Miramar police identified the suspect in an arrest report as Javondre Antonio Jackson.

According to the report, officers responded to an animal cruelty complaint Tuesday at a home in the 11400 block of Southwest 26th Street.

During their investigation, officers obtained multiple videos that allegedly showed Jackson grabbing his dog by the neck, strangling it and throwing it against a wall.

Police said the footage was recorded last Saturday and that Jackson had sent the videos to another person in an attempt to antagonize them.

Investigators determined the videos showed Jackson intentionally inflicting excessive and unnecessary pain and suffering on the animal, according to the report.

Police also obtained sworn, recorded statements identifying Jackson as the person seen abusing the dog.

According to the arrest report, Jackson sent text messages Tuesday to someone, threatening to kill people and then himself.

After being placed into the backseat of a police car Tuesday night, Jackson used his feet to damage the vehicle’s protective partition and threatened to kill officers and himself, authorities said.

Online jail records show Jackson was booked into the Broward County Main Jail Wednesday morning on charges of aggravated animal cruelty -- a third-degree felony -- and criminal mischief.

While the report does not name the person Jackson allegedly sent the text messages and video to, a Broward County bond court judge ordered Jackson to not have contact with any witnesses in the case, including his ex-girlfriend.

As of Thursday afternoon, he remained jailed on a $15,500 bond.

In 2014, I wrote a book with that title.

Today, the social challenges facing Cuba are even greater.

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

1) The history of the country

2) The culture of the country

3) The personal experiences of the population

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Leer en español

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oct. 1: Robberies and delinquencies increase in Cuba

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

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

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

Leer en español

Currently, Isaias is churning in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

The storm is forecast to move in a northeast direction, with possible landfall coming along the Florida Panhandle, the southern coasts of Alabama or Mississippi, or the eastern coast of Louisiana.

On Thursday, hurricane hunters are expected to take to the skies and fly into the heart of the storm.

They will be flying in one of the most famous hurricane hunter aircrafts in the world, nicknamed “Miss Piggy.”

The plane, which is celebrating its 50th year in service, also flew through Hurricane Andrew.

These flights are crucial for measuring the strength of the storm and determining potential future forecast tracks.

Actualmente, Isaias se agita en las cálidas aguas del Golfo de México.

Se pronostica que la tormenta se desplace en dirección noreste, con la posibilidad de tocar tierra en el noroeste de Florida, las costas del sur de Alabama o Mississippi, o la costa este de Louisiana.

El jueves, se espera que los cazadores de huracanes despeguen y vuelen hacia el corazón de la tormenta.

Volarán en uno de los aviones cazahuracanes más famosos del mundo, apodado “Miss Piggy”.

El avión, que celebra su 50 aniversario de servicio, también voló a través del huracán Andrew.

Estos vuelos son fundamentales para medir la intensidad de la tormenta y determinar sus posibles trayectorias futuras.

Una portavoz de la ciudad indicó que los toboganes cerrados se encuentran en Shenandoah Park, Children’s Park, Southside Park y Fern Isle Park. Agregó que todos los demás equipos de las áreas de juegos infantiles permanecen abiertos.

La medida se produce casi dos semanas después de un extraño accidente que involucró a Olvin Cabrera Valladares en Shenandoah Park, ubicado en 1800 SW 21st Ave.

La madre de Olvin le dijo a Liane Morejon, de Local 10 News, que su hijo debía estar en la escuela la mañana del 25 de septiembre, pero en lugar de eso fue en su patinete al parque, ubicado a unas 2 millas de distancia.

La mujer indicó que se enteró de lo que ocurrió después por un hombre que llegó al parque más tarde ese día con sus hijos y descubrió a Olvin atrapado dentro del tobogán.

“Me dijo que tiró de él, pero estaba atrapado en un tornillo”, dijo. “Volvió a tirar y mi hijo cayó. Tenía el brazo dentro de su camiseta y el cuello de la camiseta estaba apretado alrededor de su cuello”.

Un equipo de Local 10 News visitó el parque y observó que el tobogán tiene tornillos a lo largo de su estructura.

Los tornillos que Local 10 pudo observar con su cámara eran planos, pero el testigo le dijo a la madre de Olvin que el adolescente estaba colgando en medio del tubo por el cuello de su camiseta, que quedó atrapado en un tornillo y lo asfixió.

Después de ser trasladado de urgencia al hospital, Olvin fue conectado a un sistema de soporte vital.

Una semana después, fue declarado con muerte cerebral.

El día en que Olvin fue encontrado, la ciudad de Miami cerró el parque para realizar lo que describió como una “investigación no criminal”.

El martes, la ciudad emitió una declaración actualizada a Local 10, en la que señaló: “Nuestras más sinceras condolencias están con la familia y los seres queridos del menor. Este asunto se encuentra bajo investigación activa y la ciudad está trabajando diligentemente para reunir todos los hechos y brindar respuestas a la familia. Para proteger la integridad de ese proceso, no podemos hacer más comentarios en este momento”.

Se ha creado una página de GoFundMe para ayudar a la madre de Olvin a pagar los gastos de su funeral.

Leer en español

Local 10 News’ Jeff Derderian traveled up to Pensacola Beach, which has seen a considerable increase in the size of the waves that continue crashing onto the coast.

Locals are living with the looming reality of a major storm, slowly but surely moving in their direction.

It’s a familiar feeling for many Florida residents who have had to deal with the preparation for a storm and the concern of an unknown future after it hits.

Isaias was upgraded to a hurricane from a tropical storm and is expected to remain at hurricane strength when it eventually makes landfall.

Some people in the area were trying to soak in whatever sun was left before the looming storm moved closer.

“I think its gorgeous out here right now,” said Heather Drennan, who is visiting from Mississippi. “I’m a little nervous for this afternoon, but enjoying my vacation.”

Locals who live in the area have been busy preparing for the storm’s impact by filling sand bags and loading up on hurricane supplies.

Several folks staying at an RV park were packing up and heading out on Thursday, not wanting to take any chances of getting stuck during a storm.

“Yeah, it’s a bummer,” said Amanda Willis, who is visiting from Alabama. “It’s not the first time. It came up kind of quick, but we knew all week that there was going to be rain and stuff, but not a hurricane.”

“If this is real, tomorrow night with the storm coming in, this isn’t anything to play with,” added Jeff Willis. “We’ve been here when water was rolling across the street and we’ve had to help people push their cars out of the street. We’ve been flooded here, so we’re just doing the safe thing.”

Jeff Derderian, de Local 10 News, viajó hasta Pensacola Beach, donde se ha registrado un aumento considerable en el tamaño de las olas que continúan golpeando la costa.

Los residentes viven con la inminente realidad de una gran tormenta que, lenta pero seguramente, avanza en su dirección.

Es una sensación familiar para muchos residentes de Florida que han tenido que lidiar con los preparativos para una tormenta y la preocupación por un futuro incierto después de su impacto.

Isaias pasó de tormenta tropical a huracán y se espera que mantenga su intensidad de huracán cuando finalmente toque tierra.

Algunas personas en el área intentaban aprovechar los últimos momentos de sol antes de que la tormenta se acercara.

“Creo que está precioso aquí en este momento”, dijo Heather Drennan, quien está de visita desde Mississippi. “Estoy un poco nerviosa por esta tarde, pero estoy disfrutando de mis vacaciones”.

Los residentes de la zona han estado ocupados preparándose para el impacto de la tormenta, llenando sacos de arena y abasteciéndose de suministros para huracanes.

Varias personas que se hospedaban en un parque de vehículos recreativos estaban empacando y marchándose el jueves, ya que no querían correr el riesgo de quedar atrapadas durante la tormenta.

“Sí, es una lástima”, dijo Amanda Willis, quien está de visita desde Alabama. “No es la primera vez. Surgió bastante rápido, pero sabíamos toda la semana que iba a llover y todo eso, pero no que habría un huracán”.

“Si esto es real, mañana por la noche, con la llegada de la tormenta, esto no es algo que se deba tomar a la ligera”, agregó Jeff Willis. “Hemos estado aquí cuando el agua corría por las calles y tuvimos que ayudar a personas a sacar sus automóviles de la calle empujándolos. Ya hemos sufrido inundaciones aquí, así que simplemente estamos haciendo lo más seguro”.

Leer en español

A city spokeswoman said the enclosed slides are located at Shenandoah Park, Children’s Park, Southside Park and Fern Isle Park. She said all other playground equipment remains open.

The move comes nearly two weeks after a freak accident involving Olvin Cabrera Valladares at Shenandoah Park, located at 1800 SW 21st Ave.

Olvin’s mother told Local 10 News’ Liane Morejon that her son was supposed to be at school on the morning of Sept. 25, but instead rode his scooter to the park about 2 miles away.

She says she learned what happened next from a man who came to the park later that day with his kids and discovered Olvin stuck inside the slide.

“He told me he pulled on him, but he was caught on a screw,” she said. “He pulled again, and my son fell out. His arm was inside of his shirt, and his collar was tight around his neck.”

A Local 10 News crew visited the park and saw that the slide is lined with screws.

The ones Local 10 could observe with our camera were flat, but the witness told Olvin’s mother he was hanging in the middle of the tube by his T-shirt collar, which became caught on a screw and choked him.

After being rushed to the hospital, Olvin was placed on life support.

One week later, he was declared brain dead.

The day Olvin was found, the city of Miami closed the park for what it called a “non-criminal investigation.”

On Tuesday, the city released an updated statement to Local 10, saying “Our deepest condolences are with the child’s family and loved ones. This matter is under active investigation, and the City is working diligently to gather all the facts and bring closure to the family. To protect the integrity of that process, we are unable to comment further at this time.”

A GoFundMe page has been created to help Olvin’s mother pay for his funeral expenses.

Anna Corina Albanese, 44, was arrested by the Coral Springs Police Department and is facing two counts of battery and one count of disorderly intoxication, according to jail records.

Police said officers responded to the T-Mobile store at 9473 W. Atlantic Blvd. after employees called mall security and reported that Albanese had battered both of them before leaving the store.

One employee told police that Albanese entered the store, sat in a chair and said she needed a new phone. When employees asked to see her identification, Albanese threw it on a table and became rude and belligerent, according to the arrest report.

The report states that the employee told police that Albanese called her a “c--t,” which led her to ask her manager for assistance.

Albanese then became irate after the manager offered to help and not the original employee, police said.

They said as the manager of the store tried to help Albanese, she shoulder-checked her as she walked toward the exit and then spit on the manager, which landed on her left arm and midsection. She then shoulder-checked the manager again before heading to the food court, the report states.

Police said Albanese left a bottle of vodka behind in the T-Mobile store before exiting and was eventually detained.

“It was very obvious by her behavior, speech, overall demeanor, and the smell of an alcoholic beverage on her breath, that Albanese was very intoxicated,” police wrote in the report.

Jail records show she is facing two counts of battery and one count of disorderly intoxication.

As of Thursday afternoon, she was being held at the North Broward Bureau, where her bond wasn’t immediately set.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly said he intended to rule by Tuesday, possibly sooner, on whether to extend an order that preserves White House access for journalists from MS NOW, CNN and Politico.

The case has been going on since last month, shortly after President Donald Trump banned the outlets from the White House grounds, saying he objected to their reporting.

Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., an attorney for the media plaintiffs, said the government was continuing to discriminate against viewpoints and reporting it doesn’t like.

“He doesn’t like scrutiny of his policies, he doesn’t like the reporting, he wants more good press,” Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., an attorney for the media organizations, said in court. That’s a content-based restriction on speech and a clear violation of the First Amendment, he said.

The government countered, as it has before, that what it called false reporting can impact policy and adversely affect national security.

“He doesn’t mind negative press stories if he deserves them. he has problems with trafficking verifiable falsehoods,” said Michael Velchik, the administration's attorney, said of the president.

Velchik said some of the issues the White House has with the banned news organizations’ reporting include “quotations that are not actually said,” the use of anonymous sources and splicing interviews to insert different questions than what the interviewee was actually asked. “I do think that we’ve identified specific allegations for each individual outlet,” he said.

It was the latest development in the escalating drama between the Trump administration and the news media, which has raged in various arenas during his second term as president. At its core, though, are multiple First Amendment questions. The dispute has produced sanctions and restrictions on White House and Pentagon reporter and led to several lawsuits that are progressing through the federal court system.

The news organizations want longer-term relief until the entire case is resolved, and a temporary restraining order was due to expire on Thursday. But the judge extended it until Tuesday and said he intends to rule by then on whether to issue a preliminary injunction that preserves the status quo pending the outcome of the litigation.

Three-week saga continues

The hearing before Kelly came nearly three weeks after CNN, MS NOW and Politico were abruptly banished from White House grounds, with the president decrying their “fake news.”

Kelly granted a two-week temporary restraining order against the ban, but it expires Thursday. The outlets have asked the court to halt the ban until the case is resolved, saying the administration has “persisted in unpredictably and inconsistently implementing its ban” despite the restraining order — including selectively keeping CNN from participating in White House pool duties.

“The White House’s words and actions leave little doubt that it will immediately reinstitute a complete ban of CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO if allowed the opportunity,” lawyers for the networks wrote in a filing on Sept. 28.

At issue is whether the president, or anyone, can punish news outlets for the content of their reports. The news organizations say that doing so is “viewpoint discrimination" forbidden by the First Amendment's free-speech protections.

Trump insists that he doesn't have to let news outlets whose reports he dislikes onto White House grounds. “When it comes to the White House, it is the people’s house,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said on ABC recently, invoking an argument the administration has made since the beginning. “It is a privilege, and not a right, to be there.”

The news organizations say that approach violates the Constitution's amendments protecting free speech and due process.

The requested preliminary injunction would extend the White House access until the case is finally resolved.

___

Noveck reported from New York and Boone from Boise, Idaho. Laurie Kellman in London contributed.

El equipo Florida Task Force One (FL-TF1), integrado por 88 miembros, fue activado como un recurso Tipo I del estado de Florida en preparación para la llegada del huracán a tierra.

Según los Bomberos de Miami-Dade, el equipo partió de sus instalaciones en Homestead alrededor de las 6 a.m. del jueves, con planes de establecerse en Tallahassee antes de responder a las áreas afectadas por la tormenta.

El despliegue incluye cuatro equipos caninos, junto con personal capacitado en rescates en aguas rápidas e inundaciones.

Una vez desplegados, los miembros del equipo estarán preparados para buscar sobrevivientes en áreas dañadas, ayudar con las labores de recuperación tras el desastre y evaluar los daños relacionados con la tormenta.

El equipo especializado está capacitado en 19 áreas de respuesta a emergencias, incluidas evaluaciones estructurales, atención médica avanzada, mitigación de materiales peligrosos, comunicaciones y logística.

Además de buscar en edificios dañados o colapsados, los equipos pueden brindar asistencia médica a víctimas atrapadas, evaluar estructuras potencialmente peligrosas y ayudar a estabilizar edificios que hayan sufrido daños.

El equipo también cuenta con sistemas de comunicación satelital para ayudar a los equipos de emergencia que trabajan en zonas de desastre.

Funcionarios de los Bomberos de Miami-Dade indicaron que los miembros del equipo estaban preparando y asegurando sus equipos antes de la partida del jueves para garantizar que pudieran responder a las necesidades de los residentes y otras agencias de emergencia.

Florida Task Force One tiene un historial de respuesta a grandes desastres en Estados Unidos y a nivel internacional.

Entre sus despliegues anteriores se encuentran el atentado de Oklahoma City, el colapso del World Trade Center, el huracán Katrina y el derrumbe del edificio de Surfside.

El equipo también ha colaborado en las labores de respuesta a terremotos en Colombia, Turquía, Haití y Venezuela.

Funcionarios de los Bomberos de Miami-Dade indicaron que la misión del equipo incluye operaciones de búsqueda y rescate, asistencia médica, evaluaciones de daños, comunicaciones de emergencia y coordinación de suministros de ayuda.

HAGA CLIC AQUÍ para obtener las últimas actualizaciones sobre el huracán Isaias de la Autoridad del Tiempo de Local 10.

Leer en español

The 88-member Florida Task Force One (FL-TF1) team was activated as a Type I State of Florida asset in preparation for the storm’s landfall.

“Many disasters are similar, but they are different,” FL-TF1 program manager Brandon Webb said. “Each one has its own problems and we utilize a very large box of techniques and tools to mitigate things as they come up.”

According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, the team departed from its facility in Homestead around 6 a.m. Thursday, with plans to stage in Tallahassee before responding to areas impacted by the storm.

“It’s everything that we are. We want to help, and whenever they send us to help, we look forward to it. It’s what we all look forward to,” task force member Michelle Steele said.

The deployment includes four canine teams, along with crews trained in swift-water and flood rescues.

Once deployed, team members will be prepared to search damaged areas for survivors, assist with disaster recovery and evaluate storm-related damage.

One of the team members is Orestes Gonzalez, who has been part of the task force for about 15 years, so he is no stranger to the obstacles that could lie ahead.

“Making sure I follow all the training, that I’m not part of the problem -- I’m part of the solution,” Gonzalez said.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Captain and State Rep. Omar Blanco has also served with the task force for over a decade.

“These are people who care about helping others,” he said. “It’s just a privilege to do it, to represent Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and working in collaboration with other teams around the state is a privilege.”

The specialized team is trained in 19 areas of emergency response, including structural assessments, advanced medical care, hazardous materials mitigation, communications and logistics.

In addition to searching damaged or collapsed buildings, crews can provide medical assistance to trapped victims, assess potentially dangerous structures and help stabilize buildings that have sustained damage.

The team is also equipped with satellite communications systems to assist emergency responders working in disaster zones.

Florida Task Force One has a history of responding to major disasters in the U.S. and internationally.

Its previous deployments include the Oklahoma City bombing, the World Trade Center collapse, Hurricane Katrina and the Surfside building collapse.

The team has also assisted with earthquake response efforts in Colombia, Turkey, Haiti and Venezuela.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said the team’s mission includes search and rescue operations, medical assistance, damage assessments, emergency communications and coordination of relief supplies.

The task force is expected to be in the Panhandle for at least a week.

CLICK HERE for the latest updates on Hurricane Isaias from the Local 10 Weather Authority.

Trump, while stumping for Republicans this week, has hinted that he was confident that an endgame to the war could come in the days before or after the election, while also hinting that he remained open to resuming full-scale military operations against Iran.

For weeks, Trump has been threatening that a post-midterm election escalation in the seven-month-old war remains a viable option, despite his initial promises to Americans of a military campaign that would last a matter of weeks.

But Trump in a social media post on Thursday said the U.S. “will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd.”

Trump added that his team has been “having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Negotiations had appeared at a standstill since Trump late last month publicly rejectedIran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if the U.S. met certain conditions.

Iran, however, said last week they had received a U.S. counterproposal. And Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday said he expected Tehran would offer a formal reply within days.

Trump's post comes as the military has dispatched more resources to the region. U.S. officials have said a third aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and thousands of troops aboard it and accompanying ships could arrive as early as the end of October.

Trump’s announcement was made the same day the USS Abraham Lincoln was due to arrive to its home port in San Diego after a record-long deployment in support of the Iran war. There have been reports of crew stress and poor mental health, as well as supply shortages, including food and hygiene products.

The USS George Washington, which is usually based in Asia, relieved the Lincoln in August. The other aircraft carrier in the Middle East, the USS George H.W. Bush, has been deployed for about six months, but it pulled into Phuket, Thailand, for a port visit several days ago.

The lawsuit also names Jason Robins, DraftKings’s chief executive officer, who co-founded the Boston-based sportsbook in 2012, and GUS III LLC, a subsidiary that does business as DraftKings Predictions since 2025.

“DraftKings is operating an illegal sports betting business in Florida in violation of state law and the terms of the 2021 Gaming Compact between the State of Florida and the Seminole Tribe,” Gary Bitner, a spokesman for the Seminole Tribe of Florida, wrote in a statement.

In the 72-page lawsuit, the tribe accused DraftKings executives of “secretly” funding litigation seeking to invalidate the tribe’s exclusivity agreement in Florida and of running an unlicensed “Super App.”

DraftKings’s reach expanded after the Supreme Court allowed states to legalize sports betting in 2018.

Gov. Ron DeSantis legalized online sports betting, but restricted it to a single operator, the Seminole Tribe of Florida. In 2021, Florida entered a tribal-state gaming compact. The tribe launched the Hard Rock Sportsbook, but had to suspend it until 2023.

After brick-and-mortar casinos filed suit, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich ruled in 2021 that bets placed off-reservation violated federal regulation enacted in 1988 to create a framework for gambling on tribal lands.

In 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit reversed Friedrich’s decision and reinstated the Seminole-Florida gaming compact. A three-judge panel ruled that “whether it is otherwise lawful for a patron to place bets from non-tribal land within Florida may be a subject for that State’s courts.” The Supreme Court decided not to put the D.C. Circuit’s decision on hold.

DraftKings has yet to file a response in court or respond to a request for comment on this story.

Instead, his comments further angered some Jewish critics who consider his strong opposition to Israel antisemitic, and pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted a Wednesday night vigil for victims of Hamas' attack to confront the mayor and cast him as a traitor to their cause.

Mamdani, a Democrat and the city's first Muslim mayor, has long been a fierce defender of Palestinian human rights and is one of the country's most prominent political critics of Israel’s military actions in Gaza. His stance has drawn scrutiny in a city with the largest Jewish population outside Israel, while at times some on the far-left have bashed him for not doing enough to hold Israel to account.

On Thursday, Mamdani appeared to take the protest in stride, telling reporters: “I am the mayor of New York City and this is what I signed up for.”

A parsed statement

The maelstrom began when Mamdani commemorated the victims of Hamas' surprise attack on Israel with a statement that began with a solemn recognition of the “unthinkable loss” suffered by Israelis but then castigated Israel's military response.

“The suffering did not begin nor end that day,” the statement read. “It instead continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza, in which it has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians — including more than 21,000 children.”

The statement reignited criticism that Mamdani harbors antisemitic views — a claim he has vehemently denied — and was blaming Israel for the attack.

“This is a reprehensible statement on the anniversary of the horrific terrorist attack by a Palestinian terrorist organization against innocent Israelis,” U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman, a Jewish Democrat in New York, wrote on X. “In the guise of ‘grieving’ with those mourning that day, Mayor Mamdani asserts as fact hotly disputed allegations that he knows full well will offend and further upset those same people he pretends to grieve with.”

Ofir Akunis, consul general of Israel in New York, who had invited Mamdani to a Wednesday screening of footage documenting the attack, called the mayor's statement a “disgrace, shame, and insult to the memory of those who were murdered on October 7.” Akunis later posted an image of an empty chair reserved with a placard for the mayor along with the caption “guess who didn't show up.”

Simmering tensions

Mamdani, who took office in January, has moved to assuage concerns that his criticism of Israel does not amount to antisemitism, courting high-profile Jewish political allies and late last month debuting a sweeping plan to address antisemitism and hate crimes in the city.

At the same time, he has continued to employ, and defend, heated rhetoric toward Israel, which includes calling for the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he calls a “war criminal” and “the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people.”

Netanyahu, in an address at the United Nations General Assembly last month, called Mamdani “the antisemitic mayor of New York” and charged that “many Jews no longer feel safe in New York.”

Mamdani also marked the anniversary by attending a candlelight vigil at Union Square in Manhattan organized by Israelis For Peace, which describes itself as a group of Israeli anti-occupation activists. The vigil was disrupted by protesters who waved Palestinian flags and chanted.

Mamdani, who did not speak at the vigil, appeared somber while protesters booed and yelled: “Zohran, your hands are red!”

At one point, Brad Lander, a Jewish politician who struck up an alliance with Mamdani when they were both running for mayor last year, denounced the violence overseas, saying “no matter what country or nationality or religion, every mother, every mother gives birth to her children and wants the best for them, wants life for them.” Protesters jeered.

“We refused to compromise on anyone’s humanity. No amount of shouting stopped us,” Lander, the Democratic nominee for a House seat in Manhattan and Brooklyn, later wrote on X with a photo taken at the vigil. “May their memory be for a blessing.”

Leer en español

A previously scheduled operation to install a steel reinforcement structure for a bridge support over the Dolphin Expressway (State Road 836) has been rescheduled for Saturday through Sunday, weather permitting.

The work will require the complete closure of eastbound lanes on the Dolphin Expressway at Northwest 17th Avenue, along with a separate overnight closure affecting westbound Interstate 395.

Eastbound Dolphin Expressway closure

Two eastbound lanes between Northwest 17th Avenue and Interstate 95 will close at 10 p.m. Saturday, followed by a complete shutdown of all eastbound lanes at Northwest 17th Avenue beginning at 11 p.m.

The highway is scheduled to reopen at 10 a.m. Sunday.

During the closure, drivers traveling eastbound on SR 836 will be directed to exit at Northwest 17th Avenue and continue south across Northwest Seventh Street.

Drivers should then turn left onto Southwest First Street, travel east and turn right onto South Miami Avenue to access the ramps to northbound or southbound I-95.

Drivers heading toward Biscayne Boulevard or the MacArthur Causeway can continue east on Southwest First Street before turning left onto Biscayne Boulevard. From there, they can access the MacArthur Causeway entrance ramp at Northeast 11th Terrace.

Drivers traveling on Northwest 12th Avenue who need to reach eastbound SR 836, I-95, Biscayne Boulevard or the MacArthur Causeway can head south on Northwest 12th Avenue, turn left onto Southwest First Street and follow the designated detours.

Westbound I-395 closure

Another overnight closure will affect drivers traveling westbound on I-395 toward the Dolphin Expressway.

All westbound I-395 lanes continuing onto westbound SR 836 will be closed at I-95 beginning at 11:59 p.m. Saturday until 7 a.m. Sunday.

The ramps connecting I-395 to northbound and southbound I-95 will remain open.

Drivers who need to reach westbound SR 836 can take the southbound I-95 ramp, exit at Southwest Seventh Street/Brickell Avenue using Exit 1B, and turn left onto Southwest Eighth Street.

From there, drivers can enter northbound I-95 and take the exit for westbound SR 836.

Temporary changes to Miami River drawbridge operations

The construction will also affect the operating schedules of two drawbridges over the Miami River.

On Sunday, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., the Southwest First Street and West Flagler Street bridges will open on the hour and half-hour.

Outside those hours, both bridges will follow their regular operating schedules.

Exceptions will be made for U.S. public vessels, tugboats, tugboats with tows and vessels in distress, which will be permitted to pass at any time.

The U.S. Coast Guard will notify boaters of the temporary changes.

The closures are part of the ongoing I-395/SR 836/I-95 Design-Build Project, which is intended to increase roadway capacity, improve traffic flow and safety, and provide better access along the three major highways.

Una operación previamente programada para instalar una estructura de refuerzo de acero para el soporte de un puente sobre la autopista Dolphin (State Road 836) fue reprogramada para realizarse entre el sábado y el domingo, si las condiciones meteorológicas lo permiten.

Los trabajos requerirán el cierre completo de los carriles en dirección este de la autopista Dolphin a la altura de Northwest 17th Avenue, además de un cierre nocturno separado que afectará la Interestatal 395 en dirección oeste.

Cierre de la autopista Dolphin en dirección este

Dos carriles en dirección este entre Northwest 17th Avenue y la Interestatal 95 cerrarán a las 10 p.m. del sábado, seguidos por el cierre completo de todos los carriles en dirección este a la altura de Northwest 17th Avenue a partir de las 11 p.m.

Está previsto que la autopista reabra a las 10 a.m. del domingo.

Durante el cierre, los conductores que viajen en dirección este por la SR 836 deberán tomar la salida de Northwest 17th Avenue y continuar hacia el sur, cruzando Northwest Seventh Street.

Luego, los conductores deberán girar a la izquierda en Southwest First Street, continuar hacia el este y girar a la derecha en South Miami Avenue para acceder a las rampas de entrada a la I-95 en dirección norte o sur.

Los conductores que se dirijan hacia Biscayne Boulevard o MacArthur Causeway pueden continuar hacia el este por Southwest First Street antes de girar a la izquierda en Biscayne Boulevard. Desde allí, podrán acceder a la rampa de entrada a MacArthur Causeway en Northeast 11th Terrace.

Los conductores que circulen por Northwest 12th Avenue y necesiten llegar a la SR 836 en dirección este, la I-95, Biscayne Boulevard o MacArthur Causeway pueden dirigirse hacia el sur por Northwest 12th Avenue, girar a la izquierda en Southwest First Street y seguir los desvíos designados.

Cierre de la I-395 en dirección oeste

Otro cierre nocturno afectará a los conductores que viajen en dirección oeste por la I-395 hacia la autopista Dolphin.

Todos los carriles de la I-395 en dirección oeste que continúan hacia la SR 836 en dirección oeste estarán cerrados a la altura de la I-95 desde las 11:59 p.m. del sábado hasta las 7 a.m. del domingo.

Las rampas que conectan la I-395 con la I-95 en dirección norte y sur permanecerán abiertas.

Los conductores que necesiten llegar a la SR 836 en dirección oeste pueden tomar la rampa hacia la I-95 en dirección sur, salir en Southwest Seventh Street/Brickell Avenue utilizando la salida 1B y girar a la izquierda en Southwest Eighth Street.

Desde allí, los conductores pueden ingresar a la I-95 en dirección norte y tomar la salida hacia la SR 836 en dirección oeste.

Cambios temporales en las operaciones de los puentes levadizos del río Miami

La construcción también afectará los horarios de operación de dos puentes levadizos sobre el río Miami.

El domingo, de 6 a.m. a 10 a.m., los puentes de Southwest First Street y West Flagler Street se abrirán cada hora en punto y cada media hora.

Fuera de ese horario, ambos puentes seguirán sus horarios habituales de operación.

Se harán excepciones para embarcaciones públicas de Estados Unidos, remolcadores, remolcadores con embarcaciones a remolque y embarcaciones en peligro, a las que se permitirá el paso en cualquier momento.

La Guardia Costera de Estados Unidos notificará a los navegantes sobre los cambios temporales.

Los cierres forman parte del proyecto de diseño y construcción de la I-395/SR 836/I-95, cuyo objetivo es aumentar la capacidad de las carreteras, mejorar el flujo del tráfico y la seguridad, y proporcionar un mejor acceso a lo largo de las tres principales autopistas.

The music industry lost one of its most powerful figures in June, when Davis — the titan who launched or resurrected the careers of such superstars as Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana and Alicia Keys — died in his Manhattan apartment, weeks after being hospitalized for an upper respiratory issue. He was 94.

Davis is always top of mind in the music business, but especially so during the Grammy Awards season, where his annual pre-Grammy gala, held the Saturday night before the Sunday award show every year since 1975, has widely been considered one of the week's most exclusive and popular events. There, giants across genre and generation come together for unique performances and celebrations.

According to the Recording Academy, the first Clive Davis gala since his passing will take place Feb. 6 next year, the night before the 2027 Grammy Awards.

Additional details about the gala are forthcoming.

“Clive built this gala into something the entire music community looked forward to for five decades. He never did it for applause or recognition. He did it because he loved this community, believed in the power of music, and understood what it meant to bring us all together to celebrate it,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. wrote in a statement.

“I was lucky to call Clive a friend and mentor, and working with him taught me so much," Mason added. "That’s exactly the spirit he brought to the Pre-Grammy Gala and I know he’d want nothing more than for the show to go on this year. It’s our honor to celebrate the legacy he left behind.”

Performers at the 2026 gala included Clipse and John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, Dan + Shay, the trio HUNTR/X doing “Golden” from “Kpop Demon Hunters” and others.

“Clive’s talent has always been seeing and hearing what other people don’t,” former President Barack Obama said in a video message played at the event, where attendees included Joni Mitchell, Nancy Pelosi, Berry Gordy, Jeff Goldblum, Gladys Knight, Cameron Crowe, Lana Del Rey, Brandi Carlile and many more.

The benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage climbed to 7.40% from 7.28% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. One year ago, the average rate was 6.30%.

The average rate is now the highest it’s been since Nov. 16, 2023, when it was at 7.44%.

