Besides Dr. Jacob Lee Henrichsen, at least two other would-be passengers on the Norwegian Jewel ― also from out-of-state ― are also facing drug charges.

Henrichsen, 38, of Central, Arizona, is an orthopedic surgeon at Mount Graham Regional Medical Center in nearby Safford, according to the hospital’s website and state licensing records. The small town is about three hours east of Phoenix.

According to an arrest report from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, the arrests came as part of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s “Operation Temptation,” which deputies said “consists of searching all luggage in the baggage area prior to embarking” the ship.

Authorities said Henrichsen was pulled aside for a secondary inspection. They said the search “revealed white and pink capsules, multiple gummies, pills with (the) Tesla logo on them, mints, a vape pen, lollipops and (two) bars of chocolate branded with mushrooms.”

The MDSO report states that some of the gummies, weighing about 236 grams, tested positive for THC, while nearly 11 grams worth of gummies, pills and capsules tested positive for MDMA, also known as ecstasy.

The psilocybin mushroom chocolate bars weighed nearly 160 grams, according to the report.

Federal officers turned the case over to MDSO because the amounts “do not meet the threshold for federal prosecution,” the report states. He is facing a first-degree felony drug trafficking charge and two felony drug possession charges.

In court on Wednesday as a judge decided on probable cause, Henrichsen’s Miami-based attorney, Orlando Rodriguez, noted that the stated weights “overrepresent” the amount of drugs his client is accused of possessing, leading to the stronger trafficking charge.

“These are gummies that are largely sugar and water, and there are small quantities of MDMA inside of them,” Rodriguez said. “So it does overrepresent ― and that is an issue that I’ll take up with the narcotics department later on as the charges are being filed or decided."

He later added that the alleged amounts do “sound like a lot, but it’s not like he had 11 grams worth of pills ― which would be like 20 pills, 25 pills ― because the pills themselves, the entirety of the pill would count, as opposed to a gummy bear, which is mainly sugar."

Rodriguez reiterated those statements in a phone call with Local 10 News on Wednesday after his client was ordered held on a $40,000 bond.

Local 10 News left a message for a Mount Graham Regional Medical Center spokesperson on Wednesday in an attempt to seek comment on Henrichsen’s arrest. Our phone call wasn’t returned.

Meanwhile, deputies arrested two women on lesser charges as part of the same sting.

Arrest reports state that Kimberly Ann Shannon, 57, of Norton, Ohio, tried to bring 320 grams worth of THC gummies and vape pens aboard, while Lori Ellen Watt, 51, of Plainfield, Illinois, tried to bring aboard 480 grams worth of THC gummies and vape pens onto the Jewel.

It’s not the first time this year that Miami-Dade authorities have made made multiple drug-related arrests before a sailing.

Deputies arrested several men on drug charges in February as the would-be passengers tried to board Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas, which was being chartered by the company Atlantis Events as part of what it marketed as the “world’s biggest gay festival at sea.”

“Estamos viendo buena nubosidad por ahí”, dice el piloto, y señala un mapa en el tablero de instrumentos mientras inclina bruscamente su avioneta hacia una zona de nubes de color gris oscuro.

Detrás de él, un técnico acciona la válvula de un enorme depósito metálico que silba al liberar partículas amarillentas de yoduro de plata en el cielo. Esta técnica, conocida como “siembra de nubes”, es una apuesta del gobierno hondureño con la que busca generar suficiente lluvia sobre los cultivos para ayudar a los agricultores y a sus cosechas a sobrevivir.

El Niño, el fenómeno climático que altera los patrones meteorológicos a escala mundial, y que ahora se ve agravado por el calentamiento de los océanos, ha devastado comunidades en todo el Corredor Seco centroamericano, una región árida que se extiende desde el sur de México hasta Panamá.

Los efectos son especialmente graves en los bosques secos de Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador y Nicaragua, donde los cultivos de maíz y de frijol se han marchitado, dejando a los agricultores de subsistencia sin alimentos. El ganado ha muerto o ha sido vendido. Las plantaciones de café se han secado y las granjas camaroneras han sufrido pérdidas en su producción.

“Muchas veces, (las) familias se acuestan con dos tiempos (comidas) al día, donde ya han tenido que también usar estrategias de sobrevivencia”, refirió Aníbal Zúñiga, quien coordina la distribución de ayuda del Programa Mundial de Alimentos (PMA) en Nueva Concepción, una aldea de 250 habitantes situada en las montañas, a 90 minutos al norte de Tegucigalpa, la capital de Honduras.

El PMA estima que, a nivel mundial, cerca de 50 millones de personas podrían caer en una situación de inseguridad alimentaria aguda, ya que se prevé que El Niño persistirá hasta 2027. Y Centroamérica es una de las regiones que se verán más afectadas.

Meteorólogo califica la siembra de nubes como un “experimento” costoso

En Honduras, donde una de cada cinco personas ya enfrenta algún grado de inseguridad alimentaria en un año normal, el gobierno pagó 750.000 dólares a una empresa mexicana para que realice 20 vuelos destinados a provocar precipitaciones. Los meteorólogos han cuestionado sistemáticamente la siembra de nubes, pues exponen que la modificación de las condiciones atmosféricas no es una solución a largo plazo para la sequía. Algunos agricultores rurales religiosos consideran que eso equivale a jugar a ser Dios con el clima.

“Este es un experimento”, dijo Nabil Kawas, meteorólogo y exdecano de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras. “Si yo hubiera agarrado estos 750,000 (dólares) y lo hubiera invertido en un proyecto de riego, por ejemplo, o un reservorio de agua… probablemente habría mayor seguridad, que haya mejor beneficio para esta gente pobre” que utiliza el agua en sus cultivos.

José Francisco Ordóñez, portavoz de la Secretaría de Agricultura de Honduras, defiende los vuelos como una de las diversas iniciativas de mitigación climática que el gobierno y organismos internacionales de ayuda llevan a cabo. Otras medidas son el fortalecimiento de los sistemas de riego existentes, la construcción de depósitos de agua y la distribución de ayuda alimentaria, fertilizantes y semillas a los agricultores más afectados.

Ordóñez añadió que el programa de siembra de nubes ha aprovechado la presencia reciente de nubosidad y precipitaciones, e interrumpió brevemente una temporada de sequía extrema para captar la mayor cantidad de agua posible antes de que la sequía se prolongue.

Dijo que los vuelos han incrementado las precipitaciones entre un 20% y un 60% en zonas clave, en comparación con los niveles de lluvia previstos, y que esperan extender el programa. Por su parte, Kawas expuso que un programa similar de siembra de nubes en Honduras durante sequías similares anteriores aumentó las precipitaciones en menos de un 10%.

Los agricultores de subsistencia necesitan pozos para adaptarse, afirman

Durante la mayor parte de sus días, Carlos Alberto Hernández se pregunta si él y su esposa pasarán hambre.

Han vivido de su pequeña parcela de frijol en Nueva Concepción desde hace mucho tiempo, y al igual que la mayoría de los habitantes del Corredor Seco, este agricultor de 81 años nunca ha podido costear un sistema de riego, por lo que dependen de las lluvias para obtener sus dos cosechas anuales.

Cuando las autoridades hondureñas emitieron una serie de alertas por sequía este verano, él vio perderse su primera cosecha del año.

“No tenemos fondos para conseguir comida porque uno produce lo que siembra, y de esto vivimos nosotros”, manifestó Hernández. “Sin agua, no tenemos nada”.

Ordóñez calcula que agricultores como Hernández han perdido entre el 80% y el 90% de sus cultivos durante la sequía de este año.

Hernández, que acudió, junto con cientos de personas, al punto de distribución del PMA, dijo que ha pasado muchas noches con el estómago vacío pues ha elegido reservar los pocos alimentos que tiene para el día siguiente. El envío de víveres del jueves, financiado por el PMA y coordinado con el gobierno de Honduras, fue la primera ayuda de este tipo que recibió la comunidad.

No obstante, Hernández restó importancia a la siembra de nubes y expuso que lo que él y sus vecinos necesitan es ayuda para excavar pozos, de tal manera que puedan sobrevivir con o sin lluvia.

Los efectos de la sequía se sienten en toda Centroamérica

En un intento por evitar una crisis más grave, las autoridades salvadoreñas declararon un estado de emergencia de seis meses. Guatemala, por su parte, aprobó medidas de emergencia para mitigar el hambre en las en comunidades indígenas más pobres, lo que incluye la importación de granos básicos sin aranceles.

En cuanto a Nicaragua, donde el gobierno controla la información de manera estricta, la oposición en el exilio critica la ausencia de una declaración de emergencia o de un plan de contingencia. El gobierno nicaragüense no respondió a una solicitud de comentarios.

Las lluvias recientes, que se esperaban antes de que comenzara la siembra de nubes, han brindado algo de esperanza a los agricultores. Hernández ya plantó semillas de frijol, y si continúan las precipitaciones, podrían proporcionarle una fuente constante de alimento para diciembre.

No obstante, la Organización Meteorológica Mundial prevé ahora que El Niño persistirá hasta febrero, y el Servicio Meteorológico Nacional de Estados Unidos (NWS, por sus siglas en inglés), pronosticó que se intensificará y que es posible que bata récords. Para el Corredor Seco, esto probablemente significa que la escasa lluvia que suele caer en la zona se desplazará hacia otros lugares y alimentará fenómenos que van desde inundaciones hasta huracanes en otras regiones.

En Nueva Concepción, perder otra cosecha supondría un segundo golpe en un año en el que las familias ya han vendido todo lo que han podido para comprar alimentos, y cuentan con muy pocos recursos para recuperarse, expuso Zúñiga.

Hernández vigila de cerca su pequeña parcela de brotes de frijol, que asoman en un suelo que antes estaba agrietado y seco.

“Uno se acuesta (y) se levanta pidiéndole a Dios que nos mande agua”, señaló.

___

Moises Castillo, en Nueva Concepción, Marlon González, en Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Sonia Pérez D., en Ciudad de Guatemala, y Marcos Alemán, en San Salvador, contribuyeron a este despacho.

___

La cobertura climática y ambiental de The Associated Press recibe apoyo financiero de múltiples fundaciones privadas. La AP es la única responsable de todo el contenido. Encuentra los estándares de la AP para trabajar con organizaciones filantrópicas, una lista de las fundaciones y las áreas de cobertura que financian en AP.org.

In total, Trump's flagship super PAC, MAGA Inc., has reported spending nearly $277 million since the beginning of September, according to new federal campaign finance filings. That includes major transfers to two affiliated groups that have been spending millions on advertising: $200 million to No Going Back PAC Inc. and $25 million to Safety & Affordability PAC Inc.

“It’s more than any president has ever spent, by far, on the midterms,” said Corry Bliss, a GOP Senate and House campaign strategist who was the executive director of the Congressional Leadership Fund, House Republicans’ super PAC in the 2018 campaign.

Trump had been under intense pressure to help Republican candidates as his party struggles to hold onto their slim majorities in the House and Senate. While the party in power almost always loses seats in midterm elections, Republicans are facing an especially challenging climb after Trump helped defeat several of the party's longtime incumbents and as he has been mired in low approval ratings amid deep voter frustration over persistently high costs and the unpopular war with Iran.

One bright spot for Republicans has been their huge financial advantage over Democrats this election cycle, aided by billionaires such as Elon Musk.

Trump-affiliated groups are now on track to spend potentially more.

So far, the three that have to report their donors have spent more than $256 million on advertising, according to AdImpact, which tracks media spending and reservations. That includes tens of millions of dollars in Texas to help embattled Senate candidate Ken Paxton in his race against Democrat James Talarico.

MAGA Inc. had more than $164 million cash left in the bank as of Oct. 14, meaning it still has plenty left to spend.

But the Trump team's decision to wait until late in the cycle to begin advertising has diluted their spending power. The groups are paying far higher ad rates because of the shrinking availability of air time — sometimes more than five times what they would have spent if they had acted sooner.

In a post on his social media site Tuesday, Trump said that he planned to spend "over 400 Million Dollars by Election Day,” including $300 million he said had already been spent on advertising, voter contact, rallies, tele-rallies, get-out-the-vote programs and efforts to prevent voters from cheating.

MAGA Inc. began September with nearly $416 million in the bank. It has continued to raise huge sums of cash from billionaire backers including businessperson Diane Hendricks, Blackstone Group CEO Stephen A. Schwarzman and casino magnate Steve Wynn.

___ Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa.

The FBI’s cyber division said the vulnerabilities could allow malicious actors to remotely execute code in the programming language, PHP, potentially compromising sensitive data and networks. It recommended that operators take websites offline if they can’t update them immediately.

Several government and other websites were temporarily taken offline so they could be updated with security patches. The website of the Finnish government, for example, was only partly available Wednesday. A message to visitors said government websites were experiencing a temporary disruption and were fully or partially unavailable while the issue was being resolved.

The PHP Foundation, which includes developers who work on securing the programming language, said Wednesday it had released fixes for the vulnerabilities, along with instructions on how to update systems.

Artificial intelligence agents helped uncover the vulnerabilities.

In a blog post, OpenAI said it had led a coalition of researchers, security providers and others to address vulnerabilities in PHP over the past two months.

“PHP’s maintainers led the fixes and release, with our teams and partners like Wiz, Cloudflare, and others contributing research, technical support, and coordination to prepare protections ahead of disclosure,” the company said.

“Politics is a tough business,” Vance said to reporters.

In Cincinnati, the vice president said it was “not really my concern” whether the controversial 60-second spot was appropriate, and said he was focused on supporting Republican candidates in their midterm races.

“I’m a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans across the country who are whining more about that advertisement than they are about what the congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America,” Vance said in his first public comments on the ad, which has roiled one of the most contentious and expensive governor's races in the country.

The advertisement features Acton’s birth mother, Donna Arthur, calling her “a liar” and insinuating she has mental health issues. It was criticized by both Democrats and Republicans when it exploded into public view Tuesday, just two weeks before Election Day.

Ramaswamy, a billionaire tech entrepreneur and 2024 Republican presidential candidate, claimed credit for the ad and said he will spend $4 million to promote it despite the backlash from some members of his own party. He didn't address it in remarks before Vance spoke at a rally outside Cincinnati.

Acton, Ohio’s former health director, has made no secret of facing homelessness and abuse as a child.

Arthur lost custody of her children after their stepfather was indicted for raping Acton. Police and court records show Cledith Arthur was arrested and charged with the rape of his stepdaughter, then 12, in July 1978, after Acton’s biological father reported him to authorities. The abuse allegedly happened from December 1976 to April 1978.

Her campaign on Tuesday posted a video of her brother who supported her backstory about living in a tent and being abused.

In his remarks to reporters ahead of the rally, Vance said Acton, “lies about every single one of her positions.”

___

Binkley reported from Washington.

Goodell at the end of the annual fall owners meeting said he had spoken with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and that officials are in touch with Parisian and French authorities.

“We’ve made all the preparations,” Goodell said. “Protests are not unusual in France, as you know, and that’s something that we will be aware of and make sure that the appropriate arrangements are made.”

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said in Versailles that the team’s plans have not been affected by the situation. They have been in France since Monday after flying directly from the New York area after playing at the Giants, while the Steelers are set to travel Thursday night.

“We’re continuing to make sure we have all the available information, make sure the appropriate steps are being made,” he said. "We’re guests in the country. We’re going to be good guests, and we’re going to do our thing. And I’m confident they’re going to do theirs. We look forward to it, and I’m leaving shortly to go myself."

New Orleans safety Justin Reid said he and other players are not worried.

Goodell defends the presence of Steve Tisch and Jed York

Goodell defended the presence of Steve Tisch of the Giants and Jed York of the San Francisco 49ers, each of whom was in attendance for the two-day meeting.

Tisch remains executive vice president and chairman of the board after he and his siblings transferred their stakes to their children earlier this year. Tisch's name was mentioned more than 400 times in Jeffrey Epstein files released in January by the U.S. Justice Department.

After pledging at the Super Bowl there would be a review of Tisch's association with Epstein, Goodell said Wednesday, “Everything we’ve looked at, we understand and I think we’re comfortable with him participating as the Giants suggest.”

Asked if the investigation was ongoing, Goodell said: “I think always we’ll look to see if there’s any new information. We’ll look at it, and we’ll evaluate that.”

Tisch said he knew Epstein but denied going to his island.

York returned from his six-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. He was arrested in a prostitution sting in Ohio in August and pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors but was still punished by the league.

“We went through a full process, obviously, to understand the facts, to understand the issues,” Goodell said. “(We) looked at it under the context of our personal conduct policy, which applies to owners, commissioners, everybody else, players. And it’s something we feel strongly about. I think we need to represent ourselves and our organizations properly. We saw a violation, and we’ve dealt with it from a discipline standpoint. That’s concluded now, and so he’ll be back representing the 49ers.”

Goodell wants accountability from officials

Executive VP of football operations Troy Vincent said the two officials who were suspended for their interactions with players earlier this season “crossed the line.” Line judge Jeff Seeman was banned two games for swearing at Arizona tight end Trey McBride, and referee Adrian Hill one game for yelling at Eric Wilson and pointing for him to get away after the Vikings linebacker tried to help him to his feet after a collision knocked him over.

Vincent called the reactions unacceptable, and Goodell said it was a matter of sportsmanship and professional conduct.

“We do want accountability of our officials, but we also want respect between the participants,” Goodell said. “It’s not just player to players. Officials play an important role out there, and they need to be held to the highest standards.”

___

AP Sports Writer Ken Maguire in Versailles, France, contributed to this report.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

De acuerdo con un reporte de arresto, la víctima se comunicó primero con el FBI para denunciar las amenazas de un desconocido que usaba la cuenta de Instagram @saltorfresh.

Los agentes indicaron que vincularon la cuenta con Paul Vincent Critti, de 21 años, y lo arrestaron el martes por un cargo de crimen de odio.

Según la policía, la víctima les dijo a los investigadores que Critti “la contactó por Instagram sin que ella lo buscara y empezó a enviarle varios mensajes racistas y contra la comunidad LGBTQ, junto con amenazas de violencia”.

Entre esas amenazas estaban “Todo n-----, todo m------ y todo simpatizante será asesinado” y “Ven a buscarme para que pueda pintar la entrada de mi casa con sangre de n-----”, indica el reporte.

Critti también le dijo a la víctima que “a ciertas personas habría que violarlas y ahorcarlas”, según las autoridades.

El reporte señala que luego le envió a la víctima una dirección de Homestead y una “tarjeta de ubicación en vivo”, y le escribió: “Te acabo de mandar mi ubicación en vivo”, seguido de “un reto para que (la víctima) ‘hiciera algo de una p--- vez’”.

“Una búsqueda en fuentes abiertas de la cuenta de Instagram @saltorfresh reveló una cuenta activa con publicaciones que parecían ser principalmente sobre pesca”, indica el reporte. “Los investigadores también observaron una publicación que muestra a una persona con equipo táctico y lo que parecía ser un arma de fuego tipo AR”.

Las autoridades dijeron que la información enviada al FBI vinculaba la cuenta con Critti y con una dirección en la cuadra 100 de Southeast 33rd Terrace.

Según la policía, una solicitud urgente por “circunstancias apremiantes” a la empresa matriz de Instagram para obtener la dirección IP rastreó la cuenta hasta esa misma dirección.

Las autoridades señalaron que eso, sumado a la ubicación en vivo y otros detalles, “estableció un vínculo entre la residencia de Critti y la cuenta @saltorfresh desde la que se originaron las amenazas”.

La policía indicó que vigiló la casa de Critti, lo vio subirse a su camioneta y lo detuvo en Southeast 33rd Avenue y Mediterranean Boulevard, donde lo arrestó poco antes de las 6:30 p.m. del martes.

Según el reporte, Critti hizo una admisión, cuyos detalles fueron tachados en el documento divulgado al público. Enfrenta un cargo de amenazas escritas de muerte o de causar lesiones corporales, con agravante por prejuicio.

Los registros muestran que compareció el miércoles por la mañana ante un juez de Miami-Dade, quien encontró causa probable para imputarle el cargo y le ordenó mantenerse alejado de la víctima.

Hasta la mañana del miércoles, Critti, nacido en Arizona, permanecía en el Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center con una fianza de $15,000.

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Brian Louis Sguros, 35, appeared in court with a private attorney, one day after his arrest on multiple charges stemming from allegations that he used his position as a police officer to gain access to a dead man’s personal information and take control of his property.

During the hearing, Sguros’ attorney told the judge that an agreement had been reached with prosecutors regarding his bond.

The judge also ordered Sguros to stay away from the property and have no contact with the family involved in the case.

According to information presented in court, Sguros’ family planned to post his $25,000 bond.

Officer accused of moving into home after welfare check

The allegations date back to July 11, 2022, when Sguros and another Lauderhill police officer responded to a welfare check at a home at 4551 NW 12th St.

A neighbor had contacted authorities after becoming concerned about the homeowner, Dennis Ionis West, who had not been seen for approximately two weeks.

Officers entered the home and discovered West’s badly decomposed body.

An autopsy later determined that West died of cardiovascular disease, and his death was ruled natural.

According to a 21-page arrest affidavit from the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Sguros subsequently took possession of the property, moved into the home with his partner and began making renovations.

Investigators said Sguros used West’s personal identification information in connection with improvements to the property, including a building permit application submitted more than two years after West’s death.

Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kiar told Local 10 News that the allegations were particularly concerning because Sguros had access to the property through his duties as a police officer.

“One of those officers called the medical examiner and basically said, ‘I don’t believe he has any heirs,’ and he took possession of the body and apparently took possession of the property,” Kiar said.

According to the affidavit, Sguros identified himself as West’s friend when communicating with the medical examiner’s office and offered to assist with funeral arrangements if relatives could not be located.

However, investigators later determined that West had surviving family members and legal heirs.

Investigators say dead man’s identity was used for renovations

According to the affidavit, Sguros acknowledged in sworn court documents that he took possession of West’s property around Aug. 1, 2022.

He claimed to have spent at least $214,000 cleaning, securing and renovating the home, which he estimated was worth approximately $500,000 after the improvements.

Investigators said he also paid property taxes and utilities while the home remained registered under West’s estate.

In August 2024, a building permit application was submitted for an $8,000 project to replace windows and exterior doors at the property.

The application listed West as the homeowner and included his driver’s license information and a signature purportedly belonging to him, according to investigators.

The paperwork also indicated West had appeared before a notary, despite having died more than two years earlier.

“His driver’s license, his name, he signed it apparently on the building permit,” Kiar told Local 10 News.

Investigators said the phone number listed for West on the application actually belonged to Sguros.

A notary whose name appeared on the paperwork told detectives she did not recognize the documents and that the signature was not hers, according to the affidavit.

Authorities also accused Sguros of improperly accessing law enforcement databases seven times between July 2022 and January 2023 to obtain information about West.

Property dispute leads to criminal investigation

The case eventually came to light after Equinox Realty Holdings acquired ownership interests in the property from West’s surviving heirs.

According to investigators, representatives of the company discovered Sguros had been occupying the home and became involved in a dispute over the property’s ownership.

A Broward County court subsequently recognized the heirs’ interests and the conveyances to Equinox.

Sguros eventually surrendered the keys but sought reimbursement for improvements he claimed to have made to the home.

In February 2026, he filed a civil lawsuit seeking an equitable lien against the property.

The dispute ultimately led to an investigation involving the Broward County Property Appraiser’s Deed Fraud Task Force and Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives.

Officer placed on unpaid leave

According to the arrest affidavit, investigators identified five alleged offenses: official misconduct, criminal use of a deceased person’s identifying information, criminal use of personal identifying information, an offense against a computer user and unlawful use of a two-way communications device.

Sguros was arrested Tuesday and has since been placed on leave without pay from the Lauderhill Police Department.

During Wednesday’s court appearance, the judge ordered him not to contact the family connected to the case or return to the property.

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Justin Buxton, 46, was arrested on charges of first-degree arson and three counts of attempted murder, according to a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office arrest report.

Deputies said the incident happened June 28 at a home in the 4100 block of Northwest 24^th Avenue, where deputies initially responded around 7:54 a.m. to reports of a man making threats with a knife.

According to investigators, Buxton had gotten into an argument with another tenant, Eduardo Hernandez, and allegedly threatened to cut his throat.

The property’s owner, Cristina Rubio, told investigators she attempted to speak with Buxton about the confrontation, but he became angry, began yelling and slammed his bedroom door in her face.

Rubio called police.

When deputies arrived, they detained Buxton inside the home, the report stated. As they placed him in handcuffs, he told them he had fallen asleep with a cigarette on his bed, authorities noted in the report.

Deputies said they then noticed smoke coming from beneath his bedroom door.

Body-worn camera footage showed a mattress on the bottom bunk of a bunk bed burning, with flames visible along the edge and underneath the mattress, according to the report.

Deputies immediately alerted the other occupants, evacuated the residence and requested fire rescue assistance, authorities said.

Buxton was initially released after deputies responded to the incident.

The following day, a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue investigator contacted the sheriff’s office about the mattress fire, prompting a closer examination of the circumstances.

Investigators returned to the home and interviewed witnesses, including Rubio, who said she had a clear view of Buxton’s mattress while speaking with him shortly before deputies arrived.

According to the arrest report, Rubio did not see any signs of a fire before Buxton closed his bedroom door.

Investigators estimated that only about five minutes passed between that conversation and the deputies’ arrival.

Authorities said that timeline raised questions about Buxton’s claim that he had fallen asleep while smoking.

The burned mattress had been discarded across the street near Northwest 41st Street and Northwest 24th Avenue, authorities said.

A Miami-Dade Fire Rescue investigator examined the mattress and documented several separate burn patterns.

According to the report, investigators determined that an open flame had been applied to three different areas of the mattress.

The burn marks were several inches apart and could not have been caused by a single lit cigarette, investigators said.

Based on those findings, authorities classified the fire as arson.

Investigators also noted that approximately four or five people were inside the home when Buxton became aware of the fire.

According to the report, Buxton did not attempt to warn anyone inside the home.

He was taken into custody Tuesday after a Homestead police officer stopped him near Northeast Eighth Street and South Dixie Highway for allegedly failing to stop at a traffic signal.

A routine records check revealed an outstanding probable cause notice connected to the fire investigation, authorities said.

Buxton was detained and later interviewed by a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office investigator.

After waiving his Miranda rights, Buxton acknowledged that he had been drinking and had argued with another tenant and the property’s owner on the day of the fire, authorities said.

He maintained that he remembered falling asleep with a cigarette in his hand and waking up to find his bedsheets burning, according to the report.

When investigators questioned him further about the evidence, Buxton declined to continue the interview and requested an attorney, the report stated.

He was subsequently arrested on one count of first-degree arson and three counts of attempted murder.

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

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An arrest report states that the victim first contacted the FBI about threats made by a stranger using the Instagram handle @saltorfresh.

Officers said they tied the account to Paul Vincent Critti, 21, and arrested him on a hate crime charge on Tuesday.

According to police, the victim told investigators that Critti “contacted her unsolicited through Instagram and began sending multiple racist and anti-LGBTQ messages, along with threats of violence.”

Those threats included “Every single n-----, f----t and sympathizer shall be killed” and “Come and get me so I can paint my driveway with n----- blood,” the report states.

Critti also told the victim that “certain people should be raped and hung,” authorities said.

The report states he then sent the victim a message a Homestead address and a “live location card” and said, “I just sent you my live location,” followed by “a challenge for (the victim) to ‘f---ing do something.’”

“An open-source query of the Instagram account @saltorfresh revealed an active Instagram account containing what appeared to be primarily fishing-related posts,” the report states. “Investigators also observed a post depicting an individual wearing tactical equipment and possessing what appeared to be an AR-style firearm.”

Authorities said the information submitted to the FBI tied the account back to Critti and an address in the 100 block of Southeast 33rd Terrace.

Police said an “exigent circumstances” IP address request to Instagram’s parent company traced the account back to that same address.

That, authorities said, combined with the live-location information and other details, “established a nexus between Critti’s residence and the @saltorfresh account from which the threatening communications originated.”

Police said they surveilled Critti’s home, saw him get in his truck and pulled him over at Southeast 33rd Avenue and Mediterranean Boulevard, where they took him into custody just before 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

The report states that Critti made an admission, the details of which were redacted from the publicly-released document. He faces a charge of written threats to kill or do bodily injury with prejudice.

Records show he appeared before a Miami-Dade judge on Wednesday morning, who found probable cause to charge him and ordered him to stay away from the victim.

As of Wednesday morning, the Arizona-born Critti was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $15,000 bond.

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The incident occurred around 6 p.m. on Tuesday inside and outside the Miami International Mall, located at 1455 NW 107th Ave. in Doral.

According to police, officers responded to the mall after receiving reports of a theft in progress.

When they arrived, police said they located a two subjects inside a black 2024 Lincoln Navigator, but when officers attempted to detain the men inside the SUV, the driver, who was later identified as Stephon Corbett, 44, refused to stop and instead “operated the vehicle at a high rate of speed along the perimeter road within the Miami International Mall property,” according to an arrest report.

Officers also noted that at the time of the incident, “the area was experiencing heavy vehicular and pedestrian traffic” which, due to the way Corbett was driving, police said he “operated the vehicle with wanton disregard for the safety of persons and property, placing nearby motorists and pedestrians at substantial risk of injury.”

At one point, officers said Corbett “made a deliberate turn and drove his vehicle into the marked police vehicle” which caused “damage to the police vehicle’s push bar.”

While fleeing police, officers noted that the passenger in the vehicle, later identified as Gregory Edwards, 38, was seen “throwing mail from the moving vehicle” which officers later said contained “a total of thirty-six (36) credit cards and three (3) checks” none of which had the names of either Corbett or Edwards.

Due to heavy traffic in the area, the suspect’s vehicle eventually came to complete stop in front of the La Carreta restaurant located at the southwest corner of the mall property, and that’s when police said they were forced to break the vehicle’s passenger-side window in order to remove both men “as a result of their continued refusal to surrender,” according to an arrest form.

As investigators began working the case, police said they spoke with loss prevention officers inside the mall’s Macy’s store who said they observed Edwards move between the store’s Finish Line department and its men’s suit department, “quickly selecting suits without looking at prices.”

After Edwards completed multiple purchases inside both departments and quickly left the store, the loss prevention officers discovered the transactions were fraudulent and alerted authorities, police said.

Officers also said that after detaining both men, they found that Corbett’s driving privileges had six active suspensions, and that Corbett had an active bench warrant issued by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office in November of last year, also for a driving issue.

After being taken to the Doral Police Department, Corbett invoked his right to remain silent, but Edwards agreed to speak with detectives. He initially told police he was at the mall “for the purpose of recruiting women to visit his restaurant located in Miami” and that after leaving the mall, he ran into Corbett, who offered him a ride, but when questioned about the items he was found throwing out of the car, Edwards’ statement was redacted from an official form.

Police said Edwards initially denied making any purchases inside Macy’s, but after being presented with surveillance video showing him inside the store, he made a confession that was also redacted from his arrest form.

Based off the totality of their investigation, officers ultimately arrested Corbett and Edwards.

Both suspects are facing multiple felony charges related to the fraudulent transactions using other people’s credit cards and fleeing from police.

Corbett is also facing charges of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer and fleeing or eluding at a high rate of speed, in addition to knowingly driving with a suspended license and driving with no valid driver’s license.

Edwards was also charged with a count of tempering with physical evidence.

Both men are being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with bond listed as “to be set” on the trafficking counterfeit credit card charge.

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Sky 10 was over the scene shortly before 11 a.m. and observed several Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units outside the mall, which is located at 11401 NW 12th St. in Sweetwater.

Additionally, officials said the gas company has been notified.

No injuries were reported, according to MDFR.

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The former juror, who asked not to be named, said the emotional weight of Michael Padrino Jr.’s testimony prompted him to inform the court that he was no longer fit to serve objectively.

Padrino was 5 years old when Alberto Sierra, then 28, killed his mother, Gladys Machado, and his sisters, 3-year-old Daniela and 6-year-old Julia, on Nov. 10, 2012, at their home in the area of Northwest 73 Avenue and Fourth Street.

“I reached a breaking point after Mikey’s testimony,” the former juror said on Wednesday in Coral Gables.

Padrino, 19, testified on Oct. 6 in the courtroom. He said he was 5 when he didn’t join his mother and sisters on a trip to the mall and stayed with his great-grandmother in Homestead.

“And you, you took them, you know you did,” Padrino told Sierra, now 42, in court as his hands trembled.

Padrino wept as he left the courtroom. The former juror, who prefers to be known as “Mr. Amgood,” said witnessing Padrino’s pain affected everyone in the courtroom.

“Nobody spoke,” the former juror said. “It was this silence. It was actually a beautiful silence.”

During the trial, Assistant State Attorney Abbe Rifkin said Sierra used a yellow plastic bag from Sedano’s to suffocate Machado and the girls.

“He carved up her arms, he carved up her face,” Rifkin said in court about Machado’s murder. “It was heinous, atrocious, and cruel.”

Khurrum Wahid, a defense attorney who represented Sierra, told jurors that Sierra had admitted to the “monstrous act,” and asked them to consider that he had suffered a traumatic brain injury during a car crash when he was 12 that could have impacted his behavior.

“An unhealthy brain has consequences,” Wahid said in court during the death penalty phase of the trial.

The defense also said Sierra was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and antisocial and borderline personality disorders.

Miami-Dade prosecutors filed the felony case against Sierra on Nov. 20, 2012, and he pleaded not guilty on Nov. 29, 2012.

The nine charges: Three counts of first-degree murder, three counts of kidnapping, two counts of abuse of a dead human body, and armed burglary.

Sierra changed his plea to guilty on three counts of first-degree murder on Aug. 7. Jury selection in the capital penalty phase was Aug. 17.

On Tuesday, the jury spent about five hours deliberating.

With an 11-1 vote, the jury recommended the death sentence for Sierra for the murder of Machado. The jury voted unanimously for the death sentence in the murder of Julia and 8-4 for the murder of Daniela.

“I knew they were going to do the right thing,” the former juror said.

The former juror said there was serendipity in that Padrino means “godfather” in Spanish.

“I think now Mikey is going to have a lot of godfathers and a lot of godmothers ... Things like this should not have to just be a news article and pain for everybody, there has to be a silver lining, and that silver lining is what we are going to try to do from today forward,” the former juror said.

A letter for jury duty turned into a mission for the former juror, who is a father of three. He had a message for Padrino.

“Mikey, today is the first day of the rest of your life,” the former juror said. “It’s up to you to make something out of it and use all the help that you can get, from your family, from your friends, and now your godfathers and godmothers.”

Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez is set to sentence Sierra in November.

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That man has since been identified as 32-year-old Michael Polanco.

Police said he tried to abduct the girl from a Shell gas station, located at 2840 S. State Road 7.

Local 10 News has since obtained surveillance footage showing the attempted abduction.

According to an arrest report, a witness told officers that they saw Polanco grab the girl by the nick and try to walk away with her.

