Leer en español

Lucas, 28, faced an attempted first-degree murder charge on Monday over the shooting on Sept. 28 at the Zippy Coin Laundry near North Miami, according to the arrest report.

Surveillance video “showing the attempted homicide, helped to establish probable cause,” a detective wrote, according to the arrest report.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel responded and took the wounded man to HCA Aventura Hospital. His condition was critical, but he survived, according to deputies.

MDSO deputies arrested Lucas, of Pembroke Pines, at 7:40 p.m. on Friday in the area of Northeast Third Court and 138th Street, according to the arrest report.

Miami-Dade corrections booked Lucas shortly after 12:50 a.m. on Saturday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where he remained on Monday morning without bond, according to inmate records.

Luca also faced a charge of unlawful discharge of a firearm in a public place, records show.

Local 10 News Assignment Editor Mercedes Cevallos contributed to this report.

Report from the crime scene

Lucas, de 28 años, enfrentaba el lunes un cargo de intento de asesinato en primer grado por la balacera ocurrida el 28 de septiembre en la lavandería de autoservicio Zippy Coin Laundry, cerca de North Miami, según el informe de arresto.

Un detective escribió que un video de vigilancia “que muestra el intento de homicidio ayudó a establecer causa probable”, según el informe de arresto.

Personal de los Bomberos de Miami-Dade respondió a la emergencia y trasladó al hombre herido al hospital HCA Aventura. Su estado era crítico, pero sobrevivió, según los agentes.

Agentes de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade (MDSO) arrestaron a Lucas, residente de Pembroke Pines, a las 7:40 p.m. del viernes en el área de Northeast Third Court y la calle 138, según el informe de arresto.

El Departamento Correccional de Miami-Dade ingresó a Lucas poco después de las 12:50 a.m. del sábado en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, donde permanecía detenido la mañana del lunes sin derecho a fianza, según los registros de reclusos.

Lucas también enfrentaba un cargo por disparar ilegalmente un arma de fuego en un lugar público, según muestran los registros.

La editora de asignaciones de Local 10 News, Mercedes Cevallos, contribuyó a este informe.

Reporte desde la escena del crimen

According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded shortly before 5:50 a.m. to the crash in the area of Northwest 57th Avenue and Miami Lakes Drive.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel responded and used a helicopter to fly the rider injured to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.

Location

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

Leer en español

The incident happened around 6:45 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2, at the Kwik Stop convenience store, located at 7120 Kimberly Blvd. in North Lauderdale, authorities said.

According to investigators, the confrontation began when the suspect and a store clerk got into a disagreement over a receipt.

Detectives said surveillance video captured the suspect reaching through an opening in the store’s glass-enclosed checkout area, which is designated for employees only.

The suspect then allegedly sprayed the clerk directly in the face with pepper spray from close range.

Investigators are hoping surveillance footage will help identify the person responsible.

BSO said the suspect has a distinctive tattoo that covers the entire right forearm.

Anyone with information about the incident or the suspect’s identity is asked to contact BSO North Lauderdale Detective Jacob Pincus at 954-597-4779 or submit a tip through the SaferWatch app.

Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477), visit browardcrimestoppers.org or dial **TIPS (8477) from any cellphone in the United States.

El incidente ocurrió alrededor de las 6:45 p.m. del viernes 2 de octubre en la tienda de conveniencia Kwik Stop, ubicada en 7120 Kimberly Blvd., en North Lauderdale, informaron las autoridades.

Según los investigadores, el enfrentamiento comenzó cuando la sospechosa y una empleada de la tienda tuvieron un desacuerdo por un recibo.

Los detectives indicaron que las cámaras de vigilancia captaron a la sospechosa introduciendo el brazo por una abertura en el área de cajas de la tienda, que está encerrada con vidrio y destinada exclusivamente a los empleados.

La sospechosa presuntamente roció entonces a la empleada directamente en el rostro con gas pimienta desde corta distancia.

Los investigadores esperan que las imágenes de vigilancia ayuden a identificar a la persona responsable.

La BSO indicó que la sospechosa tiene un tatuaje distintivo que cubre todo el antebrazo derecho.

Cualquier persona que tenga información sobre el incidente o la identidad de la sospechosa debe comunicarse con el detective Jacob Pincus, de la BSO en North Lauderdale, al 954-597-4779 o enviar información a través de la aplicación SaferWatch.

Quienes deseen permanecer en el anonimato pueden comunicarse con Crime Stoppers de Broward al 954-493-TIPS (8477), visitar browardcrimestoppers.org o marcar **TIPS (8477) desde cualquier teléfono celular en Estados Unidos.

The child's relatives appealed to the high court after a U.S. Marine who helped evacuate them from Afghanistan took custody of the girl despite State Department efforts to reunite her with her Afghan family.

A 2022 Associated Press report about the case raised alarms at the highest levels of government, from the Taliban to the White House.

The child's parents were killed in September 2019 when U.S. Army Rangers, along with Afghan forces, raided a rural compound.

The baby was found in the rubble and hospitalized at Bagram Air Base near Kabul, where military lawyer Joshua Mast decided with his wife to adopt her.

But the State Department during President Donald Trump’s first administration worked with the Afghan government to track down surviving relatives, identified as a cousin and his wife.

The Afghan couple raised her for 18 months, but during that time the Masts also obtained a final adoption order from a Virginia court without notifying them. The Masts have insisted they acted honorably to save a child and give her a loving home.

In 2021, Joshua Mast helped the family leave Afghanistan during the U.S. military’s chaotic withdrawal from the country.

Once they were in the U.S., Mast took the child at a refugee resettlement center over her relatives' objections.

The Afghan couple went to court, asking judges to undo the adoption they said was deeply flawed from the start. Lower courts in Virginia agreed. But the state's highest court decided in the Masts' favor, citing a six-month deadline in state law.

Their Supreme Court appeal was backed by a former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan as well as groups that support veterans and international adoptees.

The Masts dispute the family's kinship and argue that reopening the adoption now would be a significant disruption for the girl, who is now 7 and has been living with their family for years.

___

Galofaro reported from Louisville, Kentucky.

Durante una conferencia de prensa en la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad Internacional de Florida (FIU), Uthmeier anunció cargos estatales contra Raúl Castro por conspiración para cometer asesinato en primer grado.

“Lo que ocurrió no fue un accidente, fue un asesinato”, dijo Uthmeier sobre las muertes de Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña y Pablo Morales el 24 de febrero de 1996, cuando volaban en dos avionetas Cessna 337.

De la Peña, de 24 años; Costa, de 29; Morales, de 29; y Alejandre, de 45, participaban en vuelos de Hermanos al Rescate, una organización sin fines de lucro cubanoamericana con sede en Miami, fundada en 1991 para ayudar a salvar las vidas de refugiados en el mar.

“Estaban en aeronaves civiles desarmadas que salían a salvar personas”, dijo Uthmeier.

En la conferencia de prensa, el fiscal federal Jason A. Reding Quiñones, del Distrito Sur de Florida, quien anunció el caso federal contra Castro el 20 de mayo en el centro de Miami, dijo que respaldaba el proceso judicial “paralelo” de Uthmeier.

“Buscar que se rindan cuentas importa, demostrarles a estas familias que su gobierno no las ha abandonado importa”, dijo la sheriff de Miami-Dade, Rosie Cordero-Stutz, durante la conferencia de prensa.

Antes de la conferencia de prensa, The Miami Herald informó que un juez del Tribunal de Circuito del condado Miami-Dade había firmado la orden estatal de arresto contra Castro.

Gráfico interactivo: Víctimas de Hermanos al Rescate

Castel, 63, thrums on the counter for a drumroll as Mason Kauffman, one of a group of American exchange students in the cooking workshop, holds the plate steady and steels himself to flip the pan. After a countdown of 3, 2, 1, cheers erupt as he makes the flip, sliding the eggs back into the pan to finish cooking a Spanish tortilla, or omelet.

“I was so nervous,” says Kaufmann, a junior at New Hampshire's Plymouth State University, smiling broadly.

After each student has a turn, Castel pulls them into a hug and practically demands a kiss on the cheek. “You have to pay for the lesson!”

The workshop at Grandmas Cooking Barcelona offers tourists, schools and other visitors “authentic Barcelona cooking classes with local grandmas and grandpas.” It aims to share traditional Spanish and Catalan dishes and techniques that have become harder to find in the city's restaurants.

The benefits run both ways. The program helps provide purpose to older people who might be struggling with loneliness, says its founder, Veronica Baena.

Visitors can learn to cook the way grandma might

“Yes, it’s a gastronomic experience, but above all it’s about the empowerment of older people,” says Baena. “The idea was to try to recover their own personality, their own selves and integrate them into the international Barcelona.”

Baena founded Grandmas Cooking Barcelona in 2017 after seeing grandparents dropping off and picking up grandchildren at her son’s school. She learned some didn’t have much else going on in their lives anymore, so she invited a couple of them to cook at her house. Now, there are 20 older women — and one man — who share cooking tips, life lessons and more than a few jokes at civic centers, social service organizations and other locations in the city.

Passing down kitchen wisdom helps the ‘grandparents,’ too

Early on, Baena recruited a friend’s neighbor, Nuria Isanda, because of the irresistible aromas wafting from her kitchen window.

Isanda, 75, said her recipes are rarely found these days in a city whose restaurants increasingly cater to tourists. Such dishes cooked by older people might not even be appreciated by their own families, who may visit on weekends and “don’t even thank them for the food.”

The workshops, Isanda says, "can be the platform that makes grandmas feel valued and useful.”

At the recent workshop for study-abroad students, held in a rented kitchen at a civic center, Isanda showed them how to make zucchini ribbons, thread them onto skewers and dress them with a vinaigrette. Students also smeared crackers with goat cheese and blueberry jam, or decorated ensaladilla rusa, a potato salad laced with hard-boiled egg, chopped pickles and tuna.

Don't crack eggs on the bowl, and other tips

Isanda and Castel passed along cooking tips, like to always crack eggs on a counter, not the edge of a bowl, to keep out the shells.

They also stressed the sustainability of traditional cooking. For example, don’t waste anything, even carrot peels, onion skins and the ends of cut vegetables. Save them in a bag in the freezer. When the bag is full, make vegetable stock.

Castel joined Grandmas last year after retiring from a career in hospital admissions. Relating with so many foreign people has made her feel more connected and “more alive.”

“The joy of sharing food is a social act, and they leave happy,” she said. “Grandmas gives me that, and you can’t put a price on it.”

___

Albert Stumm writes about travel, food and wellness. Find his work at https://www.albertstumm.com

Leer en español

During a news conference at the FIU College of Law, Uthmeier announced state charges against Raúl Castro for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

“It was not an accident what happened, it was murder,” Uthmeier said about the deaths of Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales on Feb. 24, 1996, as they flew in two Cessna 337 aircraft.

De la Peña, 24; Costa, 29; Morales, 29, and Alejandre, 45, were in flights with Brothers to the Rescue, a Miami-based Cuban-American nonprofit founded in 1991 to help save the lives of refugees at sea.

“They were in unarmed civilian aircraft going out to save people,” Uthmeier said.

At the news conference, U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, who announced the federal case against Castro on May 20 in downtown Miami, said he was standing in support of Uthmeier’s “parallel” prosecution.

“Pursuing accountability matters, showing these families that their government has not given up on them matters,” Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said during the news conference.

Before the news conference, The Miami Herald reported that a Miami-Dade County Circuit judge had signed the state’s warrant for Castro’s arrest.

Morning report

Interactive graphic: Brothers to the Rescue victims

Leer en español

The next name on the list is Josephine.

Whether or not the impending nor’easter – which we first mentioned in this newsletter last Thursday and was added to the National Hurricane Center’s outlook on Saturday – harnesses the warmer waters of the Gulf Stream to fire off more concentrated thunderstorm activity, allowing it to shed its frontal features and transition into a hybrid-type subtropical storm, is left to be seen.

Most of our model guidance agrees that this is a borderline case for subtropical development. The traditional, physics-based European ensemble system and Google’s DeepMind machine learning-based ensemble system are more bearish than NHC on their prospects of tropical transition, giving the system a lower 20 to 30 percent chance of becoming Josephine this week.

The most bullish of our modeling systems on future development is the Euro AI, which pegged the system with higher 50 to 60 percent odds early Monday.

Name aside, coastal impacts unchanged

Whether or not the system musters up enough organized storminess to acquire subtropical characteristics later this week is immaterial to the coastal impacts expected from North Carolina’s Outer Banks through the Virginia Tidewater to southern New Jersey for the first half of the week.

The biggest change over the weekend was a shift eastward with the forecast position of the coastal storm, which will keep skies dry and confine impacts to coastal locales.

That said, significant coastal impacts are expected at least through Wednesday for the Mid-Atlantic coast, particularly along the northern Outer Banks northward to Virginia Beach/Hampton Roads and along the lower Delmarva and Eastern Shore of Maryland. Strong and persistent onshore winds gusting to 50 mph will bring rounds of moderate coastal flooding, ocean overwash, beach erosion, and dangerous surf tomorrow and Wednesday.

Vulnerable locations on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands along North Carolina’s Outer Banks will be prone to serious impacts with each high tide cycle, especially along historic Highway 12 where dunes remain fragile. Waves could reach 8 to 12 feet in the surf zone along oceanside beaches in Maryland and Virginia over the next few days, which will compound flooding in low-lying areas.

Though coastal flooding will persist through much of the week along the Mid-Atlantic, strong onshore winds should generally begin to subside by Thursday and Friday as the storm system pulls away.

Crickets elsewhere on the Atlantic side

The Atlantic basin looks to stay quiet elsewhere as we round out October.

El próximo nombre en la lista es Josephine.

Aún está por verse si la inminente tormenta del noreste, que mencionamos por primera vez en este boletín el jueves pasado y que fue incluida en el pronóstico del Centro Nacional de Huracanes el sábado, aprovechará las aguas más cálidas de la corriente del Golfo para generar una actividad de tormentas eléctricas más concentrada, lo que le permitiría perder sus características frontales y transformarse en una tormenta subtropical de tipo híbrido.

La mayoría de nuestros modelos de pronóstico coinciden en que este es un caso límite para el desarrollo subtropical. El sistema europeo de predicción por conjuntos tradicional, basado en principios físicos, y el sistema de predicción por conjuntos de Google DeepMind, basado en aprendizaje automático, son menos optimistas que el Centro Nacional de Huracanes (NHC) sobre las posibilidades de una transición tropical, y asignan al sistema una probabilidad menor, de entre el 20% y el 30%, de convertirse en Josephine esta semana.

El más optimista de nuestros sistemas de modelado sobre el desarrollo futuro es el Euro AI, que a primera hora del lunes asignó al sistema una probabilidad más alta, de entre el 50% y el 60%.

Impactos costeros sin cambios, independientemente del nombre

Independientemente de si el sistema logra desarrollar suficiente actividad de tormentas organizadas para adquirir características subtropicales a finales de esta semana, esto no afectará los impactos costeros previstos desde los Outer Banks de Carolina del Norte, pasando por la región de Tidewater en Virginia, hasta el sur de Nueva Jersey durante la primera mitad de la semana.

El mayor cambio durante el fin de semana fue un desplazamiento hacia el este en la posición prevista de la tormenta costera, lo que mantendrá los cielos despejados y limitará los impactos a las zonas costeras.

Dicho esto, se esperan importantes impactos costeros al menos hasta el miércoles en la costa del Atlántico medio, particularmente desde el norte de los Outer Banks hacia el norte hasta Virginia Beach/Hampton Roads, así como a lo largo de la parte baja de la península de Delmarva y la costa este de Maryland. Los fuertes y persistentes vientos que soplan desde el mar hacia tierra, con ráfagas de hasta 50 mph, provocarán episodios de inundaciones costeras moderadas, desbordamiento de agua del océano, erosión de playas y oleaje peligroso mañana y el miércoles.

Las zonas vulnerables de las islas Hatteras y Ocracoke, a lo largo de los Outer Banks de Carolina del Norte, estarán expuestas a graves impactos durante cada ciclo de marea alta, especialmente a lo largo de la histórica carretera Highway 12, donde las dunas siguen siendo frágiles. Las olas podrían alcanzar entre 8 y 12 pies en la zona de rompientes de las playas frente al océano en Maryland y Virginia durante los próximos días, lo que agravará las inundaciones en las zonas bajas.

Aunque las inundaciones costeras persistirán durante gran parte de la semana a lo largo del Atlántico medio, se espera que los fuertes vientos que soplan desde el mar hacia tierra comiencen a disminuir generalmente entre el jueves y el viernes, a medida que el sistema de tormentas se aleje.

Sin actividad en el resto del Atlántico

Se espera que el resto de la cuenca del Atlántico permanezca tranquilo mientras nos acercamos al final de octubre.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of a health matter.

Hurts was placed on injured reserve Saturday, two days after the Eagles revealed he has a blood clot in his calf. He missed the first of at least four games in Philadelphia's loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

The Eagles and Hurts' agent, Nicole Lynn, released more information on his condition Monday. They said Hurts has deep vein thrombosis and a bilateral pulmonary emboli, meaning a blood clot has traveled from the legs to the lungs.

His treatment involves blood thinners, and he will not be allowed to participate in any football activities until he is off them.

The Eagles and Lynn said Hurts was expected to make a full recovery.

“He is clinically stable and has no significant functional limitations,” their statement said.

The Eagles previously said Hurts was injured when he took a cleat to his calf area on Oct. 4 in a game against the Los Angeles Rams.

Hurts informed the medical staff of the injury after practice on Oct. 8. The Super Bowl 59 MVP was back at practice the next day before the team left for London to play Jacksonville. Hurts was initially diagnosed by specialists in London with a left calf superficial vein thrombosis.

Hurts hadn’t missed more than two games in a season since becoming the full-time starter in 2021. He has led the Eagles to five straight playoff appearances, three NFC East titles and two Super Bowl appearances, beating the Chiefs 40-22 two years ago.

Tanner McKee started for Hurts against the Panthers.

McKee finished 26 of 45 for 215 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles’ 25-14 loss to Carolina. The Eagles (2-4) have lost four consecutive games for the first time since 2020.

Hurts has eight touchdown passes and three interceptions with 933 yards passing this season. He is in the middle of a five-year, $255 million extension, including $179.3 million guaranteed, that takes him through the 2028 season.

The Eagles stunned fans when they drafted Hurts out of Oklahoma in the second round in 2020. They seemingly had Carson Wentz entrenched at QB and had more pressing needs. But Hurts supplanted Wentz and became one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL.

___

AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi in Tampa, Florida, contributed to this report.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Leer en español

Canvassers were out across South Florida as residents made their way to early voting sites, with many citing concerns about the economy, rising grocery prices and housing costs.

Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia said election officials are hoping for strong voter participation.

“We’re hoping for 100%, but we’ll be happy with 60-65 percent,” Garcia said.

Garcia also reassured voters about election security, emphasizing that the county’s voting system uses paper ballots and is not connected to the internet.

“We have no issues with security. As you all know, we vote on paper and we’re not connected to the internet in any way, shape or form,” Garcia said.

Voters cite economy, rising costs as major concerns

Among those casting their ballots early was Sharon Horne, of North Miami, who said she wanted to make sure her voice was heard.

“We need changes and right now, things are not good -- prices of groceries are so expensive, and the housing market is expensive, and so on and so on,” Horne said.

Veteran Charles Symonette also voted early, saying economic concerns played a major role in his decision to head to the polls.

“I want to make changes. We’re ready for some changes — we done tried everything. We need some new changes now,” Symonette said.

He pointed to concerns about jobs and government assistance programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.

“I’m thinking about jobs being taken away, I’m thinking about Medicare, Medicaid, and I’m thinking about the people that don’t have as much as all the billionaires,” Symonette said.

NAACP urges participation, warns against voter intimidation

As early voting gets underway, Daniella Pierre, president of the NAACP’s Miami-Dade branch, is encouraging residents to exercise their right to vote while warning against voter intimidation.

“It is our responsibility to get up and vote. It is our responsibility if we want to see change — it begins at the ballot box,” Pierre said.

Election officials are encouraging eligible voters to participate as early voting continues across Miami-Dade and Broward counties through Nov. 1 and through Oct. 31 in Monroe County.

CLICK HERE for more information on early voting.

Personas dedicadas a movilizar votantes estuvieron presentes en distintas zonas del sur de Florida mientras los residentes acudían a los centros de votación anticipada, y muchos expresaron preocupación por la economía, el aumento de los precios de los alimentos y los costos de la vivienda.

La supervisora de Elecciones del condado Miami-Dade, Alina García, dijo que los funcionarios electorales esperan una alta participación de los votantes.

“Esperamos un 100%, pero estaremos satisfechos con un 60% o 65%”, dijo García.

García también tranquilizó a los votantes sobre la seguridad electoral, destacando que el sistema de votación del condado utiliza boletas de papel y no está conectado a internet.

“No tenemos problemas de seguridad. Como todos saben, votamos en papel y no estamos conectados a internet de ninguna manera”, dijo García.

Votantes señalan la economía y el aumento de los costos como principales preocupaciones

Entre quienes emitieron su voto anticipadamente se encontraba Sharon Horne, de North Miami, quien dijo que quería asegurarse de que su voz fuera escuchada.

“Necesitamos cambios y, en este momento, las cosas no están bien. Los precios de los alimentos están muy altos, el mercado de la vivienda es caro, y así sucesivamente”, dijo Horne.

El veterano Charles Symonette también votó anticipadamente y afirmó que las preocupaciones económicas desempeñaron un papel importante en su decisión de acudir a las urnas.

“Quiero hacer cambios. Estamos listos para algunos cambios. Ya hemos intentado de todo. Necesitamos nuevos cambios ahora”, dijo Symonette.

También señaló su preocupación por los empleos y los programas de asistencia gubernamental, incluidos Medicare y Medicaid.

“Estoy pensando en los empleos que se están perdiendo, estoy pensando en Medicare, Medicaid y en las personas que no tienen tanto como todos los multimillonarios”, dijo Symonette.

NAACP insta a participar y advierte sobre intimidación a votantes

Mientras comienza la votación anticipada, Daniella Pierre, presidenta de la sección de Miami-Dade de la Asociación Nacional para el Progreso de las Personas de Color (NAACP), está alentando a los residentes a ejercer su derecho al voto y advirtiendo sobre la intimidación a los votantes.

“Es nuestra responsabilidad levantarnos e ir a votar. Es nuestra responsabilidad si queremos ver un cambio. Todo comienza en las urnas”, dijo Pierre.

Los funcionarios electorales están alentando a los votantes elegibles a participar mientras continúa la votación anticipada en los condados Miami-Dade y Broward hasta el 1 de noviembre y hasta el 31 de octubre en el condado Monroe.

HAGA CLIC AQUÍ para obtener más información sobre la votación anticipada.

The statewide sweep is part of a Trump administration effort to root out noncitizen voting ahead of next month's midterm elections, even though data shows that the problem is incredibly rare, difficult to prove and has not been shown to change the outcome of races.

The arrests also reflect a further escalation in a simmering voter roll fight between the federal government and California that came into focus last week when the Justice Department sued the state and later warned that local election workers who knowingly process or tabulate ballots submitted by noncitizen voters are at risk of investigation and potential prosecution.

The Justice Department said all of those arrested as part of a sweep dubbed Operation Protect the Vote are lawful permanent residents — but not U.S. citizens who are permitted to legally vote. They are charged with crimes including making false statements on a naturalization application and submitting fraudulent voter registrations.

California emerges as a flashpoint for voting dispute

The federal government has made noncitizen voting a priority this year, demanding detailed voter information — including dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers — from the states.

Before Monday, the Justice Department had charged about 90 people for various types of election misconduct so far this year, including 50 who are alleged to have voted as noncitizens. There were more than 227 million registered voters in the United States during the 2024 presidential election.

A flurry of activity has unfolded in heavily Democratic California, which is not typically regarded as a key battleground state but does have a handful of competitive congressional races that could help determine which party controls the U.S. House for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term. Over 23 million people are registered statewide.

The administration last week sued California to prevent it from counting mail ballots from people the federal government has identified as “likely” noncitizens until their immigration status can be confirmed.

The complaint was filed after California officials were given, and did not meet, a 48-hour deadline to review a password-protected thumb drive that contained a list of 20,000 names. The federal government says those are likely noncitizens who were sent ballots to participate in the Nov. 3 election, although the secretary of state said the administration has provided no evidence to support that claim. The state mails ballots to all registered voters.

A warning for poll workers

On Friday, the Justice Department followed up with a letter warning that state election officials who knowingly process ballots cast by noncitizen voters are at risk of investigation.

“The legal consequences for either facilitating or ignoring a federal crime are significant. Noncitizen voting in a federal election is a federal crime — and knowingly facilitating such conduct is equally unlawful,” warns the letter from Trent McCotter, the acting deputy attorney general at the Justice Department.

It adds: “If persons knowingly tabulate ballots cast by individuals identified by federal agencies as noncitizens, they risk becoming aiders and abettors to a federal crime.”

The letter is addressed to the Los Angeles County Counsel’s office and also is copied to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan, effectively putting the entire state on notice.

In response to the letter, Logan said his office is focused on conducting a fair and secure election while noting that Election Day is a mere 18 days away.

“The U.S. Department of Justice has chosen to litigate their unverified assertions of voting eligibility. At this point, it is best for this to be addressed in court,” he said.

___

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report from Washington.

The order, first reported by USA Today, will create a new women’s health division at the National Institutes of Health and a task force at the White House focused on the issue.

Melania Trump is expected to speak about prioritizing research and easing taboos around discussions of women's health issues during a signing ceremony on Monday, the White House said.

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, who recently completed treatment for breast cancer, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will lead the White House task force. The order does not include specific funding goals.

The initiative comes after a series of meetings the first lady had with federal health officials. “It was abundantly clear that women’s healthcare needs to be modernized, the research gap closed, and further, the need to accelerate the discovery of treatments and cures was glaring,” Melania Trump said in a statement.

According to the White House, the order calls for targeting maternal health, mental health and endometriosis. It also will mention other health concerns and diseases, including Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, heart disease and stroke.

Melania Trump said she helped shape the order and the task force in consultation with physicians, White House officials, Kennedy and the Republican president. The initiative adds a new dimension to her policy portfolio as first lady.

In Donald Trump's second term, the first lady has focused on improving foster care systems and expanding technology and artificial-intelligence access in education. In Trump's first presidency, the first lady's signature initiative, Be Best, focused on child well-being, safe social media use and reducing drug abuse.

The agreement would have spared Mohammed the risk of execution in exchange for his guilty plea and a sentence of life in prison without parole.

Mohammed is accused of developing and directing the plot to crash hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon 25 years ago. Another of the hijacked planes crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.

The plea agreement was approved by military prosecutors and the Pentagon’s senior official for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, before then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stepped in.

Austin threw out the deal in 2024, saying a decision on the death penalty in an attack as grave as Sept. 11 should only be made by the defense secretary.

Relatives of the Sept. 11 victims were split on the agreements for Mohammed and two co-defendants. Some said a trial is the best path to justice, while others saw it as the best hope for bringing the long, painful case to a conclusion.

Defense attorneys had argued that Austin, who served under President Joe Biden, acted too late. But a divided appeals court panel found Austin acted within his authority.

A trial date has been set for 2028.

Las manifestaciones forman parte de un movimiento que se opone a lo que los participantes describen como un abuso autoritario de poder por parte de la administración Trump y un deterioro de las normas democráticas.

La primera protesta nacional “No Kings” se realizó en junio de 2025, organizada por grupos como la Unión Estadounidense por las Libertades Civiles (ACLU) y la Liga de Mujeres Votantes. Las manifestaciones coincidieron con un desfile militar en Washington, D.C., realizado para conmemorar el cumpleaños del presidente Donald Trump.

Desde entonces, se han llevado a cabo otras dos protestas nacionales, dando continuidad a una serie de manifestaciones centradas en las preocupaciones sobre el poder presidencial y las instituciones democráticas.

Se espera que la protesta de hoy haga énfasis en las elecciones de medio término, con especial atención al acceso al voto y la participación electoral, mientras los votantes se preparan para acudir a las urnas.

Los organizadores y participantes están utilizando las manifestaciones para llamar la atención sobre las preocupaciones relacionadas con las elecciones y fomentar la participación pública en el proceso democrático.

Haga clic aquí para conocer más detalles sobre dónde y cuándo se realizan las protestas de este sábado.

La alerta estaba programada para expirar alrededor de las 5:15 p.m.

También estaba vigente un aviso de inundaciones para sectores de Deerfield Beach, al norte de Pompano Beach, el cual estaba programado para expirar alrededor de las 6 p.m.

Se instó a los residentes a tener precaución en las carreteras, ya que las lluvias y tormentas podrían provocar acumulaciones significativas de agua.

Las estimaciones de lluvia basadas en el radar se acercaban a las 5 pulgadas en los alrededores de Parkland y a las 6.5 pulgadas en Deerfield Beach.

Se esperaba que las lluvias y tormentas continuaran durante la tarde y hasta la noche. La actividad de tormentas sobre los Everglades podría volver a desarrollarse hacia los vecindarios locales, manteniendo el riesgo de inundaciones.

Las lluvias estaban asociadas con un frente frío que se extendía sobre la mitad sur del estado. La profunda humedad tropical que se desplazaba por la región estaba alimentando las lluvias y tormentas, permitiendo que produjeran fuertes precipitaciones.

Se esperaba que las condiciones inestables continuaran hasta el domingo.

Local 10 continuará proporcionando actualizaciones sobre las condiciones meteorológicas en desarrollo.

Keila Maldonado, de 21 años, fue detenida el sábado por el accidente ocurrido alrededor de la 1:30 a.m. de esa misma mañana cerca de la cuadra 200 de Sheridan Street en Dania Beach.

Los equipos de emergencia llegaron al área y encontraron a un peatón tendido en la calle. Fue declarado muerto en el lugar.

Los investigadores pasaron horas examinando las pruebas, incluidos fragmentos de lo que, según indicaron, era el Hyundai Sonata 2025 que conducía Maldonado.

A partir de las piezas encontradas en la escena, los detectives pudieron determinar la marca y el modelo del vehículo, así como quién creen que estaba al volante.

Según un informe de arresto, Maldonado huyó hacia el oeste en dirección a Federal Highway después del accidente.

Los detectives indicaron que horas después, alrededor de las 11:30 a.m., recibieron información de que el vehículo posiblemente se encontraba en el concesionario Lexus of North Miami.

Un detective se reunió con el gerente de seguridad del establecimiento, quien le informó que el vehículo, propiedad de Enterprise Car Rental, estaba “resguardado” en el segundo piso del estacionamiento y presentaba daños compatibles con el accidente, según el informe.

El detective habló entonces con otro empleado del concesionario, quien afirmó que una compañera de trabajo, Maldonado, le había pedido que le proporcionara un estimado de reparación del vehículo que conducía, indicaron las autoridades.

Los detectives señalaron que el empleado examinó el vehículo y observó que los daños en el parachoques delantero del lado del pasajero y en el parabrisas no habían sido causados por una colisión con otro vehículo. También se observaron lo que parecían ser restos de sangre y tejido humano en el automóvil, según las autoridades.