The housing market has been stuck in a rut this year in large part because of rising mortgage rates, which can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, limiting homebuyers’ purchasing power and prompting many to put off buying a home.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, often sought by borrowers refinancing a home loan, also rose this week. That average rate increased to 6.73% from 6.60% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.53%.

Mortgage rates have been climbing in the months since the start of the U.S. war with Iran in late February. The recent run-up in rates also reflects heightened bond market volatility as surging oil prices due to the war fuel inflation worries.

Rates on home loans are influenced by inflation, Federal Reserve policy and bond-market investors’ expectations for the economy, among other factors. They generally follow the trajectory of the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.

The 10-year Treasury yield has risen to its highest level since 2002 because of worries about high inflation, big government debt loads and other factors.

The yield was at 5.29% at midday Thursday on the bond market. That's well above its 3.97% level from before the war with Iran began.

In late February, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage briefly dipped to 5.98%, its lowest level going back to late 2022. The 1.42 percentage point increase in the rate since then translates roughly into an additional monthly cost of $376 for a borrower financing a $400,000 home loan at the current average rate.

Depending on a borrower’s income, credit and other factors, they may qualify for a rate on a 30-year mortgage that is below or above the current average.

The U.S. housing market has been in a slump since 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes were essentially flat last year, stuck at a 30-year low.

Last month, the National Association of Realtors said that existing home sales fell 2% in August from July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.98 million units. That was their slowest annual pace in more than a year.

The sharp rise in mortgage rates has many would-be homebuyers putting their home shopping plans on hold.

Mortgage applications, which include loans to buy a home or refinance an existing mortgage, fell for the fifth week in a row last week as mortgage rates kept climbing, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Higher rates are also keeping many homeowners from refinancing their existing mortgage. Home loan refinance applications fell last week to their lowest level since January 2025 and were less than half last year’s pace, according to the MBA.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

Leer en español

Both teams enter the matchup with 1-0 preseason records, giving the game an early test of two rosters looking to build chemistry before the regular season begins.

Miami’s revamped roster has offered an early glimpse of its potential. Antetokounmpo has averaged 7 assists per game, giving the Heat another dynamic playmaking option, while forward Tim Hardaway Jr. is averaging 14 points per game and forward Andrew Wiggins is averaging 12.

Center Bam Adebayo has averaged 10 ppg and 6 rebounds per game, while Nick Richards has provided a physical presence inside with 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.

The biggest question for Miami may be which players are available. Dru Smith and Keshad Johnson remain sidelined by injuries, while Pelle Larsson and Wiggins could also sit after missing recent practices and the team’s charity scrimmage.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is expected to follow a similar approach to Miami’s preseason opener, giving many of the team’s regular players extended minutes during the first half before turning the game over to the rest of the roster after halftime.

New Orleans also brings a collection of players capable of making an impact. Bennedict Mathurin is averaging 13.0 points per game, while Jeremiah Fears has added 12.0. Dejounte Murray is averaging 6.0 assists, and Derik Queen has been active on the glass with 9.0 rebounds per game while also averaging 3.0 steals.

Forward Zion Williamson remains the Pelicans’ biggest matchup challenge when he is on the floor and playing aggressively. It is not clear if he will play in Thursday night’s game.

For Miami, however, the spotlight will be on Antetokounmpo. His expected Kaseya Center debut as a member of the Heat gives fans their first opportunity to see the blockbuster addition in a home game, while Spoelstra continues evaluating how his new-look roster fits together.

And don’t forget, you can also watch the majority of the Miami Heat’s regular season games, at least 68, on Local 10 next season as WPLG Local 10 and the Heat announced a newly expanded media rights agreement, making Local 10 the home of HEAT basketball across South Florida! CLICK HERE for more information on how to watch!

El inicio del partido está programado para las 7:30 p.m., hora del este.

Ambos equipos llegan al encuentro con récords de 1-0 en la pretemporada, lo que convierte al partido en una prueba temprana para dos plantillas que buscan desarrollar química antes del inicio de la temporada regular.

La renovada plantilla de Miami ha ofrecido un primer vistazo de su potencial. Antetokounmpo ha promediado 7 asistencias por partido, brindándole al Heat otra opción dinámica para crear jugadas, mientras que el alero Tim Hardaway Jr. promedia 14 puntos por partido y el alero Andrew Wiggins registra un promedio de 12.

El pívot Bam Adebayo ha promediado 10 puntos y 6 rebotes por partido, mientras que Nick Richards ha aportado presencia física bajo el aro con 7 rebotes y 2 bloqueos.

La mayor interrogante para Miami podría ser qué jugadores estarán disponibles. Dru Smith y Keshad Johnson continúan fuera de acción debido a lesiones, mientras que Pelle Larsson y Wiggins también podrían ausentarse después de perderse prácticas recientes y el partido de exhibición benéfico del equipo.

Se espera que el entrenador del Heat, Erik Spoelstra, siga un enfoque similar al del primer partido de pretemporada de Miami, dando a muchos de los jugadores habituales del equipo más minutos durante la primera mitad antes de dar paso al resto de la plantilla después del descanso.

New Orleans también cuenta con un grupo de jugadores capaces de marcar la diferencia. Bennedict Mathurin promedia 13.0 puntos por partido, mientras que Jeremiah Fears ha aportado 12.0. Dejounte Murray promedia 6.0 asistencias y Derik Queen ha estado activo en los rebotes con 9.0 por partido, además de promediar 3.0 robos de balón.

El alero Zion Williamson sigue siendo el mayor desafío que presentan los Pelicans cuando está en la cancha y juega de manera agresiva. No está claro si participará en el partido de la noche del jueves.

Sin embargo, para Miami, la atención estará centrada en Antetokounmpo. Su esperado debut en el Kaseya Center como miembro del Heat brinda a los aficionados su primera oportunidad de ver a la gran incorporación del equipo en un partido en casa, mientras Spoelstra continúa evaluando cómo encajan las piezas de su renovada plantilla.

Y no olvide que también podrá ver la mayoría de los partidos de la temporada regular del Miami Heat, al menos 68, por Local 10 la próxima temporada, después de que WPLG Local 10 y el Heat anunciaran un nuevo acuerdo ampliado de derechos de transmisión, convirtiendo a Local 10 en la casa del baloncesto del HEAT en todo el sur de Florida. ¡HAGA CLIC AQUÍ para obtener más información sobre cómo ver los partidos!

The “Steadfast Noon” exercise starts on Tuesday and will run for 10 days. It will be hosted by Italy and could involve dozens of aircraft from 17 NATO countries. The exercise has been held at roughly the same time each year for over a decade.

NATO’s Head of Nuclear Policy, Nassima Barrows, stressed that the exercise poses no threat to Russia or any other country.

“Our exercise Steadfast Noon is routine. We have been doing this every year and we have not postponed,” Barrows told reporters. "There is no need to worry. This is predictable."

NATO officers and officials would not say what kind of scenarios or military equipment will be used to test the 32-nation alliance's nuclear readiness. They insisted that it is not in any way related to current international events.

Bomber aircraft and fighter jets that can carry nuclear warheads have taken part in the past, along with ground troops. No nuclear warheads or live munitions are used. The bulk of the exercise is being held near Italy, far from Russia.

Late last month, Russia warned NATO allies against trying to cut off its Kaliningrad exclave. The warning was sent to NATO headquarters but also published on the websites of several Russian embassies in Europe.

The Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad lies between NATO members Poland and Lithuania. It is home to Russia’s main Baltic navy base and other military assets. Nuclear-capable Iskander missiles are deployed there.

Western military officers have said that key military installations in Kaliningrad would be a likely first target should Russia ever launch an attack on any NATO ally.

“There should be no mistake – Russia would be ready to use all its arsenal, including nuclear weapons, to defend its territory if NATO countries try to isolate the Kaliningrad region from the rest of the country,” a statement from Russia’s embassy in Ireland said.

Barrows acknowledged that Russia’s nuclear rhetoric is on the rise, but said NATO has not seen any worrying developments on the ground.

“We monitor Russia very closely. We have not observed any big changes to its posture that would cause us alarm,” she said.

The man in his 40s tried to fire his gun but failed and then pulled out a knife at around 9:30 a.m., said Don Aaron, spokesperson for Metro Nashville Police.

“The security individual fired on the armed individual,” Aaron said, adding that the man was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The man was from out of state. Investigators didn't immediately know why he was at the courthouse, and a search of his car found “nothing threatening,” Aaron said.

Courthouse visitors must go through a security checkpoint, which is common at all federal courts. The entrances are typically staffed by armed former police officers contracted by the U.S. Marshals Service.

“That’s the entrance that most people in this courthouse use," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Rob McGuire told reporters outside.

The library next door was closed as a result, and officers with dogs were circling the perimeter while workers in nearby buildings gathered to watch.

McGuire noted that the local U.S. Attorney's Office is inside the courthouse, as are the offices of Tennessee's U.S. senators.

There have been “security instances where a person acts up or acts inappropriately and has to be removed from the premises, but nothing even approaching this kind of situation,” he said.

Reports of the shooting immediately stirred anxiety and concern.

“People are calling their families to let them know they're OK,” McGuire said. “I called my wife, called my son, called people that I knew were wanting to know if I was OK. We're all doing that.”

___

White reported from Detroit.

SpaceX brought the U.S., French and Russian flyers back with a splashdown in the Pacific off the coast of Los Angeles.

NASA’s Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, France’s Sophie Adenot and Russia’s Andrey Fedyaev departed the orbiting lab on Wednesday, eager to reunite with their families after a lengthy separation. Their replacements arrived three weeks late because of capsule repairs, stalling this crew’s homecoming.

They couldn’t wait to feel the breeze on their faces, hit the shower and, for Adenot at least, plunge back into water sports.

“We are so excited to be back on Planet Earth after an incredible mission on the International Space Station,” Meir radioed moments after splashing down. While still in orbit, she said the crew had “a lot of mixed, swirling emotions” and would miss the “extraordinary views of our home planet.”

All four were out of their capsule within an hour, waving and pumping their fists in the air aboard SpaceX's recovery ship. After a helicopter ride to shore, they were going to head for Houston.

Meir and her crew left the planet in February to replace four station occupants who were sent home early after one of them — NASA's Mike Fincke, now retired — fell ill. It was NASA's first medical evacuation in 65 years of human spaceflight.

The new foursome watched with pride two months later as the Artemis II astronauts flew around the moon. They also celebrated the United States’ 250th birthday up there, with Meir joining the Boston Pops with her piccolo for a Fourth of July concert.

Meir took part in four spacewalks, while Adenot ventured outside three times for maintenance and upgrades to the 28-year-old outpost.

In the middle of all the work, the astronauts found time for fun, throwing a dance party last month and holding regular cooking demonstrations complete with aprons and a chef's toque.

Meir presented a how-to video for curly-haired spacewomen like herself, while Hathaway kept his bushy mustache — a space rarity — groomed to perfection. He grew the naval aviator-style mustache before rocketing into orbit as a way to honor his Navy ties, and found it no harder to maintain in weightlessness than on Earth. Some ground controllers grew mustaches in solidarity.

Will his mustache disappear now that his mission is over?

“It’s kind of become a little bit of my brand up here,” Hathaway said in August, “so I don’t know if it’ll go away right away or I’ll end up keeping it for a while.”

Seven astronauts remain aboard the space station, representing the U.S., Russia and Canada. The outpost has welcomed 298 visitors from 26 countries since the doors swung open in 2000, by NASA's count.

___

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

The PGA Tour's lone stop in Asia features its strongest field of the FedEx Cup Fall, with 13 of the 24 players who competed in the Presidents Cup two weeks ago at Medinah in the Chicago suburbs.

Bridgeman made his debut at Medinah, and his par putt to defeat Min Woo Lee on the 18th green was the clinching point for the 11th straight American victory. He was right back at it on the Yokohama Country Club course with a bogey-free round.

Only one of his eight birdies, an 18-footer on his fourth hole of the round at No. 13, was outside the 10-foot range.

“I felt a little rusty to be honest, but I was able to score the ball well and I felt like I put the ball in positions where when I made a little mistake, it was pretty easy to recover,” Bridgeman said.

Smith, who advanced to the PGA Tour postseason in his first year after earning a card through the European tour, also played bogey-free for his 64.

He spent nine years on the European tour and is adept at travel and learning new courses. Even so, his first time playing a full PGA Tour schedule was new in so many ways. He felt pleased to get to the postseason to guarantee a card for next year, and the next step is getting into the bigger events.

“I’m very, very happy,” Smith said of his year. "Obviously it’s tough for us guys coming over here. I mean, I’ve had 10 seasons on the DP World Tour, so it was all very familiar to me. Coming over to the PGA Tour, everything’s very, very new, new faces, new places, new golf courses.

“To adapt that quickly, I’m very happy with that. But I’ve enjoyed it a lot. It's been good fun.”

Max Homa was among four players another shot behind. Japan's biggest golf star, Hideki Matsuyama, was at 67 along with Ryo Hisatsune and Collin Morikawa.

Bridgeman didn't get much practice in since the Presidents Cup. He chose to rest, went to Maine for his sister's wedding and took the long charter flight to Las Vegas before getting in a little practice. It worked out for him on Thursday.

Jordan Spieth, making his first start since he failed to advance to the second round of the FedEx Cup playoffs, had a mixture of birdies and bogeys, along with one double bogey, for a 72.

Key for players like Smith and Homa are trying to finish the year in the top 60 on the FedEx Cup to become eligible for two of the early signature events at Pebble Beach and Riviera. Players like Billy Horschel and Tony Finau, who each opened with a 71, are trying to finish among the top 100 to secure a full card for 2027.

___

See AP’s full golf coverage here

Drinkwitz announced on X on Thursday morning that the surgery Wednesday went well and that Jones was recovering.

“We are incredibly grateful for the medical team who cared for DJ and for the donor and donor family whose extraordinary gift made this possible,” Drinkwitz wrote.

Drinkwitz said at a news conference Tuesday that Jones was hospitalized at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, where he was awaiting the transplant.

Missouri staff first found an issue with Jones’ heart over the summer during freshman intake testing, Drinkwitz said earlier this week.

The team’s medical staff sought a second opinion with the Mayo Clinic when they weren’t getting a resolution or answers after two weeks of observation.

Doctors at the Mayo Clinic detected a much more serious heart problem, Drinkwitz said. The coaching staff was told last week that Jones needed the transplant.

The 18-year-old Jones graduated from Venice High School on Florida’s Gulf Coast and signed with Missouri as a four-star recruit.

___

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here

Leer en español

Police took Deglis Antoni Jarquin into custody on Wednesday at his home in Miami-Dade’s Tamiami neighborhood following an investigation that lasted several months.

According to the Miami Gardens Police Department, the incident took place in the early morning hours of July 16 after the victim got off work.

Police said the victim worked at a cafeteria in Sweetwater and that when she finished working around 12:30 a.m., she walked out of the business and saw Jarquin, who she said she had previously met a few times before.

According to an arrest report, Jarquin offered to give the victim a ride home and they began traveling north on the Palmetto Expressway. During the drive, the victim said Jarquin put his hand in her lap and she “immediately removed his hand and pushed it away,” with the report also stating, “she did not verbally confront him but stated she began feeling uncomfortable because of his behavior.”

Police said Jarquin then drove to “a dark area within the 16900 block of Northwest 37th Avenue instead of taking her directly home” and started to kiss the victim without her consent while telling her he was attracted to her and wanted to be in a relationship, which frightened the victim.

The victim then got out of the car by saying she had to use the bathroom, but according to police, Jarquin followed her outside and told her to get in the backseat, which she did out of fear of not believing she could get away from him.

Once in the back seat, where there was a child seat behind the driver’s seat, police said Jarquin grabbed the victim by the neck “with significant force, causing her difficulty breathing,” adding that “she never verbally told the suspect to stop because she was scared and was focused on trying to escape.”

Eventually, police said the victim was able to reach the passenger door handle and jumped from the vehicle, scraping both her knees after falling on the road, but that didn’t stop Jarquin, who “jumped on top of her and repeatedly struck her in the face” and as she attempted to protect herself, he “slammed the back of her head against the concrete several times” and “bit her on the stomach during the assault,” according to an arrest report.

The victim continued to resist and scream for help, leading Jarquin to flee the area, leaving one of her car doors open as he drove off, police said.

Investigators spoke to the victim after the incident, and they noted that she had visible injuries to her face, knees and stomach consistent with her account.

Two weeks later, detectives presented the victim with a photo lineup, and she positively identified Jarquin as the suspect who attacked her.

Investigators then worked to obtain cell site records from Jarquin’s mobile phone, which police said showed his location coming from the victim’s business and traveling to the area of the kidnapping.

Officers took Jarquin into custody Wednesday after surveilling him at his Miami home and brought him to MGPD headquarters without further incident, police said.

Following his arrest, Jarquin agreed to speak with detectives, but his statement was retracted from his arrest report.

He is facing a felony charge of kidnapping, which is punishable by life in prison, and a misdemeanor charge of battery.

As of Thursday morning, Jarquin was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with bond listed as “to be set” on the kidnapping charge, but the Nicaraguan national is also facing an immigration hold.

La policía arrestó a Deglis Antoni Jarquin el miércoles en su vivienda en el vecindario de Tamiami, en Miami-Dade, tras una investigación que duró varios meses.

Según el Departamento de Policía de Miami Gardens, el incidente ocurrió durante las primeras horas de la madrugada del 16 de julio, después de que la víctima saliera del trabajo.

La policía indicó que la víctima trabajaba en una cafetería en Sweetwater y que, cuando terminó su jornada laboral alrededor de las 12:30 a.m., salió del establecimiento y vio a Jarquin, a quien, según dijo, había conocido anteriormente en algunas ocasiones.

Según un informe de arresto, Jarquin se ofreció a llevar a la víctima a su casa y comenzaron a viajar hacia el norte por la autopista Palmetto. Durante el trayecto, la víctima indicó que Jarquin puso su mano sobre su regazo y ella “inmediatamente le quitó la mano y la apartó”. El informe también señala que “ella no lo confrontó verbalmente, pero afirmó que comenzó a sentirse incómoda debido a su comportamiento”.

La policía indicó que Jarquin condujo entonces hacia “una zona oscura en la cuadra 16900 de Northwest 37th Avenue en lugar de llevarla directamente a su casa” y comenzó a besar a la víctima sin su consentimiento, mientras le decía que se sentía atraído por ella y que quería tener una relación, lo que asustó a la mujer.

La víctima salió entonces del automóvil diciendo que necesitaba ir al baño, pero, según la policía, Jarquin la siguió y le ordenó que se sentara en el asiento trasero, lo cual hizo por miedo, ya que no creía que pudiera escapar de él.

Una vez en el asiento trasero, donde había un asiento infantil detrás del asiento del conductor, la policía indicó que Jarquin agarró a la víctima por el cuello “con una fuerza considerable, provocándole dificultades para respirar”, y agregó que “ella nunca le dijo verbalmente al sospechoso que se detuviera porque estaba asustada y concentrada en intentar escapar”.

Finalmente, la policía indicó que la víctima logró alcanzar la manija de la puerta del pasajero y saltó del vehículo, raspándose ambas rodillas al caer sobre la carretera, pero eso no detuvo a Jarquin, quien “saltó sobre ella y la golpeó repetidamente en el rostro”. Mientras intentaba protegerse, él “golpeó la parte posterior de su cabeza contra el concreto varias veces” y “la mordió en el estómago durante la agresión”, según el informe de arresto.

La víctima continuó resistiéndose y gritando para pedir ayuda, lo que provocó que Jarquin huyera del área, dejando una de las puertas de su automóvil abierta mientras se alejaba, indicó la policía.

Los investigadores hablaron con la víctima después del incidente y observaron que presentaba lesiones visibles en el rostro, las rodillas y el estómago, compatibles con su relato.

Dos semanas después, los detectives presentaron a la víctima una serie de fotografías y ella identificó positivamente a Jarquin como el sospechoso que la atacó.

Posteriormente, los investigadores trabajaron para obtener registros de las antenas de telefonía celular correspondientes al teléfono móvil de Jarquin, los cuales, según la policía, mostraron su ubicación desde el establecimiento donde trabajaba la víctima hasta el área donde ocurrió el secuestro.

Los agentes arrestaron a Jarquin el miércoles después de realizar labores de vigilancia en su vivienda en Miami y lo trasladaron a la sede del Departamento de Policía de Miami Gardens sin más incidentes, indicó la policía.

Tras su arresto, Jarquin aceptó hablar con los detectives, pero su declaración fue censurada en el informe de arresto.

Enfrenta un cargo grave de secuestro, que puede castigarse con cadena perpetua, y un cargo menor de agresión física.

Hasta la mañana del jueves, Jarquin permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, con una fianza que figuraba como “pendiente de establecer” por el cargo de secuestro. Sin embargo, el ciudadano nicaragüense también enfrenta una orden de retención migratoria.

The fields brimming with green near the Pacific Coast have produced nearly twice the amount of organic strawberries this year as other plots thanks to steam, he said. The bountiful plots were treated with steam before Koda planted his organic strawberries as part of a project aimed at finding an alternative to chemical fumigants used to kill soil-borne diseases and weeds.

“It's a very noticeable difference,” Koda said.

Steam has been used for decades in greenhouses, and researchers in California have been working to adapt the technology to the fields where strawberries, one of the state's key crops, are grown near the Pacific Coast. It’s part of a broader push to help organic farmers become more productive and reduce the use of chemicals that environmental advocates say pose a health risk to farmworkers and those who live near the fields.

Rick Tomlinson, president of the California Strawberry Commission, said researchers have been working on steam for more than a decade and are tinkering with the technology so it can be applied to fields faster. The industry has also been working on other alternatives to chemical fumigants including cutting off oxygen to kill soil disease and developing more resistant plants, he said.

“Fundamentally, there’s this disease in the soil and if you don’t have some solution, you’re just rolling the dice and one of the years you’re going to end up bankrupt,” Tomlinson said, “because it can wipe out the entire field.”

Nine out of 10 strawberries grown in the United States come from California. The berry, which is grown on 35,000 acres (14,000 hectares), was one of the state's top 10 commodities in 2025.

Strawberry growers have long relied on chemical fumigants because the fruit is grown close to the ground and is soft and fleshy, making it susceptible to disease, farm experts said. Using a machine to inject steam into the soil before planting can kill key soil-borne diseases and weeds and improve crop productivity, said Jenny Broome, a University of California, Santa Cruz researcher working on the project.

Four growers in California participated in the trials last fall, Broome said. On Koda's farm, the steam-treated plots produced more berries and also suffered less damage from fusarium wilt, a fungal disease, she said.

Steam might also work on fields used for lettuce, carrots and other high-yield crops, she said. A challenge is making steam cost-effective for farmers, and proponents of the technology are trying to speed up the machines used in the process so they can cover more terrain faster.

“We’re going back to the future, where we're looking back at an older technology but we're finding more ways to engineer more efficiently and use it,” Broome said.

David Andrews, chief science officer for the Environmental Working Group, welcomed the push for an alternative to traditional fumigants, noting farmworkers in the fields and their families are the ones who have been exposed to the chemicals. He said the technology has improved while concerns about the impact of fumigants have risen.

“The economics are shifting,” Andrews said.

The Zambian government also said that the deal does not contain any clauses linked to the country’s abundant mineral resources, which will be negotiated separately.

Zambia is Africa’s second-largest copper producer and there were concerns that the U.S. would try linking its health pact with the country to its natural minerals.

The U.S. State Department said the deal is worth a total of $2.49 billion, with the U.S. contributing $1.52 billion and Zambia investing $975 million into its health system over the next five years.

The amount is somewhat less than the $3.6 billion mooted by Zambian officials earlier this week.

The deal is part of the Trump administration’s America First Global Health Strategy after it dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development, once the world’s largest humanitarian donor.

The new agreements aim to commit African nations to gradually increase spending on health services while the U.S. gradually phases out its assistance.

Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Lusaka, Mich Coker, said the partnership was also about shared security and prosperity.

“Infectious diseases know no borders. A strong Zambian health system serves as a first line of defense for both our nations and for the broader region. By helping Zambia detect and respond to outbreaks quickly, we are protecting Americans as well as Zambians,” he said.

Zambian Minister of Health Roma Chilengi said the agreement would support the recruitment of 40,000 healthcare workers over the next five years, and that the deal did not contain any clauses that would compromise Zambia’s security through data sharing.

“The Government will not be sharing any specimens with the United States because we removed all those aspects that raised concerns,” he said.

Chilengi also dismissed suggestions that the deal was tied to the country’s mineral wealth, particularly critical minerals.

He said no such clause existed, even in the original draft.

“As Ministry of Health, we never ever saw any MoU that speaks to minerals. There was no mention at all of any other MoU,” he said.

“We did hear of those conversations in the public, but the contentious matters that were there were about specimen sharing and data protection.”

In 2025, the United States announced that it was withdrawing $50 million in annual aid to Zambia’s health sector over what it described as “systemic theft” of donated medicines and medical supplies.

Last week, the government fired all 150 workers at the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency, which is responsible for the distribution of medicines and medical supplies across the country.

The U.S. has signed health data and specimen-sharing agreements with at least nine African nations, committing them to send data and specimens within five days of a request, according to agreements published by the U.S. State Department.

The U.S. says it can then give the health data and specimens to up to 10 American “non-government entities” to develop diagnostics and medical treatments.

Some African countries, including Zimbabwe, Ghana and Namibia, have rejected the proposed health deals with the U.S

___

For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The 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.

Leer en español

The suspect was identified by MDSO as Sergio Ruiz-Osorio, 54, of Lehigh Acres. Jail records show he is facing one count each of animal cruelty and animal fighting, baiting or breeding.

According to an arrest report, MDSO detectives returned to the 10-acre property at 12300 SW 51st St. on Wednesday as part of the investigation. They discovered a section of the property displaying a sign that read “Los Laureles, Venta de Animals,” the report states.

After entering the property, detectives and Miami-Dade Animal Services investigators found about 125 game fowl roosters, an enclosed cockfighting training ring and rooster-related paraphernalia, including vitamins, syringes, medication and a rooster agitator, according to the report.

Investigators said they also found 16 dogs, three cats, numerous goats, turtles and various birds that appeared to be in “a visibly dire state of neglect,” the report states.

The animals appeared to have no food or drinking water, according to the report. Investigators said they also found turtles housed in two holding areas with very limited water that appeared to be visibly distressed.

The report states that MDSO allowed animal caregivers escorted access to the property to provide care for the animals.

Detectives then called the telephone number listed on the sign outside the property. Ruiz-Osorio answered and told investigators he was the owner of the animals, according to the report.

Ruiz-Osorio told detectives he was in Naples but later returned to the property, the report states.

According to the report, Ruiz-Osorio made a statement to investigators that was redacted from his publicly released arrest report.

Ruiz-Osorio was then taken into custody without incident, according to the report.

Authorities said Miami-Dade Animal Services removed all of the animals from the property.

The investigation began Saturday, when FBI agents executing a search warrant at the property notified MDSO that they had discovered a possible cockfighting operation.

An MDSO detective who responded to the property conducted a walkthrough and “observed several thousand game fowl roosters,” along with “numerous” enclosed cockfighting training rings and rooster paraphernalia, the report states.

During a search on Sunday, deputies encountered two men who they said had breached a secured perimeter. Both men ran and jumped a fence, but deputies located one of them, Carlos Rafael Lezcano, 52, at a nearby nursery.

Records show Lezcano was arrested on charges including animal cruelty, evidence tampering, animal fighting and resisting without violence.

As of Thursday morning, Ruiz-Osorio was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where his bond was listed at $7,500, while Lezcano was no longer listed as an inmate in Miami-Dade jail records after posting bond his $10,500 bond.

Stephanie Rodriguez, 29, was scheduled to get married in February when her 80-year-old father, Jaime, was critically injured in a Sept. 7 crash in Coral Springs.

“He always told me how beautiful I would look on my wedding day, and how excited he was to share that first dance with me,” Rodriguez said.

Jaime was rushed to Broward North Hospital and taken to the trauma intensive care unit. Knowing her father’s time was limited, Rodriguez decided to make his wish come true.

On Sept. 9, Rodriguez got married in her father’s hospital room.

“By the power vested in me by the state of Florida, I pronounce you husband and wife,” the officiant said.

Rodriguez said her father was able to move his fingers slightly, which told her he was there and listening.

Video from the wedding shows Rodriguez leaning down and talking to her father. He could not speak, but she said she knew he felt the joy of the moment.

Jaime died two days later, on Sept. 11.

Rodriguez said she recently found a drawing of an altar her father had planned to build for her wedding.

“He was holding on as much as he could, but think about the gift he was given,” Rodriguez said. “His last memories on the earth, this love, joy, hope, and his only daughter married.”

“Even in heartbreak there can be light, and I know he’s proud,” she said. “I know he’s there with me. I know he’s here with me and every step that I take, he’s gonna be with me.”

The wedding took place in the intensive care unit, where getting family members and a wedding cake into the room was a challenge.

Jaime was the sole provider for the family.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help Rodriguez and her mother.

La MDSO identificó al sospechoso como Sergio Ruiz-Osorio, de 54 años y residente de Lehigh Acres. Los registros de la cárcel muestran que enfrenta un cargo de crueldad animal y otro de peleas, provocación o cría de animales para peleas.

Según un informe de arresto, detectives de la MDSO regresaron el miércoles a la propiedad de 10 acres, ubicada en 12300 SW 51st St., como parte de la investigación. Descubrieron una sección de la propiedad con un letrero que decía “Los Laureles, Venta de Animals”, según el informe.

Después de ingresar a la propiedad, los detectives e investigadores de Servicios para Animales de Miami-Dade encontraron unos 125 gallos de pelea, un ring cerrado de entrenamiento para peleas de gallos y artículos relacionados con estas aves, incluidas vitaminas, jeringas, medicamentos y un dispositivo para provocar a los gallos, según el informe.

Los investigadores indicaron que también encontraron 16 perros, tres gatos, numerosas cabras, tortugas y varias aves que parecían estar en “un estado visiblemente grave de abandono”, según el informe.

Los animales aparentemente no tenían comida ni agua potable, según el informe. Los investigadores indicaron que también encontraron tortugas alojadas en dos áreas de confinamiento con muy poca agua y que parecían estar visiblemente angustiadas.

El informe señala que la MDSO permitió el acceso escoltado de cuidadores de animales a la propiedad para brindarles atención.

Posteriormente, los detectives llamaron al número de teléfono que aparecía en el letrero afuera de la propiedad. Ruiz-Osorio respondió y les dijo a los investigadores que era el dueño de los animales, según el informe.

Ruiz-Osorio les dijo a los detectives que se encontraba en Naples, pero posteriormente regresó a la propiedad, según el informe.

De acuerdo con el informe, Ruiz-Osorio hizo una declaración a los investigadores que fue censurada en el informe de arresto divulgado públicamente.

Ruiz-Osorio fue detenido sin incidentes, según el informe.

Las autoridades indicaron que Servicios para Animales de Miami-Dade retiró a todos los animales de la propiedad.

La investigación comenzó el sábado, cuando agentes del FBI que ejecutaban una orden de registro en la propiedad notificaron a la MDSO que habían descubierto una posible operación de peleas de gallos.

Un detective de la MDSO que acudió a la propiedad realizó una inspección y “observó varios miles de gallos de pelea”, junto con “numerosos” rings cerrados de entrenamiento para peleas de gallos y artículos relacionados con estas aves, según el informe.

Durante un registro realizado el domingo, los agentes encontraron a dos hombres que, según indicaron, habían ingresado a un perímetro asegurado. Ambos hombres corrieron y saltaron una cerca, pero los agentes localizaron a uno de ellos, Carlos Rafael Lezcano, de 52 años, en un vivero cercano.

Los registros muestran que Lezcano fue arrestado por cargos que incluyen crueldad animal, manipulación de pruebas, peleas de animales y resistencia sin violencia.

Hasta la mañana del jueves, Ruiz-Osorio permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, donde su fianza estaba fijada en $7,500 USD, mientras que Lezcano ya no figuraba como recluso en los registros de las cárceles de Miami-Dade después de pagar su fianza de $10,500 USD.