Authorities said Polanco initially fled from the gas station, but officers were able to locate and detain him, after which the victim and witness both positively identified him as the man who attempted to abduct the teen.

Polanco was arrested and taken to the Broward County Main Jail on charges of battery causing bodily harm and kidnapping, inflicting bodily harm or terrorizing a victim. He was ordered to be held without bond after making a court appearance on Tuesday.

Police said Polanco has a lengthy criminal history that includes robbery, burglary, battery and exposure of sexual organs, among other crimes.

Brian Louis Sguros, de 35 años, se presentó en la corte con un abogado privado, un día después de su arresto por varios cargos derivados de las acusaciones de que usó su cargo de policía para acceder a la información personal de un hombre fallecido y tomar el control de su propiedad.

Durante la audiencia, el abogado de Sguros le dijo al juez que se había llegado a un acuerdo con la fiscalía sobre la fianza.

El juez también le ordenó a Sguros mantenerse alejado de la propiedad y no tener contacto con la familia involucrada en el caso.

Según la información presentada en la corte, la familia de Sguros planeaba pagar la fianza de $25,000.

Acusan al agente de mudarse a la casa tras un chequeo de bienestar

Las acusaciones se remontan al 11 de julio de 2022, cuando Sguros y otro policía de Lauderhill respondieron a un chequeo de bienestar en una casa en el 4551 NW 12th St.

Una vecina había llamado a las autoridades preocupada por el dueño de la casa, Dennis Ionis West, a quien nadie había visto en unas dos semanas.

Los agentes entraron a la vivienda y encontraron el cuerpo de West en avanzado estado de descomposición.

La autopsia determinó luego que West murió de una enfermedad cardiovascular, y su muerte se declaró natural.

Según una declaración jurada de arresto de 21 páginas de la Broward Sheriff’s Office, Sguros tomó después posesión de la propiedad, se mudó a la casa con su pareja y comenzó a hacerle renovaciones.

Los investigadores afirman que Sguros usó la información de identificación personal de West para hacer mejoras a la propiedad, incluida una solicitud de permiso de construcción presentada más de dos años después de la muerte de West.

El tasador de propiedades del condado Broward, Marty Kiar, le dijo a Local 10 News que las acusaciones son especialmente preocupantes porque Sguros tuvo acceso a la propiedad gracias a sus funciones como policía.

“Uno de esos agentes llamó al médico forense y básicamente le dijo: ‘No creo que tenga herederos’. Se hizo cargo del cuerpo y, al parecer, también se apoderó de la propiedad”, dijo Kiar.

De acuerdo con la declaración jurada, Sguros se identificó como amigo de West al comunicarse con la oficina del médico forense y se ofreció a ayudar con el funeral si no se localizaba a sus familiares.

Sin embargo, los investigadores determinaron después que West tenía familiares vivos y herederos legales.

Según los investigadores, usaron la identidad del difunto para las renovaciones

Según la declaración jurada, Sguros reconoció en documentos judiciales presentados bajo juramento que tomó posesión de la propiedad de West alrededor del 1 de agosto de 2022.

Aseguró haber gastado al menos $214,000 en limpiar, asegurar y renovar la casa, que según sus cálculos llegó a valer unos $500,000 tras las mejoras.

Los investigadores indicaron que también pagó los impuestos a la propiedad y los servicios públicos mientras la casa seguía registrada a nombre del patrimonio de West.

En agosto de 2024 se presentó una solicitud de permiso de construcción para un proyecto de $8,000 destinado a reemplazar ventanas y puertas exteriores de la propiedad.

Según los investigadores, la solicitud señalaba a West como dueño de la casa e incluía los datos de su licencia de conducir y una firma supuestamente suya.

Los documentos también indicaban que West se había presentado ante una notaria, a pesar de que había muerto más de dos años antes.

“Su licencia de conducir, su nombre... aparentemente él firmó el permiso de construcción”, le dijo Kiar a Local 10 News.

Los investigadores señalaron que el número de teléfono que aparecía a nombre de West en la solicitud era en realidad de Sguros.

Según la declaración jurada, una notaria cuyo nombre figuraba en los documentos les dijo a los detectives que no los reconocía y que la firma no era suya.

Las autoridades también acusan a Sguros de haber accedido indebidamente siete veces a bases de datos policiales entre julio de 2022 y enero de 2023 para obtener información sobre West.

Una disputa por la propiedad desató la investigación penal

El caso salió a la luz después de que Equinox Realty Holdings adquiriera los derechos de propiedad de la casa a los herederos de West.

Según los investigadores, representantes de la empresa descubrieron que Sguros estaba ocupando la vivienda, lo que desató una disputa por la titularidad.

Posteriormente, un tribunal del condado Broward reconoció los derechos de los herederos y las transferencias a Equinox.

Sguros terminó entregando las llaves, pero pidió que le reembolsaran las mejoras que asegura haberle hecho a la casa.

En febrero de 2026, presentó una demanda civil para obtener un gravamen equitativo sobre la propiedad.

La disputa derivó finalmente en una investigación en la que participaron el Deed Fraud Task Force de la Broward County Property Appraiser’s Office y detectives de la Broward Sheriff’s Office.

Suspenden al agente sin goce de sueldo

Según la declaración jurada de arresto, los investigadores identificaron cinco presuntos delitos: conducta oficial indebida, uso delictivo de la información de identificación de una persona fallecida, uso delictivo de información de identificación personal, delito contra un usuario de computadoras y uso ilegal de un dispositivo de comunicación bidireccional.

Sguros fue arrestado el martes y desde entonces el Lauderhill Police Department lo suspendió sin goce de sueldo.

Durante la audiencia del miércoles, el juez le ordenó no contactar a la familia vinculada al caso ni regresar a la propiedad.

“I thought Boone managed a good season, especially with the pitching staff," Steinbrenner said Wednesday. "The bottom line is the players didn’t live up to their end of the bargain in the playoffs.”

New York has gone 17 seasons without a World Series title. That matches the Yankees' longest drought since winning their first championship in 1923, a gap between titles in 1978 and ’96.

“If we don’t win a championship while I’m here, I’m sure that will be a frontline story of it all and how people think of me and how a fanbase reacts,” Boone said. "I understand that.”

Steinbrenner spoke alongside Cashman during a joint Zoom news conference from team's spring training ballpark in Tampa, Florida, and Boone followed with a video news conference from Yankee Stadium.

New York went 93-68 and finished second in the AL East to Tampa Bay. After sweeping Boston 2-0 in an AL Wild Card Series, the Yankees were swept 3-0 by the Rays in a Division Series.

Boone finished his ninth season as manager and has one season left on a two-year contract extension agreed to in February 2025. The 53-year-old former third baseman has led New York to a 790-565 regular-season record and three first-place finishes in the AL East but a 27-30 postseason mark.

"At the end of the day, we haven’t won a championship with me at the helm," he said. "Ultimately that’s what has to happen to satisfy certainly myself — that's why I'm doing this — but to answer those questions ultimately.”

Boone defended not calling out players publicly for mistakes.

“There is probably a time and place for that, but generally speaking to me that’s not leadership,” he said. "That’s me giving red meat to people that want to be upset with somebody.”

Cashman, who turns 60 in July, said he and the team have agreed to a new contract and are working on minor details. He became general manager in February 1998 and is the most senior head of baseball operations in the major leagues — San Diego’s A.J. Preller, hired in August 2014, is second.

When Cashman took over from Bob Watson in 1998, it was the 15th change at GM since George Steinbrenner bought the Yankees in January 1973. Cashman has been the only GM under Hal Steinbrenner, who succeeded his father as controlling owner in November 2008.

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

The verdict should be seen as a warning for tech companies that New Mexico will hold them accountable. state Attorney General Raúl Torrez said at a news conference.

“This judgement should be a signal, an unambiguous message, to Silicon Valley,” Torrez said.

Under the New Mexico Constitution, fines for violations of consumer protection laws go toward state education spending.

“We may have paid for the construction of schools for the next 100 years,” said Torrez, who acknowledged that the money would be tied up as Meta appeals.

Representatives for Meta, which previously said it plans to appeal the September verdict, didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment about the amount. The Menlo Park, California-based company was scheduled to report its quarterly earnings Wednesday afternoon and its shares were trading 2% higher following the penalty announcement.

New Mexico goes it alone

In August, Meta reached a settlement with nearly all states and territories — except New Mexico and Florida -- to pay $18 billion and add stronger child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms.

The settlement ended a trial over teen social media addiction and resolved a pivotal case years in the making that sought to hold the tech giant accountable for the role its platforms played in undermining children’s mental health. The effort targeted features designed to grab young people’s attention.

New Mexico wasn't part of the multistate settlement because it was pursuing its own case.

Jurors in September found Meta liable for over 43 million violations of New Mexico consumer protection laws when a political consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica, harvested Facebook user data to generate targeted political ads for the 2016 election.

“Facebook promised users that they (the users) controlled their data. This was false,” Judge Francis J. Matthew wrote in his judgement.

Attorneys for New Mexico had sought $35 billion to $40 billion, arguing that the company would only change its ways with a sum that affected its stock price.

Lawyers for Meta argued for paying no more than $3.4 billion. An award 10 times that or even more would violate due process, was unconstitutional and would not hold up under appeal, they said.

Meta argued the state failed to prove misleading statements about privacy and that content moderation actually harmed New Mexicans. Interest on the penalty would accrue during an appeal, but the number of violations Meta is charged with could be reduced.

Meta attorney Matt Nicholson argued in court that a sum as high as $40 billion would be “shocking to the conscience” while an attorney for New Mexico, Randi McGinn, urged standing up to “tech titans who think they are bulletproof and can do whatever they want.”

The fine in the case far exceeds the $5 billion fine that the Federal Trade Commission levied against Facebook in 2019.

Company argues that the state failed to prove harm

The state's case focused on accusations that Facebook deceived users about a data breach stemming from a third-party personality quiz that harvested data from roughly 87 million profiles and sold it to a political consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica, to generate targeted ads. The now-defunct firm’s clients included the 2016 campaign for President Donald Trump.

Attorneys for New Mexico argued that the state's entire population, not just Facebook users, were deceived by the company's public statements about privacy on the platform. Facebook's lawyers argued that the state failed to prove whether people were actually harmed by these deceiving statements.

“The jury didn’t make findings that any New Mexican heard or saw these statements, or was harmed by them," said Nicholson during a hearing Oct. 1.

New Mexico prosecutors also argued that Facebook allowed misinformation or violent content to proliferate on the platform. Defense attorneys vehemently denied the allegations, saying the company’s content moderation policies are robust and freedom of speech has to be considered.

Jury finds millions of violations

New Mexico was the only state to pursue a trial around the Cambridge Analytica scandal after 48 other states signed a settlement for $18 billion in August.

Besides New Mexico, Florida was the only other state that did not sign the settlement, which included an agreement to release Meta from future liability related to the Cambridge Analytica privacy breach.

During the trial, jurors assessed whether Facebook misled users about privacy and content moderation 34 separate times. State prosecutors, though, argued Facebook’s statements deceived the entire population of New Mexico and extended beyond social media users.

In the end, jurors agreed with this premise and found Facebook liable for 2.1 million violations on certain counts, bringing the total number of violations to over 43 million.

Facebook's attorneys have argued in subsequent court filings that the state's consumer protection laws don't apply to people in New Mexico who weren't using the platform at the time.

Torrez told reporters following the verdict that all money awarded will go into a fund for the state’s education system. The state is also seeking an injunction to stop similar practices.

Meta questions evidence and tally of violations

In appealing the jury's verdict, Meta might reduce the number of violations and therefore the total financial penalty. Lawyers for the company said it was unprecedented for the state to count the number of violations based on how many individuals may have heard or seen the misleading statements from the company, arguing there was no evidence these statements ever harmed anyone.

During closing arguments, lawyers for Facebook said the state’s evidence was outdated and that despite having five years to gather material, New Mexico found only one other instance of a data breach.

In one of the few wins for the defense, jurors found the state didn’t prove that Facebook made false claims about removing harmful content, including misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state said the company favored certain accounts and allowed for violent or inaccurate content to proliferate. Attorney Randi McGinn said in her closing argument for the state that Facebook profited off harmful content, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg denied during his video deposition. Zuckerberg said the company has to carefully balance freedom of speech with content moderation.

Attorneys for Facebook said the company has adapted its policies since the state’s lawsuit was filed in 2021 and that it removes 99% of content that violates standards.

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Schuettler reported from Phoenix. Schuettler 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.

Según City of Miami Fire-Rescue, los bomberos respondieron alrededor de las 5:37 a.m. a reportes de un incendio en la cuadra 1400 de Northwest 50th Street.

Nilma Martin vive en el dúplex con su hijo y asegura que lo perdió todo en el incendio.

“Lo perdí todo: la identificación, el dinero... Mi hijo salió con el perro por la parte de atrás”, contó.

Martin dijo que estaba sentada en la sala cuando escuchó un fuerte ruido y se dio cuenta de que se había iniciado un incendio.

Al llegar, los equipos de rescate encontraron humo y llamas saliendo de la parte trasera del dúplex, de una sola planta.

Los bomberos desplegaron rápidamente las mangueras para combatir el fuego, mientras otros equipos revisaban el edificio en busca de ocupantes, según los socorristas.

Las autoridades indicaron que todos habían salido del dúplex antes de que ellos llegaran.

De acuerdo con los bomberos, las llamas quedaron controladas en 10 minutos, lo que evitó que el fuego se extendiera a las casas vecinas.

Sin embargo, el dúplex sufrió daños considerables, y cuatro adultos y un perro quedaron desplazados.

Los bomberos confirmaron que el gato de la familia no sobrevivió al incendio.

Se contactó a la Cruz Roja Americana para ayudar a los residentes desplazados con sus necesidades inmediatas.

La Miami Fire Investigation Unit acudió al lugar para determinar qué originó el incendio.

La causa sigue bajo investigación.

Richie Gregoire, de 21 años, fue imputado en una acusación formal sustitutiva emitida por un gran jurado federal en el Distrito Sur de Florida, según la Fiscalía Federal.

Gregoire enfrenta un cargo de posesión con intención de distribuir una sustancia controlada con resultado de muerte y otro de posesión con intención de distribuir una sustancia controlada.

Si es declarado culpable, podría pasar hasta el resto de su vida en una prisión federal por el cargo relacionado con la muerte del niño, y hasta 20 años por el otro cargo de drogas.

La acusación federal es el más reciente giro en un caso que comenzó a principios de este año, cuando el pequeño fue hallado inconsciente en una casa de Miami.

Según los investigadores, el niño murió tras ingerir drogas accidentalmente

De acuerdo con las autoridades, agentes de la policía de Miami y personal de Miami Fire Rescue respondieron alrededor de las 3:50 a.m. del 3 de enero a una casa cerca de Northwest 91st Street y 22nd Avenue, tras recibir el reporte de un niño que no respondía.

El pequeño fue trasladado de urgencia al Jackson Memorial Hospital, donde fue declarado muerto.

La autopsia realizada por la Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office reveló fentanilo y rastros de cocaína en su sangre.

Los investigadores determinaron que el niño consumió accidentalmente drogas que habían quedado en un cuarto sin seguro de la casa.

Según las autoridades, una cámara de seguridad Ring captó el momento en que el niño ingirió las drogas antes de quedar inconsciente.

En ese momento había cuatro niños de entre 1 y 8 años dentro de la casa. Los investigadores dijeron que también había tres armas sin asegurar.

La madre de la víctima, Pearlandria Boujolly, de 29 años, fue arrestada anteriormente y acusada de homicidio involuntario agravado de un menor en relación con la muerte de su hijo.

Los investigadores indicaron que Boujolly no estaba en la casa cuando el niño ingirió las drogas.

Hallan presunto fentanilo durante un registro

Gregoire fue arrestado inicialmente el 21 de mayo, después de que las autoridades ejecutaran una orden de registro en su apartamento de Miami.

Según su reporte de arresto, los investigadores encontraron en su cuarto unos 69 gramos de lo que parecía ser fentanilo.

La policía indicó que los presuntos narcóticos estaban empacados en cápsulas transparentes y guardados en varios lugares de la habitación.

Los detectives también encontraron guantes, cajas de bolsas Ziploc, parafernalia para drogas dentro de una caja de zapatos Nike y una carta dirigida a Gregoire del Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

De acuerdo con el reporte, tras ser informado de sus derechos Miranda, Gregoire reconoció que sabía que en el cuarto se guardaban drogas, pero negó que fueran suyas.

También les dijo a los investigadores que tenía miedo de identificar a la persona dueña de los narcóticos.

En septiembre, Local 10 News supo que Gregoire enfrentaba un cargo de homicidio involuntario agravado de un menor en relación con la muerte del niño.

En ese momento, los registros de la cárcel en línea mostraban que se le había fijado una fianza de $50,000 por el nuevo cargo.

La nueva acusación formal suma cargos federales contra Gregoire en relación con la muerte del niño por sobredosis de fentanilo.

El caso está a cargo de la Miami Field Division de la Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) y del Miami Police Department.

Los fiscales federales adjuntos Yara Dodin y Juan Valiente llevan el caso federal.

Según la Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, agentes del Organized Crime Bureau y del Vice & Intelligence Squad del MDSO recibieron un alerta sobre una propiedad en la cuadra 22100 de Southwest 309th Street, en la zona rural de Redland, donde posiblemente se celebraban peleas de gallos.

Al ejecutar una orden de registro, los agentes encontraron “varios cientos de gallos de pelea, numerosos ruedos de entrenamiento cercados y una gran valla de peleas de gallos usada para eventos”, así como “diversos artículos para gallos, entre ellos vitaminas, jeringas, medicamentos y agitadores”, según un formulario de arresto.

Durante el registro, los agentes detuvieron a un hombre identificado como Angel Ponce-Maqueda, de 29 años, que se encontraba dentro de una casa rodante ubicada junto a “varios gallos de pelea en jaulas individuales, un ruedo de entrenamiento y un agitador”, según los documentos oficiales.

Los agentes dijeron que Ponce-Maqueda les aseguró que las aves no eran suyas, pero que él las cuidaba, y que “regularmente les da de comer y de beber”.

Durante el registro, los agentes también encontraron a un hombre identificado como Jesus Oliva, de 41 años, quien les dijo a los investigadores que era el dueño de la propiedad.

En su conversación con los agentes, Oliva admitió que “sabía de todos los gallos de pelea que había en la propiedad, pero insistió en que allí no se peleaban gallos”. En cambio, afirmó que “ya no pone a pelear a los gallos, aunque reconoció que en la propiedad había una zona de peleas, ruedos de entrenamiento y agitadores que ya no se usan”, de acuerdo con un formulario de arresto.

Según los agentes, Oliva dijo al principio que todos los gallos de la propiedad eran suyos, pero luego se retractó y aseguró que solo algunos le pertenecían.

De acuerdo con los investigadores, “a los gallos también les faltaban plumas, algunos estaban heridos, tenían las crestas recortadas y a algunos les habían quitado los espolones naturales”, lo que, según ellos, son “todas señales de posibles peleas”.

Ambos hombres enfrentan varios cargos graves por peleas de animales y un cargo grave por crueldad animal. Oliva también fue acusado de desprecio deliberado por el medio ambiente y de posesión de un arma de fuego estando sujeto a una orden de protección por violencia doméstica.

Hasta la mañana del miércoles, Ponce-Maqueda permanecía tras las rejas en el Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center con una fianza de $10,000. Oliva también estaba detenido en TGK, con una fianza de $15,150 por los cargos relacionados con las peleas de gallos y con la fianza “por fijarse” en el cargo por el arma de fuego.

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According to City of Miami Fire-Rescue, firefighters responded to reports of a fire in the 1400 block of Northwest 50th Street at approximately 5:37 a.m.

Nilma Martin lives at the duplex with her son and says she lost everything in the fire.

“I lost everything – ID, money … my son went with the dog," she said.

Martin said she was sitting in the living room when she heard a loud noise before realizing a fire had sparked.

When crews arrived, they found smoke and flames coming from the rear of the single-story duplex.

Firefighters quickly deployed hose lines to battle the blaze while other crews searched the building for occupants, first responders said.

Officials said everyone had already exited the duplex before they arrived.

According to fire rescue, firefighters brought the flames under control within 10 minutes, preventing the fire from spreading to neighboring homes.

However, the duplex sustained significant damage, leaving four adults and one dog displaced.

Fire officials confirmed that a family cat did not survive the fire.

“I’ve never been in this situation … I cried over the cat," Martin said.

The American Red Cross was contacted to assist the displaced residents with their immediate needs.

The Miami Fire Investigation Unit was called to the scene to determine what sparked the blaze.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Poco antes de las 11 a.m., Sky 10 sobrevoló la escena y captó varias unidades de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue afuera del centro comercial, ubicado en el 11401 NW 12th St., en Sweetwater.

Además, las autoridades informaron que ya se notificó a la compañía de gas.

Según MDFR, no se reportaron heridos.

El incidente ocurrió alrededor de las 6 p.m. del martes dentro y fuera del Miami International Mall, ubicado en el 1455 NW 107th Ave., en Doral.

Según la policía, los agentes acudieron al centro comercial tras recibir reportes de un robo en curso.

Al llegar, encontraron a dos sujetos dentro de una Lincoln Navigator 2024 negra. Pero cuando intentaron detenerlos, el conductor, identificado luego como Stephon Corbett, de 44 años, se negó a detenerse y “manejó el vehículo a alta velocidad por la vía perimetral dentro de la propiedad del Miami International Mall”, de acuerdo con un reporte de arresto.

Los agentes señalaron además que en ese momento “había mucho tráfico de vehículos y peatones en la zona” y que, por la forma en que manejaba, Corbett “condujo el vehículo con total desprecio por la seguridad de las personas y la propiedad, poniendo a los conductores y peatones cercanos en grave riesgo de resultar heridos”.

En un momento dado, según los agentes, Corbett “giró deliberadamente y lanzó su vehículo contra la patrulla identificada”, lo que causó “daños en la barra protectora delantera de la patrulla”.

Mientras huían de la policía, los agentes vieron al pasajero, identificado luego como Gregory Edwards, de 38 años, “lanzando correspondencia desde el vehículo en movimiento”. Más tarde, los agentes determinaron que contenía “un total de treinta y seis (36) tarjetas de crédito y tres (3) cheques”, ninguno a nombre de Corbett ni de Edwards.

Debido al intenso tráfico en la zona, el vehículo de los sospechosos terminó deteniéndose por completo frente al restaurante La Carreta, en la esquina suroeste de la propiedad del centro comercial. Fue entonces cuando, según la policía, los agentes tuvieron que romper la ventana del lado del pasajero para sacar a ambos hombres “debido a que seguían negándose a entregarse”, de acuerdo con un formulario de arresto.

Al comenzar la investigación, la policía habló con agentes de prevención de pérdidas de la tienda Macy’s del centro comercial, quienes dijeron haber visto a Edwards moverse entre el departamento de Finish Line y el de trajes para hombre, “escogiendo trajes rápidamente sin mirar los precios”.

Según la policía, después de que Edwards hiciera varias compras en ambos departamentos y saliera rápidamente de la tienda, los agentes de prevención de pérdidas descubrieron que las transacciones eran fraudulentas y alertaron a las autoridades.

Los agentes indicaron además que, tras detener a ambos hombres, descubrieron que la licencia de conducir de Corbett tenía seis suspensiones activas, y que tenía una orden de arresto judicial vigente emitida por la Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office en noviembre del año pasado, también por un asunto de tránsito.

Una vez en el Doral Police Department, Corbett se acogió a su derecho a guardar silencio, pero Edwards aceptó hablar con los detectives. En un principio, le dijo a la policía que estaba en el centro comercial “con el propósito de reclutar mujeres para que visitaran su restaurante en Miami” y que, al salir, se encontró con Corbett, quien le ofreció llevarlo. Sin embargo, cuando lo interrogaron sobre los objetos que lanzó desde el carro, su declaración fue tachada en un formulario oficial.

Según la policía, Edwards negó al principio haber hecho compras en Macy’s, pero cuando le mostraron un video de seguridad en el que aparece dentro de la tienda, hizo una confesión que también fue tachada en su formulario de arresto.

Con base en el conjunto de la investigación, los agentes arrestaron finalmente a Corbett y a Edwards.

Ambos sospechosos enfrentan varios cargos graves relacionados con las transacciones fraudulentas con tarjetas de crédito de otras personas y con la huida de la policía.

Corbett enfrenta además cargos de agresión agravada contra un agente del orden y de huir o evadir a la policía a alta velocidad, así como de manejar a sabiendas con la licencia suspendida y de manejar sin una licencia de conducir válida.

Edwards también fue acusado de un cargo de manipulación de evidencia física.

Ambos permanecen en el Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, con la fianza “por fijarse” en el cargo de tráfico de tarjetas de crédito falsificadas.

La demanda busca impedir que Darren Indyke y Richard Kahn acepten cualquier pago del patrimonio de Epstein, estimado en más de 100 millones de dólares.

Indyke trabajó como abogado de Epstein durante aproximadamente dos décadas. Tanto él como Kahn han testificado ante un comité del Congreso que no sabían de los abusos de Epstein, aunque Torrez tiene una opinión diferente.

Dijo que Indyke y Kahn “podrían beneficiarse sustancialmente” a menos que un tribunal intervenga.

“Esos recursos legítimamente pertenecen en manos de los sobrevivientes”, expresó el fiscal general, en referencia a las víctimas de los abusos de Epstein.

Epstein se quitó la vida en agosto de 2019 en una cárcel federal de la ciudad de Nueva York, donde esperaba juicio por cargos de tráfico sexual.

Ghislaine Maxwell, exnovia y estrecha colaboradora de Epstein, cumple una condena de 20 años de prisión tras su condena en 2021 por cargos de tráfico sexual en Nueva York. Según testigos en el juicio, ella y Epstein abusaron sexualmente de mujeres en la hacienda de Nuevo México.

Epstein compró el terreno en Stanley, Nuevo México, una comunidad ganadera escasamente poblada a unos 48 kilómetros (30 millas) al sur de Santa Fe, en 1993. Construyó una mansión de 2.480 metros cuadrados (26.700 pies cuadrados) con un amplio patio, una sala de estar y una pista de aterrizaje privada y un helipuerto.

Epstein nunca enfrentó cargos en Nuevo México, aunque la fiscalía del estado confirmó en 2019 que estaba investigando y planeaba remitir sus hallazgos a las autoridades federales en Nueva York. Héctor Balderas, quien era fiscal general en ese momento, dijo que las leyes anticuadas del estado no lograban proteger a los niños del abuso.

Torrez reabrió la investigación del estado este año. En agosto, demandó al Departamento de Justicia, acusándolo de bloquear investigaciones del estado en la hacienda. La demanda indicó que los fiscales estatales enfrentaron una “resistencia sostenida” al tipo de intercambio de información común entre investigadores estatales y federales. El Departamento de Justicia dijo que no estaba divulgando información para evitar identificar a las víctimas.

También en agosto, una comisión establecida por legisladores estatales para investigar las acusaciones y si las autoridades locales hicieron la vista gorda publicó un informe de 119 páginas que determinó que las autoridades aplazaron repetidamente a las investigaciones en Nueva York, Palm Beach, Florida, y las Islas Vírgenes, mientras dejaban los delitos de Epstein en Nuevo México sin examinar y sin castigo.

La propiedad fue vendida por el patrimonio de Epstein en 2023 —con los ingresos destinados a acreedores— a la familia de Don Huffines, un republicano recientemente nombrado contralor estatal de Texas.

_________________________________

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

Justin Buxton, de 46 años, fue arrestado por los cargos de incendio provocado en primer grado y tres cargos de intento de asesinato, según un reporte de arresto de la Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.

Los agentes indicaron que el incidente ocurrió el 28 de junio en una casa de la cuadra 4100 de Northwest 24th Avenue, adonde acudieron inicialmente alrededor de las 7:54 a.m. tras reportes de un hombre que hacía amenazas con un cuchillo.

Según los investigadores, Buxton había discutido con otro inquilino, Eduardo Hernandez, y presuntamente lo amenazó con cortarle el cuello.

La dueña de la propiedad, Cristina Rubio, les dijo a los investigadores que intentó hablar con Buxton sobre el enfrentamiento, pero él se enojó, empezó a gritar y le cerró la puerta de su cuarto en la cara.

Rubio llamó a la policía.

Al llegar, los agentes detuvieron a Buxton dentro de la casa, según el reporte. Mientras lo esposaban, él les dijo que se había quedado dormido en su cama con un cigarrillo, indicaron las autoridades en el reporte.

Los agentes dijeron que entonces notaron que salía humo por debajo de la puerta de su cuarto.

Según el reporte, las imágenes de las cámaras corporales muestran el colchón de la parte de abajo de una litera en llamas, con fuego visible a lo largo del borde y por debajo.

Los agentes alertaron de inmediato a los demás ocupantes, evacuaron la vivienda y pidieron la ayuda de los bomberos, informaron las autoridades.

En un principio, Buxton quedó en libertad tras la respuesta de los agentes.

Al día siguiente, un investigador de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue se comunicó con la oficina del sheriff sobre el incendio del colchón, lo que llevó a examinar con más detalle las circunstancias.

Los investigadores regresaron a la casa y entrevistaron a testigos, entre ellos Rubio, quien dijo que tenía una vista clara del colchón de Buxton mientras hablaba con él poco antes de que llegaran los agentes.

De acuerdo con el reporte de arresto, Rubio no vio ninguna señal de fuego antes de que Buxton cerrara la puerta de su cuarto.

Los investigadores calcularon que solo pasaron unos cinco minutos entre esa conversación y la llegada de los agentes.

Según las autoridades, esa cronología puso en duda la versión de Buxton de que se había quedado dormido mientras fumaba.

El colchón quemado había sido desechado al otro lado de la calle, cerca de Northwest 41st Street y Northwest 24th Avenue, indicaron las autoridades.

Un investigador de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue examinó el colchón y documentó varios patrones de quemadura separados.

Según el reporte, los investigadores determinaron que se aplicó una llama directa en tres zonas distintas del colchón.

Las marcas de quemadura estaban separadas por varias pulgadas y no pudieron haber sido causadas por un solo cigarrillo encendido, según los investigadores.

Con base en esos hallazgos, las autoridades clasificaron el incendio como provocado.

Los investigadores también señalaron que había unas cuatro o cinco personas dentro de la casa cuando Buxton se dio cuenta del fuego.

De acuerdo con el reporte, Buxton no intentó advertir a nadie dentro de la vivienda.

Fue detenido el martes, después de que un agente de la policía de Homestead lo parara cerca de Northeast Eighth Street y South Dixie Highway por presuntamente no detenerse en un semáforo.

Una revisión rutinaria de antecedentes reveló un aviso de causa probable pendiente relacionado con la investigación del incendio, informaron las autoridades.

Buxton fue detenido y luego entrevistado por un investigador de la Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.

Tras renunciar a sus derechos Miranda, Buxton reconoció que había estado bebiendo y que había discutido con otro inquilino y con la dueña de la propiedad el día del incendio, según las autoridades.

Sostuvo que recordaba haberse quedado dormido con un cigarrillo en la mano y haberse despertado con las sábanas en llamas, de acuerdo con el reporte.

Cuando los investigadores lo cuestionaron sobre la evidencia, Buxton se negó a continuar la entrevista y pidió un abogado, indica el reporte.

Posteriormente fue arrestado por un cargo de incendio provocado en primer grado y tres cargos de intento de asesinato.

Hasta la tarde del miércoles, Buxton permanecía en el Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center sin derecho a fianza.

The two stars' decisions made their teams among frontrunners to cut down the nets next spring and earned them preseason All-America honors from The Associated Press.

Fears received 57 votes from a 58-person media panel on the team released Wednesday and Haugh earned 56. Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner (43 votes), Illinois forward David Mirkovic (24) and Arizona big man Motiejus Krivas (17) rounded out the team.

Fears had a superb second season as Michigan State's starting point guard, averaging 15.2 points and a nation-leading 9.4 points on a team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. The 6-foot-2 guard from Joliet, Illinois, initially declared for the NBA draft before withdrawing.

Fears' return and a loaded roster earned the Spartans a No. 6 ranking in the preseason Top 25 poll. He was a second-team All-American last season.

“I think we have the pieces” Fears said. “We've kind of got a lot of everything and my job is to get them the ball.”

Haugh played a key role in Florida's run to the 2025 national title and was the Gators' leading scorer last year at 17.1 points per game, earning third team AP All=America honors.

The 6-9 forward from New Oxford, Pennsylvania, postponed his chances of becoming an NBA lottery pick to remain in school with his two brothers and chase another national title with close friend Alex Condon. With a core of Haugh, Condon, Rueben Chinyelu and Denzel Aberdeen — all members of that championship team — Florida was the runaway choice as No. 1 in the AP preseason poll.

“It’s national championship or bust for this team,” Haugh said. “But we’re mature enough. We have a really old group now, so I think we’re going to be really comfortable coming in this season.”

Tanner was one of the nation's best guards last season, earning third-team AP All-America honors after becoming the only player in the nation to average 19 points (19.5), 5.0 assists (5.1) and 2.0 steals (2.1) for the season.The 6-foot guard from Brentwood, Tennessee, also tested the NBA waters before opting to return, helping Vandy earn its first preseason ranking since 2015 at No. 24.

“There’s not a more valuable player in the country,” Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington said. “Just everything that he can do on the court, off the court, what he means to me, what he means to Vanderbilt. I’m glad we got year three with him.”

Mirkovic had a strong first season after moving over from SC Derby of the European ABA League, averaging 13.3 points, a team-high 8.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists on a team that reached the Final Four for the first time since 2005. The 6-9 forward from Niksic, Montenegro, will likely be eased into the season after offseason foot surgery, but his return with twin brothers Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic earned the Illini a No. 3 ranking the AP preseason poll, highest since they were No. 3 in 2001.

“He’s got great charisma and great sense of humor, when you get to know him, you find out how intelligent he is, an unbelievable quick wit to him,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. "Then you step across the line and he’s that guy that just wants to rip your throat out and compete. I’m excited for the world to get to know him.”

Krivas was a dominant force inside during Arizona's first Final Four run in 25 years last season.

The 7-2 Lithuanian averaged 10.4 points and a team-leading 8.2 rebounds a year ago. He had an even bigger influence on defense, finishing 17th nationally with 73 blocked shots while teams shot 36.7% while he was on the floor, lowest in the country, according the CBB Analytics.

Krivas was projected as a late first-round pick in this year's NBA draft, but opted to remain in Tucson to continue rounding out his game and hopefully lead the Wildcats back to the Final Four.

“He’s got more experience now and he’s had more success, which comes with more confidence," Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. "This team needs that out of him. We’re going to need him to be a double-double type of guy on a nightly basis.”

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El hombre fue identificado como Michael Polanco, de 32 años.

