press writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Sarah El Deeb in Beirut contributed to this report.

One of dozens of AI cameras installed for the utility Arizona Public Service had spotted early signs of what came to be known as the Diamond Fire. Firefighters raced to the scene and contained the blaze before it grew past 7 acres (2.8 hectares).

As record-breaking heat and an abysmal snowpack raise concerns about severe wildfires, states across the fire-prone West are adding AI to their wildfire detection toolbox, banking on the technology to help save lives and property.

Arizona Public Service has nearly 40 active AI smoke-detection cameras and plans to have 71 by summer's end, and the state’s fire agency has deployed seven of its own. Another utility, Xcel Energy in Colorado, has installed 126 and aims to have cameras in seven of the eight states it serves by year's end.

“Earlier detection means we can launch aircraft and personnel to it and keep those fires as small as we can,” said John Truett, fire management officer for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.

Where there are fewer eyes, AI looks for fires

ALERTCalifornia is a network of some 1,240 AI-enabled cameras across the Golden State that work similar to the system in Arizona.

Human intervention keeps the risk of false positives low and trains the technology to become more accurate, said Neal Driscoll, geology and geophysics professor at the University of California, San Diego, and founder of ALERTCalifornia.

“The AI that’s being run on the cameras is actually beating 911 calls," he said.

In Arizona, California and beyond, the technology is mostly used in high-risk areas that are sparsely populated, rural or remote, where a blaze might not be quickly spotted by human eyes.

“It’s just the ones where we won’t get a 911 call for a long time, it is extremely helpful to have that AI always monitoring that camera,” said Brent Pascua, battalion chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. “In many cases, we’ve started a response before 911 was even called, and in a few cases, we’ve actually started a response, went there, put the fire out, and never received a 911 call.”

A technology driven by worsening blazes

Pano AI, whose technology combines high-definition camera feeds, satellite data and AI monitoring, has seen a growing interest in its cameras since launching in 2020. They've been deployed in Australia, Canada and 17 U.S. states, including Oregon, Washington and Texas. Its customers include forestry operations, government agencies and utilities, including Arizona Public Service.

Last year, its technology detected 725 wildfires in the U.S., the company said.

“In many of these situations, we hear from stakeholders that the visual intelligence, the time, really, really gives them a head start and some of these could have taken off into hundreds if not thousands of acres," said Arvind Satyam, the company’s co-founder and chief commercial officer.

Cindy Kobold, an Arizona Public Service meteorologist, said the technology notifies them about 45 minutes faster on average than the first 911 call.

Satyam said development of the technology was driven by the lack of hardened solutions to combat worsening wildfires. Climate change — caused by burning oil, gas and coal — is warming the planet and fueling dry conditions that supercharge infernos, making them burn hotter, faster and more frequently. The technology helps firefighters to safely and effectively respond while protecting communities and infrastructure, he said.

Challenges and limitations

One of the biggest obstacles to implementation is the price tag; Pano AI, for instance, charges around $50,000 annually per camera. The cost also includes fire risk analysis and 24/7 intelligence center.

False alarms present a challenge, which can be costly in terms of time and attention, said Patrick Roberts, a senior researcher with the nonprofit research group RAND who recently finished a project on accelerating innovation in wildfire management.

And when the AI accurately detects a fire, it doesn’t tell stakeholders the best course of action.

“Do you send help right away? Do you monitor? Should you worry about it? Where do you send help? Do you think about evacuation? All this still requires people and decision support systems,” said Roberts.

In highly populated areas, people tend to spot and call in fires pretty quickly, and the tech is not so useful when extreme weather events, such as hurricane-force winds, intensify and rapidly shift the flames, as happened in Los Angeles last year.

Pascua says the technology complements Cal Fire’s work.

“As the fire moves and shifts around, that’s where the human factor comes in and decides which tactics are best in fighting the fire. AI can only do so much," he said. "It just provides that real time information where we can make better decisions on the fire ground.”

AI firefighting assistance is not limited to detection

AI can also be employed to identify the best places to thin vegetation and burn cool fires, and even to monitor air quality for signs of smoke, just like your home's carbon monoxide sensor, said Roberts, but “1,000 times more sensitive.”

At George Mason University in Virginia, professor Chaowei “Phil” Yang is working with researchers from California State University of Los Angeles, the city of LA and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory to create a system that forecasts where a fire will burn and which communities will be hardest hit by smoke pollution.

The idea is to give agencies real-time maps so they can make quick, life-saving decisions about evacuations, school and road closures, and send out early air quality warnings. Yang said they hope the technology will be operational in three years.

"AI in wildfires, it’s no longer just speculative. It’s really being used," said Roberts, and it's use will only continue to grow.

“The future is AI everywhere," he said, "and the lines will blur between AI wildfire detection and just wildfire detection as the lines will blur in other areas of our life.”

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The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

There’s more than a few up-and-coming talents to get excited about in the movies this summer. The Associated Press spoke to 11 ones to watch.

Catherine Lagaʻaia, “Moana”

Catherine Lagaʻaia (“lung-uh-aye-uh”) found out she got “Moana” on a school day. It was around 8:15 a.m. and she’d just heard the best news of her life after a very stressful year of auditioning. But the celebration would have to wait: It was swimming carnival day and she was on deck for the 400-meter backstroke.

“I guess, like, the water vibes carried through,” said Lagaʻaia, 20, laughing.

Lagaʻaia, who is one of eight children, grew up around acting in Sydney, Australia. Her father played Captain Typho in the “Star Wars” prequels, she went to a performing arts high school and a lot of her siblings are in theater. Two of her sisters even auditioned for “Moana” alongside her, but she was just the right age at the right time, she said.

The animated film meant the world to Lagaʻaia, who is of Samoan heritage, and she’s acutely aware of the big expectations for the live action film (out July 10) — she has them for herself too.

“I felt a fair bit of impostor syndrome stepping into it,” she said. “I think we’ve made some great changes, and we’ve kept a lot of the stuff that holds the heart of the film the same.”

Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen, “Leviticus”

Teenage boys Ryan (Stacy Clausen, 21) and Naim (Joe Bird, 19) are drawn to one another in their backwater Australian community in “Leviticus,” the “conversion therapy” horror that broke out at the Sundance Film Festival. It hits theaters on June 19.

“It is about growing up queer and how the fear of growing up queer can block someone mentally from acting on their desires, and physically,” Clausen said. “But I think that there is something in it for everyone, like whether you’re LGBTQIA or not, it’s about love.”

They knew they had made something special, but it’s been affirming to see it resonate with audiences. When the trailer posted on YouTube, Bird noticed one commenter who wrote that they wished they’d had this film when they were younger.

“It just takes one person to be inspired, or you know say, ‘Oh, I wish I had a film like this’ to know that you’ve kind of done your job,” Bird said. “It’s all about connecting.”

Kara Young and Mallori Johnson, “Is God Is”

Aleshea Harris chose a two-time Tony-winner, Kara Young, and a relative newcomer, Mallori Johnson, to anchor the big screen adaptation of her Obie-winning play “Is God Is.” The story is centered on twin sisters searching for their abusive father, who burned and scarred them as babies.

Young plays Racine the Rough One; Johnson is Anaia the Quiet One. After fending for themselves their entire lives are set on an epic road trip and a journey of revenge and reckoning. It’s in theaters on May 15.

“Anaia depends a lot on Racine to protect her,” Johnson said. “I think that they’ve set up a dynamic since they were children … they have this kind of codependent relationship.”

And although both Young and Johnson are in different phases of their careers, their enthusiasm for the material, and getting to be part of it, is identical.

“Getting into the world of ‘Is God Is’ feels like an ancestral calling in some wild, beautiful, almost like indescribable way,” Young said. “It’s an epic road trip. It’s a Greek tragedy. It’s a love story between two sisters …. I lost my train of thought because I just got so hyped.”

Kane Parsons, “Backrooms”

Kane Parsons was a teenager when he was signed to direct his first feature, based on his viral YouTube series “Backrooms.”

The concept was inspired by an internet creepypasta that imagined never-ending expanse rooms and hallways full of fluorescent lights, old carpet and monotonous yellow paint; He took that idea and ran with it, creating unnerving videos from his bedroom with the help of the open-source 3D graphics software Blender. Soon both James Wan and Shawn Levy’s companies were interested in taking it to the next level.

In the film, out May 29, Chiwetel Ejiofor plays a struggling furniture store owner who seemingly slips out of reality. Renate Reinsve co-stars.

“I don’t think of this as inherently horror-driven; it’s definitely not a building full of monsters,” Parsons, 20, said. “I’ve always been more interested in the sort of man looking in the mirror version.”

The bachelors, “72 Hours”

“SNL” cast members Kam Patterson, 27, and Ben Marshall, 30, play a couple of Gen Z guys on a bachelor trip, with Marcello Hernández, groom-to-be Mason Gooding and a middle-aged colleague (Kevin Hart) who was accidentally added to the group chat in the new Netflix comedy “72 Hours” (streaming July 24).

“It was the most fun you could possibly have shooting a movie,” Marshall said.

Between goofing around in a mansion in New Jersey and hanging in Miami with Hernández, it was, Patterson said, like summer camp. And Hart was their de facto counselor. They teased Gooding about never having his shirt on, Marshall for being so uniquely bad at jet skiing and Patterson for that time someone left him with one of the production assistant’s walkie talkies and for 5 minutes he had an open mic to the entire crew. That energy continued when the cameras were on too.

“I don’t think we said one word that’s actually in the script,” Marshall laughed.

Patterson chimed in: “Not at all. We take that script and threw it out the window.”

The new assistants in “The Devil Wears Prada 2”

Call them the new Emilys. Or, maybe don’t. But there’s a new batch of smart, young things manning the desks at “Runway” in “The Devil Wears Prada 2” (now in theaters).

Simone Ashley, of “Bridgerton” fame, is Miranda Priestly’s first assistant Amari, who screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna didn’t want to be Emily 2.0.

“With Amari the comedy comes from, like, flick of the wrist kind of sassiness and her quiet confidence,” Ashley, 31, said. “Me and Aline kind of had this inside joke that Amari is like secretly the next Miranda.”

Comedian Caleb Hearon, 31, is Miranda’s second assistant, Charlie, who is not allowed to leave his desk. Ever. But he’s not mad about it: This is literally the dream.

“I really thought a lot about a guy like Charlie and what it would mean to him to be in this office and why he wouldn’t mind staying at the desk all day,” Hearon said.

And finally, there is Helen J Shen, 26, who after breaking out on stage in “Maybe Happy Ending” makes her big screen debut as Andy’s assistant, Jin.

Shen said she “was excited to see that the dialogue was so silly to me, but Jin doesn’t find it silly.”

“I felt like that was a fresh take on someone who knows exactly what they’re trying to do,” Shen added. “She has a lot of wonderful things under her belts, intelligence wise, and she’s just trying to like, show that and be as helpful to Andy as possible.”

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For more coverage of this summer’s upcoming films, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/movies

Talankin, who co-directed the best documentary winner “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” didn't expect to have to check his statuette for a flight from New York's John F. Kennedy Airport bound for Frankfurt, Germany, on Wednesday. But a Transportation Security Administration agent said it couldn't go on board.

“At the airport, a TSA agent stopped him and said the Oscar could be used as a weapon,” Talankin's co-director, David Borenstein, said Thursday night in a post on Instagram.

“Pavel didn’t have a bag to check it in, so the TSA put the Oscar in a box and sent it to the bottom of the plane,” added Borenstein. “It never arrived in Frankfurt.”

After Borenstein's announcement prompted an international outcry, the airline Lufthansa on Friday said it had found the lost Oscar.

“We can confirm that the Oscar statue has now been located and is safely in our care in Frankfurt,” the airline said in statement. “We are in direct contact with the guest to arrange its personal return as quickly as possible. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused and have apologized to the owner.”

Lufthansa added that an “internal review of the circumstances is ongoing.”

In March, “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” won the Academy Award for best documentary, and Talankin and Borenstein's acceptance speech supplied one of the most memorable moments of the ceremony.

Talankin — the “Mr. Nobody” of the film — was a teacher and activities director in a small-town school in Russia who captured on video his students’ lessons, chants and songs promoting Putin's war in Ukraine. He smuggled his hard drives out of the country to collaborate with Borenstein, who lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Talankin, speaking in Russian through a translator, said from the stage: “In the name of our future, in the name of all of our children, stop all of these wars now.”

The TSA didn't immediately respond to queries Friday.

La serie comenzó con la historia de Edward Knox, un ex maestro de escuela y pilar de su comunidad cuya casa de 46 años había caído en deterioro.

Pero gracias a su ferviente fe y la generosidad de los televidentes de Local 10, Knox está mucho más cerca de ver su casa restaurada.

“No se queja de nada. No pide nada”, dijo Robert McKay.

McKay es un amigo cercano de la familia de Knox, de 75 años, quien dijo es conocido por su actitud de servicio a los demás.

“Lo que sea que pueda hacer, me hace sentir bien. Pero no se trata de cómo me siento. Es la expresión en los rostros de los niños”, dijo Knox.

Knox organizaba eventos para beneficiar a los niños de su vecindario en Richmond Heights, mientras sufría en silencio por la condición de su casa.

“Good News South Florida” compartió su historia, y personas como Betania Vergel, quien lidera el proceso de permisos, se ofrecieron a ayudar.

De hecho, casi una docena de contratistas de varios oficios ya se han sumado.

Jaime Naranjo, de Allied Hurricane Solutions, está donando las ventanas de impacto para la casa y lidera como contratista general.

“Es algo grande para él. Para mí no lo es en ese sentido, porque para mí es algo obvio. No puedes decir que no”, dijo Naranjo.

Hector Rodriguez, de Level Up Roofing, instalará el nuevo techo.

“La parte más difícil es quitar ese techo y colocar las nuevas vigas. Después de eso, es bastante rápido”, explicó Rodriguez.

“Vi su rostro y dije: ‘Este hombre necesita ayuda’”, agregó Sarah KC Holmes, de Bedrock Renovations.

Holmes y su esposo, Max, son expertos en todo, desde estructuras y paneles de yeso hasta baldosas y renovaciones completas de baños.

“Lo que queremos hacer es asegurarnos de que tenga una casa que sea segura para él y funcional para vivir el resto de su vida”, dijo Holmes.

Christian Pena quiere lo mismo. Él está proporcionando toda la ingeniería eléctrica.

“Creo que cuando la comunidad y nosotros como seres humanos nos unimos, todo es posible”, dijo.

Y fue Joe Puentes quien primero se sumó a la visión. Su organización sin fines de lucro, Wikivoice, está gestionando a todos los voluntarios.

“¿Qué vamos a hacer con nuestras bendiciones si no es ayudar a otros?”, dijo.

Un agradecido Knox abrazó y estrechó la mano de todos los que llegaron a ayudar, pero fue cuando los voluntarios tomaron sus manos para orar que Knox sintió que la voluntad de Dios para su hogar y su vida se había cumplido en la Tierra como en el cielo.

“Ángeles saliendo de la nada viniendo hacia mí. No puedo evitar sentirme bien después de eso”, dijo.

Ahora los voluntarios esperan la aprobación final de los permisos para comenzar el trabajo. El primer punto en la lista será demoler el techo viejo y retirar los escombros. Se busca una empresa que done esos servicios. Si desea ayudar, envíe un correo a goodnews@local10.com. Si desea hacer una donación monetaria, haga clic aquí.

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Good News South Florida se transmite los viernes en el noticiero matutino de Local 10 a las 10 a.m. Se retransmite los viernes a las 3:30 p.m. y los domingos por la mañana, a partir de las 6 a.m.

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We kicked off the series with the story of Edward Knox, a former school teacher and pillar of his community whose home of 46 years had fallen into disrepair.

But thanks to his fervent faith and the generosity of Local 10 viewers, Knox is a lot closer to seeing his home restored.

“He doesn’t complain about anything. He doesn’t ask for anything,” Robert McKay said.

McKay is a longtime family friend of 75-year-old Knox, who he said is known for his service-over-self attitude.

“Whatever I can do, I feel great. But, it’s not about how I feel. It’s the look on the kids’ face(s),” Knox said.

Knox hosted events to benefit the kids of his Richmond Heights neighborhood, all while he suffered in silence over the condition of his home.

“Good News South Florida” shared his story, and people like Betania Vergel, who’s running point on the permitting process, offered to help.

In fact, nearly one dozen contractors from various trades have stepped up so far.

Jaime Naranjo, of Allied Hurricane Solutions, is donating the impact windows for the home and is taking the lead as the general contractor.

“It’s a big deal to him. It’s not a big deal to me in the sense, because to me, it’s a no brainer. You can’t say no,” Naranjo said.

Hector Rodriguez, of Level Up Roofing, will be installing the new roof.

“The hardest part is getting that roof off and putting the new trusses. After that, it’s pretty fast,” Rodriguez explained.

“I saw his face and I said, ‘This man needs help,’” Sarah KC Holmes, of Bedrock Renovations, added.

Holmes and her husband, Max, are experts in everything from framing and drywall to floor tiles and complete bathroom overhauls.

“What we want to do is make sure that he has a home that is safe for him, and functional for him to live out the rest of his life,” Holmes said.

Christian Pena wants the same thing. He’s providing all of the electrical engineering.

“I think when the community and we as humans come together in unity, everything is possible,” he said.

And it was Joe Puentes who first signed on to the vision. His nonprofit, Wikivoice, is managing all of the volunteers.

“What are we going to do with our blessings if not help others,” he said.

A grateful Knox hugged and shook hands with everyone who came out to help, but it was when the volunteers took his hands to pray that Knox realized God’s will for his home and his life had been done on Earth as it is in heaven.

“Angels out of nowhere coming to me. Can’t help but feel good after that,” he said.

Now the volunteers are waiting on the final permits to be approved to start the work. The first item on the list will be demolishing the old roof and removing the debris. We are looking for a company to volunteer those services. If you’d like to help, email goodnews@local10.com. If you’d like to make a monetary donation, click here.

• To donate: If you’d like to make a monetary donation toward any Good News South Florida story or project, click here. Local 10 has established the Local 10 Fund with The Miami Foundation and 100% of your donation will go toward the cause you designate in the “additional information” box.
• To volunteer or submit a story idea: If you’d like to volunteer for a Good News South Florida project or would like to submit a story for consideration, email goodnews@local10.com.

Good News South Florida airs Fridays on the Local 10 morning news at 10 a.m. It will encore Fridays at 3:30 p.m. and Sunday mornings, beginning at 6 a.m.

Israel’s military and Hezbollah kept up their attacks despite a ceasefire in place since April 17.

Israel’s military on Friday afternoon urged residents of the Lebanese village of Habboush near the southern city of Nabatiyeh to evacuate, warning that those close to Hezbollah’s facilities would be in danger. An airstrike on Habboush that occurred around the time of the warning killed six people, including a woman and a child, and wounded eight, the Health Ministry said.

The state-run National News Agency reported that four people were killed in strikes on three other southern villages.

By Friday afternoon, Hezbollah had issued six statements saying it launched drones and rockets at Israeli military positions.

The Israeli military confirmed that Hezbollah launched an explosive drone that fell in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon. Israeli media reported that a drone strike near Margaliot in northern Israel caused a fire, and that two soldiers were lightly wounded in a separate Hezbollah drone impact in the area.

Friday’s exchanges came after paramedics in southern Lebanon recovered the bodies of five people, including a man and his three sons, from under rubble in the village of Kfar Rumman, also near Nabatiyeh, a day after they were killed.

National News Agency reported that the five were killed in an airstrike late Thursday on Kfar Rumman. The agency identified those whose bodies were recovered as Malek Hamza and his sons, Ali, Fadel and Hamza. It said the strike also killed a Lebanese soldier. The Lebanese army confirmed that a soldier, Ali Jaber, was killed in the strike.

Despite the war, residents have continued to return to homes in southern Lebanon after being displaced for weeks because of the hostilities.

One of them was Umm Ali Khodor, whose apartment in the southern port city of Tyre was damaged during the previous Israel-Hezbollah war in 2024 and again in the current conflict.

“We were displaced, we rented a house, but as you know the situation is very difficult,” the woman said. “We could not continue so we returned to our home.”

Also Friday, a senior official with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies condemned the targeting of Red Cross volunteers during the Israel-Hezbollah war.

IFRC Under Secretary General for National Society Development and Coordination Xavier Castellanos Mosquera, who was visiting Lebanon, said that two Lebanese Red Cross volunteers have been killed and 18 others wounded by Israeli strikes. More than 100 health workers in total have been killed in Lebanon during the war, according to the country’s health ministry.

Mosquera told The Associate Press that Red Cross volunteers in southern Lebanon have described hugging each other before departing on a call “because they don’t know if they will return.”

He added that he had seen video showing “ambulances that were hit by bullets” while trying to rescue journalist Amal Khalil, who was buried in rubble when an Israeli strike hit a building where she was sheltering in southern Lebanon last month. Her body was pulled from the rubble hours later when rescuers were able to reach the scene.

The IFRC official also recently visited Iran, where he said key facilities of the Iranian Red Crescent Society had been targeted. Two chemical plants that had been their main providers of raw materials to produce plastic syringes and dialysis components were struck and destroyed. Another strike hit close to a Red Crescent rehabilitation center in Tehran that served children, elderly people and people with disabilities, causing damage.

Israel has denied that it deliberately targets health facilities and emergency workers.

The latest war between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel two days after the United States and Israel launched a war on its main backer, Iran. Israel has since carried out hundreds of airstrikes and launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon, capturing dozens of towns and villages along the border.

Since then Lebanon and Israel have held their first direct talks in more than three decades. The two countries have formally been in a state of war since the founding of the state of Israel in 1948.

A 10-day ceasefire declared in Washington went into effect on April 17. The ceasefire was later extended by three weeks.

The Health Ministry said Friday that the war’s death toll reached 2,618 while 8,094 were wounded.

___

Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press journalist Koral Said in Abu Snan, Israel, and Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed to this report.

El jefe de Gabinete de ministros, Manuel Adorni, dijo durante una entrevista radial que “está todo en proceso para que el lunes se reabra y se vuelva a la normalidad”.

Hace una semana el gobierno cerró la sala de prensa del palacio gubernamental y bloqueó el acceso de los periodistas acreditados por orden de la Casa Militar, a cargo de la seguridad presidencial, luego de presentar una denuncia penal contra dos periodistas de la señal televisiva Todo Noticias (TN) que habían difundido imágenes supuestamente grabadas sin autorización en el interior de la Casa Rosada.

La medida, inédita en democracia, generó el repudio de entidades de prensa, partidos de la oposición y de la propia Iglesia católica que reclamó en un comunicado “erradicar discursos de odio y dejar de lado expresiones hirientes”.

El mandatario ultraliberal mantiene una postura abiertamente agresiva con la mayoría de los medios de comunicación, por lo general a través de sus redes sociales, y únicamente da entrevistas a los que son más afines a su gestión. “No odiamos lo suficiente a los periodistas" es la consigna que replica casi a diario en X.

En febrero creó la Oficina de Respuesta Oficial para “desenmascarar mentiras y operaciones de los medios”, según él mismo afirmó. La nueva dependencia tiene similitudes con la cuenta Rapid Response 47 (Respuesta Rápida 47) creada por el presidente estadounidense Donald Trump —su principal aliado en la región —para responder a supuestas “fake news” en su contra.

El último miércoles en el Congreso, Milei les gritó “corruptos” a los periodistas que cubrían el informe de gestión del jefe de Gabinete, sospechado de presunto enriquecimiento ilícito. El mandatario acompañó al funcionario al Parlamento como gesto de apoyo.

Adorni, quien además oficia de portavoz gubernamental, adelantó este viernes a radio El Observador de Buenos Aires que habrá modificaciones en los protocolos de seguridad que deberán cumplir los periodistas acreditados en la casa de gobierno, lo cual augura que el acceso a fuentes de información será más dificultoso por las nuevas restricciones.