Leer en español

Isaias breaks a 342-day drought between Atlantic basin hurricanes – with Melissa on October 31^st last year being the last active hurricane – and is the latest first-forming hurricane in the reliable record (back to 1950), eclipsing the previous record for latest forming first hurricane (set on September 11^th by both Gustav in 2002 and Humberto in 2013) by nearly a month.

Hurricane Watches for the northern Gulf – from coastal Mississippi through the Florida Panhandle, just east of Panama City Beach – were upgraded to Hurricane Warnings late Wednesday for the expectation of hurricane conditions (winds of 74 mph or stronger) across parts of the warned areas by later on Friday.

The official forecast peaks Isaias just shy of a major Category 3 hurricane late Thursday into the early morning hours Friday before weakening on approach to the western Florida Panhandle or South Alabama Friday evening.

The exact timing of the weakening is still unclear and NHC continues to emphasize Isaias is expected to remain a significant and dangerous hurricane through landfall late Friday or early Saturday.

Gusty, damaging winds will extend well inland across Alabama, Mississippi, North Georgia, and the southern Appalachians during the day Saturday as the storm grows in size and accelerates through the southeast U.S. This could lead to downed trees and widespread power outages this weekend.

Isaias is forecast to bring up to 7 feet of dangerous and life-threatening storm surge flooding to areas near and east of where it comes ashore. A storm surge warning is in effect for much of the north-central Gulf from coastal Louisiana to the Florida Big Bend, though the greatest threat for significant and life-threatening flooding will generally be from Mobile to the western Florida Panhandle.

Additionally, heavy rainfall of 10 inches or more locally could lead to flash flooding across the central Gulf Coast, with bands of locally heavy rainfall extending well inland this weekend through the lower Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachians.

Isaias will also bring the threat of supercell tornados to southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, especially by Friday night as the hurricane nears the coast. Nighttime tornadoes are especially dangerous so those in the path should have a way to receive warnings.

Conventional models cave to the AI camp

The conventional, physics-based forecast models have largely swung east and are in better alignment with the newer AI models like Google DeepMind, which have consistently advertised a stronger, eastward-landing hurricane.

As of early Thursday, Google DeepMind’s 1,000-member ensemble system continued to suggest highest strike odds from Mobile to Destin and centered on the Pensacola area. The ensembles gave an 85% chance that Isaias peaks as a major Category 3 hurricane before weakening on approach to landfall.

The spread in our reliable models is low, suggesting increasing confidence in a direct strike east of Louisiana.

As a reminder, however, the impacts from Isaias will be felt hundreds of miles away from where the center comes ashore, especially to the east of its track, as increasingly strong upper-level winds from the west smear its heavy rain shield and expand its wind field inland.

Isaias rompe una sequía de 342 días entre huracanes en la cuenca del Atlántico —siendo Melissa, el 31 de octubre ^del año pasado, el último huracán activo— y es el huracán de formación más tardía registrado en los datos fiables (que se remontan a 1950), superando el récord anterior del huracán de formación más tardía (establecido el 11 de septiembre ^por Gustav en 2002 y Humberto en 2013) por casi un mes.

Las alertas de huracán para el norte del Golfo, desde la costa de Mississippi hasta el noroeste de Florida, justo al este de Panama City Beach, se elevaron a avisos de huracán a última hora del miércoles ante la previsión de condiciones de huracán (vientos de 119 km/h o más) en partes de las zonas afectadas para el viernes por la tarde.

Según el pronóstico oficial, Isaias alcanzará su máxima intensidad, rozando la categoría 3 de huracán, entre la noche del jueves y la madrugada del viernes, antes de debilitarse al acercarse al oeste del Panhandle de Florida o al sur de Alabama el viernes por la noche.

Aún no está claro el momento exacto en que se producirá el debilitamiento, y el Centro Nacional de Huracanes (NHC) sigue haciendo hincapié en que se espera que Isaias siga siendo un huracán importante y peligroso hasta que toque tierra a última hora del viernes o a primera hora del sábado.

Los fuertes vientos, que pueden causar daños, se extenderán tierra adentro a través de Alabama, Misisipi, el norte de Georgia y los Apalaches del sur durante el sábado, a medida que la tormenta aumente de tamaño y se acelere por el sureste de Estados Unidos. Esto podría provocar la caída de árboles y cortes de energía generalizados este fin de semana.

Se pronostica que Isaias provocará marejadas ciclónicas peligrosas de hasta 2 metros de altura en las zonas cercanas y al este de su llegada a tierra. Se ha emitido una alerta por marejada ciclónica para gran parte del centro-norte del Golfo de México, desde la costa de Luisiana hasta la Gran Curva de Florida, aunque la mayor amenaza de inundaciones significativas y potencialmente mortales se concentrará generalmente desde Mobile hasta el oeste del Panhandle de Florida.

Además, las fuertes lluvias, de 25 centímetros o más en algunas zonas, podrían provocar inundaciones repentinas en la costa central del Golfo de México, con bandas de lluvias intensas que se extenderían tierra adentro este fin de semana a través del valle inferior del Tennessee y los Apalaches del sur.

Isaias también traerá consigo la amenaza de tornados supercelulares al sur de Alabama y al noroeste de Florida, especialmente el viernes por la noche, a medida que el huracán se acerque a la costa. Los tornados nocturnos son particularmente peligrosos, por lo que quienes se encuentren en su trayectoria deben contar con un medio para recibir alertas.

Los modelos convencionales ceden ante la IA.

Los modelos de pronóstico convencionales, basados ​​en la física, se han desplazado mayoritariamente hacia el este y están mejor alineados con los modelos de IA más recientes, como Google DeepMind, que han anunciado sistemáticamente un huracán más fuerte que tocará tierra hacia el este.

A primera hora del jueves, el sistema de predicción por conjuntos de 1000 miembros de Google DeepMind seguía indicando que la mayor probabilidad de impacto se concentraba entre Mobile y Destin, con centro en la zona de Pensacola. Los modelos otorgaban un 85 % de probabilidad de que Isaias alcanzara su máxima intensidad como huracán de categoría 3 antes de debilitarse al acercarse a tierra.

La dispersión en nuestros modelos fiables es baja, lo que sugiere una creciente confianza en un ataque directo al este de Luisiana.

Sin embargo, cabe recordar que los efectos de Isaias se sentirán a cientos de kilómetros de distancia del punto donde toque tierra el centro, especialmente al este de su trayectoria, a medida que los vientos cada vez más fuertes en las capas altas de la atmósfera, procedentes del oeste, difuminan su escudo de fuertes lluvias y expanden su campo de vientos tierra adentro.

Supporters of the Republican president have long argued that various programs like the one Vice President JD Vance accused Microsoft of abusing essentially empower American companies to recruit foreign workers for jobs that end up undercutting Americans. In a wide-ranging announcement Thursday, Vance and other top administration officials also called out universities over their use of J-1 visas for international students and information technology outsourcing firms.

The announcement came hours before Trump was scheduled to award the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, part of an event at which he is granting some of the nation’s most prestigious science and technology awards to his tech billionaire allies.

Vance says US workers are replaced with ‘foreign indentured servants’

Vance said that the program from which Microsoft is being suspended requires companies to advertise jobs in America before applying to the Department of Labor to show they need to give a foreign worker a green card because of a lack of American workers.

“They’ll put an advertisement in a small-town newspaper. They’ll go out there and say that ‘We have advertised for a position with our company, and nobody is responding to it.’ And they will use that lack of response to then go and replace American workers with what is effectively foreign indentured servants," Vance said. “There has been no company in the United States, unfortunately, that has used this system more than Microsoft."

Microsoft, which is based in Redmond, Washington, near Seattle, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Vance said Microsoft last year laid off 6,000 American workers but also obtained 6,300 H-1B visas and almost 3,000 green cards.

“If you do the math, for every worker that Microsoft laid off, they replaced that worker with one and a half foreign indentured servants,” Vance said in a White House news conference announcing the decision. "Our message to Microsoft is: You’re a great American company, but you’ve got to hire great American workers."

Vance said H-1B workers are effectively foreign indentured servants because if they lose their job, they have to leave the country, and they earn less than Americans in the same position.

H-1B program has been scrutinized

The H-1B program has long been a target of Trump supporters who say that the program undercuts American workers and is rife with abuse.

H-1B visas are meant for high-skilled jobs that are difficult to find American workers to fill. Technology companies are the biggest users, with nearly three-quarters of approvals going to workers from India.

Trump also has targeted foreign students

The Vance announcement came a day after Trump's administration launched another broadside against international students and their ability to work in the U.S.

The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday proposed a $70,000 fee for international students seeking to work in the United States. The proposed rule would require schools to pay the fee for every student who participates in the Optional Practical Training program, known as OPT, which allows students to work in jobs related to their major during or after their time in school.

Vance also called out universities that he suggested were abusing a program to allow international students to come to the U.S. These temporary visas, called J-1 visas, allow international visitors to temporarily come to the U.S. for work and study exchange programs. Vance singled out nine universities that he said merited further investigation for J-1 visa fraud, saying they used the program in greater proportions than their counterparts.

The universities were Harvard; Yale; Stanford; Brown; the University of Pittsburgh; the University of California, Davis; the California Institute of Technology, or Caltech; Arizona State; and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT. The universities did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Leer en español

The Coral Gables Police Department identified the suspect in an arrest report as Eneyda Leticia Silva-Saballos.

According to the arrest report, the crash happened Sept. 5 at approximately 2:09 p.m. near the intersection of Valencia Street and Segovia Street.

Investigators said Silva-Saballos, 41, of Miami, was driving a gray Audi Q5 westbound on Valencia Street with two minors inside the SUV when she approached the intersection.

Surveillance video showed the Audi running a red light and crashing into another vehicle, according to police.

Following the collision, Silva-Saballos allegedly got out of the SUV and fled on foot with the two children, leaving the vehicle behind.

Police said investigators used surveillance footage, witness statements, cellphone-related records and evidence recovered from the vehicle to identify Silva-Saballos as the driver of the Audi.

Among the evidence was a pawn shop receipt left inside the SUV, which investigators said helped them locate her address. Police later confirmed the information through investigative databases, the report stated.

Victim continues to recover from injuries

According to the arrest report, the driver of the other vehicle suffered multiple injuries, including damage to her knee ligaments and spine.

During a follow-up conversation with investigators on Wednesday, the victim said she was still experiencing pain from her knee injuries and a dislocated or herniated spinal disc.

Police said the woman reported undergoing multiple medical appointments and procedures to manage her injuries, with additional treatment expected as doctors determine a long-term plan.

Suspect arrested more than a month later

At approximately 7:56 a.m. Wednesday, Coral Gables detectives conducting surveillance near Silva-Saballos’ home spotted her leaving her apartment and entering a silver Toyota Corolla, according to the report.

Investigators approached the vehicle and made contact with her.

Police said Silva-Saballos verbally identified herself, and officers also confirmed her identity using mail she had just retrieved bearing her full name.

She was arrested at the scene and taken to Coral Gables Police Department headquarters for questioning.

According to the report, Silva-Saballos was advised of her Miranda rights and requested an attorney.

She was subsequently transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center where she was booked on a charge of leaving the scene of a crash resulting in serious bodily injury.

As of Thursday morning, the Nicaraguan national remained at TGK on the charge as well as on an immigration hold.

The suspicious death last week of a worker at a research lab in Siberia that has fueled global concerns about suspected pneumonic plague is just the latest example of how leaders in Moscow manage the official narrative that often covers up the truth for years.

Russia’s public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, has told the World Health Organization that no case of plague has been registered in the Irkutsk region of southeastern Siberia. In tersely worded statements, the Russian agency said the lab worker contracted pneumonia of “unknown” origin and that tests found no evidence her illness was caused by any of the pathogens she worked with at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East.

The WHO urged Russia to share more information to clarify the cause of the severe pneumonia, the pathogen that prompted the public health measures and media reports that a second employee had pneumonia of undetermined cause.

Scarce official information about the worker's death, which unconfirmed reports in Russia blamed on pneumonic plague, follows the Soviet-era patterns of secrecy in dealing with outbreaks of infectious diseases, accidents and other emergencies.

Here are other examples of Moscow censoring public health information:

The 1959-60 smallpox outbreak

In the final days of December 1959, leading Soviet graphic artist Alexei Kokorekin fell ill and died shortly after returning from a trip to India.

Doctors initially struggled to identify the cause of death as smallpox, which was considered eradicated decades earlier. Once it became clear, authorities launched a massive effort to contain the outbreak.

The KGB meticulously tracked down Kokorekin’s contacts, and thousands of people were put in isolation. An Aeroflot flight carrying one of his contacts was contacted before it landed in Paris and ordered to return to Moscow.

Authorities halted all travel to and from Moscow and launched an unprecedented effort in which thousands of vaccination teams distributed shots to millions of residents of the capital and the surrounding region. International news outlets reported the massive campaign, but Soviet state media kept silent about it.

The outbreak led to 46 confirmed cases and three deaths in Moscow before it was contained in 44 days. A novel and movie based on the outbreak appeared later, but the true details of what happened were hidden from the public until the waning years of the Soviet Union.

The 1971 Aral Sea smallpox outbreak

During tests of a smallpox bioweapon on a tightly guarded range on Vozrozhdeniya Island in the Aral Sea in August 1971, a research ship accidentally sailed too close to the aerosolized plume of microbes.

A marine biologist on the ship contracted smallpox and spread it to several others in the town of Aralsk in what is now part of Kazakhstan, resulting in 10 infections and three deaths. The town was quarantined and more than 40,000 people were vaccinated against smallpox within days, but the public remained unaware of what happened.

The incident only became widely known in 2002 when U.S. researchers publicized old Soviet archives.

The 1979 anthrax leak

On April 2, 1979, anthrax spores were accidentally released from a secret biological weapons lab in Sverdlovsk, the Ural Mountains city that is now called Yekaterinburg.

The accident was caused by a worker failing to replace a faulty ventilation filter, resulting in the release of the deadly spores into the air. At least 68 people died in the resulting anthrax outbreak.

Soviet authorities officially blamed the deaths on contaminated meat from a street market and the KGB made sure to keep details of the accident under wraps, confiscating medical records.

It wasn’t until after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union that the truth about the outbreak became known under Russian President Boris Yeltsin, a former Communist Party boss in Sverdlovsk.

The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster

When the reactor No. 4 exploded at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the then-Soviet republic of Ukraine on April 26, 1986, it spewed a radioactive cloud across Europe.

Authorities were slow to report the incident and warn the public about the radioactive threat. When Sweden detected the radiation, Moscow initially denied that any accident had occurred.

Soviet officials waited for 36 hours before ordering the evacuation of the town of Pripyat near the plant. Five days later, tens of thousands of people were exposed to radioactive fallout as they marched through the streets of Kyiv during the May Day parade.

Despite Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's policy of “glasnost,” or greater openness, authorities heavily censored medical data and casualty figures as part of their efforts to conceal the true scale of the disaster. Immediately after the accident, 30 plant workers and firefighters died from acute radiation sickness, and thousands of people later died from radiation-related illnesses.

The COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some independent Russian news outlets and international media reports claimed the country’s coronavirus death toll could be much higher than government officials said. The reports cited a spike in total mortality rates.

Russian authorities angrily rejected the claims as part of a Western disinformation campaign against Moscow.

Officials in Moscow explained the relatively low death toll by crediting a swift ban on travel from China early in the pandemic, a speedy introduction of restrictions and a broad testing effort that allowed authorities to spot infections quickly and prevent patients from developing life-threatening complications.

Authorities denied claims of widespread shortages of personal protective equipment and questionable infection control procedures at dozens of hospitals. Some medical workers said they were threatened with dismissal or even prosecution for complaining about the situation.

In 2020, Russia criminalized “false information” about threats to public safety, and human rights groups documented that dozens of people were prosecuted for making purportedly fake claims. But at the end of that year, officials effectively conceded the death toll was several times higher than previously reported.

In early 2022, Russian authorities reported a total of over 13.5 million confirmed COVID-19 and 338,091 deaths — by far the highest death toll in Europe at the time. Russia’s state statistics agency Rosstat, which uses broader counting criteria, said there were 681,100 virus-linked deaths between April 2020 and December 2021.

“The system can silence, but it’s not competent enough to coordinate, so it produces contradiction instead of a unified false account,” Judy Twigg, professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University, said in written comments this week.

___

Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed.

El Departamento de Policía de Coral Gables identificó a la sospechosa en un informe de arresto como Eneyda Leticia Silva-Saballos.

Según el informe de arresto, el accidente ocurrió el 5 de septiembre aproximadamente a las 2:09 p.m. cerca de la intersección de Valencia Street y Segovia Street.

Los investigadores indicaron que Silva-Saballos, de 41 años y residente de Miami, conducía un Audi Q5 gris en dirección oeste por Valencia Street con dos menores dentro de la camioneta cuando se aproximó a la intersección.

Las imágenes de vigilancia mostraron que el Audi se pasó un semáforo en rojo y chocó contra otro vehículo, según la policía.

Tras la colisión, Silva-Saballos presuntamente salió de la camioneta y huyó a pie con los dos menores, dejando el vehículo abandonado.

La policía indicó que los investigadores utilizaron imágenes de vigilancia, declaraciones de testigos, registros relacionados con teléfonos celulares y pruebas recuperadas del vehículo para identificar a Silva-Saballos como la conductora del Audi.

Entre las pruebas se encontraba un recibo de una casa de empeño que quedó dentro de la camioneta, el cual, según los investigadores, les ayudó a localizar su dirección. Posteriormente, la policía confirmó la información mediante bases de datos de investigación, según el informe.

Víctima continúa recuperándose de sus lesiones

Según el informe de arresto, la conductora del otro vehículo sufrió múltiples lesiones, incluidos daños en los ligamentos de la rodilla y la columna vertebral.

Durante una conversación de seguimiento con los investigadores el miércoles, la víctima indicó que todavía experimentaba dolor debido a las lesiones en la rodilla y a un disco de la columna vertebral dislocado o herniado.

La policía señaló que la mujer informó que se había sometido a múltiples consultas y procedimientos médicos para tratar sus lesiones, y que se esperaba que recibiera tratamiento adicional mientras los médicos determinan un plan a largo plazo.

Arrestan a sospechosa más de un mes después

Aproximadamente a las 7:56 a.m. del miércoles, detectives de Coral Gables que realizaban labores de vigilancia cerca de la vivienda de Silva-Saballos la observaron salir de su apartamento y entrar en un Toyota Corolla plateado, según el informe.

Los investigadores se acercaron al vehículo y establecieron contacto con ella.

La policía indicó que Silva-Saballos se identificó verbalmente y que los agentes también confirmaron su identidad mediante correspondencia que acababa de recoger y que llevaba su nombre completo.

Fue arrestada en el lugar y trasladada a la sede del Departamento de Policía de Coral Gables para ser interrogada.

Según el informe, Silva-Saballos fue informada de sus derechos Miranda y solicitó un abogado.

Posteriormente, fue trasladada al Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, donde fue fichada por un cargo de abandonar la escena de un accidente que provocó lesiones corporales graves.

Hasta la mañana del jueves, la ciudadana nicaragüense permanecía detenida en TGK por ese cargo, así como por una orden de retención migratoria.

At issue is an $80 million redevelopment plan that supporters say will transform the waterfront but opponents warn could come at a cost to Biscayne Bay.

David Filler, senior vice president of development for Suntex Marinas, laid out plans for an $80 million makeover of the Rickenbacker Marina and the five-parcel, 27-acre property surrounding the Miami Marine Stadium basin.

“You’re going to see an open-to-the-public baywalk connecting the rowing club and Marine Stadium all the way to the Rusty Pelican,” Filler said.

“This whole area will be open, so you can kayak along this area. You can walk. You can run. You can rollerblade. You can bike. You’ll be able to eat at shops and restaurants,” he said. “It’s going to transform this from a private, basically, facility to a public one on public lands.”

But whether Filler’s vision becomes reality is up to City of Miami voters. Referendum 3 asks them to approve a long-term lease for the private redevelopment of the publicly owned waterfront property.

“It’s all privately funded at no cost to taxpayers,” Filler said.

Opponents question the potential cost to the environment. Friends of Biscayne Bay and the Sierra Club strongly oppose the project, warning it could further damage the bay’s already fragile ecosystem.

“We’re at the tipping point, and the more you shade over seagrass or dredge and silt over seagrass, the more issues we have for manatees, for fish, and for our water quality,” said Laura Reynolds, policy advisor for Friends of Biscayne Bay.

Filler pushed back, saying the redevelopment will actually improve environmental conditions at the site.

“This marina is currently operating as an environmental hazard. It has complete stormwater runoff with toxins going into the bay,” he said.

Ron Schults, CEO of Edgewater Group and the engineer and environmental consultant for the project, said the team has found violations at the marina.

“We’ve actually identified 69 DERM violations over the last 32 years, and the first step will be to fix those things and bring it up to code,” Schults said.

He pointed out what he said were examples of runoff and dirty stormwater at the marina.

“So this is a stormwater pipe that was recently installed. You can see it sheet-drains the whole parking lot, so all the solvents that come off of cars, tire dust, oils, gases, solvents, etc., go directly into the bay,” Schults said.

We checked with DERM, which now says the majority of the violations on that list have been resolved or closed.

DERM said the marina’s pump station is currently under a temporary moratorium, but the facility has not been issued a notice and is operating under its permit conditions.

The marina’s current operator also said every item on the list provided by developers was closed out through DERM’s normal inspection process.

“We just got our marina operator permit with DERM renewed. If we had any open violations or any citations, we would not have renewed our marina operator’s permit from DERM, which we just over a week ago got renewed. We’re in constant contact with every agency, and no one has cited us,” said Aabad Melwani, president of Rickenbacker Marina.

The proposed marina would have up to 202 wet slips, roughly the same number that exists today. But project renderings show slips accommodating much larger vessels. For perspective, the docks are 80 feet long, yet some of the yachts depicted extend well beyond that and are larger than any vessel currently at the marina. Still, Filler said the number of large yachts will be limited.

“The four to five boats that it could possibly handle that are 100 feet are all the way at the very end of the marina,” Filler said.

The renderings in the RFP depict more than four or five large yachts. And the larger the vessel, the deeper its draft, or the amount of hull below the waterline. A 100-foot motor yacht can draw six feet or more. The problem: the waters surrounding Virginia Key are notoriously shallow.

“What that means is increased dredging,” Reynolds said.

Asked whether there will be dredging, Filler said: “The only dredging that would occur, if it’s even necessary, would be what’s called maintenance dredging, where it’s areas of previously dredged areas where you’re cleaning it up.”

But the developers’ own proposal acknowledges a phase two that may require maintenance dredging, with the RFP allowing depths of eight to nine feet. The marina today averages four to five feet.

“It’s a problem for having to dredge deeper. More silt is going to go over top of seagrass,” Reynolds said.

Exactly how much dredging would ultimately be needed, and its potential impact on the bay, would have to be determined by the permitting process. But first, the redevelopment needs voter approval, so City of Miami voters will get the final say.

The ballot question asks whether the city should be authorized to lease about 27.5 acres on Virginia Key for the proposed redevelopment.

If you want the new plan to move forward, you vote yes. If not, you vote no.

Correction: An earlier version of this article erroneously stated that the five-parcel property surrounding the Miami Marine Stadium basin is 75 acres when it is, in fact, 27 acres. The article has since been corrected.

For Rogers, a former congressman who was unchallenged in the Aug. 4 primary, the evening debate in Grand Rapids will be his first since facing off two years ago against then-U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin in a Senate race that the Democrat won by just under 20,000 votes.

El-Sayed, a progressive who is a former public health official, participated in multiple primary debates against U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens before capturing the nomination by less than a percentage point and advancing to the Nov. 3 general election.

His debate with Rogers comes after an increasingly combative stretch in the campaign.

President Donald Trump assailed El-Sayed in a social media post late Wednesday, referring to him as “Mohammed” and saying he “goes back to the days of the Jihad.”

“He is a RADICAL Extremist, Terrorist Sympathizer,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

El-Sayed, who was born in the U.S. to Egyptian immigrant parents, responded by pointing out that the president knows his name: “He says it every day.”

“He’s not just attacking me. He’s attacking all of us,” El-Sayed wrote. “He thinks he can use my name and my faith to distract us from the suffering his policies are inflicting on us.”

El-Sayed, trailing nearly 2-to-1 in ad spending, has crisscrossed the state for events while also sitting for interviews ranging from Fox News to The New York Times’ Ezra Klein. He has often used those appearances to go after Rogers.

“We are running to win the race. He’s running not to lose the race,” El-Sayed said of Rogers during a Tuesday interview with The Associated Press.

Rogers has held fewer public events while outside groups have spent heavily on ads.

Rogers' campaign did not make him available for an interview before the debate. He is scheduled to appear Friday in Oakland County with Sen. John Kennedy, R-La.

Rogers has broken with Trump on two major issues in recent weeks. In September, Rogers said the war with Iran needed to “end quickly.” On Wednesday, he released an ad criticizing Trump’s tariffs on Canada, saying “we know that Canada is not our enemy” and “we need to end this tariff war now.”

El-Sayed is working to reunite a Democratic coalition that splintered during the primary and he is trying to appeal to independents and voters who previously backed Trump. He is appearing Thursday with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, their first appearance since she endorsed Stevens in the primary.

Rogers faces a different balancing act as he works to turn out Republicans without Trump on the ballot and competes for moderates.

Duterte, 81, denies the charges. His trial is scheduled to open on Nov. 30. The ex-leader is accused of murder and attempted murder for his alleged involvement in dozens of killings as part of the war on drugs. He faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if convicted.

The court’s Sept. 28 ruling that he is fit to face justice came after an independent panel of experts said that Duterte “has the capacity to understand the charges” and follow the proceedings including the implications of entering a plea — which he will be asked to do when the trial opens, the court said in a statement.

He also is mentally fit to understand evidence and discuss his defense with his lawyers, the panel of experts said. His legal team had previously attempted to get the case thrown out on medical grounds, but judges rejected it and denied a request for him to be released from custody.

Duterte was arrested in the Philippines in March 2025 and sent to the ICC’s headquarters in The Hague following a lengthy ICC investigation into mass killings in crackdowns overseen by Duterte, first when he served as mayor of the southern Philippine city of Davao and later as president.

Duterte, who was among the most feared leaders in Asia while in power, became the first ex-leader from the region to be arrested by the global court.

Estimates of the death toll in the crackdown on drugs during Duterte’s presidential term vary, from the more than 6,000 reported by the national police to up to 30,000 claimed by human rights groups.

Prosecutors say that police and government hit squads carried out dozens of killings at Duterte’s orders, motivated by the promise of money or to avoid becoming targets themselves.

At the time of Duterte's arrest, relatives of victims hailed the move.

“We hope that top police officials and the hundreds of police officers who were involved in the illegal killings should also be placed in custody and punished,” said Randy delos Santos, whose teenage nephew was gunned down by police in a dark riverside alley during an anti-drug operation in suburban Caloocan city in August 2017.

Según un informe de arresto del Departamento de Policía de Hialeah, el novio de la agente Marcia Sangronis les hizo señas a unos policías el martes por la mañana. Quería denunciar que había sido agredido físicamente.

El informe de la policía de Hialeah indica que la víctima contó que Sangronis, de 38 años, se pone “furiosa y violenta” cada vez que hablan de “su falta de motivación para hacer carrera en la policía”.

Según el informe, él había pasado la noche en casa de ella. Sangronis sacó el tema la noche anterior al incidente y volvió a sacarlo al despertarse al día siguiente.

El informe señala que alrededor de las 11 a.m. él decidió irse y le dijo que quería terminar la relación. Entonces ella “se molestó y se paró frente a la puerta para impedirle salir de la casa”. Cuando él intentó alcanzar la manija, ella le dijo: “No puedes irte”.

“La víctima intentó otra vez alcanzar la manija para salir y (Sangronis) empezó a atacarlo. La víctima dijo que ella lo arañó varias veces en los brazos, la cara y la espalda”, señala el informe. “La víctima dijo que también lo mordió varias veces en el antebrazo izquierdo. Dijo que logró zafarse de (Sangronis) y salir de la casa. También dijo que (ella) lo ha maltratado física y emocionalmente durante los dos años que llevan juntos”.

La policía dijo que documentó varias lesiones en “el cuerpo, los brazos y la cara” del hombre.

La declaración que Sangronis dio a la policía fue tachada del informe.

Inicialmente fue arrestada por agresión agravada con lesiones corporales graves, un delito grave de segundo grado. Pero el miércoles, en el tribunal, un juez encontró causa probable solo para agresión simple, un delito menor, y le fijó una fianza de $1,000.

También se le ordenó mantenerse alejada de la víctima.

Según los registros, permanecía detenida en el Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Según publicaciones en redes sociales, lleva alrededor de un año en el Departamento de Policía de North Bay Village.

El departamento emitió un comunicado sobre el arresto el miércoles por la tarde. En parte, dice que Sangronis “fue relevada de sus funciones con goce de sueldo, según los protocolos de nuestra agencia”.

El comunicado añade que el departamento “exige a todo su personal los más altos estándares de conducta y lo hace plenamente responsable de sus actos, dentro y fuera de servicio”.

Local 10 News también contactó a su abogado para pedirle comentarios.

Según el Departamento de Policía de Fort Lauderdale, los hechos ocurrieron alrededor de las 11 a.m. en la cuadra 1700 de Northwest 13th Court, en el barrio Lauderdale Manors.

La policía dijo que los paramédicos llevaron a la víctima al Broward Health Medical Center con heridas que ponen en riesgo su vida.

La policía describió el caso como una “investigación en curso”. No indicó de inmediato si ha identificado a algún sospechoso ni el posible motivo.

Según la policía de Fort Lauderdale, los agentes acudieron a la cuadra 700 de Northeast 17th Court tras recibir llamadas sobre el conductor. Más tarde fue identificado como Eliezer Valcourt, de 32 años y residente del noroeste de Miami-Dade.

Una de las agentes que respondió al llamado dijo que Valcourt estuvo a punto de chocarla al doblar una esquina con su camión del Servicio Postal de EE.UU. Otro agente logró detenerlo y “observó posibles señales de que estaba bajo los efectos del alcohol”, según la policía. Por eso, comenzó una investigación por manejar bajo la influencia (DUI).

Según un informe de arresto, Valcourt falló las pruebas de sobriedad en el lugar. Les dijo a los agentes que estaba trabajando y que ese día no había tomado nada.

También les dijo que “ya casi terminaba” y que “solo le faltaban tres calles”, según el formulario de arresto.

Enfrenta cargos de DUI y de DUI con un nivel de alcohol en la sangre de 0.15% o más.

Hasta la tarde del miércoles, Valcourt seguía detenido en la cárcel principal de Broward con una fianza de $1,000.

Según la policía de Miami, el Departamento de Policía de Davie ejecutó la orden alrededor de las 6 p.m. del 6 de octubre, en la casa cercana a la cuadra 5000 de Southwest 136th Ave. Contó con el apoyo de la policía de Fort Lauderdale, la policía de Sunrise y la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward. También participaron la Oficina de Alcohol, Tabaco, Armas de Fuego y Explosivos (ATF) y el equipo SWAT del Departamento de Policía de Plantation.

La policía dijo que la orden era contra Braveone Jones, a quien encontraron en la casa de Redd y detuvieron. Según los registros de la cárcel, Jones enfrenta dos cargos de intento de asesinato en segundo grado. Los cargos están relacionados con el tiroteo del 15 de septiembre en Dukunoo Jamaican Kitchen, ubicado en el 316 NW 24th St., en Miami.

La investigación continúa, informó la policía.

Un equipo de Local 10 News fue a la propiedad el miércoles por la mañana, pero no había actividad policial en la casa de Redd.

¿Qué pasó en el tiroteo de septiembre?

Las autoridades confirmaron que dos hombres resultaron heridos en el tiroteo frente a Dukunoo Jamaican Kitchen, poco después de la medianoche del 15 de septiembre.