De acuerdo con el informe, Maldonado confesó entonces a su compañero de trabajo que había atropellado a una persona y luego condujo hasta una plaza comercial cercana, desde donde observó la llegada de los equipos de emergencia al lugar del accidente.

Los detectives indicaron que posteriormente huyó sin identificarse en ningún momento ante las autoridades.

Según el informe, debido a la gravedad del incidente, el empleado informó a su supervisor sobre lo que Maldonado presuntamente le había contado, y el supervisor habló entonces con ella.

Los detectives señalaron que Maldonado le dijo al supervisor que había atropellado a una persona que se desplazaba en un scooter.

Maldonado enfrenta ahora cargos por abandonar la escena de un accidente que provocó una muerte y manipulación de pruebas.

Hasta la tarde del domingo, permanecía detenida en la cárcel principal del condado Broward bajo una fianza de $51,000 USD.

On Monday, Chris Ballard paid the price for it.

Team co-owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon announced she had fired the general manager who had run the team since 2017. The move comes one day after the hometown fans booed resoundingly during the second half of Sunday's game, chanted “Fire Ballard” and left early as the Colts lost 26-20 to previously winless Tennessee.

She said the decision could not wait until the offseason.

“Our standard is to compete for championships, and I believe a change in leadership is necessary to meet that standard,” she said. “Making this change during the season was a deliberate decision. Waiting would only delay the important work that needs to begin now.”

She said a “thorough search” for Ballard's successor will begin immediately.

Irsay-Gordon made her position clear in January when she thwarted fan requests to fire Ballard and coach Shane Steichen. Instead, she said she agreed with the fans' desire to field a championship-caliber team and that she was bringing both back with the understanding the urgency to make the playoffs could not be higher.

Yet the Colts got off to another poor start.

Ballard's revamped defense yielded 1,029 yards, the second-highest two-game total in league history, as Indy lost its opening two games. Victories over the then-winless Houston Texans and a Washington Commanders squad playing with a backup quarterback briefly quieted the calls for changes.

But another poor defensive performance in a loss at Pittsburgh was followed by Sunday's debacle — blowing a 13-0 halftime lead with the Titans defense holding Indy to only one second-half score. A 58-yard punt return in the fourth quarter set up Tennessee's tying score and a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown less than three minutes later gave Tennessee the lead.

Afterward, the postgame tone changed.

“We’ve got to give them something to cheer about,” a feistier than usual Steichen said. “I don’t blame them for booing one freaking bit.”

Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, a team captain, took his frustration public, too.

“I’m sick and tired of the same song and dance every year,” the team captain said.

The next steps are unclear, too.

Indy (2-4) visits unbeaten Minnesota (5-0) next weekend, then heads to AFC South-leading Jacksonville (4-2) the following week. They won't play at Lucas Oil Stadium again until Nov. 8 when they host Dallas.

Steichen was asked Sunday about whether turnover-prone quarterback Daniel Jones would keep his job and whether he would make any changes on his staff. While Steichen said the Colts need to find a solution to the giveaways, he did not promise any personnel changes.

Ballard's decade-long tenure included some unusual twists and turns — the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck in August 2019, seven straight years with a different opening day starting quarterback, the firing of coach Frank Reich and subsequent hiring of Jeff Saturday, and last year's decision to bring Philip Rivers out of retirement while he was on the Hall of Fame ballot.

And while the Colts routinely hovered near the .500 mark, they never could quite get over the hump. They've won only one playoff game since reaching the 2014 AFC championship, a wild-card round victory at Houston in 2018. Indy lost the next week at Kansas City, where Ballard previously worked.

They returned to the playoffs in 2020 with Rivers but lost 27-24 and haven't been back since.

Indy also has the longest title drought in its division. They haven't won the AFC South since 2014 — every other team has won it at least twice since then.

But it was the decision to draft quarterback Anthony Richardson with the No. 4 overall pick in 2023 that ultimately undid Ballard's tenure. Richardson's inconsistent play and recurring injuries through his first two seasons prompted Ballard to sign Jones last season.

Jones then beat out Richardson for the starting job and led the Colts offense to a historic start as they went 8-2. But a broken bone in Jones' left leg derailed the season, and his season ended in December with a torn right Achilles tendon.

Indy finished the season by losing its final seven games and missing the playoffs. This season's poor start, apparently, was the final straw for Irsay-Gordon.

“I also want to be clear: this decision does not change our goals for the season," Irsay-Gordon said. "We have a lot of football in front of us, and I expect us to compete, improve, and win football games.”

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Six people died when a speedboat ferrying Syrian and Palestinian migrants struck the port side of a Greek coast guard vessel with its bow and capsized south of Lesbos late Sunday, a coast guard spokesperson told The Associated Press on customary condition of anonymity.

Four men, one woman and an infant were among the dead. Another eight people, including an individual who has been detained as the suspected people smuggler, were rescued.

Another speedboat capsized north of the island of Samos at around dawn on Monday, resulting in the death of five men and one woman. About 15 people have been rescued so far, including an Iranian man suspected of being a people smuggler.

The spokesperson said that a coast guard vessel and a helicopter were still in the area looking for another three missing passengers.

Greece's Maritime Affairs Minister Vasilis Kikilias expressed his “sorrow and rage” at the Lesbos capsizing in a post on X, calling the deaths of six people the “criminal act of modern-day slave traders.”

“Our position is clear: zero tolerance for people smugglers,” Kikilias said.

Greece is one of the main entry points into the European Union for people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, with many making the short but often treacherous journey from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands in inflatable dinghies or other small boats.

The EU's border control agency Frontex reported Monday that although irregular border crossings into the 27-nation member bloc were down by a third so far this year, the eastern Mediterranean was the busiest route.

The agency said that around 31, 800 crossings were recorded in the first three quarters of 2026, a fall of 15% compared with the same period last year. The corridor from Libya to Crete was the busiest section on the route, ahead of the eastern Aegean islands and the land border with Turkey, with Cyprus accounting for a small share.

Plaintiffs challenging the prohibition on home distilling claim the 1868 law is an antiquated relic of Reconstruction-era politics. They argue that Congress overstepped its taxation powers when it enacted the home distilling ban as part of a tax reform measure designed to curb fraud by commercial distillers.

Government attorneys counter that Congress properly restricted where spirits can be distilled to prevent producers from evading federal excise taxes. They warn that lifting the ban would violate Supreme Court precedent and erode congressional powers.

Federal law makes home distilling a crime punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Separate challenges to the law divided two federal circuit courts, which issued conflicting decisions in April, only 11 days apart.

A three-judge panel from the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the federal ban in a case brought by John Ream, a brewpub owner from Newark, Ohio, who wants to distill whisky at home for his personal consumption.

A Fifth Circuit panel ruled in favor of different plaintiffs — members of the Texas-based Hobby Distillers Association — and concluded that statutory prohibitions on in-home distilling are outside the scope of Congress’ taxing power under the Constitution.

The Supreme Court agreed to review the Fifth Circuit decision, which was the Justice Department’s preference.

Plaintiffs’ attorney Robert Alt said they are “thrilled” that the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case.

“Our country’s founders would be rolling over in their graves to learn that a pastime in which even George Washington partook, which is as American as apple pie and certainly a lot older, has quite absurdly been turned into a federal crime,” Alt said in a statement.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs in both cases argue that Congress could ban a broad array of activities inside private homes — including cooking, gardening and remote work — under the government’s interpretation of the 19th century law.

“The importance of this case and the questions it presents could hardly be overstated,” the plaintiffs' lawyers wrote. “It presents fundamental questions of the extent of federal power and the powers reserved to the states and the people.”

Justice Department attorneys said the government’s regulation and taxation on the production of distilled spirits is as old as Congress itself. They noted that Congress outlawed home distilling to prevent those producers from evading taxes or government inspections.

“And because the location restrictions were enacted only after lengthy experience with tax evasion, upholding those restrictions would not open the door to hypothetical laws restricting other conduct lacking that history,” they wrote.

The government says Ream asked the Supreme Court to resolve an “additional question” of whether location restrictions on home distilling exceed the scope of Congress’s power to regulate interstate commerce. But the government urged the high court to avoid that question, saying it wasn’t part of Ream’s case or the government’s current arguments in either case.

___

Follow the AP's coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.

Rescuers saved 16 of those who were on board, including several who had suspected shark bites, the Coast Guard said. Crews spent nearly four days looking for survivors before ending the search late Sunday.

The boat capsized in an area frequented by smugglers outside of U.S. waters, according to the Coast Guard. Survivors pulled from the water early Friday told officials there were 27 people on board.

A mayday call came from someone on the boat around 1 a.m. Friday, said Coast Guard Lt. Santiago Tamburini. A helicopter reached the site two hours later, and it took about 90 minutes to rescue the 16 people, Tamburini said.

The Mexican consulate in San Diego said all those rescued were Mexican nationals. The Coast Guard has said Customs and Border Protection was investigating and interviewing the survivors.

Both the Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy along with the Mexican Navy searched the waters with helicopters, planes and multiple boats.

The boat went down about 140 miles (225 kilometers) west of Ensenada, Mexico. The boat’s origin and destination were not clear.

The region is popular with fishing and leisure boats, but some attempts to transport migrants from Mexico to the U.S. have turned deadly in past years.

In May 2025, at least three people died when a boat flipped off the coast north of the U.S.-Mexico border. In 2023, eight people were killed in one of the deadliest maritime smuggling accidents off the U.S. coast, when two boats approached a San Diego beach in heavy fog and one capsized in the surf.

El ataque ocurrió el domingo en Croix-des-Bouquets, una comunidad antes pacífica de Puerto Príncipe que ahora está controlada por pandillas violentas.

Las Fuerzas Armadas de El Salvador informaron en un comunicado el lunes que los cuatro técnicos de aviación regresaban al campamento cuando el vehículo blindado fue atacado con explosivos y prendido fuego.

Indicaron que los cuatro hombres lograron huir del vehículo en llamas y que se está trabajando con fuerzas internacionales “para establecer contacto y determinar la ubicación de nuestros militares”.

Las autoridades salvadoreñas señalaron que se enviaron helicópteros a la zona, pero que éstos también fueron atacados a tiros cuando dispersaban a hombres armados en el área.

“Se han realizado múltiples intentos de aproximación por vía terrestre y aérea, pero éstos se han visto obstaculizados por la intensidad de los enfrentamientos”, afirmaron las Fuerzas Armadas salvadoreñas.

La fuerza de supresión de pandillas indicó en un comunicado que está evaluando la situación y ha recomendado a los residentes del lugar donde ocurrió el ataque que permanezcan en sus casas.

La zona donde fue atacado el vehículo blindado está controlada por pandillas, entre ellas Kraze Barye, liderada por Vitelhomme Innocent, y 400 Mawozo, encabezada por Lanmo Sanjou. Ambos líderes de pandillas han sido sancionados por la ONU y Estados Unidos.

Nadie se ha atribuido la responsabilidad del ataque. Ocurre en un momento en que Haití se prepara para sus primeras elecciones generales en más de una década y pone de relieve el poder de las pandillas armadas, que controlan aproximadamente el 70% de Puerto Príncipe, la capital.

Romain Le Cour, jefe del Observatorio de Haití en la Iniciativa Global contra el Crimen Organizado Transnacional, comentó que, si bien algunas pandillas han estado bajo presión desde que se desplegó la fuerza de supresión de pandillas, “otras quieren demostrar que pueden contraatacar”.

“Si efectivamente estos soldados están retenidos, los grupos obtienen ventaja para negociar y para presionar a las fuerzas de seguridad”, afirmó.

El Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU autorizó en septiembre de 2025 una fuerza de supresión de pandillas de 5.550 integrantes a fin de reemplazar a una anterior fuerza multinacional liderada por Kenia, que tuvo dificultades por la falta de fondos y recursos en su intento por ayudar a la Policía Nacional de Haití a contener la violencia de las pandillas.

La fuerza de supresión de pandillas cuenta actualmente con más de 1.500 efectivos desplegados en Haití, incluidos soldados de Chad, Jamaica y Guatemala.

Está previsto que el Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU se reúna el lunes para abordar la situación de Haití, y se espera que el ataque sea el principal tema de conversación.

La violencia de las pandillas ha desplazado a una cifra récord de 1,5 millones de personas en todo Haití en los últimos años, con más de 5.700 personas muertas o heridas desde enero hasta mediados de septiembre, y otras más de 230 personas secuestradas, según Naciones Unidas.

___

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

“I did not direct, authorize, or approve the suppression of the investigation or prosecution of crimes,” Mbeki told a judicial inquiry in Johannesburg examining allegations that political interference in democratic South Africa prevented investigations and prosecutions of crimes committed under white minority rule.

Mbeki, who succeeded Nelson Mandela in 1999 and served until 2008, said in a written statement that the National Prosecuting Authority must explain why it failed to pursue cases referred by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

His testimony comes amid renewed efforts to resolve apartheid-era crimes left unprosecuted for decades. Ahead of his appearance, the Foundation for Human Rights and 25 families of victims and survivors called for an explanation and an apology.

“After so many years of waiting and obfuscation, the families really look forward to a candid explanation of why they have been denied justice,” the foundation’s executive director, Zaid Kimmie, said in a statement.

The African National Congress was at the forefront of the battle against the system of white minority rule and led South Africa to democracy when apartheid ended in 1994. But ANC-led governments since then have been criticized by some for prioritizing national reconciliation over justice for victims.

President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered the inquiry last April after survivors and victims’ families sued successive governments for failing to investigate unresolved killings, disappearances and other crimes.

The truth commission, chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu from 1996, offered perpetrators amnesty in exchange for full disclosure of politically motivated crimes. Those denied amnesty or who did not apply remained liable to prosecution, but many victims’ families have waited decades for justice.

The truth commission received about 7,000 amnesty applications. By November 2000, roughly 850 had been granted, and about 5,400 refused, according to an interim tally published by the Justice Department, with other applications partly granted, withdrawn or still being processed.

The truth commission referred about 300 cases for further investigation and possible prosecution, according to an NPA-commissioned review, but only a handful resulted in successful prosecutions. Many referred cases have stalled amid allegations of political interference. Missing evidence and the deaths of witnesses and suspects have made prosecutions more difficult.

Allegations against Mbeki include secret talks with former military generals to secure a clandestine agreement to avoid prosecution. In his April 2003 parliamentary address responding to the TRC's final report, Mbeki said prosecutors, “working with our intelligence agencies,” could enter into lawful arrangements with people willing to disclose information about past crimes.

Critics argue that Mbeki’s cabinet response paved the way for political interference.

Mbeki acknowledged Monday that he met with former military and police officers, but denied agreeing to protect them from prosecution — he said the discussions were intended to encourage their participation in the truth commission.

He said his 2003 remarks concerned people who had not gone through the truth commission’s amnesty process, rather than cases it had referred for prosecution. He said the speech rejected blanket amnesty and affirmed the NPA’s authority to decide which cases to prosecute.

As for presidential pardons, the former head of state said the process applied only to people already convicted and did not prevent investigations or prosecutions.

Mbeki and his successor, Jacob Zuma, unsuccessfully sought to have the inquiry’s chairperson, retired Constitutional Court Justice Sisi Khampepe, recuse herself, arguing that her prior roles with the TRC and NPA compromised her impartiality. The Constitutional Court dismissed their challenge.

Authorities have also reopened inquests into apartheid-era deaths, including the 1967 death of Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Luthuli, the 1981 killing of lawyer Griffiths Mxenge, and the 1977 death of iconic anti-apartheid figure Steve Biko in police custody.

Mbeki’s testimony continues Tuesday, with three former Cabinet ministers due later this week. Zuma’s appearance, initially scheduled for Thursday, has been postponed to a date yet to be confirmed.

___

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

She handed them to Beverly Phoenix, who sat hunched over a table in the back of an exhibit hall, volunteering to help neighbors breathe new life into old tools. Now she offered advice to a member of Congress on using a Dremel, a handheld oscillating device, to sharpen the blades.

It was an unassuming campaign stop that reinforced Gluesenkamp Perez’s message of self sufficiency. The owner of an auto repair shop with her husband, Gluesenkamp Perez has positioned herself as someone who can help her party bridge the divide between urban and rural, blue collar and white collar, left and right.

If Democrats are going to take back control of the U.S. House, they need to hold districts like this one in Southwest Washington, which twice elected Gluesenkamp Perez while also supporting President Donald Trump in all of his campaigns. Although the party has been fixated on whether to accommodate the burgeoning progressive movement, Democrats' willingness to make room for more moderate and unorthodox members could be even more important to winning and maintaining a durable majority.

“We are a really independent community. What we want is respect for our priorities, for our values,” Gluesenkamp Perez said. When that causes friction with party leaders, she said, her job is “explaining my community to D.C., not letting D.C. try to define my community’s priorities.”

To prove herself, Gluesenkamp Perez, 38, will have to win a very different kind of campaign this year. In her last two elections, she faced Republican Joe Kent, who had connections to extremists. Now she's up against a more mainstream opponent in John Braun, a businessman and state legislator with a better shot at appealing to the district's moderate voters.

Gluesenkamp Perez is a lightning rod for progressive criticism

The Pacific Northwest has a reputation as a bastion of progressive politics, but Washington's 3rd Congressional District is more complex. It includes both the northern portion of the Portland, Oregon, metro area and expansive rural territory with economies centered around fishing, logging and manufacturing.

By balancing those competing interests, Gluesenkamp Perez sometimes finds herself in a lonely group of Democrats siding with Republicans.

She opposed President Joe Biden's student debt relief and voted for a Republican election proposal backed by Trump. She supported the Laken Riley immigration bill and defense legislation that included restrictions on abortion and climate change initiatives.

She voted to censure fellow Democratic Reps. Al Green of Texas and Rashida Tlaib, and she introduced a resolution to reprimand Democratic Rep. Chuy Garcia for quietly maneuvering to essentially hand his seat to a trusted aide.

Tensions flared again last month when Gluesenkamp Perez twice voted with Republicans on procedural issues, an apostasy in the traditions of Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are expected to stick with party leaders when it comes to such matters.

As a consequence, Republicans were able to force a vote on a resolution condemning socialism, putting some Democrats in an awkward spot in an election year.

“I get upset with her too at times, but you know, I also understand that she represents 800,000-plus people and that’s 800,000-plus opinions for differing views,” said Dale Benjamin, a 66-year-old retiree and self-described “Bernie progressive” who lives in Battle Ground. “I’m very thankful to her that she’s willing to do that, especially in such a divisive place and time that we’re in right now.”

Gluesenkamp Perez has prioritized legislation that bolsters her blue collar identity and the specific industries in her district. She's a strong proponent of “right to repair” legislation that would ensure consumers and independent businesses can repair things like tractors, cars and digital devices without going to the manufacturer.

And she's gone to legislative war against the sea lions that congregate around Columbia River dams, feasting on salmon and steelhead before they can reach fishermen. She has pushed for legislation that would make it easier to kill animals that she calls “Corolla-sized vermin.”

“People sometimes treat my agenda like it’s like quirky, and I’m like, this is actually very normal where I’m from,” Gluesenkamp Perez said.

More moderate Democrats are likely headed to Washington

Democrats can’t take control of the House without winning at least a dozen districts that voted for Trump.

If they pull it off, many of the party’s newest members of Congress — the ones who could deliver the majority — could resemble Gluesenkamp Perez more than the democratic socialists who won a string of primaries in blue districts this year.

Democratic leaders will need an agenda that speaks to moderates if they want to stay in power, said Jim Kessler, executive vice president for policy at Third Way, a Democratic group that advocates for centrist policies.

“What Democrats need to realize, when you win these seats, you’re in rental property. You don’t own them,” Kessler said. “You can keep them as long as you tend to them, but it just takes one bad cycle and they’re gone.”

Speaking of Gluesenkamp Perez, Kessler said “she’s carved out her own brand and she is able to survive in a hostile environment."

“And if she needs some leeway to do it, then she needs that leeway," he added.

Her electoral formula has worked so far. She finished 7 points ahead of Kamala Harris, Democrats' last presidential candidate, in 2024, winning by 3 points while Harris lost the district by 4.

Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, said Gluesenkamp Perez correctly challenges billionaires and corporations but sometimes “undermines Democrats just for the performative sake of opposing Democrats."

“I view her politically like a teenager who’s developing muscles and learning how to use them,” Green said, “with an expectation that her punches will be stronger and aimed in a better direction more and more over time.”

John Braun is a military veteran, business executive and legislator

Ambulance, fire trucks and other emergency vehicles filled the parking lot at Braun Northwest, a manufacturer that sits alongside Interstate 5, the main thoroughfare through the district.

John Braun’s parents founded the business 40 years ago, and he was named president in 2006.

A retired Navy captain in the submarine service, a business executive and the Republican leader in the state Senate, Braun, 59 has the kind of pedigree that dominated his party before Trump remade it in his image.

It's far different from Joe Kent, the party's nominee who lost to Gluesenkamp Perez in 2022 and 2024. Kent's campaign team included a consultant who was a member of the Proud Boys, and Kent supported conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Kent went on to lead the National Counterterrorism Center under Trump, resigning in March because of opposition to the Iran war.

Braun predicted that he would have more appeal to independent-minded voters, saying in an interview that Kent “wasn’t a good fit for the district."

Gluesenkamp Perez has focused on “marginal issues" affecting slivers of her constituency and, despite some high-profile disputes, hasn't broken with Democrats on “the things that really matter,” Braun said.

“It’s a very independent district, and while I think she has said ‘independent’ a lot, there’s a lot of frustration that she really hasn’t been all that independent,” Braun said.

Sandy Johnson, a 74-year-old Republican from Battle Ground, said Braun's background in business is appealing, and he doesn't see any difference between Gluesenkamp Perez and other Democrats.

“I can’t stand her. I think she’s a liar. She’s a manipulator,” Johnson said as he walked his dog in a park near his home. “She’s directed by them, and she follows them, not us.”

Jessica Martinez was deployed when immigration agents arrested her father, Humberto Martinez, just two months after she left for sea.

Humberto had worn a Navy sweatshirt the day his daughter departed, proudly supporting her military service.

But while Jessica was serving her country, her family was dealing with his arrest and eventual deportation.

“When I got the news that my dad got deported, I just didn’t want to continue anymore,” Jessica said.

She recalled how her father’s words encouraged her to keep going despite the emotional toll of their separation.

“My dad was all like, ‘I’ve always taught you to keep going in life. I didn’t raise a quitter.’ And I had to keep going. It was for my dad,” she said.

Family separated by immigration enforcement

The Department of Homeland Security defended its actions against Humberto Martinez, alleging in a statement that he is “a criminal with convictions for DUI and drug offenses, arrests for false citizenship and human smuggling” and had been previously removed from the United States six times.

However, public records reviewed for the report showed only a DUI conviction on Martinez’s record.

Martinez said the DUI was a misdemeanor and that he completed court-mandated classes and community service.

He also acknowledged unlawfully crossing the U.S.-Mexico border several times.

His family had been pursuing an immigration process for him, according to Jessica’s sister, Ana Martinez.

“My sister is in the military; she’s doing the process for him,” Ana said.

Emotional reunion across the border

After returning from her deployment, Jessica traveled with Ana to Tijuana, Mexico, to see their father for the first time since she left.

“This is my first time visiting Tijuana,” Jessica said as the sisters crossed the border.

As they approached their father, Ana spotted him.

“Dad, he’s right there,” she said.

The family then shared an emotional reunion after months apart.

Humberto said he was grateful his daughter had returned safely from her deployment.

He also expressed pride in Jessica’s accomplishments, saying it had been a dream come true to see her become a Navy sailor and pursue her college education.

But even as the family celebrated being together again, Humberto remained hopeful that they would someday be reunited in the U.S.

“I tell her, maybe someday, we’ll be able to reunite over there as a family,” he said. “Hopefully, somebody is gonna help me and I can go back to my family.”

Despite his deportation, Humberto said he remains grateful for the opportunities he received in the U.S.

“I have nothing against the country, and I’m grateful for the opportunities it gave me and everything else,” he said.

For now, Jessica and her family are navigating the challenges of being separated by the border, even after her return from nearly a year of military service.

The attack occurred Sunday in Croix-des-Bouquets, a once peaceful community in Port-au-Prince now controlled by violent gangs.

The Armed Forces of El Salvador said in a statement Monday that the four aviation technicians were returning to camp when the armored vehicle was attacked with explosives and set on fire.

It noted that the four men managed to flee the burning vehicle and it is working with international forces to “establish contact and determine the location of our military personnel.”

Salvadorean authorities said helicopters were dispatched to the area but they, too, came under fire as they dispersed armed men in the area.

“Multiple attempts to approach by land and air have been made, but these have been hampered by the intensity of the fighting,” the Salvadorean Armed Forces said.

The gang suppression force said in a statement that it is assessing the situation and has advised residents where the attack occurred to remain indoors.

The area where the armored vehicle was targeted is controlled by gangs including Kraze Barye, led by Vitelhomme Innocent, and 400 Mawozo, led by Lanmo Sanjou. Both gang leaders have been sanctioned by the U.N. and the U.S.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. It comes as Haiti prepares for its first general elections in more than a decade and showcases the power of armed gangs that control an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince, the capital.

Romain Le Cour, head of the Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, said that while some gangs have been under pressure ever since the gang suppression force was deployed, “others want to show that they can strike back.”

“If these soldiers are indeed being held, the groups gain edge to negotiate and to pressure the security forces,” he said.

In September 2025, the U.N. Security Council authorized a 5,550-member gang suppression force to replace a former Kenya-led multinational force that struggled with a lack of funds and resources as it tried to help Haiti’s National Police quell gang violence.

The gang-suppression force currently has more than 1,500 troops on the ground in Haiti, including soldiers from Chad, Jamaica and Guatemala.

The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to meet Monday about Haiti, and the attack is expected to dominate the conversation.

Gang violence has displaced a record 1.5 million people across Haiti in recent years, with more than 5,700 people killed or injured from January to mid-September, and another more than 230 people kidnapped, according to the U.N.

Many French citizens have been left shocked by the images of violence that have drawn worldwide attention and highlighted the country's tense social climate. On Monday, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said he instructed prefects to impose “very limited” and “localized” curfews in cities to prevent more rioting and looting.

The violence targeted city halls, other public buildings and hundreds of businesses across the country, leading to more than 2,000 arrests.

Tuesday's match between PSG and Barcelona at the Parc des Princes will require a robust security deployment, with police forces already strained following weeks of student protests.

In May, Paris police detained dozens of people after violence disrupted celebrations of PSG's second Champions League title and a group tried to storm a police station.

Speaking after an emergency meeting with top government officials, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the possibility of calling off planned events was discussed, including soccer matches.

“But this does not apply to tomorrow’s match between PSG and FC Barcelona,” he said.

Nuñez added that other matches planned in European competitions this week would not be affected. He mentioned the match between Lille and Galatasaray scheduled on Wednesday in the northern city, where looters also vandalized shops over the weekend.

Asked whether the tensions in France could affect his team, PSG coach Luis Enrique said it would not, and that he was not scared.

“I'm not the right person to speak about this topic,” he added. “I'm here to speak about football. For sure we don't like this violence but that is how it is in society. So we just need to stay focused on the football match.”

Nuñez offered his resignation on Sunday but French President Emmanuel Macron asked him to stay to respond to police needs in an emergency situation. Macron instructed Nuñez “to take all necessary steps to ensure full transparency about the failures in planning and intelligence-gathering that led to the violence.”

Lecornu said details of the areas to be placed under curfew will be provided later.

Nuñez acknowledged that authorities “lost control” in some major cities on Saturday, when hundreds of businesses were looted.

___

Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

But in the nearly two years since President Donald Trump returned to office, they have been adjudicating a litany of cases challenging construction projects he initiated to remake the nation's capital at a breakneck speed. Judges accustomed to parsing the Constitution are now being forced to decide how many trees may be cut down or whether paint tests can proceed.

Their decisions ultimately could determine how Washington is reshaped and could have a significant say on the limits of presidential power. But in reaching those conclusions, the judges appear to be growing increasingly frustrated with being thrust into what otherwise might be the purview of project managers, zoning officials or board legal counsel.

The docket of renovation projects has ballooned over the months, drawing in at least nine judges so far. Cases are now underway challenging, among others, Trump's proposed monumental arch where he plans to place drones and snipers; the potential destruction of the iconic Kennedy Center; a White House ballroom and the renovation of a public golf course that enthusiasts fear will make it unaffordable.

Together they highlight an increasingly mistrustful third branch exasperated by the president's behavior in pursuit of his desires. The evidence is in statements, rulings, orders and outright anger during hearings.

“The administration has created a problem where the courts are flooded with challenges to efforts that they have undertaken to satisfy one man’s ego,” said David Singleton, a law professor at the University of the District of Columbia.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

One judge's frustration on display in hearing

The judicial frustration erupted into full view last week during a remote hearing over the Washington golf course that Trump wants to turn into a world-class venue. Plaintiffs argue the administration’s redevelopment would violate the congressional act that created the park.

Judge Ana Reyes excoriated a government attorney for the first 15 minutes of the hearing over what she said was the administration's deceit after it cut down trees at the course over a holiday weekend, with little notification to plaintiffs.

Reyes, appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden, spent months telling skeptical plaintiffs that she trusted the government and did not need updates on routine work.

"I am not the Lorax, I do not speak for the trees. I am a judge," she said at one hearing referencing a Dr. Seuss character. At another she said: “I don’t want to be the overseer of Parks and Rec. I’m no Amy Poehler.”

That reticence ended after the tree-cutting spree earlier this month.

"I trusted you all not to do precisely what you have done," she said. “Not only have you lost credibility, now we're dealing with this.”

In her memorandum, the incredulity continued as she summarized the hearing. “Breakneck speed to clear trees that posed no harm. The reason? Disputed. The budget? Unclear. The environmental impact? Unstudied. The urgency? None. Next steps: bulldoze hundreds more.”

The government responded to her filing and courtroom outburst by asking that she be removed from the case citing hostility toward the government and favoritism for the plaintiffs. Reyes denied the motion late Sunday, noting that before October she had rejected “about a dozen” requests from the plaintiffs that she issue formal orders against the administration. She denied them all. Despite the pending hearing, Trump announced Sunday on social media that the course will close for 15 months beginning Nov. 15 for redevelopment.

Judge protests micromanaging projects

A judge asked to decide the fate of the Kennedy Center, which Trump added his name to and then a Trump-appointed board voted to close down for renovations, has repeatedly expressed frustration over the court's involvement in the project.

“Can it close for two weeks? Can it close for a season? Can it close for the summer while the air conditioner is being repaired?” said Judge Christopher Cooper. “You’re asking the court, arguably, to, you know, micromanage the Kennedy Center’s, you know, construction projects, which obviously I’m not in a position to do, and it’s not my role to do.”

Still, Cooper has been made to rule on those very things. He ordered the board to give 30-day notice of plans to demolish it, due in part to Trump’s public statements that it could be torn down if he is not given proper recognition for his efforts to restore it. Cooper has also blocked Trump's name from being returned to the building.