Según la policía, intentó raptar a la niña en una gasolinera Shell ubicada en el 2840 S. State Road 7.

Local 10 News obtuvo las imágenes de las cámaras de seguridad que muestran el intento de secuestro.

De acuerdo con un reporte de arresto, un testigo les dijo a los agentes que vio a Polanco agarrar a la niña por el cuello e intentar llevársela caminando.

Las autoridades indicaron que, en un principio, Polanco huyó de la gasolinera, pero los agentes lograron localizarlo y detenerlo. Luego, tanto la víctima como el testigo lo identificaron positivamente como el hombre que intentó raptar a la adolescente.

Polanco fue arrestado y trasladado a la Broward County Main Jail por los cargos de agresión con lesiones corporales y secuestro con lesiones corporales o para aterrorizar a la víctima. Tras comparecer ante un juez el martes, se ordenó que permanezca detenido sin derecho a fianza.

Según la policía, Polanco tiene un extenso historial delictivo que incluye robo, robo en propiedad ajena, agresión y exhibicionismo, entre otros delitos.

El hombre fue identificado como Michael Polanco, de 32 años.

Según la policía, intentó raptar a la niña en una gasolinera Shell ubicada en el 2840 S. State Road 7.

Local 10 News obtuvo las imágenes de las cámaras de seguridad que muestran el intento de secuestro.

De acuerdo con un reporte de arresto, un testigo les dijo a los agentes que vio a Polanco agarrar a la niña por el cuello e intentar llevársela caminando.

Las autoridades indicaron que, en un principio, Polanco huyó de la gasolinera, pero los agentes lograron localizarlo y detenerlo. Luego, tanto la víctima como el testigo lo identificaron positivamente como el hombre que intentó raptar a la adolescente.

Polanco fue arrestado y trasladado a la Broward County Main Jail por los cargos de agresión con lesiones corporales y secuestro con lesiones corporales o para aterrorizar a la víctima. Tras comparecer ante un juez el martes, se ordenó que permanezca detenido sin derecho a fianza.

Según la policía, Polanco tiene un extenso historial delictivo que incluye robo, robo en propiedad ajena, agresión y exhibicionismo, entre otros delitos.

The biggest thing they had in common was being anti-communist. That’s what the Republican ticket was banking on to sway voters its way.

“They’re socialists. They’re communists,” Congressman Carlos Gimenez said of Democrats.

Croquettes were served up with a side of anti-communism campaigning.

Miami-Dade Republicans spoke to supporters at the well-known Cuban spot Islas Canarias Restaurant.

They included State Rep. Juan Carlos Porras, Gimenez and Donalds’ running mate, former State Sen. Bryan Avila.

“We’re trying to get into every community, city, business,” Avila said.

All stayed on a pretty similar message.

They said their opponents — Democrats David Jolly and his lieutenant governor pick, Gwen Graham — were heading toward socialism and communism.

Both Graham and Jolly have denounced socialism.

Still, the Republican ticket was pushing that message and trying to appeal to Hispanic voters in South Florida, specifically Cubans.

“Since I came on the campaign, I can tell you we’ve driven over 10,000 miles, visited over 55 cities. The energy now, just in Miami-Dade, not just Orlando, Tampa, in a lot of areas where Hispanics are, you see a lot of energy. You see a lot of motivation. You’ve seen that momentum continuously build throughout the campaign,” Avila said.

We saw that enthusiasm with the Miami-Dade residents there.

As they signed the “Defending the Florida Dream” bus, they put their support in writing for Donalds and Avila.

“If you take from those who have and give to those who don’t, eventually no one has anything. That’s why we live in this country. We’re proud Americans, but we understand what it means to lose everything. And we don’t want this to happen in this great state and in the country,” voter Mavel Rodriguez-Cibral said. “DeSantis already put everything in place, and we need someone to follow in his footsteps and go be a Republican.”

This was the first of four stops for the Donalds campaign Wednesday, with Avila on all of them.

They started in southwest Miami-Dade, then headed up to Broward and eventually Hendry and DeSoto counties.

The lawsuit seeks to stop attorney Darren Indyke and accountant Richard Kahn from accepting any payments from Epstein's estate, estimated at more than $100 million.

Indyke worked as Epstein’s attorney for roughly two decades. Both he and Kahn have testified in Congress that they did not know about Epstein’s abuse, though New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has a different view.

“None of this could be done by just one man,” Torrez said. “This was something that was facilitated, that was made possible by handlers, by lawyers, by accountants, by others who have yet to face real consequences.”

He said Indyke and Kahn “stand to benefit substantially” from Epstein's estate unless a court intervenes.

“Those resources rightfully belong in the hands of survivors,” Torrez said, referring to victims of Epstein’s abuse.

Phone and email messages seeking comment from attorneys for Indyke and Kahn were not immediately returned Wednesday. The U.S. Justice Department did not immediately return an email seeking comment on any federal investigation of the pair in New Mexico.

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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

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Epstein killed himself in August 2019 in a federal jail in New York City, where he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

His former girlfriend and close associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, is serving a 20-year prison sentence after her 2021 conviction on sex trafficking charges in New York. Witness testimony at Maxwell’s trial alleged she and Epstein had sexually abused women at the New Mexico ranch.

Epstein purchased the Zorro Ranch in Stanley, a sparsely populated ranching community about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Santa Fe, in 1993. He built a 26,700-square-foot mansion with a sprawling courtyard, a living room roughly the size of the average American home, and a private airstrip and helipad.

Epstein never faced charges in New Mexico, though the state attorney general's office in 2019 confirmed that it was investigating and planned to forward its findings to federal authorities in New York. Hector Balderas, who was attorney general at the time, said the state’s outdated laws failed to protect children from abuse.

Torrez reopened the state’s investigation this year. In August, he sued the Justice Department, accusing it of blocking the state from investigating alleged sex crimes at the ranch. The government said it was not releasing some information to the state to avoid disclosing victim-identifying information.

Also in August, a commission established by state lawmakers to investigate whether local authorities looked the other way, released a 119-page report that found that authorities repeatedly deferred to investigations in New York, Palm Beach, Florida, and the Virgin Islands, while leaving Epstein’s offenses in New Mexico unexamined and unpunished.

The ranch was sold by Epstein’s estate in 2023 to the family of Don Huffines, a Republican who is the Texas state comptroller. The money was set aside for creditors.

Probate proceedings related to Epstein’s will and assets are being handled in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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White contributed from Detroit.

Collins is trying to fend off a challenge from Democrat Troy Jackson, a onetime state Senate president, and on Wednesday she made appearances with Joe Manchin, a West Virginian who became an independent late in his career before retiring.

After stopping for breakfast at Simones' Hot Dog Stand in Lewiston, Collins spoke of how she and Manchin were “part of every piece of bipartisan legislation that passed and became law” during their time together in office.

Manchin said to lose Collins would be “to lose the soul of the Senate.” He praised her independent streak, her willingness to buck Republican President Donald Trump and her record of fighting for Maine's interests.

“This is a true blue-blooded Maine person who knows exactly where she came from,” Manchin said.

They planned a stop later a New Balance shoe facility in Norway. Jackson, 58, is scheduled to campaign Thursday in Portland with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive congresswoman from New York.

Collins, 73, is in what may be her toughest reelection fight as she seeks her sixth term.

It's only the second time that she's sought reelection in a midterm with a sitting Republican president, and the national trends are much less favorable to the GOP than they were the last time she did so, in 2002. Trump's approval has fallen well below where it was when he took office last year, and a recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that a strong majority of voters want change in Washington.

‘We need more people like Susan Collins’

Collins has been working to persuade voters that she is independent of Trump and willing to break with him. In Manchin, she enlisted a politician who was one of the most moderate voices in the Senate. Manchin said in 2023 that Trump would “ destroy democracy in America” if he was elected to a second term.

Among the few dozen Collins supporters at the Lewiston event was Mike Marcotte.

“I may not have always been a fan of her complete package of votes, but when I look at the vitriol that's in the U.S. Senate right now, we need more people like Susan Collins,” he said.

Jackson got a late start on campaigning after the party's initial nominee existed the race, but trails Collins in the money race by less than $3 million after an aggressive quarter in which he raised more than $20 million. Jackson has campaigned relentlessly and his events have drawn hundreds. Collins has largely stuck to smaller appearances.

Some of Jackson's backers demonstrated across the street from the hot dog stand. A few held signs bearing the face of Brett Kavanaugh, the U.S. Supreme Court justice whom Collins voted to confirm and whose vote eventually helped overturn the constitutional right to abortion.

“Someone needs to stand up and be a check on Donald Trump and his harmful policies,” said David Sysko.

Collins' loyalty to Trump has been a central focus of the race

Collins has broken with Trump and Republicans over the years. She voted to convict him at his impeachment trial in 2021. Increasingly during the campaign, she has worked to distance herself from the president as Democrats argue that she is too close to him.

Collins said in early October that she is “not exactly his favorite senator,” and that she did not expect Trump to campaign in Maine. He has steered clear of the state with the Nov. 3 election nearing.

Pinning Collins to Trump is central to the Democrats’ strategy. In one ad, a nurse says the state is in a healthcare crisis “because of Susan Collins and Donald Trump,” citing Collins’ vote for Trump’s push for Medicaid cuts. Collins did vote to advance the bill, but ultimately voted against it.

Trump also was a major focus of four contentious debates between the candidates this month, where Collins sought to distance herself from the president and Jackson repeatedly accused her of doing Trump's bidding.

Asked at the final debate to name a time in which she bucked her own party and succeeded, Collins gave the example of rallying support against Trump's nomination of Pete Hegseth, who was confirmed as defense secretary.

Democrats seized on the moment and released a statement that said the exchange “underscores a central question in the Maine Senate race: Does Collins, a Republican in a state that disapproves of President Donald Trump and has grown bluer in recent years, stand up to her party enough to earn the independent streak she has staked her career on?”

Jackson has characterized Collins as out of touch with the struggles of working-class people in Maine. He has described Collins as a “rubber stamp” for the president and criticized her votes on Kavanaugh and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's second-term health secretary. Collins has said she does not regret either vote.

Republicans have cast Jackson as a bully

Republican ads against Jackson, a logger from northern Maine, have focused more on accusations of his having a volatile personality and behaving like a bully with female colleagues. Jackson has denied those accusations.

Collins distanced herself on Wednesday from a Republican super PAC attack ad that she said “should be taken down.”

The senator was a top target of Democrats in 2020 when she defeated challenger Sara Gideon by nearly 9 percentage points. Collins is the only Republican senator from New England, a distinction she has had since January 2013.

Mirroring NATO’s Article 5, the so-called Mecca Joint Defense Agreement commits the sides to view an armed attack against one as an attack on all three.

While Turkey says that it's considering sending military support to Saudi Arabia, officials have cautioned that the pact is defensive in nature and that no Turkish troops will be deployed to fight in Yemen or attack the Houthis.

Turkish and Pakistani officials have also insisted that the pact isn't against Iran or any other country, but haven't said how they would react if attacked by Iran.

Regional countries take responsibility for their security

The agreement was signed in the Saudi holy city of Mecca in August by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with the aim of increasing cooperation and deterrence among the three regional heavyweights at a time of increased uncertainty amid the Iran war.

It brings together oil-rich Saudi Arabia and nuclear power Pakistan as well as Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest army and a rapidly growing defense industry. It enables the three to take greater charge for their own security at a time of reduced U.S. involvement.

For Pakistan, the Mecca Agreement builds on existing military ties with Riyadh. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a separate mutual defense agreement in September 2025.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has repeatedly said that the Mecca agreement doesn't replace existing agreements and is open to other countries willing to uphold its principles and resolve differences peacefully.

Nature of assistance planned is still unknown

During an emergency meeting in Riyadh earlier this month, the three countries agreed to immediately implement what they said were their collective defense commitments, including arrangements for the rapid deployment of agreed upon military forces and capabilities to Saudi Arabia. They didn't elaborate.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said that Turkey and Pakistan were assessing possible air defense, electronic warfare and technical assistance for Saudi Arabia.

“What type of assistance can be provided, especially in areas such as air defense and electronic warfare, what technical support can be offered? Work on these issues is ongoing,” he said.

“Turkey will not be sending troops into another country’s territory to carry out an attack. It is a defense agreement,” Fidan said, addressing concerns raised by opposition parties that Turkey would be drawn into the conflict in Yemen.

Authorities in Pakistan have declined to disclose deployment details, citing operational confidentiality. Officials say, however, that Pakistan's role would be strictly defensive. The Pakistani Information Ministry recently dismissed as “speculative” news reports that said Pakistan had already deployed between 30,000 and 40,000 troops to Saudi Arabia.

Comment from Saudi Arabia on the pact since the Houthi attacks has been limited. In a post on X following a visit by Pakistan's army chief, Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman said: “We affirmed our commitment to continuing joint efforts to confront these attacks in accordance with the Mecca Agreement for Joint Defense.”

10-year commitment to the pact

Little was known about the content of the pact until Turkey’s government submitted it to parliament for approval on Tuesday.

The 16-article agreement, published by Turkish state broadcaster TRT on its website, states that the countries would defend each other militarily in case of external aggression in line with the U.N. Charter’s right of self-defense.

The agreement also paves the way for military cooperation, including joint training programs, exercises and personnel exchanges. It allows cooperation in the defense industry, including joint weapons production and technology transfers as well as intelligence sharing.

A surprise clause states that the parties wouldn't be able to withdraw from the pact for 10 years, after which they would need to provide a three-month notice to leave.

A parliamentary committee is expected to review the agreement in the coming days before it reaches the Turkish parliament’s general assembly for ratification. Separately, Turkey’s parliament would have to authorize any deployment of Turkish military personnel.

Pakistan's potential contributions

Pakistan hasn't sought parliamentary endorsement of the Mecca agreement, but officials say the government and other national institutions support it. They say Islamabad would provide whatever military assistance Saudi Arabia needs to defend the kingdom and Islam’s holiest sites.

Pakistan’s military has more than two decades of experience fighting militant groups, which analysts say could help it bolster Saudi defenses.

The agreement builds on decades of Pakistani military service in Saudi Arabia. An unspecified number of Pakistani troops have been stationed in Saudi Arabia since the early 1980s to train and advise Saudi forces.

Pact to be led by retired Pakistani general

Even before the ratification process has been completed, the three countries established and convened a meeting of the so-called Strategic Political and Defense Committee composed of the foreign ministers, defense ministers and chiefs of staff.

The committee is expected to meet twice a year.

The pact’s secretariat will be based in Saudi Arabia, and retired Pakistani Gen. Nauman Mahmood has been selected as its first secretary-general. He will serve a three-year term.

___

Munir Ahmed reported from Islamabad.

Goodell said in his news conference at the end of the NFL’s annual fall meeting that Dr. Allen Sills, the league's chief medical officer, has gone through the steps that were followed and added that the union had a right to call for a review.

“Obviously, there was a medical evaluation, and I think our protocols were incredibly good there,” Goodell said. “The protocols were followed. Our process is to make sure that’s the case, and our chief medical officer has gone through that, so we’re comfortable that what we’ve seen in the protocols have happened.”

Sills on Tuesday offered a passionate defense of the Eagles medical staff. The NFL said officials were in touch with team doctors and trainers, as well as the Cleveland Clinic in London.

League executive vice president Jeff Miller said officials had a good sense of the course of events. He disputed a report that Hurts was awake for more than 30 hours before playing against Jacksonville on Oct. 11, saying that the QB returned to the hotel and slept for roughly seven or eight hours.

Hurts is on injured reserve and expected to miss the rest of the season after a blood clot in his left calf traveled to his lungs. The Eagles and agent Nicole Lynn said Monday that Hurts has deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary embolisms.

Goodell downplayed the role that international travel may have had in the situation.

“The most important thing here is Jalen’s health, ultimately, and the future of him,” Goodell said. “He’s a wonderful young man: not just a great player, but he’s someone we all care deeply about. I’m more worried about his health, ultimately, but the protocols were followed.”

Sills said Tuesday the decision to allow someone with a blood clot to fly depends on several variables, including the location, a patient's history and more.

“What I can tell you is expert people getting a lot of opinions,” Sills said. "This isn’t just one doctor saying yay or nay. You’re going to poll a panel of experts both within the team and outside the team to get the best judgment and experience with a particular condition.”

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

The fire, shortly before 11:50 a.m., was at the 5600 block of Sheridan Street, according to Hollywood Fire Rescue.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The incident was the latest in an annual olive harvest that has been marked by violence between Israeli settlers and Palestinian villagers attempting to gather their crops.

The Israeli military said the farmers and volunteers had failed to seek prior approval for the harvest and were detained “due to the security risk posed by conducting an uncoordinated harvest near an Israeli community.” It later added that it viewed “the arrival of dozens of activists as an act intended solely to provoke, which undermines the harvesting process.”

Lander is running in the U.S. elections on Nov. 3 to represent a heavily Democratic New York district in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“The occupation is a crime under international law," Lander wrote on social media after he was detained. “Harvesting olives isn’t a crime under any law I know.”

“These detentions by the IDF are one more attempt to undermine Palestinians’ right to harvest their olive groves, travel on their roads, and live in their homes,” he added in a post after his release.

This year, Palestinians have been required to coordinate with the Israeli military to access more of their privately owned farmland than in previous years. The anti-settlement group Peace Now said last week that the army had expanded by nearly 30% the area of farmland that Palestinians cannot enter without prior approval, to 34 square miles (88 square kilometers). The Israeli military declined to comment on the exact figures but said Palestinian farmers must coordinate access to areas under Israeli security control.

The detained volunteers were taken to a police facility. Lander was among them but “released after it became known that he was a congressional candidate," the Israeli police said in a statement.

Israeli rights group Yesh Din and the Palestinian Farmers’ Union have said the 2026 harvest has been the most violent in recent history, with hundreds of reported thefts, clashes and arson attacks.

Much of the violence has unfolded on land outside Palestinian villages, where Palestinians have historically harvested olives and Israeli settlers have increasingly erected outposts without authorization from Israel’s government.

But there were no clashes before Israeli forces arrived Wednesday, according to Beck Strober, a spokesperson for Protect the Harvest, the advocacy group that organized the volunteers at the grove.

Jill Jacobs, one of a dozen American rabbis detained, condemned the Israeli government restricting the ability of Palestinians to harvest freely.

“The Israeli government is actively advancing the forced displacement of Palestinian communities across the West Bank, using its military to deny Palestinians access to their land and intimidate those who stand alongside them,” Jacobs, chief executive of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, said in a statement.

Lander, who was endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, defeated U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman in a primary for New York’s 10th congressional district. The race was viewed as a referendum on the Democratic party's support for Israel. Both candidates are Jewish and have criticized Israel, but only Lander called the war in Gaza a genocide.

Lander was not the first U.S. politician detained in the West Bank this year. U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, said Israeli forces detained him during a visit in July.

Locksley was seven games into his eighth season at the helm. He led the Terps to three straight bowl victories — a first for the program — from 2021-23, but since then Maryland is 10-21 in two-plus seasons. Locksley already was under pressure to reverse that decline. Then he dropped back-to-back home games to teams with first-year coaches — Virginia Tech and UCLA — before falling to Nebraska and Ohio State on the road.

On Saturday, Maryland hosted the Scarlet Knights for homecoming — with plenty of empty seats — and blew a 10-point halftime lead in a 37-30 loss. It was Rutgers' first win of the season over an Football Bowl Subdivision team.

Maryland, which has an open date this week, announced Wednesday on X that the school and Locksley “mutually agreed to part ways.”

Locksley went 38-49 during this stint at Maryland and just 16-47 in Big Ten play. The Terps had a 20-game winning streak against nonconference opponents snapped when they lost to Virginia Tech.

Maryland hired Locksley in December 2018, about a month after coach DJ Durkin was fired in the aftermath of offensive lineman Jordan McNair's death of heatstroke in an offseason workout.

In his second game, Locksley’s Terps beat a ranked Syracuse team 63-20. Then they finished 3-9. That’s been the pattern for Maryland – showing promise early in the season but falling flat against Big Ten opposition.

Locksley, who was Alabama’s offensive coordinator before coming to Maryland, began turning the Terps around after quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa made the same move from the Crimson Tide to the Terrapins. Tagovailoa put up big passing numbers, and Maryland had three straight winning seasons.

The Terps never did much to threaten the really elite teams in the league, though, and once Tagovailoa’s stint was done, Maryland went 1-8 in league play in back-to-back seasons.

Locksley, who is from the District of Columbia area, was able to land local quarterback Malik Washington, who showed plenty of promise as a freshman last season. But that didn’t translate to many wins, and the team’s lack of progress early this season means another coach will work with Washington at Maryland — if the Terps can keep him.

Locksley’s replacement will be the first major hire for athletic director Jim Smith, who took over last year.

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Mayor Jackie Espinosa, who was elected in 2024, faced charges of grand theft and organized scheme to defraud, according to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.

Blaise Ingoglia, Florida’s chief financial officer, also announced that the Florida Department of Financial Services Criminal Investigations Division found evidence that Espinosa had “abused her office for personal gain.”

The case follows an ethics complaint and an investigation into Espinosa’s alleged misuse of pandemic relief funds.

In July, a court-appointed special prosecutor found probable cause to file articles of impeachment and recommended that the city refer the case to law enforcement and state agencies.

“Public office is a trust, not a trough. The BOOST 2.0 program was created to help Kissimmee’s small businesses survive a pandemic, not to enrich the official who controlled it,” Mayanne Downs, the court-appointed special prosecutor, wrote in her conclusion. “No warning should have been necessary; the oath of office is warning enough. The people of Kissimmee are entitled to a full and public accounting of where their money went and the return of those monies.”

In August, Kissimmee commissioners voted 2-2 on efforts to impeach Espinosa, whose term runs through 2028.

In September, the Florida Commission on Ethics censured Espinosa after finding probable cause that Espinosa had a “relationship with an entity doing business with her agency when her business accepted grant money that was administered by her agency.”

Uthmeier, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Keefe, and Ingoglia plan a news conference at 2 p.m. in Orlando to release details about the case.

This is a developing story.

Related social media posts

This morning, we arrested Kissimmee mayor Jackie Espinosa and are charging her with Grand Theft and Organized Scheme to Defraud.

We will be holding a press conference at 2pm at our Orlando office with CFO Ingoglia and FDLE Commissioner Keefe to provide more information.

— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) October 21, 2026

Incredible work by everyone involved! Commissioner Keefe will provide an update on the case during the press conference today. https://t.co/HPbUjRlwgc

— Florida Department of Law Enforcement (@fdlepio) October 21, 2026

This morning my team, along with @fdlepio, arrested the Mayor of Kissimmee for abusing her office for personal gain.

I am proud of the outstanding work that my auditing team and Criminal Investigations Division did to uncover the alleged misuse of taxpayer dollars and to ensure… pic.twitter.com/lCVQm1NOcC

— Blaise Ingoglia (@GovGoneWild) October 21, 2026

Authorities said that while responding to calls about the shooting on the New Jersey-bound side of the bridge's upper level just after 7 p.m. Tuesday, they found the man unconscious with a gunshot wound in the driver's seat of a vehicle.

The man, identified as Koran Irvine of Valley Cottage, New York, was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. No arrests have been made, and authorities haven't given a possible motive for the shooting.

The victim worked for Con Edison, the utility said in a statement, calling the shooting a “senseless act of violence."

“Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, colleagues, and everyone who knew and loved him,” the company said.

Closed lanes reopened about five hours after the shooting, said the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the bridge.

Opened to traffic in 1931, the iconic, double-decked bridge spans high over the Hudson River, carrying around 100 million vehicles between New Jersey and Manhattan each year, according to the Port Authority, which calls it the world's busiest. The bridge and its entrances are teeming with cameras.

Its entrances can be difficult to navigate, as drivers often veer across packed lanes, causing heavy traffic even under normal circumstances.

“We’re seeing strong cloud cover over here,” the pilot says, pointing to a map on the dashboard as he banks the small plane sharply into a patch of dark gray.

Behind him, a technician cranks the knob of a large metal tank, which hisses as it sprays yellow silver iodide particles into the skies. This “cloud seeding” is a gamble by the Honduran government, aiming to induce enough rain over enough fields to help farmers and their crops survive.

The El Niño climate pattern, scrambling weather worldwide and now exacerbated by warming seas, has devastated communities across the Central American Dry Corridor, an arid region from southern Mexico through Panama.

The effects are particularly acute in the dry forests of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua, where corn and bean crops have dried up, leaving subsistence farmers without food. Cattle have either died or been sold off. Coffee plantations have withered and shrimp farms have lost production.

“Families are going to bed with one or two meals a day, and that’s after turning to other survival strategies like selling off their animals, their tools … just to get by,” said Aníbal Zúñiga, who coordinates World Food Program aid distribution in Nueva Concepcion, a 250-person village tucked in the mountains 90 minutes north of Honduras’ capital, Tegucigalpa.

The WFP estimates that nearly 50 million people globally could be pushed into acute food insecurity now that El Niño is expected to last into 2027. Central America is among the places to be hit the hardest.

Meteorologist says cloud seeding is an expensive ‘experiment’

In Honduras, where one in five people already face some level of food insecurity in a normal year, the government has paid a Mexican company $750,000 for 20 flights to trigger rainfall. Meteorologists have routinely cast doubt on cloud seeding, saying weather modification is no solution to long-term drought. Some religious rural farmers see it as trying to play God with the weather.

“This is an experiment,” said Nabil Kawas, a meteorologist and former dean of sciences at the National Autonomous University of Honduras. “Now if you ask me whether I would have taken that $750,000 and invested it in an irrigation project or water reservoir … it would likely have a greater benefit to poor farmers who use the water for their crops.”

José Francisco Ordóñez, a spokesman for the Honduran Secretary of Agriculture, defends the flights as one of a number of climate mitigation projects being carried out by the government and international aid groups. Others include fortifying existing irrigation systems, building water reservoirs, and distributing food aid, fertilizer and seeds to farmers hit the hardest.

Ordóñez said the cloud seeding program has taken advantage of recent clouds and rainfall briefly breaking up the painfully dry season to make the most of the water before the drought stretches on.

He said the flights have boosted rainfall between 20% and 60% in key areas, compared to projected rainfall, and they hope to extend it. Kawas said a previous cloud seeding program in Honduras during comparable droughts boosted rain by less than 10%.

Subsistence farmers say they need wells to adapt

Carlos Alberto Hernández spends most of his days wondering if he and his wife will go hungry.

They have long lived off their small patch of bean crops in Nueva Concepcion, and like most people in the Dry Corridor, the 81-year-old farmer has never been able to afford an irrigation system, so they depend on the skies to yield their two yearly harvests.

As Honduran authorities issued a series of drought alerts this summer, he watched his first crop of the year die.

“We can’t afford to buy food. What we grow, that’s what we live off,” Hernández said. “Without water, we’re left with nothing.”

Ordóñez estimated that farmers like Hernández have lost 80% to 90% of their crops during this year’s drought.

Hernández, who joined hundreds at the WFP site, said he’s spent many nights with an empty stomach, preferring to save what food he had for the next day. Thursday’s food shipment, funded by WFP and coordinated with Honduras’ government, was the first such aid the community had received.

But Hernández dismissed the cloud seeding, saying what he and his neighbors need is help digging wells, so they can survive with or without the rain.

The drought’s effects are felt across Central America

In an attempt to fend off a deeper crisis, Salvadoran authorities declared a six-month state of emergency. Guatemala approved emergency measures to mitigate hunger in poorer indigenous communities, including importing staple grains without tariffs.

As for Nicaragua, where the government tightly controls information, the exiled opposition has criticized the lack of an emergency declaration or contingency plan. Nicaragua’s government did not respond to a request for comment.

The recent rainfall, which was expected before the cloud seeding began, has given farmers some hope. Hernández has planted bean seedlings. If more rain falls, they could provide him with steady food by December.

But the World Meteorological Organization now projects that El Niño will persist until February, and the U.S. National Weather Service predicted it will strengthen and likely break records. For the Dry Corridor, this likely means what little rain they usually get will fall elsewhere, feeding everything from floods to hurricanes in other regions.

In Nueva Concepcion, another crop failure would be a second blow in a year when families already sold whatever they could to buy food, and have few resources to recover, Zúñiga said.

Hernández keeps a close watch on his small patch of bean sprouts, peeking out from soil that had been cracked and dry.

“You go to bed at night, and you wake up in the morning praying to God that he sends water,” Hernández said.

——

Moises Castillo in Nueva Concepcion, Marlon González in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Sonia Pérez D. in Guatemala City, and Marcos Alemán in San Salvador contributed to this report.

___

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple 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.

The decision leaves in place a lower-court block on the policy. It was adopted after an executive order from President Donald Trump, a Republican who has taken several steps to roll back transgender rights during his second term.

The brief order did not detail its legal reasoning. Justice Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas would have allowed the policy to be enforced as the lawsuit played out in lower courts.

The Supreme Court has previously allowed other policies for transgender people to move ahead for now, including restrictions on military service and passport sex markers.

Trump's order called on the Bureau of Prisons to revise its medical care policies so that federal funds aren’t spent “for the purpose of conforming an inmate’s appearance to that of the opposite sex.”

The new policy would halt surgeries, taper off hormones and end social accommodations like makeup and wigs. Prisons would continue to offer mental health services.

Attorneys for transgender inmates challenged the policy in court and U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ordered treatments to continue. Lamberth, who was nominated to the bench by Republican President Ronald Reagan, pointed out that untreated gender dysphoria can cause severe side effects like depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

The Trump administration appealed, arguing that treatments raised security concerns and “could no longer be justified.” A divided appeals court panel left the order in place.

About 600 inmates were receiving hormone therapy in 2025, the agency said in court records. Withdrawing care would have significant effects on their bodies and mental health, their lawyers said. The government has not detailed evidence of security problems linked to hormone therapy for transgender inmates over the 30 years it has been provided, they wrote.

The conservative-majority Supreme Court has previously upheld state laws banning certain medical treatments for transgender youth, and restricting sports participation by transgender athletes in women’s sports.

According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, deputies with MDSO’s Organized Crime Bureau and Vice & Intelligence Squad were alerted to a property along the 22100 block of Southwest 309th Street, in the county’s rural Redland area, regarding a possible cockfighting location.

While executing a search warrant, deputies discovered “several hundred game fowl roosters, numerous enclosed cockfighting training ring(s), and one large cock fighting arena used for events” as well as “several rooster paraphernalia including vitamins, syringes, medication and rooster agitators,” according to an arrest form.

While searching the property, deputies detained a man identified as Angel Ponce-Maqueda, 29, who was inside an RV which was located next to “multiple individually enclosed game fowl, one training ring and agitator,” official documents stated.

Deputies said Ponce-Maqueda informed them he does not own the birds, but he does care for them, saying he “regularly feeds and provides water for them.”

During their search, deputies also came upon a man identified as Jesus Oliva, 41, who told investigators that he is the owner of the property.

While speaking to deputies, Oliva admitted “he was aware of all the game fowl on the property but insisted no roosters were fought on the property,” instead alleging that “he no longer fights the game fowl but admitted that on the property was a fighting area, training rings and agitators that are no longer in use,” according to an arrest form.

Deputies said Oliva initially claimed ownership of all game fowl on the property, but later recanted his initial statement and said he only owned some of the birds.

According to investigators, “the roosters were also found to be missing feathers, some injured, trimmed combs, and some with natural spurs removed” which they said are “all signs of possible fighting.”

Both men are facing multiple felony animal fighting charges and a felony animal cruelty charge, and Oliva was also charged with willful disregard for the environment and a possession of a firearm by a person under a domestic violence injunction.

As of Wednesday morning, Ponce-Maqueda was behind bars at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $10,000 bond while Oliva is also at TGK on a $15,150 bond for the cockfighting-related charges and with bond listed as “to be set” on the firearm charge.

Richie Gregoire, 21, was charged in a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Gregoire faces one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance resulting in death and another count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

If convicted, he faces up to life in federal prison on the charge involving the child’s death and up to 20 years on the other drug charge.

The federal indictment marks the latest development in a case that began earlier this year when the toddler was found unresponsive at a Miami home.

Toddler died after accidentally ingesting drugs, investigators say

According to authorities, Miami police officers and Miami Fire Rescue personnel responded to a home near Northwest 91st Street and 22nd Avenue around 3:50 a.m. on Jan. 3 after receiving a report of an unresponsive child.

The toddler was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy conducted by the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office revealed fentanyl and a trace amount of cocaine in his blood.

Investigators determined the boy had accidentally consumed drugs left inside an unlocked room at the home.

According to authorities, a Ring surveillance camera captured the moments when the toddler ingested the drugs before becoming unresponsive.

Four children between the ages of 1 and 8 were inside the home at the time. Investigators said three unsecured guns were also present.

The victim’s mother, 29-year-old Pearlandria Boujolly, was previously arrested and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child in connection with her son’s death.

Investigators said Boujolly was not home when the toddler ingested the drugs.

Suspected fentanyl discovered during search

Gregoire was initially arrested May 21 after authorities executed a search warrant at his Miami apartment.

According to his arrest report, investigators discovered approximately 69 grams of suspected fentanyl in his bedroom.

Police said the suspected narcotics were packaged in clear capsules and stored in several locations throughout the room.

Detectives also recovered gloves, boxes of Ziploc bags, drug paraphernalia inside a Nike shoe box and a letter addressed to Gregoire from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

After being advised of his Miranda rights, Gregoire acknowledged knowing that drugs were being stored in the room but denied owning them, according to the report.

He also told investigators he was afraid to identify the person who owned the narcotics.

In September, Local 10 News learned Gregoire was facing an aggravated manslaughter of a child charge in connection with the toddler’s death.

At that time, online jail records showed he had been issued a $50,000 bond on the new charge.

The latest indictment brings federal charges against Gregoire in connection with the child’s fentanyl overdose death.

The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ Miami Field Division and the Miami Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Yara Dodin and Juan Valiente are prosecuting the federal case.

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Known as “El Mas Buscado,” Bandido is returning to the ring with his championship on the line.

The masked luchador has built an international following with his high-flying wrestling style, daring aerial maneuvers and signature mask.

No stranger to major professional wrestling events, Bandido has become known for his athleticism and willingness to take risks inside the ring.

As he prepares for his latest title defense, Bandido continues to draw energy and inspiration from the fans who support him.

The upcoming match will put his championship at stake as AEW Dynamite brings the action to Coral Gables.

The Federal Security Service, or FSB, the successor agency to the Soviet KGB, didn't give the man's name or any other identifying details, and did not say where or when the man was taken into custody.

According to the FSB statement, the man served in Ukraine's military in 2016-18 and later signed a three-year contract in 2025 but then deserted after not getting paid. It alleged he also was involved in hostilities in Afghanistan as part of the German contingent there, as well as in Somalia and Syria.

The man faces criminal charges in Russia of mercenary activities, the FSB said.

The FSB's allegations could not be independently verified.