Según Miami Fire Rescue, las víctimas, de 18 y 23 años, sufrieron heridas de bala. Ambos fueron trasladados en condición estable al Ryder Trauma Center del Jackson Memorial Hospital.

El restaurante queda frente al edificio de apartamentos Wynwood 25, en una zona conocida por sus restaurantes, tiendas y vida nocturna.

La policía de Miami dijo que recibió varias llamadas de emergencia. Al llegar, encontró a un hombre con una herida de bala frente a Dukunoo Jamaican Kitchen. Más tarde, los agentes hallaron a una segunda víctima frente a Skinny Louie’s, el restaurante de al lado.

Un empleado de un negocio cercano describió el caos tras los disparos y contó que ayudó a uno de los heridos.

“Vi a un montón de gente corriendo directo hacia nosotros”, dijo el empleado en ese momento. “No sabía qué estaba pasando”.

El empleado contó que a las personas que estaban dentro del negocio les avisaron que había habido disparos afuera. Después encontró a un hombre herido y le ayudó con primeros auxilios.

“Salí y vi a un señor en el piso”, dijo. Explicó que el hombre tenía una herida de bala en la nalga derecha. Usó su cinturón para hacer presión sobre la herida y le pidió que no se moviera.

Hasta la mañana del miércoles, Jones permanecía en la cárcel principal del condado de Broward (Broward County Main Jail). Su fianza no se había fijado de inmediato.

Hasta el momento, se desconoce el motivo del tiroteo.

Two years after Hurricane Helene leveled forests, bulldozed houses and filled western North Carolina rivers with everything from cars to refrigerators, the work of cleaning up the debris goes on. Along the iconic French Broad River, known for its whitewater rapids, one item stands out from the rest: massive numbers of PVC pipes that washed away from a factory north of Asheville. As Hurricane Isaias, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, intensifies, the PVC pipes are a reminder that damage can disrupt lives for years after a storm passes.

“Just the amount of time and energy that we put into removing all this pipe is exhausting,” said Jon Stamper, operations director at MountainTrue, the nonprofit conducting cleanup on several rivers affected by Helene. “We still have stretches of river that haven’t been touched.”

MountainTrue estimates its crews have pulled hundreds of thousands of pipes from the river — most of which went to landfills — with an untold number still littering the river for 70 miles (113 kilometers) to a large lake at the Tennessee border.

Canada-based IPEX would not say how many pipes were stored at its Woodfin, North Carolina, site before the storm or share results of a company-funded study of how much remains in the river, calling the information “commercially sensitive.” Officials said 60% of pipes stored outdoors at the site, sandwiched between railroad tracks and the river, were swept away by the 2024 flood, but most were recovered fairly quickly.

The company acknowledged that the remaining debris is significant and has agreed to pay MountainTrue $500,000 toward continued cleanup on the French Broad, allowing the organization to continue working into next year.

A $10 million state grant awarded to MountainTrue in 2025 to clean up debris in several western North Carolina rivers that was set to expire in December has been extended to February. The organization said there’s still a long way to go and estimates it has spent 50,000 work-hours and over $1.5 million on pipe removal, which is only in the French Broad.

PVC pipe comprises 80% of the debris in some areas, according to MountainTrue, posing risks to rafters and kayakers, changing water flow and altering the ecosystem.

“We understand the ongoing challenge,” IPEX CEO Colleen Pritchett said. “We recognize that … recovery efforts are complex, they’re resource-intensive, and it’s constantly shaped by the river conditions.”

The epic flood took everyone by surprise

Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina in late September 2024, dumping more than 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rain in some areas, triggering landslides, toppling trees, pushing buildings off their foundations and choking waterways.

At IPEX, an earthen berm was the only thing separating tall stacks of pipes from the French Broad River. Company officials said they expected a so-called 100-year flood — meaning it has a 1% chance of occurring in any given year — and moved pipes out of that flood zone.

But the flooding from Helene was 10 times worse.

“We secured the site as best we could, and we sent people home a day before the flooding was expected,” said Johnny Drummond, vice president of manufacturing. He said the company did not anticipate a 1,000-year flood, which has a 1-in-1,000 chance of occurring.

The company closed the factory for a couple of months afterward, with losses “well over $100 million,” Pritchett said. It has since invested over $100 million to repair and strengthen the buildings, and now is studying ways to contain the pipes in future floods — something MountainTrue publicly urged for months.

Though there's much more than IPEX debris still in the waterways, the pipes are so ubiquitous that “there are places where you go that it makes up almost everything that we remove,” said Stamper, who formerly worked for a whitewater river outfitter and now oversees 10 cleanup crews totaling about 100 people — many of them former river or fishing guides who lost their livelihoods after the hurricane.

Removing the pipe is especially vexing because it binds with other debris and has become embedded in the river bottom, with fish and other creatures taking up residence inside. Stamper said he also worries about long-term environmental and health effects from the pipe, which can degrade and become brittle, leaving microplastics in the river.

“We want to avoid that stuff sitting there forever and just slowly deteriorating and breaking into smaller and smaller pieces,” Stamper said. “Some of the pipe that’s been sitting out since Hurricane Helene that has been exposed to the sun all the time is getting to the point where you could crack it when you grab it.”

Removing pipes is tedious, sometimes dangerous

Some of the pipes — both straight, rigid plastic and flexible coils that have unraveled — are under huge piles of tangled logs topped by other debris, often in mounds 20 feet (6 meters) high. Cleanup crews “just sort of picture it as a jungle gym” that they must climb and balance on as they clear the pile, said Jemima Filiss-Cook, who leads the cleanup in Madison County, where most of the pipe is concentrated.

She said many crew members were already cleaning up the river before MountainTrue hired them, as a way of “trauma bonding” over what had happened.

They include avid outdoorspeople, including rock climbers, because the cleanup is “quite a tedious and technical process” that requires comfort with the job’s rigors, said Anna Alsobrook, MountainTrue’s French Broad Riverkeeper.

Crews saw longer pipes into smaller chunks and load them on a boat, which is taken downstream to a landing spot and loaded onto a truck. Almost all of the pipes go to a landfill, though some in good condition are given to community members because there are no good recycling options, MountainTrue said.

“I truly don’t think anybody else could do this work except for our debris team members,” Alsobrook said, noting they must be able to navigate whitewater rapids with a boat full of pipes and saws.

The first priority was removing pipes that could pose an immediate danger or entrapment hazard to tubers or kayakers, and much of the remaining debris stranded in flood plains and on banks, especially around riverbends and corners, and vulnerable to being washed away in another flood, Stamper said.

It becomes apparent many pipes are still in the river whenever water levels change, he said.

MountainTrue is applying for other grants to help extend its program after state and IPEX funding run out, Stamper said, because it could take years to remove all the debris.

“We're going to do our best as long as the funding allows,” he said. “But there's going to be pipe out there that we can't get ever.”

___

Webber reported from Fenton, Michigan.

___

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.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew out to the carrier on Wednesday to give the crew the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest honor a unit can receive that is typically reserved for significant achievement in combat.

Hegseth pushed back against what he said were efforts to turn the “Lincoln into some sort of a symbol, a symbol of dysfunction or a symbol of low morale or a symbol of a failed mission.”

He said that “what makes the U.S. military and the U.S. Navy and all these sailors different is that you adapt and that you’re resilient and you overcome — you finish the mission nonetheless.”

Hegseth told the crew that President Donald Trump “tracked your activities from day one and couldn’t be more proud of what you executed.”

The Navy initially downplayed problems on the carrier

The carrier drew national attention following reports of stress among the crew and poor mental health, as well as supply shortages, including food and hygiene products, during its Iran war mission.

The Navy initially downplayed any problems, and Trump commented in August that the Lincoln’s lengthy deployment was “not nearly long enough.”

The carrier had left San Diego in November and arrived in the Middle East in January. U.S. and Israeli forces launched airstrikes against Iran on Feb. 28.

Navy leaders, however, eventually acknowledged there were some issues aboard.

In August, acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said the Lincoln maintained adequate food supplies, but because combat operations limited resupply opportunities, meal options were reduced from two to one for a short time. He said in a letter to a Democratic lawmaker seeking information that four nutritionally balanced meals were served daily.

After more than 10 months at sea, the Lincoln’s crew got a stop in Thailand early last month on the way back from the Middle East.

Long deployments can tax service members

Extended naval deployments can wear on service members who are away from home for long periods and increase strain on the ship and its equipment.

The Navy told lawmakers that eight sailors attempted suicide during the record-setting deployment, though experts say that number is low in a strike group of 6,000 sailors over 10 months.

According to the citation that Hegseth read to the crew, the Lincoln and its strike group executed 3,693 combat missions, delivered 1.37 million pounds of ordnance, launched 450 Tomahawk cruise missiles, shot down 77 one-way attack drones, sank 64 Iranian warships, destroyed 21 anti-ship cruise missiles and defended against four fast-attack craft and explosive-carrying ships.

The Lincoln, which set a record for days in between ports of call, is the second carrier to endure an unusually long deployment to support the war against Iran and to receive the Presidential Unit Citation afterward.

Hegseth in May met the crew of the USS Gerald R. Ford during its return from a 326-day deployment — the longest for an aircraft carrier in the past 50 years and a record in the post-Vietnam War era.

Another carrier, the usually Asia-based USS George Washington, relieved the Lincoln in the Middle East in August.

___

Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.

The Labor Department said Thursday that initial jobless claims ticked down to 197,000 from a revised 199,000 the week before. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, dropped by 2,500 to 198,000.

Claims for jobless benefits are a proxy for layoffs, and economists watch them because they can be a sign of where the job market is headed. So far this year, claims have remained at a historically low level below 220,000.

The report suggests that most companies are confident enough in the economy and their sales to hold onto their workers. At the same time, hiring has been sluggish, resulting in a “low-hire, low-fire” job market. Last month, the unemployment rate ticked up to a still-low 4.2%.

The number of people seeking unemployment benefits has fallen below 200,000 for four straight weeks now, “an incredibly low level of layoffs for a sustained period of time that hasn’t been seen since the 1960s,” said Heather Long, chief economist at the Navy Federal Credit Union.

At the same time, those out of work are having a more difficult time finding a new job. The number of people unemployed for more than six months is at a five-year high, Long noted.

The government said last week that businesses and other employers added just 29,000 jobs in September, down from 133,000 in August and below what economists had forecast.

Yet with population growth slowing and immigration into the United States dropping, the economy doesn't need to generate as many jobs every month to keep the unemployment rate low.

Meanwhile, Trump says his administration will make one-time payments of $90 per person to help more than 20 million Medicare enrollees pay for their Part B premiums. It will cost about $2 billion. Less than one-third of all Medicare recipients are eligible for the payments, which are expected to be sent out this week. Not eligible are roughly 35 million Medicare Advantage enrollees, millions of other people with disabilities and low-income Medicare recipients.

Here's the latest:

Investigation into theft of Robert F. Kennedy statue is ongoing

Washington Metropolitan Police say they’ve made no arrests in the theft of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy’s bust from the site of the stadium named for him after his assassination in 1968 as he campaigned for president.

An MPD spokesperson said there were no updates to the theft, first reported by The Washington Post. The stadium, the former home of Washington’s NFL team, has been demolished. The bust, which stood outside the main entrance, was left behind on a pedestal. According to the police report, it was stolen between Sept. 15 and Oct. 1, when MPD was notified.

It was unclear if the site has cameras. Attempts to reach Events DC’s sports and entertainment division, which manages the site, for comment were unsuccessful.

News organizations banned from the White House are back in court

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly is hearing arguments nearly three weeks after CNN, MS NOW and Politico were abruptly banned from White House grounds, with the president decrying their “fake news.”

Kelly granted a two-week temporary restraining order against the ban, but it expires Thursday. The outlets have asked the court to halt the ban until the case is resolved, saying the Trump administration has “persisted in unpredictably and inconsistently implementing its ban” despite the restraining order — including selectively keeping CNN from participating in White House pool duties.

“The White House’s words and actions leave little doubt that it will immediately reinstitute a complete ban of CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO if allowed the opportunity,” lawyers for the networks wrote in a filing on Sept. 28.

It was the latest development in the escalating drama between the Trump administration and the news media, which has raged in various arenas during his second term. At its core, though, are multiple First Amendment questions.

Vance says Microsoft is being suspended from program to apply for green cards for H-1B visa workers

The Trump administration is suspending tech giant Microsoft from a program to apply for green cards for workers who come to the U.S. to live and work using an H-1B visa. Vice President JD Vance accuses the company of fraud.

Vance said Thursday, “If you do the math, for every worker that Microsoft laid off, they replaced that worker with one and a half foreign indentured servants.” Vance spoke in a White House news conference announcing the decision.

The H-1B program has long been a target of President Trump’s supporters who say the program undercuts American workers and is rife with abuse.

The Associated Press is reaching out to Microsoft for comment.

Former President Barack Obama endorses in Wisconsin’s hotly contested governor’s race

Obama, the nation’s first Black president, has endorsed David Crowley, who’s seeking to become Wisconsin’s first Black governor. Crowley received Obama’s endorsement in a video posted online Thursday.

Obama says that like him, Crowley started his political life as a community organizer. Crowley was raised in poverty in Milwaukee, and Obama says his “life story is about overcoming adversity and his life’s work is about bringing people together.”

Crowley faces Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who’s been endorsed by President Trump.

Trump won Wisconsin twice and lost once, all three decided by less than a percentage point. Obama won Wisconsin by 7 points and 14 points. Those were the only two presidential elections out of the past seven in Wisconsin that were decided by more than a point.

AP-NORC poll: Americans have little confidence in Democrats or Republicans on AI

Few Americans think either major political party has the advantage on artificial intelligence issues, the new AP-NORC poll shows.

About 4 in 10 Americans say they don’t trust either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party on AI, while nearly 2 in 10 trust both parties equally. The rest are split between trusting the Republicans and the Democrats.

Even people who identify with the parties are ambivalent about their ability to handle the issue. Only about half of Republicans and Democrats say their party is better equipped to handle AI issues, and roughly 3 in 10 in each case say neither party is.

President Trump also gets a low rating on his handling of the issue, with 67% of U.S. adults disapproving of his performance on AI.

AP-NORC poll: Americans want to ensure AI stays under human control

About 8 in 10 U.S. adults say it’s “extremely” or “very” important for the U.S. government to ensure AI stays under human control, according to the new AP-NORC poll.

They’re about as likely to want the government to prioritize protecting the country’s workforce. Most U.S. adults also think minimizing environmental harm and growing the U.S. economy are highly important. About half say this about promoting technological innovation, and slightly fewer say that about competing with China.

Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say it’s highly important to grow the U.S. economy and to compete with other countries like China. Democrats, on the other hand, are more likely to say it’s at least “very” important to minimize environmental harm.

AP-NORC poll: Americans say AI development is moving too fast

About two-thirds of Americans think AI is developing “too fast,” according to a new AP-NORC poll. About 3 in 10 say its development has been “about right” and only 8% say it’s moving “too slow.”

The risk that powerful AI models could evade human control and hurt humanity, once the stuff of science fiction, has been emerging as a more pressing concern. Even leaders of the companies that are developing frontier AI models are calling for a slowdown so government regulation can catch up.

There’s bipartisan concern about the speed of AI’s development. About three-quarters of Democrats say AI is developing “too fast,” while only about half of Republicans share that worry.

People under 30 years old also express higher levels of concern than people 60 or older, the survey found.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says US will keep working on a deal to end Russia-Ukraine war

Rubio is reiterating that the Trump administration will keep trying to facilitate a negotiated settlement to Russia’s war in Ukraine but that it’s been difficult.

“We have tried, we will continue to try, but we’re also not going to invest in pointless processes if we can’t make progress,” he told reporters in Portugal after new Russian strikes in eastern Ukraine killed 30 people.

Rubio warned about the danger of the stalemate in the war because it can lead to escalation.

“That escalation could wind up being a sabotage campaign in neighboring countries that are members of NATO,” he said. That could “quickly turn what is a war between two countries into a much broader and far more dangerous regional conflict.”

European officials have accused Moscow of a campaign of sabotage and disruption aimed at undermining support for Ukraine and destabilizing European nations.

Trump goes after El-Sayed as Michigan Senate nominee responds: ‘He’s attacking all of us’

President Trump attacked Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed in a late Wednesday social media post, referring to him as “Mohammed” and saying he “goes back to the days of the Jihad.”

“He is a RADICAL Extremist, Terrorist Sympathizer,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

In a social media post, El-Sayed, a former public health official who was born in the U.S. to Egyptian immigrant parents, responded by pointing out that the president knows his name: “He says it every day.”

“But he’s not just attacking me. He’s attacking all of us,” El-Sayed wrote. “He thinks he can use my name and my faith to distract us from the suffering his policies are inflicting on us at the pump, at the grocery store, and at the doctor’s office.”

Barack Obama endorses Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia governor’s race

The Democratic former president called the former Atlanta mayor a friend in a video message released Thursday.

“As a former judge, council member and mayor, Keisha believes that public service is about putting you first,” Obama said, touting Bottoms’ proposals to expand Medicaid and pre-kindergarten access, raise pay for firefighters and police officers, and eliminate state sales tax on groceries.

Obama also endorsed Deb Haaland for New Mexico governor and Troy Jackson in Maine’s Senate race on Thursday, as he steps up his midterm campaign activity.

Bottoms faces Republican Rick Jackson, a billionaire who’s spent more than $100 million of his own money in the race.

Jackson has President Trump’s endorsement and said during his primary that he’d be “Trump with a Southern tone.” But he’s recently removed some mentions of Trump from his campaign website.

Bottoms, who also was an adviser to former President Joe Biden, got Biden’s endorsement during her primary campaign.

Talarico says he agrees with Trump that he and Paxton should debate

Texas Democrat James Talarico said Thursday he agrees with President Trump that he and Republican Ken Paxton should debate ahead of the midterm election in their Senate contest.

“Ball’s in your court,” Talarico said in a social media post, tagging Paxton.

In a Truth Social post late on Wednesday after holding a rally with Paxton in Texas, Trump said Talarico should make the debate happen right away.

“He should immediately report to a Debate Stage against Ken Paxton, who is ready, willing, and able,” Trump said.

A message seeking comment was sent to Paxton’s campaign.

The Texas Senate contest is one of the most closely watched in the nation. A reliably Republican state, where Trump won in 2024 by almost 14 percentage points, Texas has become competitive with Election Day less than a month away.

Trump to hand out National Medal of Science to Elon Musk and other tech executives

Trump on Thursday is expected to hand out several of the nation’s highest science and technology honors, including to the entrepreneur and former DOGE chief Elon Musk.

The awards will be granted at “Science: A New Golden Age,” an afternoon summit that the White House says will highlight rapid changes in the scientific landscape, including in artificial intelligence technology, which the president refers to as super intelligence.

Musk is expected to receive the National Medal of Science alongside Google co-founder Sergey Brin, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, and Lisa Su, CEO of the semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices.

Trump will also grant the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

“These recipients are helping ensure America keeps leading the world in innovation,” said Liz Huston, a White House spokesperson.

Trump’s $90 Medicare rebate rolls out, but millions aren’t eligible. Critics see a political stunt

Trump says his administration will make one-time payments of $90 per person to help more than 20 million Medicare enrollees pay for their Part B premiums. It will cost about $2 billion.

Less than one-third of all Medicare recipients are eligible for the payments, which are expected to be sent out this week. Not eligible are roughly 35 million Medicare Advantage enrollees, millions of other people with disabilities and low-income Medicare recipients.

Some 20.8 million people in the original Medicare Part B who are living in the United States, not receiving premium assistance from Medicaid or not paying an income-related monthly adjusted amount.

The Part B program covers expenses such as doctor’s visits, ambulance services and lab tests. Total monthly costs generally start at about $200 and vary with income.

Payments will come out of the Medicare Improvement Fund created by Congress in 2008 and intended to make improvements to the Medicare fee-for-service program. This is not the first time the fund has been used.

▶ Read more

Trump interrupted by protesters as he fights to rally Texas voters behind Paxton in US Senate race

President Donald Trump, facing protesters and a poor political climate, fought to rally Texas voters behind Senate candidate Ken Paxton on Wednesday night in a bid to stave off sweeping Democratic victories in the nation’s most populous red state.

But Trump’s remarks were not focused solely on Paxton.

Speaking to a packed Freeman Coliseum, Trump also pledged to award retired baseball star Roger Clemens the Presidential Medal of Freedom, restated his support for the death penalty for drug dealers and clarified recent comments in which he talked about the possibility of Iran bombing American cities as part of a recurring riff about how high fuel costs are “a small price to pay” for the war.

“You want to see problems? Let them hit San Diego, let them hit Los Angeles,” Trump said. “We’re not going to let that happen. We protect our cities. We protect our country.”

The president’s message was interrupted repeatedly by protesters, including by one who appeared to be close to the stage. In all, at least a dozen demonstrators interrupted the president. Some were led away by police.

▶ Read more

The blasts had an immediate effect on markets, as the price of crude oil jumped and Saudi Arabia slid further into the latest front in the Iran war. Hundreds of flights to and from Riyadh were cancelled, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen claimed responsibility for the new attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, saying the ballistic missile caused damage but giving no evidence. The Saudis had no immediate comment about the claim.

The spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, said they intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis toward Riyadh, along with a ballistic missile fired toward Khamis Mushait, in the southwest near the Yemen border.

Saudi civil defense authorities said debris from an interception damaged a kindergarten and a medical complex, with no mention of any casualties.

Houthis warn airlines about using Saudi airspace

The Houthis have repeatedly claimed attacks against Saudi airports, military and oil facilities in recent days.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ military spokesman, said in a statement late Thursday that the rebels fired more ballistic and cruise missiles at the airports in Riyadh and the southwestern city of Najran, near the border with Yemen, disrupting flights. The AP could not independently verify the claims.

Earlier, the rebels had warned global airlines “for the last time” about the potential consequences of operating in Saudi airspace, which they called a theater for its military operations.

In their new statement, the Houthis also warned people in Saudi Arabia to stay away from oil facilities that “represent targets for our forces" as the rebels press a declared blockade against the world's top oil exporter.

King Khalid International Airport “closed again,” the Flightradar24 monitor said Thursday afternoon on X not long after the blasts. “Last landing 80+ minutes ago. Last take off 90+ minutes ago.”

Fire and ambulance crews deployed and smoke was visible, the witness said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity around discussing security issues in the kingdom.

The witness said outgoing flights were halted and passengers were instructed to leave checked-in luggage behind and evacuate.

The Indian Embassy in Riyadh said on X that Air India has suspended operations through Saturday, while Lufthansa Group said in a statement that its airlines will suspend their flights to Riyadh through Oct. 16.

A U.S. Embassy security alert issued Wednesday said citizens should be aware of potential airspace closures and told U.S. government employees not to travel within 20 miles (32 kilometers) of the Yemen border.

Wednesday's deaths were the first since major military offensive

On Wednesday, Saudi officials said attacks on the Riyadh and Abha airports claimed by the Houthis had killed three people — the first deaths since Saudi Arabia and allied Yemeni forces launched a major ground and air offensive against the rebels.

The offensive is aimed at retaking territory that the Houthis seized a month ago along Yemen’s western Red Sea coast and on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The rebels' presence on the Bab el-Mandeb poses a threat to the crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic has been curtailed due to Iran's attacks on ships.

Rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi on Thursday accused Saudi Arabia of turning the area around the Bab el-Mandeb into a war zone.

The deadly attacks in Saudi Arabia brought condemnation from countries including Britain, India, the United Arab Emirates and others.

Also Wednesday, the spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition said forces destroyed a platform in Yemen’s rebel-held capital of Sanaa that had been used to launch attacks on the Saudi capital. The AP could not independently verify that claim.

Pakistan and Turkey consider assistance for the Saudis

Saudi Arabia has sought support from allies, including the United States, in the face of the Houthi attacks. Officials have said U.S. support has included intelligence sharing, target identification and planning for the latest offensive.

Turkey and Pakistan are assessing possible air defense, electronic warfare and technical assistance for Saudi Arabia under a trilateral agreement, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, while stressing that the deal is defensive, not offensive.

“Turkey will not be sending troops into another country’s territory to carry out an attack,” he said, adding that Ankara was trying to resolve the issue through diplomacy.

Pakistan’s Information Ministry on Thursday said relevant authorities would provide details of any military involvement if necessary.

___

Anna reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Rio Yamat in Las Vegas, Aamer Madhani in Jerusalem, Fatma Khaled in Cairo and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed.

The new law — dubbed by supporters as “Stabilicum”and by critics as “Melonellum” — is widely viewed as an attempt to strengthen Italy’s political system while improving the electoral prospects of the center-right coalition led by Meloni, which last month celebrated its record as Italy’s longest-serving government since World War II.

Supporters say the law is designed to produce clearer election winners and more stable governments in a country known for frequent changes of administration. But the center-left opposition dubbed it “scam law," arguing the reform is unconstitutional. It has pledged to challenge it and bring it in front of Italy’s Constitutional Court once it takes effect.

The Chamber of Deputies approved the measure in a secret ballot by 227 votes to 164, giving definitive parliamentary approval to the legislation after months of heated debate.

Meloni hailed the reform as a step toward greater voter choice, saying “Italians would be able to vote for a party, coalition, governing program, prime ministerial candidate and, once again, their own lawmakers.”

The reform introduces a big majority prize that will award bonus parliamentary seats in both houses of parliament to the winning preelection alliance, provided it wins at least 42% of the national vote.

Critics contend that such a “majority prize” distorts voter representation and could conflict with previous court rulings that struck down elements of earlier electoral laws. A successful challenge could force Meloni’s conservative government to revise the system before the next general election.

The new law abolishes Italy’s current mixed electoral system, in which about one-third of parliamentary seats are elected in first-past-the-post constituencies, and replaces it with a fully proportional system.

Meloni's coalition says the changes will make it easier for voters to identify a governing coalition before elections and reduce the postelection bargaining that has often produced fragile governments. To qualify for the majority prize, parties will have to agree on a common prime ministerial candidate and political platform before the election.

The reform puts additional pressure on the divided center-left opposition, where tensions between the Democratic Party and the populist Five-Star Movement have complicated efforts to build a unified alliance capable of challenging the government in next year's election.

Meloni had made the vote on the electoral law a test of coalition unity, warning lawmakers from her Brothers of Italy party and coalition partners Forza Italia and the League that the government could face a crisis if the reform were defeated.

Yet resistance to the law has emerged within Meloni’s own coalition.

Some lawmakers fear the measure could ultimately backfire as support for former general Roberto Vannacci’s nationalist National Future party threatens to siphon votes from the governing bloc, potentially making it harder for it to reach the 42% threshold required to secure the majority bonus.

Others have criticized provisions they say would increase campaign costs for individual candidates and reduce women’s representation in parliament.

The vote marks Meloni’s latest attempt to reshape Italy’s institutional framework after voters earlier this year rejected her proposed overhaul of the justice system in a constitutional referendum.

Authorities took Jimmy Alexis, 43, of northwest Miami-Dade, into custody on Tuesday in connection with a June 30, 2023 incident at the Genuine Love and Care Group Home, located at 1609 NW Sixth Place in Fort Lauderdale. Its location was redacted from official documents.

Officers said they responded to the facility to conduct a death investigation after rescue crews initially were called in regard to a patient who was unresponsive.

According to Fort Lauderdale police, investigators spoke with Alexis, who told them he had to “restrain him, not choke him” in regard to the patient, who was not publicly identified by police.

Officers later spoke with the owners of the facility, who said the patient was prone to self-harming himself by banging his head on “pretty much anything he could.”

During their investigation, officers also spoke with a staff member who was on duty when the patient was injured and noted that she “was visibly shaken and appeared concerned talking to us.”

Officers said they found that same employee waiting outside when they left, and she indicated she wanted to speak with them away from the facility.

According to official documents, that employee then told the officers that Alexis choked the patient to the point where he became unconscious, and that he did that two times during the night.

After the employee told Alexis not to choke the patient during the first incident, she told officers that she made an audio recording the second time, which she played for them, police said.

In the recording, officers said the victim could be heard moaning.

Additionally, officers asked the employee to make a controlled phone call to Alexis, and during the call, police said Alexis told her “what he is going to tell the police and advises her to say the same thing in her own words” while also cautioning her “not to say things about the logbook because police will want to get a copy” and “not to say anything about the mat that (the victim) was laying on,” ultimately telling her “not to say too many things that would prompt more questions from the police,” according to his arrest form.

In November 2023, a medical examiner ruled the victim’s death a homicide, though the specific cause of death was redacted from Alexis’ arrest form.

He is facing a charge of aggravated manslaughter for neglect of an elderly disabled adult and, as of Wednesday morning, was being held at the Broward Main Jail on a $25,000 bond.

The price hikes, which will hit Doritos, Ruffles, SunChips and some sodas, will be in the single-digit percentage range, and prices will still be lower than they were at the start of this year. PepsiCo said Thursday that it must raise prices to recoup rising costs for fuel, aluminum and agricultural commodities.

Many companies, including PepsiCo, have offset rising costs this year by using tariff refunds issued by the U.S. government after the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s far-reaching global tariffs.

PepsiCo used its $178 million refund to do just that during the most recent quarter, but said that money will not be available in coming quarters.

Yet there are risks for U.S. companies that raise prices in the current economic environment, with so many American households already stretched financially.

PepsiCo leaned heavily into price increases to combat inflation in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company hiked prices by double-digit percentages for eight straight quarters in 2022 and 2023 before settling into more moderate price increases.

Consumers revolted, and sales of PepsiCo’s drinks and Frito-Lay snacks fell. Last fall, activist investor Elliott Investment Management took a $4 billion stake in the company and began pressing for even lower prices. PepsiCo agreed, and it slashed prices on Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos and Tostitos chips by up to 15% before the Super Bowl.

Laguarta said the lower prices have brought back some consumers, but the third-quarter results remained weaker than hoped, partly due to tepid sales in Canada. Frito-Lay snack food volumes were flat in the July-September period compared with the same period last year. Beverage volumes fell 2%.

Laguarta also said during a conference call that “we don’t feel good about the beverage business.”

Sales of hydration drinks like Gatorade and energy drinks like Celsius were stronger in North America, but soda sales slumped.

“We’re putting all the urgency of the business and the focus in improving our performance in soft drinks,” Laguarta said.

PepsiCo lowered its earnings expectations for the year, saying it now expects adjusted earnings per share to grow 2.5% to 3.5%. Previously, it had expected growth between 5% and 7%. The company now expects full-year revenue growth of 6%, the high end of its earlier forecast of between 4% and 6%.

Still, PepsiCo reported better-than-expected revenue for the quarter on the strength of its international business, which makes up 41% of the company's revenue. Net revenue rose 5.6% to $25.27 billion in the July-September period. Wall Street had expected revenue of $24.95 billion, according to analysts polled by FactSet.

The company, based in Purchase, New York, said its global snack food volumes increased 4%, the highest rate of growth since 2021. World Cup-related demand for Lay's snacks was strong, the company said, and PepsiCo gained share in key markets like China and Brazil. Snack food volumes rose 11% in the Asia-Pacific region, PepsiCo said.

Fast-growing categories include snacks with simpler ingredients, like Doritos and Gatorade Lower Sugar with no artificial colors or flavors, as well as protein-enhanced snacks, the company said.

Net income rose 17% to $3.07 billion in the third quarter. Adjusted for one-time items, the company earned $2.34 per share. That was higher than the $2.29 per-share earnings analysts expected.

PepsiCo shares rose 2% Thursday.

Rubio told reporters during a visit to European NATO ally Portugal that “the stronger the members of NATO are, the stronger NATO is, the stronger the alliances and the stronger the deterrence is.”

U.S. President Donald Trump has long railed against NATO allies for spending too small a fraction of their national budgets on defense, leaving the United States to shoulder what he says is an unfair burden. Some members of the 32-country alliance have been reluctant to divert funds from other government policies, however.

“People sometimes view this call to invest more in defense as a hostile thing,” Rubio said. “It is not a hostile thing.”