Charles Birnbaum, founding president and CEO of The Cultural Landscape Foundation, a Washington-based advocacy organization and a plaintiff in the Kennedy Center lawsuit, said the courts, and the public, were “growing weary” of “the administration’s spurious claims of absolute authority.”

Concerns that the administration is outrunning the courts

The judges' frustrations have also centered around the speed with which the administration is pushing ahead on the projects with little regard for the approvals needed to pursue such work.

Trump tore down the White House's East Wing last year to make room for a ballroom, which the administration argues is needed to address national security concerns. Plaintiffs, who argued that Trump has no unilateral authority to undertake the work, accused the White House of trying to “outrun the courts” by accelerating construction.

Judge Tanya Chutkan, overseeing the case against Trump's Washington arch, referred to the ballroom circumstances in one hearing.

“The president has said he’s getting his arch,” said Chutkan, a Barack Obama appointee. "And as we’ve seen from Judge (Richard) Leon’s case with the White House ballroom, the president tends to get what he wants even if it means that you wake up one morning and there are bulldozers demolishing part of the White House.”

Chutkan has also voiced skepticism of responses from government lawyers over her requests for details on plans for the arch, reflecting the judiciary's growing mistrust of the executive.

She said the lawyers “come in and they say, ‘I don’t know. I’m not aware of anything.’ But that doesn’t mean it’s not happening.”

"One would expect that you would know the answers to those very, very basic questions, which is: Is there any preparation for demolition happening? Have any contracts been awarded? Because all of that goes to whether — goes to whether construction is imminent.”

The judges' decisions could ultimately resonate far beyond the walls of the edifices and monuments they are ruling on.

Matt Dallek, a political historian at George Washington University, said the projects may seem “a little trivial.”

But, he said, they “go to the heart of the executive power and what kind of authority Trump can wield based on a whim."

___

Associated Press reporter Michael Kunzelman contributed to this report.

This brings to 10 the number of Indonesian companies that Singapore is targeting under its Transboundary Haze Pollution Act.

The National Environment Agency said in a statement that it sent preventive measure notices last Friday to seven Indonesian agroforestry companies linked to fires in Sumatra province. Since then, it said that there were indications that smoke from fires in the Kalimantan province on lands held via concessions under three additional companies in Indonesia could also have moved to Singapore.

As such, it said it would also send preventive measure notices to the three companies in Kalimantan: PT Buana Megatama Jaya, PT Mananjung Hayak and PT Baratama Putra Perkasa.

The notices require the companies to deploy firefighting personnel to extinguish fires or prevent them from spreading on land they own or occupy, the agency said in a statement. They must also stop any ongoing burning activities, refrain from starting new ones and submit action plans detailing measures to put out fires and prevent them from recurring.

The earlier seven companies are pulpwood supplier PT Bumi Andalas Permai, PT Bumi Mekar Hijau, PT Paramitra Mulia Langgeng, PT Sumatera Alam Anugerah, PT SBA Wood Industries, PT Hutan Lestari Raya and PT Bangkanesia.

The notices don't amount to a finding that the companies are legally responsible for the haze in Singapore. But they allow prosecution and financial penalties if the legal requirements for an offense are met.

Forest and land fires in Indonesia have sent thick haze across neighbouring Singapore, Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia, pushing air pollution to unhealthy and hazardous levels in some areas, disrupting daily life and prompting school closures and public health measures. The smoke has also turned skies orange in parts of Kalimantan.

Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry has recorded more than 2,020 square kilometers (780 square miles) of burned land between January and July, while the Nusantara Atlas project estimated that nearly 8,960 square kilometers (3,460 square miles) had burned by the end of August.

Singapore Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam said that the Singapore Exchange has also sought information from seven Singapore-listed agricultural companies about their operations and possible links to fires in Indonesia that have caused haze in the country.

He said that the smog was “entirely preventable” and warned companies linked to the fires that they shouldn't think that they can get away from taking responsibility. He reiterated that the problem was “not simply an act of nature,” but one driven by companies pursuing profits.

“They may think that it is hard to get evidence, and that they may think that they can escape scrutiny. But they should not underestimate the Singapore government’s determination to act,” he said in remarks carried by Singapore broadcaster CNA.

“If companies refuse to cooperate, regardless of whether they have a presence in Singapore or do not have a presence in Singapore, we will use every legal and regulatory lever at our disposal to exert pressure where it matters, including on their bottom lines, including on their access to financing, and including on their standing with investors.”

Shanmugam said that it was “disappointing” that an Indonesian official had belittled the crisis by saying Singapore gets oxygen from Indonesian forests where there is no haze. He said that such comments were inappropriate when people across the region are suffering from the haze because of the “bad behavior” of companies breaching regulations in Indonesia.

He welcomed the efforts of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to tackle the fires, including accepting foreign assistance to put out the flames. He noted that Prabowo has replaced the head of the agency responsible for firefighting and disaster relief, put in place directives against slash-and-burn practices on peatland, and prioritized fire prevention as a long-term solution.

Indonesia’s top security minister, Dudung Abdurachman, said on Monday that the government wouldn't declare the forest fires a national disaster for now, insisting that the country remained capable of handling the crisis, despite mounting haze concerns in neighboring countries.

As experts have been saying for a long time, the current electrical plants in Cuba cannot be repaired -- they are too old.

Leer en español

Yesterday afternoon, the electrical plant in Santa Cruz caught fire and part of it exploded, causing more blackouts in that region of Cuba.

The people that live around the eastern town of Guantanamo have not had electricity for 36 days.

It has been estimated by the electrical experts in the U.S. that a new electrical system in Cuba will cost $9 billion to $11 billion.

Oct. 14: Human rights violations continue in Cuba

According to the organization Cuba Decide, in the month of September, there were 911 human rights violations in Cuba that range from arrests for simply protesting in the streets to posting comments on social media criticizing the Cuban government. 75% arrested were men and 25% women.

For example, in the capital city of Havana, 413 people were arrested. In Camagüey, 121 people were detained and in Villa Clara, 62. There were 284 cases of threats reported that were allegedly made against Cubans by the government as well.

During the month of September, there were also 138 cases reported of human rights violations against individuals for practicing their religious freedoms.

Anything that can threaten the political control and power of the Cuban government will continue to be castigated in an attempt to maintain control of the population.

Cuban laws have two interpretations. One for those in power and one for the Cuban people.

Oct. 13: With or without a U.S. intervention, can Cuba survive?

The socio-economic conditions continue to worsen in Cuba and the Cuban government has no answers for improving them. Even with the 176 economic reforms they introduced months ago, they have been very slow to implement them.

The only answers the Cuban government has is to increase their propaganda of blaming the U.S. for all their problems, which the Cuban people on the island no longer believe.

Without foreign investment, it will be very difficult for them to survive. In addition, their infrastructure continues to collapse from their electrical plants, water system, food supply, and lack of safe buildings for people to live in.

As the midterm elections get closer in the U.S., I don’t see us taking any action against Cuba. Their only hope is that Raul Castro dies in the months to come and that someone within their inner circle of power becomes a true political reformer that can begin to transform their totalitarian system.

Oct. 8: Social Challenges Facing Cuba

In 2014, I wrote a book with that title.

Today, the social challenges facing Cuba are even greater.

When we speak of creating a democratic government in Cuba’s future, there are three variables that must be taken into consideration.

1) The history of the country

2) The culture of the country

3) The personal experiences of the population

That is why it’s very difficult to apply a transition of another country to Cuba or any other country that has lived under a totalitarian regime for so long.

Today, Cuba’s population is about 8.3 million. Many have left seeking a better future. Some factors that are often forgotten is the fact that about 60% of the island is Black or Mulato, while in exile, that percentage is about 5%. Today, Cuba has the lowest birth rate in all of Latin America and, at the same time, one of the oldest population in Latin America.

As we have seen from recent statistics, about 1 million Cubans left last year, seeking a better life. I suspect if and when there is a change in Cuba’s regime, the young generation will not stay on the island to help rebuild their country. They will go elsewhere, seeking better opportunities.

The last challenge is how to change people’s minds to support a democracy when it has been years, even before the Revolution of 1959, that there was a democracy in Cuba.

The ideology of the Cuban Revolution is gone. However, there is a lack of any clear ideology that Cubans believe in, which makes it more difficult when trying to develop a civil society in the future that can support a democratic government.

Oct. 6: Cuba prepares for possible U.S. intervention as talks stall

Cuba’s Chargé d’Affaires in Washington, D.C., Lianys Torres Rivera, gave an interview to Reuters and said that, given the lack of progress in conversations with the U.S., the Cuban military has begun preparations for a possible U.S. intervention.

Cuba fully understands that, if such an intervention were to come, it would not be an invasion as many expect, but rather an aerial drone and missile attack. According to military experts and sources at the Pentagon, such an attack could take less than forty-eight hours to neutralize Cuba’s military.

The U.S. military has also incorporated preparations and contingency plans to deal with Cuban drones if any were launched against the U.S. mainland. My own personal belief is that Cuba would first target the U.S. base at Guantánamo Bay, which is located very close to one of Cuba’s main military installations near Santiago de Cuba.

Oct. 5: Cuba will not negotiate regime change with U.S.

Over the weekend, Cuba’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, made it very clear that Cuba will not negotiate regime change with the U.S. In an interview with Fox News, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Cuban government that if they don’t change their regime, the consequences would be worse.

This leaves the U.S. with limited options moving forward. 1) Wait until Raul Castro dies and see what happens. 2) Strengthen the opposition inside the island. 3)Take military action against the island nation.

None of these options lead to a clear and quick path to a quick change in their system of government. A military invasion of Cuba by the U.S. could lead to a prolonged stay on the island until some form of government can be established from within the island and with the support from the Cuban exile community. However, there are some in the exile opposition that consider themselves possible leaders in a free Cuba, which could further complicate things.

Lastly, the extended war with Iran and the mid-term election results in the U.S. could also complicate what the U.S. does with Cuba.

Oct. 2: Who is driving U.S. foreign policy towards Cuba?

In the last several months, we have witnessed Secretary of State Marco Rubio continuing to sanction top officials of the Cuban government and their organizations, trying to force them to change or come to the table and negotiate with the U.S.

On the other hand, we just learned that the White House authorized a sale of 3.2 million barrels of oil to Cuba supposedly going to Cuba’s private sector. Are you kidding?

When dealing with Venezuela and Cuba, Trump has clearly shown that making money is more important than regime change in these two countries.

Oct. 1: Robberies and delinquencies increase in Cuba

According to Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez (14yMedio), this past Monday a bank was robbed in Lawton, Cuba in the middle of a major power failure.

The robbers got away with the money that was to be paid the next day to people who had retired. At the same time, many solar panels that have been installed around Cuba to help with the growing electrical shortages are being stolen at night by robbers.

The Cuban government is concerned that as socio-economic conditions continue to get worse on the island nation, these practices will increase. So far, no one has been caught.

The Balkan country is holding a tense election this weekend that is seen as a showdown between the protesting student movement and Vucic, who is seeking to extend his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party’s 14-year rule.

In September, digital rights groups reported that at least 14 activists and students had their phones hacked and infected with spyware, including NSO Group’s Pegasus.

The Citizen Lab group, which carries out forensic analyses of spyware attacks, said in a statement that it could confirm with "high confidence" that Vladan Djokic's phone was infected with Pegasus spyware in 2026.

The group said it carried out an analysis in cooperation with Serbia-based SHARE Foundation, also a digital rights group.

A separate analysis is underway to determine whether the phone of associate prosecutor Rade Bajic was also hacked. Bajic worked on alleged corruption surrounding a real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, which was later canceled. Bajic received an Apple Threat Notification on his phone in August.

Djokic on Instagram described the phone hacking as a “serious attack on my privacy, security and the integrity of the post of rector.” He added that this was “yet another attempt of intimidation designed to prevent any critical position and public action.”

There was no immediate comment from the Serbian authorities. They have denied in the past they were behind such attacks, which were first reported in 2024.

Students say authorities plan detentions and monitor meetings

Pegasus is spyware developed by the Israeli company NSO Group that can secretly infiltrate smartphones, allowing operators to read messages, track a user’s location and activate microphones and cameras. It can be installed through so-called zero-click attacks, which require no action by the phone’s owner.

The SHARE Foundation said that without an effective investigation, accountability and a message that unlawful surveillance is unacceptable, "there is a serious risk that digital repression will continue and spread further, reaching every part of society and every critical voice.”

The student movement on Sunday warned that their meetings were being monitored and alleged that authorities planned to detain a number of their colleagues ahead of a major rally on Thursday. Police have not commented.

Scores of students have been detained in Serbia during protests for alleged anti-state activities. Vucic, without offering evidence, has repeatedly claimed that student protests have been organized from abroad to “destroy” the country.

Protests erupted in November 2024, after a train station canopy collapse killed 16 people. University students have demanded accountability for the tragedy in Novi Sad that they say was caused by graft-fueled negligence during renovation work on the train station.

Those targeted were both prominent government critics

Djokic has supported the protests as the head of the University of Belgrade, and has refused government pressure to end faculty blockades by the students in the capital. Police raided Djokic's offices in March, citing an investigation into a student's death.

Bajic, the prosecutor, was replaced after he spoke out about alleged corruption linked to the government's plan to turn the bombed-out former military compound into a luxury complex financed by a company linked to Jared Kushner. A government minister and several others who were charged in the case are on trial in Serbia.

Israel's NSO says its technology is sold to government agencies to combat serious crime and terrorism. But investigations by journalists and human rights researchers have documented its use against journalists, activists and other members of civil society.

The U.S. Commerce Department placed NSO Group on its trade blacklist in November 2021, citing evidence that foreign governments used its spyware to target journalists, activists and government officials. The designation restricts the company’s access to U.S. goods and technology.

But this harvest season, they’re doing it with diesel prices more than $2.50 per gallon higher than a year ago, adding to financial pressures from rising costs, unpredictable markets and shrinking profits.

“It seems like it’s coming at us from all directions,” said Brunkow, president of the Kansas Farm Bureau.

The economic strain is becoming a growing political concern for Republicans in states they have long dominated. President Donald Trump is heading to Kansas on Monday and Iowa later in the week, the latest in a series of stops where he's trying to energize his base in the final weeks before the midterm elections.

The visits come as Republicans pour money into Senate races in Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa amid concerns about voter enthusiasm. The anxiety may be especially notable in Kansas — a state Trump won by 16 percentage points against Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024 — as Republican Sen. Roger Marshall faces a tough challenge from Democrat Adam Hamilton. Democrats have not won a Senate election in Kansas in 94 years.

Brunkow, whose organization endorsed Marshall, said he’s been asked many times whether the economic frustrations could drive Republican farmers to vote for Democrats.

“I don’t think it necessarily does that,” Brunkow said. “But I think it dampens the enthusiasm for agriculture producers to get to the polls.”

Republican voters' frustrations with the party have deepened

Don Hineman, a western Kansas rancher and former Republican state House majority leader, said he’s seeing growing frustration among GOP voters beyond just farmers, including some who have supported Trump in multiple elections.

He said farmers understand that Trump’s tariffs have hurt their businesses and are upset over the ongoing war with Iran. Immigration has also become a source of concern, particularly after recent immigration raids in western Kansas that resulted in the detention of more than 100 people.

“We need a secure border — we can all agree on that,” Hineman said. “But we also need workable immigration policy that provides the workforce that the United States has always depended on and will always continue to need.”

Hineman said the traditional Republican argument in Kansas — that electing Democrats would empower the party’s liberal wing — is losing its effectiveness with some voters, including himself.

“I am tired of being persuaded by charges that the boogeyman is going to get us,” he said. “I am so fed up with the Republican Party and their willingness to play sycophant to our current commander in chief that I’m willing to consider alternatives.”

Debbie Geneva, 61, of Nortonville, Kansas, said she was impressed by Hamilton after he visited a local market to meet people, something she hasn't seen Marshall do. She's never voted for a Democrat, she said, but remains undecided about the Senate race.

“I’ve never voted for a Democrat in my entire life, so that’s a little scary for me to be undecided,” said Geneva. "I told one of my friends that, and they can’t believe it, but that’s just the way I feel right now.”

Geneva said rising costs for healthcare and everyday expenses have added to her frustrations.

“And then of course the trade agreements," she added. “The Republicans haven’t done the Midwest any favors with that.”

Farmers face a financial squeeze

Farmers have spent months feeling the squeeze as costs for inputs like diesel, fertilizer and seed have soared due to refinery constraints and supply disruptions tied to the Iran war.

Diesel averaged $6.30 per gallon nationwide on Friday, more than 70% higher than a year ago, according to motor club AAA. The surge has been especially painful during harvest season, when farmers depend heavily on fuel to operate machinery and transport crops.

“This is a time of year when we use a lot of fuel, and there just isn’t much we can do,” Brunkow said. “The margins are tight, and anything that cuts into that margin really hurts.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that net farm income will decline by 2.6% this year as production expenses rise by 4.5%. Fuel and oil expenses alone are expected to jump nearly 30%, according to the agency’s September forecast.

The Trump administration has attempted to ease some of those burdens. Earlier this month, Trump signed an executive order to ease limits on the tax-free use of red-dyed diesel, a decision he said would save “millions” for farmers. That came after a $12 billion aid package for farmers announced by the Trump administration in December.

But those efforts have not erased frustrations among some farmers who expected their financial outlook to improve under Trump.

Brunkow said many farmers “thought it would be better” under Trump, although he thinks most would still consider him the better choice in the 2024 election.

“He’s made some unforced errors," said Brunkow. “Miscalculations, bad advice, that had unintended consequences.”

Concerns spread beyond Kansas

Trump will travel on Thursday to Iowa, where Republicans are defending competitive races for governor and Senate. The state, which Trump has carried in three consecutive presidential elections, is another agricultural stronghold where economic frustrations have become part of the political debate.

In Nebraska, Senate Republicans have poured nearly $15 million into a race between GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts and independent candidate Dan Osborn, an unprecedented amount for a state Trump won by 20 percentage points in 2024.

David McIntosh, president of the influential Club for Growth, said his group has kept a close eye on the heavy agriculture states since summer and acknowledged concerns about a drop-off in enthusiasm. His group is spending millions of dollars for GOP candidates in Kansas, Nebraska and elsewhere.

“Farmers are squeezed between higher input prices and less of an international market because of retaliatory tariffs,” McIntosh said. “The economic environment has not been good.”

Democrats, meanwhile, see an opportunity in the economic frustrations, even in states where they have struggled to win statewide elections.

Former Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat who lost reelection in 2024, said there is “no doubt” that Democrats will perform better than expected in agricultural states.

“These guys got to pay bills at the end of the month, and for a number of months now it’s been hard to do,” said Tester. “This is way beyond politics.”

A third-generation farmer, Tester said he first began farming in 1978 and witnessed the farm crisis of the 1980s, when “a fair number of my neighbors left town.”

“We’re setting up for the same kind of situation,” said Tester. “The economics in family farm production agriculture right now are probably worse right now than they were in the 1980s.”

___

Cappelletti reported from Washington. Associated Press journalist Nick Ingram contributed to this report.

Dorian Duff and his family spent four months repairing the damage before moving back into their home in February. Now, Saturday night’s rainfall has flooded their entire block again.

“I’m a Florida native, and I’ve seen heavy rain, but heavy rain doesn’t affect other parts of Florida like it affects Eighth Avenue,” Duff said.

Duff said more than 5 inches of water seeped into the house. The water remained outside for hours overnight, eventually making its way through the walls and into the home.

The family has already started flood mitigation efforts. On Sunday, a crew began removing two feet of drywall throughout the house to help prevent mold.

Duff said the family dealt with similar flooding around Oct. 25 last year and had only recently returned to their newly repaired home.

He said the city added drainage and made road repairs a few years ago, but he still doesn’t understand why the area continues to flood.

Duff said longtime residents have told him they’ve never seen flooding like this before, and some blame the road repairs.

Leer en español

The Davie-Cooper City Branch Library is one of dozens of early voting locations across Broward County. Cones were in place and campaign signs lined the edge of the parking lot Sunday ahead of early voting.

Voters can cast their ballots daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Nov. 1.

During the August primary election, more than 61,000 people voted early in person in Broward County, according to the state. More than 58,000 voted early in Miami-Dade County and just over 4,000 in Monroe County.

Across Florida, more than 818,000 people cast their ballots in person before Election Day.

With the election approaching, candidates are using the final weeks of the campaign to reach undecided voters and turn out their supporters.

In the race for governor, Democratic nominee David Jolly stopped at a church in northwest Miami-Dade on Sunday morning. He also spoke with Glenna Milberg on This Week in South Florida.

Jolly described his political journey as one of building a bigger table.

“I was a lifelong Republican,” Jolly said. “I served in Congress, then I was an Independent for six or seven years. I found my home in the Democratic Party, but I’m in a very post-partisan space, a post-ideological space.”

Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds said he is focused on talking directly with voters.

“We’ve now knocked 1.2 million doors in the general election to be Florida’s next governor,” Donalds said. He added that his campaign expects to reach around 1.5 million doors, or possibly more, by the general election.

The offer arrived a day after artificial intelligence company Anthropic announced in a social media post that it will commit 5% of its shares to a new “public benefit” fund.

In a response to that Sunday post, Musk wrote, “I recommend giving the shares directly to the public.”

Shares of SpaceX, which will report its quarterly earnings on Tuesday, closed at $146.03 on Friday.

With approximately 73 million children under the age of 18 in the United States, that would put the value of Musk's pledge at about $10.66 billion.

Anthropic said Sunday that the shares it is committing will go to the Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, a new entity within the company. The fund's worth will potentially increase as the shares grow in value.

Musk did not provide further details on how his share pledge will be carried out, but did add in his post that “This will be the first of many.”

The announcements by Musk and Anthropic arrive as Americans grow increasingly wary of AI. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that most Americans, 64%, think AI is developing “too fast,” while 27% say its development has been “about right” and only 8% say it’s moving “too slow.”

Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, SpaceXAI’s Musk and other prominent industry leaders said last month that AI’s development needs to slow down. The consensus came after an Anthropic researcher resigned with a dire warning about the threats the technology poses to humanity. But obstacles including domestic and global competition, profit motivations and pushback from President Donald Trump all stand in the way of a coordinated effort to pace AI’s development.

Musk has quietly become the biggest known donor in this year’s midterm elections, doling out more than $276 million since July to try to save Republican majorities in Congress.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and the company’s five other cofounders established Anthropic as a public benefit corporation, a designation that for-profit companies select to balance financial goals and social impact.

Anthropic is planning a massive initial public offering as soon as November. In June the company said that it had submitted a confidential filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for its proposed IPO.

That same month, Musk's SpaceX made its Wall Street debut as a publicly traded company and made Musk the world's first trillionaire. Shares of SpaceX are down 35.3% since peaking days after that initial public offering, however, meaning Musk is a billionaire.

Leer en español

Keila Maldonado, 21, was taken into custody Saturday for the crash that occurred around 1:30 a.m. that morning near the 200 block of Sheridan Street in Dania Beach.

First responders arrived to the area to find a pedestrian lying in the street. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators spent hours combing over the evidence, including pieces of what they said was the 2025 Hyundai Sonata Maldonado was driving.

From the parts at the scene, detectives were able to determine the make and model of the car, and who they believe was behind the wheel.

According to an arrest report, Maldonado fled west to Federal Highway after the crash.

Detectives said that hours later, at about 11:30 a.m., they received information that the vehicle was possibly at the Lexus of North Miami dealership.

A detective met with the security manager at the business who informed him that the car, which is owned by Enterprise Car Rental, was “secured” on the second floor of the parking garage and had damage consistent with the crash, the report stated.

The detective then spoke with another employee at the dealership who claimed that a fellow employee, Maldonado, had asked him to provide a repair estimate on the vehicle she was driving, authorities said.

Detectives said the employee looked at the vehicle and saw that the damage to the passenger-side front bumper and windshield was not caused by a crash involving another vehicle. What appeared to be blood and human tissue was observed on the vehicle, authorities said.

According to the report, Maldonado then confessed to her co-worker that she had struck a person and then drove to a nearby shopping plaza where she watched first responders arriving at the scene.

Detectives said she then fled without ever identifying herself to law enforcement.

According to the report, because of the severity of the incident, the employee informed his supervisor about what Maldonado allegedly told him and the supervisor then spoke to her.

Detectives said Maldonado told the supervisor that she struck someone on a scooter.

Maldonado is now facing charges of failure to remain at an accident scene resulting in a death and tampering with evidence.

As of Sunday afternoon, she remained behind bars at the Broward Main Jail on a $51,000 bond.

For the quesadillas:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 red onion, julienne fine (cut into very thin strips)

2 tablespoons butter

1 pound mixed mushrooms (pick your favorites!) sliced, remove stem if using shitakes

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

1 poblano pepper, roasted, steamed, peeled, seeded and diced (see note)

salt and pepper

2 cups shredded Oaxaca cheese

½ cup cotija cheese, crumbled

8 large flour tortillas

Garnishes:

lime wedges

cilantro chopped roughly

guacamole

sour cream

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Cook the onion, stirring until caramelized, about 15 minutes. Remove the onions from the pan. Place the pan back on medium high heat. Add the butter and cook the mushrooms until the moisture evaporates. Add the garlic, paprika, oregano and cook stirring for another minute. Shut off the heat, add the poblanos and caramelized onions to the mixture and season well with salt and pepper.

Fill the tortillas with a good portion of the mixture and some of the Oaxaca cheese. Top with a little cotija and fold the tortilla in half.

Griddle until crispy all over. Serve with your favorite garnishes.

For the Roasted Poblano Peppers:

Preheat the oven to max broil or 450˚F. Place the poblanos on a baking sheet, spray lightly with cooking oil and broil until charred all over or bake until skin begins to char, turning halfway through cooking. Alternatively, you can char the pepper over an open flame until the skin is blistered. Remove and place directly into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 5 minutes. When cooled slightly, gently remove the charred peel (if there is some left over it is fine) then carefully slice open lengthwise and remove seeds. Cut the pepper into desired size.

For the Pulled Pork:

4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into large chunks

1 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed

½ cup lime juice, freshly squeezed

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 yellow onion, julienne

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 -2 quarts chicken stock or water, as needed for braising

Quick Mojo:

¼ cup olive oil

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 red onion, julienne (cut into thin strips)

1 teaspoon Adobo all-purpose seasoning

kosher salt, to taste

juice of 1 lime

¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves with tender stems, chopped

For the tostones:

frozen tostones, cooking according to package instructions

For the Pork:

Combine the pork with the orange and lime juices, the garlic, oregano and cumin, marinate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 300˚F. Transfer the pork and its marinade to a heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven. Add the yellow onion, bay leaves, 2 teaspoons of salt and a heavy pinch of black pepper. Add chicken stock or water about halfway up the pork. Cover tightly.

Cook until tender, approximately 3-4 hours. It should be easy to pull the pork apart with a fork.

Allow the pork to rest for at least 20 minutes.

Pull or shred the pork with two knives and keep in the braising liquid. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare the plantains and make the mojo. Cook the tostones according to package instructions. Heat the olive oil for the mojo over medium heat. Add the garlic, shaking the pan, add the onions, season with adobo and salt.

Remove from the heat, add the lime juice and cilantro.

To serve, top the tostones with a generous spoonful of the braised pork and a little of the prepared mojo. Serve immediately.

For the Chicken Wings:

3 pounds chicken wings, split into flats and drumettes

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoons kosher salt

½ cup honey

2 tablespoons canned chipotle peppers in adobo, minced, plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce from the can

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 garlic clove, minced

juice of 1 lime

For the Dipping Sauce:

½ cup sour cream

zest and juice of 1 lime

pinch of salt

For garnish:

¼ cup cilantro leaves with tender stems

Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Dry the chicken wings with paper towels. Toss with the baking powder and 1 teaspoon kosher salt, until evenly coated. Arrange in a single layer on a wire rack set over a baking sheet.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, flipping halfway through, until deeply golden and crispy.

While the wings bake, combine the honey and chipotle peppers and the adobo, unsalted butter, garlic, and lime juice in a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until glossy and slightly thickened.

Make the lime crema.

Combine the sour cream, lime zest and juice and a heavy pinch of salt until smooth.

Toss the hot wings with the glaze until fully coated. Arrange on a platter, drizzle with lime crema, and top with fresh cilantro. Serve immediately.

Leer en español

Aries Wilson told Local 10 News’ Bridgette Matter that her 8-month-old toy poodle Blu was swiped from her North Miami home on Thursday.

She said Blu was in his fenced back yard for playtime and to use the bathroom when he escaped.

He crawled under a small space under the fence and was then seen on video in the front yard of the home located off Northwest 128th Terrace and Tenth Avenue.

Then the video showed a dark-colored sedan pulling up.

“My neighbor next door, I knocked on her door and asked her if she’d see Blu, and we eventually rewinded all the camera footage that we have and saw that someone lured him to them and basically took him,” said Wilson. “He basically honked and kept calling him over to, I guess, get him to get to the streets.”

Blu ran over to the car, and instead of knocking on the door to return him, the driver, seen wearing a blue vest, got out and then when he drove away, Blu was nowhere to be found.

“The dog barked at him, went around him and he then, I guess, said, ‘Hey, let me just get out of the car and grab him,’” said Wilson.

Blu had an AirTag in his collar that Wilson said was removed.

She said Blu is like a family member and hopes the person will find it in his heart to return him.

“Blu is my support dog, so I need him,” Wilson said.

A $1,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to the dog being located.

“Just bring the dog back,” said Wilson. “No questions asked.”

She said that while she is waiting on a call from a detective, if the person who took Blu brings him back, she will not press charges.

The shooting happened at about 11:10 p.m. Sunday as seven or eight guard members in a parked van were monitoring the fight on a sidewalk in southeast Washington, in the Eastern Market neighborhood, said Jeffery Carroll, interim chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington.

“They exited their vehicle to try to intervene to try to stop the fight from occurring when they heard gunshots,” Carroll told reporters. “An individual that had been involved in the fight had pulled out a firearm and began shooting.”

The person ran into an alley, Carroll said, and guard members immediately told the person to drop the gun.

“The individual then pointed the weapon toward National Guard members, who returned fire,” Carroll said.

He said one guard member was struck in the leg and the suspect was shot in the abdomen. Both were taken to hospitals for treatment for non-life-threatening injuries, he said.

Three guard members discharged their guns in the encounter, Carroll said. He said the suspect was arrested.

President Donald Trump deployed the guard to Washington in August 2025 as part of what he said was a crime-fighting mission. The force, which rose to a peak of about 5,000 troops over the summer, has supported arrest operations, patrolled city streets and neighborhoods and participated in cleanup efforts.

Trump’s Republican administration says the deployment has contributed to a decrease in crime in the city, where crime was already on the decline before the guard arrived. Officials, activists and residents in the overwhelmingly Democratic city say the deployment is a waste of taxpayer money and has normalized the militarization of a major American city.

The police department is investigating the Sunday night shooting. Carroll said there were no further threats to the community and asked for anyone with information on the shooting to contact police.