Kathrin Deschauer, a spokeswoman for the German Foreign Ministry, said Wednesday that the German authorities were aware of the report. She refused further comment, adding only that “our priority is first and foremost to clarify the facts, which we are of course pursuing.”

Last week, the FSB said it detained a Swedish man, who was suspected of sabotage, on charges of illegally crossing the border, and also announced it had arrested a Japanese journalist who was suspected of spying.

In recent years, Russia has arrested a number of foreigners — mainly Americans — on various criminal charges and then released them in prisoner swaps with the U.S. and other Western nations.

The largest exchange since the Cold War took place in August 2024, when Moscow freed journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, fellow American Paul Whelan and Russian dissidents in a multinational deal that set two dozen people free.

More Americans imprisoned in Russia were released after U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, with the latest announcement Wednesday by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff during talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Witkoff thanked Putin for freeing Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old former teacher from Michigan who spent more than four years behind bars in Russia. In 2024, Hubbard was convicted on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine and sentenced to nearly seven years in prison. The U.S. had designated him as wrongfully detained.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin made the decision to release Hubbard out of “humanitarian considerations.”

——

Daniel Niemann in Cologne, Germany, contributed.

Conocido como “El Más Buscado”, Bandido vuelve al ring con su campeonato en juego.

El luchador enmascarado se ha ganado seguidores en todo el mundo gracias a su estilo aéreo, sus atrevidas maniobras acrobáticas y su característica máscara.

Acostumbrado a los grandes eventos de la lucha libre profesional, Bandido se ha destacado por su capacidad atlética y su disposición a arriesgarse dentro del ring.

Mientras se prepara para su próxima defensa del título, Bandido sigue encontrando energía e inspiración en los fanáticos que lo apoyan.

El combate pondrá en juego su campeonato cuando AEW Dynamite lleve la acción a Coral Gables.

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The moment led to a flurry of calls to Monroe County Supervisor of Elections Sherri Hodies.

Hodies said her office is looking into the incident.

Speaking to Local 10, she said they’re trying to figure out if what occurred was a traffic stop that happened to take place outside the polling place, or if this was intentional.

“I’m not happy about it,” said Hodies. “Frankly, I was stunned about it. It’s hard to take these phone calls from voters who are frightened. Their voices are shaking. What is going on?”

Local 10 News has reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection about the incident but have not heard back as of the time of this story’s publication.

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According to an arrest report from the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the incident happened at about 8:20 p.m. inside Terminal 4 near gate G5.

Deputies said the suspect, Michael Ryan Knight, 31, of Westminster, Maryland, then told the officer he was “just joking,” but the officer stopped Knight as he tried to walk away to board his flight.

According to the arrest report, Knight was then detained by a responding deputy and claimed that he had consumed four alcoholic beverages inside the terminal while waiting for his flight even though he never drinks.

The federal officer confirmed to deputies that he saw Knight prior to the incident, appearing to be “extremely intoxicated” as he was dancing throughout the terminal, “not exhibiting normal behavior,” the report stated.

Knight was arrested on charges of making a false bomb threat and disorderly intoxication.

As of Wednesday morning, he was being held at the Broward County Main Jail and was expected to appear in bond court later in the morning or afternoon.

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The violations included rodent droppings, live and dead roaches, flies, mold-like buildup inside an ice machine and food stored at unsafe temperatures.

Museum Tower Café by Todd English had 30 rodent droppings in a storage area, while Habana 1900 racked up 29 violations, including rodent droppings throughout the kitchen and storage areas, dead roaches and improperly stored food.

Roach activity was also found at Bagel Time Cafe, Family Kitchen Restaurant and Catering, Denny’s and Wings & More. Family Kitchen was cited for repeat roach violations.

Sub City, meanwhile, had multiple refrigeration problems that left potentially hazardous foods well above the required cold-holding temperature.

All the places mentioned were allowed to re-open after a cleanup and re-inspection.

Below is what inspectors found.

**MUSEUM TOWER CAFE by TODD ENGLISH

150 WEST FLAGLER ST.

MIAMI

INSPECTION BASED ON COMPLAINT

ORDERED SHUT 10/20

7 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Observed 30 rodent droppings located in the second-floor dry storage area underneath shelves and several glue trap under shelf in the second-floor dry storage area and also one glue trap under oven at first floor kitchen area.”

“Observed one fly landing on top of white cutting board at prep table located at left side of kitchen entrance. Also observed four live flies landing on top of walk in cooler and walk in freezer door entrance.”

“Observed potato chips stored on floor inside walk in freezer. Also stored on the floor a bucket of pickles and water bottles inside walk in cooler. Observed in second dry storage area, oil, beans buckets stored on the floor.”

**HABANA 1900

8770 CORAL WAY

MIAMI

ORDERED SHUT 10/19

29 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Rodent activity present as evidenced by rodent droppings found. Observed 5+ rodent droppings on shelf where kitchen equipment is stored. Observed approximately 7+ rodent droppings on floor in storage area where utensils, dishes, and kitchen equipment is stored. Observed approximately 5+ rodent droppings on dish machine leg support. Observed 3+ rodent droppings on floor next to mixer in the kitchen area. Observed approximately 10+ rodent droppings on floor behind reach in freezer in kitchen area.”

“Dead roaches on premises. Observed one dead roach on floor in the bar area. Observed one dead roach on floor near kitchen exit door.”

“Live, small flying insects found. Observed approximately 10+ flying insects on top of clean cups near front service area.”

“Nonexempt fish offered raw or undercooked has not undergone proper parasite destruction. Fish must be fully cooked or discarded. Observed no parasite destruction letter present at time of inspection for swai that is used in ceviche.”

“Raw animal food stored over/not properly separated from ready-to-eat food. Observed raw pork ribs stored over ready to eat desserts and tamales inside walk in cooler.”

“In-use ice scoop stored on soiled surface between uses. Ice scoop stored on dirty surface, located outside the ice machine by the kitchen.”

“In-use utensil stored in standing water less than 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed utensils in standing water, located by the cook line in the kitchen.”

“Interior of refrigerator or freezer in disrepair/has exposed insulation. Observed interior of walk in freezer in disrepair.”

“Reach-in cooler interior/shelves have accumulation of soil residues. Observed reach in cooler interior soiled located by the cook line.”

“Objectionable odors in bathroom or other areas of the establishment. Observed objectionable odor in the first men’s and woman’s bathroom.”

“Dented/rusted cans present. See stop sale. Observed sweetened condensed creamer dented at the seam.”

“Manager or person in charge lacking proof of food manager certification.”

“No soap provided at handwash sink. Observed no soap in the HWS by the kitchen.

**BAGEL TIME CAFE

2478 NORTH STATE ROAD 7

MARGATE

ORDERED SHUT 10/10

5 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found. Observed approximately 5 live roaches in kitchen between dish machine and wall. Observed 1 live roach in kitchen under flat top grill.”

“Dead roaches on premises. Approximately 10 dead roaches between fryers on Cookline stuck to oil on floor.”

“AC vents soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance. AC vents and returns visibly soiled.”

“Stored food not covered. Reach in Freezer - observed turkey bacon stored uncovered.”

**FAMILY KITCHEN RESTAURANT AND CATERING

3134 WEST COMMERCIAL BLVD.

FORT LAUDERDALE

ORDERED SHUT 10/19

9 VIOLATIONS FOUND

ALSO ORDERED SHUT 8/18/26

“Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found. Observed approximately 2 live roaches inside of not in use 2 door stainless reach in cooler in kitchen. Observed 1 live roach inside of outlet behind reach in cooler in kitchen. Observed 1 live roach on ground in storage area next to kitchen. Observed 4 live roaches on wall next to 3 compartment sink in kitchen Observed 1 live roach on shelf at front counter. Repeat Violation.”

“Dead roaches on premises. Observed 17 dead roaches inside of not in use 2 door stainless reach in cooler in kitchen observed approximately 3 dead roaches in drain pan under 2 door stainless reach in cooler. Observed 1 dead roach on floor under reach in cooler in kitchen Observed 1 dead roach in first aid box on wall behind reach in cooler in kitchen Observed approximately 5 dead roaches inside of cabinets at front counter. Repeat Violation.”

“Cooked/heated time/temperature control for safety food not cooled from 135 degrees Fahrenheit to 41 degrees Fahrenheit within 6 hours. cooked turkey prepared yesterday (45F-48F - Cooling); cooked pork (55F-68F - Cooling). Per operator items were prepared last night and have been cooling overnight. Items not prepared or portioned today. See Stop Sale”

“Cooked/heated time/temperature control for safety food not cooled from 135 degrees Fahrenheit to 70 degrees Fahrenheit within two hours and from 135 degrees Fahrenheit to 41 degrees Fahrenheit within six hours. Cooked/heated time/temperature control for safety food not cooled from 135 degrees Fahrenheit to 41 degrees Fahrenheit within 6 hours. cooked turkey prepared yesterday (45F-48F - Cooling); cooked pork (55F-68F - Cooling). Per operator items were prepared last night and have been cooling overnight. Items not prepared or portioned today.”

“Stop Sale issued on time/temperature control for safety food due to temperature abuse. Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. cooked turkey (44F); cooked chicken (44F). Per operator items have been in unit overnight.”

“Grease trap overflowing onto ground. Observed clear water overflowing from grease trap cover outside of back door to establishment.”

“Single-use gloves not changed as needed after changing tasks or when damaged or soiled. Observed employee enter building from outside with gloved hands then proceed to handle knife without removing gloves and washing hands. Instructed employee to remove gloves and wash hands.”

**DENNY’S

12100 WEST SUNRISE BLVD.

PLANTATION

ORDERED SHUT 10/14

5 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found. Approximately 10 live roaches found in the dishwasher area, on the floor and on the wall behind the dishwasher.”

“Dead roaches on premises. 3 dead roaches found on the floor under the clean side of the dishwasher table.”

“Live, small flying insects found. 4 live small flying insects found on the wall on the clean side of the dishwasher table.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food, other than whole meat roast, hot held at less than 135 degrees Fahrenheit. In the kitchen on the flat top grill, cooked sausage (115-125F - Hot Holding). The sausage was reheated and was being hot held for later service. The sausage has been hot holding less than 3 hours. The sausage was moved to a hotter location to reheat to 165F to hot hold.”

**WINGS & MORE

2525 WEST DAVIE BLVD.

FORT LAUDERDALE

INSPECTION BASED ON COMPLAINT

ORDERED SHUT 10/14

15 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found. Observed in kitchen on prep line bottom shelving 4 live roaches crawling behind the steam table.”

“Dead roaches on premises. Observed at front counter Togo area, 1 dead roach behind the storage unit in kitchen. 3 dead roaches on the To go shelf with condiments bags in kitchen.”

“Live, small flying insects found. Observed at the front counter beer and soda station , 15 small flies landing on the drink nozzles. 10 small flies on wall near drink station. 5 small flies on the ice scoop inside ice bin,”

“Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin. Observed ice machine near drink station with accumulation of mold like substance.”

“Food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime. Observed mold like substance on can opener on prep table in back kitchen area. Operator place can opener in triple sink to wash. Repeat Violation.”

“Objectionable odors in bathroom or other areas of the establishment. Objectionable odor in back area of dining room near restrooms.”

“Server handled soiled dishes or utensils and then picked up plated food, served food, or prepared a beverage without washing hands. Observed employee place dirty dishes in triple sink then proceeded to prepare beverages for dine in guest without washing hands.”

“Stop Sale issued on time/temperature control for safety food due to temperature abuse. Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed inside walk in cooler held overnight coleslaw (49F - Cold Holding); cooked ribs (50F - Cold Holding); turkey (48F); fries (55F - Cold Holding); sliced cheese (48F - Cold Holding); blue cheese (53F - Cold Holding).”

“Raw animal foods not properly separated from one another based upon minimum required cooking temperature when stored in a freezer - not all products commercially packaged. Observed in white chest freezer an opened box of raw shrimp stored over an open commercially package of mozzarella sticks.”

**SUB CITY

19900 NW 2ND AVE

MIAMI GARDENS

ORDERED SHUT 10/15

4 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Inadequate number/capacity of cold holding units to maintain time/temperature control for safety food at proper temperatures. Observed reach in cooler and walk in cooler not holding temperature. Observed reach in freezer fully stocked.”

“Cold holding equipment not maintained in good repair. Do not store time/temperature control for safety food in this unit until the unit is repaired. Observed reach in cooler on the cookline with an ambient temperature of 51F. Observed walk in cooler with an ambient temperature of 49F.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed burger (51F - Cold Holding); ham (52F - Cold Holding); turkey (52F - Cold Holding); cooked chicken (54F - Cold Holding); tuna (52F - Cold Holding) stored in the reach in cooler since last night. Observed slice tomatoes (49F - Cold Holding); slice of cheese (50F - Cold Holding); turkey (49F - Cold Holding); ham (48F - Cold Holding); tuna (50F - Cold Holding); ground beef (49F - Cold Holding) stored in the walk in cooler over night. Stop sale issued.”

“Stop Sale issued on time/temperature control for safety food due to temperature abuse. Observed burger (51F - Cold Holding); ham (52F - Cold Holding); turkey (52F - Cold Holding); cooked chicken (54F - Cold Holding); tuna (52F - Cold Holding) stored in the reach in cooler since last night. Observed slice tomatoes (49F - Cold Holding); slice of cheese (50F - Cold Holding); turkey (49F - Cold Holding); ham (48F - Cold Holding); tuna (50F - Cold Holding); ground beef (49F - Cold Holding) stored in the walk in cooler over night.”

El momento provocó una avalancha de llamadas a la supervisora de elecciones del condado Monroe, Sherri Hodies.

Hodies dijo que su oficina está investigando el incidente.

En declaraciones a Local 10, explicó que intentan averiguar si se trató de una detención de tránsito que casualmente ocurrió afuera del centro de votación, o si fue algo intencional.

“No estoy contenta con lo que pasó”, dijo Hodies. “Francamente, me quedé atónita. Es difícil recibir estas llamadas de votantes que están asustados. Les tiembla la voz. ¿Qué está pasando?”.

Local 10 News se comunicó con U.S. Customs and Border Protection sobre el incidente, pero hasta el momento de publicar esta nota no había recibido respuesta.

Franklin denied the allegation in a message posted on his Instagram account, saying he's “not a dirty player."

He said he was defending himself without resorting to spitting at anyone. His social media post included a video showing Las Vegas offensive lineman Delmar Glaze appearing to strike Franklin in a sensitive area below the waist during the Raiders' successful extra-point attempt in Buffalo’s 33-30 win at Las Vegas on Sunday.

Franklin intends to appeal the suspension, a person with knowledge of discussions about the punishment told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the discussions were to remain private.

Without providing details or video evidence, the NFL said it disciplined Franklin for violating its sportsmanship rules after determining he spit at an opponent following the extra-point attempt with 1:32 remaining.

Franklin is a special teams ace and joins Bills starting safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson in getting a one-game suspension for spitting in the direction of Raiders players.

Gardner-Johnson was ejected for his action during the second quarter, which was captured by TV cameras and replayed during the broadcast. Following the game, Gardner-Johnson apologized to his teammates. He also told reporters, “I’ll take my consequences,” while adding that he has to be better at controlling his emotions.

With Buffalo (5-1) entering its bye weekend off, the suspensions will begin on Oct. 26 and run through Nov. 2, a day after the Bills host the Baltimore Ravens. Franklin has the right to appeal the suspension, and he was not initially penalized following the play.

A video posted on social media by an NFL Network reporter shows a scuffle occurring following the successful PAT, with Glaze blocking Bills linebacker Michael Hoecht while at the same time pulling Franklin’s undershirt. Franklin responded by shoving Glaze from the side. Glaze then turned to Franklin and appeared to shove the Bills player’s helmet.

It’s not clear whether Franklin spit at anyone. And the 14-second clip the player posted did not show the scuffle that followed.

Under the collective bargaining agreement, appeals will be heard by one of four people — former players Derrick Brooks, Jordy Nelson and James Thrash, or former coach Ron Rivera — who were jointly appointed by the NFL and NFLPA.

With the team off, coach Joe Brady was not immediately made available to reporters for comment.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Habana 1900 acumuló 29 violaciones, entre ellas excrementos de roedor en la cocina y el almacén. Bagel Time Cafe, Family Kitchen Restaurant and Catering, Denny’s y Wings & More tenían cucarachas, y en Family Kitchen el problema fue reincidente. En Sub City, los refrigeradores averiados dejaron la comida muy por encima de la temperatura permitida.

La infografía de los siete restaurantes está en el archivo infografia-todd-english-7-restaurantes.html. Una franja verde arriba indica que todos reabrieron. Como son siete, la última tarjeta (Sub City) ocupa todo el ancho.

Revisa estas cifras antes de publicar:

• Las sumas son mías: más de 30 excrementos en Habana 1900, 27 cucarachas muertas en Family Kitchen y 30 moscas en Wings & More salen de sumar lo que citaron los inspectores.
• Cierre anterior de Family Kitchen (18 de agosto): el original no dice el motivo, así que solo puse la fecha. Lo que sí es reincidente según el registro son las cucarachas.
• Mapas sin nombre: varios mapas buscan por dirección y no por nombre, para que Google no confunda los locales con otros de la misma cadena.

Según un reporte de arresto de la Broward Sheriff’s Office, el incidente ocurrió alrededor de las 8:20 p.m. dentro de la Terminal 4, cerca de la puerta G5.

Los agentes indicaron que el sospechoso, Michael Ryan Knight, de 31 años y residente de Westminster, Maryland, le dijo luego al agente que “solo estaba bromeando”, pero este lo detuvo cuando intentaba alejarse para abordar su vuelo.

De acuerdo con el reporte de arresto, un agente del sheriff que respondió al lugar detuvo a Knight, quien aseguró que se había tomado cuatro bebidas alcohólicas dentro de la terminal mientras esperaba su vuelo, aunque él nunca bebe.

El agente federal les confirmó a los agentes del sheriff que había visto a Knight antes del incidente y que parecía estar “extremadamente ebrio”, ya que andaba bailando por toda la terminal y “no tenía un comportamiento normal”, indica el reporte.

Knight fue arrestado por los cargos de hacer una falsa amenaza de bomba e intoxicación con alteración del orden público.

Hasta la mañana del miércoles, permanecía en la Broward County Main Jail y se esperaba que compareciera en una audiencia de fianza más tarde ese mismo día.

The internal watchdog told David Hearn's lawyers that the allegations of professional misconduct that they made fall outside its jurisdiction and are instead within the purview of the department's Office of Professional Responsibility, according to the letter, which urges Inspector General Don R. Berthiaume to reconsider the decision.

“Given the substantial public attention devoted to this matter, and the significant questions raised concerning the conduct of federal officials, declining independent review would risk undermining public confidence in the Department’s ability to police its own conduct. Such a result would be inconsistent with the purposes for which Congress established the OIG and would be a betrayal of its mission,” the letter says.

Hearn's lawyers this month had asked for investigations by the inspectors general at the departments of Justice and Interior, citing a broad variety of “incompetence and misconduct” that they said occurred during the criminal investigation and prosecution of their client. They say they believe they have identified potential crimes in the Trump administration's handling of the case, including witness tampering, obstruction of justice and the subornation of false testimony.

The Justice Department moved to dismiss the case last summer, saying newly produced evidence from the Interior Department showed that Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, was not responsible for damage to the pool’s lining. A District of Columbia judge later permanently threw out the prosecution.

Hearn’s lawyers said in their initial letter to the watchdogs that the evidence that established their client’s innocence had been in the Justice Department’s possession for weeks and was “simply ignored.” They asked the inspectors general to investigate why prosecutors “rushed to indict” under what they said was pressure from Republican President Donald Trump, who had launched a massive renovation project of the Reflecting Pool for the celebration in Washington of America's 250th anniversary.

In renewing their request for an inspector general investigation, Hearn's team argues that the watchdog is uniquely positioned — both in terms of tools and independence — to dig into allegations of misconduct against the government officials involved in the case.

They note that unlike the inspector general's office, the Office of Professional Responsibility, which also investigates some categories of professional misconduct, reports to the deputy attorney general and attorney general and has no obligation to publicize its work or report its findings to Congress.

Hearn's lawyers also say the inspector general is the right office to investigate the potential criminal misconduct they believe they have identified within the government, asserting that prosecutors elicited false testimony from a witness who testified before the grand jury and violated Hearn's civil rights by proceeding with a flawed criminal case. They say the inspector general should investigate whether U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, whose office handled the case, violated ethical rules in a news conference when she announced charges against Hearn.

The U.S. attorney's office did not respond to a request seeking comment when Hearn's attorneys raised the allegations earlier this month.

Among Hearn's attorneys is Michael Bromwich, a Justice Department inspector general during the Clinton administration.

“In a case such as this one, when some of the allegations directly involve the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, there is substantial reason to question whether any meaningful independent review would occur,” the lawyers' letter says. “Your decision not to investigate would be consigning these serious allegations to oblivion despite the enormous public interest in the matter and the absence thus far of any accountability for the individuals involved.”

Meanwhile, Trump plans to visit South Carolina on Wednesday to boost U.S. Sen. Darline Graham, whose stumbles in her first campaign since replacing her late brother have Democratic voters hopeful — but not necessarily optimistic — that their candidate can break Republicans’ grip on the state.

Here's the latest:

Talarico: ‘Musk is trying to buy this Senate seat in Texas’

The Democratic candidate was speaking at a rally in Houston, hitting the point he’s repeated throughout this race, that “billionaire megadonors are trying to buy this election” by donating to his opponent, Republican Ken Paxton.

But this time, Talarico got more specific. “Actually, it’s just one billionaire megadonor.”

“In all likelihood,” Talarico continued, if the audience had seen a television attack ad against him, or received negative mailers or texts, “that was Elon.”

Just before Talarico’s rally, Musk posted on his social media platform X, “There is something deeply wrong with Talarico.”

The barbs followed reporting that Musk contributed $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, which gave $158 million to Texas PAC, the largest contributor to Paxton’s campaign.

Musk also provided $10 million to Lone Star Liberty PAC, which supports Paxton.

“On Nov. 3, we are going to send a clear message to the world’s first trillionaire,” said Talarico. “Texas is not for sale.”

Pritzker behind campaign sign in Illinois gubernatorial race that touts Trump’s endorsement of Republican

A campaign sign that appears to be for Republican Illinois governor candidate Darren Bailey is actually the handiwork of Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, who is trying to remind voters about his opponent’s political connections to President Donald Trump.

The bright blue yard sign features Bailey’s name in bold white letters across the top, with “Trump” underneath and “endorsed by” in between.

But in small letters at the bottom, it shows that Pritzker paid for it.

Bailey, a former state lawmaker in Illinois, is running in a rematch against Pritzker after losing by 12 points in 2022.

Pritzker has been hammering Bailey for his close ties to Trump, including the yard signs and a new campaign ad showing Bailey speaking at a Trump rally in 2022 when the president first endorsed him.

Bailey’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Vance says he will never endorse a foreign candidate again

The vice president was asked by a reporter to explain his comments in a recent interview that he wouldn’t endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection by claiming, “I endorse American candidates,” even though he endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the spring and even campaigned for him in Hungary.

Vance said he has endorsed only one foreign candidate for election and it “didn’t go particularly well,” as Orban lost the election.

But Vance went on and said that was in April and now, “We’re in the middle of an American election cycle where I’m very focused on candidates getting elected in the United States of America.”

He said he wasn’t attacking Netanyahu by not endorsing him but said, “I’m not endorsing any more foreign candidates now or in the future.”

Vance defends Witkoff calling Putin ‘a humanitarian’

Despite backlash from some of their fellow Republicans for Trump’s envoy calling the Russian President Vladimir Putin a “humanitarian,” Vance said, “I agree with Steve Witkoff saying something nice to a person who just released an American hostage.”

Witkoff made the comments as he thanked Putin for releasing an American who had been jailed for more than four years.

The vice president called Witkoff “a diplomat” and said he was in Russia to get a job done.

“I care much less about what Steve said than about the fact that he is bringing an American hostage home to his family. We should all be celebrating that, not be complaining about what Steve Wikoff said in order to get it done.”

Vance says he’s ‘disgusted’ by GOP pushback to Acton ad, calls politics ‘a tough business’

Vice President JD Vance said it was “not really my concern” whether the ad was appropriate and said he’s focused on supporting Republican candidates in midterm races.

“I’m a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans across the country who are whining more about that advertisement than they are about what the congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America,” Vance said in his first public comments on the ad.

He added: “Politics is a tough business. And my message to my fellow elected Republicans is: If you actually believe in the things you say you believe in, stop whining about an advertisement and go win the race in 13 days.”

Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s team took credit for the ad featuring the estranged mother of featuring of Amy Acton in the Ohio governor’s race.

Collins says ad attacking Jackson’s family should be taken down

Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins on Wednesday said a new ad calling her Democratic opponent, Troy Jackson a “freak” and a “creep” because “he has two kids with his cousin” should be taken down.

The ad, which has attracted attention this week, is from the Senate Leadership Fund, which is backing Collins as she seeks reelection. Democrats are hoping Jackson will win the seat in their pursuit to take back control of the Senate.

Collins distanced herself from the ad on Wednesday, saying that the ad “should be taken down” and she “had nothing to do with that ad.”

In a Politico story earlier this year, Collins referenced Jackson having a relationship with his second cousin. Jackson’s longtime partner, Lana Pelletier, released an op-ed Wednesday criticizing Collins and her supporters’ attacks on her family, saying she never thought they “would stoop this low.”

Supreme Court rebuffs Trump administration restrictions on medical care for transgender inmates

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to allow the Trump administration to immediately enforce new medical restrictions for transgender people in prison.

The decision leaves in place a lower-court block on the policy. It was adopted after an executive order from President Trump, who’s taken several steps to roll back transgender rights during his second term.

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas would have allowed the policy to be enforced.

The Supreme Court has previously allowed other policies for transgender people to move ahead for now, including restrictions on military service and passport sex markers.

Trump’s order called on the Bureau of Prisons to revise its medical care policies so federal funds aren’t spent “for the purpose of conforming an inmate’s appearance to that of the opposite sex.”

The new policy would halt surgeries, taper off hormones and end social accommodations like makeup and wigs. Prisons would continue to offer mental health services.

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Rubio pushes back on criticism of Trump administration’s support for Ukraine in war with Russia

Rubio said Ukraine would no longer exist if it wasn’t for U.S. support.

Rubio’s comments to reporters in Mumbai, India, came as the administration has been taken to task for curtailing intelligence sharing and the supply of weaponry for Ukraine. He said the administration would no longer take such criticism without a response.

“We’re no longer going to be defensive about this topic. If it were not for the assistance of the United States, including under the Trump administration, there would be no Ukraine right now,” Rubio said. “Ukraine as a sovereign state would not exist.”

Rubio insists Ukraine’s issues with Starlink and Starshield had nothing to do with Trump

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is insisting that President Trump and the U.S. government more broadly had nothing to do with interruptions to Ukraine’s access to crucial satellite data that Ukrainian officials say have compromised their ability to counter Russian attacks.

Speaking to reporters in India on Wednesday, Rubio said for the third time in four days that any throttling of network access to Ukraine was not directed or ordered by Trump or anyone else in his administration. He suggested, though, that the owner of the system, Elon Musk, may have been involved.

“What I can tell you with certainty is the president of the United States nor anyone in our system ever requested that any changes to that system be made, and that’s what we said repeatedly,” Rubio said. “The president has nothing to do with the decisions that are made by Starlink and Starshield and by Mr. Musk. That’s a private company. The president doesn’t run that company and can’t direct that company to do anything.”

Brother of former President George W. Bush endorses Democrat James Talarico in Texas US Senate race

That’s Neil Bush, the brother of one Republican president and the son of another, who authored a long Facebook post Tuesday night saying he voted early, and for Talarico over Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton.

Bush said his decision was two-pronged. Paxton’s past, particularly his spearheading of a failed lawsuit to challenge the 2020 election results, “was an affront to our democratic institutions,” Bush wrote. Those who have “enabled” Trump, he continued, “have done enormous damage to the Republican Party.”

Turning to Talarico, Bush noted that he’d never met the candidate, but that he’s been “enormously impressed” and has seen “integrity, civility, humility” and an openness to listen to those who disagree with him.

“I have been a Republican for most of my life, and I still believe deeply in many traditional Republican principles,” Bush wrote, “but character matters more than party affiliation.”

Lawmakers respond to Trump special envoy’s praise of Putin as a ‘humanitarian’

Some Republican lawmakers are reacting with dismay in response to Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff’s praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “humanitarian.”

“No. Putin is stone cold killer,” said Republican Sen. John Cornyn in a social media post on X.

“Another embarrassment,” said Republican Rep. Don Bacon, including a clip of Witkoff’s remarks, in his post.

“What an embarrassing and outrageous thing to say,” said Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina. “You should go back to Ukraine and ask the families of the children Putin has kidnapped and murdered whether they agree your friend Putin is a ‘humanitarian.’”

Witkoff’s description came as he thanked Putin for releasing an American who had been jailed for more than four years on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine.

Sen. Susan Collins makes campaign appearance with former Democratic Sen. Manchin

Collins made the campaign stop at a hot dog restaurant in Maine on Wednesday morning with former Sen. Joe Manchin as she tries to win reelection to her seat.

Collins, a five-term Republican senator, is in a tough reelection fight with Democrat Troy Jackson. Manchin touted her as a longtime moderate voice during a brief appearance after the morning campaign event.

Manchin, a longtime Democrat who became an independent shortly before retiring from the Senate, called Collins “the soul of the Senate.”

The two are also scheduled to appear at a New Balance sneaker facility in Maine later Wednesday.

In struggling LA, Mayor Karen Bass fights for 2nd term against democratic socialist-backed Raman

To voter Roy Lyons, Los Angeles has been losing luster for years. A homeless crisis endures despite billions of dollars of spending. City Hall’s budget keeps swelling — as do the taxes needed to support it.

As the retired insurance broker from the Sherman Oaks neighborhood ponders his pick in the upcoming mayoral election, he’s leaning toward the unpopular incumbent, Mayor Karen Bass, over her fellow progressive Democrat Nithya Raman, a little-known city council member who’s backed by the Democratic Socialists of America. She endorsed Bass before changing her mind and entering the race.

Neither choice gives him confidence about the future.

“Is this the best we can do?” asked Lyons, a Democrat, who attended a recent candidate forum. “I don’t think either one shines.”

If Bass wins the Nov. 3 election, it will be because she was able to persuade voters like Lyons to give her a second chance after a rough first term that included the deadly Palisades Fire, which ignited when she was out of the country and caught the fire department unprepared.

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Putin agrees to resume trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US next month

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters after a meeting between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff that the Russian leader has agreed “in principle” to resume the trilateral talks after Nov. 10.

Witkoff held talks with Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday about Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as Trump pushes Kyiv to make a deal that stops the fighting.

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Justice Department watchdog declines to investigate handling of Reflecting Pool case, lawyers say

The Justice Department’s inspector general has declined to investigate the handling of the criminal case against a former Olympian cleared of accusations that he intentionally damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to a letter Wednesday from the man’s lawyers.

The internal watchdog told David Hearn’s lawyers the allegations of professional misconduct they made fall outside its jurisdiction and are instead within the purview of the department’s Office of Professional Responsibility, according to the letter, which urges Inspector General Don R. Berthiaume to reconsider the decision.

“Given the substantial public attention devoted to this matter, and the significant questions raised concerning the conduct of federal officials, declining independent review would risk undermining public confidence in the Department’s ability to police its own conduct. Such a result would be inconsistent with the purposes for which Congress established the OIG and would be a betrayal of its mission,” the letter says.

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Trump to host White House roundtable discussion on cybercrime

The White House says the administration is using every tool available to stop foreign-based organized criminal organizations that exploit Americans online.

According to data supplied by the White House, federal authorities have seized more than 500 fraudulent cryptocurrency investment websites.

They’ve also interrupted millions of social media, email and internet accounts used by foreign criminal organizations to hunt victims in America, and have identified and warned nearly 9,000 people while they were in the process of being victimized, preventing an estimated $562 million in losses.

Trump brings a last-minute rally boost to Darline Graham in South Carolina’s US Senate race

President Trump will visit South Carolina on Wednesday to boost Sen. Darline Graham, whose stumbles in her first campaign since replacing her late brother have Democratic voters hopeful — but not necessarily optimistic — their candidate can break Republicans’ grip on the state.

Although South Carolina isn’t typically a midterm battleground, Trump has been deeply invested in Graham. He supported her appointment to replace Lindsey Graham after his death in July, and he backed her in a special primary when she faced several more experienced Republican opponents.

Now the party wants to make sure Annie Andrews, the Democratic nominee and a pediatrician, doesn’t pull off an upset victory. More than $34 million has flowed into the race, and Republicans have hammered Andrews as a “radical liberal” and accused her of supporting surgeries for transgender minors, which she denies.

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Russia frees American Stephen Hubbard after over 4 years in prison, during a visit by US envoy

Russia on Wednesday freed an American who’d been jailed for more than four years on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, in a deal completed during a visit by a top U.S. envoy and at a time when President Trump has taken a series of actions meant to benefit Moscow.

Trump said in a Truth Social post that he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call last week to free Stephen Hubbard, and that, unlike previous releases, his had not required the U.S. to give up anyone in return.

“Welcome home, Stephen, it’s great to have you back,” Trump said.

Hubbard, a 74-year-old former teacher from Michigan, was on his way home following a visit to St. Petersburg by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who also held talks with Putin about Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as Trump pushes Kyiv to make a deal that stops the fighting.

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Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he wants a ceasefire and permanent peace talks

The Ukrainian president told Fox News on Wednesday that he would agree to a ceasefire with Russia, freezing control of land as it currently stands more than four years since Russia invaded Ukraine, provided the U.S. provides security guarantees as a permanent peace deal is negotiated.

“Freeze and talks and security guarantees,” Zelenskyy said.

Still, Zelenskyy said during the interview that Ukraine does not want to yield any land permanently.

“They are not winning on the battlefield,” he said of Putin’s forces. That’s why Putin is trying to “push us from our land” at the negotiating table, Zelenskyy said. “It’s not fair.”

Ramaswamy takes responsibility for ad with Amy Acton’s mother and will spend millions to promote it

Republican Vivek Ramaswamy ’s team confirmed late Tuesday that it produced a controversial advertisement featuring the estranged mother of Amy Acton, and the campaign said it will spend $4 million to promote it despite facing bipartisan rebuke for dredging up the painful childhood of his Democratic opponent in Ohio’s governor’s race.

The decision exacerbates a deeply personal element in one of the country’s most closely watched and expensive campaigns for state office. Questions about the video will likely shadow Ramaswamy, a biotech billionaire who previously ran for president but has never before held public office, in the final two weeks of the contest. Democrats said he was growing desperate at a moment when more than 676,000 people have already cast ballots in Ohio.