Rubio, who was in Portugal on the last leg of a three-nation tour of NATO allies that also included Iceland and Greece, acknowledged that some smaller NATO members, such as Portugal, have difficulty finding the funds for major military projects.

“Every country is of a different size and proportion. Some countries can contribute more than others, but every country in NATO needs to be as strong as they can possibly be,” Rubio told a news conference in Lisbon.

He noted the danger of the war in Ukraine, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor on Feb. 24, 2022, spilling beyond Ukrainian borders. An apparent stalemate in Ukraine could bring a military escalation in Europe, he said.

“That escalation could wind up being a sabotage campaign in neighboring countries that are members of NATO,” he said. That could “quickly turn what is a war between two countries into a much broader and far more dangerous regional conflict.”

European officials have accused Moscow of a campaign of sabotage and disruption aimed at undermining support for Ukraine and destabilizing European nations.

Rubio also said that the Trump administration will keep trying to facilitate a negotiated settlement to the war, but that it has been difficult.

“We have tried, we will continue to try, but we’re also not going to invest in pointless processes if we can’t make progress,” he said, coming after new Russian strikes in eastern Ukraine killed 30 people.

Meanwhile, Rubio also praised Portuguese efforts toward meeting the NATO target for defense spending.

Portugal, a country of fewer than 11 million people, spends just over 2% of its gross domestic product on defense, according to NATO. The government says it plans to increase defense spending to around 3%, including dual-use investments in civilian infrastructure.

That still leaves it below the 5% of GDP set aside for defense spending that Trump has demanded and that requires investment at an unprecedented scale in Europe.

Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel said at the news conference that his country views its relationship with the U.S. as “fundamental.”

Portugal provided support for American operations in the Iran war by allowing the U.S. to use the Lajes Field air base in the mid-Atlantic Azores islands, which is strategically located for military refueling flights.

The U.S. Air Force has long had a base there under an agreement with Portugal. Unlike neighboring Spain, where Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, a Socialist, refused to allow the American military to use Spanish bases to stage operations for attacks on Iran, Portugal’s center-right government granted Washington “conditional approval” to use Lajes Field.

“Portugal is a great ally, very cooperative ally of the United States and a country with which we already have a solid and growing relationship. And we visit these countries in order to reinforce those ties,” Rubio said before arriving in Lisbon. “That’s the purpose of the trip.”

Some Portuguese political parties balked at the decision to allow the U.S. to use the Azores islands air base, however. Following a formal complaint by a small left-wing political party called Left Bloc, the country’s attorney general’s office said last week that it's looking into whether the use of the Lajes Field base was lawful.

Rubio visited Portugal a day after delivering a speech in the Greek capital, Athens, urging European countries to save Western civilization by upholding the values and traditions of ancient Greece.

A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that most Americans, 64%, think AI is developing “too fast,” while 27% say its development has been “about right” and only 8% say it's moving “too slow.”

The risk that powerful AI models could evade human control and hurt humanity, once the stuff of science fiction, has been emerging as a more pressing concern. Even leaders of the companies that are developing frontier AI models are calling for a slowdown so that government regulation can catch up. President Donald Trump has pushed back against slowing down AI development because of concerns that China will gain an advantage with the technology. Data centers powering AI projects have also taken a prominent role in major political races as the midterm elections approach.

About 8 in 10 U.S. adults say it's “extremely” or “very” important for the U.S. government to ensure that AI stays under human control, and they are about as likely to want the government to prioritize protecting the country's workforce. Most U.S. adults also think minimizing environmental harm and growing the U.S. economy are highly important. About half say this about promoting technological innovation, and slightly fewer say that about competing with China.

There's bipartisan concern about the speed of AI's development, but few Americans think either major political party has an advantage in handling artificial intelligence. Trump, a Republican, also gets a low rating on his handling of the issue, with 67% of U.S. adults disapproving of his performance on AI.

Stephanie Stewart, a junior-high science teacher in Sunset, Utah, said she is frustrated by the president’s opposition to AI regulation.

“There is no handling of the issue except for we’re just going to allow these companies to do whatever they want, and we’re not going to regulate them,” said Stewart, 53.

Most say protecting workers should be a priority for the government

Ron Theusch, a truck driver who lives in rural Alden, Minnesota, said his No. 1 concern with AI is the potential loss of jobs — including his own.

“I can just see a train of self-driving trucks 24/7, just running up and down I-35, loading and unloading. I can just see that happening,” said Theusch, 58.

Most Democrats and Republicans agree on the importance of protecting workers and keeping AI under human control, the poll found.

“There was a movie called ‘Terminator,’ where the robots came back and killed everybody,” Theusch said. “People relate to that ... I don’t know where it’s going to land. I really don’t have anything I can do to control it, you know. It’s going to evolve.”

There's less consensus about the importance of other priorities when it comes to AI. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say it’s highly important to grow the U.S. economy and to compete with other countries like China. Democrats, on the other hand, are more likely to say it’s at least “very” important to minimize environmental harm.

“I don’t understand how, because they’re doing something as well as us, that we can’t be more human about it and more humane about it than just to say, ‘Well, they’re doing it, so we have to do it,’” Stewart said of U.S. competition with China.

And while about three-quarters of Democrats say AI is developing “too fast,” only about half of Republicans share that worry. People under 30 years old also express higher levels of concern than people 60 or older, the survey found.

“I think I have all the normal concerns, right? I think it’s wonderful for certain applications, but I also feel like it will be overused and can create a lack of personal connections. It can make people lazy because information is just given to them without really having to research things on their own,” said Kelly Opp, a 62-year-old Republican in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“Like everything else, once you get that ball rolling, it progresses fast on its own, but I think that it will continue to keep progressing. So the speed doesn’t really bother me,” she said.

Americans have little confidence in Democrats or Republicans on AI

As a teacher, Stewart regularly uses AI to help with her work, including with creating assignments or assisting with tests. But she is deeply concerned about AI's effects on children.

“You’ve got to protect kids. You’ve got to protect teens. You've got to protect privacy ... we need to try to do something,” she said.

Americans have little trust in either party when it comes to the handling of AI issues. About 4 in 10 Americans say they don’t trust either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party on AI, according to the poll, while nearly 2 in 10 trust both parties equally, and the rest are split between trusting the Republicans and the Democrats.

Even people who identify with the parties are ambivalent about their ability to handle the issue. Only about half of Republicans and Democrats say their party is better equipped to handle AI issues, and roughly 3 in 10 in each case say neither party is.

“I am kind of moderate. And I see that there’s good on both sides," said Stewart. "Anyone back in Washington is weak on doing anything for anyone but themselves right now. So, no, I don’t think the Democrats would do a better job per se. Maybe they would definitely tout it. But until I see anything coming from anyone, I’m going to be like, ‘Yeah, no. You’re all just sitting there.’”

___

Ortutay reported from Oakland, Calif.

___

The AP-NORC poll of 2,140 adults was conducted Sept. 24-28 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 2.9 percentage points.

The suspect, who was not named, is the seventh man bailed in the investigation of an apparent plot aimed at RAF Fairford air base, which has been used by American bombers to strike Iran.

British authorities have linked Tehran to the incident that led the U.S. to pull its bombers from RAF Fairford on Sunday.

The Trump administration believed the base faced Iranian threats intended to kill as many American troops and destroy as many U.S. planes as possible, according to a U.S. official, who was not authorized to comment publicly on the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the U.K. sees “strong indications” that Iran played a part in the incident. He did not provide details about what the suspects were planning or why the U.K. thinks Iran was involved.

Iran has denied involvement, although it has previously said that it considers any base used to attack its territory a legitimate target.

Police are continuing to investigate the incident that led to scores of residents being evacuated from their homes near the base on Sept. 27 as armed police officers and army bomb-disposal experts swarmed the rural area.

Police later said they had found a quantity of an accelerant — gasoline — in three vans linked to the initial five suspects, but no explosives.

All the suspects arrested have been in their 20s and six have been British nationals while one is a dual U.K.-Iranian citizen.

The U.K.-owned base, 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of London, was used by American B-1 and B-52 bombers during the Iran war.

The British government allowed the U.S. military to use RAF Fairford for what it called defensive strikes on Iranian missiles and their launch sites following Iranian attacks on U.K. interests and Britain’s allies in the Gulf.

“After that, I was like, ‘I really need to take care of myself,’” she said. “We always tell people that old cliché: It’s like the oxygen mask on a plane. But it’s really true. You can’t be a successful or good caregiver to somebody else if you’re not taking care of yourself.”

Renda leads a support group for parents and caregivers for the New Hampshire chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, where she vigorously promotes self-care. And she’s gotten better at taking her own advice, finding time for herself and setting better boundaries.

“It’s not easy,” she said. “I joke sometimes, ‘Is 10 minutes in the shower crying self-care?’ Sometimes it is.”

Caregivers are growing in number

Nearly one in four adults in the United States, or 63 million people, provided care to adults or children with medical conditions or disabilities in 2025, a total that jumped by almost 50% in 10 years, according to a report by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP. Their work — most of it unpaid — has gotten longer and more intense, the study found, and nearly two-thirds described feeling high emotional stress.

Recognizing those trends, Dartmouth College and its associated healthcare system recently announced the creation of an institute to provide caregivers with services, education, support and access to home health aides. The Family Caregiver Institute will be part of a broader program exploring best practices for serving the nation’s aging or chronically ill population.

In the meantime, experts say there are small steps individual caregivers can take themselves to prevent burnout.

That could mean asking a neighbor or another family member to fill in for a brief time to provide a break, said Susan Stearns, executive director of NAMI New Hampshire. She also advises prioritizing sleep and movement, even just quick walks outside.

“And if it’s winter and you can’t get outside, I’ve been known to just pace around my house for 10 minutes just to get some movement in because I know I’ll feel better,” she said.

Staying connected to a community also is key, Stearns said, whether that’s meeting friends in person, talking on the phone or participating in online support groups.

“This is a place where social media can serve us,” she said.

Self-care also can mean saying no to others and letting go of unreasonable expectations, she said.

“Caregiving’s hard, and I think sometimes, moms especially can set the bar high and be in pursuit of perfection and not realize, this is good enough,” she said.

In her peer support groups, Renda emphasizes that self-care looks different for everyone. She gets antsy trying to meditate, but others find it calming.

“Self-care doesn’t have to be a day at the spa. It can be sitting for 10 minutes in your car when you get home and just kind of decompressing from the day before you go inside,” she said.

The first step to better self-care is self-identification

Jennifer Rabalais is the co-director of the Center on Aging and Community Living at the University of New Hampshire and coordinator for the New Hampshire Alliance for Healthy Aging. She’s worked to support family caregivers in part by highlighting their impact on the healthcare system.

Many caregivers aren’t aware of available supports, she said, in part because they might not even consider themselves caregivers until someone else points out the duties they perform.

“If you ask them, ‘Do you shop for someone? Do you help someone pay a bill? Do you ever do yard work?’ That same person who is identified as not being a caregiver will often say yes,” she said.

“They are the backbone of our healthcare system, and so if they’re not taking care of themselves, they may end up in a position where they themselves need care,” she said.

Rospotrebnadzor has said that the lab worker at a plague research institute in Irkutsk in southeastern Siberia died of pneumonia of unknown origin. In tersely worded statements, it said that “extensive” testing found no evidence her illness was caused by any of the pathogens she worked with, and it informed the World Health Organization that no case of plague has been registered in the Irkutsk region.

In Thursday’s statement, Rospotrebnadzor rejected reports about a second person falling ill after coming into contact with the lab worker as fake. It didn’t offer any new information about the lab worker’s illness and death or reasons behind the sprawling emergency measures in the region.

On Wednesday, Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO director of Epidemic and Pandemic Management, said the U.N. health agency doesn’t know what caused the woman’s Oct. 2 death, which unconfirmed reports in Russia blamed on pneumonic plague — a severe form of plague that can spread from person to person. She urged Russia to provide more information about the case.

Van Kerkhove's comments suggested the U.N. health agency has more questions than answers about the situation at the lab, which focuses on plague and was founded about a century ago to study the disease in Siberia, where it occurs naturally in wild animals.

WHO said it has requested further information to clarify the cause of the severe pneumonia, the pathogen that prompted the public health measures and media reports that a second employee had pneumonia of undetermined cause.

Rospotrebnadzor said Wednesday that it has conducted the “whole range of anti-epidemic measures in connection with the professional activities of the person who fell ill," noting that she had been “vaccinated and had immunity to dangerous infections.”

The agency also said that a probe into observation of biological safety norms at the institute found “no emergencies in dealing with pathogens” and confirmed that all safety measures had been duly observed.

Russian authorities have kept a tight lid on information about the case, which has been surrounded by secrecy.

Russian state TV and other national state-controlled media have largely steered clear of the subject. Some news outlets withdrew earlier reports about the case.

EuroLeague owners this week rejected a formal offer from the NBA to merge into a single European operation. But the NBA and FIBA indicated they still hope to merge with EuroLeague in their new league as early as next year.

George Aivazoglou, the NBA managing director for Europe and Middle East, went into further detail about the plans when speaking at the sports industry conference Leaders Week London.

“The NBA has been very consistent throughout the years in reiterating that we’re very serious about the opportunity in European basketball. We’re also very serious and consistent in terms of our intention to work with everybody who shares our vision of the future,” Aivazoglou said.

“There is a serious value gap for European basketball. We don’t think it’s reaching its potential and we have a perspective about what has happened and what needs to happen to move things forward."

The decision not to accept the NBA’s proposal of a single Europe entity was made on Tuesday in Cernobbio during a gathering of the EuroLeague’s 13 shareholder clubs. They include Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Olympiakos, Milan, Tony Parker -owned ASVEL in France and two Istanbul-based clubs.

The NBA and FIBA released a joint statement earlier Thursday, claiming a “partnership between the EuroLeague, FIBA and the NBA to unify the European basketball ecosystem would unlock the game’s enormous potential across Europe for the benefit of clubs, players and, most importantly, fans."

The NBA and FIBA added they “remain committed” to the new league, which has been planned to launch in the fall of 2027.

It seems likely that merger talks will continue, with Barcelona saying this week that the door remains open even though the first proposal was rejected. "Should that (merger) proposal be amended in the future, the clubs and the EuroLeague will reconsider it,” the club said.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has said multiple times, and as recently as last month, that he believes the new league would benefit from “joining forces with the EuroLeague.”

Aivazoglou added: “We’re always there to have discussions provided we share the same assessment of what are the main reasons why European basketball hasn’t reached its full potential and then how do we solve it."

The NBA and FIBA formally announced their plans for an NBA Europe venture in March 2025. The new league would have some permanent franchises, with chances for others to qualify based on performance.

Many of the NBA’s top current stars hail from Europe, including San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama (France), Denver’s Nikola Jokic (Serbia), the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic (Slovenia) and Miami’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece).

The 20-team EuroLeague is comprised of 13 shareholder clubs immune from relegation. The rest either qualify through their domestic leagues or through invitation. The NBA, in partnership with FIBA, has said it envisions a 16-team league.

Aivazoglou said the NBA was “ready to create something that will transcend our careers, maybe even our lifetimes for the next 100 years.”

___

AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed.

___

See AP’s full NBA coverage here

• Florida’s gulf coast bracing for impact of Hurricane Isaias
• Tate Brothers held in Miami detention center as new court document details allegations
• Fort Lauderdale ALF employee facing manslaughter charge after patient’s 2023 death

You can watch a live feed of our news broadcast at Local10.com/Live.

Andreeva had lost her previous two matches against Alexandrova, who rallied back from 4-1 down in the second set and 5-3 down with Andreeva serving for the match.

“I felt like she was playing better and I didn't take my chances. I could have played more aggressive but what a match this was,” Andreeva said. “She played unbelievable today, and I’m very happy to get my very first win against her.”

The fourth-seeded Andreeva is aiming for a fourth singles title this year and next faces Nikola Bartunkova. She earlier reached her first WTA 1000 semifinal after beating fellow Czech Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-0.

Bartunkova stamped her authority on the quarterfinal by racing to 5-0 against her seventh-seeded opponent. It was the 20-year-old Bartunkova's third career win against a top 10-ranked opponent. ___

See AP’s full tennis coverage here

Justice Nicholas Hilliard said significant errors were made by Thames Valley Police in applying for search warrants and by a judge in granting them in the investigation into the disgraced former prince now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Mountbatten-Windsor was not in court, but he was already aware of the partial legal victory because police had previously conceded in July that the warrants were improper.

Police, however, had tried to keep the matter out of the public eye while the investigation continued, leading to a delay in its revelation.

Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested Feb. 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office and police searched two of his homes.

His lawyers had asked the High Court judge to invalidate the warrants that allowed those searches.

Attorney Mark Stephens, who wasn’t involved in the case, said the development "opens a door to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s lawyers to start to chisel away at some of the fruits of that unlawful warrant.”

The judge, however, said “the fact that the search warrants were quashed does not bring an investigation to an end, or mean that the whole of the investigation was unlawful.”

Hilliard said he still needs to rule on whether to return Mountbatten-Windsor’s property because there’s a provision by which police can retain unlawfully seized property for evidence.

Stephens said that under English law, there will be further hearings to determine exactly what, if any, evidence would be thrown out.

“The judge will make that decision based on whether or not it’s likely to be probative,” Stephens said. “But, of course, it’s very different in other countries. For example, in America, if you have the fruits of an unlawful warrant, then all that evidence is out. But that’s not the case in the U.K., so we’ve got a few more rounds to go here.”

The judge said the warrants were unlawful because the judge who issued them had not considered whether items being seized were subject to legal privilege or another protection known as “special procedure material.”

Thames Valley Police said in a statement that it accepted that the warrants must be quashed, but said the investigation was continuing.

The former prince's ties with Epstein have long troubled the royals

King Charles III stripped his younger brother of his princely title last year as he sought to shield the rest of the royal family from the continuing fallout from Mountbatten-Windsor's links to Epstein.

While Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, continues to receive a stipend from the king’s private funds, Buckingham Palace has made it clear that those funds may not be used to fund his effort to challenge the search warrants.

The police investigation initially focused on allegations that Mountbatten-Windsor shared sensitive information with Epstein when the former prince was a U.K. trade envoy, but police later said they could also consider other matters.

Police questioned Mountbatten-Windsor for 11 hours before releasing him under investigation, meaning he was neither charged nor exonerated.

It was the first time in nearly four centuries that a senior British royal was placed under arrest.

The allegations against Mountbatten-Windsor came to light when the U.S. Justice Department released millions of pages of documents from its investigation into sex trafficking by Epstein and his connections to a network of wealthy, powerful men around the world.

Mountbatten-Windsor’s ties to Epstein have been a source of embarrassment to the royal family for more than a decade.

Lawmakers questioned the relationship as far back as 2011, when the then-prince was forced to give up his globetrotting role as the U.K.’s special trade envoy. Eight years later, he failed to explain his continuing ties to Epstein in a disastrous interview with the BBC, ending his career as a working member of the royal family.

The Helene Boucher Lycee has been a flashpoint for clashes in the French capital, and is one of hundreds of schools disrupted by protesters Thursday.

At least a dozen demonstrations in support of the high school students' movement are planned around France later in the day.

Riot police gathered in side streets as students converged on the school. Many protesters wore surgical masks or hoodies, apparently afraid to be recognized.

Police have made more than 6,600 arrests since late September, when students, most of them under 18, started protesting to demand more education funding, according to the Interior Ministry. The Education Ministry said that 375 schools were either fully or partially closed on Thursday.

Pressure mounts on an embattled administration

While the number of school closures was down compared to Tuesday, pressure is mounting on the government of outgoing President Emmanuel Macron.

The protests against the under-funding of schools — many of them struggling with dilapidated facilities and insufficient staff — have drawn troublemakers not concerned about the aims of the protest movement as well as unions and political groups.

In a TV address, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu lamented the “violence, students and staff being attacked, police officers and gendarmes injured, schools set on fire or vandalized, thousands of hours of classes lost, not to mention threats and insults.”

He took aim at “political leaders who use this anger to conduct their electoral battles." France goes to the polls for a presidential election in April. “We cannot play with the safety of France’s youth,” Lecornu said.

At the Lycee, 18-year-old university student Emma Khelil came to offer support to those at the barricades at her former high school. She told The Associated Press that she’s really concerned about police violence.

“We’re here to defend our rights, not to lose an eye or a hand,” Khelil said. She also said that she had noticed insulation problems and water leaks in the school building and had even seen rats on occasion. Other students confirmed that they’d seen rats too.

She was not convinced by Lecornu’s efforts to calm the situation.

“I don’t think the movement is going to lose momentum. As long as things don’t change, we’re going to see the movement grow stronger, and potentially a convergence of struggles, especially with the next presidential election coming up,” she said.

Not long after she spoke, police surrounded a nearby square. The crowd surged, and tear gas was fired.

The protest movement crosses borders

The impact of France's protests is also being felt north of the border, in Belgium.

Liege Mayor Willy Demeyer issued a ban on public gatherings until midnight on Oct. 16, given what he described as the “real, serious and imminent risk” of repeated clashes and vandalism that authorities expected in coming days.

City police said they used water cannon and tear gas on Wednesday to keep several hundred protesters at bay. Authorities sent emergency mobile text messages warning shopkeepers to close their premises due to rioting.

Almost 90 people were arrested and several police were injured. Police reinforcements were sent from the capital Brussels and from Antwerp, and more are coming. Smaller protests have been held in Mons and Charleroi.

In a post on social media, Belgium’s Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said the “perpetrators will have to answer for their actions before the courts.”

The Belgian protests, organized through social media chat groups, include demands for more teachers and smaller classes as well as complaints about education reform in Belgium, but are also likely inspired by events in France.

___

Cook reported from Brussels. Masha Macpherson in Paris contributed to this report.

The demonstration in Bengaluru came a day after opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was briefly detained by police at a protest in New Delhi. Dramatic images of police dragging Gandhi into a vehicle spread widely on social media, adding momentum to the protests calling for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Gandhi’s Congress party and other opposition lawmakers also held protests in New Delhi Thursday.

The nationwide voter list review, known as the Special Intensive Revision, has been carried out in most of India’s states and federally administered territories. More than 130 million names have been removed so far, a number larger than the populations of countries like Japan and Mexico. Millions of people have appealed the deletions.

The opposition says the removals have disproportionately affected voters who support them, while voters more likely to back Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party have been preserved or added to the lists. The Election Commission and the government reject the allegations, saying the revision is aimed at removing duplicate and ineligible entries.

Those whose names have been struck off the list can appeal, but getting back on the rolls can be difficult. Critics say the requirements are confusing and some people may not have required documents such as older government records.

The anger intensified last month following an investigation by the Indian Express newspaper that found two election commissioners had raised concerns about the process.

The campaign has been led in part by the “Cockroach” movement, which began as an online youth campaign in May and has since organized street protests across the country. Its earlier nationwide demonstrations, sit-ins and hunger strikes over exam paper leaks led to the resignation of Modi’s education minister in July.

Protesters are demanding Kumar’s resignation and an end to the removals, warning that they could disenfranchise millions more voters.

The rallies pose a political challenge to Modi midway through his third term, as opposition parties seek to turn growing anger into a broader national campaign. Opposition leader Gandhi is also emerging as a prominent face of the protest.

The “Cockroach” movement has called for more protests in New Delhi starting Saturday, with thousands expected to march to Jantar Mantar, the capital’s designated protest site. Police barricaded the area ahead of the demonstrations.

___

Saaliq reported from New Delhi.

Meanwhile, Britain says it demoted its consulate in east Jerusalem to a mission and that 20 diplomats will leave the country and Israel honored six passengers on the Sept. 30 FlyDubai flight that the co-pilot tried to crash as heroes.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Thursday. Read our full coverage here.

Explosions are heard in the Saudi capital

A witness says several explosions were heard in Riyadh on Thursday, including a large blast at the city’s international airport.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen claimed the new attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, saying a ballistic missile caused damage. They provided no evidence, and the Saudis had no immediate comment about the claim.

Fire and ambulance crews were deployed and smoke was visible, the witness said.

The witness said that outgoing flights were halted, and that passengers were instructed to evacuate the airport. It was not immediately clear how many flights were disrupted, but the witness said the terminal was crowded with passengers and that people were instructed to leave all checked-in luggage behind.

The witness spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

— By Josef Federman

UK downgrades consulate in east Jerusalem after Israeli pressure

Britain said it had reached an agreement with Israel's government to downgrade its consulate in east Jerusalem, and a small team of diplomats will continue to operate in what will now be known as the U.K. Mission.

Israel's government said last month it would close the consulate in response to the United Kingdom banning trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said in a statement that the consulate had “ceased to function as a consulate.” He said 20 British diplomats will leave Israel, and that the building will continue to operate with seven diplomats engaged in limited activity.

“Israel will no longer turn its cheek to diplomatic attacks against it," he said.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband denied the building will close. Miliband said the seven diplomats remaining at the U.K. Mission will continue to work with Palestinians, but gave no details. The U.K. said based on the current agreement, it would not take reciprocal action such as expelling Israeli diplomats from London.

Israel honors 6 passengers for heroism on FlyDubai flight

Israeli President Isaac Herzog honored six passengers Thursday for helping save lives aboard a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Sept. 30.

Officials said a co-pilot on the plane attacked the captain and tried to crash the flight. The wounded captain managed to open the cockpit door, allowing a group of passengers and crew members to take control and land safely.

The six passengers received the Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism at a ceremony in Jerusalem.

“By following the example of today’s honorees and heroes, we can make our world a safer place,” Herzog said.

Zvika Manes said his daughters’ cries prompted him to act. “Every father and every parent, when they hear that cry, acts without thinking to try to save lives,” he said.

The other recipients were Tali Manes, Yaniv Hayoun, Dr. Shota Musayev, Asaf Rajuan and Or Pardilov.

Report finds Iran war has damaged or destroyed 81 aircraft from US

At least 81 U.S. military aircraft and drones have been lost or damaged in the war with Iran, according to a Congressional Research Service report updated this week.

The downed aircraft include what the military has publicly acknowledged as lost — like those destroyed as part of the rescue mission to recover two downed aviators in Iran — as well as dozens of drones that the military has refused to discuss.

The report says that among the 81 damaged or destroyed aircraft were 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones, 12 F-15E Strike Eagle jets, seven KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft and a F-35A Lightning II fighter jet.

A tanker is struck off the coast of Qatar

The British military said late Wednesday that several projectiles struck a tanker off the coast of Qatar, causing multiple casualties.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said the attack took place in the Persian Gulf, north of the city of Madinat ash Shamal, on the northern tip of Qatar.

The U.K. military did not identify the tanker and did not provide any details about the casualties. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and no comment from Qatar.

Former military secretary accuses Netanyahu of trying to alter records of Oct. 7

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s former military secretary has accused the Israeli leader of altering official transcripts of phone calls from the morning of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks.

The accusations by Maj. Gen. Avi Gil came in a wide-ranging interview with the right-wing Israel Hayom newspaper.

In excerpts of the interview published Thursday, Gil accused Netanyahu of attempting to change records of their phone calls in the first hour of the attack, possibly in an attempt to shift blame for failures that morning from the prime minister to his advisers.

The report comes as Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, is seeking reelection on Oct. 27. His Likud party told Israel Hayom that Gil's comments are part of an attempt to oust Netanyahu from power, the paper said.

___

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

Several drivers, including seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, were left stuck on track when their cars lost power and had to be restarted on formation laps before Sunday's race.

The on-board software failed to cope with drivers taking a more cautious approach ahead of the first wet race for the 2026 cars, which have a near 50-50 split between engine and electrical power.

The FIA, the governing body for F1, on Thursday said its investigation found that cars “experienced a loss of power beyond the original intent and that could not be recovered.”

After the cars were stuck on track, the start was suspended as the FIA rushed out a software update. The race eventually started almost an hour later, with no obvious software-related incidents, though the track had dried much more by then.

The FIA says that update will be used again if it rains at this week's Singapore Grand Prix — the forecast says that's likely — with more changes at the following race on Oct. 25.

“As a result, the configuration established for the Sepang event will be reinstated for the Singapore Grand Prix should similar weather conditions be expected,” the FIA said. “Additionally, a further update to the wet weather software will be released for the United States Grand Prix.”

The FIA added that it, the teams and engine manufacturers “will continue to strengthen power unit software testing and verification capabilities, enhancing the overall validation process through independent assessment and collaborative feedback.”

Drivers were scathing of the software bugs last week in Malaysia. Hamilton likened driving the sluggish cars to gimmicky pre-race exhibitions the drivers have done previously and four-time champion Max Verstappen called for a “lesson learned.”

The FIA said it had conducted testing on the software which failed last week, but that took place in two practice sessions which were largely dry ahead of races in Belgium and the Netherlands.

___

See AP’s full auto racing coverage here

The morning attack occurred next to a bus stop in the war-torn city of Kramatorsk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, prompting public transport to be suspended in the area.

“There is no doubt that Russia is cynically targeting civilians,” Oleksandr Honcharenko, head of the city's military administration, said, adding that the rescue effort had been hampered by subsequent Russian attacks using small drones.

Russia and Ukraine are locked in a long-range aerial war while their armies remain largely deadlocked on the front line, more than 4 1/2 years since Moscow’s full-scale invasion. Russia has escalated its aerial attack in recent weeks, putting pressure on Ukraine as it prepares for winter and hitting the infrastructure keeping its war-battered economy afloat. Recent targets have included energy systems, key industries, railways, post offices, shopping centers, telecom networks, gas stations and grain exports.

Thursday's attack followed a Russian missile strike a day earlier that killed 22, including five children, in the northern Ukrainian town of Pryluky. Rescuers were searching the rubble of a residential building. At least 54 people were wounded. Several survivors slept in heavily damaged apartments because they couldn't find anywhere else to stay.

Ukraine appeals for more defense support from NATO

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Pryluky on Thursday with visiting British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband.

Zelenskyy warned that Russia will likely escalate daily missile and drone attacks as winter approaches. He appealed for additional defense support from NATO countries.

“It is important that support in words takes concrete form in new packages for Ukraine’s defense,” he wrote in an online post. “Supplies of anti-ballistic capabilities, ammunition for our combat aircraft and investments in interceptors — all of this is directly helping save lives every day.”

Ukraine's energy company DTEK said national grid operator Ukrenergo had ordered emergency power outages in Kyiv. Regular, rolling outages that occur on a schedule across the country will be halted during these shutdowns.

Officials are urging families to prepare emergency kits, store drinking water and maintain backup power sources, as Moscow keeps up the intensity of its attacks.

Kyiv police said bomb disposal specialists defused two unexploded ballistic missile warheads, each weighing about half a ton, after they landed near residential buildings. Late Wednesday, Russian drones struck Kyiv’s Obolonskyi and Desnianskyi districts, killing four people and injuring 12, including four children, police said.

Ukrainian attacks damage data center and oil refinery

Russian technology giant Yandex said one of its data centers in the western Ryazan region was damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack, taking the site offline.

Also Thursday, Ukraine said its forces struck a large oil refinery complex in the city of Salavat, some 1,200 kilometers (about 750 miles) east of Moscow. Ukraine's General Staff described the complex as one of Russia’s largest oil refining and petrochemical facilities. The claim could not be independently verified.

Ukrainian drones also reached Russia’s Omsk region in western Siberia, more than 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) from the border with Ukraine. Omsk regional Gov. Vitaly Khotsenko said most of the drones were shot down by air defenses, but one “reached a northern industrial hub.” He didn’t elaborate. Russian independent news outlet Astra reported that the Omsk oil refinery was on fire after the attack. There was no official confirmation of the report.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said his government presented proposals to both Russia and Ukraine aimed at protecting civilian shipping in the Black Sea, while warning that commercial trade and grain exports could be disrupted by escalating military offensives.

Separately, Lithuania deployed about 100 additional soldiers to help secure the NATO member's border with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, the Baltic country's defense minister, Robertas Kaunas, said. Sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland, Kaliningrad is separated from mainland Russia and remains a major security concern for NATO’s eastern flank.