“Modificaciones va a haber seguro”, reveló Adorni. “Está claro que no se puede permitir que nadie, no sólo periodistas, filme en lugares que no están permitidos. Está prohibido taxativamente en la normativa”.

El jefe de Gabinete dijo además que en su calidad de portavoz dará una conferencia de prensa “lunes o martes” después de más de un mes de su última comparecencia.

The death of Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart, 48, of St. George, last year shocked the community around Crawford Pond in rural Union, Maine. Authorities charged Deven Young of Frankfort, Maine, with murder in Stewart's death in July, about two weeks after Stewart's body was discovered.

The court system has thus far treated Young as a juvenile. Prosecutors in the state want to charge Young, who was 17 at the time of Stewart's death and is 18 now, as an adult. First, he needed to be deemed competent to stand trial, and a judge ruled this week that he is.

"The court finds that the defendant is competent to proceed based on the court’s finding that the juvenile has a rational, as well as a factual, understanding of the proceedings and a sufficient present ability to consult with legal counsel with a reasonable degree of rational understanding," wrote Maine District Court Judge Eric J. Walker on Wednesday.

Young is due back in court on May 7. Police have said a medical examiner determined Stewart's cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma.

Jeremy Pratt, an attorney for Young, declined to comment on Thursday. Prosecutors in the case also declined to comment Thursday.

Authorities have not publicly stated a possible motive in the case. Court documents about the case, which were briefly made public before being removed from the state's courts website, contained little detail other than stating that Young “did intentionally or knowingly cause the death of another human being, namely Sunshine Stewart.”

Audio recordings by the Waldo County Sheriff's Office that were obtained by news agencies earlier this year provided details about Young's history of violent behavior and mental health challenges prior to Stewart's death. The Portland Press Herald reported that Young had been waiting for behavioral health services from the state.

Stewart went missing at Crawford Pond, where she was paddleboarding, on July 2 and her body was found the next day. The pond is a popular summertime attraction for swimming, boating and fishing. Stewart lived about 21 miles (34 kilometers) from the pond in the Tenants Harbor neighborhood in St. George.

Stewart's friends and family celebrated her life with a maritime service last August. The memorial included a procession of boats, some decked out with flowers, in Tenants Harbor.

On the boats were pictures of Stewart smiling and a large sign that read, “Shine On.” Over the years, Stewart worked as a fisherman, boat captain, biologist, carpenter and bartender, friends have said.

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According to MDSO, that burglary victim lives on the same North Miami Beach street as suspect Elvin Baltazar ― only about five houses down. The victim had been burglarized while out of town from Dec. 16, 2025, and Jan. 28, 2026.

Investigators said Baltazar, 44, made more than $28,000 selling his neighbor’s items at A New Hocke Shoppe, about two blocks away from both of their homes.

The shop, located at 754 NE 167th St., just outside of the North Miami Beach city limits, reported that Baltazar represented the items ― including two Rolex watches ― as his own, the MDSO report states.

Deputies said he sold the items between Jan. 13 and Feb. 23. They said by the time detectives from MDSO and the North Miami Beach Police Department were able to track them to the pawn shop, “a lot” of them had already been sold or scrapped.

Authorities said when they took Baltazar into custody on Thursday and interviewed him, he claimed that his neighbor’s property had been given to him by a friend named “William” to sell and he got $500 from him in return.

Deputies arrested Baltazar, a Dominican national, on nine counts of giving false information to a pawnbroker and 23 counts of dealing in stolen property.

His bond is listed as “to be set” in Miami-Dade jail records.

Según MDSO, la víctima de robo vive en la misma calle de North Miami Beach que el sospechoso Elvin Baltazar, a solo unas cinco casas de distancia. La vivienda fue robada mientras la víctima estaba fuera de la ciudad entre el 16 de diciembre de 2025 y el 28 de enero de 2026.

Los investigadores dijeron que Baltazar, de 44 años, obtuvo más de $28,000 USD al vender artículos de su vecino en A New Hocke Shoppe, a unas dos cuadras de ambas residencias.

La tienda, ubicada en 754 NE 167th St., justo fuera de los límites de la ciudad de North Miami Beach, informó que Baltazar presentó los artículos, incluidos dos relojes Rolex, como propios, según el informe de MDSO.

Agentes dijeron que vendió los artículos entre el 13 de enero y el 23 de febrero. Indicaron que para cuando detectives de MDSO y del Departamento de Policía de North Miami Beach lograron rastrearlos hasta la casa de empeño, “muchos” ya habían sido vendidos o desechados.

Las autoridades dijeron que cuando detuvieron a Baltazar el jueves y lo entrevistaron, él afirmó que la propiedad de su vecino le fue entregada por un amigo llamado “William” para venderla y que recibió $500 USD a cambio.

Agentes arrestaron a Baltazar, de nacionalidad dominicana, por nueve cargos de proporcionar información falsa a un prestamista prendario y 23 cargos de tráfico de propiedad robada.

Su fianza figura como “por establecer” en los registros carcelarios de Miami-Dade.

Según la portavoz de BSO, Gerdy St. Louis, agentes acudieron al Weston Hills Golf Course, ubicado en 2600 Country Club Way, a las 7:17 p.m. del 18 de abril por un grupo de niños que conducían motocicletas motorizadas y un carrito de golf en el campo.

“En la escena, los agentes se reunieron con un testigo que indicó que los menores fueron vistos deteniéndose abruptamente y derrapando sobre los greens”, dijo St. Louis en un comunicado de prensa. “Un video tomado por el testigo muestra a varios menores en el campo de golf participando en travesuras criminales”.

Según St. Louis, cuatro adolescentes fueron vistos conduciendo motocicletas motorizadas a través del campo de golf, mientras que varios otros estaban dentro del carrito de golf, conduciendo sobre el green.

El personal de la instalación estimó que el grupo causó aproximadamente $3,000 USD en daños al campo de golf.

Cualquier persona con información sobre las identidades de los que aparecen en el video debe llamar a la detective de BSO Weston, Maria Ropain, al 954-626-4005 o enviar una pista a través de la aplicación SaferWatch.

Quienes deseen permanecer en el anonimato pueden llamar a Broward Crime Stoppers al 954-493-TIPS (8477), o enviar una pista en línea en browardcrimestoppers.org.

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According to BSO spokeswoman Gerdy St. Louis, deputies were called to the Weston Hills Golf Course, located at 2600 Country Club Way, at 7:17 p.m. on April 18 about a group of kids riding motorized bikes and a golf cart on the course.

“On scene, deputies met with a witness who stated the juveniles were seen stopping abruptly and skidding across the greens,” St. Louis said in a news release. “Video footage taken by the witness shows several juveniles on the golf course engaging in criminal mischief.”

According to St. Louis, four teens were spotted riding motorized bikes through the golf course, while several others were inside the golf cart, driving on the green.

Staff at the facility estimated that the group caused about $3,000 in damage to the golf course.

Anyone with information about the identities of those seen in the video is asked to call BSO Weston Detective Maria Ropain at 954-626-4005 or submit a tip through the SaferWatch app.

Those who wish to remain anonymous may call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477), or submit a tip online at browardcrimestoppers.org.

Libros con las rúbricas y un cuadro simbólico con el conteo de las mismas fue entregado durante un acto que culminó con una marcha de decenas de miles de personas en conmemoración del Día Internacional del Trabajador.

El mitin central se desarrolló en la llamada Tribuna Antiimperialista frente a la embajada de Estados Unidos en La Habana. La televisión nacional mostró imágenes de manifestaciones similares en las principales provincias del país.

Las tensiones entre Cuba y Estados Unidos escalaron luego de que el presidente Donald Trump atacara Venezuela para capturar al presidente Nicolás Maduro en enero e impusiera un bloqueo petrolero contra Cuba.

En las últimas semanas Trump incluso amenazó varias veces con “tomar” la isla.

“No somos un pueblo que agrede, aue siembra el odio, el fanatismo o la confrontación. Somos un pueblo noble, de buenos sentimientos, dispuesto a defender sus conquistas”, dijo en el discurso central del mitin Osnay Miguel Colina, miembro del Comité Central del Partido Comunista de Cuba.

El secretario de Estado norteamericano Marco Rubio —hijo de emigrantes cubanos residentes en Florida— acusó a la isla de ser un Estado inoperante, al punto del colapso y base para enemigos de su país como China. Cuba rechazó las acusaciones.

Debido al cerco energético la isla recibió apenas un barco de petróleo ruso en cuatro meses. La nación caribeña produce sólo el 40% del crudo que necesita su economía por lo que esta se encuentra semiparalizada y con largos apagones.

En primera fila del mitin estuvieron el líder revolucionario y expresidente Raúl Castro y el actual mandatario Miguel Díaz-Canel. Los manifestantes portaban banderas cubanas y rojas, carteles en defensa de la revolución y en contra de las sanciones de Estados Unidos.

Según indicó el locutor del acto, se registraron 6,2 millones de firmas de cubanos mayores de 16 años en respaldo a la campaña “Mi firma por la patria” que comenzó el 19 de abril. La recolección de las rúbricas se desarrolló en centros de trabajo y estudio, organizaciones no gubernamentales y sindicatos.

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A woman, identified as Saian Aquila Civil, 28, was shot in the chest, according to deputies who found her shortly after 1:35 p.m. on Wednesday near Northwest 22 Avenue and 90 Street.

“As I was watching TV, I heard two gunshots, ‘POW! POW!’ Then, I heard someone hollering, screaming,” said the earwitness, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel took Aquila Civil to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where she died, according to deputies.

Deputies detained a man and a woman and closed Northwest 90th Street from 22nd to 21st avenues.

Within the area enclosed by crime scene tape, a yellow evidence marker was on the ground near a resin plastic high-back chair.

Residents said people had complained about crime in the area and asked for MDSO deputies to “shut the corner down.” On Thursday afternoon, deputies kept orange barricades to block the area.

Detectives asked anyone with information about this or other cases to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477 to remain anonymous.

Local 10 News Assignment Editor Carson Merlo and Senior Assignment Editor Frine Gomez contributed to this report.

Crime scene area

Watch the 3 p.m. report

La capital mexicana y las ciudades aledañas, que constituyen una de las zonas urbanas más extensas y pobladas del mundo, con unos 7.800 kilómetros cuadrados (3.000 millas cuadradas) y cerca de 22 millones de habitantes, se construyeron sobre el lecho de un antiguo lago. Muchas calles del centro fueron alguna vez canales, una tradición que continúa en las zonas rurales periféricas.

El bombeo intensivo de agua subterránea y el desarrollo urbano han reducido drásticamente el manto acuífero, lo que significa que la Ciudad de México se ha estado hundiendo durante más de un siglo, dejando muchos monumentos y edificios antiguos, como la Catedral Metropolitana, cuya construcción comenzó en 1573, visiblemente inclinados. La contracción del acuífero también ha contribuido a una crisis crónica de agua que, según previsiones, no hará más que empeorar.

“Esto daña parte de la infraestructura crítica de Ciudad de México, como el metro, el sistema de drenaje, el agua, el sistema de agua potable, la vivienda y las calles”, afirmó Enrique Cabral, investigador que estudia geofísica en la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. “Es un problema muy grande”.

La Ciudad de México se hunde tan rápido que el proceso puede observarse desde el espacio.

En algunas zonas, el hundimiento ocurre a una tasa promedio de 0,78 pulgadas (2 centímetros) al mes, según el informe recién publicado por la NASA, como en el aeropuerto principal y en el emblemático monumento conocido comúnmente como el Ángel de la Independencia.

En conjunto, eso significa una tasa anual de hundimiento de alrededor de 24 centímetros (9,5 pulgadas). En menos de un siglo, la caída ha sido de más de 12 metros (39 pies), según Cabral.

“Tenemos una de las velocidades de hundimiento del terreno más rápidas en todo el mundo”, señaló.

Los cálculos de la NASA se basan en mediciones tomadas entre octubre de 2025 y enero de 2026 por un potente satélite conocido como NISAR, que puede rastrear cambios en tiempo real en la superficie terrestre y es una iniciativa conjunta entre la NASA y la Organización India de Investigación Espacial.

El científico de NISAR Paul Rosen señaló que, al captar detalles de la Tierra desde el espacio, el proyecto también “nos dice algo sobre lo que realmente ocurre debajo de la superficie”.

“Básicamente, es documentación de todos estos cambios dentro de una ciudad”, explicó. “Se puede ver la magnitud total del problema”.

Con el tiempo, el equipo espera poder acercarse aún más a zonas específicas y algún día obtener mediciones edificio por edificio.

De manera más amplia, los investigadores esperan aplicar la tecnología en todo el mundo para monitorear cosas como desastres naturales, cambios en líneas de falla, los efectos del cambio climático en regiones como la Antártida y más.

Rosen indicó que dicha tecnología podría usarse para reforzar los sistemas de alerta, permitiendo que los científicos adviertan a los gobiernos sobre la necesidad de evacuaciones en casos de erupciones volcánicas, por ejemplo.

Para la Ciudad de México, la tecnología representa un gran avance para estudiar el problema del hundimiento y mitigar sus peores efectos, según Cabral.

Durante décadas, el gobierno ha ignorado en gran medida el problema, salvo por estabilizar cimientos bajo monumentos como la catedral. Pero tras recientes recrudecimientos de la crisis del agua, Cabral señaló que las autoridades han comenzado a financiar más investigación.

Las imágenes del satélite NISAR y los datos que las acompañan serán clave para que científicos y autoridades planifiquen cómo abordar el problema.

“Para hacer una mitigación de largo plazo de la situación”, sostuvo Cabral, “el primer paso es simplemente entender”.

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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

The China deal covers Africa's 20 largest economies, including South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria and Kenya. China had already dropped tariffs on 33 poorer African countries, meaning 53 of the continent's 54 nations are now eligible for “tariff-free treatment” for their goods, according to China.

The country not eligible is the small nation of Eswatini because it is the only one in Africa that maintains formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

China says it'll help mutual development

The Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council in China said the agreement would promote the common development of China and Africa. China's official Xinhua News Agency said a shipment of 24 metric tons of apples from South Africa that cleared customs in Shenzhen in the early hours of Friday was the first batch of goods to enter under the new zero-tariff policy.

According to Xinhua, China's Commerce Ministry said it would especially benefit African products like cocoa from Ivory Coast and Ghana, coffee and avocados from Kenya, and citrus fruits and wine from South Africa, which used to face tariffs of between 8% and 30%.

Ivory Coast is by far the world's biggest cocoa producer and it and Ghana account for more than 50% of the global supply. South Africa is a major citrus fruit exporter.

African nations looking away from the US

Several of Africa's top economies said they would look for new markets for some of their U.S.-bound products after the Trump administration imposed reciprocal tariffs a year ago — at one point with rates of 30% for Africa's leading economy, South Africa, and higher than 40% for some other African countries.

“South Africa looks forward to working with China in a friendly, pragmatic and flexible manner,” South African Trade Minister Parks Tau said in February during bilateral talks in China.

While the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Trump's far-reaching global tariffs as unconstitutional in February, the Republican president said his administration had "very powerful alternatives” and promptly rolled out temporary import taxes to replace them.

China is already the biggest trade partner for Africa, a continent of 1.5 billion people that's expected to nearly double to 2.5 billion by 2050, according to the United Nations, when it would have more than a quarter of the world's people.

China dominates a large trade imbalance with Africa

China hailed its tariff-free deal as promoting common development, but there is a large trade imbalance between it and Africa, while African nations owe Beijing billions in debt repayments.

China-Africa trade reached a record $348 billion in 2025, though China's exports to Africa increased by around 25% to $225 billion, while its imports from Africa increased by only around 5% to $123 billion, widening the trade deficit for Africa.

China has long imported raw materials from Africa and sent back manufactured goods. Thierry Pairault, a China-Africa expert at France's National Center for Scientific Research, said that while the new policy might have some benefits for agricultural products, most African raw material exports like oil and minerals already had tariff-free access to China.

“(Chinese leader) Xi Jinping is positioning China as the antithesis of Western protectionism. This gesture is intended to appeal to both African public opinion and global markets,” Pairault wrote in an assessment published by the China Global South Project, which analyzes China's relationship with poor countries.

But the policy “only applies where it costs (China) almost nothing,” Pairault wrote.

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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

Los abogados del rapero, cuyo nombre real es Jamell Demons, destacaron que el joven de 26 años ha estado en la cárcel durante siete años y no ha sido condenado.

Demons está acusado de asesinar a sus amigos de la infancia Christopher Thomas y Anthony Williams en octubre de 2018 tras una sesión de grabación nocturna y luego hacerlo parecer como una balacera desde un vehículo.

Su primer juicio terminó en un juicio nulo en 2023 después de que el jurado no lograra un veredicto unánime. Ese juicio incluyó acusaciones de manipulación de testigos.

La audiencia del jueves incluyó el testimonio de familiares del rapero y de un oficial de detención de la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward sobre las condiciones de vida del rapero bajo custodia, que incluyen no tener acceso a un teléfono.

El oficial de detención de la BSO testificó sobre las oportunidades recreativas de Demons, indicando que sale a hacer ejercicio tres veces por semana.

Un juez determinará si puede ser liberado bajo fianza o permanecer bajo custodia mientras espera el nuevo juicio.

The king delivered a diplomatic master-class on the trip, mixing praise for his host with subtle criticism. It’s unclear, though, whether it will make a major difference to a trans-Atlantic relationship troubled by divisions over issues including the Iran war.

“In the short term probably yes, in the long term probably no,” said Kristofer Allerfeldt, a University of Exeter professor specializing in American history. But he said Charles had “definitely clawed back some of the prestige of the monarchy” in his homeland with his assured performance.

“He’s done us proud,” Allerfeldt said.

Like all royal visits, the four-day trip to Washington, New York and Virginia by the king and Queen Camilla was a carefully choreographed diplomatic event carried out at the request of the U.K. government. Timed to help mark the United States’ 250th birthday, it was a chance to heal rifts between the U.K. government and the Trump administration.

Trump has criticized Keir Starmer

The president has lambasted Prime Minister Keir Starmer –- whom he once praised –- over his unwillingness to join U.S. military attacks on Iran, dismissing Britain’s leader as “not Winston Churchill,” the World War II prime minister who coined the phrase “special relationship” for the U.K.-U.S. bond.

It’s part of a wider split between Trump and the United States’ NATO allies, whom he has called “cowards” and “useless” for not joining action against Iran.

None of that has soured Trump’s fondness for the British monarchy, which seems to have been deepened by the president’s unprecedented second state visit to the U.K. in September.

Some U.K. opposition politicians had called for the king's reciprocal trip to be canceled, lest the president do or say something to embarrass the monarch.

In the end, there was much warmth and few awkward moments –- though Trump did not always adhere to the convention that conversations with the monarch should remain private.

At a white-tie state dinner on Tuesday, Trump said “Charles agrees with me, even more than I do” that Iran must never have nuclear weapons.

Trump also said that “if that were up to him,” the king “would have followed the suggestions we made with respect to Ukraine.”

Buckingham Palace appeared relaxed about Trump’s Iran comment, noting that “the king is naturally mindful of his government’s longstanding and well-known position on the prevention of nuclear proliferation.”

The king’s speech chided Trump policies

On Ukraine, however, differences were clear. The U.K. has been one of Kyiv's strongest supporters in its fight against Russia’s invasion, and in a speech to Congress the king underscored the importance of the need for “unyielding resolve” to support Ukraine.

It was one of several implicit rebukes to the “America first” U.S. administration in the speech, the centerpiece moment of the trip.

With regal understatement and in a cut-glass accent, Charles stressed the essential role of NATO, the importance of checks on executive power, the threat posed by climate change and the strength drawn from “vibrant, diverse and free societies.” He spoke of his pride at having served in the Royal Navy, a force Trump has disparaged.

“It’s difficult to imagine he could have gone much further in what he said and what he didn’t say,” historian Anthony Seldon told The Guardian. “He judged it incredibly well: very brave, very smart, very clever.”

Allerfeldt noted the “extraordinary” reception from both sides of the political aisle to the speech, which drew multiple standing ovations.

“Apart from the section on the natural world and the environment, both Republicans and Democrats stood up and applauded,” he said.

In a less formal speech at the state banquet, the king even drew laughs when he joked about British troops burning down the White House in 1814.

The king alluded to Epstein's victims

The trip was judged a success despite the shadow of the king’s younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who has been stripped of his royal title of Prince Andrew, exiled from public life and put under police investigation over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. He has denied committing any crimes.

Epstein victims had urged the king to meet with them and other sexual abuse survivors. He didn’t, but he did refer obliquely to the issue in his speech to Congress, mentioning the need to “support victims of some of the ills that, so tragically, exist in both our societies today.”

Andrew Lownie, author of a biography of the former Prince Andrew called “Entitled,” praised the speech as “the best defense of the monarchy in years.”

After the royal couple left the U.S., Trump announced he was lifting certain tariffs on Scotch “in honor of the King and Queen of the United Kingdom.”

Buckingham Palace toasted the announcement, saying the king “sends his sincere gratitude for a decision that will make an important difference to the British whisky industry and the livelihoods it supports.”

Trump called the king “a phenomenal representative” for his country, before turning back to a familiar theme: criticizing Starmer.

The president told Sky News that Charles is “a much different person than your prime minister.

“Your prime minister has to learn to deal the way he deals, and he’ll do a lot better,” he said.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms will cool us down somewhat on Sunday. These storms could become widespread with heavy rain, gusty winds, and frequent lightning. Some of this will linger into Monday as temperatures return to normal in the middle 80s.

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Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said she “believe(s) that this is the longest prison sentence ever for an HOA board president in the United States” as part of one of the largest known HOA frauds in U.S. history.

Marglli Gallego could have spent a lot longer behind bars: She was facing up to 195 years in prison. Instead, after taking responsibility, she received a seven-year prison sentence and seven years of probation. Her husband, Jose Gonzalez, agreed to seven years probation and handing over a $1.2 million property.

The two were part of eight arrested in connection with the HOA theft case.

Prosecutors laid out allegations of grand theft, racketeering and money laundering.

Authorities said the co-conspirators took millions from residents of the southwest Miami-Dade community.

Gallego, 44, was accused of using HOA money for personal expenses. Prosecutors said Gonzalez, 49, received more than $1 million in funds for over-billed work or work never performed

The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office shared video showing hundreds of documents hidden in a spa business.

“A spa, really?” Fernandez Rundle said. “Those are the records. Some of the records.”

Gallego has already spent three-and-a-half years behind bars, so she “has a few more years to go,” her attorney said.

Meanwhile, four other cases remained pending as of Thursday afternoon.

The Hammocks ordeal led to a new law protecting homeowners.

La fiscal estatal de Miami-Dade, Katherine Fernandez Rundle, dijo que “cree que esta es la sentencia de prisión más larga para un presidente de junta de HOA en Estados Unidos” como parte de uno de los mayores fraudes de HOA conocidos en la historia del país.

Marglli Gallego pudo haber pasado mucho más tiempo tras las rejas: enfrentaba hasta 195 años de prisión. En cambio, tras asumir responsabilidad, recibió una sentencia de siete años de prisión y siete años de libertad condicional. Su esposo, Jose Gonzalez, aceptó siete años de libertad condicional y entregar una propiedad de $1,200,000 USD.

Ambos formaban parte de ocho personas arrestadas en relación con el caso de robo en la HOA.

Los fiscales presentaron acusaciones de hurto mayor, crimen organizado y lavado de dinero.

Las autoridades dijeron que los co-conspiradores tomaron millones de residentes de la comunidad del suroeste de Miami-Dade.

Gallego, de 44 años, fue acusada de usar dinero de la HOA para gastos personales. Los fiscales dijeron que Gonzalez, de 49 años, recibió más de $1,000,000 USD en fondos por trabajos sobrefacturados o trabajos nunca realizados.

La Oficina de la Fiscalía Estatal de Miami-Dade compartió un video que muestra cientos de documentos ocultos en un negocio de spa.

“¿Un spa, en serio?”, dijo Fernandez Rundle. “Esos son los registros. Algunos de los registros”.