The advertisement features Acton’s birth mother, Donna Arthur, calling her “a liar” and insinuating she has mental health issues. Acton, Ohio’s former public health director, has made no secret of facing homelessness and abuse as a child. Arthur lost custody of her children after their stepfather was indicted for raping Acton.

Acton spent Tuesday condemning Ramaswamy for the ad even before his campaign confirmed its provenance.

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Trump and Vance announce $25M whistleblower program to encourage public to report alleged fraud

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday announced a $25 million program to encourage the public to blow the whistle on suspected fraud in the U.S. government as they ramp up efforts to end the abuse of federal programs and dollars.

The White House said that under the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program, anyone who submits a tip that leads to a fraud conviction or a significant federal enforcement action is eligible to receive up to $30,000, and that the Justice Department will administer the program.

During the announcement, Trump said payments will amount to a 1% commission on the amount of fraud the tip helps uncover. Trump also said he will decide who gets reward money in cases where more than one person claims to have provided the tip.

“I will be the arbitrator of all of these decisions,” Trump said in the Oval Office with Vance and other administration officials standing behind him. “It’ll be a binding arbitration.”

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Although South Carolina is not typically a midterm battleground, Trump has been deeply invested in Graham. He supported her appointment to replace Lindsey Graham after his death in July, and he backed her in a special primary when she faced several more experienced Republican opponents. But some distance emerged between the Republican president and the senator over the weekend over his decision to waive Ukraine war sanctions on Russia that were set to be imposed under a law named after Lindsey Graham.

Republicans want to make sure Annie Andrews, the Democratic nominee and a pediatrician, doesn't pull off an upset victory. More than $34 million has flowed into the race, and Republicans have hammered Andrews as a “radical liberal” and accused her of supporting surgeries for transgender minors, which she denies.

Trump this week is rallying every day for candidates across the country, even in conservative areas, and imploring voters to “pretend I'm on the ballot” in hopes of averting a lackluster midterm turnout for Republicans.

“Darline Graham knows that our campaign’s momentum is so strong she called Donald Trump to come campaign for her in South Carolina," Andrews said in a fundraising appeal email.

Darline Graham rushed to define herself — and clung close to Trump

Lindsey Graham had been on a glide path to a fifth term when he died of an aortic tear. Darline Graham, former director of the state agency for the blind, received bipartisan support when she was appointed to serve out her brother's term. But her decision to run for the seat in the midterms prompted skepticism that the political neophyte was up for the job.

Darline Graham had the endorsement of Trump, who campaigned for her before the runoff with U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman. A stumble over a question related to U.S. policy in Taiwan, in which Graham admitted she was “not that informed on national security,” prompted questions over her readiness.

Waiting for her at a weekend event in Mount Pleasant, Nanette Tumbleston said she felt strongly Graham should win, shuddering to think of what might happen if the seat fell to Democrats.

“I hope that everybody’s eyes will be open and we’ll have a Republican win," Tumbleston said, adding that she feared progressives' influence in the Democratic Party. “I just can’t see how they can see that the world’s going to be a better place with those policies.”

Andrews pivoted from Lindsey Graham to Darline Graham

Andrews launched her campaign more than a year before Lindsey Graham's death. She pivoted to criticizing Darline Graham as “Trump-endorsed and unqualified.”

Andrews argues that Republican policies have weakened not only the broader U.S. economy but also the financial situations of children and families, centering her message on “building a South Carolina that we can all afford,” as she said last week in Columbia.

As the pediatrician seemed to gain steam this fall, Republican groups infused millions of dollars into the race, characterizing the spending as an insurance policy for Graham. Trump attacked Andrews on social media, saying the Democrat doesn’t represent “the Values of the Great People of South Carolina.”

Some Andrews supporters acknowledge that while Democrats might ultimately break through in South Carolina, it might take more time.

Paul Davis, of Aiken, said “people are really angry and fed up, and they can’t afford things.” However, he said a Democratic victory “may be a cycle or two away.”

The candidates accuse each other of being unqualified

At their only debate, Graham and Andrews disagreed on issues including healthcare but primarily accused each other of inexperience.

“It is nothing personal, but she has shown time and time again that she is not up for the job,” Andrews said, calling Graham's interim appointment “a nice gesture."

Graham said serving while processing her brother's death showed “just how strong I am,” adding that ”I’m just as qualified as you are.”

At the Columbia rally, some of Andrews' supporters said they were hopeful, despite Democrats' years of Senate losses in the state. When Lindsey Graham last ran in 2020, he defeated Democrat Jaime Harrison by 10 percentage points in a contest that turned into South Carolina’s most expensive ever.

“It’s definitely frustrating," said Emily Glenham, a Columbia copywriter. "It’s definitely been disappointing, but you can’t not have hope.”

Sandra Martin, of West Columbia, agreed Andrews had “a good chance” but looked more toward the future.

“Georgia did it,” she said. “If Georgia can do it, there’s no reason we can’t, someday.”

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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP

In an upbeat speech Wednesday at a company conference for developers and investors in Berlin, Huang also laid out tools to keep AI applications from running amok by confining them in a digital “sandbox.”

“Europe's AI economy is starting, and it's accelerating, and it's great to see,” Huang, striding across the stage in his trademark leather jacket and sneakers, said in front of some 3,000 developers, analysts and journalists at Berlin's Tempodrom auditorium.

Huang, whose company designs the computer chips and software used by AI developers like Anthropic and OpenAI, frequently name-checked European partner companies such as Siemens, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen's Audi.

“Europe is building its AI economy" as the technology moves from language models to so-called physical AI in manufacturing, Huang said. “Every company in the future will be an AI company.”

Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kallenius, whose company is working on developing autonomous driving technology with Nvidia, said that the technology could reduce the number of auto fatalities caused by human error “down to zero... we will have safer streets once we have full autonomy.”

Huang said Nvidia's design for the Vera Rubin DSK Pod, a ready-made modular computing center made by partners and delivered in a shipping container-like box, can serve reduce the time needed to set up an AI data center at a prepared site from months to days. The pod “will change the way people build AI centers,” Huang told attendees of the Nvidia GTC conference.

He said Nvidia had invested $10 billion in European startups and partners in the past year.

Building out data centers is key for Europe, which has only about 5% of the world's AI computing capacity, compared to 75% in the U.S. Lack of the massive computing power, or “compute” in digital jargon, needed to train AI applications is a key obstacle for European developers.

“The big bottleneck is compute,” said Jeannette zu Fürstenberg, president and managing director of General Catalyst, ahead of the speech. General Catalyst invests in AI companies.

Huang was briefly interrupted by protesters who stood up with a banner urging him to “clean up" his business. Huang promised “to talk to you later” and urged security to avoid rough handling as they removed the protesters.

Huang also addressed concerns about safety by talking about the company's OpenShell open-source software designed to exert external control over what AI applications are doing and block them if they violate company policy.

A British naval maritime security organization said a projectile ignited a fire aboard a tanker off Oman, but that its crew was safe.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Wednesday. Read our full coverage here.

Riyadh airport partially reopens

A limited number of Saudi airlines took off and landed at the country’s main airport on Wednesday, two days after authorities notified airlines that they could resume operations with prior permission.

Saudia and FlyNas were operating flights Wednesday, according to flight-tracking data published by FlightAware. Major carriers, including Lufthansa and Air France, have canceled flights through mid-November.

Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport has been hit multiple times this month by Yemen’s Houthi rebels and shut down on Oct. 10.

The Houthis have acknowledged attacking the airport, claiming without evidence that Saudi Arabia provided military equipment to government forces through the facility.

Tankers hit by projectiles in Persian Gulf

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization said Wednesday unknown projectiles ignited a fire aboard a tanker in the Persian Gulf off Oman and struck another tanker off Iraq in separate incidents.

The first attack occurred 12.6 miles west of the coastal town of Bukha in the Omani province of Musandam, it said.

The UKMTO said the fire was extinguished and the tanker was at anchor, with its crew safe.

The second attack occurred 34.5 miles southeast of Al Faw, Iraq. The tanker's crew is safe, while no damage to the tanker or environmental impact has been reported.

The attack was the latest against vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz without coordinating with Iran amid its conflict with the United States.

Houthi drones targeting Saudi Arabia destroyed

Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition fighting against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, said in a social media post Wednesday that five drones fired toward Saudi Arabia were intercepted and destroyed over the holy city of Medina.

The attack was the latest on Saudi Arabia since the resurgence of fighting with the Houthis in mid-July. The Yemeni rebels repeatedly struck targets in the kingdom, including oil facilities and airports, and engaged in fierce clashes with Saudi-backed Yemeni forces in Yemen.

The coalition, in turn, hit the rebel-held areas in Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, and provided air cover to a major offensive the Yemeni government launched earlier this month.

Houthi missile hits army camp next to Yemeni airport

Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said a ballistic missile struck a military camp adjacent to Yemen's Aden airport in Khor Maksar district.

The Houthis claim the military camp houses a command center for the Saudi-led forces fighting the rebels.

A transportation ministry official in Aden said a civilian airplane had taken off from the airport before the strike, while the departure hall was evacuated.

He said operations in the airport were temporarily suspended and there was no damage to the tarmac. The official was speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

This is the second time the Houthis claim to have targeted the military camp inside the airport complex in five days and the third this month.

— By Sara El Deeb in Beirut and Samy Magdy in Cairo

France’s Macron makes surprise Saudi Arabia visit

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday arrived in Saudi Arabia for an unannounced visit as part of a regional tour.

Macron is expected to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Macron’s office said he is there to show solidarity and to “continue ongoing efforts to secure oil and gas supplies” from the region.

Iran willing to ‘give diplomacy another chance’

Iran is willing to “give diplomacy another chance” but is fully prepared to defend itself if full-scale war resumes, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in the Financial Times.

Araghchi gave no details of talks with Washington through mediators on Iran’s recent seven-day proposal to end the war and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

He said there was “little reason to expect progress now,” citing what he described as Washington’s unwillingness to advance the talks while threatening further violence. He warned against renewed U.S. military action, saying it would “result in an even greater strategic failure.”

US congressional candidate detained in West Bank

Brad Lander, a Democrat running for a New York seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, was briefly detained by Israeli police on Wednesday as he joined rabbis and other volunteers accompanying Palestinian farmers during the annual olive harvest in the occupied West Bank.

Police gave no reason for Lander’s release, and dozens of other volunteers remained detained, according to Beck Strober, a spokesperson for Protect the Harvest, the group that organized the visit.

Neither Israeli police nor the military responded to requests for comment.

The Israeli foreign ministry said in a post on X that Lander was “harvesting headlines” and entered a restricted area without authorization in “a calculated political provocation.”

The detentions are the latest incident during this year’s Palestinian olive harvest, which Israeli rights group Yesh Din and the Palestinian Farmers’ Union described as the most violent in recent history.

Egypt rejects Turkey-Libya maritime jurisdiction deal

Egypt on Wednesday rejected the Libyan parliament’s approval of a contested 2019 maritime deal with Turkey, saying the agreement infringes on Egypt’s sovereign rights in the Mediterranean.

Libya’s eastern-based House of Representatives unanimously approved the memorandum on Tuesday, reversing its 2020 rejection of the deal, which delineates maritime jurisdiction between Libya and Turkey. Greece and Cyprus also condemned the vote.

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry called the memorandum “null and void” and said it violates the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. Egypt “reserves its right to protect its interests,” the ministry said.

The statement puts Cairo publicly at odds with Libya’s eastern parliament, which is aligned with military commander Khalifa Hifter, a longtime Egyptian ally.

Israel also condemned the vote, saying the deal infringes on the sovereign rights of “our close allies in the region” and accusing Turkey of seeking to destabilize the eastern Mediterranean.

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

Protests over soaring living costs have led to widespread rioting and looting that have drawn worldwide attention and shocked many French citizens. U.S. President Donald Trump has used the violence to rally his political supporters, making unsubstantiated claims that Muslim migrants are responsible for the unrest, and urging Macron to “close your borders and take control before it is too late!”

Macron responded by saying there “has been foreign manipulation of information in the aftermath” of the looting in Paris and other French cities last weekend. “And that has led to comments that are as unacceptable as they are stupid, from many people, including foreign leaders,” he said.

Asked by a reporter if he was referring to Trump, Macron replied: “Among others.” He added that there have been “AI-generated images depicting scenes that never actually happened in France. We’ve had people claiming that we were invaded by hordes of migrants and Islamists, which is completely false.”

Macron did not specify which AI-generated images he was referring to, nor how he knew the content was false.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said his office can provide the countries concerned with the necessary clarification, “to help them avoid spreading or amplifying false information and making baseless claims on social media.”

Macron and Trump once enjoyed a good relationship but Trump regularly mocks the French president in his public speeches.

“The fact is, all the people who are speaking ill of our country right now are people who don’t love our country,” Macron said. “So those people really bother me.”

“When I see leaders who are in the middle of election campaigns, whether in the region or on the other side of the Atlantic — who sometimes naively repeat AI-generated content or spread narratives that certain circles are clearly trying to promote about what happened in France — they’re using our country for their own political campaigns,” said Macron. “And we don’t need that.”

Macron secures diesel supplies

Macron was speaking in Qatar at the end of a tour of key energy suppliers in Gulf Arab states, where he secured an additional 100,000 metric tons of diesel per month from the United Arab Emirates, with a further 100,000 tons to be confirmed in Bahrain.

Macron's office said he traveled to the Middle East to find solutions to the energy crisis and rising energy prices, and to secure supplies of oil, gas, diesel and jet fuel.

The Élysée said nearly 295,000 additional tons of diesel per month could be secured, including supplies from Saudi Arabia — equivalent to more than 10% of France’s monthly diesel consumption. Macron later traveled to Saudi Arabia to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “to continue efforts to secure and diversify oil and gas supplies,” according to his office.

Earlier this month, the Group of Seven wealthy democracies agreed to release 100 million barrels of oil and fuel products, beginning with substantial quantities of diesel after the fuel’s price hit a record high in the United States.

“I would remind you that France initiated the G7 meeting that led to the release of strategic reserves, which, through implementation at the national level, will help bring down prices starting in early November,” Macron said.

New protests planned in France on Thursday and Saturday

Petrol, energy and food prices have surged in recent months, and it remains to be seen whether Macron’s announcement will ease protesters’ anger. He said the additional diesel supplies addressed “some of the anxieties.”

“I also hear the concerns of our high school and university students. Those concerns stem from other factors, but in any case, I think things are moving in the right direction,” he added.

High school students have raised concerns about underfunded schools, dilapidated facilities and staff shortages, particularly in lower-income neighbourhoods. Some also say school days, which often run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., are exhausting and the university admissions system is complex and unfair.

France has had two consecutive quiet nights since the weekend’s unrest. Curfews have been imposed in parts of several major cities, including small areas of Paris.

Further protests are planned for Thursday and Saturday following calls from student unions and groups within the “ yellow vest ” movement, whose demonstrations over fuel prices shook France in 2018 and 2019.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who met union representatives on Wednesday, said a “massive” security operation was planned for Saturday to prevent a repeat of the violence by small groups of rioters that had exposed shortcomings in security measures.

“We are using the legal means at our disposal to prevent further incidents of this kind,” Macron said. “Those who intend to cause disturbances in city centers next Saturday will be prevented from doing so. Tomorrow, we will also have a very detailed update on the implementation of these measures, including anticipation, intelligence gathering, and security, not just for Saturday, but also for the coming weeks.”

2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Chevrolet has fully redesigned the 2027 Silverado 1500. While the new truck looks similar to the current Silverado, it boasts new engines, fresh technology and more features. The engine lineup is headlined by two V-8 engines: a 402-horsepower 5.7-liter and a 481-horsepower 6.6-liter. They’re part of a powertrain lineup that also includes a 350-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder and a 305-horsepower diesel-powered six-cylinder that gets the best fuel economy of the lineup. Depending on the configuration, the new Silverado tows up to 13,700 pounds and carries up to 2,340 pounds of payload.

Inside, a redesigned interior adds up to 60 inches of screens, and new driver-assistance tech is available. The new 2027 Silverado continues in regular-, extended- and crew-cab styles with seven trim levels ranging from the basic Work Truck to the luxurious High Country and off-road-ready ZR2.

Starting price: $41,395

2027 Ford F-150

It’s hard to think of a bigger automotive rivalry than the Chevy Silverado vs. Ford F-150, and the 2027 F-150 receives a few updates of its own. Under the hood is a new standard engine, a turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6. It produces the same maximum power as last year’s 2.7-liter V-6 but Ford says the new engine delivers peak torque sooner than the old V-6, which should make the truck feel a little livelier pulling away from a stop. Ford is also making the optional 5.0-liter V-8 engine more widely available across the F-150 lineup.

Edmunds has long appreciated the F-150’s wide range of configurations and trim levels, and that continues for 2027. Based on the XLT trim level, a new F-150 Carhartt debuts with rugged-looking interior materials and exclusive appearance details. Lower-priced versions of the popular F-150 Tremor and Raptor off-road models are also available, better accommodating stretched budgets. Finally, Ford has improved its BlueCruise hands-free driving technology, which now works while towing, matching the similar Super Cruise tech in the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra.

Estimated starting price: $40,500

2027 GMC Sierra 1500

Like its corporate cousin, the Chevrolet Silverado, the Sierra 1500 is redesigned and offers the same cab styles and powertrain lineup, but with slightly lower maximum towing and payload capacities. GMC positions the Sierra as a premium alternative to the Chevy, with unique exterior design and interior detailing at a higher price.

Both trucks offer an available three-screen dashboard featuring a 12.2-inch driver display, 16.3-inch center touchscreen, and 11.5-inch front passenger touchscreen. Add the optional head-up display and rear camera mirror, and you get 60 inches of screens to consult. Another new feature is the available Multi-Flex center console. You can configure it as a large flat surface that’s perfect for working on a laptop or having a meal on the go.

Starting price: $51,295

2027 Ram 1500

Two new versions of the Ram 1500 debut in 2027. The first is the Rumble Bee, a new performance truck that prioritizes on-road handling and acceleration. It features a wide-body design and one of three available V-8 engines, including a supercharged 6.2-liter that cranks out 777 horsepower. Incredibly, Ram quotes a top speed of 170 mph for the most powerful version, the SRT Rumble Bee.

If off-roading is more your thing, you’ll certainly like the Ram 1500 SRT TRX. After a brief hiatus, the TRX is back, this time with that 777-horsepower V-8. The 2027 TRX also gains a reworked suspension and a plusher interior, but rest assured that it still has not lost its bonkers off-roading mojo.

Starting price: $45,370

2027 Toyota Tundra

Toyota has sharpened the Tundra’s styling for 2027, and a new Honeycomb color is available for the TRD Pro off-road model. It’s also launching another off-road-focused version called the Trailhunter. Designed for overlanding, a form of off-roading that typically involves extended and relaxed trips, the Trailhunter features all-terrain tires, a specially tuned suspension, underbody skid plates, and Toyota’s arsenal of off-roading tech, including a low-speed cruise control system for trail driving.

Inside the Tundra, a next-generation version of Toyota’s infotainment system debuts with a standard 14-inch touchscreen. The Tundra’s comprehensive package of driver assistance systems gains improved detection capabilities.

Estimated starting price: $44,000

Edmunds says

Whether you want power and performance, the latest infotainment and safety technology, or a more affordable model that’s ready for off-roading right out of the box, there is a 2027 model-year full-size pickup truck to fulfill your requirements. You might even find one that provides all of those things, and more.

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This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds.

Christian Wardlaw is a contributor at Edmunds.

The economy is neither as strong as Trump has claimed nor as weak as consumer sentiment surveys suggest. But with its mix of inflation, inequality and stock market gains, the economy is unsatisfying to most of the public, and its performance has not lived up to Trump's promises.

Here’s a closer look at the numbers that matter.

Inflation at 3.7% annually has risen under Trump

Voters expected Trump to quash inflation. In his inaugural address last year, the Republican pledged: “I will direct all members of my Cabinet to marshal the vast powers at their disposal to defeat what was record inflation and rapidly bring down costs and prices.”

And at an Oct. 3 campaign appearance in Vandalia, Ohio, he told the crowd: “We have almost no inflation." But Labor Department reports don't bear that out.

The consumer price index had been rising at an annual clip of 3% in January 2025, when Trump returned to the White House. Inflation continued to slow until April 2025, when Trump announced a sweeping set of tariffs and prices began to climb again. The inflationary pressures were compounded this year with the start of the Iran war.

Inflation has not returned to peaks seen during President Joe Biden’s term. But the data tells a clear story of inflation on a downward trend that moved jaggedly upward under Trump. The last CPI report before Election Day showed inflation was 3.7% over the past 12 months.

GDP growth has been averaging a little over 2%

A University of Michigan survey of consumer sentiment shows that people are less confident about the U.S. economy now than during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 or the 2008 financial crisis. Unlike those periods, America is not in a recession. The broadest measure of economic growth, gross domestic product, has been expanding at a bit more than 2% annually under Trump. That is a solid figure but not as fast as economic growth had been under Biden, Trump’s Democratic predecessor.

But Trump keeps telling voters that growth has never been more propulsive. The Republican president claims historic levels of foreign investment that are a mix of exaggerations and wishful thinking. “We have growth the likes of which -- and we’re going to have growth the likes of which — we’ve never seen before,” Trump said last week at a rally in Arizona.

The unemployment rate is low, but job growth has slowed

The 4.2% unemployment rate has been a sign of the economy's health. Trump inherited a low rate that has continued under his presidency in an environment that many economists have described as “low hire, low fire.”

Trump likes to say there have never been so many jobs in U.S. history, but that's largely because of population growth rather than his policies. Employers are adding on average almost 39,000 jobs a month during Trump's second term. Monthly hiring gains were three times larger — topping 121,000 on average — in the year before Trump returned to the White House.

One factor in slower job growth is Trump's crackdown on immigration, which means fewer people are looking for jobs. The unemployment rate for people born in the U.S. has largely held steady, which would suggest that Americans are not taking the jobs formerly held by immigrants.

Borrowing costs have risen

With an increasing national debt, persistently high inflation and the energy price spikes tied to the Iran war, it's getting more expensive to borrow money for a home, auto or other basic needs. Interest on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note is above 5%, having hit its highest levels since 2002. That makes it costlier for people to borrow and harder for the U.S. government to repay its bonds.

Stocks have kept setting records

Trump likes to brag about how stock markets continue to set record highs under his presidency, although Biden could have made similar claims. The S&P 500 index is up about 12% this year. It rose by about 16.4% last year.

But the increase in 2024 — before Trump became president — was 23.3%. The stock market is a function of more than presidential politics, as growth in tech stocks has sustained the broader market. Trump's tax cuts may have helped corporate earnings, as federal revenues from business taxes fell 16% last year, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Inequality is widening

Since Trump returned to the White House, the wealth of the top 0.1% of households has increased by $5.5 trillion in just 18 months, according to Federal Reserve data. The bottom 50% of households have seen their wealth increase by $380 billion.

That means the bottom half of households on average saw their net worth improve by $5,600 under Trump's presidency. The richest 0.1% saw their net worth increase on average by $40.8 million, a sum more than 7,000 times greater than the average gain for a household in the bottom half.

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Find AP Fact Checks at https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.

Polling suggests a tight race between Netanyahu, leader of the nationalist Likud party, and his chief rival, Gadi Eisenkot, who leads the centrist Yashar!, for control of the government.

Israelis vote for parties, which then form alliances to create a majority coalition. No single party has ever won a majority in the 120-member parliament, or Knesset.

Here is a look at some of the most important leaders of the major parties ahead of the election:

Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister

Netanyahu, 77, is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister and the most dominant force in Israeli politics, having persevered through wars, crises, scandals and the Oct. 7, 2023 attack — the deadliest in Israel's history. He is the longtime leader of the Likud party, and supporters point to his record on security and the economy, as well as his close ties with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has endorsed Netanyahu.

Netanyahu's opponents say he's responsible for the policy and security failures that preceded the Oct. 7, 2023 attack and accuse him of mismanaging the wars that followed. In 2024, the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for Netanyahu's arrest over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity. He is also embroiled in a years-long legal scandal at home, having been charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes. Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing.

Gadi Eisenkot, former military chief of staff

Eisenkot, 66, comes from a working-class family of Jewish Moroccan immigrants. He spent four decades rising through the ranks of Israel's military, eventually becoming the chief of staff. The general currently leads the largest opposition party — the centrist Yashar! — after entering politics in 2022. His son and two nephews were all killed in combat in Gaza following the Oct. 7 attacks.

Eisenkot also served as an observer in Netanyahu's war cabinet, but resigned after eight months, when he accused the prime minister of lacking a clear strategy. He has since positioned himself as a moderate alternative to Netanyahu, but remains hawkish on security. Eisenkot is credited with formulating Israel’s so‑called “Dahiyeh Doctrine,” a military strategy calling for the use of disproportionate power in areas from which militants launch attacks.

If he succeeds in forming a coalition, Eisenkot could become the first Israeli prime minister of Mizrahi descent. Israel's Mizrahim, who come from North Africa and the Middle East, have historically faced discrimination from the country's European-descended elite.

Naftali Bennett, former prime minister

Bennett, 54, is the right-wing and religiously observant leader of Beyachad (Together), a joint ticket with centrist politician Yair Lapid. He opposes Palestinian independence and supports settlement-building in the occupied West Bank.

Before entering the Knesset in 2013, Bennett served as Netanyahu's chief of staff and also was head of the Yesha Council, an umbrella organization of local authorities inside Israeli settlements. His conservative Yamina party won seven seats, which helped him cobble together a coalition of both left-wing and Arab parties. He then briefly served as prime minister in 2021, the result of a power-sharing agreement, also with Lapid.

While Bennett, like Netanyahu, takes a hard line toward the Palestinians, the two men have deep disagreements over Netanyahu's handling of security issues and his battle against the Israeli legal system.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, national security minister

Ben-Gvir, 50, is Israel's national security minister and a far-right provocateur with multiple convictions, including for supporting a terrorist organization. He leads Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power), an ultra-nationalist party whose strong showing in the last election secured him his Cabinet post and helped push Netanyahu's coalition further to the right.

He is a trained lawyer who gained recognition by successfully defending right-wing Jewish extremists accused of violence against Palestinians. When Ben-Gvir was a teenager, the military refused to draft him because of his extreme views. He was also a follower of Meir Kahane, the violently racist rabbi who advocated for expelling Palestinians from Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.

Ben-Gvir has also laid out plans for what he says would be the “voluntary” emigration of roughly 2 million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, where he has advocated for re-building Jewish settlements.

Mansour Abbas, Knesset member and leader of Ra'am

Abbas, 52, is a Palestinian Arab politician and dentist from northern Israel. He leads Ra'am, an Islamist party that was the first Arab-led party to join a governing coalition in 2021.

His strategy has been to focus on more local issues, such as crime in Arab communities, rather than the larger Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in the hopes it will win Ra'am more seats in the Knesset and court potential coalition partners.

As part of this push, Abbas named former police commander and centrist Jewish politician Yoav Segalovitz as the number two candidate on Ra'am's electoral list. Abbas has served in the Knesset since 2019.

Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the Oct. 28 meeting would “strengthen our collective response.”

On Tuesday, Nigeria reported its first case, linked to a traveler from Uganda who arrived in the country earlier this month.

Uganda, which declared itself Ebola-free in July after recording 20 cases, has denied claims that Nigeria’s first case originated there. Nigerian authorities said they were tracing 44 contacts.

The patient, a foreign national who entered Nigeria on Oct. 5, was initially treated for malaria symptoms but failed to recover, arousing suspicions in the attending physicians, Odianosen Ehiakhamen, an assistant director at the Nigeria Center for Disease Control, told a local media outlet late Tuesday.

He said the 44 contacts are mostly healthcare workers but also the patient's spouse, a Swiss national.

Nigeria and Kenya, which has recorded nine cases, are the latest countries to report cases linked to travelers who passed through Uganda.

The latest outbreak was first detected in Congo in May after spreading undetected for months, according to the World Health Organization. It has since infected more than 9,500 people and killed nearly half of them, making it the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak in history.

“Ebola is now affecting three regions of Africa. The situation demands urgent action and political leadership at the highest level,” Kaseya said in a post on X.

The WHO said on Wednesday that it had advised “all countries in the region to sustain a high level of readiness as the DRC outbreak continues to evolve.”

In parts of Congo, including North Kivu, health authorities say the disease is out of control, with most recorded deaths occurring in the community and contact tracing struggling to keep pace with the virus’s spread.

The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment. France has also recorded a case.

Wicked Manors, one of the region’s largest Halloween festivals, returns Saturday, Oct. 31, turning Wilton Drive into a street party packed with costumes, characters and big personalities.

Click here for ticket information.

Behind the masks and makeup is something much bigger than a party.

It’s all about community. The annual celebration raises money to support vital health, and human and social services across South Florida.

“Wicked Manors is produced by The Pride Center at Equality Park in collaboration with the City of Wilton Manors. When you join the celebration, you help support programs and services that bring care, connection and community to South Florida,” according to the event’s official website.

Local 10 is getting back into character too.

We’re returning to Wicked Manors to host our hourlong live Halloween special.

Our crews will be dressed up and fanned out at some of the biggest events across South Florida, from Broward County to South Beach, Miami and the Florida Keys.

A look back at last year’s special: Local 10’s Halloween special

What to expect at Wicked Manors 2026

This year’s festival will feature two entertainment stages, DJs, live performances, dancing and costume contests.

Wilton Drive will close to traffic between Northeast 21st Court and North Dixie Highway, creating a pedestrian-friendly celebration for thousands of attendees.

The official festival runs from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. Family trick-or-treating activities are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.

General admission, premium admission and VIP experiences are available. The event is cashless and will take place rain or shine.

For organizers, the costumes may bring people through the gates, but the community connection is what gives the celebration its purpose.

OTHER HALLOWEEN EVENTS IN SOUTH FLORIDA:

Fantasy Fest — Key West | Oct. 16–25

A 10-day island-wide celebration featuring elaborate costumes, themed parties, street festivals and a massive parade on Oct. 24.

Website: https://www.fantasyfest.com/

Lincoln Road Halloween Block Party — Miami Beach | Oct. 31

Thousands of costumed revelers take over Lincoln Road for an open-air Halloween celebration featuring creative costumes, dining and nightlife.

Website: https://lincolnroad.com/

Fright Nights — West Palm Beach | Select nights through Oct. 30

The South Florida Fairgrounds transforms into a Halloween scream park with haunted houses, frightening characters and carnival rides.

Website: https://www.southfloridafair.com/

House of Horror Haunted Carnival — Tropical Park, Miami | Through Nov. 1

Miami’s longtime Halloween attraction features haunted houses, carnival rides and scare zones at its new Tropical Park location.

Website: https://houseofhorrorcarnival.com/

Zoo Boo — Zoo Miami | Oct. 24–25

A family-friendly Halloween celebration featuring trick-or-treating, costume contests, magic shows and special treats for the zoo’s animals.

Website: https://www.zoomiami.org/zoo-boo

To submit an idea for What Connects Us, email whatconnectsus@wplg.com.

Public Affairs, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, announced Wednesday that Kara-Murza's “One Day Free” will be published May 18.

Kara-Murza said in a statement released through Public Affairs that his book examines Putin's rule and takes an “honest look at those people, both in Russia and in the West, who strengthened and enabled it — and at those who fought it, sometimes at the price of their own lives.”

Kara-Murza, 45, is an activist, journalist and filmmaker who was arrested in 2022 after publicly opposing Russia's invasion of Ukraine and sentenced to 25 years. He was released in 2024 as part of a prisoner exchange and now lives in the United States, where he serves as vice president of the Free Russia Foundation, a pro-democracy NGO.

While in prison, he won a Pulitzer for commentary for the columns he contributed to The Washington Post. He also survived 11 months of solitary confinement in Siberia and two poisonings that he blamed on Russian officials.

“In spite of everything, I am optimistic about Russia and its future,” Kara-Murza said. “History knows many examples of once-terrifying tyrannies becoming peaceful civilized democracies — and no nation in the world is ever ‘destined’ to unfreedom.”

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The story has been updated to correct that Kara-Murza is vice president of the Free Russia Foundation, not vice-chairman of Open Russia.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's office said in a statement that the decision took into account the status of Waze Mobile Limited as a data controller incorporated in Israel and operating under Israeli law.

“Sensitive government information and the personal data of citizens must be protected from being exploited by the Israeli regime in a manner that could compromise national security and sovereignty,” the statement said.

It said Anwar urged all Malaysians to also cease using Waze and switch to local alternatives such as the TuJu application, which offers robust security guarantees and personal data protection.

The “government maintains a firm stance; we will close any avenues that the Israeli regime could exploit to threaten the security of the nation and its people,” the statement added.

Predominantly Muslim Malaysia is a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause and has no diplomatic or direct economic ties with Israel. The government has consistently backed Palestinian statehood and condemned Israeli actions in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The Waze restriction adds a digital security dimension to that policy. Waze was developed in Israel before it was bought by U.S. tech company Google in 2013.

The Office for National Statistics said consumer prices rose by 3.5% in the year to September, up from 3.1% in August. That's the highest reading since October last year, and above the 3.4% that most economists had been expecting for the month.

The increase takes inflation further above the Bank of England's target rate of 2%.

Prices across the transport industry were the biggest contributor to higher inflation last month, particularly at the pump. Overall, motor fuels soared by 30% in the year to September, up from a 23% annual rise in August.

Fuel costs have been soaring because of the Iran war and the ensuing bottlenecks in the Strait of Hormuz, which have squeezed global oil and gas supplies.

Treasury chief John Healey said his budget statement next week will aim to give businesses and families “some breathing space” from the upward march in the cost of living.

Whatever measures he comes up with to keep a lid on rising prices, economists expect the Bank of England to increase interest rates at its next meeting on Nov. 5. Last month, rate-setters held the bank's main rate at 3.75% but gave a big hint that they were ready to hike soon.

“With inflation increasing, the pieces are falling firmly into place for a November rate rise," said Suren Thiru, chief economist at ICAEW.

Most economists expect an increase in the bank's main rate to 4%. Other central banks, including the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank, have raised rates recently.

Interest rates in the U.K. had been trending downward from a 15-year high of 5.25% until the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February.

The 50-year-old Democrat in Centreville, Illinois, worries that President Donald Trump and other Republicans will try anything from intimidating voters to seizing ballots to hold onto power in November’s midterm elections — and, in the process, jeopardize the outcome.

“I don’t put anything past these people,” he said. “My trust level is at its all-time low.”

Registered voters who identify as Democrats have lost faith in America’s election results since the midterm elections four years ago, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Their confidence that votes will be counted accurately has dropped from 75% in 2022 to 55% this year.

The overwhelming majority of Democratic voters also say the president attempting to influence U.S. elections is a “major problem,” a view that's shared by independents but not most Republicans.