According to an arrest report from the Coral Springs Police Department, the incident occurred at about 11 a.m. Saturday at the Chabad of Coral Springs, located at 3925 N. University Drive.

Police said an officer met with a security guard at the location who said that he had just witnessed a white male, wearing a baseball cap, and who was accompanied by a dog, ramming a menorah on the property with a shopping cart, causing damage to it.

Officers said the approximate damage to the menorah was estimated at $5,000.

According to the arrest report, a Be On the Lookout (BOLO) was issued over the police radio for the suspect and soon after, Matthew John Ryan, 44, of Winnetka, California, was spotted near Wiles Road and North University Drive, pushing a Walmart shopping cart with a pit bull inside.

Ryan was ordered to get on the ground as an officer pointed a Taser at him, but he refused to comply, authorities said.

Police said Ryan began to argue with the officers, saying he “didn’t do anything,” and adding, “I’m in a production movie.”

According to the report, Ryan then began reaching into his satchel. He was given “multiple loud commands” to stop reaching into his bag before an officer and sergeant approached him from behind and took him to the ground, the report stated.

Police said Ryan briefly struggled with authorities before he was placed in handcuffs.

The security guard at the Chabad identified Ryan as the person who damaged the menorah, authorities confirmed.

Ryan was first taken to a hospital after he complained that his blood sugar was high and his knee hurt from being taken to the ground before he was transported to the Broward County Main Jail.

He faces charges of criminal mischief at a church, synagogue or mosque; obstructing an officer without violence and illegal possession of a shopping or laundry cart.

As of Monday morning, Ryan was no longer appearing in the online jail database.

Meanwhile, Israeli police have arrested 10 suspects in connection with a wave of settler violence, including against a U.S. journalist and European diplomats in the occupied West Bank over the weekend.

Here's the latest news from the Middle East on Monday. Read our full coverage here.

Saudi Arabia executes 2 Bangladeshis over ‘indecent acts’

Saudi Arabia has executed two Bangladeshi nationals after they were convicted of committing “indecent acts” in a mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca.

Bangladesh said that it wasn't informed before the sentences were carried out and has sought information from Saudi Arabia.

The Bangladeshis, a man and a woman, were executed on Wednesday after their death sentences were upheld by the highest court and a royal decree authorized their executions, the Saudi Interior Ministry said.

The statement said that they were executed because of “the gravity and seriousness of their actions in violating the sanctity of both time and place.” The ministry didn't elaborate.

Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry official Shama Obaed said that her ministry sent a letter to the Saudi government seeking “detailed information.”

Saudi authorities on Saturday also executed five Saudi nationals who were convicted of terrorism-related charges, the ministry said.

Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s most prolific users of the death penalty, with 356 executions in 2025, behind only China and Iran, according to human rights group Amnesty International.

So far this year, the kingdom has executed more than 170 people, according to the Interior Ministry.

Israel arrests 10 suspects following settler violence

Ten suspects were arrested on Monday following a string of violent attacks by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, police said, after the attacks led to heavy international criticism against Israel.

Israeli police didn't identify the suspects or their roles in the attacks, which also targeted Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine and European diplomats. The attacks came during a spike of settler violence during the annual olive harvest.

Levine was beaten Friday by a crowd of young male settlers in the village of Abu Falah, leaving her with several broken ribs and vertebrae. A day later, masked settlers attacked a group of European diplomats and others visiting the Christian village of Taybeh.

Settler violence has surged in recent years, and rights groups say that attackers are rarely arrested or punished for attacks on Palestinians.

Houthi attack on military camp kills 53 soldiers

Iran-backed Houthi rebels struck a military camp for government forces in southern Yemen, killing at least 53 soldiers, provincial authorities said, making it one of the deadliest attacks in the recent surge in fighting.

The rebels fired three ballistic missiles on the al-Alam military camp in the southern province of Shabwa in an attack that also wounded 200 recruits, the Shabwa provincial government said. The recruits were receiving training to be part of the internal security forces, it said.

The rebels have acknowledged targeting the camp in Shabwa.

The attack was part of a recent escalation in fighting, which began months ago as tensions spiked in the wider Iran war. The escalation between the Houthis and forces of the Saudi-backed government shattered a 2022 ceasefire deal that largely stopped fighting in Yemen’s civil war.

U.K. warns companies against helping to build Israeli settlements

The United Kingdom's top diplomat has urged companies not to help build new Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying they could breach international law if they do.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said that the E1 settlement project approved by Israel “is a direct threat to the prospect of a two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel’s top diplomat responded by saying his country wouldn't be “intimidated by threats.”

“The days when Israel would quietly accept threats, sanctions and attempts to dictate its policies are over,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said in a statement.

“Judea and Samaria are not foreign lands to the Jewish people,” he said, using the biblical name of the West Bank. “Our historical rights are not subject to approval from London.”

In September, the U.K. government, along with France and Canada, banned trade with Israeli settlements. The U.K. also gave itself power to sanction companies that provide services for the settlements, including financing, construction, infrastructure, real estate and advertising.

U.S. calls for release of ex-embassy staff in Yemen

The United States has called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of former U.S. Embassy staff who were detained by the Houthis five years ago.

“For five years, these innocent people and their families have endured separation, intimidation, and abuse,” a U.S. State Department statement said Monday in reference to the former employees of the embassy in Sanaa, which closed down in 2015.

“The Houthis’ continued detention of their fellow Yemenis stands as further evidence that the group relies on fear and violence against their own people to sustain their hold on territory,” the statement said.

Houthis seized the headquarters of the U.S. Embassy in October 2021, detaining dozens of former staffers, many of whom were later released.

Iran will respond forcefully to new U.S. attacks, official says

An adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei says that Iran will respond forcefully to any renewed U.S. attack.

Conservative politician Mohammad Mokhber said that Iran would strike “nine countries” if Iranian bases or “petrochemical” facilities were struck again.

“If they want to hit a base, we have to hit the bases of nine countries,” he said Monday in recorded comments posted by Tasnim, a semiofficial news agency close with the Revolutionary Guard.

The report didn't name the nine countries.

Mojtaba Khamenei was named Iran’s supreme leader after his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed by Israel on the first day of the war. The younger Khamenei hasn't been seen or heard publicly since his appointment.

___

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

The 75-year-old from Wooster, a historic college town in Miller's northeast Ohio district, has led an interdenominational women's Bible study for nearly three decades. She has been alarmed at allegations of domestic abuse against Miller by his ex-wife and more than one ex-girlfriend, leading some of his colleagues in Congress over the summer to say he should step down.

Both of Ohio's U.S. senators, fellow Republicans Jon Husted and Bernie Moreno, Miller's former father-in-law, said Miller was unfit to serve in Congress. The House has opened an ethics investigation.

Despite her reservations, Grosjean voted a straight GOP ticket when it came time to fill out her ballot. She said the Republican Party is pursuing the “biblically based” platform she wants to support.

“I'm very disappointed in the things that have come out, but I went ahead and voted for him, anyway,” she said outside the Wayne County early voting center last week. “That was my decision, because of the background of what the parties believe.”

Republicans are counting on party loyalty

It's the kind of response that Miller, 43, and other Republicans are hoping for as they try to hold their majority in the U.S. House amid deep anxiety over rising costs and the war in Iran.

Miller's has been a safe GOP-leaning district, but it is one Democrats now feel optimistic they can flip. Their candidate is Brian Poindexter, a 46-year-old union ironworker who has attracted a strong following among the many service and manufacturing workers in Ohio's 7th Congressional District.

“I've been able to reach that blue-collar guy, that union guy that Democrats have lost,” Poindexter said recently while wrapping up a campaign appearance focused on high gas prices — across from a Circle K, where unleaded subject to a gas tax holiday was selling for $3.68 per gallon — in Brook Park, the Cleveland suburb where he was a longtime councilman. “I'm overwhelmed that people from all over the political spectrum have decided to jump on board and say, ‘Hey, I want to support this guy.’”

Miller defied bipartisan calls in August to step aside and proceeded with his reelection campaign, likening his situation in a CNN interview to the notorious “Access Hollywood” tape that was leaked during Trump's first run for the White House in 2016, when Trump ultimately defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton.

It was believed then that Trump's chance at winning had evaporated, Miller said: “But guess what? He stayed in, and he was resilient.”

In ads, Democratic-aligned groups have hammered Miller over the abuse allegations leveled by his former wife, the senator's daughter Emily Moreno. Her allegations include claims that he threw boiling water at her and held a gun to her head, as well as details of an investigation into their 2-year-old daughter's broken collarbone.

Miller denies the abuse charges and has filed defamation lawsuits against Emily Moreno and ex-girlfriend Stephanie Grisham, a one-time White House press secretary who accused him of physical abuse. Grisham more recently sued Miller for violating the settlement agreement in that case.

In a recent campaign video posted to his X account, Miller addressed the allegations by acknowledging the “painful reality” of divorce and saying, “My family’s heartbreak has made national news because that is the nature of politics.” He noted that he still shares custody of his daughter.

Spending by both parties ramps up as Election Day nears

Both major political parties are pouring money into the race.

House Majority PAC, the super PAC affiliated with House Democrats, has committed more than $6 million for ads in the Cleveland area to boost Poindexter. Its Republican counterpart, the Congressional Leadership Fund, has booked more than $5.5 million in TV airtime, according to AdImpact, which tracks ad spending. Each candidate also is spending on ads.

Miller's is not a seat Republicans initially thought they would need to defend. Trump won the district by 11 percentage points against Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024, the year Miller won a solid 51% of the vote in a three-way contest. Miller's opponents were Democrat Matthew Diemer and former eight-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who ran as an independent and this year has endorsed Poindexter.

Miller got into politics at Trump's behest in 2021. He was a White House aide in Trump's first term, when the president hand-picked the scion of the Ratner family, which made a fortune in Cleveland real estate, to challenge U.S. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez. The congressman was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach the president after his followers violently attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Gonzalez opted to leave politics rather than endure a tough primary fight against Miller.

Though he has endorsed Miller, Trump's praise of him has been far less glowing since the summer. With the spotlight turned on his domestic troubles, Miller was not among the Republicans the president featured on stage at a rally in Youngstown last week, though he did attend.

“Thank you, Max, for coming,” Trump said to Miller, as he sat in the audience. “Thank you. Very good.”

War, rising costs and immigration also are motivating voters

Mary Wright-Ally and Susan Scheutzow, who both run Cleveland-area small businesses, said they are voting for Poindexter for many more reasons than just the allegations Miller faces over his treatment of women. They said their livelihoods and those of their customers have been hit hard by rising gas prices and Trump's tariffs. They also are angry over Miller's steady support for the war in Iran.

“I am a pro-union Democrat, old-school. I'm also anti-Max Miller. Max Miller drove a BMW to high school,” Wright-Ally said. “He has never had to worry about the cost of gas in his life. He's old money. He doesn't understand the plight of working people. He never had to worry about lunch money for his kids.”

She said Poindexter, who has called on Miller to oppose the war, will do a better job representing district residents.

Therese Mennell, 71, of Creston, said it's the Democrats who have become increasingly out of touch with average Americans, including by failing to support the Trump administration's stepped-up immigration enforcement.

“Oh, I'm all about ICE,” she said, calling U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's recent sweeps necessary for the nation's safety.

She said this year she voted for Republicans, including Miller. That's despite the low public profile he's kept in the district since summer, rarely promoting any public events and focusing most of his efforts on appearances before fellow Republicans.

Neither Miller's congressional office nor his campaign responded to repeated requests by The Associated Press for an interview and access to his campaign events.

In an Oct. 7 guest column in the Akron Beacon Journal, Miller touted his record in Congress supporting the Trump agenda — including border security, increased deportations and certain tax cuts — and introducing bills to provide tax relief to fraud victims and expanded education opportunities for foster youths.

For Scheutzow, Miller's initial support for the war in Iran and his opposition to war powers resolutions is a deal-breaker.

She said she also aligns with Poindexter in opposing Trump's tariffs, which have seriously affected her small business, a combined art space and bakery where the price of European chocolate for her truffles is up 50%.

“This economy," she said, “is just killing us all.”

The supervisor of elections planned to keep the early voting sites in Miami-Dade and Broward counties open through Nov. 1st, and in Monroe County through Oct. 31st from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.

The Florida Supervisor of Elections’ mandatory early voting period is from Oct. 24 to Oct. 31st.

According to the Florida Division of Elections, voters who registered by Oct. 5th can cast their ballots if they present a Florida driver’s license or other identification with a photo and a signature, including a debit or credit card, a student ID, a retirement center ID, or a public assistance ID.

To verify registration and voting status, visit this Florida Department of State page or call 1-866-308-6739 for help from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., from Monday to Friday.

Here is a list of the 28 early voting sites in Miami-Dade announced by Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia:

1. Arcola Lakes Branch Library, 8240 NW 7th Ave.
2. Aventura International Mall Branch Library, 10315 NW 12th St.
3. Coral Gables Miami Lakes Community Center, 15151 NW 82nd Ave.
4. Doral Office of the Supervisor of Elections, 2700 NW 87th Ave.
5. Doral John F. Kennedy Library, 190 W 49th St.
6. Florida International University: Student Academic Success Center, 11200 SW 8th St.
7. Hialeah Rebeca Sosa Multipurpose Facility, 1700 SW 62nd Ave.
8. Homestead Community Center, 1601 N Krome Ave.
9. Miami Dade College Kendall Campus at The Fascell Conference Center, 11011 SW 104th St., Building K.
10. Miami Coral Gables Branch Library, 3443 Segovia St.
11. Miami Gardens Hispanic Branch Library, 1398 SW 1st St.,
12. Miami Lakes Coral Reef Branch Library, 9211 SW 152nd St.
13. Miami North Miami Public Library, 835 NE 132nd St.
14. Miami Shenandoah Branch Library, 2111 SW 19th St.
15. Miami Kendale Lakes Branch Library, 15205 SW 88th St.
16. Miami South Dade Government Center, 10710 SW 211th St., Lobby
17. Miami Kendall Branch Library, 9101 SW 97th Ave.
18. Miami Stephen P. Clark Government Center: Elections Branch Office, 111 NW 1st St., Lobby
19. Miami Lemon City Branch Library, 430 NE 61st St.
20. Miami West Kendall Regional Library, 10201 Hammocks Blvd.
21. Miami Beach City Hall, 1700 Convention Center Dr.
22. Miami Beach Westchester Regional Library, 9445 SW 24th St.
23. Naranja Branch Library, 14850 SW 280th St., Homestead
24. North Dade Regional Library, 2455 NW 183rd St.
25. North Miami Historic Garage, 3250 S Miami Ave.
26. North Shore Branch Library, 7501 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
27. Northeast Dade-Aventura Branch Library, 2930 Aventura Blvd.
28. West Miami Joseph Caleb Center Community Meeting Room, 5400 NW 22nd Ave., Building

Here is a list of the 40 early voting sites in Broward announced by Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott:

1. African-American Research Library, 2650 Sistrunk Blvd. (NW 6th St.)
2. Carver Ranches Branch Library, 4735 SW 18th St.
3. Coconut Creek SOE at Tamarac Branch Library, 8701 W. Commercial Blvd.
4. Dania Beach Paul DeMaio Library, 1 Park Ave. East
5. Dania Beach Hillsboro Community Center, 50 Hillsboro Technology Dr.
6. Davie/Cooper City Branch Library, 4600 SW 82 Ave., Davie
7. Deerfield Beach SOE at Northwest Regional Library, 3151 University Dr.
8. Fort Lauderdale Davie/Cooper City Branch Library, 4600 SW 82 Ave.
9. Fort Lauderdale Emma Lou Olson Civic Center, 1801 NE 6 St.
10. Ft. Lauderdale Branch Library/Art Serve, 1350 E. Sunrise Blvd.
11. Fort Lauderdale West Regional Library, 8601 W. Broward Blvd.
12. Herbert Sadkin Community Center, 1176 NW 42nd Way, Lauderhill
13. Hollywood Cooper City Pool & Tennis Center, 11600 Stonebridge Parkway
14. Hollywood Branch Library, 2600 Hollywood Blvd.
15. Hollywood Old Dillard Museum, 1009 NW Fourth St.
16. Island City Cultural Center of Wilton Manors, 600 Northeast 21st Court, Wilton Manors
17. Lauderhill SOE Headquarters, 4650 NW 21st Ave., Fort Lauderdale
18. Lauderhill Towne Centre Library, 6399 West Oakland Park Blvd., Lauderhill
19. Miramar SOE at South Regional Library/BC, 7300 Pines Blvd.
20. Nob Hill Soccer Club, 10200 Sunset Strip
21. North Lauderdale Saraniero Library, 6901 Kimberly Blvd.
22. North Regional Library/BC, 1100 Coconut Creek Blvd.
23. Old Dillard Museum, 1009 NW Fourth St., Fort Lauderdale
24. Parkland Weston Branch Library, 4205 Bonaventure Blvd.
25. Pembroke Pines Broward College - A. Hugh Adams Central Campus, 3501 Davie Road, Building 3, Room 117
26. Pine Trails Park Amphitheater, 10561 Trails End, Parkland
27. Plantation SOE at E Pat Larkins Community Center, 520 Martin Luther King Blvd.
28. Pompano Beach Supervisor of Elections (SOE) at Miramar Branch Library, 2050 Civic Center Place
29. Pompano Beach Island City Cultural Center of Wilton Manors, 600 Northeast 21st Court
30. Stirling Road Branch Library, 3151 Stirling Road
31. Sunrise SOE at Southwest Regional Library, 16835 Sheridan St., in Pembroke Pines
32. SOE Headquarters, 4650 NW 21st Ave., Fort Lauderdale
33. SOE at Northwest Regional Library, 3151 University Dr., Coral Springs
34. SOE at E Pat Larkins Community Center, 520 Martin Luther King Blvd., Pompano Beach
35. Tyrone Bryant Branch Library, 2230 NW 21st Ave., Fort Lauderdale
36. Weston Branch Library, 4205 Bonaventure Blvd., Weston
37. Weston Lauderhill Towne Centre Library, 6399 West Oakland Park Blvd.
38. West Park Hallandale Beach Cultural Community Center, 410 SE 3rd St., Hallandale Beach
39. West Regional Library, 8601 W. Broward Blvd., Plantation
40. Wilton Manors Pine Trails Park Amphitheater, 10561 Trails End

Here is a list of the five early voting sites in Monroe announced by Supervisor of Elections Sherri Hodies:

1. Monroe County Elections Office, 5200 College Road, Key West
2. Monroe County Elections Office Branch, 10015 Overseas Hwy. (MM 52.5)
3. Marathon Monroe County Elections Office Branch, Murray Nelson Government Center, 102050 Overseas Hwy. #137 (MM 102)
4. Key Largo Big Pine Key Community Park, 31009 Atlantis Dr., End of Sands Road (MM 31)
5. Big Pine Key Plantation Key Community Center (old courthouse): 88820 Overseas Hwy., Plantation Key

VOTER GUIDE: Here is how to prepare for the midterm election in South Florida

RELATED VIDEOS

Watch the recent editorial by WPLG-Local 10 News president Bert Medina

Watch the recent This Week In South Florida Round Table with Garcia, Scott, and Hodies

The attack wounded an additional 200 recruits at the military camp in the southern province of Shabwa, the provincial government there said. The rebels acknowledged targeting the camp.

The fighting between the Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed government forces is a widening front in the Iran war that began in February. The escalation shattered a 2022 ceasefire deal that largely stopped fighting in Yemen’s civil war.

The Houthis have put their growing military capabilities on display on multiple fronts in recent weeks, repeatedly striking Saudi Arabia’s main international airport hundreds of miles (kilometers) away and seizing territory inside Yemen near a key shipping chokepoint.

Iran and its allies in Lebanon and Iraq provide expertise, training and sophisticated weapons to the Houthis, according to U.N. and other experts. Iran denies arming the Houthis, which would violate a U.N. embargo.

The provincial government in Yemen says death toll may rise

The provincial government in Shabwa said in a statement that the death toll is preliminary and may rise. It said the recruits were receiving training to be part of internal security forces.

“This bloody, treacherous attack targeted new recruits in the training and preparation phase and is considered an extremely critical military escalation and a blatant aggression on the security and stability of Shabwa province,” the statement said.

It called on Yemen’s president, the Saudi-led coalition and the government to expedite air defense and early warning systems to reinforce Shabwa’s capabilities.

The head of Yemen's ruling Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, promised a “firm response” and said the attack reflects the Houthis’ "approach of resorting to cowardly terrorist attacks whenever they face pressures or their Iranian-backed sabotage plots falter.”

One Yemeni military official said the missiles struck while recruits were lining up in formation for a training session. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

A Houthi military spokesman claimed the camp was targeted because it is operated by Saudi officers, and that some of them were killed in the attack — though he provided no evidence. The Saudi government did not immediately comment.

Houthis increasingly attacking Saudi Arabia

On Sunday, an airstrike blamed on Saudi-led forces killed at least nine people in Yemen’s rebel-held northern province of Saada, the Houthi-run Health Ministry said. Five children and two women were killed in the attack, one of several that killed or wounded more than 30 people over the weekend, according to the rebels.

There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis, a Shiite religious and political movement rooted in northern Yemen, are increasingly attacking Saudi Arabia because it supports Yemen’s internationally recognized government in the civil war. The Sunni kingdom, which has long feared the emergence of a well-armed ally of Shiite Iran on its border, joined the war in 2015 after the rebels seized much of northern Yemen, including the capital, Sana'a.

Monday marked five years since Houthis detained more than 20 Yemeni staff of the U.S. embassy in Sana’a. The embassy had suspended operations in 2015 but local staff still provided security and basic maintenance of the facility. The State Department on Monday called for their “immediate and unconditional release.”

In recent weeks, the Houthis have been targeting Saudi airports and oil and military facilities. The headquarters of Saudi oil giant Aramco has been struck as well in a blow to the world’s top oil exporter.

The rebels also recently seized more territory along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.

The Saudi-led coalition this month launched a major military offensive to dislodge the rebels from that strategic perch and retake the territory.

___

Associated Press writer Ahmed al-Haj in Aden, Yemen, contributed to this report.

But over the past two years, delayed federal grants and fears about the future motivated her to pack her life into boxes. She moved to Finland with her husband and daughter and is continuing her research — studying how fish, shellfish and seaweed that humans eat are responding to climate change — at the University of Helsinki.

When the Trump administration began upending U.S. scientific research last year, dismantling the federal grant-giving process and attempting to exert more political influence over what projects get funded, foreign universities saw an opportunity. They adopted programs to lure U.S. researchers abroad, promising more stable streams of funding and academic freedom.

Since then, many have taken the bait. While there is no way to quantify the overall change across the nation, scientists, researchers and professional groups say the shift is clear, unprecedented and concerning.

“You can almost talk to any vice president for research at a university and they will tell you of one or two top faculty that they’ve lost,” said Tobin Smith, senior vice president of government relations and public policy for the Association of American Universities.

White House spokesperson Liz Huston said Trump is “ending waste” and is “committed to keeping America the world leader in scientific innovation, and that means funding real science.”

But more than half of American states have lost scientists to recruitment programs in other countries, according to an April report from the Business for Federal Research Funding Coalition. Last March, early-career biomedical scientists were about 20 percentage points less likely to say they would “now” stay in the U.S., compared to their recollection of how they felt six months earlier. And physics Ph.D. graduates in 2025 left the U.S. at the highest rate in 30 years, according to the American Institute of Physics.

Countries including Canada, France, Belgium and Finland are touting their recruits from U.S. institutions, a disturbing and surprising development, scientists say, for a country that far and away leads the world in Nobel prizes for medicine, physics and chemistry.

“It used to be the shining city on the hill where we all want to go,” said Christine Stawitz, now at the University of Birmingham in England. “That reputational loss, I think, is hard to quantify, but also really damaging.”

Some American scientists are moving abroad. Here's why

Stawitz left her job at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last year to become a research software engineer in the United Kingdom. She said NOAA no longer aligned with her values, especially after she was asked to strip websites of references to climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion topics.

She says the upheaval in U.S. science is a common subject at scientific meetings. “People talk about the U.S. at conferences in the U.K. now like, I don't know what's going on there. It's not good,” she said.

Froehlich's decision to leave was a slow burn. She was already concerned about school safety and gun violence in the U.S. when the nation's research landscape was overturned. Then, at the University of California, Santa Barbara, her colleagues' grants kept getting postponed or canceled. Student researchers burst into her office in tears, unsure how to navigate their futures. She worried about future federal funding for her own research, which involves climate change.

“The cumulative effect of those things ultimately ended up making us really serious about, I don’t think here is our home anymore,” said Froehlich. She was recruited through an initiative by the Research Council of Finland and now has five years of guaranteed funding totaling about $3 million. She moved into a flat by the Baltic Sea in Helsinki and is taking Finnish lessons offered by the university.

And international scientists are leaving the US

International researchers who were drawn to the U.S. for its reputation as a global leader in science are also seeking different places to do their work.

Married biologists James Letts and Maria Maldonado were recruited to Australia's Monash University and left behind their posts at the University of California, Davis. Letts is from Canada, and Maldonado from Argentina. Both got their doctoral degrees in New York and spent over a decade doing science in the U.S.

Grant-related uncertainty — including having to lay off a staff scientist while waiting for stalled funding — made them take the leap.

“All I want to do is do great science and make discoveries, but I want my work to mean something as well. And the opportunity to do that seemed very difficult in the U.S.,” Letts said.

Forty percent of the U.S. science Nobel Prizes were won by immigrants. Omar Yaghi, a 2025 Nobel Prize winner for chemistry, left his post at the University of California, Berkeley this year to direct an artificial intelligence lab at China’s Tsinghua University.

The consequences of losing scientific talent

The U.S. is still a science powerhouse, full of institutions around the country with robust research communities and well-resourced institutions that attract foreign scientists. Even if every European country threw open its doors, there still wouldn’t be enough capacity to accommodate every American scientist.

And not everyone is leaving. Many scientists are choosing to stay, searching for new sources of research funding or pivoting to jobs in industry.

But the erosion of reputation and the talent drain may not be over. The Trump administration has cut or frozen up to $174 billion in federal grants since the president's second term began, according to a tracking tool released by the States United Democracy Center and the organization Grant Witness. And a proposed rule from the Office of Management and Budget could give political appointees more control over what future projects are funded. A resolution approved by Congress has delayed a final decision on the rule until December.

Scientists who have moved away and those still in the U.S. are worried about what’s left behind. They say the next generation of scientists may struggle with fewer graduate programs, money and mentorship — and it could take a decade or longer for the U.S. scientific enterprise to truly feel those effects.

Major research institutions accepted 15% fewer applicants for fall 2026 doctoral programs compared to last year, according to admissions data collected by the Association of American Universities. One of the students impacted was a mentee of Smith's.

“What is one of my pieces of advice to that young man? Next year, look in Canada,” he said.

___

The Associated Press’ health and science coverage receives financial support from the AP Fund for Journalism and private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Speaking after an emergency meeting with senior government officials, Sébastien Lecornu defended police handling of the unrest, saying that “despite scenes of severe violence and extensive property damage, no one was killed, and that is a miracle.”

He said details of the curfews would be announced later Monday after consultations with mayors.

Mass protests in France are often tainted by violence on the fringes of otherwise peaceful marches, leading to clashes with police. Saturday’s unrest recalled the riots that followed the fatal police shooting of a teenager in 2023, when authorities imposed local curfews, and violence during the yellow vest movement that began in 2018 over fuel prices and broader economic grievances.

Macron rejects interior minister’s resignation

The prime minister's instructions come after Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez offered his resignation Sunday, but President Emmanuel Macron refused it “given the need for continued command of law enforcement in the current context,” Macron's office said in a statement Monday.

He instructed Nuñez “to take all necessary steps to ensure full transparency about the failures in planning and intelligence-gathering that led to the violence,” the statement said.

Macron also asked for the introduction of “new policing tactics on the ground as quickly as possible” to put an end to the violence.

On Sunday evening, groups set fire to trash bins, bicycles and other objects in the streets and looted businesses in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other cities. That followed the violence during nationwide protests Saturday against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools. At least 2,400 people were arrested across the country.

Authorities estimated Monday that at least 3,000 businesses were damaged or looted in several cities.

In Marseille, the prefect banned any protest or other gatherings from noon to 8 p.m. Monday.

“I submitted my resignation because I am responsible for everything that is happening,” Nuñez said on France Inter radio. “Now the real issue is ensuring that this doesn’t happen again. … We obviously need to be better at anticipating the kind of mobilization that is unfolding."

Nuñez blamed the violence on “hordes of troublemakers and looters” and “far-left activists,” and said police strategy needs to be adapted “in the face of extremely mobile groups.” Authorities said groups of hundreds of people sought confrontations with police and targeted public buildings, including city halls and other public offices.

Shopkeepers assess damage

Nuñez acknowledged that authorities had “lost control” in some major cities Saturday.

“You can’t look shopkeepers in the eye when hundreds of businesses have been looted and say we haven’t lost control in some of these major cities,” Nuñez said.

Flames engulfed the 19th-century City Hall in Limoges, in central France, causing its roof to collapse and nearly destroying the building.

On Monday, cleanup crews and firefighters cleared shattered glass and other debris from the streets of Paris.

Ouri Zagoury, owner of a video game shop near Paris' Place de la République, said he closed the store Saturday afternoon but then saw looters forcing their way in on surveillance cameras.

“There were so many people coming in and out. And even though I called the police, they said not to intervene, that they would come, but they never did, which is another problem," Zagoury said.

Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally, pointed to the government's failure to prevent violence.

“The government has failed, the head of state has failed in his essential duty of protecting the French people,” he told reporters at party headquarters.

“I call on the people of France now, beyond their right to protest, to use their voting power,” Bardella said. He is campaigning alongside far-right leader Marine Le Pen, whose polling numbers have for months suggested she is the front-runner in next spring's presidential election.

___

Associated Press journalists Tom Nouvian, Oleg Cetinic and Nicolas Garriga in Paris and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.

The Ligue 1 teams said their shops have been vandalized during the protests against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools. Over half a million mainly peaceful protesters took to the streets on Saturday but small groups of people set fires in the streets and looted businesses in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other cities.

Marseille said in a statement on Monday the looters caused “significant damage” to its official store located on La Canebière — the southern port city's most famous avenue — which has been temporarily closed.

The Marseille prosecutor's office said 101 people, including 27 underage individuals, were arrested following the looting.

Up north, Lille's city center store “suffered extensive damage and widespread looting,” the club said, adding that the shop will remain closed until further notice.

Lille thanked “everyone who has offered their support over the past few hours — first and foremost, our store employees, but also the many passersby, whether supporters or not, who spontaneously stepped forward to offer their help, practical assistance and comfort.”

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

.

The trip, which involves a stop in India later this week, seeks to promote U.S. economic and security ties with Central and South Asia. But it has only tangential links to the Trump administration’s current main foreign policy dilemmas in the Middle East and with the Russia-Ukraine war.

Rubio has brushed aside suggestions he is eschewing the most difficult issues in favor of taking on lower-hanging diplomatic fruit with less risk of failure and political damage, and the State Department pushed back on the criticism of his schedule.