Gallego ya ha pasado tres años y medio tras las rejas, por lo que “le quedan algunos años más”, dijo su abogado.

Mientras tanto, otros cuatro casos permanecían pendientes hasta la tarde del jueves.

El caso de Hammocks llevó a una nueva ley que protege a los propietarios de viviendas.

For that, Palou has earned a multi-year contract extension on his current deal that ran through the 2027 season. The extension was finalized following this week's two-day Indianapolis 500 test. Ganassi never publicly discloses contract terms.

The reward capped a celebratory week for Palou, who drove into Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the defending Indy 500 winner for testing and saw a larger-than-life banner of himself chugging the traditional winner’s milk. It’s the main banner as you enter the speedway — key placement he’d seen reserved for rival drivers the previous six years.

“I took a picture when I was driving by and sent it to my parents,” Palou said.

Palou has won four IndyCar championships in five years, including the last three consecutive titles. He won eight times last season, including the 500, as he's blossomed in IndyCar since joining Ganassi in 2021.

Ahead of the Long Beach Grand Prix two weeks ago, former Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi was asked if anything had surprised him through the first quarter of the season. His response was immediate: “Yeah, that Alex has only won two races. And isn’t the points leader.”

Palou responded by winning Long Beach to give him three wins through five races this year and reclaim the top spot in the championship standings.

“It’s incredible, actually amazing,” said rival driver Will Power, a two-time IndyCar champion and Indianapolis 500 winner. “It’s something I’ve been thinking about the last week or so because once again, he’s gone out and won three out of five races. I mean (Kyle) Kirkwood's average finish is like three-point-something and he’s not leading the championship, which is insane.

"So it’s something I’m absolutely, like, how is he doing that week in, week out? Well, it’s one, he’s qualifying well. Two is he executes in the race and three is the pit stops, you know, top notch, there’s no mistakes in there. And he’s fast. So that’s what it takes when you’re driving out there.”

His 22 career victories through 103 starts ranks fifth in 121 years of IndyCar history. Sebastien Bourdais won 31 times in that span in the diluted Champ Car era, A.J. Foyt won 30, Mario Andretti 27 and Ralph DePalma 26.

Palou’s four titles already match Andretti and Bourdais, and in the post-World War II era, Palou’s 61 top-five finishes in his 103 starts trails only Andretti, who had 64.

Dario Franchitti, a four-time IndyCar champion and three-time Indy 500 winner, is now a driver coach and consultant for Ganassi. He believes there hasn’t been a driver this dominant in the series since Alex Zanardi, who won 12 races and back-to-back titles for Ganassi in 1997 and 1998.

“Winning one championship is one thing, but then the subsequent ones, it gets progressively more difficult,” Franchitti said. "Just watching what he's done, and at this early stage in his career, it's something very special. And the level of domination, that's the icing on the cake.

“You feel sorry for the others. I've said to him a number of times, ‘I would have hated racing against you.’ He is the complete package.”

At Long Beach last month, rival driver Pato O'Ward conceded his McLaren team has not closed the gap at all on Palou and the No. 10 Ganassi team.

“The guy goes into every weekend being able to win. Honestly, it's impressive to see,” O'Ward said. “The gap is as big as its been and we're working hard to try to be at the level he is of being able to win every race, but we don't have that.”

Connor Daly believes the domination is a combination of Palou's flawless performances and the strength of his race team.

“Alex is very good, but that team when they’re called upon, they don’t make mistakes and that is what is so important about this game,” Daly said. “Everything has to be, everyone has to be on the same page and he is, like without a doubt, one of the best drivers in the world right now.”

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

Explosions and a fire were recorded on the premises of local oil infrastructure, the statement from the General Staff said. Local officials in Russia said a Ukrainian drone attack sparked the blaze and that no casualties were reported.

The facility had been hit previously on April 16, April 20 and April 28. Regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said a fire at the city’s oil refinery had also been extinguished Thursday, less than 24 hours before the latest strike.

Meanwhile, Russian attacks continued to strike Ukraine.

Russia attacked the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil with over 50 drones on Friday, according to mayor Serhii Nadal.

Hits were recorded in industrial facilities and infrastructure, he said. At least 10 people were wounded, he added, while some neighborhoods remain without electricity as a result of the mass attack.

Two multi-story residential buildings and port infrastructure in Odesa were damaged after Russian forces launched another overnight drone attack on the southern region, local authorities said.

As a result of the strikes, an apartment in a 16-story building was destroyed and the roof caught fire. In another high-rise residential building, a fire engulfed the 12th floor, according to Ukraine's Emergency Service.

In a post on Telegram, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at least five people were wounded in the region. He said damage from overnight attacks was also recorded in the central city of Kryvyi Rih and the northeastern Kharkiv region, where railway infrastructure was hit.

“Russia continues to attack our energy infrastructure, critical infrastructure, and civilian objects. Tonight, there were 210 drone strikes, and about 140 of them were “Shahed” drones,” Zelenskyy wrote.

Según un informe de arresto de la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward, el 13 de noviembre de 2024, una víctima de Montana envió por correo al sospechoso, Salvatore De Rosa, de Deerfield Beach, monedas valoradas en $246,599 USD.

Los detectives dijeron que la víctima creía que enviaba las monedas a un comerciante legítimo de oro y plata llamado AMG Rarities, con la intención de venderlas.

De acuerdo con el informe, De Rosa pagó para que la víctima enviara las monedas a través de FedEx en cuatro cajas, pero después de recibirlas, dejó de toda comunicación con la víctima.

Los detectives dijeron que la víctima luego recibió de vuelta cuatro cajas llenas de papel de impresora.

Según el informe, los investigadores descubrieron que De Rosa firmó por las cajas.

Pero cuando los detectives fueron a su casa el 6 de enero de 2025, dijeron que él afirmó que su “negocio de mercadeo” había sido disuelto seis meses antes y que, aunque firmó por las cajas, nunca las abrió y las envió de regreso al remitente “desconocido” al día siguiente a su propio costo de $300 USD.

Los detectives dijeron que De Rosa repitió “una y otra vez” que proporcionaría el recibo de rastreo de devolución de FedEx, pero luego entró a la casa y cerró la puerta.

Según el informe, De Rosa sí proporcionó una copia del recibo a las autoridades al día siguiente, pero una investigación adicional reveló que las cajas pesaban 81 libras al momento de la entrega y solo 31.30 libras cuando fueron enviadas de regreso a Montana.

Desde el año pasado, los detectives dijeron que han hecho múltiples intentos para localizar a De Rosa, con “resultados negativos”.

Los registros carcelarios en línea muestran que fue arrestado el jueves por un cargo de hurto mayor en primer grado.

Hasta la mañana del viernes, permanecía detenido en la cárcel principal del condado Broward sin derecho a fianza.

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According to an arrest report from the Broward Sheriff’s Office, on Nov. 13, 2024, a victim from Montana mailed the suspect, Salvatore De Rosa, of Deerfield Beach, $246,599 worth of coins.

Detectives said the victim believed he was sending the coins to a legitimate gold and silver dealer named AMG Rarities, with the intent to sell the coins.

According to the report, De Rosa paid for the victim to ship the coins via FedEx in four boxes, but after receiving the boxes, De Rosa stopped all communication with the victim.

Detectives said the victim later received four boxes back filled with printer paper.

According to the report, investigators discovered that De Rosa had signed for the boxes.

But when detectives went to his home on Jan. 6. 2025, they said he claimed that his “marketing business” had been dissolved six months ago and that while he signed for the boxes, he never opened them and shipped them back to the “unknown” sender the following day at his own expense of $300.

Detectives said De Rosa repeated “over and over” that he would provide the FedEx return tracking receipt, but then went inside and closed the door.

According to the report, De Rosa did provide a copy of the receipt to law enforcement the following day, but further investigation revealed that the boxes weighed 81 pounds on delivery and just 31.30 pounds when they were sent back to Montana.

Since last year, detectives said they have made multiple attempts to locate De Rosa, with “negative results.”

Online jail records show he was arrested Thursday on a first- degree grand theft charge.

As of Friday morning, he was being held at the Broward County Main Jail without bond.

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According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the carjacking was reported at about 12:30 p.m. at a Chevron gas station located at 1277 W. Hillsboro Blvd.

Deputies said the agency’s V.I.P.E.R. (Violence Intervention Proactive Enforcement Response) Unit and Aviation Unit located the stolen vehicle a short time later and conducted a “PIT maneuver” on the vehicle in the area of 3400 W. Sunrise Blvd.

The driver, identified as Antonio Laazaro Dominguez, was then taken into custody,

He faces charges of carjacking, aggravated fleeing with injury or damage and probation violation.

As of Friday morning, he was being held at the Broward County Main Jail without bond.

The Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery, which represented Baselitz, said the artist died on Thursday, citing his family. It said he died “peacefully,” but did not give a cause of death.

Born Hans-Georg Kern, Baselitz took his artistic name from the village of Deutschbaselitz in the eastern Saxony region, where he was born on Jan. 23, 1938, in Nazi-ruled Germany before the outbreak of World War II. After growing up in the ruins of the war, he left the then-East Germany in 1957 at a time of rising political pressure, and emigrated to the West.

“I was born into a destroyed order, into a destroyed landscape, into a destroyed people, into a destroyed society,” he told German news agency dpa before his 85th birthday.

The gallery called him “a titan of contemporary painting, sculpture, drawing and printmaking" and “one of the most important artists of our time," who influenced fellow artists and the international art world.

His first exhibition in 1963 reportedly caused a stir, with a vice squad identifying pornography in at least two of his paintings, and confiscating them.

He was often described as an “artist of rage,” and had a motto of "contradiction," according to dpa.

His works hang in some of the world's top galleries and have fetched millions at auction. In 2017, German police announced they had recovered 15 stolen paintings and drawings by Baselitz worth around 2.5 million euros ($2.9 million).

Baselitz recalled that some of his earliest recognition came in the 1960s through his series of golden-colored “Hero” paintings, based on fictional characters from Russian civil war novels. The works depicted broken figures staggering toward the viewer in ragged uniforms — in distorted sizes, giant hands and small heads. His battle-weary hero, “Der Hirte (The Shepherd)” from 1966 won international acclaim.

In 1969, Baselitz created “Der Wald auf dem Kopf,” (The Forest on its Head), his first “inverted” painting — featuring trees upside down, a theme that would become one of his trademarks.

“Georg Baselitz did not just turn his paintings upside down; he also turned our thinking routines upside down,” German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said. “Having experienced the destruction and suffering of the Second World War as a child, the collapse of all order forced him to question everything around him.”

Baselitz mused about his long career in a recent video, commenting that “typical painting has never appealed to me.”

“I actually wanted to be more of a black-and-white painter, and above all, I didn’t want to work spatially, perspectively, with shadows and light and such things that arise with the imitation of nature," he said while seated in a wheelchair in a paint-smudged jacket.

“I must say that throughout my life, I was not aware that I was a painter of color, even though I am constantly told that I have such wonderful colors,” Baselitz said.

Baselitz said he sought to “construct my connection to the world, to myself and to my wife,” using the most “simple and ordinary" means possible. He spoke in a video from the Giorgio Cini Foundation in Venice, which is hosting an exhibition of Baselitz's “Golden Heroes” works from May 6 to Sept. 27.

A “Naked Masters” exhibit at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna in 2023 spanned his half-century career and dealt with controversial themes of nudity — notably of the painter and his wife, Elke — displayed alongside oil paintings by old masters also evoking nudity.

He is survived by his wife and sons, Daniel Blau and Anton Kern, the gallery said.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward, el robo de auto fue reportado alrededor de las 12:30 p.m. en una gasolinera Chevron ubicada en 1277 W. Hillsboro Blvd.

Agentes dijeron que la Unidad V.I.P.E.R. (Respuesta de Aplicación Proactiva de Intervención contra la Violencia) y la Unidad de Aviación de la agencia localizaron el vehículo robado poco tiempo después y realizaron una “maniobra PIT” al vehículo en el área de 3400 W. Sunrise Blvd.

El conductor, identificado como Antonio Laazaro Dominguez, fue puesto bajo custodia.

Enfrenta cargos de robo de auto, fuga agravada con lesiones o daños y violación de libertad condicional.

Hasta la mañana del viernes, permanecía detenido en la cárcel principal del condado Broward sin derecho a fianza.

La fiscal estatal Alexcia Cox confirmó en un comunicado de prensa obtenido por Local 10 el jueves que Corrinne Blue enfrenta tres cargos de homicidio vehicular por el accidente del 21 de noviembre de 2024 que cobró la vida del cabo Luis Paez Jr., el agente Ignacio “Dan” Diaz y el agente Ralph “Butch” Waller.

Según el sheriff de PBSO, Ric Bradshaw, el accidente ocurrió alrededor de las 9 a.m. en la cuadra 18000 de Southern Boulevard, justo al oeste de Seminole Pratt Whitney Road, cerca de Lion Country Safari.

Bradshaw dijo que los agentes se habían detenido a un lado de la carretera en una franja de césped esperando cables de batería cuando un SUV impactó sus motocicletas mientras esperaban asistencia.

También confirmó que Blue se dirigía hacia el este en el carril central en un Jeep Grand Cherokee e intentó rebasar a un vehículo más lento por la derecha cuando, según los investigadores, sobrecorrigió, desviándose hacia los agentes y “lanzando a los tres por el aire en diferentes direcciones”.

Los agentes dijeron que los hallazgos preliminares sugieren que Blue no estaba bajo los efectos de sustancias. Sin embargo, sí confirmaron que sufrió heridas menores en el accidente.

Según la Patrulla de Carreteras de Florida, Blue conducía el SUV de manera “insegura” y a una velocidad muy por encima del límite establecido de 55 mph cuando impactó a los agentes.

“Estos cargos siguen a una revisión exhaustiva de la evidencia y marcan un paso importante en la búsqueda de justicia para las familias del cabo Paez, el agente Diaz y el agente Waller”, escribió Cox en el comunicado. “Estos agentes estaban sirviendo a esta comunidad cuando sus vidas fueron trágicamente arrebatadas por una conductora imprudente”.

Dave Kerner, director ejecutivo del Departamento de Seguridad Vial y Vehículos Motorizados de Florida, dijo que las autoridades apoyan la decisión de presentar cargos.

“Estamos agradecidos por la decisión de la fiscal estatal Alexcia Cox y su oficina de solicitar y obtener esta orden de arresto por delito grave”, dijo Kerner. “Ahora centramos nuestra atención en el proceso judicial, donde un jurado de los pares de la acusada decidirá el resultado final”.

Kerner agregó que, independientemente del resultado, los tres agentes “son recordados como héroes de nuestra comunidad”, reconociendo la pérdida que sienten sus familias, la oficina del sheriff y la comunidad en general.

Los investigadores dijeron que el caso será manejado por la Unidad de Homicidios de Tráfico de la Fiscalía Estatal.

La información sobre la fianza de Blue y su foto policial no estuvieron disponibles de inmediato.

El hombre de 50 años enfrenta cargos por atacar a hombres en la playa el miércoles, en el 9559 de Collins Ave., según un informe de arresto de la Policía de Surfside.

Dos hombres reportaron que Levi “se enfureció” cuando supo que las sillas eran solo para residentes, según la Policía.

Levi “agarró una sombrilla de playa e intentó golpear” a un hombre, y “agarró un taladro y cargó contra” otro hombre, según la Policía.

“Te voy a matar”, le dijo Levi al hombre, según el informe de arresto policial.

Los agentes reportaron que “Levi se negaba a cumplir … permaneció sentado en la silla de playa”, y pateó a un agente policial durante su arresto.

Correcciones de Miami-Dade ingresó a Levi el miércoles por la noche en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight. Compareció ante la corte de fianza el jueves.

Levi enfrenta nuevos cargos de intento de agresión agravada con un arma mortal, agresión a un agente policial y daños criminales.

Los registros judiciales muestran que Levi tiene antecedentes de arresto en Miami Beach. En 2018, fue arrestado por robo con allanamiento y hurto menor. En 2023, fue arrestado por conducta lasciva y obscena, hurto mayor, agresión y cargos relacionados con resistirse al arresto. Los casos fueron desestimados.

La jueza del Tribunal de Circuito del condado Miami-Dade, Marisa Tinkler Mendez, estaba programada para presidir el nuevo caso.

Historia relacionada: VER: video de cámara corporal muestra arresto de hombre desnudo acusado de intentar robar una moto acuática

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

The jockey looked to be out of luck after Silent Tactic was ruled out earlier this week because of a foot injury. Trainer Mark Casse said it was an easy decision in the best interests of the horse but that he felt badly for Torres.

With Robusta getting in off the also-eligible list, O’Neill tapped Torres for the mount because Emisael Jaramillo was already booked to ride at Santa Anita Park in California on Saturday.

Robusta was the second-to-last horse eligible for the opening leg of the Triple Crown. Dallas Stewart's Corona de Oro would draw in if there are any additional scratches to the current field of 20 horses.

In addition to Right to Party and Silent Tactic, Brad Cox scratched Fulleffort after an X-ray revealed a chip and fluid in the colt's left hind ankle.

Right to Party was a veterinarian scratch, not a choice made by McPeek and owner Chester Broman Sr.

“The safety and well-being of the racehorses training and competing in Kentucky are the center of everything we do,” the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Commission said in a statement.

“(The commission) closely monitors data pertaining to scratches, including those based on the advice of our regulatory veterinarians,” the organization said. "It is one of the most difficult parts of the job, as we share the goal of each horse’s connections for the horse to compete safely. ... We all want what is best for the horse.”

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This story has been corrected to show that Corona de Oro is also eligible if there is another scratch.

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

One of the world's most sprawling and populated urban areas, at 3,000 square miles (about 7,800 square kilometers) and some 22 million people, the Mexican capital and surrounding cities were built atop an ancient lake bed. Many downtown streets were once canals, a tradition that continues in the rural fringes.

Extensive groundwater pumping and urban development have dramatically shrunk the aquifer, meaning that Mexico City has been sinking for more than a century, leaving many monuments and older buildings — like the Metropolitan Cathedral, where construction began in 1573 — visibly tilted to the side. The contracting aquifer has also contributed to a chronic water crisis that is only expected to worsen.

“It damages part of the critical infrastructure of Mexico City, such as the subway, the drainage system, the water, the potable water system, housing and streets,” said Enrique Cabral, a researcher studying geophysics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. “It’s a very big problem.”

Mexico City is sinking so fast that the subsidence can be spotted from space.

In some parts it is happening at an average rate of 0.78 inches (2 centimeters) a month, according to NASA’s newly released report, such as at the main airport and the iconic monument commonly known as the Angel of Independence.

Overall that means a yearly subsidence rate of about 9.5 inches (24 centimeters). Over the course of less than a century, the drop has been more than 39 feet (12 meters), according to Cabral.

“We have one of the fastest velocities of land subsidence in the whole world,” he said.

The NASA estimates are based on measurements taken between October 2025 and January 2026 by a powerful satellite known as NISAR, which can track real-time changes on the Earth’s surface and is a joint initiative between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization.

NISAR scientist Paul Rosen said that by capturing details of the Earth from space, the project is also “telling us something about what’s actually happening below the surface.”

“It’s basically documentation of all of these changes within a city,” Rosen said. He added: “You can see the full magnitude of the problem.”

With time the team hopes to be able to zoom in even more on specific areas and someday get measurements on a building-by-building basis.

More broadly, researchers hope to apply the technology around the world to track things like natural disasters, changes in fault lines, the effects of climate change in regions like Antarctica and more.

Rosen said it could be used to bolster alert systems, letting scientists alert governments to the need for evacuations in cases of volcano eruptions, for example.

For Mexico City the technology amounts to a big advance in studying the subsidence issue and mitigating its worst effects, according to Cabral.

For decades the government has largely ignored the problem other than stabilizing foundations under monuments like the cathedral. But following recent flare-ups of the water crisis, Cabral said, officials have begun to fund more research.

Imagery from the NISAR satellite and the data that comes with it will be key for scientists and officials as they plan on how to address the problem.

“To do long-term mitigation of the situation,” Cabral said, “the first step is to just understand.”

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

But this year, delays in Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program that has shielded her and hundreds of thousands of others from deportation, led to her missing her renewal deadline, losing her job and fearing detention in the country she has called home since she was 6 years old.

She said that as an immigrant in the U.S., fear has become her “new baseline." “But now, having a new level of vulnerability, it was a very quick increase in the fear," said Candia.

Renewal wait times for the Obama-era program that allows people who were brought to the U.S. as children to temporarily remain in the country and work have increased to levels not seen since 2016 when there were significant technical issues.

Some of the program’s more than 500,000 beneficiaries, often referred to as “Dreamers,” have waited months for an answer only to see their deadline pass without a decision. Now they’re stuck in a type of limbo in which their work authorization disappears, oftentimes along with their driver’s license, and their ability to stay in the U.S. is at risk.

“It’s not just anecdotal; it’s happening at a larger scale than we’ve ever seen before,” said Greisa Martinez Rosas, executive director of United We Dream, an immigrant youth-led network.

No numbers were available on how many people have recently missed their renewal deadline despite applying 120 to 150 days before their DACA lapses, which is what U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services recommends.

“Under the leadership of President Trump, USCIS is safeguarding the American people by more thoroughly screening and vetting all aliens, which can lengthen processing times," Zach Kahler, an agency spokesperson, said in a statement.

Wait times nearly 5 times longer

DACA grants those who qualify two-year, renewable permits to live and work in the U.S. It does not confer legal status but is meant to offer protection from deportation.

From October 2025 to the end of February 2026, the median wait time for renewals was about 70 days, compared to about 15 days in fiscal year 2025, according to USCIS. This is the longest median wait time since 2016, when it was about 79 days, according to the agency’s data, which did not include 2020 because of the pandemic.

The Department of Homeland Security attributed the 2016 delays to technical issues that emerged as it transitioned to fully processing DACA renewals in its electronic immigration system.

At the end of April 2026, USCIS was reporting that the majority of renewal requests were being completed within about 122 days. That marked a two-week increase from the processing times listed earlier that month.

Federal lawmakers and immigrant groups say some applicants recently have had to wait 6 months — about 183 days — or longer.

“The delays that people are concerned about used to be sort of a matter of weeks at a time,” U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said in an interview. “Now it’s from a few months to many, many months.”

He is one of dozens of lawmakers behind letters sent to federal agencies that question the inflated wait times and whether people who have missed their renewal deadline are being targeted for arrest or deportation.

More than five months after Elsa Sanchez submitted her DACA renewal request, she is still waiting for an answer. When the deadline passed at the beginning of April, she was put on leave at her job at a healthcare IT company and now, as a single mother of a college freshman, has no income.

It's made her worried about everything from traveling to spending money on pricier household products like shampoos and detergents.

“I’m like, ‘I don’t know, maybe I can cut down on that. Maybe I don’t need this,'" she said. “Because I’m saving every penny.”

Sanchez said something similar happened about a decade ago, but this time she's scared of the possible repercussions amid President Donald Trump’s mass deportations agenda.

Since DACA's introduction in 2012, it's faced myriad legal battles, including two that made it to the Supreme Court. And now, while the government is still approving renewals, a 2025 federal court decision means it isn't processing first-time applications and has left the door open for another possible trip to the Supreme Court.

Hundreds of DACA recipien

ts arrested

In the first 11 months of 2025, more than 250 DACA recipients were arrested and 86 deported, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said earlier this year. She said the majority of those arrested had “criminal histories,” without indicating the nature of the crimes or if they were arrests, charges or convictions. In a separate response to a Democratic congresswoman’s inquiry, DHS reported conflicting numbers saying that 270 were arrested and 174 DACA applicants were removed in the first nine months of 2025.

Their eligibility is dependent in part on not having a felony conviction, a significant misdemeanor or three misdemeanors. Previously, if their status was in jeopardy, they would get a warning and still have the chance to fight it before immigration officers detained them and began efforts to deport them.

Kahler, from USCIS, said that DACA recipients are not automatically protected from deportation.