Meanwhile, Republican voters’ confidence in the results has risen slightly since 2022 — but they’re still less likely to say they have faith in the electoral process than Democrats.

The survey, conducted less than a month before Election Day, signals how opinion has changed since Trump returned to the White House last year and began a wide-ranging effort to expand federal authority over elections. Even though the Constitution gives states and Congress control over voting processes, Trump has tried to overhaul them through executive action and lawsuits, so far without success.

With the Nov. 3 elections approaching, the Republican president has signaled he wants federal prosecutors to be on the lookout for fraud, suggesting he may try legal challenges if the votes don't go his way.

Williams said that, despite his concerns, he still plans to vote in the midterms because it’s the only power he has in choosing his representation.

“If you take that away from America, you pretty much take away the foundation of this country,” he said.

Republicans have gained more faith in the process since Trump’s return

Democratic voters, who had largely trusted U.S. elections even after Trump falsely claimed he won the 2020 race and his supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol to champion that cause, have recently begun to doubt the upcoming results. But they still have more confidence than Republican and independent voters.

Slightly fewer than half of all U.S. voters have “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of confidence in the accuracy of the vote, down to 45% this year from 50% in 2022. Independents have remained steady with a lower level of trust, with 34% saying they have a “great deal” or “quite a bit” of confidence in both years.

Republicans, meanwhile, are growing more confident since Trump returned to power, even as they remain less confident than Democrats. About 38% of GOP voters have a “great deal” or “quite a bit” of confidence in the results this year, compared with 26% in 2022.

Some voters said their confidence levels related to escalating threats from Trump that he could get involved in the elections. Earlier this month, his administration filed a lawsuit against California officials claiming they didn’t adequately address alleged noncitizen voters on their rolls, and it warned that election workers who process ballots from noncitizens could face criminal investigation and prosecution.

His administration has said it has no plans to send the military or immigration agents to patrol polling places, although the head of the Department of Homeland Security said immigration officers could be sent there for targeted operations, such as making an arrest with a warrant. Trump critics have expressed fears over potential voter intimidation, with some pointing to a Department of Justice plan to deploy 1,000 monitors to voting locations.

Alan Curtis in Grove, Oklahoma, is among the Republican voters feeling better this year. The 67-year-old, who was suspicious of election fraud before the presidential election in 2024, sees Trump’s bully pulpit as a strong deterrent.

“I think the election officials will be running scared,” he said. “The people in other political parties are afraid of what Donald Trump might do.”

Curtis said he still believes that Democrats could try to cheat — an accusation made often by the president without providing evidence — but he expects Trump will step in with lawsuits or other interventions if he sees anything suspicious.

“He’s going to challenge anything where he sees things that look out of the ordinary,” Curtis said of Trump.

If there are legal challenges, few Americans have faith in the U.S. Supreme Court to decide them fairly. Just 17% of registered voters were “extremely" or "very” confident the court would handle a case related to the midterm elections in a fair and nonpartisan manner.

Democrats see presidential election interference as a big problem

While some Republicans view Trump getting involved as a positive, the poll shows the vast majority of Democrats feel the opposite.

About 9 in 10 Democratic voters believe that the president attempting to influence election outcomes is “a major problem,” compared with only about 2 in 10 Republican voters.

Brooklyn Johnson, a 26-year-old Democrat in Davis, California, said she dislikes Trump's dubious promise of $5,000 to every American adult if Republicans retain control of the House and the Senate in the midterms.

“The fact that he's been trying to bribe people, that's a little weird,” she said. “It doesn't seem legal."

Eugenio Mendez, an independent voter in Columbia, South Carolina, who leans toward Democrats, is so concerned about Trump interfering that it’s affecting his voting plan.

“I don’t trust that mailing my ballot will be counted,” said the 49-year-old Mendez.

He said he'll vote in person this year because he worries Trump could use his influence over the U.S. Postal Service to meddle with mail-in ballots. Trump signed an executive order this year directing changes at the Postal Service designed to restrict mail voting, but the Supreme Court did not allow the plan to move forward for the midterms.

Voters of different parties see distinct election problems

While Democrats worry about presidential interference, Republicans are more concerned about people voting when they are ineligible. About 7 in 10 Republican voters say this is a “major problem” in U.S. elections compared with just 25% of Democratic voters.

Majorities of voters from both parties also say foreign governments trying to influence election outcomes, artificial intelligence-generated election misinformation and states redrawing legislative districts to intentionally favor one party are “major problems."

Approaches to voting laws, which differ by state, are also a major dividing line between the parties. Republican voters overwhelmingly favor requiring voters to show ID when casting a ballot and providing proof of citizenship when registering to vote, changes Trump tried unsuccessfully to pass through Congress.

Democrats are more likely than Republicans to favor allowing voters to register and cast a ballot the same day, as well as to support mailing a ballot to all registered voters, a practice Trump and other Republicans have criticized.

But while their support was not as strong as Republicans', a majority of Democratic voters also favor a voter ID requirement.

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Swenson reported from New York.

___

The AP-NORC poll of 1,119 adults, including 925 registered voters, was conducted Oct. 8-12 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points, and the margin of error for registered voters is plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.

• Jury recommends death for Alberto Sierra, convicted of killing estranged wife, her 2 daughters in 2012
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• Gubernatorial candidates Byron Donalds, David Jolly hold campaign events in South Florida

You can watch a live feed of our news broadcast at Local10.com/Live.

Trump said in a Truth Social post that he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call last week to free Stephen Hubbard, and that, unlike previous releases, the U.S. did not have to give up anyone in return.

“Welcome home, Stephen, it’s great to have you back,” Trump said in the post.

Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher from Michigan, was on his way home following a visit to St. Petersburg by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who also held talks with Putin about Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as Trump pushes Kyiv to make a deal that stops the fighting.

Hubbard was sentenced in 2024 to nearly seven years in prison during closed court proceedings. Prosecutors said he had signed a contract with the Ukrainian military after Russia's invasion in 2022, and that he fought alongside Kyiv's forces until being captured two months later.

The U.S. government under the Biden administration designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained and his legal team has also disputed the Russian allegation, saying he was not involved in any military activity.

US envoy calls Putin a ‘humanitarian’

Witkoff, a key Trump administration figure who has tried without success to steer Russia and Ukraine toward a settlement to end a war that will hit the five-year mark in February 2027, thanked Putin for releasing Hubbard, telling him, “Because of you, he's going home to his family.”

“You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian. You are a humanitarian also, sir,” Witkoff said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media on Wednesday that Hubbard’s release was “raised by the American side for a certain time,” and Putin decided to free the man out of “humanitarian considerations.”

Speaking to reporters after the talks, Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said the Kremlin leader had pardoned Hubbard, who upon his release was taken to the St. Petersburg airport, Pulkovo, for Witkoff to bring him home to the United States.

Video showed Witkoff and Hubbard shaking hands, with the newly released American thanking the envoy. Witkoff introduced Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev to Hubbard and described him as someone “who had a lot to do with this happening.”

“We just met President Putin, he sends you blessings and wishes you good things,” Witkoff added.

Hubbard, a U.S. Air Force veteran, taught English overseas and retired in 2012 to Cyprus, where one of his sons is a Christian Orthodox priest. He later moved to Ukraine to be with a woman he had met, his lawyers said, remaining in the country after the relationship ended and living there at the time of Russia's 2022 invasion.

His case was taken up by lawyers at the U.S.-based law firm of Boies Schiller Flexner and the Russian firm of EPAM Law, which together had represented Marc Fogel, the American teacher freed from Russian custody last year, and worked for his release.

“They thought they weren't going to see him again alive, and Stephen didn't think he was going to come out of there alive,” Martin De Luca, one of Hubbard's lawyers at the Boies Schiller firm, said in an interview about Hubbard's family. “Obviously, they're overjoyed but they feel very much like it's a miracle.”

Other Americans remain jailed in Russia

The release occurred at a dynamic moment in relations between the United States, Ukraine and Russia, with the Washington-Kyiv relationship being roiled by fresh tensions at the same time that the Trump administration has advanced policies that aid Putin.

Those include Trump's move last week to waive sanctions on Russia imposed by a bill that Congress overwhelmingly passed to support Ukraine. Named after the late South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, the legislation targeted the flow of financial resources fueling Moscow’s war. That decision followed Trump’s announcement of a deal to import Russian diesel fuel in a long-shot effort to curb high gas prices ahead of next month's U.S. midterm elections.

Witkoff met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Norway on Tuesday. He was expected to exchange ideas from that meeting, as well as proposals from European and American colleagues, in his talks Wednesday with Russian leaders in St. Petersburg.

Hubbard is the second American freed by Russia in roughly two months, following the release in August of Marine veteran Robert Gilman, who had been gravely ill and was imprisoned on disputed charges of assaulting a police officer.

Other Americans, including some with serious illnesses, remain jailed in Russia. Hubbard was the last remaining American designated as wrongfully detained, although advocates say that label should be applied to other prisoners.

Global Reach, an advocacy group that works to free Americans detained abroad and currently represents five Americans held in Russia, praised the release but called for the other prisoners to come home as well.

“We are grateful to the Trump Administration for reuniting Stephen Hubbard with his family, but at the same time, we know that there are five other families of Americans held in Russia who are going to have a hard time understanding why their loved one was not included in the deal,” Eric Lebson, the group's chief strategy officer, said in a statement.

Hubbard had been imprisoned since 2022 on charges that Hostage Aid Worldwide, a hostage advocacy group, has called bogus.

Russia reported more arrests of foreigners in recent days. The FSB security service said Wednesday it detained a German national suspected of mercenary activities and last week announced arrests of a Swedish national suspected of sabotage and a Japanese journalist accused of espionage.

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Tucker reported from Washington; Litvinova reported from Tallinn, Estonia.

Also, Como hosts struggling Manchester United in its tiny 10,000-seat Giuseppe Sinigaglia stadium and Italian champion Inter Milan meets Shakhtar Donetsk at the San Siro still seeking its first points in this year’s competition.

The match in Munich pits one of Europe’s most devastating attacking units against the most well-organized defense on the continent.

Bayern, which has four points from a possible six in the Champions League so far, is coming off a 6-1 win over Leipzig in the Bundesliga that makes it 36 goals in 10 games this season.

Arsenal has yet to concede a goal after back-to-back wins in Europe and is tied for the best defensive record in the Premier League with five goals conceded in seven games of its title defense.

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany has a viral infection and is doubtful to attend the game. Midfielder Joshua Kimmich has been ruled out for personal reasons following a death in his family, Bayern said Wednesday.

José Mourinho’s Real Madrid is involved in an ongoing battle with the Spanish league over alleged refereeing controversies and will want a more straightforward match after needing three goals in the final 10 minutes to beat Roma last week.

Madrid visits Spanish league leader Barcelona on Sunday.

Also Wednesday, it's: Lille vs. Galatasaray; Real Betis vs. Feyenoord; Club Brugge vs. Lens; Aston Villa vs. Viking; and Sporting Lisbon vs. LASK.

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here

The Russian leader agreed “in principle” to resume the talks after Nov. 10, Putin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters following a meeting in St. Petersburg between Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.

The talks will focus on “building a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the conflict ends,” Ushakov said.

Witkoff's talks with Putin about Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine took place as U.S. President Donald Trump pushed Kyiv to make a deal that stops the fighting.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has insisted that only a summit of leaders can break the impasse. The two armies remain locked on the battlefield, and the countries pummel each other with daily long-range strikes.

Representatives of the three countries held three rounds of negotiations early this year, meeting twice in Abu Dhabi in January and February, followed by further talks in Geneva in February.

However, little progress was reported beyond exchanges of prisoners of war as Moscow and Kyiv stuck to their longstanding basic demands.

Latest proposals to end the war have little of value, Kremlin says

The discussion in St. Petersburg lasted about three hours, the Kremlin said, and came a day after Witkoff met with Zelenskyy and some European leaders in Norway's capital, Oslo.

The proposals from the Oslo meeting “contained little of real value in the context of resolving the Ukrainian crisis,” Ushakov said.

However, he later told Russian state TV that while Moscow isn’t “fully satisfied” with the Oslo proposals, they are a step in the right direction.

Witkoff’s meetings suggested leaders are keen to bring new momentum to U.S.-led peace efforts, more than 4½ years after the war began. Efforts by the Trump administration since early last year to end the war have made no significant progress.

Zelenskyy said freezing the conflict in Ukraine was the “minimum” required from Russia to bring about an end to the war.

“Right now, we have to freeze, and I think this is (the) real way to end this war,” Zelenskyy said in an interview broadcast Wednesday on Fox News.

Witkoff sees ‘some degree of momentum’ in peace efforts

Witkoff and Putin met at St. Petersburg’s Constantine Palace, with Ushakov and Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev also at the table. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, joined the discussion via a video link, Ushakov said.

Before the meeting, Witkoff said that there was "some degree of momentum” in talks.

During the meeting, Witkoff and Kushner proposed a three-way meeting with the U.S., Russia and Ukraine at the technical level and shared progress on their talks with Zelenskyy a day earlier, according to a U.S. official familiar with the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting.

Witkoff and Kushner also discussed a postwar economic plan, European security and plans for the upcoming meeting, the official said.

In televised opening remarks, Witkoff thanked Putin for agreeing to send diesel to the U.S., after Trump lifted a ban despite anger from some U.S. lawmakers, adding that the fuel would help reduce prices for American farmers and truckers.

Putin said he was ready to consider prospects for the restoration of U.S.-Russia economic ties and that he was prepared to discuss the U.S.-led conflict with Iran. Moscow stands ready to use its relationship with Tehran to help bring peace, he said.

Ushakov said that “large-scale joint economic projects that offer significant prospects for cooperation” between Russia and the U.S. were discussed in detail with Witkoff.

“Some of these are, in fact, nearing the implementation stage,” he said.

In other developments, Russia on Wednesday released a retired American teacher who had been imprisoned on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine. Witkoff said it appeared to be a goodwill gesture by the Kremlin after Trump asked Putin to free Stephen Hubbard.

Putin also met Wednesday with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who was in St. Petersburg for talks with other Russian officials, the Kremlin said.

Russia has cultivated its ties with China, and the two countries last month vetoed a U.S. proposal for U.N. experts to keep monitoring sanctions on Iran.

Putin and Witkoff also discussed a possible meeting next month between the Russian, Chinese and U.S. leaders at an economic summit in China, Ushakov said, adding that Beijing is already preparing for it.

Norway's prime minister sees a possible ‘new phase’ in talks

After his trip to Russia, Witkoff returned for more consultations in Oslo, where he met with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre at the airport before flying back to the U.S. The meeting lasted just over an hour, Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported.

“I think we may have entered a phase now where the Russians are also looking for opportunities for diplomacy,” Støre told the broadcaster. He said the new talks were likely to happen in mid-November.

Asked whether Zelenskyy could accept a border running along the current front line, Støre said: “I don’t think Ukraine will ever formally accept it and say that this is the new border. But whether they can live with it is another matter.”

Zelenskyy was still in Oslo on Wednesday, where he visited Norway's parliament and met with lawmakers.

Zelenskyy said the talks in Oslo and St. Petersburg included discussion of future security guarantees for Ukraine, the fate of occupied territories, postwar reconstruction and the possibility of a ceasefire.

Trump presses Zelenskyy to compromise

At the White House on Tuesday, Trump increased the pressure on Zelenskyy to come to an agreement with Russia as relations between the two leaders have soured again.

“We want Zelenskyy to make a deal,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “We’ve given a lot to Ukraine. We’ve gotten absolutely nothing back except grief, death, tremendous monetary loss.”

If that doesn’t happen, “I think it’s going to be a very bad thing,” Trump said.

Amid fears that Washington was turning its back on Ukraine, Zelenskyy said Kyiv is once again receiving early warnings from its partners about incoming Russian missiles, after recent strikes that he said occurred without enough notice from allies.

Russian attacks kill 5 people and wound at least 23 others, Ukraine says

Overnight Russian attacks in Kyiv left three people dead and 12 wounded, while 10 residential buildings were damaged, the city’s military administration said.

Energy facilities were targeted in Kyiv and three other cities in Russian attacks early Wednesday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said. Outside the eastern city of Kharkiv, two people died and 11 others were wounded when drones exploded in a residential area, he said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that overnight its forces struck a warehouse, an electrical substation and a bulk carrier at sea that was headed to the Ukrainian port of Odesa.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported Wednesday that its air defenses intercepted 373 Ukrainian drones over multiple Russian regions overnight, as well as the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula and the Black Sea.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

The 65-year-old independent politician is receiving treatment in a Melbourne hospital where she was flown by helicopter.

Phil Haines, her husband, gave the family’s first public comments on her condition since she was hit by a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV in her hometown of Wangaratta on Monday, speaking hours after a man accused of running her over made an initial appearance in court.

Husband says Haines has lost both her legs

Haines' husband said her left leg was amputated on Monday and her right leg was amputated on Wednesday after doctors abandoned hope of saving it.

“The good news in all this is that Helen is alive and she’s stable. That is the most important thing for our family,” the husband told reporters in Melbourne.

“We are grateful and thankful that at this stage, both her heart and her mind are in good shape,” he said.

He added that their 40th wedding anniversary will be in November.

Man accused of attack makes first appearance in court

Earlier Wednesday, Brendan Nugent, a 43-year-old man from nearby Tarrawingee, appeared in the Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court charged with intentionally causing serious injury, dangerous driving causing serious injury and causing harm to a federal official.

Nugent didn’t apply for bail or enter a plea. He will remain in custody until his next court appearance in February. Police have yet to determine a motive.

Nugent's lawyer Chirag Patel told Magistrate Allison Vaughan that his client was suffering from potential mental health issues but had never been diagnosed with any mental health problem.

Patel said Nugent suffered from a neurological condition, idiopathic transverse myelitis, and a concussion. The lawyer did not explain how Nugent had been concussed.

The rare condition damages the spinal cord’s protective myelin sheath and disrupts nerve signals between the brain and body. This leads to rapid muscle weakness, sensory loss, pain, and bladder and bowel dysfunction, according to the Cleveland Clinic medical center.

Witnesses say the driver rammed his victim, pinning her against her own car before reversing and ramming her a second time.

Australia worries about balancing security with keeping politicians accessible

The well-regarded lawmaker's plight has shocked Australians, as political violence is uncommon in the country and politicians are highly accessible to the public. Most lawmakers are not accompanied by security details and go about their work and personal lives on their own.

Senior opposition lawmaker James Paterson on Wednesday called for a review of lawmakers’ personal security in response to the alleged crime.

“The reality is that Australian parliamentarians by global standards are uniquely accessible to the public and that’s a good thing,” Paterson told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

“But we … can’t have a situation where shocking attacks like this take place because that will fundamentally change our democracy forever if it becomes a serious risk to your life to be a member of parliament,” Paterson added.

But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged lawmakers to continue to engage openly with the public despite worsening animosity within the community.

“We want to make sure that people can feel as much comfort as possible that everything’s being done to maximize security,” Albanese told News24.

“I think parliamentarians across the board are determined to make sure that we can continue to engage as we need to in this great democracy of ours,” Albanese added. “That interaction is really important in our democracy.”

Security agencies brief lawmakers on personal security

Lawmakers began online meetings with Australia’s security agencies on Wednesday to discuss their safety. Such briefings are a regular occurrence.

Albanese described the briefings as an “opportunity for people who feel anxious to be able to ask questions” of security agencies.

Australian Federal Police provide personal security only to those lawmakers who are assessed as higher risk, usually because they have attracted the attention of dangerous people. Prime ministers always have personal protection and immigration ministers often do because they anger people with visa decisions.

Paterson said providing police protection to all 226 federal lawmakers would not be practical. But he suggested increased security at electorate offices, such as Haines’ office where she was hit. Paterson said lawmakers were “most identifiable” at their offices. Coming and going could be a “risky moment.”

Federal Police Commissioner Kissy Barrett told reporters providing police protection to all parliamentarians would take an “incredible amount of resourcing.”

Police received 1,067 reports of threatening, harassing, nuisance and offensive communications against high officeholders including federal lawmakers and their office staff in the last fiscal year — a 12% increase on the previous year. Barrett said almost one suspect a week was charged over such threats.

Australia hasn’t recorded the political violence seen in other countries

Elsewhere in the world, authorities have warned of growing threats to lawmakers. The United States has seen a rise in political violence over the past decade.

That includes the 2022 hammer assault on the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; the 2024 assassination attempt on Donald Trump during his presidential campaign, as well as another on the president at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in April; and the assassinations in 2025 of a Democratic Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband, and of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

In Britain, killings of politicians have also led to tighter security. Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right extremist, while Conservative David Amess was stabbed in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the militant Islamic State group.

In July, the former British 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.

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Graham-McLay reported from Wellington, New Zealand.

Gas from the Jackdaw field east of Aberdeen, which was stalled by a court ruling in 2024, is expected to start flowing into the U.K. gas distribution network later this year. The government said that it will reduce reliance on foreign energy threatened by the Iran war and the Russia-Ukraine war.

Authorities have yet to rule on the Rosebank project west of the Shetland Islands, which is expected to produce mainly crude oil.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that the decision would “protect hundreds of jobs and help keep millions of homes warm this winter.”

Burnham said that the government wanted to maximize the existing energy reserves in the United Kingdom at a time when people are struggling, but that it also remained “committed to moving towards renewable energy” and reaching net zero emissions by 2050.

Jackdaw and Rosebank have been the subject of intense debate in the U.K. and beyond, with U.S. President Donald Trump among those who have piled pressure on Burnham to grant permissions for them.

On Wednesday, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that the approval for the Jackdaw field was “great news.”

“The U.K. has started drilling in the North Sea, one of the greatest and most prosperous areas of OIL in the World. They should go FULL BLAST,” he wrote.

Supporters say that the U.K. will continue to need oil and gas to power industry and heat homes while the country moves toward using more renewable energy, such as wind and nuclear power, and that it's better to use local sources than rely on foreign supplies.

The government said that Jackdaw would make a “small but meaningful” contribution to the nation’s energy security, accounting for about 5% of U.K. gas production during the 11-year life of the project. But it acknowledged that the project wouldn’t eliminate Britain’s need for imported gas or reduce prices, which are set by international markets.

Environmental activists and some members of the governing Labour Party argue that the projects are at odds with efforts to reduce the use of fossil fuels and combat climate change.

They warn that approving the project would breach the United Kingdom’s national and international climate commitments and generate more carbon emissions while bringing little benefit to the public.

“The truth is that this decision will only support a tiny number of jobs, do nothing to lower prices, barely move the needle on growth, and undermine the U.K.’s climate leadership,” said Kate Norgrove, chief impact officer of the nonprofit group WWF-UK.

While Jackdaw was approved by a previous Conservative-led government in 2022, the decision was stalled by legal challenges. The Court of Session in Edinburgh, Scotland, ruled last year that both Jackdaw and Rosebank had been unlawfully approved, because the government had failed to consider the carbon emissions generated by burning gas from the projects when it assessed their environmental impact.

After further review, Energy Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh approved the project on Wednesday.

“This decision will support the country’s energy security with homegrown gas this winter and help minimize the U.K.’s use of imported higher emission fuels as we continue our transition to renewables and nuclear,” Fahnbulleh said in a statement.

Fahnbulleh said that the government remains committed to eliminating net carbon emissions by 2050 and ending the approval of new oil and gas licenses.

Both Jackdaw and Rosebank are being developed by Adura, a joint venture of U.K.-based energy company Shell and Norwegian firm Equinor.

Neil McCulloch, Adura’s chief executive, said the decision on Jackdaw was a matter of urgency, because the project was ready to come on line this winter. Government officials have more time to rule on Rosebank, because it won’t be ready to begin production until next year.

“We anticipate that the decision will be made positively, and we continue with development of the field,” he told the BBC.

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Sylvia Hui contributed to this report.

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A previous version of this story was corrected to show that the name of the Norwegian firm is Equinor, not Equinox.

Incluso si todos los países hacen lo que prometen para reducir las emisiones que atrapan el calor, la Tierra probablemente se calentará otros 1,2 grados Celsius (2,2 grados Fahrenheit) por encima de las temperaturas actuales, de acuerdo con la actualización de los cálculos climáticos del Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Medio Ambiente publicada el miércoles. Eso es alrededor de (0,1 grados Celsius) (dos décimas de grado Fahrenheit) más que las proyecciones del año pasado del mismo equipo científico.

“El resultado es peor de lo esperado el año pasado, como consecuencia de la retirada formal de Estados Unidos del Acuerdo de París y de estimaciones revisadas de las emisiones históricas”, señaló el reporte. El documento también responsabiliza a Estados Unidos por el aumento de emisiones del año pasado, al indicar que las otras 20 principales economías redujeron su contaminación por dióxido de carbono o, al menos, desaceleraron el crecimiento de cuánto dióxido de carbono se expulsó por la quema de carbón, petróleo y gas.

“En términos de magnitud, el aumento en Estados Unidos (equivalente a 133 megatoneladas de CO2) superó con creces el de todos los demás países y estuvo impulsado por una mayor demanda de electricidad y un repunte de la generación eléctrica a base de carbón”, indicó el informe. Los 124 países que incrementaron sus emisiones —sin contar los 63 que las redujeron, como la mayoría de las naciones europeas— añadieron 189 millones de toneladas de dióxido de carbono en 2025, y el 70% de ese aumento provino de Estados Unidos, según el informe.

Estados Unidos va “a toda máquina tratando de bloquear las energías renovables mientras promueve y subsidia activamente el carbón sucio —y su diplomacia intenta que otros países también den marcha atrás en la acción. Está mirando el fuego, negando que haya un fuego, y luego echándole más gasolina”, afirmó el científico climático australiano Bill Hare, director ejecutivo de Climate Analytics, que mide los planes de los países para combatir el cambio climático. No participó en el reporte de la ONU, pero, al igual que varios otros científicos externos, refrendó su base científica.

Superando con creces el objetivo climático de París

Los nuevos cálculos señalan que, si los países cumplen todo lo que prometen en los planes de lucha climática que presentaron ante las Naciones Unidas, para 2100 el planeta estará 2,6 ºC (4,7 ºF) más caliente que en tiempos preindustriales. Si el mundo continúa por su trayectoria actual —sin promesas nacionales— estará 2,8 ºC (5 ºF) más cálido que en la segunda mitad del siglo XIX, lo mismo que la proyección del año pasado.

Ambas temperaturas superan ampliamente el objetivo de menos de 2 ºC (3,6 ºF) y, preferiblemente, 1,5 ºC (2,7 ºF) adoptado por el pacto climático de París de 2015. El mundo está ahora en alrededor de 1,4 ºC (2,5 ºF) por encima de los niveles preindustriales y, a principios de este año —y de nuevo en este informe— funcionarios de las Naciones Unidas admitieron que no hay manera de limitar el calentamiento al objetivo de 1,5 grados que habían asumido. En cambio, los funcionarios están depositando sus esperanzas en limitar el calentamiento a alrededor de 1,8 ºC (3,2 ºF) y luego, de algún modo, extraer suficiente dióxido de carbono del aire para bajar las temperaturas de nuevo a 1,5 grados.

El mundo se está quedando “peligrosamente lejos” incluso de esos objetivos, advirtió el secretario general de las Naciones Unidas, António Guterres, “pero tenemos las herramientas para cambiar de rumbo y retroceder al borde del abismo”.

Reducir drásticamente las emisiones globales de dióxido de carbono —en un 18% para 2030 y un 69% para 2040— “es la única manera de que podamos volver a una apariencia de una realidad que siga siendo en gran medida manejable sin impactos importantes y, por lo tanto, eso tiene todo el sentido”, expresó la directora ejecutiva del PNUMA, Inger Andersen.

“El mensaje del informe es claro”, comentó la científica climática Adelle Thomas, vicepresidenta de una evaluación científica de las Naciones Unidas sobre impactos climáticos. Ella no participó en este estudio. “Sabemos lo que hay que hacer. Tenemos las herramientas para hacerlo. Y el retraso sólo vuelve el desafío más peligroso y más costoso para todos”.

Una décima adicional de grado de peligro

La autora principal del informe, Anne Olhoff, directora del Centro Climático de Copenhague del PNUMA, dijo que el cambio de política de Estados Unidos probablemente añadirá una décima de grado Celsius (casi dos décimas de grado Fahrenheit) a las temperaturas globales para finales de siglo.

“Este reporte muestra que el retroceso de Estados Unidos no es solo una vergüenza política. Tiene consecuencias reales para el planeta y para millones de personas en todo el mundo”, afirmó Mohamed Adow, director de Power Shift Africa, una organización climática. “Una décima adicional de grado puede sonar insignificante, pero en términos climáticos es enorme. Significa olas de calor más peligrosas, inundaciones más destructivas, cosechas fallidas con mayor frecuencia y más vidas perdidas. Para las comunidades vulnerables en África, que ya viven en la primera línea de la crisis climática, cada fracción de grado importa. Estos no son números abstractos. Son vidas humanas”.

Hare dijo que esa décima adicional empuja a otros 140 millones de personas “a condiciones peligrosamente calurosas” y aumenta las probabilidades del colapso de la selva amazónica o de las capas de hielo en Groenlandia y la Antártida. También le costaría al mundo y recortaría alrededor de 1,2 billones de dólares de la economía global, indicó el científico climático Michael Mann, de la Universidad de Pensilvania.

Y el efecto de Estados Unidos probablemente sea incluso mayor que lo que calculan las Naciones Unidas porque, si el mayor contaminador climático histórico del mundo no hace mucho para combatir el calentamiento global, otras naciones también relajan sus esfuerzos, dijo Johan Rockstrom, director del Instituto de Investigación sobre Impactos Climáticos de Potsdam, en Alemania.

“El resto del mundo está agotado cuando se trata de contabilizar el daño que Estados Unidos está haciendo deliberadamente a aliados, estructuras multilaterales, cooperación económica, ayuda ante desastres”, sostuvo el científico climático australiano Malte Meinshausen. “El resto del mundo probablemente debería seguir enfocándose aún menos en Estados Unidos”.

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

If all the countries do what they promise to reduce heat-trapping emissions, Earth will likely still warm another 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit (1.2 degrees Celsius) above current temperatures, according to Wednesday's update of climate calculations by the United Nations Environment Programme. That's about two-tenths of a degree Fahrenheit (0.1 degrees Celsius) more than last year's projections by the same science team.

“This is a worse outcome than expected last year, as a result of the formal withdrawal of the United States of America from the Paris Agreement and revised estimates of historical emissions,” the report said. The report also blames the United States for increased emissions last year, saying all the other top 20 major economies reduced their carbon pollution or at least slowed the growth in how much carbon dioxide was spewed from the burning of coal, oil and gas.

“In terms of magnitude, the increase in the United States of America (133 megatons of CO2 equivalent) far exceeded that of all other countries and was driven by increased electricity demand and a rebound of coal power generation,” the report said. The 124 countries that increased emissions — not counting the 63 that decreased like most European nations — added 189 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2025, and 70% of that increase came from the U.S., according to the report.

The United States is going “hell-for-leather trying to block renewables while actively promoting and subsidizing dirty coal — and its diplomacy is trying to make other countries also pull back on action. It is looking at the fire, denying there is a fire, and then pouring more petrol on it,” said Australian climate scientist Bill Hare, CEO of Climate Analytics that measures countries' climate fighting plans. He wasn't part of the U.N. report but, like several other outside scientists, said it was scientifically sound.

Shooting far past Paris climate goal

The new calculations say that if countries do all they promise in the climate fighting plans they submitted to the United Nations, by 2100 the globe will be 2.6 degrees Celsius (4.7 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than pre-industrial times. If the world continues on its current path — without national promises — it will be 2.8 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the last half of the 19th century, the same as last year's projection.

Both of those temperatures blow far past the goal of less than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and preferably 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) adopted by the 2015 Paris climate pact. The world is now at about 1.4 degrees Celsius (2.5 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times and earlier this year — and again in this report — United Nations officials conceded that there is no way of limiting warming to the 1.5-degree goal that they had embraced. Instead, officials are pinning their hopes of limiting warming to about 1.8 degrees Celsius (3.2 degrees Fahrenheit) and then somehow pulling enough carbon dioxide out of the air to lower temperatures back down to 1.5 degrees.

The world is falling “dangerously short” of even those goals, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said, “but we have the tools to change course and pull back from the brink.”

Drastically cutting global carbon emissions — by 18% by 2030 and 69% by 2040 — “is the only way that we can get back to a semblance of a reality that is still largely manageable without major impacts and therefore that makes every sense,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen.

“The report's message is clear,” said climate scientist Adelle Thomas, vice chair of a United Nations scientific assessment on climate impacts. She wasn't part of this study. “We know what needs to be done. We have the tools to do it. And delay only makes the challenge more dangerous and more expensive for all.”

An added tenth of a degree of danger

Report lead author Anne Olhoff, director of UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre, said the U.S. policy change will likely add one-tenth of a degree Celsius (nearly two-tenths of a degree Fahrenheit) to global temperatures by the end of the century.

“This report shows that America’s retreat isn’t just a political embarrassment. It has real consequences for the planet and for millions of people around the world,” said Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa, a climate organization. “An extra tenth of a degree might sound insignificant, but in climate terms it is enormous. It means more dangerous heat waves, more destructive floods, more failed harvests and more lives lost. For vulnerable communities in Africa, already living on the front lines of the climate crisis, every fraction of a degree matters. These are not abstract numbers. They are human lives.”

Hare said that extra one-tenth of a degree pushes an additional 140 million people “into dangerously hot conditions” and increases the odds of the collapse of the Amazon rain forest or ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. It also would cost the world and shave about $1.2 trillion from the global economy, said University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann.

And the U.S. effect is probably even bigger than what the United Nations calculates because if the world's largest historical climate polluter doesn't do much to fight global warming other nations ease off in their efforts too, said Johan Rockstrom, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impacts Research in Germany.

“The rest of the world is exhausted when it comes to counting the damage that the U.S. is willingly doing to allies, multilateral structures, economic cooperation, disaster relief,” Australian climate scientist Malte Meinshausen said. “The rest of the world should probably continue to focus even less on the U.S.”

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In his first interview with a global news organization since taking office, Magyar, 45, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that efforts to recover assets that were allegedly misused under his predecessor were underway, but that the push for accountability must follow the rule of law that Orbán's government often flouted.

“The Hungarian people obviously want to see results in holding those responsible accountable, punishing them and recovering stolen property,” Magyar said from his central Budapest office.

During Orbán's rule, he said, Hungarians "experienced that this wonderful country, which was a high achiever when we joined the European Union in 2004, became one of the poorest and most corrupt member states in Europe.”

Magyar’s center-right, pro-European Tisza party defeated Orbán’s far-right Fidesz in April, ending 16 years of rule admired by the global nationalist right for its antagonistic approach to the EU and strong stance against immigration and the “liberal mainstream.”