In Samarkand, Rubio was meeting with his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan under the C5+1 diplomatic forum, which brings together the five Central Asian countries and the United States to discuss security, trade and other shared concerns.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, Rubio said “the United States wants to be a strong partner in Central Asia.”

“Central Asia has just not gotten the level of attention from our policymakers over the last 20 years that it deserves. But that’s changing. That’s why we’re here now,” he said.

Despite repeated assurances from multiple administrations that the U.S. would become more actively involved in Central Asia, the region has often languished as a foreign policy priority in Washington.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the newly independent Central Asian nations saw a brief surge in U.S. interest, but that waned until after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, which turned America’s attention once again toward Afghanistan and its neighbors.

The U.S. established a military presence in several countries mainly as transit points for equipment, materiel and provisions needed by U.S. and allied forces fighting the Taliban and al-Qaida in Afghanistan.

As the U.S. wound down its 20-year operation in Afghanistan, the Trump administration, in both its first and second terms, has sought to elevate its ties with Central Asia due to its location between Russia and China, but also as an underdeveloped area ripe for U.S. business opportunities.

Rubio’s trip, which has been heavily promoted by the U.S. ambassador to India and special presidential envoy for Central Asia, Sergio Gor, is perhaps the most ambitious U.S. attempt in decades to boost economic and commercial ties with the region. Speaking to reporters in Samarkand, Rubio described “an incredible delegation” with representatives of almost 300 American businesses joining.

“Historically, Central Asia has been the crossroads for trade between the West and the East. And today, as part of a broader renaissance and global engagement, it stands once again to play that vital role in transnational commerce," he told officials at the meeting.

The region is "a new location for investment, and it serves as a new location for export, a central terminal out of which materials that are vital for the future of all nations are being delivered,” he added.

President Donald Trump hosted their leaders at a White House summit last November, and announced more than $130 billion in commercial deals, including agreements for regional airlines to purchase Boeing aircraft.

The administration has also been keen to get the Muslim majority countries to join the Abraham Accords, which expanded the number of Arab states with diplomatic ties with Israel. Kazakhstan, which had already recognized Israel, is the only one of the five to sign the accords.

___

Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

Helen Haines, 65, was struck by a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV outside her electoral district office midafternoon in the city of Wangaratta in Victoria state, police said.

Albanese said the national counterterrorism team, incorporating police and intelligence agencies, was investigating.

“This wasn’t an accident. There was a deliberate act, it would appear. We don’t know what the motivation is,” Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

The 43-year-old driver was arrested at the scene by a passerby. He will be interviewed in relation to the incident, police said.

“A knife was located by police and seized from inside the Toyota,” police said. “At this stage, police are investigating as to whether this was an intentional act."

Haines, who was first elected to the Parliament in 2019, was taken to a hospital with critical injuries, police said.

The episode has renewed safety concerns for Australian lawmakers, in a country where politicians have historically been highly accessible to the public and usually go about their business without security officers present. But public incitement against officials is growing.

Police reported in 2025 that threats against parliamentarians had doubled over the past three years. Police data showed more than 1,000 such threats against politicians in the 2025-2026 financial year, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Monday.

Albanese said it was “unfortunate” that an increasingly polarized political climate had already led to security changes for Australia’s lawmakers.

“I think there has been a rise in temperature and there has been too much shouting, not enough discourse, not enough polite conversation and disagreement,” he said. There was “no question" that social media played a part, Albanese added.

Victoria Police Acting Superintendent Ashley Mason said investigators considered Haines’ injury an “isolated incident.”

“We certainly do not have any intelligence that there is any further or any ongoing threat to any other person or the broader community,” Mason told reporters.

Albanese, along with other political party leaders and unaligned lawmakers, have praised Haines as an admired and well-intentioned legislator with integrity.

Her political career course is unusual in Australia. A grassroots community group campaign ousted a senior conservative lawmaker with their candidate Catherine McGowan in 2013. McGowan retired in 2019 and Haines was elected with the support of the same community group. She was reelected in 2022. Few politicians outside the major parties in the Australian Parliament win more than a single election.

In Britain, murders of politicians have prompted bolstered security. Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right extremist, and Conservative David Amess was stabbed in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the Islamic State group.

In July, the former politician and reality TV contestant Ann Widdecombe was found beaten to death with a hammer at her home. A man has been charged with murder and terrorism-related offenses.

___

Graham-McLay reported from Wellington, New Zealand.

Israel had come under heavy international criticism for the attacks. Israeli police did not identify the suspects or specify their roles in the attacks, which came during a spike in settler violence during the annual Palestinian olive harvest season.

On Friday, Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine was beaten by a crowd of young male settlers, leaving her with several broken ribs and vertebrae in the village of Abu Falah. She also underwent surgery on a finger that was nearly severed and is recovering from what appeared to be stab wounds to her lower body, which required stitches.

A day later, masked settlers attacked a group of European diplomats and others visiting the Christian village of Taybeh.

Settler violence has surged in recent years, and rights groups say that attackers are rarely arrested or punished for attacks on Palestinians.

From her hospital bed Sunday, Levine said she was “shocked and insulted” that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had cast doubt on the attack, which was witnessed by a crowd of people, by calling it “alleged.”

U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee condemned the attack as a “despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards” and said they should spend years in prison. Israel's president and several opposition politicians also spoke out against the attack.

The attack on diplomats targeted Belgium's consul general, French and Polish diplomats and Catholic representatives.

“Impunity for violent settlers must end,” Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said afterward.

Israeli police said they have been collecting evidence and witness statements since the weekend attacks. The suspects were transferred for questioning. They said the Shin Bet internal security agency, the paramilitary border police force and the Israeli military had all participated in the investigation.

Police said Monday’s operation also targeted people suspected of violating military orders declaring a closed military zone and offenses involving illegal construction. They said they seized several vehicles and items linking suspects to alleged offenses.

Zelenskyy is grappling with recent Washington moves benefiting Russian President Vladimir Putin, including waiving U.S. sanctions on Moscow and signing a deal to import diesel from Moscow.

In parallel, limits on Kyiv’s use of the military-grade version of U.S. company SpaceX’s satellite internet service have choked Ukrainian drone operations, according to Zelenskyy. Full service was being restored at the end of last week, but he said Monday that speed restrictions are still slowing down Ukraine's drones at points along the front line.

Also, a severe shortage of American-made Patriot air defense systems has made Ukraine more vulnerable. Delays are still occurring with some “vital supplies” from the U.S. Defense Department, Zelenskyy said without elaborating, and senior Kyiv officials are urgently contacting other countries to help strengthen air defenses.

Western intelligence sharing has helped Ukraine counter Russia’s devastating ballistic missiles and hold back Moscow’s invasion, which began more than 4½ years ago.

U.S. President Donald Trump says Washington hasn’t stopped providing intelligence to Kyiv. Secretary of State Marco Rubio repeated that position Monday, saying he had no information about the previous night’s Russian attack.

Russian barrage on power grid kills a 21-year-old woman

The Russian nighttime barrage hit 28 substations and other critical energy facilities, depriving more than a half-million people of electricity, heat and running water, Zelenskyy said on social media.

Russia fired 16 ballistic missiles at Kyiv and its surrounding region, Zelenskyy said, with officials in the capital reporting a 21-year-old woman was killed.

Ukraine received no warning from its partners ahead of the first wave of attacks, and information about a second wave arrived too late for air raid sirens to be activated in time, air force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said on national television.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that it struck Ukrainian targets including a data center, a logistics hub storing components for drones and cruise missiles, an industrial facility making drone components, and a locomotive depot where missiles are stored.

Ukraine says it has made every diplomatic effort for peace

Trump accuses Zelenskyy of not wanting the war with Russia to end. Washington's efforts to bring peace, meanwhile, have failed, including a recent truce covering energy infrastructure that Trump had demanded.

Help from Western allies has been vital for Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s bigger military, but fears have mounted that Trump may be turning his back on Ukraine.

Western analysts and officials say Putin believes that he can wait for foreign support for Ukraine to unravel and that Russia’s bigger military will then crush Ukraine’s resistance.

“Ukraine never wanted this war, and we have welcomed literally EVERY attempt by our partners to bring this war to a dignified end. We have responded positively to EVERY ceasefire proposal,” Zelenskyy said Monday on social media. “The reality is that the war continues, and it continues solely because of Russian strikes and Russia’s desire to drag this war out.”

Ukraine has held back Moscow's forces on the front line and has hit back with long-range strikes deep inside Russia on oil refineries that triggered fuel shortages.

On Sunday, Ukraine launched more than 1,000 drones at Russia in one of its largest aerial attacks of the war, setting fire to an oil export terminal and a depot in St. Petersburg.

Some Kyiv residents shrug, but others express growing alarm

Russia has sought to disrupt daily life in Ukraine by attacking trains, shopping malls, gas stations and supermarkets, among other sites.

Kyiv resident Serhii Brezhniuk, owner of a shopping mall store that was damaged Monday, said he had grown used to the relentless bombardment.

“It’s what we see every single day,” he told The Associated Press. “We’ve grown accustomed to it.”

Alla Suska, 66, said she noticed many people walking around with bags under their eyes from a lack of sleep.

“Since there are attacks every night and air raid alerts all day long, naturally, we don’t get any proper rest,” she said.

Maksym Maksymovych, 44, said he felt the tension mounting amid Russia's escalation, saying his son’s school was damaged in the latest attack.

“You sort of get used to all these events — after all, we’ve been living in Kyiv since the war began — but you can see the explosions drawing closer and closer,” he said.

Possibility of US-China-Russia talks on the war is rejected by Kyiv

U.S. and Russian officials said Monday that talks are continuing on the possibility of a trilateral meeting involving Putin, Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at an APEC summit in China next month to try to negotiate a deal on Ukraine, without Kyiv’s participation. The possibility was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Rubio said he was aware of the possibility. “I mean, I think there’s been talks of a meeting. I don’t know if anything’s been finalized,” he told reporters.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that while the prospect of such a meeting has been mentioned “no substantive proposals or agreements neither regarding the meeting itself nor its potential agenda and content have been discussed or put forward by anyone.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha dismissed the idea of an end to the war being discussed without Kyiv officials being present, saying it would embolden Putin.

“Inviting Putin to such a meeting would feed his appetite for self-aggrandizement and give him a stature he does not deserve," Sybiha said on X.

Lithuania steps up security after Starlink base arson attempt

Lithuania is raising alert levels at more than 15 strategic infrastructure sites after an arson attempt Sunday at a Starlink base station in Vilnius, Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius said Monday.

European officials and law enforcement have warned repeatedly that Russia is waging a hybrid war against Europe, including sabotage, arson and vandalism, as well as influence operations.

___

Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. AP reporter Vasilisa Stepanenko in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

So he made a listing on Facebook Marketplace — and, as an experiment late last month, he put Meta's new artificial intelligence agent Muse in the driver's seat.

“I kind of went into it like a guinea pig,” said Robb, a Toronto-based content creator who regularly reviews consumer tech. He had seen Muse's plush toy-looking avatar pop up on Instagram and decided to see if the AI agent could spare him some online bargaining.

Muse got to work. But within a day, Robb got an alarming update: A buyer he didn't know had shown up outside his house late at night. How? Muse had struck a deal on its own and shared Robb's home address after agreeing to a pickup. It even sent an automated “Yep, I'm here!” message from his account when the buyer arrived — all without Robb's knowledge.

“Not only did it give my address when the guy asked and it accepted the offer, but it literally was almost like teasing the guy (about me being there when I wasn't),” said Robb, who also detailed the experience in his now widely-shared social media posts. “That really baffled me.”

Many have welcomed AI agents into their online lives, and raved about how personalized assistants like Muse can handle everyday tasks with ease — from snagging a dinner reservation or planning a trip, to organizing email inboxes. But like other AI bots, the agents are only as good as the information they have access to. They perform better the more they know about a user — and perhaps also that person’s friends, family and even colleagues. That raises privacy concerns.

Robb and the buyer eventually made amends, and Meta reached out to talk through what went wrong. But the episode showed real-world risks that can arise from sharing extensive personal information with the technology.

“Using an AI agent is similar to handing someone your keys and a to-do list,” said Veronica Rivera, assistant professor at Georgia Tech’s School of Cybersecurity and Privacy. “How helpful they are, and by extension how risky, depends on which keys you hand over.”

Companies have varied privacy policies for AI agents

Since its September launch, downloads of Meta's Muse app have skyrocketed. And competition is only growing. OpenAI recently rolled out its own lineup of “always on” AI helpers, called dots, which can be integrated into ChatGPT and workplace platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams.

Older generative AI chatbots, like the standard version of ChatGPT, respond to specific prompts. At the user's request, they can write essays, generate new images or music, or even write lines of code.

Meta's Muse and OpenAI's dots go a step further to perform day-to-day tasks on a person's behalf. AI agents are powered by the same large language models as chatbots, but they run in a loop. That allows an agent to take proactive steps, even when the user isn't looking.

“One of the things that makes these AI agents really appealing is that they are unprecedentedly useful,” said Rivera, who is also a Microsoft-funded Computing Research Association Trustworthy AI Research Fellow.

But the convenience comes with the price of sharing more details about your life.

Once AI agents obtain users' information, it's very difficult to fully withdraw access, said Ebrahim Bagheri, a professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information.

“If you provide access to your credit card to an agent, the agent now immediately has access to all of the historical transactions … they will immediately — within less than seconds — ingest all of that data,” Bagheri said. And while users can later withdraw access, Bagheri said there's “no taking back” data the agent has already seen, and how developers store historical data can be murky.

Both Meta and OpenAI outline privacy policies for their new AI agents, which operate on their own dedicated cloud computers. You can turn off memory sharing between dots and ChatGPT, but information the agent previously received isn't automatically deleted. OpenAI gives users an option to request access to, delete or correct personal information, although rights can vary depending on where you live.

Meta's Muse gives users options to delete message history and other information, too. For day-to-day use, the agent prompts users for access permissions — and Meta has said Muse learns about a user and who they interact with “based on public information and from what you’ve chosen to share.” But the company says that all stays secure for each user.

But the tech giant also notes that Muse can still “make mistakes or take unexpected actions.”

Risks of mishaps rise with AI agents' level of access

In Robb's case, he learned the disclosure of his address came down to “always allow” permissions he granted when he first let Muse on his Facebook Marketplace profile, where he had shared his pickup address. But he warned others could similarly misunderstand the extent of that access — and said he initially thought the AI agent would check with him before sharing that information or accepting offers, regardless.

His AI agent didn’t follow the rest of his instructions without error, either. For another item Robb was selling, Muse seemingly suggested he would accept a price $100 below the previously-set minimum. When reached by The Associated Press, Meta acknowledged the agent's error without offering further comment.

Robb later largely disconnected Muse from his apps. In an interview earlier this month, he said it could've been a far worse situation, especially “if some stranger turned up to someone more vulnerable's house.” Still, Robb said he expects these agents to be fine-tuned and he would consider re-enabling Muse in the future. He's since been testing another AI agent — Grok Bot from Elon Musk's X, which launched in beta in August.

Other tech companies have become wary of the influx of AI agents. Earlier this month, Apple said it would introduce new controls for its Mac operating system in response to AI agents' broader access of apps like mail, messages and even browsing history without users’ “full knowledge and understanding.”

“As AI agents become increasingly capable and autonomous, the risks associated with this level of access will grow substantially,” Apple wrote in an Oct. 2 update.

Apple didn’t specify any developers or agents by name, but the update arrived after Inc. Magazine columnist Jason Aten reported that Muse watched notifications on his Mac — including Messages — without him giving the agent that specific access.

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone has maintained such integration is “entirely opt-in,” writing on social media last month that users would have to enable both the Apple security feature “Full Disk Access” and a Messages connector through Muse. Aten said he didn’t grant the agent those permissions.

Even those who do not join the AI agent boom aren’t necessarily shielded. Consumers who don’t download an AI agent might still interact with others who do. And beyond potential confusion when AI sends messages on behalf of a user, experts warn of ripple effects when it comes to privacy.

“When your agent reads your inbox or your texts, it’s also reading what your friends and family sent you, even if they never explicitly agreed to that,” Rivera said.

Now, following an election in April that swept former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán out of office after 16 years in power, Panyi is again strolling the streets of the Hungarian capital, Budapest, and preparing to release his book, “Friends with Benefits,” which details Russian intelligence penetration and influence operations in Hungary.

Orbán's landslide loss in the election changed the fortunes of Panyi and many other journalists in the Central European country, where the populist leader had consolidated control over the media and cracked down on press freedoms.

When Orbán returned to power in 2010, Hungary ranked 23rd on press watchdog Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index. But by last year, it had dropped to 68th, and the group had put Orbán — an ally of both U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin — on its list of media “predators.”

But now, under Hungary’s new center-right, pro-European government led by Prime Minister Péter Magyar, pressure on independent journalists has eased. Two weeks after the April election, police announced they'd dropped the Orbán government's espionage complaint against Panyi, a fact he said showed that police and prosecutors had been under Orbán's “tight political control.”

“The political pressure is gone,” he said. “It’s not all happy and shiny yet. But I believe we’re in a much, much better place than we were before April.”

New government rolls back Orbán's media dominance

For a decade and a half, Orbán and his far-right Fidesz party operated a sprawling pro-government media empire that bolstered their narratives, smeared opponents and controlled what an independent analysis found was around 80% of Hungary's media market.

On the campaign trail, Magyar vowed to end what he called “Orbán propaganda,” particularly that emanating from Hungary's taxpayer-funded public media, which had served as a government mouthpiece.

After taking office in May, Magyar's administration suspended news programming on public radio and television. Viewers who tuned in saw only white text on a black screen which read: “Public media should not lie. We are sorry for doing it for so many years!”

Since then, much of the public media's leadership has been replaced and news broadcasts have resumed.

Gábor Polyák, a media researcher and professor who took over as head of Hungary's media authority last week, said that during Orbán's rule the nine-member media council was composed exclusively of members nominated by Fidesz, who assisted in creating “an incredible concentration in the market, basically for political reasons.”

Under the new government, half the media council Polyák leads is nominated by the governing party and half by opposition parties, with the president selected through an open application process and elected by lawmakers.

“Legislative steps have been taken with the explicit aim of not creating a one-sided political authority,” Polyák said.

Magyar's government has taken other steps to dismantle Orbán's media dominance, including shuttering Hungary’s Sovereignty Protection Office — a Fidesz-era authority seen by opponents as a tool for intimidating critics and silencing independent media — and passing legislation prohibiting “political advertisements that incite hatred” that were a hallmark of campaign periods.

Under Orbán, the government was the largest advertiser in Hungary, and a study by watchdog Mérték Media Monitor showed up to 90% of state advertising revenue was awarded to pro-Fidesz media outlets, keeping them financially afloat.

Those revenue streams have since dried up, and scores of Fidesz-tied outlets and social media influencers have sharply cut back or closed.

Newspaper shuttered under Orbán returns after 10 years

In October 2016, Hungary’s largest-circulation political daily, the left-leaning Népszabadság, was suddenly shut down after its parent company was acquired by an investor with ties to Orbán. The closure sparked large demonstrations, and Népszabadság’s journalists called the move a coup.

It was one of several acquisitions by businesspeople with Fidesz ties which transformed well-established independent outlets into faithful communications assets for Orbán's government.

Now, Népszabadság has relaunched, and last week began distributing weekly print issues 10 years after its closure.

Gábor Horváth, who has returned as deputy editor-in-chief of Népszabadság, said the paper's 2016 closure was “for obviously political reasons,” and that Orbán’s government had been operating on the basic rules of a street fight: “Hit the strongest guy first.”

He said the government tried to seize the totality of the media landscape, and that the paper's reappearance signals a return to a time when media are “totally free in Hungary.”

Despite progress, some journalists press government for greater openness

Some independent journalists still fault the government’s treatment of the media.

On Thursday, news outlet Telex published an article criticizing Magyar’s government for not releasing the summaries or agendas of cabinet meetings, much as Orbán’s government had done. Magyar himself has received criticism for singling out independent news outlets on social media for coverage he didn't like.

Panyi, the investigative journalist, said that, like under Orbán, some freedom of information requests he and his colleagues send to the government are refused or ignored — though he attributed that largely to holdovers from the Fidesz government still working in the state bureaucracy.

Still, the new government has taken steps to improve press access to public officials. Orbán's government had banned numerous outlets from reporting from Hungary's parliament, while those allowed inside were restricted to a narrow section of a hallway — easily avoided by officials — that some journalists described as a “cage.”

Now, reporters may move freely through the parliament's corridors and question officials.

Horváth, with Népszabadság, said Hungary “is changing for the better, and the media needs to find new momentum within the society.”

“We feel again the winds of changes and the optimism which we haven’t seen for so many years,” he said.

The S&P 500 rose 0.4% and clawed back a portion of its worst week since June. The Nasdaq composite, which is full of technology stocks, climbed 0.9%. Outside of AI, the market was more subdued, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 44 points, or 0.1%, as of 10 a.m. Eastern time.

In Europe, indexes dropped more than 1%, including 1.5% in Paris, following violent protests over the weekend that could force governments to increase their spending and put even more pressure on bond markets. Yields cranked higher for European bonds despite drops for oil prices.

Even with all the cross currents, AI stocks stood out, as they have for most of the past few years. A frenzy in spending for AI technology has forced them to the forefront of the market, sending them to record prices and driving indexes higher. Last week, though, AI stocks tumbled on worries about how expensive it has become to borrow money, which could threaten the boom.

Much of the spending on AI chips and data centers has come from borrowed money, and Treasury yields in the bond market have recently hit their highest levels in years or even decades. That raises the cost of borrowing money for everyone, from the U.S. government to companies to households.

CoreWeave, a company that’s borrowed to buy AI chips that it rents out to customers over the cloud, has been at the center of the market’s shifts. It rose 0.6% Monday after trimming an initial burst of 7%. Last week, it lost a quarter of its value after tumbling 25.2%.

Nvidia added 0.6% and was one of the strongest forces lifting the S&P 500 Monday. Because it’s the largest stock on Wall Street by total market value, a 1% move for its stock has more effect on the index than any other’s.

SpaceX, which controls the xAI business, rose 1.6% to $148.38. Its founder, Elon Musk, pledged on Monday to give one share of SpaceX to “every kid in America” next year. The offer came after Anthropic said over the weekend that it will commit 5% of the shares in its highly anticipated initial public offering of stock to a new “public benefit” fund.

AI stocks rose ahead of some profit reports coming later in the week that could offer more details about the strength of AI-related spending.

Meta Platforms, which is pushing its Muse AI agent, will report its latest quarterly results on Wednesday. Lam Research, which supplies equipment and services for the making of semiconductors, will also talk about how its business is going on Wednesday.

Expectations are high across the board for U.S. companies’ profits from the summer. Analysts are forecasting overall growth of 29% for companies in the S&P 500 from the prior summer, according to FactSet. Those high expectations are what has allowed the U.S. stock market to run to records despite worries about war, high inflation and pressure from the bond market,

Cleveland-Cliffs rallied 7.7% after the steel company reported a bigger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. CEO Lourenco Goncalves said it was the strongest quarter for the company in three years and that the outlook for profit in 2027 “has improved materially” from three months ago.

In stock markets abroad, the rebound for AI stocks helped South Korea’s Kospi jump 1.8% to recover some of its 14.5% drop from last week. It is dominated by two huge players in the AI industry, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, which has made it much jumpier than other markets.

In Europe, bond yields climbed following mass protests against the rising cost of living and poor school conditions. The protests could put pressure on governments to boost their spending to offer help, but that would likely only add to their already big piles of debt.

Yields rose for French bonds on worries about the government’s budget and climbed much more than yields for Germany, which investors have historically seen as a safer bet.

In the U.S. bond market, yields nudged higher as the yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 5.10% from 5.09% late Friday. It topped 5.30% earlier this month and touched its highest level since 2002.

Helping to keep yields in check were drops for oil prices. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 1.6% to $108.13 per barrel.

It, though, remains near its highest level since May. It's been yo-yoing between $97 and $110 this month on uncertainty about when the war with Iran will allow the energy industry to return to normal.

___

AP Business Writer Chan Ho-him contributed to this report.

NFL comebacks come in different forms.

Written off after four disastrous seasons in Cleveland, Watson won the starting job in training camp and has made the most of what likely was going to be his last shot.

Watson overcame a rough three quarters to lead his fourth winning drive in the fourth quarter Sunday, helping the Browns beat the Baltimore Ravens 13-10 to improve to 4-2.

“Deshaun, he knows he can play better. We can play better around him, but he’s just got something in him, the ability to make a play when needed,” Cleveland coach Todd Monken said.

Watson fired a 33-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy in the final minute to set up Andre Szmyt’s 37-yard field goal as time expired.

“I’ve been wanting to be that person since I was in high school, college, going back to my national championship last drive, to even my Houston days, and now,” said Watson, who came back after tearing his right Achilles tendon twice since October 2024. “I’ve always been like you give me an opportunity and a two-minute drive, I want to be that guy who’s going to make something happen and finish the game, and bring so much joy to the fans.”

Those are the same fans Watson chastised in the summer for cheering when he got hurt two years ago.

The Browns are already one win away from matching last season’s win total, and Watson has them competing in a tough AFC North.

In Atlanta, the Bears got Williams back after he missed three games with a hamstring injury. He showed no rust.

Williams completed his first 12 passes and finished 30 of 36 for 305 yards with one touchdown in Chicago’s 31-23 win over the Falcons. His 83% completion rate was the highest in franchise history with a minimum 30 attempts.

“Super juiced up to be back out here and I think it’s just completion, completion, completion,” Williams said. “That’s the focus. That’s the mindset.”

The Bears are 4-2 after rebounding from a lopsided loss to Green Bay and face the Patriots and Seahawks in their next two games. A healthy Williams gives them a better chance to repeat in the NFC North.

The Steelers trailed the Buccaneers 16-3 going into the fourth quarter and ended up winning 26-19 in overtime.

The 42-year-old Rodgers finished 33 of 49 for 253 yards with two TD passes, including a 6-yard toss to Germie Bernard in OT.

“We sputtered along there for a little bit, and then we kind of opened things up with some quicker stuff, on–the–ball stuff,” Rodgers said. “Felt like we got into a rhythm there.”

Sad LA story

Los Angeles is seeing bad football. The Rams are 2-4 and aren’t playing close to expectations after entering the season as prohibitive favorites to win the Super Bowl. The Chargers had the fifth-best odds to win it but have opened 0-6 for the first time since 2000 when coach Jim Harbaugh was the team’s quarterback.

The Rams lost 18-16 at home to the Cardinals, who were 12 1/2-point underdogs. A prolific offense was held to 286 yards. Shaky defense and poor special teams played a role in the loss again. The addition of Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald headlined a spectacular offseason for the Rams. But Garrett has missed five games and Donald missed two.

The Chargers have bigger problems. They never had a chance in a 22-6 loss at Kansas City. Justin Herbert has regressed dramatically in his first season with offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. He has five TD passes, eight interceptions and a 68.8 passer rating. A depleted offensive line has contributed to Herbert’s troubles.

The Rams and Chargers meet in Week 8. The way things are going, a tie would be fitting.

Bad behavior

Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was ejected from Buffalo’s 33-30 win over the Raiders because he spit on an opponent. Gardner-Johnson apologized to his teammates for his actions.

Chiefs defensive back Christian Roland-Wallace was ejected for throwing a punch at Chargers offensive lineman Alex Harkey.

Both players should expect fines this week from the NFL. Gardner-Johnson faces a suspension. Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase and Philadelphia’s Jalen Carter each were suspended one game for spitting last season. That’s the standard baseline for spitting incidents.

NFC least

The division was 0-3 as the Cowboys, Giants and Eagles each lost.

With Jalen Hurts sidelined, Philadelphia lost 25-14 to Carolina. They’re 2-4. So is Dallas following a 23-13 loss at Green Bay. The Eagles host the Cowboys next week. The Giants lost at home 34-27 to the Saints. And that wasn’t even the biggest storyline in New York. Jameis Winston was benched for J.J. McCarthy, who nearly led a comeback win. Cam Skattebo got no carries and coach John Harbaugh refused to call it a punishment.

The Giants are 3-2-1 but face Houston on the road next Sunday.

The Commanders (1-3-1) have a chance to make up ground if they can beat undefeated San Francisco (5-0) on Monday night.

___ See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Los analistas que esperaban que el mandatario en funciones y el hijo del expresidente Jair Bolsonaro intentaran atraer a los pocos votantes indecisos quedaron decepcionados. Sus intercambios acalorados, que a menudo incluyeron a algunos de sus familiares como tema, en ocasiones fueron inaudibles, con poca discusión sobre sus planes para el futuro.

Flávio Bolsonaro ganó la primera vuelta de la elección presidencial por 47% a 45%, y encuestas recientes dejan entrever que él y Lula —que aspira a su cuarto mandato no consecutivo—, están en una contienda muy reñida.

El ganador estará a cargo de la mayor economía de América Latina y de una población de 214 millones. Una victoria de Bolsonaro incrementaría la influencia de Estados Unidos en América Latina, ya que es aliado del presidente estadounidense Donald Trump. Si Lula gana, Brasil mantendrá distancia de Washington y seguirá profundizando su relación con China.

Bolsonaro sostuvo que la economía de Brasil mejorará con sólo sacar a Lula del cargo y combatir la corrupción, mientras que el mandatario de 80 años defendió su gestión y sus iniciativas de asistencia social.

El momento más tenso del debate llegó cuando Lula desafió a Bolsonaro a que ambos sometan sus finanzas personales al escrutinio, para que las autoridades puedan determinar antes de la segunda vuelta si tienen transacciones sospechosas que deban ser explicadas.

Más temprano, decenas de miles de simpatizantes de los candidatos salieron a las calles de Sao Paulo, Río de Janeiro y otras ciudades.

Bolsonaro y sus seguidores se concentraron en la principal arteria de Sao Paulo, la Avenida Paulista, con aliados clave presentes. Muchos también pedían la liberación de Jair Bolsonaro, quien cumple una condena de 27 años de prisión por un intento de golpe de Estado.

Los simpatizantes de Lula se presentaron en la playa de Copacabana, en Río, en Brasilia y en otras 16 capitales estatales.

Por otro lado, la Policía Federal de Brasil le pidió al Supremo Tribunal Federal del país que abra una investigación contra Flávio Bolsonaro por una acusación de lavado de dinero que involucra a un abogado cercano a él.

El político de 45 años ya está bajo investigación por sus vínculos con Daniel Vorcaro, un exbanquero desacreditado que financió una película sobre la vida de Jair Bolsonaro.

Flávio Bolsonaro niega haber cometido irregularidades en ambos casos.

Se ha programado otro debate presidencial para el viernes en TV Globo, la principal cadena de televisión de Brasil.

___

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

So when Schreiber read a story in August that Armstrong’s boyhood home in Ohio was for sale and later learned no one had come forward to preserve it, he surprised even himself by making an offer.

“I just thought somebody has got to step up to the plate,” Schreiber said, remembering his father’s advice to “make a mark in life.”