“Any illegal alien who is a DACA recipient may be subject to arrest and deportation for a number of reasons — including if they committed a crime,” he said.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to questions about whether DACA beneficiaries were being targeted after missing their renewal deadlines.

But federal lawmakers have recently noted people picked up by ICE after their DACA lapsed.

Their protections may have been further eroded with a precedent decision last week in which the Board of Immigration Appeals determined that DACA status alone is not enough to stop deportation.

People from certain countries may be most at risk

Experts have suggested the longer wait times could be related to the biometric appointments, which were paused during the pandemic, being restarted. Some may also not be getting approved by their deadline because they're not sending it in by the recommended time.

Maria Fernanda Madrigal is an immigration attorney and DACA recipient who submitted her renewal application about a month and a half before the deadline because she said that’s all the processing time that’s been needed in the past. She said she was also waiting for her job to hold a DACA workshop so that she could get the more than $550 fee for renewal waived.

Earlier this month, her DACA lapsed and the mother of three was let go from her job.

“My first concern was my cases, to be honest, because I knew I was going to have to hand off everything, and my team is already overworked,” said Madrigal.

Immigration attorneys have also said that USCIS has paused processing renewals for people from dozens of countries the agency described in recent policy memorandums as “high-risk” following presidential proclamations. The National Immigration Law Center estimated that as many as 3,000 to 4,000 people could be impacted.

“This process that has no timeline is leading to people from certain countries experiencing a pause. And we don’t know how long that pause will be in place," said Ignacia Rodriguez Kmec, attorney at the National Immigration Law Center.

Every day, Candia checks on her renewal. She said she's most afraid of being locked up in bad conditions in an ICE detention facility, but also thinks about what it would be like returning to Bolivia after more than 25 years.

“If God forbid that happened, it would break my heart because I’ve been in this country since I was 6," she said. “My entire life is here.”

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“There’s this fella called Santa Claus -- and we arrested Santa Claus,” authorities said.

The arrest is raising alarm, with officials calling it a shocking case.

“Thousands and thousands of children have sat on this guy’s lap, thinking he was Santa Claus -- but what he was, was a child sex predator,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

Investigators identified the suspect as Thomas Allen Hicks.

They say the 68-year-old portrayed Santa Claus at major community events, including Lakeland’s Christmas parade for the past three years, becoming a familiar face to families across the area.

He also made several appearances at local schools and was described as well regarded in the community.

According to detectives, Hicks believed he was arranging to have sex with a 13-year-old girl after responding to an online ad as part of an undercover operation.

Authorities say he was actually communicating with an undercover deputy.

Deputies say Hicks agreed to pay $200 for sex with the minor and later drove to a meeting location in Lakeland, where he was taken into custody.

He was not alone.

In total, 19 suspects were arrested in the operation.

According to the sheriff, Hicks told detectives he has been married for more than 50 years but regularly checked adult websites looking for prostitutes or companions.

He is now facing several charges, including human trafficking and traveling to meet a minor.

As the island’s energy crisis deepens, a growing number of Cuban families say another emergency is unfolding.

In Little Havana, Ailex Marcano says she is constantly living in prayer — and in pain.

“Freedom for my son -- I beg you, Lord,” she said.

Her only child, Ángel Jesús, has been in a Cuban prison for the past five years.

She says the 31-year-old P.E. teacher was detained after taking part in the historic “Patria y Vida” protests of 2021.

Activist groups say he is one of an estimated 1,200 men and women jailed for protesting against the Cuban government — a number they say continues to rise.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel recently said in an interview that there are no political prisoners in Cuba.

Jorge Luis García Pérez, known as Antúnez, says he spent years behind bars in Cuba after speaking out against communism.

He says his brother, religious leader Loreto Hernández García, and his sister-in-law, Donaida Pérez, are serving 7- and 8-year sentences for their roles in human rights demonstrations on the island.

He says the issue of political prisoners is being overlooked.

“It pains me -- the issue of political prisoners,” he said.

He also believes that, unlike Venezuela, Cuba will not see change without a complete shift in government.

When asked about freeing political prisoners, Díaz-Canel again said there are none in Cuba.

Both García and Marcano are now living in exile in Miami.

They say they fear for their loved ones’ safety and are speaking out because their families asked them to.

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State Attorney Alexcia Cox confirmed in a news release obtained by Local 10 that Corrinne Adrianna Blue, 32, faces three counts of vehicular homicide in the Nov. 21, 2024 crash that claimed the lives of Corporal Luis Paez Jr., Deputy Ignacio “Dan” Diaz and Deputy Ralph “Butch” Waller.

According to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, the crash occurred around 9 a.m. that day in the 18000 block of Southern Boulevard, just west of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road, near Lion Country Safari.

Bradshaw said the deputies had pulled over on the side of the road in a grassy swale, waiting for battery cables, when an SUV struck their motorcycles.

He also confirmed that Blue was heading eastbound in the center lane in a Jeep Grand Cherokee and attempted to pass a slower-moving vehicle on the right when investigators said she overcompensated, veering into the deputies and “sending all three airborne in different directions.”

Deputies said preliminary findings suggest Blue was not impaired. She sustained minor injuries in the crash.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Blue was driving the SUV in an “unsafe manner” and at a speed well above the posted 55 mph limit when she struck the deputies.

“These charges follow a thorough review of the evidence and mark an important step in the pursuit of justice for the families of Corporal Paez, Deputy Diaz, and Deputy Waller,” Cox wrote in the news release. “These deputies were serving this community when their lives were tragically taken by a reckless driver.”

Dave Kerner, executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, said officials support the decision to pursue charges.

“We are thankful for the decision of State Attorney Alexcia Cox and her office in seeking and obtaining this felony warrant for arrest,” Kerner said. “We now turn our attention to the judicial process, where a jury of the defendant’s peers will decide the ultimate outcome.”

Kerner added that, regardless of the outcome, the three deputies “are remembered as heroes of our community,” acknowledging the loss felt by their families, the sheriff’s office and the broader community.

Investigators said the case will be handled by the State Attorney’s Office Traffic Homicide Unit.

As of Thursday, Blue was being held without bond at the Palm Beach County Main Jail.

Local 10 obtained a statement from PBSO on behalf of Bradshaw, which you can read here:

Devon Germano was seen making a quick exit Thursday after posting bond.

He’s charged with two counts of aggravated assault.

According to arrest documents, the incident happened April 18 in the 2000 block of Northeast Ninth Avenue in Wilton Manors.

Two people were making the delivery -- a driver and a passenger.

While dropping off the food, the driver told investigators he received a notification that the order had been canceled and asked the passenger to bring the food back so it could be returned to the restaurant, per Uber Eats policy.

As they were picking up the order, Germano, 30, allegedly opened the door and shouted that they were stealing his food.

According to documents, the driver told Germano the order had been canceled. Investigators say Germano then walked over to a white Tesla and said, “I got something for you,” before pulling out a gun and pointing it at the female passenger.

She told investigators that, fearing for her life, she put the food on the ground and got into the vehicle.

Investigators later obtained a search warrant for the Tesla and say they found a 9mm handgun and a USB drive.

Both victims told investigators Germano “intentionally threatened their lives by his actions.”

In court, a judge set his bond at $15,000 and ordered that he have no contact with the victims, along with no firearms or ammunition.

Authorities later determined Germano’s order had not been canceled. However, the next order the driver was scheduled to deliver had been.

Police Chief Edwin Lopez was at the Cadillac Golf Championship at Trump National Doral Golf Club to demonstrate the department’s new drones.

“The planning is very complex when creating an operational plan of this magnitude,” said Lopez.

Aimed at improving surveillance, Lopez said DPD received $40,000 in state funding to purchase two drones.

“Whether it comes to special events, whether it comes to monitoring a critical incident, whether it comes to monitoring traffic or even finding a missing child, this type of technology really puts us at the forefront,” said Lopez.

Local 10 News also caught up with the department’s lead drone pilot, Officer John Medina.

“People may be leaving a bag or a box somewhere, where it shouldn’t be on the side of the road, or in a pathway,” he said. “Any kind of fights that may be going on, public disturbance, we can fly and get there before any officers on the ground will be there.”

From above, officers can track crowds, monitor entry points, and spot potential problems before they escalate.

“We need to gather intelligence in real time,” said Lopez. “Many times, we can get there seconds faster, seconds means saving lives, so we are able to monitor remotely from our command center, or from even a cellphone, the actual incident.”

Doral Mayor Christi Fraga says Doral is the epicenter of some big events this year, and security is top of mind.

“Having eyes from above really can help us zoom in and not only identify a person if we need to, but find someone if we need to,” she said.

As for this weekend’s golf tournament, the drones will add an extra layer of security for all those attending.

“We are monitoring rooftops, surrounding areas, intersections around the community, not only for the players but any dignitaries that visit, any folks that may have threats,” Lopez said.

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“I live right there -- that could be me,” one neighbor said.

Sky 10 was over the scene shortly after the collapse on a block near East 63rd Street and Fourth Avenue. The boom on the heavy-duty mobile crane was fully extended when it toppled over, barely missing a home where a man’s wife and children were inside.

“It sounded very strong and I expected that something happened,” said Mayra Jimenez, who lives two doors down from where the boom came to rest.

Jimenez rushed outside after hearing the crash.

“I think everything was OK. I feel lucky, but nothing happened -- not even my car and not even my neighbor’s,” she said.

Police responded to the scene, roping off traffic and keeping neighbors at a distance from the situation.

Florida Power & Light crews were also spotted nearby, as the crane appeared to have taken down part of a tree and a concrete pole.

“This is crazy what we’re seeing here,” said Richard Alberto, whose home sits directly across the street.

The all-terrain crane, capable of lifting up to 800 tons, had its outriggers -- or stability plates -- extended at the time of the collapse.

Sims Crane & Equipment dispatched additional mobile cranes to help lift the overturned equipment, a delicate and dangerous operation unfolding in the middle of the residential neighborhood.

“It could be something worse, so we are grateful nothing happened,” Jimenez said.

Overnight, crews were busy cleaning up the mess, even cutting away a downed pole.

Removing the boon of the crane from the neighborhood was a time-consuming operation, though.

By Thursday morning, the job was done and that heavy duty equipment was righted and towed away.

Exxon Mobil and Chevron reported quarterly results on Friday, with adjusted profits for both companies topping Wall Street expectations. The shares of both companies, up sharply this week, ticked higher before the opening bell.

With energy prices depressed at the start of the year, Exxon Mobil and Chevron had arranged hedges to offset volatility, a standard practice in the industry. Companies and investors through hedges lock in a price in advance to protect themselves from futures swings. That can provide them with some predictability on costs.

In the aftermath of an attack by the U.S. and Israel on Iran, however, the physical delivery of oil became impossible with the Strait of Hormuz essentially closed. Exxon and Chevron cannot book gains on those hedges until the crude is physically delivered.

The near closure of the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran is a flashpoint in the war and the source of much of the economic pain being felt globally. About 20% of the world’s oil passes through the strait on a typical day, but the passage has been choked off since the war began in late February.

Exxon earned $4.18 billion, or $1 per share, for the period ended March 31. A year earlier it earned $7.7 billion, or $1.76 per share. The company lost almost $4 billion in the quarter on what it called “unfavorable estimated timing effects” of its hedges.

Removing such one-time impacts, Exxon earned $1.16 per share, 9 cents better than Wall Street projections, according to a survey by Zacks Investment Research predicted. Exxon does not adjust its reported results based on one-time events such as asset sales.

Revenue totaled $85.14 billion, breezing past Wall Street's expectation of $81.49 billion.

First-quarter net production was 4.6 million oil-equivalent barrels per day. That’s down from 5 million oil-equivalent barrels per day in the previous quarter.

“If you look at the unprecedented disruption in the world’s supply of oil and natural gas, the market hasn’t seen the full impact of that yet," CEO Darren Woods said during a conference call. "So there’s more to come if the strait remains closed, why haven’t we seen those impacts manifest themselves fully in the market yet? Well, I think we all know there was a lot of water and a lot of oil in transit on the water, a lot of inventory on the water.”

Chevron reported a first-quarter profit of $2.21 billion, or $1.11 per share. It earned $3.5 billion, or $2 per share, a year earlier.

The company said that its quarter included a $360 million net loss related to a legal reserve and that foreign currency effects lowered earnings by $223 million.

Chevron's adjusted profit was $1.41 per share, easily beating the 92 cents per share Wall Street was calling for. Like Exxon, Chevron does not adjust its reported results based on one-time events such as asset sales.

The company's revenue totaled $48.61 billion, also better than expected.

Exxon and Chevron are among the big drillers reporting earnings this week. On Tuesday BP said that its first-quarter profit more than doubled.

The oil companies' results come at a time when gasoline prices in the U.S. hit new multiyear highs, a point of increasing agitation for travelers, households and also businesses that are particularly sensitive to higher energy prices.

The average price of gasoline in the U.S. hit $4.39 on Friday, according to motor club AAA, up more than 8% this week.

Inflation in the U.S. rose sharply in March, fueled by the largest jump in gas prices in six decades, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor. The surge in gas prices has squeezed the budgets of lower- and middle-income families, making it more difficult to pay for necessities.

But it’s disrupting businesses as well, particularly those sensitive to higher fuel costs. Airlines worldwide have begun canceling flights as the war in the Middle East strains jet fuel supplies and pushes up ticket prices.

Oil prices eased on Friday, helping to steady the relatively few stock markets open worldwide on the May Day holiday.

The statement furthers an argument laid out by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during testimony in the Senate on Thursday, when he said the ceasefire effectively paused the war. Under that rationale, the administration has not yet met the requirement mandated by a 1973 law to seek formal approval from Congress for military action that extends beyond 60 days.

While the ceasefire has since been extended, Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. Navy is maintaining a blockade to prevent Iran’s oil tankers from getting out to sea.

Here's the latest:

King Charles III wins praise for deft handling of Trump on his US state visit

President Trump sang the praises of King Charles III after the monarch’s state visit this week. He even lifted some tariffs on Scotch whisky as a favor to the British monarch.

The king delivered a diplomatic master-class on the trip, mixing praise for his host with subtle criticism. It’s unclear, though, whether it will make a major difference to a trans-Atlantic relationship troubled by divisions over issues including the Iran war.

“In the short term probably yes, in the long term probably no,” said Kristofer Allerfeldt, a University of Exeter professor specializing in American history. But he said Charles had “definitely clawed back some of the prestige of the monarchy” in his homeland with his assured performance.

“He’s done us proud,” Allerfeldt said.

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Joe Biden endorses a former Atlanta mayor and White House adviser for Georgia governor

The former Democratic president is wading into the midterms, making his first political endorsement of the 2026 cycle by backing Keisha Lance Bottoms for the state’s top job.

Bottoms served as Biden’s senior adviser for public engagement after her tenure as Atlanta mayor.

In a one-minute video promoting her candidacy, Biden praised her track record as mayor and said “those same qualities that made her a great mayor made her invaluable to our administration — smart, focused, gets things done.”

“She handled it all with steady and thoughtful leadership,” Biden said in the video. “That’s the definition of battle-tested.”

After major enforcement operations, the Trump administration recalibrates its immigration crackdown

When Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin was questioned by senators during his confirmation hearing about his vision for implementing President Trump’s mass deportation agenda, he said his goal was to keep his department off the front pages of the news.

To some degree, he has. Gone are the social media video clips of now-retired Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino clashing with protesters. Mullin’s predecessor, Kristi Noem, made her first trip as secretary to New York City to make arrests with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In contrast, Mullin went to North Carolina to review hurricane recovery efforts.

The Republican administration appears to be recalibrating its approach to a centerpiece policy that helped bring Trump back to the White House, moving in many ways away from aggressive, public-facing tactics toward a quieter approach to enforcement. Despite that shift, the administration insists it’s not backing down from its lofty deportation goals.

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Republicans say they will defer to Trump on Iran war despite arrival of 60-day deadline

Many Republicans who have been uneasy with Trump’s war in Iran emphasized that there would be a May 1 deadline for Congress to intervene. But the date is now set to pass with no action from GOP lawmakers who continue to defer to the White House.

Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, Congress must declare war or authorize the use of force within 60 days — a deadline that falls on Friday — or within 90 days if the president asks for an extension. But Congress made no attempt at enforcing that requirement, leaving town for a week on Thursday after the Senate rejected a Democratic attempt to halt the war for a sixth time.

The Trump administration has shown no interest in seeking congressional approval at all. It is arguing that the deadlines set by the law don’t apply because the war in Iran effectively ended when a ceasefire began in early April.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Thursday he doesn’t plan on a vote to authorize force in Iran or otherwise weigh in.

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Trump gives go-ahead to major new Canada-US oil pipeline

President Donald Trump granted a key approval Thursday for a major new oil pipeline from Canada into the U.S. that’s been dubbed “Keystone Light” over its similarities to a contentious project blocked by the Biden administration.

The three-foot-wide (1 meter) Bridger Pipeline Expansion would carry up to 550,000 barrels (87,400 cubic meters) of oil a day from Canada through Montana and Wyoming, where it would link with another pipeline.

The pipeline needs additional state and federal environmental approvals before construction, which company officials expect to start next year. Environmentalists hope to stop the project over worries that the pipeline could break and spill.

At peak volume, the 650-mile (1,050-kilometer) pipeline would move two-thirds as much oil as the better-known Keystone XL pipeline that got partially built before President Joe Biden, citing climate change, canceled its permit on the day he took office in 2021.

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Prosecutors release video of armed man storming correspondents’ dinner

Federal prosecutors released a video Thursday showing the moment authorities say a man armed with guns and knives tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and attempt to kill Trump.

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for Washington, posted the video on social media amid questions over whose bullet struck a Secret Service officer as Cole Tomas Allen ran through security with a long gun toward the hotel ballroom packed with journalists, administration officials and others.

Prosecutors had previously claimed the agent was shot in the bullet-resistant vest during the melee, but had not confirmed it was Allen who shot the agent. Pirro, however, said Thursday that there is no evidence that the officer was hit by friendly fire.

Allen was injured but was not shot during the Saturday night attack at the Washington Hilton, which disrupted one of the highest-profile annual events in the nation’s capital.

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Trump administration says its war in Iran has been ‘terminated’ before 60-day deadline

The Trump administration is arguing that the war in Iran has already ended because of the ceasefire that began in early April, an interpretation that would allow the White House to avoid the need to seek congressional approval.

The statement furthers an argument laid out by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during testimony in the Senate earlier Thursday, when he said the ceasefire effectively paused the war. Under that rationale, the administration has not yet met the requirement mandated by a 1973 law to seek formal approval from Congress for military action that extends beyond 60 days.

A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the administration’s position, said for purposes of that law, “the hostilities that began on Saturday, Feb. 28 have terminated.” The official said the U.S. military and Iran have not exchanged fire since the two-week ceasefire that began April 7.

While the ceasefire has since been extended, Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. Navy is maintaining a blockade to prevent Iran’s oil tankers from getting out to sea.

▶ Read more

All-night sessions. Hours of dead zones with no action on the floor. Legislation being written on the fly, behind closed doors. Sudden votes scheduled. Spectacular failures. And, as happened this week, stunning turnarounds in which the House actually passes bills.

"Sometimes it’s an ugly process, sometimes it’s a long process," Johnson said after House passage of a bipartisan bill to fund much of the Department of Homeland Security, ending the longest agency shutdown in history. "But we got it done."

Republicans, who face an uphill climb this election year to keep hold of their paper-thin House majority, appear at times as if they are still learning on the job, years after having returned to power in 2022, while they are also about to ask voters in November to rehire them for another term.

This week's starts and stops — for example, five hours of delay as Johnson huddled behind closed doors to salvage his agenda, then a sudden vote tally near 11 p.m. — would typically have been the kind of situation that shocked the political and procedural senses. Now, it's just another Wednesday.

Or two weeks ago, when a routine House Rules Committee hearing ended up becoming a midnight forum to debut a just-produced 14-page bill to revise a surveillance bill, known as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, before it was rushed to the floor for a 2 a.m. vote. It failed.

“House Republicans have shown again that they can’t govern,” said Rep. Ted Lieu of California, part of Democratic leadership.

“They routinely pass bills to the Senate that are way too extreme, then it ends up that we have all these floor session days where we’re just doing nothing,” he said.

House GOP's slim majority makes leader's job challenging

Johnson, who took over for the ousted Kevin McCarthy more than two years ago, is presiding over one of the slimmest House majorities in modern times, leaving him no room to spare if he's trying to pass legislation on party line votes, without Democrats.

The speaker is juggling not only President Donald Trump's priorities but also those of the various factions that make up his majority, from the conservative House Freedom Caucus to what remains of the GOP's more pragmatic conservatives.

And Johnson’s own future is always in question, after Republicans chased other speakers, including McCarthy, John Boehner and Newt Gingrich, to early exits.

Last year Johnson, of Louisiana, led passage of the party's signature achievement, a big bill of tax breaks and safety net cuts, which Trump signed into law. At the time, he quipped about the difficulty of getting it over the finish line.

“I do so deeply desire to have just a normal Congress,” the speaker said in July.

“But it doesn’t happen anymore," he said. “Our way is to plow through and get it done."

What's ahead as House GOP tries to stay in power

Ahead of the fall elections, Johnson and other Republican lawmakers have discussed an agenda that includes the promise of another GOP-only budget package like the tax cuts bill that they could push through the House and the Senate, without Democratic votes.

Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, said Thursday that he expects “the centerpiece” of that package "will be supporting our troops" with more than $100 billion in funding for the war against Iran as well as money to replenish defense munitions and other Pentagon-related needs.

Despite the turbulent week in the House, Arrington said what they're calling budget reconciliation 3.0 should be the “next order of business.”

Yet GOP lawmakers may decide it's better to skip the hard work of legislating, and the dramatic upheavals that tend to come with it, and hit the campaign trail to win over voters instead.

Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., the chairman of the House GOP's campaign arm, the National Republican Congressional Committee, acknowledged that trying to pass legislation with such a tight majority "can be rough. It's ugly."

“I'd be fine with letting us go home and campaign,” Hudson said. “But we've got a lot of important work still to do.”

Some of Johnson's most ardent sparring partners, those most conservative Republican lawmakers, turned their blame for the messy process not on Johnson's leadership but on their own GOP allies across the Capitol in the Senate, who often dismiss the House's work.

“Yeah, sometimes, it gets a little tense,” said Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas. “But we’re still getting stuff done. We’re sending it over to the Senate. So we look forward to them doing their job.”

Last weekend Fisher took the stage in a former Presbyterian church that he bought for a song and converted into a performance space and recording studio he calls Ragamuffin Hall, in the rural Pennsylvania community of McCoysville.

Fisher performed two sold-out concerts with Ben and Rose Stoltzfus, a married couple whose Amish background and church choir harmonies have drawn millions of YouTube clicks. It was a sort of warmup for shows they're playing together in the coming months at much larger theaters in Pennsylvania and Indiana.

“Ragamuffin Hall,” Fisher said, "is supposed to be a place where those weird things that'll get you ostracized everywhere else, we're like, 'Oh, no, that's a gift. And here's how you use it.'”

Fisher's parents were both raised in Amish families but his father joined a Mennonite congregation as a young adult. Among the Mennonite churches Fisher attended as a boy, musical instruments were rarely used.

Nonetheless, his father was a fan of Johnny Cash and didn't look too closely at what was on Fisher's MP3 player. When Fisher's brother came home from a camping trip with a mix CD featuring Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers and the Beach Boys, it changed his life.

“It blew my mind, right?” Fisher, now 31, recalled. He started learning keyboards and then guitar, bass and drums before adding music production — “mostly because I was dead set on making a living with music.”

“My buddies would be like, ‘Hey, I wrote a song for my girlfriend. Can you do a track?' And I’m like, sure.”

Recording in a converted church

He moved to Tennessee as a young adult and for three years immersed himself in the songwriting industry — the Oak Ridge Boys even recorded one of his tunes. But the road life didn't suit him — particularly bar gigs.