Orbán’s self-described “illiberal democracy” dismantled checks and balances and enriched allied business figures, largely through awarding them lucrative EU-financed state contracts. Concerns over corruption and democratic backsliding prompted the bloc to begin withholding billions in funding to Hungary in 2021.

New government pursues asset recovery

Before the election, Magyar promised to bring those responsible for past abuses to justice and to recover public assets misused under Orbán. Recent polls show a large majority of voters expect him to fulfill that pledge.

Magyar's government established the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office, which holds investigative and prosecutorial powers to pursue cases of misused public funds. Magyar called the office a “superauthority” that can enlist police, prosecutors and the national tax authority “so that it doesn’t take years to uncover a complicated corruption case.”

Magyar has also applied to join the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, which investigates crimes involving EU funds, reversing Orbán’s longstanding refusal to participate.

On Wednesday, Orbán-era Central Bank governor György Matolcsy was arrested on suspicion of fraud and other abuses, the highest-ranking official implicated in criminal proceedings so far. While several other former officials have also been detained on suspicion of corruption-related offenses, Magyar acknowledged there is pressure for quicker results.

“I feel the impatience,” he said. “But everyone must understand that we want to build a rule of law state, a democratic country, a country that complies with EU and fundamental rights, and that takes time.”

“I try to tell people that it’s not the first 10 minutes of mafia movies and crime films that are the most exciting, but the middle and the end,” he said.

Holding firm on migration

Rapid reforms targeting corruption and bolstering judicial independence helped secure the EU’s announcement in May that it would unlock 16.4 billion euros (around $18.4 billion) for Hungary that it had frozen under Orbán.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will visit Budapest on Friday for the 70th anniversary of Hungary’s 1956 anti-Soviet revolution in another sign that the bumpy relationship with the EU is turning a corner.

But the rapprochement has not erased differences over migration.

Magyar said his administration would retain Orbán-era immigration and asylum policies, including escorting migrants who entered irregularly back across the southern border into Serbia. The fences with razor wire along the border, erected by Orbán in 2015 to keep out migrants and asylum seekers, will also stay in place.

In 2024, the European Court of Justice fined Hungary 200 million euros ($225 million) plus 1 million euros ($1.1 million) daily for failing to comply with a 2020 ruling on its asylum and removal practices.

Magyar said that since that ruling, “there is a completely new political environment" in the EU concerning immigration, and that Hungary had “already lost one billion euros because of this punishment, and I don’t think that’s right.”

He expects an agreement ending the fines by the end of the year, and linked the dispute to negotiations on the EU’s next seven-year budget, which requires unanimous approval from member states.

“I don’t believe that there can be a common EU budget until this problem is solved,” he said.

Rebuilding ties with Ukraine

Magyar has also sought to repair relations with neighboring Ukraine after Orbán repeatedly blocked aid to Kyiv and held up EU sanctions against Russia, all while maintaining cordial ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In a turnabout from Orbán's hostile approach to Kyiv, Magyar's government has expressed solidarity with Ukraine and designated Russia a national security threat. But he has maintained Hungary's demand that Ukraine protect its ethnic Hungarian minority’s right to education in its mother tongue.

While Orbán's government had failed to secure such a change, Ukraine’s parliament last week expanded minority-language education rights alongside Ukrainian following weeks of bilateral consultations.

Magyar called the passage of the law “a chance to open a new chapter in Ukrainian-Hungarian relations," which he said for many years have been "very frosty.”

He welcomed other Ukrainian gestures, including acknowledging Soviet Ukraine’s responsibility for the deportation and torture of Hungarians between 1944 and 1946, which he said was “an important step toward reconciliation.”

Still, Magyar opposes accelerated EU membership for Ukraine — advocated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and numerous EU leaders — saying accession must be merit based and that he does not believe a country at war can join the bloc.

“It undermines the credibility of the European Union if you put some (prospective) member countries on a fast track,” he said.

Taxing wealth, raising benefits

At home, Magyar’s proposed 2027 budget combines tax cuts for lower earners with a new wealth tax, reflecting his criticism that Orbán’s economic policies divided Hungary into two groups: “Well-to-do, wealthy people, oligarchs and their circles, and then all the rest.”

The government expects an annual 1% tax on net wealth above 1 billion forints ($3.1 million) to affect about 15,000 people and raise 200 billion forints ($617 million), helping finance tax cuts for around 2 million lower earners. The rate would rise to 1.5% on wealth above 100 billion forints ($308 million).

The government also plans to double child allowances, whose basic rate is around $37 monthly for a one-child family and has been unchanged since 2008. It will also more than quadruple the monthly minimum pension from around $88 — which Magyar called “inhumane” — to around $370.

“That doesn’t make me a socialist. That doesn’t make me a leftist. This is called humanity. This is called social justice,” Magyar said.

The S&P 500 rose 0.7% and was on track for a third straight gain. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 286 points, or 0.6%, as of 2:01 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.2% higher.

SpaceX helped lead the market and climbed 6.9% after reporting a stronger profit for the summer than analysts expected. Elon Musk, who runs the company that makes money from artificial-intelligence technology, rockets and other businesses, also said that SpaceX took a step to consider a possible merger with Tesla, his electric-vehicle company.

Tesla, which will report its latest quarterly results late Wednesday, rose 3.6% and was one of the strongest forces lifting the S&P 500.

Other stocks rallying on profit reports that topped analysts’ expectations included Capital One Financial, which rose 3.8%, and Winnebago Industries, which climbed 9.7%.

Expectations are high for profit growth during the summer, and companies will need to meet them to justify the big runs their stock prices have made toward records despite worries about high inflation, higher interest rates and other challenges weighing on Wall Street.

Winnebago was able to report a more resilient profit than analysts expected even as high fuel prices and frustration among U.S. shoppers restrain interest in recreational vehicles, for example. CEO Michael Happe said its more expensive towable RVs are a tougher sell, but customers are interested in its “more accessible” offerings.

On the losing side of Wall Street was Netflix, which fell 4.4% even though the streaming service reported a stronger profit than analysts expected. Investors focused instead on worries that Netflix’s momentum may be slowing. The company’s forecast for revenue growth in the final three months of the year fell short of analysts’ expectations.

AT&T fell 6.1% even though it likewise delivered a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It gave a forecast for growth this year in an underlying measure of earnings before income taxes and some other things that fell short of some analysts’ expectations.

Among AI stocks, which have been at the center of the market’s action in recent weeks, the movements remained unsettled.

After leading the rest of the market for years because of the frenzy around AI, stocks in the industry have become shaky on worries that the build out of data centers may slow because of how much more expensive it’s become to borrow money.

CoreWeave, which has borrowed money to buy AI chips that it rents out to customers over the cloud, has been particularly volatile. It bounced between an early gain of nearly 4% and a drop of 4.5% Wednesday morning before moderating to a gain of 0.3%. A day earlier, it had careened between similarly wide gains and losses.

Other AI-linked stocks were more resilient. Nvidia's rise of 2.4% was the strongest force lifting the S&P 500.

Besides SpaceX’s profit report showing strength for AI spending, another encouraging signal for the industry came from Super Micro Computer, which sells AI servers and services. It said it expects to report stronger revenue for the summer than it had earlier forecast because of “increased demand for AI platforms,” and its stock rallied 9.3%.

Another potential boost for the AI industry came from an easing of Treasury yields, which help dictate how expensive loans are for the U.S. government, companies and regular Americans.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 5.11% from 5.12% late Tuesday, though it remains far above its 3.97% level from before the war with Iran sent oil prices and worries about inflation higher.

Oil prices remained unsteady on Wednesday following big recent swings on uncertainty about when the energy industry can return to normal. The price for a barrel of Brent crude fell 0.1% to $108.73 after flipping up and down through the morning. It’s been yo-yoing between $97 and $112 in October.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose in Europe following a mixed finish in Asia. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 3.3% for one of the world’s biggest moves as AI stocks regained strength.

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AP Business Writers Michelle Chapman and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama had 12 points but was 1 for 13 from the field. It was his fewest field goals since going 2 for 5 against Minnesota on May 10. Wembanyama's lone field goal came on an alley-oop pass from De’Aaron Fox as time expired in the third quarter. Wembanyama missed his first 12 shots, including having an alley-oop attempt blocked by 7-foot-3 rookie Aday Mara.

Jared McCain added 20 points on 6-for-8 shooting on 3-pointers as Oklahoma City led for all but the opening five minutes of the game.

The Spurs beat the Thunder 111-103 in Oklahoma City in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals on May 30 in their previous matchup.

Nearly five months apart did not cool this heated rivalry.

Three minutes into the second quarter Fox received a Flagrant Foul 1 for tossing Chet Holmgren to the court after they became entangled in the paint. The body slam led to a huge scrum with Wembanyama and Jaylin Williams having to be separated after pushing each other. Wembanyama, Williams, Jalen Williams and Kenrich Williams each received a technical for the dust up.

Oklahoma City went on a 9-0 run after the scuffle with Jalen and Kenrich Williams accounting for five points. Harrison Barnes' 3-pointer ended the run, but the Thunder responded by scoring 13 straight capped by Cason Wallace's 3-pointer for a 59-33 lead.

Oklahoma City outscored San Antonio 31-16 in the second quarter in taking a 65-44 lead at the half.

The Spurs opened the second half on a 23-9 run to pull within single digits after trailing by 26 in the first half.

Gilgeous-Alexander and McCain stepped up when San Antonio pulled close, combining for 25 points in the second half.

Up next

Thunder: Host Denver on Thursday night.

Spurs: Host Houston in Austin on Friday night.

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See AP’s full NBA coverage here

The Finance Ministry’s preliminary data showed that Japan’s exports for the April-September period grew 18.4% from the same period the previous year to 63.5 trillion yen, while imports soared to 66.3 trillion yen, up 20.4% year-over-year.

Both were record highs for Japan. The soaring price of oil affects a wide range of sectors, including plastic goods and shipping costs.

Resource-poor Japan imports virtually all its oil and has relied on access to the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East for its oil shipments. That’s now basically blocked, and Japan has had to pay more to get shipments from other routes.

Brent crude, the international standard, has soared from $70 a barrel in February to around $110 a barrel. Analysts say prices are unlikely to ease soon.

For the month of September, Japan’s trade deficit totaled 536.6 billion yen, marking the fifth month of deficits, down from 1.1 trillion yen in August.

Japan’s September imports grew 18.9% from the previous year, while exports rose 16.7%.

One sore point is the weakening yen, which drives up the cost of imports. The U.S. dollar is lately trading at 150-yen levels.

The central bank, which kept borrowing costs at below or near zero for years to help keep a shaky economy going, has been gradually raising interest rates, in part to prop up the yen.

Last month, the Bank of Japan raised the benchmark interest rate to 1.25% from 1.0%, a 31-year high. Its monetary policy board meets again next week. The bank has an inflation target of about 2%.

The Japanese government has repeatedly stressed it’s working closely with the Bank of Japan. The government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is promising a tax cut on food to 1% from 8% to help lower-income families cope with soaring prices. That bill is now being debated in Parliament.

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Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

When the French fight high fuel taxes, they don yellow vests and march. When angry farmers want better pay, hundreds of them drive tractors down the Champs-Élysées. And when museum workers want better tourist management, they strike and shut down the Louvre.

Passionate public protest is as French as “La Marseillaise,” the 1792 anthem that enshrines the collective duty to fight tyranny in the country's national identity. But this month, the most violent demonstrations in years — and tough policing — have raised concern about riots overshadowing hundreds of thousands of peaceful demonstrators marching against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools.

On Saturday alone, at least 2,400 people were arrested after rioters in cities across France clashed with police, set cars on fire, stormed public buildings, looted stores and engulfed a historic city hall in flames. More protests could be in store.

"How can French people do this to France?" outgoing President Emmanuel Macron asked on Sunday. Nothing justifies the destruction, he added. “We all feel anger and shame.”

But any student of French history would know that the nation's proud, loud and colorful protest culture has sometimes turned violent — starting with the beheadings of King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette during the revolution that overthrew the monarchy in 1789.

A protest culture is born

Historians say the revolution was where the modern-day French tradition of civic engagement as a duty was born. The idea is that voting is not the only way to drive change; demonstration is considered a bedrock value, a way to make elites hear the populace and to defend freedoms. The moment a child becomes an activist is seen as a generations-old rite of passage. The right to protest is even constitutionally protected.

“It’s a way to build collective identity and political community,” said Magali Della Sudda, research director in political science at the French National Center for Scientific Research in Bordeaux.

France's post-revolution history is not a solid story of protests and reforms, but of cycles of popular uprisings, repression, mobilization and political concessions. The tradition has turned tragic; in 1871, government troops cracked down on the new “Paris Commune,” or municipal government, reportedly killing thousands.

In some ways, collective action won — as in 1968, when student demonstrations and a general strike forced the government to grant concessions like an increase in the minimum wage.

In more recent history, the “yellow vests” — “gilets jaunes” in French — demonstrated against a proposed fuel tax increase, and that broadened into protests over other issues like living costs and inequality. Some demonstrations in 2018 and 2019 featured burning cars, looting and confrontations with police. It's not uncommon for French violence on the fringes to mar otherwise peaceful marches.

Likewise, the student protests over the weekend expanded from education to other grievances — and featured dramatic scenes of looting and clashes with police. It’s not clear how many of those who were ransacking shops had turned out to join the day's protest, which drew tens of thousands, or were mere opportunists. Authorities have responded with nightly curfews; there were calls for more protests later in the week.

It happened during a political season, less than two weeks before the U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 3 that will also amount to a referendum on President Donald Trump’s troubled second term in office. Trump and leading Republicans are trying to leverage the widespread riots in France by making unsubstantiated claims that the social unrest in Europe is caused by Muslim migrants.

Authorities and police have not linked immigrants to the rioting in France.

Police violence blamed for mistrust

Some of the forces driving protests for the last month are owed to more recent French tradition, according to political scientist Fabien Jobard, who has studied the history of protest and policing.

Since the 1990s, the country has seen recurring waves of what the French call “violences urbaines” and Americans would call riots, Jobard said. They are often sparked by police violence: nationwide unrest erupted in 2005 after two teenagers died while fleeing police, and again in 2023 after an officer fatally shot a 17-year-old during a traffic stop outside Paris.

“For young people from the suburbs, the riot is one of the traditional forms of collective expression,” he said.

Government critics and human rights campaigners have alleged that police tactics in the last month have been unnecessarily violent. Much of the criticism focuses on rubber-bullet launchers, known in France as LBDs, and stun grenades, which critics blame for serious injuries to protesters.

And Della Sudda noted that the nearly 8,000 arrests in the weeks leading up to Oct. 17 dwarf the few dozen detained during a 1998 protest of 500,000 students against teacher shortages and dilapidated schools.

The feeling of not being heard also is part of it, she says. Rather than listen to protesters and negotiate, Della Sudda noted, the government, for example, tried to appease “yellow vest” grievances through a digital platform, which translates to “the great national debate.” Anti-government protesters panned Macron’s plan.

“As a result," Della Sudda wrote, “mistrust is growing.”

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Kellman reported from London.

The Glacier Garden in Lucerne is showcasing artifacts like these in a new exhibit of relics that have emerged from Switzerland's vaunted glaciers over the years, with more expected to come as global warming accelerates the thaw.

The exhibit, whose title translates as “Treasury of Ice” from German, comes as Swiss glaciologists recently reported that Switzerland lost 5.5% of its total glacier volume this year, the second-biggest decline on record.

“The glaciers are disappearing very, very fast now and before that completely happens, we want to show to the people that this is a very important and interesting archive of what we will lose, unfortunately,” said Andreas Burri, director of the Glacier Garden, an open-air museum.

The exhibit features an array of relics — a cow skull, boots, a primitive sort of Swiss army knife, ski gear — as well as videos from Swiss glaciers, charts showing the level of thaw over the years, and a mockup of a glacier flow.

Some, Burri says, was just rubbish.

“It’s trash. People either lost it or threw it away. We don’t really know for sure,” he said. "But it does give an idea of the variety of things that are now being found as the glaciers melt away.”

The remnants from the ice are stacked on top of white boxes that are often used to collect and transport the items from the mountains into the lab, giving the exhibit a warehouse feel.

A cylinder of ice extracted from one glacier drips menacingly, a reminder of the thaw happening in nature, too.

It's not just hard items on display: Microparticles of pollen, greenhouse gases and radioactive material from nuclear tests in the mid-20th century turn up frozen in the ice — a testament to its role as an archaeological vault.

Traces of soot and charcoal from forest fires during an exceptional period of drought and heat in the mid-16th century, for example, are preserved in the ice, testifying to another bout of high temperatures nearly 500 years ago.

While no human remains are on show, the bodies of ill-fated mountaineers also have emerged over the years.

In August, the bodies of two missing Belgian hikers who had gone missing decades ago turned up near the Trift glacier south of Lucerne. In 2015, remains of two Japanese climbers who had gone missing in 1970 were found near the famed Matterhorn.

The show runs through Aug. 22.

SEIU Local 1000, the largest union for California government workers which represents more than 100,000 employees, including auditors, nurses and counselors, hit the picket lines in cities across the state for the first time since the union's founding in 2004. Members overwhelmingly voted to authorize the strike earlier this month, accusing the state of failing to bargain in good faith after their contract expired in June.

“We are going on strike because we know the Newsom administration can and must do better,” Anica Walls, the union's president, said in a statement. “They must return to the table and bargain in good faith toward a contract that allows state workers to afford groceries, childcare, rent and other necessities.”

The strike follows an order by Newsom requiring state workers to return to the office four days a week by July 1. Newsom, who's preparing to leave office in January and eyeing a 2028 presidential run, argued that the mandate would improve workplace collaboration and innovation, which will help government better serve the public. He vetoed a bill backed by the union last month that would have required state agencies to provide a written justification for requiring workers to report to the office.

The California Department of Human Resources said it was coordinating with the union and with state departments, which have contingency plans in case government operations are disrupted by the strike.

“The department remains focused on achieving a fair and responsible agreement and continues to be available at the bargaining table,” it said in a statement.

The union argues that remote work saves the state money it would otherwise spend on office space and improves people's work-life balance.

The union is also pushing for the state to raise workers' salaries by 20% over the next three years and increase the state contribution toward employees' healthcare costs.

State workers are fighting for a better future, said Josh Guile, who works for the secretary of state's office and leads a labor council within the union.

“Today we’re out here to say enough is enough,” Guile said at a rally in Sacramento. “We deserve a fair contract.”

Jessica Brooks, an innovation analyst at the state's Department of Health Care Services, said she was picketing because the state refused to bargain in good faith. The state should give workers a raise in part to help them afford costs associated with reporting to the office most of the week, she said.

“It's got to be one or the other: Give us a raise or let us save money, both personally and with the state by working from home,” she said.

“They hit me with affordability, and that’s the first time I ever heard the word used,” he complained in Nebraska earlier this month.

The White House leaves Vice President JD Vance to use a softer touch. Last month in Texas, he admitted “there are people out there who are frustrated by the pace of progress." And during a CBS News town hall on Saturday, Vance said, “I recognize that gas prices are too high right now" and "we’re working on it.”

Depending on which Republican is speaking, Americans are getting a different perspective on how bad things are with the economy. Trump says “the golden age of America is upon us.” Vance walks a tightrope to show that he knows voters are feeling an economic pinch while still selling them on Trump's agenda.

The disconnect comes as Americans’ confidence in the economy sank to the lowest level in more than a decade this month, the average long-term U.S. mortgage rate jumped this month to its highest level in nearly three years and the unemployment rate ticked up last month.

Recent economic data released this month shows that high gasoline prices are intensifying inflation and more expensive oil and gas have begun to push prices up in other parts of the economy.

While most of Trump's supporters don't hold him at fault, some acknowledge that the president's penchant for salesmanship may not hit the mark.

"I think he talks it up,” said Conda Little, a 76-year-old retiree who went to see Trump in Dalton, Georgia, on Friday. “I think Vance is more real.”

Little takes the president at his word that he will achieve a victory over Iran in a way that benefits U.S. consumers back home. But she said it’s impossible to deny the fallout from the conflict.

“Everybody’s real upset about the gas” and “groceries are out of sight,” she said. “It’s hard. It’s really hard,” she said, adding that, “I think that people need to hear the truth.”

‘We need to do more’

Trump is loath to acknowledge concerns. He told reporters earlier this month that he gives himself “an A+ on the government, on economics, on everything.” He has dismissed concerns about high costs, arguing that concerns about affordability are a “hoax.”

“We’re in the golden age of America. So our nation is doing better now than ever before,” he told a crowd in Kentucky on Saturday while campaigning for Republican candidates.

Trump has occasionally acknowledged that gas prices are high, but has called it “a small price to pay” for keeping the country and the world safe with the Iran war.

Trump’s discordant message with one of the top concerns voters are voicing ahead of the midterm elections has seemed heightened by his fixation on beautifying Washington and building a large ballroom at the White House.

During a visit this month to an economically struggling corner of Arizona, he regaled the crowd with the story about how he ended up with a luxury jet gifted by Qatar to use as Air Force One.

Vance, as he crisscrosses the country, is quick to say that the administration has more work to do.

To cast blame, the vice president often says that his administration’s Democratic predecessors put the country in such a deep hole that they need more time to climb out.

To show empathy, he often references his own experience growing up in a working-class family in a Rust Belt town. That's far different than Trump, who comes from a wealthy family, is a billionaire and even joked during his speeches on Friday and Saturday that if people have lunch at his Mar-a-Lago club, "for $5,000, you’ll get one hamburger and a small dessert.”

Vance, during a CBS News town hall that aired on Saturday, said: “I grew up in a working-class family. When gas prices were high, I know that it made my grandmother suffer, and I’m sure that you’re struggling with it in a variety of ways."

When asked by the moderator about the mixed message he and Trump are giving on the economy, Vance said Trump was speaking about new investments coming into the country, but said the changes take time.

“We need to do more, and we can certainly do better,” he acknowledged.

Many Trump supporters trust his pitch

Some voters said Trump’s rosy view on the economy turns them away, like Santiago Rodriguez, a 19-year-old Texas college student who will be voting for the first time this year.

Rodriguez, who attended a campaign rally last week for Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, said he would consider voting for a Republican but not while Trump is in charge because he doesn’t grasp the high cost of living for Americans.

“I think he’s out of touch, I think he’s never seen what a true day as a Texan or anybody in general who is in the working class,” Rodriguez said.

Trump's most loyal supporters aren’t interested in blaming high prices on anything the president has done.

Cindy Massengill, a 67-year-old who came to see Trump in Dalton, Georgia, said she felt he’s doing the best he can.

“I’m positive that he’s got done more than any other president after the mess we were left with Obama and Biden,” she said.

Mary Bunker, a 67-year-old Republican who attended Trump’s Monday rally near Wichita, Kansas, said she works multiple jobs, including as a waitress and DoorDash driver.

She feels the pressure of high gas prices, but she likes the tax breaks that Trump signed into law last year and she doesn’t fault the way he speaks about economic concerns.

“I think he’s a very good businessman,” Bunker said. “He’s been in business a long time, so I think he knows what he’s talking about.”

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Associated Press writers Bill Barrow in Dalton, Georgia, Jesse Bedayn in San Marcos, Texas, and Nicholas Ingram in Park City, Kansas, contributed to this report.

“`I’m going to loop tobacco at the fair,’” the seventh grader told them. “And they’re, like, `What?’ They don’t have a clue.”

To be fair, most people don’t.

At 12, Sophie was the youngest contestant in the North Carolina State Fair’s annual tobacco stringing contest, which pays homage to a way of life that was already largely past when her parents were kids.

Traditionally, tobacco was harvested by hand, hung in a log barn and cured to a golden-brown with a wood fire that had to be stoked day and night. But before it could go into the barn, the green tobacco had to be strung on long wooden sticks.

What you called this practice depended on what part of the state you lived in. Because the fairgrounds are in the capital, Raleigh, they call it a stringing contest.

“Where I grew up, in the middle of the state, we call it stringing,” said Pat Short, superintendent of the fair’s Heritage Circle. “But down east, in the eastern part of the state, they call it looping tobacco.”

Today, North Carolina’s flue-cured tobacco crop is harvested mostly by machine and packed tightly into natural gas-heated metal bulk barns that look more like shipping containers.

It’s a different world from when 97-year-old Ruth Coats, the oldest contestant, worked her family’s tobacco near the Virginia border. Once the state’s largest cash crop, tobacco was the beating heart of many family farms. Tobacco “allotments” — the rights to grow it — were hereditary.

“It was good, hard work, but it made you much stronger,” she said with a giggle. “A lot of memories of my family and friends.”

Teams like The Tie Masters and Mule Stringers compete

Although North Carolina remains the nation’s No. 1 tobacco producer, the leaf has fallen to the state’s third most valuable cash crop, behind corn and soybeans. Growers produced more than 248 million pounds (112 million kilograms) last year, valued at nearly $546 million, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Most tobacco ends up in smoking products.

“When we were growing up, if people had anywhere from 6 to 10 acres of tobacco, they could actually raise enough money to raise their family,” said Ken Jones, Sophie's grandfather. “But now, most of the guys contract (with tobacco companies) 400 to 600 acres (162 to 243 hectares) of tobacco at one time.”

On Friday, teams with names like The Tie Masters, the Mule Stringers and 89 & Twine battled it out in a white tent as temperatures reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius).

With a “ready set and go” from Short, a pair of “handers” gathered clumps of yellow-green leaves from a table and passed them to the stringer, who wrapped twine around the stems of the leaves, then the stick.

When they’d strung at least 36 bundles, they wrapped the twine around the stick’s end and tore it off.

The fastest teams can tie a stick in under a minute.

Three generations of one family vied for first place

Peggy Medlin remembers being so fast as a teenager that her boss let the other two loopers go.

“And I made $6 for looping 600 sticks,” the 89-year-old recalled with a grin.

But it’s not just about speed. Before presenting a stick to the judges, a worker gave each a couple of good shakes to make sure no leaves fell out.

“Because in the curing process, that would be a bad thing if it caused it to catch on fire,” explained Andrea Ashby, director of public affairs for the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

A dozen teams competed this year. Sophie was one of three generations of her family vying for the $250 first prize.

Sandy Jones grew up on a southeastern North Carolina farm and learned to loop from her mother. She taught her own daughter, Annie, when she was about 5, and her granddaughter when she was about the same age.

Jones’ squad, the defending champion Maple Hill Loopers, included her husband, Ken, and son-in-law Mike Sunday. Sophie, mom Annie and her great-aunt comprised The 3 Suckers — a play on the small side shoots that can stunt the growth of healthy leaves.

The Maple Hill Loopers were edged out by The Benson Nites, which finished with a time of just under one minute and four seconds.

The Suckers didn’t place, but that didn’t matter to Sophie.

“I think of it as tradition,” she said.

Short said the tobacco strung at the fair — which was grown at the nearby Oxford Tobacco Research Station — will be sold to a contractor and likely go into cigarettes. Sophie confessed to being a bit conflicted about tobacco, a plant that has killed untold humans, but is also showing promise in vaccine production and other pharmaceutical research.

“Every single year I go, I’m like, `Why do we do this? It’s, like, bad for people,’” she said. “But the leaves can also get used for, like, different things, not just smoking.”

And when she has kids of her own, she’s going to teach them how to loop.

“It makes my heart smile,” her grandmother said.

As the retired insurance broker from the Sherman Oaks neighborhood ponders his pick in the upcoming mayoral election, he’s leaning toward the unpopular incumbent, Mayor Karen Bass, over her fellow progressive Democrat Nithya Raman, a little-known city council member who is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America. She endorsed Bass before changing her mind and entering the race.

Neither choice gives him confidence about the future.

“Is this the best we can do?” asked Lyons, a Democrat, who attended a recent candidate forum. “I don’t think either one shines.”

If Bass wins the Nov. 3 election, it will be because she was able to persuade voters like Lyons to give her a second chance after a rough first term that included the deadly Palisades Fire, which ignited when she was out of the country and caught the fire department unprepared.

Nearly three weeks into mail voting, only 5% of ballots have been returned, according to ballot tracking firm Political Data Inc.

On a recent sunny afternoon as he dropped off his ballot in the Studio City neighborhood, Kim Hansen said his vote for Raman represented what he considered the “least worst” option.

“I don’t like either of them,” said Hansen, a piano player who isn’t registered with a party. “I still wish there was somebody really good to vote for.”

City Hall struggles with the basics

The campaign is unfolding as the city contends with myriad urban ailments. In the latest data released in July, homelessness increased in the city, dealing a setback to Bass. Residents are dealing with climbing rent and housing costs, rising utility bills and buckled streets and sidewalks.

Hollywood jobs have been fleeing for years for cheaper filming locales, and the restaurant industry has been shaken by mounting closures. In August, the candidates sparred over their support for street food vendors versus brick-and-mortar restaurants. Meanwhile, the 2028 Olympics are on the horizon, raising questions about the public face the city will present to the world.

At issue is whether voters want to stick with the mayor or pivot to the political left with Raman and follow New York’s lead, where democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor.

Bass represents the Democratic establishment as she’s backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, along with nearly every member of the city council, including several aligned with the democratic socialists. She served in the state legislature and Congress before becoming mayor in 2022 and was under consideration to be former President Joe Biden’s running mate in 2020.

Raman has picked up notable support from advocacy and political groups, including Our Revolution, which was founded by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and the Sierra Club. She's thin on endorsements from prominent local politicians. She landed a widely publicized private meeting with former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is not involved in the race, that hinted at her efforts to broaden her circle.

One of the unknowns is where supporters of Republican Spencer Pratt — a former reality personality who lost his home in the Palisades Fire and was defeated in the primary — might turn on Election Day.

A rough term, a mayor imperiled

Bass won a meager 34% of the vote in the June primary — meaning two out of three voters picked someone else. Raman is in her first run for citywide office. While she represents change and a generational shift — she is 45, Bass, 73 — she has struggled at times to define what that would mean.

At a recent debate, the two traded scathing criticism, with Raman pressing her case for change and Bass arguing the city would be at risk with Raman’s “extreme” views, referring to her positions on police hiring and homelessness.

“We cannot afford another four years of decline, of mismanagement, of excuses,” Raman said. Bass told her rival: “You are not ready for prime time.”

A sense of foreboding has even crept into City Hall. Council member Traci Park said recently that she was voting for — but not endorsing — Bass. She warned that Raman would take the city backward.

“I have deep concerns about the leadership and effectiveness of both candidates,” said Park, a Democrat whose district includes the Palisades burn area.

In a city known to shrug at local politics — the media tend to showcase crime, sports and Hollywood rather than City Hall — the race has been overshadowed by the national fight for Congress, two wars and anxiety over inflation and grocery prices. The LA mayor — a position that shares power with the city council — has never had the clout of counterparts in New York or Chicago. And the office has a history of being a political graveyard for its former occupants who have been frustrated in efforts to reach higher office.

“This is a hard time to be an incumbent anything, because people are so disillusioned with how government is responding to their needs,” said LA-based Democratic consultant Bill Burton. “I think this race is a coin flip, but I also think that there is a palpable lack of enthusiasm.”

A clash of ideas over police and public safety

Four years ago, Bass defeated billionaire Republican-turned-Democrat Rick Caruso, who had promised to expand the police department and place a stronger emphasis on public safety. In the primary, crime was a major plank for Pratt.

Now it’s Bass who is stressing public safety with backing from the police union.

Bass has pushed to hire more police, while Raman said she intends to replace the police chief because of broken trust with citizens stemming from federal immigration raids. Raman once posted “defund the police” on social media in 2020, but more recently said staffing at the Los Angeles Police Department should remain at its current level.

The race also has historical markers: two women of color facing off for the city's top job. Bass is the first Black woman to hold the post, and Raman could be the first South Asian woman in the job.

In Studio City, college student Beatrix Davis described herself as an “anti-capitalist” who supports Sanders, but was uninspired by either choice for mayor. She went with Raman, but said she pales in comparison to Mamdani who is willing to “take a stand and speak his mind.”

“I wasn't all in for her,” she said of Raman, but added, “Bass is incompetent.”

El llamado de la Oficina de la Relatoría Especial sobre Derechos Económicos, Sociales, Culturales y Ambientales (REDESCA) —que forma parte de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH)— refleja una creciente preocupación por la manera en que las redes criminales hacen uso de la tecnología para coordinar operaciones, vigilar territorios y ampliar su alcance hacia zonas remotas.

La oficina instó a los gobiernos a endurecer controles sobre la transferencia y el uso de estas tecnologías, e hizo un llamado a las compañías para que evalúen si sus productos y servicios pueden desviarse hacia grupos criminales.

El pronunciamiento coincide con una conferencia de la ONU sobre delincuencia organizada transnacional en Viena, donde los gobiernos sopesan la posibilidad de iniciar negociaciones sobre un acuerdo dirigido a los delitos ambientales como la minería ilegal, la tala y el tráfico de vida silvestre. Más de una decena de representantes indígenas de países amazónicos asisten al encuentro del 19 al 23 de octubre, donde reclaman acciones internacionales más firme contra las redes criminales que amenazan sus bosques y comunidades.

La REDESCA señaló que el internet satelital, como el servicio de Starlink de Elon Musk, ha sido utilizado en operaciones de minería ilegal para coordinar logística, pagos y desplazamientos en zonas remotas que no cuentan con infraestructura tradicional de comunicaciones.

Los grupos armados y criminales también están utilizando drones para labores de vigilancia y control territorial en torno a áreas vinculadas con economías ilícitas, afirmó la oficina.

Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, un grupo que rastrea actos de violencia política en todo el mundo, registró cerca de 670 incidentes que involucraron drones armados en toda América Latina desde 2018. Más del 72% de estos episodios ha ocurrido entre enero de 2025 y agosto de 2026, aseguró la organización en un informe publicado en agosto pasado.

Las cifras reflejan el aumento en el uso de drones armados en la región y no se limita a delitos ambientales.

La oficina también destacó el uso de redes sociales para comercializar mercurio —un metal tóxico utilizado en la minería ilegal de oro que puede contaminar ríos y arroyos y se puede acumular en los pescados que consumen las comunidades locales.

Fiscales documentaron 108 publicaciones en TikTok que anunciaban mercurio para la minería ilegal de oro y que acumularon más de 5,8 millones de visualizaciones, de acuerdo con REDESCA. En su respuesta a las consultas de The Associated Press, la oficina no identificó al país involucrado.

La REDESCA señaló que entre los casos documentados públicamente también se incluyen drones que volaron sobre comunidades indígenas en medio de disputas relacionadas con la tala ilegal, así como drones armados utilizados para intimidar a civiles indígenas. Advirtió, sin embargo, que la evidencia no siempre establece una conexión directa entre esos incidentes y actividades de protección ambiental.

La tecnología también ayuda a las comunidades a proteger los bosques

Las mismas tecnologías utilizadas por organizaciones delictivas también pueden ayudar a las comunidades indígenas a defender sus territorios.