___

Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey; Liudas Dapkus in Vilnius, Lithuania; Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Greece and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Teddy Young, 24, has been charged with two offenses under the National Security Act, including preparing to disclose protected information between November 2024 and May 2025, London’s Metropolitan Police Service said. During the same period, Young allegedly obtained, copied, recorded or retained protected information for the benefit of a foreign power.

Young has been in police custody since he was arrested on Tuesday at his home in the village of Clapham, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of London. He appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London on Thursday.

“The allegation is that while serving as a Royal Navy warfare intelligence rating with high level security clearance and intelligence-system access, Teddy Stanley Greenidge Young accessed and retained sensitive U.K. defense and intelligence material and engaged in activity consistent with preparing to pass protected information to a foreign power,” the Crown Prosecution Service said in a written summary of the allegations.

Young allegedly used the dark web to try to contact Russian authorities, drafting a message that “sought to make contact with a potential threat actor.”

Young, who joined the Navy in April 2024, is accused of committing the offenses during his first deployment, which began Nov. 4, 2024.

He wasn't asked to enter a plea during the four-minute hearing on Thursday because the charges are too serious to be considered at a magistrates' court. Judge Annabel Pilling ordered Young to remain in custody until his next court appearance Oct. 16 at the Central Criminal Court in London.

Police said the charges weren’t related to the recent security alert at RAF Fairford, a British air base from which U.S. bombers have launched strikes against Iran. Three suspicious vans were discovered near the base in the early morning hours of Sept. 27, triggering an investigation that has led to the arrest of seven men.

Young was previously arrested on May 21, 2025, and released on bail pending further investigation. His security clearance was suspended at that time and he was removed from his duties.

The Royal Navy issued a statement acknowledging the arrest of a service member.

“As legal proceedings are ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage,” the navy said.

The Brewers are thrilled to head home with another playoff series victory during the best stretch in team history — but they also know the Los Angeles Dodgers are going to meet them in Milwaukee this weekend.

A year after the Brewers did not appear to be ready to meet the challenge posed by the intimidating World Series champions while getting unceremoniously swept out of the NL Championship Series, this team is certain it can do better in the rematch.

The Brewers' tense NLDS win over the San Diego Padres — four games decided by five combined runs — only underlined their growing confidence in their ability to excel in October and to truly fight for this team's first championship.

“I think we have a different type of confidence and belief in ourselves together as a team,” said center fielder Garrett Mitchell, the Game 4 hero with his bat and glove. “It’s just like a quiet, subtle confidence. It’s not showboaty. It’s just everyone who’s in this clubhouse, from the front office to the staff, everyone believes. ... I also think it’s a year difference. Guys are continuing to mature. We're all excited to go out and compete and try to get it done.”

With their eighth playoff appearance in the past nine seasons off to a strong start, the Brewers are gradually knocking down the remaining barriers to their ultimate goal.

This group ended Milwaukee's 12-game road postseason losing streak since 2018 with the clincher in San Diego, executing nearly flawlessly in the process. The Brewers held the Padres to three hits and got timely hits of their own while playing exceptional defense and gradually draining the spirit from the normally frenzied Petco crowd.

“That team right there can beat anybody in baseball,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said of the Padres. “Nobody has a winning record on the road in the postseason — except maybe the Dodgers. It’s just not the way it is. The environments are so tough to play in. Yeah, so that was going to happen at some point if we keep banging on the postseason door.”

And while the Dodgers will be the biggest challenge they’ve faced, the Brewers have never been better positioned to break through.

They won a franchise-record 103 games in the regular season, topping the majors and increasing their win total for the fourth straight season while winning their fourth consecutive NL Central crown. Milwaukee then took down the 91-win Padres, who were arguably the majors’ best team in September while streaking to 19 wins in 22 games.

The Brewers won a competitive series between two teams with no World Series titles to show for 58 seasons of existence apiece. San Diego’s drought stretches on, but Milwaukee is eight wins away from ending its own.

The Dodgers are in the way, but the Brewers believe it's finally their time.

“Tonight is about us, but tomorrow we’re making a plan,” Game 4 starter Robert Gasser said. “We're trying to execute and figure out, ‘How do we go in and get two wins at home and head over to LA and take care of business there?’ We’ve played them well this year. We saw them last year in the NLCS, but we’ve got all hands on deck, and we’re ready to go.”

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

The Toronto-born Carson, 76, has drawn on themes from classical Greek and Roman literature, modern influences and personal experience for genre-blending titles that have ranged from translations of ancient Greek poets to collaborations with dancers and musicians, including Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed.

The Swedish Academy that awards the prize said she won “for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature.”

The permanent secretary of the academy said the author was in Iceland “listening to the wind” when the panel reached her to notify her of the honor.

“She was very taken by surprise,” Ingrid Carlberg said.

Asked how she felt about the award, Carson told the Icelandic public broadcaster RUV: “I think they’re all crazy.” She described the conversation with the academy as “rather halting.”

“They have the usual questions, and I have no answers,” she said.

She said poetry is “probably more useful than prose right now because it’s faster, and everybody is in a hurry. So basically I think it’s good because it’s brief. Except Homer. Homer’s not brief.”

Carson is among the more high-profile recent winners of the literature Nobel, which often honors authors little known outside of the literary world and is sometimes criticized for valuing literary experimentation over the ability to connect with a broad readership.

However, the prize can also introduce readers to writers and works beyond their own languages or reading habits.

Asked how the prize would change her sales, she said: “I’ll get a sticker on the front of my book. Stickers help.”

Works range from classical Greek translations to poetry

Carson's books include “Eros the Bittersweet,” a look at the pleasure and pain of desire in ancient Greek literature, the verse novel “Autobiography of Red,” as well as “Men in the Off Hours,” a collection of poetry and prose that won Canada’s Griffin Prize for poetry in 2001, and “Norma Jeane Baker of Troy,” which compares Marilyn Monroe and Helen of Troy.

“Autobiography of Red,” which reimagined the myth of Hercules and the monster Geryon as a love story, has sold nearly 100,000 copies in the U.S. alone, according to a spokesman for Alfred A. Knopf, which published the book in 1998.

She also has translated works of classical Greek literature that, the academy said, “may be regarded as independent works in their own right.” They include “If Not, Winter,” based on poem fragments by Sappho, Sophocles’ tragic plays “Electra” and "Antigone” and Euripides’ “Bakkhai.”

Carson’s award is the latest example of the Nobel academy recognizing “writers who enlarge our understanding of what literature can be,” said Laura Jansen, associate professor of classics and comparative literature at the University of Bristol in the U.K.

“She wrote prose as poetry and poetry as prose, so she’s in many ways so innovative in her forms,” Jansen told The Associated Press. The academy recognized "that no one in the English language has been able to do what she’s done.”

“Economy of the Unlost,” from 1999, sets ancient Greek poet Simonides of Keos against 20th-century poet Paul Celan, while “Men in the Off Hours,” published in 2000, “aligns the historian Thucydides with Virginia Woolf,” said Anders Olsson, chair of the Nobel Literature Committee.

Carson, who won a MacArthur “genius” grant in 2000, is the first Canadian Nobel literature winner since Alice Munro in 2013.

“With wit, imagination, and a style entirely her own," Carson "has reimagined the classics. She has brought ancient stories to new audiences and transformed the way we think about literature,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on social media.

Carson wrote about her own life and struggles

Carson has taught classics at several North American universities and has lived in Iceland, where she and her husband, Robert Currie, were granted citizenship in 2022.

She also has drawn on her own life for works such as “Nox,” which was published in 2010 and dealt with the decades-long absence and then death of her brother Michael.

Olsson called it “a creation as sculptural as it is literary, an epitaph in the form of a box containing an accordion-fold-out of pictures, letters and other written texts dedicated to her dead brother.” It also includes Carson’s translation of an elegy by the Roman poet Catullus for his own brother.

She branched out into graphic novels in 2021 with “The Trojan Women: A Comic,” created with artist Rosanna Bruno.

Among her most recent work is “Wrong Norma,” a wide-ranging 2024 collection of pieces from publications including The Paris Review and The New Yorker, accompanied by Carson’s hand-drawn illustrations.

Also that year, Carson wrote in the London Review of Books about being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. She said a “particularly mortifying" symptom was that her handwriting “disintegrated.”

“Hard to describe or explain the shame of bad handwriting,” she said. “Bad handwriting is ugly. Also it is inauthentic. In the sense it is not you.”

The prize was announced in Stockholm. Carson did not immediately respond to emails from the AP.

Friday to bring peace prize winner

Three science awards were announced earlier this week. The Nobel for medicine went to three scientists whose work led to a tool that uses light to help unravel how the brain works. The physics award recognized a scientist’s efforts to demystify a rare group of neutrinos. The chemistry prize recognized two scientists for untangling mysterious mirror images in molecules, a discovery that has been used to develop countless drugs.

This week ends with Friday's peace prize. The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences will be announced Monday.

The prize money this year is 12 million Swedish kronor (about $1.2 million) per prize.

Carson told the academy in a phone interview that she and her husband are “thinking of ways to give the money away.”

___

Lawless reported from London. Italie reported from New York. Associated Press Writer Stefanie Dazio in Berlin contributed to this report.

___

AP Nobel Prizes: https://apnews.com/hub/nobel-prizes

Ermiyas Ababu, a Tigray Peace Force commander based in Mekelle, said Eritrean personnel entered Adigrat on Tuesday and Idaga Hamus on Wednesday. He said Eritrean military officers and commanders were conducting surveillance in Idaga Hamus, citing reports from his personnel in the area.

Separately, conflict monitoring group ACLED said Eritrean troops crossed the border at Zelambesa on Wednesday and Ethiopian military drones targeted them at Guada as they traveled toward Idaga Hamus.

The Associated Press could not independently verify either account. ACLED, which provided its account through East Africa analyst Jalale Getachew Birru, had not responded Thursday morning to an inquiry about the basis for its claims.

The allegations come amid renewed fighting between Ethiopian government forces and an opposition alliance that includes the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF.

Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel accused Ethiopia on Wednesday of fabricating allegations to justify military action against his country. In a post on X, he accused Ethiopia’s ruling party of creating “a fallacious narrative of ‘self-defense.’” He did not specifically address the movements or strikes described by ACLED.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reiterated Monday that his landlocked country must have access to the Red Sea. Ethiopia lost its coastline when Eritrea became independent in 1993. Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that it remained committed to dialogue and peaceful engagement with its neighbors.

Eritrea has denied Ethiopia’s allegations that it supports the TPLF. Last week, it announced it was severing diplomatic ties after Ethiopia expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and closed its embassy in Asmara.

In Shire, residents Mesu’ud Ahmed and Abadi Halefom told the AP by telephone Wednesday evening that they had witnessed TPLF forces withdrawing earlier that day. Government troops and allied forces had not entered when they spoke, Mesu’ud said.

Shire has been a major refuge for people displaced by fighting in Tigray and a base for humanitarian aid operations.

“TPLF left but the government forces and their allies did not enter the town but we hear that they are coming,” Mesu’ud said. “Everyone has closed their shops in Shire, and moved their merchandise for fear of looting.”

Government-allied fighters entered Mekelle, Tigray’s regional capital, on Sunday after the TPLF announced its withdrawal. The Tigray Peace Force imposed a curfew there Wednesday from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The force includes former members of the TPLF’s armed wing. Ermiyas said Tuesday that it was working with Ethiopian federal troops to expand its control.

The TPLF joined six other opposition groups last month in an alliance seeking to oust Abiy. Fighting escalated late last month, undermining the November 2022 peace agreement that ended a devastating two-year war.

_________

Filmon Equar Hailu in Mekelle and Amir Aman Kiyaro in Hamburg, Germany, contributed to this report.

Rubio told reporters that he would not discuss the allegations contained in a Wall Street Journal story that said Guilfoyle had asked a donor and supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump to pay a $100,000 credit card bill just before her confirmation hearing, promising him access to administration officials if he did.

He spoke before leaving Greece, where he delivered a speech calling for European countries to return to what he described as their civilizational roots.

Rubio said he was aware of The Wall Street Journal's report, which was published late Wednesday, but had no idea if it was true and he would not address it.

“You guys walk around thinking that because some source told you something and you reported it, it’s the gospel. It’s not the gospel. It’s not the gospel for me. That’s not the way we do things,” he said at the foot of his plane as Guilfoyle, who was there to see him depart Greece, looked on.

At a joint news conference with the Greek foreign minister on Wednesday, Rubio said he would not address the allegations while visiting a foreign country, but added, “Suffice it to say our embassy here is doing a great job. Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here.”

The top two Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees have called for an investigation into Guilfoyle, but Rubio would not say if he was prepared to open one.

Congressional Democrats already were looking into claims reported last month by the Wall Street Journal that Guilfoyle acted improperly while serving as the top U.S. envoy to Greece.

The Journal reported that Guilfoyle told guests at a reception that the U.S. could undermine the Greek government if it chose to, promoted the business interests of one particular Greek construction and energy company, and allowed its lobbyist into private diplomatic meetings.

Guilfoyle, a former Fox News Channel host and California prosecutor who was once engaged to Trump’s son Donald Jr., has denied any wrongdoing and Rubio has defended her before.

___

This version corrects the day of the news conference to Wednesday.

Se espera que Isaias se intensifique rápidamente y lleve vientos fuertes y una peligrosa marejada ciclónica a la franja nororiental de Florida, el sur de Alabama y el sur de Mississippi cuando toque tierra en la costa norte del golfo a última hora del viernes o temprano el sábado. Podrían producirse lluvias intensas con riesgo de inundaciones hasta el fin de semana, incluso tierra adentro hasta el valle de Tennessee.

“Prevemos que Isaias será un huracán peligroso cuando toque tierra”, dijo Michael Brennan, director del Centro Nacional de Huracanes, con sede en Miami, en una actualización a media mañana.

El huracán tenía vientos máximos sostenidos de alrededor de 137 kilómetros por hora (85 millas por hora) y se movía hacia el este-noreste a 17 km/h (10 mph) a última hora de la mañana del jueves, informó el centro de huracanes. El vórtice se encontraba unos 610 km (380 millas) al sur de la desembocadura del río Mississippi.

Las poblaciones costeras se movilizaron rápidamente para prepararse. Algunos pozos petroleros del golfo pausaron la producción, y al menos cuatro distritos escolares de Florida cancelaron clases el resto de la semana. El condado Okaloosa anunció evacuaciones obligatorias para algunas zonas costeras y las comunidades cerrarían las oficinas gubernamentales a partir de la tarde del jueves. Los gobernadores de Florida y Alabama declararon el estado de emergencia para decenas de condados.

La isla Dauphin, una isla barrera de 24 kilómetros (15 millas) frente a la costa de Alabama, hizo un llamado a algunas personas a evacuar voluntariamente.

“Esa zona es tradicionalmente muy vulnerable a la marejada ciclónica —inundaciones de agua salada— y ahí también es donde está la mayoría de los visitantes”, dijo el jueves el alcalde Jeff Collier sobre la parte occidental de la isla.

Indicó que no anticipaba daños sustanciales, “pero al mismo tiempo, estas cosas son muy caprichosas y un pequeño giro aquí o allá o algún aumento de fuerza de última hora; simplemente tenemos que estar preparados para lo peor”.

El centro dijo que el agua de la marejada ciclónica y la marea alta podría alcanzar alturas de 1,5 a 2 metros (5 a 7 pies) en partes de Alabama y Mississippi. Isaias también podría generar hasta 25 centímetros (10 pulgadas) de lluvia en costas del golfo y generar tornados desde la noche del viernes hasta el sábado desde Alabama hasta la franja nororiental de Florida y el suroeste de Georgia. Se espera que el huracán se debilite rápidamente después de tocar tierra.

El Servicio Meteorológico Nacional indicó a las comunidades desde Ocean Springs, Mississippi, hasta el condado Gulf, en Florida, que se prepararan para la posibilidad de “cortes de energía de larga duración”.

El huracán se formó casi al final de la temporada

Hace más de cuatro meses inició la temporada de huracanes del Atlántico e Isaias se quedó a un día de igualar un récord de 121 años como el huracán que más tarde se ha formado en la zona. Según el servicio meteorológico, el récord data de 1905, cuando el primer huracán atlántico del año se formó el 8 de octubre.

La temporada de huracanes del Atlántico ha sido inusualmente tranquila este año debido a un fuerte fenómeno de El Niño, que interrumpe la formación de tormentas sobre ese océano. La actividad ha estado por encima del promedio en el Pacífico, donde la tormenta tropical Simon se formó el miércoles frente a México y donde se espera que la tormenta tropical Rachel, anteriormente un huracán, se acerque a Baja California Norte, México, y al sur de California este fin de semana, informó el centro de huracanes.

Se espera que Isaias impacte una amplia franja de costa muy familiarizada con huracanes importantes.

Una de las peores tormentas del siglo XX, el huracán Camille, mató a más de 250 personas después de tocar tierra cerca de Waveland, Mississippi, en 1969. El huracán Katrina en 2005 arrasó vecindarios en Mississippi, inundó Nueva Orleans y mató a casi 1.400 personas. Y el huracán Michael destruyó viviendas y edificios cerca de Panama City, Florida, en 2018.

La producción de petróleo y el turismo ya se ven afectados

Antes de la tormenta, los productores de petróleo y gas cerraron una parte significativa de la producción en alta mar en la región, que representa casi el 15% del crudo bombeado anualmente en Estados Unidos.

Hasta el miércoles, alrededor del 25% de la producción petrolera en la región estaba detenida temporalmente, retirando del mercado unos 511.000 barriles diarios, según la Administración de Minerales Marinos de Estados Unidos. El organismo señaló que ocho de las 371 plataformas petroleras tripuladas del golfo fueron evacuadas.

Con los precios del petróleo ya altos, los recortes de producción son lo suficientemente pronunciados como para afectar a los mercados, aunque otros huracanes en el golfo han causado interrupciones mayores, afirmó Jim Burkhard, jefe global de investigación del mercado de crudo de S&P Global Energy. Más preocupante, añadió, es si Isaias impacta como una tormenta potente cerca de refinerías.

A medida que avance tierra adentro, Isaias también podría alterar el duelo de fútbol americano universitario del sábado entre los rivales Georgia y Alabama, un partido al que el presidente Donald Trump planea asistir.

En Gulf Shores, una comunidad de Alabama que alentaba evacuaciones voluntarias, la residente Maranie Adams reunió agua y otros suministros mientras su familia trasladaba pertenencias, incluido el motor de un jacuzzi, para almacenarlos en alto. Su familia planeaba resistir la tormenta en casa, a aproximadamente media milla de la costa, refugiándose en el interior junto a su bandada de gallinas.

“Tenemos que conseguir jaulas para meterlas en la casa para que no salgan volando”, comentó Adams. “Va a ser ruidoso”.

La gobernadora de Alabama, Kay Ivey, emitió el estado de emergencia para 40 condados, mientras que el gobernador de Florida, Ron DeSantis, declaró uno para 25 condados en las regiones de la franja nororiental y Big Bend. El estado también planeaba desplegar un equipo de búsqueda y rescate urbano con base en Miami.

En Pensacola, las compañías eléctricas estaban preposicionando cuadrillas para reparar rápidamente cualquier corte de energía. Funcionarios de la ciudad proporcionaron arena para que los residentes llenaran sacos de arena y protegieran sus viviendas contra inundaciones. Y el alcalde, D.C. Reeves, instó a la gente a revisar cómo estaban los vecinos ancianos y otras personas que pudieran necesitar ayuda.

“Obviamente no hay necesidad de entrar en pánico en este momento”, dijo Reeves en una conferencia de prensa. “Esto en realidad se trata de preparación”.

_______

Los periodistas de The Associated Press Kathy McCormack, Kim Chandler, Russ Bynum y Julie Walker contribuyeron a este despacho.

_______

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

By ending the series Wednesday night with a 4-1 victory, the Dodgers will have extra time to reset their rotation, bullpen and struggling slugger Shohei Ohtani for the Championship Series opening game Sunday.

“It’s important. It was very important,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Once you get to an elimination game, a Game 5 or a Game 7, anything can happen. And to be able to win today, get back, reset, have a day off tomorrow, set the rotation, it’s huge.”

The extra rest means Tarik Skubal likely will be the choice to start Sunday against Milwaukee instead of handling a Game 5 against the Braves. Similarly, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow will be well rested for their expected NLCS starts.

Infielder Miguel Rojas may need the extra rest for a sore lower back that kept him out Wednesday night.

Also, Edwin Díaz will have ample time to reset after recording saves on back-to-back days to close out the series against Atlanta. The ninth-inning work showed Díaz is re-established as the closer.

“The team trusts me,” Díaz said. “I think that was the most important thing for me, the team trusts me. They give me the ball every single day. And the last two nights it’s been amazing. That’s why I came here to win games and close games like this one. So I’m really happy right now.”

Despite those advantages, Roberts is preparing for a tough NLCS as the Dodgers try to move closer to their goal of becoming the first NL team to win three consecutive World Series.

"We’ve got our work cut out,” Roberts said, adding extra rest also will be important for such players as Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.

Ohtani was 2 for 13 against Atlanta and hasn't homered since Aug. 18 while dealing with injuries to his right biceps, left knee and neck that have also kept the two-way player off the mound.

“So kind of enjoy this one, get Shohei a couple of days to get back,” Roberts said. “Freddie, he had a big series, but, again a couple of days will help him. Give our guys in the 'pen a little reset. So we’ll be ready to go Game 1.”

Díaz pitched a perfect ninth inning in the clinching win. The on-field celebration was a low-key affair, but Roberts and his players, wearing “Take October” T-shirts and goggles to protect their eyes, soon were drenched with champagne.

The Dodgers made the most of their opportunity to celebrate another postseason series win while maintaining their focus on a third straight World Series championship.

“Our goal is to win the World Series, not this series,” Díaz said. "We’ve got eight more wins to go. So our goal is win those eight games. And at the end of the day when we win those eight games, we celebrate.

“Now we’re going back to LA to keep working. I know all the guys are on the same track. Now we just celebrate a little bit, go back to LA, get working and be ready for Sunday.”

Andy Pages' bases-loaded single in the seventh drove in two runs to give the Dodgers a 3-1 lead. Max Muncy added to the lead with a homer in the ninth, his third blast of the postseason.

“Obviously, we have big teams, big series coming up,” Pages said. “We’re going to face tough teams, so prepare for those moments, but also take advantage of the opportunity of being here and enjoying these moments. And knowing that our ultimate goal is to win the World Series. So focus on that.”

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Isaias was forecast to intensify rapidly and bring strong winds and a life-threatening storm surge to the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi when it makes landfall along the northern Gulf Coast late Friday or early Saturday. Heavy rain and flooding were possible into the weekend as far inland as the Tennessee Valley.

“We are expecting Isaias to be a dangerous hurricane when it makes landfall,” Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, said in a mid-morning update.

He added: “Today is the day to prepare and get ready and be in your safe place by tomorrow as conditions will rapidly deteriorate along the northern Gulf Coast as Isaias approaches.”

The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of about 85 mph (140 kph) and was moving east-northeast at 10 mph (17 kph) as of late Thursday morning, the hurricane center said. It was centered about 380 miles (610 kilometers) south of the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Coastal communities moved quickly to prepare, as officials in Alabama cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach urged tourists to evacuate immediately, warning that bridges could be closed by midday Friday. At least four Florida school districts canceled late-week classes, while several counties announced mandatory evacuations for some coastal areas. The governors of Florida and Alabama declared states of emergency for dozens of counties ahead of Isaias' arrival.

Dauphin Island, a 15-mile-long barrier island off the Alabama coast, encouraged some people to voluntarily evacuate.

“That area is traditionally very vulnerable to storm surge — saltwater flooding — and that is also where most of the visitors are," Mayor Jeff Collier said Thursday of the western part of the island.

He said he didn't anticipate substantial damage, “but at the same time, these things are very fickle and a little jog here or there or some last-minute increase in strength, we just have to be prepared for the worst.”

Water from the storm surge and high tide could reach heights of 5 to 7 feet (1.5 to 2 meters) in parts of Alabama and Mississippi, the hurricane center said. Isaias also could dump up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain along parts of the Gulf Coast and spawn tornadoes overnight Friday into Saturday from Alabama to the Florida Panhandle and southwestern Georgia. The hurricane is expected to quickly weaken after making landfall.

The National Weather Service told communities from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to Gulf County, Florida, to prepare for the possibility of “long-duration power outages.”

The hurricane formed late in the season

Isaias developed more than four months into the Atlantic hurricane season and was one day short of tying a 121-year-old record for the area’s latest-forming hurricane. According to the weather service, the record dates to 1905, when the year’s first Atlantic hurricane formed on Oct. 8.

The Atlantic hurricane season has been unusually quiet this year because of a strong El Niño, which disrupts storm formation over the Atlantic. Storm activity has been above average in the Pacific, where Tropical Storm Simon formed Wednesday off Mexico and where Tropical Storm Rachel, formerly a hurricane, was expected to approach northern Baja California, Mexico, and Southern California this weekend, the hurricane center said.

Isaias is expected to strike a swath of coastline that’s familiar with major hurricanes.

One of the 20th century’s worst storms, Hurricane Camille, killed more than 250 people after hitting land near Waveland, Mississippi, in 1969. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 razed neighborhoods in Mississippi, flooded New Orleans and killed nearly 1,400 people. And Hurricane Michael leveled homes and buildings near Panama City, Florida, in 2018.

Oil production and tourism are already affected

Ahead of the storm, oil and gas producers shut down a significant share of offshore production in the Gulf, which accounts for almost 15% of crude pumped annually in the U.S.

As of Wednesday, about 25% of the oil production in the region had been temporarily halted, taking about 511,000 barrels a day off the market, according to the Marine Minerals Administration. It said eight of the Gulf's 371 manned oil platforms had been evacuated.

With oil prices already high, the production cuts are steep enough to affect markets, though other Gulf hurricanes have caused larger disruptions, said Jim Burkhard, global head of crude oil market research for S&P Global Energy. More concerning, he said, is whether Isaias strikes as a powerful storm near refineries.

As it moves inland, Isaias might also disrupt Saturday’s college football showdown between rivals Georgia and Alabama, a game President Donald Trump has planned to attend.

In Gulf Shores, an Alabama community encouraging voluntary evacuations, resident Maranie Adams gathered water and other supplies as her family moved belongings, including a hot tub motor, to higher ground. Her family planned to ride out the storm at home, roughly a half-mile from shore, sheltering indoors alongside their flock of chickens.

“We’re having to get crates to bring them into the house so they don’t blow away,” Adams said. “It’s going to be noisy.”

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency for 40 counties, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared one for 25 counties in the Panhandle and Big Bend regions. The state also planned to deploy a Miami-based urban search and rescue task force.

In Pensacola, officials said the airport will close to commercial flights Friday morning, while utility crews prepared for power outages and officials opened sandbag distribution sites. Mayor D.C. Reeves urged residents to check on older adult neighbors and others who might need help.

“Obviously no need to panic at this point,” Reeves told a news conference. “This is really about preparation.”

___

Rico reported from Atlanta and Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut. Associated Press reporters Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; Hallie Golden in Seattle; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; and Julie Walker in New York contributed to this report.

That was pretty much the extent of the excitement for those fans as the San Diego Padres once again fell short of winning their first World Series.

Tatis' second homer of the postseason tied the score at 1, but the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Padres 3-1 on Wednesday night to take their best-of-five NL Division Series in four games.

Manny Machado nearly tied it with a two-run homer in the eighth, but Garrett Mitchell made the catch at the center-field fence to rob him.

With the crowd on its feet still hoping for a comeback, pinch-hitter Gavin Sheets struck out to end it and the Brewers had a muted celebration on the field.

San Diego had only three hits.

“So many emotions,” said Tatis, who didn't hit his first home run until May 30 but finished with a 25-25 season that included some spectacular home run-robbing catches in right field.

“This group is so special, man, and we went through so many downs and ups this year, and how we became one. We went through every battle and just stuck together. It was such an enjoyable group to play baseball together and to go through the rough times, and the only thing I can say is thank you to every single one of them.”

While the top-seeded Brewers head home to get ready to host the Padres' biggest rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, the Padres head off into an uncertain offseason.

New owners José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones brought an exciting vibe to the team when they took over in late August. Now it's up to them to back general manager A.J. Preller in trying to get San Diego that elusive World Series title.

The Padres haven't been to the Fall Classic since making it for a second time in 1998. They didn't win either one.

This year, their third consecutive 90-win season carried them into the playoffs for the third straight autumn, both club records.

They did it behind rookie manager Craig Stammen, a surprise hire last fall after Mike Shildt retired less than two weeks after the Padres were eliminated by the Chicago Cubs 2-1 in the wild-card round.

The Padres struggled so much during the first half that fans wondered if Preller would trade fireballing closer Mason Miller. But he kept Miller and the Padres turned it on in the second half to reach the postseason.

“It stings right now, for sure,” said Machado, who chatted with the new owners in the clubhouse after the game.

The Padres beat the Cubs in two games at Petco Park last week to sweep their Wild Card Series before losing two close, riveting games in Milwaukee.

San Diego stayed alive with a 4-3 win Tuesday night in which Michael King, the Game 2 starter, earned a two-inning save on one day of rest to extend the season one more night.

Joe Musgrove, who grew up in suburban El Cajon, didn't make his season debut until Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Cubs due to a prolonged recovery from Tommy John surgery. It was his first appearance since the Wild Card Series against Atlanta in 2024.

“I don’t think anybody’s satisfied with how the year ended, but I think everyone’s pretty proud of how we played,” said Musgrove, who pitched the final two innings Wednesday night. “Where we came from in May, June, being under .500, and Tati not even having a home run and Manny hitting .200, and then where we ended our year and how we finished strong at home and gave our fans something to be proud of.”

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

To Mitchell, that dramatic play was just the predictable result of the same daily preparation and meticulous execution that made Milwaukee the majors’ best team throughout the regular season — and which has now sent the Brewers roaring back to the National League Championship Series.

Mitchell tripled and scored the tiebreaking run in the fifth inning before making a pivotal catch on Machado’s drive to the wall in the eighth, and the Brewers finished off the San Diego Padres with a 3-1 victory Wednesday night, winning their best-of-five series in four games.

When Machado stepped to the plate, Mitchell was already shaded to right-center, thanks to the Brewers’ scouting report. He coolly tracked the 406-foot fly off the bat, and he already knew the wall was quite short in that part of Petco Park, so he realized he would only need to reach up to catch the ball.

“I think we have a different type of confidence and belief in ourselves together as a team,” Mitchell said. “It’s just like a quiet, subtle confidence. It’s not showboaty. It's just that everyone believes.”

The Brewers pride themselves on being ready to handle anything — even something wild enough to silence a roaring sellout crowd in San Diego during the heat of October.

“Just got a good jump off the bat," Mitchell said amid the Brewers' beer-drenched postgame celebration in the visitors' clubhouse. "When I got to the wall, I just had to stay composed and make the catch. I didn’t really have to jump. I knew the wall isn’t as high as at other fields.”

Mitchell also drove in Sal Frelick with Milwaukee’s first run as the Brewers snapped their 12-game postseason road losing streak since 2018 and reached the team's fifth League Championship Series.

“Just so proud of these guys,” Frelick said. “After the first (loss in Game 3), it really starts to creep in that you don’t want to go back for a Game 5. Really proud of these guys for stepping up today and getting the job done.”

After fending off the surging Padres in four tight games decided by a combined five runs, the 103-win Brewers will get an NLCS rematch with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who eliminated Atlanta on Wednesday.

The Dodgers swept Milwaukee last October on the way to their second consecutive World Series title.

“Why wouldn't you want another chance to go at it (with the Dodgers) after the way it happened last year?” asked Mitchell, an Orange County native and UCLA product. “I don't think that's any more pressure on us. It's just ... let's see what we can do.”

The Milwaukee formula

One night after the Padres avoided elimination in Game 3, Milwaukee claimed its first road playoff win since the 2018 NLCS by sticking to its season-long formula for success.

While four Brewers pitchers combined on a three-hitter and the defense made nearly every big play, Milwaukee’s lineup calmly worked counts, pounded 10 hits through the Padres’ defense and manufactured enough runs to head home smiling.