“There's drinking and carrying on,” Fisher said. “It's just not me. I'm not a prude, but I just don't enjoy that scene.”

Fisher considers his wife and three children his main priority and he remains a faithful Mennonite — his pastor once asked him why he didn’t just start a cabinetry business and launch a prison ministry. Yet his music production work eventually grew to the point three years ago that he could stop working as a carpenter.

In 2022, Fisher learned an old brick church several miles from his home was up for sale. After he laid out his vision for making it into a music incubator, they sold it to him below market value.

Musicians now regularly find their way to Ragamuffin Hall, mostly to record “clean country music" and rootsy bluegrass with a heavy dose of gospel. The acts he's recorded include an Amish man who played steel guitar with his son's band, a musician who drove for hours from Missouri and an Amish band from Ohio.

Last Saturday, he sprinkled his own songs between tunes made popular by Waylon Jennings, Alison Krauss and Don Williams. After a short set by Fisher's five-piece band, they stayed on stage to back up Ben and Rose. Fisher used an electric guitar fashioned from a beam recovered during his renovations of a church stairwell.

The overwhelmingly white matinee crowd consisted mostly of older people and included several of the musicians' family members. Downstairs, Ragamuffin Hall T-shirts were for sale alongside $3 homemade whoopie pies, a regionally ubiquitous Pennsylvania Dutch dessert.

A paradigm shift on stage

The insular culture and unadorned lives of conservative Anabaptist people aren't often associated with music, but Amish sacred music dates back half a millennium. Their 900-page hymnal — the “Ausbund” — was composed in part by Anabaptist prisoners in 16th century Germany and is still used today.

Fisher’s Amish roots and ability to speak Pennsylvania Dutch, the Old Order Amish dialect, has helped build rapport with likeminded musicians.

But Amish church music is almost always group singing only, without instruments or soloists. And the community generally discourages public performances and other “acts of pride.”

“There's a lot of great talent in that community that goes undeveloped because," Fisher said — using a Pennsylvania German phrase — "that's just, ‘we don’t do that,' you know.”

That's the sort of pushback he received in February after uploading a rollicking, live version of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” to YouTube. Fisher felt compelled to respond.

“I'm a believer, I'm a man of faith, and I'm not ashamed of that,” he replied in a video message. “But I do play a lot of different kinds of music, just like, you know, if you're a shed builder you build sheds for all kinds of people, not just churches and schools.”

Elam Stoltzfus, director of the Nicholas Stoltzfus Homestead in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, said it was “one of the shocks of my life” to attend a charity fundraiser last year at a farm where Ben and Rose performed. (Stoltzfus is a common name among the Amish.) There were bright lights, a video screen, barbecued chicken and vendors selling T-shirts, CDs and books.

Stoltzfus, whose family left the Old Order in the mid-1960s when he was 10, said the gathering was packed with Mennonite and Amish people. They weren’t dancing, but they did clap.

“I was thrilled to see this happen, because I knew this was a paradigm shift," he said. “When I was a teenager, it would never have happened.”

Legions of fans on social media

Amos Raber, of Goshen, Indiana, also grew up in a “horse and buggy” Amish family and considered himself Amish until he turned 22. Nowadays, he supports his family with concert performances and revenues garnered from what he says are millions of clicks a month on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music and Facebook.

In recent decades, Raber said, he's seen Amish youth increasingly come together with guitars to sing. But they can still run up against prohibitions on public performances.

“Most times, if you see someone who's really Amish doing that kind of thing, they're probably not going to be Amish long,” Raber said. Since they began recording and performing music, Ben and Rose have left their Amish church and joined a different Christian congregation. They declined comment for this story.

LeRoy Stoltzfus, a singer-songwriter living near Lancaster, was 13 when his family left the Amish church. He said changes in the Lancaster Amish settlement in recent years have made it easier for people to leave without losing contact with families and friends, a process called “shunning” that has long fascinated outsiders.

After years of playing guitar as a church worship leader and after spending four years at a Colorado Bible college, he's now making a living as a musician, stitching together concerts with online ad revenue and recordings for a fan base that includes many Amish and formerly Amish people.

“Ever since I can remember I wanted to be a star,” LeRoy Stoltzfus said. “But the older I got, I realized it wasn't about me — it was about putting out music and helping people.”

‘I would have laughed at you’

Justin Hiltner, a Nashville-based banjo player and songwriter who serves as managing editor of the roots music blog “The Bluegrass Situation,” said after delving into the music he was impressed with its quality. He said he also got the sense that Ben and Rose and Conrad Fisher and the others are building a musical community.

“This is clearly not just insular music that’s just facing other Amish folks or other Mennonite folks,” Hiltner said. “Clearly it’s ‘broken containment’ here.”

Hiltner called the music -- and Fisher’s videos -- “really compelling.”

“To kind of an outsider, this is the performance of American essentialism, the rural American ideal, right?” said Hiltner. “I did hear a level of talent that’s very clearly pushing and pulling these folks towards bringing their music to a wider audience.”

Religiously conservative musicians can market their recordings through a network of bookstores across the U.S. and Canada. At one of them, Ken’s Educational Joys in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, racks of CDs are sold alongside a floor-to-ceiling selection of Bibles.

Proprietor Lydell Zimmerman said his biggest music sellers are a cappella recordings, but he's noticed Ben and Rose have drawn a real following.

“I think their presence as an Amish couple singing online is what brought people’s attention to them,” Zimmerman said.

Ben and Rose came to Fisher's studio when Ben's brother, a friend of Fisher's from Lancaster, booked a session there.

He realized right away Ben and Rose had talent. Tapping into Fisher’s production skills, they've amassed more than 30 million views for their videos on YouTube. Eventually he proposed some live shows and the couple agreed.

“I started recording when I was 14,” Fisher said. “If you would have told me two years ago that what's going to put me on the map or boost my business in a big way, it's going to be an Old Order Amish couple, I would have laughed at you.”

___

Associated Press religion coverage 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.

Brailen Weaver is charged with armed bank robbery and firearms offenses that caused death, according to federal court records. Weaver was born in 2007. Neither his exact age nor his hometown were immediately available.

Weaver entered a branch of U.S. Bank in Berea on Thursday, just before 2 p.m. and “immediately shot and killed a male victim” and then fatally shot a teller, according to an FBI affidavit filed in federal court Friday. He checked multiple drawers in the bank and then fled, the affidavit said. Investigators have not said if any money was taken from the bank.

Authorities identified a silver BMW sedan on surveillance video and matched it to a car for sale by Weaver on Facebook, the affidavit said. Investigators were also able to match clothing on the suspect to photos of Weaver on social media. Investigators said Weaver continued to post on social media after the robbery.

The FBI located Weaver’s car on I-75, and he was pursued at speeds over 100 mph (161 kph) Thursday night. He exited the highway into Lexington, where he exceeded speeds of 130 mph (209 kph) before crashing the car and fleeing on foot, the affidavit said.

Kentucky State Police Officer Justin Kearney said in a social media post Friday that a “person of interest believed to be involved in yesterday’s Berea bank robbery has been apprehended."

The affidavit was written before he was captured so makes no mention of an arrest.

Rawl Kazee, a Lexington attorney identified in court records as representation for Weaver, did not immediately return a phone message later Friday morning.

Weaver was born in 2007, according to court records.

Law enforcement officials went door to door in search of information and surveillance video, as well as using helicopters, drones and dogs. The Lexington Police Department and county sheriff’s offices took part in the search, along with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Area schools went into lockdown for a while Thursday until campuses were deemed safe. Students were not allowed to go home on buses and had to be picked up by their parents, state police said.

U.S. Bank said it was working closely with law enforcement and committed to supporting the victims' families and bank colleagues. The small bank branch in the quiet community of Berea is located just a mile from Berea College and its campus that dates back to the 1850s.

“We’re deeply saddened by the tragic event that took the lives of two of our employees at our Berea, Kentucky branch earlier today,” the company said in a statement Thursday. “Our hearts go out to the families of the victims, our colleagues and the entire Berea community.”

Berea is about 36 miles (58 kilometers) south of Lexington.

To some degree, he has. Gone are the social media video clips of now-retired Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino clashing with protesters. Mullin's predecessor, Kristi Noem, made her first trip as secretary to New York City to make arrests with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In contrast, Mullin went to North Carolina to review hurricane recovery efforts.

The Republican administration appears to be recalibrating its approach to a centerpiece policy that helped bring Trump back to the White House, moving in many ways away from aggressive, public-facing tactics toward a quieter approach to enforcement. Despite that shift, the administration insists it is not backing down from its lofty deportation goals.

“Clearly they’ve stepped back from the, for want of a better word, the Bovinoist tactics of before," said Mark Krikorian, the president of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for immigration restrictions. "But it’s not clear this means they’re actually stepping back from immigration.”

The Trump administration launched a series of immigration enforcement operations last year in mostly Democratic-led cities, which drove up arrests in large-scale sweeps. The crackdown sparked clashes between protesters and enforcement officers and led to the shooting deaths in Minneapolis of two U.S. citizens.

Since then, the president’s hard-line anti-immigration agenda has lost popularity with voters and there have been no new high-profile city-based operations launched, raising questions about the administration's strategy.

“We’re still enforcing immigration laws. We’re still deporting illegals that shouldn’t be here. We’re still going after the worst of the worst — but we’re doing it in a more quiet way,” Mullin said in an interview April 16 with CNBC.

Immigration arrests have dropped, but deportation goals remain

ICE arrests have fallen in recent months, and the number of people in immigration detention has dropped from a high of roughly 72,000 in January to 58,000 this week, according to data obtained by The Associated Press.

But in a sign of its continued determination, ICE in budget documents says it plans to remove 1 million people this fiscal year and the next compared with roughly 442,000 people last year. The agency also has plenty of money to carry out its mission, with Congress granting the Department of Homeland Security more than $170 billion for Trump's immigration agenda last year.

The administration aims to have enough space to detain roughly 100,000 people this fiscal year, which would more than double the average daily number held in ICE detention last year. The administration has already expanded its detention capacity with the purchase of 11 warehouses across the country.

“They are working on really building a juggernaut of a system,” said Doris Meissner, who headed the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, a predecessor to ICE, during President Bill Clinton's Democratic administration and is now a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said there had been no change to Trump's strategy.

"President Trump’s highest priority has always been the deportation of illegal alien criminals who endanger American communities,” Jackson said.

ICE did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Stripping away legal protections to ramp up deportations

Advocates for immigrants are bracing for the Trump administration to turn its attention more intently to stripping away protections for migrants with temporary legal status to remain in the U.S. while their cases are being adjudicated.

In one example of this, the number of green cards approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services dropped by half over the course of a year under the Trump administration, according to an analysis by the Cato Institute, which supports immigration into the U.S. Humanitarian visas for refugees or people who qualified for asylum saw the biggest declines.

USCIS spokesman Zach Kahler said the drop was due to increased vetting of applicants by the administration.

The Trump administration has also pushed to strip Temporary Protected Status from hundreds of thousands of people, with a key case weighing whether it's overstepped its power to do so being heard at the Supreme Court this week.

Advocates see it as a way to send a chilling message to immigrant communities and make more people vulnerable to deportation. It also enables the department to operate without the public spectacle of workplace raids or home arrests.

ICE has also focused over the past year on creating agreements with jurisdictions around the country that allow local and state law enforcement to carry out an expanding array of immigration enforcement tasks, ranging from checking the immigration status of people in their jails to incorporating immigration checks during routine traffic stops.

These agreements, known as 287g, have grown from 135 in 20 states before Trump took office to more than 1,400 in 41 states and territories now.

Some states, most noticeably Florida and Texas, have mandated various forms of cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE.

Meissner, from MPI, said Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, is likely to prioritize further discussions about how cities and states can cooperate with ICE.

“At the end of the day, some of this may very well succeed in increasing the numbers,” Meissner said.

Calls to enforce work restrictions

Conservatives who want more deportations say the only way to truly crack down on illegal immigration is to make it so difficult for the migrants to work that they’ll leave on their own.

The Trump administration has already taken steps to make life harder for people in the country illegally including limiting who can live in public housing by immigration status, sharing Medicaid information with ICE and requiring people in the country illegally to register with the federal government.

Krikorian, of the Center for Immigration Studies, said the Social Security Administration could send out letters alerting employers when an employee's name doesn't match their Social Security number. Authorities could repeatedly and consistently carry out audits of I-9 forms, which companies are supposed to fill out and submit to the federal government showing that new hires are legally able to work. And they could require banks to collect citizenship information on customers.

Whatever the strategy going forward, the administration is facing heavy pressure not to back away from its goals.

“The numbers are too low," said Mike Howell, part of the Mass Deportation Coalition, which launched a playbook for how the administration can actually get to a million deportations a year by using tactics such as worksite enforcement.

“The deportation numbers are just too low," Howell said, "and they need to be much higher, and they can be much higher.”

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This story has been corrected to show Meissner’s quote was “working on really building a juggernaut,” not “working really on building a juggernaut.”

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Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Will Weissert contributed to this report.

One of the biggest daytime attractions is the Family Style Food Festival, taking over Wynwood for a one-day celebration of food, fashion and culture. The event features top chefs, local favorites and free general admission.

At night, the city shifts into party mode.

Nightclub E11EVEN Miami, which is known for operating around the clock, is hosting a lineup that includes Snoop Dogg and Afrojack during race week.

Queen Miami Beach is launching “Maxim Miami Race Nights” in partnership with Maxim Magazine, turning its two-story dining space into a nightlife experience with DJs performing late into the night.

Carbone Beach is also returning, offering a luxury “supper club on the sand” experience with high-profile guests and upscale dining.

But one of the most talked-about attractions is a returning viral food item that gained attention during the Miami Open — the $100 “Golden Glizzy.”

“We’re going to have a lot of people coming in from different parts of the world that weren’t able to try it,” said Mario Naar, owner of Chevre Miami.

When asked about the item’s popularity, Nair said, “Who hasn’t tried the golden glizzy at this point, it was (Rick) Ross, (Aryna) Sabalenka.”

The luxury hot dog-inspired dish, along with a new $125 version dubbed the “Gold Digger,” features wagyu, truffle and caviar.

“You guys can try it at any one of our stores in Miami, Nair added. ”This is the last week we’re going to be offering the glizzy and the sandwich, and then we’re putting them six feet under.”

With the Miami Grand Prix underway, organizers say the week continues to draw international crowds, blending motorsport, food and nightlife into one of the city’s busiest event stretches of the year.

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Police said the unnamed man was arrested after the attack Wednesday near David’s Tomb — a holy site outside Zion’s Gate on the southern side of the Old City — “on suspicion of a racially motivated attack,” and remained in custody.

Police video showed the nun bruised and the attacker wearing tzitzit, a fringed undergarment worn by some observant Jewish men.

Olivier Poquillon, the director of the French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research, said the nun was a researcher at the school. He called the attack an “act of sectarian violence" in a post on X.

The Old City in Israel-annexed east Jerusalem is a centuries-old walled enclave built atop millennia of history and home to some of the holiest sites for Jews, Christians and Muslims. It is a flash point for tensions as access and ownership to the sites are deeply entangled with the historic and political claims that lie at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Religious groups have documented a rise in acts of harassment and violence against Christian pilgrims and clergy as well as Palestinian Christian residents, including assaults and spitting, often by ultra-Orthodox Jewish yeshiva students.

Wadie Abunassar, the coordinator of the Holy Land Christian Forum, called attacks targeting Christians a growing phenomenon. He attributed the quick response to the attack on the nun to the fact that it was caught on video.

He said he felt “great anger on the system and great sadness because I feel that this will not end anytime soon.” One of the problems, he said, was the deterrence against such violence.

“Many times in such cases there are no arrests and if there are arrests, sometimes after one or two days, (suspects) are released,” he added. “In some cases, the police do not recommend the prosecution to file charges or to indict them. And in some cases, when there is indictment, the indictment is mild.”

The arrest comes as Israeli treatment of religious minorities is under scrutiny, weeks after police limited access for holiday worship to Muslims as well as Christians, up to Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa.

Israel also drew international criticism after a soldier photographed himself having bludgeoned a fallen statue of Jesus on the cross with an ax in southern Lebanon. Israeli leaders later disavowed the incident and said he would be reprimanded.

“In a city sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike, we remain committed to protecting all communities and ensuring those responsible for violence are held accountable,” Israeli police said in a social media post about the man arrested for attacking the nun.

“There are a lot of young people, mostly young men, going to blue-collar construction jobs, playing the lottery. It drives me crazy,” Bessent said in an interview.

”The best thing you can do is not play the lottery," he said — rather, people should invest and “then watch it grow.”

Bessent spoke to The Associated Press about the basics of building a workable budget and saving for the future at the tail end of Financial Literacy Month, an initiative the billionaire hedge fund manager has made a priority since joining President Donald Trump's administration, driven by a childhood marred by poverty.

Former Treasury Secretaries Hank Paulson and Tim Geithner were known for helping navigate the U.S. out of the global financial crisis. Steven Mnuchin made his mark designing and promoting the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, and Janet Yellen was the only person to also head the Federal Reserve and the Council of Economic Advisers. But Bessent's passion for meeting with community bankers, retirees and schoolchildren to talk about how to budget, save and manage debt is what he hopes, in part, defines his legacy.

His push to promote financial literacy comes as Americans grapple with the cost of housing, groceries, energy and everyday items and are skeptical about the Republican administration's performance on the issue. The latest AP-NORC poll data shows Trump’s approval rating on the economy dropped from 38% in March to 30% in April.

The nation is enmeshed in record levels of debt, which surpassed $39 trillion in March, and critics wonder how Bessent can persuade Americans to save for their futures when the government itself is drowning in debt.

“The Trump administration in particular has a problematic record on cutting taxes without offsets and growing spending," said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

A billionaire with humble beginnings

Bessent, 63, made his money through a long career in hedge funds, including working with George Soros, a financier and philanthropist whom Trump and other Republicans have vilified. Bessent was famously involved in the Soros firm’s 1992 currency speculation against the British pound tied to Black Wednesday, which generated massive profits. Bessent later launched his own hedge fund called the Key Square Group.

But he often talks about his humble beginnings in rural South Carolina, not far from Myrtle Beach, where at the age of 9 he got his first jobs as a busboy at a cafeteria and hustling to set up chairs and umbrellas on the beach. His father, a real estate developer, had lost generations of Bessent family wealth by overleveraging his obligations.

Bessent wanted to attend the U.S. Naval Academy in 1979 but was barred as an openly gay applicant. That also shut the door to joining the foreign service.

He went to Yale University, where his former professor David Darst recalled teaching him about new financial instruments in capital markets. Darst described Bessent as a "guy who’s working at the highest levels, but he’s interested in people learning the ABCs of finance.”

In 2025, Bessent became the nation's first openly gay treasury secretary. “I sit here knowing that President Trump chose me because he believes I’m the best candidate, not because of my sexual preference, not because treasury secretaries with green eyes do better," Bessent said at his confirmation hearing.

After reaching public office, one of Bessent's first actions was relaunching Financial Literacy Month at the agency.

“Wall Street has grown wealthier than ever before, and it can continue to grow and do well,” Bessent has peppered into various speeches over the past year, insisting that his work in the Trump administration is "focused on Main Street.”

During a roundtable with community financial institutions at the department — one of several such events Bessent hosted last month — he listened to bankers express concerns about the a surge in sophisticated fraud schemes targeting customers and their efforts to get high schoolers interested in saving.

“It could be as simple as a 14-year-old starting a savings account and watching interest compound at 4% a year,” said Thomas Fraser, CEO of First Mutual Holding Co. in Lakewood, Ohio, who attended that roundtable.

Promoting financial literacy to young people

Bessent is not a newcomer to preaching financial literacy. Geoff Canada, president of Harlem Children’s Zone, has known Bessent for 30 years and said the treasury secretary has mentored one of the program's scholars for more than a decade. Canada said Bessent has a “deep understanding that financial literacy is essential for fostering real social and economic mobility for America’s children.”

He said Bessent “has championed this issue long before joining the administration, and I know it remains a top priority.”

A conversation with Bessent about financial literacy inevitably turns to Trump Accounts — the financial vehicle meant to give $1,000 to babies born during the Trump administration. That money is then invested in the stock market by private firms, and the children can access the money when they turn 18.

Bessent said he thinks it will encourage a generation of young people to care more about investing as it shows them “the power of compounding, because that money is locked up for 18 years."

But Bessent said people of all ages and income brackets could be better at managing their money. “There’s a narrative that doctors are famously terrible at finance,” Bessent said.

Critics of the treasury secretary’s approach argue that the problem is less about Americans not knowing how to invest and more about people not having enough spare income to do so, as the cost of living has steadily increased and the war in Iran has driven energy prices higher.

“You cannot preach penny-pinching while making it harder for Americans to pay their grocery, utility and healthcare bills,” said Emily DiVito, senior adviser for economic policy at the left-leaning Groundwork Collaborative. “If Secretary Bessent is serious about advancing financial literacy, he should focus on lowering the cost of living for working families.”

Rising debt in the foreground

Bessent's desire to see Americans invest wisely comes as the U.S. debt has reached record levels — and the trajectory of those increases is a cause for concern for budgeting experts.

The U.S. national debt hit $37 trillion in August and then $38 trillion just two months later. Now, it’s at $39 trillion and has surpassed the size of the economy.

Budget advocate MacGuineas warned that the long-term trend of borrowing more and paying more in interest will force Americans to face tougher fiscal tradeoffs ahead.

She praised Bessent for having the goal to cut deficits in half and bring them down to 3% of gross domestic product but said ”it’s going to take a combination of spending reductions, revenue increases and economic growth” to get there.

The Treasury argues that the federal deficit decreased during Trump’s first year back in office and that the provisions in Republicans' tax cuts law have put money back in Americans' pockets.

“It's hard to disagree with the fact that we need more financial literacy in this country,” MacGuineas said. “The bigger picture, of course, is that we should also probably give a financial literacy class to our lawmakers."

The activists, Spanish-Swedish citizen of Palestinian origin Saif Abukeshek and Brazilian citizen Thiago Ávila, were among dozens of activists intercepted by the Israeli navy off the coast of Crete. They are members of the Global Sumud Flotilla's steering committee, whose mission was to break Israel's naval blockade and bring some humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory.

In all, 22 boats and 175 activists were intercepted by the Israeli navy. Activists said Israeli forces stormed their vessels, smashed engines and detained some of those onboard. The incident occurred hundreds of miles (kilometers) from Gaza and Israel overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.

Israeli officials said they needed to take early action against the flotilla before it reached Israeli waters because of the high number of boats involved.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said Friday on X that it was taking the two activists to Israel for questioning, and that Abukeshek was “suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organization” and Ávila was “suspected of illegal activity," without providing evidence.

In a joint statement, the governments of Brazil and Spain condemned “the kidnapping of two of their citizens in international waters by the Government of Israel." Unlike other flotilla participants who were disembarked in Crete, the Spanish and Brazilian activists remained detained aboard an Israeli navy ship in Greek territorial waters.

“This flagrantly illegal action by the Israeli authorities outside their jurisdiction constitutes a violation of International Law, which may be invoked before international courts, and may constitute a crime in our respective national jurisdictions,” the statement added.

The governments of both nations demanded the immediate return of their citizens and immediate consular access.

Activists say they were mistreated by Israeli forces

The Global Sumud Flotilla appealed for international support to pressure Israel to release the activists. It said it was particularly concerned for Abukeshek, who was aboard an observer boat and did not plan on sailing to Gaza, and Ávila.

“We don’t know if they are still in Greek waters,” Ávila's spouse, Lara Souza, said. She added that Brazil's government told her that once the two activists were taken to international waters, it would become more difficult to achieve their release.

In an audio message released Friday, Spain's Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares demanded Abukeshek's immediate release. Around 30 other Spanish citizens disembarked in Crete and were assisted by the embassy in Greece, he said.

Flotilla organizers said Israeli authorities denied activists food and water and forced them "to sleep on floors that were deliberately and repeatedly flooded.”