The sale is scheduled to be finalized Monday. The local historical society will take ownership thanks to Schreiber’s $400,000 donation. He spent 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and retired as a pilot with American Airlines.

The Auglaize County Historical Society plans to restore the well-preserved home to its appearance during Armstrong’s boyhood, when he built model planes in the dining room and tested them in a basement wind tunnel he created.

Armstrong’s boyhood home could open for tours by 2030

The goal is to have the home ready for its first public tours by 2030 to mark the 100th anniversary of Armstrong’s birth, said Gerald Siesel, the historical society's president.

The two-story home in Wapakoneta has long been a stop for visitors to the Armstrong Air and Space Museum curious about the astronaut’s early life, but it has never been open to the public.

The historical society has already started researching what the house would've looked like in the 1940s and talking with community leaders about raising money to renovate and maintain the home, Siesel said.

“Even now when this opportunity came our way, we realized we can't do it ourselves,” he said.

House played a big role in Armstrong's first steps to the moon

Armstrong’s family moved often during his childhood before settling in western Ohio when he was a teenager.

The house at 601 W. Benton St. played a big role in his life. He conducted experiments while living there and made his first solo flight and earned his pilot’s license at age 16.

Armstrong’s old bedroom is now decorated with photos and paintings of the moon landing and autographed photos of astronauts who’ve visited.

Little has changed on the outside, and the layout inside is similar too, though it has been updated.

The home went up for sale in August for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Karen Mikesell, a retired history teacher, bought the place in 1988 and is just one of a handful of people who’ve owned the home since Armstrong’s parents moved in the mid-1960s.

Over the years, she hosted nine astronauts, including Buzz Aldrin, who flew to the moon with Armstrong and Michael Collins in 1969.

Aldrin stepped inside the bedroom upstairs a few years after Armstrong died in 2012, Mikesell recalled, “and the tears just streamed down his cheeks.”

She said she felt a responsibility to preserve its past and to “keep it like the Armstrongs had” as much as possible. Mikesell, who’s 82, hoped someone would buy the house to help preserve it and inspire future generations.

That’s where Schreiber came in. He first asked friends to chip in but then donated the $400,000 on his own to help the historical society acquire the house.

New life for the Armstrong house

Schreiber, who grew up in Dayton, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) south of Armstrong’s hometown, always admired him for his achievements, modesty and character.

Despite growing up so close, Schreiber had never visited the Armstrong Air and Space Museum until this summer. He also toured the house.

“It was almost like the ghost of Neil Armstrong was there,” he said. “I could imagine him running up and down the stairs.”

The survey, which was conducted from Sept. 8-15 by AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, reveals that Trump's standing on the economy has fallen among AAPI adults over the course of his second term.

About one-quarter of AAPI adults approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president overall. Only about 2 in 10 approve of his performance on the economy, which the vast majority of AAPI adults see as one of the most important issues for the upcoming election.

But although AAPI adults trust Democrats more than Republicans on a wide range of issues, views of the Democratic Party itself are still split.

Rebecca Larocco, a 45-year-old Korean American in Corning, Iowa, voted for Trump in 2016 and is leaning Republican in the midterm elections. She approves of his immigration policies but is unsure about Trump’s handling of the economy as the Iran war continues to compound gas prices.

“Where I’m at, it’s went up almost $1.50 (a gallon),” she said. “I didn’t expect to go into war at all, that has been definitely unexpected and I’m not sure... I’m just hoping they’ll do what they’re saying and get our economy back on track, get immigration and crime lowered.”

The economy is a top issue for AAPI adults

The economy remains top of mind for an overwhelming majority of the AAPI adult population when they consider the midterms. With the ongoing Iran war affecting gas prices and other costs staying elevated, Americans overall are deeply pessimistic about the state of the economy and see it as a high priority for the midterms. That includes AAPI adults — according to the poll, about 9 in 10 rank the economy as one of the most important issues for the upcoming election, and about 8 in 10 say this about the cost of living.

The economy, the cost of living and healthcare dwarf other issues for AAPI adults. About 7 in 10 AAPI adults say healthcare is one of the most important issues for the election, while only about half say this about foreign policy, crime, immigration, election fairness or climate change.

At the same time, Trump's economic approval among AAPI adults has dropped about 10 percentage points over the course of the year, and there are other signs his popularity has waned with this group. In late 2024, just after the election, about 4 in 10 AAPI adults had a “somewhat” or “very” favorable view of Trump. That's fallen to about 3 in 10 now.

“What the data show is that any gains that he made not only during the 2024 election — there was a bit of a honeymoon period that Trump enjoyed after the election before Inauguration Day — that has now largely disappeared,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder and executive director of AAPI Data.

Len Takahashi, 57, of Universal City, Texas, describes himself as conservative but voted for Democrats in the last three presidential elections and for Republicans in midterm elections. For this midterm election, he is simply open to candidates who prioritize the economy.

“I would like policies that look in the best interest of the American public," said Takahashi, who is Japanese American. “That could be bringing down spending, a balanced budget of U.S. spending, bringing down inflation, working towards a more stable economy and, lastly, just a better atmosphere between the far left and far right.”

AAPIs trust Democrats more on most issues but are not entirely sold on the party

Democrats have gained at Republicans' expense since Trump returned to the White House when it comes to AAPI adults' trust in handling many key issues.

In a March 2025 poll, AAPI adults were evenly divided over which political party would better handle the economy and immigration. Now, Democrats have a roughly 20-percentage-point advantage on both issues.

Meanwhile, around two-thirds of AAPI adults have a “somewhat” or “very” unfavorable view of the GOP. Only about one-quarter have a “somewhat” or “very” favorable view.

But while trust in the Democrats on specific issues has increased, AAPI adults are ambivalent about the party as a whole. About half, 48%, of AAPI adults have a “somewhat” or “very” unfavorable impression of the Democratic Party, while 44% have a “somewhat” or “very” favorable impression.

A separate AP-NORC survey of registered voters in September found, similarly, that while voters in general are deeply dissatisfied with Trump and the GOP, few think either party is capable of solving important problems.

Louise Rider, 40, is a Democrat living in Chicago. She believes Democrats are better than Republicans across all issues but says she’s unhappy with how the party has governed.

“I don’t think the Democrats are doing great, I think they need a lot of change as a party,” she said. “It’s kind of a helpless feeling, that nothing will get done with both parties unless there’s major changes.”

Some Republicans still stand behind Trump. James Finley, 74, of Lenox, Massachusetts, said Trump deserves some understanding because he cannot bring down high prices overnight. When it comes to Republicans in general, Finley is a little more critical.

“They've had the majority for a couple of years,” said Finley, whose ancestry includes Japanese heritage. “I think they could have done a little bit more or maybe a lot more in terms of passing certain things that I wanted to pass.”

Still, he sticks to the party line and because "all I ever hear from Democrats is to get Trump,” Finley said.

AAPIs concerned about fair midterm elections

As the election approaches, many AAPI adults are worried about problems with misinformation, legal challenges to the results, and voter suppression. About half of AAPI adults say it’s a “major problem” in U.S. elections that people who are eligible are not allowed to vote, while about two-thirds see foreign government attempts to influence results as a “major” problem.

Looking ahead to the November election, about half of AAPI adults are “extremely” or “very” concerned about fake or false information about the candidates, and about half also feel this way about legal challenges to the election results.

Finley is unsure if the voting process can be tightly monitored to prevent undocumented or unregistered people from attempting to vote.

But Takahashi, the conservative from Texas, is worried that Trump will try to manipulate the election.

He’s concerned, he said, that Trump would amplify claims of “fraud in the election system” should the midterms not go in his favor. “(He’ll) make that a point to distract the American public,” he said.

___

Tang reported from Phoenix and Jiang from New York.

___

The poll of 1,023 U.S. adults who are Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander was conducted Sept. 8-15, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based Amplify AAPI Panel, designed to be representative of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is ±4.7 percentage points. This poll is part of an ongoing project exploring the views of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, which are usually not highlighted in other surveys because of small sample sizes and lack of linguistic representation.

The reality of a three-game winning streak is appealing enough.

Love threw a touchdown pass and scored on a 1-yard keeper and the Packers held Dallas’ high-powered offense in check and beat the Cowboys 23-13 in a penalty-filled game Sunday night. Love went 23 of 41 for 276 yards with one interception.

His numbers would have looked even better if three more potential touchdown passes hadn't been dropped.

“I want to make every throw,” Love said. “I want these guys to make every catch. That’s the expectation. Stuff happens. Drops happen. Obviously, I want those guys to make those plays, and we’re capable of making those plays. But for me, it’s got to be the next play mindset. You’ve got to move on.”

Love's 9-yard touchdown pass to Matthew Golden capped Green Bay's first series and put the Packers ahead for good. The Packers are 11-1-1 in their last 13 meetings with the Cowboys, including a tie last season at Arlington, Texas.

The Packers (4-2) have won three straight as they await the return of three-time Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs, who comes off the commissioner's exempt list Monday. Jacobs hasn't played all season and pleaded no contest last month to two misdemeanor charges stemming from an altercation with his then-girlfriend in May.

In each of those three wins, the Packers have allowed 14 points or fewer. The last time Green Bay allowed no more than 14 points to three straight opponents was in 2016.

“If we continue to work, continue to come in with the right mindset, continue to trust in each other, continue to trust in the coaches, continue to trust in this game plan, I think the sky’s the limit for us,” Packers safety Javon Bullard said. “And if we continue to just attack each of our opponents, take it one game at a time, one snap at a time, I think we can be the best defense in the league.”

Green Bay intercepted Dak Prescott's passes twice to thwart second-quarter scoring opportunities. Prescott went 34 of 54 for 258 yards. He threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Flournoy with 44 seconds left, but couldn’t connect with CeeDee Lamb on a 2-point conversion attempt.

Dallas (2-4) trailed 17-0 at halftime. That's the first time the Cowboys went scoreless in a first half since Nov. 7, 2021, when they were down 16-0 in a 30-16 loss to Denver.

“We’re in a hole," Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said. "(We) put ourselves there. There’s one way out of it. That’s what I told the guys, I said, ‘You know, got to work. Got to find solutions. Can’t repeat mistakes.’ They understand that.”

This game featured 22 penalties — 11 by each team. Dallas had 108 penalty yards, while Green Bay had 96.

Green Bay could have won by substantially more.

Golden dropped what would have been a 43-yard touchdown and couldn’t complete the catch on a potential 23-yard score in the second quarter. A potential 26-yard touchdown pass went in and out of Christian Watson’s hands in the third quarter, though that pass was deflected in the end zone by Dallas’ Malachi Lawrence.

The Lambeau Field fireworks started prematurely after Golden couldn’t hang on to the 23-yarder even as the officials were signaling the incompletion. Green Bay still scored a touchdown after one of those drops and settled for Trey Smack field goals after the other two.

“Those are plays that you want back, especially just knowing the type of game – Sunday night, how important it was for us to come out with this win,” said Golden, who caught six passes for 104 yards. “For me, I’m not going to be too down about it because I know 10 times out of 10 I’m going to make those plays.”

Prescott's two turnovers proved costly. Dallas was inside Green Bay's 30 on consecutive possessions when Evan Williams and Brandon Cisse intercepted passes.

“We need some good momentum,” Prescott said. "And the only way to do it is to get a win.”

One positive development for Dallas was an improved performance from its defense, which entered the night allowing a league-high 6.4 yards per play.

Dee Winters made a diving catch late in the first quarter for Dallas' first interception of the season. Winters then got up and weaved between multiple defenders to run over 40 yards for an apparent touchdown, but a replay review determined he was touched by Golden while still on the ground.

Injuries

Cowboys: WR KaVontae Turpin left with a rib injury in the first quarter. Winters strained his Achilles in the second quarter.

Packers: CB Brandon Cisse left with a stinger in the second half.

Up next

Cowboys: At Philadelphia on Oct. 26.

Packers: At Detroit next Sunday.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Local 10’s Glenna Milberg takes a closer look at how we got here, and both sides of the Amendment 3 debate.

Analysts who expected the incumbent and the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro to reach out to the few undecided voters were left disappointed. Their heated exchanges, which often included some of their family members as a topic, were sometimes inaudible, with little discussion about their plans for the future.

Flávio Bolsonaro won the first round of voting in the presidential election by 47% to 45%, and recent polls suggest he and Lula, who is seeking his fourth nonconsecutive term, are in a very close race.

The winner will be in charge of Latin America’s biggest economy and a population of 214 million. A win for Bolsonaro would increase U.S. influence in Latin America, as he is an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump. If Lula wins, Brazil will keep its distance from Washington and continue to deepen its relationship with China.

Bolsonaro said Brazil's economy will improve just by removing Lula from office and fighting corruption, while the 80-year-old leader defended his record and welfare initiatives.

The most tense moment of the debate came when Lula challenged Bolsonaro for both of them to open their personal finances to scrutiny so authorities can tell before the runoff if they have suspicious transactions to explain.

Earlier, tens of thousands of supporters for the candidates took to the streets of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and other cities.

Bolsonaro and his supporters rallied on Sao Paulo's main artery, Paulista Avenue, with key allies in attendance. Many were also asking for the release of Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for a coup attempt.

Lula supporters rallied in Rio's Copacabana Beach, Brasilia and 16 other state capitals.

Also on Sunday, Brazil’s federal police asked the country's Supreme Court to open an investigation against Flávio Bolsonaro over a money laundering accusation involving a lawyer close to him.

The 45-year-old is already under investigation for his links to Daniel Vorcaro, a disgraced former banker who financed a movie about Jair Bolsonaro's life.

Flávio Bolsonaro denies any wrongdoing in both cases.

Another presidential debate is scheduled for Friday on TV Globo, Brazil’s leading television network.

___

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

La primera jornada se realizó el sábado afuera del museo, ubicado en el centro de la capital colombiana.

En las calles aledañas, tanquetas antidisturbios dispersaban a los manifestantes con potentes chorros de agua, mientras estos corrían por las calles para resguardarse, de acuerdo con reportes de medios colombianos. En otras imágenes podía verse a los inconformes lanzarles piedras a los agentes policiales.

La movilidad en esa transitada zona de Bogotá resultó afectada por la suspensión del servicio de transporte, anunciada por el sistema Transmilenio, debido a una “manifestación ajena a la operación” que afectó a más de 14.000 usuarios, reportó en su cuenta de la red social X.

Posteriormente la operación de ese sistema de transporte masivo se restableció.

La polémica inició con una disposición del presidente Abelardo de la Espriella durante una reciente visita al Ministerio de Cultura, en la que ordenó dejar de exhibir bienes relacionados a Carlos Pizarro, excomandante de la guerrilla M-19, asesinado en 1990 tras desmovilizar a la guerrilla y aspirar a la presidencia.

Posteriormente se conoció del retiro de las piezas de una sala de exposición del museo, las cuales están relacionadas con la historia de movimientos sociales y la violencia política en el país.

El domingo por la noche, el ministro del Interior, Rodrigo Lara, se refirió a lo ocurrido. En redes sociales aseguró que “de ninguna manera se puede permitir un bloqueo total” de la carretera, y que “se protegió la protesta pacífica”.

Según Lara, la policía “intervino únicamente para restablecer la movilidad” ante la “insistencia de un remanente (de manifestantes) en mantener el bloqueo”.

La ministra de Cultura, Paola Holguín, afirmó el viernes en X que el Museo Nacional, creado en 1823, no puede servir como “instrumento de adoctrinamiento político” ni ser espacio de “apología al delito o revictimización”.

Surgieron también voces en defensa de los manifestantes.

La Defensora del Pueblo, Iris Marín, cuestionó el sábado la presencia de escuadrones antidisturbios y un vehículo que lanza agua en medio de las manifestaciones, al considerarla una medida “desproporcionada” ante el derecho “legítimo” de los inconformes de expresar su desacuerdo.

En una intervención sobre la controversia, el expresidente Juan Manuel Santos escribió en X que “la historia y la memoria de un país no se borran. Por el contrario, se protegen y se utilizan para unirnos como nación, no para dividirnos”.

Cleveland faced a 3-2 deficit in the best-of-seven AL Championship Series and not a lot of time to rebound after Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. There is no travel day because of a rainout, and Game 6 is Monday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

“Let’s go. We don’t have another choice,” Vogt said. “This is when this team thrives.”

Cleveland rallied in September for the second straight season to win the AL Central. The Guardians were 60-65 and 5 1/2 games behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central on Aug. 17 before winning eight of nine and then going 16-9 in September to win the division by one game.

The Guardians dropped the first two AL Division Series games at home to the White Sox before winning the next two in Chicago and closing with a 2-0 win at Progressive Field in Game 5.

“I think it’ll help a ton knowing that we’re able to do it, facing elimination,” said Steven Kwan, who had two of Cleveland's five hits and his first career postseason outfield assist. “I think we feel a little better on this one as opposed to the other ones since we’ve got some wins under our belt. Just have to trust our plans, turn the page and see what happens tomorrow.”

Kwan, who has 51 career outfield assists in the regular season, threw out Taylor Walls trying to score from second base on Jonathan Aranda’s fourth-inning single to left and made a leaping catch at the center-field wall on Victor Mesa Jr.’s eighth-inning drive, saving a run.

Teams trailing 3-2 after five games in the ALCS have come back to win only seven of 23 times. The last two teams in that position accomplished the feat, Texas in 2023 and Toronto last year.

Cleveland is 47-38 on the road in this year, including the postseason, and 43-44 at Progressive Field.

The biggest question is which pitcher will start Monday. Foster Griffin began Game 1 but was the bulk reliever for Game 4 on Saturday, working 3 2/3 innings and allowing one run and four hits.

Vogt ruled out right-hander Gavin Williams, who led the AL with 248 strikeouts in the regular season. Williams started Game 3 on Thursday and allowed two runs in five innings.

Cleveland's bullpen allowed only one run in seven innings after Parker Messick struggled. A candidate for AL Rookie of the Year, Messick had the shortest outing of his big league career and didn’t make it past the third inning for the second time in four postseason starts.

The 25-year-old left-hander allowed two runs, five hits and three walks over two innings, throwing just 34 of 57 pitches for strikes.

Messick has pitched exactly 200 innings on the year, the first rookie to reach that mark in a season since Kansas City’s Yordano Ventura at 208 1/3 innings in 2014. The prior Cleveland rookie to toss at least 200 innings was Charles Nagy with 211 1/3 innings in 1991.

“I feel great right now," Messick said. “Body feels good, arm feels good. I’m still throwing hard. I don’t really have any body fatigue. It's just whether or not I’m executing the game plan.”

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Economic growth accelerated from the 4.3% year-on-year rate recorded in the April-June quarter, the slowest expansion in more than three years. Its economy expanded 4.6% in the first three quarters.

For the whole year, Chinese leaders have set a growth target of 4.5% to 5%, down from last year’s 5% expansion. Earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund trimmed its forecast for China’s 2026 economic growth to 4.5%, the lower end of Beijing’s goal.

“Domestic demand was weak, while trade grew strongly,” said Dave Chia, an economist at Moody’s Analytics. Exports will likely stay strong but global trade barriers remain a risk, he said.

Exports are strong, but domestic sluggishness remains

China’s domestic demand has been weighed down by a yearslong downturn in its property market.

The headline official growth figure is becoming “an increasingly poor indicator of how the broader economy is performing,” said Max Zenglein, Asia Pacific senior economist at The Conference Board.

That’s because it masks “widening disparities across industries, regions, and households,” Zenglein said. Beijing faces difficult trade-offs and managing domestic imbalances may prove more challenging than dealing with external pressures, he added.

On Monday, Mao Shengyong, deputy head of China’s National Bureau of Statistics, cautioned of the economic challenges ahead. “The international environment is complex and volatile, the problem of insufficient domestic demand remains relatively prominent and the foundation for a stable, improving economy still needs consolidation,” he told a news conference.

With exports being one of the few bright spots, China is on track to surpass last year’s record $1.2 trillion trade surplus globally, after logging a 36% growth in exports last month and already a $938 billion surplus between January and September.

Elevated U.S. tariffs have hit some U.S.-China bilateral trade and forced China to look elsewhere, including Southeast Asia, Latin America and Europe. High-tech exports such as semiconductors and autos, including hybrid and electric vehicles, are among areas driving its export growth this year.

As China pursues self-sufficiency to help shield itself from Western export controls and trade uncertainties, it has built up massive domestic manufacturing capacities across industries such as solar and EVs, which are heavily subsidized by the government. But output was scaled up rapidly at a time of weakened domestic consumption, so many of these goods are shipped to overseas markets at competitive prices.

An export-reliant growth model that’s highly tech-driven has shown limited job creation and broad income gains while risks of artificial intelligence-driven labor displacements continue to grow, said Ecaterina Bigos, senior market strategist at BNP Paribas Asset Management.

China faces growing pressure from the EU to rebalance trade

Many trade partners fear their domestic industries and economies face growing threats from lower-cost Chinese manufactured imports.

“It is untenable and unsustainable for the world’s second largest economy to rely on foreign demand to prop up its own growth,” said Eswar Prasad, a professor of economics and trade policy at Cornell University.

Through its persistent and large trade surpluses, China “has become a drag on world growth rather than an engine that pulls the rest of the world along,” Prasad said.

The European Union is among those impatient to reduce its trade imbalance with China. The 27-nation bloc runs a trade deficit with China of more than $1.1 billion a day.

For the first nine months of the year, Chinese exports to the EU were up 16%. EU countries are eyeing more curbs on China after the EU reached an agreement with China this month to roughly halve the number of Chinese hybrid vehicle imports over the next few years.

China can work with other countries on disputes and it wants to keep its market access, said Gary Ng, a senior economist for Asia Pacific at French bank Natixis. With a deal with the EU on hybrid cars, for example, China can likely still sell more made-by-China products in the longer run while avoiding a broad tariff hike.

Even with agreements made between China and the EU, “trade imbalances will be difficult to resolve quickly,” said Lynn Song, chief economist for Greater China at Dutch bank ING.

Policymakers say an undervalued yuan, China’s currency, against the dollar and the euro has contributed to China’s growing trade surplus, even though China’s central bank has dismissed the claims.

“We are likely to see continued resistance, rising protectionism, and persistent pressure from economies globally to protect their industries, and jobs, notably in high value sectors,” noted Bigos.

China insists that it does not seek a large trade surplus. Central bank governor Pan Gongsheng said Friday that countries with trade deficits and those with trade surpluses should work together, and that China, as a responsible country, is committed to expanding domestic demand.

Leer en español

On Sunday morning, Local 10’s Samiar Nefzi was in Pompano Beach, along Northeast 20t h Avenue near Atlantic Boulevard.

Flooding was observed throughout the area, and it wasn’t just there.

Local 10 cameras also captured lots of water along Hallandale Beach Boulevard.

A little further west in Miramar, floodwaters were impacting traffic, with a slow early-morning rain keeping the area saturated.

It all comes after a very wet Saturday night, which also featured downpours during the big game between the University of Miami and Florida State at Hard Rock Stadium.

The Hurricanes took home the win, but the weather outside the stadium was quite a vibe for football fans.

Further south in Wynwood, the rain didn’t stop the beat at the Three Points Music Festival.

Rain is expected throughout Sunday morning, giving way to a windy afternoon.

Aries Wilson le contó a Bridgette Matter, de Local 10 News, que Blu, su poodle toy de 8 meses, fue robado de su casa en North Miami el jueves.

Según explicó, Blu estaba en el patio trasero cercado, donde salía a jugar y a hacer sus necesidades, cuando se escapó.

El perrito se metió por un pequeño hueco debajo de la cerca y luego apareció en video en el patio delantero de la vivienda, ubicada cerca de Northwest 128th Terrace y Tenth Avenue.

Poco después, el video muestra que un sedán de color oscuro se detiene frente a la casa.

“Toqué la puerta de mi vecina de al lado y le pregunté si había visto a Blu. Al final revisamos todas las grabaciones de nuestras cámaras y vimos que alguien lo atrajo hacia él y prácticamente se lo llevó”, dijo Wilson. “Tocaba la bocina y lo seguía llamando, supongo que para que saliera a la calle”.

Blu corrió hacia el carro. En lugar de tocar a la puerta para devolverlo, el conductor, que se ve en el video con un chaleco azul, se bajó del vehículo. Cuando se fue, Blu ya no estaba por ningún lado.

“El perro le ladró y le dio la vuelta, y entonces supongo que él pensó: ‘Bueno, me bajo del carro y lo agarro’”, contó Wilson.

Blu llevaba un AirTag en el collar que, según Wilson, fue retirado.

La mujer asegura que Blu es como un miembro más de la familia y espera que quien se lo llevó tenga corazón y lo devuelva.

“Blu es mi perro de apoyo, así que lo necesito”, dijo Wilson.

Se ofrece una recompensa de $1,000 por información que permita localizar al perro.

“Solo traigan al perro de vuelta”, pidió Wilson. “Sin preguntas”.

Dijo que, mientras espera la llamada de un detective, no presentará cargos si la persona que se llevó a Blu lo devuelve.

La Davie-Cooper City Branch Library es uno de las decenas de centros de votación anticipada en el condado Broward. Al arrancar la jornada, ya había conos colocados y carteles de campaña a lo largo del borde del estacionamiento.

Los votantes pueden emitir su voto todos los días de 7 a.m. a 7 p.m. hasta el 1 de noviembre.

Durante las primarias de agosto, más de 61,000 personas votaron de forma anticipada y en persona en el condado Broward, según datos del estado. En Miami-Dade lo hicieron más de 58,000 y en el condado Monroe, poco más de 4,000.

En todo Florida, más de 818,000 personas votaron en persona antes del día de las elecciones.

Con los comicios cada vez más cerca, los candidatos aprovechan las últimas semanas de campaña para llegar a los votantes indecisos y movilizar a sus simpatizantes.

En la contienda por la gobernación, el candidato demócrata David Jolly visitó el domingo por la mañana una iglesia en el noroeste de Miami-Dade. También conversó con Glenna Milberg en This Week in South Florida ese mismo domingo por la mañana.

Jolly describió su trayectoria política como un camino para construir una mesa más grande.

“Fui republicano toda mi vida”, dijo Jolly. “Estuve en el Congreso y luego fui independiente durante seis o siete años. Encontré mi lugar en el Partido Demócrata, pero me ubico en un espacio muy pospartidista, posideológico”.

Por su parte, el candidato republicano a gobernador, Byron Donalds, aseguró que está enfocado en hablar directamente con los votantes.

“En esta elección general ya hemos tocado 1.2 millones de puertas en nuestra campaña para ser el próximo gobernador de Florida”, dijo Donalds. Añadió que su campaña espera llegar a unas 1.5 millones de puertas, o posiblemente más, antes de las elecciones generales.

“You know, we won’t win a game unless we figure out how not to beat ourselves,” he said.

That’s been the case in each of the Rams’ past three defeats, the past two coming in seven days by a total of five points on their home field. Erratic play on offense and defense, haphazard special teams, inopportune penalties, untimely injuries and bad decisions have all left the preseason Super Bowl favorites in a big hole.

“I think outside of expectations of our record, we’re just not playing the type of ball that we want to put out,” defensive end Kobie Turner said. “That’s not the quality of ball that we expect. So, got to go back to the drawing board.”

In many ways, the Rams’ loss to the Cardinals was a continuation of their 37-34 overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday night, which ended with left tackle Alaric Jackson punching Buffalo linebacker Bradley Chubb after the game and getting suspended for one game.

Jackson’s absence forced 36-year-old journeyman David Quessenberry into the starting lineup, and it left the Rams (2-4) struggling against the Cardinals’ blitz packages.

“It felt like it was the first two series, three-and-out, not being able to gather any momentum, and then just putting ourselves behind the sticks, so they’re being able to chuck up the look and kind of get what they wanted from us in the third-and-long and the passing downs,” wide receiver Puka Nacua said.

The offense only got going when it was in desperation mode, a recurring theme over the Rams' past four games, including a 30-26 loss at Denver and a frantic 24-20 comeback win at Philadelphia.

Rams get a new kicker and then lose him to injury

Special teams struggled once again, following a brief moment of hope provided by new kicker Blake Grupe when he nailed a 44-yard field goal on the Rams’ second possession. Grupe was signed on Tuesday following another poor showing from Harrison Mevis against Buffalo.

But coverage breakdowns on the ensuing kickoff forced Grupe to tackle Devin Duvernay near midfield. The kicker sustained a knee injury on the play, knocking him out for the game and seemingly threatening his availability going forward. Grupe had a large brace on his right knee in the locker room.

Punter Ethan Evans was forced to assume kicking duties, drastically changing the Rams’ approach on offense and special teams. He did make a go-ahead extra point with 47 seconds remaining, only for the defense to give up a 21-yard completion and 15-yard personal foul on the same play to set up Arizona’s game-winning field goal as time expired.

“It’s tough, especially when you give yourselves a chance at the end there,” tight end Colby Parkinson said. “But it doesn’t come down to one drive, one play. We all have to play better, especially on the offensive side.”

In another potentially ominous sign for the offense, wide receiver Davante Adams hobbled to the sideline favoring his left knee late in the fourth quarter.

Defense has let down the Rams, too

The defense wasn’t blameless, despite holding the Cardinals to six field goals. Aaron Donald and the Rams allowed four drives of at least 10 plays and were unable to get off the field for long stretches.

Even circumstances seem to be conspiring against the Rams. Cornerback Trent McDuffie, arguably their best player over the first five weeks, was a late scratch because of a groin injury he picked up in practice on Friday. Not having McDuffie meant Josh Wallace took on an expanded role, and he was the defender at fault on the pass and penalty that put Arizona in position for its late kick.

Turner said the inability to get all three facets of the team playing effectively at the same time is why the Rams are in their current position.

“It’s a matter of playing complementary ball,” he said. “We have to be able to put our offense in advantageous positions, and they have to be able to capitalize off of it. … So, yeah, we got to find a game where we’re both on and we’re all firing on all cylinders.”

The lack of consistency, even in identifying the team’s issues, is what seems to be bothering McVay most.

“We’ve had some really critical errors at really unfortunate times, but that’s what our narrative has been for this year,” he said. “And we can’t keep saying that we haven’t done that before. Well, this year we are doing it, and so we have to be able to fix it. And it’s my job to do that.”

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

She joined host Glenna Milberg on the latest episode of “This Week in South Florida”, and their conversation can be seen at the top of this page.

The cold front that brought rain and flooding Saturday will continue to track southward, opening the door for lower humidity, gusty winds and limited rainfall this week.

Monday will feature partly cloudy skies, with winds gusting up to 25 mph at times. Expect highs in the mid-80s.

It’s going to be a rough day at the beach or on the boat. A high risk of rip currents and a small craft advisory are in effect due to strong onshore winds.

With the way Rasmussen quieted the Guardians offense on Sunday, that made for a perfect evening.

“It gets kind of boring out there because it’s incredible the stuff he has," DeLuca said. “But you like that because he’s your teammate."

Rasmussen allowed one run over seven innings for his second postseason win in a 3-1 victory that gave the Rays a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out six.

“The way he limited anything was really, really impressive,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “He got in rhythm with the fastball. A lot of power to everything. Then the depth on the changeup throughout the outing was a big pitch for him.”