“After yesterday, the energy in the clubhouse was still good,” Mitchell said. “Nobody was pressing. We were just treating it like another day, treating it like we have nothing to lose. We just had to go out there and play our brand of baseball, and that starts with quality at-bats, getting on base, putting pressure on teams, and we did that today.”

Game 2 hero Jackson Chourio capped his high-impact series by driving in Mitchell to become the Brewers’ career leader in postseason RBIs at just 22 years old. Chourio has 17 RBIs, including six in this series, in 16 playoff games.

Padres' offense struggles

Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a 429-foot homer on an otherwise tepid offensive night for the Padres, who repeatedly tested the majors’ best regular-season team before falling short of only the fourth NLCS appearance in team history.

“It was unfortunate, man,” Machado said of his long flyout. “He made a nice play. I should have hit it harder. Two more inches, that ball may have been a homer.”

After sitting below .500 and in 11th place in the NL in late July, San Diego roared into the first wild-card spot and then swept the Cubs in the Wild Card Series last week. The Padres had won 19 of 22 before losing three of four to Milwaukee.

Starters gone early

Brewers starter and former Padres draft pick Robert Gasser threw four innings of three-hit ball, but Tatis ended his 1-for-19 skid since San Diego's playoff opener with a long shot to center in the third. It was the longest homer ever hit in the postseason at Petco Park by a San Diego player.

Padres starter Walker Buehler yielded just three hits and a run, but manager Craig Stammen replaced him with Game 1 starter Robbie Ray after William Contreras’ leadoff single in the fourth.

Mitchell then stroked a mild liner perfectly over first base and into the right-field corner leading off the fifth, and he scored on Chourio's single through the drawn-in infield. Chourio surpassed Ryan Braun for the most postseason RBIs in Brewers history.

Jake Bauers singled leading off the sixth and went to third on Cooper Pratt's ground-rule double before scoring on Frelick's sacrifice fly.

After Mitchell’s catch on Machado’s fly, second baseman Brice Turang ended the eighth with an acrobatic catch of Ty France’s tailing popup in foul ground.

Up next

The Brewers host the Dodgers in Game 1 on Sunday with ace Jacob Misiorowski almost certainly lined up to start. Milwaukee is four wins from only the second World Series berth in team history.

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

The S&P 500 dipped 0.5% and is on track for a second modest loss after setting its all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 131 points, or 0.3%, as of 12:48 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.9% lower.

Stocks bent under a 3.8% rise for the price of a barrel of Brent, the international standard, to $104.08. It’s been swinging between $96 and nearly $110 over the last month on uncertainty about when the war with Iran will allow the global energy industry to return to normal.

Wall Street also felt pressure from more sharp swings within the bond market.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury veered from 5.28% late Wednesday to 5.35% early Thursday morning. It then fell back to 5.26%.

Despite all the back and forth, it remains near its highest level since 2002 and well above its 3.97% level from before the war with Iran began because of worries about high inflation, big government debt loads and other factors.

Also helping to support yields was the latest report to suggest the U.S. economy is continuing to chug along. Fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week, which may mean companies are laying off fewer workers.

Higher yields can slow the economy by making it more expensive for everyone to borrow money. High yields also put downward pressure on prices for stocks and other investments, and those seen as the most expensive often feel the brunt.

That raises the pressure on companies to deliver big growth in profits, which can offset the downward push on their stock prices from higher bond yields. A big reason for the S&P 500's rally to a record is that analysts expect companies in the index to deliver nearly 30% growth in earnings per share this upcoming reporting season.

That’s a high bar.

Levi Strauss on late Wednesday reported a bigger profit for its latest quarter than analysts expected, while raising its forecast for profit over its full fiscal year. But its stock nevertheless fell 3.1% after its growth in revenue fell short of analysts’ expectations.

PepsiCo, in contrast, added 1.3% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected and highlighting strength outside of North America. It, though, cut its forecast for an underlying measure of profit this fiscal year.

Expectations are likely not as high for PepsiCo as for other companies because its stock came into the day with a drop of nearly 14% for the year so far. That compares with gains of nearly 15% for the S&P 500 and 27.3% for Nvidia over the same time, which are both near their records.

Nvidia, the chip company that’s ridden the tidal wave of demand created by the artificial-intelligence technology frenzy, fell 1.1% and was one of Thursday's heaviest weights on the S&P 500.

That was even though a bellwether for the chip industry, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., reported growth for September that suggested its revenue for the latest quarter was strong enough to top analysts’ expectations. TSMC's stock that trades in the United States fell 2%.

In stock markets abroad, South Korea’s Kospi fell 2.6% for one of the world’s larger losses. It was hurt by a 2.4% drop for Samsung Electronics, one of its two dominant stocks.

The tech giant said its operating profit for the latest quarter likely soared to $107.4 trillion Korean won (roughly $80 billion) from $12.17 trillion won a year earlier, but that wasn’t enough to satisfy investors.

Indexes fell across much of the rest of Asia and Europe.

___

AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Michelle Chapman contributed to this report.

Other adolescents have also suffered life-changing injuries blamed on police weaponry during nationwide protests by high school students demanding more funding for run-down schools. In the former mining town of Lens, a 15-year-old lost a hand in an incident involving a police stun grenade. In Tours, in the wine-making Loire region, the prosecutor there says a police riot-control round is suspected in the partial blinding of a 16-year-old.

Beyond physical wounds, the massive use of police arrests and tactics that government critics and human rights campaigners allege have been unnecessarily violent is giving a generation of French schoolchildren — and soon-to-be voters — a real-life education about state power and their rights as citizens, and how the two sometimes clash.

“It politicizes you at an incredible speed,” said Alexis Baudelin, a Paris attorney for more than a dozen youngsters taken into custody.

“For many of them — for all of them — this was one of the first times that they'd taken part in a demonstration, coming together in a public space to voice demands they considered legitimate.”

Police have swept up thousands of young people

According to the Interior Ministry, police have made more than 6,600 arrests — mostly of people under 18 — since protests began snowballing last week, including 488 people detained during nationwide demonstrations Tuesday. The movement demanding increased funds and more replacement teachers for schools started in a Paris-region high school in mid-September.

Lawyers and researchers who study French policing caution that the muscular response could spawn disillusioned young adults soured on the Republic and its promises of “ Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. ” Police have been less forgiving with teenage protesters than they previously were when farmers, a powerful lobby in France, doused government buildings with manure, blocked roads and set fires.

Baudelin, the lawyer, said his young clients have had a crash course in "unrestrained violence from the police.”

“Being locked up for hours and hours with nothing, in cells that are for the most part extremely unsanitary, in police stations that smell terrible, where you can’t sleep, with police officers telling you that if you don’t talk, if you don’t tell the truth, threatening you, telling you that your life is going to be ruined," he said.

“It’s an experience that can be deeply traumatic and is completely out of proportion."

Minister suspends use of some police grenades

Amid a growing outcry, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced Wednesday that the model of stun grenade suspected of mutilating the teenager in Lens will no longer be used against high schoolers, in light, he said, of a "strong possibility" that such a weapon was involved in ripping off the pupil's hand.

“We need to understand exactly what happened,” Nunez said.

Still, he has also defended police actions as proportionate in “almost all cases.” He says police have been obliged to intervene when protests led to rioting, vandalism and other violence, and have done so mindful that they're largely dealing with children.

“You don’t handle a high schoolers’ movement in the same way as one by adults,” the minister said to broadcaster RTL.

In the case of the 14-year-old with a smashed jaw and teeth, the officer who fired his grenade launcher directly at him during a protest in Saint-Ouen l’Aumone, northwest of Paris, said during questioning in custody that he acted in “a fraction of a second” to protect a female colleague who'd exchanged blows with the boy, according to a statement from the prosecutor's office leading the investigation.

It described the officer's actions as disproportionate, resulting in a preliminary charge against him of violence by a public official causing mutilation or permanent disability. Suspended from duty and barred from carrying a gun, he is the first officer facing potential prosecution in 18 investigations opened so far into suspected police misconduct during the protests.

The boy, Eden, sent his mother a video from outside his school, showing police and some protesters, just moments before the officer shot him with the gas grenade, she said, speaking to The Associated Press and other media on condition that she not be identified to preserve the anonymity of her child.

But when she then called him, it was one of his classmates who answered, screaming that her son had been hit in the face and was on the ground, bleeding with his jaw and top teeth broken and bottom teeth "completely ripped out,” she said.

“It’s shameful, it's appalling, it’s violent, it’s disgusting, it’s despicable — I could give you a whole list of words," she said. "They are dealing with children. And children demanding what? Simply better conditions in which to study.”

Teens emerge more defiant from arrests

In the crowds that demonstrated in Paris on Tuesday, marching boisterously from one city square to another, AP found three Paris-region teenagers who said they were arrested, handcuffed, searched, held in custody but then released with no criminal charges last week.

Two 17-year-olds, a boy and a girl, described being detained together with another friend. They believe that police picked on them because of their color. The girl and the other friend are Black; the boy described himself as Arab. French officials have repeatedly denied that there is racism in the police ranks. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said in parliament this week that such accusations are “lies.”

The boy said the officers who stopped them said, “'You, you and you, you’re coming with us.'" There was no apparent motive, because “we weren't wearing hoodies, we had nothing on us, our faces were visible," he said.

“Here in France, they don’t listen to us. They would rather send in the police than listen to us and put measures in place to improve our daily lives," he said.

The girl said her first experience of police custody only reinforced her determination to protest but also taught her to run when officers appear.

“The police are more powerful than us," she said. “There's nothing we can do.”

___

Sam McNeil in Brussels contributed to this report.

Patekar died of a suspected cardiac arrest, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, citing a doctor at the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Born in 1951 in India’s western state of Maharashtra, Patekar built a career spanning nearly five decades in Hindi- and Marathi-language cinema. He was known for intense performances and roles that often portrayed complex or unconventional characters.

Patekar made his film debut in the 1978 Hindi film “Gaman,” and later earned acclaim for “Parinda” and “Krantiveer.” Patekar became popular in mainstream Bollywood films, while also working in India’s “parallel cinema” movement, known for its focus on realism and social issues. He gained wider international recognition with filmmaker Mira Nair’s Oscar-nominated “Salaam Bombay!”

He won three National Film Awards, India’s highest film honors, and received the Padma Shri, one of the country’s highest civilian honors.

In 2018, during India’s #MeToo movement, a Bollywood actress accused Patekar of sexual harassment on a film set. Patekar denied the allegation. The case was among several that drew attention as women publicly spoke about sexual misconduct in India’s film industry.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned Patekar’s death, praising his “intensity, individuality and unmistakable presence” as an actor.

“He brought remarkable versatility and creativity to every role and gave us characters that will be remembered for generations,” Modi wrote on X.

Patekar is survived by his wife and son.

Democrat David Jolly and his running mate, former Florida Rep. Gwen Graham, were in North Miami speaking with Haitian Americans who want to see Temporary Protected Status restored.

“This governor and this president are not fighting crime in Florida. They’re fighting a community,” Jolly said.

Jolly also addressed concerns about Venezuelans being profiled in Doral.

“Whether there’s a Venezuelan who’s being profiled in Doral. A leader told me last week it’s a hunting field as we’re watching ICE profiling against individuals,” Jolly said.

Meanwhile, in Surfside, Republican candidate Byron Donalds was breaking bread with members of the Jewish community on the third year of remembrance of Oct. 7.

“You can’t forget tragedies like this. You can’t forget them. A lot of them lived here in the United States. They went to Israel to volunteer. That’s why you come,” Donalds said.

With less than four weeks until Election Day, both candidates are working to connect with Florida voters, hoping their messages will resonate when they head to the polls on Nov. 3.

Jolly’s staff told Local 10 he will stay in Miami, with another event planned in the area.

“I think I held my breath the whole time the ball was in the air,” Hayes said about watching Burton’s clutch shot.

In a wild finish, Jackie Young missed the second of two free throws with six seconds left to give Las Vegas one last chance, then Chelsea Gray grabbed the rebound and drove under the basket for a layup attempt. Kiah Stokes blocked the shot and Burton corralled the ball.

Gabby Williams had 20 points and five rebounds and Kayla Thornton scored 16 points as the Valkyries moved one win away from reaching the WNBA Finals in just their second season. Golden State became the first expansion team in league history to make the playoffs in its inaugural season last year.

Hayes missed that postseason run because of a left knee injury, and now she's shining against her former team.

“It felt amazing to be able to go out there and get a win with the team that I’m with now,” she said.

A shot-clock violation gave Golden State the ball back with 1:01 to play and Burton delivered with her lone basket of the night.

“That Burton 3 was massive,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “We battled back and gave ourselves a shot after a really abysmal first half.”

The series now shifts to Las Vegas for Game 3 on Friday with the defending champions trying to stave off elimination. Hammon said before Wednesday's game how important it would be to go home with a split — but the Valkyries have been too good in front of their rocking home crowd and now Hammon's team is on the brink of the season ending without a repeat title.

“I can't convince them that this is not a must-win, because if we lose we go home, and we stay home,” she said. “The goal is to get one quarter at a time and we've got to string it together. We know we're capable of stringing three in a row.”

A’ja Wilson had 24 points on 9-for-16 shooting and seven rebounds for Las Vegas, which trailed 66-55 going into the final 10 minutes and made it interesting down the stretch.

Gray’s jumper with 4:46 to go pulled the Aces to 73-68 then Dana Evans’ 3-pointer made it 74-71 before Gray hit a tying 3 with 2:10 left.

Burton, who sat down with 7:29 left in the third quarter of a 71-60 Game 1 win Sunday and didn’t return, was thrilled to have the ball in her hands this time.

“I was just saying I had to do something out there,” she said. “I appreciated Gabby trusting me in that moment, obviously a big moment. We trust her with the ball in her hands as well and so for her to pass it up to me not just once in that possession but twice ... the second one I knew that had to go up.”

___

See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

The Liberty inbounded the ball under the basket, forcing them to go the length of the court, after Angel Reese made two free throws to give the Atlanta Dream a three-point lead with 4.3 seconds remaining in overtime. The broadcast of the game showed that the Liberty had their reset, which is a WNBA rule allowing a team to advance the ball to halfcourt without going back to its bench to huddle.

Breanna Stewart missed a 32-foot attempt and the Dream took a 2-0 lead in the WNBA semifinals with their 101-98 victory.

WNBA rules state that “each team is entitled to one Reset in the final two minutes of the fourth period and one Reset in the last two minutes of any overtime period.”

The Liberty had used both regular timeouts in overtime — they lost a coach's challenge to cost them one — but hadn't used their reset. Yet Stewart said they were told it wasn't available.

“This is not blaming the refs, but when I ask both refs if we have a reset timeout again, and they tell us no, and we leave the game with a reset timeout, it's pretty frustrating,” Stewart said. “Yeah, OK, I kind of got a good look at the end, but we'd just like to have some clarity on that situation as well.”

Stewart clarified that the conversation with the officials happened while Reese was at the line.

“I asked Kevin (referee Kevin Fahy), I said, ‘Do we have a reset timeout?’ And he said, ‘I’m going to check with the table.’ So then he goes to Fatou (crew chief Fatou Cissoko-Stephens) and she said no. So he told me no,” Stewart said. “Of course, who knows what would have happened to end the game, but we would have had hopefully a better shot on goal.”

The WNBA's pool report, conducted with Cissoko-Stephens, contradicted Stewart.

“Stewart was standing behind referee Fahy when he confirmed with his partner between Reese's penalty free throws that New York did indeed have a reset timeout remaining,” Cissoko-Stephens said.

Further in the pool report, the league clarified the protocols around timeout tracking.

“Available timeouts are tracked by the scorer's table and statistical staff," Cissoko-Stephens said. “Teams are responsible for managing and tracking their timeout usage throughout the game. Officials may confirm the status of timeouts with the table when necessary, but they do not officially track timeouts.”

New York coach Chris DeMarco, like Stewart, said he was told the team did not have a timeout, which referees also disputed.

“There was no direction communication with the officials (and) the team,” Cissoko-Stephens said.

Atlanta coach Karl Smesko was surprised the Liberty didn't advance the ball.

“I thought they had a timeout left,” Smesko said. “I was expecting it to be advanced, but it wasn't. So we had to play, and fortunately we were able to get the stop.”

The Liberty made an official inquiry with the WNBA.

___

See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

But President Donald Trump is really, really hoping the weather doesn’t stop him from going to another big college football game — this one in Alabama on Saturday night.

“Well, hurricane and football? I love Alabama. I gotta go to the game. It’d be awfully hard,” Trump said Wednesday, when asked if Hurricane Isaias — and a forecast track which has parts of Alabama, Mississippi and Florida bracing for significant impacts — might alter his plans.

Trump had been set to visit Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa when Alabama hosts Georgia in a Top 10 matchup, following an afternoon rally in Tennessee.

Officials are still discussing how the storm might affect the game. But if it happens and Trump is there, it would be the 10th college football game he’s attended as president since 2017 — including the late September game in Knoxville when Texas topped Tennessee 20-17.

Trump told reporters on Wednesday “if there’s a hurricane, I don’t want to do anything" to take the focus of first responders and law enforcement away from the storm, saying he wanted people to be safe.

“We'll have to see," he said.

It's unusual to mix football and midterm politics

A president trying to give his party a midterm boost typically wouldn't even contemplate going to two college football games so close to Election Day. But Trump's longtime love of sports — and big crowds — are often key factors in his travel schedule.

Live sports — especially big games that attract casual fans nationwide — are one of the few televised programs that can still draw large, real-time audiences. But mixing sports and politics can be tricky: Trump received cheers but also boos when he was shown on Tennessee's jumbotron, despite being in a deep red state.

“I think what they’re trying to do is get this broadcast: trying to raise enthusiasm, particularly among young men,” said University of Richmond political scientist Dan Palazzolo, who has researched, written and taught about the intersection of politics and sports.

Tennessee and Alabama are “safe turf,” Palazzolo said, and Trump “clearly sees sports as a kind of way to connect with a certain part of the base.”

While presidents usually visit key swing states leading up to elections, Trump's sinking approval ratings mean some GOP candidates may be looking to distance themselves from the increasingly unpopular Iran war and the higher gasoline prices it's caused.

The White House says Trump attending football games — even in reliably Republican states — can energize his core supporters around the country. White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers described the president as “the greatest champion of college sports in American history" and said that Trump has used his executive powers and championed congressional efforts to try to overhaul how the sport is governed.

Trump is now a week into what he said would be 32 days of travel ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3 — including a visit last week to Alabama and other stops in Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio and Nebraska. Swings in coming weeks will take him to Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Kansas and Alaska, among other places.

Presidents have used sports for political gains before. But not like this

Richard Nixon publicly leaned into his fierce love of football to ”make a difference politically by capturing the Midwest, working class values," Palazzolo said. His successor, Gerald Ford, was a standout University of Michigan center and used his playing days as a key component of his folksy personal style when campaigning.

But Trump has made sporting events a big part of his second term. A onetime owner of the USFL's New Jersey Generals, Trump recently attended the Presidents Cup and flew to his golf course for the Irish Open.

He was at the World Cup final, the NBA finals and the NCAA football championship game, while marking his 80th birthday with a UFC extravaganza on the White House lawn.

In 2025 alone, Trump went to the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, the Ryder Cup, a New York Yankees game and the U.S. Open men's final, as well as UFC fights and the NCAA wrestling championships.

“I think it helps the brand more than anything else. Because, I think his brand is ‘Sports Guy,’" said Dave Mowery, an Alabama-based consultant who has worked on campaigns for both parties.

“I know everything is political," Mowery said. “But it almost puts him above politics and into that type of guy that is seen in the box with the people.”

In some states, there's the risk of backlash

Mowery, a Georgia fan who plans to attend Saturday’s game against Alabama, said a presidential visit means fans have to cope with additional security and arriving early to sit in the stands long before the game begins.

He said not everyone there will support Trump, though few will be frustrated enough about the disruptions to vote for Democrats on that issue alone. Seeing the president flash on the scoreboard, or wave to the crowd from a private box, probably won't win him votes from the crowd, either, Mowery said.

Palazzolo said he thinks it’s a “time-drain” for a president to go to a football game when there's no evidence it can sway voter behavior — and he said it risks backlash, especially in parts of the country where football remains bipartisan with “conservatives and liberals finding common ground at the ballpark."

Mowery said the difference between attending a big game in the South versus other parts of the country is that college football is the top attraction. That's in contrast to NFL games, which might be bigger draws in other, more northern battleground states.

He also said it's no accident that Trump has stuck to attending marquee college matchups.

“If ‘Sports Guy’ helps drive the brand, then you want to be at the top of that food chain," Mowery said. “He wants to go to the best game on the board. He wants to go to the top of the pops."

National organizations are pumping money behind candidates that Republicans hope can provide bright spots. Here's a look at places where that cash bump — and prime issues like redistricting, immigration and top-of-the-ticket races — might help the party hold their own on election night Nov. 3.

It still won't be enough, counters Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Aidan Johnson, who says his party remains “firmly on offense and on track to take back” the House majority.

An open New Hampshire seat and Trump PAC spending

The race in the state's first district has no incumbent as Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas runs for Senate against John E. Sununu, a former Republican congressman who served a single term as senator from 2003 to 2009.

Stefany Shaheen, a former Portsmouth city councilor and daughter of retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, won a hotly contested Democratic primary. She's facing Anthony DiLorenzo, who was endorsed by Trump and owns several car dealerships.

The seat used to frequently flip between parties, but has remained blue since Pappas first got to Congress in 2019, and the district narrowly supported Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris over Trump in 2024.

Shaheen has focused on the rising cost of healthcare and opposing Trump's tariffs and trade wars, which she says have hurt New Hampshire consumers.

DiLorenzo has taken a more moderate stance on immigration than Trump, calling for pro-business reforms to the federal system. But he's also echoed the president's claim that Democrats want to push the U.S. toward outright socialism.

Last year, Republican Jay Ruais, the mayor of the district's largest city of Manchester, was reelected with around 59% of the vote.

Republicans are also looking for a boost from the Senate race. No Going Back Pac has pledged $10 million to back Sununu. The group is associated with MAGA Inc., Trump's behemoth campaign war chest that had more than $400 million in the bank at the end of July.

The top of the ticket could also spill into Long Island race

First-term Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen is facing Republican Jeanine Driscoll, a tax receiver in Hempstead in New York's fourth district, which includes Nassau County and runs east of Manhattan, hugging Long Island's south shore.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman is considered an underdog against incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul in a statewide race in reliably blue New York. But Blakeman is the Nassau County executive, meaning he may see strong turnout on his home turf and potentially affect Driscoll's chances against Gillen.

In 2024, Trump nearly carried the district after losing it by well over 10 points in 2020.

While Gillen has stressed sometimes working with Republicans to address key issues like the rising cost of living, Driscoll has championed Trump's immigration policies while promising to better shield suburban Long Island from regional and statewide policies she criticizes as government overreach.

Landsman defends redder Ohio territory

Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman 's first district on the westside of Cincinnati backed Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 but was redrawn to make it more Republican-leaning ahead of November.

The new boundaries encompass Clinton County and rural western Hamilton County, while reducing the more Democratic-friendly Cincinnati suburbs. It's one of several places with new maps after Trump urged an unusual round of redistricting around the country to help his party keep control of the House.

Landsman, who was first elected to Congress in 2022, is squaring off against Republican former Air Force veteran and CIA officer Eric Conroy.

Like Trump, Conroy spent months suggesting that the war in Iran would reach a swift conclusion. The president now says that won't happen until at least after the midterms.

Landsman has focused on pocketbook issues, including rising utility rates. He's also raised more money than his challenger in recent quarters, which could be an indicator of where the race is headed.

Tax policy is spotlighted in a Las Vegas district

Looking to unseat Democratic incumbent Rep. Susie Lee in Nevada's third district is Marty O'Donnell, the composer behind music featured in the wildly popular Halo video game series and the 1990s jingle for Flintstones vitamins: “We are Flintstones kids, 10 million strong and growing.”

O'Donnell even led the crowd in singing a rendition during the midterm convention that Trump led in Dallas.

Lee first won her seat during a Democratic wave in 2018 and survived in 2024 even though her district backed Trump. Nevada relies heavily on the tourism and hospitality industries, and Republicans are touting Trump's legislation to cut taxes on tips and overtime.

Lee and other key Democrats counter that Trump hasn't kept campaign promises to lower costs — especially as the war with Iran has driven up gasoline and diesel prices and renewed fears about high inflation.

There could also be trickle-down effects from Nevada's governor's race. Republican incumbent Gov. Joe Lombardo is a former sheriff of Clark County, which includes Las Vegas. He's in what's likely to be a close race with Nevada's attorney general, Democrat Aaron Ford, who previously represented a Las Vegas-area district in the state senate.

Immigration messaging is tested in southern New Mexico

Democratic Rep. Gabe Vasquez narrowly won his seat in 2022. And he narrowly won reelection in 2024 even as Trump carried the district, which stretches from southern and western Albuquerque to encompass the state's entire southern half — including around 180 miles (290 kilometers) of U.S.-Mexico border.

Vasquez has built a political identity around being the son of Mexican immigrants and the first in his family to be born in the U.S. His Republican opponent, Greg Cunningham, is a Marine veteran and onetime undercover police office who spoke at Trump's midterm convention and has focused on calls for stricter border security and law and order.

Hispanic voters shifted toward Trump in 2024, though a majority still backed Harris. According to AP VoteCast, 43% of Hispanic voters nationally supported Trump, up from 35% in 2020. Vasquez's race with Cunningham may test Trump's continued appeal with Hispanics and whether some voters have become disillusioned with the president’s tougher immigration policies in addition to his handling of the economy.

Maduro, who was previously charged with participating in a conspiracy to send cocaine into the U.S., is now also facing allegations of human rights abuses during his time as president of the oil-rich South American nation.

“He authorized the use of torture against specific individuals and oversaw a system designed to use torture, arbitrary detention and violence as a means of repression against the political opposition,” says the revised indictment, which newly charges Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, with torture conspiracy.

The allegations include electric shocks, beatings and asphyxiation at Maduro’s behest.

Asserting that thousands of Venezuelans were “harassed, threatened, arrested, prosecuted, assaulted, tortured, or killed” by people acting at the behest of Maduro's government, the indictment alleges that the abuse included electric shocks, beatings and asphyxiation. Maduro, the indictment claims, signed off on torture methods, sought and got updates on specific victims' treatment, watched a video of a forced confession and personally threatened the killing of one prisoner’s child “as a form of psychological torture.”

Flores, a former legislator and attorney general, helped develop the repressive system and ordered the torture of some specific people, the indictment contends.

A message seeking comment was sent to Maduro's lawyer; Flores was in court for a previously scheduled hearing, where her attorney said he hadn't yet had time to review the new allegations. Both Maduro and Flores have been behind bars in New York since early January when forces seized them from their Caracas home in a middle-of-the-night raid.

Both have pleaded not guilty in the U.S. drug case first brought years ago against them and numerous alleged co-conspirators. Their attorneys have asked for the case to be dismissed on the grounds that they have immunity as the leader and first lady of a foreign country.

They face potential sentences of life prison if convicted.

Maduro, who served as Venezuela’s president from 2013 until his capture in January, has been under investigation for years by the International Criminal Court over allegations of crimes against humanity, tied to his crackdown on opponents. He has always denied any wrongdoing.

Alleged torture victims included U.S. citizens

The revised indictment includes several mentions of the involvement of Venezuela’s feared DGCIM military intelligence agency, which was headed for many years by one of Maduro’s co-defendants, Gen. Hugo Carvajal. He broke with Maduro years ago, pleaded guilty last year to drug trafficking charges in New York and has offered to testify against his former boss.

While the indictment doesn’t name the alleged torture victims, three are described as U.S. citizens. One was punched, subjected to electric shocks and forced to eat his own vomit during eight months of imprisonment, the indictment says. Another was beaten badly enough to necessitate a long hospital stay and had a gun stuck in his mouth. A third was handcuffed, hooded and beaten for two days every half an hour, suffering a permanent eye injury, the indictment said.

Maduro has long ignored lawsuits brought in U.S. courts by Americans who alleged they were beaten while in custody in Venezuela.

Among those who sued is Matthew Heath, a former U.S. Marine corporal from Tennessee. He was arrested at a roadblock in Venezuela in 2020 and held in custody for more than two years.

In May, Heath and another former prisoner won a $300 million default judgment against Maduro and other top Venezuelan officials for overseeing a pattern of torture. The lawsuit, brought under a federal anti-terrorism law, included allegations of waterboarding, electrocution, threats of rape with a nightstick, administration of mind-altering medications and the repeated use of a cramped cell nicknamed “El Tigrito.”

“It’s incredible to see a dictator in court,” Heath said Thursday upon learning of the new charges. “The Maduro prosecution will do more to prevent the kidnapping of Americans by rogue regimes than a hundred press releases from the United Nations.”

Former first lady denied release for medical treatment

Meanwhile, Flores' lawyers unsuccessfully urged a judge to free her from jail and put her under house arrest because she has heart problems.

The attorneys argued that Flores, 69, has medical problems that cannot be treated effectively in jail. She has lost 25 pounds (11 kilograms) while imprisoned at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, might have suffered a minor heart attack in July, has “lingering lightheadedness, dizziness and shortness of breath” and has been told that she might need heart surgery, the attorneys said.

They also said she suffered permanent scarring when she was “thrown against a wall or dresser” during her capture.

Prosecutors opposed the bail request, saying that Flores was an “extreme” flight risk and has been taken for treatment at a local hospital when needed.

U.S. District Court Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied Flores’ request. He noted, among other things, that she’s unwilling to undergo catheterization in jail in order to determine the cause of her heart problems and the appropriate steps for treatment.

He also pushed back at the notion that her high blood pressure was life threatening, noting she’s already on medication for that.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has defended the raid to capture Maduro as a “surgical law enforcement operation.” Maduro has called himself a prisoner of war and his capture a kidnapping.

___

Goodman reported from Miami. Associated Press writers Larry Neumeister and Jennifer Peltz in New York contributed to this report.

That was clear when he was introduced for his final home opener.

Ovechkin's sons Sergei and Ilya handled the task of announcing their father onto the ice, and the Russian star received a standing ovation before the Washington Capitals beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 on Wednesday night. The 41-year-old Ovechkin announced earlier this week this would be his final season.

“It was pretty cool moment,” Ovechkin said. “Huge crowd, kids announce my name. It was a special moment.”

The NHL's career leader in goals did not add to his total of 929 on Wednesday. In fact, Ovechkin wasn't even on the ice during an extended period at the end when the Penguins had their goalie pulled. This was the 101st meeting between Ovechkin and Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby, including playoffs. Neither managed a point, only the 11th time that's happened, according to Sportradar.

Crosby actually finished with a minus-4 after being on the ice for all four of Washington's even-strength goals.

The Capitals have assembled a roster with plenty of depth, to the point where Ovechkin no longer needs to play every second of Washington's power-play time.

“I'm not going to say that he doesn't want to be out there,” coach Spencer Carbery said. “But he also is understanding of what we're trying to accomplish as a team, and the great players that he has around him.”

Washington's one power-play goal on the night was scored by Ryan Leonard — from the left circle where Ovechkin so often sets up.

Make no mistake, though. Ovechkin was still the center of attention. When the whole roster was introduced one by one, he was last, with his kids doing the honor.

“I had no idea any of that was happening,” Carbery said. “I think they nailed that moment. Special for I think everybody in the building.”

Ovechkin had two shots on goal, and he was on the ice when Anthony Beauvillier gave Washington a 1-0 lead 23 seconds into the game.

“It's been such an incredible journey. Cool to see his kids down there," said Tom Wilson, who had a goal and two assists for the Caps. “He's a legend in this city, so I think everyone had a big smile. You get chills watching him come out.”

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

The FDA gave a court-ordered update on its progress in a legal filing late Wednesday, providing the first substantive information about the controversial reevaluation ordered by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Mifepristone was first approved by the FDA in 2000. The agency has repeatedly reaffirmed the pill’s safety and effectiveness over the years, in addition to easing a number of restrictions on the drug, including dropping a requirement that it be dispensed in person.