When Israeli forces proceeded to take Abukeshek and Ávila away, the group resisted and were met with “sheer violence,” flotilla organizers said in a statement Friday. “Participants were punched, kicked and dragged across the deck with their hands bound behind their backs. They suffered broken noses, cracked ribs and bloody beatings. Shots were even fired at them in the chaos.”

Some 34 people, including citizens of the U.S., Australia, Colombia, Italy, Ukraine and others were injured and taken to the hospital upon disembarkation, organizers said.

Israeli authorities did not immediately respond to the accusations. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Thursday that activists “taken off the vessels were taken off unharmed.”

Of the 53 vessels that had been sailing prior to the interception, 31 reached safe waters and would continue their attempts to “break the illegal siege of Gaza,” organizers said. The flotilla set sail earlier this month from Barcelona, Spain.

The Greek Foreign Ministry said Thursday that it had asked Israel to withdraw its ships from the area and offered its “good services” for the activists to disembark in Greece and be repatriated.

US condemns the flotilla

Protests in solidarity with the flotilla erupted across several capitals including in Rome, Athens and Istanbul.

The U.S. government described the flotilla as a “pro-Hamas initiative” and called on allies to deny the vessels' port access, among other actions.

“The United States expects all our allies, particularly those who have committed to supporting President Trump’s successful 20-Point Plan, to take decisive action against this meaningless political stunt,” the State Department said.

The flotilla’s latest attempt to reach Gaza comes less than a year after Israeli authorities foiled a previous effort by the group. That attempt involved about 50 vessels and around 500 activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela, and several lawmakers.

Israel arrested, detained and later deported the participants, including Ávila, who claimed Israeli authorities abused them while in detention. Israeli authorities denied the accusations.

The postseason switch sure got flipped against the rival Denver Nuggets, as the players promised all along. The energy and urgency was never greater than in the series-clinching Game 6 victory on Thursday, when the determined Timberwolves shook off the absence of their three best guards and beat the Nuggets 110-98.

“Still part of our growth,” coach Chris Finch said. “We’ve been really good with the high moments. Our consistency sometimes throughout the season isn’t always there, which we don’t really like about ourselves, but we know we have it in ourselves to meet these moments.”

Jaden McDaniels clearly does.

Nobody on the Timberwolves embodies the mercurial nature of this close-knit but often-moody team than McDaniels, the sixth-year forward who made a name for himself in this series.

Tirelessly chasing All-Star guard Jamal Murray around screens and everywhere he tried to go along the perimeter, limiting him to 4-for-17 shooting in Game 6, McDaniels did even more on the offensive end.

With a big chunk of the team's shot creation missing due to injuries to Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo and Ayo Dosunmu, McDaniels went 13 for 25 from the floor for 32 points with 10 rebounds.

“What I was the most proud about him was just his emotional control, being able to stay poised, not overreact to adversity, calls or missed shots, or mistakes,” teammate Rudy Gobert said. "He stayed present, and he stepped up big time when we needed him the most, so I’m really, really proud of him.”

McDaniels tossed even more spice into this well-developed rivalry early in the series with his blanket “ bad defenders ” jab at the opponent, and he made no secret of the motivation he gets from seeing “Denver” or “Nuggets” sewed on the other team's jersey.

“The only thing I said to him, after he had made his comments, was, ‘Now it’s time to back it up,’” Finch said. “And talking doesn’t matter. You've got to go do it. I knew he was going to put the effort in, so he was ready for it, and he owned it, and he responded.”

McDaniels later irked Nuggets star Nikola Jokic by taking an uncontested layup in the closing seconds of Minnesota's blowout win in Game 4, sparking a brief shoving match.

McDaniels had his worst game of the series in the loss in Game 5 on Monday, when he was booed often by the Denver crowd, but he responded on his home court with one of the best games of his career.

With the Timberwolves trying to put away the game, McDaniels delivered the dagger shot — swishing his signature mid-range pull-up to give them a seven-point lead with 1:06 to play. Then he intercepted a harried pass by Jokic to get the ball back and start a parade to the line.

Jokic gave McDaniels a hug after the final horn, a sign of respect from the three-time NBA MVP despite the irritation he caused all series long.

“I’m just happy it’s over, happy we were able to come out on top,” McDaniels said. “Stuff was said. I’m just happy we were all able to prove our point, get the win and move on to the next round.”

Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs have been waiting. They'll host Game 1 on Monday.

“I figured the real winner of this series was going to be San Antonio, because both these teams were going to take a lot of pieces out of each other, and did,” Finch said. “So I’m not sure what we have left standing there before we go down there.”

Even if they're short-handed and overmatched, the Timberwolves are a good bet to put up a strong fight.

“You have to believe that you can win, no matter what,” Gobert said. "Obviously we’re missing some pretty important players, right? But no matter who’s out there, we believe in our defense. We believe in trusting one another. Anything’s possible.”

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Ousted in six games by the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first-round series, the Nuggets trudged into the offseason with plenty of questions to answer about their ability to remain a true title contender in the stacked Western Conference. For the first time in four years, the Nuggets failed to make it to May.

“We just lost in the first round, so I think we are far away,” said Jokic, who had 28 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in the 110-98 loss to the Timberwolves on Thursday night.

Four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert deftly neutralized Jokic during the series, even dominating him at times with his long arms, relentless effort and superb positioning.

Jokic found some rhythm and spark in the last two games, but his sidekick Jamal Murray had a rough series. The first-time All-Star, who played in 75 games during the regular season for his most in eight years, was similarly smothered by Timberwolves villain Jaden McDaniels. Murray went just 4 for 17 from the floor and with a game-worst minus-18 rating.

“When I get the looks that I need, they don’t go down,” Murray said. “So that’s the frustrating part, not showing up when my team needed me the most tonight. I feel like if I would’ve played a little bit better we would’ve had that game.”

Missing forwards Aaron Gordon to a calf injury for three of the six games and Peyton Watson for the whole series to a hamstring strain sure didn't help. Cameron Johnson made a late push from the 3-point line, pitching in 27 points in Game 5, but there wasn't enough production beyond Jokic and Murray in this series for the Nuggets to advance, even against a Timberwolves team that was severely short-handed in the backcourt. And their pick-and-roll synergy was largely absent too.

“They were missing a bunch of guys tonight, and they still won. So did we need them? Definitely, but if they are not here, we cannot think, ‘If, if, if, if,’” Jokic said.

After leading the league in offensive rating during the regular season and being held under 100 points only twice, the Nuggets failed to hit triple digits against the feisty Timberwolves three times in the series.

“It’s a miss-or-make league. We couldn’t make any shots," Jokic said. “I’m confident in my and Jamal's two-man game.”

Jokic, who will enter his 12th season in the league in 2026-27, can sign another maximum contract extension this summer. He didn't hesitate when asked about his interest in reupping his commitment.

“I still want to be Nuggets forever,” he said.

Coach David Adelman doesn't have the same security, after finishing his first full year on the job. Might changes be in the works in Denver?

“That’s not my decision,” Jokic said. "Definitely, if we were in Serbia, we would all be fired.”

But in all seriousness, the Joker doubled down on his support of Adelman.

“It’s not his fault we couldn’t rebound. It’s not his fault we couldn’t catch the ball very well. There is nothing to blame David Adelman. It was all us,” Jokic said.

The Nuggets closed the regular season on a 12-game winning streak.

“Very disappointing end to the season. I'm the head coach. I take responsibility for things that didn't go well here,” Adelman said.

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

Essa Suleiman was remanded into custody after appearing in Westminster Magistrates' Court to face two counts related to the attack in Golders Green. He also faces a third count of attempted murder over an incident elsewhere in the city earlier Wednesday that left a man with minor injuries.

Police have labeled the Golders Green attack an act of terrorism.

Suleiman, a Somalia-born British citizen who lives in London, did not enter a plea. His case was transferred to the Central Criminal Court for a May 15 hearing.

Prosecutor Emma Harraway said Suleiman attacked Ishmail Hussein, his friend of 20 years, in south London before taking a train to the north part of the city where he targeted Jews hours later.

Shloime Rand, 34, was stabbed in the chest outside a synagogue, puncturing his lung, and Norman Shine, 76, who was wearing a traditional Jewish skullcap, was stabbed in the neck at a bus stop.

“As Mr. Shine adjusted his kippah, Suleiman ran towards him and set upon him, launching a series of aggressive blows," Harraway said.

Rand was discharged from the hospital and Shine is in stable condition.

Police said Suleiman was referred in 2020 to the government’s Prevent program, which tries to steer individuals away from extremism. The police force said his file was closed later the same year, and didn’t disclose the reason for the referral.

The British government pledged to tackle antisemitism after the stabbings in an area in north London that is an epicenter of Britain’s Jewish community. The assault followed a string of arson attacks on synagogues and other Jewish sites in London in recent weeks.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that his government would increase security for the Jewish community and “do everything in our power to stamp this hatred out.”

Britain’s official terror threat level was raised from substantial to severe after Wednesday’s stabbing attack. Severe is the second-highest rung on a five-point scale and means intelligence agencies consider an attack highly likely in the next six months.

The government said the change was not due solely to the Golders Green attack but also due to increased danger “from Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorist threat from individuals and small groups based in the U.K.”

The trade deal was signed Jan. 17 at a meeting of the South American group. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's move to provisionally enact the deal, effectively sidestepping the EU Parliament, is being challenged by EU lawmakers at the bloc’s judiciary. The agreement will be halted if the European body rules against it.

“This is good news for EU businesses of all sizes, good news for our consumers and good news for our farmers, who will gain valuable new export opportunities, with full protection for sensitive sectors,” she said Thursday.

Von der Leyen is expected to hold a videoconference Friday with leaders of Mercosur nations Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to celebrate the agreement.

Earlier this week, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, one of the key supporters of the agreement, signed a decree validating the deal in his country. He said it is a response to unilateral tariffs imposed last year by U.S. President Donald Trump and a reaffirmation of multilateralism.

“Nothing better than believing in the exercise of democracy, in multilateralism, and in cordial relations between nations,” Lula said in a ceremony in the capital, Brasilia, to celebrate the milestone after more than 25 years of negotiations.

Last week, Brazil's vice president and one of the negotiators of the deal, Geraldo Alckmin, said in an interview with The Associated Press and other news agencies that not striking the deal with the EU would have meant staying behind while competitor nations made other agreements.

Brazil is by far Mercosur’s largest economy, with a gross domestic product estimated at over $2.3 trillion in 2025.

Lia Valls, an associate researcher at the think-tank Fundacao Getulio Vargas based in Rio de Janeiro, agrees that the deal offers better perspectives against unilateralism worldwide.

“The EU and Mercosur are showing that it is possible for big blocs to reach a deal in this world where that multilateral system is being very weakened and where the U.S. clearly operates to do that,” Valls told the AP. “It is a very positive sign.”

The agreement faced opposition from European farmers and environmental groups and was delayed in December, before being referred to the EU’s top court.

South American agribusiness industries, chiefly beef, fruit and minerals, are expecting a boost in exports to Europe. European automakers, pharmaceutical companies and technology firms also look forward to making new inroads in Mercosur markets.

While companies based in Mercosur countries have expressed fear of tough competition from European peers in hi-tech industries, European farmers have shown concerns about price pressures and imports that do not follow similar environmental standards.

French President Emmanuel Macron, one of the critics of the deal, has long demanded safeguards to monitor and stop large economic disruption in the EU, increased regulations in the Mercosur nations like pesticide restrictions, and more inspections of imports at EU ports.

The agreement gradually removes trade barriers and tariffs in the two blocs, but it also keeps economic safeguard clauses for European countries to protect some sectors from excessive competition, such as poultry, beef, sugar, and fruit.

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

Cutter Gauthier had a goal and an assist, Ryan Poehling scored the opening goal and Lukas Dostal made 25 saves in a standout performance for the upstart Ducks, who stormed to their first playoff series victory since 2017 in front of a frenzied sellout crowd.

“It was obviously just an awesome feeling to make the playoffs for all of us,” Terry said. “We knew that this series was there for us if we played the right way. Obviously, they made a push, but I'm just proud of the guys. I thought we played maturely, played hard.”

After ending a seven-year postseason absence by knocking out the powerhouse Oilers, Anaheim will face the winner of the Vegas Golden Knights’ series with the Utah Mammoth. Vegas leads 3-2 heading to Salt Lake City on Friday night.

Connor Murphy and Vasily Podkolzin scored as Edmonton followed up its worst regular season since 2021 by going out in the first round for the first time since that season.

“We were an average team all year, you know?” said NHL scoring champion McDavid, who was held pointless in three of the series' six games. “An average team with high expectations, you’re going to be disappointed. ... They played very fast, and we weren’t very fast. We’ve been searching for consistency all year, and obviously we didn’t find it here in the playoffs.”

After winning nine playoff series, playing 81 postseason games and reaching two Stanley Cup Finals in the past four years, McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers finally appeared to run out of energy and health. They had a disastrous defensive performance against the Ducks, who scored three goals in the first period of Game 6.

“They know how to play the right way, and at the end of the day, I think they were just better than us,” Draisaitl said. “We never really found what you need to find at this time of year, especially to go all the way. In my opinion, just not good enough.”

Even with 14 players making their postseason debuts, the Ducks admirably handled the pressure while winning four of the last five games against the seasoned Oilers. Carlsson had an outstanding Game 6 to cap the 21-year-old center’s strong debut playoff series, while emerging star defenseman Jackson LaCombe scored nine points and led the Ducks’ defensive efforts against McDavid and Draisaitl.

“For sure it was our best game of the series,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. “Could have been our best game of the year. A lot of things went well tonight.”

In Game 6, Anaheim also got its best effort of the series from Dostal, who had the NHL’s second-worst save percentage in the postseason after getting pulled from Game 5. The Czech Olympian was sharp all night, highlighted by a breakaway stop on Zach Hyman.

Backed by a raucous crowd that included Angels slugger Mike Trout, the Ducks scored first in Game 6 for the first time in the entire series when John Carlson’s shot hit Poehling and trickled in for his fourth goal of the series.

Carlsson then set up Kreider off the rush, ending the longtime Rangers star’s 17-game goal drought with his first playoff goal for the Ducks — on his 35th birthday, no less.

Murphy answered for Edmonton 1:31 later, but Gauthier got his fourth playoff goal on a power play when his one-timer arced in off Darnell Nurse’s stick.

Late in a tense second period, Carlsson took the puck from Evan Bouchard and fed Terry for a 4-1 lead.

Edmonton scored early in the third when Kasperi Kapanen’s wide shot deflected in off Podkolzin’s leg, but McDavid and Draisaitl couldn’t get it any closer. The Oilers pulled Ingram with 3:57 left, but Carlsson scored into an empty net.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

With their top three guards missing because of injuries, the Timberwolves went big with Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle and Naz Reid fueling a 64-40 advantage in points in the paint and an 50-33 edge in rebounding.

“This is what you don’t really teach. This is about will. It’s about heart, and that’s how we were able to overcome this great challenge,” said Gobert, who had 10 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.

Minnesota, the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, will start the second round at San Antonio on Monday. The second-seeded Spurs beat Portland in five games in their first-round series.

Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds to lead the Nuggets, but sidekick Jamal Murray struggled to get free from McDaniels and finished with just 12 points on 4-for-17 shooting. Cameron Johnson scored 27 points to lead Denver's 10-for-27 night from deep, but Jokic and the 3-pointers simply weren't enough to keep up with a fiercely motivated Timberwolves team.

“I’m just happy it’s over, happy we were able to come out on top,” McDaniels said. “Stuff was said. I’m just happy we were all able to prove our point, get the win, and move on to the next round.”

With Ayo Dosunmu joining Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo on the inactive list, the Timberwolves were missing a big chunk of their ability to create shots.

Winning this game was going to require extra doses of defense and energy, and they brought both. Shannon added an element of pure speed that the Nuggets couldn’t stop when he found space toward the basket. McDaniels, embracing the villain role, was a monster on both ends of the floor. The Timberwolves fed off the roaring crowd at every turn and consistently made up for their missing offense with hustle and desire.

Shannon’s three-point play with 1:43 left gave the Timberwolves a six-point lead, and McDaniels followed with the dagger shot — his signature mid-range pull-up was a swish from 19 feet to make it a seven-point game with 1:06 to play. Then he intercepted a harried pass by Jokic to get the ball back and start a parade to the line.

Since beating the Timberwolves in five games in the first round and cruising to the NBA championship in the 2023, the Nuggets haven’t found the production or spunk they’ve needed to supplement the three-time MVP Jokic. They extended the series with a decisive win in Game 5 on Monday, but Minnesota’s defense delivered again this postseason in neutralizing Jokic and rendering Murray an afterthought.

McDaniels tirelessly chased him around the perimeter. The four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner Gobert kept giving Jokic a hard time in the paint with his long arms and superb anticipation.

McDaniels tossed even more spice into this well-developed rivalry early in the series with his blanket “bad defenders” jab at the Nuggets, and none of the Timberwolves have made any secret of distaste for their opponent. Then their motivation soared off the charts when DiVincenzo went down in the opening minute of Game 4, and their franchise player Edwards followed him on the injured list. During a stoppage in the fourth quarter, DiVincenzo was shown with a big smile as he sat with his foot propped up in a cast behind the bench.

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Pero debajo de esos paneles hay un pastizal frondoso en lugar de grava, el cual disfruta un pequeño rebaño de ganado que pasa los días mordisqueando hierba y descansando a la sombra.

Silicon Ranch, propietaria de la granja de 16 hectáreas (40 acres) en Christiana, a las afueras de Nashville, cree que el pastoreo de ganado vacuno es la próxima frontera de la llamada agrovoltaica, que hasta ahora se ha centrado sobre todo en el cultivo de cosechas o el pastoreo de ovejas bajo los paneles.

La empresa solar presentó el proyecto esta semana, y el próximo año se dedicará a trabajar para demostrarles a los agricultores que el ganado de mayor tamaño también puede prosperar en instalaciones solares. Si tiene éxito, dicen sus defensores, eso podría impulsar nuevos proyectos para satisfacer la creciente demanda de electricidad derivada de la rápida expansión de los centros de datos, sin contribuir a las emisiones de carbono que calientan el planeta, y ayudar a los ganaderos a conservar sus tierras y su forma de sustento.

“La energía solar es una de las herramientas más poderosas que tenemos para reducir emisiones y ... es competitiva en costos frente a los combustibles fósiles”, expresó Taylor Bacon, alumna de doctorado en la Universidad Estatal de Colorado, que ha estudiado los desenlaces ecológicos en sitios solares con pastoreo. “Creo que estamos empezando a ver suficiente investigación que muestra que, cuando se hace bien, el uso del suelo puede ser más una oportunidad que una desventaja”.

Hacer espacio para el ganado

Aunque en Estados Unidos hay muchas más vacas que ovejas, su tamaño plantea retos en los sitios solares, donde es necesario proteger los equipos costosos y a los animales, que pueden pesar más de media tonelada.

A menudo los paneles solares giran hasta ángulos casi verticales para captar los rayos del sol, lo que deja poco espacio debajo para el ganado, y simplemente el incrementar la altura de los paneles sobre el suelo resulta demasiado costoso por la cantidad de acero que requiere. Por eso, Silicon Ranch elevó un poco los paneles, pero también desarrolló un software que los trabajadores activan para colocarlos casi en posición horizontal cuando el ganado está pastando, dándole a los animales espacio para deambular, explicó Nick de Vries, director de tecnología de la empresa.

Los trabajadores rotan el ganado —actualmente 10 vacas y sus terneros— entre corrales cada pocos días, de modo que los paneles en la parte del sitio que no está bajo pastoreo operen con normalidad, generando un suministro de aproximadamente 5 megavatios de electricidad para Middle Tennessee Electric, una cooperativa eléctrica rural.

La esperanza es que, con el tiempo, la tecnología sea adoptada de manera más amplia, señalaron directivos de la empresa.

“Sabemos que funciona”, sostuvo De Vries. “Pero es necesario demostrárselo a otras personas”.

¿Cuáles son los beneficios para los agricultores?

Para las empresas solares, por lo general es más fácil desarrollar tierras agrícolas que otros tipos de emplazamientos. Pero habrá que convencer a muchos agricultores — y comunidades — de que el pastoreo en instalaciones solares los beneficiará, debido a prácticas pasadas que destruyeron la capa superficial del suelo e inutilizaron tierras de producción de forma permanente.

“Para muchos actores del sector agrícola, resulta ofensivo ver tierras de cultivo de alta calidad en las que se clasifican y apilan las cosechas, cuando eso es el legado de una familia agricultora”, comentó Ethan Winter, director nacional de energía solar inteligente en American Farmland Trust, una organización sin fines de lucro dedicada a proteger las tierras agrícolas.

Pero ve potencial en las alianzas de pastoreo solar para ayudar a los agricultores a mantener sus tierras en producción y obtener ingresos adicionales en una época en que cada vez es más difícil ganar dinero sólo con la agricultura y la ganadería.

“La agricultura está en una situación realmente difícil en este momento”, en parte por las guerras comerciales, los extremos climáticos, el aumento de los costos y la presión para vender, explicó Winter. “Así que quizá este sea nuestro momento para ayudar a los estados a cubrir sus necesidades energéticas y hacerlo de una manera que esté brindando nuevas oportunidades a los agricultores”.

Silicon Ranch tendrá este año casi 6.000 hectáreas (15.000 acres) de pastizales en pastoreo —principalmente con ovejas— desde que inició sus operaciones hace cinco años, y trabaja con ganaderos, agricultores, investigadores universitarios y otros para adoptar mejores prácticas que mantengan sanos los suelos y los animales.

Lo que están encontrando es que el pastizal bajo los paneles solares retiene más humedad, lo que lo hace más tolerante a la sequía, indicó Anna Clare Monlezun, ganadera y científica de ecosistemas de pastizales que trabaja en el proyecto de Tennessee. Pastar a la sombra hace que los animales sean menos propensos al estrés por calor, lo que les permite ganar peso y beber menos agua.

“Hay más beneficios mutuos que desventajas”, expresó.

Las ovejas ya han demostrado ser una buena opción para los sitios solares, con más de 52.000 hectáreas (130.000 acres) pastados hasta 2024, una cifra que sin duda ha aumentado, señaló Kevin Richardson, director sénior de la American Solar Grazing Association, una organización sin fines de lucro que promueve el pastoreo bajo paneles solares.

Pero en el caso del ganado vacuno, el sector todavía debe superar retos de diseño de los sitios y poder incrementar las operaciones, al tiempo que desarrolla incentivos económicos adecuados para los ganaderos, explicó Richardson.

“Una vez que tengamos eso, creo que veremos más sitios solares que usan ganado o pastoreo multiespecies con ovejas y ganado”, añadió.

Con frecuencia los agricultores ganan aproximadamente 1.000 dólares por acre al arrendar sus tierras para energía solar, fácilmente 10 veces más de lo que históricamente obtenían con la agricultura tradicional, dijo Winter, de Farmland Trust. Eso puede ayudarles a diversificar operaciones, reducir deudas y comprar más tierra.

“Creo que empezarán a escuchar más interés de agricultores que en estos momentos se encuentran contra una grave pared financiera y buscan oportunidades de diversificación de ingresos que mantengan la tierra en producción”, apuntó Winter. “Necesitamos y queremos aumentar la capacidad energética de Estados Unidos, pero no a costa de nuestras mejores tierras agrícolas ni a costa de los medios de sustento agrícolas”.

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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

Herrera, who works two jobs at Atlanta's airport, never imagined he would own a home at the age of 27.

“It’s special. It’s magical,” he said.

In May, nearly 1,000 volunteers with Habitat for Humanity will complete Herrera's new home and 23 other affordable housing units in Atlanta's Sylvan Hills neighborhood for the 40th Carter Work Project.

The intensive, weeklong building sessions named after former President Jimmy Carter and his late wife Rosalynn have constructed roughly 5,000 homes in 14 countries since 1984. The project is returning to Atlanta for the first time since 1988, when the Carters helped construct 21 homes in another neighborhood.