Las imágenes satelitales, el mapeo por GPS y el uso de drones pueden detectar actividades de deforestación y minería ilegal, permitiéndole a las comunidades reunir evidencias de incursiones y, al mismo tiempo, reducir su exposición a grupos armados.

La REDESCA instó a los gobiernos a reforzar la supervisión de las transferencias de tecnología e investigar su uso ilícito, además de pedir que las empresas tecnológicas y de telecomunicaciones evalúen la posibilidad de que sus productos y servicios puedan ser desviados hacia organizaciones criminales.

La oficina también advirtió que el desarrollo y operación de tecnologías avanzadas conlleva costos ambientales, incluido el consumo de energía y agua, extracción de minerales y desechos electrónicos.

Subrayó que los gobiernos deben apoyar el monitoreo ambiental liderado por las comunidades sin eximir a las autoridades públicas de la responsabilidad de proteger los territorios.

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La cobertura climática y ambiental de The Associated Press recibe apoyo financiero de múltiples fundaciones privadas. La AP es la única responsable de todo el contenido. Consulte las normas de la AP para trabajar con filantropías, una lista de patrocinadores y las áreas de cobertura financiadas en AP.org.

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

“We need jurors to show up,” said Circuit Judge Keathan Frink. “This has been a problem consistently, where we have anywhere from 30 to 47 percent of jurors who are summoned [actually] appearing and showing up for jury duty.”

One juror, who asked not to be identified, said the jury room seemed empty when he reported for duty recently.

He said other jurors knew of people who pretended not to get the summons in the mail.

“People were talking about using that excuse - that the postal service was an excuse for saying they never got the summons,” he recalled.

Frink told Local 10’s Janine Stanwood that with so few reporting for duty, there’s a ripple effect.

“It makes it extremely difficult for judges and litigants to get their cases heard,” he said.

Criminal cases typically get priority, and so civil cases often suffer. Jurors who are there often will have to do extra duty, or they are not excused as often if they claim hardship since the juror pool is so small. There are certain predicaments, by statute, that can get a juror excused.

Frink said the Broward judicial system is now enforcing consequences.

“There are no consequences that jurors see and that are typically enforced - and so that’s one of the things that we’re doing, is trying to enforce the Florida statutes,” he said.

Earlier this month, Frink presided over the first hearing of its kind in nearly 15 years that summoned recent no-shows to explain their absence.

The irony: of the 100 people sent notices about this hearing, 27 responded, and just four showed up.

Several jurors said they were taking care of family members or claimed not to have received the notice in the mail.

Frink issued new court dates to three people and issued a fine to the fourth.

Local 10 was told the others who didn’t show up can expect to be served by the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

Frink said he’d rather people come because they know it’s their civic duty.

“We’d love to have jurors who show up, who want to be here,” he said.

Police said it was that burglary, caught on camera Friday at 7tyone Restaurant & Coffee Bar at 1130 Normandy Drive, that led them to link it to another burglary two weeks prior ― and to suspect Kevin Reilley.

Investigators said a masked Reilley used a rock to break into the front glass door of 7tyone at around 1 a.m., went behind the counter and stole nearly $300 from the cash register.

In a news release, Officer Christopher Bess, a spokesperson for the Miami Beach Police Department, said detectives “quickly identified similarities between this incident and another commercial burglary that was actively being investigated in the area.”

That burglary happened on Oct. 2 at Big Joe Smash Burgers on North Beach.

Police said Reilley didn’t smash a window this time, but instead “forcibly removed a wall-mounted lockbox” at the storefront at 6987 Collins Ave., took the spare key and walked in, and took the whole cash register after an unsuccessful attempt to pry it open with a screwdriver.

According to an arrest report, the cash drawer had about $800 inside.

“Through surveillance footage and follow-up investigative work, detectives positively identified Reilley as the suspect,” Bess wrote. “When taken into custody by the Miami Beach Police Department’s Priority Service Team (on Sunday morning), he was wearing shorts and boots and carrying a backpack consistent with those seen in the footage.”

Reilley, who is homeless, faces charges including burglary of an unoccupied structure while masked, possession of burglary tools and grand theft.

“Luckily, our detectives, our homeless resource officers and our priority service teams not only identified him but tracked him down,” Bess later told Local 10 News in an interview.

Bess noted that Reilley “also had previous convictions of thefts in local stores, such as Walgreens and other businesses.”

He did not appear in Miami-Dade jail records as of Tuesday afternoon.

Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points and Brown had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists in his first game since being acquired from Boston. James began his NBA-record 24th season by finishing with 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

The 76ers got three 3-pointers from Anfernee Simons and two from fellow newcomer Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, as the reserves took advantage of the open looks they got when the Knicks were caught focusing too much on the bigger names.

Jalen Brunson scored 21 points but the NBA Finals MVP shot just 6 for 19 from the field.

Brunson told fans inside Madison Square Garden in a pregame ceremony when the Knicks raised their NBA championship banner and received their rings that: “The joy that this city had this summer, we would love to replicate that again.”

Maybe they can, but they will have to play a lot better than they did Tuesday in shooting 37% overall and 33.3% on 3s. Karl-Anthony Towns had 19 points and 12 rebounds.

The Knicks dominated the 76ers in a second-round sweep, early on during their streak of 13 straight victories as part of a 16-3 finish with the highest point differential in NBA postseason history.

Philadelphia then went out and traded for Brown and signed James after the NBA’s career scoring leader decided to leave the Los Angeles Lakers, setting the 76ers up with the potential to be one of the best teams in the league.

They certainly didn’t have a smooth start but played better as the game went on. The Sixers closed the third quarter with an 11-0 run, capped by Brown’s second straight 3-pointer that came at the buzzer and gave Philadelphia an 83-76 lead.

Maxey’s three-point play early in the fourth made it 87-78. The Knicks cut it to 96-95 when Towns made a 3-pointer, but Joel Embiid answered with one and the Sixers stayed ahead.

Embiid finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.

Brunson, wearing gold sneakers for the occasion, couldn’t help the Knicks recover by hitting the type of big shots he did when they repeatedly came back to beat San Antonio in five games for their first championship since 1973.

The festive pregame party gave way to a first half filled with long stretches of fouls and missed shots, not leaving much reason for the cheers to continue. The Knicks went ahead by 10 with one good flurry but it was down to 58-54 at halftime.

Up next

76ers: Host Cleveland on Thursday night.

Knicks: Visit Boston on Friday night.

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See AP’s full NBA coverage here

Los votantes del estado de Amazonas acudirán el domingo a las urnas para elegir gobernador y al presidente del país en la segunda vuelta entre el actual mandatario Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva y el senador derechista Flávio Bolsonaro, hijo del expresidente Jair Bolsonaro.

Encuestas recientes dejan entrever una apretada contienda en la que Bolsonaro lleva ligera ventaja. Bolsonaro ganó la primera vuelta en Manaos, la capital estatal, mientras que Lula se impuso en municipios del interior, incluidos los del Valle del Javari. La deforestación se disparó un 60% durante el mandato de Bolsonaro, mientras que el gobierno de Lula anunció la semana pasada la tasa de deforestación más baja en la Amazonía de la que se tenga registro.

La mayoría de los habitantes de la Amazonía vive en zonas urbanas, pero miles residen en pequeñas aldeas ubicadas a varios días en barco de la ciudad más cercana, incluido el Valle del Javari, una de las regiones más remotas de la Amazonía y hogar de varias comunidades indígenas que viven en aislamiento. Se calcula que su población es de unas 6.300 personas, según datos oficiales.

Las normas electorales brasileñas garantizan el transporte para las comunidades indígenas remotas. En el Valle del Javari, algunas aldeas funcionan como centros de votación para comunidades cercanas. Pero algunos votantes viven a 895 kilómetros (556 millas) de sus centros de votación, lo que requiere viajes de tres a cinco días en barco.

“Por lo general ayudamos a las autoridades electorales a organizar la logística para que estos votantes puedan llegar a las urnas", señaló Eliesio Marubo, un abogado indígena de Univaja. "Este año fue muy diferente: las autoridades electorales no se comunicaron para organizar el transporte. Tuvimos una tasa de abstención muy alta en la primera vuelta”.

Así que la organización se comunicó directamente y presentó una solicitud el pasado 13 de octubre. El tribunal electoral del estado de Amazonas rechazó el pedido el martes, asegurando que no podía atender la solicitud con tan poca antelación debido a las enormes distancias y los bajos niveles de los ríos —lo cual exigiría embarcaciones más lentas—, por lo que sería imposible organizar el transporte a tiempo.

El juez también indicó que la región plantea desafíos logísticos únicos, a tal grado que se necesitan aeronaves militares para transportar máquinas de votación y personal electoral debido a las “barreras de acceso”.

“Satisfacer las necesidades de las comunidades del Valle del Javari depende por completo de un transporte fluvial complejo, el cual requiere de mucho tiempo durante la estación seca. Las autoridades públicas carecen de los recursos para hacerlo en el tiempo restante”, destacó el juez.

La unidad de derechos indígenas de la Defensoría Pública del estado de Amazonas señaló que también ha presentado solicitudes ante las autoridades después de que recibió reportes de líderes y organizaciones indígenas sobre las dificultades para llegar a los centros de votación para el balotaje.

Máquinas de votación recorren miles de kilómetros hasta comunidades indígenas

El acceso al voto ha sido un problema persistente en esta región.

Hasta 2012, los únicos centros de votación de la región se ubicaban en la ciudad de Atalaia do Norte. Ese año, un candidato a la alcaldía distribuyó gasolina a unas 1.200 personas indígenas del Territorio Indígena del Valle del Javari para que pudieran realizar el viaje de varios días para poder votar.

Sin embargo, el candidato no había proporcionado combustible suficiente para el viaje de regreso. Los viajeros quedaron varados durante varias semanas a la orilla del río y sin saneamiento adecuado, lo que provocó un brote de rotavirus. Cinco bebés kanamari perdieron la vida y unas 100 personas fueron hospitalizadas.

Eso cambió en 2014, cuando aldeas del territorio del Valle del Javari recibieron sus primeros centros de votación gracias a los esfuerzos de Bruno Pereira, un experto en asuntos indígenas que murió en 2022 mientras trabajaba junto al periodista británico Dom Phillips en el Valle del Javari.

Pereira encabezaba en ese momento la oficina local del organismo brasileño de asuntos indígenas y les proporcionó alimentos y agua, además de coordinar una cuarentena para evitar que el virus llegara a las poblaciones indígenas. En coordinación con líderes indígenas locales, elaboró posteriormente un plan para transportar máquinas de votación electrónica a aldeas remotas.

El tribunal electoral de Amazonas, el Tribunal Superior Electoral de Brasil y el organismo de asuntos indígenas no respondieron de momento a una solicitud de comentarios de The Associated Press.

Marubo, de Univaja, dijo que no sabía cuántos votantes indígenas se verían afectados, pero que siguen preocupados por no poder votar.

“La Constitución garantiza el derecho al voto y a postularse a un cargo. Ese derecho no se está garantizando, porque las autoridades son las responsables de organizar la logística para que todos puedan ejercerlo sin dificultad”, subrayó.

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

In a speech two weeks before the pivotal midterm elections for control of Congress, the liberal-leaning justice sharply criticized how the majority’s rulings have affected the nation’s political environment.

“The court has kind of blinded itself to the very deleterious effect of their rulings on how the political system works and has created a democracy that does not work as well as it should,” she said during a talk before students and professors at Catholic University's law school in Washington, D.C.

She blasted rulings that weakened the Voting Rights Act and campaign finance regulations while opening the door for more partisan gerrymandering. She dissented from those decisions.

“Over the last couple of years especially, both political parties have been engaged in a race to the bottom in terms of doing these partisan gerrymanders, … making what I think is unfortunately a too polarized country even more so,” she said. “The people of America look around and think that all this money chasing all these political candidates is a nightmare, and they're right.”

The court’s majority, for its part, said in a 2019 ruling that courts drawing voting districts for maximum advantage is a political dispute and federal courts can’t step in. Conservatives have separately ruled that key campaign finance regulations violate the freedom of speech. This year, the court further narrowed protections in the Voting Rights Act, which had helped increase minority representation.

That helped feed a redistricting frenzy touched off by President Donald Trump, who is trying to hold on to the Republicans' slim House majorities in the November election.

Still, Kagan said it's unfair to say the majority reflexively supports the president. She pointed to key areas where the court has pushed back against Trump, including tariffs, birthright citizenship and mail ballots.

FBI officials said David Sartin, 40, wore a “prosthetic ‘old man’ mask with gray facial hair” when he robbed two banks in the Tampa Bay area.

Agents said they found the mask and other evidence while serving a warrant at Sartin’s home and storage unit.

Agents said Sartin was previously convicted a decade ago of robbing banks in Texas while wearing Halloween masks and disguises.

He faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted in the stickups.

Leer en español

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, the Republican Florida gubernatorial candidate, took his campaign tour bus to La Carreta on Tuesday afternoon in Miami-Dade County.

U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez was among the Cuban American supporters who welcomed Donalds to the restaurant on Bird Road in the Westchester neighborhood.

“Florida will never be a home to socialism,” Donalds told dozens at the restaurant. “Not on my watch as your next governor.”

The crowd cheered. Donalds, who is running against Democrat David Jolly, also said his goal is to back law enforcement and make Florida more affordable.

“Some things also, we’ve got to do. We’ve got to make it more affordable,” Donalds said. “We’ve got to drive prices down for people. We want young children to be able to achieve a great dream in Florida. We want seniors to live out their golden years in Florida.”

As for Jolly, he voters to the Koinoinia Worship Center in Prembroke Park late Tuesday afternoon.

“We’re going to elect Democratic candidates up and down the ballot this year,” said Jolly. “I just happen to be a candidate for governor who happens to talk openly about my faith as well.”

Several hundred people packed into the church’s sanctuary to hear Jolly and a special guest, former President Bill Clinton.

“I’m tired of politicians picking fights when the voters have to pick and choose what to get off the shelf at the grocery store,” said Clinton.

President Donald Trump endorsed Donalds. Early voting started on Monday in Miami-Dade County ahead of the midterm elections on Nov. 3rd.

Location

According to a 21-page arrest affidavit from the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Brian Louis Sguros, 35, is accused of using his position as a police officer to gain access to information about a man whose body he helped discover in July 2022.

Investigators said Sguros subsequently took control of the man’s Lauderhill home, spent years making improvements and attempted to establish a financial interest in the property.

The investigation began after a dispute involving the home’s ownership led to allegations of identity theft and official misconduct.

Officer discovers man’s body during welfare check

According to the affidavit, Sguros and another Lauderhill police officer responded to a welfare check at 4551 NW 12th St. on July 11, 2022.

A neighbor had contacted authorities after becoming concerned that she had not seen the homeowner, Dennis Ionis West, for approximately two weeks.

Officers entered the home through an unlocked front door and discovered West’s body near the entrance.

An autopsy determined that West died of cardiovascular disease, and his death was ruled natural.

Investigators said body camera footage showed Sguros participating in the response, but there was no indication that he told the other officers he knew West.

However, records later showed Sguros identified himself as West’s friend when communicating with the medical examiner’s office.

He also offered to handle West’s funeral arrangements if relatives could not be located.

Investigators eventually determined that West had several surviving family members and legal heirs.

Police say officer took possession of home weeks after death

According to the affidavit, Sguros acknowledged in sworn court documents that he took possession of West’s property around Aug. 1, 2022, just weeks after the man’s death.

“I was wondering, Dennis had just passed away and how could he have gotten the house so quick,” West’s neighbor, Lethel Haye, said. “He was like taking out all the rotten boards and everything inside and putting it outside, and at one point, they were living in there.”

Sguros claimed he spent more than two years cleaning, securing and renovating the home, the affidavit stated.

In court filings, he said he invested at least $214,000 of his own money into the property and increased its value to approximately $500,000.

He maintained that his work was intended to protect the vacant home from squatters and criminal activity, authorities said.

Investigators said property records showed Sguros paid taxes on the home, which remained registered under West’s estate.

Records also showed he made a payment of more than $2,500 toward a utility account that remained in West’s name nearly two years after his death.

In February 2025, Sguros and another individual filed paperwork attempting to establish adverse possession of the property, the affidavit stated.

According to the affidavit, the filing itself did not grant them legal ownership.

Building permit allegedly used dead man’s identity

Investigators said they discovered an August 2024 building permit application for an $8,000 project to replace windows and exterior doors at West’s home.

The paperwork listed West as the property owner, included his driver’s license information and contained a signature purportedly belonging to him, authorities said.

The document also indicated that West had appeared before a notary in August 2024, more than two years after his death.

Investigators said the phone number listed for West on the application actually belonged to Sguros.

According to the affidavit, detectives interviewed an employee of Active Builders Inc., the company involved in the renovation project.

The employee told investigators that Sguros had provided documents needed for the building permit, including a copy of West’s driver’s license, authorities said.

According to the affidavit, the employee said he believed West was alive and owned the property because of the information Sguros provided.

Investigators also reviewed text messages between the employee and Sguros that contained images of the deceased man’s identification and building permit paperwork, authorities said.

According to the affidavit, the notary whose name appeared on the documents told investigators she did not recognize the paperwork and that the signature was not hers.

She also said the notary stamp appeared smaller than the one she used, detectives said.

Investigators examine police database searches

The affidavit also accuses Sguros of improperly accessing law enforcement databases to obtain information about West.

Investigators said records showed Sguros conducted seven searches using his Lauderhill Police Department-issued computer between July 2022 and January 2023.

Those searches involved West’s driver’s license information and vehicle registration records.

According to investigators, the database results included personal information such as West’s address, date of birth, Social Security number and vehicle details.

One search conducted in January 2023 specifically identified West as deceased, authorities said.

Property dispute leads to investigation

According to the affidavit, the case came to light after Equinox Realty Holdings became involved with the property.

The affidavit states that the company located West’s surviving heirs and acquired their ownership interests in the home.

A Broward County court subsequently recognized the heirs’ interests and the conveyances to Equinox.

Investigators said Sguros eventually surrendered the keys to the home but sought reimbursement for the improvements he claimed to have made.

In February 2026, he filed a civil lawsuit seeking an equitable lien against the property, citing the money he said he spent on renovations, records show.

The company’s attorney later filed a complaint with the Lauderhill Police Department, raising concerns about Sguros’ involvement with the property and his use of information obtained through his official duties.

The investigation eventually involved the Broward County Property Appraiser’s Deed Fraud Task Force and Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives.

Five criminal charges outlined in affidavit

According to the affidavit, investigators found probable cause to pursue five charges against Sguros:

• Official misconduct
• Criminal use of a deceased person’s identification information
• Criminal use of personal identification information
• Offense against a computer user
• Unlawful use of a two-way communications device

“We hold police officers in the highest regard because they take an oath to protect the public,” Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kiar said in a statement to Local 10 News. “This case is so troubling because this officer has been charged with using his position to defraud the public. I want to thank our BCPA Crimes Against Property Team and the Broward Sheriff’s Office for their detailed and thorough investigation.”

Sguros has since been placed on leave without pay.

Jurors recommended death by an 11-1 vote for the killing of Machado, while they unanimously voted 12-0 to recommend death for the killing of Julia. In the case involving Daniela, jurors voted 8-4 in favor of the death penalty.

Sierra, 42, confessed to killing Machado and her daughters on Nov. 10, 2012. He will face capital punishment for the killings.

During the sentencing phase of his trial, defense attorney Khurrum Wahid urged jurors to choose life in prison without the possibility of parole, asking them to weigh the brutality of the killings against the totality of Sierra’s life, including a traumatic childhood brain injury.

After weeks of testimony, jurors were tasked with deciding whether Sierra should receive the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Wahid acknowledged the severity of the crimes while urging jurors to set aside their feelings of anger, hatred and disgust, as they had pledged to do during jury selection.

“He admits that he did this monstrous act,” Wahid said.

He reminded jurors of their oath to consider the evidence and remain open to life as a possible punishment, even after hearing details of the killings.

“This is a very challenging set of facts,” Wahid said, asking jurors to remember that they had said they could remain fair and consider life despite the horrific circumstances.

“The choice here is a moral choice that is before you,” he added.

Wahid asked jurors to consider Sierra’s background, including a serious head injury he suffered in a car accident in 1996, when he was 12.

“Nobody chooses to have a skull fracture when they are 12 years old,” Wahid said.

During the trial, defense expert testimony addressed structural damage to Sierra’s brain and its potential effects on his behavior, personality and executive functioning. Wahid pointed to brain images presented during the proceedings as he argued that the injury marked a turning point in Sierra’s life.

“This is not a normal, healthy brain,” Wahid said. “An unhealthy brain has consequences.”

He also asked jurors to consider Sierra’s mother, a Cuban immigrant who raised two sons as a single mother while working two jobs. Wahid argued that she did her best to help her son but that the family did not recognize the need for the kind of intervention that might have addressed his behavioral changes.

Wahid also urged jurors to weigh those circumstances against the violence of the killings, emphasizing that they alone had heard all the evidence presented during the sentencing phase.

“You still can exercise your moral clarity and choose life,” he said. “You don’t have to justify that to anybody, you don’t have to justify that to anyone in this room, you don’t have to justify that to anyone out there, you are the only ones who heard all the evidence, you just have to justify it to yourself.”

The defense’s plea followed Monday’s closing argument from lead prosecutor Abbe Rifkin, who urged jurors to recommend the death penalty, emphasizing the brutality of the killings and the evidence presented in court.

Rifkin described Sierra’s injuries to Machado as she recounted the killings and referred to the use of a yellow plastic Sedano’s bag to suffocate the victims.

“He carved up her arms,” Rifkin said. “He carved up her face. It was heinous, atrocious and cruel.”

The garment factory on the outskirts of Karachi was sweltering. The room was packed with sweating fellow workers and huge industrial equipment that radiated heat. The air felt thick with the humidity of this summer's monsoon.

Siddiqui, who The Associated Press is identifying only by surname because she fears retaliation by her employer, felt like she was suffocating. Concerned co-workers called over her supervisor.

“The supervisor said, ‘Just complete this work,’” Siddiqui, 28, told The Associated Press. “Suddenly darkness came before my eyes.”

Exhausted by the heat, she collapsed.

Extreme heat — intensified by climate change — is creating dangerous conditions for factory workers in Pakistan. From blue jeans to homeware, these factories produce goods for global companies that have pledged to protect workers’ safety. But experts and labor rights advocates say those promises remain unfulfilled, as temperatures rise and workers pay the price with their health and safety.

The AP interviewed more than a dozen workers in Karachi, all of whom described scorching workplaces, absent heat protocols and negative health effects, including fainting. They spoke on the condition that their identities be protected out of fear of retaliation by their employers. All but one said they lost wages when heat-related illness forced them to miss work. Ten of the workers made goods for global brands sold in the United States and Europe.

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This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center.

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Workers are exposed to scorching conditions inside factories

For workers like Siddiqui, extreme heat — temperatures at or above 32.2 C (90 F) combined with high humidity — isn't just a workplace hazard.

Living with her six children in a small room with no air conditioning on the outskirts of Karachi, temperatures routinely exceed 37.8 C (100 F) during heat waves.

Inside the garment factory where she stitches clothes for Spanish brands like Zara and Mango, it’s even hotter. Huge machines churn heat into the air. There are fans, but they're often broken or small. Windows are slitlike and set high, or even closed to deter theft, further trapping the heat, workers told AP.

"Smoke, heat, you face it," said a 34-year-old male factory worker.

Health issues and lost wages are common

Extreme heat is a silent killer: It can show few outward symptoms while causing severe internal damage and worsening conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and asthma. Studies have linked it to dehydration, heatstroke, organ failure and death.

“The longer you work in the heat, the less that you’re protected from it and the health risks rise,” said Andreas Flouris, the founder of FAME Lab, which researches heat's impact on health.

The number of people exposed to extreme heat is growing exponentially due to climate change. Heat stress is a leading cause of weather-related deaths, according to the World Health Organization. Studies by World Weather Attribution say that climate change has also drastically increased the frequency, intensity and risks of extreme heatwaves in Pakistan.

Workers interviewed by AP described temporary muscle paralysis, swollen limbs, blood pressure swings, breathing problems, blurred vision and exhaustion that peaked in the hottest months. One worker showed scaly skin rashes on her arms from routine chemical exposure, saying how the pain intensified during summer.

All said they'd seen co-workers faint from the heat. Several said they'd fainted themselves, some multiple times. Those who fainted were often only offered a short break or sugary drink before being told to resume work.

They said complaining to supervisors led to no changes.

Only one worker had paid sick leave. The rest told AP that missed hours — even from fainting on the job or from heat-related illnesses — meant slashed wages.

Siddiqui wept on the floor of her home as she described fainting and being sent to the hospital. Earning 15,000 Pakistani rupees ($54) a month, the hospital visit cost, which her employer refused to pay, left her unable to buy food for her children.

“Sometimes they eat one meal, sometimes they don’t eat a meal,” she said, adding that the younger children sometimes cry from hunger. “The older ones have gotten used to it.”

Solutions exist but are often absent

There are simple, scalable and economically feasible measures factories can take to protect their workers from extreme heat, including accurately measuring temperature and humidity inside workplaces, providing cold drinking water and allowing workers breaks, said Flouris.

Other solutions include installing barriers to block radiant heat from machinery, installing quality ventilation and cooling systems and painting rooftops white to deflect sunlight.

“We’re talking about some very simple strategies,” he said.

Factory workers told AP that almost none of these measures were taken in their workplaces.

Several workers said their factories’ metal roofs make the summer heat unbearable, yet they receive no extra water or breaks.

All the workers said there were no heat sensors installed. Only one worker said a ventilation system was installed at their workplace, but that it was only turned on when auditors visited the factory for inspection. The workers said water was provided by their employers, but that it was rarely cold and they weren't sure if it was clean.

“Sometimes it smells like dead rats," said the 34-year-old male worker.

Companies pledge protection but enforcement is scarce

Pakistan has national and provincial laws as well as constitutional protections meant to shield workers from such conditions, said Farhan Haider, a program manager at the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research in Karachi.

Some companies supplied by the factories, including Inditex—Zara's parent company— and Mango have signed legally binding agreements to protect workers or have their own company safety pledges.

The most concrete is the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry, which in 2025 announced it would treat heat as a workplace safety risk and develop heat stress protocols, which are under review but not yet in effect.

Representatives from the Pakistan Accord, a country-specific safety program that operates as an extension of the broader International Accord, did not reply to a request for interview or comment.

Brands have a responsibility to ensure their suppliers are held accountable for worker safety, including extreme heat, said Cara Schulte, a researcher at Climate Rights International who published a report in 2025 about worker conditions in Pakistan.

In an email to AP, a spokesperson from Inditex said the company is strengthening efforts to address heat stress in its supply chain through updated factory audits, guidance and training for suppliers and collaboration with industry initiatives. A spokesperson for Mango called worker health and safety a “non-negotiable priority,” citing their supplier code of conduct, which was “strengthened this year to explicitly address extreme temperatures and heat stress.”

A government spokesperson for Sindh province, where Karachi is located, acknowledged implementation remains an issue.

"The government is making efforts to enforce these regulations, but given the province’s vast size and the presence of numerous industrial zones, complaints are inevitable,” said Sadia Javed, who is also a member of the Provincial Assembly.

For workers like Siddiqui, complaints remain ignored as temperatures continue to rise.

"If you feel too unwell, (supervisors) say, ‘This is an everyday problem. Women cry and complain a lot, but the work still must be done,''' she said.

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Associated Press video journalist Muhammad Farooq, reporter Adil Jawad and freelance journalist Pernia Mubashir contributed to this story. AP reporter Anton L. Delgado contributed to this report from Bangkok.

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple 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.

Day did not want to set a timeline for the junior’s return, but he left open the possibility that it could be for the rest of the season.

“We are putting together a plan for him not being available for the regular season and then also him not being available for the postseason," Day said. “So based on that, if he’s not able to return this fall, we’re putting a plan together for that as well.”

The third-ranked Buckeyes (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten) are on their bye week after rallying for a 19-15 victory over sixth-ranked Indiana. That gives Day, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, and the rest of the coaching staff time to evaluate if Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair is the best option at quarterback going into a pivotal primetime test at No. 16 Southern California on Oct. 31.

Day said Fahey has had the edge the past couple of weeks. The freshman played 10 snaps against the Hoosiers and went 0 for 2. Fahey has played three games this season and is 9 of 13 for 203 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

St. Clair, a sophomore, has played two games and is 5 of 7 for 52 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

“Luke has been ahead of Tavian, but now that there is a bye week these guys are going to get plenty of reps,” Day said. “We’re going to play the guy that gives us the best chance to win. Based on what we’ve seen in practice the last month, now we have to come up for air and come up with a plan. We’re going to need them to win a championship. It’s been done before, and it’s a challenge to them and the team to pick up the slack for losing Julian.”

Day can point to the 2014 national championship banner hanging inside the indoor practice field at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center to show Ohio State has done it. Braxton Miller suffered a right shoulder injury during the preseason and was replaced by J.T. Barrett, who then broke his right ankle against Michigan. Cardale Jones then took over and led the Buckeyes to three straight wins and their first title in the College Football Playoff era.

The last time an OSU quarterback started a game due to injury was in 2021, when Kyle McCord played in place of C.J. Stroud against Akron.

The stakes are much higher, though, for whoever steps in this time. After the road game at USC, the Buckeyes will host Oregon on Nov. 7, then play No. 24 Northwestern on Nov. 14, take a trip to Nebraska on Nov. 21, and finish the regular season against Michigan on Nov. 28.

Ohio State could also play in the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis on Dec. 5.

“If this wasn’t a bye week, we’d have to roll. We’re going to have to get it organized quickly,” Day said. “This is a challenge for both Luke and Tavian to step up in a big way. The plan when both those guys came here was to play, and here they are. A coach can say you’re one snap away until it is real. They have to perform at a high level.”

Smith said whoever goes under center, they will adapt the offensive scheme. Ohio State’s run game has been inconsistent, but it can take some of the pressure off. The receivers are led by Heisman Trophy favorite Jeremiah Smith,, and the Buckeyes have one of the nation’s more experienced offensive lines.

“You try to play to the strengths of the offense. You can have Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning and still need a run game,” Smith said. “With Luke, I like the way he prepares. For a guy who is young, he has a pro mindset. Tavian has a big arm and can extend plays. Both have strengths that you like.”

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Hasta ahora, la planificación de todo el cronograma de la visita del Santo Padre en Perú sigue su marcha, dijo el sacerdote y secretario general para la visita apostólica del Arzobispado de Lima, Juan Bytton.

“Lo que sí ha pedido Roma es el tema de planificación en el tema de salud", afirmó Bytton en una conferencia de prensa con periodistas internacionales. Añadió que un helicóptero militar peruano con equipos médicos acompañará al papa en su recorrido por las ciudades de Chiclayo, Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, Cusco y Pucallpa.

La primera gira de León por Sudamérica también incluye a Argentina y Uruguay.

El domingo, el Papa agradeció a miles de fieles en la plaza de San Pedro que rezaron por él luego que la semana pasada se le extirpó el lóbulo inferior del pulmón derecho en el primer gran episodio de salud de sus 17 meses de pontificado. La cirugía confirmó que tenía adenocarcinoma, el tipo más común de cáncer de pulmón.

León añadió que tras su operación reanudará “gradualmente” sus actividades "siempre con la ayuda de Dios y sus oraciones”.

Aún están en curso pruebas histológicas del tumor y de los ganglios linfáticos relacionados. Los resultados, junto con detalles de la composición molecular y genética del tumor, ayudarán a los médicos a determinar si el papa necesita tratamiento adicional. Las opciones incluyen quimioterapia, una combinación de quimioterapia e inmunoterapia, o terapia oral dirigida basada en las características genéticas del tumor.

Bytton añadió que en Perú se tiene una lista de hospitales preparados en cada ciudad que será visitada por León, también tienen un ascensor disponible que podría ser usado por el papa para subir o bajar por más de una decena de escalinatas que llevan desde la plaza mayor de Lima hasta la catedral de Lima.

Robert Prevost tiene programado su primer viaje por Sudamérica entre el 6 y 17 de noviembre donde visitará Uruguay, Argentina y Perú. En esa gira tendrá que realizar una docena de vuelos y trayectos en helicóptero a grandes altitudes, entre ellas a la ciudad peruana de Santa Cruz de Succhabamba a 2.035 metros de altitud. Las visitas del papa también incluyen Cusco, la capital del Imperio Inca, a 3.400 metros sobre el nivel del mar.

Prevost vivió unos 22 años en Perú hasta 2023 cuando fue llamado al Vaticano por Francisco para ejercer un cargo clave. Fue obispo de la diócesis de Chiclayo, una ciudad de la costa norte de Perú, a 700 kilómetros de Lima. Santa Cruz de Succhabamba es una ciudad que también se encuentra dentro de la diócesis de Chiclayo.

Pese a que los católicos en Perú han disminuido desde 98,5% en el censo de 1940 hasta 76% en el censo de 2017, la llegada de Prevost ha despertado interés. Se están construyendo estatuas y algunos negocios fabrican camisetas, dulces e incluso una cafetería ofrece el rostro del papa en sus tazas de capuchino.

En La Paz, a las afueras del Ministerio de Educación, los maestros marcharon y trataron de permanecer en las calles, pero fueron dispersados. A pedido del gobierno, el Legislativo amplió hace semanas un estado de excepción para evitar conflictos en medio de un creciente malestar social.

Según los maestros las políticas económicas como la eliminación del subsidio del diésel, el cambio flotante del dólar tras 15 años de estar fijo han incrementado los precios y están afectando al costo de vida de los bolivianos.

Los maestros, que anunciaron un paro de actividades el próximo viernes, aseguran que en el tema de educación el gobierno de Paz busca una posible transferencia de la administración estatal de los institutos técnicos y tecnológicos a las gobernaciones.

“No vamos a permitir que se descentralice la educación”, dijo a los medios la representante del Magisterio Urbano de La Paz, Anaí Bozo, después que un grupo de sus compañeros fue dispersado por la policía.

El ministro de Educación, Eric Sanjinés, dijo a la televisora Red Uno que la medida estaría en una futura ley que no toca el escalafón del magisterio.

“Lo que estamos asegurando en el proyecto de ley es que los fondos que se transfieran, porque ahorita los institutos técnicos tienen un presupuesto, esos fondos que se van a transferir hacia las gobernaciones estén asegurados por ley para que las gobernaciones paguen los salarios de los maestros”, indicó el ministro a Red Uno.

Las marchas se registraron en al menos cinco regiones de nueve, entre ellas Potosí, Santa Cruz, La Paz, Beni y Cochabamba.

Los maestros fueron uno de los sectores importantes en las protestas registradas entre mayo y junio que paralizaron principalmente La Paz durante al menos 53 días con cortes de rutas para exigir la renuncia de Paz. Los bloqueos dejaron a la capital gubernamental sin alimentos, oxígeno medicinal y combustible.