But since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, anti-abortion groups and their allies in Congress have pushed the administration to revisit the pill, in the hopes of restricting its use.

The FDA said in its filing that it expects to complete a safety study of the pill by mid-December this year. A report on the findings is expected “no later than March 2027,” after which the agency will decide whether to impose new restrictions or other changes on the drug's use.

Gavin Oxley of Americans United for Life, an anti-abortion group, criticized the move as a lack of “true leadership” by Trump administration officials.

“The administration continues to find itself on the wrong side of women's health, clearly uninterested in mitigating the ongoing harms caused by the abortion pill,” Oxley said.

The two-drug regimen of mifepristone, combined with a second drug misoprostol, is the most common form of abortion in the U.S.

The FDA was directed to provide the latest update by a federal judge in a case brought by the state of Louisiana alleging that mail-delivery of mifepristone undermines the state’s abortion ban. It’s one of several state lawsuits related to mifepristone winding their way through the courts.

Last month a three-judge panel for the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals questioned the merits of Louisiana’s case, including whether the state had the legal standing to challenge FDA’s oversight of mifepristone.

Any ruling from the 5th Circuit on the Louisiana case would not immediately change the landscape because the Supreme Court has blocked changes to the drug until it sees the case again.

The FDA said Wednesday it is using a “statistical data mining method” to discover “unknown safety concerns,” that may exist with the drug. The data comes from an electronic database that collects reports of medical injuries and drug side effects from major health networks and insurers.

In addition to the safety study, the agency said it is considering a number of petitions proposing changes to how mifepristone is prescribed and distributed.

Abortion opponents have focused most of their efforts on a 2021 decision allowing doctors to prescribe the drug online and send it through the mail during COVID-19. That decision, made permanent under President Joe Biden in 2023, had the effect of undermining a number of state abortion bans, since women can receive the drug through the mail.

___

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

After Anthony Volpe's would-be tying homer in the bottom of the sixth inning turned into a double on video review, the Yankees did not get a runner past second base. When leadoff hitter Trent Grisham struck out to end the ninth, it capped a 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 3 of the AL Division Series and a series sweep that extended the Yankees’ championship drought to 17 years.

“Disappointment,” Game 3 starter Max Fried said. “It’s not the way that we wanted it to end, not up to what we were expecting.”

After sweeping Boston in the Wild Card Series, New York never led against the Rays and has not advanced past a higher-seeded team in the postseason since 2020.

Asked to explain why the past two seasons ended without being able to get over the hump, likely AL Cy Young winner Cam Schlittler called it a great question and responded, “I don’t really have an answer.”

Without injured slugger Aaron Judge, the Yankees were one-hit and shut out in the opener, when catcher Austin Wells' baserunning blunder loomed large. Game 2 included four errors to get pushed to the brink of elimination.

The Yankees didn't go quietly — at least initially. When Fried gave up a run apiece in the third and fourth innings, the bats responded each time to tie the score.

Victor Mesa Jr. crushed Fried's 80th and final pitch for a go-ahead, two-run home run that was far from a short-porch homer like Ryan Vilade's earlier.

“It’s just as simple as I threw a bad pitch,” Fried said. “I left it up and the guy hit a home run, which was two runs and it put it out of reach. ... We played a really sound game and did enough win, and unfortunately I didn’t do enough to be able to kind of hold up my end of the bargain.”

It looked like New York would get it right back in a redemption moment for Volpe, but a Jeffrey Maier-esque moment came back to haunt the home team 30 years later.

Volpe looked to have a home run to left field, and it was called a home run by the umpires on the field. Video review determined the fan did interference, the play was scored an RBI double for Volpe, but the run that did not turned out to be the difference.

With the air sucked out of Yankee Stadium, Spencer Jones — who singled and doubled in his first two plate appearances — struck out swinging to end the threat. The eighth started with Paul Goldschmidt reaching on a throwing error and finished with fellow pinch-hitter with Giancarlo Stanton striking out in just his second at-bat of the postseason.

“They pitched well against us, and we had no answers for it,” Jones said.

Stanton got chances to swing the bat after strained calf muscles in each of his legs sidelined him since April 24. Judge was not afforded the same opportunity, left off the rosters for the AL Wild Card Series and the ALDS because of his calf injury.

“It definitely hurts," Judge said, unwilling to speculate whether he thought he would have been able to alter the result. "You want to be out there. You do all the rehab, all the work, come in here early, stay late — any time you’re banged up, you try to get out there as soon as you can. It definitely hurts not getting a chance to be out there and battling.”

The Yankees hit .130 in the series and were outscored 10-5.

“Obviously, they have some good arms, but we had the talent in here to combat that,” said left fielder Cody Bellinger, who was 1 for 12. “Didn’t really continue to get that big hit with runners in scoring position.”

Aaron Boone again fell short of a title in his ninth season as manager, and some fans chanted “Fire Boone!” as they streamed to the exits. He has a year left on his contract and expects to return.

“That’s for another day,” Boone said. “Right now is about trying to reflect on this, trying to connect with guys right now as much as I can. Appreciative of a lot of things, but those conversations and things are for another day.”

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Rays manager Kevin Cash waved an arm and pointed toward first base, urging Mesa to start the type of trot the 25-year-old yearned of when he defected from Cuba in 2018.

“That’s the moment that you want to live when you’re growing up,” Mesa said after his tiebreaking, two-run homer off Max Fried in the sixth inning lifted Tampa Bay over the New York Yankees 4-3 on Wednesday night for a three-game sweep of their AL Division Series.

Ryan Vilade also homered for the Rays, who got help from a fan interference call and reached the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2020. They host the Chicago White Sox or Cleveland Guardians in the opener on Monday.

“We’re a bunch of dogs,” Vilade said. “We don’t care who’s on the other side. We’re going to go out and compete and do our thing.”

Mesa, 25, was designated for assignment by Miami just ahead of spring training, then traded to the Rays.

“Look where I am now," he said.

Cash had worried when Mesa lingered at home plate.

“The last thing we need to do is ignite a really great team over there,” the manager said of the Yankees. “I get the emotions and the excitement and that was probably the biggest home run he’s ever hit in his life, so I totally appreciate how you want to enjoy that. In today’s game, there's a fine line of what’s OK and what’s not.”

A son of former Cuba player and national team manager Victor Mesa, Victor Jr. was 16 when he left Cuba along with his older brother, Victor Victor Mesa. Both signed with the Miami Marlins and the older brother didn't advance past Triple-A.

“When we defect(ed), we knew that we wanted to live moments like this," Victor Mesa Jr. said. “I want to thank him because he’s a big part of why I’m here.”

Vilade, 27, is with his sixth major league organization and got extensive big league playing time for the first time this season.

“Last year I was in Memphis and sleeping on an Amazon — or a Walmart bed,” he said of his stint with St. Louis' Triple-A farm team. “And this year I’m here and get to go to the ALCS and compete with my guys.”

After Mesa's homer gave the Rays a 4-2 lead, Anthony Volpe appeared to hit a two-run shot against Griffin Jax with two outs in the bottom half as a fan reached over the left-field wall and caught the ball over the glove of a leaping Mesa.

A video review by replay umpire Malachi Moore determined the ball would not have been over the wall and would not have been caught by Mesa. Volpe was awarded an RBI double and George Lombard Jr. was allowed to score from first base. Jax recovered to strike out Spencer Jones.

Baseball's embrace of video technology was key to the inning.

Lombard reached with a one-out walk when a 3-1 pitch called a strike by plate umpire Dan Bellino was ruled inside on an ABS challenge. Austin Wells then walked on full-count changeup but an ABS challenge by Rays catcher Liam Hicks ruled the pitch caught the inside corner for a strikeout, bringing up Volpe.

Quite a change from 1996, when umpires did not have replays to assist and Derek Jeter's homer for the Yankees helped turn around the ALCS opener despite young fan Jeffrey Meier reaching over the right-field wall where Baltimore's Tony Tarasco was set to catch the ball. MLB began using video for home run calls in 2008 and allowed challenges to ball/strike decisions starting this year.

Junior Caminero singled ahead of Mesa's homer on a sweeper, the first longball Fried allowed to a left-handed hitter since August 2025.

“We played a good game and did enough to win and unfortunately I didn’t do enough to hold up my end of the bargain," Fried said.

Ian Seymour pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings and Kevin Kelly struck out pinch-hitter Giancarlo Stanton to strand a runner in the eighth.

Bryan Baker pitched the ninth, striking out Trent Grisham with a runner at second to become the first pitcher with three saves and no hits allowed in a three-game postseason sweep.

"We’re going to have to bring it in the ALCS and keep playing our type of baseball,” Baker said.

Seeking its first World Series title, Tampa Bay celebrated on the field of the big-spending Yankees for the second time in two weeks after clinching the AL East on Sept. 22. New York opened the season with MLB's third-highest payroll at $303 million while the Rays were 26th at $91 million.

Swept in a best-of-five postseason matchup for the first time since the 1980 ALCS against Kansas City, the Yankees ended their 17th straight season without a World Series crown. That equaled their longest drought since winning their first championship in 1923, a gap between titles in 1978 and '96.

“The ending is terrible,” manager Aaron Boone said. “It’s a broken clubhouse.”

Yankees captain Aaron Judge missed the postseason after straining a calf on Sept. 16. The three-time AL MVP played just seven games after May 31 because of a fractured rib and the leg injury, an absence the team couldn't overcome. New York batted .130 in the series and was outscored 10-5.

“There’s a standard to win a championship, and it’s black and white," Judge said. "There’s no gray area."

After sweeping Boston in the Wild Card Series, New York never led against the Rays and has not advanced past a higher-seeded team in the postseason since 2020.

“This is my fourth season. It’s been far too many times having this taste in your mouth,” Volpe said. “There’s too many chips added to your shoulder that it just feels like enough’s enough.”

Jonathan Aranda put the Rays ahead with an RBI single in the third and Ben Rice tied the score against Nick Martinez with a single in the bottom half, his eighth RBI of the postseason.

Vilade's opposite-field, 340-foot drive in the fourth landed just over the right-field short porch. The ball, just over the glove of a jumping Jones, would not have been out of any other big league ballpark.

Volpe, starting at second base in place of Jazz Chisholm Jr., hit a 96.6 mph liner off Martinez’s back with two outs in the fourth for an infield single, and Seymour relieved. Jones’ opposite-field double landed beyond Mesa, driving in Volpe.

The Yankees left the ballpark dejected.

“We didn’t meet the expectations of the fans and this organization," ace Cam Schlittler said. “There’s a certain standard of being a Yankee and we didn’t fulfill that.”

Up next

Tampa Bay gets four days off and will have played just three games in 14 days before starting the ALCS.

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

The former MVP and five-time All-Star was overcome with emotion as he tried to explain his role in the Atlanta Braves' exit from the NL Division Series with Thursday night's 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4.

“I feel like I did nothing to help the team this series,” Acuña said through Braves interpreter Franco Garcia. “You know, I’m supposed to be a spark plug for my team out there, and I never lit that fire. And so, extremely disappointed.”

Acuña said his sore knee, on which he had an MRI after Game 3 to check for a potential injury, was not a factor in his performance.

Acuña was 2 for 15 in the series with no home runs and no RBIs. There was a smattering of boos at Truist Park after he grounded out in his final at-bat to finish the night 0 for 3.

“It’s frustrating just because I know the talent that I have,” he said before he sat down and cut off questions.

There was more to the Braves' offensive struggles than just Acuña. Matt Olson and Drake Baldwin, Atlanta's other two top hitters, were just as unproductive. The trio went a combined 5 for 45 (.111) with no homers and one RBI against a Dodgers pitching staff that looks capable of leading the franchise to its third straight World Series title. The three sluggers were 0 for 11 in the clincher.

As a team, the Braves hit .145 in the series and averaged two runs per game, a quiet end to a season in which they won 94 games and the NL East title under first-year manager Walt Weiss.

“Losing is definitely the number one (frustration),” said Baldwin, whose eyes were also red from tears. “(Winning is) the only goal, but just not coming through. I mean, most of it relates back to that. It’s doing what we can to win games and execute that.”

Due to a combination of injuries and scheduling, the Braves were forced to use two bullpen games to start the series at Dodger Stadium, and Atlanta managed to get a split. But with the Braves' top two starting pitchers available at home, the offense dried up. Atlanta scored just two runs in two games.

“The Dodgers have something to do with that,” Weiss said. “They’re going for their third straight world championship for a reason. Their arms just keep coming at you.

“But that’s the postseason. You never know what you’re going to get. It’s very unpredictable. But some guys, you have a lot of unsung heroes a lot of times in the postseason, and sometimes guys struggle. It’s obviously magnified because you’re playing under a microscope. We struggled with runners in scoring position. So did the Dodgers. The games were really tight.”

Austin Riley, who hit a three-run homer to send the Braves to a victory over the Phillies in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, also struggled against the Dodgers' star-studded rotation of Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow.

Should the Braves' offense be given a little grace, given who they were facing?

“The competitive side of me is like, no, but you know, they’re tough,” Riley said. “They’re a tough group, they really are. But at the same time, in order to get to where we want to be, we've got to be able put together hits and score runs against those guys.”

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

“Just hoping for the best,” the New York Yankees infielder said. “Crazy.”

With the Yankees' season at stake, Volpe was denied a tying home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 3 of their AL Division Series when a replay review determined a fan interfered with his drive to deep left field Wednesday night.

The swing of emotions came nearly 30 years to the day after young Yankees fan Jeffrey Maier reached over the right-field wall at Yankee Stadium on a ball hit by Derek Jeter in the 1996 American League Championship Series against Baltimore. With no replay system in place back then, the home team benefited from umpires calling it a home run instead of interference, and New York went on to win the World Series.

This time, the Yankees wound up losing 4-3 by the very run that was taken off the board and had their season end in a three-game sweep.

“I mean, we lost,” Volpe said. "That’s what we’re dealing with now. That’s just what happened.”

Replay umpire Malachi Moore made the call on Volpe's sixth-inning drive in Major League Baseball's Replay Center, and players and managers on both sides mostly agreed the right decision was made.

“I thought they got it right,” New York skipper Aaron Boone said. “When he hit it, to my eye looking out there, I was a little concerned right away because it felt like something — I wasn’t sure. And then seeing the replay and seeing it unfold, I thought they did the right thing."

With rookie George Lombard Jr. on base — Austin Wells would have been as well if not for a successful ABS challenge by the Rays — Volpe turned on right-hander Griffin Jax’s 96 mph sinker and hit it 357 feet to left field. It was a matter of inches as to whether a fan reached over the fence and interfered with the ball or it would have cleared the wall without help.

“He almost had a big home run,” injured teammate Aaron Judge said. “Off the bat, I liked the chances.”

The play was initially called a two-run homer that would have tied the score at 4 with two outs in the sixth. But a lengthy video review determined a fan reached over the wall to catch the ball as Rays left fielder Victor Mesa Jr. tried in vain for a leaping grab.

“It was interference," Mesa said in Spanish. “I believe I might have even been able to get to that ball. Not that it matters whether we won or lost. Well, it’s in the past now. I think they could have even called an out, because I was right there. Everything happens for a reason. It was kind of an in-between call.”

Spectator interference became the ruling, and Volpe was awarded an RBI double that scored Lombard from first base, trimming Tampa Bay's lead to 4-3.

“I don’t know if he would have caught it or not caught it, the guy would have scored or not,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "Our replay official Nick (Rogers) said the runner had passed second base at the point where the ball hit the fan’s wrist or hand, and makes sense why they awarded him home."

There was another slight delay after some fans in left threw debris onto the field, and Spencer Jones then struck out against Jax to end the inning.

The fan who reached out to catch the ball was escorted out of Yankee Stadium by security and police.

“After viewing all relevant angles, the Replay Official definitively determined the spectator interfered with the ball over the field of play. The ball would not have left the playing field nor would it have been caught. The call is OVERTURNED, there was spectator interference and no home run. Additionally, the Replay Official scored one run and placed the batter-runner at 2B,” MLB said in a statement from the Replay Center.

Judge knew once he saw the side-angle replay that it was fan interference. He and his teammates had to deal with that reality.

“You go from a tie game to down one,” said starting pitcher Max Fried, who gave up a two-run homer to Mesa in the top of the sixth. “(Volpe) made a great swing, and it’s just the way the game goes sometimes. It’s unfortunate because that changes the game.”

___

AP Sports Writer Eric Nunez contributed to this report.

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Reese scored six of her team's 13 points in overtime. She made two free throws with 4.3 seconds left after Sabrina Ionescu overthrew a pass as Atlanta moved within one win of its first WNBA Finals appearance since 2013.

“I think we did a great job making sure that we were all on the connected stream," Reese said. "We really stayed together and played together, and that's how we won.”

Jordin Canada also scored 23 points and had eight assists for the Dream, who won Game 1 92-82.

Breanna Stewart scored 35 points, including 25 in the first half. She missed a desperation attempt on the final play after the Liberty didn't use their reset to advance the ball, with Stewart saying after the game that officials told them they didn't have one left.

New York hosts Game 3 on Friday.

With the Liberty trailing 86-80 with under two minutes remaining in regulation, Ionescu cut the deficit in half with a deep 3-pointer. An Atlanta shot clock violation with 31 seconds remaining opened the door for the Liberty to get closer, and Stewart hit a quick layup in traffic to make it 86-85.

After New York fouled to extend the game, Reese knocked down both free throws to give the Dream an 88-85 advantage with 14.5 seconds left. Marine Fauthoux knocked down the game-tying 3-pointer with 10.3 seconds to go, boiling the game down to one final Atlanta possession. Rhyne Howard's midrange floater rimmed out just before the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.

“We just had a message that we thought we could be the best team over the last five minutes, let's start off by executing the first couple plays," Dream coach Karl Smesko said. "Everybody was locked in on what those plays were, and they went out there and executed them.”

Atlanta scored the first five points of overtime before New York responded with the next eight, giving the Liberty a 96-93 lead. Canada and Reese scored the next two baskets to flip the advantage again, only for Stewart to respond with one in a pulsating back-and-forth extra period.

Hillmon's layup gave Atlanta the lead for good. The Dream forced a jump ball on New York's first attempt at its final possession, only for the Liberty to win the tip and get another opportunity before Ionescu's wayward pass.

“We're not focused on winning three games straight right now,” Stewart said. “We're focused on winning one game, and that's Friday, and then we go from there. This group has experience. I've been part of some crazy series and I have a lot of confidence in our group.”

The Dream won without leading scorer Allisha Gray, who missed the game with a left hand injury. Izzy Borlase helped soak up her minutes, and the rookie scored 11 points of the bench.

___

See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

Addressing a rally in San Antonio, Trump renewed his calls for Clemens to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. That's an honor the pitcher known as “The Rocket” has yet to receive because of suspicions he used steroids during a 24-year career that featured time with the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Houston Astros.

“We’re giving him the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” Trump said. “And, along with the Congressional Medal of Honor, it’s the highest award bestowed upon anyone.”

The president continued: “He'll be in the Hall of Fame someday, but he deserves it. One of the greatest athletes, and maybe the greatest pitcher, of all time."

He added that the medal “is a big step up from the Hall of Fame.”

Trump has given the medal to various athletes during his two terms in the White House, including golfing legend Tiger Woods, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, famed Yankees closer Mariano Rivera and Lou Holtz, former coach of Notre Dame football.

He's bestowed the same honor on Elvis Presley posthumously and on Rush Limbaugh the year before the conservative radio host died.

Wednesday's surprise revelation came near the end of a Trump speech that lasted more than 100 minutes, and with the crowd having lost some of its enthusiasm. Clemens was attending the event, and the president called him to the stage, where the retired right-hander offered, “Well, I’m stunned.”

“This supersedes anything that obviously I've done in my playing career,” Clemens said. “And to get it from this man, this president, there wouldn’t be another president I’d want to get it from.”

Clemens, who was raised in Houston, said he was honored that the announcement came in Texas and added of Trump: “You’re talking about a winner. That’s a winner right there.”

Clemens, like slugger Barry Bonds and many other stars widely suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs, was repeatedly rejected by baseball writers in his bid for the Hall of Fame. There are other avenues where Clemens and others could eventually make it, but the road is not easy.

Clemens isn't the first star baseball player Trump has made a Hall of Fame case for. The president issued a posthumous federal pardon last year for the late Pete Rose, which led to Major League Baseball lifting its ban on the all-time career hits leader.

Trump has called for Rose to be inducted in the Hall of Fame too — also, so far, unsuccessfully.

__

Weissert reported from Washington.

Ramírez broke out of his batting slump Wednesday, helping Cleveland avoid a sweep in its AL Division Series against the Chicago White Sox. The seven-time All-Star had two hits, drove in two runs and scored twice during the Guardians' 9-3 victory in Game 3.

“Josy, that’s why he’s one of the best players in the league,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “He can hurt you with the bat, the legs and the glove. He showed all that today.”

The 34-year-old Ramírez also made a diving stop at third on Miguel Vargas’ bases-loaded smash in the sixth inning, preserving Cleveland’s 5-3 advantage.

“After that play, it was, OK, this is our game to win, and that’s what we were able to do,” Ramírez said through a translator.

Ramírez was sidelined for five weeks after he broke a bone in his left hand on a swing against Detroit on June 13. The switch-hitter had surgery before returning on July 22 against Minnesota.

But he hit just .229 with two homers and 20 RBIs in 53 games after the operation. Then he went 0 for 6 with two walks in the first two games of the ALDS against the White Sox.

With the Guardians facing elimination, Ramírez delivered — just as he had so many times before.

“It feels special,” Ramírez said. “You know the type of season I had, but it’s important for us to win any game going forward because for us it’s do or die. So it feels really good. ... But for us, it’s the same mindset going forward.”

The first sign Ramírez was headed for a big night occurred in the first inning, when he hit a 107.9 mph liner that was caught by a diving Randal Grichuk in left field.

“We always know he’s one swing away,” Vogt said. “When he hit that first ball in the first inning ... great play by Grichuk. You knew he was here.”

Ramírez walked and scored on Jo Adell's three-run triple in the third, helping Cleveland take a 4-1 lead.

Playing in his 48th postseason game — all with Cleveland — Ramírez manufactured an insurance run for the Guardians in the fifth. He doubled, stole third and scored on Chase DeLauter’s grounder to second, beating Kyle Teel’s tag with a headfirst slide.

Ramírez’s savvy baserunning gave the Guardians a 5-2 advantage.

“When he got that stolen base at third, that kind of made it a José Ramírez game,” Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan said.

Ramírez popped up leading off the seventh, but he helped Cleveland put it away with a two-run triple with two outs in the eighth. Ramírez clapped his hands in excitement and threw an upper cut with his right arm as he stood on third after the important swing.

“Great game by Ramírez,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “Obviously, we know how special a player he is.”

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

CPA and lifelong Palmetto Bay resident David Singer served on the Village Council for four years. After a six-year break, he is now running for mayor.

“My tagline is experience matters,” Singer said.

One of the first things he says he would tackle is the budget.

“They’ll start with a zero-dollar line item. They won’t take last year’s budget. They will just start with a zero line item, and they will have to justify every expense,” Singer said.

Palmetto Bay mother Tamara Mourino says being a business owner gives her the knowledge and experience to run the village.

If elected mayor, she wants to maximize resources and streamline departments to save money.

“We need to get our team elevated to where they are able to create those efficiencies so we can be more proactive and supportive and reduce our budget instead of increasing,” Mourino said.

Registered nurse Karen Baez-Wallis has served in the medical field for decades, including being part of establishing a trauma center in Palmetto Bay.

“I really want to look out for the single-family home community,” Baez-Wallis said.

As mayor, her goal would be to find a way to bring even more jobs to the area.

“How do we entice businesses to come here so people can not only live and work but also want to invest locally within our local economy?” she said.

Pages drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single in the seventh inning to give Los Angeles the lead, and the Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 on Wednesday night to clinch their NL Division Series.

The Dodgers won back-to-back games in Atlanta to take the best-of-five matchup 3-1 and advance to an NLCS rematch with Milwaukee as they seek to become the first National League team to win three straight World Series.

Game 1 is Sunday in Milwaukee after the Brewers finished off the San Diego Padres with a 3-1 victory Wednesday night in Game 4 of their Division Series. Los Angeles swept Milwaukee in the NLCS last year.

Pages lined a full-count pitch from Robert Suarez up the middle to drive in Teoscar Hernández, who singled off starter Tyler Mahle, and pinch-runner Tommy Edman for a 3-1 lead. Didier Fuentes walked pinch-hitter Josue De Paula and Kyle Tucker to load the bases. Edman ran for De Paula.

It was an uplifting moment for Pages, who had two hits in the series-clinching win. A year ago, he went 4 for 51 (.078) in the postseason and lost his starting job in the outfield as the Dodgers beat Toronto in the World Series.

“I’ve been preparing myself all series for a moment like that, give myself an opportunity, get a good pitch to hit,” Pages said. “And luckily I was able to put a good swing on a pitch.”

Max Muncy's solo shot off Raisel Iglesias in the ninth padded the lead and gave the slugger 19 postseason homers for the Dodgers, extending his franchise record.

Los Angeles right-hander Tyler Glasnow, making his first start since Sept. 24, allowed only one hit but walked five batters in 4 2/3 innings. After he issued two walks in the fifth, left-hander Alex Vesia ended the inning on Matt Olson's groundout to second base.

Mahle, a native of Newport Beach, California, who grew up a Dodgers fan, allowed two runs — one earned — in 6 1/3 innings.

Michael Harris II hit Glasnow’s first pitch for a single before stealing second and eventually scoring from third on a wild pitch that bounced off catcher Will Smith’s chest protector.

The Dodgers pulled even in the second with the help of two Atlanta errors. Shohei Ohtani walked, stole second and advanced to third on catcher Sean Murphy’s errant throw into center field. Muncy’s pop fly into shallow left field was dropped by shortstop Mauricio Dubón for another error, allowing Ohtani to score.

Hitting woes for Braves

The missed opportunity left the Braves with 18 walks in the series, and none scored. Atlanta hitters finished 1 for 23 with runners in scoring position.

“The Dodgers had something to do with that,” manager Walt Weiss said. "They’re going for their third straight world championship for a reason. Their arms just keep coming at you.

“But that’s the postseason. You never know what you’re going to get. It’s very unpredictable.”

Bullpen pecking order restored

Glasnow and four relievers combined to give up just three hits. Tanner Scott pitched a perfect eighth before Edwin Díaz got three quick outs for his second save of the series. It was his second in two nights and evidence he has reclaimed the closer role just in time for the Dodgers’ run at another championship.

“That’s the reason why we got him,” manager Dave Roberts said. “The last two nights, that’s the reason why we acquired a guy like Edwin Díaz. He’s one of the great closers in the game. For him to be pitching his best right now, that’s what you hope for, and I give him a lot of credit.”

Díaz said he had a long season while recovering from elbow surgery and a neck injury.

“I feel great,” he said. “I’m happy what I’m doing right now. I put in a lot of work this season. ... Those things paid off at the end of the day. Last week and a half of the season, I did my job.”

Collision with wall

Hernández crashed into the left-field wall while attempting to catch Ozzie Albies' double off Vesia leading off the sixth. Hernández pointed to his head and neck when talking to an athletic trainer but remained in the game.

Edgardo Henriquez stranded Albies at second. Henriquez allowed one hit in 1 2/3 scoreless innings for the win.

Injury report

Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas was held out after leaving Tuesday night’s 3-1 win during an at-bat in the eighth inning with lower back soreness. Roberts said Rojas would not be available off the bench.

Ronald Acuña Jr. started in right field for Atlanta one day after being moved to designated hitter in a late lineup change due to right knee soreness.

Up next

The Dodgers will face Milwaukee or San Diego in Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday.

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Sri Lanka has been mired in drought for months, leading to severe water shortages that have left reservoirs dry and strained farming communities that depend on seasonal monsoons. Making matters worse, temperatures in many parts of the country have been higher than usual and high humidity has exacerbated the heat stress.

“We feel like we are being hit from every side,” Pushpakumara said. “If there is no water and we have to give up farming, we will have nothing left to live on.”

Climate experts say the lack of rain is likely due in part to a strong El Niño — a natural temporary warming of ocean waters that shifts weather patterns across the globe — combined with warmer temperatures driven partly by human-caused climate change.

Sri Lanka receives rain from two main monsoon systems. The southwest monsoon, which runs roughly from May to September, normally supplies up to 30% of the country’s annual rainfall, but this year there has been little rainfall through late September.

“We cannot say exactly whether it's due to climate change, since we need more evidence. But these kinds of events are increasing in recent years,” said Gayana Krishanthi Hendawitharana, a climate scientist at Sri Lanka’s weather department.

Recent showers have brought some relief to parts of the island. However, climate experts say scattered rain will not be enough to restore reservoirs and groundwater after months of dryness. The country’s 74 reservoirs have hovered around one-third full in recent weeks, resulting in water rationing in many parts of the island.

And it isn't only humans feeling the impact. The drought has also diminished water and food sources for wildlife in the country’s forests. Authorities are using water tankers and underground pipes to replenish watering holes inside some wildlife reserves.

Fields without water and a landscape transformed

In Medirigiriya, one of the most affected areas, rice farming is central to life. Roads run between villages and broad paddy fields, while small vegetable plots sit beside homes. During wetter years, rain fills irrigation tanks, and water stored there is released through the cultivation seasons.

This year, much of that landscape has been transformed.

The ground is dusty and brown. Vegetable gardens that once provided food and income have withered. Across exposed tank beds, cattle search for fodder.

In villages where household wells have failed, residents wait outside their homes with plastic barrels, bottles and jerrycans for water deliveries that are supplied for free by the Sri Lankan government and charities. On a recent day, a truck fitted with a large black tank pulled up along a dirt road, and families gathered around it with their containers.

For Indika Nuwankumara, a father of three, the drought has driven him into huge debt. He said he’s struggling to repay a $1,500 loan he had taken for farming. Without rain for four months, the rice, okra and eggplant he planted across his 8-acre (3.2-hectare) field have failed.

“I made a loss and am now struggling to repay the loan,” he said.

Nuwankumara said the intense heat has also made it harder to work in the fields.

“The daytime heat is unbearable,” he said. “Even using an electric fan inside our houses is not helpful because it blows warm air.”

Wildlife gathers around shrinking pools

The search for water is also playing out inside Sri Lanka’s wildlife reserves such as Yala National Park in southeastern Sri Lanka. Elephants, deer, water buffaloes, crocodiles and many types of birds including peacocks and cranes are among the wildlife that normally frequent watering holes to drink or cool off from the searing heat.

While the Menik River that supplies most of the 1,000-square-kilometer (386-square-mile) park still has flowing water, sections of the park have natural and artificial ponds that the animals drink from. Most of these have dried up. Wildlife officials say animals are suffering dehydration and heat stress.

In the dry landscape on a recent day, spotted deer bent their heads toward muddy pools. Elephants crossed parched ground and stood beside what remained of watering holes. In one area, hoses snaked across dusty earth near a small pool as wildlife workers tried to keep it supplied.

At another site, a tanker backed toward a watering hole and released water onto the baked ground.

Sri Lankan wildlife officials have said temperatures in affected areas have risen above 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit), drying vegetation and leaving many natural water sources depleted.

Farmers suffer from weather extremes

Back in Medirigiriya, Vidanaarachchige Wimalasuriya said he was able to harvest only six sacks of rice after borrowing money expecting to harvest at least 50 sacks.

“The lack of water and excessive heat destroyed my crop,” he said. “I could not give the plants water when they needed it most.”

He said only last year his home and field had been flooded.

“Now we are facing drought,” he said. “I don’t know what is happening to our weather anymore.”

Hemapala Mallika, a rice farmer in Medirigiriya, said the sparse rain they have received in recent weeks has done little to help.

“The water disappears as quickly as water poured onto hot iron," she said. "Even when we get a small spell of rain, it is not enough to soak the soil.”

___

Arasu reported from Bengaluru, India.

___

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.