Tampa Bay has won the last two games and will try to capture its third AL pennant and first since 2020 on Monday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Since the ALCS expanded to best-of-seven games in 1985, road teams winning Game 5 for a 3-2 lead have won the series four of five times.

“It’s a great opportunity. All of us are thinking of it. But it all ends tomorrow. We’re going to win tomorrow,” said designated hitter Yandy Díaz, who had three hits.

Game 7 if needed would be Tuesday. The World Series starts Friday at NL champion Milwaukee.

Rasmussen had given up two runs over six innings in the opener. After Chase DeLauter’s two-out single in the first, the 31-year-old right-hander retired nine straight batters and allowed only one other baserunner through the sixth.

Rasmussen is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in three postseason starts, striking out 23 and walking three

He used his changeup only 12 times in the opener but threw it 27 times on Sunday, including 21 for strikes.

“We were able to attack with the changeup a lot more tonight," he said. "The ability to drive the cutter to the top I thought was also another strength.”

Cleveland finally threatened in the seventh when Steven Kwan and José Ramírez singled to put runners at the corners, and DeLauter grounded an RBI single between first and second.

Cam Booser and Tyler Wells worked the eighth, with Wells striking out Ramírez to strand a runner.

Bryan Baker came in for the ninth and converted his 35th straight save chance, his fifth of this postseason. Jo Adell was on second base when Travis Bazzana hit a game-ending groundout.

Rays take advantage of early opportunities

Tampa Bay scored single runs in each of the first three innings, the first two off Parker Messick and the third against Tim Herrin.

Tampa Bay’s leadoff hitter reached base in the first four innings — scoring in the first three frames — and six times overall. Rays' leadoff batters have reached in 10 of 14 innings dating to Saturday.

Díaz scored on a bases-loaded walk by Messick to DeLuca in the first inning. Díaz led off with a line-drive double over center fielder Petey Halpin that bounced on the warning track and off the wall.

Jonathan Aranda’s single drove in Ben Williamson for a 2-0 lead in the second, and Liam Hicks looped a curveball from Herrin to center to score Chandler Simpson in the third.

“I think we took advantage of getting ourselves in some favorable counts and getting some big hits,” Cash said. “We probably left some opportunities out there, and then they go to the bullpen, and it’s really challenging to piece together big innings when they’re mixing and matching from the third or fourth inning, whatever it was, on.”

Kwan helps keep Cleveland close

Kwan had two of Cleveland’s five hits and the four-time Gold Glove winner made two fine defensive plays: He threw out Walls trying to score from second base on Aranda’s fourth-inning single to left and made a leaping catch at the center-field wall on Victor Mesa Jr.’s eighth-inning drive, saving a run.

Messick had the shortest outing of his big league career and didn’t make it past the third inning for the second time in four postseason starts. The 25-year-old left-hander went two innings and allowed two runs, five hits and three walks, throwing just 34 of 57 pitches for strikes.

Cleveland has not won an ALCS when trailing 3-2 while the Rays are 58-27 at home this year, including the postseason.

The Guardians are seeking their first World Series title since 1948.

“We know we’ve got our work cut out for us. It’s a really good team and a really good team when they play at home, especially,” manager Stephen Vogt said. ”We know this is going to be tough but if there’s a group I’m betting on to get this done, it’s our guys.”

Up next

Tampa Bay will start right-hander Freddy Peralta (1-0, 0.79 ERA postseason), who will make his third appearance of the series. He threw six scoreless innings in his Game 2 start and pitched two-thirds of an inning in relief on Saturday. Cleveland has not announced a starter, and Vogt ruled out using right-hander Gavin Williams.

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

The shares will go to the Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, a new entity within the company.

The fund “will have increased flexibility and scale, enabling us to pursue our mission in new ways: for example, we might explore large donations to traditional nonprofits or direct distributions to specific populations,” Anthropic said in a blog post. It gave labor market impacts as an example, saying that while it has already committed $200 million to study the effects of artificial intelligence, “given the pace of AI progress, bolder approaches may be needed.”

CEO Dario Amodei and the company’s five other cofounders established Anthropic as a public benefit corporation, a designation that for-profit companies select to balance financial goals and social impact.

They have also pledged that they will donate 80% of their wealth. An equity donation match program, in which about half of the company's employees participate, lets workers pledge equity that Anthropic matches.

When combined with Sunday’s announcement, Anthropic said roughly 20% of its shares will be dedicated to the “public good,” plus any additional percentage that could be added if the company’s valuation reaches specific milestones.

Anthropic is planning a massive initial public offering as soon as November.

When the Cards returned to the home of the next Super Bowl on Sunday with a four-game losing streak and a badly struggling defense, almost nobody expected them to leave with another upset win — particularly if they couldn't even score a touchdown.

Instead, Arizona demonstrated enough grit and guile to pull off one of the NFL's more shocking results of the young season.

Chad Ryland kicked his sixth field goal, a 43-yarder as time expired, to complete the Cardinals' rally for a 18-16 victory over the foundering Los Angeles Rams.

Jacoby Brissett passed for 218 yards to balance the Cardinals' superb defensive effort after yielding 148 points in its past four games. New Cards coach Mike LaFleur won his first meeting with former boss Sean McVay and earned Arizona's second win this season at SoFi, where it also beat the Chargers in Week 1.

“These guys are a resilient group,” said LaFleur, McVay's offensive coordinator for the previous three seasons. “We’re learning how to play 60 minutes, and we hadn’t done that yet. Some people might disagree with me, but there’s been times when we looked like a really good football team. We’ve got to finish better in the red zone, stuff like that, but I’m happy for these guys. They put in a lot of work, they heard a lot of (stuff), and they just went to it.”

Punter Ethan Evans kicked a go-ahead extra point after Colby Parkinson caught a touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford with 47 seconds to play for the vaunted Rams (2-4), whose NFL-leading offense struggled all day before mounting that desperate final drive.

But the Cardinals immediately moved 36 yards into field goal range on Jalen Brooks' long reception and an unnecessary roughness penalty on Josh Wallace. Three snaps later, Ryland buried his final kick to seal the upset for Arizona (2-4), a double-digit underdog after four straight losses by a combined 66 points.

“This locker room, it’s been unbelievable, because we know how hard we work,” Brooks said. “We know hard we train, and we block out the noise. Essentially, we know what people are saying about us, but we know how good of a team we are.”

Matthew Stafford passed for 222 yards and two scores for the preseason Super Bowl favorite Rams, who are in complete disarray after three losses in their last four games, including this setback at home to a rebuilding team McVay that had beaten 16 times in 19 meetings.

Los Angeles still rallied, and Evans even came through with his first career placekick after new Rams kicker Blake Grupe injured his knee making a tackle in the first quarter — but Ryland and the Cardinals cashed in their final chance.

“There were some gutsy individual efforts that I am appreciative of, but collectively, even if we had come away with the result, it’s not good enough,” McVay said. “There’s just so many things that aren’t in alignment with what we need to be able to do. We've got to figure it out, and it starts with me.”

Stafford hit Blake Corum for an early touchdown for the Rams, who came in leading the NFL in total offense. Although being forced to play without a kicking game didn’t help, the Rams struggled to move the ball all day, and they turned it over twice in Cardinals territory in the fourth quarter.

Arizona’s defense had been one of the NFL’s worst this season until it held McVay, Stafford and their talented unit to 286 yards. All-Pro receiver Puka Nacua had half of his six receptions on that final drive.

After Ryland's fifth field goal, Cody Simon forced a fumble by Rams tight end Tyler Higbee deep in Cards territory with 7:47 to play. Los Angeles' defense quickly got the ball back, but Arizona stopped the Rams on downs.

Rams leave time on clock after final drive

The Rams got one last chance from their 15 with 2:48 to play, and Stafford stepped up in the pocket to find Nacua for a rambling 42-yard gain.

Parkinson was awarded a touchdown upon video review after initially being ruled down at the 1 — and 29 extra seconds put back on the clock came back to haunt Los Angeles.

“Thank God he did score,” LaFleur said.

Cardinals exploit a weakness on Rams' line

With Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson suspended, backup David Quessenberry and the left side of LA’s line were repeatedly targeted by the Cardinals, with the 38-year-old Stafford taking several big hits.

Kicker injured

Grupe hit a 44-yard field goal in the first quarter, but the newcomer injured his knee when he was forced to make a downfield tackle on the ensuing kickoff in the Rams’ latest special teams nightmare.

Injuries

Cardinals: DT Walter Nolen III injured his ankle in the second half. Rookie RB Jeremiyah Love (ankle) did not play.

Rams: WR Davante Adams hobbled to the sideline favoring his left knee after LA's penultimate offensive play. McVay gave no postgame update on the six-time Pro Bowl selection's apparent noncontact injury. ... Played without star CB Trent McDuffie (groin).

Up next

Cardinals: Host Denver next Sunday.

Rams: At Las Vegas next Sunday.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

The Kings said Simmons hurt himself during a live drill and will need to undergo surgery three days before the season opener on Wednesday night on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers.

“I've faced challenges before that tested me mentally, physically, and emotionally, and I've found a way through every single one of them," Simmons wrote on social media. “This injury is another chapter in my journey, not the end of my story.”

Simmons had signed a one-year deal with Sacramento this summer as he tried to revive his career.

The 30-year-old from Australia is a former No. 1 draft pick, three-time All-Star and Rookie of the Year, but he has struggled to perform and stay healthy in recent years. He sat out last season while dealing with back and leg injuries after ending the 2024-25 season in a reserve role for the Los Angeles Clippers.

Simmons was the first overall pick by Philadelphia in 2016 after playing one season in college at LSU. He sat out his first season with an injured foot but quickly developed into a star player for the 76ers once he returned. He was the Rookie of the Year in 2017-18, was an All-Star the following three seasons, as well as a third-team All-NBA player in 2019-20 and a first-team All-Defense selection in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

But his career hasn’t been the same after sitting out the 2021-22 season when he was dealing with mental health concerns, other physical injuries and was seeking a trade out of Philadelphia.

He was sent to Brooklyn at the 2022 trade deadline but missed the rest of that season with a bad back. He then played 2 1/2 seasons with the Brooklyn before getting cut in February 2025. He finished that season with the Los Angeles Clippers before sitting out last season.

But he never came close to his level of play early in his career in Philadelphia, averaging 5.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists during his time with the Nets and Clippers.

Sacramento is coming off a 22-60 season and is trying to rebuild around rookie Darius Acuff Jr., who was picked seventh in the draft after a stellar freshman season at Arkansas.

___

See AP’s full NBA coverage here

“I got to be a better player. Got to be a better vet,” Gardner-Johnson said after Buffalo's 33-30 victory. “Let my emotions get above me, and I hurt my team. They brought me here to play big games like this, so I got to do better.”

Officials ejected Gardner-Johnson for unsportsmanlike conduct following an exchange with a group of Raiders players, including tight end Brock Bowers.

“We had two players jawing back and forth and then our umpire witnessed him spitting on the opponent,” referee Shawn Smith told a pool reporter.

Smith said the NFL’s officiating department in New York confirmed the disqualification.

Bills coach Joe Brady said the incident reflected poorly on his team.

“The discipline of our football team has to improve and that sure as hell can’t happen,” Brady said. “The team is bigger than that, the situation is bigger than that, everything is bigger. It can’t happen, and it definitely has to be addressed.”

Brady said he hadn’t reviewed video of the incident but that officials told him the violation was clear.

“At the end of the day, if it shows up like that, like that can’t happen,” Brady said. “It’s uncalled for. It can’t happen. It is going to be addressed, and the team is way more important.”

Gardner-Johnson said he was emotional during a heated exchange and insisted he had nothing personal against Bowers or the Raiders.

“He never did nothing to me,” Gardner-Johnson said. “It’s just in the heat of the game, arguing and talking (expletive), and that gesture wasn’t warranted.”

Gardner-Johnson, 28, said he had spoken with coaches and apologized to his teammates, adding that he would accept whatever punishment followed. He could face a fine or suspension from the league.

Raiders coach Klint Kubiak praised his players for not retaliating, saying they had been warned about potential confrontations.

“That’s the expectation,” Kubiak said. “We knew going in there are certain guys that are going to try to do that to us, and the players knew before the game that if they got into it, they’d be standing by me on the sideline.”

The ejection also prompted a reaction from San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who alleged on social media that Gardner-Johnson had spit on him previously.

“This is the least surprising thing ever,” Juszczyk posted, adding that Gardner-Johnson “spit on me last year when we beat Chicago.”

Gardner-Johnson was ejected in 2024 while playing for Philadelphia and has been fined numerous times during his NFL career, though he has never been suspended.

Buffalo is his sixth NFL team in eight seasons. He previously played for New Orleans, Philadelphia, Detroit, Houston and Chicago before signing a one-year contract with the Bills.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Jeffries also slapped back at President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to waive sanctions on Russia and said there will be a bipartisan effort in the House to pursue a new sanctions package that the president would not have the ability to waive.

“It’s shocking, but not surprising, that an American president would do so much to undermine the cause of democracy, freedom and dignity for the Ukrainian people,” Jeffries told The Associated Press after visiting church services in Toledo.

Jeffries, who is in line to become House speaker if Democrats win back the majority, has traveled to some 50 cities campaigning for Democratic candidates. He said the House Republicans are “divorced from reality” in thinking — as Speaker Mike Johnson recently suggested — that the Nov. 3 election will be a repeat of the 2024 sweep that put Trump in the White House and Republicans in Congress.

“The climate continues to hold firm,” Jeffries said, about the Democrats' chances.

“We are working hard across the country, continuing to make the case that we need dramatic change as opposed to the status quo," he said, "and that Democrats are going to be the only ones to fight to make this country affordable.”

Ohio races are key to control of Congress

The Buckeye State is being fiercely contested in these midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. While much attention has been on the Senate race between Republican Sen. Jon Husted and Democrat Sherrod Brown, the House races are a district-by-district slog key to unlocking control of that chamber.

The Toldeo-area House seat has been a top priority. Kaptur, who has held office for decades, is the longest-serving woman in the House. But Trump has carried the district and Republicans are trying to flip it. Kaptur defeated GOP candidate Derek Merrin two years ago, but he is making a repeat play for the seat.

“We work very hard,” Kaptur told AP. “We don’t just work at elections. We work to make a difference in the lives of people.”

In August, Kaptur, 80, was heading to church when the vehicle she was riding in as a passenger was struck. She was hospitalized with injuries suffered in the car accident, but said she has since recovered.

Jeffries said Kaptur is a legendary figure in the Great Lakes Region. “Once again, she's going to defy all expectations,” he said.

Trump's waiver of Russia sanctions roils campaigns

The area has been home to a large Ukrainian American population, and Kaptur is founder and co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, a bipartisan group of lawmakers with particular focus on the country.

She had harsh words for Trump’s decision late Friday to waive provisions of the Russia sanctions bill named for Lindsey Graham, which Congress had passed to help Ukraine as it battles Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

“What he did is just un-American,” she said. “He has sided with Putin.”

Members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans, expressed outrage over the weekend at Trump’s decision to waive the sanctions, which were due to take effect Sunday. The president had just signed the bill into law last month.

Johnson said Sunday on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” that a number of his colleagues have raised concerns. He said he had yet to talk about it with Trump, but said he knows the president is evaluating the situation.

“We need to talk about it and I think carefully consider the unintended consequences,” Johnson said.

Reddick's No. 45 Toyota overtook Chase Briscoe with 17 laps remaining and held on for the win. The 23XI driver had the hottest car in the sport early in the year, winning four of the season's first six races, but had a big lull over the summer.

Now he's moved within striking distance of the No. 1 spot in the Chase with three races remaining.

“This group never lost motivation, never lost the drive to keep searching and keep trying to find ways to make ourselves better, just be an all-around better team,” Reddick said. "Something about today ... I had a really good feeling.”

Larson is now just five points ahead of Christopher Bell in the Cup Series standings heading into Talladega next week. Briscoe is in third, 24 points back, while Denny Hamlin (31), Ryan Blaney (40), Joey Logano (44) and Reddick (56) are still in the hunt.

“It’s going to be a battle, that’s for sure,” Bell said. “We’re right there in it. Really proud of our team. They’ve been doing a really good job of bringing fast race cars, executing races. We’ve been able to qualify well and run up front in stages.”

Blaney — who had won two straight races in Phoenix — finished second on Sunday while Chase Elliott was third and Bell fourth. Briscoe finished eighth after back-to-back wins in Las Vegas and Charlotte and picked up more points in Phoenix.

Bubba Wallace led 52 laps in the second half of the race, but a pit road speeding penalty ended the 23XI driver’s chance at a win.

Larson's very bad day

Larson's No. 5 Chevrolet struggled all day and then smacked the wall late in the race after his right front tire went flat going into a turn. His day was over and he finished 34th.

Larson entered the day with a 49-point lead in the playoff standings over the second-place Hamlin, but had a disappointing qualifying effort on Saturday and started 22nd, well behind most of the other title contenders.

“I was just trying to salvage anything — in the top 20 would have been great,” Larson said. “It's a bummer, but it is what it is. It happens.”

He wasn't any better on Sunday — the Hendrick Motorsports star stayed in the middle to back of the pack most of the afternoon and fell a lap behind the field midway through the second stage. The flat tire made things even worse.

It was a surprising hiccup after a dominant six-race postseason run that included two wins, two second-place finishes and an average finish of 2.83.

Hamlin — who is still looking for his first Cup Series championship — couldn't take full advantage of Larson's tough day after a flat right rear tire while running fourth on lap 221. The No. 11 Toyota was also penalized for speeding on pit road as he struggled to control the car coming off the track. He finished 28th.

Logano wins both stages for 20 points

Logano won both the 60-lap first stage and 125-lap second stage, picking up the maximum possible 20 points.

He took four fresh tires during a yellow-flag stop late in the first stage before grabbing the lead from Hamlin, who took just two. Blaney led the first 46 laps but a slow pit stop dropped him back to eighth. He recovered to place fourth in the stage.

Logano — who has won four times in Phoenix — breezed to the second stage win, finishing well ahead of Briscoe and Bell.

Up next

The Cup Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama next weekend for the eighth of 10 postseason races.

___

See AP’s full auto racing coverage here

Shawn Oliver, a city councilor in New Bedford and a corrections officer, said in a post on X he was ending his campaign because "the election is too important to be overshadowed by personal matters.”

The move came after his running mate, Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue, said he asked Oliver to immediately suspend his campaign and that "when elected, I will formally ask for his resignation.”

“I am extremely disappointed,” Minogue said on X. “There is no excuse for driving under the influence.”

Police said Oliver, 42, was arrested after he was involved in a car crash late Saturday involving a vehicle that struck multiple parked vehicles before turning over.

He was taken to the hospital for injuries and arrested on suspicion of operating under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, a marked lanes violation and speeding, police spokesperson Holly Huntoon said in an email. The arrest was first reported by The New Bedford Light.

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, a Democrat, said the allegations against Oliver were “deeply concerning” and that the public deserves to hear from him about what happened.

A phone message seeking comment was left for Oliver, who was born and raised in the city of 100,000 people about 60 miles (97 kilometers) south of Boston and was elected to the city council in 2023.

Minogue, a businessman and military veteran, faces incumbent Democratic Gov. Maura Healey on the November ballot. The Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor is incumbent Kim Driscoll.

The lieutenant governor's position in Massachusetts is seen as largely ceremonial, but the officeholder is first in line to become governor if the governor resigns or dies.

Oliver has been placed on restricted work duty at his job at the Massachusetts Treatment Center “while all facts and circumstances are reviewed,” Lindsay Corcoran, a spokesperson for the state's Department of Correction, said in an email. The medium-security facility houses sex offenders and people civilly committed as sexually dangerous persons.

No injuries were reported in the 11 a.m. mishap at Harry Reid International Airport, said airport spokesperson Monika Bertaki. She didn't say what caused the plane, a Dassault Falcon 50, to go off the runway.

Two runways were closed for inspection after the incident and the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily paused planned flights to the airport, causing delays.

As of August, the airport had over 370,000 operations and more than 34 million passengers so far in 2026.

___

Wilder is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Health Ministry Director-General Dr. Patrick Amoth said the eighth case involved a 49-year-old patient attendant who had attended to the first Ebola patient, who died at Nairobi Hospital two days after arriving in the country from Congo via Uganda.

Amoth said people in quarantine were being tested after developing symptoms. He added that the other six patients were stable after receiving supportive treatment.

Some 130 contacts, including health workers, were listed after the first patient died on Oct. 5, with 128 remaining in quarantine.

Ebola is highly contagious and spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, including blood and vomit, or through contact with contaminated materials and surfaces, such as bedding and clothing. Congo has been experiencing its deadliest outbreak, with at least 4,000 deaths since May.

Kenya’s first case involved a 40-year-old Kenyan man who traveled from Congo through Uganda, arriving in Kenya on Oct. 3. A relative drove him to the hospital, and he died on Oct. 5.

Three of his close relatives are among those who have tested positive for the virus. Three health workers have also tested positive for Ebola.

Kenya’s neighbor, Tanzania, has tightened border screenings and introduced mandatory health declarations and 21-day monitoring for travelers arriving from high-risk countries.

Kenya’s first case exposed gaps in screening measures at border points. The country has since strengthened screening and established an emergency hotline for anyone who suspects they may have been in contact with an Ebola patient or develops symptoms.

The country has designated a gate at Nairobi’s main airport for all flights arriving from 10 countries identified as being at the center of the Ebola outbreak.

The Browns (4-2) gave first-year coach Todd Monken — a former Ravens offensive coordinator — an improbable victory over his former employer by relying on their defense and getting just enough playmaking from Watson in the end.

Watson completed 16 of 26 passes for 164 yards. Szmyt's game-winner atoned for a miss from 48 yards a few minutes earlier.

The Ravens (4-2) blocked Szmyt's first attempt to win it but were called for offside. Szmyt's try from 5 yards closer was down the middle to pull the surprising Browns (4-2) into a tie with Baltimore atop the AFC North.

Despite missing quarterback Lamar Jackson — out for a second straight game with an ankle injury — the Ravens appeared in firm control against an inept Browns offense, but Cleveland defensive back Tyson Campbell provided the spark the Browns needed when he pounced on Derrick Henry's fumble midway through the fourth quarter at the Baltimore 35.

Audric Estime's 2-yard touchdown run tied the game at 10-all with 8:33 remaining.

Backup quarterback Tyler Huntley, who played brilliantly in an overtime win over Atlanta last Sunday, and the rest of the Baltimore offense had two chances to take the lead but failed to produce a first down either time.

Cleveland took over at its 20 with 1:59 remaining, and Watson shook off a nightmarish first three quarters — the Browns had 107 yards of offense after 45 minutes — to guide his team 62 yards in nine plays.

It was an exciting finish to a game that often felt like a slog in the brilliant fall sunshine, with one of the biggest pops from the crowd coming in the fourth quarter when it was encouraged to support baseball's Cleveland Guardians, who were set to host Tampa Bay in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series about a mile south.

The Ravens scored on their first two possessions to take a 10-0 lead, with Huntley hitting rookie tight end Josh Cuevas for his first career touchdown from 2 yards out and Tyler Loop drilling a 34-yard field goal.

Baltimore's offense did nothing from there. Huntley finished 19 of 31 for 165 yards, but the Ravens went scoreless over their final nine possessions, with Loop missing a 49-yarder early in the fourth quarter that would have made it a two-score game.

After that kick drifted wide, the momentum shifted and the Browns pulled off their second last-second win over a division rival at home in three weeks.

Injuries

Ravens: WR Rashod Bateman (shoulder) left in the second quarter and did not return.

Browns: S Grant Delpit exited in the first quarter and was placed in the concussion protocol. ... LB Justin Jefferson injured his hip.

Up next

Ravens: Host AFC North rival Cincinnati next Sunday.

Browns: At Tennessee next Sunday.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

McCarthy threw for 243 yards in just over 11 minutes, including a touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely after getting picked off on his first possession. Coach John Harbaugh said after the Giants' 34-27 loss to the Saints that it was too early to say whether Winston or McCarthy would start next weekend at Houston.

“I can’t answer that now,” Harbaugh said. “It’s not even up for discussion or conversation right now. We’ve got to go back and go to work. I have no problem with Jameis whatsoever. I love the way he competes, I love the way he fights — all those kind of things. His play was up and down today, for sure, but those things will all be decided not 10 minutes after a game.”

The Giants were down 34-10 when McCarthy went in for Winston, who was 14 of 26 for 152 yards, a touchdown pass to Tracy and the two picks.

“I myself, personally, just left a lot of plays out there that I could have executed better on,” Winston said.

McCarthy's 271 total yards were second only to Drew Brees' 294 for New Orleans against Atlanta on Nov. 9, 2008, among QBs in the fourth quarter since at least 1991. His 243 yards passing tied Eli Manning from Sept. 16, 2012, versus Tampa Bay for the most by a Giants QB over at least the past 35 years.

“Not pleased when you lose,” McCarthy said. “I was just really proud of the guys around me just responding and always keeping that belief that we can go win this thing. That’s going to be huge going down the stretch.”

McCarthy joined New York in a trade from Minnesota on Sept. 28. The 10th pick in the 2024 NFL draft had two carries last week at Washington and one in the second quarter Sunday after the coaching staff identified situational spots for McCarthy to get on the field.

He had not thrown a pass with his new team until taking over for Winston. McCarthy was 11 of 21, including a fourth-and-1 miss on an attempt to Likely in the end zone with 12 seconds left.

“I thought he came in there and did a heck of a job given the circumstances: kind of desperation time,” Harbaugh said. “It’s different than normal football. But he made some plays and gave us a chance at the end to win the game.”

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

That's the full list of those who managed to win three consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player awards. Nobody has pulled off that feat in 40 years, and the star power not on that list — names like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — speaks to how difficult it is to accomplish.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder has a chance to get there this season, whether he wants to or not. His focus — as it has been in past years as well — is on winning and on championships, not on anything of the individual variety.

“I’ve just got to be the best player I can be for this basketball team, win as many games as possible," Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That kind of recipe for me in the past has kind of worked, and I’ve been fortunate to win two in a row. No different for me going into this season.”

He is the best player on the team that is essentially the co-favorite, along with the San Antonio Spurs, to win the NBA championship. He's collected more than 75% of the first-place MVP votes over the last two seasons, and his scoring average of 32 points per game is tops in the NBA over that span.

He doesn't think he's been at his peak yet, either.

“I feel like I’m a better basketball player, more versatile as a basketball player,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “In better shape, too.”

Thunder general manager Sam Presti has been around Hall of Fame players. He sees the traits in Gilgeous-Alexander, saying in his preseason news conference last month that greats at that level have “something that separates them from the others that makes them uniquely different.”

“He has the baseline stuff of his work ethic, his discipline, his character, things that you have to have to be a consistent elite performer in the NBA or anywhere,” Presti said. “But his emotional awareness and regulation is superior, in my opinion. It’s extraordinary. His view is layered. He doesn’t live in a pass-fail world, and I think that’s part of what’s allowed him to come kind of from the back of the pack as a lightly recruited college player to this ascent.”

The game has changed, and Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the players who has changed it.

International players have won the last eight MVP awards; if the annual polling of the league's general managers proves accurate, that run will go to nine this season — since the Spurs' Victor Wembanyama is their preseason pick to emerge as the trophy winner next spring.

And with Joel Embiid — the No. 3 pick in 2014 and MVP in 2022-23 — being the exception, many of those eventual international-born MVPs weren't exactly expected by many to reach that level when they entered the league. Giannis Antetokounmpo, then of Milwaukee and now of Miami, was the 15th overall pick in the 2013 draft; he won two MVPs in this international run. Denver's Nikola Jokic was drafted No. 41 overall; he's a three-time MVP. Gilgeous-Alexander was drafted 11th; he's now gone back-to-back.

“He’s still going,” Presti said. “He’s got a lot more levels to go, and his mindset, I think, is the No. 1 thing that drives all that.”

Winning brings individual success as well, and Gilgeous-Alexander knows that. But he often reminds people that things like MVP seasons come because so many people — not just the actual trophy winner — did their part.

If the Thunder are contenders again, he'll likely be a top candidate. The best player on the best teams tends to be right in the MVP mix. And if he wins it again, it'll be costly: Gilgeous-Alexander has showered teammates with thank-you gifts after his first two MVP seasons, including fancy watches, Burberry coats and much more.

Leadership, to Gilgeous-Alexander, is far more important than trophies.

“It’s something that I’ve been intentional with, but also just I think naturally it’s just grown because I’ve grown as a man,” he said. “Becoming a father has helped with that. You’re an example for somebody every day and it’s a little bit different in the real world, but it’s essentially the same thing. You lead by example — and it’s hard to get people to follow you if you don’t do the right things and you don’t walk the walk.”

___

See AP’s full NBA coverage here

Better Williams than coach Natalie Nakase, that's for sure.

“What’s her obsession with math?” Nakase inquired when told about Williams' process.

“I don’t do math. I do more like coverages and schemes and seeing people’s energy and more connectivity with our group. That’s all Gabby. I’m not that smart. I’m not doing math out there. I didn’t do math since the UCLA days.”

Whatever it is that Williams does, it's working well during her first playoff run with the Valkyries after coming to the Bay Area for just this: a chance at a championship. Golden State leads the Atlanta Dream 1-0 in their best-of-seven WNBA Finals.

Even members of Golden State's athletic training staff have noticed Williams making her mental notes down the stretch.

The veteran guard scored 26 points in a 68-64 Game 1 win Saturday, missing her initial four shots before scoring 16 of her 26 points in the second quarter. She was the only Valkyries player in double figures as Golden State shot 32.1% and 7 of 33 from 3-point range.

“Yeah, same thing, doing math,” Williams explained of her mindset. "One of our trainers, she was like, ‘In the fourth quarter, you always do this thing and I know you’re going to start taking over, you look at the clock.’ And I’m like: ‘Yeah, I’m counting. I’m counting possessions, I’m counting points, what do we need now, what’s the most timely time to go.’

“I think it’s just like the best way to kind of take the pressure off things, too, is just to break them down possession by possession.”

The Dream had been outstanding down the stretch during their first two series, both sweeps, to reach the franchise's fourth finals. Yet Atlanta is still yet to win a finals game.

Coach Karl Smesko can't wait for his team to find a way to bounce back Monday night. Atlanta shot 2 for 19 in the fourth quarter.

“I just think we need to maintain how we want to play for a whole four quarters. We had a couple dry spells where we just weren’t working together as well as you need to against this defense. They are not just going to give you easy shots,” he said. “So we are going to need to work together to create these advantages.”

Execution is especially challenging in the hostile environment that is Golden State's deafening “Ballhalla” sellout home crowd — with rally towels waving and thunder sticks cracking all game long.

While Smesko was pleased with how the Dream handled the noise, he will challenge his players to communicate even better next time out.

“I thought the environment was great. I thought the crowd was great. They were loud. They were cheering at all the right times,” Smesko said. “But I think when we had a breakdown, it was something that we worked on and we just would have a miscommunication or something like that. ... When we have an opportunity to finish a game, we’ve just got to do it.”