Habitat is not just a homebuilder anymore

The Sylvan Hills construction also reflects a new shift into real estate development for Habitat for Humanity, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year amid a growing crisis in affordable housing and a broadening political battle over affordability more generally.

“The gap between what a family can afford and what it costs to create that unit of housing is the widest it has been in modern history,” said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of the international organization.

The nonprofit plans to serve as a developer on more of its projects because many smaller developers still haven’t recovered from the losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic or have gone out of business altogether.

The Sylvan Hills project includes another first for Habitat

In Sylvan Hills, Habitat for Humanity is building on 8 acres (3 hectares) of land that it purchased in 2015. It also worked to get the site, which used to house a saw-blade manufacturer, rezoned for residential use. The 24 housing units will be a mix of single-family homes and townhomes, forming a new community called Langston Park. It's the first time Atlanta Habitat for Humanity will build multifamily townhomes.

“We do believe it’s important to get the best use out of every precious piece of land that we’re able to acquire and come by so that we can serve more families,” said Atlanta Habitat for Humanity President and CEO Rosalyn Merrick.

The homes in Langston Park will cost about $200,000 each to build. The new homeowners will pay a monthly mortgage based on their income, but Habitat does not charge them interest. The goal is to eventually build 40 more homes on the site.

Phileena Daniel, 27, also qualified to buy one of the homes. She and her 7-year-old son have struggled with housing over the past two years, including living in a unit infested with rats and roaches. She’s grateful for the stability a permanent home in Langston Park will bring.

“You know, sometimes we don’t see ourselves going far in life as young Black women in this society,” she said. “This is giving us an opportunity to expand.”

Habitat's shift earns praise

Habitat for Humanity’s move into community development is “a classic example of a nonprofit organization really trying to be responsive to community needs,” said Vincent Reina, urban economics and planning professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

“They can still be true to their core mission, which is advancing homeownership opportunities, but they are also acknowledging that we need a diverse set of housing solutions to really meet the needs of individuals,” said Reina, who is also founder and faculty director of the Housing Initiative at Penn.

High home prices and 30-year mortgage interest rates over 7% have made it impossible for even moderate-income households to afford a home in all but a handful of the 98 most expensive metro areas in the country, according to research published last year by Reina and Benjamin J. Keys, a Wharton real estate and finance professor.

That shift has made affordable housing a major issue around the country.

Congress steps in

In Congress, both the House and the Senate have passed different affordable housing bills. Lawmakers are working to reconcile differences to send a final bill to President Donald Trump for approval.

Trump has signed executive orders to reduce housing regulatory burdens and help smaller banks provide mortgages. His proposed 2027 budget, however, seeks cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the elimination of numerous community development programs that currently help cities build affordable housing.

Herrera is hopeful

Back in Atlanta, Herrera couldn't stop thinking about all the possibilities homeownership could unlock. His mother had breast cancer, and she and his father could come live with him if the need arose. A low, stable monthly payment for housing would also help him pursue his goal of owning a coffee shop. Herrera said rising rents in the Atlanta area had forced him to move previously, taking time and money away from that project.

“Now, I can finally take some risks,” he said.

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Gamboa reported from Cleveland. 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.

Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, Congress must declare war or authorize the use of force within 60 days — a deadline that falls on Friday — or within 90 days if the president asks for an extension. But Congress made no attempt at enforcing that requirement, leaving town for a week on Thursday after the Senate rejected a Democratic attempt to halt the war for a sixth time.

The Trump administration has shown no interest in seeking congressional approval at all. It is arguing that the deadlines set by the law don't apply because the war in Iran effectively ended when a ceasefire began in early April.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Thursday he doesn’t plan on a vote to authorize force in Iran or otherwise weigh in.

“I’m listening carefully to what the members of our conference are saying, and at this point I don’t see that,” Thune said.

The reluctance to defy Trump on the war comes at a politically perilous time for Republicans, with public frustration mounting both over the conflict and its impact on gas prices. Still, most GOP lawmakers say they are supportive of Trump’s wartime leadership, or are at least willing to give him more time amid the fragile ceasefire.

Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota says he’d vote for an authorization of war if Trump asked for it. But he questioned if the War Powers Resolution, passed during the Vietnam War era as a way for Congress to claw back its power, is even constitutional.

“Our founders created a really strong executive, like it or not like it,” Cramer said.

Still, some GOP senators made clear that they eventually want Congress to have a say. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said in a floor speech Thursday that she will introduce a limited authorized use of military force when the Senate returns from the one-week recess if the administration has not yet presented what she called a “credible plan.”

“I do not believe we should engage in open-ended military action without clear accountability,” Murkowski said. “Congress has a role.”

Some Republicans signal they want a vote

A handful of GOP senators have said for weeks that Congress should assert its authority over the war at some point. One of those senators, Maine's Susan Collins, voted for the first time with Democrats on Thursday to halt the war. She said in a statement she wants to see a defined strategy for bringing the conflict to a close.

“The president’s authority as commander-in-chief is not without limits," Collins said, adding that the 60-day deadline is “not a suggestion, it is a requirement."

In addition to Collins and Murkowski, Republican Sens. John Curtis of Utah, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Josh Hawley of Missouri, among others, have said in recent weeks that they would eventually like to see a vote.

Curtis said he would not support continued funding for the war until Congress votes to authorize it.

“It is time for decision-making from both the administration and from Congress — and that can happen in league with one another, not in conflict,” Curtis said.

Thune suggested the White House step up its outreach to lawmakers with briefings and hearings if it wants continued support from Capitol Hill.

“Obviously, getting readouts from our military leadership on a somewhat regular basis I think will be helpful in terms of shaping the views of our members about how comfortable they are with everything that’s happening there, and the direction headed forward,” Thune said.

Trump administration argues deadline doesn't apply

The War Powers Resolution of 1973 states that a president has 60 calendar days after notifying Congress that the U.S. is engaged in military hostilities to either end the military campaign or gain approval from Congress. The White House can use a 30-day extension to safely withdraw forces, but Congress must be notified.

The 60-day window will expire Friday, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a hearing Thursday, “We are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means, the 60-day clock pauses or stops.”

Meanwhile, a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the administration’s position, said for purposes of the war powers law, “the hostilities that began on Saturday, Feb. 28 have terminated.” The official said the U.S. military and Iran have not exchanged fire since the two-week ceasefire that began April 7.

The administration is making that argument even though Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. Navy is maintaining a blockade to prevent Iran’s oil tankers from getting out to sea.

Democrats scoffed at the suggestion that May 1 is not the real deadline. “I do not believe the statute would support that,” Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine told Hegseth in the hearing.

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., argued that the military is still operating warships and other military assets even though it has stopped bombing Iran during the ceasefire.

“Ceasing to use some forces while using others does not somehow stop the clock,” Schiff said.

Yet, the development came as little surprise to at least one House Democrat who oversees the military.

Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, told The Associated Press: "Is the expectation that the Trump administration is going to follow the law? I do not have that expectation.”

He scribbles in a notebook, leaning back in an office chair while dressed in ill-fitting khakis and a baseball cap. His left foot rests on the one portion of a desk not covered with clutter — piles of notebooks, a newspaper, printed reports and a lanyard hanging from a stray photograph. What could be a calendar hangs askew on the wall behind him. The drab blue carpet has seen better days.

Hermes is fascinated by things that evoke a time gone by or are about to pass into history. She has photographed the last Morse code station operating in North America and department store photo booths. Lately, she's spent a lot of time in newsrooms like Haley's Rutland Herald.

The Brooklyn-based photographer has. brought her camera into some 50 newsrooms across the United States, many in smaller towns and cities, to document places and lives endangered by the industry's collapse over the past few decades. Already one of the newspapers she's photographed, in Alameda, Calif., has shut down.

And she's nowhere near done.

Photographer didn't expect it to turn into a passion project

Even as someone who spent time in newsrooms herself professionally — Hermes worked for several years at the Christian Science Monitor — she didn't anticipate it turning into such a passion project.

“I love these spaces,” she says. “I love spending time with these people. The more time I spent in newsrooms and hearing about their difficulties of life, it took on a different agenda. I couldn't have spent so much of my free time on this if I didn't enjoy it.”

Her photos dispel the notion that journalism is a prestigious job populated by elitists — certainly not at the local level. Here are working people in shabby surroundings, places that would make an office designer shudder. Post-it notes hang from a computer monitor. Pens, notebooks, boxes of paper are thrown into a bookshelf next to a half-empty bottle of whiskey. A carpet stain is left untended. A bottle of antacid pills sits on top of a microwave.

An empty metal organizer sits behind a sign saying, “stories to be written,” the product of a long-forgotten efficiency drive.

The New Yorker’s Zach Helfand captures it: “News people tend to pay their surroundings little mind. There’s too much to do and always a deadline looming. What you see hanging around these rooms isn’t designed but improvised, and more revealing.”

It's not just newsrooms in danger of becoming obsolete. How often do you see newspapers anymore, particularly with news outlets shutting their printing presses and going digital? Yet they're everywhere in Hermes' photographs. Stuffed into cubbies, yellowing with age. A jumble of them in the back of a van. Stacked in piles — some toppled over, others on the verge. Some need to be stepped around.

Still more are in newspaper “morgues,” the term becoming more appropriate by the day. Cut-out articles are stuffed into cardboard files, the destination for research before the day most information could be found with a few computer strokes.

The history of a community is in these morgues, however. And when they're gone, so are many of the memories contained within.

A belief in a civic duty — with maybe some fun

“This is really a love letter to local journalism,” Hermes says. “It's not a ‘gotcha’ piece.”

She's attracted to the “true believers” who stick with the line of work, putting up with the anger and ridicule of civic leaders who don't like their judgments questioned, and the business realities that have driven many of their friends into different lines of work.

“The rewards are diminishing in doing this job,” she says. “You have to really believe in the fundamental civic service that you are providing. Otherwise, why else would you do it? It's a really difficult job.”

Her work is available to see on her website, and she hopes one day to collect her newsroom photos in a book. She feels she's gone beyond capturing images and into an advocacy role; she wants to do exhibitions in some of the communities that she's visited to remind people about the importance of local journalism.

Hermes’ goal is to photograph 100 newsrooms: “I feel like I learn something new in every newsroom I visit."

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David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.

But now they're looking at the possibility of losing up to four U.S. House seats in the midterms because of a new congressional map passed this week by the Republican-controlled legislature.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said redistricting will reflect Florida's population growth and political leanings. Democrats called it a power grab by Trump, who has been urging Republicans to redraw maps across the country.

The changes use both “packing and cracking,” the principal tools of gerrymandering. Packing involves concentrating like-minded voters into fewer districts, or into a single district, to minimize their overall impact across multiple districts. Cracking involves spreading like-minded voters across more districts, making it harder for them to influence any single district’s election.

Under the new lines, there are 24 districts where Trump won in 2024 by double digits, according to analysts from both parties. If Republicans win all of them, it will be a gain of four seats.

Although there will almost certainly be legal challenges to the map, here’s a look at how the new boundaries affect Florida’s current Democratic-controlled districts.

Cracking in Tampa Bay area could mean no Democratic seats

Pinellas and Hillsborough counties were, not that long ago, regarded as two of the most populous swing counties in U.S. politics. Voters in and around Tampa and St. Petersburg served as a bellwether in presidential contests.

Currently, the core metro area is split between the right-leaning district represented by Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and the left-leaning district represented by Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor. The new map splits that into three districts, all of which tilt Republican, and Castor's seat now includes more conservative rural areas.

She called the new designs “blatantly illegal” because of Florida’s state constitutional ban on partisan gerrymandering. But she said, “No matter how new districts are drawn, I will keep fighting for Tampa Bay families.”

Luna, a top Democratic target in November, picked up more Republican-leaning precincts, but Democrats in Washington said they could still win the seat given Trump’s lagging popularity.

Packing in Orlando turns two Democratic districts into one

Right now, Democrats Darren Soto and Maxwell Frost have adjoining districts in and around Orlando, with Frost’s concentrated in the city and Soto’s covering Kissimmee and extending south and east over much of Osceola County.

Now, the Orlando metro core will become a single district that is all but guaranteed to go Democratic. Meanwhile, other parts of Orlando will become part of a separate district that's more sprawling and more Republican.

Frost blasted the design for pairing city residents with voters who live a two-hour drive away. “That’s how hard DeSantis map-makers had to work to dilute the impact of voters in Orange County and make this district red,” he said on social media.

Soto, who is Puerto Rican and represents many Puerto Ricans now, lashed out at the governor.

“DeSantis declared war against Florida’s 1.3M Puerto Ricans,” he wrote on social media. “We are American citizens, our people served and died for this country, and we vote.”

Heavily Black district erased to reorder south Florida seats

The new map singles out a heavily Black south Florida district that had been represented by Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick before her recent resignation during a House ethics inquiry into her use of campaign funds. The district was drawn originally to comply with Voting Rights Act provisions that the U.S. Supreme Court effectively gutted on Wednesday.

DeSantis described the district as an egregious race-based gerrymander, with most of it located inland while two arms stretched toward coastal Democratic areas.

Now the district will essentially be erased, spread out across multiple districts.

Frankel’s and Moskowitz’s districts scrambled in Palm Beach, Broward counties

Reps. Lois Frankel and Jared Moskowitz currently have adjoining districts covering swaths of Palm Beach and Broward counties. Both lean slightly Democratic.

The new map creates a more Democratic district anchored by West Palm Beach, mixing some of Frankel’s voters and those formerly represented by Cherfilus-McCormick. It divides Moskowitz’s current territory across three districts, a more difficult blow for his reelection prospects than Frankel would face.

Parkland, where Moskowitz lives, will be in a more Republican district that reaches across the state to Naples. One of the national Republicans’ top targets even before redistricting, Moskowitz has not said what district he will choose for a reelection bid.

Wasserman-Schultz loses her district and Wilson’s is redrawn

Reps. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, a former Democratic National Committee chairwoman, and Frederica Wilson currently represent neighboring districts to the south of Frankel’s and Moskowitz’s pairing.

Wasserman-Schultz has north Broward, including Weston, where she lives, along with Hollywood, Pembroke Pines and part of Miramar. Wilson, who lives in Miami Gardens, represents the second-most Democratic district on the outgoing map, with south Broward and parts of Miami-Dade.

Now, there will be just one concentrated Democratic district in Miami-Dade, with Wilson in position to stay in office there. Between that new Miami-Dade district and Frankel’s Palm Beach County base is a new heavily Democratic Broward district. Wasserman-Schultz does not live in that part of Broward. She will have to decide whether to run there or choose one of the new, more Republican districts that Moskowitz also is considering.

Wasserman-Schultz has called the redraw “a nakedly partisan scheme” that “breaks state law.”

In a possible bright spot for Democrats nationally, the south Florida changes did not substantially bolster Republican Reps. María Elvira Salazar, who lives in Coral Gables, or Carlos Giménez, another Miami-Dade lawmaker. Democrats plan to continue targeting them in this year's midterms.

They performed for a sold-out crowd that summer at Citi Field in Queens — a baseball stadium with room for nearly 42,000 fans — but their fiery set was cut short by Mother Nature: A torrential downpour and fearsome lightning made for unsafe and appropriately ominous conditions.

It was fortuitous in some ways; the next two years for the band would be tumultuous. It was also in 2024 that front man Dave Grohl announced he fathered a child outside his marriage. And then in 2025, the band parted ways with drummer Josh Freese after just one tour, hiring Ilan Rubin to replace him two months later.

Things have since turned around. Last week the band released its 12th full-length studio album, “Your Favorite Toy,” an energetic collection of tracks with an aggressive, fast-paced punk style, distorted vocals and occasional overly compressed production, as The Associated Press' Dennis Waszak Jr. wrote in his review. Those songs felt at home Thursday night at the much smaller Irving Plaza in Manhattan, a sold-out space with a capacity of just around 1,000, where the larger-than-life rock band brought a sonic immediacy to the intimate venue.

A secret show for a lucky few

Foo Fighters announced two surprise shows Wednesday: one at Irving Plaza on Thursday and another at the Starland Ballroom on Saturday in New Jersey. Tickets were priced at $30, limited to two per purchaser and available only on a first-come, first-served basis at 10 a.m. Thursday at each venue.

Some fans camped overnight. Others lined up long before 10 a.m. The lucky few able to grab tickets to the Irving Plaza show night wore vintage Foo Fighters merchandise into the venue and bought new designs. They swapped stories about the last time they saw the band and theorized about how they would perform on such a small stage.

When the Foo Fighters emerged, it was six minutes after 8 p.m. “How ya doing?” energetic front man Dave Grohl said in greeting the crowd, promising a lot of new tracks and some “old school.”

And the band delivered: 2002's “All My Life” and “Times Like These” were next to late '90s hits like “Monkey Wrench” and “My Hero,” and week-old songs “Spit Shine” and “My Favorite Toy.”

“Sometimes I ask the audience if they love rock ‘n’ roll music,” Grohl told the crowd. “I'm not gonna ask you all because I know you love rock ‘n’ roll music.”

Even if the location was stripped down, the band had no interest in a minimized show. There were no pyrotechnics or fireworks or fanfare, sure, but surprises abounded: “Window,” a new song, got its live debut. The band opened a five-song encore with “A320,” its contribution to the oft-overlooked 1998 “Godzilla” soundtrack.

At one moment a concertgoer shouted, “Taylor Hawkins forever!” in memory of the band's late drummer. Grohl instinctively responded, “That's right!”

“For those who've never seen us before,” Grohl said two and a half hours into the set, “next time we'll try to make it feel like this.”

Of course next time is likely to be in a venue 40 times the size of Irving Plaza. It gave the still-buzzing crowd something to think about as they exited into a rainy April night.

“They are a part of who we are and our sense of belonging here,” said Paul Ward, founder of the Capital Kiwi Project, a charitable trust. “But they’ve been gone from these hills for well over a century and we decided as Wellingtonians that wasn’t right.”

On a hill wreathed in mist above the dark sea that runs between New Zealand’s North and South Islands, Ward and others crossed rugged farmland late on Tuesday night, carrying seven crates in silence by dim red torchlight. Inside each one nestled a kiwi, including the 250th bird relocated to Wellington since the Capital Kiwi Project began.

Birds receive a quiet welcome to new homes

The kiwi gives New Zealanders the name by which they’re often known. It’s a shy and odd-looking bird with underdeveloped wings and a whiskery face.

Spiritually significant for many New Zealanders, the kiwi’s image appears everywhere, including on the tail of the country’s air force planes — curious for a bird with no tail which can’t fly.

It’s thought that there were 12 million of the birds roaming the landscape before humans arrived in New Zealand. Today only about 70,000 kiwi are left across the country, with the population dropping 2% each year.

In the hills where Wellington’s kiwi now live and breed, the only late-night sound on Tuesday was the whoosh of wind turbines. Ward and his friends set their crates down in pairs, slid them open and gently tilted the boxes.

Some in the small group of hushed onlookers were tearful. One man chanted a karakia, a Māori prayer.

From each crate, a long, curved beak eventually protruded as kiwi took their first tentative steps into the shadowed landscape, then sped to a run and disappeared into the darkness.

Kiwi make their first Parliament visit

One place kiwi had never set foot until this week was inside New Zealand’s Parliament. Hours before Wellington’s seven newest residents were transported to their hillside home, they were carried into Parliament’s grand banquet hall by handlers for a celebration of the 250th kiwi's arrival in the city.

Lawmakers and schoolchildren alike expressed whispered delight at seeing the timid, nocturnal birds up close, many for the first time, as conservation workers cradled the large birds like human babies, with their gnarled feet outstretched.

“This animal has given us as a people so much in terms of our sense of identity,” Ward told The Associated Press. “We want to challenge our civic leaders, our politicians and say this is a relationship we need to honor.”

Rare birds move from sanctuaries to urban life

New Zealand is home to some of the world’s strangest and rarest bird species. Some have only survived because of against-all-odds conservation programs, at times with uncertain funding.

Initiatives decades ago saw all surviving birds of some species moved onto offshore, predator-free islands or into sanctuaries where they could be carefully monitored and protected, but where few New Zealanders would ever see one.

Ward and his group had a different dream: that New Zealand’s iconic national bird could flourish alongside people in a bustling capital city, where human encroachment and introduced predators had wiped out the kiwi before.

“Where people are is also the places where we can bring them back because we’ve got the means to do that guardianship,” Ward said.

Thousands of traps protect capital’s kiwi

Although unmanaged kiwi populations are shrinking, their numbers have thrived in carefully managed wild bird sanctuaries — so much, in fact, that some of these protected areas have run out of room for them.

That’s prompted their relocation to places like Wellington, where groups such as Ward’s rally residents to embrace their new neighbors. Kiwi have been spotted by late night mountain bikers and on backyard security camera footage in the capital, he said.

“They’re living and calling and being encountered on the hills surrounding our city,” Ward said.

That's taken work. Over the past decade, efforts between landowners, the local Māori tribe and the Capital Kiwi Project have produced a sprawling, 24,000-hectare tract of land where kiwi can roam.

It’s dotted with more than 5,000 traps for stoats, the main predator of kiwi chicks. So far, the Wellington population has a 90% chick survival rate.

New Zealand aims to become predator free

The kiwi initiative is part of New Zealand’s quest to rid the island nation of introduced predators, including feral cats, possums, rats and stoats, by the year 2050. Since a previous government established the target in 2016 its chances of success have been debated, but community groups have taken up the work in earnest.

Parts of Wellington are now entirely free of mammalian predators apart from household pets, and native birds flourish. Volunteers monitor suburbs with military precision for the appearance of a single rat.

“When I think of endangered species globally, for the most part you can’t do much other than campaign or donate money,” said Michelle Impey, chief executive of Save the Kiwi. “But we have this incredible movement throughout the country where everyday people are taking it on under their own steam to do what they can to protect a threatened species.”

The S&P 500 climbed 0.5% and was building on its all-time high set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 40 points, or 0.1%, as of 12:58 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was adding 1% to its own record.

Apple led the way and rallied 4.5% after the iPhone seller reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Because it's one of Wall Street's biggest stocks in terms of overall size, it was by far the strongest force lifting the S&P 500.

Stock prices generally tend to follow the path of corporate profits over the long term, and U.S. companies have been blowing past expectations for earnings in the first three months of 2026. A little more than a quarter of the companies in the S&P 500 have reported already, and 84% of them have topped analysts' estimates, according to FactSet. The index is on track to deliver roughly 15% growth in profit from a year earlier.

Estee Lauder's stock climbed 3.8% after reporting better earnings than expected, thanks in part to strength in China, and raising some of its upcoming financial forecasts. Colgate-Palmolive added 2.6% after likewise delivering bigger results than expected, though CEO Noel Wallace said it expects “volatile macroeconomic conditions and slower category growth to continue in 2026.”

The main uncertainty for the global economy is where oil prices will go because of the Iran war. Oil prices spurted higher early this week on worries that the war will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed for a long time. That would in turn keep oil tankers pent up in the Persian Gulf instead of delivering crude to customers worldwide.

But such moves have repeatedly been quick to reverse throughout the war, as hopes rise and fall for a reopening of the strait. On Friday, the price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, fell 2% to $108.14 and trimmed its gain for the week to roughly 9%. Brent was selling for a little more than $70 per barrel before the war began.

That rise since the end of February helped the two biggest U.S. oil companies report stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. But stock prices nevertheless fell for both Exxon Mobil, 1.4%, and Chevron, 1.6%, as oil prices regressed and each reported drops in net income from a year earlier.

The fall in oil prices also helped Treasury yields ease in the bond market. So did a report in the morning that said growth for U.S. manufacturing was a touch softer last month than economists expected.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.37% from 4.40% late Thursday. Such drops in yields can make mortgages and other loans for U.S. households and businesses cheaper, and they also tend to give upward pushes to prices for stocks and all kinds of other investments.

Many stock markets worldwide were closed for May Day. Among the indexes still trading, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.4%, and London’s FTSE 100 slipped 0.1%.

___

AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

Minnesota will face Presidents' Trophy winner Colorado in the second round. The Avalanche have not played since sweeping Los Angeles on Sunday.

The Wild won a playoff series for the first time in 10 tries since 2015. They lost to Dallas in the first round in 2016 and 2023.

“I see our fans when we scored our fourth goal, I looked back through the glass and I see someone crying in the stands," said Jesper Wallstedt, who made 22 saves. "I realize how big this is for our fan base. Not just us but there’s so many more people who are with us on this road and this journey. The excitement and joy to get past the first round is huge.”

After Hughes broke a tie midway through the third period, Matt Boldy scored his team-leading fifth and sixth goals of the series into empty nets to seal it. Vladimir Tarasenko also scored.

The fourth line of the Foligno brothers, Marcus and Nick, and Nico Sturm had 15 of Minnesota’s 32 hits.

“If you ask everyone in this team, in this group, and everyone feels something special," said Kirill Kaprizov, who had two goals and seven assists in the series. "We just build all season, and guys who came in for playoff did a great job. When the team wants to go long, long run, it’s all four lines that need to be in the game.”

Hughes, acquired from Vancouver in December in the biggest trade in franchise history, took a shot from the left dot that deflected off the skate of Stars defenseman Ilya Lyubshkin and past goalie Jake Oettinger. Hughes also had an assist.

“Big-time players step up in big-time games, and that is what he did,” fellow defenseman Brock Faber said.

All three Wild goals came at full strength. Minnesota outscored Dallas 17-5 at even strength in the series, including 12-4 at 5-on-5.

“Lots of you are going go to 5-on-5 scoring, but reality is, territory-wise in this series I think was pretty even," Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. " I even give us the territorial advantage, but we didn’t defend well enough.”

Wyatt Johnston and Mavrik Bourque scored for Dallas. Johnston had the league-high 10th power-play goal of the postseason for the Stars. Minnesota had three power-play goals in the series.

Hughes opened the scoring in the first period, and Johnston converted a pass from Mikko Rantanen on the power-play goal to tie it second.

A fortuitous bounce off the end boards went to Bourque, who made a quick move before shifting to his forehand for an easy goal with 3:42 left in the second.

Tarasenko answered 54 seconds later for Minnesota. He tipped a redirected shot to himself, and while falling to his knees, and scored on a backhander for his 50th career postseason goal.

“Vladdy has won two Stanley Cups already," Kaprizov said. "He knows what you need to do in the playoffs.”

___

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

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Roaches were discovered in kitchens, inside equipment, and around food preparation areas. In a separate and equally serious category, El Gallito Grill in Miami was shut down after inspectors found that essentially all of its food was being held out of proper temperature, a major food safety risk that can lead to rapid bacterial growth.

No places in the Florida Keys were ordered shut last week.

All the places mentioned were allowed to re-open following an ordered clean up and then a re-inspection.

**HAPPY HOUSE

4089 ANDREWS AVE

OAKLAND PARK

INSPECTION BASED ON COMPLAINT

ORDERED SHUT 4/24

ALSO ORDERED SHUT 1/23/2015 (RODENT ISSUES)

ALSO ORDERED SHUT 10/6/2014 (RODENT ISSUES)

“Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found. Observed 1 live roach in door hinge to reach in section of flip top cooler on cook line in kitchen. Observed approximately 5 live roaches inside of gasket to combo reach in cooler/freezer on cook line in kitchen. Observed 2 live roaches in gasket to reach in freezer on cook line in kitchen. Observed approximately 4 live roaches in gasket to walk in cooler on cook line in kitchen.”

“Dead roaches on premises. Observed 1 dead roach on ground in back hallway outside of employee rest room. Observed approximately 7 dead roaches inside compressor area of combo reach in cooler/freezer on cook line in kitchen Observed 2 dead roaches inside compressor area of reach in freezer on cook line kitchen. Observed 2 dead roaches on ground under cook line flip top in kitchen.”

“Food stored in a location that is exposed to splash. Rice holder stored on chair next to hand wash sink on cook line exposed to splash.”

“Raw animal foods not properly separated from one another based upon minimum required cooking temperature when stored in a freezer - not all products commercially packaged. Pans of raw chicken not in original packaging stored above raw shrimp in reach in freezer.”

**GRACE RESTAURANT

2710 WEST ATLANTIC BLVD.

POMPANO BEACH

ORDERED SHUT 4/22

13 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found. Observed 1 live roach on cutting board to cook line flip top in kitchen. Observed 1 live roach on prep table on cook line in kitchen Observed 1 live roach in gasket at cook line flip top in kitchen Observed 3 live roaches on ground in kitchen Observed 2 live roaches on door frame leading to office area from kitchen. Observed 2 live roaches on ground under dry storage rack next to office door in kitchen. Observed approximately 5 live roaches on and under plastic covering of bottom shelf to prep table in kitchen. Repeat Violation.”

“Dead roaches on premises. Observed 1 dead roach on wood board stored stored on top of box of quart containers in kitchen. Observed approximately 3 dead roaches on ground under three compartment sink in kitchen. Observed 2 dead roaches on ground next to cook line flip top in kitchen Observed 1 dead roaches on ground outside of walk in freezer in kitchen Observed 1 dead roach on shelf holding oil on cook line in kitchen. Observed 4 dead roaches on bracket/shelf above steam table on cook line in kitchen Observed approximately 2 dead roaches in gasket at cook line flip top cooler in kitchen. Repeat Violation.”

“Food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime. Cutting board at cook line flip top stained/soiled Repeat Violation.”

“No proof of required state approved employee training provided for any employees.”

“No soap provided at handwash sink. Observed at bar hand wash sink.”

**UNIQUE PARK RESTAURANT

3521 NW 8TH AVE.

POMPANO BEACH

INSPECTION BASED ON COMPLAINT

ORDERED SHUT 4/22

15 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found. 1. One live roach observed crawling under food prep table in kitchen.. 2. Approximately four live roaches on floor next to brooms and reach in freezer in kitchen. 3. One live roach observed crawling on floor under triple sink in kitchen. 4. Observed two live roaches crawling in and out of opening in wall behind triple sink in kitchen. 4. Observed three live roaches on wall coving and floor in kitchen.”

“Dead roaches on premises. 1. Observed two dead roaches in Bain Marie used for storage and next to single service bowls in kitchen. Operator discarded single service bowls. 2. Observed approximately seven dead roaches under food storage rack in kitchen. Operation cleaned during inspection. 3. Observed two dead roaches on kitchen floor near reach in freezer.”

“Wall soiled with accumulated grease, food debris, and/or dust behind steam table in kitchen. Repeat Violation.”

“Food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime. Observed on heavily soiled can opener blade at prep table in kitchen.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food, other than whole meat roast, hot held at less than 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed container of green bananas 81F - Hot Holding stored on storage shelf in kitchen under no temperature control.”

**INKAS GRILL CORP.

250 E. PALM DR.

FLORIDA CITY

ORDERED SHUT 4/21

21 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found. Observed 1 live roach inside reach in freezer in the kitchen. Observed 2 live roaches crawling on rice bin in front of the triple sink. Observed 1 live roach crawling on wall near triple sink next to storage shelves. Observed 4+ live roach at food storage shelves under microwaves above white sugar container.”

“Stop Sale issued due to food not being in a wholesome, sound condition. Observed dead insect debris inside sugar bin stored at white food storage shelve under microwaves in back preparation area.”

“Dead roaches on premises. Observed approximately 6+ dead roaches inside reach in coolers sliding doors at preparation area. Observed approximately 8+ dead roaches on floor behind cooking equipment at front counter cook line. Observed approximately 8+ dead roaches on floor at preparation area.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food reheated in a microwave oven for hot holding not covered during reheating process. Observed cook chicken in microwave near vegetable reach in cooler in the back kitchen.”

“Ceiling/ceiling tile shows damage or is in disrepair. Observed ceiling tiles near front counter handwash sink in disrepair.”

“Buildup of food debris/soil residue on equipment door handles. Observed oven door handle soiled at cook line.”

“Reach-in cooler interior/shelves have accumulation of soil residues. Observed at reach in coolers at the preparation area. Repeat Violation.”

“Employee began working with food, handling clean equipment or utensils, or touching unwrapped single-service items without first washing hands. Observed employee began plating food to serve to customers no handwash.”

“Employee failed to wash hands before putting on gloves to initiate a task working with food. Observed food employee put on gloves to start plating to serve to customers. No handwash.”

“Raw animal food stored over/not properly separated from ready-to-eat food. Observed raw chicken stored over cook pasta at reach in freezer near front counter entrance.”

FOLLOW UP INSPECTION 4/23

“Observed 1 live roach crawling on floor underneath oven at front cook line. Observed 1 live roach crawling on shelf above stove at front cook line.”

“Observed approximately 5 dead roaches underneath hand sink at kitchen area.”

**EL TORO LOCO RANCH(MOBILE)

16901 SW 177TH AVE

MIAMI

ORDERED SHUT 4/17

10 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Live, small flying insects found. Observed 4 live flies flying on an open pack of bread near service window. Observed 4 live flies landing on paper towel dispenser. Observed 3 live flies landing on clean metal container used for pepper. Observed 4 live flies landing on reach in cooler door. Observed 5 live flies landing on single service container. Observed 2 live flies landing on clean cooking pans above handwash sink. Observed 2 live fly landing on clean plastic container and cutting board above the triple sink.”

“Stop Sale issued due to food not being in a wholesome, sound condition. Observed 4 live flies landing on an open pack of bread near service window.”

“Stop Sale issued on time/temperature control for safety food due to temperature abuse. Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed cook ground beef (50F - Cold Holding) at reach cooler dated 4-16-26.”

“Mobile food dispensing vehicle service opening not kept closed except during food service. Observed service window open at time of inspection. Also observed back door open at time of the inspection.”

“Handwash sink not accessible for employee use at all times. Observed handwashing sink used to stored buckets and other utilities.”

FOLLOW UP INSPECTION 4/18

“Call back inspection observed 2 lives flies flying and landing on cooking fryers. Observed 1 live fly landing on reach in cooler. Observed 1 live fly landing on top of the handwash sink. **

**EL GALLITO GRILL

205 SW 8TH ST

MIAMI

ORDERED SHUT 4/24

29 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Inadequate number/capacity of cold holding units to maintain time/temperature control for safety food at proper temperatures. Observed the only 2 reach in coolers in the establishment are not working properly. All food is out of temperature."

“Stop Sale issued on time/temperature control for safety food due to temperature abuse. Observed sausage (53 F - Cold Holding); cabbage (51 F - Cold Holding); sour cream (49 F - Cold Holding); raw shell eggs (69°F - Cold Holding). As per employee food was placed around 6:00 AM this morning. Stop sale was issued.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed sausage (53 F - Cold Holding); cabbage (51 F - Cold Holding); sour cream (49 F - Cold Holding); raw shell eggs (69°F - Cold Holding). As per employee food was placed around 6:00 AM this morning. Stop sale was issued. Also observed milk (53 F - Cold Holding)inside the reach in cooler at the cook line. As per employee milk was placed inside the reach in cooler 2 hours ago.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food, other than whole meat roast, hot held at less than 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed yuca (105 F - Hot Holding)inside the steamer at the kitchen. Employee reheated the yuca. Repeat Violation.”

“Buildup of food debris/soil residue on equipment door handles. Observed handles on reach in cooler at cook line soiled with food debris. Also oven handle with accumulation of grease. Repeat Violation.”

“Cutting board has cut marks and is no longer cleanable. Observed white and green cutting boards no longer cleanable. Repeat Violation.”

“Equipment in poor repair. Observed reach in cooler door gaskets torn at the cook line.”

“Nonfood-contact surface soiled with grease, food debris, dirt, slime or dust. Observed reach in cooler door gaskets soiled. Repeat Violation.”

“Required employee training expired for all employees.”

Philadelphia trailed in the ninth inning of both games before rallying for two walk-off wins on the same day for the first time since July 24, 1998, a pair of 12-inning victories against the Florida Marlins.

Schwarber homered in the first inning of each game. Trea Turner launched a leadoff shot on Adrian Houser's first pitch in the nightcap, and Schwarber followed with a 446-foot drive to right-center for his 11th homer this season.

Jung Hoo Lee put the Giants ahead 5-4 in the ninth with a two-out RBI single against José Alvarado, but pinch-hitter Brandon Marsh doubled off Keaton Winn to open the bottom half. Garrett Stubbs walked and Turner grounded into a double play before Schwarber, who was 4 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, doubled to right field on a full-count splitter.

San Francisco had runners at the corners with none out in the 10th when Game 1 winner Chase Shugart (2-0), the seventh pitcher used by the Phillies in a bullpen game, struck out Matt Chapman. Bohm then made a diving grab of Luis Arraez's line drive to third base, and Casey Schmitt flied out.

In the bottom half, Bryson Stott’s sacrifice bunt moved automatic runner Adolis García from second to third. Bohm, batting .151 this year, won it with a sacrifice fly to center against Matt Gage (2-1).

After sweeping the three-game series, the Phillies (12-19) are 3-0 since interim manager Don Mattingly took over after Rob Thomson was fired Tuesday. Philadelphia won the doubleheader opener 3-2 when Stott's tying triple keyed a two-run rally in the ninth.

Shugart became the first big league pitcher to win both games of a doubleheader since Minnesota’s Brian Duensing at the Chicago White Sox on Aug. 9, 2013. The previous Phillies pitcher to accomplish the feat was Terry Adams at Cincinnati on Sept. 21, 2002.

Arraez tied it 4-all with a two-run single in the seventh, following a 24-minute rain delay in the sixth.

Up next

Giants LHP Robbie Ray (2-3, 2.70 ERA) pitches Friday at Tampa Bay.

Philadelphia begins a four-game series in Miami, with RHP Zack Wheeler (0-1, 3.60) tentatively scheduled for Friday night.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

The Knicks broke several NBA records by halftime. Their 40-15 lead at the end of the first quarter marked the largest of the shot clock era. Their 47-point halftime lead was the biggest in playoff history.

It was New York’s third straight win after falling to 1-2 in the series following back-to-back one-point losses.

“It speaks volumes on our team that we were able to bounce back from two disappointing losses,” Towns said. “We had to step up to the challenge of being down in the series — super proud of our guys for that.”

New York's 51-point win tied for the sixth-largest margin of victory in NBA postseason history.

Dyson Daniels and Mitchell Robinson were ejected after fighting following a pair of free throws from Anunoby that gave the Knicks a 50-point lead in the second quarter.

The Knicks exceeded 100 points with 8:21 remaining in the third quarter. New York's starters were done for the night with 2:45 remaining in the third.

“It was just a tough position to be in,” Atlanta's Jalen Johnson said. “We dug ourselves a deep hole from the start and it was tough to climb out of that.”

Anunoby scored 26 of his points in the first half. Mikal Bridges finished with 24. Towns, five days after becoming the fourth Knicks player with a playoff triple-double, had 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Hawks were 12 for 39 from the field in the first half and 4 for 18 from 3-point range. Atlanta had 14 turnovers in the first half.

Johnson led the Hawks with 21 points. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, CJ McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga each had 11 points.

The Knicks will face the winner of the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers series in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

___

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

Instead, she gave the Indiana Fever and fans a scare Thursday night.

Clark crumpled to the ground early in the third quarter when Dallas forward Alanna Smith collided with her leg on a shot attempt, and then limped toward the bench as she walked off the injury during a replay review that resulted in a Flagrant 1 call. The two-time All-Star then made two free throws before departing and watching the rest of the game from the bench.

“I feel good. I just landed on my kneecap really hard,” Clark said after scoring 21 points in a 95-80 loss to the Wings. “I know there's a committee of people that really wanted them (the refs) to start calling things, and I thought they did a great job of that. Honestly, I thought the refs were great, and it's preseason so you're probably going to see more fouls called. I expect that number to drop. But I think overall, it's going to improve the product.”

Initially, it looked as if little had changed since Clark last suited up in Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 13, when the Fever beat Dallas.

The pregame autograph line snaked through the seats, the No. 22 jerseys and Clark T-shirts were as fashionable Thursday night as they were during her record-breaking rookie season, and, naturally, Clark was greeted with the usual loud cheers during player introductions.

Sure, it was only a preseason game, but it did feature the league's last two Rookie of the Year award winners — Clark and Paige Bueckers. Yet Fever fans had been yearning for this moment since Clark went down July 15 with a right groin injury that forced her to miss the All-Star Game and the All-Star weekend festivities in Indianapolis, as well as Indiana's final 22 regular-season games and its incredible run to the WNBA semifinals.

The long absence only made Thursday's game an even bigger deal.

“This is the first (Fever) game I've been to — ever,” said Nikki Niccun, dressed in a No. 22 jersey. “I've seen every one on TV, but this is the first time in person. I know it's a preseason game, but I'm excited."

Clark first returned to the court for Team USA in the FIBA Women's World Cup qualifying games in early March, then helped the Fever open the preseason with a 109-91 victory at New York despite a 2-for-10 shooting performance.

This time, Clark looked more like herself. She scored 14 of her 21 points in the first quarter, had four assists, three turnovers and two rebounds while going 4 of 6 from the field and 11 of 13 at the free throw line in 16 minutes.

“We had planned for her to come out about that time anyway," coach Stephanie White said. “It was just an extra precaution getting her out in that moment, but the plan was for her to start the third quarter and then get her out quickly.”

White also held out All-Star center Aliyah Boston for the second straight game because of a lower leg injury. All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell finished with 10 points in 17 minutes.

Not everyone came to see Clark, though.

A smattering of fans also showed up in Bueckers jerseys, and she dazzled the crowd by scoring 20 points in 20 minutes on 8-of-12 shooting. Rookie Azzi Fudd, the No. 1 overall draft pick, added four points in 16 minutes as the Wings used a 22-5 second quarter run to seize control with a 53-26 lead. They never trailed again.

Whether that's an indication one of last season's 10-win teams could be headed for major improvement remains to be seen.

And though there were plenty of empty seats Thursday night, a rarity when Clark takes the stage, longtime Clark admirers welcomed the chance to get an early look at what they anticipate will be a big season.

“They're going to bounce back,” Niccun said. “We're going to be all right.”

___

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

Sánchez afirmó en una conferencia con la prensa internacional que iniciará su campaña en medio del retraso del conteo oficial y los reclamos sin sustento de fraude del ultraconservador Rafael López Aliaga, del partido Renovación Popular.

Según las autoridades electorales, contabilizadas el 97,1% de las actas, Fujimori del partido Fuerza Popular lideraba el jueves el conteo de votos con 17,11%, seguida de Sánchez con 12,04% y López Aliaga con 11,86%. Las autoridades han anunciado el 15 de mayo como fecha límite para conocer los candidatos que disputarán el balotaje presidencial.

Fujimori no reaccionó de inmediato al comentario de Sánchez, pero antes ha cuestionado algunas de sus propuestas.

En la conferencia el nacionalista indicó que, en caso de que logre avanzar a la segunda vuelta y se imponga en junio, espera que no se repita la historia de su socio político, el sentenciado expresidente Pedro Castillo (2021-2022), quien solo duró 16 meses en el cargo. Castillo fue condenado en noviembre a más de 11 años de prisión por el delito de conspiración para una rebelión por su intento de cerrar el Congreso en 2022, lo que devino en su destitución.

Sánchez, de 57 años y del partido Juntos por el Perú, manifestó que una eventual gestión suya lucharía contra el crimen, buscaría mayor participación del Estado en la economía, renegociaría contratos mineros internacionales que transfieran tecnología y crearía un banco minero que apoye a miles de pequeños productores.

Perú está sumido en la inestabilidad política y suma ocho presidentes y tres Congresos en una década en medio de un incremento de la delincuencia que los ciudadanos identifican como su mayor preocupación.

It was already decided when the scuffle took place. OG Anunoby extended the Knicks' lead to 50 points with a pair of free throws and 4:39 remaining in the first half.

Robinson boxed out Daniels and things got heated, with an official even taking a tumble as many people tried to calm them down. The Hawks' Onyeka Okongwu and the Knicks' Jalen Brunson held Robinson back as the fight inched toward fans sitting courtside.

“It’s tough because when you’re up that big, stuff happens," Knicks coach Mike Brown said after New York's 140-89 series-clinching win. “If somebody feels like something that shouldn’t happen to them happened, it’s hard to keep your composure in that moment.”

Nickeil Alexander-Walker and several coaches pulled Daniels away, including Hawks head coach Quin Snyder.

It was easy to understand why the Hawks were frustrated. Atlanta's 83-36 deficit was the largest at halftime in NBA playoff history.

“I couldn’t see the details of the situation, who did what to whom," Snyder said. “I know that both teams were competing and they were having their way with us on many, many levels — as evidenced by the scoreboard.”

___

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

By any measure, what the Knicks did to the Atlanta Hawks was a historic blowout.

The final score: Knicks 140, Hawks 89 on Thursday night in Game 6 of the teams' Eastern Conference first-round series. New York won the series 4-2, after losing Games 2 and 3 by exactly one point apiece — and then winning the next three games by 16, 29 and 51 points, respectively.

“Just a really, really good night offensively," Knicks coach Mike Brown said. "We did the things that we were supposed to do. And our players were really, really good with their focus and attention to detail.”

A look at some of the stats of the night:

A 47-point halftime lead

The Knicks set an NBA playoff record by taking a 47-point halftime lead over the Hawks.

The Knicks led 83-36 at the break, after leading by as many as 51 at one point in the second quarter.

“It shows us what we're capable of defensively,” Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said.

Before Thursday, the biggest halftime playoff lead was 41 points. It had happened twice: Cleveland led in Boston 72-31 at the break on May 19, 2017, and Indiana led the Cavaliers 80-39 at the half of game on May 11, 2025.

The 47-point lead tied for the second-biggest — including regular-season games — in the NBA’s shot-clock era, which started in 1954. Dallas led the Los Angeles Clippers by 50 points at the break on Dec. 27, 2020, and Golden State led Sacramento by 47 at the half of their game on Nov. 2, 1991.

Points scored

With the 83 points, New York tied for the third-highest first-half point total in NBA playoff history.

Oklahoma City scored 87 against Denver on May 7, 2025; Cleveland scored 86 against Golden State on June 9, 2017; and Dallas scored 83 against Sacramento on May 8, 2003.

Atlanta actually had a 9-0 run in the early moments to take a 9-5 lead. The Knicks answered that with a 43-6 run. Yes, 43-6.

The 140 points scored over the full game was a Knicks playoff record.

Point differential

The 51-point margin tied for the sixth-largest in NBA playoff history.

It was the biggest playoff margin in a win for the Knicks — and the second-worst margin in Hawks playoff history, the worst in the Atlanta era.

The St. Louis Hawks lost by 58 to the Minneapolis Lakers in 1956. The biggest playoff loss, before Thursday, in the Hawks' Atlanta era was a 43-point defeat to Orlando in 2010.

Another 49-point win

When the calendar flipped to 2026, the Knicks — in their history — had never won a game by 49 or more points.

They now have three such wins, all in a span of about three months.

The Knicks beat Brooklyn by 54 points on Jan. 21, had the 51-point win Thursday and beat Philadelphia by 49 points on Feb. 11.

Before that, the Knicks’ record for margin of victory was 48 — done on three occasions, most recently 1994.

Biggest lead in this playoff era

New York led by as many as 61 points, which is the biggest lead in any NBA playoff game during the play-by-play era — which goes back to 1996-97.

Cleveland led a playoff game by 60 over Miami last season.

New York's biggest playoff lead in the last 30 years was 41 points against Boston last season. The Hawks' biggest deficit over the last 30 postseasons was 46 against Orlando in 2010.

A 4-shot triple double

Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns had a triple-double on only four shots. He was 1 for 4 from the field and still finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

The only player in NBA playoff history with a triple-double on fewer shots? Magic Johnson, who took three shots in a 13-point, 13-rebound, 13-assist game for the Los Angeles Lakers over Philadelphia in the title-clinching game in the 1982 NBA Finals.

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