Nakase challenged her team's loyal, violet-loving fans once more to bring all their energy again Monday.

“Great job but hey, level up, right? Like we’ve got to go Game 2, it has to be better. We’re going to ask more from our players. So I’d say, check for Game 1,” she said. “Let’s get a better Game 2. Rest and recover, Ballhalla. Careful what you drink tonight.”

___

See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

Saudi Arabia has been pressing allies for military assistance. The Houthis have repeatedly attacked airports and oil infrastructure across the kingdom with drones and missiles that can change direction during flight, posing a challenge to interceptors. At least 19 people have been killed, thousands of flights have been affected and global markets have been rattled.

Also on Sunday, the Saudi defense minister was meeting with the United Arab Emirates president about ways to strengthen cooperation, according to the UAE’s news agency WAM. The countries have had tense relations in the recent past as they backed different factions in the Yemeni coalition fighting the rebels.

The Egyptian announcement on military assistance came a month after a visit by the Saudi crown prince. Chaired by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the National Defense Council decided to provide “all possible forms of support” to enable Saudi Arabia to defend its security, according to a presidential statement.

It didn’t provide details. El-Sissi on Saturday called for parliament to grant him the authorization to deploy troops and military equipment abroad.

Later Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty spoke by phone about “the latest regional developments.”

Civilians in both Yemen and Saudi Arabia have died

The surge in fighting has threatened civilians in both Saudi Arabia and Yemen, which has seen a return to civil war. The interim capital of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, Aden, has seen its airport and a palace used by the government attacked in the past week.

On Sunday, an airstrike killed at least nine people, including five children and two women, in Yemen’s rebel-held northern province of Saada, the Houthi-run Health Ministry said.

Spokesperson Anees al-Asbahi said the strike hit a house in Sahar district and wounded 19 others, including 11 children. Some were in critical condition, he said.

Al-Asbahi blamed Saudi Arabia. There was no immediate comment from the kingdom. The Houthi-run al-Masirah satellite channel aired footage of people clearing debris with their hands and pulling two young people out of the rubble.

The rebels said attacks by Saudi-led forces had killed or wounded over 30 people in the past 24 hours. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis' military spokesperson, said 110 missiles or airstrikes were carried out against civilian sites in Sanaa and other cities. The Associated Press could not independently verify the claim.

Across the border in Saudi Arabia, a Saudi helicopter gunship crashed near the city of Najran in the southwest, killing its two-member crew, a Saudi military spokesperson said, citing a technical malfunction. The Houthis earlier claimed to have downed it.

Later, Saudi Civil Defense authorities said a projectile fired by the Houthis landed in a residential area of Najran province, wounding six people.

Accusations are traded and a call for mediation is made

The Houthis have resumed attacks on Saudi Arabia in recent weeks because the kingdom has supported Yemen’s internationally recognized government in the civil war. The rebels recently seized more territory along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.

The Houthis’ chief negotiator on Sunday blamed Saudi Arabia for the escalation. Mohamed Abdulsalam said on social media that the rebels had warned the kingdom against striking the rebel-held Sanaa airport in mid-July.

That strike prevented the landing of an Iranian flight carrying a Houthi delegation returning from the funeral of Iran’s supreme leader, who had been killed in the opening strikes of the war in February.

The Houthis, angry over the longstanding Saudi blockade on them, declared their own blockade on the kingdom.

Oman had offered a five-day truce during which the two sides would meet and settle their dispute, Abdulsalam said. He said the Houthis agreed to stop attacks if Saudi Arabia agreed to “humanitarian demands.” He didn’t elaborate.

He said Saudi Arabia didn’t show “any indication that it is ready to deal positively” with the demands. The rebels shortly after that launched their offensive down the Red Sea coast.

A Saudi diplomat last week in a rare briefing said the kingdom had called for a meeting in Oman with the Houthis in July “to resolve outstanding differences and bring an end to this escalation,” but the rebels refused to participate.

On Sunday, the Sunni Muslim world’s foremost religious institution, Al-Azhar in Egypt, called for the formation of an “urgent mediation committee” to end conflicts across the Arab region.

"She said that it was a Troy supporter. She accused me of setting that up. I had no idea who it was,” said Jackson, a former president of the state Senate who is trying to deny Collins, the longest-serving Republican woman in Senate history, a sixth-term. He spoke in an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union” that aired Sunday.

During their final debate Thursday night in the closely contested race, as the Nov. 3 election nears a protester opposing data centers began yelling as Collins spoke. While moderators asked for that person to be removed, the senator said the demonstrator was “obviously one of Troy’s supporters.”

Jackson responded: “Oh, shut up. I don’t even know that kid.”

The Sunrise Movement group posted on its Instagram page that the outburst came from one of its members. In a caption of an Instagram post, the group's page said: “We’re proud of this Sunrise volunteer who took action yesterday.”

The New York Times said the protester, Henry Elgie, a 19-year-old student at Bowdoin College in Maine, told the newspaper in an interview Saturday that he had “zero coordination” with Jackson's campaign. "I do not know Troy Jackson personally or at all,” he was quoted as saying.

The Sunrise Movement is a left-wing political advocacy organization that champions the Green New Deal, aimed at transitioning the U.S. economy to 100% renewable energy. The group, which has local arms around the country, regularly organizes protests, sit-ins and climate strikes.

Jackson told CNN that he shook hands with Collins after each of their debates.

“But what I’m not going to be is talked down to by Sen. Collins,” he said. He added: "I’m fighting for Mainers and I just think that was another situation where she was talking down to me and I’m not going to apologize for that.”

Collins told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Friday that she was “struck by how reflective the response, ‘Oh, shut up,’ was.” Collins said "the fact that it seemed like such an automatic, quick reply was very telling.”

She cited what she said was “the reputation” that Jackson had in the Legislature “particularly when he’s dealing with women with whom he disagrees. So in some ways it didn’t surprise me.”

Some state lawmakers who worked with Jackson have criticized him as having a temper, including once throwing a plastic water bottle on the ground in frustration while disagreeing with a female lawmaker. Asked by reporters during the campaign about the confrontations, Jackson said, "I wear my heart on my sleeve.” He took responsibility for his outburst and apologized to those he had confrontations with at the time.

Jackson was asked on CNN about some Republicans who are saying there were stories that he was aggressive in his tone to women from his time in the Legislature and that his remark Thursday night was another example of that.

Jackson said some Republicans have been spending millions “attacking me and my family, making untrue claims. … So it doesn’t surprise me."

Jacksonville tied the game at 31-31, but Stroud didn't stress about it.

“His mindset was 'Hey, I got you Coach, don’t worry about it,” Houston coach DeMeco Ryans said.

With just under two minutes left, Stroud led a drive to set up Ka’imi Fairbairn's 49-yard field goal as time expired and the Texans won 34-31 on the slick grass of Wembley Stadium.

“When a player tells me that, that just gives me the confidence that I need,” Ryans said. “He responded in an outstanding way.”

Stroud threw three touchdown passes and Marvin Harrison Jr. made his debut for the Texans (2-4) as Houston earned back-to-back wins to gain ground on the AFC South-leading Jaguars (4-2).

Cam Little’s 60-yard field goal had tied the game — a week after his 57-yarder won it for Jacksonville against the Eagles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — after Travis Hunter intercepted Stroud’s pass in the end zone.

Hunter also hauled in a 7-yard touchdown pass at the other end — becoming just the fifth player in the Super Bowl era, including the playoffs, to both score a touchdown and intercept a pass in the same game.

“Just made a mistake,” Stroud said of Hunter's pick. “I've learned in my life I've got to flush my failures and flush my successes and just move on. Our defense did a great job holding them to three points, and then gave me the ball back, and went down and had a game-winning drive.”

Stroud said he appreciated hearing words of support from Ryans and his teammates.

“What they did for me in that moment really meant a lot,” he said.

Tight end Foster Moreau caught two touchdown passes from Stroud, who also connected with Jaylin Noel for a 13-yard score in the third quarter for a 24-14 lead.

Moreau scored on a 6-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and a 1-yarder just before the end of the half.

Penalties dogged the Jaguars for a third straight week. They were flagged for too many men on the field on a Houston punt — extending a Texans drive that ended with Noel’s touchdown.

Trevor Lawrence threw four touchdown passes, including a pair to Bhayshul Tuten. His 1-yard pass to rookie tight end Nate Boerkircher cut Houston’s lead to 24-21.

Houston responded with Jawhar Jordan’s 25-yard touchdown run to restore a 10-point lead, 31-21, late in the third quarter.

Two-way star Hunter, who scored his first NFL touchdown at Wembley a year ago, snagged his second when he hauled in a pass over the middle to reduce Houston’s lead to 31-28 in the fourth quarter.

Hunter's interception led to Jacksonville's drive and Little’s game-tying field goal.

“We didn’t get the result we wanted,” Jags coach Liam Coen said. “(But) I’m extremely proud of this team in the way they kept fighting today, going down 10 points ... kept fighting.”

Stroud completed 24 of 34 passes for 312 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. The interception was his first of the season.

Harrison, who joined the Texans this week in a trade with Arizona, made three catches for 34 yards. Woody Marks had 15 carries for 56 yards, the first running back to break 40 yards in a game this season against Jacksonville.

Lawrence finished 24 of 41 for 306 yards, four TDs and an interception.

The Texans were at 2-4 at this point last season and finished 12-5 to earn a wild-card playoff spot.

Slippery surface

Early rain made the Wembley grass slippery — and not just for players. Umpire Larry Smith slipped and hurt his knee in the first quarter. He left on a cart.

Houston receiver Nico Collins changed cleats for longer spikes in first half. Tight end Dalton Schultz made a third down catch in the red zone but slipped just before the first down marker. The Texans opted for Fairbairn’s 25-yard field for a 10-7 lead.

Injuries

Texans: LB Azeez Al-Shaair was evaluated for a concussion in the second quarter, headed to the locker room afterward, and returned in the third quarter ... S Reed Blankenship also left in the first half.

Jaguars: RB Ameer Abdullah was helped off after a kickoff return. He later came back into the game.... All-Pro long snapper Ross Matiscik (shoulder) had been ruled out Friday, replaced by newly signed Jacob Bobenmoyer.

Up next

Texans: Host the New York Giants next Sunday before a bye in Week 8.

Jaguars: Bye.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

While Paramount’s “Street Fighter” took the first-place spot, earning $31 million from 3,575 theaters according to studio estimates on Sunday, most of the attention and cultural discourse was elsewhere: On the nearly three-hour Elizabeth Holmes documentary, “You Can See Everything.”

‘You Can See Everything’ had thousands of sellouts

Buzz and box office don’t always line up, but “You Can See Everything” made an extraordinary $15 million from only 855 screens, with over 2,000 sellout showings over the weekend, according to A24. It also had the biggest opening for a film playing on under 1,000 screens since “Borat” opened to $26.5 million in 2006, and the biggest nonmusic documentary opening in two decades, since “Fahrenheit 9/11” made nearly $24 million from 868 theaters. Those numbers do not account for inflation.

Like other hits this year, like the Gen-Z driven “Backrooms” and “Obsession,” ticket sales for “You Can See Everything” were driven by a largely younger audience. Over 70% of the opening weekend crowd was under 35.

The film, directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, was made in secret over three years. Fielder spent over a month with the disgraced Theranos founder and her family, including two young children and partner Billy Evans, in her final days before reporting to federal prison. The reviews have been extremely positive, with 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and 99 on Metacritic. It also got an unprecedented 91% “definite recommend” from audiences, according to PostTrak exit polls.

“You Can See Everything” reportedly cost under $7 million to make and less than $10 million to market.

“Everybody underestimated the movie, because on paper this is like, wait, a three-hour documentary?” said Paul Dergarabedian, the head of marketplace trends for Rentrak. “But he (Fielder) is a huge draw, and he has a huge following on social media, and then Elizabeth Holmes is just a character that you couldn’t even make up. It’s stranger than fiction, and that’s really compelling.”

‘Street Fighter’ knocks out ‘Whalefall’

“Street Fighter” topped the charts as expected with a $51 million global opening, including $20 million from international showings. The movie starring Callina Liang, Noah Centineo and Andrew Koji cost a reported $82 million to make, not accounting for marketing and promotion. Audiences were 69% male.

Both “Street Fighter” and “You Can See Everything” may have contributed to “Whalefall’s” relative failure this weekend. The $60 million survival thriller starring Austin Abrams and Josh Brolin made $8 million from 3,065 locations in the U.S. and Canada, despite being better reviewed than “Street Fighter.” With $9.5 million from international showings, the Disney release had a $17.5 million global launch.

“Whalefall” opened in fourth place, behind the Jessica Chastain horror “Other Mommy.” The Universal Pictures release added $8.4 million in its second weekend, bringing its domestic total to $44.9 million.

Fifth place went to “Sense and Sensibility,” which earned an estimated $7.3 million from 2,545 theaters. The well-reviewed Austen adaptation starring Daisy Edgar-Jones drew a predominantly younger (58% between the ages of 14 and 18) and female crowd (84%). It also got the strongest CinemaScore of the week (A-).

Warner Bros. Clockwork also released a restored presentation of Ken Russell’s 1971 film “The Devils” in 350 locations, where it made $1.6 million. It’s the first release from the studio’s specialty label.

‘Musk’ documentary facing advertising blocks and Netflix shares box office for ‘La Bola Negra’

Alex Gibney's Elon Musk documentary “Musk” also expanded to 472 screens in the U.S. and Canada, where it made $306,702. The film, which runs nearly four hours, has faced issues advertising on major social media platforms including X, which Musk owns, and TikTok, according to distributor Bleecker Street, which said TikTok this weekend permanently suspended the film’s ad account.

Netflix also shared ticket sales for the first time for the queer Spanish epic “La Bola Negra,” which made $277,500 from four locations this weekend. The streamer has not historically reported box office for its theatrical releases, but this film is breaking new ground as it's being positioned as a possible best picture contender. It will be in theaters for 47 days before it will be available to watch on Netflix.

According to Rentrak, the weekend overall generated about $101.6 million in ticket sales, up 45% from the same weekend last year. The year to date stands at $8.2 billion, which is up almost 20% from 2025.

Top 10 movies by domestic box office

With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak:

1. “Street Fighter,” $31 million.

2. “You Can See Everything,” $15 million.

3. “Other Mommy,” $8.4 million.

4. “Whalefall,” $8 million.

5. “Sense and Sensibility,” $7.3 million.

6. “Verity,” $6.2 million.

7. “Resident Evil,” $5.5 million.

8. “Heart of the Beast,” $4.8 million.

9. “Jailer 2,” $3.2 million.

10. “Forgotten Island,” $2.3 million.

The Health Ministry has recorded two cases, including one death, in Nord-Ubangi province, bordering the Central African Republic. The ministry said both patients were men in their 20s living in the Wapinda health zone, which borders Bas-Uele province, where Ebola cases have been reported previously.

Authorities have recorded at least 9,400 cases, including over 4,500 deaths, in the outbreak declared in mid-May, making it the deadliest in Congo’s history.

The virus has spilled over into other countries including neighboring Uganda, which has since declared itself free of the disease, and Kenya, which recorded a seventh case on Saturday. The Central African Republic has not recorded any confirmed cases.

“We see pockets of Ebola generally going down, but unfortunately geographically it’s spreading out,” World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Yakub Janabi told The Associated Press in an interview in Beni, eastern Congo, on Friday.

Janabi said one of the biggest challenges has been convincing those who are infected to seek medical assistance, adding that some deaths occur in the community outside of health centers.

Serge Ngalebato, epidemiologist and field coordinator for the Wamba health zone in Haut-Uele province, told the AP health workers in his health zone introduced periodic home visits because people were too afraid to go to hospital.

Nord-Ubangi is located between Sud-Ubangi and Bas-Uele, the last two provinces the disease had spread to along the border with the Central African Republic, where recurring armed violence has forced thousands to flee and take refuge in Congolese border communities. Access in the region can be difficult due to poor roads and limited communication networks.

Ituri province in eastern Congo remains the disease's epicenter, accounting for almost three quarters of confirmed cases, according to the government’s most recent data, which shows 66 health zones have been affected since the start of the outbreak.

Congo's state-news agency ACP reported Sunday that authorities in North Kivu province - where WHO says substantial transmission continues - will introduce a one-week ban from Monday on people entering the province from Ituri in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.

Other measures that will be introduced include prohibiting carrying more than two people on a motorcycle or four people in a car, as well as suspending big public gatherings such as at mass sports activities, nightclubs and political demonstrations.

The spread of the outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment, is fueled by mass population movements, rebel violence, mistrust and poor working conditions of front line workers.

Ngalebato said efforts to contain the virus in the Wamba health zone were initially met with resistance among local residents, but as time went on the community became more understanding and began reporting positive cases.

“Ebola is a community disease. If the community does not cooperate, it will be very difficult,” he said.

He added most of the cases reported in his health zone are around mining areas where the population moves constantly, so a lot of deaths were reported in these areas.

——

Saleh Mwanamilongo contributed from Bonn, Germany

The full episode can be seen at the top of this page.

Miami landed the No. 1 spot for the first time since 2002, No. 2 BYU has its highest ranking since its 1984 national championship season and Ohio State slid in at No. 3.

Despite their losses, Notre Dame, Georgia and Indiana held tight in the top six, thanks to capital they built up with their 6-0 starts. Plus, the losses by the Fighting Irish and Hoosiers were against top-10 opponents.

Follow live analysis and see what to look for this season below.

Here’s what to know:

Big 12 is on the rise

By MAURA CAREY

The Big 12 has a season-high of five teams in the AP Top 25 this week, led by No. 2 BYU, followed by No. 8 Texas Tech, No. 10 Utah, No. 14 Houston and No. 25 Arizona.

BYU’s No. 2 ranking is its highest since 1984, when the Cougars sat atop the poll for four weeks.

Arizona is the conference’s only newcomer this week, benefitting from an idle week after a Week 6 win over West Virginia.

The Big 12 also boasts half of the nation’s six remaining undefeated teams, with BYU, Texas Tech and Utah all still unbeaten.

Ask a voter: Why didn’t Georgia fall further after losing to an unranked Auburn?

By KIRK BOHLS

I don’t think Georgia should fall below 5. That’s where I had the Dawgs.

But they did drop 4 spots after losing on a walk-off field goal.

It wasn’t like Georgia got trounced. I’d defy anybody who says the Bulldogs don’t pass the eyeball test.

They’re damn good. ___ Bohls has been an AP Top 25 voter since 1989.

Kentucky’s rise continues

By MAURA CAREY

Kentucky, one of the more unexpected contenders in the AP Top 25 this year, continues to ascend in the ranks. The Wildcats moved up three spots to No. 12, marking the program’s highest ranking since 2022.

Kentucky is now the fourth-highest-ranked SEC team, behind only No. 5 Georgia, No. 7 Ole Miss and No. 11 Tennessee. A 21-13 win over Oklahoma, paired with Alabama’s loss to Tennessee, boosted the Wildcats over the Crimson Tide in the rankings.

The Wildcats pulled off a late comeback with two fourth-quarter touchdowns. The latter was a 41-yard pick-six with just over a minute remaining, putting the game out of reach for Oklahoma.

Ask a voter: Why is Notre Dame ranked so high?

By KIRK BOHLS

That’s a great question.

Notre Dame was my preseason No. 1. I think the Irish are loaded with a great QB in CJ Carr, a great CB in Leonard Moore and a terrific defense.

I totally agree with you about ND’s schedule. It’s a joke. I hate that it has canceled series with USC (but bringing it back partly) and Michigan back in the day. ND’s schedule may really hurt it in any tiebreaker with another deserving CFP.

Texas is scheduled to play a home-and-home with ND in 2028-2029. I hope they don’t cancel it.

James Madison is unbeaten and unranked

By MAURA CAREY

Five of the six unbeaten teams sit comfortably in the AP Top 25. James Madison is the exception.

The Dukes are 7-0 overall and 4-0 in conference play, but they haven’t faced the same level of competition as most ranked teams. They also don’t have a ranked opponent remaining on their schedule, making it harder to land the kind of marquee win that could boost their case.

JMU’s best path into the rankings may be to keep stacking wins and let their unbeaten record do the talking.

Auburn pulls off a stunner but can’t crack the rankings

By MAURA CAREY

Auburn knocked off then-No. 1 Georgia as underdogs of more than 20 points in Bulldogs territory, but that wasn’t enough to convince voters to add them to the rankings this week.

Auburn received the third-most votes of any unranked team behind Oklahoma State and Oregon.

The 4-2 Tigers’ two losses came against a then-unranked Florida team in mid-September and then No. 17-ranked Tennessee at Neyland Stadium two weeks ago.

Byrum Brown’s versatility was on full display against Georgia, as the former South Florida quarterback surpassed 100 yards on foot and in the air.

Conference breakdown

By MAURA CAREY

The SEC leads the pack with nine ranked teams: Georgia (5), Ole Miss (7), Tennessee (12), Kentucky (12), Alabama (13), LSU (18), Texas (19), Florida (20), Missouri (22).

The Big Ten has six ranked teams: Ohio State (3), Indiana (6), UCLA (9), Iowa (15), USC (16), Northwestern (24).

The Big 12 has five ranked teams: BYU (2), Texas Tech (8), Utah (10), Houston (14), Arizona (25).

The ACC has three ranked teams: Miami (1), Wake Forest (17), SMU (23).

Notre Dame (4) is independent.

What’s next for Miami?

By MAURA CAREY

The top-ranked Canes have six regular season games remaining, and Nov. 7 is likely highlighted, bolded and underlined on the calendar.

Miami’s only remaining ranked matchup is against No. 4 Notre Dame – one that will inevitably impact the playoff picture.

The Canes host Pittsburgh next week and travel to UNC the following week before their trip to South Bend, Indiana.

Ask a voter: Why is the SEC constantly overrated?

By KIRK BOHLS

I’ll agree to disagree. I do not think the SEC is overrated.

Listen, I covered Texas and the Big 12 for 28 years, and I’m sorry but in no way does it compare to the SEC after covering Texas and SEC teams for three years now.

There really isn’t a bad team in the SEC, save maybe for Vanderbilt. Arkansas is thin without the firepower of some SEC teams, but still has three wins.

Alabama and Texas suffer back-to-back losses

By MAURA CAREY

Two of the SEC’s top teams this year, Alabama and Texas, have now turned one-off losses into back-to-backs.

Florida upset the 11.5-point favorite Longhorns with a 27-24 road win, while Alabama fell 26-10 at Tennessee in the third Saturday in October rivalry game.

Both teams now have their backs against the wall with two losses, and it doesn’t necessarily get easier as SEC teams continue to beat on each other.

The Longhorns have Ole Miss up next and Alabama faces Texas A&M before taking on LSU at Death Valley.

Ask a voter: How much do you consider injuries when ranking teams?

By KIRK BOHLS

I do consider injuries.

I think that’s an important metric because it may not be the same team as it would obviously be without the injury.

Of course, sometimes, as was the case with Florida, the Gators were actually better with their backup quarterback. I probably would have put Ohio State No. 2 if Julian Sayin was healthy.

Quick turns at No. 1

By TIM REYNOLDS

Miami’s climb to No. 1 marks the first time in nearly 14 years that three different schools have been atop the poll in a three-week span.

Texas held the No. 1 spot two weeks ago and Georgia held it last week. In 2012, Alabama (Week 10), Oregon (Week 11) and Notre Dame (Week 12) all took a turn at No. 1 in a three-poll span.

Ohio State also has been No. 1 at times this season. That makes this the first time since 2008 that at least four different schools have been No. 1 in the first eight weeks of a season.

AP Top 25 temperature check

By MAURA CAREY

Not a single team stayed put in this week’s AP Top 25.

Heating up: Miami (1), BYU (2), Ohio State (3), Ole Miss (7), Texas Tech (8), UCLA (9), Utah (10), Tennessee (11), Kentucky (12), Houston (14), Iowa (15), USC (16), Wake Forest (17), LSU (18), Florida (20), Boise State (21), SMU (23), Northwestern (24), Arizona (25).

Cooling down: Notre Dame (4), Georgia (5), Indiana (6), Alabama (13), Texas (19), Missouri (22), Oklahoma State (OUT), Mississippi State (OUT).

Major poll shuffle

By DAVE ZELIO

Not a single team stayed put from last week’s Top 25: Every slot has a new team this week.

The biggest movers were No. 14 Houston, which climbed six spots, and No. 19 Texas (down 12), No. 22 Missouri (down 9) and No. 13 Alabama (down 7).

No. 20 Florida returned to the poll and No. 25 Arizona also made the rankings. Oklahoma State and Mississippi State dropped out.

AP Top 25 rankings

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

1. Miami (Fla.)

2. BYU

3. Ohio State

4. Notre Dame

5. Georgia

6. Indiana

7. Mississippi

8. Texas Tech

9. UCLA

10. Utah

11. Tennessee

12. Kentucky

13. Alabama

14. Houston

15. Iowa

16. USC

17. Wake Forest

18. LSU

19. Texas

20. Florida

21. Boise State

22. Missouri

23. SMU

24. Northwestern

25. Arizona

—

Others receiving votes: Oklahoma State, Oregon, Auburn, James Madison, Mississippi State, New Mexico, Oregon State.

Notre Dame-BYU could have unfolded differently

By MAURA CAREY

Notre Dame’s last chance to beat BYU fell incomplete in the end zone, but according to the Big 12, there was an officiating mistake and there was time for one last attempt in the 28-24 upset.

“Following the Big 12’s review of the final play of Saturday’s Notre Dame-BYU game, it was determined that time remained on the clock when the ball hit the ground and the play was incorrectly cleared by the replay officiating crew,” the Big 12 said in a statement. “The Conference will conduct a complete review of its end-of-game officiating process in advance of next week’s games.”

Who decides the rankings?

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

AP Top 25 voters are writers and broadcasters who cover college football.

AP employees do not vote, but they do choose the voters, and they seek wide representation from all over the country. This season, there are 69 voters.

The focus begins with voter representation in states with a Bowl Subdivision school, and the total number of voters from each state increases with the number of FBS teams. There are also spots reserved for national voters.

The AP allows broad latitude for voters to determine their rankings. They are urged to base their votes on performance, not reputation or preseason speculation (except, of course, for the always provocative preseason poll); to avoid regional bias, for or against; to pay attention to head-to-head results; and to make significant changes if desired.

A historic week in the Top 25

By ERIC OLSON

After a weekend never before seen for teams in The Associated Press Top 25, a major shake-up is on tap.

Five of the top seven teams in the rankings — No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 5 Indiana, No. 6 Alabama and No. 7 Texas — lost on the same day in the regular season for the first time in the history of the poll that began in 1936. It’s the first time Nos. 1 and 2 lost on the same day in the regular season since 2012 and eight Top 25 teams lost in all.

Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. also is active and expected to start after leaving last week's 30-23 overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens with a rib injury.

Penix suffered the rib injury in the fourth quarter and Tua Tagovailoa threw an interception in overtime to end the game for the Falcons (2-3).

Williams and Penix were listed as having full participation in practice this week. Williams expressed confidence on Thursday he would be ready to start against Atlanta.

Chicago running back Kyle Monangai (thumb, toe) is inactive. Falcons defensive end Za'Darius Smith (neck) is active after being listed as questionable.

The Bears (3-2) were 2-1 since losing Williams in a 9-3 loss to Minnesota on Sept. 20. Sunday marks four weeks since the injury.

Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum filled in for Williams. Keenum is listed as inactive as the Bears' emergency third quarterback on Sunday.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

She joined host Glenna Milberg on the latest episode of “This Week in South Florida”, and their conversation can be seen at the top of this page.

The attack on Heidi Levine and Palestinians during the sensitive olive harvest — followed a day later by an attack on European diplomats in a Christian village — again highlights the rampant settler violence that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has blamed on a small number of troublemakers.

Levine, from her hospital bed, has told The Associated Press she was “shocked and insulted” that Netanyahu referred to the attack on her and others as “alleged,” adding that the prime minister “had all the evidence on the table.”

In contrast, she described the sharp condemnation of settler violence expressed to her in a call from Israel’s president, and in a letter signed by several of the country’s top former security and intelligence officials. All expressed shame over the attack.

Netanyahu, two weeks out from close elections that could end his time in power, is again confronted with an issue that has drawn growing international condemnation. Much of the world considers the settlements in the West Bank illegal, and yet construction and expansion continue.

Hundreds of Palestinians have been attacked and a few have been killed this olive harvest alone, which started in late September, rights groups have said. Olive trees, a central part of history and heritage for Palestinians, have been destroyed.

Levine blamed “Jewish terrorists” for Friday's attack and added: “I’ve been covering this region for over 40 years, and I have never seen this country in such a state as it is today.”

Levine praises a call from Israel's president

Levine was recovering Sunday from injuries that included what appeared to be stab wounds in her buttocks, which required stitches. There was nothing new from police on the case, she said.

U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee, whose recent comments have condemned settler attacks on U.S. citizens but not on Palestinians overall, called the attack on Levine a “despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards” and said they should spend years in prison.

Separately, Israeli President Isaac Herzog called Levine, and Yair Golan, a former general and leader of the opposition Democrats party, visited. Netanyahu’s main rival in the elections, Gadi Eisenkot, said on X that “a handful of criminals is burning up the last shreds of legitimacy left to the state of Israel.”

Herzog was “actually very sweet,” Levine said Sunday. “Down to earth, calling them thugs, inviting me for a personal hug. He’s ashamed for what happened: ‘These people are a stain on Israeli society.’”

She said she has not heard from Netanyahu. His outgoing government is dominated by West Bank settlers and their supporters.

Levine did receive, however, a letter signed by over a dozen former Israeli security, intelligence and other officials, including former Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, former Mossad director Tamir Pardo and former Shin Bet director Ami Ayalon.

“We are deeply ashamed that Jewish terrorists in the West Bank continue to inflict suffering on innocent Palestinians, assault those who come to their defense, and target those who document and expose their despicable conduct,” said the letter, shared with the AP.

“Their brutality brings disgrace upon Israel and the Jewish people. Such acts undermine Israel’s security, its regional and international standing, and the moral fabric of our society. They represent a betrayal of everything we have devoted our lives to defending.”

The letter noted that “alas, with encouragement from the highest echelons of government,” only a fundamental change in policy can end the “disgraceful phenomenon.”

Levine says she plans to return to work

Levine told the AP that “I never wanted the story to be about me but about the people I’ve tried to document” over decades. She said she has sought to show how the violence is “increasing, becoming more and more dangerous.”

She has said the attackers — armed with bottles and slingshots — “were kicking me for like 10 minutes and I was trying to hold on to my cameras and my bag.” Her helmet and protective vest, which was marked “PRESS,” likely saved her from more serious injuries.

But she and others have openly wondered who will protect Palestinians. Rights groups have said few settlers are ever punished for the attacks that have surged in recent years.

“It’s about time you do something, Mr. Prime Minister,” Levine said.

As for herself, she plans to return to work.

“I’ve invested decades of blood, sweat and tears into this,” she said. “They cracked my bones, they haven’t cracked my spirit.”

___

Associated Press writer Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.

___

This version corrects to say the attack was Friday.